#i was confused when i saw him at first when i first joined the fandom

[citrine-elephant]

i NEED to play re3. i need to see that carlos guy. he's fuckin hot. holy shit.

[honeydippedwaffles]

Smallest Drop - Part 2

Summary: Seeing as part one went well, I present to you the continuation but this time, from Astarion's point of view. Thank you all so much for your support. It makes me so happy to know the fandom is enjoying my work.

He honestly doesn't know what Tav wants from him or why she keeps stirring weird emotions in him and she only further confuses when she presents him with a thoughtful gift.

There will be a part 3. Tav is not mentioned by name.

Content Warnings: She/Her Tav

Word Count: 2.2k words

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

Astarion never considered himself particularly lucky but he knew how to adapt to situations beyond his control – keep himself alive and everything. He’d proven himself to be talented enough to seduce well, just about anyone.

Just about anybody it would seem but not a single member of the strangest group imaginable, also known as the one he’d chosen to travel with.

Because luck would mean the most frustrating woman in the world would be the one he aimed to… shall he say, convince about the benefits of staying close to his side.

Oh, she wasn’t exactly immune to his charms. He could see the effects when he moved close to her and her lips curled into a natural smile, attention flickering to him in anticipation of what he wanted to say. She brushed against his shoulder whenever she wanted to pass and laughed at his snide remarks.

All the things that he would usually consider a success; a sign he’d managed to win her heart in some form.

But then, she also went and did the absolute opposite.

Instead of pulling him aside in the camp when he offered and allowing him to drag his lips along her throat, she dragged him into the middle of the group to socialize. She leaned into his touches and then ran off to help save another puppy or whatever else caught her attention.

It annoyed Astarion because he knew she liked him but he didn’t know what she wanted from him. They’d spent one evening together and she appeared keen on more but then rather spent her nights teaching an owlbear how to sit.

Admittedly, a very cute pastime but still.

She ran a bath for him, washed his hair, and then promptly left him alone in the water instead of joining him for some fun. If he understood, he could easily provide but she made the first part infuriatingly difficult.

“Alright,” he said after she’d caught him staring into a blank mirror and spurned agitation in him by reminding him that he didn’t, in fact, know what colour his eyes once were. “Tell me what you see when you look at me. Surely you can describe my appearance well enough.”

She giggled and put a hand to her chin, as though considering. “I think we’d be sitting here the whole night if I did that. You’re so pretty, it’s unfair.”

Pride curled hot in his chest and his irritation simmered. Amazing how easily she managed to do such a thing. “Oh? Then name your favourite.”

She reached out to brush a strand of hair away from his face, freezing only when the action had already startled both of them. Astarion wondered why she stopped for only a second before he realised he’d shifted away from the touch, a movement done on instinct rather than thought.

Shit. That wasn’t going to help him.

She dropped her hand as though nothing happened. “I refuse to believe becoming a vampire changed you that much. There’s no way you weren’t this gorgeous before.”

She knew how to appeal to his vanity and the strangest thing about it was, he didn’t feel as though she did it on purpose. Her ceaseless flattery came naturally to her.

“It’s been over two hundred years since I last saw it and memories fade.”

A lie but not an important one. He remembered everything since the day he woke up in his coffin, panicked and struggling to breath though he didn’t need to. The pain of transforming, the agony of starvation, and unending confusion. Nothing slipped away and he hated it. Despised how the memories shoved their way forward.

But for now, he refused to think of them and instead waited to see what she thought of. She pressed her lips together tightly before she spoke.

“The first thing I noticed when I met you were your eyes. They’re red, obviously, but they’re also strong and piercing. You also get these crinkles beside them when you laugh.”

Again with the strangest compliments. Still, he took them in his stride this time. “That’s better. What else?”

“The way you smile. It’s dangerous and sharp but occasionally, genuine. It’s enough to charm anybody, I would say.”

He offered her a smile in response, pleased with the praise. He preened beneath her pretty words and happily took the knowledge close to heart. Meaningless flattery had always been one of his favourite things.

“Now just tell me I’m beautiful and we’ll call it a day.”

She laughed and tilted her head to the side. “You’re beautiful. I thought that much was obvious.”

But something in the way she said it ruined everything. She took the most boring compliment of the lot and meant it deeper than all the others. The teasing tone easily exposed the truth and the pride disappeared, replaced by something he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Thank you,” he said. “Now was there any real reason for you to make your way over here?”

She didn’t really want anything but he’d almost expected it. Everything she found on their journey eventually got shared with him and today, she spoke about some woman’s letter she’d found. Nothing important.

Astarion thought that would be the end of it.

He continued to flatter her to make sure she always preferred him above their other companions and was rewarded when she continued to seek him out first. An entirely selfish action truly but she offered him a path forward.

The others had their strengths but something about her united them the best. If a chance existed where he could retain this ability to stand in the sun, he had no doubt she would be his best way there.

Even if she did insist on carrying about so much nonsense she found whenever they went out and helped every person with the smallest problems.

But then she found an empty book lying on the floor somewhere and she immediately began staring at him whenever it was open, scribbling away inside but always staring at him over the edges. Every time he offered her a quizzical glance, she smiled and continued with whatever she was doing.

She showed it to Wyll and Gale a few times but never brought it over for him to see.

Of course, if Astarion really wanted to, he could find what waited in those pages easily.

The parasite provided an easy path forward but she would know he wanted something when he dug around in her head. He didn’t sleep most nights but she rested deeply; deeply enough to allow a vampire to drink from her throat without even waking her like the true fool she was.

She knew, even laughed when he complimented her the next morning, but never once complained, just told him he was welcome back whenever.

Originally, he thought she may be too trusting but he learned quickly how wrong that assumption was. She didn’t believe most of the people who tried to sway her to their side; straightened her back and glared when they tried to trick her and often even stood between them and her companions.

Which meant, somehow, he’d earned her trust.

Ridiculously stupid as it was for her to trust him, he didn’t want to lose the privilege and so he left her book alone until the next time she spent too long staring over its top.

“I do hope you’re writing something fun in those pages,” he said. “If you let me read them, I’m sure we can make them happen.”

She laughed at the suggestion. “No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just trying to draw you.”

He lowered his goblet a little in confusion, unsure how to respond to such a thing. “Draw me?”

“Well, you complained so much about not being able to see yourself in the mirror so I thought this would be the next best option. Come here and I’ll show you.”

She patted the spot on the ground beside her but Astarion didn’t move. Of all the things he’d expected from her, he hadn’t anticipated a recall of the strange conversation from before. Certainly not for her to have spent several days on such a thing.

“Come on,” she welcomed him. “I’m not horrible at art, I promise.”

He shook off the surprise and forced a laugh. “My apologies, I got distracted watching those adorable cheeks of yours flush. It’s absolutely delicious to see the way the sun burns your skin.”

“Oh, that wasn’t the sun,” she said. “If you’re talking about this.” She twisted a little so he could see a deeper red mark on her chest and where it curled over her shoulder. “You know the chest I kept fiddling with beneath the grove? Turns out it was trapped but don’t worry, Shadowheart promised it would fade with time.”

He honestly hadn’t been speaking of anything but he found himself annoyed at her for a reason he couldn’t pinpoint. “Well, I suppose that’s what you must deal with when you’re obsessed with looting everything we come across.”

“It’s profitable,” she teased. “Now do you want to see what I’m drawing or not?”

He took his time to saunter over and sink into a relaxed seat beside her. The sun had begun to set and its final rays danced over her skin as she shifted closer, leg brushing against his own as she turned the pages to him.

“It’s not perfect,” she warned. “You’re not an easy person to capture on the page but it’s something.”

True to her words, the book had been filled with sketches from the front to the back. Some crude and others detailed but every single one was of him. Close ups, full bodies, and even a few in action with daggers drawn. Had she truly drawn them from memory alone?

“I keep getting frustrated when they don’t come out right,” she said. She leaned back so she was lying against the grass, attention on the sky. “I’ve asked the others but they can’t tell what I’m doing wrong either. They’re just not right.”

He turned the pages slowly, not sure how he should respond to a gift like this.

Seeing his face showed truth to her words. He hadn’t changed awfully much in these years. The great care put into this though… she’d spent ages detailing his hair on others and even put dapples of sunlight over others from when they’d been travelling through the forest.

They didn’t have many hobbies to pass the time while travelling (not unless you counted Lae’zel who appeared to be collecting more and more heads as they continued on) but this must have taken so much of her waking hours.

The emotion that crept up his throat was unwelcome and difficult to recognise. It made his unbeating heart twist uncomfortably and he immediately snapped the book shut.

She nudged him to get his attention. “Well? What do you think? We can hire a professional when we reach a bigger city but it’s a temporary solution.”

He forced the smile and it felt wrong. “I doubt even a professional will capture me right. It’s as you said, difficult to capture perfection.”

She laughed. “I’ll try again tomorrow but with our plans, I think you’re going to be in a foul mood and I don’t want to draw you when you’re sulking.”

“Me? Sulk? I couldn’t possibly imagine why when you’re making me trudge through a swamp.”

She grinned and for a second, the briefest moment, he felt something tug on his chest when he looked at her. Fondness. His panic flared immediately and he turned his gaze away, uncomfortable suddenly with the attention she lavished upon him.

Curse her and her ridiculous book. Yet another strange aspect of her life – one that tempted him to flee in the middle of the night and never return to this group and their insistence on helping people.

But he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t give up the safety provided by them yet.

“I’ll be happy to take this off your hands darling,” he said to her, holding up the book. “Keep it safe and make sure it doesn’t disappear in the night.”

“You will not. It’s mine until I get at least one drawing of you right and then you can have it.”

He leaned over her, placing one hand on the ground beside her hip. “Wouldn’t you rather the real thing? We can make some references for more enticing artwork in the future.”

She stared at him, briefly frozen as he drifted a faint touch over her thigh. The flare of lust in her eyes made him comfortable again. This was something he understood. An emotion he recognised. She still wanted him; she must if she spent all this time trying to draw him.

She moved closer and her breath brushed over his cheeks, her eyes locked on his.

He waited, about to close the gap, when she suddenly kissed him on the nose, grabbed the book from his hand, and rolled away with a laugh.

Astarion was left blinking as she tucked the book into her pouch.

“I’ll let you have it when I’m done but that does sound like fun. Unfortunately, this evening though, I managed to talk Wyll into giving me some dance lessons so I’m booked. You should join if you feel up to it.”

He huffed and tried not to let the strange jealousy return as she ducked away towards the others.

Taglist: @rosenightwings , @tragicdruid , @bloopthebat , @venus-wrts

[arkhammaid]

— ˚₊‧⁺˖THE LIGHTNING ON TRACK | THE GRID'S REACTION

fandom. formula one & mcu

about. the grid reacts to the news!

content warnings. some drivers are acting like assholes, some cursewords, 23!grid

notes. have another reaction chapter hehe

daniel ricciardo Guys

Guys wake up

IT'S IMPORTANT

lando norris ???

daniel it's 5am, why are you spamming rn

carlos sainz It's summer break, why can't you all shut up for once

daniel ricciardo Did no one see the news? Stark is coming to F1

carlos sainz To a race?

daniel ricciardo No you shithead, he's making a team

charles leclerc !!!!

lando norris at this point you'll never win monaco (because once stark joins, there no longer will BE monaco) charles leclerc Fuck you, nowins

daniel ricciardo This is serious... Tony fucking Stark wants to create an F1 team for the next season. @/max verstappen your winning streak will be over

charles leclerc Next season??? I thought for 26?

lewis hamilton Of course he would do that

charles leclerc Lewis, explain?? daniel ricciardo Yeah Lewis, please explain?

lewis hamilton Did any of you ever meet Tony? He will probably see the next season as test for the 2026 season. To train his mechanics and engineers and go all out. I bet many are saying it's a waste of money

carlos sainz It is a waste of money.

daniel ricciardo Yeah, they do. Reactions vary but 'experts' are saying that Tony is just wasting his time and should properly prepare for 26

lewis hamilton Knowing him, he already has a fully built car for 2026 and it's a beast.

fernando alonso Only the best for his daughter!

charles leclerc What. lando norris wdym his daughter??

george russell Why are you all awake at this bloody hour?

kevin magnussen Read the room. Everyone is in schock.

sergio perez Stupid. She will fail like every woman in motorsport with a rich father. Too dramatic.

lando norris i'm still confused???

oscar piastri Tony Stark has three children. Harley Keener-Stark, Y/n L/n-Stark, Peter Parker-Stark. Y/n is his only biological child and currently racing in Formula 3. She won Formula 4 last year.

charles leclerc I thought he only had sons?? When did Y/n appear? oscar piastri She 'appeared' the first time in January this year as Tony's daughter, no one knew before. lando norris how did you know? oscar piastri Google exists.

carlos sainz So daddy's money... great.

max verstappen I swear to god I will leave this chat the next time you all decide to fucking gossip at 6am like old women

daniel ricciardo It's important news!

max verstappen No it's not. Stark will be in F1 for a few years maximum and then leave again. It will pass

daniel ricciardo @/lewis hamilton you here? Don't you have anything else to add??

Fine, I'll guess I just ask the rest of the grid, you fucking bore.

daniel ricciardo @/everyone wakey wakey, it's time to wake up and talk!

mick schumacher Daniel? What's up?

george russell Ignore him. He has been annoying us because Tony Stark is coming to F1 and no one really cares. charles leclerc Lies and slander! I care!! lando norris yeah! me as well, idk what you're yapping abt

carlos sainz It's bullshit.

arthur leclerc Why do I have a bad feeling about Monaco...

ollie bearman THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING bianca bustamante It will be something for sure

lance stroll Well, I'm just happy to see another friendly face at the paddock :)

carlos sainz Of course you know Stark.

lance stroll You're just jealous esteban ocon As am I??? I'm your best friend AND MY BEST FRIEND HAS THE POTENTIAL OF KNOWING SPIDER-MAN???? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME???????

daniel ricciardo I want everyone who knows anything related to Stark to immediately share with us because Lewis is ignoring me and I need to know. The only info we have right now, is that Stark will make a F1 team and that's it. I refuse to believe that's it. So, @/mick schumacher @/lance stroll spill the beans.

mick schumacher He didn't say anything last time I saw him, so I can't help you much.

lance stroll I know nothing, ask my dad.

daniel ricciardo I don't believe you.

pato o'ward If they say they don't know anything, then they don't? I don't know what's the problem, just wait for the next press release

max verstappen Do you even know Daniel. He's unable to wait for gossip. And he classifies this as gossip

daniel ricciardo Gee, thanks, feeling the love here

nico hülkenberg I wake up to 100+ notifications, why are you all like this?

kevin magnussen They're all idiots.

kevin magnussen @/tony stark could you please speed up with the press release? Daniel is setting all grid chats on fire and it's not funny anymore.

y/n stark ha, weak ass bitch kevin magnussen Watch your mouth missy

tony stark Should I tag Seb in a Tweet to announce it?

peter stark do it y/n stark do it harley stark do it

pepper potts-stark Don't do it. We will proceed with the plan. No matter how annoying the people in your private life are.

kevin magnussen Yes, ma'am, sorry for asking.

sebastian vettel I deserve more than a Tweet at 10am.

y/n stark speak your truth king peter stark sorry for suggesting otherwise (@/yn stark stop being such an attention seeker, we all know seb loves charles the most) y/n stark but charles is not here rn is he?

daniel ricciardo @/kevin magnussen EXPLAIN YOURSELF?!

carlos sainz What is going on now...

charles leclerc KMAG FOR STARK???? I didn't put this on my bingo card, now I lost 100 bucks. Fuck you Kevin

arthur leclerc Pay up bitch

oscar piastri Well done, man

nico hülkenberg And so he leaves he burning, ever sinking ship... the true hero- sorry, I meant coward

daniel ricciardo @/kevin magnussen I KNOW YOU'RE ONLINE YOU COWARD, COME HERE

I just want to talk to you

kevin magnussen No.

*kevin magnussen has left the chat*

fernando alonso There is your answer

several people are typing...

taglist. @lilypadlover , @adorablezhui , @peqch-pie , @keyz-writes , @obsidianjewel, @themercyverse , @lem-hhn , @akiraquote , @kiiyoooo , @nichmeddar , @nothingfuninthislife , @minkyungseokie , @fionaschicken , @lyrasconstellation , @spideybv28 , @keii134 , @starssfall , @tpwkstiles, @fangirl-dot-com , @nichmeddar , @lady-laura-speaks , @nikfigueiredo , @hinamesgigantica , @brakingboundaries , @almostjollypizza , @yoremins , @raizelchrysanderoctavius , @celesteblack08 , @watermelon-sugars-things , @lighttsoutlewis , @radiantdanvers , @vellicora, @sterredem , @hiireadstuff , @jolixtreesunn , @mypage-myfandoms , @nelly187 @greeneyesandsunshine , @fulla02 , @welovediaaxx , @whyamireadingthis , @67-angelofthelordme-67 , @blueberry64857959 , @winchesterwife27 , @six-call , @skywalker1dream , @mellowarcadefun , @cherry-piee , @peterholland04 , @motorsportloverf1 , @renarots , @msbyjackal , @woozarts , @leclucklerc , @yl90

crossed off tags mean i can't tag you!

DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE SERIES TAGLIST? please leave a comment on this post or send a non anonymous ask!

ARKHAM MAID 2024

[s0urw00lf]

Can you do something for Issac Lahey? Maybe like him reacting to reader getting hurt or him being overly protective but he’s been too scared to share his feelings

Your protector

Pairing: Isaac layhey x reader

Summary: Isaac has been extra protective since you joined him in the supernatural world

Warnings: best friends to lovers, protective Isaac, sweetheart Isaac

AN: whoever requested this i want to give you a kiss because i love Isaac so much, he was so adorable and not talked about enough throughout the teen wolf fandom. Also this may be really long so bear with me here.

Isaac is your best friend, or was, about seven months ago he decided to drop you with no warning and joined the group of kids that everyone wanted to be apart of led by Scott McCall. You’d be lying if you said you werent completely broken by it, but you accepted it. You guessed after his dad died he decided he’d shed his old life and make a new one. He also had began dressing and acting different. He had this strong aura around him, he was confident and it showed. You were happy for him, that he gained himself a new family, you just wished he’d taken you with him.

that leads you to today, it was raining lightly and you were still getting used to walking home from school alone, even though after all of this time you should be, you weren’t. You and Isaac had been walking home together since first grade when you moved to beacon hills and befriended the boy two houses down. You were walking past the animal clinic when you heard something ruffle behind you, you quickly turned around and squinted trying to see what you could, but after a couple of seconds of nothing you turned back a round and resumed your walk. Why you decided not to bring your bike today? You didn’t know but now you were cursing at yourself for the stupid idea. You heard another ruffle behind you but it seemed closer, you turned around again but saw nothing. But you heard it, it was something big and its breathing was heavy. Almost dog like.

‘Hello?” You called out, bringing your hand up to shield your eyes from the rain, “look whoever you are this isn’t funny” you shouted, people in school, specifically Jackson loved to torment you now that you were alone almost 99% of the time. You quickly turned around and continued walking with a faster pace, deciding against the cliche horror movie following the sound move. A knot grew in your throat as you tried to conceal your anxiety.

Then out of nowhere you heard another growl from right behind you. You didn’t take the time to turn around and look that time, you just took off in a sprint. You only made it a couple of steps before you slipped, no thanks to the slippery ground. You hit her head pretty hard, all of a sudden a huge animal like figure was standing above you huffing, almost angrily, your breathing picked up but you couldn’t move. It was like you’d been glued to the ground. The animal circled your trembling form, you hoped that if you didn’t make any move the animal wouldn’t consider you a threat and leave.

You quickly figured out you were wrong, because after thirty seconds of circling you the animal bit you on her leg, you let out the most blood curdling scream as the animal ran off back into the woods. You sat up looking at your now blood covered leg, the shock suddenly hit you and everything went black.

You woke up to an intense pounding in your head, and the bright light shining above You did not help. “Christ” you muttered covering your eyes with your hand, only then did you feel the burning in your leg. You hissed, suddenly moving to grab at the injury, “you might not want to do that” a voice spoke entering the room startling you. “Sorry it was time for me to feed the animals”. It was the man you had known to own the animal clinic, suddenly confused you sat up. “Am i in the animal clinic?” You asked tilting your head. The man nodded before turning around and grabbing a bottle of pills handing them to you “should help with the pain” he said. Still confused you spoke “is this not for animals?” You asked. The man paused “you’ll soon find that my specialties lie beyond animals. I’m deaton by the way.” He said “take those and here is a water. I have a phone call to make. What is your name, may i ask?” He said handing you a small bottle of water. You eyed the pill bottle suspiciously “y/n, y/n l/n” you said. The man nodded walking out of the room, you guessed to go make the phone call.

‘what the hell’ you thought, before downing the pill. Anyone would’ve called you crazy for trusting the guy but you didn’t care, you had just experienced the most terrifying thing ever and you were in pain and desperate.

You sat in the room alone fore a round 25 minuted before you heard three new voices, which you recognized fairly well. You hopped off the table and snuck into the next room, careful not to put too much weight on your injured leg. In the room stood Scott stiles and… Isaac. All four of the men stopped conversing when Scott made eye contact with you over deaton’s shoulder. At the sudden silence deaton turned around toward where the boys were looking and saw you standing in the door way. “Y/n id like you to meet-“ “i know who they are” you cut him off. You tilted your head “i don’t understand why are they here?” You asked, eyeing Isaac who wouldn’t even meet your gaze. “Y/n we should talk.” Scott said taking a careful step towards you. You nodded “okay.” You complied. “you might wanna sit down” stiles said pointing to the row of chairs.

With the help of Scott you were able to do so with no casualties. The three boys sat down in front of you. “Okay” Scott spoke. “What happened to you today is gonna change you. For the better or worse is your decision. It’s gonna make you faster, see better and hear better. Along with some other things” Scott trailed off. You took in what he was saying, “is it what happened to you two?” You asked pointing at Scott and Isaac. They both pulled surprised faces, while stiles looked offended “wait why wouldn’t you assume it happened to me?” Stiles asked. You looked at him as if he was crazy “they randomly got good at lacrosse. You still… suck to say the least” you said. Stiles squinted at you eyes twitching. Scott cut stiles off before he could cause a scene. “Yes thats what happened to us” he answered, you nodded. “Wait am i like a, vampire or something?” You asked, dread filling her veins. Scott glance at Isaac, confused on why you were so cool about it who shrugged. “Uh yeah, something like that but more animal..ly” he said. “oh so like a werewolf” you said. He nodded.

after they finished giving you the rundown and was shocked at how well you took it they offered you a ride home and of course after the day you had, you accepted. The two boys in the front chatted mindlessly as if this was a normal occasion but you could practically feel the anger radiating off of Isaac. Which was funny to you because last time you checked, you were the one that should’ve been mad.

When you arrived at home you thanked them and hopped out sparing a glance at Isaac before closing the door door and walking away. What you missed was Scott basically forcing him to go talk to you, so when you heard the car door open and close again then quickly drive off you turned around confused until you saw the blonde curly headed boy. You waited for him to reach you before silently entering your house, inviting him in.

You went to your room and Isaac almost timidly followed you “You know you don’t have to stay with me out of pity” you said. He sighed entering your room, noting the small changes that’d been made “it’s not pity y/n” he said eyeing your picture collage that surprisingly hadn’t changed at all. You squinted “no? Then what is it? Guilt?” You said.

After all this time you thought you weren’t angry, but now that he was standing in your face, you were angrier than ever. “Me getting bit is what it took for you to finally look in my direction again is that it?” You took a step forward. Isaac averted his gaze to his shoes . “I was trying to protect you.” He quietly spoke. You let out a laugh “protect me? Well you did a great job at that, look at me now i have a bite on my leg that i don't even know if ill live from, and if i do i just so happen to ill have creatures and people trying to cut me in half or rip my heart out so thank you for ‘protecting me’” you said sarcastically.

”it wasn't supposed to be like this” he said finally looking you in your eye. “well tell me what was it supposed to be like Isaac?” You asked getting louder. “not like this y/n, you weren’t supposed to get involved in this life” he matched your volume. “Right and completely cutting me from your life was the best way to go about that” You shouted, your heart began to race and the anger in your chest began to fester like it was burning your skin. Isaac’s eyes widened “y/n calm down” he stated carefully. You glared at him “no i don't think i will” you said stalking forward. Isaac quickly grabbed you and before you had any chance to retaliate he turned you to face the mirror you had on your wall. Your eyes were glowing a bright orange, the shock hit you like a ton of bricks and the glow immediately disappeared. “What the hell? Do yours do that?” You asked him, Isaac stood behind you wide eyed “yeah, but not that color” he answered. You turned around in confusion “what do you mean?” You asked. “I think we should call Derek” he said pulling his phone out of his pocket “hale?” You asked incredulously. He nodded.

‘what the hell’

[yayakoishii]

Can I request sanji and reader being childhood friends and meeting again years later (and sparks fly obviously)… Maybe reader was told Sanji was dead after he ran away from Germa so seeing him is absolutely crazy for them. Ideally reader ends up joining the straw hats? No worries if you don’t pick this one but I thought it’d be cute!!

Gone | Sanji x Reader

Fandom: One Piece

Pairing: Vinsmoke Sanji x GN! Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

Tags: Light angst, fluff? Spoilers for Wholecake Island

A/n: First off, thank you for the request!! I tried my best to write it the way you wanted but I ended up having to slightly tweak the reader's role since it would have been impossible for Sanji to have a friend in his Germa days. I hope you don't mind! If this wasn't quite what you wanted, feel free to send in another request. I hope you enjoy ♡

also available on ao3!

Everybody in Germa 66 sang praises of the three princes. If asked to pick a favourite, they would all probably say either of Ichiji, Niji or Yonji's names. Not you though.

At 6 years old, you had firmly decided to yourself that your favourite prince was Sanji. Yeah, he wasn't as strong as the other three, but he was kind and sweet and most importantly, he was your friend. Well, your secret friend. After all, he was royalty and royalty wasn't supposed to lower themselves to your level.

Being the child of a nurse in Germa, you had been programmed to be born as fearless and unquestioningly loyal to the Vinsmoke family. Except, for some reason, it hadn't worked on you and you had turned out to be normal. At that young age, you didn't really know it, of course. But you could sense that you were different from the rest.

When you saw soldiers easily stepping in to let themselves be killed just on one word from a Vinsmoke, it made you flinch and it made you scared. You hid your fear from everyone except for Her Majesty, Vinsmoke Sora. Your job at that young age was just to look after, entertain and distract her. (The adults didn't tell you that you were supposed to be distracting her from her actual children.)

That's where you had met Sanji. He was the only prince who visited her. You didn't really understand much at that age but you couldn't get how any child could stay away from their own mom for so long. It made you dislike the other three.

"(Y/n), can you treat His Highness' wound like I had taught you?" Your mother asked you as she helped Queen Sora to lie down. Beside her bed, Sanji was standing with a scratched knee. He had slipped on a puddle on the way to Sora. You nodded excitedly and bowed to Sanji clumsily, like your father had shown you.

"Come with me, Your Highness!"

Sanji and you had sat on one of the couches in the room and you slowly worked on disinfecting the wound and putting on the medicine. The said boy was sniffling, which made you look up curiously. Everyone said the princes were supposed to be strong and that they never showed any fear or even cried.

"Am I hurting you?" You asked worriedly, trying to be even gentler. You were just waving the cotton in the air now, instead of actually touching him with it. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" Sanji immediately stopped sniffling, looking slightly alarmed. You could tell that he was scared– just like you! It excited you and you nodded enthusiastically.

"No, you would never cry, Your Highness, of course not!" You tried to wink at him but ended up blinking. Sanji stared at you, a little confused and fascinated, then nodded quietly. "What did you make for Her Majesty today?"

He startled at your question then said shyly, "I tried curry rice today, with an omelette."

"Ooh, did you get it to spill over the rice?!" You asked excitedly as you finished placing your personal favourite band-aid on his knee.

"It failed," he pouted. Before you could try to cheer him up, Sanji noticed the band-aid. "What is this?"

"It's my favourite Kakuma band-aids," you whispered, leaning in so that only he heard it. Sanji blinked at you unsurely before looking back down at the band-aids with a cute bear pattern on it.

"Who's Kakuma?" He asked, feeling foolish. You launched into a big explanation of your favourite show, Kakuma the Bear of Justice. The adults in the room let you two stay like that and that afternoon, you and Sanji became friends. When it was time for him to leave, he had asked you to not call him ‘Your Highness’ because now you were his (secret) friend.

"But I can't do that," you pouted, clasping your hands behind your back. "I am not allowed to call you by your name. But, I am allowed to call you my prince. Would that be okay?"

6-year old Sanji had flushed at the sweet way you called him your prince. He liked the sound of it. He didn't really understand why, but you were now his first friend and you smiled at him and told him about your favourite show and you even told him secret cooking tips that you had sneaked out of your mother to help him cook a perfect omelette with soft gooey insides.

From that day on, whenever Sanji visited his mom, he would also give you some of his food to try. It sometimes tasted horrible and was even inedible at others, but you would always take at least one bite and praise his efforts. You found him very cool for even trying to make all those difficult recipes– your mom wouldn't even let you enter the kitchen.

The two of you were each other's closest and only friend, so the day King Judge announced the death of Sanji at sea, your 7 year old heart broke for the first time in your whole life. Not long after, Queen Sora passed away too.

When you were 8, your father was called as a Wall by Judge and died. Within the span of a year, you had lost all the closest people to you and then came the attack on Cozia. Your mother and a few other nurses got attacked in the scuffle and she had pushed you, telling you to run far away from the battleships of Germa.

That was the last you ever heard of the only remaining loved one you had.

•

It had been 11 years since then. You were no longer the kid you once were. You had ended up lost in the East Blue, worked your way into a pirate ship as a apprentice. The crew managed to make it into the Grand Line when you were 13, but ended up stranding you on an island after an attack killed off most of them, including the captain.

You had hopped around islands over the years, exploring and picking up jobs or working in crews or delivery ships to travel as many islands as you could. Now, you were currently living on a small island that was a few islands away from Marie Geosie. You had contemplated it but, it would be foolish to try to enter the New World without a really strong pirate crew who could possibly survive it. Having made peace with that, you had settled into a small rural town where you worked in a bar at night and taught children how to fight in the day.

Being a small island where the log pose reset within 3 hours, not many pirates or marines ever came by or stayed long enough if they did come. It was the perfect place for a peaceful life– a rare occurence on the Grand Line, in your opinion. So you had taken the chance and established yourself within the community smoothly.

There were rumours going around, though. Of a new generation of pirates that were slowly making their way through the first half of the Grand Line. You had heard some names in passing but didn't really keep up with the news much until that one fateful day. The Straw Hat pirates had docked on the island at sunset and the news spread like wildfire. It was the most interesting thing to happen in a long while and there was a strange tension in the air.

There was also another small crew that had arrived just before them so there was a possibility that the two might clash. You hoped that there would be no fighting for the sake of your simple town. You were at your workplace, serving drinks and food to the customers, most of whom were people from your town or the surrounding ones. There were some unfamiliar faces as well, which you guessed were the new pirates.

You worked while keeping an eye on the ones who gave you a bad feeling. Just towards the end of your shift, you suddenly saw one of the pirates try to grope your co-worker. Within a flash, you were next to her side, standing in between the lecherous pirate and her cowering figure.

In a small town like yours, people were more fiercely protective. While in any other place the girl would have been told to tolerate it, that was not the case in your town. And you were free to defend them and drive the customer out in such a case.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," your voice was cold as you shot him a murderous look. The pirate could sense that you weren't joking with your skills and got out of his seat. You turned around to hold the girl by her shoulders and looked over her to ensure he hadn't hurt her without you knowing. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm alri–"

You were distracted by her answer and felt the pirate swinging at you a little late. Despite ducking, his sword still nicked the side of your neck. You hissed and whirled around, ready to beat the shit out of him when instead, a leg on fire smashed the pirate down so hard that the wooden flooring broke under the pressure. You winced a little at how the splinters pierced him but you were distracted by the owner of the leg which was no longer on fire.

"Getting handsy with a lady and then attacking from behind?" You jolted in shock at the sight of the man. That blonde hair… those curly eyebrows… No way. He was sneering at the man with disgust, a put-out cigarette in his left hand. The man on the floor groaned lightly; he was probably experiencing a concussion. The blonde man looked up at you with concern. "Your neck is bleeding."

"Oh," you automatically covered the wound, feeling the wet, sticky liquid dirty your fingers. You had nearly forgotten about it in the shock of seeing your childhood friend after so many years. He was alive? After all this time?

"Hey, you should go treat it," the co-worker you had saved spoke hurriedly. "I'll take care of things here."

"You sure?" You asked, eyebrows furrowed. Your brain was still frozen from the shock but your body was already moving on auto-pilot.

"Yeah, go quickly before you lose any more blood," she insisted, guiding you to the backdoor. You heard footsteps follow you.

"Wait," the blonde man– Sanji? –said from behind. "I, would you like some help with that?"

You could do it by yourself. You always dress your wounds by yourself. But instead of declining it like usual, you flashed him a smile and said, "I would like that."

Your co-worker seemed surprised by your words too and decided to leave you alone for now. You took the Sanji-look-alike with you to the backroom where your first aid kit was in the bag. For once, you were grateful that you always lugged the thing around; you actually had it on you for the kids you taught. The two of you settled down on the bench and the blonde carefully picked up the necessary medicines.

You just stared at his face, drinking in his features. It felt a lot like a dream. Sanji was supposed to have died. And yet this man in front of you bore such a striking resemblance to him. You had never seen curly eyebrows like this outside of the Vinsmoke family. But there was no way that Germa would let Sanji go, surely?

"Thank you for taking care of that scum," you said, eyes flitting all over the blonde's face. The more you looked, the more you saw your friend in him. Even in the dim light of the backroom, you could still recognise the bright blue eyes. "I could have taken him on if I wasn't distracted."

"I can sense that," Sanji smiled at your wound as he cleaned it up. He wouldn't meet your eyes for some reason but you watched him with half-lidded eyes. His touch was gentle and his fingers felt weirdly cool on your skin. It sent shivers down your back. You were reminded of that day when you had dressed Sanji's tiny injury. Funny how your roles were swapped now. "This might sound a little weird but, you really remind me of someone important to me."

Your breath hitched and you automatically teased, "Bet you say that to all the girls."

He laughed and finally looked you in the eye, "I could never. That person is too far away. I will never meet them again in this life."

He stared down forlornly at your first-aid kit. You followed his look to the plain band-aids in the corner of your box. A smile played on your lips.

"I couldn't find any Kakuma ones here," you said quietly. Sanji froze, wide eyes running all over your face. "Turns out Kakuma isn't very popular outside of North Blue."

"You…" Sanji suddenly grabbed you by your shoulders and you flushed at the close proximity. This Sanji was different from the cute boy you once knew. He was now handsome, but still just as cool. "(Y/n)..?"

"I feel like I'm dreaming, my prince," you admitted, smiling weakly. You placed your hand lightly on his right cheek, brushing the cheek faintly as if you were worried he would disappear with a touch. "They said you died in a shipwreck. Am I just missing you so much that I'm starting to see you on the Grand Line?"

"It feels like a dream to me too," he sounded a little broken. Your fingers pressed into the smooth skin and, it felt too real to be a dream. He was really sitting across from you. "How did you end up here?"

You sat there quietly for a few seconds, remembering the worst days of your life when you lost all your loved ones one after the other. You had kept that bottled up all these years.

"Let me change and I'll tell you everything when we're out of here."

Sanji nodded and slinked out the backdoor while you hurriedly changed, packed up and joined him. You decided to take him down the shore as you spoke about all that had happened ever since his death was announced. He told you about what happened to him the whole time, about the imprisonment, the actual shipwreck, the Baratie and the Straw Hat pirates. Both of you talked and listened for so long, the moon was up high when you finally stopped walking.

The sea was gently crashing onto the shore. Your bare feet dug into the dry sand from a distance as you stared at the horizon.

"So," you hesitated. "What now?"

"Now…" Sanji trailed off as he turned his head to face you. "Do you want to come join us?"

You hadn't expected that. Snapping your neck towards him, you stared with wide disbelieving eyes.

"Shouldn't you ask your captain first?" You asked nervously. The idea of being by Sanji's side for the rest of your life made your heart beat faster. He was different from the boy you once knew but the past few hours had only made you realise that this new Sanji was still the kind and sweet boy beneath all his differences.

"I'll convince Luffy," he said. You realised he was just as nervous as you felt. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"Oh," you looked away and back at the horizon. The part of you that still craved adventure was all in support of the idea. The other practical side of you wondered if you could just up and leave your life here. (Everyone would understand, wouldn't they?) "I spent so much of my life thinking you were gone, Sanji. Thinking that I had lost you forever. Thinking that I would never meet you again."

Sanji didn't reply, just slipped his left hand into yours. He squeezed it gently, as a reminder that he was here now. That he wanted to have you by his side from now on.

"I don't want to let you go ever again."

Your admission earned you a soft smile from the cook. He fully turned his body to face yours and you did the same. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on your forehead that sent your heart jackrabbiting.

"I don't plan to either," he whispered.

With those simple words, all your inhibitions were gone.

"Then take me with you, my prince."

You pulled him into a hug for the first time in your life. You were no longer a prince and a servant. No longer quite the friends you once were. But it seemed like you two were on the path to becoming something else entirely.

A something else that you both looked forward to.

°•❀•°

A/n: I feel like Sanji would treat you very differently if you were his childhood friend. He would be so much more serious than his usual perverted facade because you already know him at his lowest point. Also, Kakuma is a made up cartoon character. I took the name from the Japanese verb Kakumau, which means to shelter/hide/protect—something I really wanted to do for kid Sanji :(

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[echantedtoon]

A Lovers' Circle (Poly Haishira x Reader) Ch9 A Scarred Heart P2

(Or alternate title, Y/n meets a lot of her future in-laws and wins them over without even knowing. 

Warnings for a creep harassing Kanae and Y/n and Sanemi punching said creep. Creep getting a broken nose, and mentioned drinking. Blood mentioned. Cussing.

Hearts conquered so far: Mitsuri, Kanae, Gyomei, and now Sanemi.)

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Finally. Sunday.

Your report was done. Your bills were all paid. Your house was clean. All your chores were finished. It was your day off. And now you had nothing to do today.

BUT SPEND THE DAY WITH YOUR HANDSOME TALL BOYFRIEND!!

You were so excited for today that you woke up early, showered, and spent WAY longer than what you usually spent on doing up your makeup and picking an outfit. Gyomei may have been blind but you wanted to look your best for him! You both already had plans to go to this cute cat cafe, and then go to the park and then he wanted to take you to visit his favorite shrine! You didn't care where you both went went, as long as you got to spend time together. So that's why you happily squealed out and happily bounced to the door like a little deer. You were so excited when you threw the door open and saw the man of your dreams there waiting for you.

He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by you squealing and hugging him suddenly. "GYOMEI!!" You squealed out hugging the surprised man tightly before pulling back and beaming at him. "I'm so happy to see you! I've been waiting all morning!"

He didn't react at first before giving a tired sigh which made you blink taken aback. Was something wrong?

"Hey. Are you alright?"

"Yes. Everything is fine," he assured you with a comforting hand on your shoulder, "But depending on your answer our outing might turn out differently than we planned."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sanemi wants us both to join him and Kanae for a double date."

You stared silently at him. Sanemi wanted you to go on a double date with him?...SANEMI?! Why? You didn't think the man and you had anything in common besides knowing Gyomei and seeing each other when he dropped off Koto at daycare. Why did he suddenly want to go somewhere with you? Perhaps it had something to do with the letter you dropped off? But you didn't think you made a bad impression. Maybe he wanted to get to know you better?? You were dating one of his partners.

"Why?," you asked confused.

He hummed. "I'm actually not sure. He didn't elaborate on the call and I'm just as lost and confused as you are. I also told him it'd be up to you because we had already made plans."

"Oh..Where did he want to go?" 

"He wants us both to join him and Kanae at a local pool hall for lunch but again it is up to you. I won't be forcing you to do something when I already promised you something else."

A pool hall high? You haven't been to one of those before. You both had already made plans however your curiosity was wondering what in the world Sanemi wanted exactly. Gyomei mentioned that it was completely up to you, and by the sounds of it he was alright with whatever you picked....So why not do both?!

"Sure. We can join them for lunch. However -" He paused feeling your hands wrapped around one of his and flinched as a gentle kiss was placed on the back of it. "But until then you're completely mine this morning.~"

His face immediately burnt a pink which made you giggle as his other hand covered it. "Go-Goodness. You're making me blush."

"Good!" You gently tugged on his hand. "C'mon. We can still go to that cat cafe you like for breakfast and walk in the park until lunchtime. I'm still determined to let you enjoy your time."

The statement took his by surprise. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be making sure you're time is good."

"Nuh uh! You're fun is just as important. I'm not selfish enough to make you do things that only I'll like."

'How did I ever land on a woman as perfect as you?' He sniked softly but didn't say his thoughts out loud as you continued to tug him along with a bright smile on your face. "If you insist. I think you'll love Panny."

"Panny?"

"She's my favorite cat at the cafe. She's old but very affectionate."

You really didn't think much of it. Not when you were too busy having the time of your life giggling as Gyomei's huge form was practically swarmed by cats the moment he sat down in the chair. Climbing up his thick turtleneck, laying on his lap, rubbing against his legs, and one even coming to lay on his head. Which you giggled at and took a picture of which Gyomei didn't seem to mind bur he blushed like crazy when you giggled at him. You'd almost forgotten about agreeing to meet Sanemi and Kanae for a double lunch date. You were having too much fun relaxing and feeding ducks at the park little pieces of corn someone had been selling to people to feed said ducks. The cute little birds quacking up a storm as soon as they saw the bag in your hands and waddling up from the duck pond towards the pathway you stood on.

They were so cute! 

Not as cute as the cats at the cat cafe but the cute little waddles they gave and the funny way they ate from your palms had you smiling like a madman seeing it. Not even noticing the way Gyomei's head tilted at your form smiling softly. The peaceful silence couldn't last forever however because Gyomei got your attention by placing a hand on your shoulder. 

"Y/n, do you have the time by chance?"

"Huh? Oh sure. Give me a moment." You dropped the rest of the dried peas to the ground as the ducks quaked and scrambled after them. You took a moment to pull out your phone and checked on the time on the screen. "It's eleven sixteen."

"Ah. Nearly lunchtime then. We should get heading to the pool hall if we don't want to be late."

Oh. Right. You'd temporarily forgotten about agreeing to meet up for lunch. 

With a deep inhale you forcibly smiled at your boyfriend to avoid letting your reluctance bleeding through. "Sure. Do you know where this place is?"

He nodded extending an arm to you. "Of course. I was there a few times before. If you're a fan of hot wings, Mitsuri says they have the best in town."

"Can't say that I am, but I trust you. Let's stop by somewhere to wash our hands first. I don't think I'd want to touch food after petting a whole lot of cats and ducks."

"Fair point."

It was a quick stop by a rest room, before you proceeded to allow Gyomei to lead you out of the park, down one street, up another, turn a corner, and continued to walk until you were in a part of town you've never been to before. It was half suburban with a few two story houses and half stores with one about every three or four houses. It looked like a normal quiet neighborhood in all honesty. It was peaceful as you looked around at everything before you looked forward and nearly stopped walking when you saw what was in front of you. 

It was a small building, clearly some kind of store, but it wasn't the store that made you pause. It was the man standing outside of the building. 

Sanemi.

Even from fair away you recognized him and in his arms was two children. Koto asleep on his chest and on his hip was another young boy that looked older. Six maybe seven years old. He was held up on Sanemi's hip with an ice cream cone in his hands eating it as he looked around. There was also a third and fourth child standing next to him, a teenage boy who looked no older than fourteen reading some kind of book in his hands and another teenager maybe sixteen or seventeen based on his height also staring off into space. Sanemi stood there looking bored with a few shopping bags dangling from his elbows. He continued to stare ahead at nothing really before he just happened to look over-

And he had to do a double take staring wide eyed at you both coming down the street towards them but said nothing. Probably due to the surprise that was laid out on his face, however the younger boy also looked up from his book with a blink and immediately gained a big smile on his face.

"Mr. Gyomei!," he shouted as a happy greeting which made Sanemi flinch and Gyomei immediately tilt his head in surprise. "Hi!"

Gyomei tilted his head further until he came to a stop with you right next to him smiling. "Do my ears deceive me or is that Hiroshi I hear?"

"Hi, Mr. Gyomei!," the child greeted again with a bright smile on his face. "Yeah! I'm shopping with Mom."

"Oh that's wonderful. It's such a beautiful day outside. Weather is perfect for a good walk about. Is she here now?"

He shook his head before jabbing a thumb behind him. "Nah. She's inside getting girly stuff with my sisters. But Nemi's here!"

Immediately said white haired man snapped out of whatever trance he was in to shoot the teenager a glare. But Gyomei only tilted his head slightly upwards in the direction of where he presumed Sanemi was. 

"Hello, Sanemi. I thought we were supposed to be meeting at The Lazy Lily."

Sanemi inhaled before letting out a loud groan. "Yeah. At two o'clock!"

"Oh." Gyomei blinked as realization dawned on him. "Oh I must've forgotten. That's alright. We can still meet you there later."

Sanemi frowned more and would've said something- 

"Are you Nemi's new girlfriend?" Immediately his mouth hung open and you blinked in surprise down at the boy. He looked confused but curious raising a brow. "I've never seen you before."

"BRO!!" "HIROSHI!!" 

The teenager didn't even look phased by the two older boys giving him looks . "What?"

"You don't just ask a woman that!" Said older teenager gave you an apologetic look holding up his hands. "I-Im sorry. He didn't mean t-to be rude honestly."

Sanemi nearly died right there just hearing a string of giggles come out of her throat. "No. It's ok. I'm not offended at all, and to answer your question no. I'm not dating Sanemi, but we do see each other at the college. But it's so sweet of you to apologize. What's your name?"

"S-S-Sweet? M-M-Me?!" He opened his mouth- Bur quickly shut it as his face went a light pink and he quickly looked at the ground when Sanemi also shot him a grouchy look.

When he didn't answer you, you looked at Sanemi expectantly as he paused..With a groan he threw his head back which ended in a sigh. "Genya..His name is Genya. That's Hiroshi." His leg made a quick motion to point out the boy with the book. "And this is Shuya." The little boy with the ice cream looked up..but didn't stop eating or say anything. "They're my brothers."

"Ah!" You gushed with a smile despite yourself. "I can tell! You all look similar to each other."

They all had similar features. Their eyes were similar oval shaped with Genya having the most similarly looking face to Sanemi. But Hiroshi and Genya could be the same person at different ages with the similar haircuts, same could be said for Shuya and Koto who was still asleep on his big brother's chest. 

DING!! 

A bell ringing overhead caught you out of your thoughts and when you looked up, you thought you were looking at a reflection of Hiroshi and Shuya. Except you quickly realized that these other two people were girls with more similar features. Five women stepped out of the shop's entrance. Three children, two teenagers and one little girl around six or seven. And two grown women-

...

You blinked before smiling. "Mrs. Shinazugawa! Hello!"

The older woman was no taller than Hiroshi as she carried a few bags of presumed groceries but the bags under her eyes and grey hairs betrayed her age. She looked surprised to see you before smiling tiredly but happy.

"Well if it's that nice lady from the daycare," she greeted with her hands clasped together, "Now what in the world brought you all the way out here?"

"I'm just going on a date with my boyfriend." You gestured to Gyomei. 

She literally up immediately seeing the larger man. Guess she must've recognized him as one of Sanemi's partners. "Oh course! Hello, Gyomei Dear. Have you been well?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Are you sure? Have you been eating enough? You're so thin. Sanemi should've told me to pack lunches for you-"

"MOM!!" Sanemi uncharacteristically gave his mother a rarely seen embarrassed look that caused a few giggles from his siblings to bubble up until he groaned, pink faced, and looked away. "Y/n, this is my mom and my sisters. Teiko. Sumi. Y/n."

"I thought they looked familiar! You have such a lovely family, Sanemi!," you politely complimented which made him flush a deeper red warning a string of 'ooohhh' from his sisters and some snickering from Hiroshi. However you moved onto two different people. "Kanae! It's nice to see you again! What are you doing here?"

Said beautiful woman smiled at you finally being addressed. "I promised my parents that I'd take Kanao dress shopping for her Winter Solstice school dance. Which reminds me." She gestured to the final unknown child next to her. "Y/n, this is my sister. Genya and Kanao actually goes to the same school."

The girl looked a lot like a younger version of Kanae to be honest. Definitely no underestimating who she was related to. Both had black hair and pink eyes only slightly different shades and Kanao wore hers in a shorter side ponytail. She didn't say anything but she did politely bow to you both in greeting.

"It's so nice to meet you too! A dance huh? I bet your dress is going to look so pretty!" 

It was then that the young girl frowned and looked to the right. Oh. Was it something you said? Kanae caught on quickly to the shift on her sister's face before frowning. 

"Well that's the problem. The kind of dress she wants won't be sold to her."

"They're out?" Or maybe they didn't have them in her size?

Kanae shook her head. "No. It's not that. Do you see that dress in the display window there?" She pointed out to the large store front. "The one with the black belt at the waist." You looked and there was indeed a very pretty dress there. It was about your size, a dark magenta-purple-pink at the top but faded to a light pink and then a pure white near the bottom. A black decorative belt around it's middle as it stood there on the maniquin. "That's the only one in the store but they wouldn't sell it to us."

"Huh. Maybe it's for display only?"

"No. The woman said that it was inappropriate to buy a teenager a bridesmaid dress, she wouldn't even let us but it for her." She sighed tiredly. "This is why I wanted Shinobu to come with us. She's always so good at bargaining with people."

"Ya want me to go in there and talk some sense into her, Babe?"

That made Kanae laugh. "Thanks, Sweetie but I don't think your way of convincing would really help. Anyways- " She turned back to you and Gyomei. "There's a second hand store around the corner where I found my prom dress. We'll look there next. We'll see you two later at lunch?"

"Count on it. But now that you mention it-" Kanae blinked noticing that f/c orbs didn't look away from the pretty dress in the window at all. A thoughtful look upon her face. "That IS a very beautiful dress. It'd be a shame to just leave it there and it looks just my size!" That statement just got mixed reactions from everyone. Kanao especially looked wide eyed at your happy smile. "Gyomei, will you excuse me one moment?"

"Oh?" Said blind man looked confused as your footsteps suddenly left his side. "Um..I su-supposed so?"

Many eyes in shock or in slight disgust watched as you happily walked around or past a few people that stood in front of you. Practically skipping your way to the door. DING! With a pretty bell sound going off above her form, she disappeared into the doorway and there was silence as everyone stared... Before Teiko shot Sanemi a mean look.

"That was supposed to be the 'nice daycare lady' you talked about?!," she accused him with a disgusted frown. "That was the most blatantly mean thing I've ever seen!" 

"I'd have to agree, Hun. That was incredibly insensitive."

Kanae smiled wider. "Actually..Things aren't always what they seem with her." She patted Kanao on the back as she looked a bit close to tears. "You'll get your dress."

"Not if it's being bought by someone else."

Kanae chose to ignore Teiko's mutters and just continued to stand there in the awkward and tense silence. A moment later a man was visible in the window pulling the light weighted maniquin with the particular dress that had Kanao perking up and sadly watching as it was taken away from sight. Oh she knew she felt really upset...

But there's always a silver lining in the sadness.

DING!! You happily came back out of the store. Shopping bag in hand with your other hand pulling out the pink dress halfway that Kanao stared at without missing a beat. Examining the back of it .

"Look! Isn't it beautiful?!," you gushed holding it up to Kanae who nodded. "I couldn't resist and just my luck it was the last one like this!" You then looked down again before dramatically gasped. "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?"

You frowned. "It's not my size. I should've read the tag before getting it. *sigh* Oh well. It's too late now. I didn't ask for a receipt so I can't return it either. Oh, I know!" You happily held it up to a very happy looking Kanae. "You know a lot more girls than I do. I bet you'd know someone who'd just love this."

"Why thank you. I actually have the perfect person in mind for it." She happily accepted the bag from you before immediately turning to her sister who could only keep staring at the dress... before grabbing it from Kanae, still looking on in disbelief. 

"Well that was certainly a dead end. Is there any movie theaters around here?" Kanae pointed up the road. "Thanks! Gyomei, do you want to go listen to a movie while we wait?"

He smiled at you. "But of course. We will see you both later. Please excuse us."

He once again offered his arm to you and everyone stared as you walked down the road and up towards where Kanae pointed out. Everyone staring at the retreating couple before Sumi peeked up to her brother and giggled.

"Nemi and Y/n sitting in a tree. K. I-"

"FINISH THAT SONG AND YOU'RE SO DEAD!!"

Unfortunately the red of his ears betrayed his true feelings. Nor did Kanao miss her older sister's silent stare after the couple. This would be very interesting indeed.

*********************************

"How did you enjoy the show?"

"Sanemi was right about it having a good storyline," Gyomei complimented as you both walked back up the street back towards where you last left the Shinazugawa family and Kocho Sisters. "The plot twist that the final survivor was the one manipulating the strings the entire time was very well executed. The writers deserve a raise."

"I think it's easier to listen than watch along. But do tell, what time is it?"

"Uh-.." You looked around and spotted a grandfather clock sitting in the middle of an antique shop's window. "According to that clock over there, it's almost two. The movie must've been longer than we thought."

He hummed. "Then we'd best be along now. Follow me."

You once again allowed him to lead you somewhere as your arms intertwined. About one or two streets away from the dress shop he lead you, right up to a building that was a  single story but large and had a sign hanging on the front that read 'The Spider Lily Bar and Diner.' Your eyes blinked up unsure at the building but didn't stop when he walked up to the building's double doors. How he managed to tell where things were or get places without sight was still a mystery. Gyomei happily held open the door for you and the both of you walked in.

CLACK!!

The first thing you heard that got your attention was the loud clacking of pool balls hitting each other to your left. When you looked there was a large generic pool table with an elderly man on one side. He seemed to be enjoying playing pool by himself as he shakily held the long pool stick ready to punt another ball. There was also an unoccupied game of darts in that corner along with a pinball machine and and an old jukebox that played pretty traditional music throughout the place. To the right and in front of you there was a clear bar with alcohol beverages behind it, and lots of tables and chairs. The air was filled with the smell of fried meats that wafted over from a pair of double doors assumibly leading to a kitchen. 

The place seemed pretty empty aside from a bartender cleaning the front and a few people eating. You only continued to stand there awkwardly before a pair of pink eyes met F/c ones, and the figure of Kanae waving at you from one of the tables beside her Sanemi looked up calmly from drinking what looked like coffee. 

"Mei, over here!," she called out to your boyfriend who turned his head immediately towards her. 

With a soft hand on your shoulder, he slowly maneuvered you towards the table where the two were happily waiting for you this time without their families. You met Sanemi's calm face and a little bit of anxiety bubbled up as you were slowly sat down in front of Kanae when Gyomei pulled out the chair for you. He sat down a moment later again the chairs comically small under Gyomei's massive size. 

"Hey, Mei! We've been waiting for you guys!"

"Apologies for the wait. We went to go see that movie Sanemi recommended. It was very good."

"Tch. Try telling that to Obanai."

"Have you both eaten yet?"

"Nah. We were waitin' for you two to make an appearance." Sanemi looked at your awkward form sitting there.. before just leaning back and raising a hand up. "You hungry?"

"Yes. I haven't eaten anything all day other than some pancakes and some theater popcorn. Gyomei mentioned that this place made really good hot wings."

"You want some?"

"Actually I think I'll just get something else." 

You didn't think you could handle spicy stuff on a mostly empty stomach right now. What you didn't realize was that Sanemi was raising a hand to call over a waitress who came over and greeted your small group in a way that had you thinking that they must've been regulars or came here often enough to be recognized by her. With drinks and orders placed, you again sat back quietly as Kanae asked Gyomei about his date with her sister and Giyuu he had the other day.

"It was wonderful. You should really try that vendor. His homemade ice cream is actually delicious. Although Giyuu did have lose his to an unsuspecting dog." He chuckled at the memory. "That poor woman wouldn't stop apologizing."

"Aw. That's adorable," Kanae cooed with a smile. "Too bad we couldn't join you but work called."

"Oh. Where do you work?" 

You knew Sanemi tutored people in math and worked part time as a telemarketer. Mitsuri said something about herself and some of the other ladies working in a cafe and mentioned Shinobu worked in a nearby office. Gyomei worked with you..But you had no idea about the others.

"I work part time at Holly's Flowers. It's a florist shop," she happily explained before giving you a look. "But I heard you work at the University's daycare with Mei."

You nodded with a smile feeling a little bit better. "Yes. I love working with children and it's a good job. Sure there's messes, snot, and diaper changes but it's a good job although it might not pay as much as other jobs."

"Yeah. Speaking of money.." Sanemi fixed you with a look that made you instantly nervous. "...Lunch is on me."

"Huh?"

You didn't get a chance to question him on the sudden statement out of nowhere because the waitress came back with a giant tray full of food and a moment later a plate of the tonkatsu special was sat in front of you. Oh thank goodness. Something to occupy yourself with. Using the excuse to not talk for a little bit you ate while politely listening to Kanae tell you about her florist job,  and her recent order of a giant stack of tulips for someone's bachelorette party. While the boys spoke of Sanemi's recent troubles-

When a ringing interrupted all of the talking. 

It was a ringtone. Gyomei blinked, lowering the chopsticks that held a piece of tempura before he dug out the comically small phone from his front pocket and held it up to his ear. "Hello?...OH! It's you. I meant to call but-"..He suddenly pulled away from the phone to give you all an apologetic face. "I'm so sorry but do you mind if I take this? It's my mother."

"Of course not!" "Sure." "Go ahead." Was your three responses.

A smile graced his faces as he stood up letting his chair screech. "Thank you. I'll be right back."

You three were silent as he left holding the phone to his ear and stepping outside to avoid bothering anyone. There was more silence as you all sat there awkwardly.. before Sanemi turned to to you with a serious expression. 

"Since it's been fucking hangin' in the air, I'm just gonna say it." You blinked as his eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you getting at giving me all that money?"

Oh..Guess it was about that huh? You figured it would come out sooner or later. 

Slowly inhaling you sighed before giving him a nervous frown. "I'll be honest..it wasn't my first idea to give it to you-"

"No shit. It was a thousand dollars and a free pass of year's worth of free food from the dam school. Who'd want to give up either of that shit? Which is why I'm asking. You got another angle? What the hell did you want outta it?"

You blinked again. "I didn't want anything. I was just about to say that before you interrupted me."

"Then why give it to me?"

"Because you needed it more."

Sanemi paused at the blunt tone of voice she used-..No. Wait. It wasn't blunt but more matter of fact. He fell silent looking her up and down for any signs of deceit but found none. Exchanged looks with Kanae also told him she had nothing to suspect with her beautiful smile tilted at him. It was a good moment of thought as the scarred face turned to a half eaten bowl of miso soup, with nothing but the sounds of soft flute music with the continued clacking of pool balls in the background to break it. Eventually dark purple eyes did look up at her once again with a neutral look.

Sanemi hummed. Nodded. And closed his sigh with an exhale from his nose. "..Thank you."

You blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. This soup's dam good." 

You were almost confused by the sudden casual change of topic as he just went back to eating as if Sanemi wasn't trying to interrogate you just seconds before. You again gave a small glance at Kanae.. before in perfect unison you both giggled making the white haired man raise a brow with the spoon in his mouth. 

"And here I thought you were upset with me. You're really a very sweet man."

"*CHOKE?!*" Sanemi choked on the food on his mouth and ended up going into a loud coughing fit. The spoon falling with a clatter on the table and his fists repeatedly hitting his chest until he gained attention the both of you with a deeply shocked and RED face.

You both giggled again before Kanae spoke. "You alright there, Honey? Sounds like you need a drink."

"I- YEAH! I-ILL GET US DRINKS!!" He muttered quickly before suddenly standing up and stiffly walking away from your table and towards the bar.

Again you both giggled before you looked back to her. "Does he always act like that?"

"Only around people he likes so congratulations."

"I'm flattered. I wouldn't mind becoming friends with him."

"We wouldn't mind either. Do you want to come over and watch a movie with us? Obi and Mitsuri will be there too and I'm sure she'll be happy to see you too!"

You didn't have a chance to answer her. Because the door opened once more, f/c eyes looked up anticipating Gyomei. However your body instantly froze and your face paled at what entered through the door. Kanae instantly noticed the sudden change in the air, pink eyes glancing on the way f/c pupils shrank while looking past her, and put of curiosity turned around to see what had caused such a change.

A group of six men had just walked in excitedly talking about something she couldn't make out in the mesh of voices but got the words 'last game of the series won'. Ah. Sports fans. 

"Crap. Hide me."

A rustling of the table had Kanae look forward again to find the woman in front of slumped into her seat trying to hide behind her taller figure. "Y/n, what's wrong?"

"It's HIM!", You hissed trying to duck into your sweater.

"Him who?"

"HIM him! The guy that almost threw up on me when I met Gyomei!" 

In an instant her face dawned in surprise and turned around again at the group. "He's here?"

 "The guy in the red jersey. Don't let him see me!"

Pink eyes blinked again and spotted the man in the red jersey. He looked a bit roughed up, not in a fight wise but like he fell down a few times with how wrinkled his clothes were. He was laughing loudly at something the man next to him said as the bartender placed a drink in front of him. That was the terrible man that put Y/n through that horrible experience?  She continued to stare at the men who were laughing at something else being said within their group until brown eyes happened to look over and made eye contact with her. A blank look came over his face before he smirked, chugged his drink back, before slamming his shot glass down and pushing himself off where he leaned against the bar.

Oh this was about to be interesting.

She could hear the unbearable groan of the other woman as he just sauntered up to the table and without even a word sat himself right down in Sanemi's seat. Leaning an elbow on the table. "Hey.~"

"Can I help you?" Her expression didn't change from her previous smile but her brow rose.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were eyeing me from the other side of the bar. I take it you liked what you saw and I've got to say-" He smiled leaning towards her just the tiniest bit closer smile wider. "I DEFINITELY love what I see. You're stunningly beautiful.~"

"Sorry." Her smile changed to one that mimicked Shinobu's all too well. "I have no idea what you're talking about about."

"Don't be shy, Beautiful. I saw you looking at me-"

"Yes. In disgust. What shampoo do you use? Bedhead number five?"

He suddenly blinked taken very much aback but snapped forward in disgust making the shrinking woman immediately freeze up and regretting her choice to laugh. "The hell are you laughing at?!"

"N-Nothing. Sorry."

"...Hey. Wait a second." His eyes narrowed as he looked you up and down. "Do I.. know you? You look familiar."

"I-I get that all the time." You looked away waving a hand. "I'm sure yo-you're mistaking me for someone else."

"Hey. Wait. You're that chick!" Again you froze in horror as realization lit up his now happy face and he pointed at you. "From the bar n' grill right? Yeah. You left me high and dry on the way home y'know."

Record scratch.wav

....You stared at him. "Excuse me?!"

Like with what happened on the date he completely ignored your question. "What are you doin' here? Couldn't resist me after all?~"

However unbeknownst to everyone, your shout had quickly caught the attention of a white haired man who quickly turned around to the source of the yellow and did a double take at what he saw.

"We happen to be on a double date." Kanae's voice also seemed to have no desired affect on him as she made a shoo motion at him. "That you so rudely butted in. Please go away or else there's going to be very bad consequences."

In one ear out the other. 

Instead his face lit up with some kind of perverse glare. "Oooh. Date. Ok. You're girlfriends.~ I can vibe with that.~"

"WHAT?! HOW DID YOU GET TO THAT CONCLUSION?!" You shouted angrily at him.

No one noticed the white hot rage coursing through the man as he slowly turned away from the bar ignoring waiting for his drinks. Veins sprouted as fists clenched and stuff footsteps slowly began approaching with his sight only being filled with white hot wrath and a single man in a red jersey.

Everyone was looking over now hearing your shout. The clacking of balls stopped and talking died down with the only noise being the music still softly playing from the jukebox. You only scowled in newfound anger and fresh memories of what happened that night repeated itself all over again. 

You pointed an accusing hand at Jake's stupid face. "You embarrassed me, treated me like I was some dating simulator game, and then I was made to pay for the entire bill! I didn't even get to enjoy anything because you're drunk sorry self decided it'd be a fantastic idea to try and see how much you could ruin the night for me!"

"I don't remember that." The blunt bored way he spoke had both your jaws dropping at the audacity of him. "I remember we both had a good time with drinks and then I woke up at home. Kinda a dick move to just ditch me like that."

"I ditched YOU?! I had to PAY for your ride home because I wasn't going to be responsible for you getting yourself killed because you decided it'd be a good idea to get drunk!!"

"Well you owe me for ditching me on the ride. What if I didn't make it home? I say a day with you both would be the least you could do to make up for that."

Finally the smile left Kanae's face and turned to a scowl as your enraged self could only spout half sputters unable to form a complete sentence from how angry you were.. However your anger was absolutely no match for someone else who was already reaching out for him-

"You need to leave. NOW," Kanae stated firmly pointing a hand away from them, "Leave her alone and get away from us!"

"It's not my fault you girls get so hormonal and angry." 

Kanae suddenly let out a squeak of surprise and practically scrambled away as a hand touched her waist and you followed suit feeling the tips of fingers brush against the side of your thigh. Chairs scraped and fell as the both of you shot up and away from the man still sitting there like he hadn't done anything wrong. 

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

He didn't get to answer when a fist grabbed him by the collar.

It all happened so fast. One moment he was sitting down, the next he was ripped from the table sending dishes scattering, the chair getting knocked over, and an angry fist held up the other man easily in the air.

And there Jake came face to face with a VERY enraged Sanemi.

"What the ever living fucking hell do you think you're doing, Bastard?"

"What the fuck?! Mind your dam business ghost face!" 

W R O N G   A N S W E R

"Oh. My business? Well here's a little reality check for you. Keep your mother fucking hands off MY girlfriends!!"

It all happened within one second. Sanemi with a manic sadistic and enraged strained smile wound up a fist back, and with speeds inhumanly slammed forward.

C R A C K!

A sickening crack sound filled the air alongside the taunting sounds of jukebox music. Jake knocked back as Sanemi's fist collided right with his nose and the force was so much that a literal piece of his shirt collar was ripped off violently as he went back. Like a ragdoll his body slammed into another pair of tables and chairs before collapsing on the ground. Silence resumed as Jake just laid there as Sanemi breathed heavily.. before his attention immediately snapped to Kanae.

"Baby!" In one second he was in front of her holding her face with a scared expression. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he? He's a dead motherfucker if he so much as bruised you-"

"I'm alright!" She quickly held up her hands. "He just tried grabbing my waist is all."

"That's one grab too much! Are you ok?!" You blinked. One moment he was holding Kanae then in one second he's on the other side of the table gently grabbing your shoulders and giving you the same scared/concerned look. "He didn't try anything to you right?! You're not hurt anywhere!?"

You were a mix of scared, angry, and could only stutter out. "H-He g-grabbed my le-leg."

"Sanemi.. It's him. The one Gyomei told us about."

In an instant his face snapped back towards Kanae. "Wait. Is that the guy?" 

"Jake! Oh my God. Jake, are you alright?!"

Sanemi inhumanly slowly turned around towards the man he just punched. At the moment he was being helped up onto wobbly legs by two of his friends as a third patted the side of his dazed face.

"Jake! Dude! Say something!," the one who was gently patting his face begged. 

"Wat hit meh?", Jake managed to ask dazed.

It was then that one of his friends shot up a scowl towards Sanemi.. before it instantly paled into a ghost white. "Shit... It's fucking Sanemi Shinazugawa."

"Let's get him outta here before he's killed."

It was then that Gyomei finally returned. Walking in quickly and blinking at the feeling of a group of people quickly pushing past him towards the door. He was confused and concerned looking in the direction of you all. "What happened? I thought I heard yelling on my way back in."

You were too busy angrily wiping at your face to answer so Kanae said something you didn't hear.

"Hey. You're going to be ok." Sanemi gently rubbed where he still held your firearms. "He's gone now and I ain't gonna let him hurt ya. He won't try anything else after that. I promise you."

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Of Sin and Sinners

It’s very confusing to me how some refuse to accept that Mairon/Sauron can feel “human-like” emotions like love or lust, while projecting human-like traits like “narcissism” or “sociopathy” onto his character.

Sauron is a immortal deity, who was created by Eru himself. He’s one of the Ainur; he helped shape the world during the Ainulindalë, the “music of the Ainur”. He looks at Middle-earth in ruins and thinks the Valar have forsaken it. He steps in because, in his mindset, he’s the only deity willing to do something about it. Of course he’s “arrogant”, and thinks he owns the place. He helped creating it, in the first place.

You all also conveniently forget just how alike Sauron and Galadriel actually are, and why they are each others foils to begin with. Many of you are falling into the same trap as the “lorebros” by ignoring that character arcs exist and that “Rings of Power” Galadriel is thousands of years away from her Third Age persona. She’s not the “Lady of Light” yet, and even Sauron himself has just begun his “Dark Lord” arc.

Not only Sauron and Galadriel are both arrogant, but self-righteous, too. They both love to be on power-trips. They lie left and right, and manipulate others to get their way. We saw Galadriel do this in both Season 1 and 2, already. They both use others for their own ends. They don’t care about rules, they are their own authority. They are used to get their way, and get pissed when they don’t. They both turned their backs on the Valar (returning to Valinor/refusing their judgement) for the same reason: pride. They know each others minds because they are alike.

Of course Sauron wants her as his queen; she’s the perfect pair for him. And together they would, indeed, wreck havoc. This would be a power couple of nightmares, for everyone around them. There would be no escaping them, they would enslave everyone to their will. They are both beautiful, and Sauron is seductive. He already brought this side of Galadriel to the surface in Season 1, when we saw her flirting with him (and this is probably the explanation for Tolkien approval of Boorman’s script).

I read a lot of people saying that Sauron would destroy Galadriel’s light if she joined him. Actually, she would be far worse than Sauron. Tolkien did say that Gandalf would be worse than Sauron if he had the One Ring, and this is true for Galadriel as well. Which explains these quotes from her:

She recognizes this, she’s not that self-deluded. She’s talking about herself on a power-trip, not about how Sauron would “destroy” her.

This headcanon (and I’ve seen this in the Galadriel x Sauron fandom, too) that Galadriel is some “pure of heart she-elf, holy and divine-like character” is extremely bizarre, because this is not what we are being shown in “Rings of Power”. Nor is it what Tolkien himself wrote. For starters, Tolkien, being extremely religious, would never copy-paste his faith into magical elves. The characters that are granted with that imprint are the Valar themselves because they are meant to be of divine nature (the actual Gods of his lore). And Tolkien himself went back and forward with this idea, too. Maybe he felt it was too blasphemous, I don’t know.

This will be my wildest take yet, but Halbrand turning out to be Sauron is a aphrodisiac for Galadriel, actually. She wanted the king, yes, because the smith wasn’t good enough. But at the end of the day, Halbrand was a Southlander, a “low man”: Galadriel tells him this once they arrived at Númenor in 1x03 (“these men are not like you”). But he turned out to be the most powerful being around, and he wants her at his side. And you can bet that only makes her want him even more. And Sauron is probably aware of this, too.

This is why he’s grinning here: you thought I was a mere “low man”, did you? Even with him on his repentant era, we saw Mairon’s self-control in Season 1. He allowed Galadriel to say all kinds of arrogant stuff to him, and saved this grin for last. His pride was the reason why he couldn’t bring himself to face the Valar’s judgment, after all.

Besides: was she truly deceived by Sauron, or did she deceived herself, in Season 1? Because she’s the one who kept pushing the king of the Southlands onto him, and even acted behind his back with Queen Míriel. This is why Elrond calls her out on her bullsh*t on Season 2: “it was entirely of your choosing”. She wanted the lost king who could ride her to victory, and Sauron delivered.

There’s a lot of misunderstanding of the kind of villain Sauron actually is. He’s a cautionary tale of “be careful of what you wish for”. That’s why he’s the seductive power that makes every dream come true. Listen to Adar, he’s the one who spills the tea in “Rings of Power”. Sauron is a sharer of gifts, a wish granter, but it comes with a cost. And he’s not “chaotic evil”, he’s pure “lawful evil”; he’s methodic, a control freak and highly organized. And that’s why he’s able to gain an insane amount of power for a mere Maia.

Indeed it was; Galadriel went to Eregion, is standing there, and has the Nine, because it’s by Sauron’s design. Everything he did was to culminate in this scene. He’s a mastermind, he planned everything. And you all actually believe it was Elrond on that tent, as if Sauron, the control freak, would let anything to chance. As he so cynically says, himself:

Sauron was able to perceive Finrod, Beren & co infiltrated his fortress masquerading as Orcs, because the Orcs were acting weird. This is how calculating he truly is. Morgoth was the brute force, Sauron was the mind. And you can bet Morgoth’s overworked secretary Sauron had everything catalogued, curated and organized by size, shape and color, back at Angband fortress. He had that thing running like clockwork. He was created as a Maia of order, after all.

For my Zodiac enthusiastics out there: this villain is peak Virgo energy. Everyone associates Sauron with fire, but nah, his whole personality is Earth element-coded (and Aulë himself is very connected with Earth element, not only by creating mountains and gems/minerals, but he’s also married to “Queen of the Earth”, Yavanna).

He did had some bumps along the way: killing Celebrimbor in a rage fit, and Galadriel getting captured by Adar, but it all worked out for him in the end (except Galadriel throwing herself off a cliff, he wasn’t counting on that one, either):

We saw him lose control in “Rings of Power” and acting chaotic because it was meant to symbolize his return to “his old ways”, his fall into evil again, into Morgoth’s servitude. Morgoth was “chaotic evil”, he was the nihilistic God who wanted to destroy and corrupt everything Eru created. This is not Sauron’s character at its core.

And this is not “gaslighting” either. This is Sauron actually talking facts. It was Celebrimbor’s arrogance and vanity that allowed him to “fall prey” to Sauron. And he, indeed, chose it. Because Celebrimbor wanted to surpass Fëanor, he wanted to craft legendary objects, he wanted to create a mythos like his grandfather’s Silmarils. And Sauron gave him just that. Celebrimbor’s sins are pride (vanity), greed and envy.

Celebrimbor couldn’t care less about Halbrand (the “low man”); he used his knowledge and then forgot about him, not because Galadriel told him to, but because Halbrand was no longer useful to him. He had already forged the Three Elven rings of power (to help the Elves cheat death). And is with this that Sauron tempts him, again. And he becomes the emissary of the Valar because that’s what Celebrimbor wanted, that’s the validation he was seeking (like Galadriel wanted the king of the Southlands).

This goes back to Adar in 2x06:

Adar: But sooner or later, he sees you. Not just who you are, but who you wish to be. His eye bores a hole and the rest of him slithers in. For a while, he even makes you believe that his power has become yours. Irresistible power... that makes every desire's fulfillment seem inevitable. An ocean of color against which everything else feels forever thereafter... Galadriel: A dull gray. Adar: What did he promise you? [...] Do you want to know what he offered me? [...] Children. Galadriel: Then it would seem he gave us both what we desired. Adar: You see, it is not his lies which must be extinguished. It is him.

And this is perfectly aligned with Tolkien religious message: sin, and the price to pay for being a sinner.

These characters are not “hopeless victims” of Sauron. They are active participants on their own torment by choosing to sin, and this is symbolically represented by them aligning themselves with evil (Sauron). This is pure Christian doctrine. The showrunners have to spin it into “modern takes” of “domestic abuse” or whatever for the audience to understand, but that’s not the core message here. This is Tolkien preaching, folks. This is Tolkien saying “you all need Jesus”.

Adar and Galadriel parallel each other in a lot of ways, too. In Tolkien lore, Galadriel is described as “repentant sinner”. And Adar is a repentant sinner, too, making amends.

In the legendarium, Galadriel’s sins are pride and greed (power hungry). And “Rings of Power” built upon this and added a new one: lust. She turned her back on the Valar, and that’s why she’s banished from Valinor (heaven) in the first place.

I’ve read some speculating that she’s not actually banished and only remains on Middle-earth because she wants to. But no, that doesn’t fit Tolkien lore; the legendarium is fluid, and allows for multiple interpretations, but the core message needs to be there, all the same. Galadriel’s punishment for sinning is to be banished from heaven and she needs to repent to be allowed to return. This make complete sense with Tolkien’s work and his religious views.

But in “Rings of Power”, Galadriel’s greed is also connected with her love for Halbrand/Sauron (and I already talked about this here). So far, we haven’t see Galadriel expressing her desire to have a kingdom of her own; it’s Sauron that introduces this point, and he’s the reason why she refuses the Valar’s pardon and stays on Middle-earth, to begin with (to hunt him down).

Meaning: the reason for Galadriel’s banishment will have to be connected with Sauron in “Rings of Power”, because that’s the angle the show is exploring and working on, and they can’t ignore her banishment because that’s a huge deal in her overall character’s arc, and why she becomes “Lady of Light” and fights Sauron. When she rejects Frodo’s offer of the One Ring in the Third Age it’s her last temptation, and she humbles herself and proves to the Valar that she’s worthy of returning to Valinor, at last.

And this leads me to another notion: catholic guilt. I was raised catholic in a extremely catholic country (it’s cultural), so I recognize many of Tolkien’s religious background on his work without trying (he, too, was a catholic), and the Tolkien experts of “Rings of Power” seem to be heading in this direction, too, and that explains why Galadriel and Sauron have romantic and sexual chemistry, and there’s so much sexual innuendo in their interactions.

A crown (clitorical symbol = vagina) penetrating a sword (phallic symbol = penis)? “Rings of Power” can’t get any more obvious than this with the Freudian symbolism.

“Catholic guilt” is the deep feeling of shame after having sinned. This is often associated with sex, and having a high sex drive (usually females). And this makes perfect sense with the Eldar customs (sex = marriage; sex = children; and other puritan views of sexual acts), and why any Elf would feel deeply ashamed, guilty and in need of repenting for thousands of years (“catholic guilt”) after going against these rules.

What does this mean? Galadriel will get a taste of that D, sooner or later. And it makes more sense for it to happen when he’s fully Sauron (and not Halbrand), indeed. Because then, she can’t racionalize it as “having been deceived”. And for that sense of deep shame and guilt to kick in, she’ll have to want it, too; it has to be consensual, on her part.

And for this she’ll be punished (banished from Valinor) and will have to repent for thousands of years into the future. Even if they don’t explicitly say this on the show (which they won’t, not only they won’t go there but this religious message doesn’t really fit nowadays standards). I highly doubt any this will be explicit, at all, but there will be innuendo, symbolism, and clues of this happening in future seasons. It might even happen in Season 3, actually (in connection with Galadriel spiraling down into darkness as a consequence of Morgoth’s crown wound).

[mintaikk]

Moments I think Blitzø realized his feelings for Stolas

I really don't think that Blitzø had an "Oh" moment. I think it was over a period of time, where he slowly realizes it, and then it comes unleashing out in either The Full Moon or Apology Tour.

Anyways, here

Seeing Stars (S2, ep2)

This was Blitzø's reaction when he saw Stolas's human form for the first time. God, I love his subtle expressions here sm. Read this post, they explain it well, and it's also the post that made me want to make this post.

In the first pic, Blitzø looks surprised and confused, probably from the shock of seeing Stolas's human form for the first time. Probably didn't even consider he ever had one, lol

The second image, we see a small blush appear, and as @ifwebefriends said, it's the "I'm fucked" face, as he is filled with complicated emotions as he realizes he likes Stolas in every form. He looks really worried by this.

The third image, hid pupils are fully dilated. Instead of confused, he looks genuinely worried and vulnerable. His expression doesn't show lust, but more like a mix of someone who is nervous to be around someone they like and genuine fear. He is realizing that it isn't just lust, but that he genuinely likes Stolas, and that's scary to him.

In the fourth image, he quickly turns around, slightly hunched over and rubbing his hands together; both behaviors indicating nervousness, probably at his own emotions. He also asks Stolas if he can somehow give them human disguises, which yes, is relevant to what's going on, but it can also be him being like, "maybe I'm just interested in the human disguise," so he can believe that instead of dealing with his own emotions.

(Also, have this gif of Blitzø checking Stolas out in his human disguise)

Then that scene in Seeing Stars that, when I joined the fandom, was the first thing I saw fans losing their shit over

Nothing much to comment on here. He's actually smiling at Stolas's advances. The other times Stolas flirted with him, it's always been overly aggressive ("jelly sandwiches all night~"), and this time, it's more subtle and intimate, which clearly worked for Blitzø.

Oops (S2, ep6)

In this moment, Fizz hit Blitzø with the allegations, and this was Blitzø's reaction to it. Look at his expressions! The first image looks confused and scared and heart broken, like he knew he fell, but he's either in denial, ignoring it, or doesn't think it's reciprocated; perhaps even all 3.

The second image, he looks sad, angry, and confused, like he doesn't know his emotions and can't name them, but he's hurt. He's frustrated at how complicated things are, and he hates it.

The 3rd image is now just full denial. When lying, people often look to the side or avoid eye contact, which is exactly Blitzø is doing right here. He knows that its more than sex every month, but he's lying to himself, because he can't get hurt if it is just casual.

Alright, imma have to do a part 2 to this cuz I ran out of space. I'll try to go in episode order next time lol, I just go excited with these 2 lol

Part 2

[farshootergotme]

https://www.tumblr.com/ruestheday/765956792656265216/one-of-the-biggest-lies-the-fandom-will-tell-you

Opinions on this post?

I'd say that I agree with what this person is saying. As much as I give Bruce shit for his parental skills (which are flawed and shouldn't be overlooked, don't get me wrong), we can say Alfred is partially one of the main reasons why Bruce is the way he is.

I won't say anything about "Alfred should've/could've taken Bruce to therapy" because then we gotta consider a lot of things about the decade when Alfred was introduced and his age in-universe, as Alfred might've not lived in a period in which therapy was widely accepted and even recommended. But I won't dwell too much on that.

Now, I don't think Alfred is necessarily an evil person, but he can be quite selfish and a coward when it comes to facing consequences (which he rarely gets, if ever).

When shit hits the fan, he's the first one to back out. Why should he be responsible? He's only a mere butler (until he goes and calls Bruce "his son").

He's always detached just enough from the situation that nobody will look at him when looking for someone to blame for a problem that Alfred was most likely involved in.

Bruce might be the Batman, but it's Alfred who works from the shadows and leaves the responsibility of his decisions to the rest.

Does he do this on purpose?

Hard to say. I think he's in a way aware of his cowardice and harmful tendencies, but he doesn't have an active intention of hurting others. However, lack of intention does not mean lack of action, and despite whatever he might feel or believe, he does many things that end up in someone's hurt and even death.

And don't many consider it, but to me it doesn't come as a surprise that Bruce is so emotionally constipated and an unavailable father when he never had someone to learn from about proper parental skills.

Bruce never knew where he stood with Alfred, and Alfred didn't help to make it clear. At first, Bruce was just his master. A responsibility left behind by his parents, but still with the authority to order around the person who's supposed to be his caretaker. And Alfred? We know how much of an enabler he is, but also how inconsistent he can be when it comes to letting Bruce get away with things. And how confusing that must've been for a child? To never have clear boundaries to respect, rules to follow and his behavior corrected.

Kids learn from habit and patterns, and I don't believe he'd see much of that with Alfred, who jumps from his role as a father to his position as a butler way too often for a young mind to fully comprehend. Add to that the fact Bruce already had a position as a rich kid, which would've led to even more people forgetting to set boundaries with him due to his influence.

Now it's not so weird to see him getting away with his toxic behavior towards his children instead of confronting his mistakes like a parent should, right? But I digress.

So, moving onto the next point: child soldiers.

The post you sent mentions Alfred's involvement in the later creation of Robins. But how can he normalize sending kids out there to fight a war that isn't theirs? Well, that's when you remember Alfred joined the army at quite a young age, and there he must've seen even younger kids working as soldiers. What are the chances he has a messed up view on what children should and shouldn't (have to) do?

Subconsciously, he must've internalized this idea of children fighting for their country, and when he saw Robin for the first time, it might've brought back that idea and so he allowed this child to fight for a city that was not even his yet. And then came Jason, then Tim, then Steph, Cass, Damian, Duke... They just kept coming, and Alfred kept pushing this idea.

Jason died? That's a shame, but war is unrelenting, and soldiers are expected to die. It doesn't mean the rest should stop fighting, right?

"Jason Todd, a good soldier".

On top of all that, Robin is good for Batman. Robin is the light Batman needs. Robin can help Bruce, his boy. His son. And who's Alfred if not a messed up man? He'll put the children at risk if it means helping the boy he failed to help before. And when he gets attached to said children, it'll be too late to try pull them out, and then they'll be just another repetition of what Batman came to be when he allowed Bruce to leave.

As for Julia Pennyworth, Alfred was separated from Marie—his then partner—due to war, and found out about Julia's existence only two years after she was born. Their relationship had been distant since then. Julia didn't know about Alfred, but he requested a friend to take care of her and kept sending money all the years to come after making his friend promise not to tell Julia about him, his real father. Why didn't he ever go to see her? That's because, according to Alfred, he was afraid to disrupt her life. But if I'm being honest, I think he also didn't feel ready for the responsibility. And when he became Bruce's guardian, he still was not ready, but Martha and Thomas were his friends, so there must've been a sense of responsibility and guilt influencing his decision.

To summarize, Alfred Pennyworth is an extremely flawed individual and he should not be absolved from any of his mistakes.

[wingzie]

The Life of a Jikooker, Online and Offline

Sometime last year I revealed my real first name on Twitter. Though I am known more prominently as “Wingzie”, a name given to me by a good friend of mine, I wanted to add a bit more of a human touch to my account. It was a reminder that, even if I spend a rather large amount of time making posts, I also have a life away from the screen. There's been a few occasions when my army life and personal life have become interlinked.

I am lucky enough to have made wonderful friends since becoming Army. Thus, I will always say that your fandom experience and enjoyment will depend on who you interact with and what you engage with. It's because of these friends that I have been to South Korea or gone to Olle in London for BTS’ tenth anniversary. I've explored new local places or exchanged gifts. It's also because of these friends that I felt safe enough to talk about Jikook in my first ever group chat in 2019. I feel a certain love and connection between us, online and offline, that I don't think many others will understand. 

However, there is a certain loneliness in being a jikooker. I have been unfairly judged or dismissed just for talking about them. Either individually or as a unit. It calls into question why this is. I personally do not see myself as a shipper. The definition of a shipper is that you WANT them to be together and that is not the case with me or many other jikookers at all. The definition of shipping has changed so much that we are seen as bad people just for talking about them, when we are just talking about their moments together.

In the last few months or so I have experienced more of an Army life outside of Twitter. I have been to various offline events and spoken to so many and I couldn’t help but notice two things: 1) Jikookers have a terrible reputation

2) People are scared to talk about them as a unit compared to others. The first part can be somewhat understandable and it’s why I never bother fighting. It brings negative attention to them, when we should be boosting them instead. All they see are people just attacking each other and it is sadly true that a small number of Jikookers are Tae antis. I have left a few group chats because of that or because of ex-jikookers hating on Jimin or Jungkook. However, there are also a huge number of us that DON'T behave this way and it depends on what you focus on.

At a previous event I bumped into a local Tae bias. She clearly knew who I was and was under the impression that I hated Tae. I soon proved her wrong but I guess this is where some of the problems lie: There are a lot of focus on stereotypes, without giving us the chance to prove otherwise. I have also been to events where Army have cited misinformation and they needed to be corrected. I am aware that not everyone has my memory, but they were so callous about their comments that I was shocked. There was a huge disconnect between reality and what they were thinking and it is so important to check sources. Especially when BTS' history and ours is so rich and can be easily accessible in this social media age. 

Being scared to talk about Jikook is something that will always confuse me. I joined a BTS Discord and left shortly afterwards when I realized that they had a channel for every until apart from Jikook. I also went to an event shortly after the “You can handle it” Weverse Live and the group I was with mentioned every single part of that Live, apart from when Jimin was in the comments. They also said some things about Jungkook that made me feel really uncomfortable and they ignored what I was trying to say. They saw him as a puppet, for their own desires, rather than his own person. And I think that is also something I have seen on the increase lately. It should be allowed and in fact encouraged to talk about them as a unit without being shamed for mentioning them together. Ignoring them doesn't help either.

I am Jimin and Jungkook biased, but the definition of having a bias itself has also changed. You cannot say you have a bias now without automatically saying “but I love all of them”, when that should go without saying. I have seen this change since Mots:7 and it emphasises how much the fandom definitions have changed and how it has also shaped our communities. I have been to other events where I am sadly seen as an anti, once they find out my Twitter ID. My account includes all members, I just happen to post about Jikook and their moments most of all and there is nothing wrong with that. Ultimately, I wrote this without any clear message or goal in sight. I just wanted to express what I have experienced and my feelings about it. I will always cherish the memories I have with those that are closest to me and our beautiful conversations about BTS or Jikook. I just wish others did the same and understood what this community is actually about, online and offiline. My account will always be a safe place for all the members and I refuse to be villainized for talking about Jikook at the same time.  Much Love Wingzie/Becca

[baileypie-writes]

Veneer with male reader that is the sleepiest person like I mean as soon as he sits or lays down he is fast asleep (literally like 99℅ of my requests will have male reader and maybe a little bit of gn reader just a little warning if I forget to put male reader)

A/N ~ Sure! Hope you enjoy it!

~Veneer with a Sleepy Boyfriend~

Fandom: Trolls 3: Band Together

Reader: Male

Relationship: Romantic

Warnings: None!

~ Veneer was worried that you weren’t getting enough sleep at first. It shocked him how quickly you’d be knocked out whenever you lay down. He suggested getting a better sleep schedule and drinking coffee, but then you explained to him that you were fine, and that you were just a sleepy person. This made him a lot less concerned.

~ His main nickname for you is “Sleepyhead”. He just thinks it’s absolutely perfect for you. He always calls you this when you first wake up from your naps. “Sleeping Beauty” is another nickname he uses.

~ Veneer always makes sure to give you a pillow and blanket whenever you fall asleep. He wants you to be as comfortable as possible.

~ When you’re asleep, he makes sure you’re not disturbed. He turns off the TV, and doesn’t speak. If someone tries talking, they’ll be met with immediate shushing.

~ Sometimes, Veneer will join you. He likes napping together, because it’s an excuse to be cuddle. He’s always careful to not wake you up too.

~ If you’re the kind of guy who falls asleep in the most random places, Veneer will think it’s the most amusing thing in the world. He definitely has a whole photo album on his phone that’s just you sleeping in weird places.

~Bonus Mini Oneshot~

Velvet and Veneer had just finished a show, and were walking back to their dressing room. Veneer was excited to see you, but was confused when his knock on the door was met with silence.

“(name)?” He called out. When you didn’t respond, he opened the door. His expression softened when he saw you sleeping on the sofa. He laughed quietly, wondering how he didn’t expect this.

“Is he really sleeping on our couch? Hey, (name)! Get u-“ Velvet was cut off by Veneer shushing her. She scoffed, and walked to the closet to get changed.

Before Veneer did the same, he grabbed the blanket that was draped over the couch, and placed it over your sleeping figure.

“Sweet dreams, Sleepyhead.”

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

~~baileypie-writes

[humongousgothskeletonfarm]

tsc thoughts while reading (beware of spoilers) starting with -

david wymack my fucking beloved

also i never rlly liked/cared for thea but her scene with jean and her nickname for him was cute

chapter 3 thoughts:

jeremy being in awe of neil and the foxes is giving me life

fanfics with alvarez in them gonna go crazy now that we actually have a first name for her (and don’t have to invent one)

oh they rich rich (in reference to jeremy’s family butler?!)

jerejean first interaction!!!!

chapter 4:

omg sunshine court mentioned

having the sudden realisation that i can never read fanfics that have jean’s perspective or anything about the how the ravens work, raven!neil/aftermath of the kings men in the same way again

my neighbours are having a party and while i’m loving the music and absolutely jealous i’m not there, it’s really distracting me from reading

ngl i rlly miss neil and andrew and the foxes please let me see my family soon

‘ what you hold onto is less important than the act of holding on itself’ nora sakavic shut the fuck up you philosophical genius i’m gonna cry this is so real to me

renee i love u

WIT WTF JEAN IS NINETEEN I DIDNT KNOW THAT OH MY GOD BABY HE JOINED THE RAVEN LINEUP AT SIXTEEN WTF

i’m drinking red wine while reading and i think that’s appropriate… also i’m listening to that jean moreau playlist someone made and it’s mega depressing https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5zlPt63Ap0AjJQ1Ff5OKrd?si=75oEzLE8SO-bfJwewM8Evw&pi=a-ge04jIlVTJGY

this is so funny to only me but i’ve been hyperfixating on one direction again and zayn just dropped new music so everytime i read about jean’s raven roomate zane i think of one direction and confused myself a bit about what fandom i’m reading rn

fuck riko u sick fucking fuck u put jean into a box with a singular hole for air and left him to die u fucking cunt

KEVIN ASKING JEAN TO PROMISE NOT TO KILL HIMSELF AFTER NORA WROTE COUNTLESS DRAFTS IN WHICH JEAN KILLED HIMSELF WHILE ON THE PHONE TO KEVIN AND THE ONLY TIME SHE DIDNT KILL JEAN OFF IS THE VERSION SHE PUBLISHED AND THE REASON WE GET TO HEAR HIS STORY TODAY IM SO BROKEN

jean’s ‘gift’ from the ravens with his broken magnets, blacked out postcards and angry letters is making me cry he deserves so much better

slowly realising that this book is gonna be super triggering lol whoops

a cool evening breeze 🥲

THAT CREEPY LITTLE GOALKEEPER IS MY FAVOURITE GUY OK

‘kevin saw nothingn but the court, but jean had stopped hoping for more than that years ago’ shut the fuckkkk uppppp i cant do this anymore kevin/jean relationship is so deeply important to me (i say this about everything)

chapter 5:

SECOND NEIL/ JEAN INTERACTION OF THE BOOK IM SO FUCKING EXCITED

‘of course it’d be you, you tedious malcontent’ ‘good morning to you too’ is so ‘morning sunshine’ ‘fuck you’ coded (neil and matt bromance confirmed)

the amount of mitski on this jean playlist is making me sick

FUCKING SCREAMING OMFG THIS IS THE JEAN/NEIL CONTENT I YEARN FOR

‘abominable cockroach’ aww jean u say the sweetest things 🥰❤️ neil loves u too babe

literally devouring every last scrap of information jean feeds us about neil - his slow, hungry, hateful smile and the madness in his eyes (neil baby i love u never change)

oh jean don’t diss aaron, do u know how many fanfics have been written about u two

tsc is confirmation that jean moreau will come into ur house and judge u based on the contents of ur fridge (and then throw out ur stash of lollies)

‘to have a real match as a palate cleanser’ jean is really trying to win my favour by borrowing neil’s sassiness huh (no wonder i love them so much together) ((and yes i know he’s BEEN sassy ok))

jean reaching for the tv screen as if he could save neil and describing andrew running for neil as if hell was on his heels is making me absolutely giddy idk whether to scream or cry i’m doing both and i’m giggling

I bet on losing dogs is so jean moreau coded omg

holy fuck nora, the moments after the raven/fox match when riko tries to kill neil is fucking amazingly written. reading from jean’s perspective as he watches the game on tv, the tension, the breathless anxiety and confusion of the scene is palpable i coukd fucking taste it, my chest is tight just reading it

JEAN SAYING ANDREW WILL BE COURT IS IMMACULATE

[klbwriting]

Broken Prism

Chapter 1

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Toddxfemale!Reader

Warnings: Some violence, Batman level of violence

Summary: Everyone sees the world in black and white until they meet their soulmate. Jason Todd assumed Gothamites didn't have souls let alone soulmates, so when he as Robin saves a girl from thugs attacking her school he is shocked when their eyes meet and the world is suddenly a vibrant rainbow. Before they can speak she passes out and he decides to keep her safe he has to watch from afar. Until he dies.

You saw Robin and you saw color. You knew it must be dangerous to be Robin so you let him stay away, hoping someday you could meet and at least hear his voice. Then, it's all black and white again and you mourn the loss of a soulmate you never knew.

A year later you wake up and the world is back in color. You are confused and frightened, not sure what is happening, but you know one thing, you accepted your soulmate hiding before, but now you would find him.

Notes: Hello! This Jason Todd fic is brought to you by the people see in black and white until they meet their soulmate. I thought how crazy it would drive someone to first know their soulmate is a masked vigilante, then they die and everything is back to black and white, and then its color again. That person would probably be obsessed with finding out what happened, why it happened, and who exactly their soulmate was to go off and die and then come back to life. I hope you enjoy! Comments/critiques always appreciated! PS. once again, my Jason Todd fancast is Lewis Tan (but also this GIF of baby Jason Todd brings a sweet tear to my eye)

The first day of high school could be a lot of things. The day you met a new friend, the day you get a lunch tray dropped on you, the day you have a mortifying wardrobe malfunction. What it shouldn't be was the day you almost die AND meet your soulmate. One or the other, not both. However, your life always seemed unnecessarily complicated so when a pair of armed thugs arrived, taking teachers hostage and diligently searching lockers and bags it shouldn't have surprised you. Honestly, it didn't surprise you when they found what they were looking for inside your backpack. You knew your foster dad was shady, shady enough to try and steal money from Two-Face and hide it in your bag like the coward he was. The minions took you, kicking and screaming, out a side door, dragging you by your hair. You tried to fight, swinging wildly and trying to pull away, yelping when you were yanked back easily.

"What are we taking her for? She's just some snot-nosed kid," one of the thugs said, looking around warily. "We don't have time to take a hostage, the Batman's out early today." The other minion scoffed, yanking again on your hair.

"I'm not scared of that psycho, and I want a new plaything, this one looks fun," he said. "A little young normally but she's filling out well." You felt sick rise in your throat at what he had planned for you. He pulled you ahead of the other attacker, letting him fall back to watch his back. You were rounding the side of the school towards the alley, certain you were going to horribly mutilated and murdered, when you swore you saw a shadow amidst the dumpsters.

Then you heard the other thug collapse, grunting. You tried to turn and look, worried that some other gang was coming to join the fun, but the one holding your hair threw you. Your head rocked against the brick wall of the school. You muttered out a curse as you sat down, starting to see black engulfing you, when you made contact with Robin. Before you lost consciousness you saw it, his eyes suddenly in full color, then you succumbed.

Gotham wasn't the place Jason thought he would find a soulmate. He didn't he'd ever see color in the world. Between the rich trying to buy, sell, or steal anything and everything their sick hearts' desired and the criminals who would kill you on sight just for fun he was surprised anyone, including himself, has a soul to begin with. So when black and white suddenly became color he froze, almost missing the fist coming for him face. Almost. His dodge was late, the thugs punch grazing his cheek, not enough to knock him down but enough that he felt pain in his jaw. He still recovered before the attack, throwing his own punch that was reinforced with black brass knuckles, landing true right to side of the thug's head, knocking the man down and out.

Batman looked at him, gaze dark. He dropped the other attacker on top of the first, grabbing the backpack and getting the money from it. They had been tracking this cash, needing it collected before the toxin that it was doused in caused anyone to start laughing. He promptly lit the stack on fire, making sure it burned to ash, while Jason picked up the girl and took her out of the alley, nearer to the school. He waved down the GCPD that was there and saw two officers come running, waving for an ambulance to follow them down the street. He took one more glance at her, his soulmate, before going back to the alley. Batman motioned to the building next to them and Jason followed, grappling to the roof and landing just after Batman, knowing he was going to get chewed out for at least two things.

"Brass knuckles Robin?" Batman asked. "Those are something you aren't able to use properly yet." Jason glared, but bit his tongue. Better a tongue lashing now than extra training drills in the evening. "And what happened back there? You hesitated, that isn't like you." Jason didn't answer again. The last thing he needed was Batman knowing that the world wasn't in shades of gray for Jason anymore. He could see the red of the bricks of the school, he had seen the brown in your eyes, and the auburn of your hair. He had no idea what these colors were actually called, he would have to borrow the flashcards Dick had bought when he'd met Barbara. "Start talking Robin."

"The brass knuckles are helpful, I didn't need to use more energy to take out that guy who is literally twice my size," he said. He hated to remember that while Batman was fully grown, in his mid-30s, and the peak of his physical self, Jason was still just 16, a little scrawny despite his weight training, and maybe had some growing to do. "And I don't know why I hesitated, maybe it was seeing a kid my own age almost getting her head smashed in." He was watching the EMTs carting her to the ambulance. He felt the need to follow them, make sure she was safe. He wanted to find her tomorrow and talk to her, hear what she sounded like when she wasn't screaming. Batman watched Jason as he watched the girl they saved. Something was up, but he wasn't sure what. They weren't in an area of town that Jason had ever lived, nor did he go there when he wasn't Robin so he didn't know the girl. He would have to keep an eye on his sidekick. For now he just told him to go home. He would do one last sweep of the city and make sure the tainted cash was all collected and destroyed.

Jason should have gone back to the manor, but instead he followed the ambulance to Gotham General, perching on the roof. He watched them drive inside and wished he had a change of clothes, he could at least sneak in easier. He moved to the access stairs and headed down, keeping to the quieter hallways and stairwells until he was able to find her. She was still unconscious, though it looked medicinal now. He stared at her, memorizing her face, counting every freckle, watching her chest go up and down as she slept. He heard voices in the hallway and looked back at her for a moment, silently promising her that she would safe from now on, he would make sure of it. He disappeared into a vent, heading back outside and starting back towards the manor. After about three blocks he knew that Nightwing had found him, so he stopped, waiting for his big brother to catch up.

"Batman wanted me to keep track of you little bird," Nightwing said. Jason rolled his eyes at the name but didn't say anything. It secretly made him feel special, hearing his brother call him a nickname. "So who was the girl?" It figures he had seen him in the hospital room.

"We just saved her from some of Two-Faces bitches at Gotham North high school," he said. "The asshole threw her into a wall, I looked at her and her eyes, they're the most beautiful color I've ever seen." Nightwing's eyebrows got high enough that Jason saw them peeking out of his mask.

"Going to need those flashcards, did you tell Batman?" Nightwing asked. Jason shook his head. "I get it, but he should know..."

"No Dick," Jason said. He knew that Batman would have him running laps around the grounds until he collapsed if he heard Jason calling Dick by his mortal name, but right now he needed his brother to understand how serious he was. Jason didn't want Batman to know, didn't need Batman or Bruce Wayne worrying about him, about what finding his soulmate might do to him. He would be considered a liability, too young to handle the responsibility, balance the need to see her, to protect her, with the need to keep Gotham safe. Dick had already been Nightwing when Barbara had come along, Bruce had simply told him to not let the soulmate urges distract him, and that had been enough. Jason was younger, more reckless, more unpredictable and Bruce would be waiting for him to screw up, another thing to add to the list of things Jason didn't do as well as Dick with.

"He will figure it out," Dick said. Jason stood up and shook his head, grappling away, wanting to get back home and get a shower before patrol tonight. He needed to think.

You started learning the names of colors as soon as you got home. It was amazing, seeing everything the world had to offer, so much beauty and so bright. But nothing could drive the image of Robin's eyes out of your mind. You knew that he probably hadn't come back to see you again because he was Robin. No one knew who Batman, Robin, or Nightwing were and despite being soulmates its not like he knew you, knew he could trust you. So you went about your life, telling only your closest friends that you had a soulmate. They of course questioned you on who it was but you said that it was a quick glance, no names exchanged, no phone numbers, nothing, so you weren't sure how to find him. They had plenty of suggestions that you pretended to entertain but you knew it was useless, if Robin didn't want you to know him then you wouldn't. You would gaze at every boy with dark hair and brown eyes you came across, at school, at the arcade, the library, your job at Big Belly Burger, everywhere, just trying to find someone who's eyes matched his. You never found him. Then everything changed.

It was evening, you were sitting in your room, watching a movie, once again marveling about the colors in the mountains as the camera swept over the scenery. Your new foster parents didn't understand your fascination with nature documentaries but you didn't want to tell about Robin, they would be worried you were crazy and send you back to the group home and you didn't want to be there ever again. The documentary was just changing to the ocean, your favorite part, when suddenly the world went back to black and white. Your breath stopped, eyes getting wide. You blinked once, twice, three times, but it stayed black and white. You stood, wanting to run out the door, find Robin, but you couldn't, you had no idea where he might be. You knew what had happened, the world only went back to black and white when your soulmate died. You couldn't believe this. You'd never even heard his voice and now you never would. You collapsed on your floor, tears streaming down at the future you had been imagining, all of it crashing down around you. Your parents found you like this, inconsolable, and despite not wanting to go back to the group home that's where you were taken a few days later, the world still dull and gray.

You spent the next year in gray, unable to bring yourself back to the person you had been before. You bounced around homes, therapy seeming useless for you, new parents not sure how to draw you out of your depression. Your friends told you about support groups for people who lost their soulmates, people who could help you recover, but you didn't want to. You wanted to hear his voice, feels his hand, know what his name was. It wasn't fair, nothing in your life seemed fair. You went to bed every night with dried tears on your cheeks.

Until, one day, you woke up, and the color was back.

[genshinimpactlife]

hii can i request hcs of the morning after with diluc where reader sees the scratches they left on his back and feel bad about hurting him but he reassures them? sfw but could be a bit suggestive too :)

Reader Accidently Scratches Diluc (Suggestive Themes)

The morning sun roused you from your sleep, and for the first time, you were awake before Diluc.

He was facing away from you, still sound asleep, the sheets hanging low on his body.

As your sleepy eyes started to clear, you noticed the red scratches that ran up and down Dilucs back. None of them broke the skin, but it was harsh enough to leave a mark.

Your heart started to ache at the sight of them, and even if it was accidental, you felt awful.

Almost as if he sensed you being awake, Diluc started to stir. He rolled over and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close till you were up against his chest.

"Good morning, love."

Diluc leaned down and gently kissed your lips, but when he pulled back and saw the look on your face, he was confused.

"Did you not sleep well?"

Diluc didn't understand what was wrong until you explained what you had done to his back. He didn't understand the issue until he realized you were upset about accidentally hurting him

Diluc couldn't help but laugh, that deep raspy morning voice coming through with it. He found it precious that you felt bad about it.

Diluc gripped your hip, rolled you onto your back, and propped up on top of you as he smiled down at you.

"Darling, I don't mind at all… in fact, you can do it again if you would like."

You didn't feel so bad about it by the time you two got out of bed.

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[perpetuallyfive]

did you think act 2 had a dip in quality when in comes to writing? i've seen so many people complaining and i can't, for the life of me, understand why, apart from people having these really personal expectations that weren't met (vi's pitfighter era being just the montage, caitlyn not spelling out her inner turmoils, isha's entire existence, jinx being family oriented instead of a freedom fighter, sky is also pissing people off lol), and I'm just so confused bc idk if I'm just easier to please, or if my lack of expectations just allowed me to enjoy the story plain and simple

I think there's a fair chance that many of the people complaining didn't watch season 1 until all three acts were released and aren't used to watching Arcane as a week to week experience; a huge percentage of the people in this fandom only joined it around the time they saw an "oil and water" gif set. No shade, of course. I can understand why people weren't jumping to watch women written by Riot, but that does color how you're going to view the pacing of a season.

This very well might be the first time a lot of those complaining built up expectations of where the story would head next, how they'd watch the struggle play out between Zaun and Piltover, only to see things they wanted to watch in depth get covered in a montage.

The fact that a single montage tells us everything we need to know about where Vi is at and what she's been up to is actually good, economical storytelling, but that's not the kind of thing people are used to in most shows. If you go back and watch the pilot of Arcane, so many things happen in that one episode. You get almost a full season of TV in a single 42 minutes of Arcane. A lot of other shows are just filling time, running in place until one of the two or three big moments for the whole season can happen a few episodes later.

That's not how Arcane works now or ever.

I imagine if some people had watched season 1 week to week — with lots of time to imagine what came next while at the edge of their seat — they would have been upset that we never saw the three youngest girls growing up. Act 1 ends with this huge cliffhanger and then we jump an unspecified amount of time into the future. We don't spend time with Vi in jail, we don't actually see any of the trauma alluded to. We don't see the tension in Caitlyn's relationship with her mom and how that plays out over time, which is a pretty huge part of season 2. We don't see Jinx's transformation into the damaged girl she becomes. All of that happens off screen and is only implied.

The techniques people are complaining about this season are exactly the same as last time, when they loved the show. But if you watched everything all at once before — no time to build up an imagined result that didn't pan out — and were reassured by how much you liked the payoff, then maybe you didn't even notice these things that you can hyper analyze while you wait 7 days for the next drop.

Hell, I saw multiple people surprised that introducing tension into Vi and Caitlyn's relationship has already paid off so well because it led to, you know... tension. Some people are so used to shows not doing anything that they are surprised when actually doing things can turn out to be interesting.

I think a lot of the things you say people are complaining about are probably going to be covered in act 3. Jinx has always been family oriented. She only cared for the found family she had with Vander, and then Silco took that place. She didn't give a shit about anyone else working with him, and actively made their lives harder just for fun. It's going to take some effort and time to move her from that pretty self-interested place she's always occupied to being some kind of freedom fighter risking herself for strangers, and Isha was a vital part of getting her there.

I also think there's a really strong chance that isn't even Sky, but rather a manifestation of her created by the Hextech/Void/Whatever that consumed her using her as a puppet to manipulate Viktor into spreading its influence further and faster. But who knows! There's an entire three episodes left and, again, a single episode of Arcane covers so much and always has. None of us can actually know where the stories will be one episode later, let alone three.

Look, for all I know, this might not pan out. We never know if a show is going to stick the landing one season to the next. But they're not really doing anything differently from last time, so I don't see a reason to panic or complain yet.

[dujour13]

Owlcatober 27. Portrait

Fandom: Wrath of the Righteous

More Sosiel 💖 This one sort of follows on 20. Honor

Also on AO3

At first Sosiel thought the colorfully dressed half-elf standing with the Queen before the ranks of the Fifth Crusade must be some sort of herald, a bard she’d hired to lend some cheer to the occasion before she presented the new Knight-Commander to his troops.

By now he’d heard the new Knight-Commander was Andoren, the sole survivor of the Diplomatic Corps caravan massacre, and that made two things they had in common. Impatiently he craned his neck to peer over a pauldron.

And saw the Queen present the bard.

Who gave the troops a friendly wave.

For a few seconds Sosiel watched in confusion, and then slowly began to smile.

The Knight-Commander of the Fifth Crusade looked like one of those urban artsy types Sosiel admired when he was younger, probably from Almas or Augustana. Not a hint of stern military discipline in his clothing or demeanor as he stepped up and gave a short speech in a warm, strong tenor with an unmistakable Andoren accent—something about the Fifth Crusade welcoming all without discrimination, about the resilience of heterogeneity—but Sosiel was too excited to listen, his painter’s eye transfixed.

Amidst the leaden sky and mud, the dull gray armor marked only by pale patches of icy white and red more like blood than heraldry, the Knight-Commander was a lone spring flower.

Later he was surprised to receive a personal invitation from the Queen to join her in the command tent. After all the grief her inquisitors had given him he’d been sure they wouldn’t let him anywhere near her, but apparently his midnight ride to Nerosyan had already become somewhat of a legend in the nascent Fifth Crusade and he found himself not only above suspicion but a minor celebrity among her royal escort.

When they entered, the Knight-Commander was not sitting at his desk but on it, ankles crossed. Up close Sosiel observed him curiously. It was always hard to tell with half-elves, but he guessed he must be several years Sosiel’s senior, with straw-colored hair and olive-gold eyes, cheerful in the lamplight. Tanned skin, Kelish nose, bright smile. Original assortment of colors. A Desnan pendant—no surprise at all, Sosiel thought.

“You’re from Carpenden?” Beaming, the Knight-Commander shook his hand. “Beautiful place.”

“Yes, it is. You’ve been there?”

“Are you kidding? I was at the harvest festival just a couple years ago. The time the ponies got loose. Hey, you don’t happen to have any wine?”

“No, I’m afraid when the Temple was attacked everything was ransacked, even our personal affairs.”

“Oh.” The Knight-Commander’s smile fell. “The Temple of Shelyn. I heard what happened. I’m sorry. How are you holding up?”

There was something so sincere in his eyes and in the way he squeezed his shoulder that Sosiel felt a sob rise in his chest and had to fight it down. So few had offered him words of compassion. “I—thank you. I miss them. We should treasure what time we have with those we love, since we never know when it may come to an end. But we all do what we must. I understand you find yourself similarly grieving.”

Judging by his shaky sigh, it sounded like the Knight-Commander could relate. “I didn’t expect the road to be easy, but no one thought it would be this rough. What brings a priest of the goddess of beauty all this way?”

“I can’t sit idly by and paint landscapes while people are dying,” said Sosiel with passion. “All the more now.”

At this the Knight-Commander looked surprised. “You’re right.”

Sosiel wondered if something he’d said had affected him in some way, because he glanced over his shoulder at the stack of paperwork on his desk and then down at his hands. “You’re exactly right,” he murmured.

He looked lost, far from his element. Uprooted. Sosiel thought back to his own journey here, leaving sunny skies and the promise of ripening grapes behind for the promise of struggle and glory—and instead finding grief.

“Knight-Commander, I’m organizing a funeral service for my fallen brethren at Martyr Zacharius’ cemetery. It would be a comfort to their loved ones if you would say a few words. And perhaps a comfort to… all of us who have lost people.”

When the Knight-Commander raised his eyes again there was a look of gratitude, and also resolve. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be there. Thank you. And by the way—”

“Yes?”

“I’m not big on titles. Just call me Siavash.”

In the following days the Knight-Commander—Siavash—was too busy to visit the chapel tent, and it was just as well. Sosiel felt absurdly proud of his latest oeuvre, so proud that it would mortify him should the Knight-Commander witness what he had unknowingly inspired.

It was embarrassingly beautiful. Flushed, Sosiel turned the canvas backward to hide it just in case, but not without one last pleased glance at the way the crushing steel whorl of Mendev, silvery white and streaked with mud and fire, bore up amidst its pain and chaos a single bloom of sky-blue and gold (and rose, amber, forest green, lavender and turquoise), deceptively fragile-looking but casting a glow on the mist surrounding it like a beacon, a promise of warmth and kindness that made the bleakness bearable.

“Sosiel… that’s…”

“My first impression of the new Knight-Commander. I left it in storage at the Temple when we marched on Drezen.”

Siavash grabbed him around the shoulders and squeezed.

“Tell me you’re crying because you like it.”

“I look so lost and lonely.”

“And look at you now. You know, I felt a kinship with you at the beginning of the Crusade. I hoped we could be friends.”

Siavash laughed fondly as Sosiel filled his glass. “Can I tell you a secret? When you told me back then that you couldn’t paint while people were dying, you gave me the push I needed. I was getting ready to ditch.”

“No.” Sosiel smiled incredulously.

“Yeah. When the Queen gave me the title I thought she meant as a figurehead. I didn’t think it would involve paperwork.”

“So this mess is all my fault.”

“Entirely.” Siavash brought his glass to his lips and stopped. “Wait, this isn’t one of Yumillian’s, is it?”

“Go ahead. It’ll be fine.”