#it's one thing to dismiss someone based on rumors

[kyoghurts]

春のような微笑み

( a smile like spring )

you, rumored to be one of the most unapproachable, dismissive people—and even rude, according to a handful of acquaintances—are yet to be proven by your own actions, which are the total opposite of the rumors. perhaps the perception was fueled by brief, impersonal interactions or whispers from those who never truly knew you. sure, your wordings could come off a little harsh, your tone as monotone as a tired teller on a monday morning, or your gaze cold enough to drown someone in antarctica, but those traits don’t define you as a whole. not when they finally saw your frost thaw for the first time.

OR furin boys when they see your soft side for the first time <3

contents. fluff | headcanons & small drabbles. featuring sakura haruka, nirei akihiko, suo hayato, kiryu mitsuki, ren kaji, and umemiya hajime!

notes. title is inspired by the song 二十歳の恋 (hatachi no koi) by lamp! go read this while listening to it ^_^ get cozy and comfy, and enjoy reading this little treat i made. i also based off the reader of myself bc i have the perpetual rbf, unfortunately.

SAKURA HARUKA’s thoughts would probably spiral, his mind unable to process what he’s seeing. a long, beeping sound rings in his head as he watches you—you—smiling in front of him, your eyes gleaming with a hint of mirth. he’s frozen to the ground, completely lost for words or actions. the moment sinks in, and then—his cheeks flush in embarrassment. what the hell was that?!

things start to change until then, your softness is suddenly at the forefront of his thoughts. everything you do or say starts to make sense.

when you helped a small child who’d fallen off their feet one time, his gaze instantly renders the relaxed expression on your face, and there was warmth in your gesture.

“y-you should smile more often..” he’ll whisper to you when you’re both alone, he’s convinced that you can’t hear him. but really, it does something to your heart, far more than your reactions can show.

NIREI AKIHIKO is completely apprehensive when it comes to you, he’s never personally met you, but the way you carry yourself makes him feel like looking into your eyes would be like inviting a curse. so imagine him turning blank when he finally does, and all he can see is a quiet and grateful look when he instinctively reached out to hold the door open for you one random day while you were running late for your part time job, it felt surreal to say the least.

you were muttering under your breath, cursing your tardiness when you spotted nirei’s familiar figure near the entrance. before you could ask, he’d already moved to hold the door, and you managed a quick, slightly breathless, “thank you so much.” his brain went blank; the quiet, grateful look on your face rendered him motionless, a sense of disbelief washing over him.

imagine also the next day, when you approached him during his patrol and handed him a cold melon soda, his jaw nearly dropped. you didn’t say much, just a simple “thought you might need this,” he stared wide-eyed as you walked away, his heart pounding as he thought, this is a monumental day in my sixteen years of life.

SUO HAYATO is amused, to be fair, he’s turned deaf ears on mumbling rumors. he knows how you operate in just one glance, and doesn’t take your sudden shift in your disposition to be of news. instead, when your eyes light up as he approaches, your body language becoming more open and even chatting more than you usually do, he can’t help but feel a little internal happiness.

he’s a little amused by how you get more animated when you talk, he eggs you on a little, pushing you to talk more, until you don’t even realize it yourself. he can’t help but smile fondly at you, unbothered by how comfortable you’ve gotten, even if you don’t notice it.

hands you a bag of genmaicha without context, the sticky note he left doesn’t help either. it says, “not too fancy or too simple. easy to be around, but has depth that surprises when you least expect it.” and you’re just like “..???” but still appreciates the gesture, hoping you’ll crack this cryptic message once you taste the tea yourself.

(hint: he isn’t really talking about the tea)

KIRYU MITSUKI was subtly wary, both the rumors and you, but it only takes a stray cat to prove all of them wrong.

kiryu couldn’t shake the image of you crouched on the sidewalk, gently stroking the scruffy tabby’s fur, cooing softly like you were coaxing something fragile into trust. you have a thing for cats? he wanted to approach you then. the harsh, cold exterior he’s always seen in you is nowhere to be found, or maybe there wasn’t one in the first place. your resting bitch face just so happened to really intimidate someone without your knowing.

when you looked up and locked gazes, the faintest flush crosses your features, you stood up and brush off the encounter like it was nothing.

by then, kiryu couldn’t help but think of you whenever he sees any stray cats around, even petting them the same manner you did.

REN KAJI and the silence you offer is one he actually enjoys. but oh, when the rest of the furin boys walk ahead as the both of you take your time behind, with the sunset painting your relaxed features in warm glow, he couldn’t help but stare.

it softens the edges around your face, an almost imperceptible smile on your lips. you catch him staring and he immediately looks away. feeling the tips of his ears burn in embarrassment.

he sees in his peripherals the way you tilt your head, a question raised with your eyebrows, enough to acknowledge him without a word.

when he hears you chuckle, ren can’t tell if it’s amusement or something else. but oh, he didn’t know that a chuckle could sound this sweet. not even music could come close to the sound of it.

UMEMIYA HAJIME but instead of a chuckle, it’s a full, hearty laugh — prompted by his ridiculous and stupid jokes while the both of you tend to his plants & veggies

from the rooftop, everything is quieter than usual, only hearing the faint gust of wind and rustling of leaves. the lightness of the moment makes him utter jokes absentmindedly, until you scoff at him, and then he throws in another joke, one after the other

and then he gets startled when he delivers a punchline, startled by how genuine your laugh was. his joke was so ridiculous he had to choke in his own laughter

it feels so much lighter after, a shy smile forming your lips, and hajime feels his heart doing something funny. he clears his throat and pretends to focus back on the plants.

if he could, he wishes to keep this side of you to himself just a little longer. he’ll cherish it every day, and he’s already cherishing it now. a big dumb grin slipping its way while he blushes. he'll probably turn it into a mission to make you laugh like this. it's just so addicting, you look so sweet like this.

© kyoghurts ⟢ reblogs and likes are well appreciated

[thebroccolination]

Part of the reason Pluto is so special to Krist is that Krist got him in 2020. April, I think. So it was right around the time the new 2gether wave of interfans decided they were the new moral military of this Thai fandom they'd just arrived in and proceeded to gleefully, maliciously torment Krist off social media and into therapy for a kneejerk Instagram story he made years before in response to ongoing interrogations about his sexuality.

It was during a global pandemic, everything was in chaos, people online were screaming at him in foreign languages, people who didn't know his last name or anything about him except that he 1) made an Instagram story once, and 2) was in SOTUS, and no matter what he said or did, no matter how many times he apologized, interfans never bothered to do a single bit of actual research into who he is or what he actually believes. They just took as gospel whatever they were told by other interfans and used that as permission to be cruel for the fun of it.

But in the middle of it all, Krist had this little ball of energy at home. A feisty kitten who loved him and slept beside him and needed Krist to take care of him.

So when Krist talks about Pluto and the rest of his cats, he always has this soft reverence in his voice. They're family to him. Just by being with him and loving him, they helped him through one of the darkest times in his life.

Cuddles 💕

[mylarena]

thinkin abt soap being able to touch ghost, unlike literally anyone else on base. like, even gaz and price get minimal leeway on it. the medics act like hes a feral cat when treating him. theres rumors that he once broke a guys wrist for patting his arm.

but then soap shows up, and hes like, Ah Nah Man, Itll Be Fine!

and punches him in the shoulder and says 'save ya a seat, sir!' and sees the momentary flash of shock from his absolute fucking audacity before he turns and ignores the absolutely killer glare he gets as he walks away

then ghost pats his arm before he leaves the camera room, leaving soap too shocked to do anything but give him a weak thumbs up as he walks away

then soap pats his shoulder before climbing onto the helo out of las almas

and thats just the start.

people around base see soap bump shoulders with ghost while walking down a hallway and everyone can only look on in horror as ghost-- does nothing. huffs and rolls his eyes, but does nothing.

and anyone who witnessed it are simply not believed when they tell people about it.

but they know.

then it happens again, and more people see it, and then its flying around the base in whispers and gossip.

"soap gave lieutenant ghost a shove and he didnt even react!"

"he sat next to him during the brief, and he was pressed right up to him!"

"they were sitting across from each other in the mess, and, you wont even believe this, but they were playing footsies! soap was stealing things right off of his plate! and ghost just let him!"

and ghost starts being more open to other peoples touch, too. nothing even fractionally as close to what he lets soap get away with, but price gets to ruffle his hair in the 141 common room in the rare occasion that ghost is without his mask. gaz can throw an arm around his shoulder without being growled at like a fuckin dog.

the next time a rookie accidentally bumps into him, theyre terrified for a moment that theyre either going to be booted off the base for disrespecting their CO or gutted like a fish, but ghost just nods stiffly to their frantic apology and steps to the side to walk right past them.

and, even wilder than everything else, ghost is seen initiating contact with soap. patting him on the back (making soap beam like the sun), ruffling his hair (causing soap to borderline giggle), grabbing him by the chin to tilt his head to get a better look at a wound over his eyebrow (making soap look up at him with a gentle expression, settle a hand over his wrist, and softly reassure him that he's okay.)

and it says a lot that eventually when someone says that they walked into the gym late one night and caught ghost and soap pressed chest-to-chest with soaps arms hooked up and around ghosts neck and ghosts hands on soaps hips, people dont immediately dismiss it as something entirely unbelievable.

[bingbongsupremacy]

Closure Pt. 2

Pairing: Steve Harrington x plus size!reader

Warnings: swearing, anger, idk what else

Series Summary: You never knew Steve could be so shallow. When he leaves you to date Nancy Wheeler, you're left with a pain you thought he'd never leave with you. Maybe you should've stayed friends.

Part Summary: He wrote a letter. You don't need him. Right?

*Not Proof Read* Stranger Things Masterlist

Based off of Taylor Swift Song Closure. This was a request. I tried to make everything as general as possible. Pls let me know if missed something ty.

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3

*****

No one was supposed to know we were dating. Steve said he didn’t want his teammates to bug me. He didn’t want people to overreact when they found out about us and say mean shit. At the time, I agreed. I mean, Steve’s the king of Hawkins high. I wouldn’t be the first girl he’s dated who’s had rumors spread about them. 

Hiding us was harder than we thought. A month or so after we got together Tommy found out and told the whole team. Gradually the whole school found out. Gossip spreads like wildfire, especially in a town like Hawkins. 

During the weeks after we broke up, I started to think about our secret relationship.

He wasn’t trying to protect me. He was trying to protect his reputation. Steve might not show it but deep down he’s just like everyone else. He’s got insecurities too. He obsesses over anything negative that’s said about him, analyzing everything that others think is imperfect about him until he finds a way to change it.

That’s something I noticed sophomore year when we started to get a little closer.

He was kind to me, but he wasn’t perfect. I don’t know for sure but I think he still messed with underclassmen, bullying them for praise from Tommy and Carol. He wanted to be liked by everyone, especially those two assholes.

He was always going to pick them over me. 

“ Honey, this came in for you today. “ My mom breaks me out of my thoughts. 

I look up from my stack of paperwork. “ What? From who? “ My brows furrow in confusion. Who would send mail to my parents’ house? I haven’t lived here in years. 

“ It’s from Steve. “ My moms eyes scan over the stark white envelope. 

My heart sinks. 

What the fuck does he want? 

I haven’t seen or talked to him since graduation 7 years ago. What could he want with me? Last I heard he got a job at Family Video and Nancy broke up with him. 

He knows I’m here. He has to. Fucking Hawkins. When one person knows everyone knows. Mrs. Henderson must’ve told someone when I ran into her at the gas station. 

“ What ever happened to you and Steve? Do you both still talk? “ My mom asks curiously while handing over my mail. 

Oh right. I never told her. 

“ We fell out of touch. You know, life. " I shrug, hoping that's enough for her.

" Oh, that's so sad sweetie. I'm sorry. " She sends me a small sympathetic smile. " That's always hard when you lose touch with someone you love. " She gently pats my shoulder.

Love.

Steve didn't love me.

I send her a small smile, hoping to drop the topic. " It happens, ma. "

" Well, I'll you get to it. " She dismisses herself, leaving me to the letter in my hands.

I trace the sharp corners of the envelope. Should I open it? Do I want to?

I wonder what it says.

What could he have to say to me after all of these years? It couldn't be something worth my time. Not after the shit that happened in high school. Right?

But what if it is?

Fuck it. I'm curious.

I pull open the envelope and let the torn paper fall into my lap. A neatly folded letter greens me, the bright white stationary paper matching the envelope.

This is it. Here we go.

I pull open the letter. Dark blue pen lines starkly contrast the white paper. Steve's familiar handwriting fills a good portion of the page. At the bottom his squiggly signature lies, bold and exactly the same as I remember.

Y/N,

I hope this letter finds you. I heard you're back in town. I've been meaning to do this for a long time. I've debated writing to you for years. I didn't know if I had anything good enough to send to you.

I was an asshole to you. You didn't deserve how I broke up with you. I feel horrible about how I treated you. About how I let other people change my opinion and control my actions. I should've stood stronger with what I thought.

That's something I always loved about you. You didn't let other people sway your opinions. I'm sure you still don't. You thought for yourself.

You are so much braver than I am. You didn't compromise yourself for others.

I've thought about what happened for years. About how you must have felt.

I hope you're well. I hope you've been able to move on and you've continued to be yourself. I know I don't deserve to say that, I just wish you the best.

I wanted to explain to you why I did what I did. I owe it to you. I was selfish. I got caught up in the high school popularity shit. I know it's stupid. I wanted to be Hawkins High's main guy. I wanted the Prom King title. I wanted the attention.

I really did like you. You made me feel safe and understood. You were always patient and kind. You urged me to be me, even when I felt like caving under pressure. You liked me for me, not for who I was trying to be. You deserved better than me.

People started to talk. You know. You heard the rumors.

At first, I thought I could handle it. I thought it wouldn't bug me. I thought I could push past it all. I cracked. Tommy and Carol jumped on the wagon and it pushed me over the edge. I couldn't bare the thought of losing the respect I'd worked so hard to get. I couldn't handle the teasing I'd get from the guys after games or the looks Tommy'd send my way when he saw us together.

It was wrong. I didn't think about you. About how you must've felt and how you were handling everything that was going on. It was Senior Year. I should've held on. We would've been out of this shit hole in a few months anyway, I don't know why I didn't just ignore it all. That's one of my biggest regrets.

I've been in therapy for a few years now. I've worked past all that surface-level shallow shit. I really see just how much I hurt you, and for that I'm so sorry.

I don't expect you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know that you're the first girl I ever loved and I am so grateful for you. Our relationship sent me on a path to help myself, and for that I will always love you.

Thank you.

-Steve Harrington

P.S. The week before we broke up I was going to give this to you. I never did.

I glance down at the envelope in my lap and open it. At the bottom lays a shiny silver necklace. A small gem, my birthstone, lays in the center. It glimmers in the light. It's beautiful.

I turn the gem over and spot a small engraving on the back.

SH +Y/N

For a moment I'm torn.

Should I write him back? Should we talk?

Part of me does miss him. I miss his laugh. His playful teasing. The way he looked at me.

No.

He hurt me. A lot.

He can't just send a letter and make it better. Why didn't he talk to me in person if this really weighed on him as much as he says it did? Why didn't he call me?

I don't need him. I'm fine. I've been fine without him for years. I'm not going to let him back into my life because he feels bad about his actions and insecurities.

I left Hawkins for a reason. I needed to get away from Steve. I needed him out of my life.

I'm not going to let him back in for his sake.

I don't need him.

I stand up, taking the papers and necklace in my hand. I walk over to the trashcan near my dresser. Without a second thought, I drop everything into the can.

The necklace makes a small clunking sound as it hits the bottom of my empty can.

The rustling of papers quiets and so does my pounding heart.

I'm fine on my own.

(Do we like this ending? Or should I try to make another part? )

Taglist: @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @queen-apple24

[scaralvr]

test me. scaramouche x immortal!gn!reader contains :: religious themes, angst, 3.3 archon quest spoilers

synopsis: you have been scaramouche's faithful & loyal assistant since he was graced with the title of balladeer, but your acts of dedication towards his great being go unnoticed by him each time. however, you would never give up on your God. it is him you worship, not the tsaritsa. when he replaces you with haypasia, you refuse to live without another to serve under.

notes :: songfic based off of melanie martinez's song test me! i haven't written in awhile so it may be a little rusty :')

at first, you weren't quite sure what to think of the almighty sixth you would serve for the rest of your life as a fatui recruit. bearing a cryo vision, you found no use for the doctor's delusions, but the sixth himself requested you use one, for whatever reason you aren't aware of. the sixth of the eleven had a temper that you didn't mind, but still didn't deem his behaviour tolerable. he acts like a brat, expecting everything to be handed to him on a silver platter by his pathetic inferiors.

it sickens you to the core. how could you serve someone as cruel and disgusting as him? questions like these flood your mind but a specific one stands out from the rest. why do you serve him? with such joy and enthusiasm, too. you're fully aware that the other fatui have been stirring up some trouble with scandalous rumors they spread around, fixating on how insane you must be to enjoy working under the balladeer's orders.

you're not deranged. a little eccentric, scaramouche would say. he doesn't mind your passion as his assistant, if anything, he prefers to have someone like this rather than a timid and quiet person who has to be told twice to finish things up. you don't even talk his ear off but instead, abide by every single demand of his and choose to stay silent when he says to. he calls you a, 'smart one,' considering the fact that his past assistants had to face the consequences you were avoiding.

you found the happiness you rarely had in serving him, enjoying the way he sadistically looks into nothing while going on and on about his sinister plans to overpower his creator through his birth of a God. he'd been planning this for quite a while and you were there through all of it. you stole for him, risked your life for him, took lives for him, and what did you get in return after years of your service? your knees feel weak and you suppose it's from kneeling to him all of the time.

they grow even weaker and the breath is knocked out of your throat at his words. "your assistance was tolerable and i'll be dismissing you. this is where your job ends, (y/n)." his words pound at your head and repeat like a broken loop, reminding you over and over that you're not needed. the God that you love and cherish is abandoning his divine angel. his fallen angel. you don't know why, but tears spring to your eyes as you step forward with a hand against your chest. you open your mouth to speak in a small voice, "but, my lord, i'm afraid you do need me. who will come along with you on your way through your journey of Godhood?"

scaramouche doesn't spare you a single glance and chooses to look out the window. "a researcher i've come across in sumeru has proven her worth to me. and don't get me twisted, you have proven your worth as well. she is... simply better in terms of everything and if you can't handle that truth, i don't care. do as i say, since you worship me so much," a wide smirk stretches his lips and you catch sight of it in the reflection of the glass window. the light in your eyes go out in sorrow as you percieve the fact that your God replaced you.

hey, God, i'll be the jester. entertain you, to the best of, my ability.

you wander sumeru with a blank expression, still registering the moments that previously occured. you cut ties with your family and loved ones for him and going back there wouldn't do you any good, as they've already deemed you as scum for joining the fatui all those years ago. your immortal state makes it worse, since you figure living without a purpose is much worse than death itself. while walking with your head down, your shoulder hits something. a person. you turn your head and your eyes meet those of a dashing gold. a fairly handsome man with long blonde hair tied in a braid appears astounded. not too far, a fairy with white hair floats next to him.

"sorry, i wasn't looking where i was going."

at that pathetic apology, you narrow your eyes. what type of person puts the blame on themself when they know very well it's the other's fault? curious, you place a hand on your hip and comment, "your attire... it's not from here. may i question you?" the fairy excitedly claps her hands, "oh, we were about to question you, actually!" you raise a brow, "really? whatever for?" the man kindly smiles and explains the situation to you in a tone like he's known you forever. scaramouche has known you forever. he's never shown such kindness like that to you.

you have no one to serve. no one to follow. all of your sacrifices were a waste, for the very man you put everything on the line for, threw you away like a worthless piece of trash. as you listen to the voice of the mysterious traveler, you feel a hope light up within you again. maybe, just maybe, it'll be different. this time, it will. when he finishes his brief explanation, you instantly shoot your shot. "the balladeer, you say?"

in the meanwhile, scaramouche is left to his own gadgets within the solace of his temporary room. temporary, because he knows he'll be on the move again. he always will be, now that he's turned his back on her majesty, the tsaritsa, and ran away with one of her treasured gnoses. he stares out the window, just like he did a few hours ago, and realizes the time. the sun is beginning to set and usually, you would enter the room with a tray of tea for both him and you to share as he discusses his plans.

it's not too long before scaramouche remembers he already removed you from the plan. your company and assistance have brought him this far, huh? he lets out a sigh that makes him realize he was holding in his breath for quite a bit now. he places his elbow atop the window sill and rests his chin in his palm. it's gotten a little boring since you left, hasn't it? it hasn't even been a day. scaramouche grits his teeth and groans in frustration. it seems like he doesn't enjoy the feeling of being alone, either.

but it's whatever! you're his faithful assistant, maybe if you put some thought into that robotic and tiny brain of yours, you'll be smart enough to come back because both you and scaramouche know you could never survive without him. yeah, you'll be back. the moon rises in the sky and scaramouche tightens his clutch on the wood of the sill. you'll definitely be back...

when i suffer, more fragility, when i answer. came here for a reason.

for the next few days, you spend it with aether and his friend, paimon. he easily opened up to you about his lost sister and the nations he previously went to in hopes of finding her but to no avail. you pity the poor male and choose to make his time in sumeru more enjoyable before he goes off to confront the balladeer. ah, it wasn't too hard to tell him that you're the balladeer's assistant. paimon was a little jumpy at first, but he, he was understanding... someone worthy of worshipping.

bit by bit, scaramouche can feel himself breaking. every little thing irritates him. the sound of the wind's harsh currents, the feeling of something rough against the supple skin of his hand, the crippling isolation of his room. with a determined yet firm frown, he remakes a brew of green tea for the several time this week. it doesn't taste right. no matter how much sugar he adds (which he never enjoys in his tea but he's trying), he can't recreate the taste of the way you made it.

little does he know, you're making the same tea, yet it's for another man. "(y/n), this is very well-made!" aether exclaims with a grin and you feel yourself flush red. "is it?... thank you," you mutter, turning away to pour some into a tea cup for paimon. aether chuckles, "you've done alot for me and my traveling companion, (y/n). and i've been wondering about something for sometime." you notice the way he fumbles with the tea cup in his hands from the corner of your eye. "go on," you say, putting aside the tea pot and facing him. aether confidently adds, "i'd like for you to join me on my journeys, if you'll allow it. considering the way the balladeer did all of that to you-"

ah. you uncomfortably shuffle your feet in your position and paimon notices the tense situation. "h-hey, it's alright, (y/n)! aether's a really nice guy, huh? we would never do something like that to you!" paimon says, trying to lighten the mood. you let out a soft sigh, "i... thank you. will you let me think about it?" aether pauses and eagerly nods, "of course. take as much time as you need." and that's how you ended up wandering in the vast forest of sumeru. no matter which way you shift your thoughts, it always ends up drifting back to the indigo haired harbinger.

you delicately hold a sumeru rose in your hands and tilt your head to inspect the flower. suddenly, an anger rises and before you realize it, you're tightly clutching the flower, completely destroying its petals and stem altogether. you loved him. he was your everything. you guess he didn't feel the same for you. because he is a heartless, wretched and brutal — the silent time to yourself was interfered with another person's barely audible gasp. you're quick to whip around and wield your sword, finding the sharp end of it against someone's neck. scaramouche is unfazed, content, even.

"still on guard as ever," he murmurs, using his finger to guide your sword away from his throat, but the pressure of your blade creates a small slit against his flawless skin and you draw blood. you slowly withdraw your weapon as he traces his fingertip along the wound. "what has my little ex-assistant been up to as of late? i don't think you have any business in sumeru, do you?" scaramouche casually asks while impotently wiping the blood on his attire.

you knit your brows together and as much as it hurts to do so, you speak without using your usual endearment, 'my lord,' for him. "you cease to exist to me, balladeer," the way it rolls off of your tongue is foreign to him, it even surprises you. scaramouche has no time for petty feelings, but he lets them get in the way. his pupils are blown with anger as he seethes, "who do you think you are? just because i've abandoned you like the hindrance you are, it doesn't mean you get to treat me with such... inferiority!"

"but you're wrong, balladeer. i can and i will." with those words serving a final blow to his non-existent heart, you turn on your heel to find the blonde traveler with the answer to his question bound to escape your lips that used to say nothing but praises to the sixth.

just stop complaining, all have our seasons, it's not just a joke or a lesson to live through.

scaramouche watches your form disappear in the distance, only then, can he fully consume the fact that you aren't coming back unless he asks. stubborn one, aren't you? always playing hard to get. he deludes himself with this, believing that you still want to serve your one and only God. right, he's owned you from the start. he owned you the moment you agreed to be his assistant. you can't just get up and leave like that, no, your work is far from done. scaramouche agrees that it was rather trivial to dismiss you like that and he sees his mistake. why can't you understand that he needs you back?

but the cherry on top is the way you stand before his godly form, alongside the traveler. you're not supposed to be here. scaramouche is struck with shock when he sees you enter the scene with aether. the moment is swept away just as quick when he laughs. he laughs like a crazed man, hands on his stomach as he catches his breath. "oh, this is rich, (y/n)! you're so worthless, you really had to find another to serve after i ditched you. you're nothing but a weak follower and i plan on making you take that role to the grave," his tone drops to that of a condescending one and various emotions surge through his veins.

the immense adrenaline pumping through his system can't compare to the pain he feels when buer seizes his gnosis. this can't be happening. he's done so much to make it this far, only for all of it to come crashing down before him. his mother, his friend, the child, you. you've left a scar on him that he'll never forget. he hates it. you must be smirking to yourself as he falls from the large mech. he misses when you were still by his side, always smiling even when he ordered you to commit something so atrocious as murder.

he acknowledges it now. scaramouche realizes that you were there from the beginning and despite his cruel doings, he was your God. he never needed to go this far, because he was yours. what is this feeling, he wonders. well, it's too late now. scaramouche can only accept defeat, falling, until... he hits something, but it certainly isn't the ground. his eyes can barely stay open from how visibly exhausted he is yet he manages to make out a figure looking down at him. you steadily hold him in your arms and aether rushes to you. "are you sure you want to do this, (y/n)?" he queries. you nod in response, "i'll look after him."

every which way in second, there's a breakthrough.

scaramouche, now being the wanderer, loiters within sumeru with no purpose whatsoever. with no place to go or stay, he explores and occasionally helps the traveler with some of their needs. but it still hurts. even if he's occupied himself with other things, he keeps on thinking about you. it was always you. yet the searing pain makes him wail at night, recalling the way you looked at him like he was... a stranger.

"(y/n)!" for the first time in forever, he genuinely smiled. he was happy that at least, he still had you through this whole wreck. scaramouche had the guts to apologize. coming to think of it, it was a stupid thing from the beginning. he was thankful that you stayed loyal to him and still were at that time, considering the fact that you took care of him when he was unconscious. when nahida informed him of it, he couldn't be more relieved.

you turn at the exclaimation of your name and instantly back away in confusion. "aether, who is this?" your words put scaramouche's movements to a stop and his smile drops. "wh-what do you mean? traveler, what do they mean?" he hurriedly asked, voice cracking in between some words. you furrow your brows together and aether muttered, "they don't remember you,"

he felt the heaviest weight bring itself onto his chest. it's hard to breathe. that's right, he erased himself from the memories of many people, including you. how could he be so blind back then? all he needed, wanted, was someone that could stay by his side forever and love him unconditionally. he knew very well you were immortal, so he wouldn't have to worry about your lifespan. he also knew how much you worshipped him, so he wouldn't have to worry about the potential chance of betrayal, either.

why did he let such a beautiful and caring little thing like you out of his sight?

© scaralvr.

[kopivie]

hades!wriothesley's constellation is cerberus, yes, but he also has a gardemek that takes the form of a massive three-headed dog. the thing sits motionless in front of his office seemingly powered off, but rumor has it that it roams the corridors of the fortress of meropide after midnight. the mechanical beast grows aggressive during the witching hour, although hades himself will often dismiss the rumors, saying that it is merely attending to unwanted guests.

as a matter of fact, what if he has several cerberus gardemeks? amongst the ranks of the gardemeks that lie in wait in their designated stations, there is also a cerberus mech on each level -- maybe two or three per level, each spaced out so as to maintain order and have all bases covered. when they walk, one can hear each and every one of their mechanisms clicking and turning. each step rocks the very ground they walk upon; a few prisoners (residents as wriothesley would probably correct you) have expressed their concern that a cerberus mech could end up drowning them all some day. of course those are just the ramblings of a paranoid prisoner (resident), but their worries aren't unfounded.

the very first time you tried to enter wriothesley's office, the cerberus gardemek stationed there nearly ripped you apart.

you're too terrified to even think to say the words that wriothesley told you to say when prompted. the gardemek spoke to you just moments earlier, the automated voice commanding you to state your name and business. you weren't aware that you were being timed either, so when you stutter one too many times and take too long to answer, the hulking automaton shifted its stance into that of a predator hunting its prey. it planted its front paws on the ground and lowered itself with its hind legs in the air. if this were a smaller, more... organic dog, it would've been mildly threatening at best. but this? this was menacing. you were not staring down at a dog that you could hide from -- you were being watched by death itself.

state your name and business, the beast warned you. you could hear the hiss of the joints in the jaw moving as it opened its mouth to reveal its silver serrated teeth. unlike the polished, humanoid gardemeks elsewhere in the fortress, the teeth seemed... dirty. rusted, even. your body went cold with the realization that it was likely dried blood.

your mouth opened to answer the question, but no sound came out. your head was a mess. if you don't answer the question, will your blood stain the once-silvery mass of teeth in this monster's mouth? you glanced at the floor briefly and saw that sure enough, the floor was a different color beneath your feet than it was anywhere else -- as if someone had done some intense scrubbing. you held your breath.

by this point, you were too terrified to provide the answer that the mech was asking you for. you briefly considered fighting your way out of this, but you can't take this thing on alone. a few armed gardemeks, maybe, but not something this massive. so, you squeezed your eyes shut when you heard the mech utter the words, "time has run out. eliminating intruder."

aaaand then i stopped writing because i'm falling asleep. obviously you don't die, but you get what i'm trying to say, right? right.

[personwhowrites]

Common Sense

Task Force 141 (kind of?) x gn reader(platonic)

No use of y/n or any female/male pronouns.

Words: 2k ish something

——————————————————————

Sense, that’s what they all told you in boot camp. If you want to survive in such a job, you need sense. Not just a ‘I felt that’ sense, but also common sense. It came to surprise when you almost put a sergeant in danger along with the squad you were assigned to. The base bussed with rumors about you, how you lacked common sense in serious situations and instead did stupid things. You don't like those types of rumors, it made you feel like you didn’t matter.

You did have common sense, you did know what to do in serious and tense situations.

“Are you done mumbling to yourself?” A voice spoke, finally you snapped back into reality and noticed you were sitting down in front of a man. “You’re a rookie, correct? Fresh out of boot camp?”

“Yes sir, I am..” You replied unsure why he needed to know if it was correct. “I want to apl—”

The apology was cut off short by the sound of him shushing you. You were taken back by this type of response and looked at his desk. There you found a label, his name written on it ‘Captain John Price’. You soon then turned your attention to Price, he didn’t seem so happy to have a rookie in his office, and his gesture made it clear he didn’t want any excuses or apologies.

“I have heard several rumors about you.” Price says looking at you, his face with a simple annoyed expression. “So, is it true you lack common sense?”

“No I don’t sir, I don’t believe that I do.” You reply is slightly hurt by his question. “I understand that things may seem like my fault but it isn't.”

“Yet it is your fault, you were the one crossing the enemy line.” Price adds and crosses his arms against his chest. “ I should be getting you fired and investigated., you could be a spy with all the actions you have done.

The word spy struck you like a truck, you a spy? How could he come to the exception that you were a spy? Could it be another rumor someone started behind your back that you weren’t aware of? Price cleared his throat, your attention back on him, your eyes slightly wide to his words.

“Are you a spy rookie?’’ Price asks you now, leaning back on his chair. “Your reaction makes me think otherwise..”

“I'm not sir, I was just taken back by your words..” You reply and look into his eyes now slightly scared. “I would never betray britain.”

“On that note do you lack common sense then?” Price asks, looking at you. “Looking at you makes me think that you lack common sense.”

“First of all I do have common sense.” You blurted with slight anger in you. “I understand that I might bebe violating some dress code with my piercings, butI do have common sense.”

Price leans back in his chair and sighs. He shifts his weight to the chair, you stare at him. It was clear he didn’t want your smart ass mouth talking anymore. An awkward silence rose between for a couple seconds before he finally sat back up.

“Twenty four laps around the whole base.” Price ordered as he reached for a file on his desk. “I don’t care if you get tired, I want them done before dinner.”

“That's in two hours!’ You exclaim and look Price. “That is impossible to do without breaks!”

“Dismissed.” Price bluntly said not looking on from his file. “If you did have common sense I would stop arguing and start now.’’

You looked at Price, he was being very serious about your punishment. You didn’t want to get a longer number so you left his office and headed down to the outside of the base. People around you were getting ready for missions, starting up cars and helicopters. The sunset was setting and you knew time was ticking down for you as you started to run. People gave you odd looks as you ran around the base, no one questioned you or even wanted to talk to you. Time became clear, it was so little so very little and you were just on lap seven. When you made your eight lap, Price was waiting for you, his arms crossed and a look of disappointment.

“Just eight how disappointing” Price remarks looking at you. “How bad of a rookie even you are?”

You look down at the floor, your hands on your knees as you're slightly slouching. Price hands you a water bottle and you immediately drink it. Price eyes narrow to the sight, did you really not take a break? You stand up straight and look at him, his cold gaze meeting your tired gaze.

“Who said you can stop now?” Price says looking at you now. “Go on, you had one of your water breaks.”

You look at Price and curse, even yell and tell him something but nothing escapes your lips. Soon you turn away from Price and start running again. Each time you finished a lap Price gave you a nod of approval and watched on. When you came around on your twelve lap, you saw three people standing besides him. They all watched you now. It seemed like they were trying to understand why Price is so interested in keeping an eye on you. Price stops you before you can runoff to do another lap, he hands you a water bottle.

“I'm surprised you haven’t decided to give up yet.” Price remarks and looks at you with some pity. “Call it a night if you know what’s best for you.”

You look at Price, unwillingly you walk away and soon start to run instead. You did see tall people next to him. One had a mohawk as their haircut was strange at first but then more looking into it did make his facial features pop out more. Another had a balaclava with a skull sewn into it, it gave you creepy vibes even more as you notice he was the tallest out of them. He definitely didn’t seem normal or friendly at all. A fellow male with a cap with a Union flag stood next to Price. They all seem to come from different backgrounds yet they seem to get along so well. When you came around on your thirteen lap Price stared at you. His gaze wasn’t threatening but more of a respectful look.

It took two more hours to finish up those twenty four laps. When you finished you collapsed onto the dirt. It was a sight, you were sweating and panting as you tried to regain your breath. Price kneeled next to you and looked at your shaking body. It was clear he was slightly impressed that you really didn’t give up like he expected you to. No one said a word, only silence and the cool night breeze hung around. Crickets chirped and the late night lights turned on, it was clearly late and you still needed to shower and finish your daily tasks. Finally after a couple minutes you regained your breath and stood up, Price stood up as well and crossed his arms. He had something in mind.

“Good job rookie, I honestly expected you to give up sooner.” Price beamed before handing you a bottle of water. “Follow me kid..”

You did as told, your feet ached but you couldn't stop then. When you followed Price the other three people did too. It felt like their stares wanted to eat you alive and know what makes you weak. You arrived in a building and saw a strange obstacle and Price stopped and turned to you, his gaze was now cold once more. Price handed you an L85A2, a rifle mostly used by beginners and people who fail to hold a gun correctly.

“I want you to do this obstacle and see if you really deserved to pass selection.” Price says and looks at you before pushing you forward. “Come one now, we don’t have all night.”

‘We’ the mention of it made you realize that the people earlier were going to judge you too. You heard the mohawk man snicker with the union flag cap man. Meanwhile the creepy tall looking man stared into your soul, definitely freaked you out. You held the rifle in your hand and tried to reject or say something but your body started moving. Your mind wanted to go against it and rest, but your body wanted to move and do as told.

When you finished the obstacle, a loud buzzer went off and you looked at them. Price had a semi pleased look on his face. He then grabbed the rifle out of your hands and looked at the union flag cap man.

“Gaz, you think they would beat your record?” Price asks them and the man chuckles, shaking their head. “No?’’ Price soon turns to the mohawk man and chuckles. “Soap?”

“You aren’t gonna call them a muppet?” Soap asks with a sly grin on his face. “That’s new for you captain.’’

“At least they don’t have a ridiculous codename like you when I first met you.” Price adds looking at you now. “Do you have a codename yet, rookie?”

“None..” You reply to price before yawning. “Why ask me that sir?”

“Oh you will get one soon when you're with us.” Gaz adds speaking for Price. “You are a rookie with common sense, correct?”

You let out annoyed sigh and nod to his words. It seemed like that common sense rumor would be sticking for a long time. Price ruffled your hair and chuckled, his whole attitude with you changed immediately and it seemed like the others as well. You looked at the four men in front of you, slightly confused about what's happening. Price soon dismissed you without another word. You left the building only to turn your head back around to see them talking like some sort of loving family. The scary looking skull masked man made eye contact with you. It sent shivers down your spine. Soap spoke, you couldn't manage what he said fully but he called the man ‘Ghost’.

The rest of the night was blurr, you found yourself eating cereal and looking at the table. You kept bobbing your head as you tried to remain awake. It wasn’t easy but you kept shaking your head hoping that would make you stay awake. The training for the day was a drag for you, already so you decided to sneak away hoping no one rats you out. You made your way into the busy hallways, buzzing with activity and movement of carts pushing items. You turned the corner of a hall and saw Price, he immediately saw you as you tried to duck behind a rack of boxes, he walked over and looked at you. He didn’t recognize you at first but soon did as you gave him a small awkward smile.

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your rookie training?” Price says looking at you with a slight disappointed look. “A muppet like you really lacks common sense huh?”

There it was again, common sense..How come everyone you knew or well felt like you knew asked you such a thing. Have things become off after that mistake of yours? Did people really think you had no common sense no more or was it just to get under your skin?

“You done thinking? Because I still need an explanation.” Price says looking at you with a slight pity look. “Forget it, come with me I need to discuss something with you.”

You open your mouth to speak but Price had already walked away. You let out an annoyed groan and follow after him. He takes you back outside, past the other rookies and into the building from last night. There you see Ghost, Gaz and Soap all waiting for Price and you? Price pushes you up to them and they stare at him with some confusion.

“What is the rookie doing here? No offense..” Gaz says looking at you then at Price. “Thought this was private practice.”

“I did mention that I would be bringing someone here with us today.” Price adds before turning his attention to you. “You think that it’s okay to leave training and go sneak around the base. I think it should make some sense to punish you by making you train with them.”

Oh boy and training you did, Price made sure no one slacked off. Well mostly you didn’t slack off and tried to take a break. It did have its ups, you were training with a captain, two sergeants and a lieutenant. A normal rookie could never get that type of training, it wasn’t so bad in the end. They all gave you some slight pointers to better your skills and what not to do on a mission, for some reason they all had a good bond with you. Well except Ghost he moved away from you or scoffed as you tried to ask for his assistance or any tips. Soap told you he was like that to everyone so you shouldn’t take his actions to heart. Which you didn’t most of the time.. When lunch time you started to walk away from them.

“Where do you think you're going?” Gaz asked as he leaned against some pillar. “You have things to do or what?”

“Lunch, I don’t want to miss it and this training made me hungry.” You say looking back at him before Price shakes his head and chuckles. “What?”

“You don’t want to go out and grab a bite to eat with us?” Price says with a small smile on his lips. “You hurting us here rookie, we are a team after all.”

“Team?” You say confused before Price walks up to you. “We just don’t let some rookie hang and train out with us for no reason. You didn’t think this was a punishment.. Did you?”

“I mean.. You did say it was a punishment for sneaking away.” You say now embarrassed and confused by what's happening. “I should go back, I'm probably in trouble now..”

“Kid, don’t worry about that now” Soap adds, looking at his phone while leaning his weight on Ghost. “You’re with us now, so no need for some worry.”

“With yall?” you ask confused, Price sighs and places his hand on your shoulder,

“We really gotta work on that common sense..” Price says with a chuckle are you stare at him confused. “What do you feel like eating?”

You stare at Price unsure on how to answer, then look at the others. Then it became clear, they took you in but didn’t want to admit they did such a thing. You smile a bit, maybe just maybe you did need help with some common sense and they would be the ones helping you.

——-

Authors note; it’s been a while since I written anything. I hope I can get back into the rift of writing. All feedback is lovely, please tell me on how I can make the ‘fanfics’ in yeh future more enjoyable for you all. I take in all options and tips 🖤

[bri-cheeses]

The Skittles Finding Out About Rosekiller Pt. 1:

Based partially on this post by @asoldasss

It happens slowly, and maybe that’s why it takes so long for people to start to wonder. Just a brush of fingers here, a hand on the small of the back there. And Barty’s always been a touchy person, so it isn’t like random touches were too out of the ordinary for him. He did these things with all his friends, Regulus, Dorcas, Pandora, Evan, anyone and everyone he cared about. But then Regulus and Dorcas start dating other people, and he realizes that he no longer has quite the same privileges as before, and that’s okay. He understands that, so he stops being as touchy. With them, at least. And then Pandora starts dating someone seriously, too. So the same thing happens with her.

And maybe consciously, maybe subconsciously, Panda, Reg, and Cas know why Barty stopped treating them in the way he stills treats Evan, with small touches that are his way of showing that he cares. So, they don’t much wonder as Barty and Evan get much more touchier; standing extremely close to each other, sitting with their legs pressed together even though there’s plenty of space, resting their head on the other’s shoulder, you get the idea. It makes sense to them, whether consciously or not, that since Barty can no longer spread his attention evenly between his all of his friends, that he would instead lavish all of his affections upon Evan and Evan only. And of course, they reason, it makes sense that Barty and Evan would progressively grow touchier as Barty’s “temporary” break from being touchy with the three of them stretches longer and longer.

None of them think to wonder why Evan, whose love language is not and has never been physical touch, is the one to initiate the contact at least one third of the time.

As Barty and Evan start being more obvious about their relationship, the whispers around the castle start. It starts in the Slytherin common room, when Evan comes in and plops down on the couch, resting his head in Barty’s lap. Their friends, used to Barty doing this, dismiss this almost immediately. But the others, who are typically in bed when Barty engages in this behavior (usually drunk after coming back from a party to find his friends still up, because they like the common room best when it’s almost empty), raise an eyebrow at this. Is that not something that a couple would do?

The talk dies out a short while later—only to come back with vengeance when a fourth year Gryffindor sees Barty in the library, standing with his arm around Evan’s waist while they talk to Pandora about a particularly challenging potion that Slughorn is having them brew. The Gryffindor proceeds to immediately go to their friend in fifth year, telling her that “That Crouch kid and Rosier guy are dating, did you know?”

Naturally, the fifth year interrogates the fourth year to get all the details, then mentions it to her Ravenclaw friend, who mentions it to his friend while studying in the common room, and the entire Ravenclaw common room overhears. And since the Ravenclaw are such good friends with the Slytherins, they mention it to them. And it jogs the Slytherins’ memories to a few nights ago, when I told you, Susan, that sitting with your head in someone’s lap is definitely a couple-ly thing to do, why didn’t you believe me?

The gossip tree works fast in a school like Hogwarts, and the next day, people are coming up to Dorcas and Regulus and Pandora and asking them straight out if Barty and Evan are dating. And they are shocked and beyond confused because why are you asking, what even gave you that idea? Except for Pandora, who simply smiles and gives such a vague answer that it just confuses anyone who talks to her. But Dorcas and Regulus vehemently deny these rumors, because Barty’s always been a very touchy person, how have you not noticed? It’s not anything out of the ordinary.

But then a third year asks Regulus why he hasn’t been seen with Barty’s hand around his waist, and it gives Regulus a pause. And then he finally starts paying attention.

[carnivore-voyeur]

twitter is absolutely dragging per through the mud right now over that pic and ash to the point i uninstalled the app bc its a fuckin cesspit rn. you and other ghost tumblr accs are the only people i trust to be sane and fucking research before making BOLD claims too in line with stereotypes

I debated on addressing it at all, but I made a post explaining what I think of the situation with context that is so clearly missing from the conversation. I was honestly surprised that was the picture people were referring to years ago when I heard a rumor that Per was "posing with a Swastika" as that had not even registered when I first saw the image. I dismissed the rumor back then because I saw no evidence of it. Now that I know what picture it's in reference to, it most definitely is not what people think it is and I think the only reason why people have brought it up is because they need fodder to attack Per over dating Ash Costello.

As I've said before, Ash has said and done things that people have openly criticized before including being rude to fans and being racially insensitive. She clearly has a lot of problems, but we're not privvy to her relationship with Per and it's no one's job to tell him who he should or should not date. He's a grown man and he can figure that out for himself, even if we don't particularly like who he's dating. If people decide not to support him based on that, then that's their prerogative.

I don't blame people for being upset with Ash (or Per by association) as a result of the fact that she's recently performed with Disturbed whose frontman is an unapologetic Zionist. How knowledgeable she is about that is beyond my understanding at this point, but it is concerning nonetheless.

At the same time, a lot of musicians and bands that are well liked still work with them and/or refuse to cut ties with Zionists in the business. Think about the fact that most of our beloved musicians and bands in the scene have not been outspoken about Palestine, and let that sink in. Clearly this needs to be addressed on a larger scale in a way that can't be easily dismissed as "cancel culture." However, when fans act more like stans than political activists then it just enables the problem further.

I think it's perfectly fine to criticize her for that. She's been doing multiple collabs with different artists lately, and I think she's trying to revive her career after years of controversy. Still, as someone who claims to care about human rights, she should be more discerning on who she chooses to work with. I don't blame people for being critical of Per by association, either, but their criticism should make sense. One Twitter user claims you can't support Per because he supports Ash who supports the singer of Disturbed - okay, but when does that guilt by association stop? Tobias supports Per. All of the other unmasked Ghouls are friends with them, and quite a few are friends with Ash as well.

I can certainly be upset when my favorite artists associate with people who say and do harmful things. With that said, I think we need to have a larger conversation about holding outspoken Zionists accountable in the metal scene because I keep seeing bands like Disturbed and Avenged Sevenfold - both who've been unapologetically supportive of Israel, continue to get work. I think part of that is because metalheads often position metal as opposed to "cancel culture" and it's hard for fans to even have a conversation with mainstream artists without them thinking "Oh you're just trying to cancel me for speaking my mind." This goes back to metal actually being canceled politically during "The Satanic Panic." We need to get over our discomfort in being openly critical of musicians and bands we like.

It sucks, I know. I listened to Disturbed a lot in my teenage years. However, I personally have to let them go because their vocalist has done more harm than good with his political beliefs. I would love for other artists and musicians to do the same and stop associating with people like this but that doesn't often happen in the mainstream metal scene. Let's not even get into the fact that Pantera is still hailed in the scene despite multiple band members being associated with white supremacist acts, symbols, and beliefs.

All in all, though, like most of the controversies over Per's dating life that have been brought up - Per has said nothing. Per hasn't voiced his opinions on much of anything politically, which is both good and bad. He doesn't really exist online and it's hard to have any kind of honest conversation with him when you have fans DM-ing him with inappropriate or rude messages that don't have anything to do with voicing valid concerns.

I saw a Twitter fan complaining that Per blocked them on Instagram for suggesting his dog and his girlfriend are ugly. Why wouldn't he block you in that situation? If fans wanted to ask him questions about his actions or political beliefs, that's fine. That has to do with accountability. Otherwise it's normal to block harassment over things that have nothing to do with that. I'm fine with people criticizing Per as long as it's addressing the content of his own words and actions. A lot of people aren't doing that. They're just making jokes about Per being a Nazi, which isn't true at all.

[niniluvsainz]

anyways i just posted my first george fic, but i wanted to talk about some “news” i’ve seen recently in the f1 community.

checo pérez quite literally has his seat threatened if he doesn’t perform by summer break? like, firstly redbull renews him for the next two seasons, but now they’re saying if he doesn’t perform this season he’s gonna be dropped? also, saying you renewed him just for confidence? christian horner i will hunt you down. and who is in talks to replace him… daniel ricciardo. moving on to daniel ricciardo.

daniel is also not performing what he should. given, yeah he’s in the shitbox. but he is also in news of “risking his seat for next season” but they’re gonna promote him to redbull? where’s the logic in that. he’s underperforming in a mid-field car, how is that helpful for him to be upgraded to one of the best cars on the grid. if i want someone to replace checo, it’s gonna be liam lawson. until the death, i will wish for liam lawson in that redbull seat.

next, ollie bearman to haas. ever since i knew ollie existed in the f1 world, i have been a fan. i’m not a big watcher of f2, but i’ve seen his stats. and saudi arabia? that was a mighty performance he gave! he absolutely deserves the seat next year, and i can’t wait to see him race in f1.

paul 👏🏼 aron 👏🏼 deserves 👏🏼 an 👏🏼 f1 👏🏼 seat 👏🏼!!! the man who is LEADING the f2 championship WITHOUT A WIN, who is leading based on pure CONSISTENCY, does not have a formula one seat for next year and this is an absolute crime!!!! (kimi antonelli hate incoming, cover ur eyes if you don’t wanna read this) paul aron deserves a seat much more than kimi.

KIMI ANTONELLI, MAN OF THE MERCEDES HOUR. needs more experience to be in f1. toto rushed the poor child. you pull him from f4 all the way to f2. you wanted him to be moved to f1 to replace logan, so he wouldn’t even have finished his f2 season. would’ve been from f4 to f1. is the man crazy?

lastly, carlos mf sainz. there’s rumors he’s holding on to signing because he’s also “replacing” checo, that versainz ship has sailed long gone. and as the biggest self-titled versainz 2025 truther before my dreams were crushed, i can come to terms that carlos will not be waiting for horner to drop checo mid-season. HOWEVER, i want carlos in that mercedes. goodbye williams, sauber, and alpine. give me carlos in mercedes 2025. see, listen to my mind logic. carlos to mercedes for two years, 2025 and 2026. 2026 will be the year audi comes in. carlos can see how audi performs, and if they have the potential carlos seeks carlos can move to audi. and once carlos’ 2-year contract ends, i can see kimi coming in to take the mercedes seat.

also did y’all see that whack ass movie trailer for f1? couldn’t come up with a better title. it’s just, f1. i love twitter, because they’re making pages about the movie’s team, such as the actual team twitter accounts, the drivers (team joshua or sonny? i’m team joshua), they even had nyck de vries on the team and he was also dismissed, gossip pages, it’s all over the place. it’s the best thing to come out of f1twt.

thank you for reading my rant 🫶🏼 it was nice to leave twitter for a bit and log in here.

[ruruumin]

line without a hook.

˚ ᗢ kazuha x gn!reader, modern au.

⤷ based on ricky montgomery "line without a hook."

I don’t really give a damn about the way you touch me. When he leans over you, pressing light kisses against your cheek, you can’t keep yourself away from his radiant presence. Your lips curve into a smile as you reach out in front of you, holding onto his face as you stare into his eyes. He continues to pepper kisses against the palm of your hand. His expression is cheeky as you giggle. When we’re alone, you can hold my hand. 

You want these moments to last a lifetime. And for a moment, when you’re caged in his arms, you think it might come true. He brushes away strands of your hair. His warmth lingers a little longer on your skin and you find yourself falling deeper, and deeper in love with the man in front of you. The same man who taught you that kindness existed in a cruel world. The same man who had blown apart your expectations of a relationship by giving you all he was.

He seemed perfect in your eyes. He cared about you in ways you could only dream of. He loved you in ways that you could only imagine when you closed your eyes. Everything about him seemed so dreamy. And you thought things could say like this. You wanted them to stay. It would have been so easy living life if you had someone like him by your side forever. 

If I went and hurt my body, baby, would you love me the same? He doesn’t look at you the same. You made a mistake and even after attempting to reconcile, things don’t feel the same. No matter how hard you try, or how many words you attempt to use to convey your apologies, nothing is enough. What you feel doesn’t measure up to your crime, and it makes you wonder if it's possible to repent for your sins. It’s a curse, and it’s growing.

You close yourself in. Wrapping your arms around your body you press your forehead against your knees. You try not to cry. You try to wipe away the tears that threaten to break. God, how much you wished everything could have stayed the same. If only things hadn’t changed for the worse, everything would have been fine. You could have continued living in the dream you created for yourself.

He said, “People are being friendly with the person that hurt me.” And you don’t know how to respond. You don’t know how to feel when you’re standing amongst a crowd of people, peering your head to the side just to see a peek at him. Only to realize that the part you’re seeing is nothing more but a false reality. The man that you had loved was no longer there. Replaced only by a spiteful person hiding beneath the skin of a friendly face.

"I rather just leave."

You are not blind to the way he closes his fists. You are not a fool to notice the way he looks at you with a scowl on his face. You don’t understand. You don’t understand what happened. You’re a pond and I’m an ocean. Was this how he saw you? After all this time, he could only muster a few words as hurtful as this. You want to argue that this isn’t the real him. This isn’t the man you fell in love with. 

When you talked to him a few weeks ago about the breakup, he seemed fine. You and he seemed fine. Everything seemed fine. Were you just lying to yourself? You squeeze the papers in your hand tightly, crumbling the thin material as you grit your teeth. You wanted to believe that deep down, there was more to it. That he didn’t mean those words. How can you be so sure though?

Oh, baby, I am a wreck when I'm without you. He was the first person to reach out to you, to dismiss those rumors about you from other people, and to give you a chance that you thought no one would give you. He was the first person to confess to you a love so pure and soft, it made you swallow up the bitter taste in your tongue. Everything about him seemed so different. Everything about him seemed so radiant like the sun peering through maple leaves. 

I need you here to stay. Was that perfection just a lie? I broke all my bones that day I found you crying at the lake. When he told you that he wanted to give you all the love he could, to make you happy, was it all just to fix you? You bite the bottom of your lip as you hold back a choked sob. You tried so hard to defend him from all of your friends. To tell them that he was different. But was he? Was he different? Or were you making it all up in your head, pretending that he cared just to feel comforted?

Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Tell me, is it worth it?

Was it worth loving someone who hates you? Was it worth holding onto this hope, that they were still as good as the person you fell in love with?

Because I don't think it's worth it anymore.

[zobriezalarys]

all i'm gonna say about this as i saw the new clip now: i won't say much without the context but what i'm hearing is that the show reduced a very morally grey character whose only thin thread of morality came to his family and those he loved (viserys, rhaenyra, his daughters, laena, so on). the show reduces him to three things: impulsive, war hungry, and warmongering. there is so much there specially considering this is george's favorite character, by his own admission. and the show is taking delibate steps to destroy it because one of the producers "didn't get the appeal of him". all i'm gonna say is if you are working for a ASOIAF production, you better understand layers and characters being three dimensional and having depth or you are gonna be gone.

regardless, i just know i'm gonna be more book and headcanon based when it comes to how he is portrayed and if the show decides to go on not only the route that he is abusive toward rhae (they already did with that choke in ep10 which is said matt smith hated because it was out of character for him), but with the new clip. and some implications that alys is gonna mess up with his mind that has some very. . .you know what implications.

the daemon i see, is a man who while yes might be impulsive and a warrior, is also at this point of his life, tired of it, and if remember correctly, he did not want war at first until it was necessary. he is a father and we do not hear he is a bad one on any accounts, even when someone tells him baela was fooling around with footsoldiers and such he dismiss it because he is like that. he is a man whose love for his family drives him to have clear lines (to the point of calling viserys out on not naming hand but otto and callling otto a c*nt). his first action upon entering viserys' room is smelling the cup with milk of the poppy and then ask how did he died.

viserys and daemon had a complicated relationship as brothers but they were brothers and if anything their relationship was more strained in the books, because he did not support his marriage to laena at first or the fact he wanted to give a dragon egg to mysaria's child, as she was pregnant in the book and lost the baby when she was made to return to lys, which is one of the reasons daemon barely spoke with him in those days. he cared for mysaria. she saw a vulnerable side of him that not many did.

and whatever your opinion of daemyra is, daemon and rhaenyra relationship in the book was never portrayed in the way the show is giving snippets of. it's not clear if she took part in blood and cheese but his instinct once he learns of luke's death is to avenge him for rhaenyra. and the daughter they lost, and the crown they took. he was never dismissive of her as queen or her claim. daemon, if anything, had always been rhaenyra's support and he, laena and rhaenyra were close when they were at driftmark and while the polycule might be just rumors, i do believe they were close.

by the time of the dance, daemon was sharing bed with mysaria but it's said that rhaenyra did not mind and even liked mysaria too, so they marriage was never about abuse and power struggles. it wsa about kinship and twin flames in a way and understand one another's true spirit.

man i'm just tired.

[astrognossienne]

I think the issue with me is that no one knows enough about my actual life to really go in on me, so when they do go in it's based on a bunch of conjecture and unsubstantiated rumors.

I could be a lot of things but no one knows for sure, so whatever your personal guess about it is will be based on your own read on me but nothing else. People have to project onto Cancers whether as a stan, hater, or other because we have created a hard boundary between our private lives and our public lives. For some people that makes us seem shifty as in: "What is she hiding? I bet she's this that and the third behind the scenes." and those people hang on to any morsel of negative tea that drops to try to prove their theory that Cancers are secretly evil incarnate.

Or people can choose to project a positive view onto Cancers, so if they're a fan they can choose to believe that the Cancer is saintly and amazing behind the scenes or that she's really just a sweetheart who works hard, does what they have to do, gives her best and then slips back into her private life. As in: "Cancers don't bother nobody and y'all haters are deranged".

At the end of the day, no one knows and that eats people alive, for my fans they don't mind as much, but for the haters, it must be endlessly frustrating to feel you know for sure I (or other Cancers) am an awful person but never can fully prove it, and then you have seen so many other people see Cancers in a totally different way. It seems like it really bothers haters in a way that even other more transparent signs' haters don't understand. Being a Cancer hater is harder in that way, but also easier because in the absence of really knowing they can make up whatever they want, but they're cursed with never being able to prove it. I have many people I dislike, but I think disliking Cancers must suck and I think that's why our haters come off as especially bitter. I'm glad I'm a fan tbh.

Personally, I see myself as very Cancerian, meaning when I see my quest for perfection, instead of seeing someone trying to be "fake" as a hater would, I see it as compulsive and therefore more relatable like I'm neurotic about making everything just so, which is how those who are about something in life are too. When haters see me as "boring", I see myself as quiet and reserved, and therefore more relatable, like If I were super sensitive I too would be restrictive with the public, so as a fan, I see it as a good thing. However, a hater sees that same distance from the public as me not being interested in connecting with others in a bad way. When I see how I'm confident when it comes to handing my business but different outside of work, I see my "corporate badass" thing not as someone selling a "fake" image. I was a child who was way different in school and around others than I was with family and close friends, so I find it relatable that other Cancers exude this confidence that would obviously not be something they carry “off stage” in their day-to-day life---like I don't feel "duped" by that it just seems normal that someone's persona might not be who they are 24/7, I never took it as a "narrative myth" but just as a function of being a complex person, which is what Cancers are. Yet others see it differently as is evidenced by the many negative and dismissive views on Cancer zodiac sign, but the genius of Cancers' relationship with others is that we're like the moon in the sense that neither of you will ever know the truth. So you can speculate one way, and I another.

[gatorbites-imagines]

I feel like one of the things that people use to “decide” what characters are ok to write for is the tone of the media they’re in. For example nobody bats an eye when u say u like doflamingo even though that man is LITERALLY evil and like has enslaved people for years and is rumored to also be a rapist if I’m remembering the lore correctly. But it’s just that op is more cheery and it’s not always focusing on those grim topics

But for stuff like mouthwashing where the people doing these things are the main characters and the entire storyline is based around their actions and the effect it has on people it gets a bit harder to ignore

But also I’m probably wrong because if someone is hot enough people will ignore everything they do and thirst over them anyways (I’m looking at you yujiro hanma)

As long as you handle the character in a tasteful way then no one can tell you what you should and shouldn’t do

Idk if any of this made sense I just like talking

EA

See this is what I believe too. I think the tone of the media is very important, and how said media is treated by itself, ya know? Like one piece for example, doesn't take itself too seriously even if the themes can be pretty serious at times. Where mouthwashing is very rough and doesn't have much joy in it, which is also what makes it such a good game in my opinion.

And yeah, people are very used to dismissing characters actions just because they're hot. I remember seeing a lot of smut and fanfic about far cry characters who were like super evil because they were hot. But again, who am I to tell people what they can and can't write.

[thepapergirlandthespiegelman]

Hazbin Hotel isn't good, I just really wish it was

And so I bit the apple, and evil spilled forth into the world

This review contains spoilers for Hazbin Hotel.

I wasn't going to watch Hazbin Hotel. I've always gotten kind of a negative vibe from it ever since it first appeared on my radar years ago. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what put me off it when so little content had even been released, but I guess it just struck me as very crude and "edgy" in this juvenile and kind of offensive way; plus I had heard some vague criticisms that the creator was a not-so-great person, though I wasn't sure how true those rumors were.

But since the Amazon show came out in January, the algorithm has been pestering me nonstop to watch this show with advertisements, memes, recommended videos.

It makes some sense; as someone who enjoys both Lucifer and Disney princesses, you might think that I'm the target audience of this show. And there's not a huge amount of crossover between those two groups, so if I won't watch it, who the hell will?

So after seeing some stuff that intrigued me, I finally decided to give the show a shot and at least watch the stuff available for free (that's the pilot, episode 1, and the first 10 minutes of episode 2). This review is based on that content as well as other clips, the soundtrack, and what I've read online about the story going forward. If that makes this review null and void to you, feel free to stop reading. I generally like to experience the entirety of a thing before reviewing it, but I'm not eager to throw money at Amazon without cause, and in this case, I feel that a lot can be said based solely on this limited content.

My initial impression? To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe that's because my expectations were through the floor, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. Both the pilot and the Amazon series have serious problems, but they have some strengths as well, in my opinion.

Starting with the pilot: I'll admit that it presents a very cruel, ugly world full of frankly unrealistically shitty people. The humor is juvenile and often tasteless. The dialogue can be pretty clunky, and the "insults" levied are often so pathetic that hearing them oscillates between boring and infuriating. The worldbuilding is poorly conveyed and hard to follow.

But if you can get past all that, and I acknowledge that that's a big ask, there are some interesting things about this pilot.

Angel Dust is an interesting character. One of the things I really can't stand is when media portray literally everyone as evil, but even in the pilot, it's made pretty clear that Angel Dust is not actually a bad person. First off, what exactly are his "sins"? Being gay and doing porn? Sure, he shows the capacity to be at least somewhat mean and violent, but you can tell from his interactions with Charlie, Vaggie, and Cherri Bomb that he's not actually malicious or sadistic. In the limo, he says, "I owed my girl buddy a solid; isn't that a 'redeeming quality'? Helping friends with stuff?" And like...he's correct! Vaggie dismisses this out of hand, but it shows that Angel Dust is able to care about other people, and this is reinforced later when he almost goes to comfort Charlie but gives up. There's a setup here for a story about someone who is good at their core but looks bad, either because they engage in behaviors that are socially taboo even if they're not actually harmful (e.g. homosexuality, sex work) or because they engage in behaviors that are actually bad (e.g. being mean and violent), but only because those behaviors are normalized or arguably required by their environment (I mean, what was he supposed to do? Just let his friend get blown up?). It would be genuinely interesting to see Charlie and Vaggie reckon with their own biases and black-and-white view of morality and come to see the good in Angel Dust, and then to see how Angel Dust might grow and change as a person when he actually feels seen and respected.

Alastor also has a lot of potential. His design and theming are genuinely interesting, a mix of ancient horned beast and 1930s transatlantic accented radio presenter. He's clearly a character intended to elicit intense fear, which means he can serve as an exploration of what scares us most. The "radio" theme presents some really intriguing ideas for this exploration. Alastor represents something that can be heard but not seen; not only this, but he can't even really be heard. We only hear his voice through the low-fidelity transmission of a radio, suggesting that what we're perceiving is at least a bit off from reality, somehow inauthentic, and that makes us wonder what horrors could be lurking in that gap.

It's obvious to me that Angel Dust and Alastor are the strongest characters in the show. Charlie feels like a cardboard cutout by comparison, and Vaggie is totally devoid of flavor. Angel Dust makes far more sense as a protagonist, so why does the show center around Charlie?

Hazbin Hotel feels like a show centered around a gimmicky premise: what if Disney princess, but in Hell? Ooh, how subversive, how funny! But it doesn't really know what to do with that premise. It doesn't really know who Charlie is, and it doesn't really know what Hell is. But it does know who Angel Dust is and who Alastor is, or at least it has the spark needed for those ideas to blossom into fully-developed characters, so why not start there?

Moving on to episode 1 of the Amazon series. Immediately, I was surprised by the direction in which they took the show. Based on the pilot, one of my biggest concerns was that the show would be solely about individual self-improvement and "redemption" and fail to address the systemic/environmental problems that are the ultimate cause of evil. I figured the show would likely center around individual sinners trying to improve themselves and then, after the necessary amount of struggle and conflict, they would succeed and prove to both Heaven and Hell that they were worthy of ascension, without anyone ever questioning why this system of sorting people into good and bad exists in the first place or how it can possibly be seen as ethical, even if people are ultimately allowed to move between the two. I figured Heaven would be portrayed as not evil but simply misguided or small-minded, and that, having rectified those inadequacies, the system would continue on largely unchanged. Happy ending, woooo.

Episode 1 makes it very clear that that is not the direction that this is going. Heaven is pretty clearly portrayed as evil, which was mostly a positive for me. I find the whitewashing of stuff like mass murder pretty fucking gross, so it's nice that the exterminations of Hell's citizens aren't being framed as morally justified.

Unfortunately, this does result in some narrative problems. The show depends on Charlie believing that Heaven can be reasoned with, and that if she works hard, they'll eventually see the light. But after being brutally rejected by Adam like that, why would Charlie continue to think that these are good, reasonable people who are just misguided? Not only does Adam deny her in the most explicit terms possible, he's totally pigheaded and unempathetic.

We're now getting into stuff that I haven't seen firsthand, but from what I understand, Charlie continues running her hotel and trying to negotiate with Heaven. She's able to prove that a sinner can improve themselves, but she's unable to get them into Heaven, and ultimately has to resort to trying to stop the exterminations with brute force.

If that's the case, then why have this reveal that Heaven is evil in the very first episode? Delay the reveal until closer to the end, have Charlie work hard to accomplish her dream under the impression that her work will ultimately pay off, only to have Heaven reveal that it was never about being a good person at all and merely about their desire to consolidate power for themselves. Then have Charlie reckon with that, how she's been putting all the burden on herself and her people to prove themselves, when the system was never fair to begin with and the people in power were just exploiting a narrative for their personal gain. Now THAT'S a spicy story.

I think it's my desire to see that story play out, and my respect for Hazbin being willing to make Heaven the bad guys (even if it obstinately refuses to say the G word), that has kept my interest in the show despite its obvious flaws. Somewhere in this tangled-up mess there is a story about questioning and resisting the moral narratives fed to us about ourselves by people who do not have our best interests at heart. There's a story about claiming your power and fighting back against oppressive systems.

Is Hazbin Hotel with its Disney XD-esque style and middle-school humor woefully unequipped to tell that story? Well, yes, yeah. And I guess that should have been obvious to everyone from the start. But it feels like a shame.

A similar problem with narrative trajectory occurs regarding Lucifer and Alastor. If we compare Charlie to the Disney princess formula, we see the obvious issue. We know that while Charlie's parents are very powerful, she's alienated from both of them (Lilith because she's missing and Lucifer because they have a bad relationship) and so doesn't have access to their power. In the pilot, we see that Charlie doesn't officially make a deal with Alastor, but she does allow him to work at the hotel. So we sort of have a Chekhov's deal situation here, where if Charlie was pushed to her limit, she might be tempted into making a deal with the devil. Triton won't let Ariel go to the surface, so Ariel makes a deal with the sea witch instead.

But what happens if Ariel reconciles with Triton before getting to that point? Well, then Ursula wouldn't have a tentacle to stand on.

And this is what happens in Hazbin. In episode 5, Lucifer is introduced and reconciled with Charlie in the very same episode. Lucifer is shown to be basically infinitely more powerful than Alastor and is genuinely and totally devoted to Charlie, so she no longer has any reason to depend on Alastor. He's lost all of his leverage over her and no longer presents any real threat, so...what the hell is his role in this story now?

I'm not saying Hazbin Hotel needs to copy the story arc of a Disney princess movie just because Charlie is inspired by Disney princesses. I'm perfectly fine with the show wanting to do its own thing. But it turns down a totally viable arc in favor of...nothing. Why?

The pilot so heavily teased the mystery of Alastor's character, what terrible consequences might result if Charlie were to make a deal with him. So like...let us see that! Hell, this could even be easily connected back to the main storyline that I was talking about before. Have Charlie be totally demoralized by the revelation that Heaven isn't actually good and that the world is deeply broken in a way she never even imagined. Maybe even up the stakes by making it more personal, like having Heaven threaten to specifically target her girlfriend or one of her friends in the next extermination. Push her to complete desperation and then have Alastor swoop in and offer her a way out. Still alienated from her father (or perhaps after attempting to get closer but being once more rebuked), she feels like she has no choice but to accept, and ends up in a bad situation. Then Lucifer sees her in trouble and shows up to save her, making her realize that he does actually care about her; and Lucifer, seeing how Charlie and her friends genuinely care for each other, is shown that sinners aren't just hopelessly wicked. Alastor gets his chance to shine and the reconciliation with Lucifer feels earned and meaningful.

This show has such potential to be both interesting and emotionally impactful, but it's hindered by its unwillingness to take itself seriously and thoughtfully plan out its narrative and character arcs.

It would be one thing if the show was just complete garbage. I know that a lot of people see it that way, but I really don't think that's the case. There is something here.

I'm not currently planning on watching the rest of the show. That could certainly change, especially if others tell me that it's worth it despite the problems. If you've watched the show (or even if you haven't), I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts on my evaluation.

[insomniac-jay]

Les secrets que je cache

Synopsis: an angel descends into hell

Part of the Phantom of the Cabaret AU

@floof-ghostie @mayameanderings @calciumcryptid

"I'm not letting you stay here, Belle."

"Please, Halle. I'll be quick, I promise." Belle pouted, poking out her lip like a child having a tantrum. The expression made Halle relent and sigh in defeat.

"Fine, but you get ten minutes then we're leaving." Halle looked at the time on the nearby clock. The club had been long closed and the night shift janitor would arrive soon to clean up. Why her friend wanted to meet with him now, she'd never understand. "But I will come get you if I have to."

Belle beamed. "I promise you won't have to!"

She then quickly made her way to the back of the house. To where the door leading to the alleged underground speakeasy was. When she got there, she was surprised to find it unblocked and unlocked. Usually, it'd be sealed off for everybody else but the managers.

Carefully, Belle pushed open the door and was greeted by a winding stone staircase. Thankfully it was illuminated by candles and even had a nearby lantern just in case. Placing a hand on the wall for stability, Belle made her way down. As she did, the soft sounds of jazz music filled her ears. She wasn't familiar with the voice or the man who it belonged to, but it sounded so heavenly.

Finally she reached the final stair, and the speakeasy as a whole. Her eyes widened at the sight of the place. It was beautiful. The walls were a rich purple, seats velvet, and the furniture was made of a dark wood that couldn't have been oak. She expected it to look exactly like the rumors and whispers around the topside said it did, a lawless--and godless--place, Hell on earth even. Instead, it was even more finely furnished than the cabaret club.

Belle shook her head to regain focus. She came down here for one purpose only: to see Darius. The last thing she wanted was for Halle to have to come and get her.

Belle made haste in looking for Darius's office. She was careful not to break anything or make any sudden noises. As she came upon a slightly open door, a loud voice rang out.

"Don't try to get smart with me, Nygma!"

Both frightened and curious, Belle peeked into the room to see Darius talking to a few men. One of them must've made him mad with the way a vein was about to appear on his forehead.

"Why would I?" One of the men taunted Darius. He wore an almost entirely green suit with splashes of purple here and there. If she had to guess, that was Nygma.

"You couldn't be a star like your dearest mommy so you started bootlegging. The joke writes itself, Darius."

Before Darius could say anything else, a gloved hand went on his shoulder. An older man with glasses and a brown fedora outlined with gold shook his head.

"Don't. You know he loves to hear himself speak," he said.

Those words seemingly calmed Darius down. "Right. Back to business. I gave you all a fair cut based on the level of work. Kingor gets ten percent for keeping the ledgers, Nygma gets thirty for transporting, you, Crane, get forty for production, and I get twenty for selling."

Belle watched in disbelief. Was he talking about bootlegging? Were those men his associates?

"Forty isn't enough. Demand is growing and my pay isn't matching the workload." The man who must've been Crane spoke. His voice sent chills down Belle's spine. How could someone make a Southern accent sound so...intimidating?

"We had an agreement when we first went into business, Crane, but if you so need it, I'll find a way to increase your pay."

"Mine too," Nygma chimed in. "I have a new lady love, and well, no woman should be buying herself diamonds."

Belle looked at the time on the clock. One minute left. Disappointed, she took one last look at Darius before silently making her way back to the staircase. But what she saw, she could never forget. She heard some bad things about Darius, but always dismissed them as rumors. Now that brought his infatuation into question.

Did he really love her? Was there some ulterior motive to all the gifts he showered her with? So many questions, too little answers.