#just saying:) be consistent if you want me to believe you that this isn't s lot of self-serving rationalization.

[gayofthefae]

"I should have explained myself because maybe then Eleven would have taken me with her, but - I don't know. I didn't know what to say."

That isn't what he said the first time.

"I should have said something. And maybe if I had said that thing, Eleven would want me there with her."

The sentiment of him being with her and knowing/ensuring she's safe is consistent. But he isn't actually repeating himself. There's no need for him to as a person and as a screenwriter, repetition should DEFINITELY be cut.

He's changing. He's brainstorming. He's starting to consider other angles of the "could have"s. The "what if"s.

He starts with "what if I'd just forced an 'I love you'". But I think he likely settles on what we can logically deduce for ourselves in that situation - "I made the right choice prioritizing with what I knew of the consequences at the time".So he changes. He changes.

He changes to "I should have explained myself".

"Explained myself" is NOT the same as "said that thing" and that is VITAL.

I should have just sucked it up and told her I loved her if it meant keeping her safe.

No, I did the best I could with the information I had

I should have told her the truth. Maybe she would have taken it better if I had just told her that I don't love her but it's my fault, not hers. Now she thinks it's hers and that I'm hiding it.

And, perfect timing, Will comes in with (in Mike's pov) "It makes sense why you didn't, though, don't beat yourself up. She was gonna get hurt either way and everything would have been a risk as to how much."

And Mike nods. And the next time we see him, he's saying

"Will she still even want me in her life if I can't give her the love she wants? All I can do now is to make sure she knows it isn't her fault, that's the selfless act I can do for her, but if I confess I don't love her, what other use am I to her? Will doing what's best for her by telling her it's not her fault, it's mine, instead of continuing to lie make me lose her?"

He says "explain". He starts with "maybe I should have changed the 'what'". Then he shifts to "maybe I should changed what she thought of the 'why'". Ironically, his question in the van once he's come to that conclusion is "how?".

The first pitch he makes is "maybe I should have told her I loved her" and Will says "don't worry, you'll have another chance", and he turns away and introspectively reacts with

aversion.

But then he says "maybe I should have just explained the real reason behind my actions instead of denying them all together" and Will says "that's a scary thing to do. It's a hard decision. You're doing your best", and he turns away and introspectively reacts with

understanding.

Honestly, being understood. And sometimes that's what you need to find understanding. He's been confused this whole time, that's been his whole thing, but he looks like he's starting to piece something together now - finally. Will put his own feelings into words for him to hear out loud so could finally get them and get them in a validated way.

Instinctively, he knew the first one was easier but wrong. He didn't want to lie to her. Both times Will said "if that's what you want to do, I believe in you", but only once did he agree. He knew it felt like the wrong choice the first time and you can see it. The second time was a new choice he was considering.

And you know what? While we're here. Telling her he loves her: aversion. Telling her the truth: understanding and drive. What happens next?

He expresses "what if when I tell her the truth, as I've decided is the right choice, she appreciates it but doesn't need me for anything else beyond that?" And Will says "she'll stay. You got this.", and he reacts with

Comfort.

He didn't know what to do. Then he did, but he was scared to do it. Then he wasn't so scared anymore.

He's thrilled to see her and forgets for a second but - much like El with Will on roller rink day - is reminded by seeing Will that now that she's actually here, it's real. He's committed to his actions and they're impending.

But he's not so scared anymore. Bravery, though, doesn't mean no nerves. He's hesitant and not happy looking when he talks to her about it first. He tries to lighten the mood - "the whole world went to shit and everything" - and he's watching her reactions like a hawk. It feels like less of a risk now enough that he can do it, but not so little that he isn't scared. Either way though, it's worth the risk for her to know the problem isn't her.

He didn't know what to do. Now he does. He was scared, but he's not as much anymore. Not too much to do it. They're interrupted. Okay, oh well, he'll find another time.

And now to break your heart:

Mike had an idea, Will said it was good, but Mike met that with aversion.

Mike had an idea, Will said it was good, Mike met that with understanding and agreement.

Mike was scared, Will said he had no reason to be, Mike met that with comfort.

(I'm sorry) Mike was scared for El - unrelated - and looked to Will for comfort - as he had every other time - when he tapped him on the shoulder, Will said he should tell her he loves her, and he reacts with

anguish.

This was not Mike's plan.

This was not their plan, so he thought.

Mike's reaction tells us everything about what he knew and what he meant for what's to come. This was not what he meant. That was not what he was going to say. This was not his plan.

And there's that part of you too that always wishes to go back to semi-ignorant bliss. Even if just panicked confusion. Because wasn't it nice: when telling her you loved her evoked this

And not this

Wasn't it nice when you knew...just a little less?

Wasn't it nice, in a way, when you couldn't see the happy ending so clearly?

Don't you sort of miss - when you couldn't taste it?

also fuck it for just for that list bit and the bridge of this song here's my illicit affairs edit linked because "you showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else"

[raayllum]

There's something that's just still so Them about Callum always being the one reluctant to leave / be separated and Rayla always being more willing to do so, even if she doesn't necessarily want to.

I don't want to be separated again.

He's willing to separate from her five times in season 7, which is the most we've ever arguably seen. The first is at her behest for his own mental state, and after a promise that she'll find him as soon as she can (7x01); the second is in 7x02 for her own good, though Callum ends up leaving with her; he flies off briefly in 7x06 to clear his head and have a conversation with himself that features her heavily ("Don't you get it? Rayla loves me. She believes in me" "It's not about you, is it? If you love her, you'll be the you that can save her") and returns anywhere from a 1-3 hours later; they separate to summon the archdragons in 7x07; and Callum is willing to leave her through dying in 7x09 so that she and everyone else can live.

And that's not to say that Rayla isn't reluctant — her little sad face in 7x02 gets me in particular, she's devastated in 7x09, and she always eagerly greets him with affection before and/or after their separation(s) for both his comfort and hers.

But Rayla is still the one telling him to go. Rayla is still the one expressing that she has to go. Callum is willing to leave her for her own good (7x02 with Runaan, 7x09 with dying), but even when he tries to leave for what he believe is his own good, he can't find it in himself to go through it (4x03). Not for more than a few hours (7x06) if at all.

I think there's a few reasons for this, in some ways. For starters, it makes sense: Rayla has only been back in his life for 3ish months pre-7x09 epilogue, and while she's grown a Lot since then (beginning to learn how to ask for help from him + working on it with her dads; leaving but with the consistent promise to return and come back etc) it's not going to fix all of her issues, either, similar to how her willingness to sacrifice has been poked and prodded at, but not yet outright Challenged.

Likewise, Callum had changed. Before arc 2, he was more overtly "together or not at all". Being forced to live without Rayla (s4) and confront how far he's willing to go for her (s5) even if that means she no longer loves him (s7) has been his own TTM experience in a lot of ways. He's still more focused on togetherness than she is, but even that desire is now secondary compared to before, as the new ultimate goal is "for Rayla to live" (and we see that Rayla, although deeply despairing about it, is willing to live without him; we have thus far not seen that from Callum).

It does make me wonder what might've changed when we open back up after 7 years, i.e. how the two have grown closer, whether Rayla will also prioritize togetherness more (as she continually does so throughout arc 2), potentially how marriage/being married has shifted things, and how this unresolved aspect of their dynamic may be explored further.

[fun-k-board]

Hey, could I request Bi Han/Sub Zero romantic headcannons with a male reader who is his right hand man and childhood friend?

Bi-Han / Sub-Zero with a boyfriend who's his childhood friend

Note(s) : I'm gonna be honest, I don't really like him, but I want to try and be a better writer by writing about characters I don't like. Please, give me critiques on how I wrote him!

First of all, he was incredibly moody as a child already, not exactly of his own volition having a dad like his would ruin any kid, so if you can't handle people who are mean on purpose? You'd have a REALLY hard time getting along with him.

Bi-Han was always brooding, in the corner with a frown, he eats with a frown, sleeps frowning, talks to his brother's frowning, the only time he's ever smiling is either in private or when it's just him and Kuai Liang, but it doesn't happen that often any more after his dad died.

To befriend him, you'd either need to be a part of the Lin Kuei, either born into the clan, maybe the son of one of the lower Lin Kuei members, or found and taken in by the clan, or somehow be involved with one of the Lin Kuei's missions.

It's a long and slow process, but even just talking to him once a day will eventually gain a semblance of trust, it'll be hard to show it, and he mostly does by standing next to you and sometimes agreeing with you, but these things will take time.

By your teenage years, you two began training together, maybe he tends to be a little rougher than other Lin Kuei, and maybe he's broken your nose once, twice, possibly even thrice before, but he did apologise, eventually.

He would confide in you about troubles with his brothers, well, he insists that Smoke isn't a brother and more like a stray even though that's just not true, but Bi-Han would be awkward and reserved about talking with you.

He feels that this isn't your business, and not only that, he feels like you just... Wouldn't get it? While he understands you may have issues of your own, his situation is rather unique.

His troubles mainly consist of Kuai Liang and Tomas upholding tradition, Bi-Han believes that his brothers view tradition higher than him, and even though he's grandmaster, that they don't take his opinions into account.

Of course, this is ludicrous, his brothers follow his every word and typically offer little resistance, though, if you try to tell him that he will just storm off and claim he was right all along and that you don't understand. He'll eventually come to his senses and realise what you said was true, but, won't apologise.

If you agree with him, or at least say you do, he'll murmur a gruff complaint about his brother's and then you'll sit in silence for a while.

By the time MK1 rolls around, he's fairly jaded, he doesn't like talking to his own brothers, he dislikes them a fair amount actually, but he still loves them, or, at least he holds love in his heart for Kuai, he still hates Smoke.

Bi-Han doesn't know exactly what he feels for you, he knows it's not friendship, but at the same time, he's never really had friends before, so, he can't be sure. All he understands is that he values you, and more importantly, your opinion, if you disagree with him it may hurt his pride, but please, stay firm, he comes around eventually, only with you.

He wants to wait for something, that maybe proves you may love him, because when that rolls around, he can fully decide whether to act on his emotions or not.

You most likely accompany the trio to stop Shang Tsung, and you'll most likely be there when Bi-Han betrays the Lin Kuei. Obviously, you choose to stay with him, and, it breaks Smoke and Scorpions heart, they may not have known you too well, but, they knew you were one of the only things that would stop him from going down that path.

In a way, you both failed them that day.

Now, after proving your loyalty to him, you're basically his right hand man and oversee a lot of the clan, you train young and old recruits, you maintain a harsh schedule everybody is expected to follow, you help Bi-Han with whatever he needs, and sometimes need to force him to take a day off.

By the way, he won't let you say his actual name, you always have to either call him Sub-Zero or Grandmaster, depending on if you're on a mission or not, his name is personal to him, a core part of his identity, and, until you're closer, he feels awkward letting you call him Bi-Han.

During this, he becomes even more angry, even more distant, even with you, and it may take pushing, reminding him of your childhood spent together, for him to crack.

He won't come crying into your arms, he doesn't beg for forgiveness or want any, he just sits there, and begins to rant. He rants about how he feels like, if he was a better grandmaster, his brothers would have joined him, if he was a better grandmaster, maybe he wouldn't have joined Shang Tsung, and wouldn't have been tempted by his lies.

You hold a hand to his shoulder, and you confess, you tell him what you think about him, how you feel about his temptation into evil by Shang Tsung, and even though he doesn't want forgiveness, you give it.

And, with permission, you hold his hand. It's a small step, but, it's the most contact you two will have together for a long time.

Now, he gives you small smiles in private, nothing wide, but something so tiny it's hard to differentiate from not having an expression at all, he gives you some time off, more than he gives himself, anyway, and more importantly? He feels himself relaxed around you.

Telling a joke that would once make him scoff and walk away now makes him let out a gruff and amused noise, it's a mix between a laugh and breath of air, and he only does it for you.

Dinners with him are less awkward, when before you would sit in silence, hesitantly taking bites from food. You two now chat quietly about your day, each recruit, and sometimes about each other. You can actually enjoy the food and his presence.

He lets you call him Bi-Han now, not in public, but, when you two are alone, in a hallway, in your rooms, having dinner or breakfast privately, whichever situation calls for you two to be alone, he lets you call him by his name, and, it makes him feel vulnerable. It makes him feel loved.

He's always held your opinion in high regard, but now, it's honestly the only one that matters besides his own, and he does, silently, hope you aren't so tempted by power like he is.

Bi-Han may take longer to kiss or cuddle you than what most would consider normal, he loves you, he knows he does now, but, he's nervous, no, he's afraid. He knows he's a rough man, and he knows how uncaring and even violent he is and can come across as, so, naturally, he tries to avoid the subject. He doesn't want to do anything without your consent, but he's also far too afraid to ask.

It will take you to ask him, you'll need to make the first move, and when you do ask him for that first kiss, he gives you that small, hardly noticeable smile, and you both lean in, closing your eyes...

It's awkward. Maybe you know how to kiss, maybe you don't, but Bi-Han definitely doesn't, and, it shows. He feels slightly embarrassed at how lost he is, but, you two can learn together, and even just telling him, hey, maybe it wasn't the best, but, we can learn together, lifts his spirits an unnatural degree.

For the next week, the schedules become less strict for most Lin Kuei members, and any mess ups are met with less harsh, but still kind of harsh, punishments.

Kissing is basically ingrained into your schedule now, once in the morning on the cheek before breakfast, maybe once at lunch if it's a tough day, and always a peck on the lips at night before bed.

It takes less time to cuddle if you've already kissed before, sure, it still takes a bit long, but, so do most things with this man. Maybe it starts with holding his hand, or, sitting on his bed and talking about things, training gets hard sometimes, so perhaps you're just a bit tired.

You look up at him and quietly ask if you can just lay down for a while, or, maybe you just lay down yourself and wait for any objections, either way, he lets you lay down, and eventually, lays down next to you. Your hands hold each other tightly, your head is resting on his shoulder and it feels strangely perfect, despite how stiff his shoulders are.

This becomes semi natural in your schedule, but only after a long day, cuddling each other until you or him are on the brink of sleep, and then you return to your bed. You two still sleep in separate beds, that's just how he prefers things, no matter how much he trusts you, it's just more comfortable.

I'd recommend cuddling in summer, because, he's insanely cold and the winter is not at all suited for cuddle sessions between you two.

It takes a bit for you two to start calling each other 'boyfriend', not because Bi-Han doesn't consider you his lover, and therefore boyfriend, but because he sort of just assumes that kissing, cuddling, all of that, makes you together automatically, and, he doesn't like announcing his relationships.

It's not like he's embarrassed of you, he seriously isn't, but, you're the only person who sees the vulnerable side of him, and he prefers to keep it that way. None of the other Lin Kuei members, god forbid any one else, deserves to know your relationship with each other.

Dates are rare, extremely rare, you two have major responsibilities within the clan, and, Bi-Han doesn't trust anybody enough for them to run it while you two are away, so, the most date-like thing you'll experience is eating dinner together after every one has had theirs and left.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

What do you think cooking looks like in the wizarding world?

As in, how many modern ameneties do you think they're incorporating? We can assume they have things like a toaster, since they eat toast all the time in the books (unless there's a toasting spell) but I highly doubt the wizards have a dishwasher, since magic can fulfill the same function and the Weasleys don't use one.

Other things, like microwaves, are a little more unclear to me, since there's definitely a spell to reheat food, but microwaves also have some unique properties in HOW they cook that gets you things like mug cookies. And how would they be cooking rice? They'd probably have to stovetop it right? Which seems a lot more inconvenient than a microwave or a rice cooker.

Adding into that, there are unique ingredients wizards have access to with magical plants and animals that might require a different approach to cooking them. Do you have any thoughts on that front?

Do you think certain foods that are less common in the muggle world are really common in the wizarding world? Or vice versa?

We also know house elves do a lot of the cooking and chores for families that have them, but how much magic is involved in that process?

It also seems like even with magic involved, it takes Molly a lot of time and effort to cook. That might just be because she has to cook so much to feed everyone or because they eat everything homecooked, but I feel like it's an indicator that cooking with magic doesn't make the process that much easier, just different. Instead of a dishwasher you're using your wand and all that.

And speaking of homecooked, what kind of pre-packaged meals do you think exist in the wizarding world, and what would prep for that look like?

Sorry, this was like 12 questions in one, I just had more thoughts the more I looked at it.

I saw this ask and I was immediately super interested to answer it because it raises some fun world-building details. Now, I'm gonna say, right out of the gate, I think wizards use close to 0 (zero) modern amenities in cooking. They have spells, stoves, ovens, tools like knives, and that's basically it.

I'm gonna start with the toast since you can make toast without a toaster. All you need is a frying pan (or oven, but I use a frying pan).

So I assume that's how wizards make toast as Mr. Weasley clearly treats toasters as a muggle contraption he has no clue how to use:

Sitting on top of Mr. Weasley’s overflowing in-tray was an old toaster that was hiccuping in a disconsolate way and a pair of empty leather gloves that were twiddling their thumbs.

(OotP)

(I want to note about toast in a frying pan, as someone who makes it occasionally, the taste and consistency of the bread is so much better in a pan than in a toaster. You fry it with butter (or olive oil) so it doesn't get dry like in a toaster. It's great, you should try it)

And you don't need a rice cooker to cook rice, you can make rice in a pot on the stove with water, that's a thing people do (by people, I mean me, I never owned a rice cooker). Like, people made rice before the rice cooker was invented (as they made toast before the toaster was invented). But, I'll note I don't think rice is a standard part of the cuisine in Magical Britain, at least it doesn't seem to be served at Hogwarts or at the Weasleys. The staple carbs we see served most often in the books are potatoes, I believe (potatoes are probably the most mentioned food that isn't candy).

Like toasters, wizards have no idea what a microwave is or how it works:

Back in the kitchen, Moody had replaced his eye, which was spinning so fast after its cleaning it made Harry feel sick. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Sturgis Podmore were examining the microwave and Hestia Jones was laughing at a potato peeler she had come across while rummaging in the drawers. 

(OotP)

They don't even know how to work a potato peeler which is interesting since they do peel potion ingredients. I assume they are used to just using knives and scalpels to peel ingredients and not peelers made for the job. Basically, wizards still cook like in the 19th century in terms of tools and amenities.

I was always under the impression they have heating, cooling, and preserving charms (since they don't have fridges) that replace many amenities. Though I assume preserving charms won't really work like a fridge, they would keep the food as it is, if it's warm, it stays warm so you won't even have to reheat it!

And any heating charm would likely not be able to cook like a microwave, neither would it heat like an oven or a stove (I imagine it'll have an effect similar to an air fryer if I had to guess) and they don't seem to have ready-made microwavable food either, so, they won't really need a microwave. I mean, all the food we see is homemade from scratch. Besides, pre-made meals just don't fit the vibe of the Wizarding World.

To continue the discussions of household charms, there is a charm that make dishwashers unnecessary:

She [Molly] flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.

(CoS)

As for it taking Molly time to cook even with magic, well, I think that has more to do with the cooking than the effort. Like, magic probably makes quite a few of the processes necessary for cooking (peeling, mixing, dicing, etc.) easier, but cooking still takes the same time. Like, if you need a certain amount of minutes to heat up water to a boiling point in a given heat, magic doesn't make a difference. If it takes 2 hours for something to bake in an even heat in the oven, it would still be 2 hours even if the heat source is magical. The heat is still the same heat. That's why, I think, magic doesn't really affect the time it takes for something to cook.

(I will note it's possible mixing, dicing, and peeling might need to be done by hand too considering they do all of this by hand for potions. But I think they can be done by magic mostly because potion-making is different from cooking and it's likely spells for this aren't as exact and precise as doing it by hand, especially for young and inexperienced wizards and witches. Also, a severing charm exists, and making a spoon mix a cauldron for you is very similar to making utensils clean themselves, which is something we know they can do. So, I think this is more a matter of personal preference of whoever is cooking)

House-elves need to cook the way wizards do. They don't have any unique magic that can speed things up. Certain things take a certain amount of time to cook and no magic can help it. There are pots and pans in Grimmauld Place that Kreacher uses to cook:

The kitchen was almost unrecognizable. Every surface now shone: Copper pots and pans had been burnished to a rosy glow; the wooden tabletop gleamed; the goblets and plates already laid for dinner glinted in the light from a merrily blazing fire, on which a cauldron was simmering. 

(DH)

He still needs to cook in pots just like Molly does. So house-elf magic doesn't make much of a difference, I think.

As for common foods, I don't really know. We see potatoes and meats are very common, so, I'd say wizard cuisine is probably very local and doesn't have as much modern or international influences as the muggle one does. Wizards don't have fast food, nor do the ones in the UK seem to eat Asian food, for example. The food we see in the series is all very British. So, I think the cuisine would really be very local and based on stuff grown/raised locally by wizards (and perhaps muggles on occasion) for the most part. At least, that's the impression I got.

As for magical ingredients in food, well, most magical plants and herbs have magical properties used for potions. Many of these are properties you don't want your food to have, so I don't think magical plants are used for cooking often if at all.

Same with magical creatures as most of them are illegal to capture and kill. So, I don't see them as part of the cuisine either.

These are the thoughts I have on this at least.

[stillwithmeisonlyyou]

Hey so i saw a tiktok the other day and inspired me to write a little sort of microfic

So here it goes

(also in my mind reg is a cat animagus, that is how this prompt in my idea makes sense, also that's how he managed to hide from sirius)

Black brother estrangement angst fanfic idea

(I know it is a stupid name, but like i don't have a title)

Remus: "Why don't you just tell him? I mean I get it, but you can't hide this forever."

Regulus averted his eyes and sighed: "Maybe not forever but I'll put it off as long as I need to."

Remus: "That's consistent of you but you have to admit this is absurd. Surely you have missed him? Can't you put your resentment aside?"

Regulus: "It isn't my resentment I'm afraid of. He'll be angry with me I know it."

Remus: "Ok maybe he will be later and you'll talk about it, but i think it would make him an asshole if he started a fight right away with his long lost brother who he believed to be dead for years. I'm just saying it might not be as bad as you fear."

Regulus seemed lost in thought and for a moment Remus thought he wouldn't answer. To the untrained eye, his hesitence could seem like a consideration of what he had just been told, but Remus knew better: "No it will be. Sirius is nothing if not dramatic. And our problems aside I knew he cared. I think he'd expect me to come to him for help despite everything we had going on at the time. I know he'd help me. Or at least... I want to believe that he would. It must have hurt him that I didn't and then I allegedly died and now, I hate that I went about it this way but at the time... I was spiteful. I resented him for leaving me alone there... And I know that its selfish and I know that it was sadistic to expect him to take the abuse, and he knew it too. We fought a lot back then, I hated it. When he looked at me like, like- I was them and I was just as cruel and evil as our parents I just... I could see that he resented me and he was angry and maybe he even hated me I... I could never say the right thing. I always said I hated him right back and pushed him away when all I really wanted was him and now... I think its too late. He's better off without all this emotional baggage bullshit. Maybe I deserve this.

Remus could see through Regulus' avoidant bullshit a mile away but he was pretty sure Regulus could see it too. That means he must have truly believed it. So he decided to leave the topic and approach it later, he knew that Regulus felt trapped under what he interpreted as interrogation of any kind. So he turned back to leave the kitchen to leave Regulus alone with his thoughts when he saw him- this absolutely stunning man that was Regulus' brother. He had such beautiful eyes, a deeper shade than Reg's and the way he carried himself and dressed was absolutely divine. Remus was lost in thought and fully staring now and a small part of him was worried that he was gonna be caught but the object of his desires seemed to be rather occupied at the moment. He was just about to think what could he be looking at this dumbstruck when he realized, wait, Regulus' BROTHER?!

Remus: Uhm hey Reg, I think you have put it off as long as you could; this is it.

This is like the first cohesive thing I have ever written and English isn't my first language (don't get ur hopes up hehe) so pls be kind

Anyway yea this is it. Should i go on with it?Also here is an extra little dialogue although i don't know if id incorprate it in here somewhere:

S: I don't want to lose you again

R: I don't want to lose you at all

S: Yea no I don't reccomend it.

...

S: Just... if you go and don't come back... I will never be able to forgive you and I will miss you... I'll just be miserable. Please don't do that to me. Don't evade me. Not this time.

R: Ok

[peachjagiya]

It’s interesting to me how everything Tae says he values in his friends or what’s important about his friendships with Wooga, is exactly what we see when he’s around JK. Plus obviously another layer on top. But it’s so clear if you observe Tae around JK, tnat he feels accepted, safe and comfortable. That he can be himself without judgement and that he’s meet with understanding, care, support and physical affection. And vice versa, with JK Tae can be the person he wants to be without holding back cause JK accepts and welcomes it. It’s just beautiful beautiful to see how well these two click and how they get each other blindly and how they clearly are themselves around each other without second thought. It’s such a natural, magical and special connection and bond. Never not in awe when we get little glimpses like these ones e.g.

https://x.com/girllytkook/status/1885964034174079328?s=46&t=VGR0B9a59mdmL-KO7fDdLg

https://x.com/loveazaleav__/status/1885506681494466848?s=46&t=VGR0B9a59mdmL-KO7fDdLg

https://x.com/regalkv/status/1885569570465079658?s=46&t=VGR0B9a59mdmL-KO7fDdLg

https://x.com/tkvk95972/status/1885361507107508604?s=46&t=VGR0B9a59mdmL-KO7fDdLg

🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

I think about Taehyung disliking being called 4D and alien and how we're invited to believe he's cold, distant and weird.

I don't think Taehyung is weird. I think he's a unique thinker, uniquely self-determined and uniquely principled with a very dry sense of humour but I don't find it weird. What I find weirder is how hard army work to call him weird and pretend he has no redeeming qualities. I think other people, including some members ��, perpetuated this alien idea long enough that it got into the general OT7 consciousness that he was a strange loner.

I can't speak for Taehyung but I'm sure it can't have been fun having your kindness, humour and warmth squished out of the story in favour of "lol Tata language" or making him look argumentative.

It's evident from their early years that whatever "weird" Taehyung was supposed to be, Jungkook got him for who he actually is. It must mean a lot to know his best people don't think of him in such cartoonish ways and it tracks in who Tae continued to hang with consistently even when he didn't contractually have to.

In fact:

Works in reverse too. Taehyung isn't prone to the same kind of reductive narratives about Jungkook that others have.

I genuinely think no matter the full nature of their relationship, they are safety and acceptance for each other.

[hwnglx]

Do you see JK married before the BTS reunion in 2025-2026?

jungkook's thoughts on marriage

based on tarot. i do not know these idols personally. energies are always changing. what i say is NOT straight fact. pls take it with a grain of salt!

7op, 3ow, wh, 5ow&10ow, kiow

(can i just say whenever i read for jk, i get the message immediately. it's actually crazy. he's probably the only idol who i just understand in an instant, very comfortable and easy energy)

so to answer your question, no i don't see him married in the next few years. jungkook seems to sincerely believe in the power of right timing. he's very intuitive and believes the universe will just kinda tell him "now is the time". he will just have this feeling that it's right. but the cards are very clearly telling me that that period is still far away.

i literally get this message every single time i read for him, but he has this very certain and specific image of the man he wants to become. jungkook aims to become someone like the king of wands here, who is not only very mature, powerful, confident and assertive, but also a warm, passionate and loyal protecter and provider. he puts a lot of burden and pressure on himself to continuously strive to get closer to that version of himself, extremely perfectionistic guy. he also connects relationships and especially marriage with a lot of responsibility (ppl are quick to misunderstand him because of his flirty libra venus but.. he's a double virgo and a mars in scorpio.. both fiercely loyal signs. he's very committed once he settles down) he doesn't just wanna rush into it out of love. he wants to make sure he ties the knot at a point where he feels like he gives his s/o the best version of himself that he can be. and yeah, in his eyes he's still far away from it.

he believes there's still many things in his way that he needs to conquer before taking that step. he wants to look his future spouse in the eyes with pride, knowing he can not only tell them about how he wants to give them the entire world (he's definitely the type to say that), but actually genuinely be capable of giving them the world. he wants to stand behind every promise of his, and feel like he isn't giving his loved one anything less than perfection. (i'm getting kinda lost in the poetry of it all, but just see it as jk's libra venus talking through me right now lmao)

it's actually pretty admirable for his mindset to be so consistent.. first time i read for him was at least half a year ago, and his beliefs and views in this regard are still very much the same.

[michirukaioureincarnate]

Bike Ride on the Sea Side

Haruka Tenoh x Reader Oneshot - cont. in Body Pillow (smut)

Fandom: Sailor Moon Pairing: Haruka Tenoh x reader | Sailor Uranus x reader Genre(s): Fluff 𖹭𖹭𖹭𖹭𖹭 | NSFW 𖹭𖹭 | Angst 𖹭 Theme(s): secure x avoidant | confession | first kiss Warning(s): Swearing Summary: You were under the impression that Haruka enjoyed your company and liked you over the past two dates. The constant texting after you unexpected meet-cute really made you believe things could go somewhere with them. But the two-week dry spell between you two had you believing otherwise. It's a shame because you really, really liked them. Reading Stats: 5000 words | 20 min read Disclaimer: All characters are consenting adults | Aged 21+

─────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──────────── A/n: okay the genre and theme is so ??? but GIVE ME A FUMKIN MINUTE I'm trynna make this idea work please fkjahjfskh it's been on my mind for a while now also kinda coping with the drama an avoidant ex-situationship put me in and now she's coming back wanting a shot with me again even though SHE HAS A MONOGAMOUS GF Y'ALL I- 👁️👄👁️ ─────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────

⋅ ⛢ ⋅

It's not like you were sitting around waiting for Haruka to text you. You weren't one to chase anyone or anything if reasonable efforts did not yield expected results. One could say you were too logical and unromantic.

"It's about the chase, Y/N!" your best friend insisted. "How is Haruka supposed to know you like them at all?"

You narrowed your eyes at her. "You know me, okay? I'm literally a shameless and open book." A small huff followed as you glared at your phone on the coffee table. "Besides...I asked them last week if everything was okay. They brushed me off, so why bother?"

"Show it to me," she demanded as she crossed her legs on the couch. She held her hand out and gestured for the phone, and you complied. Peering over her shoulder, you watched her read.

Y/N: Hey, it's been a while since we last talked properly. There's no pressure to reply, I'm just checking in to see if you're alright. Been thinking about you. Just let me know if you need space or anything, yeah? I'm not really sure about what to think or feel right now. 8:51 PM

Haruka: Thanks for checking in :) I'm fine, just caught up with work. Text you soon. 8:53 PM

Y/N: Sure thing! 9:00 PM

"They replied fast," she says curiously.

"A week ago."

She grins at you mischievously. "And does that bother the sensible and unromantic Y/N?"

"Pfft," you scoff. "No, I just don't like false expectations. If they don't wanna text me, they should just say it."

"Yeah, well, no one's as brave as you are," she sighed. "This isn't the first time you've been potentially ghosted."

Hearing it out loud kind of stung. It always did, and it would pass in a few hours before. This time, though, it lingered.

You'd never liked anyone like this before.

Still, you couldn't just ignore the lack of open and consistent communication for the chemistry over two dinners. Even though you didn't entirely dismiss the texting, it was still platonic and surface-level compared to in-person hang outs. And now there were barely any texts to go on.

Snatching your phone back, you tossed it into the pillows on the adjacent armchair and grabbed the remote to open up Netflix on the flatscreen TV.

We don't know each other enough, you consoled yourself internally as your friend settled on a horror movie. They're just some random person you bumped into in a bar of all places. You wanted to meet your soulmate in a library.

No sooner had you thought it did another helpless musing begin to haunt you.

They're so fucking hot, though.

It wasn't just the way they looked, although those dark and brooding eyes would hold you captive with a mere glance any day. You'd been around plenty of attractive people in your life and been approach by some of them as well; but the way people looked never fazed you. Instead, it was their energy and aura that drew you in.

The way Haruka carried themselves was admirable. Was it the straight-back posture? The calculating eyes atop an easy-going smile? Or the sense of purpose that surrounded them with every step taken or every spoken word? Haruka always seemed so certain of things and never missed the opportunity to take action, and you liked that.

It would explain why it felt that they were withdrawing from you. Haruka wasn't acting like they were sure about you anymore. It sucked because, for once in your life, you were sure about someone.

In all your past relationships, you'd always entertained uncertainties and potential in hopes of it blossoming eventually. It was enough that you liked them. But this time, you really wanted to take your time and figure Haruka out regardless of attraction.

"Ugh," you muttered softly as the first jump scare snapped you out of the ruminating, and your best friend's deathly clutch upon your arm left no room for your attention to drift away.

⋅ ⛢ ⋅

You woke up to a loud knock from somewhere. The horror movie had long ended, and your best friend was draped over your lap with drool dripping onto your thigh from the corner of her mouth.

She really has no shame, you think endearingly while carefully sliding out from under her. You throw the blanket over her completely, almost about to tuck her in when another louder knock takes you by surprise.

"What the fuck," you muttered, straining your ear for to locate the source. It sounded way too close for comfort. Your 1 + 1 apartment was too small for an intruder to hide in, so the only logical source was the windows.

You didn't want to go near them. Even though you were on the third floor, you didn't underestimate a stalker's ability to scale the wall for something they'd want bad enough.

The sight of a small rock knocking off your window-pane confirmed your suspicions, and you grabbed your phone to call the police only to notice that it was dead.

With no choice but to face the situation head on, you mustered the courage to confront whoever was out there. You were mentally prepared to scream bloody murder with no regard for your neighbors if it meant driving away the culprit.

Marching over to the window, you looked down into the front yard of the apartment to find a hooded figure looking up.

Right. At. You.

You threw the window open, fully prepared to screech until a lock of fair hair caught the glint of the moonlight. Your heart skipped a beat, and you watched as the figure pushed the hood off their head.

A pair of warm eyes peered at you, and a nervous lopsided smile accompanied it. You hated the way your heart was practically melting at the sight.

"Hey," Haruka said gently, and the wind carried their tomboyishly deep voice up to you. "Been thinkin' about you."

"Haruka, what the fuck?!"

They grinned up at you in amusement. "You don't sound very happy to see me, sweetheart."

"It's nearly–" you looked around for the clock in your house that you rarely consulted, "five in the morning! Who throws rocks at someone's window at this hour?!"

"I tried calling, but you wouldn't pick up," they said apologetically. "My only choice was to come and see you."

You rubbed away the ache blooming under the bridge of your nose. "Couldn't this wait?"

Deep down, you were screaming with happiness. The fact that they came over just because they couldn't get a hold of you was so nonsensical that you would've told anyone off for it. But this was Haruka, and it was hard to contain the joy tugging at the corners of your lips.

They're so stupid, you sighed internally.

"I wouldn't have come all this way if it could," they said sincerely, putting their hands in the pockets of their red and white race car jacket as a chilly breeze brushed past. Their eyes shimmered up at you, reflecting the stars in the sky. There was a tinge of vulnerability to them that caught you off guard. "Could you come down? And, um...dress warm."

"If it's only for a minute then–"

"It's not," they cut in breathlessly. "Maybe thirty minutes."

You raised a suspicious brow at them before walking away to your wardrobe, changing into a pair of warm sweats before grabbing your keys. Slipping into your shoes, you quietly left the apartment and prayed your best friend wouldn't wake up to find you gone. You knew how worried she'd get otherwise.

Quickly making your way down, you jogged out of the building and found Haruka by the street, waiting on the pavement next to a sleek motorbike.

You stopped. On your second date, they picked you up in a sports car to drive to the restaurant and revealed their love for motorcycles on the way.

"Haruka..." you said quietly. "I thought you didn't share your bike with anyone."

"I know," they replied softly before holding their hand out to you. Though you wished they'd just spill what was going on, you took their hand and let them pull you closer.

Their touch was warm against the cold air of the night, your fingers encased in their palm as their thumbs ran over your knuckles almost affectionately. Heat rose to your neck under their intense gaze that searched your face for something. They guided you onto the back of the motorbike securely before getting on turning the key.

A slow hum ran through the vehicle, and Haruka got seated properly before glancing at you over their shoulder.

"Hold on tight, Y/N."

You could feel your face getting hotter, but you reached forward and clamped your hands on their shoulders. They chuckled, pulling on their gloves and revving the engine before suddenly taking off.

The abrupt jerk of the bike had you clamping your arms around their waist instantly, and you were very aware of how firm their back felt against your soft chest.

"Asshole!" you yelled over the wind, only to catch a light chuckle before Haruka sped up. You had no choice but to curl against her spine, holding onto her tightly as you two zipped under the lamp lights of the empty highway. The cold wind was in your hair, and your fingers were freezing in the fists they'd curled into under their diaphragm.

You felt their gloved hand on yours, prying them apart to guide one of them into her jacket's pocket, and then the other one as well. It was such a sweet gesture that you forgot to pretend to be annoyed at them. Their pockets were warm, and you gave into the pleasure of how they felt against your body when you wrapped yourself around them.

Slowly, you coaxed yourself to look up from their shoulder and take in the views. You weren't sure how far away you two were from the apartment, but you could see the vast ocean that opened to the right, disappearing into the horizon where the stars were beginning to disappear.

The sunrise... you realized breathlessly as Haruka drove on the highway along the edge of the beach. Your gaze was fixed on the sky slowly turning a lighter shade of blue. The stars' twinkling faded in anticipation of the first rays of the sun.

Against your chest, Haruka's warmth kept the wind's chill out of your bones. They smelled nice, although a little unconventional; smokey and spiced, like a blend of cinnamon, roses, and the faint linger of cigarettes. You'd never gotten this close to her before, although you had hoped that they'd finally kiss you when you two eventually had a third date.

Wait... you thought. Is this a date?

No, perhaps not. To you, dates should be communicated and planned and prepared for. You would never be found wearing sweats and without a touch of make-up on a date. You found yourself regretting not dabbing on a bit of concealer and mascara. Even some lip gloss would've sufficed.

The motorbike leaned to the right as Haruka took a turn into a road, and the barricades from the edge disappeared. The beach opened up to you directly, with its sand blowing onto the asphalt and the air sticky with salt. The tops of small and calm waves glimmered as an orange spot appeared on the horizon.

The sun was here.

Haruka parked the bike, and you finally straightened up and pulled your arms off them. The embarrassment of having to cling on like that finally registered, and you quickly got off the bike and faced the sea to avoid their gaze. Haruka climbed off and kicked its stand in place, leaning their hips against the gas tank as they crossed their ankles and arms.

Silence.

You wished they'd tell you why they brought you here, but you were a sucker for sunrises and sunsets. With eyes fixed on the horizon, the two of you quietly watched the colors slowly begin to change. The sky was much lighter now, and the curve of brilliant orange ascended behind a few fluffy clouds, turning their underside pink. The waters took on a beautiful deep hue of turquoise with the passing moments, a color you loved so deeply.

"The sunrise is even more beautiful when the sea's surface is there to reflect its light," Haruka hummed softly. "The sun's brilliant on its own, but I suppose it needs to see its reflection to be reminded of it."

Their words took you by surprise.

"Why would the sun need a reminder?" you asked casually. "It's the sun. It sustains everything."

Haruka shook their head. "It's too far away to see the impact of its existence. But the ocean is vast. It stretches out endlessly and can be seen from where the sun it."

It took you a minute to realize Haruka was trying to tell you something.

"And it's important, the ocean. Without it, the sun would've fried up everything on Earth. No one to witness any nice sunrises without it to make life possible, right?"

You were beginning to feel frustrated and swallowed your nervousness to turn their way. The horizon reflected in their deep blue eyes, pouring light into them like they were lanterns. A gust of wind pushed the stray fair locks off their forehead, and they glanced at you. You weren't sure if you were imagining their ears turning pink.

"Where were you the past two weeks?" you asked as nicely as you could, but the undertone of anxiety seeped in. "I thought you didn't want to see me."

Haruka exhaled sharply and dropped their hands to their pockets.

"I was trying not to see you. Well, not too much anyway. I..." they huffed conflictedly as they closed their eyes. "You know I've got a racing season coming up, right? And I was practicing really hard for it. Everyone kept giving me shit for being reckless or risky on the track or whatever, but that's just how I've always won. It's second nature to me, and I know how to win."

You kept quiet as they caught their breath to collect their thoughts.

"I guess it'll be different this time because I made it into a bigger racing series," they continued. "It came as a surprise to everyone, but my team told me that I'll be competing with racers who are in an entirely different league. If anything, they drive much like I do."

"Haruka, could you get injured?" you demanded gently as worry flooded you.

"I mean, maybe?" they replied nervously as they blinked at the horizon. "But every sport has that risk. That's not the point. The point is that the only way to win is to not be reckless, and that's a huge change in approach to manage overnight. I hate change, and I can't do it without some kind of a constant reminder over my head."

I knew it, you thought with a skip of a heartbeat. They were trying to tell me something.

Your heart raced in you chest as they straightened up.

"I crashed last week."

"WHAT?!" you snapped as you grabbed their arm. "Haruka, what the fuck?!"

"I'm fine, promise." They turned to you and placed a comforting hand over your fingers gripping the sleeve of their jacket. "It was barely anything and it's pretty normal but...I berated myself for it. That was a first. I usually just get up and dust myself off, but I caught myself thinking...how will I see Y/N if I got hurt really badly? How would she feel if she saw me crash like that?"

You were left speechless, and your heart was pounding so hard that it could break through your ribcage and fall into Haruka's hands. They came to stand before you, casting a shadow over your body that contained your attention entirely onto them.

"I ran another lap after that crash and realized that I was different," they continued. "I don't know what exactly changed, but it was like a different part of my brain opened up. I saw different ways, better ways, to conquer the tracks that I never really considered before. More possibilities to prepare for, to keep an eye out for, and...it just felt like you were sitting behind me. I couldn't afford to crash again and injure you, but I also wanted to win."

Their hand slid under your fingers to pull it off their arm, holding your hand securely. With their eyes boring into yours, you held their gaze through the butterflies and tremors racking your body. Their grasp is warm, with soft skin interrupted by the occassional calluses from gripping bike handles.

Your mouth was dry, but you still forced yourself to speak. "That doesn't explain why you avoided me."

"I was scared," they said immediately. "My entire life, I've always been so selfish and self-centered without ever realizing it until that crash. For once, you were my first thought right after. I didn't know what to make of it."

A trembling sigh left them as they reached out for your other hand to grip tightly, pulling them close to their chest clasped within their palms. And suddenly, you felt something in the air between your bodies, as if it had become charged. Your skin tingled, every cell of your being tugged forward by an invisible force with a yearning for the warmth that rolled of Haruka's body.

"I avoided you because I've never, ever wanted to run to someone so badly before," they muttered into the air between the two of you. "I wanted you behind me on that bike because your presence was so...so–gosh, I can't find the word."

Your voice was breathy when you spoke. "Palpable..."

They nodded in relief.

The sun rose behind them, peeking over the top of their head and setting their hair alight and giving them their own halo. You'd never seen a prettier sight until now, basking in the vulnerable glimmer of their irises despite the crack in the strong walls around their heart.

"You were my reminder, Y/N," they said quietly as their cheeks flushed like the underside of the clouds above. "You kept me from getting too heated. From burning up everything around me and crashing senselessly for the sake of victory. You...are my ocean, in which I see that what I do and who I am right now is enough no matter the outcome."

Your heart was going to give out from how fast it was beating, and you quickly blinked away the mist in your eyes. It was the sweetest and most passionate thing you'd ever heard from anyone. Ever.

"Whoa, Y/N, a-are you alright?" Haruka asked worriedly as they stepped in closer to you. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing..." you exhaled sharply, releasing all the anxiety and anticipation that had built up over the week. "I just...wow, um–I don't know what to say..."

Their face fell a little as their grip on your hands loosened. "You don't have to say anything at all. I just...I hoped you felt just as intensely about me, but I know it's too soon and–"

"I was waiting for you," you interjected, embarrassed and a little angry at yourself for how pathetic you sounded. "I never wait for anyone, Haruka, but you...you had me walking around everywhere wondering if you just didn't like me anymore."

Their lips parted in surprise as they stared at you.

"I usually just move on the second I feel like someone doesn't want me," you sighed as you clutched their hands, relishing how nimble thier fingers were. "That's what it means to be a secure person, right? But I've also never liked anyone the way I've liked you."

Their awe slowly turned into a bashful lopsided grin. "Someone as sensible as you likes someone as reckless as me?"

"Next time you ignore me like that, I'd rather you be dead than ghosting me."

"Whoa, okay, um–" they snorted in amusement. "You know what? Yeah. I get it. I'd hate to be ghosted by someone like you too."

Why the fuck did I deflect like that? you scolded yourself. It sounded so needy.

"I'm not all that great, though," you muttered with eyes downcast. "I mean, I like myself plenty as I am, but you...you're a professional racer. Practically a celebrity. I've just got a little writing thing on the side that keeps me comfortable, but nothing major."

You held your breath as Haruka placed your palm over their heart. Their hand slid down the back of yours to your elbow and up to your shoulder with a soft grip, their knuckles trailing up your neck. Their touch carried with it the feathery blooms of pleasure that spread over your skin, and your heart stumbled when they gently held your chin to lift your face. Your skin buzzed with a vehement need to be closer to them, and your fingers clenched around the fabric of their shirt as you felt their heart speed up behind it.

"You've got a grounded personality, Y/N," they whispered with a tentative swipe of their thumb under your lip, and their face felt so much closer than before. "Passionate and self-reliant without needing anyone's approval for it. If anything, I'd love for you to make it big in your career, but you seem perfectly content and grateful with what you have, and I admire it."

They searched your eyes so deeply that you're left stumbling over your tongue. "I–I, um, well, I have more than enough to get by so...you know, I don't–um–"

"Y/N."

"Y–yes?"

They paused, looking down your face until you felt your lips tingle.

"I wish I could tell you how much I missed you," they murmured with a hint of something akin to need.

Desire. Maybe some restraint. It was in the way their palm cupped your jaw as their thumb stroked your cheek, eyes still on your mouth as they let out a soft, shuddering exhale.

You were barely breathing.

"I missed everything about you," they continued huskily, their eyelids growing heavy with a flutter of their lashes as their gaze darkened. "And I'll be such a goner if I give into how much I like you, because there will be so much more to miss whenever I'm away. But I need you to like me back just as much because this is scary."

Their other hand was still wrapped in yours at their sternum, and you guided it forward to your chest right over your heart. Pressing their palm over it, you shuddered at the warmth that seeped through your shirt and over your skin.

Your heart was practically bursting at the seams, and you looked at them from under your lashes defenselessly, surrendering to your undeniable feelings for them despite the need for caution.

"I think..." you started breathlessly, "I've been waiting for you for much longer than those two weeks. Don't make me wait anymore."

You gulped as you stared into their eyes, your next word sounding barely above a sigh.

"Please."

Haruka's lips fell upon yours so fast that you gasped in surprise, followed by soft moans that erupted into each other's mouths. Their deep grunt rumbled in their chest under your palms as they pulled you in close, their arm clamping around the small of your back. Encased in the warmth of their body, you mewled at the way they cradled the back of your head to kiss you languidly.

You were melting into them, feeling the heat from your bodies intertwining as you gripped onto their shoulders for dear life. Their soft chest pressed against yours with desperation, leaving no room for air between you two as they caged you against the bike. Wrapped in their strong arms, you felt small and safe, left at the mercy of Haruka's unrestrained longing that you doubted there was an escape from.

But you didn't want to anyway.

"Fuck..." they huffed as their lips slid off yours, and you were finally able to gasp for breath. Their hands rested on your waist and back, fingers digging enough to keep you from floating away. Even so, you were lightheaded and almost dizzy, taken back by how passionately Haruka had consumed you within those few seconds.

You wanted them to go on forever.

Tugging at their shoulder, you cradled the nape of their neck and pressed your lips to theirs tenderly, eliciting a soft exhale as you moved to the corner of their mouth to kiss it lightly. You found their cheek, peppering it slowly and gently with all the affection and want that blossomed within you for their existence.

Haruka groaned softly and collected you in their arms, pulling you into a hug as they buried their nose behind your ear. They pecked the sensitive spot under your lobe, making you shudder breathlessly in their firm yet gentle grip. The relief and pleasure of feeling their hand rubbing up and down your spine was indescribable, and you gave into the urge of running your fingers into their soft and wavy hair, scratching their scalp softly with your nails.

They purred, still heaving as they tried to pull themself together in the comfort of your arms.

"This is better than I imagined," they admitted against your skin.

You stilled, wondering if you heard it right. "You were thinking about this?"

"A lot..."

They sounded genuinely embarrassed, and it made you feel giddy and mischievous.

"Didn't know I had such an effect on you," you teased.

They gently pulled away from your shoulder to look down at you with warning, but there was a glint of something playful in their eyes.

"Don't say it like I don't make you feel things either," they said. "You literally got angry when I didn't reach out to you."

"You left me hanging!" you scoffed as the pent-up annoyance crept in through your fingers that dug into their biceps. "Who the hell does that for two weeks, Haruka?!"

They smirked, brows furrowing as a shadow fell over their face that made evident a sinister flame in their pupils.

"You missed me that much, huh?"

You smacked them up the back of their head reflexively, causing them to laugh in surprise. Embarrassed and meek, you felt cornered by their statement, but it was too late to escape the confrontation.

"I did..." you grumbled, looking away from their teasing stare before they leaned in to peck your jaw and down your neck. They chuckled as they did so, unaware of how each kiss triggered an intense bloom of desire in your chest. You were hyperaware of their hands on your ribs, and how the tips of their thumbs rested just under your breasts as your chest flooded with something stronger than bliss.

Arousal.

Haruka's breath brushed down your cleavage as they left a lingering kiss on your collarbone, and your grip on their arms tightened.

"H-Haruka..." you gasped, and they stopped immediately to turn their head away, still leaning into you as one of their hands fell onto the bike to hold themself up.

They let out an agonized breath of restraint, groaning quietly as the palm on your rib slid down to your hip with a gentle pat. "I should take you home, Y/N."

"Already?" you said with a slight whine, wincing at how needy you sounded for a moment. Now that they were finally in front of you after so long, you didn't want to just let them get away.

Haruka cleared their throat and straightened up, looking at you with tenderness as they tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear.

"It's been hard to stay away from you the past two weeks," they said. "I need to take you back while I'm still in control of myself."

You gave them a quizzical look. "In control of yourself? What would you even do to me out here in the open? We're just kissing."

They raised their brows dubiously as their eyelids lowered sensuously, scanning your face with a heavy gaze.

"Don't tempt me, sweetheart," they muttered with a slight raspiness to their voice. "I don't know what I'm capable of if I'm pushed to my limit."

Your lips parted in surprise at the sudden change in their demeanor, but you didn't want to stop. A part of you wanted to challenge them, nudge them to the edge to see what they meant.

But you snapped yourself out of it and nodded, clearing your throat bashfully as you straightened yourself out.

"My best friend is at my place right now," you reasoned with yourself. "I gotta get back before she wakes up and freaks out. My phone's still back there with no battery, so she might even call the police."

Haruka nodded and reached for their gloves to pull them on as you turned your gaze back to the sea. The sun was now shining in its full glory, its light bouncing off the foam and waves of the sea, turning its surface into a rippling mirror. Fluffy white clouds floated lazily against the bright blue sky.

I'm their ocean, you thought wistfully, and they're the sun.

Two things that complemented each other in ways that kept everything on the planet perfectly balanced, and you hoped that the two of you would do the same for each other.

⋅ ⛢ ⋅

─────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──────────── A/n: Honestly, I think Haruka has it in them to fuck you on the beach in broad daylight if it ever came to that lmfao. I was wondering if I should just write it in, but I'm not in the mood for smut atm.

What if I make another one shot focusing on the smut that comes after they drop you home? I could do a prequel one shot of the meet cute as well 🤔 [update: I did it lol]

Eh, we'll see. I'm taking it slowly since it's been a while I wrote anything for leisure. Still very rusty. Hope y'all enjoyed, though. ~ Miki | Myca ✧ ─────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────

OH MY GOD MY FIRST REAL POST ON TUMBLR JSDHFKKJASDHFAJKH HAPPY PRIDE MONTH TO MEEE I'VE CELEBRATED WITH A HARUKA TENOH ONESHOT HEHE ENJOY

[batsplat]

since you made a few posts about motogp and tennis I have to ask: how would valentino’s and sete’s rivalry look like in your mind than mapped onto 00’s atp tour? and also THE CURSE!!!!! (this is an au where tennis has more whimsy obviously) what would it look like in tennis realities?

got this ask and immediately dropped everything to have a think about it. let's do this

I think valentino's earlier rivalries are trickier to conceptualise in tennis terms than inter-alien rivalries, because the vibes of valentino's early rivalries kinda depend on said rivals not actually beating him to championships, aka the biggest prize in the sport. the biggest prize in tennis is slams and like... it just isn't feasible for anybody to have a chokehold on all the slams for five years. quite frankly I don't even like tennis au's that start throwing around calendar slams unless they're extremely careful about it. in the entire open era, exactly 1 (one) person managed a calendar slam - steffi graf as a teenager over three decades ago. while it is theoretically achievable in the modern game - djokovic got within one match of it until the pressure got to him he ran into an opponent who played at an incredible, divine, beyond phenomenal level to beat him in the us open final - it is very unlikely to happen for various reasons and certainly not by a young male player. this is a long way of saying that valentino is simply not winning twenty consecutive slams from 2001-05. noughties federer gives us a sense of the upper limit of what kind of sustained dominance is possible... generally I think giving valentino a prolonged run at 2-3 slams per year is the way to go here

^noughties federer, which to me represents a pretty hard upper limit for how many slams I'm willing to give someone in such a concentrated time period

the rule in tennis is that if you want to effectively lock out The Field from slams, you need at least 2-3 consistently dominant players. one player cannot effectively lock out the whole field from slams. it's the pack hunter phenomenon - the big three/four's hold on the slams was so enduring and so crushing because whenever one of them was injured or not feeling it or whatever, somebody else was there to pick up the slack. to some extent this is comparable to motogp's alien era, though obviously big three dominance lasted a fair bit longer. neither valentino nor later marc alone could lock out the rest of the field from the occasional race win - but from 2007-15... four non-aliens I believe (vermeulen le mans 2007, capirossi motegi 2007, dovi donington 2009, spies assen 2011, not double checking this because I want to Believe I know this off the top of my head) won races. all the other races were won by one of five guys. obviously in motogp there's also a technology factor, better bikes factory vs independent tyre change + electronics leading to ten race winners in 2016 bla bla bla, but you get the point. all of this means that this version of sete, even if he's the main challenger for valentino in *only two years*... has to win slams. you can come up with a lame workaround for this - for instance, say that all the continental europeans simply suck at grass and you get a 'sampras can't play on clay' nineties type scenario where the fictional bruguera-type equivalent keeps winning wimbledon titles - but idk,, this feels way too convoluted and kind of narratively unsatisfying. so let us just take it as a given that sete is... a late bloomer but one who does end up with an objectively very respectable career. which obviously inevitably changes the vibe of this rivalry at least somewhat

it is at this point that you do come crashing into another major hurdle: the manufacturer switch. this is obviously a really key bit of the vale/sete story and it is basically impossible to translate to tennis. it's not an equipment change, it's not a coaching change (in any case, I'm committed to jb coaching valentino throughout his dominant era), you can't come up with some hackneyed idea of a tennis academy substituting the manufacturer environment or whatever. tbh I do like how... specific this rivalry is to motogp, like it's one that feels very close to the spirit of the sport... in some ways the valentino rivalry that's the trickiest to translate. on the other end of the spectrum is the casey rivalry which reads as a very tennis-coded situation to me, both practically and thematically. the sete rivalry gets a lot of its charm and appeal from stuff that simply would not work as well outside of motogp

(another important element of the rivalry that for obvious reasons can't be translated is everything to do with safety. sete's rise to prominence happened in the direct aftermath of the tragic death of his teammate, both sete and valentino were central among the riders in pushing through safety-related changes after that, safety concerns play an odd uncertain role in shaping the drama that took place at qatar 2004, sete's lasting objections to valentino's actions at jerez 2005 surround what kind of precedent was set in terms of safe riding. the sete/valentino rivalry thematically asks questions of what people owe to each other, the ethical guidelines of competition, the responsibilities of existing within a competitive community. key questions that remain about qatar 2004 is whether sete was involved in any way in reporting valentino due to a *genuine* earnest interest only in ensuring safety and wanting all riders to take that same step, what the competitive calculus was there, whether he was being naive in that situation, and whether valentino was justified in his cynicism about sete's motivations. there is no equivalent in tennis and it's a case where it's best not to try and shoehorn one in)

so failing a practical equivalent, what you really want is to find something thematically similar. this also really isn't easy. the manufacturer switch on a plot level functions as something valentino does to *intentionally* make his own life harder to prove a point and go his own path. it is an act of individual expression along a path of self-actualisation, for both good and ill. for tennis players this is just... I mean it's too egocentric a sport to have to push back against constraints on your individual identity, right. conformity is enforced more through tennis' stringent norms and underlying conservatism, rather than a literal contract that forms the basis of an athlete's participation in the sport. sure, the general vibe of 2003 where valentino was struggling with feeling like he was just expected to win all the time - where any mild dip in form felt disproportionately challenged and winning had become too routine - does also work in tennis but like... what do you do about that? a coaching switch away from a big name coach is probably the closest equivalent, or turning your back on a bollettieri-type structure. but it just doesn't quite work!! the other controversial thing you can do is scheduling, but given he'll be playing all the masters and slams anyway... idk, turning him into a vulture for a year simply does not have the same vibe. unless you handle it very carefully

so. here is what I think you need to do: you need to give him a target. pick one of the four slams and say that he hasn't won it for a few years (or at all), and then have him organise his season around winning that slam. it's got to be either wimbledon or the us open... I've already earmarked roland garros as his slam because I simply think he has the vibes of a clay grinder... and also this gives him so many southern european courts to terrorise his opponents on. which ig in a mugello-equivalent might give him quite a substantial streak at the place. (though might also be worth giving that streak to rome, as a masters and Serious Business that is also valentino's biggest home event.) for obvious reasons, you cannot organise your season around winning a slam that takes place in january, so australia is out. the case for wimbledon is that in some quarters it's still seen as THE prestigious slam. given that it's quite different from clay, it's easy enough to imagine that being his weakest slam (though it really doesn't have to be, cf borg for the most obvious example), it's notoriously tricky to win the channel slam (rg/wim) given how close they are. the argument against it is... idk, how DO you organise your season around winning wimbledon?? take a vacation during rg? yeah, no. it's gonna have to be new york

the us open is the last slam of the year. it doesn't HAVE to be the most open slam - it was for a while on the men's side, but for instance right now the women's slam that's most open is wimbledon and for the nineties men it was rg - but it does lend itself to that status. players are tired + it's a volatile place that lends itself to upsets. tbh you can even say that valentino's never won it. career slams are tough!! you can be a superb dominant player and struggle with the career slam, again cf federer. sampras never did it. my girl henin also couldn't quite manage it. at this point I think we need to add another plot mechanism into the game: year end rankings. this doesn't quite work as a championship equivalent, since you'd basically always choose a slam over year end number one. but it DOES matter to players, especially if it's either your first one or you're approaching a record. sampras made himself sick with worry when he was closing in on his sixth consecutive year (in retrospect extra worth it since it's a rare record that survived the big three era). and if you don't get it one year... you do have to start the streak again. so valentino is chasing doohan's streak and it's a big thing in the media, maybe because doohan's made a dismissive remark about it or whatever, and valentino is being asked a lot about it. valentino wants to be The number one at the end of every year

one more relevant element of the tennis calendar: surfaces are a big big deal in tennis, slightly less so as time goes by and the surfaces have been homogeneised but they still matter for every single player. both in terms of playstyle they suit and how they make you organise your schedule. an odd quirk of the tennis calendar is that right after wimbledon (grass) you get a bunch of small clay tournaments in europe before you head to north america for the hard court swing that leads up to the us open. now, I personally think this is excellent and whimsical and a lot of fun to watch right after wimbledon at a time of year that just FEELS like it should have clay court tennis, but less enlightened souls than myself see this bit of the year as 'pointless' and 'dumb' and 'nonsensical'. the powers that be are currently trying their best to kill that calendar stretch because the sport hates me personally. it's also not got the best reputation,, like some of my fellow fans do kinda look down on top players who go to those tournaments... at times they are decried as vultures... that being said, some players have a compelling reason to go and play there. swiatek obviously wanted to win her home tournament in warsaw and was bitterly disappointed when she didn't manage to do so in an otherwise dominant 2022, though it's now a bit of a moot point since it's switched to hard court anyway. and thiem infamously had a habit of rocking up at kitzbühel to try and win his home tournament, which might not have been the smartest scheduling choice right ahead of canada, cincy and then uso. notably he won his one slam at the 2020 us open, where tennis had been officially paused until august (albeit with many ill-advised exhibition tournaments, which thiem played A LOT of to prepare for his big run) for pandemic reasons. playing those tournaments can come with a tax for the american hard court swing

and now I think we have just about enough plot mechanisms in place to actually figure out how to make this work. so, here we go. valentino and sete have known each other for years. valentino trained with sete as a teenager at at kenny roberts' academy, back when valentino was an upstart brat who thought he can get away with slicing half his groundstrokes. a little bit further down the road, valentino is starting his first proper pro season and gets some friendly advice from sete about tour life which he completely ignores. let's say it's over-scheduling, a classic sin of the young player. valentino has a tough season or two where he's constantly getting injured as he adjusts to tour life.... he was a very promising junior (dealer's choice whether he won junior slams or not, which are more f2 than 250cc in terms of prestige and... probably even less so, they're also NOT predictive whatsoever of future success, especially on the men's side) but he really does need some time to adapt to the men's game. he's one of those young players who is just cramping ALL the time, something charmingly pathetic about some of his early bo5 efforts. valentino wins his first slam in australia and then he's off. hemmed and hawed about how many slams to give him that year and I've ended up settling on ao/wimbledon for a respectable two, his mugello 2001 equivalent disaster takes place on his strongest surface at rg. for now let's say we have a relatively similar timeline to irl so he has another very dominant season and wins... idk, sure, let's give him three slams. I kinda think denying someone uso is a bit tricky because by that point the discourse gets very calendar slam centric and I also think valentino would suit new york well!! but he's just kinda exhausted, one of those years he ends up withdrawing due to injury. both those years he secures year end number one with ease

during this time his main rivals are kr jr, though he tails off sharply, biaggi, capirossi, barros and ukawa. valentino by this point has a firmly established reputation for long, meandering dramatic matches that he manages to just about win. he's not exactly the most efficient in slam draws (or indeed regular draws) - it's very crowd-pleasing tennis, he's the best out there, but it does come with its drawbacks. his serve is underpowered and his forehand is a reliable rally shot more than it is a great finishing shot. he tends to think his way through matches, often starting slowly as he figures the opponent out, has a lot of wins coming from behind. his biggest strengths are the sheer range of weapons in his arsenal - as well as his brain. it's a nightmare to put him away, which is a great way to torture opponents... how to win matches you have no right to win. while he doesn't win every slam in that period, he DOES have an excellent record in slam finals specifically... hey, you know what, let's give him a perfect record - not too unrealistic, if you look at some of the young big stars currently in the men's and women's game. so when he loses it's earlier in the draw, like fourth round territory ig. but that lack in efficiency in making his way through draws is also something that's pointed out to him relating specifically to his struggles at the us open, at which point of the season the gas tank has a bad tendency to be empty. maybe he even gets fitness-related criticisms, like he isn't training the right way, despite his clear ability to win very long matches repeatedly. it's beginning to grate on him. he's ALSO constantly getting shit for playing the clay summer despite how poor scheduling this is. now, irl this swing happens more in northern bits of europe but... I think we can just about justify a minor alteration here. Let Us Say there's a tournament close to valentino's home that he loves dearly and wants to go to every year. so first you have a 250 in bologna and then a 500 in... idk somewhere else in italy, naples let's say

then, he has a season that's just kind of... frustrating. he wins the australian open quite comfortably, idc what he does at the sunshine dubs, wins rome and hamburg... he has an unexpectedly rough time securing his roland garros title, like we're talking three five set matches and just sort of a nightmare of a grind all the way. one of his matches is against sete, who has had a major change-up in coaching and... fuck it, type of racquet used for something a bit more up to date. this doesn't massively make a difference in modern tennis (actually a bad time to write this given it DID make a different for the ao women's champion) but it's the noughties, it's just about justifiable. sete's new coach is actually someone he (amicably) poached from valentino's team, juan martinez, and they've worked a lot on sete's game. they've buffed up the serve and tightened up his game in general. sete has a quite classic, kind of old-fashioned playstyle. he's got a very flat forehand, super pronounced eastern grip, a one-handed backhand, a lovely slice and good hands at the net. he was a bit of a holdout in the shift of the game away from serve and volley (bit later in the timeline than henman) but he switched away from ONLY using that turn of the century-ish. though it's still a proper weapon in the arsenal - and the thing is you need a very good serve for that to be effective, not just hand skills at the net. sete becomes better at powering through his service games while using a lot of chipped returns to elongate receiving games

now this isn't the type of game that necessarily MASSIVELY suits clay, though if you're able to slice and slide there's a path to competitiveness there. he's spanish, he can slide. and big serve plus forehand won't really hurt you on any surface. let's say they meet in... idk, the fourth round or the quarters, sete isn't seeded massively high even though his results this year have picked up. he's never beaten valentino before - and he doesn't here either, but he makes things REALLY hard for valentino. especially in the first couple sets, valentino's really struggling to get a read on the serve, one of those slightly sneaky ones where the ball toss misleads you about where it's going. (generally if you've got a good eye competing against someone with a reliable ball toss, you can read type of serve from ball toss - slightly to the right for a righty means it's a slice serve and slightly to the left further back means topspin. tennis players have sharp eyes: infamously, agassi always knew where becker was going to serve because becker had a tell depending where his tongue poked out of his mouth. agassi had to occasionally pretend to guess wrong to avoid making it too obvious and only told becker about it years after retirement, who had always been confused about how agassi always seemed to guess right.) valentino's a bit off his game, kinda stressed about being expected to deliver the... idk, first title defence at roland garros? let's keep the timeline vague, he's certainly defending the title. and another super frustrating thing sete does is deploy....................... oh god am I really doing this... okay fuck it, if you're still reading this post then that's really on YOU. so. let's go there

and another super frustrating thing sete does is how he deploys a smart return strategy. now, we've established that valentino's weakness tends to be the bread and butter elements of the game, the offensive clinical stuff on serve and forehand. ideally you would want to exploit those things, and if you are a smart player who isn't just awed into submission by valentino's seemingly endless capacity for problem-solving, there are a few things you could try. first off, if you are a one-handed player who has perhaps had to develop a very good slice backhand ANYWAY to compensate for any weaknesses (particularly defensive) on that wing - and also have that extra bit of power in your dominant arm from not using your non-dominant arm for the backhand - you may also have a very good chipped return. (even for good 1hbh's, returns can be an issue.) (oh also chipped returns - also called blocks - are basically like... you mostly just use the momentum of the opponent's shot to literally block the ball, but the general trajectory of the racquet is from high to low, so like with the slice. puts a different spin on the ball, keeps it low.) so if you were to do a lot of that and keep feeding it into valentino's forehand (given that he's a lefty, this is actually quite nice to do with a backhand return - particularly since his favourite serve is an ad kicker out wide which generally would have a high success rate against 1hbh's) then you are giving him a low ball without a lot of speed. not necessarily the kind of shot your typical counterpuncher wants to be redirecting, which means you keep having rallies on valentino's serve that continually get reset to neutral. valentino unwilling to generate power himself and continually ending up in a normal rally. another supplementary tactic is to actually like... massively step back on the second serve, way more common these days but back then a bit more of a radical approach, and give yourself time on the ball - makes it more likely you can move around your backhand and hit the ball with a forehand instead. and if it's not the best second serve in the world, you sure can take a whack at it

now eventually, valentino does figure this one out. loses the first after a fast start from sete, grabs the second on a tiebreak that FEELS like it should be the turning point, loses the third anyway quite comfortably. at this point valentino goes full lockdown mode and just makes it a complete grind, just utterly disgusting tennis. he will hit high topspin forehands into sete's backhand a million times if he has to. it's not even necessarily winning through brains as much as it is sheer perseverance, until eventually sete's legs fail him and the tennis wavers just enough for valentino to eek out a win. they're very warm at the net, it's one of those 'valiant underdog' efforts at slams where everyone thinks the winner was certain all the time anyway but applauds the underdog (though valentino secretly wasn't so confident throughout the match). valentino and sete are friends by this point, close by the standard of tennis players - they like to train together in italy and have of course spent a few summers together in ibiza... ah I realise I have sacrificed valentino's ability to have meaningful summer holidays to the clay gods. idk they spend the off-season together, whatever. valentino is very complimentary of sete's progress, it's all warm and lovely. he already had one of those kinda silly 'you really shouldn't be in a match this long' situations in the second round.... but after this sete match it feels like he should probably have found his feet, clear through the rest of the draw quite easily. in the end, it's actually more exhausting than that - valentino drops a set to *spins wheel* checa in the semis in pretty unnecessary fashion, and then he ends up in a gruelling five set final against capirossi. a match valentino was in firm control of and then repeatedly in less firm control of. it's just kind of loose and dumb and a bit stupid, fine because he eventually won but probably didn't need to be that close

scholars will note that I've actually given valentino a nicer start to the sete rivalry than he got in real life, seeing as he did actually secure a victory in their first Super Meaningful Duel. as recompense, I'm about to make the rest of his season substantially worse than his actual 2003. I think you can make a version that's more 2003-y by having sete beat valentino in australia and go from there, but I've committed to having valentino lose us open a few times to inject extra stakes into that tournament so... we are giving the early rivalry quite a different vibe here. whatever. now, crucially, valentino doesn't play any warm up events before wimbledon to recover from rg, which didn't cost him last year but DOES this time and he crashes out in the first week. it's his first loss before the third round since he was like twenty one and it's against an opponent he shouldn't be losing to, some scrub idc. sete, remarkably, goes on to win the title, which even after his positive roland garros run comes as a bit of a shock to everyone. it's a big deal, valentino when later asked about it is of course super complimentary, as we've established it's all lovely. valentino goes off to play his home 250 and gets another round of judgement from the journalists, who are already unimpressed by his early wimbledon exit. he rocks up to canada and makes the final... only to lose to sete. valentino struggles extra hard with sete's game on the quick surface and sete steals the match from him in a deciding set tiebreak. this is NOT the sort of match valentino normally loses, ESPECIALLY in a final, he just has this cockroach-like tendency of surviving even the trickiest situations... and sete managed to stand up to him when it mattered most. valentino is once again extremely complimentary of sete, it was a great fight, he had a lot of fun (and he's being earnest, he DOES love the challenge and the battle, these are the matches that make him feel alive)

then he has a bit of a weird cincy where weather-related scheduling issues means he has to play his quarterfinal and semi on the same day, and he ends up losing to biaggi who wins the tournament. by valentino's standards, this is actually a bit of a big title drought - three whole big tournaments without winning one. (obviously this is silly, but so was the three race thing.) journalists think he really needs to stamp his authority again on the tour at the us open, locker room aura etc etc where he doesn't look too beatable. he actually has a reasonably decent campaign and is looking like the clear favourite for the title, until he runs into sete who is somehow in the second week of a slam AGAIN. now, valentino has to lose this match in a slightly stupid fashion. admittedly when I picture losing matches in stupid fashion, my mind typically goes for the REALLY stupid examples like medvedev/tsitsipas rg '21 or foki/rune wim '23... iykyk. but I don't think valentino goes temporarily insane and does an underarm serve and volley. I think he just... fourth set tiebreak coming back from a two set to love deficit, it feels like he's the firm favourite again, if he wins this tiebreak he surely surely goes on to win the match. five all and he plays a really good point to put him in an attacking position, and he tries to be TOO smart and plays the mid court ball in sete's direction, hoping sete would have already started running to the other side of the court - instead, sete has called his bluff, stuck in place and passes him. sets up matchpoint and sete hits an ace. painful, humiliating, dumb way to lose the semi of a slam. never in his career does valentino do such a bad job of hiding how much it stings as here. all the way to the net and in press.... it radiates off him. he's not rude to sete but he does clearly want to die. sete wins the title, which somehow means he's come essentially out of nowhere to win two consecutive slams, and a masters title to boot

the press... oh the press lay into valentino. it's a stupid way to lose a slam and it's the latest defeat in a slam he's never won. is valentino really as smart as he thinks he is question mark. and he really shouldn't be losing to SETE, who never should have been the challenger to the throne but now suddenly looks like he might be the best player in the world. AND serious questions are being asked of valentino's scheduling choices. it's humiliating, it's frustrating, it's a Bit Too Much and sete quite publicly defends valentino but it still stings. valentino takes as much of a break as the scheduling allows post-uso (what's the weather like in ibiza during this time of year huh) and spends it with sete ofc. he dyes his hair and gets grumpy about how everyone wants him to win all the time and doesn't really even seem to care when he does. they criticise how he plays - too undisciplined, too much faff, too many dropshots - and it feels stifling. the year end number one isn't in serious danger this year because of all the non slam points valentino amassed, but it's still not a great feeling. now, in that era the next masters was actually madrid, which might not be a slam but given that it's sete's home tournament does provide an opportunity to give a sort of brno-type bit of payback. they meet in the final again, big hype by this point, and valentino snatches an extremely dramatic victory from the jaws of defeat. lots of long rallies in that deciding set - valentino increasingly managing to exploit how his excellent backhand can stand up to sete's forehand and he can eventually pull the trigger and redirect down the line. valentino still getting criticised for the excessive flourishes to his game, but nobody can argue with how good of a victory it is. they hug very warmly at the net, their speeches to each other are very lovely, crowd supported both of them since spanish vs endless valentino popularity... all lovely vibes. valentino signs off the season flawlessly by winning the paris masters and the atp finals (yeah look he can play on indoor hard too, he's flexible enough to be a bit more aggressive + volley-focused)

now. valentino goes into the off-season with a Plan. he radically rejigs his serving technique with his coach jb, a bunch of technical changes that are tough to spot like... idk man, more vertically explosive, changes the angle at which he draws his racquet back... but also an extremely obvious switch from pinpoint to platform. (goes from drawing his legs together mid-motion to keeping them apart.) fucking about with your technique is normal - this, however, is substantial fucking about to be doing when you are winning 2-3 slams every year. it is the kind of thing that can massively backfire if you've fucked the technique, serves are sensitive, and valentino is clear that he will need some adjustment period. he also does two things that are pretty controversial: make clear he's intending to complete the career slam that year by winning us open AND sign up for his stupid summer clay tournament. he actually DOUBLES DOWN on this choice, going for both bologna and naples rather than just bologna, which is even dumber and more insane scheduling. as a sort of fuck you to everyone who's been telling him he's an idiot

valentino then promptly wins the australian open. he's in a different league from everyone else until the final, including... actually nvm, biaggi takes sete out in the semis since I kinda feel like sete surely has to be seeded number two by now. the final is great, a lot of drama, very tight five setter. valentino doesn't exactly win on the strength of his serve and he's actually kinda struggling with his... *throws dart blindfolded* let's say his lower back by the end of it, to the point where (to nick a plot point from 1989 roland garros R4 chang vs lendl) he ends up serving underarm to catch biaggi off guard at a crucial point. it is an ORDEAL, valentino clearly not at his best. this whole serve thing looks like it might not have been his smartest play. but in all other areas of his game, valentino has kind of doubled down on his specific style - with all the trick shots and junk and awful spins. he wins, it's probably his best major final to date. big relief

that being said, that lower back isn't doing great. valentino has to sit out february, then the sunshine dubs in march, then also monte carlo for good measure. this is to give him a nice healthy deficit in the atp race, aka the question of whether he's going to secure his... nth consecutive year end number one, let's not think too hard about timelines stuff. crucially he wants that streak to go on - it's not as important as the career slam, but it very much matters and now it does look in serious jeopardy. idk, does sete secure the sunshine dubs? kinda asking a lot, but he's racked up a lot of points for sure - so despite winning the australian open, valentino has a lot of work to do. he's not really in a massive amount of danger of LOSING the number one spot early in the year since his post-uso run banked him a LOT of points that only drop off the rankings late in the year. but still. he's a very clear second in the race. first tournament back is rome and he's playing the final in front of his home crowd against sete - it's a very close match, tough to manage for valentino, especially physically after a decent stretch off. the rain bails valentino out by giving him a break in play and when they come back... sete's very good in tricky conditions but valentino's ball is working really well in the heavy clay and valentino scrapes out a win. sete makes a comment later that can be interpreted as ever so slightly shady about how the italian fans must have done a rain dance. also there was like... a small controversy around earlier in the match where the umpire checked the wrong mark of valentino's and called one of his balls out when it was actually in. valentino annoyed because he feels like he's been disproportionately affected by bad umpiring in the past year

valentino also wins hamburg and he AGAIN plays sete at some point in the proceedings. good close match and they're both very complimentary about each other afterwards. and then he wins roland garros and once again has played sete. this match... hm idk what kind of controversy do we want here, let's make it a slightly dodgy medical timeout from valentino at the sharp end of proceedings. that back won't fix itself!! on-court massage etc etc. valentino scrapes past sete once again to win the title. extremely successful injury comeback and the choice to switch the serving technique mostly vindicated, even though valentino otherwise has very much emphasised his individuality. he's playing with more freedom again, he's doing all his silly lil shots, he's not embarrassed at his four hour matches and instead embraces the grind. the battle. sete visibly pissed after this match though they talk it out and it's all good <3 should also be noted that sete is racking up quite a lot of points despite losing eventually to valentino and is still fairly firmly in the lead of the race. lot of talk of valentino losing year end number one, especially if he overextends himself

and at wimbledon, valentino loses a slam final for the first time ever. in a way, it's a Good Effort to get that far - again, no lead-in events. he's picked up an abdominal strain at some point that's also vaguely serve-related. (kinda thinking of a djokovic 2021 ao type situation.) now for obvious reasons, this final has to be lost in a slightly controversial way. my longstanding thesis on the valentino tennis front is that he's one of those people who thinks all kind of mind games and trickery is perfectly a-okay but then suddenly has weird hang ups if someone disregards something tennis etiquette related. I do have a very specific tennis player in mind, and if you're a reasonably long time fan of the sport and its drama you'll probably know what I'm talking about here, but I do love when somebody is, uh,, very..... liberal. in a lot of their approach to etiquette but does seem to take apologising for let cords extremely seriously. now this one is kinda tricky because !! I do feel like sete specifically also generally would be pretty pro etiquette so obviously there has to be an element of ambiguity here. I'm not entirely happy with this as a qatar equivalent, it's not an easy one to figure out, but here's what I've got: quite deep into the match, very tense in a tiebreak, there's a point where valentino is at the net, a lot of faffing about as they chase each other around, and then sete hits valentino in the abdomen. in tennis this is Fine, it literally is not that serious, sometimes you hit an opponent accidentally and sometimes you do it on purpose because it's a good tactic and the most high percentage play. it's even more okay if somebody at the back does it to a volleyer I feel, like it's not a smash from the volleyer at someone standing in the court... maybe valentino was off balance and just a bit slow to react to get the racquet up. obviously it's extra painful and has a more severe effect given what injury he's already carrying (always thought somebody should have given that a shot with djokovic) but it's Fine. except then it looks like sete turns around to receive his towel without apologising, maybe he half indicates with the racquet but not clearly. and valentino is Furious. maybe sete even gives the proper apology hand gesture by the time he's got the towel but by that point it's too late - it set up sete's set point, so that's why sete was a bit distracted and trying to focus on himself.... but valentino doesn't care. mind games, deeply cynical use of the crowd etc etc are one thing, but not properly apologising?? height of unsportsmanlike conduct. valentino also later objects to how enthusiastically sete's coach celebrated the point win

(the reasoning here generally is that motogp is more concerned with ethical violations and tennis more with moral ones. motogp is more about community and doing right by another rider, tennis cares about standards and etiquette and doing right by some sort of abstract code of conduct. ultimately what is being communicated here is an emotional truth - valentino's feeling that sete lacks respect for him, and also will do whatever it takes to win despite pretending to be relatively unaffected by individual matches or the atp race or whatever. I tried thinking of something sete might snitch to the umpire about for a closer equivalent but like... I can't come up with anything that preserves the genuine sense of ambiguity. the other one I was toying with is a double bounce controversy, which... works better for another rivalry because it doesn't feel quite right for *sete* to be the clear offender... like you could maybe have the umpire mistakenly call a double bounce for valentino but idk, you wouldn't really expect another player to intervene there... this version feels more visceral emotionally somehow, in line with the qatar crash)

sete goes on to win the set and also the match against a somewhat physically impaired and also FURIOUS valentino. (incidentally, this physical impairment is later used to undermine sete's accomplishment at this tournament, as I'm sure is true of all three of sete's slams.) cue an extremely horrid vibes trophy ceremony. after mostly blanking sete in-person, valentino airs his grievances in the press conference, where he lays into sete's conduct. it is also rumoured that at some point that evening valentino says that....... um........... sete will never win another tournament again in which valentino is in the draw. okay, look, doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but I think it works well enough. that's all the major tournaments anyway, but saying "sete won't win another slam" isn't curse-y enough and "sete won't win another big tournament* again // *by big tournament we include slams, 1000s and also the year end finals plus olympics, though 250 and 500 tournaments are excluded from consideration" also isn't exactly overflowing with poetry. but if you left out that 'valentino in the draw' proviso... idk irl the curse wasn't a curse in the moment as much as it was a competitive vow. in this universe, valentino could not stop sete from vulturing marseille - so he needs to have a vow he theoretically has the direct power to enforce. anyway. the friendship is OVER. not only does valentino feel slighted, but also this whole ordeal has put sete in a promising position to steal year end number one off valentino, especially if valentino once again fails to secure us open. he could lose his crown. AND according to valentino, sete behaved completely unacceptably [insert heavy implications that he aimed deliberately at valentino to injure him and get the title that way that valentino won't outright SAY but clearly go alongside the dumber etiquette breach stuff]. idk we're aiming for a mix of 'yeah I get why you'd be mad about that' and 'is it really that serious',, quite tricky but that's what I've got

at this point, any sensible person would take as much time as possible to lick their wounds, especially given they promised a career slam. but valentino Shall Not - he made a commitment to his home fans and he's going to honour that. so off he goes to play his stupid dumbass tournaments in bologna and naples. obviously he wins them because the draw really is not all that good, but it's still very... god what is he doing, has he given his abdomen enough time to rest... he then decides to skip canada because we have to draw the line somewhere, luckily for him sete doesn't win that (maybe he withdrew too and valentino only withdrew once he'd heard lol). and then valentino goes to cincy and wins THAT. doesn't play sete who lost fairly early, which has at least somewhat tightened up the race to ye#1. and THEN you get the us open, aka valentino's chance to secure a Major Career Milestone in a year where it looked really unlikely at points he'd come even close to that kind of thing. faces sete in the final obviously. (low key this is super strong season sete's putting together here but the streets won't acknowledge it and will call him a weak era merchant.) valentino drops his obligatory first set and then they're off.... after that epic uso semi of the previous year, valentino has never lost another tight match to sete again. his serve really is better now and trickier to bully. BUT but but crucially... you gotta have that vibe where it's very much a slam run that feels valentino-y... tightening up his offensive game is an alien era character arc - this is counterpunching at its most glorious. and it's really designed to torture sete. every time they're in a neutral rally, it feels like no shot from sete is good enough to escape from valentino's grasp. pure ruthless intent in the amount of high spin valentino plays into sete's backhand. sete never safe from valentino's blistering backhand down the line. dropshots targeted to humiliate - valentino coming up to the ball with a big big takeback, instinctively making sete step back, only for him to slip the racquet into an extremely well disguised dropper. it's a very high quality battle - sete takes the third on a loose valentino service game, before valentino wins a comfortable fourth set. which means sete is serving first in the fifth set - and at *4-5, valentino faces two match points, which he adeptly saves. one with an extremely brave serve and volley. they end up in a deciding set tiebreak (already a thing at the uso back then) and valentino wins to secure his career slam. sete congratulates him but the vibes are frigid

from there on, valentino sees out the race to get year number one with relative ease. now if you've been paying close attention, you've probably noticed that I mentioned madrid taking place after the us open the previous season, which makes for a very obvious jerez 2005 opportunity. and... there's a strong case to be made for making madrid the jerez, I hear it, but... look, to me there's a funnier jerez expy. so let's just take it as read that sete is winning none of these tournaments. sete's fortunes from there are going downhill, he's getting unlucky with various minor injuries that are taking him out of tournaments. and also obviously valentino is beating him every time they face each other - for a while it's always in finals until eventually sete's ranking is allowed to drop a bit. I suppose you could make quite an obvious parallel in terms of valentino only winning the year end finals TWICE in his career,, like with valencia irl. I don't have massively strong feelings about his indoor hard prowess so sure, let's say he struggles with the ultra fast hard they tend to have at the finals. anyway, he secures year end number one, revels in the schadenfreude, also beats sete in the round robin at the finals... it's all extremely satisfying

before we get to the jerez equivalent. I do think it's worth briefly addressing the Vibe of this relationship... it's tough because tennis functions more on the micro level, like you kinda have championship narratives playing out within single *matches*. it's way more about these little moments within sets, games, points, than the macro level I've been focusing on here. I think crucially you have to emphasise that valentino feels like he's under a lot of pressure to perform and that there's never enough winning and that he has to conform to certain expectations wrt scheduling... no fucking about with your canada obligations to play clay 250s at home... and the key thing is that sete really really isn't supposed to be The Challenger. so at a certain point in the 2003-equivalent, it really does feel like people won't be happy unless valentino wins everything. this relationship is a death by a thousand cuts type situation... a lot of very minor infringements, things in matches valentino doesn't like, tonal differences he thinks he detects during practise session. there's a reason why serious rivals in tennis basically always keep their distance from each other - it's an intensely emotional and personal sport and you can't really afford extra complications when you can look the other person in the eyes between every point. tennis matches are long and they are fantastically cruel. you are denying somebody else their dream very, very slowly, with lots of pauses to consider what you're doing

in tennis... tbh, I think there'd be a lot of Discourse about even HAVING a friendship in the first place, like Is It Really Smart For Valentino Rossi To Be This Close To His Rival. slight irony to this of course because in motogp, it's seen as some sort of crime against nature when he DOES get a little bit of distance from his title rivals, but tennis is different!! a sort of williams sisters situation is extremely rare - when tennis rivals at the very highest level get close, they really only do so post-retirement. that kind of rivalry takes its toll. if valentino continues to train with sete during much of this time span... eventually, you're putting a serious amount of strain on that relationship where you're practically begging it to snap. and this young version of valentino isn't exactly experienced at managing these emotions yet either, so he has this increased competitive paranoia and bitterness and frustration and feeling that sete is lying about taking their friendship seriously and doing the Respectful Rivalry schtick and then just... snaps. that wimbledon final kinda makes him unravel and sete only realises until it's too late. it's the us open trophy ceremony where I think you want to lay on the cruelty - this is where, as valentino, if you toe the line very carefully and don't make it TOO obvious, I reckon you could get that new york crowd to laugh at the loser by using your speech. microphone in hand, you can do all your mockery with the pretence of gentle ribbing (and it's very valentino in that he doesn't have to look sete in the eye while doing it) but the humiliation is very real. you can make a spectacle of the cruelty and the uso crowd will help you out. and that specific crowd would adore valentino I reckon

now we're gonna skim over the next season. if I were doing a full valentino in tennis treatment, I'd probably elongate 2001 over two seasons, make valentino a bit older in the 2004 equivalent and then collapse 2005 and 2006 into a single season, partly because I'm getting a bit leery of how many slams I'm having valentino rack up. the 2006 equivalent would be losing the calendar slam at the final hurdle idk. I'm not super wedded to that, I'd have to then actually do the maths and figure out where my suspension of disbelief kicks in with slam numbers/sustained periods of domination. but for now, let's just say that this new season is going great for valentino and not great at all for sete, curse taking more and more effect bla bla bla. now idk maybe making previous year madrid into jerez DOES work better because you have the immediacy of this next defeat as the Final Nail In Sete's Coffin, as something that fucked with sete's confidence and ensured his 2005 was disastrous, but... I would like to make the case for wimbledon. by this point, sete is two time defending champion there. of all the motogp riders, I do feel like sete has the most of a wimbledon vibe, they'd like how well-spoken and classy he is. and... I know the brits were canonically terrors on valentino's behalf slightly later in the timeline, but tennis is a bit of a different crowd and idk,, let's just say they really take to sete. I just think this is a fun one for a jerez equivalent because a) it's a slam final which means both very high stakes and longer match format to work with, and b) it's harder to make the tennis brits jeer but it CAN be done. and as the number one fan of valentino rossi being booed, I just really love the image of the wimbledon crowd booing valentino. I think for this one for maximum devastation you can throw in a two sets to love lead, which in spite of what this current decade might have you believe used to be a very rare lead to overturn in slam finals. making grass sete's strongest surface also means you get a bit of... y'know, this is the last fortress, this is where sete can still properly challenge valentino. and he's really got the crowd going for him, cheering for the underdog etc etc, it's all very smart play and he's clearly gone away and studied everything valentino has done to beat him and has come up with tactics to change that around. this is a guy who puts a lot of thought into his game who has figured out how to challenge valentino in ways in which valentino hadn't been challenged before, and he's still doing that - it's working. wins at least one set super clearly, a 6-1 type gig

and then valentino's brain kicks into motion and he adjusts. he's not beaten sete on grass before and it's clear he's struggling with it, sete way better at compensating for any shortfalls in his game here. grinding is always going to struggle on grass, and unlike some of valentino's opponents sete doesn't faint at the sight of a slice. so what valentino ends up doing is... very risky tennis that prioritises getting further into the court and to the net whenever possible. on the rise shots, chip and charge, ghost in after shots whenever possible. serve and volley! obviously. it's extremely tough to deal with a player suddenly playing a completely different style, to feed you a different kind of ball whenever possible. valentino basically just decides that he's not going to allow the game to be decided at the baseline At All and if he can't go forward, he'll use the dropshot to drag sete forwards. gets a lot of use out of his lob, which he loves. really trying to wrong foot sete whenever possible. sete tries to return valentino's dropshots with his own dropshots and it plays into valentino's hands. those two sets go by fairly quickly too, it's a grass match, these things can go fast... you end up embroiled in a deciding set. now, I think we're going to use a really strong 1-2 punch to properly piss off the brits, who are fully rooting for sete here - and both of these are callbacks to sources of controversy that have previously been mentioned here. first off, I think we should reverse what happened the previous year at wimby as a symbolic bookend, and have valentino fire a ball at sete. now I know I said incidents of shooting a ball at someone are completely okay, but there's... ones that are more okay and ones that are less okay. if you have a lot of time on a smash, one you can aim literally anywhere else rather than an opponent who's clearly already given up on the point - and you still hit your opponent? I mean it's... it's absolutely still a legit tactic but not necessarily ones crowds LOVE. you can't do too many of those before you get a reputation, but if valentino's mostly squeaky clean on that front I reckon he gets away with One. now, obviously, he immediately and with full power of theatre and spite on his side very clearly apologises to sete with his hands. the kind of apology that is very much a fuck you. the brits are unimpressed. then the OTHER thing you bring back is another thing most people these days don't mind but the wrong kind of crowd HATES - the underarm serve. on championship point. he doesn't have an injury justification this time - it's supposed to read as disrespectful. valentino does a really strong job with it, very unexpected, getting a lot of side spin on the ball and drawing sete to the net to lob him one last time. they boo him all the way to the net, where sete has Words with valentino but still shakes his hand

at this point, turning to the crowd, valentino can obviously go for the whole routine. I love love love his canonical jerez 2005 performance because he's got so many of my favourite 'you're being booed' hits in there and it's like,, very spontaneous, it's like watching someone come up with the mona lisa from scratch. you've got the excessive fist pumping at the crowd, you've got the finger to the sky, the hands on hips, the waving, the CLAPPING at the crowd AND the thumbs up... honestly if he'd put his finger to his lips, cupped his ears and beckoned at the crowd to keep going, he would've gotten the full set. I think he already does a lot of that DURING the fifth set because the beauty of tennis is you get a lot of that crowd interaction in-built and valentino would be MADE for that, but I ALSO think he goes full ham after the match. throughout the trophy ceremony, where sete is like. kinda disapproving but is verbally very clean and respectful and just acknowledges the crowd for all their support. and valentino is grinning shamelessly. practically drowning in malice

and yeah after that sete's career basically collapses. though I want to get One more hit in there - a sort of once more with feeling sachsenring 2005 situation, maybe at cincy idk. where you get a reversal of the point with which valentino set up match point at the us open two years previously - valentino attacking sete right where sete is standing and valentino easily passes him. now sete, frazzled, low on confidence, seemingly destined to always fall apart in front of valentino even when he gets close to victory, plays right at valentino, who passes him for the match win. just real studies in despair type shit. incidentally sachsenring 2005 was the last time they ever shared a podium, so in this world it's the last final they ever play. one more brutal defeat, one more disgustingly bad vibes trophy ceremony shared. the rumoured 'curse' is by this point well established urban legend. sete doesn't even manage to win ANY other tournament at any level as his results are just increasingly fucked. this feels super tennis-y tbh. like valentino in general has some very tennis-coded attributes, and an approach to competition that heavily features tormenting rivals until their confidence collapses is absolutely one of them. tennis in general is more like... accepting conceptually that the brain does indeed Matter, maybe because it's just impossible to deny there, whereas with motogp mind games get discussed in a very weird manner as if like. every act in competition isn't a mind game. come on you people. so 'suddenly becoming unable to close tight matches because your confidence is gone' feels very tennis-y. sometimes you fix it sometimes you don't. sete doesn't

in conclusion. um. I do think you have to be prepared to take some liberties with both characters, I'm not saying I think this is a perfect equivalent, I know there's a lot to be critiqued about my qatar 2004 in particular. also, obviously injuries have to some extent be used as a stand-in for like. bike related issues. I know valentino canonically is very blessed on the injury front, but tennis functions kinda differently where... idk they might not be competing with these big dramatic injuries, but they will inevitably have recurring issues they have to work around. AND schedule around. few tennis matches will result in you breaking both ankles, but breaking both ankles precludes you from playing a tennis match. and that's just a fact of competitive life in tennis that you can take advantage of with valentino, in a way that also precludes any serious injuries from taking him out of THE biggest tournaments for any sustained period of time (during his most competitive era anyway)

so. I think what you want to emphasise here is a genuine friendship that gets increasingly warped by the introduction of competitive stakes, and how at a certain point every minor offence can take on an exaggerated meaning in a very tense environment. sete isn't really prepared to deal with this adjustment and isn't prepared to deal with the version of valentino that comes with it. and valentino isn't really prepared either... he's trying to find a way to manage expectations by going his own way and Not conforming, whether he's doing that with his playstyle or with his haircuts or with his scheduling, prioritising matters of the heart + passion over competitive convenience. and then he's facing a challenger who can beat him in a way that HURTS, a guy who wasn't supposed to be his primary challenger and is his FRIEND but is now beating him at the tournaments valentino really cares about and in ways that valentino is generally beating everyone else. somebody who shows that valentino isn't the only clever top player, somebody who actually has a decent stab at outsmarting valentino. it's bruising for the ego and it's tough to stomach from a friend - who is simultaneously super committed to the clean image of the rivalry as something that's very respectful (unlike vale/biaggi), where they can actually talk about their issues rather than have a fistfight

once you get the breaking point, it's basically just an excuse for valentino to separate himself from sete, to finally get the distance he needed. eventually, valentino gets to dig into the full reservoir of mind games with sete. he does this on a competitive level by relishing those exact right situations where sete was getting the better of him, making crucial adjustments to his game and tactics so that suddenly all those tight matches always go in his favour; he figures out where sete is weak and keeps hammering him there. he does this by publicly making fun of sete, knowing that sete is so committed to his civility that he will not respond in kind. he does this by mirroring sete's past offences back at him, and by doing it with a particular malicious relish. this arch dismissiveness to ridicule the idea that sete could ever have hoped to be a sustained rival. it's all about the cruelty of putting sete back in his place. and eventually it gets to a point where it really DOES feel like a curse, where sete can't trust the game valentino has poked so many holes in to work against EVERYONE. injuries eventually make his career tail off. somehow, it feels like valentino is responsible even for that

[ashtheketchum]

A new family Part 9

A/N: I sat on this chapter for an incredibly long time because I had to look up all of Vi's text and then type it out completely (Picture from Pinterest!)

Warnings: Mention of death, mention of alcohol, slight panic attack

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8

Masterlist!

_______________________________________

PoV (Y/N):

I just looked at (D/N) confused while she looked at Daryl with tears in her eyes. After thinking for a moment I understood what her problem was and I looked at Daryl too. He was drunk, but didn't behave the same as he did last night. He was aggressive, loud and didn't pay attention to anyone. "Honey…why are you on the floor…?" I then asked her. I placed my hand carefully on her shoulder, but she was still shaking badly. She couldn't say anything, was she in that much shock?

"It's better this way!" I heard Dr. Jenner suddenly speak up. I immediately stood up again and looked at the doctor. Rick spoke to him and asked him what would happen in 28 minutes. But the doctor didn't answer. "Doc, what happens in 28 minutes!" Shane shouted again, but this time the doctor didn't stay silent, he screamed loudly. “Do you actually know what this place is!?” Dr. Jenner looked around, but then his gaze settled on Rick. He had a mild panic attack, screamed loudly and eventually sat weakly on the chair.

We all remained silent for a moment before Jenner spoke again. "In the event of a catastrophic power failure, in a terrorist attack for example, HIT's are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out." That's all he said. "HIT's?" Rick came closer and closer to the doctor. Dr. Jenner remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling before he looked up and sighed quietly. “Vi, define.” He simply said. The computer voice was heard immediately and we all looked up.

,, HIT´s Definition: High-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosive consist of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosiveexcept nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5.000 and 6.000 degrees and it is usefull when the greates loss of life and damage to structures is desired.“ Vi was finished with her definition.

I immediately pulled (D/N) towards me, she had slowly stood up again and I hugged her tightly. I looked around anxiously to see everyone else's reaction. Carol hugged Sophia tightly, Rick hugged Lori and Carol tightly, and the others stared into nothingness. Nobody knew how to react. "It sets the air on fire…" Murmured Dr. Jenner ultimately. Now I looked at him in shock. (D/N) had wiped away her tears and was now looking up at me. "No pain… a quick and painless death for all…" The doctor added. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. This scientist had lured us into a death trap and we couldn't escape.

Rick, Shane, Tdog, Glenn and Daryl tried to open those doors so we could get out. Lori, Carl, Carol, Sophia, (D/N) and I sat on chairs or the floor and we held each other tightly. However, (D/N) and I sat further away from the others. I wanted to calm her down first because she was still a little in shock. "Honey…please talk to me…" I then murmured quietly. (D/N) just stayed quiet but clutched my top. She had her face buried in my shoulder.

I sighed quietly and closed my eyes. "I don't want to die like this, mom…" But then she finally murmured. I jumped, startled, before wrapping my arms around her tighter. "You're not going to die here, sweetie…" "That's not what I meant…" Confused, I pushed her away slightly to look at her.

Her eyes looked down, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't care where I die or how I die… but I don't want to experience Daryl like Dad… I don't want to die with one last picture of him like that…" She finally spoke up. My heart was breaking and I felt tears welling up in me too. (D/N) looked at me slightly angry. "Daryl isn't like Dad… but I saw him like that just now…" My grip around her became a little tighter.

So Daryl had really scared her. Even if it wasn't intentional, I was right. (D/N) saw her old father in Daryl. The smell of alcohol, the bottle of alcohol in his hand, the aggressive behavior, everything. "He didn't mean it… Daryl is just scared…" I then tried to change her mind. But (D/N) looked at me even angrier and stood up.

She walked away, leaving me to sit alone on the floor. She slowly limped to Carl and Lori, who gently hugged her.

What did I just say? What had I done? Did I just defend a man from my daughter? Daryl had scared her, whether he wanted to or not, it wasn't right of him.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jenner is still trying to convince us to let it go. "You know it's for the best… it's a terrible life out there… if you die out there, it's painful…" Dr. Jenner looked at me. "Your husband died, right?" His question hit me and I opened my mouth. But I couldn't get anything out. Tears streamed down my cheeks, so I looked down and stayed quiet. "No." (D/N) suddenly spoke up.

We immediately looked at her in shock. She looked at Dr. Jenner angrily. "We killed my dad… we watched him die." Her words immediately made me jump and I ran towards her. "Don't say something like that, honey…" "But it's true! Dad wasn't good…! He should die, it was right!” Her words shocked me and I trembled violently. The doctor just remained silent before turning to the others. "The world changes us… until death…"

Now Shane and Daryl tried to open the door with axes. But she still didn't move. "These doors were built to withstand a rocket launcher…" Murmured Dr. Jenner briefly. Suddenly Daryl ran towards him, ax in hand. "But not your head!" We immediately saw Daryl swinging the axe. Shane, Dale and Tdog stopped Daryl, but he still fought back.

"Daryl, stop it! He’s the only one who can get us out of here!” I immediately screamed and I ran towards him to take the ax away from him. Daryl looked at me angrily for a moment before pointing to (D/N). “Do ya wan´ ta die here with the lil´ one?” “You don’t have anything to say about my daughter!” I just growled quietly. My words silenced him for a moment before he hissed, took the ax away from me and went back to the door. Breathing heavily, I watched him before turning to the doctor.

"You can't do that…! You can’t do this to us!” Carol whimpered loudly. "My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!" "But there will be no pain… isn't it much better to hold your lovers while they can pass from this world without pain?" Dr. Jenner asked her then. "No! No it's not!" However, Carol cried out and hugged Sophia tighter.

It was quiet for a moment before we heard a gun being loaded. I immediately looked around in panic, Shane ran towards the doctor and pointed the gun at him. I ran to (D/N) and pushed her away from Shane, behind me. "Shane, don't! Stop it!" Rick and the others wanted to stop him. "Open those damn doors or I'll blow your head off!" Shane growled threateningly. The doctor looked at him unimpressed as the others tried to lure Shane away. Eventually, Shane fired wildly until Rick took the gun away from him and he lay on the ground.

We all stayed quiet again, I hugged (D/N) tightly to me. I breathed heavily and then looked down at (D/N). She just looked at Shane angrily but held onto my top. "Shane is crazy…" I heard her mutter quietly. Before I could react, Rick was talking to the doctor again. The doctor told us about his wife that she had achieved much more. He would have only continued because he promised her he would. "Let's try this as long as we can…" Lori just murmured quietly. The doctor looked at us briefly before walking to a table. "I said the doors would stay closed…" When he muttered this, I had given up all hope.

But suddenly the doors opened and Daryl called out to us. "Come on! Get out!" I immediately picked (D/N) up again and we ran to our rooms to go out. I didn't look behind me, not when people stopped, not when they spoke. I just wanted to get my daughter out of here.

Next Chapter ->

[bones4thecats]

Hi can I have seperate scenarios in this request where Captain Ginyu, Burter, and Cui, just so happen to meet Emo! F! Human! Reader in the Namek Saga while she's with Bulma and the gang or even somehow gets seperated with the group on accident. If you still have the time when you see this request.

(Hope that the request isn't too much for you.)

DBZ w/ F-Emo-Human! S/O Headcanons

Characters: Captain Ginyu, Burter, and Cui Requester: @silkyshulks A/N: I decided to just do this with them having an S/O that was a powerful human (and emo) that also served with Frieza as one of his highest-ranking helpers (specifically a Regent, or a right-hand). It just made more sense to me. That and I haven't watched the Namek Saga in quite a while and need to re-watch DBZ here soon... But anyways, hope you like this and have a glamorous rest of your day/night, Silkyshulks! ⚠️ Spoilers/Trigger Warnings for: Mentions of possibly child abuse (nothing to bad though) and fighting (??) ⚠️

What I based the Reader's appearance on: Outfit - Makeup - Marks

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Captain Ginyu ═══════════════════════════╝

💟 When Ginyu first met you, he was surprised with how powerful you were within Frieza's army. Despite being a mere human, you had a lot of power, enough that prompted the tyrant to promote you to his Regent, in other words his main second-in-command

💟 You held your position highly, using it against any other soldier who tried to put you down. And it didn't help that you always looked emotionless and cold whenever you walked around

💟 Ginyu and you had a surprisingly healthy bond, and that always shined when you served together. He would be busy getting his team to practice their poses and train whilst you were delivering orders to them from Frieza, much of it being their schedule and where they were needed

💟 While he normally gets busy, he does enjoy having some time to relax with you. It mainly consists of you silently sitting on his lap as you would draw on his skin with your temporary markers, he did have a reputation after all

💟 Ginyu also gets confused when you would spend quite a bit of time perfecting your makeup for that day, though it normally was the same eyeliner, and how you would make sure your outfit was perfected. But, he was a warrior, so who was he to judge?

💟 Unlike what many other members of the Frieza Force believe, Ginyu is a very good partner, whether you're married or not. He always finds time for you and he listens, even as he trains, his ears are open for your meek rants

💟 He has offered you a place in the Ginyu Force, but you just turned him down, saying your place belonged delivering news and defending your fearsome Lord. And while Ginyu was dead-set on getting you to join, when he saw you smoke another powerful fighter, he lightened up

💟 Not because he feared you... psh! Why would he fear his S/O? It's a lie, he fears your anger like he fears Frieza's

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Burter ════════════════════════════════╝

🌀 You two had a rockier start than the others. Burter is literally described as 'very arrogant, boastful, and tends to talk down to his opponents', and when he saw how blank you looked, he made his thoughts on you obvious

🌀 As a fellow strong warrior, though you stayed out of the field for quite a while, you merely raised your hand, showing off your spider-web markings. He cocked his head as you blasted him, resulting in him flying backwards and into the wall, making a dent as the now-dazed fighter groaned in pain

🌀 Unfortunately for you, Frieza needed your skills of manipulation and physical attacks to take over another planet, so he sent you and Burter together while the rest of the Ginyu Force went to another part of the planet - despite their annoyance of not being able to do their poses correctly -

🌀 It was after that mission that the Blue Hurricane then began to seek you out more, wanting to train. You would just roll your eyes before walking away to find Zarbon to speak too. And that was how his emotions emerged, watching you speak to Zarbon happily while you would naturally stare into Burter's soul before leaving

🌀 While it took a while, and when I say a while I mean a while, to finally ask you out, he was surprised with how different you were in private. You always seemed so done with everyone and cold, but you really cared about the few close-individuals you had, including this certain blue alien

🌀 Burter doesn't seem like he would, but I can see him enjoying watching you gather your outfits, whether they were formal-looking or not, and seeing you put on your makeup and basically style yourself up. It was kind of like a therapy for him in a way

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Cui ══════════════════════════════════╝

🐟 Cui and you met early on in your services under Frieza, and he was extremely jealous that you, a mere human, a being he could squash with one blast, was promoted to be the Emperor's right-hand!

🐟 And, in all honesty, he was intimidated by you as much as the next soldier. The way you looked just scared him. You always looked so glum and ready to kill, and the way you would dress and decorate your face freaked him out. He was used to others looking odd, but this was a level he had never encountered in his life!

🐟 The only reason he had ever spoke to you was because Frieza had demanded Cui to deliver a message to you and get the findings you came up with. And while he was acting like a pissed-off child who was just told they couldn't get a lollipop by their parents at first, he did eventually begin to see how gentle you truly were underneath your dark-look

🐟 You proved that true when, instead of insulting or yelling at the tiny-and-very-young alien who brought you files, you just pat them on their head and told them to go to your chambers and grab themselves a plush from your bottom drawer. He watched the child run off with a gleeful smile on their face while you continued typing an encrypted message to Frieza's father, King Cold

🐟 Cui called your name and couldn't help but ask you a question that nagged at him for the past few minutes of silence;

"Why were you so kind to that child? Normally higher-ranked authorities just push them around."

"I condemn those who would offend a lower-ranked soldier, nonetheless a child, for no reason. It's a show of how pathetic and weak they truly are, regardless of placements in this hierarchy."

🐟 Cui just nodded and grabbed the finished files you handed him before rushing out of the room and towards the main office of your leader. One question nagging in his mind; why was his stomach churning at the thought of you treating a child... especially one that looked like both of you... so kindly?

🐟 He was going to need to speak to the medic afterwards

[ritualofcirice]

🐑 ♡ Here's one letter fresh from Sup-port, addressed to the Vox specialist ♡ 🐑

Dear @macabr3-barbi3,

Never has Vox been so flawlessly executed than in your works. From the moment someone enters the world of your stories, they are sucked into a torrent of beautifully written, steamy romance. Perhaps it's that hot flatscreen heating everything up?

You've got us tuned in no matter what! Everything you craft is a testament to your skill, and you are learning at a rapid rate how to improve upon perfection. Speaking of perfection, you've mastered the art of being a total sweetheart.

That can only mean you're getting a letter of Sup-port to show you the same sweetness back! Thank you for sharing all of your stories with us, and thank you for being the CEO of spicy stories!

Wishing all the best, and sending all of our love,

The Sup-port Team xo

Let's see what other letters arrived for you!

From @dewdropdinosaur ♡

"Hey Barbie,

I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how truly amazing you are. Not only are you an incredible writer, but you're also one of the kindest, most genuine people I know. You were the first to welcome me into the Helluva Discord server with such warmth and a smile, and that meant the world to me. You've been a pillar of our community, always lifting others up, offering support, and sharing your creativity in ways that inspire us all.

I treasure you with my whole heart, and I'm so grateful to have you as both a friend and a part of this community. You're a rare and special person, Barbie, and I’m lucky to know you.

With all my love, DINO"

From @fraugwinska ♡

"I have so much I could say about Barbie. Almost a year ago we started to talk - She knew my fic and commented reghularily. I read Dream a little Dream (of me) written by her and was amazed at the imagery and immersive writing, the creativity that I've seen. Ever since then, we are writing history. Not a day goes by where we don't talk, laugh, joke, quib, comfort and praise each other. Barbie is like a sister I always wanted. Even though we never met, I feel like I've known her for much longer than the fleeting months since April 2024. And I never get tired of singing her praises: What a good noodle she is, how funny and witty, clever and insightful, artistic and creative. She is a natural cestpool of talents, she writes beautiful music as well as amazing stories, all while humbly celebrating the people she adores wholeheartedly. Barbie is always coming up with such capturing fics that I can't believe she isn't already on the New York Times besttseller lists. Which she might as well be someday, when her fantasy novel will be published - and you best believe I'll be on the start of the long lines in a book store, obnoxiously telling them that my best friend wrote that book.

Not even a year, and yet, I don't want to miss her friendship for the rest of my life."

From @reinthechaosdeer ♡

"Dear Barbie, why I can only say so much about your work til it becomes repetitive as I’m sure so many have told you. I love your writing and how you bring things to life. My favorite work is your “Call It a Night” for reasons I’m sure you can guess. Haha

The way you set up the scene with Alastor being calmly playful and mildly amused whereas Vox is just a mess and freaking out cause ”oh no hot deer + one bed = glitching whhhheeezzzeeee” I’ve read it sooo many times and it just gets better and better. I’m currently reading through a few of your other fics again. So watch out Call it a night may get it’s very own dub by yours truly."

From @hyuccubus ♡

"Barbie!!!!! It's been a great joy to get to know you better and better as the months go by. I've always cherished the connection that we fostered based on our love of creating music (I'm still blown away by what you created for the Regency collaboration), and on top of that, your writing skills are amazing, too! I'm impressed by how consistently you put out quality, novel smut, both as a fan and as a peer. I always perk up seeing you jump in to chats, and I have so many fond memories of those chaotic early months in the Orchard. I can't wait to make more with you, dear, it's been such a pleasure to be your friend.

-Remy"

Barbie's Advice To You

"I'd say my best advice- both for writing and just in general- is to give yourself grace. You're not always going to get something perfect the first try, and it's important to know that it's okay to take a step back and take a breather before continuing to work on something. The people that love and support you will almost always be more concerned with you taking your time and taking care of yourself than forcing out something that you're not happy with. Take your time and be patient with yourself!"

Want To Write A Personal Letter?

Barbie's official Sup-port tag is #fromsup-port2macabr3-barbi3

♡ Is it your first time picking up mail at Sup-port? Find out what we're about here ♡

[aphverse-confessions]

One thing I am still upset at until.tjis day is the one side stories episode where they dressed up as scooby doo characters.

Say what you want about the mlp comparison, but I'll give it as much as it being somewhat accurate. I don't know if I would've picked the same comparisons, but it makes sense. I can understand where it came from.

But this??? This is insane.

Let's start off with the biggest crime of all; Why is Fred AARON?? Listen I know old cartoon Fred has no personality, but Fred in the more recent adaptations (not counting Velma) has consistently been a himbo.

Fred has been reclaimed as an iconic himbo icon. With this characterization comes the fact that he is literally mystreet Garroth.

I have been rewatching mystery and incorporated recently. And with every scene with Fred that I watch, I think to myself, "This is literally Garroth."

It's not just the blonde hair, it's the personality. The energy.

Mystreet season 1 Garroth especially, yes he had the puff out your feathers scene. But he was also shown to be pretty smart when it came to other stuff. Well-meaning and kind but dumb when it comes to feelings and emotions, JUST LIKE FRED. THAT'S LITTERALLY FRED.

Meanwhile that doesn't seem to be Aaron. I am not as big of an Aaron hater as most of you, I blame the age gap on Jason, not Aaron. I really like what mcd Aaron had going on for him. And I find it ridiculous when people get upset at him for "stealing Aphmau away from Garroth (and Laurance)".

But you know what I am upset at? HE STOLE BEING THE FRED FROM GARROTH.

I swear Jess just made Fred Aaron because he is the conventionally attractive male lead. (Meanwhile Garroth is FAR more conventionally attractive then Aaron bffr)

And instead Garroth is SCOOBY. Garroth is the DOG. WHY? And before you say "because Zane was Scrappy". THAT WAS EVEN WORSE. Everyone hates Scrappy! Zane does NOT deserve that slander. Free the guy, all he did was being emo.

This actually perfectly illustrates how Garroth and Zane aren't taken seriously by the other characters. ESPECIALLY ZANE! By the narrative and the other characters, they're(especially Zane) not taken seriously. Like how it's laughed at the very idea of Zane getting a lover. And in minigames, we see things like people laughing at the idea of shipping Garroth with anyone. Because Garroth is obviously too stupid to feel serious love/s. And Zane is obviously to undesirable to ever be loved by anyone/s. Garroth is the good dog, Zane is the bad dog.

I do not CARE how cool that comparison is though. GARROTH SHOULD HAVE BEEN FRED.

Also, Aphmau?? As Velma?? Really? I mean, fine, but it doesn't fit with how Aphmau is (sadly) infantalised in canon. And she is never really shown to be book smart at all. She is shown to struggle in school. Sure, she is shown to have more sense than Garroth, Laurance, Dante, and Travis (which isn't very hard). And sure, this was all before Kim was introduced, and it was when Emmalyn wasn't relevant anymore. However, I don't care, and I still believed it should've been Emmalyn. Maybe the orange would clash, though,,,, maybe Kenmur? I don't know, I just think it should've probably been someone else.

Also, WHERE WAS DAPHNE AT? Why did Lucinda only show up FOR ONE SECOND? They included Scrappy but not Daphne????!! I know Daphne is often portrayed as a little boring, but this is an outrage.

I think Shaggy should've been someone else, too. Laurance doesn't seem like much of a coward. If I were to imagine Garroth, Laurance, Dante, and Travis in a horror movie. And you asked me who would survive, I'd say Laurance. Laurance is either the final girl or a part of the couple that makes out and gets killed while doing that.

It's actually lowkey insane he was Pony assigned Rainbow dash but then assigned SHAGGY from all the scooby doo characters. The only thing consistent between those two is that they both probably smell and don't wash themselves enough.

.

[sannin-three]

i wanna hear the sannin band au. sounds cool!

THANK YOU (AND OTHERS) FOR ASKING, I SHALL NOW RAMBLE!!

Okay so. Like in canon they've all known each other since they were young, went to the same school and became friends despite being so different. In this, the Senju clan is a bunch of highly respected musicians so Tsunade has quite the legacy to live up to. She receives classical training and even talks Grandpa Hashirama into getting lessons for her two friends (orochimaru is an orphan and Jiraiya is being raised by Ma and Pa but there's not a ton of money). However, despite being close to her family and her grandpa, she wants to do her own thing and do more contemporary music rather than classical and Oro and Jiraiya are right there with her. They start out just messing around in her garage but manage to find a sound that works for them - they dabble in different genres like metal, glam and prog rock, punk, pop, etc but with a consistent theme of always trying new stuff and pushing the boundaries of genres. Their band name is, of course, The Sannin.

At some point, after doing smaller to progressively larger gigs, they've made an underground name for themselves. At some point Hiruzen, an old friend and fan of Hashirama's, scoops them up and becomes their manager and things really take off from there.

As I mentioned in the tags of @debilmann 's art, I see Tsunade on drums, Jiraiya on guitar, and Orochimaru on bass as I feel those fit their personalities:

Drummers are often stereotyped as being kind of crazy (or dumb), but drumming itself is very difficult so I feel that fits Tsunade's brash-yet-competent style. I picture her voice being similar to Blondie. Being "The Girl" in the band she gets a lot of criticism, including people saying she only got anywhere thanks to nepotism. She also isn't afraid of showing off her body with her public and stage outfits and faces some slutshaming as a result. And it does get to her sometimes, making her question herself. At the same time though, a lot of teens and young women love her style and find her inspiring. That and being able to do what she loves makes it worth it.

Bassists can be stereotyped as being unimportant or less impressive - which is interesting because basses are instrumental (lol) in making sure the music sounds right. But there's of course major exceptions such as Sting, Geddy Lee, and others who manage to make their own mark on their band and I feel that's very in line with Orochimaru. Style wise I picture them being a goth version of Ziggy Stardust or Freddie Mercury - outlandish and gender nonconforming but with a darker aesthetic. It's the 80s and being visibly queer leads to a lot of scrutiny from the band's detractors, and Hiruzen and other execs try to get them to tone it down, but Oro refuses and both out and closeted fans are grateful for it.

Guitars are usually frontmen, which fits Jiraiya's theatrical flair - his style is in line with hair metal bands of the 80s and I believe @sourstacks and I decided his voice would be similar to Meat Loaf. He's known for being the bands wildman and a horn dog, but he's also incredibly protective of the other two. People quickly learn that saying anything negative about the other two band members will earn them Jiraiya's ire. He especially loves to fuck with people who ask rude questions during interviewers.

Interviewer: so, Orochimaru, do you have any comments to make on the allegations regarding your sexuality?

Jiraiya: Are you trying to ask him out?

Interviewer: I- no I-

Jiraiya: You just asked him what he's into, sounds like a come on to me! Who taught you journalism? Save that for after the interview man, come on, be professional!

When they go places they look like they all belong in different bands, as their styles are so different, but they fit together despite that. At some point though they start to feel like something is missing. They have guest players sometimes and enjoy adding keyboard to their sets but haven't found a keyboardist who quite fits them.

Enter Dan. Kind, soft-spoken, whose style is the epitome of a hippie. He's been soloing for a bit and Tsunade bumps into him at the studio and immediately adores his sound. She convinced the other two to give him a try and they quickly find he's just the kind of odd but nice flavor they were looking for. Fans embrace Dan's addition to the band, and once he joins some start to colloquially refer to the band as "Dannin".

Tsunade and Dan were close from the start and touring and playing together makes them grow even closer and they fall in love. Some fans thought Jiraiya and Tsunade were a thing and a few even get upset about this development, but others are happy as long as this doesn't mean the band will break up, and of course it doesn't...yet.

There is some distance though. Tsunade and Dan start doing duets where the other two feel more like background players and neither Oro nor Jira appreciate it. They start to spend less time together as a group. Jiraiya's drinking starts to get worse, and Orochimaru has been struggling with drug use. The two do their best to lean on each other but keep snapping whenever the mood starts getting too serious. And of course they're both too emotionally stunted to just talk any of this out with each other or Tsunade and Dan.

Ultimately though, despite high tensions, tragedy is what leads to the band's downfall. Dan is killed in a car accident on the way to a show, along with Sakumo, who was head of the band's security detail. They were running late because Dan went to pick up a ring that he'd planned to use to propose to Tsunade. The other band members hear the news right as they're getting ready to go on and Tsunade's scream of horror haunts everyone backstage for years to come. The tour is of course cut short and they never play live together again. They try to record some things but Tsunade is unable to play without breaking down and they can't push her.

Tsunade sells off a lot of her possessions including the apartment she and Dan shared and goes to live the life of a secluded former star. Her estate will occasi release remastered versions of her old solos but otherwise people don't hear much from her. Orochimaru gets hooked into the corporate side of the music industry, first managing bands and then labels. They trade the outlandish clothing for a suit, though still keep some of their own flair and choose to tie back rather than cut their long hair. Jiraiya is the only one who tries to stay close to the music, doing some solo work, and it's not bad but still makes people sad to watch as there's clearly something missing. At some point he gets into managing and even has something of a hit band with Minato but then the kid tragically dies along with his wife and Jiraiya becomes convinced he must be cursed.

The three still care about each other. They'll call occasionally. Orochimaru bails Jiraiya out of jail after a drunken bender, Tsunade's there when Orochimaru gets out of rehab for the heroin addiction. The love's not the same, but it's there.

Still, they spend a long time rarely interacting...until three new musicians on the scene start seeking them out. They'd been part of an up-and-coming band called Team 7 until they dissolved, now each of them is seeking guidance, desperate to reach the kind of musical skills and influence the Sannin once had. Somehow they each manage to convince the Sannin members to take them on, and now it's a long distance competition to see who can be the best mentor for these new stars.

...

So yeah! This got long as fuck, but I hope you (anon) and the others who asked about the au ( @valtiels-darkness , @olivegardenhunter , and @debilmann ) enjoyed! Please feel free to comment

[p3ta]

gotta send Ryoji Mochizuki

Thanks for the ask! Hope your day's going well, fellow Ryoji enjoyer.

Spoilers below for P2, P3, P4, and P5R.

Send me one of these here!

First, I want to give some thoughts on his character as a whole. For the certain type of character he is (doomed, remorseful harbinger), Ryoji Mochizuki is perfect. I don't think there's a better Persona twist than his reveal as the the Appriser/Death, the thirteenth Arcana Shadow. Just because a twist is easy to see coming doesn't make it less impactful, and I particularly enjoy the way Persona 3 distills information to the player in allotments. Even knowing that, Ryoji managed to surprise me with how much more he was. And fittingly, a lot of Ryoji's characterization bounces back to the P3 Hero, and vice versa.

On top of that, Nyx Avatar is my favorite final boss in the entire Persona series and unsettled me out the first time. I'd still say that Nyx Avatar causes me more fear than the Reaper, who I'd comparatively describe as inciting panic rather than fear.

Ryoji is frequently compared to Kaworu from Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE), and, well. Yeah. I believe I read that in a developer interview that the P3 dev team deliberately took inspiration from NGE but I'm unable to find a source at hand, so don't quote me on that. Between the two, I prefer Ryoji. He is the strongest out of the character type for me.

favorite thing about them

His layers! Ryoji is one of those late game characters who comes in and recontextualizes all the information you've learned thus far. It's why I love watching the Dictionary update throughout a playthrough. I understand why people are put off by the way he's introduced as a serial flirt, but Reload made it much more textually clear that this isn't his true personality, nor his intentions. Ryoji is proto-Teddie (Japanese Teddie, anyway); a fully formed individual who sprang into existence seeking connection. However, where Teddie's isolation and lack of identity are his defining characteristics, Ryoji's are moored in how connected he is with P3 Hero.

Ryoji ultimately only exists because of that connection, that little bit of humanity he's been given, but that's also what prevents him from being fully human. He's had a role to play since his inception, and he can't avoid that even with his newfound connections.

Ryoji's present throughout the entire story. You've got Pharos at the very beginning with the contract running errands for the Velvet Room (I like it more and more that I think about it. Picture Elizabeth or Igor having to explain to this terrifying child what he has to say. Or maybe he knew what to say all along! He has been waiting ten years), Thanatos tearing himself out of Orpheus (by far the best Persona awakening in the series and a textual highlight for what an alien force he is), and a crucial lynchpin event for Yukari's backstory, Mitsuru's backstory, as well as the crucial event for Aigis and P3 Hero.

There is no version of Persona 3 without Ryoji and I'm all the happier for it. Genuinely, if something's confusing with P3's story, there's 90% chance the answer is Ryoji or one of his many numerous forms. The remaining 10% is the Kirijo Group. That said, we don't get a lot of time with Ryoji. Ultimately, he's a part of P3 Hero and you're left to extrapolate exactly how much of each other you believe they've influenced.

Sogabe, the P3 & P4 mangaka, chose to highlight how similar Ryoji and P3 Hero look. I consider it an essential element of their relationship together.

least favorite thing about them

It'd be cheating to say nothing, wouldn't it? I'd say that his design is easy to mock and hard to get right in fanart. Between Ryoji's forehead and very Axel Kingdom Hearts approach towards long limbs – and legs in specific – the movies did not help with this. I've read reviews saying how the higher budget allowed for the characters to be more consistently on model, and thus look better, but I fervently disagree. That boy is mostly leg. Late 00s and early 10s anime art Looked Like That, though. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a soft spot for some of it.

But I love how Ryoji looks and wouldn't change it for the world. Silly slick-backed hair boy. It is funny how whenever Persona wants a villain with sympathetic qualities, they slick back the protagonist's hair (Philemon and Maruki come to mind).

Reload fixed ("fixed") this anyway but making him much fluffier in his portraits and giving his skin some color! He's achingly soft in that game.

favorite line

There's many iconic ones I could pick but I'm going to go with a new one from Reload:

It's so small, it's so playful! I like that if you choose to start an exchange he finishes the bit. It says a lot about him in such a succinct way.

Even more so when you consider the reason he came here was for Junpei's sake. Being able to balance joking around while keeping a touch of concern endears me beyond belief. Thank you, Reload.

brOTP

Junpei & Ryoji. It's not even close. This was the one element I was hoping Reload would show more and I was not disappointed! The dynamic is good for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is that despite Junpei's Persona being Magician Arcana, he is not the P3 Hero's Magician Social Link. Junpei is not the male protagonist's best friend. He clearly wants to be, but his frustration is palpable. The P3 Hero is cool, charming, and everything that Junpei plays second fiddle to, but he won't even acknowledge him. But what if there were a more likeable version of the Hero?

Instant friendship. Those two are besties from day one, where Ryoji has all the qualities but none of the knowledge, and so their dynamic is a much more even one. To me, it indicates how well Junpei and the P3 Hero might have gotten along had he not carried Death inside him for ten years. It's a brief window into another world.

There's also the fact that Ryoji, Death, befriends Junpei so close to when Takaya shoots him and he perishes. His character arc is defined by change, this act being what radically transforms his soul, and what's one of the meanings of the Death Tarot? It's like universal foreshadowing. It's funny to me too that the Magician Arcana Shadow is the one Thanatos tore to pieces. Growth for Ryoji too.

As an aside, I miss the dynamic movements from the PS2 cutscenes. Junpei being so quick to drown Ryoji is nowhere comparable to him covering Ryoji's mouth.

OTP

Hmm. This might take a second. I wonder what pairing I might like with Ryoji. Here's an unrelated picture of Messiah:

You know, Messiah is one of those Personas that has only grown on me more as time passes. My favorite of the final protagonist ones, due in part to how you have to fuse him yourself. Orpheus, the starting Persona, combined with the power of Thanatos, the penultimate manifestation of the Death Arcana. They compliment each other beautifully, and regardless of if you the player create him, he is always the true final Persona, the final result of the Judgement Arcana.

They are inevitable.

Of course it's Ryoji and P3 Hero. How could it be anything else? These two make me sick with joy. Death has a clear favorite and in the end, gets to keep him forever.

nOTP

It's funny, because I can't think of any serious pairing with Ryoji that I wouldn't view as a crack ship? I can't see any version of Ryoji with anyone but the P3 Hero nor can I take that relationship seriously. The only other being Ryoji has an established relationship with is Aigis, and that ship comes across as black comedy. I mean, there's also Ryoji and the P3 Heroine, who he is undoubtedly head over heels for, but I see her as heavily preferring Aigis. Oops.

Wait, I did remember one! Ryoji and Junpei! I'll admit, maybe it's the sheer "dudebro" vibe of their relationship, but people pairing these two was not an outcome I expected from Reload. I've seen it enough to know those who like it aren't joking, either.

It's funny, because they're both soul-taken at the tail end of their friendship (Ryoji with P3 Hero and Junpei with Chidori) so I guess I wasn't looking for it? Then again I can't see Junpei Iori kissing a man in general. If there's a Ryoji pairing that isn't my thing, these two are the Most not my thing.

random headcanon

Ryoji memory backfill!

I've seen multiple interpretations for how Ryoji's sudden transfer, housing, and parental situations were never questioned. I like exploring this for myself, especially from Ryoji's perspective. Ryoji fully believes himself to be human until 12/2's Dark Hour. So, how does he reconcile his own situation?

This headcanon states that whenever Ryoji is prompted to answer on where he lives, what he likes, or where he went to school before, he'll often "backfill" what memories he think should be there. If it's something he should reasonably know, it'll be there.

In-game you can see a couple instances of Ryoji being stumped at simple questions, like where his class trip was going to be, but excelling at others, such as when he asks Mitsuru out to a restaurant date. According to the headcanon, he failed the class trip question because it wasn't something he anticipated, but he knew a date location because it was essential to his personality. Ryoji Mochizuki is a hearthrob, it wouldn't make sense if he didn't. So he does.

I like to think Reload Ryoji's phone is another example of this backfill, though this one spills over into material items. Ryoji thinks he should have a phone and knows he should ask for others' numbers, but when he reaches for it on his first day it isn't there.

His inconsistencies are fun.

Rapid fire small ones: his favorite color is blue, he likes sunrises but not sunsets, and he's good with children.

unpopular opinion

This may be the most unpopular opinion I have in general, but I don't believe Ryoji is bisexual. Or rather, I don't necessarily believe he must be bisexual. It's not like I'm trying to shirk representation, but I think there are so many fascinating ways that you can analyze orientation for a character. Same with gender.

Ryoji, through my interpretation, is someone who could only love the protagonist. And it doesn't have to be a sexual kind of love. There's an entire spectrum of identities in our culture that we've labeled for what Ryoji's experiences could be. It brings me joy to be able to think about how – even if Ryoji knew about these identities – he'd define himself. On top of that, would how he define himself be accurate? Would he have misunderstandings about his own identity?

There tends to be a large backlash when someone even suggests a different label for a character with one widely agreed upon, which means my gender and sexuality thoughts stay hidden away. I'm more than aware of those that insist any hint of same-sex attraction is obviously platonic and fans are reading too much into things. I'd never want to take away from an individual identifying with a character for what a fandom settles on calling them.

Though one note: it's interesting to me that from the collective opinion I've seen, people have latched onto bisexual as a label rather than pansexual despite them ostensibly meaning the same thing. Something something changing social climate. Anyway. Play around with character gender and sexuality. It's good for you.

song i associate with them

Auld Lang Syne.

For old acquaintance be forgot

And ne'er brought to mind

Should old acquaintance be forgot

In the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll drink a cup of kindness yet

For the sake of auld lang syne

-

It's a traditional New Year's celebration song. Auld Lang Syne essentially means "for old time's sake". It originates from a precursor to Scottish, and exists as a fossil word inside this otherwise Standard English prose. I find it sweet how this little, historic piece gets to survive through something that redefines it.

favorite picture of them

Well, that was a lot. If you have a keen eye, you might've already noticed I've been dropping in pictures so I'll keep this part concise.

My favorite pictures of Ryoji are his portraits:

Sweet. Fluffy. Endlessly endeared by the way his hair flairs out. A much clearer heart shape for his face. Perfection. Special mention to his startled expression. His eyes get small and I get happy, simple as that.

Although, I'll never forgive Reload for dropping his Messiah pose:

There's an element to this portrait that's a little more unearthly, but earnest. Visually, his eyes are also a clearer parallel to Aigis's in this version.

Thank you for reading all the way through! And thank you again for the ask. I'm not sure if you were expecting an essay, but I think that about sums it up.

Have a picture of Ryoji nui + charm!

[melisusthewee]

In my ongoing attempt to convince people to watch this movie (because it is so fucking good you have no idea), I put together this list of reasons why you need to watch this film. Sorry, but I can't be normal about this:

None of the backgrounds or environments are CGI! Those mountains? Those are the Andes! That's the real Valley of Tears! While filming with the actors was done in a different location (I believed they filmed in the Sierra Nevadas?), location photography and filming was done in the Andes and then spliced accordingly into the film.

It's an ensemble piece! Until now, most movies/docs/books have (understandably) focused almost exclusively on Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa because of their 10 day trek through the mountains. But the group was more than just the two of them and this film shows that by emphasizing everyone's importance and roles in their survival.

Having said that, NANDO PARRADO IS THE FUCKING GOAT. This guy fractured his skull during the crash which caused his brain to swell. Everyone thought he was dead at first and only brought him back inside the plane when someone noticed he was still breathing. Even then, he wasn't expected to survive for very long so the others placed him where it was coldest which ended up saving his life as the cold temperature along with dehydration helped bring the swelling in his brain down. He was in a coma for three days, woke up to learn his mother was dead and his sister was dying, and decided, "Fuck this, I am getting off this mountain and you're all doing it with me." AND THEN HE DID, part of which involved hiking for 10 days across the Andes with NO GEAR.

The decision to make Numa Turcatti the narrator was brilliant. I cannot say more due to spoilers but iykyk.

Speaking of other films (looking at you, 1993's "Alive"), this movie cast exclusively Uruguayan (and some Argentinian) actors in order to give it proper authenticity.

This movie does not fuck around, with the crash happening within the first 15 minutes of the movie. And it is horrible in that it is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of a plane crash? I don't like flying, and I was incredibly anxious watching it to the point where I thought initially I might have to turn it off. But despite this, it never feels exploitive or anything. Just... real.

The entire movie was shot chronologically in order to give the make-up team an easier time with getting the actors to look increasingly gaunt and disheveled as well as adding a tighter consistency between shots and scenes. Many of the actors lost upwards of 50 lbs by the time filming was concluded.

For the avalanche scene, the actors were buried under nearly 8 inches of real snow. Because of this, the redness of their skin isn't the work of make-up or special effects but is very real.

Michael Giacchino's score. But even more importantly, his use of silence.

Honestly, this movie feels genuinely cold in a way that most movies and tv shows never quite capture. The sound of frozen clothing crunching, the frost that covers them, the clear impact of cold and frost on hair and skin, the shaking and shivering. It's really hard to describe, but like... it didn't feel like these were just actors on a set walking around. It felt genuinely cold.

The payada (rhyming/rap battle) was entirely improvised by the actors.

Enzo Vogrincic (Numa) looks like a young Adam Driver. You know you want to watch him stare soulfully into the camera for two hours. (But really, the acting in this movie is phenomenal.)

For Cold Boy fanciers, Gustavo Zerbino is basically the group's Goodsir - a cinnamon roll doing his best.

Fito Strauch's homemade sunglasses!

I could write an essay about the way the film confronts and portrays the cannibalism. Since I've rambled on long enough, let me just say here that it feels authentic in the way it's handled and not like you typically expect to see in stories like the Franklin Expedition, the Essex, or the Donner Party. (My only criticism is that it looks like they used raw chicken as the meat? And I unfortunately happen to know that human meat very much does not look like chicken.)

MOST IMPORTANTLY, this movie gives voices to those who didn't survive the mountains. And yes, it is a story about survival (and is a wonderful portrayal of positive masculinity) but it is really a story about love. Love for one's friends. Love for each other. And how love is the only way we survive.