#meanwhile the people doing the eating know exactly what they want LOL

[novorehere]

The fact that the getting swallowed headfirst vs feet-first poll is split almost exactly 50/50 down the middle is so amusing to me, I genuinely did not predict it would be this close of a race.

My money’s on the feet-firsters, but the upside-down crew could definitely pull out the win if they’re not too dizzy to show up to the polls xD

[lgbtlunaverse]

Fandom is so nice to Jiang Cheng's inferiority complex because in reality every single thing he gets accused of is something Wei Wuxian is better at than him.

Jiang Cheng killed Wei Wuxian? Nope. Didn't even get close. Wei Wuxian's own spirits tore him apart before jc could even get there. wwx:1 jc:0

Jiang Cheng tortures people? We get two and a half rumours and a mention from jin ling that jc has 'captured' demonic cultivators before, but who is also apparently confident that just letting wwx run off will kill the issue even though those earlier rumours said ~no one who sandu shengshou captured was ever seen again~

The word jiang cheng uses when he tries to talk big game about 'beating the truth' out of Wei Wuxian's is a word that carries the context of pestering someone to do their homework. Doesn't exactly strike fear into my heart.

Wei Wuxian? Excellent at torture. A prodigy. Did you fucking see what he did to Wen Chao? Dude didn't have fingers anymore because wei wuxian made him eat them. He ripped out his hair, burned his skin off, and then stalked him for several days just to prolong the pain. He forced Wang Lingjiao to bite Wen Chao's dick off and then made her shove a stool leg down her own throat! 10/10, no notes. Absolutely horrifying.

Meanwhile Jiang Cheng's idea of torture is getting a dog to bark at Wei Wuxian for a few seconds. Weak, unoriginal, I bet fairy was literally wagging her tail the whole time. 2-0

Jiang Cheng made the entire cultivation world believe Wei Wuxian was up to no good on the burial mounds and ultimately orchestrated his downfall? lol. lmao, even

It's a big thing in certain corners of the fandom to really zoom in one one particular phrase at the end of chapter 73, where after wwx and jc have their staged duel to make the world believe they hate each other jiang cheng tells everyone wwx has defected and become "a public enemy'' or "an enemy to the cultivation world" or whatever the translation you're familiar with decided upon.

(As an aside, something I really like about this line is that the last half of it is almost exactly the same, like verbatim, as what wwx told him to say. like, the chapter is really hammering home just how much jc is speaking from a script here. wwx tells jc to say "今后魏无羡无论做出什么事，都与云梦江氏无关." and jc says "今后无论此人有何动作，一概与云梦江氏无关" the only meaningful difference is that he says 'this person' instead of wwx's name)

I've seen it said that this bit, the use of 'enemy' was said without wei wuxian's approval, that jc deviated from the script just to hurt his ex-shixiong for leaving him. And that this is what caused all the other clans to turn against wei wuxian. Regardless of if this is what jc and wwx discussed, or if jc had malicious motivations for it (considering my conclusions above, you can guess where i fall) it doesn't really matter, because the novel tells us when the clans completely freak out and become convinced wei wuxian is out to get them (though of course they've been wringing their hands about it since the literal day wwx ran off with the wen, months before jiang cheng visited) very neatly in chapter 75!

It's when they find out about Wen Ning.

And how do they find out about Wen Ning?

Because Wei Wuxian took him on nighthunts! And they kicked ass!

...Wei Wuxian, my man, why are you on nighthunts??? Why are you showing off your incredibly cool sentient fierce corpse buddy, who is way better and stronger than all the other fierce corpses, in front of the whole cultivation world??

Whatever his motivations (extra money, maybe?? they were strapped for crash) I can only draw the conclusion wwx had already given up on appearing calm or non-threatening and didn't care if the clans thought he was a threat, because they'd believe whatever they wanted anyway. Which he seems to clearly be aware of the whole time.

Regardless, we know that this is what created the myth of the Yiling patriarch. It's literally when the title first shows up!

Even if you really believe jc was secretly plotting against wwx in chapter 73, he's clearly doing a shit job of it because nothing he said made anywhere near as big an impact as this. Flopped!

The other point people use to argue Jiang Cheng caused wei wuxian's downfall is Jin Guangyao's speech in Guanyin temple about how jiang cheng could have saved wei wuxian if only he stood by him. Setting aside that jin guangyao is trying to get into jiang cheng's head here, and isn't necessarily saying what he really believes (though it very well might be! who knows with a character like jgy. assuming he's always lying is just as misleading as assuming he's always saying the truth) the fact is, if you read the speech closely, what he's talking about is not the 'public enemy' line, he's talking about the bond between them. The fact that people wanted wei wuxian out of yunmeng jiang, because the two were too powerful together.

He's talking about that one time Jiang Cheng very publically kicked wei wuxian out of the sect!

Which, unbeknownst to Jin Guangyao, was in fact Wei Wuxian's idea the whole time.

final score: 3 for you wei wuxian, you go wei wuxian! And nothing for Jiang Cheng bye.

[ethereal-feline]

Know what have a rambling headcanon before I go to bed

Hawks doesn't scold Tokoyami.

Half the time he treats him like a peer, other half he's treating him "like a kid", but Hawks doesn't really have a concept of that because HPSC reasons. So for Hawks showing Tokoyami any sort of genuine positivity probably manifests as either gift giving(like when his mom got the Endeavor plush), and acts of service(being a hero). I headcanon he always get food. Favorite burger place, favorite restaurant(like in Team Up Missions, that waitress said Hawks ONLY brings people he likes), heck they probably have a favorite street vendor or two.

There's also like a 25% time of Hawks purposely babying or even pranking Tokoyami if it isn't under "treating like a peer", but the spoiling and professional annoying babying is mostly in private with the sidekicks. Gotta protect that street cred...sort of lol

Point is Hawks doesn't really lecture Tokoyami. He tells him to lighten up, learn to joke around(birbs eating birbs, its funny!), but doesn't go full "okay kid, serious talk, pop a squat" you know? He'll call out risky moves, but doesn't go "that was super dangerous, young man! do you know all the ways that could have gone wrong?" Lectures are boring, he isn't a teacher.

But there was ONE instance. Two versions.

Version 1: Maybe Tokoyami had been a little reckless during a villain encounter the same day Hawks was supposed to be doing Super Spy things, so Hawks was a bit more anxious than he would like to admit. All anyone heard was Hawks, top of his lungs, with a certain tone, go:

"TSUKUYOMI NO MIKOTO"

Tokoyami freezes up. He doesn't know what to do. Hawks has NEVER used that voice before. Its new. Its alarming. What has possessed him?

Meanwhile Hawks is giving The Look. He is fully aware he just shouted in a very un-Hawks like way and needs to save face. How exactly? Well, do something Hawks-like of course! He just...picks up a still confused Tokoyami and flies off while looking so Done TM.

Its a meme within the hour. Now all Pro Hero students have "full names" like Redius Riotson or some shit. I'm thinking of that one Batman post of Batman wanting ti full name his kids but using their vigilante names because secret identity.

Version 2: If it was in private like at the agency, I can see the sidekicks being equally as confused especially if it was triggered by something small and mundane by comparison like dropping some glass. If its in the privacy of the agency, Hawks goes go Mother Hen mode and starts fussing. Tokoyami just silently takes the sudden lecture but the anxiety of this being some joke builds up until he realizes Hawks is serious. It also takes Hawks a solid moment to realize he's lecturing and by then he's on a tangent ("should I have picked up a book about parenting? Probably! Where was I going with this? I had a point-")

Does Tokoyami get him back with a "WINGARDIUM HAWKINGTON" or scientific name for some hawk species? Maybe but only after one of the wars, and ONLY when its just them because Tokoyami is still a little shy even after all this time.

Dark Shadow has no such reservations. Its on sight with increasingly ridiculous names.

This went on longer than I expected, good night lol

[herejusttosufferalong]

Here is my crack theory.. please bear with me, this is one the many infinite theories that conjured up in my brain since the past week and after a lot contemplation on whether I should put it out here or not I decided I should or else it will eat me up lol

We all know brazil was quite different so probably something really did happen in Brazil (may be they crossed lines/may be they didn't? honestly we will never know). Anyway, all the articles still labelled him as single and I assume things were heating up between him & Nic, he probably decided to break things off with A or had already broken up atp - hence her drastic hair chop moment, but but but what is a love story without dramatic twists.. sooo i think A knows what transpired there and is now holding it over his head (his career could go down the drain if she accuses him of cheating even though they presumably have an on/off relationship) thereby pushing him acknowledge whatever they have in public (I know this take is controversial & potrays all people involved in a bad light, I hated it as soon as this crossed my mind but I am wilding with my theories). Hence we get the hard launch done exactly on the premier day may be because thats what she wanted. L went ahead and did whatever it took for now to not let the situation get out of hand as there is a lot at stake here cause honestly why would anyone in their sane mind do it on such an important day of their career??? Explains why he looks so.. distant in those pics and all the other pics since then, also why N isnt as hostile cause she knows its messy for the time being.. may be he is figuring things out with A.

Now, I think they are letting the relationship run it's course meanwhile A is making most of this situation trying to gain as much traction as possible with her antics to be able to stay in the limelight and grab some deals by travelling with him 🤷‍♀️

I know this theory is too wild and I am not saying all of this happened but i just can't stop thinking if this could be a possible explanation for all the erratic behaviour we have seen in the pap walk & pool pics🧐.

.

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S04E01 - Sid and Nancy PART A

I was too excited to get to this episode and I've missed quite a few days of not rewatching anything, so S4 here we go!

Black letters in quotes: Actual show quotes.

Green letters in quotes: What I come up with my twisted brain.

I remember I was stoked for that season premiere because I'd liked S3 so much and then... either it changed premiere date or my dumb ass read the date wrong. Actually if that happened, we were two dumbasses who read it wrong. And Hudson and Rex is a show where it's pretty easy to not hear that it's aired so by the time we noticed, several days had passed.

me before watching the episode: Sid and Nancy must be important people for the plot.

Also welcome back, blessed subtitles!

The S4 premiere is proof that you can make your episode into a "Visit Newfoundland" promo without actually making a bad episode.

There were some new musical themes introduced in S4.

I like that hair, sir. And that casual look. I'd forgotten how repetitive the suits had become in the first few seasons.

Surely they're not mocking us.

"We got an order from the Attorney General." Aside from the matter of whether this can actually happen or not (I don't know much about the Canadian system), they're supposed to have given the case of a serial killer to the SJPD when it's pretty much out of their jurisdiction and the reason is... Rex's nose? Are we famous?

It's the mobile unit's first appearance!

Why did y'all let him drive anyway?

"You're a terrible driver." "Charlie and Rex got here first!" Wow, how many hours were you three stuck together in there?

No, say it. What? What? Also, the unnecessary touching has already started.

Emphasis on maybe.

And... change in the show intro to include the whole team. I approve of this.

Local police loves us.

Uh, when the police tells you to stick around, yeah, you're under suspicion.

We also have a new Rex POV effect. He now sees things in grey and blue lol

I don't think there was a gut wrenching scene of a family member wailing over the death of their relative until this one in all the three previous seasons. And if there was, it was definitely not an impactful one because even if it happened, I don't remember it and I'm doing a rewatch right now. Also, good use of slow motion.

I never noticed that Sarah seems to try to hold back tears after this!

And... cue terrible weather which will disappear pretty soon in the next scene lol

Oh, Jesse.

"I didn't have a legal reason to detail him." "Could have made up one." And you could stick to small petty crimes and leave the real police work to the professionals.

Eating crow is such a funny expression. Also, I don't think this is what happened here. Aside from the fact that ultimately the suspect was innocent, they only had a person of interest and no reason to detain him.

Joe: "Jesse, when you were in school..." Jesse: "Yeah, not that long ago." lol

Charlie: "It's too bad these nature walks always come with murder attached." And what exactly forbids you from taking a few days leave and going for nature walks?

Local police guy is using "superdog" derogatorily. Meanwhile, Rex is an actual superdog.

You better. Otherwise, what the hell are we doing all this time?

Got a vague explanation for why Sarah wants to go with Charlie and Rex in the woods. Who are you kidding?

I actually hate you guys.

That... tells me nothing. What does this mean? Did you realize you need more practice, or did you like it enough to book another session?

*pokes* "Hello?" Don't poke your boss.

You better be kidding. Rex can do anything.

Paw Patrol. Oh, come on.

Intro shot.

Me likey. I would have liked to have seen more of this. I mean there was some in the following episodes, I just wanted more.

That is so funny. Charlie and Sarah hearing Rex's growls from outside and getting inside to find he has excitedly attacked a dress mannequin or whatever that thing is.

Rex: "Can we take it with us?"

I have the same beer glasses. Also, shut up, Joe, the guy was hostile from the beginning. (Which is pretty much what happens in every single crime show I've ever seen.)

I find it so funny that there's an Avalon province and it's not in the UK.

It's always a bad idea to promise the family of the victim that the murder will be solved.

"I had a daughter. Now I don't." Oof, that hit hard.

"Sometimes I know what it's like when the boss doesn't want to listen." Jesse, you have no idea. Yours is a good one.

Now, don't get me wrong, of course I liked that they stayed there, but doesn't him staying there means that he pretty much forces Sarah to stay there too? Like, what was the alternative, that she'd hike back alone in the darkness? My impression is that the area was remote. Although Charlie would probably give her Rex if she wanted to get back.

Okay, I'm already out of images. To be continued in Part B.

[rgr-pop]

if i was a normal level of unwell right now i’d be baking a loaf of bread. i don’t want to have to leave the house tomorrow and i can’t bring myself to go to this stupid womens meeting. i have been so clear that i can’t do non constructive meetings that don’t specifically need me right now because i’m worn so thin, but if i don’t come on my sunday off i’ll lose credibility and these other orgs won’t work on the abortion fund projects. it feels like it’s always all on me to defend the value of doing repro work— and sometimes that’s okay and as you know i’m stepping up to work on this structural problem. but the problem is that if i show any signs of fragility—or god forbid say, “i need my sunday to myself this week,” or even worse, “my pet snail is dying and it’s going to impact my productivity for a week,” what i will be told is, well, you don’t have the capacity to sustain this work, so we’re going to stop working on it.

and the problem isn’t exactly that i’m the only one doing it (right now for example i have a street outreach brigade pamphleting hash bash lol in ann arbor, a political research crew prepping for the leg piece, a new Posting partnership planned for soon, the fundraiser ask is being made by someone else, plus some workings in a second chapter… look at me defending the work to you!), but we don’t have quite everyone with ownership over the project yet (which you build to) and, as i’ve said, everyone is depending all their willingness to not put up walls around this on whether or not i personally look energized and perfect and like i know everything every time they see me. meanwhile i want only one thing all the time (to kill myself). and i can’t be in this position because i’m not doing great. but i’m an ill and severely mentally ill person who can—i know—do a couple hours a week of organizing most weeks. and i believe you can build effective campaigns that bring in more people and build capacity and bolster people’s belief in the power working collectively for 2-10 hours a week can have to change people’s lives and make them feel mostly better rather than mostly worse. it’s important to me to hold that line. but i personally can’t survive being scolded by social workers (anarchists) and sociopaths (postleninists and social movement strategists) not to mention the regular misogynists who I HAVE TO PRESENT THIS TO IN A WEEK HOPING THAT THEY DONT DO SOMETHING MEAN TO SCARY TO ME IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!!

anyway the thing is that i’m so fragile that i don’t see a way where this consciousness raising or whatever meeting doesn’t ruin my mood for the next few days, because every single one so far has been so bad it has edged on a traumatic experience. and i have to deal with that on top of everything else i have in my life (snail dying, baby, ANTS, being solely responsible for housework and most bills, feeding myself on no money, medical appointments, all my loved ones in crisis due to being poor women, eclipse???, my union, eating disorder, chronic pain, SNAIL DYING). and if you were a loser wannabe social worker you might say “it sounds like you don’t have capacity to organize” and, WRONG. i don’t have the capacity to waste two hours of my life + the bus travel on a consciousness raising meeting where someone tells me what’s wrong about me. and i disagree with the relational organizing (or even post bernie labor type) partisans a who say, that’s where the organizing happens. i disagree and i have a different theory of how this works (i may be inventing a caucus lol). and most importantly i think that i personally am more like a majority of working class women than i’m different. the main thing that makes me most different from other working class women is how much time i commit to communism. i want to change this!!!

today i need to work on things but i’m focused on my snail and the feelings around this. i’m having a hard time feeding myself. i don’t think crying on a saturday with my dying pet snail while managing mental illness during an eclipse makes me someone who can’t organize and i do NOT think getting psychologically torn to shreds by a social worker in training or a social movement strategist trying to force me to do drugs at a retreat is going to make me a better organizer.

j invited us over after the meeting and i’m overcome with guilt about coming empty handed. i miss him. i saw him in passing at the last meeting. he makes me happy and feel better. i don’t think i should be with him because i worry all i can do is complain. and he will be reminded why everyone hates me et cetera. but after i saw him that day when i wanted to die he reached out right after and said do you guys want to come over for dinner.

i can’t do the dishes. i made sniva a carrot. she got up to eat it. her trapdoor is so withered but i don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go on reddit to think about it. i want her to live six more days. i genuinely don’t know whether i’m neglecting her or should let it be. i am almost sure there is nothing i can do to fix her trapdoor. i’m going to do a small water change/replacement tonight if i can be upright enough. that’s it!! im as good as murdering her

[f0point5]

Rant incoming. The tiktok block trend and that let them eat cake influencer topic.

Listen, the influencer/celebrity block trend is performative because it’s exactly that, a trend. By this time next year many will have already unblock them.

Instead of putting all this energy calling representatives doing actual work where it matters for the real change, they’re using influencers/celebrities as scape goats, which fine eat the rich whatever. (Deepest eye-roll)

However, when people that used to feel one way and learn and change their stance instead of allowing that to happen, people want to shit on them for a gotcha moment. Isn’t the point of call out culture to have people take a step back and learn?

“There’s no way she didn’t know what that audio meant” meanwhile multiple people in different videos where in the comments asking why the audio made people upset? Is it just possible that maybe just maybe she didn’t want this to be interpreted in a problematic way? Some people use tiktok to just be silly and have fun. For a long time people called using tiktok as “brain rot” now it’s a philanthropical app?

It’s the social media burning at the stake.

Yeah people got this idea that getting celebrities to do something will get politicians to do something, and I really think that idea is rooted in a very outdated view of fame/celebrity. In 2005 when there was such a thing as A-List celebrities with real name recognition and influence, maybe that was a thing. But nowadays, anyone with 1m tiktok followers is counted as a “celebrity” and I promise you government doesn’t care that Leah Halton is posting about whatever. The celebrities who might actually know how to contact government are too big to care about your temporary block tantrum.

But there’s no virtue signalling points for calling a congress member. And it takes longer and requires a little more knowledge on the actual topic than blocking Selena Gomez.

I really don’t buy that anyone wants to help anybody “learn”. Sorry but you can lead a horse to water, you can’t make it drink…unless you bully and abuse it and eventually force its head into the water until it can’t breathe. Educating people by force is not education. So the fact that you got an influencer to publicly support your stance on something because you threatened their livelihood is not a gotcha moment. It’s just called coercion. And they know that but they don’t care. Because all these people want to do is “win”, and prove that they are as or more important than the people they’re bitter about on their screens. If you’re just watching someone and buying the mascara they like…they have the power, but if you can hang up on them, threaten their career, and make them do what you want…then you win. And maybe you don’t feel so bad that they make 60k a post while you make 60k a year.

Oh and that audio lol. “She knew what it meant”…it doesn’t mean anything. It never meant anything. It’s a line from a movie where even in said movie they discuss that it was a slanderous quote used to antagonise people. Like…wow, enjoy proving that you ARE the mob, people. In a meta way, the quote actually means something because of the way people are reacting to it. (Side note, it really makes me laugh how all these lemmings on social media look back and judge their forefathers for the movements they participated in that harmed people and that they would have been on the other side had it been them…have I got news for you)

[bianca-s-daily-reel-in]

What can Bianca tell us about her Wolf and Sheep girl?

I could be mistaken but I think she can

Mic to the artist :

"Thanks for asking !!! These two are of my first personal characters. I made them when I was around 8 ! I came up with a lot of stuff about them ever since."

"Their names are Pepper and Cream ! Pepper is an optimistic, jolly and fierce little wolf, great at hunting, who lives in the woods with her pack. Cream is a introverted, weary, sweet young sheep who's school smart and a top student, who lives in the plain, with the rest of her flock, in a civilization ! The wolves are treated like outcasts and criminals because they're predators, and sheep and farm animals only trust each other, and gang up against predators when suspicion arises."

"Pepper gets a crush on Cream from observing her at her school from the forest's cover, and she skips hunts to go spy on her at recess. Pepper's family is not happy with her but don't know about her crush ! Cream hears stories about the wolves, of course, so is afraid of them. Pepper gets bolder and gets closer to the school, and often Cream notices the wolf staring at her from a top hill, and running away when people get alerted. She gets scared that this wolf might be stalking her to eat her and tells the school community about it, there's some relationship details about this... Anyway, meanwhile, Pepper's mom catch on her interest and gives her a frightful lesson about what will happen to her if she's caught by either side, how it's not worth it and her love is scared of her anyways. (She's only against her daughter's crush because it might be a source of danger). Pepper is upset about it but decides to make sure of it herself, and go talk with Cream once and for all. So one night after Cream stayed at school overtime, she goes to go home and notices the wolf closer than ever. So she gets afraid and her teacher offers to take her home. She accepts and gets in his car. Pepper is upset to see that Cream is indeed scared of her, but as she's about to leave, she gets a bad gut feeling that tells her to track the car. The teacher was not taking Cream home. But at his own. He makes up an excuse to get her inside the basement "my gun is down here, let's trick that wolf, etc" and the plot twist is that he's actually a cannibal (that is shown by his victim's hides and skulls and cleavers, maybe blood), and Cream gets cornered. Her screams trigger Pepper to break in, and she then devours the teacher. Cream and Pepper then start their bond over that incident (it is also revealed that only 3 out of 10 sheep disappearances were the wolves' doing, the rest was actually on the teacher.)"

"Well I pretty much spoiled the whole pilot here lol... But there is so much more stuff. As you can see, it's also a horror cartoon, it's got creepy stuff. I like the whole horror in classic rubberhose cartoons, and I want to reintroduce it in my creations. You'll see, Cream & Pepper will then go on many more adventures. And strengthen their bond through all of it. (Here's a basis of the way they aboard their feelings right below)"

"It's a little hard for me to build that up because I don't have a lot of social experience, but these two are both really important to me, and helped me go through a lot, so I really want to make their pitch, and partnership, come true."

"...I want them to set the tone, of how exactly I like my cartoons."

[feydrautha]

JUST FINISHED HOTD AND I WENT THROUGH A ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS!

And I gotta say, Alicent and Larys is SOOO INSANELY COMPELLING AND FASCINATING. The devotion too boundless to even think about, the gardener and his flower metaphor in a twisted and demented way, a selfish relationship because it needs to acquire an introspective quality in addition to a companionable one, how he wants to free her from the mirage of virtue and morality that she clings onto, free her from a version of herself that she allows others to access while concealing her (darker) true self, giving her the opportunity to understand herself and be herself fully in a world where they are constantly demanded to be something they’re not, the way he lets her see sides of him no one else does, the way he sees them both as unique in the world and uniquely similar, they reflect each other in a way, it's like profound recognition.

And it is OBVIOUS that Larys has a hidden agenda and goals and ambitions outside Alicent, but the whole “love is a downfall” idea.... It's sort of like somebody who is falling in love for the first time and had never felt that was actually a possibility for them. Maybe his ultimate downfall will be his attraction and love for Alicent. Love can be horrific and love can be found within the horrific.

**deep exhale** okay now I need a drink.

So good that there's more people who saw them and instantly latched onto them, the vision us Larycents have!!! No one compares! (Except other rarepair shippers tho, they're just as bespoke <3)

Larys's whole "I'm not even bothering with trying to fix her, I will just make her worse because that is who she really is" shtick is just so [chef's mfing kiss]. I feel like I'm bound to eat my words bc lol, HOTD writers, but why in the world would they include that whole "Love is a downfall" monologue if not to have the character doing it experiencing his downfall because of his feelings for someone else!

This ship is all about seeing and being seen, they see each other how they truly are, warts and all while the rest of the world doesn't. Larys is underestimated but he holds a terrifying amount of power unseen to others, and Alicent is the only one actually aware of it (never mind that it scares her). Meanwhile, Alicent is either underestimated or villified (Nyra's whole "now they see you as you truly are" part comes to mind) which is interesting, because it's not that Alicent is an innocent (no one in this is); it's just that no one besides Larys really grasps what exactly Alicent's darkness is, and he might not even know it because she told him but rather because he puts together what he sees.

[wickedmoonlite]

KinnPorsche Rewatch 2023

So just a disclaimer: as we go into heavier topics in KP (dub-con/non-con, toxic behaviors, whatever else I know this series throws at us), I will not be doing deep dives. I'm planning on taking this just below surface value, but not too much farther. These are literally thoughts I have in the moment as I'm watching. There are plenty of other users on this platform who have done deep dives and are far more intellectual about it than I am planning on being. Also cinema/media literacy has never been my strong suit. Thank you for your cooperation.

Episode 4 Random Thoughts

This terrible dream kissing. Pete clutching his boobies as he yells at Porsche. Meanwhile, Kinn is having a whole ass crisis in the bathroom.

My first hangover sucked too. I don't blame Khun for feeling the way he does. He's just so dramatic about it lol

Kinn saying Kim doesn't feel like his brother is sad. But also exactly how Kim wants it. He wants out of the mafia and will do what it takes to get out. Including shutting his family out. Still sad.

The subtle "I need to know if you like me." Straight to Porsche's face in Kinn's lap.

Vegas strolling in to eat with the bodyguards is very him. Then Kinn's blurry ass face in the background like "Oh hell to the no, he's not messing with my man."

Oh my god, Vegas's side eye to the sheet pan slap. I watch that at least twice every time. Tankhun really be doing the most out here.

Big doesn't have to be so vindictive. And Porsche shutting Big down when he expected homophobia is the best.

"Kissing is for people that we like only." 👍🙌

GIVE ME MORE KIM. With his stupid leather jackets and emotional dumbassery. Ugh. Stupid feral cat boy... I swear I'm a normal adult.

Chay coming out the gate like "Pls tutor me sexy celeb I have a crush on, I appreciate thx."

Also, I love how they set up this whole sub plot with Kim investigating his family and shit and it just goes nowhere at the end because it all gets revealed anyway.

Never trust anyone or anything in this world, Porsche. Not even water.

Honestly, I really think that was the wrong way for Kinn to go about their first encounter. Porsche was obviously not okay. But dub-con gonna dub-con. I do like the piano rendition of PhiangWaichai/Free Fall though.

Nakey Vegas hidden by strategic candles bathed in red light because he's a rascal is such a mood.

So sorry this one was so long, but I needed to touch on so many things 😭 I wasn't sure how to bring up the problematic. But here we are. Looking forward to Episode 5 tomorrow. See ya then.

[halfblood-princes-crown]

It kept crashing while I wrote so hopefully this gets to you but hi again it’s dark snape au anon back with more parts, don’t worry we have like three to four parts before I’m done bugging you with it lol or until I get hit with some other crazy idea 💀 anyways here you go.

Ok hogwarts is falling apart and the few students who are there want to harm the Slytherins because who’s gonna stop them?

Without severus to keep his snakes safe the house has just been treated like absolute dirt for the past 11 years, which results in murder of one of the snakes, making the purebloods finally done with this bullshit and drop their students out of there. Leaving the school to mostly lions and like a few students from each house, also with Harry not there voldy is free to get the stone without worry or needing to distract a lot of students.

The ministry arrest albus right there, he can’t get himself out of this one, Minnie is left alone with the professor and is technically responsible for the action of her student, so she’s up on trial soon too.

Now back to Sirius who instead of looking for Harry started for Remus, which he finds quickly because a full moon was close, although he finds him in werewolf form and stays with him because he can’t hurt padfoot.

Harry is still nonverbal but doing better? He eats a little more now but still flinches whenever severus gets closer to him. Severus is fine with that, at least he’s not throwing tantrums again. Severus also finds himself more productive with Harry being interested in learning magic, buying magic books for little kids and getting sweet as rewards for the boy.

It’s odd and unsettling but it works fine for them, for now.

Voldy knows where the stone is obviously but needs to get past fluffy, with the less eyes and everyone being a mess he kills the beast and no one really notices, then starts working on the levels Dumbledore put.

Full moon ends and Remus finds himself face to face with his traitor of a friend, Sirius understands why Remus would hate him but he needed the wolf to trust him, Remus is five seconds from ripping Sirius’s head when he blurts out that he knows where Harry is exactly is.

Meanwhile severus gets his first copy in forever from the daily prophet and sees the hell hogwarts is turning into but he doesn’t care, he’s actually happy all of this is happening, let them burn for all he cares…the boy is safe and that’s what matters.

Asks are crashing for you as well!? Ok, so I’m not the only one😭 and you’re not bugging me, this is very entertaining!

Already off to a bad start! My fellow Slytherins getting abused and KILLED!?

Dumbbitch got arrested so thats a plus ig 😔

Ok so now Remus and Sirius are together. That’s peachy. 🙂

The small progress between Sev and Harry🥹 I actually love that it’s a slow buildup, most people would have said “oh Harry completely warmed up to him after the magic book and stories about his mom”😭

Oh no, he got Fluffy *cries and throw’s myself at the wall dramatically* but seriously, imagine if he gets that stone. Tsk tsk

REMUS HATING SIRIUS 🤌🏽 anon, you really butter my biscuit with these details

Does…does Sev not care about his snakes being hurt?☹️/j

[cryptometaphor]

Me: These niggas say the dumbest shit. You see this trending where like, "would you step on a puppy for 18b?" And they acting like they wouldn't.

Sarah: I'd want too, but don't think I could bring myself too. Like I know animals die for us to eat them. But I didn't kill them, I didn't even see them die.

Me: Well I know you're a good person Sarah. But what I'm saying is, is these niggas out here doing war-crimes over coworkers stealing their yogurt, or telling incels "yeah goyim die alone hehehe!" But can't step on a puppy for Jeff Besos money? I'd do it guilt-free. And use that money to fuck EVERYBODY and recreate the world in my image.

Sarah: Ok calm down there Light Yagami. Do you need your dick sucked? lol

Me: NO... Ok maybe lol. BUT STILL I mean it confirms what I say, people choose their hell. They want and crave suffering. Even in the midst of an opportunity, they put on the vinear of morality, when they have none. I hate them. With every fiber of my being...

Sarah: Oh trust me I get it. Like, everyone just gives me condescending attitude of "awwww you have cerebral palsy? Oh you poor thing" meanwhile if I ever step out of like "stfu retard, DUUUR DUUUR speak up loud mouth, say what you gotta say" like people are mean spirited animals.

Me: If anyone spoke to you like that in my presence, I might actually take a brick to their head lol.

Sarah: You'd do that anyway Me: I would lol

Sarah: Like I imagine you just carry a brick around with you in case

Me: Maybe a hammer. A brick isn't exactly concealable

Sarah: I was gonna rewatch that anime Inuyashiki. You remind me of Hiro and I'm like that girl who gets all moist for him lol

Me: Oh we should watch it other. That nigga out here killing puppies and babies as cyborg Jesus, tbf that's too edgy for me. He can heal people too. People are simplistic little goblins "ohhhh he killed duh baby, how evil" (pulls eyes) let's gooooo

Sarah: DA BABY LOL but I get what you mean. How would the real Hiro sociopath maxx?

Me: Well he can cure cancer and shit right? Like I imagine YOU KNOW WHO comes crying to me about how her mom has duh cancer. And I could cure it, I show her I can cure it, and than just... don't. The opportunity of a lifetime in her grasp, and let it just skip away, poof, gone.

Sarah: Damn, that is pretty cruel.

Me: Yeah well, she deserves it. You don't have to do anything blatantly illegal to be evil. In fact evil is actually really hard to criminalize. What we end up doing is criminalizing the responses TOO evil than wonder why everything is fucked.

Sarah: I could see you doing the "bang" Hiro thing to me in an argument, healing me, than I don't have my disabilities anymore lol.

Me: Actually I wouldn't heal your disabilities.

Sarah: The fuck? Why not?!

Me: They made you who you are. The person I fell in love with. Maybe I'm being selfish here. But the hurt you've experienced through life made you... just perfect. My job is to make sure you don't hurt again. Not erase the past.

Me: Nigga are you crying lol

Sarah: YES I'M CRYING that's beautiful Me: Tank-U

Sarah: Stop ruining it by being sarcastic lol

Me: It's an instinct, sorry.

Sarah: No no, it's why you are the way you are too. Hurting all the time, and nobody gives a fuck. I feel like a burden, you feel like everyone else is a burden.

Me: Sarah there is not a single thing about you that's a burden shutup. I don't let other people talk that way about you, I won't let you do it to yourself either.

Sarah: See that's real love right there. You care so much about people and they just abandon you like a dog. And you try and you try and you try, and they just...

Me: I feel like there's a little bit of projection here lol

Sarah: YA THINK?! LOL

Me: Hon, you're not a burden. Like at all. What's the point of anything if you're not around? I'd say I'd kill myself if ya weren't but we know that I don't have the guts to do. I'd make it everybody else's problem. Don't leave me...

Sarah: And I don't have it in me to just hurt others to make myself feel better. I'd make it my problem carrying that weight if not just outright killing myself, stress myself to an early grave. Don't leave me either.

Axel: You guys know I was here the entire time right?

Me: Honestly I forgot lol

Sarah: Why didn't you say anything?!

Axel: Why didn't YOU take this shit to DMs?

Me: Ohhhh it's not like it was anything bad.

Axel: I swear, you two would fuck in the middle of traffic

Sarah: That'd be based but I'd be too embarrassed lol

Me: It would be based, but at the same time some coomers would enjoy it and ruin it lol

Axel: DON'T EVEN DENY IT JESUS CHRIST

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

MICKEYYYYYYYY have i mentioned that i love u. that i would die for u. prince!gojo is so real actually bc i too would burn the world down if u asked <333

BUT HONESTLY u r so unbelievably sweet and kind and it means so much that u liked this fic 🥺🥺🥺 and that u took the time to write these notes!!!! they made me smile so wide u have no idea!!!!! im just abt to go on a lil christmas trip so im gonna be reading em over and over again while im travelling <333

AND U GET ITTTTT im so!!!! so happy bc u really do get their dynamic so well im??? the whole thing abt prince!gojo being spoiled and getting all he wants, but what he wants most of all is for reader to have a good life!!! yes!!!! exactly!!! i wanted to make some of their feelings for each other more subtle but the key part to understanding my prince!gojo is that everything he does is w reader in mind… i dont think he cares at all abt becoming king but he studies for it and works hard bc he knows he can protect u better as a king :< 

(i only kinda hinted at this but that One incident w the castle maid is supposed to be like. life-altering for him…. bc its the first time he feels genuine anger and sees genuine injustice first hand and its directed at his best friend of all people??? in my brain its also the first and only time he sees knight!reader cry and i think hes lowkey traumatized so hes just constantly worried that someone will eventually hurt them and that he’ll have to watch them cry again psbdjdjf I LOVE HIMMMMMM T_T)

OHH IM SO GLAD U LIKE THE LIL KNIGHT AGENDA…. i giggled and kicked my feet writing it. hes just so..... in my head he hates when u call him ”prince” or any royal title bc it feels so impersonal and detached meanwhile hes out here calling u ”little knight” excessively bc he thinks its cute LOL.. its a petname to him <333

and the throat cutting motion….. yeah. one thing i wanted to capture w their dynamic is that prince!gojo is a lil insane and would 100% kill someone for reader meanwhile theyre like haha as a joke right? and gojo just goes. 😙 and doesnt reply PSBDJDJ its Not a joke

and mickey the intimacy…… u get it so well. the entire river scene was basically just me going hmmm how can i make the air between them as silently intimate as possible 🤔🤔…. but u just Get it <33 the hand kiss the smiling!! hearing each others heartbeat…. they make me ILL

aaaaa im sorry this got long as u can tell they make me insane. thank u for bringing them into my life <33 i know ive said this like five times atp but u rly have changed the trajectory of my life im even LESS normal abt gojo than i was before….

i just!!! rly want u to know how much it means to me!! how sweet u r!!!! i am sending u so many hugs rn u dont even KNOW. i hope u have the loveliest day and eat the tastiest food and then have the comfiest sleep anyone has had ever <333 i am telepathically transferring all my happiness to u <333333 i love uuuuu!!

how deep is your devotion? ; satoru gojo

synopsis; you’re his knight, and he’s your prince. if only it were that simple.

word count; 6.6k

contents; satoru gojo/reader, gn!reader, royalty au (..but no effort put into making it historically accurate in any way oops), knight!reader x prince!toru!!, childhood friends, mutual pining, fluffy overall, some hurt/comfort too, vague allusions to abuse (reader is punished by one of the castle maids as a child but it’s only rly hinted at), knight!reader is horrendously devoted but prince!gojo is arguably worse, he would burn the world down if u asked nicely <3

a/n; big big BIG thank u to @softgirlgonehaywire for having the biggest brain in the world and infecting me w this concept <33 if u pay attention while reading u can tell the exact moment i started slowly spiraling into insanity

you are five years old when you meet the prince.

five years old, a mere child, and too young to be blinded by such brilliance. too young to be where you are; curled up in a dark alley, back against a grimy brick wall, covered in bruises. like a beaten dog — scrawny and afraid. waiting for a strike that never comes.

the boy in front of you is also five years old, but you don’t know that. something in him looks older, somehow, something in the way he carries himself. like he doesn’t have anything to be afraid of. like he’s never even felt fear. he parts his lips and speaks like he has the right to, like he’s comfortable in his own skin, a radiance so blinding you could mistake him for the sun. too much for you to bear.

”does it hurt?”

the words fall on deaf ears. but you flinch, your body reacts, a tremble down your tiny spine. you hear the sound but not the words. too mesmerized, too paralyzed, unable to look away from the blue of his eyes, painted with rich watercolour hues. seeping into the world around you like ink on paper, cobalt and aquamarine and something else, something you’ve never seen before —

a blue so jarring it makes you shiver.

the boy has an innocent face. almost girlish, plump cheeks and long lashes, clean clothes and smooth skin. a little too pretty to be out here, you think, in this part of town — too pure to be anywhere near someone like you. he’s above you, that much you can tell. a pretty, innocent face, untouched by dirt or ache; the face of royalty. an entirely different species.

there’s something keen in his eyes, a contrast to his childlike features. a sharp gaze, something that sees through you, something that won’t look away. something mildly frightening. enough to have you cowering in fear, hugging your knees closer to your chest.

but then he smiles. and it’s sincere. sweet, vibrant, all honey and milk and a world you cannot reach.

a smile so captivating you take his outstretched hand, and let him drag you away to god-knows-where.

(that's how it begins. the dynamic that’ll follow you into your adult lives; satoru takes the lead, and you follow. no matter where he’s going.)

satoru gojo, as you soon come to learn, is the prince of the nation you reside in. the only child of the royal family, born with talent and prestige, fame and fortune, set to become king. a different species, indeed.

but he brings you home with him, to a castle so grand you feel as if your very presence is an insult to the architects who designed it, and convinces his parents to let you stay. it’s surprising, but you don’t protest; following him like a puppy at his trail. and he’s stubborn, insistent, demanding that he get to keep said puppy. 

the king and queen don’t care one way or another. they glance at you with apathy, and tell satoru to do what he wants — but convincing the scary and displeased castle maids takes some work. 

satoru doesn’t waver, though. he holds your hand in his, and demands that you be treated with respect.

and he wins. he always wins.

that’s how you become the prince’s playmate. raised alongside him, allowed to stay close, eat from the same food. he won’t settle for anything less. defending your honour, always, before you even know what honour means. before you care.

time passes slowly. joyously. every day is a new adventure, as you attempt to get used to the miracle that is your new life — sweet and silky, apricot blossoms and fresh peaches, duvet pillows and a bubbly laughter you didn’t know you still had. he coaxes it out of you, with every secret midnight outing, every bout of mischief he drags you both into. 

satoru has nice hands, uncalloused palms, fingers that grasp yours and don’t let go. he takes you outside, to see the stars, to catch fireflies in the dark of night on top of the hill that oversees the castle. to take a dip in the river just below it, gleaming a silver hue under the blue shade of the moon. you worry about getting in trouble, but he reassures you — the prince can do what he wants.

that might be true, but you are no prince. not even close. satoru may safeguard you, but all you’ll ever be in the eyes of the world is a stray he got to keep.

and one time, only one time, you do face the repercussions of your midnight outings. you, and you alone. a bad influence — seething words, buzzing in your ears. an angry castle maid, and a stinging pain in your cheek. blurry tears. 

but that’s an incident no one in the castle dares to speak of.

(you’ll never forget that look in his eyes.)

satoru is an odd boy. he keeps you close, always, clinging to you like he needs you to breathe. you don’t understand why, but you’ve learned not to question him. the castle guards all know you as the prince’s best friend, and some part of you knows that’s all you’ll ever amount to. but you don’t mind.

because you love him. at five years old, six years old, seven and beyond, you love him. satoru gojo, the kindest boy in the stratosphere. 

a boy who keeps finding you, no matter where you are, who tugs you along as naturally as the rise of the sun. who raids kitchen cabinets with you and always makes you laugh, little giggles and chuckles that have him beaming proudly. a boy who cleans your wounds with a serious expression, and tells you that he’ll protect you forever. 

(you tell yourself the same. that you’ll protect him forever and ever, until you run out of air to breathe. a boy so sweet you’d die for him.)

a pledge is made. you make it before you know what a pledge is. pledging to protect him, to become his sword, because even as a child you understand that his life will be difficult. you see it in the dullness that sometimes comes over his eyes, the apathy of his so-called parents, the hours he spends locked up with nothing but a pile of dusty books to keep him company. 

so you decide to become his knight. his, and his alone. 

it’s challenging. but you push through; training with another aspiring knight, miles better than you, black hair tousled by the breeze as he knocks you off your feet for the thirtieth consecutive time. wincing as the girl who sometimes watches your sparring patches you up, soft hands cleaning your wounds so tenderly that you almost choke up.

and eventually, as the apricot blossoms of the castle orchard wilt and bloom over and over in a flurry of pure white, your dream comes true. 

there’s something playful in satoru’s eyes, when he places his blade on the curve of your shoulder. something sweet and fond, and just a little bit ironic — as if you’re still seven years old, and playing house. 

you want to tell him that it isn’t a joke. that you’re serious, about this, that you’d tear your stomach open to keep him safe. but you know he’d just laugh. so you let the words clog up your throat, honey-sweet devotion sticking to the walls of your esophagus. breathing in through your nose, as he speaks. as the words you’ve waited to hear flow from his glossy lips.

when all is said and done, satoru smiles. he calls you his little knight, and you can tell that he’s teasing you. indulging you, as if he’s in on some joke that you aren’t. but you’ll take what you can get.

you call him my prince, expecting him to laugh it off, but his smile begins to fall. and a pang of ache rushes through your soul, instantaneous, guilty, although you don’t understand why.

so you keep calling him satoru. even though it’s more than a little unprofessional, and you become painfully accustomed to receiving a few judgemental looks here and there. a knight and a prince shouldn’t be so very close, they think, and you don’t disagree. but there’s nothing they can do about it, anyhow.

the prince and his knight can do what they want.

not much changes. you’re his knight, but he treats you the same as before. he’s playful, a little goofy, and you indulge him. as always. attached at the hip, bickering and bantering, bouncing off each other effortlessly. and satoru never bothers to hide your history, the soft spot he has for you; it’s in every fleeting glance, soft tilt of his head, teasing call of ah, there’s my favorite knight. 

(you’re no stranger to jealous looks. sometimes a pout on the lips of a pretty girl, a crease between the brows of one of your fellow knights. and sometimes a glare, from his fiancée — a woman he was engaged to before he was old enough to speak.

but you don’t mind. you’ve never cared what anyone but satoru thinks of you.)

satoru never loses his smile, that effortless air of confidence. the charm that makes people want to follow him, a charisma you know well. one you fell victim to at five years of age. he’s still just a prince, far from being a king, but he receives the same respect.

and that keen, sharp glimmer in his eyes never quite goes away; the hardened shell around his heart unbroken. you see it in fleeting glances, during meetings, ones he allows you to attend despite your status. when he speaks to a room of people with more power than you can imagine, his voice unwavering. back straight. elegant, serious, the presence of royalty — enough to receive respect without even trying. 

but he still shoots you a smile, easygoing, when your eyes meet. one only you can see.

as for you, the step into knighthood is a clumsy one. but you take your duties seriously, and adjust properly. a deep devotion runs through your veins, from your beating heart down to the tips of your fingers, where a sword lies clutched. you keep it close, always, ready to serve. to obey. to protect. 

all of it for one person.

all you do is for him. duels in his honour, beasts slain for his peace of mind, and he’s always there to welcome you back. wiping the blood from your cheek, tenderly, smearing his untainted skin with red; all while he looks at you softly, a coo or word of praise waltzing on the tip of his tongue. 

that’s only for when you remain unscathed, though, when the blood on your cheek isn’t your own. when you get hurt, it’s different — something begins to brew inside his eyes, and you can’t tell what it is. but he insists on bandaging you himself, paying no mind to your meek protests.

sometimes, you’re more reckless than usual. your injuries worse. sometimes he looks upset, angry with you, and doesn’t speak. you don’t, either.

a strange look crosses over his eyes, every now and then. when you get down on one knee, to kiss his hand, the metal of the ring on his finger — and if you look up, you’ll see it. simmering inside those blue depths, something just as fond as it is sad. troubled, you think.

(something tells you he’d kneel, too, if only you’d let him.)

the bond between you remains intact. even as you begin to shoulder more responsibilities, more duties, even though you don’t have as much freedom as you used to. even though you seem to get less time to spend with each other every single day. but you stay together, even so; just like when you were children, running around and causing trouble, more than you could get away with now. 

despite everything, satoru has grown up into a fine man. and you couldn't be prouder.

“do you think i look good in black? be honest.”

you throw him a glance. curious, somewhat perplexed, eyeing him up and down.

satoru is wearing a white blouse, puffy sleeves and a low neckline, showing off the skin of his bare chest. no black colours to be seen. you think back to that banquet he attended last month, forced into an expensively tailored black coat. a corset around his waist. and then you hum.

“sure you do.”

”suguru said it makes me look like a try-hard,” he scoffs, crossing his arms. tilting his head in your direction. ”do you think he’s jealous?”

”definitely.”

a moment passes. 

satoru narrow his eyes, and gives you a dubious look. clicking his tongue. ”… something tells me you aren’t taking this seriously.”

”i am,” you assure him, a lazy smile at your lips. meeting his gaze, that displeased little pout. still smoothing a brush down the mane of your horse, the smell of hay soothing your muddled senses. ”just tired. you look good in anything. you know that.”

he hums. silent, the sound of a spring breeze filling in the gaps.

it’s late. outside the stables, the world is engulfed by a dark sky, almost too murky to see anything. hazy stars glimmer in the distance, and a sense of fatigue gnaws at your bones. it’s been a long day, and yet you’re here — doing even more work. just a little more.

and satoru’s right there with you. even though he’s just sitting there, on the floor, not lifting a finger to help. not that he has to. insistent on spending some quality time with you, keeping you company. just talking and munching on the food he snuck in, bread and cheese and an expensive bottle of wine, that he leaves completely untouched. he tries to leave some of everything else for you, though. keyword being tries.

a sense of peace simmers in the air. palpable, almost enough to taste, as midnight air streams in from the opened doors, chilly and pleasant on your skin. ruffling the thin fabric of your clothing.

and it’s nice, you think, just to have satoru there — talking about this and that, complaining about all the annoying people he had to meet yesterday, yawning every now and then. nostalgic. like this, it almost feels like you're still kids. back when you spent every single hour of the day by each other’s side.

it’s been a long time since you got the chance to speak like this. satoru’s been busy, and so have you. more so than usual.

”are they running you ragged?” he suddenly asks, and you don’t realize you’ve spent the last minute staring into space. resuming your brushing, with steady hands, but turning your head to meet his gaze.

”need me to…” he makes a slicing motion with his hand, right over his throat. a glint of mischief in his eyes. ”handle it?”

and you scoff. amused, but answering him seriously; unsure if his question is all-together humorous, if it doesn’t carry a hint of something genuine too. ”of course not.”

there’s a weariness in the way you blink. the way you pet the animal in front of you, having finished getting the dirt and blood clots out of her mane. she lays down in her stall, and you smile. turning around to rest your back against the wooden border between you, a respite for your aching bones.

it gets just a little bit tiring, sometimes. fighting, patrolling, helping townsfolk. protecting the castle, making sure everything is in order. killing whatever needs to be killed. cleaning the stained silver of your sword.

but…

”it’s my duty,” you answer, seriously, and it comes out sounding like a vow. because it is. 

you avoid his gaze, but you can feel it, as you pick up the wine bottle by your feet and pop the cork. soft moonlight flits in from the windows, illuminating the green glass. a chartreuse glow that reminds you of fireflies, shimmering in your grasp, and for some reason it soothes your heart.

satoru only hums, far from approving. popping a piece of cheese into his mouth. 

after a brief pause, he continues. ”you don’t have to be so serious all the time, you know.” his voice comes out a little raspy. it’s got a certain tilt to it, one that means he wants you to take him seriously. ”not around me.”

you take a sip of the wine. expensive, blood red. it’s too sweet for your taste, heavy on your tongue.

”… i’m less serious with you than i am with others.”

satoru sits up a little straighter.

”yeah?” he grins, a kind of satisfaction blooming in his eyes. cerulean and sweet. almost smug, you think, like the cat that got the cream. ”that’s good. you really should loosen up, though.”

a glance. fleeting, just to see him — but he isn’t looking at you. he’s looking outside, through the opened window, at the sway of the apricot trees. white petals flitting in, landing by his feet. in his hair.

when his eyes meet yours, they’re smoothed over by that something you can never put your finger on. a blend between longing and fondness. crinkled at the edges.

”you’ve got a pretty smile,” he exhales. ”be a shame not to show it off.”

when you look at him, really look at him, you see it. that fatigue. it slips out when he talks to you, a sincere way of speaking that never quite allows him to hide his emotions. you hear the hint of a yawn, can practically feel the weight on his shoulders. the weight of an entire nation. a weight he was always bound to carry.

(you could never bring yourself to be even remotely alright with it.)

“have you been doing okay?” you ask, and satoru blinks. there’s a soft look in your eyes, as they trail over the contours of his face, his lashes catching the light of the stars. an innocent, pretty face. but he looks tired. frail. like he hasn’t been sleeping properly.

something rotten bubbles up inside your throat.

”they’re running you ragged, too,” you say, hand settling on your hip. where your sword usually is. unconsciously, on instinct — or maybe just to make him laugh. ”need me to step in?”

satoru chuckles. husky, mellow. dripping with soft amusement.

”settle down, little knight.”

a moment passes. silent. his eyes flutter shut, for a second, and a breath slips from his lips. almost a sigh. in the distance, you hear the quiet coo of an owl. 

”of course,” he eventually answers, opening his eyes. and you think he looks a little resigned. but smiling. self-deprecating, you think, although he’d like you to assume otherwise. ”all of it is just preparation, anyhow.” 

a flimsy smile, as he looks into your knowing eyes. ”it’s what i was born for, wasn’t it?”

you purse your lips.

“… i don’t think so.”

another chuckle. a little delighted, this time. 

“yeah,” he cranes his neck, emitting a low groan. “me neither.” something sweet blossoms in his eyes, sweet like the crunch of the apple he bites into, juice dribbling down his chin. ”but it is what it is.”

a beat. you part your lips, trying to find the right words. ”tell me if there's anything i can do,” you settle on. the same words you always choose. ”anything at all.”

satoru smiles. “right.” his voice carries a teasing tilt; almost a purr. ”there’s nothing you wouldn't do for me, hm?” 

“— there isn’t.” you smile. “nothing at all.”

he blinks. a little dazed, for a second, and you watch as his ears redden. slight, enough for you to notice, but gone before you can bring it up. a contemplation smooths over his features. and a pleasant breeze flits in, ruffling his hair, apricot petals kissing up his skin. he looks at the apple in his hands.

then he sighs. placing his palms on his knees, and rising to his feet. his arms twitch, muscular beneath the flimsy blouse, and you gulp. although you aren’t sure why.

“alright, then.” his eyes flicker in the dim light, sharp and decisive. he crosses over to you with long strides. “there is something you can do.”

when he’s close enough, satoru reaches out his hand; opening his palm. a silent beckoning. you look at him, not saying a word. his expression is unreadable. 

then you intertwine your fingers with his. unquestioningly, even in the midst of your confusion.

(it reminds you of that day. when he pulled you up to your feet, held your hand in his and refused to let go. leading you to the promise of something better.)

no matter where he goes, you follow.

and satoru grins. it’s sweet, just like back then, a smile so vibrant you wish you could tuck it into your sleeve and keep it there forever. he curls his fingers around yours, gentle, fondness bubbling up inside his eyes. for a second, you think you see the sun.

“come with me.”

at first, you truly aren’t sure where he’s going to take you. hand in hand, you begin to walk, feeling the midnight breeze nip at your skin. beyond the castle walls, away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby town. satoru holds your hand and smiles, tousled tufts of white hair swaying with the wind, leading you to a place you know well. a place where the air tastes like freedom.

it’s the river you used to play by as children.

gleaming a solemn silver under the evanescent moon, framed by bushes of lilacs, blooming indigo and violet and pure white. butterflies flutter about, almost glittering, blue wings settling down on the leaves. the scent of nectar hangs heavy in the air, and you breathe it in. on top of the hill just above you, you think you can spot tiny little glowing dots; green and yellow, buzzing around. dancing merrily, now that there aren’t any troublemaker children left to trap them.

satoru lets go of your hand, to roll up his sleeves. the hems of his pants. then he’s taking a step forward, dangerously close to the edge of the river, and you can tell what he’s thinking.

“ah — wait —“ you stumble forward, to grab hold of his arm. a worried crease forms between your brows. “that's dangerous, satoru. you could slip and fall.”

he turns to face you, a teasing mirth in his eyes. smirking lightly. “oh? is that so?” he hums, a slight tilt of his head. then he’s stepping closer, so close you feel his warm breath on your skin, but you will yourself not to step back. “wanna know what i think?”

he leans forward, just a little further, warm air brushing against the shell of your ear. flushing beneath it. his voice comes out low, a sleepy lilt, dangerously raspy. hand ghosting over your waist.

”i think you’re too scared to get in.”

you blink.

”… really?” you deadpan, stepping back a tad. satoru looks pleased with himself. awfully amused.

“really,” he purrs. “you were always like that. could barely dip your toes in without shivering.” he reaches out to pinch your cheek, a coo on the tip of his tongue. ”scaredy-cat.”

you raise your brow. unimpressed.

satoru steps back. inching closer to the river, until a quiet splash tells you that he’s standing in the water. lapping up his bare legs, not enough to even reach his knees — it felt a lot scarier when you were smaller. he’s still holding your hand, very loosely, fingertips ghosting your own. 

“c’mon,” he coaxes. soft, encouraging, a playful glimmer in his eyes. teeth catching the light of the moon. “or is it too much for my brave knight to handle?”

satoru laughs, when you furrow your brows, attempting to hide the flush of your cheeks. a warmth spreads through your chest at the term of endearment, and you bite your lip. melting a little. 

his knight. his favourite knight.

“.. fine,” you tangle your fingers in his own. sighing deeply, taking a tentative step forward. “just be careful, okay? i don't want to deal with your whining if you hit your head.”

“ah, but you’d kiss it better, no? if i asked?” he flashes you a honeyed grin, eyes rich with amusement. you hope the darkness of the night is enough to hide the red of your ears.

a grumble buzzes in your throat, locked behind your pursed lips. something in your jaw goes tight.

the man in front of you softens. parting his glossy lips. he says your name; slowly, thoughtfully, as if savouring every syllable. dragging them out, speaking with a lilt that tells you he’s being sincere. “— loosen up. it’s just you and me.”

so you do.

and it’s odd. how easy it is to get lost in him, the watercolour of his eyes, the brightness of his grin. how pliantly you let him whisk you away. before you know it, you’re playing in the water — because satoru splashed you, laughing at the shock on your face and the shiver of your spine, and you had no choice but to retaliate. 

the sound of his laughter fills the air, sweet and bubbly. deep and giddy. strands of hair stick to his wet skin, droplets running down his neck, but his grin never falters. bright and toothy, boyish. he looks younger than you ever remember him being. like there’s no weight on his shoulders, none at all, only soaked fabric weighing him down. a flimsy, see-through blouse.

you think it’s ridiculous. two grown adults, splashing each other like children. but his melodic giggles are contagious, and before you know it, you’re laughing too — and satoru looks at you like you hung all the stars in the sky. through dewy eyelashes, with cerulean eyes that melt into the pale blue of the moon and the silver of the river. filled with wonder.

a particularly ruthless splash knocks him off balance, and he has the instinct to reach for your arm; stumbling, slipping, dragging you down with him. you land on his chest, cheek against his neck, his pulse against your skin. erratic, joyous. fluttering happily.

his chest is heaving. lifting you up and down, a little, rhythmic and comforting. 

a sudden yelp slips past your lips, as you get snapped back into reality, into the realization that you basically just pushed your own prince into a river and used his unfairly soft chest as a cushion. a mumbled string of apologies escapes you, as you attempt to get up, scrambling to find footing.

but satoru wraps his arms around you. tucking you under his chin, keeping you flush against his chest. nice and still. 

and then he sighs. a blissful little breath, fatigue seeping out of him. into the air. 

“stay like this, for a bit,” he rasps. ”it’s okay.”

his heartbeat resounds in your ear. warm and rapid, like claps of thunder, coaxing you into closing your eyes. satoru has always felt so very safe. the water of the river is cold, seeping through the fabric of your clothing and sticking to your skin, but…

(he’s warm.)

silence. and then, a whisper; frail, slipping past his lips, gently slicing the silence in half. softer than you've ever heard him speak.

“i missed this.”

…

nuzzling into his neck, you breathe him in. he smells like sandalwood and dried roses, buzzing with warmth, heavy arms around your waist. solid. when did he get so big? you used to be taller. 

then again — that was a long time ago, wasn’t it?

“… me too.”

“missed you,” he continues, his jaw on top of your head. it’s a sincere confession; childlike in its innocence. “missed hearing you laugh like that. feels like it’s been so long.” 

you stay silent. unsure of what to say. satoru continues, and you let his husky voice carry you away, the tremor of his chest running through your entire body. soothing like a lullaby. 

”we haven't had much time together, lately. i’ve been worried,” he admits, and something about it strikes you as rather sheepish. a little ashamed. ”it bothers me that i can't be there to watch over you. make sure you're treated with respect, you know.”

a sleepy chuckle. muffled into his shoulder, almost a scoff — slightly exasperated. little droplets cling to his skin, sticking to your lips.

”relax, your majesty,” you tease. ”i promise the other knights aren’t bullying me.” 

satoru pouts. you can hear it, when he speaks. ”i’m serious,” he huffs, squeezing you lightly. ”and it’s not them i’m worried about. suguru’s there.”

another scoff threatens to escape your throat. you want to tell him the only knight that should be suspected of bullying you is suguru himself, but before you can even think to part your lips satoru’s beaten you to it.

”they all treat you so carelessly.” there’s something cold to his voice, an irritation tugging at his teeth. oddly seething. ”like you exist to serve them. like you’re disposable.” 

a moment passes, heavy with a silence so thick you don’t dare break it. when he speaks again, it’s an order. a demand. 

”i want you to tell me if they go too far.”

silence. again. you can do nothing but gnaw at the flesh of your bottom lip. 

(he isn’t wrong. but that’s simply what it means to be a knight — half-human, half-weapon. an unattainable ideal, stuffed inside a suit of armor.

when a weapon breaks under the force of a slash, the only choice is to throw it away. that much you know.)

”it’s fine. i’m not that fragile,” you weakly protest, but it’s not enough. satoru huffs.

”you’re a human being,” he reminds you. strangely stern, for once. chastising. ”you deserve to be treated with respect. knight or not. fragile or not.”

a deep inhale. he breathes in, and the rise of his chest carries you with it. his voice buzzes with something, a slumbering kind of fury. one you haven’t heard in years. 

“if anyone gives you trouble — if anyone hurts you… if anyone makes you feel unsafe,” he almost spits the words, like they’re venomous, sacrilegious. ”tell me. i’ll destroy them.”

silence. and then, a chuckle.

that’s all you can manage; that one meek little breath. resisting the urge to cower, at the love that clings to every word he speaks. angered affection. a promise, dangerously genuine, like a growing wildfire.

”i can take care of myself,” you remind him. hoping it’ll soothe him. ”you know that.”

but his grip around you only tightens. gentle, even still. as if you’re made of glass, a firefly cupped in his palms. he lets the silence linger, for a moment.

and then; 

“i’d do it, you know.”

a questioning hum. “do what?” you ask, though some part of you already knows. 

satoru’s reply is instantaneous. an arrow hitting its target, cold and concise, decisive. frighteningly honest. almost a growl, flattened, a hint of teeth behind his soft lips. ”destroy them. anyone.”

”i’d tear this nation apart if you asked me to.”

…

(ah. that look in his eyes — one you remember well. strung together with blurred memories, the sting of a palm on your cheek, a castle maid you never saw again.)

you search for the words. biting back a gulp, hesitant. “… i wouldn’t.”

“i know.” satoru yawns, breathing you in, voice shifting back into the softness you’re so used to. your shoulders relax. “but i would. if that’s what you wanted.”

and it’s a little scary, the depths of his devotion. but you’re almost certain you’d do the same for him. maybe you're both a little sick in the head, a little too eager to serve your hearts on a silver platter.

“it bothers me, you know.” satoru breaks you out of your thoughts. gentle, a soft lull of his tongue. ”when you get hurt. when you fight for me.”

“i know,” you murmur. you’ve seen it in his eyes, a worry he’s not as good at hiding as he thinks. ”i want to, though.”

“and i want you to be safe.” a chuckle bubbles up in his throat, just a little bit rueful. “you never listen, do you? so stubborn, i swear. always worrying me.”

you bite down on your lip. he sounds… a little sad.

“… sorry.”

after a moment’s pause, he shakes his head. cradling you close. “it’s fine. i’m here. always,” his palm runs down the small of your back. ”in case anything happens.”

he inhales. ”and when i become king —” a beat. he swallows thickly. ”you’ll never have to worry again. no one will be able to touch you.”

”satoru,” you crack a small smile. amused. raising a single eyebrow. ”i’m not worried. i can protect myself.”

”i know. but i’m saying you don’t have to.”

and then he’s pulling back. just a little bit, just enough to see you. cheek smushed against his chest, comfortable and soft, more unguarded than he’s seen you these past few months. it’s enough to get his heart racing.

enough to have him reaching out, fingertips ghosting over your hand, tangling your fingers together. bringing it to his glossy lips. a chaste kiss, brimming with unspoken murmurs of love.

”— i’ll protect you forever,” he vows. ”remember?”

there’s devotion in his eyes. heavy, a vow he’ll never quite be able to voice in full. something that makes the blue of his eyes glow even brighter, cerulean, aquamarine, a blue so jarring it makes your heart beat faster than it should.

you blink. starstruck, caught in a daze, lost within that sea of blue. distracted by his warm breath on your cold skin, the soft whisper voiced against your knuckle. something shy blossoms in your chest, enough to have you averting your gaze. 

“... you really don’t care about the dynamic here, do you?” is all you can reply. a meek scoff, a weak attempt at hiding how flustered you are. “i’m the knight. i’m your protector.”

“oh, i know.” a smile sticks to his lips, playful, the back of his hand caressing your cheek. a coo on his tongue. “my little hero. what would i ever do without you?”

a roll of your eyes. satoru chuckles. in the distance, you hear crickets chirping, a breeze rustling the lilac bushes all around you. he’s still cradling your cheek, smoothing over your wet skin, brushing a drop of water away with his thumb. clinging to your bottom eyelash.

“i don't get it, though.”

you blink. when you meet his eyes, satoru looks a little perplexed. muttering under his breath, absently rubbing circles over your cheekbone. you resist the urge to close your eyes again, biting back a blissful sigh.

”a prince shouldn’t care for his knight…” he repeats, like he’s heard the string of words a million times before. ”the idea of that. i don’t understand it. never have.”

the smile that blossoms on his lips is soft, indescribably so, as if he’s looking at the most precious thing in his life. rich and warm, like wine in your veins, nectar on your tongue, a chest pressed against your own. dripping with fondness.

satoru tilts his head, as if in confusion — but he’s smiling. “what’s so strange about wanting to protect the one dearest to my heart?” 

…

his hand slips from your skin, a warmth leaving your cheek. only to search for your hand, again, cradling it in his larger palm. placing it right over his chest, against the soaked material of his blouse. ”feel that?”

you do. a rhythmic rise and fall, a soft flutter from the depths of his ribcage. as if it’s itching to break out, out of the cage that binds it, the hardened shell around it. a heart too big for his body.

”it’s you,” satoru whispers. ”all for you.”

a moment passes.

silently, you lean forward; tucking yourself into his neck. into that comforting warmth, wet skin beginning to dry, the steady thrum of his heart right by your ear. you listen. not saying a word, afraid of what might leave the confines of your strangled throat. it feels as if your heart has begun to crawl upwards, sweet honey blocking your airways, and all you can do it feel it pulse. 

all while satoru gazes at you, fondly. placing a big palm on the back of your head.

fireflies dance in the distance. butterflies flutter about. strings of lilacs bloom under the glow of the moon. and satoru’s heartbeat never changes, never falls out of tune, a sound you would recognize even if the sky were to shatter, if the world were to end. the sound that saved you, the boy who dragged you out of hell. into his light. 

satoru gojo is everything. he’s the beat of your heart, the silver of your sword, the reason you believe in goodness. he’s your prince, your favorite person, and you’ll protect him until your very last breath. until the world runs out of oxygen.

a boy so sweet you’d die for him.

(a boy so sweet he wouldn’t want you to.)

a shiver runs down his spine — sudden, a shudder of his bones, and a quiet little sniffle. you feel it, hear it, and don’t attempt to bite back the fond smile that slips into the curve of your lips.

”c’mon,” you beckon, almost a coo, placing your palms on his chest to hoist yourself up. ”let’s go home.”

but satoru shakes his head. and then he traps you again, strong arms around your waist, pressing you against him. you could escape — you’re almost certain you’re stronger — but you don’t quite have the heart to. ”it’s fine,” he huffs. almost a whine. ”stay.”

”you’ll get sick.”

”i never get sick.”

a deep exhale. tumbling from your lips, just a little bit humorous. mostly exasperated. ”that can change,” you mumble, fingertips dancing along his exposed skin. absentmindedly.

a smile. one you can’t see, but you hear it clear as day. he sounds content, like he’s got everything he needs right in front of him. ”some things never change,” he informs you. pleased. ”just look at us.”

and he’s right. so you don’t say anything else. 

but your heartbeat quickens, only for a beat or two, and you’re almost certain he feels it. if he does, he opts not to tease you for once, and you’re grateful. and so the silence lingers. as if time has begun to freeze, into an eternal dusk, a string of silent seconds. broken only by low melodic chirping from the faraway fields, his soft breaths in your ear. 

until satoru suddenly chuckles.

“hey,” he hums, shifting a little, the river swaying around you. pulling back to meet your gaze, eyes crinkled and voice raspy. “wanna know a secret?”

you raise your head. a dubious look on your face, one that has him breathing out an amused puff of air, like you’re getting ready to hear a bad joke. “... what is it?”

before the words have fully left your throat, he’s resting his forehead against yours — breath fanning over your lips. a pleasant shiver trails down your spine, at the close proximity, goosebumps spreading across your chilled skin. only exacerbated by the whisper that follows, so quiet you almost don’t know if you heard him correctly. childlike in its sincerity. a sunlaced smile woven in between the vowels.

“i think i was born to meet you.”

(a sentiment so sweet you barely even feel the warmth of his lips meeting yours.)

[tero-ga]

Alright, as promised i'm going to giving details about my Barok and Albert SwapAU!! If you want to add more to this, you're absolutely allowed to!! I'm not going to lie that i really want to see of what you guys say and create djhdjd-

✨Their personality✨ (plus tiny things about the story-)

Okay i'm keeping this one brief since you're probably know how this works, their original characteristics are completely switched as well their occupation, demeanor, status and personal beliefs. As for the story in general, there's nothing really change other than just switching roles so that means original Barok's backstory are also applies to Swap!Albert too, just to keep it safe and not ruined much of anything of already good story lol (spoilers for this bit: so this implied that Albert has a sibling in this, and i know exactly who's going to play the role for this just you wait-). There is something that i think is nice to keep the same habit in this AU for example Swap!Albert still have nervous tic of bitting his nail but just on very, very rare occasion and Swap!Barok still have overly dramatic movements like his damage sprite, ect.

For their times in university, you can interpret it for yourself of how they met together like we are have our own interpretation of how the original met together. But as their personality, for this i thought it would be great if they have same behavior as the original. Swap!Albert is cheery and friendly and Swap!Barok is quiet and often keeping his manners in front of people but once he hangout with Albert, he began to getting comfortable and start to act like a goofball later on. I still don't know if this is a good idea but honestly if it's sounds cute, i'm gonna stick with it-

I think that's pretty much it for this section so let's go to the next thing-

✨The Facts and the Funsiesssss✨

or whatever this is idk what to call this section-

this is me just spewing bunch of stuff that i've been thinking while designing them so here it is-

there's something in me that wanting to change their name but i'm really not going to since i'm so bad at it- but if you want to hear it here's the name that i spend researching for puns way longer than i should, the name i've come up with is Albert Monstein & Barok Wattson. If it's sound bad, i don't blame you so that's why i'm just keeping it the same-

Albert changed his diet to vegetarian back when he was younger, he would be always gets sick after trying eating meat and later on he would begin to absolutely despises it.

Barok would have the most villainess laughter ever that some people actually scared of him, even though this is how he normally laughs.

I for no reason have a weird headcanon that original Barok is farsighted without he ever realized it so that's why i added glasses to Swap!Barok, his vision aren't that major and he'll be alright without glasses but he mostly wears it so he wouldn't get headaches too often.

The reason of why Albert have hood are just to keeping himself low profile in public. Whether it is stay away from media outlets or gets low chances from getting attack and killed.

Albert does have a curly and quite lengthy hair, but he did cut his hair and used hair product to straighten it to make himself look professional.

I've mentioned that Albert does have a habit of bitting his nail, he frequently did it like the original back he was in university. But eventually he learned to stop doing it, and i absolutely have a concept art in my mind of him does bite his nail again heheheh.

Here's their opinion of Herlock Sholmes, or anyone who takes the role as herlock sholmes- : Albert does actually loved reading the herlock sholmes series in his free time, he just only have enough of their bullshit and find their presence irritating. Meanwhile, Barok is absolutely a fan and would idolize them badly but he pretending and act he see them as a rival, archenemy. But he would still asking for their autograph though.

Andd I think this pretty much it, this is probably the most work i've ever put into writing lmao, can't even to compared this to my assignment for college-

But it is fun though!! just something that just keep my mind to rest from stressed and stuff, hopefully you're liking it! Once again if you want to add more, you're absolutely have my permission to do so! :DD

[forjongseong]

cuando nadie ve // jay (ENHYPEN)

pairing: secretary!jay x CEO!fem!reader

genre: office!au // warning: none, however, the couple doesn't make an appearance here! this is just the employees (Beomgyu, Yeonjun, Yeji, Keeho, and Hwiyoung) talking about them. // wc: ~1k

previous chapters:

part 1 - carmesí part 2 - mi reina part 3 - millones part 3.5 - hasta los dientes part 4 - vente conmigo part 5 - tusa part 5.5 - apaga y vámonos part 6 - versos de placer

next chapters:

click here for the masterlist

summary: you and your beloved secretary!Jay are taking a week off of work. meanwhile, your trusted employees begin sharing their thoughts about the two of you.

author’s notes: okay SO! planning to release part 6.5 on the day of my birthday but I am just itching to write something and posting NOW so here is something I literally just cooked up in less than two hours.

stay tuned for the birthday special!

oh the title for this one is a song by Morat. it literally means "when nobody is around," which I find fitting for the context of this minisode lol

and since this is not a .5 part that is 5k long, I have decided to call this a carmesi minisode, so whenever I want to write quick and post fast I will just treat you guys to a 1k-long fic like this! hope you like it babes <3

taglist: @duolingofanaccount @jaylaxies @hee-pster @jaysbiceps @thots4hee @axartia @spxrklyfairydust @nyanggk @end-hyphen @jayked @yoursjaeyun (taglist is open, send an ask if you want to be tagged!)

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

The canteen was filled with people lining up and taking their seats. Beomgyu and Yeonjun picked a table by the window so they could watch the view from the highest floor, counting how many red cars pass by as a way to kill time.

“Oh my God, Beomgyu,” Keeho shuffled towards their table, holding a tray of food in his hands. “I just heard two people got fired.”

“Miss Y/N terminated their contract,” Beomgyu corrected as he chewed his food and then swallowed.

“Was it really because they shittalked about Park?” Yeonjun chimed in, grabbing his can of Cola and opening it.

At this point, Yeji joined the table and sat beside Yeonjun. “Are you all gossiping again?” She asked after hearing Jay’s name being mentioned.

Beomgyu shook his head, his slightly long hair dancing around his neck. “I have strict orders from the Miss. I’m not supposed to tell you guys but I will because you’re my closest friends. Miss Y/N didn’t exactly say anything specific, but her behavior screamed queen.”

Yeji frowned at the unusual expression while Yeonjun chuckled, almost choking on his soup. Keeho tapped his finger on the table after properly chewing his food.

“So you’re saying she fired those people for a good reason but shittalking Park was the last straw?” Keeho asked for confirmation.

Beomgyu clicked his fingers at Keeho and nodded. Yeji stared out the window.

“I wish I had someone who had my back like that,” she mumbled, toying with her chopsticks.

“She has all of our backs.”

The four of them shot their heads up to the source of the voice. Hwiyoung grinned and grabbed a seat at the end of the table, joining them.

“If it isn’t our very own knight in shining armor,” Keeho said, welcoming Hwiyoung.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hwiyoung asked. The others looked at Keeho in anticipation.

“You know, Beomgyu said Miss Y/N is queen, and she’s dating Park so that makes him the prince, and you’re sort of like her right hand at this point so you’re the knight. Or Queensguard?”

Yeonjun chuckled as she shook his head. Yeji smiled and went back to eating her meal.

“Just because the two of them aren’t around, doesn’t mean you can speak about them, you know,” Hwiyoung said in a stern voice, eyes glued to his plate.

“Keeho was just asking a question,” Beomgyu chirped, shifting the blame. Keeho glared at him and he just laughed.

“But since they’re the topic of this discussion,” Hwiyoung continued, “do any of you have a problem with their relationship?”

“That’s my question to ask as HR,” Beomgyu pouted.

Yeji quickly shook her head. “It was devastating when Park took a whole break when they were fighting. I think they should never be separated.”

Yeonjun nodded, immediately agreeing. “I feel like the whole dynamic in the workplace is better when they’re together. I’m not saying she’s incapable without him, but when he assists her everything just makes sense quicker.”

“You’re not just saying that because you’re scared I might report this back to the Miss, right?” Beomgyu eyed each and every one of his coworkers.

Keeho waved one hand, dismissing the idea. “You know what, I think I was in denial for a while because I just thought of them as having a really healthy boss-secretary relationship. It wasn’t until Yeji told me…”

“Really, Keeho? After the dance at that gala, you really couldn’t tell?” Yeji asked.

“I thought Park was just being a professional dancer!” Keeho raised his voice. Hwiyoung chuckled, shaking his head.

“You think of Park really highly,” Yeonjun commented. “What is it, did you use to have a crush on him too?”

Beomgyu cackled and Yeji slapped Yeonjun’s arm.

“Park Jay is a man, okay. He’s younger than me by a year but better than me in every aspect, dude, I just respect him. And now he’s dating our boss? Respect even more.”

“What do you mean by that?” Yeji challenged Keeho. “Like our boss is someone who is supposed to be tamed?”

Keeho showed a glint of panic in his eyes and Hwiyoung smirked at the action.

“Why am I being cornered here? I feel like I’m on Twitter and y’all are just twisting my words,” Keeho sighed. Yeji pouted again and tapped the back of his hand to comfort him.

“So no complaints, right?” Beomgyu stirred the conversation back to its focus. “And since we’re all on the same page I’m gonna need all of you to report back to me if you find other people saying shit about our boss and her lifeline.”

The others just nodded along as they all finished their lunch. Yeji then took a sip of her iced latte as the table fell silent.

“I’m actually really thankful for Park,” Hwiyoung stated, breaking the silence.

Yeji tilted her head, looking at him. “In what way?”

“Well, I don’t think she’d make me her second assistant if she wasn’t dating him. I know for a fact she did that to ease his workload and I’m just happy to get a new position. But Miss Y/N’s overall well-being seems… heightened? I don’t know what’s the word…”

Hwiyoung’s voice trailed off as he tried finding a better way to describe whatever idea he was trying to deliver. The others looked at him, listening intently.

“She just glows differently. In a good way, of course. And you know how she always has her eyebrows furrowed whenever she’s stressed or just really focusing on something?” Hwiyoung stopped to look at the others, making sure they were still listening. “That frown of hers instantly turns into the most endearing smile whenever Park walks into the room.”

“Oh my God,” Yeji said, bringing both her hands up to her mouth. “That is so sweet.”

“Poetic as fuck,” Yeonjun nodded but shaking his head, amazed at Hwiyoung’s description.

Keeho sighed. “If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”

Beomgyu nodded along. “So we agree that we will do whatever it takes to protect them and just pray that they’re together for life. For the sake of our mental health and the reign of our queen.”

Keeho snorted and elbowed Beomgyu, who was just chuckling at his own choice of words. Hwiyoung glanced at his wristwatch and then cocked his head.

“Break time’s over, get back to work, guys.”

Yeonjun scoffed. “Look at him acting like a boss because Miss Y/N and Park are away for the week.”

Hwiyoung just rolled his eyes as he walked away, taking his empty tray to the drop-off. The rest of them quickly scrambled to their feet too, giggling and talking more as they made their way back to their floors.

-END-

© forjongseong 2022, all rights reserved

read the next chapter: yo te quiero más 

[l-in-the-light]

Glad you enjoyed :D I was always curious how Traffy and the rest of Strawhats get anything to eat in Wano, meanwhile Law's powers are like perfect for sneakily stealing small amounts of food. So who knows! It's just peculiar that Luffy would even pay attention to people complaining about stolen food in the middle of that chaos before, especially with Tama in danger. But it's Luffy, he always manages to surprise me despite the fact his reactions are often so predictable haha.

Law and Luffy's reunion in Wano makes me happy like nothing else! I'm not obsessed with them, I swear. Okay maybe I am. And that reunion reminds me of one more fun observation, this time less comedy and more whimsical and serious:

Instead of a greeting, Law tells Luffy "This is rebellion" (to which Luffy replies "no, it isn't!"). Btw Law never does any greetings, like ever. Not even to his crew when they reunite in Zou. He would rather die than say "hi", that's the kind of guy he grew up to be, lol. One of my friends is exactly the same which might be why I find it so funny.

And then we have this scene, few chapters later. Luffy remembered what Law actually told him (he did pay attention!): this was rebellion, it will have consequences, and now Luffy takes it seriously and is worried about people in Okobore town. Law's answer is very interesting here, because it's kinda callback to this one:

And this gives a new light on why he reacted so strongly here. Headcanon interpretation time!

Law knew this rebellion will have bad consequences, and while he mostly complains that it will bring troubles for their alliance and the future raid, he must have been aware already that the biggest backlash will fall on people of Okobore town for something Luffy did without thinking too much about it. And despite knowing that - he doesn't comment on it besides this little comment about "pirates doing nice things for people". He could have scolded Luffy here, tell him how his "good deed" will end and point out that it will be Luffy himself feeling sorry in the end, but... he didn't.

I think he wanted Luffy to see the consequences of his actions, to teach him a lesson (again, isn't that what an older brother figure would do?) while just watching over him. He could have just told him and see Luffy trying to beat everyone up to defend Okobore town, but that wouldn't make Luffy truly understand that as a pirate he can do whatever he wants and face no consequences: he can just escape from the country, meanwhile those poor folks at Okobore town are stuck living there all their lives and can't just run away. Sometimes doing the right thing isn't the most obvious thing you can do and you need to always think about consequences of your actions or you might do more harm than good.

That last panel is even more interesting because we have actually three different points of view there about what Luffy did: Law's "this doesn't seem right" reaction, Luffy's "We did something right!" and Kiku's "You did something wrong: stealing is wrong". This really shows how Wano arc is just so different from other arcs, kinda more mature in story (but still has stupid gimmicks, god bless Oda for that). Because what makes a good deed truly a good deed? When you're proud of yourself, thinking you helped but actually did it for your own sake? Or by abiding to higher morals: don't do right by having to do wrong first? Or making sure to keep in mind consequences of your actions as well, while not even caring to take the credit for the deed? That last one sounds to me like a definition of a hero and while that's Law's prefered answer here raises many interesting question marks. We know by now he idolizes Sora Warrior of the Sea after all.

I like how Law's lesson here concludes. Luffy isn't even there with him, but Law stays firm in his belief, even if it means ignoring people in need at the moment. The lesson extends to the whole of Strawhats crew. Law instead tries to focus on the bigger picture, because one small rebellion is not gonna overturn the whole country so that people can finally live in a better place. One can read it as well as sacrificing small things for the big reward, I guess, but I don't think that suits Law's personality in particular:

He actually likes to share and focuses on smaller things, while leaving the big reward to others. And how did Luffy define a hero again? One that gives away his food to others? *looks at the picture again* again a certain someone gets hero-coded here Luffy can share the meat, but he also wants to have the meat for himself as well. Meanwhile Law has no problem with sharing, but he makes sure to take a few bites too. They really fill each other's gaps there.

Also I might like to ramble about Law a bit too much. I could discuss him for hours.

Wano lawlu is so boyfriend-coded in the funniest way because you have Luffy who was wrongly accused of stealing safe food from the farm (which won't matter because he stole the freaking supply in broad daylight) and later on, he found out that Law was the sneaky thief and in hindsight, it's like being accused of his boyfriend's crime which makes it comedic gold after he has done worse. Next, he was unintentionally misguided by Law (the boyfriend) about Kin'emon and the others, scaring himself on the process like my sweet summer child you push zombies back into their graves and encountered devil fruit user that uses ghosts to her arsenal so why are you spooked? Is it the way Law cryptically tells the story, moreso, his tone serious as he regarded it with utmost secrecy as its not his truth to laid bare? Luffy, who is known to deep dive directly into trouble and isn't even fazed by the horrors of Thriller Bark, was startled enough to scream.

Law, on the other hand, was neck deep in conversation among the Strawhats and the samurais as if he's talking to his future in-laws. The funniest shit has got to be Sanji calling out Law about the ruckus and you have him reacting like you of all people shouldn't blame me, your captain who is also my boyfriend ally did it and I think it was Chopper or Nami that apologized for the trouble that Luffy has caused and Law reminded them about their main agenda then says he'll go after Luffy (his reckless boyfriend) who took off five minutes ago to fight Kaido.

Like, you can't convince me nothing happened before they temporarily separated in Zou because their Wano interactions felt like they spent a lot of time off screen, especially post-Dressrosa.

(Speaking of off screen bonding, I needed the StrawHearts interactions.)

Yeah, I am normal about them.