#neither of them get the love they deserve

[scribblemesylus]

What they need to hear from you

The one where you comfort him : Caleb, Rafayel, Zayne, Sylus, Xavier

Hello! This is my first official writing of the LaDS characters; I hope you enjoy it! comments and reposts and love are most appreciated! 💕 The reader is the MC in this one! Angsty (but happy endings) No other warnings.Thank you to my friend who helped me find some inspiration for this post <3

Caleb

Caleb always tried to be the Caleb you remembered, even if he could not remember it that well, he searched through the little memory he had left to piece himself together. Because it was for you. He saw your face that day, the day you told him you didn't need him. That look in your eye, he didn't know exactly what it was; disgust? Pity? Terror? He couldn't recognise it. So, instead of acting like it never happened, he tried to make himself better, just so you would never leave his side again... you liked him before, right? So, it shouldn't be too hard... right?

Turns out, it was harder than he had ever imagined, after all the time he had not seen you since you were released from his fleet, everything between the two of you became suffocatingly awkward. Neither of you knew what to do, what to say, he was beginning to believe that even with the silly coupon (he didn't find it silly... not really), there was no salvaging what the two of you had.

He had destroyed it all in desperation to have you.

So, even though whenever he was near you, he felt like as if is chest was caved in from shame; he stayed by your side. Letting himself silently suffocate because that is what he deserved for letting you down -- or so he believed. It wasn't until you came back injured from a mission, where he ran to you, but he didn't dare touch you, his hands just sort of... hovered over your injuries, his eyes darting around, his brain trying desperately to find a way he could help you without terrifying you again. You sighed and watched him before slowly reaching toward his hand, your fingers brushing against the top of his hand "Caleb..." You whisper, your now strained relationship was hurting a lot more than your physical injuries "Caleb, I am not scared of you... I need you to help me." You push and look at him "Please.." It was true, what happened in Skyhaven was behind you and even though it was killing you with how different the two of you were compared to before, you aren't able to clean all these wounds yourself.

Caleb's eyes softened immediately, and he nodded. "Of course, Pipsqueak, you must be hurting a lot; I'm sorry." He quickly got up and grabbed the first aid kit as he slowly sat you down gently and began to look at your injuries, taking a deep breath before he peeled your sleeves away. "Pips... where did you go to... to get these types of injuries?" He asked gently, but when he was met with nothing but silence, he let out a sigh. "Please, prioritise your safety..." He muttered before continuing to help you as you focused on other wounds. You turn to him and nod "I do, it's just-" He didn't need you to explain, "I know." Was all he said before finishing up and packing the first aid kit "Do you... uh.." He scratched the back of his neck. "Need help with anything else?" He asks gently, but when you shake your head, he just gives you a soft smile and lets you be.

He stood in the kitchen and sighed gently as he slipped the first aid kit back into the cupboard. It wasn't easy to see you like this, in pain and uncomfortable. He just wanted to fix everything; he was good at it whilst he was younger, so why wasn't he good at it now?

He knew you had to do this; you had to save the people the way that you and he weren't in that catastrophe, but he wondered if you were trying to prove something to yourself, too. Caleb wanted to push them, tell you that saving the world wasn't your responsibility, but he has just got you back; you're finally not scared of him anymore; he couldn't ruin that. All he could be is glad that you were here now, that you came to him after all.

He closed the cupboard and prepared a small cup of hot chocolate for the two of you, and sat in the sitting room, waiting for your return.

After getting changed into comfier clothing, you nestled into Caleb, your heart racing slightly in fear he would reject this form of affection after so long... after what you said to him. But, he welcomed it and wrapped his arm around you. "I want to go back to how we used to be.." You say softly, looking up at his big purple eyes. "A-At least, start working towards it... You're my home, Caleb... I don't want this... awkwardness anymore."

You swore you could almost see him levitate off the couch as he practically shone with happiness as if those were the only words he ever needed to hear. "Anything you want, Pipsqueak, I am yours to command."

Rafayel

Rafayel was not an insecure man. At least, that is what everyone else thought. Rafayel, on the other hand, was not so sure. It is not that he felt insecure; it's more he felt this emptiness inside of him, and he had no clue what to fill it with. After all these years, he had you in his grasp once more, so close, yet so far. Because he remembered everything, he even knew what was to come, but you? You're so clueless. He knew how he lost you, how he would lose you and how he could lose you. And he had to deal with this pain and anger all alone.

His past failures jabbed into him as if he were Prometheus, constantly being pecked by a bird. He lived between what was his life and the life he had before, dealing with the betrayal he caused, all for the one he loved, for you, but you didn't know. You will never know.

A part of him did not want you to ever find out what kind of monster he was, afraid he would scare you away, like the otherworldly beast he is, but the other part of him was so tired of carrying this alone.

He wasn't insecure in himself, but insecure for what he could do for you, insecure in his love for you. Would it be enough for you to stay? For the two of you to finally have an entire lifetime together? Would it be worth plunging his people into darkness?

It was a constant spiral he had since you came back into his life, like a rollercoaster, but forever stuck on the loop, the happiness that he finally has you and the pain of what he was - it was a never-ending cycle. That a part of him didn't want to escape; he deserved this pain after all, didn't he? For what is a God who does not live in shame for causing suffering to his people?

But, deep down, he was just afraid he would become unloveable in your eyes. That was his deepest, darkest fear, the one that drowned him in darkness once the night time hit.

You knew something was wrong. It seems silly but when your world was a bit duller, when the grey clouds seemed more prominent or when the lakes and seas swayed as if it was heavy, you knew Rafayel was not himself. So, with a spare bag of seashells in hand and some of the rare materials you knew he liked, you headed over to his place.

The plastic bag twisted against your fingers, almost cutting off circulation entirely as you made your way through the streets and to the beach, slipping your spare key out of your pocket and into the keyhole of the gate, twisting it a few times to unlock the gate.

You gently swished the bag beside you as you made the way to the door, and you imagined your boyfriend's smile when he saw you. However, your heart fell to your stomach as Rafayel's 'organised' mess was scattered and ruined across the floor. The studio was a mess and unkempt; it was almost like an abandoned building.

"Rafayel?" You called out and looked around the place before you saw him sitting on the balcony.

He turned to you, his eyes screaming emotions at you that you had never seen on him before "Cutie..." He whispered meekly.

You fell to your knees by his side once you approached his side and cupped his face "Darling? What has happened? Are you struggling to paint?" You ask as you caress his cheek, your heart fluttering as he leans in as if he hadn't been touched by you in weeks (he saw you yesterday)

"Will you still love me, no matter what I become?" He asked you suddenly, and you froze as you looked at him; the two of you had silently loved each other until now, finding other ways to highlight your love rather than saying it.

"Of course you wouldn't." He muttered bitterly and turned from you, missing how your brows scrunched together with a mix of confusion and anger

"What-?"

"How could an angel like you love a monster like-" "I love you." You blurt out and make him face you, "I wanted to say it in a more romantic way, in a way that you will always remember.... but I love you, Rafayel, no matter what you become.." You smile softly and place a kiss on his cheek and caress it into his skin as if to heal him.

Rafayel's hand slipped down from above yours to your wrist as he searched your eyes for any deceit.

"Promise?" He asks, his grip on your wrist tightening slightly as he anticipates your answer.

"I promise, my heart has always been yours and always will be.

Rafayel may have a piece of him missing, but he was sure it was to be filled by you.

Zayne

Zayne is a man who craves control, not over anyone else, just over himself. He had to, because if he was void of control, there would be cracks and the cracks he could not let you see. If you saw his cracks, how could you trust him as your doctor?

He had let you down once, all those years ago when he left you, abandoned you, even if it was not his choice. But he had a choice now and he would use it to make sure he never let you down again.

So, every single crack he kept to himself, stayed up later, worked later until he could fill them all up again before he could see you. However, as he scribbled down notes on his research, the memories of his nightmares played in his mind, taunting him, punishing him, and he came to accept he deserved it. He shouldn't have let all those people come to die, he was a doctor, and a doctor's role was to save a life, not to let it fade away, yet with every year, the list of his letdowns grew.

Everyone told him that it was expected: that to save a life, you were bound to lose a few; it was how life worked. But not for Zayne, not at all, because with every name that appeared on that list, he was afraid it was a name closer to yours.

He couldn't have that, not when he gave up the life he wanted for yours to prevail.

You, on the other hand, were becoming increasingly worried and slightly frustrated with your doctor because this was the third time you tried to coax him out of his office. You have tried everything; cake, macaroons, sweets... all came to a disappointing ending. You thought that trying something as harmless as sweets wouldn't highlight your increasing worry, and it was small enough so you could get a small look at him.

It had almost been two weeks now, and so you made your way to the hospital. You just wanted to know that he was okay and maybe scold him slightly for shutting you out... again.

Once the doors slid open, you gently greeted Yvonne and walked to Zayne's office after making sure he had no more patients to see. You looked down at the box, a small muffin for Zayne, before inhaling and knocking on the door.

Gosh, you hope he doesn't reject you because as your knuckles collide with the door, It dawns on you that he might be avoiding you because you might have done something wrong.

"Come in."

You gulp down and hold the small box a little tighter in your hand, causing it to crease slightly before opening the door. You shifted on your feet as he was too immersed in his work to even look up at you.

"Hi." You greet him gently and slip the muffin on the table, and his eyes instantly break away from the paper at the sound of your voice

"I thought that since you wouldn't come to me for the sweet treats, I would just come to you because I know you cannot go too long without them." You say lightly and place yourself on the chair opposite his desk.

"Thank you." He says softly and looks between you and his work a couple of times before bunching the papers together in a neat pile and slipping them away. "Did you just come from a mission?" You raise a brow. "Are you not going to explain why I haven't seen you in two weeks? I know being a doctor is exhausting, Zayne, but you normally tell me ahead of time-"

"I didn't want to worry you over something foolish. I have it under control."

"Under control? What is under control? Why aren't you talking to me? You know that I am here." The words fall out, conveying your desperation. You had felt empty without him, alone, and you didn't want to feel that again. "It does not concern you, Y/N." He retorts, "If I thought you needed to know, I would have told you." You bite back your words and nod "Alright.." You sit there silently. You would've typically left, but something told you that this time, you needed to stay, that he needed you.

After a few beats of silence, you try again. "You don't have to keep it all to yourself... I know it may not concern me, but that doesn't mean you have to lock it away."

He tensed up. He hated how you could still see through him, even after all this time. He pulled away from his computer, which he was only looking at to control his anxiety for nearly scaring you away. He released the tension in his shoulders and took the muffin. "I lost a patient... two weeks ago."

Sylus

'What a fool' is all he could think as he sat in his office, piles of vinyl scattered across his usually clean office. No tune or genre was calming him. After all this time, after sensing you like he did, after preparing this life for you, he had scared you away.

He couldn't bear to think that because of who he was, his reputation, and who you believed he was made him lose you, not after all this time, not after the promise the two of you shared, not after what you went through.

He was a fool for pushing you too quick, too hard; his excitement and desperation had blinded him; why was he so hellbent on making you remember if he could just build new memories with you? Foolish.

You not remembering a thing, he could get behind, it made sense, but your hatred, your disgust. That he could not get behind, no matter what you believed about him. All he wanted to do was to have you in his arms and to show you what he had made. It might not be the cave you had a lifetime ago, but it was spectacular in this lifetime. A lifetime he built for you, and you didn't even want it.

He supposed he could understand. You did think he killed your family, even though he would never. All he would do would be to keep you safe. It pained him to understand your point of view, to see him as a monster. He was in his last life, so it only made sense that he was in this one.

But he had made you fall in love with him once, and back then, he was truly a monster, so he could make you fall for him again. He just had to give you the choice to choose him.

So, over the next few weeks, he let you choose him, come back to him. Not pushing or pulling, he didn't need to; the door was always open, and you knew that.

That didn't stop his heart from doing flips in his chest each time he saw you walk through the base's doors.

Tonight, you were also expected to come through the doors; he had the twins make sure the base was clean and tidy, that your room was prepared, and that security was at its highest. It was something he always did when you were coming over.

However, you never showed; you were on a mission, so maybe you went home and forgot; that would be reasonable... except come rain or shine, injury or no injury, if you said you were coming, you were always there.

He knew there was something more to your tardiness; without another thought, he sent Mephisto to look for you, and when he came back, the air was knocked out from Sylus' lungs.

You were found passed out, just outside of the base; it didn't take him a second to cross the base and have you in his arms "Oh, kitten.." He brushed the hair from your face, his heart breaking as you weakly opened your eyes.

"Sylus, I am sorry, I tried to call, but..."

"Shh, it's okay. You're safe now." He tried to use his usual tone with you, but his voice was softer, almost as if he was trying his hardest not to let it break.

He worked quickly to get you patched up, swallowing down his worries and quite possibly his tears as he did so, not even letting the twins near you. He sat with you, putting on your favourite vinyl softly in the background as he waited for you to wake up, not leaving your side, his hand placed on yours, afraid that if he let you go, he would lose you like he almost did tonight and the guilt was eating him alive.

"Stop looking at me like that." You mutter and glance toward him. "You're looking at me like your cat just died." You smirk slightly, and he lets out a chuckle "Kitten, why didn't you ask me to pick you up?"

"I assumed you had business to attend to-" "You should've called me. What happened if you never made it here, if we never found you, if you never came back to me, do you think I could live with myself."

You slowly sit up and look toward him "Sylus, I will always come back to you, always. I will always find myself here. You need to trust me on that."

"I do. It's just tonight seeing you like that made me feel-" "Scared?"

He huffed through his nose and pinched the bridge of it "Something like that..." He brushed the hair out of your face "Call me next time." You nod and smile "I will."

A few days later you were back fighting wanderers, but this time Sylus was by your side, his evol swirling around his arm and his hand "You sure about this, Sweetie?"

You nod "I'm Sure, I am safe by your side."

Sylus smiled; you were safe with him; you chose him, and fighting beside you was the greatest honour to have, so he made sure you left the mission without a scratch.

Xavier

It wasn't unusual for you to not see or hear from Xavier for days; you were sure he would pop up at one of the most convenient moments to be by your side. Or, pop up just before you were assigned another partner by Captian Jenna.

This is what happened; before you, the captain, could even mutter another person's name, Xavier appeared, literally faster than the speed of light beside you. Jenna sighed and cleared her throat. "Y/N, your partner will be Xavier for today's mission.

You didn't even look at him before you went to collect what you needed from the information room, and Xavier didn't seem to mind this. He just followed you obediently and read through the information quickly.

You were brought out of your focus when you suddenly heard his voice.

"Aren't you even going to ask where I was for the past few days?" He questioned and tilted his head, unsure why you're not interrogating him like you usually do.

You shrug and turn back to the tablet sitting in your hands. "Why should I? I trust you. If you want to let me know, you will when you need to."

To you, it was just a simple establishment of trust that you assumed you both knew of, but to Xavier, it was everything, and quite clearly, as little lights started to float around him, there was a slight smile on his face.

Trust was a big deal to him; after meeting you for the second time, he almost felt guilty about how angry you were at him for leaving you behind like he did. Not only that, but he failed his planet and the people on it, as well as the people he dragged here, to try and save you... He had failed them all and probably even you to the point where he believed he wasn't even worthy of trust.

You two didn't make a comment about it from that point. It was almost like, 'What is said in the information room stays in the information room.'

You watched him stand there and fiddle with the protocore between his fingers before, like always, crushing it into oblivion.

"Why do you always do that?" You ask, but he does not answer; he just walks you home. "Xavier, are you feeling okay? You've been silent the whole walk home.."

"I'm alright." He shot you a small smile like he always did and went inside. It was yet another protocore that was a waste, another step further from home, another disappointment to the people relying on him... but, at least, you trusted him.

So, he walked down the stairs and to your apartment and knocked on the door. He didn't even have to say a word, you just let him walk in and sit down, plating up some food for him.

You sit opposite and begin to eat, speaking about trivial things with him before he speaks up, "I don't expect you to understand me fully, but I need to find something, and I can't find it, and it's driving me mad."

"I can help-" you pipe in, but he just shakes his head, causing you to deflate, but you understood him in a way; you had things to do, personal missions to complete that you wouldn't want anyone to touch either. You clear your throat. "Well, if you ever need someone to help cheer you up or clear your mind, you can come here. If I can't help you with your mission, I want to at least help you after them." He smiles and looks at you, placing a star-shaped dumpling into your bowl and nods. "That'll be nice..."

Taglist: @61chai-tea @lueurjun @thebangtancloud @nawysstuff @phantom-astra

[rotapathetic]

⧼ H𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐎 .ᐟ 𝐑𝐀𝐅E and the ignoring you but still giving you attention trend ⣄

don’t attempt at home, he would just cry ˘ ༉ severe confusion from rafe ˘ ༉ himbo introduction ˘ ༉

rafe turned his phone to you, showing you something he found funny. he waited patiently with a smile for you to look at the screen. when you didn’t look but simply hummed “mm hm,” rafe put the phone down. “yeah it wasn’t that funny. .” he muttered.

you almost folded immediately at how dejected he sounded, but kept it up for a little longer. you reached a hand out, messing with his hair, which he loved, while rafe looked over excitedly. “i saw this video that dudes secretly love this. it’s not a secret for me, guys just don’t accept that soft part of them. who wouldn’t like their favorite person giving them attention, right?”

you fought the urge to pout as you retracted your hand, getting up from the comfortable position you two sat in. “oh. .” you heard softly from behind you.

you tightly closed your eyes, adjusting your face to keep composure. you walked to the kitchen, pulling out ingredients to make lunch for rafe. his favorite, a simple sandwich with a side. rafe perked up when he saw you putting the sandwich together. he walked up to you timidly, unsure if you were making it for him or not because he thought you might be upset.

“do you want it cut down the middle or whole?” you asked rafe, startling him. he didn’t think you wanted to talk. he slowly smiled, walking up to hug your waist and look over your shoulder as you prepared his lunch. “whatever you want, just please keep talking to me.”

you were glad he couldn’t see your face as you let yourself frown, close to dropping the knife and turning around to return his hug. you shrugged, seemingly not caring, but cutting it down the middle how he preferred.

rafe grabbed the plate, sitting down. he looked to you, tapping his fingers and worrying his lip. “are you eating with me?” he asked. you shook your head silently, cleaning up the dishes you used. rafe nodded rapidly. “okay, yeah. that’s fine,” he began eating. it was hard not to agree to eat with him, knowing he liked it when you did. he told you himself he felt awkward doing mundane things without you. rafe grimaced at the sandwich, losing his appetite at the feeling you were upset.

“you’re okay, right? did i do anything?” you caved for a second, rushing over to put rafe’s head in your hands, angling him to look at you. “you didn’t, i’m fine,” you poked his cheeks, making him smile again.

“but,” rafe grabbed your waist, pulling you closer. “it’s like you want to talk to me, but you’re not really. if you need space, i can give it to you. or anything else you need. i really appreciate the little touches you’re giving me, but then you don’t really say anything, and i like when you talk to me. . is it because of that video i tried to show you? it seriously wasn’t funny.”

you giggled at him, calling it off. “i was joking, i’m sorry. i couldn’t do it anymore, i can’t ignore you, you don’t deserve that,” you stepped forward to hug him into you. rafe pressed forward into you, holding you tighter.

“i’m so glad that’s over. was it funny for you at least?” rafe asked. you quickly pulled his head up, shaking your head. “not at all, i don’t know what i was thinking.”

rafe nodded, “yeah, me neither. i also was lying about that video, it was funny. can i still show it to you?”

[borathae]

Make It Better | KTH x f.Reader

“You are having one of those days where you feel like the ugliest, most appalling person to ever exist. Taehyung wants to do everything in his power to make you see how beautiful you actually are.”

Pairing: Taehyung x f.Reader

Genre: established relationship!AU, Comfort, Fluff

Warnings: kinda body dysphoria because she sees flaws and "ugly spots" where there are none yk, just in general insecurities, Tae being the most loving and caring and understanding boyfriend ever, he makes her feel good again, omfg i love him so much

Wordcount: 1.5k

a/n: is this once again self-indulgent cause i'm going through it lately? Yes. JSJSJS somebody help, Tae help. no but seriously, i hope this can cheer up anyone who is having one of those days <3 we are all baddies eventhough our minds wanna tell us otherwise 💜

Taehyung is drawn to your clothing room because of sniffles and frustrated huffs.

The door is ajar and music is playing, but you have your back turned to him. The floors and surfaces are covered in pieces of clothing. You are in nothing but your underwear, currently standing in front of the mirror and poking parts of your body as if disgusted by them.

He knocks gently so as not to startle you.

“Darling, do not frighten. It is me. I heard sniffles and I wanted to check on you. Is everything alright?”

You turn, giving view to your reddened eyes and runny nose.

“No, I’m weird and disgusting and the ugliest person to ever exist.”

“Excuse me? No, you are not. Darling”, Taehyung gasps and closes the distance in big stomps. He takes your hands. “What madness are you spouting? You are neither ugly nor disgusting. Why would you say this about yourself?”

“I feel so ugly.”

“Well, just because you feel like it, does not mean that you are.” He wipes your tears. “You are so beautiful and pretty.”

“Thanks, yeah. I just can’t see it right now. I don’t feel good about myself. I feel like my face is weird and my hair is always either too greasy or too frizzy and my body is shaped weird and my boobs are never boobying like other boobs do.”

“Oh goodness, this isn’t the truth at all.” He shakes his head. “Your face is beautiful, your hair is beautiful, the shape of your body is perfect and your breasts are very much boobying correctly.” 

A small smile curls your lips. 

“Thanks. Can I get a hug?”

“Of course you can get a hug, my darling”, Taehyung says and pulls you against his chest.

One must know that Taehyung has developed a love for working out. Lifting weights to be more exact. Which means that his chest and arms have grown rather impressively. This is important to mention because with his new physique, his hugs feel especially safe and healing. You feel protected and supported and overall like he is your strong man to lean on.

“Can I have a squeeze?”

Taehyung squeezes you gently, rubbing your back as he does. 

You sigh in relief, sinking deeper into his embrace.

“Tae, I don’t like when I feel like this”, you mumble into him while he listens and rubs your back, “I’m pretty sure it’s just my hormones or the moon phase and I’m just being dramatic, but it’s still real right now and it makes me feel bad.”

“Of course it does and hormonal changes aren’t to be taken lightly. You aren’t dramatic, my darling, your feelings are valid no matter if they are of hormonal origin or not.” 

“Thank you for saying this. I needed validation that I’m not just a crazy woman.”

“Don’t do that. Woman is not an insult. Goodness, you are truly speaking nonsense today”, he says and pats your butt, “I shall spank your butt for being mean to yourself and women.”

You snicker, looking into his eyes. He smiles sweetly, all while his hand gives your butt the softest of pats. 

“Bad girl, do not speak ill of your gender”, he scolds you jokingly.

“I deserve that, I agree.”

“Indeed. Just as you deserve this”, he says and smooches your cheeks. “Mwuah. For being pretty and very beautiful. Mwuah.”

You giggle, chasing his affection. He meets your eyes, gazing and smiling. It lasts just a few seconds and then frustration fills your chest again.

“Urgh Tae, I don’t like how I feel. Urgh”, you say and drop your head against him, “I don’t know if I can go on the date tomorrow. I don’t know what to wear. I feel so ugly and I’m at my limit.”

“Goodness, I hate to see you this way. Shall I help you?”

“Help me?”

“Yes. You shall sit by the powder table and I shall pick out an outfit which will make you feel pretty again.”

“Oh. Okay, yeah I’d like that.”

“Very good then. Sit, my darling and I will find you an outfit.” 

He hurries around the room for a bit and returns with a skirt and sweater look. He helps you put it on, explaining why he chose this look as he works on getting the folds right.

“I chose this because the sweater sits very nicely around your breasts. Look at them. They are very booby in it.”

You snicker, agreeing with a shy nod. He is not wrong. They sit very nicely. 

“And I combined the skirt with it because when I ask you to dance in the park, it will move prettily.”

“So you’ll ask me to dance?”

“Of course I will.” He says and slides his hand to your waist to turn you. He guides you left and right, showing you a glimpse of what tomorrow will bring.

“I love this idea, but…”

“You don’t like the outfit.”

“No, sorry. I think it sits weird on my shoulders and when I move, the sweater doesn’t stay tucked in and-” you huff out air, sagging your shoulders.

“This is no problem at all. Take it off. I shall find another one.”

He hurries back to the clothing racks, murmuring to himself how he could combine this with that and that with this. In the end, he returns with a body tight dress which you haven’t worn before.

“No, I’ll be too chilly.”

“This is no problem. Another look.”

He abandons the dress before you even put it on. He is murmuring again, taking this job very seriously.

“I’m sorry. I know I’m a lot.”

“I will ignore what you just said because you are neither a lot nor should you apologise. Ah yes! This will go perfectly with this.”

He hurries back to you. 

“These pants with this blouse. It is elegant with a hint of sophistication and the red belt will give it a pop of colour.”

You put it on, turn and twist in front of the mirror and sigh in defeat.

“I feel like my tummy looks weird.”

“It doesn’t, but I shall find something else. I cannot have you feeling this way. It is not the truth, but sometimes it is best to make oneself feel pretty in other ways.”

His positive and judgement-free attitude surrounding your insecurities feels healing. Deep down you know that what your brain is telling you today is a lie. Deep down you know that you are pretty and that your body is not shaped weirdly. But it is difficult to agree when you feel just so shitty about yourself. Even if it will only last for today, tomorrow, this week. Right now, it is very real and it is so healing to have him attempt to tackle the issues without judging them or calling you crazy for them.

He returns with a cocky grin on his face.

“I feel it in my heart that this is going to be it. We have; your favourite colours, a poofy skirt, ruffles and” he lifts his pointer finger dramatically, “pockets”, he says and stuffs his hand into the skirt pocket. 

You laugh, “wow okay, convincing argument.”

“It is indeed. Try it on and let me know how you feel.”

You twist and turn and study yourself. 

“And?” 

“I like the skirt, but the blouse looks weird on me. Urgh, it’s useless, I’m too ugly for life.”

“No you are not. You feel ugly, but you aren’t ugly. Take off the blouse, I will not give up until you feel pretty again.”

He hurries back to your shirts and tops and only returns once he is happy. He helps you slip it on, massaging your shoulders softly once you are dressed.

“You are beautiful, my darling”, he whispers, gazing at you with loving, sparkly eyes.

You look at yourself and you don’t hate what you see. As a matter of fact, you think that you look pretty.

“Tae, I like this.”

“You do?”

You nod your head, “I look pretty.”

“You do. You are. Oh darling, is this it?”

“I think it is. Wow, I can’t believe it. I actually have an outfit which makes me feel nice again.”

“I am so happy to hear this. Oh my darling”, he hugs you and kisses your cheek, “you are so beautiful and it hurts when you cannot see it. I am glad that I could help you feel better again.”

“You really could. Thank you. I know it took…wow an hour. I’m so sorry, I-”

“Hush, this was the best hour of my day”, he silences you and turns you in his arms. “Yes, sweetest? I could have spent ten hours on it and I still would have loved it. Yes?”

“Yes, okay”, you whisper, eyes sparkly.

“Yes.” He caresses your cheek. “Now, what shall we do for the rest of tonight? I cannot possibly leave you alone when you feel this way.”

“Honestly? If you helped me clean this mess up and then held me in bed, I would already be happy.”

“Then we shall do exactly that. And I will add a compliment each minute to it.”

You laugh, “okay, okay if you say so.”

“Mh-hm I do. Compliment number one. Your smile really brightens a room.”

You smile, heart fluttering.

“Thank you so much. God Tae sweetest, I love you”, you say and hug him.

“I love you too, my sweetest”, he purrs softly and hugs you back. 

[nebuliix]

​im very late to this but i’ve been reading the notes on this for a while and ive not really seen anyone talk about my favourite ship, temenos and hikari, so far so im gonna yap about them for a bit. (this is basically my first time formatting a tumblr post (it ended up being way too much to keep in the tags) and im scared so i hope the cut works)

i really like the parallels between temenos and hikari about how they both lost absolutely everyone and never had time to confront or process that. in their pasts, with hikari losing his mother and temenos losing his brother, roi; their first chapters, with hikari losing his father/king and temenos losing the pontiff (also a father figure and leader) but neither of them getting a chance to grieve because they’re both put on their journeys so quickly afterwards; then, later in their stories, hikari losing ritsu and a whole lot of other cherished people throughout the war, alongside temenos losing crick in stormhail because of a conspiracy he got him involved in. i personally subscribe to the headcanon that temenos is a descendant of the kal people, so to me his crackridge chapter contributes to that personal sense of loss too. then, later, when both of their stories are complete and things seem to be settling down for both of them, the endgame comes along and rips kazan (oboro) from hikari and sister mindt (arcanette) from temenos, both with no warning and a strong sense of betrayal that they never get closure for.

both of these characters simultaneously get their worlds torn from them in extremely similar ways again and again and again as the game goes on and, what with hikari fighting a war and taking on the leadership of his entire kingdom afterwards as well as temenos uncovering the church and the sacred guard’s corruption and working to stop a death cult from literally ending the world, neither of them ever truly sit down and take care of themselves or process their grief as it happens.

i love pairing them together for this because they both care enough about each other as fellow travelers that they’d help each other get through it all and hold each other accountable. temenos is ignoring his grief and pushing it down, but hikari won’t stop being so gentle with him and before you know it they’re having a heart to heart about it. hikari doesn’t think he deserves to treat himself to his favourite foods amidst his responsibilities, so temenos asks him to treat him instead and now they’re sharing. temenos is pulling ANOTHER all-nighter trying to piece together this cult situation, but hikari’s having night terrors so they cuddle and oh would you look at that now they’re both sleeping great. amazing gorgeous stunning you’re doing incredible i love you both.

this is already so long so i won’t go into details (and i don’t have the poetic language to do it justice anyway) but i haven’t even started on the ‘guy raised in divinity but kind of shuns it a little bit because its done nothing for him’ vs ‘guy with a bloodlust shadow curse that keeps making him kill people but still maintains his connection to the light’ themes like COME ONNN im obsessed with them. i like to imagine shadow hikari comes out with a vengeance only for temenos to say something so absolutely insane-yet-profound-yet-baffling that it just stops him in his tracks. then he gets put in shadow-timeout like a naughty cat. go think about your actions young man. also special mention to the endgame scene where they were the last ones back to the camp. its very funny to imagine they were late because they were making out but as an aroace i also like to imagine it was a petting session (since i played with hunter hikari please give this lad some ear scritches PLEASEE he deserves them)

ok. im done now. if anyone took the time to read it thank you. my other favourite ships, in no particular order, are primrose/h’aanit/ophilia, alfyn/therion, therion&h’aanit platonically (beast tamer vs feral cat vibes letsgo), therion/cyrus/olberic, therion/primrose (she is absolutely on top. throw h’aanit in there with her animal-trainer energy as well for maximum effectiveness. im begging for literally anyone to see my vision), throné/agnea, and the very specific dynamic of every ot1 traveler in a polycule except for tressa who makes fun of them for it

[holding up catboy hikari] you all will look at him and pet him

I miss octopath yapping with people so uh yknow what! We’re gonna play a game!!

Explain in the notes what y’all’s favorite ships are and why you like them!!!

Only rules are

1) do not explain why everyone should think your ship is canon, as that is not the point of this post 2) do not put any other ships down bc that is also not the point of this post 3) ALL games are included (yes including cotc) 4) ANY SHIPS ARE ALLOWED!!! GO NUTS!!!!

[sweetmelodyz]

Hello! Me again hahaha <'3

Well I'll try to make it understood, this is my first time I've asked for something, so bear with me QwQ

QI want to ask you for a story from Shadow x fem reader, some anguish, but too much, that hurts, II want to ask you for a story from Shadow x fem reader, some anguish, but too much, that hurts, I've wanted to read something like that

But I want it to end in some smut (Because I like the story you posted, I loved it!!) uwu✨

LisOkay, I think that was it, if you don't understand it or just don't like the idea, you have the right to ignore it

And thank you again and I'm so sorry for my English <33

𝛝𝛠 — 𝓖𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝓛𝐔𝐂𝐊, 𝓑𝐀𝐁𝐄 !

SHADOW X FEM ! Y/N

MDNI • smut / angst / fluff / sorry if this isn’t what u asked for... 🥲 AND YAHOO I THINK I’M GETTING BETTER AT WRITING SMUT !!

↳ Pfft ur english is fine! so please, don’t worry about it!

The rain had been falling steadily for hours straight, a gentle but persistent rhythm, which drummed against the windows, and rooftop.

Outside of your apartment—which was the one you shared with your boyfriend, Shadow—the distant sound of passing cars mixed with the occasional roll of thunder.

That wasn’t what you were thinking about, though.

Your thoughts were focused on Shadow. Recently, he had started to slowly distance himself from you. You rarely saw him around these few weeks, and the days he was with you?

his touch, whenever he would hug you, was brief, only ever lasting a few seconds nowadays. Most of the time? He would avoid looking you eye to eye, as if he was ashamed about something.

Was he.. avoiding you? No, he wouldn’t be.

Right?

Was it something you did, perhaps? Well, whatever you did do, you were more then ready to apologise for. You weren’t afraid of his past, his scars, or the blood on his hands, not at all. You were only scared of ever losing him, and that though, was starting to become a reality, which you couldn’t ignore any longer.

Finally deciding to approach Shadow, who looked deep in thought as he sat on the couch, you placed your hand on his shoulder. “Shadow?” You muttered, as he looked at you, meeting your eyes for a second, before averting his gaze from your face.

“..Did I do anything.. wrong?” You asked, as he tensed up. “Whatever I did, please know that I’m sorry. I swear.” Sitting down next to him, you frowned. An awkward, uncomfortable silence crept in, neither of you saying anything for a long moment.

“No,” he interjected. “You didn’t do anything.” He explained, making you confused, as you furrowed your eyebrows. If you hadn’t done anything wrong, then why has he been avoiding you for the past few days?

“Then, why have you been avoiding me?” He finally met your gaze. His eyes, which were usually so sharp and unwavering, held guilt. It was as if he was searching for the right words, but just couldn’t find them.

“Am I.. really good enough for you?” Shadow questioned. There were times when he would wonder if he deserved someone like you. He was a fire, destined to burn, and leave nothing but ruin and ashes in his wake. He was a bad cause, and you were not. you were an angel, who he had the privilege to know as his girlfriend.

You had come into his life, and showed him that you cared, even though he convinced himself to be unloveable.

You deserved so much better than him. You deserved more than an artificial life form, who was burdened with a past that dripped with blood and regret.

Knuckles, silver, heck, he was sure that even sonic—that blue faker—might as well be a better pick instead of him. Shadow, couldn’t see what was so special about himself, or what you ever saw in him.

“What kind of question is that?” You frowned, cupping his cheeks, forcing him to look at you, as your expression softened. Did he really think he wasn’t good enough for you? Oh, he was so stupid. “Yes, Shadow. You’re more than good enough for me. You’re perfect.” You whispered, as he scoffed, not fully believing a word you said.

“Y/n, don’t lie to me—” His eyes widened when you had suddenly clashed your lips against his, silencing all his thoughts. His body stiffened, as his hands hovered awkwardly near his hips, uncertain on whether to pull you closer, or push you away.

Pouring all the emotions you felt, in this one measly kiss—shadow started to melt, as he eventually closed his eyes shut, his worries slowly melting away. When he finally pulled away, he took that as a moment to regain his breath, before he dove back in.

Your eyes widening at his actions, you slowly wrapped your arms around his neck, as he took off your shirt, pulling away once more to see how you look. “Fuck..” he couldn’t tear his eyes away from your body. Every one of your curves, he adores. How unfair, for you to be this pretty.

As you fell back on the couch, he held onto the clasp of your bra, looking at you for permission if he could undo it. “May I?” He asked. How were you supposed to say no when he was looking at you like that?

“Do it,” was all you needed to say, before he had swiftly undone it, sliding the straps off your shoulders. Deciding to put a hand over his cheek, he put his hand over yours, not breaking eye contact.

“Chaos,” His voice was breathless. “You’re so beautiful..” he whispered, pushing back a strand of hair which had been in your face. “How did I ever snag an angel like you?” At those words, you couldn’t help but softly smile. How sweet.

Then, Shadow’s hand slowly trailed down, reaching to your thighs, as he slowly started to slide your pants down. His hands, then hooked onto your underwear, teasingly making circles against your panties with his thumb, playing with you.

“Mmph, Shadow..” You whined, but shadow pretended as though he couldn’t hear you.

Shadow had always been gentle with you, acting as though you were fragile glass, and that he could break you if he put too much pressure. Tonight? It was as though something had simply snapped.

You could feel yourself slowly getting wet by the second, your panty sticking to your cunt uncomfortably, slowly growing irritated with how much he was toying with you. “Please..”

“You can be patient, can’t you?” He said, smirking. “How needy.” Now deciding to give you what you wanted, he tore your undergarment down, causing you to gasp.

The scent of your pussy was making shadow hypnotised, aroused. He knew he had to be patient with you, but how was he supposed to when you always looked so beautiful? His patience was already wearing thin. “Pretty girl,” he whispered into your ear.

Then, he put his nuzzle near your cunt, spreading your thighs wide open. “I can’t believe you’re all mine..” he whispered, breath fanning against your cunt in the progress, making you shiver in anticipation.

then, his tongue darted in with no warning, as your breath hitched. “Delicious..” He hungrily devoured at your cunt, a flick of his tongue would occasionally come in. He was acting as if he was a starving man, feasting onto you.

His claws dig into your thighs, forcing them to stay wide open as he pleasures you. Tension slowly grows in your stomach, and you could tell you were close. “Are you close?” His eyes were half lidded, as he looked up to you. Nodding, he hummed, sending vibrations to your pussy.

And then, you reached your high.

Shadow smirked at the sight, slurping up all of your sweet nectar, as your hips writhed and trembled. looking down, you realised once you looked at his cock, that he was painfully hard. He put his tip at your hole, dragging his length down your folds, not fully giving you the friction you so desperately needed. Your mind started to feel hazy, your thoughts growing foggy.

He lines himself up, and thrusts in with one smooth, swift motion. He slams into you, over and over. He doesn’t try giving you a chance to recover, too focused on the way you were clenching around him so tightly.

The only sounds which were between them was the sound of obscene, wet squelches, mixing with the sound of Shadow’s deep grunts, and your moans.

The way you feel around him, that adorable expression on your face, the way you’re always so effortlessly gentle with him.. shadow hates how much he loves it.

You came once more, already overstimulated, as your legs shook, but Shadow dug his claws deeper into your flesh. Shadow groaned, his thrusts slowly growing sloppier, signifying he was close, and pushing him to start driving into you faster. “S-shadow, too much!—” You gasped, your cunt sore and puffy.

And then, shadow buried himself deep inside you, and spilling his release into you, and painting your insides white. You shuddered against him, your breathing heavy and uneven. you were both lost in the intensity of what had just happened.

As collapsed into your arms, his body relaxed against yours. He gazed at you, as his expression softened.

Oh, those crimson eyes. You could get lost in them if you weren’t being careful. “..You’re the best boyfriend, and I’m surprised how you could ever think otherwise.” you reassured.

You were greeted with silence. Yet, it wasn’t suffocating. It was comfortable, with him just in your arms. It was almost as if he belonged there.

“..You’re an idiot.” His words were soft as nuzzled into your neck. His voice was slightly muffled, his breath warm against your skin. Though his face was hidden, there was no way for him to escape the obvious signs of how flustered he had gotten.

His ears, which had flushed a rosy, soft pink, gave him away completely.

Your heart couldn’t help but ache at the sight, but you didn’t say anything. You sighed, running a hand through his quills, while he nuzzled deeper into your neck.

“..You’re an idiot.” His words were soft as he nuzzled into the curve of your neck. His voice was muffled against you, his breath warm against your skin. Though his face was hidden, there was no escape from hiding how flustered he was. How exactly? Well—

His ears, had betrayed him, turning a rosy pink tint, and giving him away completely. Seeing this, your expression softened. You didn’t bother pointing it out, simply grinning like a fool as you ran your fingers through his quills.

And so, you both slowly drifted off to sleep, tangled In each other’s warm embrace.

[harmonicpearl]

Something i don't know how ppl still dont understad is how OBVIOUS it is that no Mark is gonna outtake the other, no love (neither for Gemma nor Helly) is gonna outgrow the other. And it's not only a matter of if that is possible (it is, its a tv show) it's a matter of narrative and thematic ideas.

The writers have briliantly gave Mark and Gemma a 5-year marriage and Mark s and Helly a half life relationship (because even if they are very young they have known each other for a huge portion of their concious life). This balances the stakes and validation for each Mark, and makes their battle so interesting, because they are literally equally deserving. And since they are equally deserving, having one of them "win" would be contradicting that claim. It doesn't matter if you as an individual have a preference, as liking one of the Marks more (hell, i myself like one of them more, that's human) but ethics dont work like that, ego death doesn't work like that either and obviously the show is trying to say that. This opens two crucial themes to discuss:

First things first, this impossible-winner situation is the fucking dramatic drive of the show. I wouldnt phrase it as Helly and Gemma because they're characters in their own right, but Mark's relationship with Helly and Gemma is there to represent a battle of the ego and conflicted desire. I really think the show chose to make this a romantic conflict because, yeah who doesn't love romance, but most importantly because we are so monogamous as a society that it was the clearest way to show how these two Marks are different people. We can't fathom the idea that you can love more than one person romantically at the same time (it doesn't matter if it's true, it's the predominant thought of our society). And i think they use this aknoledgement of how society works and they were so right to do so because look what everyone is talking about. That's why im so really shocked that some people are trying to bend the laws and philosophy of this show to theorize which Mark will win or which love will he choose at the end. Neither will, and both will. And simply because narratively, thematically, thats the only coherent choice. One of the Marks "winning" or Mark choosing completely either Helly or Gemma, would destroy the very points this show is trying to make. The love for Helly needs to be a rightful pushing force just as equal as the love for Gemma, just as Mark S needs to keep existing as a foil to Mark Scout. The show is trying to say that (to put this coloquially) doesn't matter how shitty or brief or undeserving your life is to a system or to others you are deserving of human rights, freedom and autonomy.

Which gets me to the second point: This goes both ways. Because even if Mark Scout belittles Mark S's experience, lumon did the same to him when they kidnapped Gemma and lured him into severance. They are both being used. After all, i very much think this is a postmodern show dealing with the residue of modern capitalism. This is a show about the problematic and complex relationship between revolution vs establishment. A modern show made in the past century would have framed this as a straight up victim vs victimizer problem but this is different. Capitalism creates this micro-power relationships. Corporations expoit the white collar worker and the white collar worker exploits the cleaning lady. And even if they are both clogs in a machine, the white collar worker and the cleaning lady may have different ideas on how a revolution should play out, or even if a revolution should occur in the first place. And sometimes revolutionaries can have disregard of the lower classes in the name of grater good. With all the shipping stuff (that i also fully enjoy) we forget that THIS is also the conflic that's taking place between Mark Scout and Mark S. Even if they clearly arent aware of all this shit at the moment.

Even so, they, again, are equally deserving of happiness and compensation. And to put Mark Scout in the position of opressor and opressed at the same time is amazing. They both need to win. But how can they both win? Will they both win? And how would a win-win situation look like? This is why i think severance really is something else. I'm at the edge of my seat because i don't have a fucking clue how they will resolve this. But i trust this show to be better than simply make him choose one of his loves or make one Mark overrule the other. They won't do that, mark (jk) my words. Both Marks need to truly work as one, to understad the other's struggle and see it as equally valid and well, negotiate. Just as the white collar worker will have to negotiate with the cleaning lady if they truly want to make an impact should a revolution actually happen. Both Marks need to understad they are not the real enemy and even more, that the real enemy is the cause of this friction in the first place, a friction that only diverges them from the real goal. Helly's and Gemma's love is only the cathalyst to put in motion this conflict. A GREAT choice because just as the Marks, they too will have ideas of their own on how to navigate this situation, yes, but they will also have a say in the innies vs outies vs lumon conflict and well i think these four are gonna surprise us.

[batboysanonymous]

Blood on My Hands

Azriel x Reader

Summary: They promised forever beneath a sky of stars, but some betrayals burn deeper than any scar, and now she has to decide if love is enough, or if letting go will be the only thing that saves them both.

Based on the song: bloodonmyhands by Tate McRae

I’ve got some blood on my hands…

There had always been something forbidden about Azriel.

Not because he was the Spymaster. Not because his shadows whispered secrets no one else heard. But because he had walls no one could scale, and Y/n had spent years trying to climb them, each time falling harder than the last.

They met not in chaos or war, but in the quiet sanctuary of the High Lord’s library, long after midnight.

She had been there out of restlessness. He had been there out of habit.

At first, neither spoke. But the silence between them was never empty.

Azriel was a storm barely contained, and she had been drawn to him like gravity, not by his power, but by his loneliness.

Months passed, each encounter small and quiet. A brush of fingers as they reached for the same book. A shared glance over ancient texts. A conversation in whispers that stretched until dawn.

And then, one night she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder.

When she woke, his wings were wrapped around her like shelter. His shadows gently curling around her wrist.

That was the moment everything changed.

I was so prepared to let you cross all my lines I was so prepared to fight a war on your side…

Falling for Azriel was not a choice. It was a complete and utter surrender.

Every wall he put up, she scaled. Every secret he locked away, she coaxed into the light.

He told her about the scars. About the cold cell he’d grown up in. About the hands that had broken his bones and how his shadows came to him not as gifts, but as comfort.

She told him about the weight of expectation. About feeling invisible in a court full of stars.

They fit, imperfect but whole. She became the only person he could be soft with. And he became her sanctuary.

They discovered they were mates on a night that felt too fragile to name.

He had been wounded after a mission gone wrong. She sat beside his bed, holding his hand, singing songs from her childhood until the fever broke.

And when his eyes finally fluttered open, he whispered, "I can feel the bond."

She’d wept, cradling his face in her hands, and kissed him like a promise.

So where’d it go, boy? One second you were begging for my time, then…

The problem with walls is that even when they come down, you never stop fearing what happens if someone gets too close.

Azriel loved her. She knew that. But fear twisted him.

It started with missed dinners. Excuses about missions. A darkness in his eyes that she couldn’t reach.

One night, when he came home long after midnight, reeking of adrenaline and perfume too sweet to be her own, she asked quietly, "Where were you?"

He hesitated too long.

"Nowhere."

She nodded, but something inside her cracked.

You forgot I’ve got a lotta pride and choices…

She followed him.

Not out of jealousy. Out of survival.

And what she found shattered her.

Azriel, standing too close to another female in an alleyway. Not touching, but close enough. Whispering secrets he’d once only given to her.

She didn’t confront him. Not yet.

Instead, she let the silence choke her. Let him lie, night after night.

Until the weight became too heavy.

Dance like I can’t be bothered, know it kills you…

The next time he tried to touch her, she flinched.

And that was when he knew.

"You deserve more than me," he said one night, his voice hoarse.

She stared at him, heart breaking. "I never asked for more than you."

But he couldn’t meet her eyes.

So she left.

Bounced back and found another… and he hates you.

Eris found her wandering through Autumn.

"Running from him or yourself?" he asked, smirking.

"Both," she whispered.

He poured her wine and gave her company without demands.

It wasn’t love. But it was distraction. And sometimes that was enough.

She danced in firelit halls, let Eris spin her beneath chandeliers, let him kiss her just long enough that the pain dulled.

Azriel’s shadows were always watching. She knew.

Good.

Let it hurt.

Oh baby boy, you’re seein’ stars And it fucks you up so hard…

The letters came next.

I never meant to hurt you. You were always everything. I’m lost without you.

She burned them all.

But every flame felt like setting her own heart alight.

I got a new man to please Fallin’ for you was a damn disease…

Eris asked her, once, "Do you love me?"

She answered honestly. "No."

"Good," he said. "Because you don’t need another man’s cage."

She smiled bitterly. "I need to stop needing anything at all."

Boy, get a grip, I’m sick of you callin’…

He appeared in Autumn.

Azriel.

In full armor, shadows writhing with pain.

"Come home," he rasped.

She shook her head. "I was home."

He fell to his knees before her. "I’m sorry."

"I know."

But sorry wasn’t enough.

Blood on my hands…

She returned to Velaris anyway.

Not for him, but for herself.

She sat on the balcony where it all began, staring at the stars, remembering the nights they spoke of dreams they were too afraid to chase.

He found her there, silently.

"I don’t expect forgiveness," Azriel said softly.

She didn’t look at him. "What do you expect?"

"To prove to you, however long it takes, that I’m still yours. That I never stopped being yours."

Her heart twisted. "Do you think that’s enough?"

"No." His voice broke. "But it’s all I have."

She finally turned to him.

"Then you better fight like hell."

I got some blood on my hands And I know it fucks you up so hard…

He kissed her fingertips first. As if they were fragile. As if he didn’t deserve them.

She let him.

Because some things break, but that doesn’t mean they can’t heal.

It would take time. And pain. And trust rebuilt piece by piece.

But love, love was still there, burning beneath all the ruin.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough to begin again.

Taglist: @willowpains, @masbt1218, @antonia002, @bookishcait, @fuckingsimp4azriel, @fanficscuziranout, @buttermilktea11, @lilah-asteria, @lreadsstuff,  @flintthegoodboyo, @saltedcoffeescotch,  @okaytrashpanda, @mariaxliliana, @kksbookstuff, @marina468

Want to join my tag list? Drop a comment or check out this link to submit a specific series you would like tagged in! (Or if you just don't want to comment, that's okay too)

[caldella]

Blitzø & Verosika: 7 Deadly Similarities

An unnecessary dive into how these two are alike, and their possible past dynamic

Who asked for this? No one really. But it's something I've wanted to touch on for a while.

Like a lot of HB character conversations, I see a lot of discussion back and forth about these two: mainly on whether Verosika's Anti-Blitzo parties were extreme overkill for their breakup, or whether Blitzø's particularly hurtful way of severing ties/avoiding blame afterward deserved it. It becomes a lot of, "which one is shittier than the other?" And to be honest...

I don't see many people bring up how the show displays that the truth is more neutral. They function very similarly.

The more we saw of Verosika in the few episodes she's been in, the more I got, "Yeah I can see why these two dated long enough for her to fall in love." I think they share a lot of qualities. Some probably drew them to each other, but some probably caused issues instead of connecting them.

Trait One: Leadership

Verosika and Blitzø are both leaders of a team. They're pretty classic Type A personalities: take-charge, ambitious, don't take orders well from others. They want to make them instead. I could easily see Blitzø with his hyper-confident persona and Verosika's 'I'm a star, bitch' attitude being drawn to each other. Neither of them like taking shit from someone, and before they directed their ire at each other, they were probably good at channeling it together in an 'us against the world' way.

Trait Two: Extroversion

Both Blitzø and Verosika seem to be extroverted and prefer being around other people (or demons, whatever). In fact, I think they emotionally rely on it. From what I recall, Ozzie's is the only time Verosika shows up alone anywhere. Other than that, the closest she comes is showing up for work in Spring Broken with Tex her bodyguard. She's otherwise constantly surrounded by her employees/coworkers or hosting events for people she invites. While her screentime has been limited, I get the feeling she doesn't like being by herself. Neither does Blitzø, who's made an entire found family for himself for that same reason.

Trait Three: Crass

In a show with plenty of swearing and crude humor, both of them are pretty high on the list for quick insults or crass remarks. They're both so blunt that the other's attitude probably never phased them while they got along. But I'm guessing that also prevented them from having a lot of more meaningful conversations without reverting to this as a safety net.

Trait Four: Deflecting Accountability

Both of them have some seriously damaging behavior: Blitzø with his sabotaging relationships and Verosika with her insistence that she's too successful for rehab. Blitzø uses his deflection to avoid getting close to people or looking too far at his own self-hatred. Verosika sees rehab as an admission of weakness that could damage her image/career. Both hide serious problems under a mask of confidence.

Trait Five: Using A Painful Reminder to Make a Statement

It seems that Blitzø never officially changed his name's spelling to Blitz. Instead, he insists on the "O" being silent, distinctly marking that his association with his circus/clown origins are done. Similarly, Verosika chose to cross out her Blitz tattoo instead of cover it up - a black heart would've literally matched her face marking - and she wore pants with a crossed out version of Blitzø's forehead mark in Apology Tour. Perhaps she got her tattoo altered before rehab, or perhaps she got inspiration from Barbie's crossed out forehead marking. Either way, both she and Blitzø don't actually eliminate these signs of their past selves, the hurt selves that they're afraid to let the public see. They instead use the reminder as a sign to the world that they're different now.

Trait Six: Coping with Emotions via Violence or Self-Destruction

I agree that the Anti-Blitzo party was weirdly violent with its imagery (and the foreshadowing of the cake being beheaded isn't lost on me). But whenever I see people bring up how violent the party was, they don't seem to consider that Blitzø takes out his feelings via violence, too. He does it literally, especially if he's frustrated/avoiding introspection. That isn't dissimilar to Verosika using performative violence to cover up her emotional pain. Perhaps she learned some of it from him.

Both of them also lean towards self-destructive behaviors to handle negative feelings. Verosika is shown as an alcoholic from her first appearance. Blitzø's binge in Queen Bee seems to be a one-time thing and not a habit, but between that and his spiral in Ghostfuckers, it's clear that he also uses self-destructive behavior to avoid addressing his vulnerabilities.

Trait Seven: Projecting Negative Generalizations Onto Others

(Yes bringing back the 'everyone's shitty' screenshot again)

I have to thank this post from timkontheunsure for actually having this piece fall into place for me. Both of them, when facing (real or perceived) rejection from someone they've developed feelings for, turn it into anger. They respond by putting people into a category and assuming that they must be the same as everyone else within it. Blitzø struggled so bad with the idea that Stolas could have feelings for him that he rejected it and assumed Stolas would function like every stereotypical uncaring royal. His negative perception of royalty as a whole was thrown onto one person despite conflicting evidence. He did the same with the Anti-Blitzo party, when Verosika tried to confront him on his own behavior. No, HE wasn't particularly shitty, he was just a denizen of Hell. Everyone there was shitty.

And Verosika did similar with Stolas, by assuming he would be just another bitter ex completely wronged by Blitzø. She assumed that the party and venting about Blitzø would be cathartic for him like she felt it was for her. There was no room for gray area in the situation. With the drastic way Blitzø hurt her, surely everyone else he's hurt must feel the same and need the same outlet.

Conclusion:

We'll see if the show ever addresses it, though I don't think it's something they really need to. I'm guessing that their combined ambitious personalities and 'I don't give a fuck' attitudes drew them to each other. And since they dated before Blitzø adopted Loona, he was likely in his wilder party phase as well. Verosika probably felt like they could take on the world (Hell) together, but either Blitzø was not as attached or his self-destructive tendencies sabotaged things the moment they became serious, as he's had a habit of doing. I think Verosika made the anti-Blitzø motif such a drastic part of her persona to prevent a public scandal about the hurtful/embarassing breakup. She's a major celebrity under the public's eye. To her, it was safer to have a justified target than to be the target herself.

I think, even if Blitzø hadn't ripped up their relationship, things still would've gotten messy. Two bold, loud individuals who struggle to cope with negative feelings without turning aggressive/projecting them? Hiding pain under self destruction? I don't know if either would've been able to start addressing these issues if the other refused to work on their own. It was only after the breakup, and several years of living and growing, that either of them were able to actually have an honest conversation.

[vaninaderek]

My beautiful satanic sister Vanina ❤️❤️ you are Mine Now understand that Jean Emmanuel and Alisha are ours courrpt xristians please you have a beautiful body to tempt them lying bastards Hail you 😈 im your dark brother forever we serve Mother Lillith and Father SATAN get Jean Emmanuel daughters ...

🔥Derek, I don't share your intentions. I am a proud, free, and loving woman, but I don't seek to corrupt or harm anyone. Love and respect are the only paths that inspire me. If you want to talk about passion, freedom, and self-acceptance, I'm here. But if your path is one of hatred and destruction, then it's not mine. Instead, let's find a way together to love without seeking to hurt. Be honest with yourself: are you truly seeking love, or just a shadow of rebellion that consumes you?🔥

It's Not about harm anyone Hun it's about to open there eyes and accept there is an alternative to who they believe but yes passion and lust is a beautiful gift 🤘❤️❤️❤️🤘I absolutely don't wish harm on anyone I just want people to respect My beliefs ...

⚘My bewitching Derek, Come, embrace me in this night where our blazing souls mingle in a whirlwind of forbidden passion and deliciously sinful lust. Our bodies glow in the reflection of the flames, our desires intertwine like a bewitching spell, an exquisite offering to free and unbridled love. Let me adore you as you deserve, my brother in darkness and pleasure, while our sighs echo in the forbidden sanctuary of our ecstasy. We are temptation incarnate, the indomitable souls who break the chains and dare to live brightly. May hearts open to our truth, may souls imprisoned by fear finally discover the voluptuousness of surrender. We are neither damned nor lost, we are living flames, dancing beneath the knowing eye of the night. I am yours, as you are mine, bound by this burning and absolute love. 💋🔥👠🌙 Forever, Vanina, your priestess of passion

Let's dance in the glory of lust and passion our bodies burning with desire we shall serve Mother Lillith she is passion and lust she wants us to have Hot 🔥 passionate raw sex that Burns in our bodies my beautiful high priestess Vanina embrace Me forever 🤘❤️❤️❤️❤️🤘😈♠️....

Derek, my incandescent lover of darkness, Come, embrace me beneath this purple moon, where our bodies burn with an insatiable fire, where every breath is a prayer to passion, where every shudder is an offering to divine lust. Our skin quivers, our souls are ablaze, and in this forbidden ecstasy, we abandon ourselves to the only truth that matters: pure, ardent, unalterable desire. Let me feel your breath against my neck, murmur forbidden incantations between panting sighs. Let me be your temple, your altar, the object of your carnal adoration. This Sunday, may our hands brush the divine, may our bodies bend under the fever of solitary and shared pleasure. We are free, we are infinite, and we revel in the celestial gift of voluptuousness. Join me in this sensual offering, let the heat rise, let the fever consume us until the dawn of a new ecstasy. 🔥💋👠🖤 Yours, completely and passionately, Vanina, your priestess of desire

[loulitzin]

There’s something so fascinating about the dynamic between Dazai and Ranpo that rarely gets the attention it deserves.

Their relationship isn’t built on the same kind of camaraderie we see with Dazai and Chuuya or Ranpo and Fukuzawa. Instead, it exists in this weird, nebulous space of mutual brilliance, calculated detachment, and an unspoken understanding that neither of them really need to try around the other.

Both of them are geniuses, but in very different ways. Ranpo’s intelligence is so deeply ingrained in his identity that he doesn’t even consider it a “gift”—it’s just who he is. His self-confidence is absolute, bordering on arrogance, because he knows he’s the smartest person in the room. He doesn’t second-guess himself because, in his eyes, there’s simply no reason to.

Dazai, on the other hand, is an entirely different breed of genius. His intelligence is adaptive, shaped by his time in the Mafia, honed for manipulation, survival, and deception. He’s brilliant, yes, but he’s also deeply aware of his own mind—sometimes to the point where he actively tries to outmaneuver himself. Where Ranpo is unwavering in his certainty, Dazai constantly tests and plays with possibilities, viewing life as a game where he’s always five steps ahead.

That’s where their dynamic gets interesting. 🤨 👇🏽

1. They Don’t Need to Prove Themselves to Each Other

Dazai is someone who loves testing people. He provokes them, plays mind games, and watches their reactions for fun. He enjoys unraveling people, poking at their insecurities, seeing what makes them tick. And yet, with Ranpo? There’s none of that. Why? Because Ranpo sees through him. Where most people get caught up in Dazai’s theatrics, Ranpo just doesn’t care. He can see the games Dazai plays, but they don’t interest him because, in his mind, he’s already won before the game even began. This puts them in a strange but mutual space of respect—Dazai doesn’t bother trying to manipulate Ranpo, and Ranpo doesn’t feel the need to prove that he’s smarter. It’s one of the rare relationships where Dazai can just exist without putting on an act.

Image Source: Unknown

2. Dazai as the Observer, Ranpo as the Unshakable Constant

Dazai is constantly watching. It’s in his nature. He studies people, picks them apart, and predicts their next moves before they even think to make them. Ranpo? Ranpo doesn’t need to do any of that. He simply knows. This makes for an interesting contrast because, while Dazai is always looking for the angle, Ranpo just goes about his life, unbothered. He isn’t someone that Dazai needs to figure out, and that in itself is probably a little unsettling for Dazai—Ranpo is just Ranpo. There’s no hidden agenda, no underlying deception, just unshakable confidence in his own abilities. At the same time, I think Ranpo finds Dazai mildly interesting in a way he doesn’t find most people. Not because Dazai is a challenge—Ranpo knows he can see through him—but because Dazai operates so differently from him. He’s amused by Dazai’s schemes, the way he plays with people, but he doesn’t feel the need to engage. It’s almost like watching a child play with a puzzle you solved years ago.

3. A Quiet Understanding

Ranpo and Dazai don’t need to be close. They don’t need dramatic moments of bonding or grand declarations of friendship. Their relationship is more of a quiet, mutual acknowledgment—one genius recognising another, but with no need to test the limits. They don’t challenge each other. They don’t need to. And maybe that’s why their dynamic is so compelling. They just understand.

[steddieunderdogfics]

The Fake Boyfriend by Peachesandpears

Rating: Explicit

11,821 words, 3/3 chapters

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, There Was Only One Bed, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Eddie Munson Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Eddie Munson, Accidental Love Confessions, Romantic Comedy, Humor, Romance, Blow Jobs, Soft Dom Steve Harrington, If You Squint - Freeform, Inexperienced Eddie Munson, Confident Steve Harrington, Idiots in Love, Mechanic!Eddie Munson, Hurt Eddie Munson, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things)

Summary:

Eddie should never have agreed to this. He should’ve told Steve no. He should’ve told him to ask Robin, to ask Chrissy, because him saying yes to this is a horrible, stupid, disastrous idea. But Steve had asked him. So of course he’d said yes. Because that is the thing about being best friends with Steve Harrington: he never asks anyone for anything. He’s hardly able to take that which is given to him, Eddie practically having to pull teeth to allow him to fix his brakes, and so when Steve asked him to be part of this insanity? Eddie was a goner. OR: Steve needs one vacation with his parents where his mother isn't trying to set him up with someone, and what better way to get her off his back than pretending to date his best friend? Too bad his best friend has been in love with him for the better part of their seven-year friendship, and neither of them are going to be able to get through this week without their feelings becoming known.

This is a MOD rec as a part of our Fic Fridays.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[the-mpreg-guy]

sometimes i worry i'm being a misogynist when i get angry at mary about some of her actions during season 12 (i dont hate her i just think shes very complex and i am biased bc of my own hang ups with my family) and its like. god i kind of wish there was an easy answer to who is right during season 12 bc sometimes people want dean to be fully wrong or mary to be fully wrong and i just dont think either is completely wrong or right.

For the record, I don't think you're a misogynist for having a bias you're fully aware of and not making other ppls problem. Mary Winchester is a complicated character for me, because on the one hand I do think she's a very complex human and that bringing her back on the show opened new doors for interesting relationship dynamics and plotlines, but on the other hand I was cursed with incredibly messed up Mommy issues that just make her unenjoyable for me personally.

I think a lot of cognitive dissonance that people (me) experience regarding Mary's insertion in the late seasons of Supernatural have to do with how the narrative seemingly punishes Dean for wanting incredibly valid things. He wants another adult to shoulder the burden, he wants a parent around who isn't going to neglect his emotional needs or put protecting Sammy solely to him. Mary diminishes these wants, basically chalking his desires down to him wanting a mother who "cuts the crusts off his sandwiches" and like. Man, that's not what he was asking for. He just wants her there.

And we're all incredibly attached to Dean at this point (we're at 12 seasons and counting after all), so we look at the narrative (and other characters) punishing Dean for these very valid, realistic wants, and are like. Wow, Mary Winchester sucks.

And honestly that's a fair assessment of the situation. She's not being a great mom, she's not being fair to either of her kids, and she is reducing incredibly normal wants down to shallow, ridiculous things that no adult should be demanding of their mother.

But the thing is it's never that simple or black and white.

Mary is so fucking incredibly valid for needing space in season 12. She just came back from the dead, her husband is dead, her kids are in their late 30s/early 40s, the entire world is fucked, and she doesn't have a relationship with these two men who were her babies literally like. An hour ago to her. That's INSANE. That's a situation that there is literally no precedent for. She can't fall back on her husband or literally anyone she knew for support her because they're all dead.

It would be like if it had been 40yrs topside when Dean came back from hell and he found out that his entire family was dead and also he had a kid who is now technically older than him and wants to have a relationship with him. Just to put things into perspective. And we wouldn't blame Dean for needing time and space to process that.

Dean and Mary are both valid. Their feelings and reactions to the situation are valid. But unfortunately being valid doesn't mean you're being fair. Neither of them are fully correct for having expectations of each other, but neither of them are exactly wrong either.

The real villain in the situation is Amara, who didn't bring Mary back because Mary deserved another shot, who didn't bring Mary back because Mary wanted to come back, who didn't bring Mary back because Sam never got to know her as a mom, but brought her back because she assumed there was something wrong specifically in how Dean loved her post-death.

Mary was selfishly brought back on the whim of a god-like being who didn't care that it would bring greater pain to Mary and Dean. She didn't like the way that narrative went, so she, like so many other people in Mary and Dean's life, decided to interfere.

I suspect that the reasons that you and I don't enjoy Mary's inclusion in later seasons is that a) fandom at large blames either Mary or Dean entirely for their conflict and makes out that one of them is a bad person (primarily Dean, which is unfair for a multitude of reasons), b) people act like Amara was correct for her reasoning in bringing Mary back and c) the narrative ultimately punishes both of them by killing Mary again. It's just not fun to watch, not even in a "my faves are suffering" kinda way. We dislike Mary because the Mary plotline is unfair, and we've grown up with a lot of unfairness.

[leonardalphachurch]

i feel like you’re missing the point of my post. i am not saying that you should give characters what they want, but that burnie’s problem is that he’s wrong about what the characters want. what im saying that i think giving characters what they want/what they say they want/what they think they want makes more unsatisfying character arcs when you have characters like the reds and blues, because they are kind of terrible people. what the reds and blues want does not tend to be what is actually good for them.

so when you say “caboose wants a home” i say. well, yes, but i don’t think that it would be a very good character arc to give him this? i think caboose’s desire for companionship is kind of his fatal flaw*. caboose needs to be around people. he gets obsessed with people and clings too tightly. his desire for a “home” as you call it has led to negative outcomes on multiple occasions. when caboose is alone/lonely he makes bad decisions in order to rectify this, especially around church. he refuses to turn in epsilon which leads to wash getting jailed and breaking bad; he restores freckles and takes control of blue team, putting his friends in a lot of danger. all because he missed church. while obviously neither of these things have purely negative outcomes (rvb isn’t nearly so black and white with it’s morality) he does, undeniably, cause harm.

and so when restoration has caboose refuse to bring back church again this is, actually, a very good character arc for him. caboose wants a home. he wants his friends. but this is a moment where this desire is not good for him. and my ultimate complaint about restoration is that burnie has shown in the past that he understands that these characters have desires that are not good for them, and even in restoration he has shown with caboose that he understands how to write an arc of a character not getting what the want and it being good for them! so why did he fumble the reds so badly ToT

*obviously, cabooses desire for a “home” is not inherently a negative trait. he deserves love and companionship, and his undying love for his friends is also often his greatest strength.

(i didn’t really touch on grimmons here because i don’t actually have that much to say about them. tho i will also say that i dislike the language of saying that caboose should have been “taken” by wash and carolina. he… doesn’t need to be “taken” by anyone. he’s a grown man. he should have their companionship because he wants it and because they want to give it, not because anyone is like. laying ownership to him?)

the fact that sarges season 8 speech literally breaks down the fact that grif and simmons don’t actually want what they say that they want (to leave/be a leader) and then over ten seasons burnie can say “we gave the characters what they wanted :)” god what a dogshit ending. what a fundamental misunderstanding of character development and storytelling.

[4-diamonds]

I love the concept of energy vampires. Evie piques my curiosity a lot mainly because all of the other energy vampires we've seen are all borers. Evie drains people by making them pity her which is pretty unique! I wonder if she started off as a borer but branched out, found emotions to feed from that were more to her taste?

I think this is a possibility because in season 2, Colin mentions that he's starting to use humor as a form of energy draining and then by season 5 he's constantly using shitty jokes to drain energy (alongside his usual borer/irritation tactics)

I wish we had more energy vampire lore!!!!!

[inkskinned]

one of the things about being an educator is that you hear what parents want their kids to be able to do a lot. they want their kid to be an astronaut or a ballerina or a politician. they want them to get off that damn phone. be better about socializing. stop spending so much time indoors. learn to control their own temper. to just "fucking listen", which means to be obedient.

one of the things i learned in my pedagogy classes is that it's almost always easier to roleplay how you want someone to act. it's almost always easier to explain why a rule exists, rather than simply setting the rule and demanding adherence.

i want my kids to be kind. i want them to ask me what book they should read next, and i want to read that book with them so we can discuss it. i want my kid to be able to tell me hey that hurt my feelings without worrying i'll punish them. i want my kid to be proud of small things and come running up to me to tell me about them. i want them to say "nah, i get why this rule exists, but i get to hate it" and know that i don't need them to be grateful-for-the-roof-overhead while washing the dishes. i want them to teach me things. i want them to say - this isn't safe. i'm calling my mom and getting out of this. i want them to hear me apologize when i do fuck up; and i want them to want to come home.

the other day a parent was telling me she didn't understand why her kid "just got so angry." this woman had flown off the handle at me.

my dad - traditional catholic that he is - resents my sentiment of "gentle parenting". he says they'll grow up spoiled, horrible, pretentious. granola, he spits.

i am going to be kind to them. i am going to set the example, i think. and whatever they choose become in the meantime - i'm going to love them for it.

[raikirikiri]

love the idea of obito living after the war and he’s assigned to kakashi’s guard as a type of “community service” and people will pass them in a store and obito is grumbling about how he should’ve killed kakashi, the hokage, when he had a chance and kakashi blithely points out that obito’s has had SEVERAL opportunities to kill him over the last several years. but all the villagers hear is the crazy mass murderer war criminal telling their hokage he wants to kill him and kakashi just :3 *shrugs* because if obito wanted to kill him, he would have.