#oh she is so romantic in her irony ....

[breitzbachbea]

Dandelions (yes, that song that gets clipped for tiktok a lot) could probably be a pretty good Tarielle song.

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Hello! Could I please request jealous as hell Donna but with a jealous as hell reader? Like, Donna hides her jealousy because she's scared reader wouldn't like it but then she finds out that reader actually loves it and finds it romantic and is equally jealous over Donna? And her feelings being validated just makes Donna incredibly happy/feral haha, they're a perfect match. Your writing is awesome bless you 🙏🏻

Yesss!!!! Thank you for your request and for your kindness, bless you too ;)! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!!! :))))

Everyone has flaws

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Fluff, jealousy

Word count: 5,054

Summary: You know the way she is, but she doesn't know yours...

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours!!! I love you all!!! :))

“Am disturbing you?” you asked in a soft voice as you settled into the brunette's lap.

Donna was working on her dolls, as always.

She looked at you with a tender smile and shook her head, stealing a kiss from you, one of those that said much more than any word.

Starting a relationship was always a difficult step, a series of tests and obstacles that had to be avoided or endured. It was already that way with anyone, but Donna Beneviento, Lord and doll maker, was not just anyone.

Of course, you didn’t regret having taken that step, of approaching that mysterious woman covered with a black veil, that woman who always caught your attention at mass, that woman who always seemed quiet, absent, but who, at the same time, seemed to look at you in the same way.

Asking was daring, the result was extraordinary. Just telling her that you admired her work, that you liked her dolls, was enough for the shy lady in black to invite you to her house, to a tea, and then to another, and another.

Talking about feelings was complicated, telling that sick and dangerous woman that, in some way, you were obsessed with her, was an even riskier move. But luck was on your side, and you left your old, boring life, to live your own love story, a romance you longed for every day, that you dreamed about every night. You couldn't ask for more from the life of a simple village girl.

It could be luck, or it could be that Donna was as crazy about you as you were about her. Coincidence, luck, or a romance from a novel, what you called it didn't matter, the most important thing was to feel it every day, with every kiss, with every word of love, with every caress.

“What are you doing?” you asked curiously, while she dressed a new doll. Donna laughed, focused on her work.

“Putting a new dress on this new friend…” she whispered, not losing her concentration, even with you on her lap, even with you by her side all day, she never lost her focus, well, almost.

“Ohh…” you murmured amused, earning another one of her tender smiles as she shook her head.

“What do you think?” she asked, showing off her new creation, moving you on her lap so you were more comfortable, watching your expressions.

You nodded in approval at that new toy, one that would surely brighten the life of one of the village children, just like when you were one of them.

“Not bad…” you whispered, pretending to observe every detail, every little detail that Donna never overlooked. “Who are you going to sell it to?”

Donna shrugged, picking up the doll again.

“Whoever wants it, I guess,” she said amused, putting the clothes back on that piece of porcelain. “The Duke takes care of that.”

“Taking his share, of course,” you joked, holding on tighter to her body, being held by her soft hands on your waist.

“Money doesn't worry me, (Y/N),” Donna said, with a disinterested tone. “I just like to do it, it reminds me of… better times.”

“Oh, times when you didn't live with a pretty village girl like me, huh?” you said mockingly, putting a finger on her nose, causing another soft laugh from the brunette.

“I didn't mean that, I…” she said nervously, misinterpreting your irony, as usual. You loved that innocence, that way of understanding everything that only Donna could have.

You interrupted her apologies with a kiss, and then another, until a sigh from her lips told you that the fear had passed, that she hadn't made a mistake. Laughter filled the sinister workshop, as did the sound of your rhythmic kisses, deeper and deeper, more and more… intense.

It could have been a perfect morning, one of many, but the screeching sound of the phone interrupted that intimate moment about to turn into a passionate one.

“How timely,” you said, rolling your eyes and getting off her lap, something Donna prevented by pulling you.

“Angie will take care of that, tesoro… Come back here,” she whispered tenderly, returning the sweet taste of her kisses to your lips.

“Mm, I'm not going to complain,” you hissed with a mischievous purr, letting the subtle rocking of your bodies become rhythmic, the temperature rising little by little.

“Hey!” a squeal interrupted again, an annoying, irritating one, Angie. “Again, Donna? How disgusting!”

“Angie…” you sighed annoyed as the lady in black elegantly lowered you to the floor, looking at the doll with curiosity.

“Che vuoli? Sono occupata,” the brunette said, fixing the hair you messed up with your caresses.

“One day we have to talk about how busy you are since that stupid girl lives with us. I feel neglected,” the doll protested, comically crossing her arms.

“The stupid girl is here, in case you hadn't noticed,” you said, with an ironic tone, the one you always used with the irreverent puppet.

“Of course I noticed, that's why I'm saying it. What's the point of insulting you if you're not there to hear it?”

You laughed with your eyes half closed.

“I guess that's a good point,” you sighed, letting yourself fall into a nearby chair.

“You can't handle my expert verbalization, loser,” the doll mocked again.

“Angie...” Donna sighed, fed up with the little fights between you and her partner, fights that, always, were just a joke. “Enough…”

“Leave her alone, she seems to be having fun,” you joked, kissing Donna on the cheek, only to elicit an angry growl from the doll.

“You Donna-stealer!” Angie protested. “Get away from her and pick up the phone,” she said, comically pushing you away as you tried to kiss her owner again. You raised your eyebrows.

“The phone? Oh, that’s right,” you said with a hand on your forehead, pretending not to remember.

“Who is it, Angie?” Donna asked confused by the doll’s words. The doll simply shrugged.

“A friend of the fool,” Angie explained, pointing at you unpleasantly.

“A friend?” Donna asked, with a slightly more serious look, glancing at you out of the corner of her eye.

“That’s what he said, he wanted to talk to the fool,” Angie repeated. You snorted with a smile and walked out of the workshop, leaving a confused Donna behind you.

“Hello?” you asked as you picked up the phone, feeling a chill from being alone in that dark basement.

“Oh, um, yes, um, in life, and in death, we give glory…”

“Shut up, you commoner! How dare you to disturb me?” you said, darkening your voice, exaggeratedly faking the brunette's accent.

“I, I'm sorry, Lady, Lady Beneviento… I… I…” the boy said, frightened. You covered the phone, holding back your laughter at that practical joke.

“You will pay for your insolence,” you threatened, with that same dark voice. “You have disturbed me and I’m very angry. I’m pinching and shaking my hands because I’m angry,” you joked, making the gesture with your hand.

“No, no! Please, have, have mercy… Please…” your friend begged. Poor thing, it was time to enjoy your victory.

You laughed loudly through the phone and the boy sighed.

“(Y/N)…” he told you, relieved but annoyed by your usual jokes. “Don't do that, one day I'm going to have a heart attack.”

“I can't help it, it's very funny,” you said, still laughing, relaxing your breathing and speaking in a normal tone. “Do you want something?”

“I don't know, I'm thinking about it now… Damn, why did you have to get together with her? She's… Terrifying,” he protested, laughing amused.

“Because I love her, and believe me, she's not that scary,” you said in a calmer tone. “Irina in the morning produces more nightmares than poor Donna.”

“Poor Donna? You're hopeless,” the young man laughed.

“You know me,” you said, sighing, looking around. “What do you want? I'm quite busy right now.”

“Oh, sure, I was calling you because this afternoon we're going to the lake. Maybe you'd like to come,” he commented, to which you nodded interested.

“Mm, friends plan at the lake…” you said amused, pretending to think about it. “Sounds good, I’m in.”

“See you, (Y/N),” the boy said before you hung up the phone.

You walked back to the workshop, slowing down to listen to a curious conversation between Donna and her doll.

“But… what did he sound like?” the brunette asked, questioning poor Angie. “Was he really a friend?”

“He was a dumb boy, he almost peed himself when I yelled at him,” Angie said disinterestedly, pretending to whisper.

“A boy? Are you sure?” the lady asked, in a nervous tone.

“Either a boy, or the world champion of dark voices,” the doll joked. “Don't ask me any more questions, Donna, I've told you everything I know.”

“But, but…” the lady stammered.

“Shh, the silly girl is coming,” Angie whispered, just before you entered the workshop again.

“Ok, that's it…” you sighed with a smile, clapping your hands together. “Angie, go away.”

“Kick me out if you dare, you filthy commoner…” the doll said, comically moving her fists.

“Then stay,” you growled, returning to the brunette's lap, wrapping your hands around her neck. “Enjoy the views, you kind of doll with a voyeur kink.”

“Wait,” Donna interrupted, just when you were ready to continue with your kisses. “Who…? Who was it?”

You blinked, snorting, knowing that there would be no way to continue with your actions.

“A friend,” you said simply, getting off again and sitting next to her, playing with porcelain arms, scattered across the table.

“What friend?” she asked abruptly, staring at you, with a serious, worried face. It was strange to see her like that, she seemed angry.

“Well…” you sighed, speaking carefully, as the trembling of her hands betrayed her nervousness. “Dino, my friend… I think you already know him.”

“No, I don’t,” Donna whispered, looking at you intently, searching for something in your gaze, something you didn’t know what it was.

“No? Well, nevermind,” you said passively, playing with those scattered and discarded arms. “Hey, can you give me a hand?” you joked, extending a porcelain limb towards the lady, who didn’t flinch. “Hey, you usually find my nonsense funny.”

“What did that friend of yours want?” she asked, taking the arm out of your hands, nervously. “I don’t like people calling home.”

“Well, yeah, but… It’s the only way they have to contact me,” you said, with a more deflated tone, with the smile already gone from your face. “He just wanted to invite me to the lake this afternoon.”

“To the lake,” she said, blinking incredulously. “What for?”

“To kill huge monsters with a boat and a harpoon,” you said mockingly. “What do you think? To spend the afternoon, nothing you have to worry about, Don... Donna?”

The brunette trembled nervously, with a dark gleam in her eye, avoiding looking at you directly, as if she were controlling her own anger, an irrational one.

“This, this afternoon I wanted, I wanted... To spend it with you, (Y/N),” she said stuttering, thus evidencing her nervousness.

“I spend every afternoon with you, my love,” you said in a soft voice, taking one of her trembling hands, preventing her from clenching her fists too tightly.

“Donna, Donna, danger, danger...” Angie said, tugging at the lady's black dress. Donna seemed to be on the verge of losing control. “Remember what we talked about.”

“Hey, hey, honey, honey…” you said worriedly, getting up from the chair and grabbing her shoulders, studying her erratic expressions. “Donna, my love, calm down… Do you… Do you have a crisis?”

She shook her head, unable to seem sincere.

“Oh, hey, if that I go worries you, I'll call him right now and…” you said carefully, thinking that was what worrying her. She shook her head again, closing her eye to calm down.

“No, it doesn't worry me,” she sighed, being calmed by your soft caresses.

“Mm, you're such a bad liar,” you joked, lifting her chin. “Do you want a glass of water?”

Donna nodded, turning her face away from your caresses. You sighed with a sad look, sad for not controlling her problems, because the shadows of her mind were always lurking.

“That's it, slow down, don't choke,” you said, giving her a drink. She seemed a bit calmer, with Angie replacing your support.

“You, you should go with your friends, (Y/N), it's what a girl like you should do,” Donna whispered, with a calmer voice, with the trembling of her hands increasingly controlled.

“Are you sure? I don't mind staying. You know I love being with you, Donna,” you said softly, kissing her slowly. She, with an exaggerated smile, nodded, returning the kiss.

At least that crisis could be fixed soon.

Donna had an infinite number of virtues, but many flaws too. Her repressed possessiveness was often a cause for concern. You knew she was jealous, terribly jealous, but she always insisted on lying, on hiding her true feelings. Yes, it could be a flaw but, in fact, you didn’t see it as such.

That voracious need to always have you by her side, to growl or snort at anyone who came too close, was even exciting, romantic to you. But Donna was still Donna, she would never admit to feeling inhibited by the irrational fear of losing you. It was something she tried to hide with all her might.

Luckily for you, and unfortunately for her, Lady Beneviento was not skilled in human relationships. She didn’t know how to hide her feelings.

Actually, that was not a bad thing either. If it had been the other way, you would never have been able to kiss her, you would continue with your boring life as a villager.

The afternoon at the lake was funny, it really was. From time to time you liked to leave that dark mansion and remember you had friends, that you would always have them. When you returned home, you wondered what absurd strategy Donna had in mind, how she would attack, what way she would use to find out even the smallest detail of that outing with friends.

“Hi, hi…” you said amused, opening the door, finding an erratic Donna walking from side to side down the hall, waiting for you impatiently.

“(Y/N)… Finally,” she sighed, throwing herself into your arms, covering you with tireless kisses that you laughed at, trying to breathe. It was the expected reaction, after all.

“Hey, hey, come on…” you sighed, gently pushing her away. “I haven't been away for three days.”

“It seemed like it…” she said, looking at you sadly. “It's been an eternity for me …”

“How exaggerated,” you joked, kissing her quickly and entering the living room, letting yourself fall on the sofa.

Donna followed you, nervously playing with her hands, closely followed by the doll.

“Did… did you have a good time?” she asked, sitting next to you, surely dying to ask many things.

You nodded with a bright smile.

“Yes, it was good,” you said passively.

“Do you want, do you want to have something for dinner, tesoro?” Donna asked, with a fake smile, holding her sweaty hands so they wouldn't move on their own. “I've prepared your favorite food for you… Just in case you came home hungry…”

“Ufff, I'm not hungry at all, honey,” you said, rubbing your stomach comically. “Irina has prepared so many sandwiches that I think I don't have blood anymore, but bread crumbs,” you joked.

Donna felt disappointed by your answer, looking at you with a dark glint in her eye.

“Who is Irina?” she asked in a different tone, getting a little closer, studying your gestures.

“A friend, the baker's daughter, I think you know her,” you said casually. She hardened her gaze, nodding briefly.

“She's such a beautiful girl,” she whispered in a voice that betrayed a lament, something that made you frown.

“She's not bad, but she wears too much makeup,” you joked, wanting to be funny, failing again. Donna moved, looking away.

“I see…” she murmured, clearing her throat, starting to shake again.

“It's not that bad but… Those sandwiches… They're out of this world. You should stop by her store one day and…”

“Maybe I should,” she said with a proud tone, crossing her arms. “I think she'd look pretty with her insides out, don't you?”

You opened your eyes with a confused smile at that terrible threat, tilting your head in an exaggerated gesture of disgust.

“Donna, that was… Terrifying,” you whispered, amused and scared at the same time.

“Donna, Donna…” Angie interrupted, tugging at her dress again. “Not threats… You're going to scare her,” she whispered, failing in her attempt at being confident. You frowned.

“Do you like how she cooks?” Donna asked, with a calmer tone but the same resentment in her voice. “Does she cook better than me? Do you prefer to eat what she makes?”

“What? Donna…” you said sighing, rolling your eyes. No matter how much she tried to hide it, her jealousy always came to light. “No one cooks better than you.”

“That's what you say now,” she grumbled, pushing away the hand that wanted to caress her. “You know what? If you're going to be talking about how wonderful that cagna is, I'm going to bed.”

“I didn't say she's wonderful, I just…” you said confused, watching the lady get up from the couch, quickly followed by you. “Hey, Donna, wait, hey…”

“Lasciami stare,” she hissed, pulling your hand away from her wrist, growling angrily.

“Don't be jealous, come on…” you whispered with a tender smile, blinking smugly, your heart beating for that dark side you liked so much. “Come here, honey, let me show you how much I love you… Come on, please.”

“Vaffanculo,” she hissed again, turning and disappearing from your sight, leaving you glued to the floor.

“Wow…” you sighed, shaking your head. “What did she say to me?” you asked Angie, who shook her head with a wooden hand on her forehead.

“She said: Fuck you!” the doll said, running after its owner. “Donna, Donna, wait, wait! You're screwing it up again!”

You pointed at yourself, incredulous at such an inappropriate word and frowned.

You had to wait a while to go down to the bedroom as well, letting that jealousy you loved so much fade over time.

“Hey, Donna…” you whispered, joining her on the bed. She groaned, turning her back to you. “Are you feeling better?”

“I'm fine,” she whispered.

“Okay…” you said, rolling your eyes and snuggling up to her. “You have no reason to be jealous, my love.”

“What?” she asked, feigning surprise. “I'm not jealous.”

“Yeah, sure you’re not,” you whispered, shaking your head. “Donna…”

“I just, I just care about you,” she corrected, turning on the light and sitting up in bed. “What if stupida had poisoned the sandwiches?”

“What are you talking about?” you asked amused. “Why would she do that?”

Donna shrugged, with a proud pose.

“Being with me puts you in danger, (Y/N)… Don't forget that,” she whispered, cupping your face in her hands, gently pulling it to kiss you.

“Oh, so that was it, huh?” you asked amused, with a mocking smile. “It wasn't jealousy.”

“It wasn’t,” she answered dryly.

“It wasn’t,” you repeated. “Nothing to do with jealousy.”

“Niente”

“Okay… Okay… Good night, Donna,” you sighed, kissing her cheek, laughing internally at her fear of acknowledging her true concerns.

At least the next day was a normal one, well, almost normal. It was the day of the monthly visit to the castle, one that didn't make you particularly happy, but that you would have to endure so Donna wouldn't worry about leaving you alone at home. You didn't want any more absurd arguments, no matter how romantic their intentions were.

“Tea?” the lady of the castle, Alcina Dimitrescu asked, with her always kind, but impossibly seductive smile.

“Sure, thank you,” you said, sighing, wanting to end this little meeting as soon as possible. You didn't know why Donna insisted on going every month. She barely spoke.

“Have you heard what happened in the village?” the lady in white asked, serving some steaming tea to her sister. Donna shook her head. “It seems that someone has been destroying the bakery tonight. Apparently that poor girl had a panic attack.”

You turned your head towards Donna, widening your eyes accusingly. The lady in black moved into a defensive position.

“That way she'll learn…” Angie whispered, sitting next to you.

“What do you mean, dear?” Alcina asked, looking at you out of the corner of her eye.

“Donna…” you whispered, nudging the brunette.

“It wasn't me,” she murmured behind her black veil, in a childishly comical way.

“Yeah, sure,” you said amused.

“Did I miss something, ladies?” Alcina asked, laughing amused.

“No,” you, Donna, and Angie answered in unison.

An unpleasant buzzing sound reached your ears. Oh, of course, they couldn't be missing.

Dimitrescu's three daughters materialized with sinister laughter, to Angie's delight.

“Donna, Donna, did you bring it?” one of them asked, Bela, leaning on the couch shamelessly, close, too close to Donna. You shifted uncomfortably.

The lady in black nodded, handing her a bag with a black cape inside, which the young vampire showed off with a gasp of approval.

“It's great!” she squealed, admiring her new possession. You frowned. Unintentionally, your hands began to tremble. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Bela shouted again, throwing herself at the brunette and kissing her effusively on the cheek, through her black veil.

You began to feel uncomfortable at this unexpected affection. Normally no one got so close to Donna, everyone feared her. You should have assumed that this was not the case with the Dimitrescu family, but seeing such exaggerated displays of affection for yourself stirred your feelings a bit.

“Bela, leave her alone, don't overwhelm her,” Alcina said, gesturing towards her daughter, who smiled pleased, hugging Donna from behind and rubbing her head against hers.

“I'm just grateful,” the young woman protested. “You are the best, Donna, the best,” she said, shaking her again, kissing her for the last time, dislodging her veil.

You, kindly, wanting Dimitrescu to move away, reached out your hand to arrange the black cloth properly. But Bela stepped forward again, placing the doll maker's veil with a concentrated look, something that only you could do, that only you had the right to do.

Your fists clenched in your dress unconsciously and your gaze darkened. The shadow of jealousy had not yet appeared to torment you, you thought it never would.

“Mm, done,” the vampire whispered, finally moving away from your girlfriend, an occasion that you took advantage of to get a little closer to Donna and kiss her unexpectedly where her lips were, also on the black fabric.

“Oh, I see so much affection,” Alcina joked, laughing amused by your attitude. Donna stammered something incomprehensible, nervous about that stolen and indiscreet kiss.

“(Y/N)…” she whispered scared, embarrassed by such a strange act.

“Hey, you, whatever your name is!” Bela said, pointing at you unpleasantly.

“My name is (Y/N),” you growled. You should know what they were like, you knew them, but on that occasion, an irrational hatred ran through your veins.

“Whatever,” she said, pulling your hand away from the couch. You, seeing it as an attempt to separate you from Donna, pulled away from her grip, sitting back down with your arms crossed.

“Don't you want to play? The maids have taught us a new game,” another of the sisters, Daniela said.

You shook your head, leaning on Donna's shoulder, taking her arm so she would surround your body.

“I'm fine here, thank you.”

It was a somewhat strange afternoon. In your mind you could only see Bela Dimitrescu's gestures of affection, Donna's passivity towards them. She spoke to you as you walked through the forest, but you didn't listen to her, you could only hear the vampire's mocking laughter.

“What do you want for dinner, tesoro?” Donna asked, closing the door and getting rid of the veil, with an innocent smile.

“I don't know,” you said with a brusque, spiteful tone, one that Donna didn't seem to notice. “What do you want for dinner?”

“I asked first,” she said with a sweet voice, gently grabbing your waist, kissing you affectionately among soft and shy laughs.

“Release me,” you said dryly, pushing those tender kisses away from your face, pushing her by the shoulders. “Do you feel like cuddles?”

Donna looked at you surprised, with her eye wide open due to your rejection.

“Well, I…” she murmured confused, with an embarrassed smile.

“What a coincidence, huh? We come back from the castle and you get tender…” you said in a cold tone, shaking your head.

She remained thoughtful, looking for a reason for your attitude, one that she couldn't find, of course.

“I, I want to make love, (Y/N)…” she said in a discreet whisper, trying not to let those words reach Angie's ears.

“Oh, do you want to do it now? Right now?” you asked with a mocking smile, narrowing your eyes.

“Yes, well…” she said, shaking her head, confused. “If, if you don't want it, I'll…”

“I don't want it,” you snapped, huffing. “I'm hungry.”

“Fi, fine…” she said, looking at you cautiously, searching for something strange in your gaze, something that didn't fit with your normal behavior. “Tell, tell me, what do you want me to do for you?”

“I don't know…” you murmured, controlling your anger, that sea of ​​jealousy that flooded your rational thought. “Something that fits well with white wine.”

“White wine?” Donna asked, searching for an idea in her mind. “I think, I think we don't have any. But red wine will do.”

“Of course, of course... You love red wine, don't you?” you asked, furious again, erratic. She shook her head, taking a few steps back.

“Yes, I, I like it,” she answered fearfully.

“Red, red as blood, right?” you mocked.

“Te, tesoro, what's going on? Have I done something wrong?” she asked, searching for your trembling hand, calming it with hers, with a pleading look.

“I don't know, have you?” you asked, sighing, controlling your anger, that jealousy you felt. “Really, Donna? A new cloak for the fly girl?”

“Cosa?” she asked surprised. “What, what are you talking about?”

“Bela Dimitrescu, that's what I'm talking about,” you confessed, turning your back on her. “Why do you have to make her a new cloak? Can't one of her hundreds of maids make it for her?”

“Um, well, she, she likes the clothes I make,” Donna explained, running a hand over the back of her neck, not being able to help but feel somewhat proud.

“She likes a lot of things about you…” you hissed, turning on your heels, with a crazy look. “Giving you kisses, for example.”

“Oh, well, you know they are that effusive,” she said with an innocent smile, approaching cautiously.

“And you love it, don't you?” you asked ironically, leaning threateningly over her. The lady in black looked at her doll, who shrugged, unable to explain your attitude.

“No, no, I… Amore mio, what's wrong?” she asked, confused and a  bit intimidated by your unusual attitude.

“Look, I thought I wouldn't have to tell you this but... I'm sorry, I'm very jealous,” you finally said, looking away. “I'm jealous to death, I'm dying of jealousy. I can't stand it.”

“Y-You? Jealous?” the lady in black asked, surprised, frowning. “But, but...”

“What?” you snapped, pointing at Donna with your finger, making her back off again. “Of course, I can't be jealous, right? You can make a poor girl hallucinate because she cooks well, but I can't be jealous...”

“But, but...” the doll maker murmured, backing away while you chased her around the living room in a comical way.

“Yes, I am, I'm terribly jealous, I can't stand anyone laying a finger on what's mine, do you understand? Nobody can do that,” you said, poking the brunette with a finger on her chest.

“I, I didn't mean to...” she explained, shaking her head, grabbing your wrist with a nervous smile. “You, you don't have to worry, I'm only yours, you know that.”

“Oh, why does that sound familiar...” you murmured amused. “Don't be confused, Donna, and stop pretending, I know you're jealous even of the air I breathe, and do you know why I know? Because I feel the same.”

“I don't...” she said, closing her eye, controlling her breathing. “Okay, okay, yes, I... I can't stand the idea that someone, someone...”

“Mm,” you murmured, putting your hands on either side of your hips. “Well, at least you admit it.”

“I didn't want to admit it! That, that's not right, I... I didn't want to... Scare you,” Donna said, nervous, confused and hurt by having to admit her biggest flaw, one that you didn't even consider as such.

“The only thing that scares me, Donna...” you said with the softest voice, moved by those words, by the romanticism they evoked for you, the smile they formed on your face. “... Is that you might find someone better than me.”

“I fear the same,” the lady whispered, approaching you, bringing her hands to your waist again, brushing her lips with yours. “I'm terrified, tesoro... I don't want to lose you.”

“I don't want to lose you either,” you whispered, melting into her in a passionate, wild, even furious kiss. “I think the Duke have some insecticides, doesn't he?”

Donna laughed, shaking her head, kissing your neck mockingly.

“There's nothing you should worry about…” she whispered in your ear, caressing your cheek. “You're my first, and my only love. I love you, I love you so much…”

“Donna,” you said blushing, with a silly smile, hugging her to end that stupid argument. “You're very tempting, you know?”

“Do you really think so?” she asked amused, playing with your hands.

You nodded, kissing her again.

“Cheesy fools” Angie said, interrupting, as always.

“Hey, Angie,” you said amused, without letting the brunette go. “Look, we're just as jealous, what do you think?”

“Yes, yes, you make a great couple… You're just as crazy…”

[pitchsidestories]

The Princess Diaries II Zećira Mušović x Reader

chelsea women masterlist

The Swedish Princess got enganged. Scroll further to find the whole transcript of their adorable engagement video with the swedish national team goalkeeper

Interviewer: So how did you two first met? gives them both a curious look

Zecira: To be honest I did not recognize who she was back when. grins sheepishly

Princess!Reader: That's true, for me personally I found that very refreshing smirks

Zecira: She says that now but I don’t think she did back then throws a teasing smile at her

Interviewer: What happened ?

Zecira: It all happened during a football game looks into the eyes of her fiancée

Princess!Reader: Yes, it was a sweden game of course slowly nods while she can't look away

Zecira: I think we even won that game smiles

Princess!Reader: Yeah you did so naturally I went to the after party to congratulate the whole team and you might have heard about it but swedish female football team partys are legendary chuckles

Zecira: You make it sound like it was a big deal laughs

Princess!Reader: Well it kinda was, you girls were securing the third place in the world cup her tone getting more serious

Zecira: Maybe it was kind of a big deal

Princess!Reader: See?

Zecira: So anyways, she was standing there and I didn’t know who she was speaks animatedly with her hands

Princess!Reader: Yes, which was nice and akward at the same time but my instinct was just go with it shrugs

Zecira: I might have had a few drinks already so I just went for it

Interviewer: You flirted with the princess ? shakes his head in surprise

Zecira: Yeah. But I didn’t know it at the time

Princess!Reader: True

Zecira: I only found out hours after that

Princess!Reader: Magda and Frido had to spoil it and tell her about my identity rolls her eyes

Zecira: Didn’t stop me from texting her though smiles confidently

Princess!Reader: Of course not because Z loves a good challenge winks at her fiancée before turning her face back to the camera

Zecira: I do grins bright

Princess!Reader: And what a challenge it was for our both families to accept this entwines her fingers with Zeciras while speaking about it

Interviewer: Tell us more about it.

Zecira: Well, my parents were panicking quite a bit shrugs it off

Princess!Reader: They did until I met them for the first time, remember that love?

Zecira: That’s what you say, they still panic before you come visit them jokes

Princess!Reader: Same, to be honest

Zecira: No, you don’t. Wait, you do? gives her an astonished look

Princess!Reader: Yes, I always feel like I might not be good enough for you in their eyes.. bites her lip

Zecira: Even though you’re a princess?

Princess!Reader: That does not mean I'm the perfect daughter in law, love..

Zecira: It doesnt? winks at her

Princess!Reader: Oh you disagree, huh? looks at her in amusement

Zecira: I do nods

Princess!Reader: Maybe your parents will change their minds too someday in a hopeful tone

Zecira: What am I supposed to say about that, huh? hides her face behind her long hands for a moment

Princess!Reader: next question, please ? turns her head to the interviewer

Zecira: See, she never wants to talk about that huffs

Interviewer: I can tell. But what the swedes want to know how was the propasal and who asked the big question?

Princess!Reader: I did. Really.

Zecira: She did sighs

Princess!Reader: Much to Z's dismay, she even shed a few tears gives her fiancée a teasing smile

Zecira: I had an allergy! laughs

Princess!Reader: In our flat in London ?

Zecira: Yes !

Princess!Reader: So you're allergic to romantic moments ? sounds skeptical

Zecira: Maybe.

Princess!Reader: Maybe?

Zecira: Yeah, my nose is running and my eyes are watering when there’s an emotional moment. Must be an allergy throws her hands up in defence

Princess!Reader: No, that's called feelings chuckles

Zecira: It is? irony dripping from her voice

Princess!Reader: Yeah

Zecira: Oh

Princess!Reader: So yes, we can't wait to get married as you can see grins

Interviewer: I can tell. Any plans for the future?

Princess!Reader: Actually, we do, which one do you think we can tell them, Z ?

Interviewer: you have several plans? interjects

Zecira: Of course but we also know that some things can't be planned..

Interviewer: For example?

Zecira: Children getting serious

Interviewer: That’s… a big plan laughs surprised about Zecira's openess

Princess!Reader: It's but we..

Interviewer: Yes ?

Princess!Reader: Nevermind blushes

Zecira: Let’s just say that our future plans are not that far into the future offers a mischievous smile to the camera

Princess!Reader: Exactly, that might be a good end for our interview, right?

Interviewer: Usually I should end the interview but sure. I think we got enough gives them a satisfied look

Princess!Reader: thanks shakes the hand of the interviewer

"Let’s leave, love.", with a huge smile on Zecira's face she took your hand in hers to get out of the studio where the engagement interview took place.

Hopeful you looked up to the taller woman: "Right, someone has a game to play and I hope Frido secured a good place for me."

"I’m sure, she did.", the goalkeeper reassured you.

With a glance at your phone you answered with a nod: Ah yes, she texted me earlier and is already waiting."

"See you after the game.", your fiancée hugged you fiercly.

Cheerful you wished her good luck.

In a flirty tone Zecira replied:" I don’t need that. I got you here."

Suddenly Fridolina who was still healing from her knee injury appeared at your side:" Don't worry, I'll take care of your princess for you."

"I hope you will.", Zecira said.

Quickly the injured blonde football player responded:"Promise."

"You better should. I’ll see if she’s happy after the game.", the goalkeeper warned her teammate jokingly.

After the match, you were in the stands, leaning down towards your fiancée so you could kiss her: "Your saves were amazing, Zecira !"

"Just for you, love.", the taller woman answered, looking overjoyed about the win.

"For you, the team and me."

"Yeah, fine.", Zecira snotted.

Your cheeks were flushing while you admited:"But it sounded very cute from your lips."

Cheekily your fiancée asked:" How does another kiss from these lips sound?"

"That sounds perfect." , you declared before the goalkeeper was drawing you in for an even more passionate kiss.

"Come here then."

To our readers: Do you like this form of storytelling? Should we do it more often ?

[himeryu]

Novels 02 (Kamisato Ayato x Reader)

CH NOTES: arranged marriage, emotional cheating, neglect, unhealthy relationship, sad ending, hurt no comfort, heavy angst, slight ooc

PAIRING: Ayato x GN!Reader (Fem terms might be used accidentally)

SUMMARY: Ayato x Fiance! Reader but you’re a hopeless romantic to your fiance who is in love with another.

A/N: inspired by Movies by Conan Gray

... navigation masterlist previous next

I. “Why do you keep avoiding Yuki?” Ayato says with contempt, making you flinch at the tone of his voice. Kamisato Ayato is angry, all because of her. Your heart drops at the thought, yet you can’t help but feel a surge of negative emotions. Recently there have been rumors circulating about Kamisato Ayato and Kaedahara Yuki: rumors of Infidelity. 

You heard of the rumors accidentally during a social party. Before the mask came crashing down, Kamisato Ayato would clarify every rumor regarding the commission. However, despite hearing the distasteful rumor in-person, he stayed still, deciding to stay ignorant. 

You stood still as you stared at him in disbelief. Thoughts of questions about his purpose and why he is feigning ignorance circulate in your head. You felt ill, those rumors would damage his and your reputation, something that you both hold dear. But, he stood still, almost like he was enjoying the rumors. 

Why? why? WHY?

That was until everything came into place. You snapped your head away from his figure, painfully smiling to yourself as you finally understood why he was feigning ignorance. The gossipers would continue till Lady Kaedahara Yuki would personally tell them that it isn’t true. Curiously, you glanced at the commissioner, and oh how you would regret doing that. 

His smile was forced, and his gaze held a bit of disappointment. You stare at him in disbelief, your heart shattering even more. God, Kamisato Ayato broke your heart once more, what did you do to deserve this? 

But, you can’t help but laugh at the irony.

You and Kamisato Ayato have one thing in common: you both enjoy your delusions of being loved by the person you wish they hold you dear. 

Kamisato Ayato’s love for Kaedahara Yuki is unrequited. 

“[Name], I asked you a question,” says Ayato, snapping you back to reality. 

“Ah. I’m sorry, I was just lost in thought,” you continue, putting on a small smile to hide your thoughts, “What did you say?”

“Why do you keep avoiding Yuki?”

God, he says her name with so much endearment it’s making you want to cry. 

“Oh? I have never avoided Lady Yuki,” you reply with a smile. 

It’s a lie, of course. You have been avoiding the former Kaedahara heir ever since her return to Inazuma. Though, it isn’t exactly avoiding, it is more like not meeting her unless needed. Furthermore, you and Kaedahara Yuki have not been acquainted before, so there was no reason to greet her. 

However, the truth is, you can’t face her— your fiance's one-sided crush. She’s beautiful, charismatic and a person blessed by God, everything that you are not. 

You fear that one day, jealousy would taint your mind and only her highness, the shogun, would know what you would do. After all, jealousy is a deadly disease that taints both the mind and heart, a disease that could only be cured by love. But, you don’t have that luxury, do you?

Ayato sighs with frustration as he runs his fingers through his hair. “Whatever you say,” he dismisses your defense, “Don’t make her feel bad ever again.”

And so, he leaves, leaving you once more once again.

II. As a child, you have always dreamed of a grand wedding. You, standing side by side with your lover as they look at you with a loving expression as you swear your love in front of all your friends and family; And the wedding garment of your dreams adorning your body, making you radiate like you bathed in fairy dust. 

The grand wedding of your dreams should be the day you would only feel happiness, and nothing else. 

So, you await for the day that someone would give you the wedding of your dreams, someone who would give you the world just because you asked for it. And the day you met your fiance, you believed that he would be the one to do so.

Yet impressions are different from their true human nature. The impressions you perceive from people are nothing but ideas you created in your head to fill in the lack of information you have regarding that person. The impressions you formed would then form a mask that would cunningly cover your judgment towards that person, staying ignorant to his ‘true’ nature. 

Kamisato Ayato’s ‘mask’ was never there, your perception of people was just too naive and immature to handle a cunning man like the commissioner; it could not perceive Kamisato Ayato’s ‘true’ nature. But, who are you to blame? That man is cunning like a snake, crawling onto your skin as it makes you succumb to naivety. Therefore, you got yourself fooled and your hopes went up all because of your naivety and ignorance; Your impression on that man ruined your life.

Your dream wedding shattered in an instance, and your dreams for a happy future disappeared. Life has never been a rosy path with Archons smiling down at you as you obtain your happiness– so your experience is only natural, right? 

‘This is reality,’ you would say to yourself, trying to cope with your indescribable distress, ‘Life should be nothing like the novels I’ve read.’ 

Your love for reading starts to dissipate, replaced with a sense of hatred. You hate reading, it was the reason why you were so naive, so caught up with the illusions that you ruined your perception towards people.

You can’t do this anymore, you can’t star in a play you didn’t want to be in. 

You have to leave, you need to. 

You would rather die than spend the rest of your life chained towards someone who sees you as a nuisance in his unrequited love. 

But, How?

How can you, a sheltered child who only knows how to drown themselves in fantasies, run away from your family, friends…

Ayato?

You pitifully laugh at yourself, tears welling up in the corners of your eyes. 

You’re pathetic.  

You need to change. 

III. “I’m worried about Master [Surname],” Ayaka confesses with her head down. Ever since the Irodori festival, she has seen less and less of her future in-law which makes her worried. Kamisato Ayaka adores you, much to her brother’s surprise. The two would usually converse over tea about the latest release from Yae’s Publishing House, laughing and joking around about how the latest chapter was out of your expectations. 

Kaedahara Yuki listens to the younger Kamisato intently. Truth be told, she is curious about Kamisato Ayato’s, her childhood friend, Fiance, after all, she has never conversed with the aristocrat. Furthermore, you would be wed into a family that she considers her own, so who could blame her? Though, she has heard of you from a distance: the high-ranking aristocrat from the prestigious [Surname] family who is known to be collected and benevolent, delicate like a flower on top of a lake. 

Every time she asks Kamisato Ayato about his fiance, he would brush it off and discuss their childhood memories, dismissing her curiosity. She would press Kamisato Ayato for details about his fiance, even begging him to introduce her to her. But as usual, Kamisato Ayato would dismiss her attempts, making her feel down. 

But, if the oldest Kamisato can’t give her any information, shouldn't she ask from the youngest?

“I haven’t seen Master [Surname] since the Irodori Festival and it is making me worried,” Ayaka sighs, her expression down. 

“Have you tried contacting them?”

“I did try to request an audience with them, but the servants said that they wish to be alone,” Ayaka pouts. “Have you ever seen them, Lady Yuki?”

Kaedahara Yuki blushes in embarrassment, “Oh Ayaka. Please don’t use ‘Lady’ to me anymore. I am no longer part of nobility.”

Ayaka giggles. 

And so, Kamisato Ayaka stops talking about you.

Kaedahara Yuki isn’t cunning, so she does not press the youngest Kamisato anymore answers despite her curiosity; Though, if it was Ayato, she would continue to demand answers till her throat sores. 

However, if an opportunity ever occurs where she could meet you, she would grasp that opportunity immediately, paying no mind to the effects it has on others.

IV. “Aren’t you Master [Surname]?” ask Kaedahara Kazuha as you nervously avoid his gaze.

Oh fuck.

You messed up. 

For the first time, you decided to take a stroll on the streets of Inazuma late at night alone. You know this is a stupid decision, especially for someone as high as yourself. However, you needed a breather, and your family estate started to feel suffocating, so your only plan is to take a stroll alone. You knew your parents wouldn’t allow you to walk around the streets of Inazuma at night, especially without an escort, so sneaking out was only the option.

So, you hatched your plan. Though it was your first time sneaking out, you’ve read countless novels of the heroine running away to enjoy themselves in festivals. Hence, you have an idea of how to sneak out. 

It was 10:30 PM, nearing midnight. You disguise yourself using old clothes you stole from your servant, stripping all your jewelry in your possession, and only keeping a few silver coins. Sneakily, you slid past your servants and guards, climbing out of your estate’s wall. It took you a few tries due to your lack of physical strength; however, after some attempts, you succeeded. You quickly run away from your estate; The cool night breeze brushes your face as the song of the trees accompanies you on your journey. You smile to yourself-- for the first time in your life-- you felt free. 

However, your adrenaline rush was caught short as you spotted a man with silver hair in the distance. 

You tried your best to avoid him, but the man has the wind by his side. And so, here you are.

 

You awkwardly laugh, “Kaedahara Kazuha, it is a pleasure to meet you.” 

Kaedahara Kazuha stays quiet; his eyes are wide in shock as he notices your tattered clothing and unkempt appearance. You are a person of high regard, never in your life have you worn poor-quality garments and presented yourself unsightly. Even as a young child, Kaedahara Kazuha could only observe you from a distance due to the immense status gap, despite being a former aristocrat. Therefore, he can’t help but be shocked at your appearance. 

..

...

'Ah. I am doomed.' You thought. Today is your first time sneaking out of your estate, and you got caught. Sweat rolls down your cheek as you wait for the younger Kaedahara to reply. Numerous thoughts fill your mind as you wait, countless of which was fueled by anxiety. 

'What if he tells on me?' 'If he ever tells this to Ayato, would I be disposed of for being improper?' 'If my family finds out, I would never be allowed to step foot outside of my family estate.'

Your expression darkens as you fall into despair, realizing the gravity of the situation. For the first time, you felt free, no longer trapped in a well-decorated cage like an ornament for display. However, you got caught. 

Suddenly, Kaedahara Kazuha speaks. 

"Don't worry," he says as you slowly look up at him, "I won't tell anyone." Your mouth was slightly ajar, confused. "Huh?" You mutter. 

Kazuha smiles, "Everyone has their reasons for running away." 

"But I'm not running away," you refute. Kazuha looks at you confused, "Huh?" 

"I'm just here for a stroll," you state. 

"Ah." Kazuha rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed, "I apologize for the assumption."

"It's alright," you smile. 

An awkward silence fills the air as you two refrain from talking. Truth be told, this is Kaedahara Kazuha's first time conversing with you; moreover, he is not one to chat with children from other aristocratic families-- that was his sister's job. Due to this, he does not know what to say. 

Regardless, this does not stop him from worrying. Why? Probably because you are his former superior's fiance? Who knows. Furthermore, Kazuha knows better than to leave you alone at night. Though you are wearing old and poor-quality clothes, your aura screams "rich noble", which can make you a target for petty thieves. 

So, Kaedahara Kazuha makes a decision. 

"I won't tell anyone," He repeats. "However, please allow me to accompany you, master [Name]." 

a/n: crazy how this took me like a year to update lol sorry

taglist

@nanaoya @nokkoongie @local-mr-frog @mnn11ankamaaka @akiqvq @iiyumii @aloveablechaos @lily-blackstone @notlive06 @monexxuu @crowbird @cherlynono

[skania]

OnK Chapter 149

I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me because I’m always complaining about Aka’s writing, but…

And I mean it when I say that I expect nothing 😭 This was literally my first ever OnK-related reblog and its tags are more relevant than ever lmao

These, too:

#honestly I didn’t think too hard about any of this during my first read #because the romantic endgame seems so obvious that it kind of discourages guessing lmao #but re-reading these chapters has made me appreciate Aqua’s side of his bond with Akane a lot more

Back when I first got into OnK, I mentioned that Akane was the entire reason I kept reading the manga. I didn’t care about the romantic subplot, found Aqua/Kana extremely obvious and predictable, and Aqua plain boring.

It’s only during my second read that I paid close attention to Akane’s interactions with Aqua and I ended up playing myself into both, caring about Aqua and shipping him with Akane lol

This chapter has made me realize that despite everything, I'm not emotionally invested in whether they end up together or not. I’d prefer it, obviously, because Aqua truly is at his most interesting whenever he’s around Akane, and their dynamic has the best development in the manga (so far).

But it’s just like I said before: If they don’t end up together, that’s just Aka’s loss, not mine. I’m just here for Akane 😂

And as an Akane fan, I feel like the best thing for me to do right now is to just take a step back and watch things unfold, because Aka will do whatever he wants regardless of how any of us interpret his manga lol

So instead of posting the long post I originally wrote about this chapter when the leaks came out, I'll just share a a clown gif because in hindsight it was silly of me to expect Kana out of all people to have any sort of meaningful insight into Aqua 🤡

And a couple of things that caught my eye because I can't help myself:

Kana didn't even see Aqua and Akane have any sort of meaningful moment, just those two standing in each other's vicinity was enough to make her throw herself a pity party. How many more times is she going to pity herself and give up? How has Aka not tired of writing her this way? Where did her development from the Scandal arc go? 🤡

So Chapter 147 featured Kamiki thinking Ai doesn't love him and Kana thinking Aqua likes her. It even had a helpful "Cut 139: Misunderstanding" panel and everything. Will this mean something? Who knows!

Kana used guilt-trip! It was super effective!

Oh the irony! Poor Akane looks like she's been hard at work convincing herself that she's over Aqua. And you know what? I cheer for her and respect her energy 100%. I'd rather see her doing her mightiest to help him without any ulterior motives than to have her crying for him and hoping to get back with him every other chapter lol

Akane calling Kana out for her pity-party and for being cowardly was so cathartic that if I didn't already stan her, I'd have become a fan right now 😭 It also means that Aka is 100% aware of the way he writes Kana, so when will she finally be allowed to grow?

Kana's praise to Akane made me so sad though because yes, Akane is pretty and she's talented and she's kind. That's sweet of her to say. But that's not what made Akane someone special to Aqua: it was the way she understood him. The worst part is that Kana ends her praise by saying that Akane is a "goody-two-shoes" but... that's the opposite of how Akane views herself. She sees herself as someone who's not decent and not normal. So it's no wonder that while she gets flustered (it's her dear kana-chan praising her), she seems to get a bit sad/frustrated afterward. After all, for Akane it's probably the opposite. Men would prefer a decent, normal, bright girl like Kana - Aqua included.

I wish someone would tell Akane that she is too ignorant of her own charms and that she doesn't have to act like an adult all the time. Truly the pot calling the kettle black! Sadly, unlike Kana, Akane seems to have no one in her corner in this manga. Aqua was the only one there and the poor guy is barely even a character anymore lol

Overprotective mother or controlling ex-girlfriend? Take your pick!

The English translation left something pretty important out in these panels. Akane doesn't just say "if you have a girlfriend", she says "if you have a precious/important girlfriend". This distinction is very important because it goes to show that... as expected, Akane doesn't think she was an important girlfriend to Aqua. It's like she didn't count and Kana would be the real deal. Oh, Akane...

Which takes me to her very silly, very convoluted yet very predictable plan (in true Aka fashion).

When Akane thinks “I know exactly what you hate”, I imagine she means that Aqua hates hurting and endangering those he cares for. So I'm guessing Akane thinks that if she plays matchmaker and quite literally throws Kana at him, someone he has a soft spot, then Aqua won't be able to go through with his revenge because that would mean breaking Kana's very fragile heart.

In other words, it looks like Akane is going to try and use Aqua's guilt-complex against him and her weapon of choice is love. But not her love, obviously, because as far as she's concerned, her romantic love already failed to save him.

Granted, using Kana's romantic feelings to her advantage is kind of... well, wrong. To quote Akane herself, [Kana] is neither her pet nor her property, but a person. But I'm guessing that Akane may be falling victim to the same loophole she got caught in in Chapters 96 - 98. She thinks she knows what's best, so she's putting her own beliefs aside for the time being.

Kind of like Aqua, actually.

And, ironically, it's Aqua himself who first realized how easy Kana is to use.

So! All in all, I'm here for Mastermind!Akane but I hope that Aka will actually make it worth our while. Will Kana realize that she's about to be used as a chess piece in this Proxy War? Who knows, characters in this manga seem to walk in circles, only being allowed to grow when it fits the plot 😂

Last week we wondered whether Aka would subvert expectations or go the predictable route, and down the predictable route he went. His way of making it less predictable is by including a twist in the form of Akane's ulterior motives, but will this be enough to allow this ol' used trope to lead us someplace new? I guess we'll have to keep reading to find out, but given the quality of the writing lately, I'm not expecting much lol

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

fictional girls who should have been gay

Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck, from the 2004 "Micky, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers" animated movie.

The situation: GAY

Princess and lady-in-waiting. Is there anything more intimate and potentially gay than a girl and the girl who she specifically keeps around just to officially hang out with? I don't care I love it.

they are the most romantic thing in this movie

Their introduction scene is Minnie sighing over her future love (hypothetical and male and not necessarily royal) while blowing flower petals in Daisy's face

Daisy has reservations

but when Minnie is explaining True Love to her (while they hold hands and twirl around the room)

Minnie says she'll know her true love because she'll hear music (sentimental music is now playing) and they'll make her laugh- AND THEN DAISY LAUGHS

she starts saying that sounds silly...

but Minnie looks at her, and flutters her eyes at her...

and Daisy just MELTS. She clasps her hands over her heart and switches to sighing that that sounds lovely...

who drew and directed that and didn't notice how much it looks like Daisy just fell in love with Minnie. hey. I want to know

did they realize they could've had Daisy staring at something else?

a painting of young lovers. a couple passing by the window. even the sad bedraggled flower Minnie had been using for a game of he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not

(i cannot get over how the flower wilts the last time we see it, right after Minnie says "trust me Daisy, I'll know him, when I see him)

(I understand it's meant to be like, oh look the flower looks like Micky now she'll know him when she sees him- but it could also look like HER, Minnie is talking to Daisy about true love and knowing it when it's there but oh the IRONY if Daisy was in love with HER while she says that!!! With Minnie having no idea!!!!)

anyway

how about just not have Minnie flutter her eyelashes at Daisy like that

have HER not be looking at Daisy when she's talking about true love

anything. anything else would have worked better

Well apparently none of those options occurred to the film makers because these girls are supposed to be STRAIGHT somehow

(Minnie, princess of prolonged held eye contact)

(and Daisy, lady of keeps having to look away when Minnie is staring at her Like That)

Moments later, after a montage of Minnie strolling around the gardens dreaming of love (to the tune of a song about young love), an attempt on her life is thwarted by DAISY asking her to come over for a moment, moving Minnie out of the path of a falling safe meant to crush her

(by the way, holy heck it feels honestly scary. it just. DROPS)

The song lyric leading up to Daisy calling out for Minnie is "Your first your only love~! Love so-" (can't hear properly)

Minnie being willing to leave her daydreams of love for Daisy no questions asked is what saves her actual literal life I'm sorry but again why did they think having Daisy being the reason she lives was so important. This is a Micky Mouse cartoon legit just have Minnie stand up on her own and wander out of harm's way or get distracted by a flower or something but NOOOOO it's DAISY who unknowingly gets her out of danger, it's Minnie listening to her that saves her. ARGH IT COULD HAVE MEANT SO MUCH BUT

Minnie has actual whole conversations with Daisy. Actual. Talking. Sharing of thoughts and opinions. Chances to see their personalities and how they play off each other.

Princess Minnie, the slightly head in the clouds princess, and Daisy, grounded and a bit dry

Minnie: He loves me. He loves me… a lot. He loves me. He loves me even moooore. He loves me...

Daisy: Pardon me, Your Highness… (blows some free-floating petals off her face) you‘re, kinda mangling that flower.

like there's this set up for Minnie being rebellious enough to reject tradition and rules, being annoyed at them for cramping her style

Daisy: This, fantasy man- (the exasperation on those two words XD), d'you happen to know if he's royalty?

Minnie: Does it matter?

Daisy, breathlessly: Well, as you know, someone of your, royal stature, needs to be courted by a gentleman of royal blood.

Minnie: What a royal pain.

It's supposed to be about getting with a commoner instead, but... HMM I WONDER WHAT OTHER SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS MINNIE COULD BREAK.

A gentleman of royal blood? Well what if it's not! A gentleman!!

Minnie: Daisy, I can't marry someone I'm not in love with.

Daisy: You want love? Buy a dog.

the delicious set up as Daisy as jaded and practical BUT moments later she can't help herself with Minnie, she can't ruin Minnie's little happy bubble, she can't keep pushing Minnie away from her dream

When Minnie gazes at her all warm and mushy, Daisy has to giggle and admit that the idea of a true love who makes you laugh is just Lovely, actually

she says, while staring back at Minnie

WRITERS I WANT TO TALK WITH YOU I JUST WANT TO CHAT

but anyway, they have a flow, a rapport, they play off each other and clearly care about each other and, meanwhile, M e a n w h i l e

meanwhile, nearly all the time Minnie spends "being in love" with Micky is done in silent daydream episodes where they float on clouds and stuff. They get a montage of vague cute stuff. It's a whole lot of Nothing. Very pretty! But nothing

They see each other and it's supposed to be love at first sight. Whee. I'd find it cute if Minnie didn't already have someone and Micky wasn't mostly focused on being a good Musketeer. What do they give each other? They hardly even TALK! At the end of the movie I still have no idea how they'd get through a simple conversation! As a crush sure it reads fine- but true love? Where? When????

MOMENTS after meeting and "falling for" Micky, Minnie is yelling at him and his friends, furious because they accidently attacked Daisy thinking she was a threat

wow good job showing us Minnie's priorities here. Good job showing us she cares about Daisy

good job not using that to let her and Micky like, talk, or anything

Daisy, meanwhile, spends the whole movie with 0% interest in Donald at all, nothing but burns and scorn, only getting with him in the last moments literally just because why not

As in that's honestly the reason the movie gives. Not that she likes him. Just. Why not.

my eye is twitching

MINNIE LOVES THE IDEA OF A FORBIDDON LOVE!

SHE SAYS, SHE SAYS-

Minnie: Our love is, forbidden?

Daisy: Bin-go~

Minnie: A forbidden love? How romantic...!

girl you've had 1 (ONE) interaction with "the little one" like props to you for liking a short king but hey, heeey, this is so not selling the love vibes ok

GUESS WHAT OTHER LOVE WOULD BE FORBIDDEN

HMM I WONDER

Minnie: Look, Daisy. Mickey and I have the same last name!

Daisy: Well, it must be destiny. Good thing destiny doesn’t control my love life.

(daisy being practical jaded or daisy using code for 'yeeeah, im prim and proper in everything else, but im going against the flow when it comes to romance)

Minnie: What do you mean?

Daisy: Well, look at me! If it did, I’d get stuck with Mister… (squawking and babbling)

Minnie & Daisy: (laughing together)

hey remember how Minnie laughed when Micky rolled a nat 0 trying to untie her and the narrator was like "Oh he made her laugh! It must be love!"

remember when Daisy makes Minnie laugh with a Donald Duck impersonation? While they were in bed together??

NARRATOR IF A LAUGH IS ALL IT TAKES THEN CHIME IN PLEASE

Do You Remember when Micky and co failed and Minnie was kidnapped by badguys and Micky had a moment of slump before getting his second wind? Was he motivated by thoughts of his True Love? Was he thinking of Minnie when he decided not to give up on saving her??

NO.

he was looking at his friends being sad.

He encourages himself thinking about how the captain of the guard chose him and his friends to be musketeers

No Mention Of Minnie At All, Aside From A Quest To Be Cleared

wow much love such devotion

The point of Micky's story is him wanting to be a Musketeer. The emotional climax is always between him and his two friends. THE ROMANCE IS SO WEIRD IT DOES NOTHING AND COMES FROM NOTHING AND GOES NOWHERE.

Minnie has no character growth no obstacles nothing to do. she was ready to throw tradition aside for the man of her dreams the moment we saw her-

IMAGINE the crunchiness if she had either a moment of "wait actually, i think he's cute but this isn't love" OR "hey wait all this time I've been dreaming of a guy maybe it's not a guy though? Tee hee let's destroy some more social norms!"

(don't for the love of all things bring up lines of succession this is alternate universe france in the 1600-1700's there is a Lot To Gloss Over Okay)

And Daisy is RIGHT THERE.

Not interested in guys! Sighing over Minnie! Staying with her throughout the whole movie because apparently you can't kidnap the princess without her lady in waiting!

RAAAGH. I know, I know Disney and gay don't mix, especially in 2004- but why why why why did they think Minnie had to be with Micky in this one? Why did they make the emptiest crush ever instead of just letting Minnie and Daisy chill up on the throne dais together? IM IN PAIN EVERY TIME I REWATCH THIS.

tldr: Daisy was in love with princess Minnie, and if Minnie had known she's the exact sort of rebel princess to just marry her lady-in-waiting like a boss

[orangepanic]

Voices in the Night

Ikki couldn't sleep. The moon was too bright and there was a hummingbird moth that kept tap tap tapping at her window and her head was too full of thoughts. So up she went, using a cushion of air to glide down the hallways so her mother wouldn't hear her steps and be cross.

Once outside the moon was even brighter, like a big wheel of sky bison cheese. Ikki couldn't see the hummingbird moth though. What she did see was a butt. A butt with dangly legs hanging out of one of the open windows.

"Hello, Mr. Butt!" she chirped. There was a yelp and then a man tumbled out into the bush. When he stood he had sticks in his spiky brown hair. "Oh, hi Mako," she corrected.

"Shh!" Mako pressed his finger to his lips like a teacher. His face was all red and his shirt was unbuttoned. "I was only, um, looking for... yeah." Then he took off running across the grass.

"Bye Mako!" Ikki whispered, waving. He was funny. No wonder Korra liked him.

She turned and walked the other way around the residence. A lot of people had been staying on the island lately to help her dad with what to do after those scary Equalists and making a new council and stuff, so she wasn't surprised to see a flickering light on in one of the detached residences.

"I'd never leave you unsatisfied," said a low voice, followed by a wet sucking sound. "Until tomorrow then." The flickering light bounced a bit until it was outside, where it resolved into a tiny flame carried in the hand of a young man Ikki had known all her life.

"Hi, Iroh!" she called. "Can't sleep, too?"

Iroh jumped like someone had blown air up his pants. The flame in his hand winked out. When his eyes finally settled on her she saw him sag in apparent relief.

"What are you doing out of bed, munchkin?" he asked quietly, jogging over. "It's late."

"There was a moon and a hummingbird moth and Iroh, what are all those red smudges all over your mouth? Were you kissing? Oh it'd be so romantic! Who were you kissing, Iroh? Was it a princess? Are you gonna make her a princess? Where's your belt? Are---"

Iroh clapped a hand over her mouth and steered her back in the direction of the house. "I wasn't here," he whispered in her ear. "There's extra candy in it for you tomorrow if you can remember that."

"Mwhf frn nu---" Iroh released the hand over her mouth. "Okay, goodnight General Not Here, I like rock candy, the apple ones, and I hope it was good kissing and that you go home and have good dreams about your princess where you get married and I'm invited and you fly away on a dragon together into the sunset and have lots of babies."

Iroh rubbed at his mouth with the back of his hand, blushing. "Go to bed."

Ikki waved at his back and started back to the front door. The idea of candy made her remember there were leftover sweet buns in the kitchen which no one could tell her she couldn't have if they were asleep.

Suddenly a dark shape detached itself from the shadows of one of the far buildings. Ikki stopped in her tracks. There were no more Equalists, her father said, and no bad guys coming to get them. Still, something about the way this person moved screamed "bad guy" all the same. He wasn't walking so much as slinking. A slinky bad guy slinking away from who knew what badness.

Ikki opened herself and sent a jet of air at the man's back. He stumbled with a grunt and wheeled on her and he was old! Old like her daddy was old, with wrinkles and bushy eyebrows and a stripe of white down the middle of his gray hair like a skunk bear.

"What are you doing, kid?" he growled.

"We don't want any Equalists," Ikki said firmly, hands on her hips.

The big man's posture relaxed. Then, of all things, he laughed.

"Me, neither, kid," he said. "I hate those buggers."

Ikki snorted. Buggers. Like bugs. "So why are you slinking?"

"Visiting an old friend," he said. He rubbed at the corner of his mouth and smiled. "We're getting reacquainted. I like doing that on your island. It's fun for me. Do you know what irony is?"

Ikki did. "It's what auntie Lin bends."

A grin cracked across the man's craggy face. "She sure does bend alright," he said. Then he shook his head with a sharp laugh and started off in the direction of the ferry. Ikki wondered if he was going to meet Mako and Iroh for something. Maybe they were having a tea party.

[susagnon]

Kyouka: Friendzoned and friendzoning

So. Jirou seems to be the female classmate who the majority of 1-A's guys are most comfortable with.

However, contrary to my headcanon about the most popular 1-A guys, I feel like most of them aren't romantically interested in her.

It might sound a bit sad, but I headcanon that her miffedness about Mineta not naming her among those female classmateds that he wanted to perv on, is not entirely unwarranted... although, having Mineta salivating over you, is probably not something that anyone with self-respect should desire.

I can see her having gained some male admirers outside of the hero students, after the cultural festival.

At first sight, it might seem that Hagakure and Ashido are the most romance-focused girls in 1-A. However, supplemental and canon materials have depicted the tomboyish Jirou as being conscious about the male gender, the most:

During 1-A's practice match against Togata, she was the only girl who completely freaked out over his nudity.

In one of the drama CD stories, she made a big deal inside her head about holding onto the hem of Tokoyami's uniform, when they visited a haunted house together.

In one of the gag comics, she thought that Bakugou was self-conscious about holding her a girl's hands, when he wasn't actually. She basically just self-projected onto him.

In several of the gag comics, Jirou has been depicted as being self-conscious around Kirishima: One example has her perving on him in his costume. Another one, that retold 1-A's trip to the mall before Deku got accosted by Shigaraki, has Jirou imagining being on a date with Kirishima, when the kids paired up to look for Deku... and be pissed, when Kirishima dropped her at the first sight of Bakugou.

Ironically enough, she displays none of that awareness around guys who were hinted as having some interest in her: Kaminari (and I think, I've read something somewhere about Kouda liking her since their practical exams?)

Oh Jirou. You're definitely among those 1-A kids, who have the most growing up to do in the romantic department.

...

I just noticed that, except for Togata, all of the examples above include guys with whom Kaminari is explicitly friends with.

And now I headcanon poor Kaminari getting friendzoned by Jirou until at least until graduation.

The irony of 1-A’s resident flirt being canonically the first one out of all of 1-A’s boys who recognizes that he had fallen for someone: The girl, who just goes through successively crushing on all of his close friends... Now who's the flighty one, huh?

Yes, I imagine the unrequited love switcheroo trope, where Jirou won’t be able to recognize and acknowledge her own feelings for Kaminari for a while. She starts to consciously takes notice of him as a romantic prospect - juuust right when he's about to move on from his own feelings for her.

Drama ensues.

[chasingpj]

“Would you be able to write a blurb with the prompt “Don’t let this one go. he’s perfect for you."?? Love your content btw and please don’t feel pressured at all!!” So srry I didn’t specify- but this ask is for Percy 😭

[𝟏𝟐:𝟒𝟐 𝐩𝐦]

"Don’t let this one go. He's perfect for you.”

pairing: percy jackson x reader

warning: none?

category: slice of life, blurb

Silena purses her lips, spoon slowly swirling her tea. You don’t dare look at your sister, the older girl sending you knowing eyes. Already the side of your face feels her demanding presence and she waits for you to give in. You couldn’t avoid her forever but you still try as if you weren’t sitting right across from her.

“Y/n,” she says, her words leaving her lips like a tired mother. Shutting your eyes tight, you wait for her scolding. “Don’t do this again.” 

“I can’t,” you say softly, eyes leaving your posh surroundings and retreating to the cup in your hands. Silena frowns, a soft sigh of sympathy leaving her lips. 

Your last breakup was hard. Hard enough to yell at the sky at your mother, begging for an answer as to why you were faced with so much turmoil. In the aftermath, you had lots of support. Your sisters helped during your heartbreak but it didn’t stop you from becoming so cynical. 

A child of Aphrodite who vowed to never love again? You were a walking irony for years, dodging anyone and everyone who showed romantic interest in you. You’re sure your mother has arranged many admirers to test your oath and time and time again, you’ve proved to her you were serious. 

“Percy is a great guy and he really likes you. C’mon.” Silena’s practically begging but you hardly flinch. You’ve spent too long guarding your heart to undo it all like this. 

Sure, Percy is handsome and sweet but so was your last boyfriend. If it all falls apart again, you don’t know if your heart can take it. 

“Y/n, please. Don’t let this one go. He's perfect for you.” 

Silena’s eyes are pleading. All the other guys who pined for you didn’t feel right. She never bothered you about your oath unlike your other siblings. They would try to convince you you just needed a rebound, someone to distract you but Silena never agreed. She was sure a time would come where you’d met the right person. That one day her natural intuition would tell her, this is the one for, Y/n! 

The day came when she saw you and Percy sharing a meal at the park outside of New Rome University. The way he looked at you, how he made you laugh and smile, it was perfect. She couldn’t see you with anyone else. 

Even now as she waits for your response, she knows you feel it too but you’re ignoring it, choosing to crawl back into your bubble. 

There’s a moment where the two of you communicate with your eyes. There’s a back and forth between you refusing, her begging and then her asking you to be real; you couldn’t refuse the chemistry, the obvious pull from the fates as much as you tried.

“Fine!” You frown, heart already beating fast with anxiety. “I’ll go on ONE date, only if he asks.” 

“Oh, he will,” Silena sits back in her seat triumphantly. She already knew because Percy had asked her if he should ask. As she picks up her phone to text him the okay, she has a single passing thought.

I’m so going to be her maid of honor at this wedding.

[piggyinthesea]

To All The Boys I’ve Hurt | 002

part two of this fic

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ᴄᴀʀʟᴏs sᴀɪɴᴢ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: “ᴡʜᴏ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪs ɴᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴ. ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴇʀ ɪs ɪʀʀᴇʟᴀᴠᴇɴᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ sʜᴇ’s ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀs. ʀᴇsᴘᴇᴄᴛғᴜʟʟʏ, ᴍᴀᴛᴇ.”

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 2k+

Finally, you replied, breaking the anticipation. Swiftly, he reciprocated, and our text chat turned into an extended conversation. Every day leading up to the Japan Grand Prix felt like a chapter in a thrilling saga. Meanwhile, your cousin covertly envied you in the background. On race day, your cousin was buzzing with excitement, and you was just happy to spend the day with her. The irony of wearing Red Bull gear in the Ferrari Paddock wasn’t something that worried you. In a white shirt with a bright-red bow in your hair, you unintentionally created a fashion paradox, blending in to the fans of Ferrari.

“I’m going to get stares from Ferrari fans. Who cares, though? Still repping Red Bull,” your cousin declared, putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Amidst your confusion, she groaned, “Dude, pulling Formula One guys without knowing the first thing about Formula One? Carlos is Ferrari’s second driver. Remember the picture I showed you yesterday?”

“Oh! That picture. Damn. I thought he was a mechanic or something. So, that’s why you were worried about them finding out about each other.” The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, revealing a mosaic of logos on his shirt that should’ve been a dead giveaway. Maybe you weren’t the sharpest tool, but you sure dazzled.

She laughs at your cluelessness. “You ready?”

“Yeah. Let me just text Carl- Carlos, I mean.” You swore that was unintentional.

Carlos

heyy!! good luck today :)

thanks, you ;). hopefully I can see you after the race. i miss you already.

Carlos’s stomach did a delightful somersault as he smiled at your text. With his phone locked away, he transformed into his racing alter ego. He lifted his shirt, the marks from your recent escapade played peek-a-boo, hinting at the nocturnal secrets you shared.

Charles entered, strolling into the locker room with a teasing whistle. “Someone had a fun night!” Charles whistles as he dominants his space. Carlos’s skin flushes, he shamelessly smiles and looks away. It had been a while since the two of you slept together, but because the marks you left on him were dark and large, it took a while for them to fade. It had only been about a week, but the marks were still visible. Just slightly faded. Carlos blushed, skillfully deflecting the banter. With his back turned, Charles couldn’t help but notice the cryptic scratches on Carlos’s neck – an inadvertent trail of evidence.

“Cállate.” Carlos playfully deflects the subject. With Carlos’s back facing Charles, Charles begins to overly examine the familiar scratches by his neck.

Charles squints, his stomach nearly dropping at the sight. They looked too familiar.

“Fuck, Charles. Oh god.” Those scratches painted a vivid picture, and Charles unwittingly stumbled upon a clandestine affair.

Face buried in the crook of your neck, Carlos whispered, “I will forever love you, ma belle.” A whispered promise that added a thrilling layer to your entanglement.

You pull his face and lock eyes with him, “You shouldn’t, my love.”

Charles grapples with a sense of betrayal, but deep down, he understands he shouldn’t. Rationalizing that there’s no conceivable way Carlos could have known about his history with her, he questions whether Carlos would have pursued a romantic connection if he had known. The uncertainty lingers – would Carlos have slept with her if he was aware of their shared past? The internal conflict churns within Charles as he navigates the intricate web of emotions.

Carlos turns around, fully dressed, and catches the peculiar expression on Charles’s face. “What?” he inquires lightly, prompting Charles to articulate the unspoken tension hanging between them.

Charles remains silent, contemplating his words. Finally, he breaks the silence, asking, “If I tell you, will you care enough about our friendship to stop?” The gravity of his question hangs in the air, a plea for understanding and preservation of their bond.

Carlos’s stomach takes a sudden plunge as he discerns that Charles is aware of the truth. Despite this, he maintains his composure, standing firm. “What are you talking about?” Carlos asks, a mix of reluctance and fear evident in his voice. He initiated the question, yet a part of him dreads the revelation, afraid of what it might entail for their relationship.

“Devil-spawn girl, you met her. Right? Look, man, stop while you can. I’m not just speaking from jealousy; I’m speaking to you as a friend. She’s not good for you,” Charles adds, a tinge of envy coloring his cautionary words. The undertone of jealousy reveals the emotional struggle within Charles, accentuating the complexity of their friendship in the face of intertwined romantic entanglements.

“Who I have relations with is none of your concern. Whether or not you know her is irrelevant because she’s not yours. Respectfully, mate,” Carlos retorts, the tension in his voice echoing the strain on their friendship. His words hang heavily in the air, emphasizing the palpable rift that has formed between them due to the complexities of their intertwined relationships.

Charles stands frozen, his emotions a volatile mix of pity, envy, and bitterness towards his friend. The air thickens with tension as Charles grapples with the stark contrast between his evening plans and Carlos’s company with you. Unbeknownst of the unconscious glares he shoots at Carlos, the unspoken tension heightens, setting the stage for a complex unraveling of their intertwined relationships.

The prevailing tension hangs like a heavy cloud, noticeable to all, and the fleeting glimpses caught by a select few cameras reveal the glares Charles casts towards Carlos, laden with an unmistakable sorrow. The mere mention of you induces a poignant melancholy in Charles, inviting him to delve into the depths of retrospection. As he ruminates on the past, a profound sadness settles in his eyes. Charles, once confident in his efforts, now carries the weight of unfulfilled expectations and the somber realization that, despite his attentive listening and genuine regard, something essential slipped away. The undertones of sadness paint a poignant portrait of Charles wrestling with the echoes of a relationship that eluded his grasp.

Seated in the Ferrari paddock, you and your cousin become aware of the conspicuous glances from Ferrari fans due to her Red Bull attire. Undeterred, she dismisses the judgmental looks and immerses herself in the exclusive privileges offered within the paddock during the races, reveling in the unique experience despite the disapproving gazes.

Immersed in the race, you find joy in the shared experience with your cousin. Her occasional muttering of random facts about specific teams and cars adds an endearing layer to the moment, and you can’t help but appreciate her cute enthusiasm for the intricacies of the Formula One world. The blend of excitement and shared knowledge enhances the overall enjoyment of the race day.

The proximity to the racing cars unveils a revelation – the sheer speed is beyond comprehension until you witness it up close. They fly by in a blur, leaving an ephemeral imprint. The experience is awe-inspiring, highlighting the marvels achievable through engineering and mechanics. As two red cars streak by in rapid succession, the spectacle becomes a testament to the thrilling capabilities of modern racing technology.

“You fucked one of those drivers and are about to fuck the other, you know?” Your cousin delivers the statement with unabashed candor, injecting a provocative and cheeky vibe into the conversation. The bold remark intensifies the atmosphere, creating a moment of shared amusement amidst the high-speed drama of the racing event.

A sharp nudge to her waist accompanies your response, “You’re annoying, you know.” The physical gesture punctuates your playful reproach, capturing the mix of irritation and camaraderie that defines your dynamic with your cousin during this candid exchange.

The mischievous thought crosses your mind: “Should I blow her mind?” You contemplate, “I hooked up with Carlos. Yesterday. While you were away…” The revelation hangs in the air, adding an unexpected twist to the conversation and leaving room for your cousin’s stunned reaction.

Her wide-eyed stare lingers for a moment before she exclaims, "You can't keep getting away with this! You can't keep getting away with this. You have to share your Formula One connections with me, get me a date with Max Verstappen, please!" The volume of her voice fluctuates, creating a crescendo of excitement that culminates in a more subdued plea for a connection with the renowned driver. The mix of astonishment and her final, almost whispered, request adds a layer of humor to the exchange.

Amused by her request, you laugh and respond, “I don’t know who that is. I’m assuming a race car driver. How would I even bring that up with Carlos?” Your lighthearted tone underscores the irony of the situation, emphasizing your lack of familiarity with the Formula One world despite the amusing connection you’ve formed.

Her plea tugs at your empathy as she begs, “Please. I really admire him. At least try, for me?” The earnestness in her request adds a touch of sincerity, prompting you to consider fulfilling her wish despite your limited knowledge of the racing world.

Charmed by her puppy-dog eyes, you find yourself relenting, and with a smile, you say, "OK." The exchange captures a moment of playful acquiescence, highlighting the good-natured rapport between you and your cousin in the midst of the Formula One excitement.

As the race concludes, Max Verstappen secures pole position, triggering an exuberant outburst from your cousin that resonates across the paddock, much to the dismay of nearby Ferrari drivers. Charles Leclerc claims second place, and you stand in awkward silence. However, when Carlos Sainz secures third place, your natural inclination takes over, and you can’t help but cheer for him, adding a touch of personal investment to the racing outcome.

A sudden realization strikes you – back when you first met Carlos, you mentioned having a connection with "one" of the Ferrari drivers. It becomes evident that Carlos understood it was Charles. This revelation carries a subtle sense of a lie, as the shared history between you and Charles unveils itself, introducing a nuanced layer to your interactions.

Carlos was aware all along. Initially uncertain if you knew he was the other Ferrari driver, he strategically used this ambiguity to his advantage. Concealing this knowledge, he anticipated the moment you would eventually find out, a revelation he calculated to unfold today. The intricate dance of secrets and revelations adds a complex dimension to the dynamics between you and Carlos.

Contemplating the situation, you question whether you should be mad. Despite realizing Carlos wasn’t overtly hiding anything, you find yourself not feeling angry. It’s clear that he’s aware you know, and you decide it’s better to take the initiative and text first, acknowledging the unspoken understanding between you two. The choice reflects a measured and composed approach to the unfolding revelation.

Carlos

hey, great race. we need to talk.

sent 5:44

In the wake of your text, Carlos doesn’t respond immediately. However, considering the circumstances, it wouldn’t be unusual, given that you witnessed him getting interviewed right after stepping off the platform. The anticipation builds as you await his response amidst the post-race interview.

As Carlos grappled with nerves, he remained oblivious to the fact that you had texted him, plunging further into the depths of overthinking and the looming uncertainty. The weight of nervousness settled on Carlos as he pondered: Were you contemplating ending things with him? Would this mark the conclusive end of what you both shared?

Carlos’s worries were momentarily eclipsed by the barrage of questions from reporters. As they interviewed the top three drivers, Carlos paid little attention, offering pre-scripted responses to the usual inquiries about the race. The mundane discussions about cars after a race failed to captivate him. All he craved was rest. Despite his job involving a significant amount of sitting, the act of driving, fueled by a constant surge of adrenaline, drained most of his energy.

The seemingly endless interview finally concluded, and Carlos, yearning for relief, made his way back to the locker room. Once there, the first order of business was checking his phone. The anticipation lingered as he sought a moment of reprieve from the relentless scrutiny of post-race interviews.

her

hey, great race. we need to talk.

I’m sorry. Does this change anything?

sent 6:04

A surge of anxiety fills Carlos’s stomach as he gazes at his phone, the weight of your response pressing down on him.

Charles, breaking the post-race silence, and speculates, “She knows, doesn’t she? I remember she wasn’t much of a Formula One fan – if it wasn’t for her cousin, she probably wouldn’t know about it at all.” As he speaks, he nonchalantly unzips his suit and steps out, introducing an air of uncertainty into the atmosphere.

Carlos bristled with heat at Charles's mention of you, irritated by the presumptuous familiarity. The unfolding drama in the room intensified as Charles spoke, assuming a connection that didn't truly exist. The clash between perception and reality heightened the tension, setting the stage for an unspoken confrontation. Despite the escalating drama, Carlos chose to maintain civility, concealing the internal turmoil beneath the surface.

“I guess. Mate, can I just please ask you to be happy for me, though?” Carlos’s voice carried a vulnerability, adding a poignant layer to the conversation. The plea for understanding and support injected a subtle emotional complexity into their interaction.

“I don’t know if I pity or envy you, Carlos. I respect you enough to let you make your own decisions, just don’t wear your heart on your sleeve.” Charles’s words, tinged with a mix of conflicting emotions, reflect the intricate dynamics of their relationship. The subtle blend of pity, envy, and respect adds a layer of complexity, emphasizing the challenge Carlos faces in navigating his personal life within the scrutiny of their shared world.

The remainder of the time in the locker room unfolded in silence. Carlos pondered Charles’s words, dissecting them for any hidden meanings. Before he knew it, solitude enveloped him, leaving him alone with his thoughts as Charles had long departed. The hushed aftermath resonated with the weight of unspoken tensions and internal reflections.

her

I like you Carlos. But, if you knew this entire time I had an old fling with Charles, why’d you continue talking to me?

I like you. A lot. That’s why I didn’t stop. I know it was selfish. I’m sorry.

It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize, not to me at least. This won’t change anything between us <3.

🩷🩷

Carlos swiftly transitions from his racing attire to regular clothes, and with a lingering tension in the air, he texts his sister, seeking a favor. Her inevitable questions follow, but Carlos remains tight-lipped, adding an air of mystery to the unfolding narrative. The unspoken urgency and secrecy intensify the atmosphere surrounding Carlos’s actions.

Shortly after the race concluded, you made a quick exit. Your cousin, eager for a Starbucks fix, pleaded for a post-race treat, and you gladly accepted. Amidst sips of your usual refresher and bites of a croissant, family topics took center stage. Engaged in a light-hearted banter, you and your cousin delved into gossip about each other’s aunts, playfully arguing over whose aunt held the title of the worst. It was evident that your mom, despite her protective nature, wasn’t the contender for the unfavorable title. Laughter filled the air as you shared embarrassing memories, creating a moment of connection and amusement in the aftermath of the race.

An hour post-race, you and your cousin returned to the hotel after the Starbucks run. Walking side by side through the hotel corridors, you reached your door and were greeted by an elegant black circular box. A shared look of confusion passed between you and your cousin as you brought the mysterious box inside and closed the door. In a moment of playful speculation, you humorously considered the potential plot twist of a Russian spy story, teasing the idea of the box possibly ending in an explosive surprise.

Relief washed over you as the box revealed its true nature – not a secret bomb, but a thoughtful gift. Opening it, you were greeted by the sight of delicate light pink roses gracefully arranged within, accompanied by a simple white note. The contrast between the initial intrigue and the subsequent tender gesture added a touch of sweetness to the unfolding narrative.

“Huh? Roses… poor guy couldn’t do better,” your cousin muttered, eyeing the box with a hint of playful teasing. Her comment added a lighthearted touch, injecting humor into the moment as you both assessed the unexpected floral gift.

You read the note out loud, “For my Devil-Spawn girl. -C.S.” The term “Devil-Spawn girl” echoed in the room, leaving a hint of uncertainty and perhaps an unappreciated tone in the air. The unexpected endearment carried an unconventional touch that stirred a mix of emotions.

“How cute. Carlos sent this. Why’d he call you devil-spawn girl? Is there some sort of secret meaning between the two of you?” Your cousin inquired, her gaze fixed on the brand as she meticulously counted each individual rose. Immersed in her curiosity, she simultaneously typed into her phone, adding a layer of intrigue to the unfolding mystery.

“Huh… not that I know of.” Your curiosity piqued, you leaned in, dipping your nose into the box. The lovingly strong scent of fresh roses enveloped you, carrying with it a unique aroma akin to rainwater – something that might not conventionally be considered pleasant but held a distinct charm that you vouched for. The sensory experience added an intimate and personal touch to the unfolding scene.

Your cousin, visibly astonished and perhaps a tad envious, expressed her disbelief as she learned about the actual price, which hovered around fifteen hundred dollars. “Woah! The price for these flowers. I completely retract my statement from before; this guy definitely went all out.” Her mix of emotions added a dynamic layer to the unfolding narrative, blending surprise, envy, and a revised perspective on Carlos’s gesture.

You scoot over to her, curiosity getting the better of you, and peer at her phone, eager to catch a glimpse of what she’s discovering or typing.

The Million Roses. 

The brand on the box matched what appeared on her phone, and the resemblance was strikingly identical. While acknowledging the undeniable beauty of the roses, you couldn't help but find them excessively expensive. A tinge of practicality crept in, contemplating that regular flowers from a vendor would have sufficed just as nicely. Carlos, however, chose the most extravagant bouquet. The realization sparked a mix of admiration and practical consideration – the amount spent on these roses could have bought him double the flowers at a street vendor, simultaneously making a positive impact on their lives.

You sent Carlos a quick thank-you text, and after a brief delay, he responded, apologizing for the wait. The conversation shifted as he inquired about your day. While you shared that it was good for the most part, you couldn’t help but admit that by the end of the day, your social battery had completely drained from being around so many people.

+1 838-738-7272

Hi.

The anonymous message perked your curiosity and though the alarms in your head rang stranger danger, you couldn’t help but reply.

who’s this?

Sorry, I was unaware you had deleted my number, I guess it’s been a while. It’s Charles.

[trutrustories]

STUDY IN LOKI ROMANCE

Part 4: Heart of the TVA

Since we're only a few days away from the last episode, I decided to COUNT DOWN everything we´ve got so far ( that can be interpreted very easily as romantic ) and discuss what the actual fuck is going on with second season. Because even though I shipped lokius practically from S1E2, I absolutely did NOT expect this kind of development. (Not that I´m complaining)

Warning: This is gonna be LONG post, lots of screenshots, lots of SPOILERS, lot of "oh-my-god-they-so-cute" language, and little bit of meta.

I originally thought that this post would be everything at once, but since I have just too many screenshots this time around, I´ll have to split it. so every post will be one episode. Color coding means:

IIIIIIIIII = anything, that coud potentialy be just acting choice.

IIIIIIIIII = everything else (tzn.: whatever was written, and/or carefully prepared by filmmakers. )

side note: I already wrote, about how amazing it is, that Mobius is unable to fight but fights anyway and how beautifuly, and ridiculously brave he is HERE. But this is about Loki/Mobius interactions, so I´ll try my best not to talk about THAT. (Even when I´m really happy, that s2 continues with this formula and Mobius is still his completely defenseless while aggressively brave self. I love him, btw.)

EPISODE 1 HERE

EPISODE 2 HERE

EPISODE 3 HERE

check-list, episode 4 (my beloved): 33) changing clothes together not to be that person, but like... they always went through the door from TVA on timeline in their "camouflage disguises". So Loki couldn't use his magic to change their clothes. I mean... they even make turning off system that prevents magic plot point in this episode So unless they have some special device in TVA (which was never established) It is implied, that these two just spend some time changing clothes together, before going out. And that brings me to this specific moment: At the end of the previous episode we see them going through the time door (fairly soon after Victor Timely, in 1893 clothing) And this episodes starts with Victor ariving at TVA and wondering around the empty hallways. Alone. So let me get this straight: After we see them both walk through the time door, they end in that war room (were they met in ep1), just the two of them. Victor is.... somewhere. who knows where, who even cares? And they though: it is actualy priority number one to change our clothes. Yes, right now. Never mind, we have He Who Remains variant wondering around the TVA and everything is going to explode soon. We have to take our clothes off. RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. I´m sorry, film makers, but what the acual f-

34) Bickering like married couple (part 4) (but this time with EVERYONE else watching them with question marks above their heads. And these two idiots husbands probably didn´t even noticed xDD )

Also.... "It��s got your shape" 😳 really? really Mobius? And how would you- oh sorry, my bad, never mind. I almost forget you were changing clothes togheter MULTIPLE TIMES, so of course you would know that. ... right? 35) The "misunderstanding trope"

This whole scene is just... jeeez! Sylvie screeming at Mobius for wanting cake (while Loki already knows, that Mobius wants it, because he is in a stress.) He tries to stop Sylvie, but she continues. Loki circles around her and ends up right between them (cough...smybolism...cough) And Sylvie starts attacking Mobius because he doesn´t want to know his life on a timeline. While Loki is RIGHT THERE, knowing perfectly well Mobiuses reason´s and how bad she is hurting him, because episode 2 happened. Loki knows. And then she leaves, and Loki follows her. But Mobius doesn´t know, what we know: and that he went to her to DEFEND HIM. Jeeeeeeez writers.... thanks, for this perfect example of romantic complication. Dramatic irony 100%. I´m living for this relationship drama while everything around them collapses and explodes. 10/10 television!

Also... poor man needed pick-me-up cocoa drink immediately after 😭

36) Pie scene number two I have to say, I LOVED this scene. EVERY FUCKING WORD. philosophical conflicts? yes please. moral dilemas? give me more! but let´s focus on Loki defending Mobius. Him bringing up Thor into the coversation, and comparing his change on Earth (that he didn´t understand before) to his own change that came from spending time at TVA. spending time with Mobius. And he is standing infront of pies this whole time! basicly him low key comparing Thor´s love for Jane to his love for Mobius

And let´s not forget how obvious the difference between two pie scenes is! Because the first one is full of relaxed gestures, kindness and understanding. Just Loki and Mobius being intimite and open with each other 🥹 In glaring contrast with that, THIS scene, with Sylvie is full of conflict, tention and disagreements. The are standind, far from each other, and whole room has completely different (horror like) vibe.

37) THIS SHOT. just the two of them, right before the end.

God I love this episode so much! 💛💛💛

[gauloiseblue]

OMG

HOLY SHIT

First of all, reincarnation stories are so *mwuah*

Second, I love the interactive/visual novel/otome game style.

The Endings are so delicious and just makes me want to bite and eat it 😏😏😏.

I love the fact that in true otome game/VN style, the endings all give us little bits and pieces of stuff that fit with each other giving us a nice picture that is still kind of incomplete.

Ending 1 is the meet cute with our hubby (who is definitely not going to kidnap us at the slightest inconvenience like how Megumi summons Mahoraga).

Ending 2 is the one where we get stuff about our childhood and how there's this thing that yadda yadda yadda... we had a friend... NINA, MY BABY IS ALIVE!!! Our former childhood friend wants to marry us awwwww... Someone held us hostage while biting us... Awww... What a nice conversation with one of the women who took care of us Oh look some guy in the shadows (I'm sure that's nothing). This one is actually the first I got.

Ending 3, the “Horror/Bad” Ending, is actually not that bad because technically, all endings are bad because he will always find us. We just get a big question called “What the fuck is going on?”. It's just bad/horror because we're scared :( Also biting kink~

Ending 4 is where we find a super sweet note about love and perseverance. This couple is so sweet and romantic. The woman knows that they haven't been together for so long but she already knows that she's going to be with this guy for the rest of her life aww so sweet. She also talks about how love should be built on patience and to never rush it. She also talks about how this will be her last secret awwwww... Super sweet with no horrifying implications whatsoever.

These endings work well on their own but as you read the other endings you get the answers for the questions you have from the other endings but also questions that not even reading all the endings can answer.

Does that man there's a Golden/True Ending or A Bonus Scene?

Also

NINAAAAAAAAA!!!

MY BABY

YOU MAY HAVE EXISTED FOR A BRIEF IN IOFAB BUT EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Also this fic reminds of one of your art that has König buying reader. Biting kink, my beloved. Something something he would sooner mangle your flesh before letting you go...

[Major spoilers under the cut]

I actually almost made that fic into a game, but I realized it's not worth the effort so I didn't make it XD

Actually, this is how I think of the endings;

Ending 1: Good Ending with a question mark

Ending 2: Bad Ending

Ending 3: Cautionary Ending

Ending 4: Secret Ending

I feel like if you get the first ending, there's a chance you'll live happily ever after with him, especially when you really love him and accept him as he is.

As for the second one, congrats on getting it for the first time XD This is actually my favorite ending, bc it can lead to a continuation.

For the 3rd ending, it's just an attempt to write horror. I always want to bring horror elements to König's fics, because his character does have that potential. Also, it's just an excuse for me to write about my kink so—

I feel like I had to talk about the 4th ending, because it lacks some basic explanations. We all can pretty much guess who's the husband, so I'll skip that part. She and König weren't always this miserable, and the letter was the evidence that they once were a happy couple. But somewhere along the line (the reincarnation), she strayed away from him, for whatever reason. Just as he disagreed with her, he did the opposite of what she'd do if he loved her less than a lover; forcing her to be one.

It's actually a story about irony, because the only way to bind your lover with you is to make them hate you. The reincarnated reader hated to be bitten, so he marked her with his teeth. She didn't like when he's impatient, so he took it to the extreme. But all his actions were rooted from love. He did it because he loved her, he did it because he wanted to be her—in this life or the next. Like, you can find so many ironies in the letters. But I won't point them out bc it's more fun to discover them yourself 😌

Fun fact, the thing about her last secret or whatever implies that König shamelessly read her diaries XD She couldn't keep her secret because he'd just find it and read it. It's also ironic that he always found her secrets—even in the most difficult places—but couldn't find her last secret, which is the letter. That's why the papers were hidden for years inside the music box, until the reincarnated reader discovered it again. Makes you wonder what could've happened if he read the letter. Maybe all these tragedies wouldn't happen.

I'll be honest, I like Nina a lot too. In my head she ran away with the reader in IOFAB, and they lived happily ever after. Like, she deserves so much happiness 😭

Oh, that artwork. Haha… it's just a study on anatomy I swear 💀

[hirokiyuu]

i think the vibe of this trio would be like. vace is "enjoying" piloting (lol) while dys fucking hates it and is open about hating it. and when sol shows up i think she tries to get along with both of them (lololol) and "supports" vace's attitude more at first (desperate attempt to stay positive despite how much everything sucks) (this is why i said she and dys take turns being shinji) (You Can't Live Your Life Stringing Together Only Happy Memories Etc Etc) but i think eventually she and vace fall apart really badly when she cant just keep pretending it's all ok u kno. it's a whole thing

tbh i dont think a nge/teenexo au would follow a direct one to oen besides Sym Kaworu but i do think pilots sol+dys is fun. honestly prior to sol transferring in i think dys might be the only pilot i think there might not be a rei equivalent. tho i wont lie i think dys+vace as pilots together pre-sol also has some fucking really terrible (great) vibes

[kellyvela]

I'm unable to fathom the logic of J0nrya shippers. I recently got into a twitter altercation with a couple of accounts and oh my god, I totally forgot how terrible they are ! I have all of them blocked on here but they must be on twitter as well, I even recognised some of the users. It's just awful energy all around; all of them despise Sansa, no matter what she says and does. And they are SO weirdly possessive of Jon. They claim that WE treat Jon as some trophy husband when it is actually them who are guilty of that! They even hate it when people make simple Sansa/Ned parallels because apparently Ned belongs to A as well? Never mind that Ned is also Sansa's father...smh.

Their copium is very loud and obnoxious. I wonder how they felt when GRRM straight up debunked the ship at Balticon. Calling J/A relationship by all accounts, quite simple - that the fans have given it more thought than he has etc. I would have just packed up and left after that and accepted it wasn't going to become canon. But alas, they get even louder than how they were before. Do they understand how weird they sound. They sexualise A so much and want her to become a courtesan and get her period. It's very obvious A is not going to be the love interest because GRRM has done everything in his willpower to portray A as a prepubescent child. But he has done the opposite with Sansa; He's made her tall, full-breasted, acting as a mother to a child, basically running the household in the Eyrie etc. sometimes I forget she's meant to be 13...

We all know that when someone is on the right track, GRRM will respond cryptically and give a short, sweet answer. He rambled when it came to j0nrya, that's not a good sign for the canon basis of their ship, especially when they have the nerve to call Jonsas delusional.

The truth is, I wouldn't still be here fully believing in the inevitability of Jonsa if GRRM debunked it in the same manner he did w J/A. When that Alexandragenesis person asked him about it back in 2018 and GRRM just responded with "not going to tell anymore than I already have" I knew that we were on the right track. If GRRM flat out ignored the question or responded with a simple "not the direction I'm going in" since he had no issue debunking another theory on that same chat...if I remember correctly, well I'd have left and accepted I just misinterpreted the text and saw romance where it wasn't meant to be. I'd still read fanfic about them and enjoy them in a fanon way, and I still believe all the brilliant metas hold merit, no matter if they're meant to be interpreted as romantic by the author.

But j0nrya's didn't let go of their stance and just cracked down harder on jonsas. I'm embarrassed for them. I don't care if they ship it in fanon, if they just enjoy it as a pairing and have accepted it won't become canon based on the author's blatant dismissal of any romance between them - but the way they have behaved in this fandom is really really childish and frankly, irritating. They actually dominate reddit as well, surprisingly. There's quite a few popular Redditors on there who get lots of upvotes and who are also big A/J0nrya bloggers on here. And sometimes there are posts about Queen A/J0nrya which is met with 0 criticism by the community. There's healthy discussions which receives heaps of upvotes and everything. But it's the opposite situation with queen sansa and Jonsa. Little to no upvotes and harsh criticism.

Are these people selectively blind? Is this fandom completely unable to understand subtext and implicit clues/foreshadowing? Do they get how fiction works? Do they get the different literary influences that inspired GRRM to write ASOIAF? His past works? His favourite authors? The themes of his series? The importance of omission? Unreliable narrators? Dramatic irony? Have these people never studied a text before and been made to pick apart imagery, sentences, parallels etc?

I'm just baffled by this fandom having such a surface level reading of the text. "BUT JONSA COULDN'T HAPPEN BECAUSE THEY RARELY THINK OF EACH OTHER!!" If they took the time to read our metas they'd actually realise... that works in our favour...the distance supports our theories...that's exactly what we are pointing out lmao. I'm utterly convinced that if Jon was mussing Sansa's hair and thinking of her as his little sister constantly that Jonsa would hold a lot more merit.

I mean, even just the implication that GRRM's response to Jonsa was clearly 'fan service catering' is so fucking disingenuous I have to laugh. Why would GRRM feel the need to appeal to such an incredibly niche fanbase and tell them what they want to hear when majority of the fandom wants Jon and D*ny to have sex and save the world together. And when you compare how GRRM responded to Jonsa vs how he has responded to R + L = J, it's so obvious that Jonsas are actually the ones who are making sound predictions. There's a reason a lot of us correctly predicted major beats in the show while the rest of the fandom were foaming at the mouth over Sansa being killed by one of her family members, queen d*ny, and the curtain of light theory ....

My Twitter account is locked for a reason. Somehow they always find you only to attack you.

Anyway, fave sister stans and fave sister/jon shippers are a funny bunch lmao I mean only them can write metas about fave sister being Lady of Winterfell *by proxy*, or that "official" Asoiaf fanart *confirms* that fave sister is the most beautiful human being on earth, or that fave sister and aunty wearing baby pearls means that they are the epitome of fertility and motherhood, despite them both hating those attires and quickly changing on masculine clothes 🤪 And I won't mention the training with a courtesan because that's sick 💀

I won't fight them on fave sister being jon's fave sister, that relationship can stay like that lol

I won't fight them on fave sister being Ned's fave daughter, that we can't change and there's reasons that vastly explain that.

They simply decided to ignore BALTICON, and they also do the same that cujo shippers do, they made up a narrative where GRRM knowing that they "rightly discovered" that their fave romance is *canon*, tried to mislead the readers to keep the susrprise factor when their ships happen . . . . ahxvasdhbshfbdfjsbdmjwd.alsdshadb

Did youk know that the Alexandragenesis was probably a hater from reddit trying to get GRRM debunking Jon/Sansa? Alexandragenesis is some fake disorder that gives you violet eyes born in the internet, so that name was targ coded. Also, after GRRM didn't give them the answer they were seeking they started to attack fave sister in favor of Sansa, so that person was definitely a Sansa hater/targie/fave sister stan failing as always lol

I think they read our metas and feel really dumb after that but they will never admit it, at least not in public, which reminds me of these two anon messages I got from them once:

. . . 🙈

They really said the GRRM answer to the jonsa question was fan service??? 🤡

I'm telling you, they are a funny bunch 😂

Anyway, I can't believe the curtain of light is a thing . . . . 🙃

Thanks for your message anon 💋

[knickknacksandallthat]

if you don't mind me asking, what got you into kevin's character?

for me it was actually your fic, but since its so normalized in the fandom to dismiss his trauma and call him a coward and annoying for doing things that other characters are loved for, i didn't really care about him when i first read the books

now hes my favorite

Oh, anon, I love this!! What an honor, I’m so glad to have helped you join the Kev lovefest 😊 (Welcome to the dark side lol!) It makes me so happy that the A Fallen Star series has awakened this in you! 💖

And wow, what a good question. I don't mind at all! I actually had to think about this for a while to try and remember…how the heck did I get here???

So here is my ridiculously uncalled-for POV on Kevin’s character and slow descent into madness below:

(Disclaimer that these are just my thoughts and anyone in the aftg fandom can hc or think whatever they like about Mr. Day 😊)

Like you, anon, I was easily swayed by Neil’s perspective of Kev on first read. It makes sense and is a credit to Nora how we so fully buy into Neil’s opinion of Kevin that many of us just run with it. And to be fair to the fandom, it’s canon – Andrew, Neil, and all the Foxes tell us he’s a coward and annoying and so we assume it must be true.

So, I created many fics that played into this image and focused on andreil. (Because who isn’t enamored with andreil??? Legit, deranged obsession and couple goals lmao). Using that lens, it was easy to make Kevin the punching bag because he is the quintessential “straight man” in comedy (and yes, I do hear the irony in that) – the foil to other characters to make them seem better, braver, funnier, smarter, etc. It’s an age-old trick/trope in fiction that works very well. And it was an easier transition for Nora to make, I think, once she made the decision to remove Kevin from the main narrative of her story.

This character setup works well enough when you’re doing a fic from Neil or Andrew’s POV, providing an easy source of humor to fall back on. So, for me, I think my thinking shifted once I started working on Flavors of Fall and delved into Andrew and Kevin’s storyline there. That fic forced me to think from Kevin’s perspective, and I found at the time I had a shallow understanding of what made Kevin tick. It totally threw me once I really started considering sequels for that fic and the 12 Day Program for Courtship, both of which have Kevin cast as a main character. I had to dive deep into his makeup, seriously considering his motivations, his likes/dislikes, his personality traits, his relationships, and how he would react in any given situation.

Because I was interested in his character development, I started delving into fics like orionauriga’s just pretend , @likearecordbb's Long Walk in the Woods, @thetrojeans daylights, sunsets, and @dayurno's the age of no regret series. They are all brilliant, fascinating character studies of Kevin Day and his relationships that are extremely well done. There’s many more, of course, but I was searching for fics that specifically delved into Kevin’s thought process and choices and stayed there a while.

That’s what led me to feeling like I needed to tell his story with Dead of Night. Of course, it turned into a larger series with my flavoring of Kerejean added because I’ve never been a huge Kevin/Thea relationship fan. (But that's a discussion for another day which you can start here and here for that adventure.)

Now all that I’ve described above gives you the mechanics of the descent – the when, the where, the how. But it crucially misses the why. What is it about Kevin that got me in the end?

Ironically enough, it was his potential.

I think when Nora stripped away any kind of romantic narrative (RIP Kandreil OR Riko/Kevin/Jean) or a chance for a tragic storyline (Kevin dying in the end) it resulted in removing a lot of Kevin’s emotional vulnerability. We don’t get to hear what he’s feeling or thinking unless it’s related to Riko, the Moriyamas, or Exy. This means his storyline is consumed by the stereotypical sports underdog story, with us following his rise to champion (which is still a powerful enough narrative on its own that shines even in the midst of Neil’s crazy plotline. Switching that racquet to his left hand in the championship game? Iconic.) 

However, it leaves us very much with a shell of a person. Kevin’s character outside of Exy is reduced to a handful of facts – there’s a passing comment on his like of history, and the stark evidence of an alcohol addiction as a coping mechanism. We’re told he used to dance. That he learned French because Jean Moreau taught him. That he has no qualms about taking (mild?) drugs (cracker dust). Despite how much we’ve run with it as a fandom, the only allusion I’ve found in the books to him being strict with diet is this section from The King’s Men:

“No one needs to eat this before a game,” Kevin said. “Eat some granola or protein if you’re that hungry.” “Hello, there’s protein in the peanut butter,” Nicky said. “Let go of me before I tell Andrew you’re outlawing chocolate. I said let go. You’re not the boss of me. Ouch! Did you seriously just hit me?” … “Kevin, just let him go,” Neil said. “It’s not worth fighting over.” “When our defense is sluggish, we all suffer,” Kevin said.

From what I can find in the books, Kevin never once denies Andrew eating ice cream. (Which I’m 100% able to admit I might have missed something so feel free to quote me where that scene is because I was totally searching for it). In fact, every time they go to Sweetie’s, it’s implied Kevin orders ice cream with them. In the infamous kissing scene in The King’s Men, we actually have proof that Kevin got ice cream:

Kevin still hadn’t messaged Nicky by the time they reached the ice cream aisle, so Nicky gave in and called him. Neil half-expected Kevin to ignore Nicky’s call, but Kevin wasn’t so sour with them that he’d turn down a free snack…Nicky grabbed spoons from the kitchen and distributed pints to their hungry owners. Neil checked his expression when Nicky came back from dropping Kevin’s off….

Now I do think it’s in line with his character and his upbringing to have issues with food, so I’m all for buying into that specific hc. But we have very little evidence of it in the text.

His personality is reduced mainly to anger, arrogance, or cowardice (all traits that don’t make us sympathize with him). The only facts we have about his Tragic Past™️ are two things: his mother’s death, and his hand injury. Everything else we assume is based on Neil’s knowledge of the mafia, Wymack’s hearsay, Andrew’s deductions, and Kevin’s reactions to Riko and Tetsuji. We have literally no idea what happened to Kevin in the Nest. His trauma and his time spent there is a complete mystery. The closest we get is Riko’s comment to Neil in The Raven King:

“I am going to love hurting you,” Riko said, “like I loved hurting Kevin.”

This, I think, is one of the main reasons many of the fandom “dismisses” Kevin’s trauma in comparison to Neil’s because we can’t see it. We don’t know what happened and we don’t get to experience it, so this lack of explanation or motivation leaves us only with very cold personality traits. We’re unable to root for him as a character because we can’t sympathize. We can empathize because we know Very Bad Things™️ must have happened in the Nest, but we don’t see them happen the same way we do Neil or Andrew. Even Kevin’s hand injury is old and “healed” when we’re first introduced to the character.

The only true canon moment where Kevin appears “human” is in The Raven King with Kevin’s “then run” and “you should be court” conversation with Neil. His admittance that Neil’s life is more important than Exy is instantaneous – he doesn’t even pause to throw his Exy dreams down the drain if it means Neil can survive.  In a weirdly parallel way, we see Kevin’s thought process implicit in his conversation: “at least you’d have a chance.” It is strikingly similar to Neil’s internal conversation of: one of us should make it. (And there’s another whole separate discourse I could get into on how Kevin and Neil are two halves of the same coin, but we’ll save that for another day.) But even the revelation of Wymack as his father has more shock value than true emotional weight – we never see what that conversation looked like or how either party actually reacted. (In some ways, I feel like Dan being pissed at Kevin is given more “screentime” than Kevin’s response to telling his father and how Wymack reacted.)

So with Kevin’s emotions and past firmly locked down, we’re left to brush off Kevin’s reactions (or lack thereof) as part of his indifferent personality. It is what it says on the tin. (And that’s not to say Kevin is a perfect character by any means. He has flaws just like every other character.)

Now some people very accurately depict and buy into those limitations as simply being Kevin’s character/personality – I’ve read some awesome fics where Kevin is Ace/Aro and/or on the spectrum. These are completely valid, extremely well done, and I could totally see why others see and write him this way. Canon practically sets them up for it.

For me, though, it circles back to our skewed view of Kevin given to us by some deeply loved but also deeply flawed characters (cough, Andreil). Those same characters that we’re told time and again not to judge them by their cover but to try and understand how they’re affected by (and make choices because of) their trauma.

While Andrew and Neil end up giving each other this grace through a hard-fought battle of truths and exchanges, they do not extend this same courtesy to Kevin, and neither are we given the chance to do so. We literally can’t because, again, we don’t know what the full extent of Kevin’s trauma is.

Kevin doesn’t talk about his time in the Nest to any character, meaning we know nothing about it. Ergo we don’t know what choices Kevin makes because of it. In The Foxhole Court, Wymack specifically tells us Kevin was Riko’s pet. In fact, there is so much specific language that Kevin himself uses around the concept of ownership, and that Nora uses when referring to him that it jarringly sticks out in the text.  He has no sense of personal space or proper boundaries, viewing people only as assets to be used for the good of the team, which at the very least is a sign of mental abuse. But the fact remains that we just don’t know. We don’t know how far this mental abuse was taken, how often or severely he was injured, if he injured or was forced to injure others – we don’t know.

But it’s obvious whatever happened to him started as a child and built from there. Which means he has years of abuse and power dynamics embedded into him. He has every right to be afraid. In fact, we are demonstrably told and shown often in canon that Kevin is afraid…but fear does not equate to cowardice. In fact, we know that bravery often means being scared and doing something anyway. And in many cases, that’s just what Kevin did (with a crutch named Andrew). But even before he entered his deal with Andrew, it's important to remember that even though he was brainwashed and beaten from a young age to understand that he would die if he betrayed the Moriyama family in some way, he left them.

This is always so significant to me because so many abuse victims stay in their situation thinking/hoping/praying it will get better – either because of an idea that their abuser will change (“they’re just having a hard time at work rn”) or that the victim will fix whatever flaw the abuser finds lacking. Or alternatively, they recognize the situation is bad, but they can’t leave because they feel like they have nowhere to go, no one who will help them, trapped by their lack of skills/contacts/money. In Kevin’s case, both situations rang true. And yet he left. He left, and in only a year and a half’s time he recovered from his injury and led his team to the championship.

But he is only at the start of his recovery. I think he’ll need years of therapy to recover from all that happened in the Nest. I think many of his emotional and social shortcomings are a direct consequence of that timeframe and he did not have the freedom to address them until the threat of the Moriyamas was removed. I do not think they are permanent parts of his personality – I think in time, he will be allowed to grow and recover and contribute much more to his relationships than he’s capable of doing at the end of The King’s Men.

Though the series finished, I think Kevin’s story is just beginning.

That’s why I think he’s fascinating to explore as a character. That’s why I love writing him right now because in many ways, his possibilities are endless. There’s so many opportunities to explore different facets of his story that we never get a chance to in canon. Kevin’s character and narrative is a tantalizing tease which many of us have fell hook, line, and sinker for. (Including yours truly.) We want to rabidly sink our teeth into it and shake it, like a dog with a bone.

So we do. 😉

Phew. Okay, that’s enough. None of what I’ve written above is new I’m sure to those of the fandom who have been here since the beginning or have become diehard Kevin fans. But thank you for letting me ramble in this ask, anon. Writing about Kevin has been a very fun and therapeutic adventure for me. So I’m so glad that there are others out there who are enjoying it too 😊

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

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yay! buddie canon in the fic and in the show!!! love how eddie is freaking out and buck just like kiss me again hottie. in shannon we trust 🙌🙌🙌 fixing the lawsuit divorce and completing the polycule!! i am NOT ready for the eddie begins/will chapter; jane will be born already, so will s + e put buck as guardian for both of them?!?!? love love love the power throuple💗💗💗

⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️

ooooo…magical realism. silly evil billy boils you better kill t*mmy.

Thank you!!! And things will definitely go a little different in the throuple-verse for sure!

I want you to know I hand wrote this all on the plane.

1k for 🔼

---

Another small, nervous nod.

Wow.

Wow, wow, wow.

Buck isn’t sure how to process. He feels a lot of things. Not least of all, a little sexually frustrated. He doesn’t know what he wants, but he sure as hell wants something. His throat goes a little dry with all the wanting. He can see the humor in it, too. The irony. At first, it makes him want to laugh. But the more he lingers on it the less funny it seems. 

“Wait a fucking second,” Buck says. “Shannon kissed me, and I spent hours thinking our friendship was over, meanwhile, the two of you screwed and made up?”

“Uh, sort of?” Eddie admits. “Sorry.” 

“I knew you were in way too good of a mood that night. Wow. Unbelievable.”

“What should I have done, Buck? Called you and invited you over?”

“Well… Yeah!” 

Eddie goes even redder. His eyes bug out a little. “I mean… I had no idea how you… That’s not fair.” 

Buck sighs. Concedes. “Okay. You’re probably right.”

He’s had threesomes before. Quite a few in Peru, with two other servers at the resort. He and Ali had even discussed it. Might’ve looked into it, too. If she hadn’t left. But in all his adventures, he hasn’t done that with or considered doing that with one of the two other people being a man. He’s thinking about it now, though. He finds he quite likes the thought. He just…Yeah, mauve wouldn’t have reacted super well if Eddie called and pitched it to him. He sees Eddie’s point.

“Wait,” Buck realizes aloud. “Does this mean you and Shannon are back together?”

Eddie shakes his head. “No. It was just sex. A one off.”

Wasn’t just sex kind of what got Eddie and Shannon in quite a few predicaments to begin with? Maybe Buck won’t mention that. 

“We had a long talk after,” Eddie says. “And one again today.”

“Oh… Oh, yeah?”

“This is where maybe I’m about to be a total selfish ass,” Eddie says. “Maybe.. Delusional? Greedy?”

What a way to sell whatever he’s about to say. 

“Spit it out, man,” Buck pleads.

“She knows how I feel about you. And… And she said you and I being together wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for her… For her and I… If she ever… If we ever worked through our shit.”

Whoa.

“Uh…” Buck replies, unsure how to feel. It’s not exactly… Well, it isn’t quite a romantic declaration, is it? But Eddie already sort of did one of those. “Sorry. Um… Like an open marriage where I’m the… The side piece?” 

Eddie looks horrified. “What? No!”

“Okay… Because that’s sort of what that sounded like.”\

“No! Buck, no. No… I… I don’t know how to explain it. We didn’t… There was no, uh, definition. But that’s not how I see you. Jesus. And I don’t want any sort of open anything.”

“Not open, but… Not monogamous?” Buck asks. 

Eddie shrugs, clearly a little perplexed. “I don’t know! See? I told you it was bad. Greedy. I… I just love both of you. I don’t know what to do about it and I don’t if it even matters because she might never want me back and you don’t necessarily want me now.”

“I do,” Buck says. 

Eddie sort of freezes. “You… You do?”

Buck nods. “I’m super fucking confused about a lot right now but that much seems really clear to me.”

Eddie’s shoulders sag forward, relieved. 

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Buck agrees. “Can I ask you something, though?”

“Of course,” Eddie replies. 

“And this isn’t me asking for anything. It’s just… A mindset question, I guess.”

“Okay,” Eddie nods. 

“If yours and Shannon’s positions were reversed, would you give her the same… I don’t know… Blessing?”

Eddie doesn’t answer Buck right away. He chews on it. Which scares Buck a little bit. Because, truth be told, Buck is fairly certain how he answers is going to determine a lot. Buck is willing to experiment. Try a lot. Think outside conventional structures. But the reason behind that experimentation has to be motivated from the right place. Right? Otherwise… He’s just asking to get hurt. Or be a part of hurting someone else. Which is worse. To him, it’s worse. 

“Honestly?” Eddie asks. 

Buck nods. Of course honestly He needs the truth about this.

“It would… It would hurt to not be a part of it. But… If I had to think of either of you with anyone else… Of someone else in my kids’ lives? I mean… Who better? Who else is… I don’t want to say good enough, but… Yeah?”

Okay. Okay, Buck… He thinks he can work with that. 

“Can I talk to her about it?” Buck asks. 

Eddie shrugs. “Not my decision.”

Right. Right, this isn’t a matter of Eddie is in charge and Buck and Shannon are both his. This is… Something else. Buck gets a strange sort of thrill in his stomach. Fear, maybe? But also anticipation? Excitement. Like there’s a very special locked door he;’s being given a chance to open. He sort of wants to walk through it without even looking. 

“What are you… I mean, I know this is a lot. Believe me. I didn’t plan for this today at all,” Eddie says. “But can I ask what you’re thinking, maybe?”

Buck… Well, he’s thinking he actually doesn’t want to think so hard anymore. He’s still confused He’s still not clear on the arrangement. And maybe he should be. First. Precautionary measures or whatever. But it feels a lot like, maybe, just maybe, everyone here can get what they want. 

“I’m thinking, you sort of owe me one,” he replies with a smug little smirk.

As expected, this throws Eddie for a loop.

“I… Owe you one?” He asks. 

“Mhm,” Buck replies, voice low.  He steps a bit closer to Eddie. “Because here I’ve been for months, feeling all this shame. About what happened with Shannon. About… About how I couldn’t shake it. And there you two were, knowing all the exciting parts without me.”

---

48 for ⚖️:

---

“You’re sure? Bobby asks. 

Once, Buck would have taken it as a lack of faith in him. He understands Bobby a bit better now. 

“Still catching up on sleep,” Buck admits. “But I’ll let you know if anything comes up. I promise.”

Bobby claps him on the shoulder. 

“Okay. Glad to have you back, Buck.”

“Glad to be back.”

Buck, of course, cannot explain to Bobby the thing does that does come up. It defies explanation. He doesn’t even know how he’ll explain it to Eddie, when the time comes that he can. This is… Weird. Even as far as recent standards go. 

They’re called to the scene of an accident. A woman drove into a telephone pole on a residential street. Her husband was beside her in the passenger seat. The injuries are minimal. The power on the block is out, the lines are down, and the couple needs help safely exiting the car. 

It’s a nice car. Not that Buck knows much about that. That’s more Tommy’s domain. But when they arrive at the scene, Eddie whistles, looks at Chim, and makes a comment about it being a shame. 

Buck knows something is off as soon as he sees the victims. Or, more specifically, their auras. The woman, the driver, is a muted sort of gray. Sort of a nothingness, overall. Not very memorable. But the husband? The husband has the same crimson aura as Lawrence and Tommy. 

When he sees it, Buck actually hesitates for a second. Stuttering before moving to help him. Only Eddie seems to notice. Mauve because he’s noticing Buck notice people now, given what he knows.

“All good?” Eddie asks.

Buck mumbles a quick affirmative and gets to work.

The closer Buck gets, though, the stronger it gets. There’s a heavy sinking feeling in Buck’s arm. Like something pressing into his skin, right over the mystery tattoo. It’s distracting. Especially since it could be more curse bullshit.