#one day i will legitimately beat the answer

[anotherlongstoryshort]

Things about the Wisdom Saga that have plagued me all damn day

Legendary

Whether intentional or not, Miguel's Telemachus really sounds like a younger version of Jorge's Odysseus. And that hurts.

"If I fight those monsters, is it you I'll find?" The layers. Could he go out and hunt for his father? Could he find his 'legendary' strength within himself? Or will Odysseus be the 'monster' he finds?

"Somebody help me, come and give me the strength" And his call is answered T_T

20 years.

Antinous fully interrupts this bop. Rude.

Ayron sounds legitimately scary and Telemachus taking a stand is so O.O

Little Wolf

I wanna fight this guy. Love that Athena agrees. (The beat of the song and sharp bursts of vocals really emulate blows.)

The quaver on "I don't know how".

Athena is immediately charmed by Telemachus' enthusiasm. She sounds so fond.

The fact she sees heart in him as an advantage when it was Odysseus choosing heart over mind that drove them apart. Guh.

Did she tell him to bite Antinous? XD

"Oh, maybe I pushed you a bit too hard." The change in her perspective is already so apparent - she wouldn't have admitted a mistake or miscalculation to Odysseus.

We'll Be Fine

"I had a friend before..." A FRIEND? FRIEND?!?!

An admission that she didn't fully appreciate what Odysseus was going through, that she feels guilty for having "missed it all".

It's unclear to begin with if she's come to Telemachus for Odysseus, or to try and replace him. Both are equally heart-breaking.

"I don't know who your friend is, I don't know what he's like" UNKNOWINGLY ECHOING HIS OWN THOUGHTS IN 'LEGENDARY'. NO IT'S FINE I'M FINE.

"The best day of my life because I got in a fight and I didn't die! :D" Telemachus, child, please.

"We'll be fine" using the same run as "this is my goodbye" T_T

Him immediately offering up friendship to Athena, like Odysseus once did, must hit her so hard. "You're a good kid." Yes he is - because he's more like his dad than he knows.

Love in Paradise

"Old friend..." FRRRRRIIIIEEEENNNNNDDDDD!!!!!

10 years.

The memory fragments sounding so fraught and chaotic together, hitting harder because they're hitting Athena all at once. She missed a lot.

"She's my wife." "Anyways..." Calypso, girl, please.

Love that they're singing completely different melodies through the first half of this song for two reasons: because Odysseus is revisiting previous motifs, once more trying to hold onto the man he was, and also because it shows Calypso is not willing to compromise on what she wants.

"Last I checked goddesses can't die." We'll come back to this later.

Then Odysseus realises he is truly trapped and he sings along to Calypso's melody in muted horror.

POLITIES OUT HERE STILL HAUNTING THE NARRATIVE.

Just the words "open arms" are enough to confront Odysseus (again) with all he's lost. All he hears are screams.

And the one he screams out for is Athena.

"He needs my help." NO KIDDING GO GET YOUR BOY.

God Games

"Father, God, King..." There's a lot to unpack in that fun family dynamic.

"To untie apprehensions that were placed on that Greek?" Zeus is like, nobody likes that guy, why do you care?

The gods being called out like X Factor finalists is everything.

So there's a great contrast against the previous song - unlike Calypso, Athena is matching each of her singing partners with their tone and beat as she convinces them. She isn't winning by 'imposing her will', she's meeting them where they are.

Rational arguments work until Aphrodite, where Athena says "please" for the first time. She softens to appeal to Aphrodite, which is why Ares has to step in.

The way she says his name XD

Ares' lines sound like as much of a fighting chant as 'Little Wolf' did, which makes it all the better that the mention of Telemachus is what gets her to 'fight back'.

"His son's my friend!" YES HE IS. And Athena of all people declaring "a broken heart can mend" is fascinating. Can't help but wonder if she's talking about herself coming around to forgiving Odysseus.

"Never once has he cheated on his wife." Handwaving the source material is worth it for this line ALONE.

Zeus is so pressed by everyone openly knowing he cheats on Hera. Stop doing it then my dude.

Ares sounding genuinely concerned for Athena is doing things to me. Goddesses can't die, huh?

Her time motif flitting in and out like a weak heartbeat.

The soft piano of 'Warrior of the Mind', touching on a whisper of 'Legendary', then rising to a triumphant crescendo as Athena regains herself. I will be forever haunted by visions of Odysseus and Telemachus helping her to her feet.

And then, finally, she faces her own father and begs. Because Odysseus and Telemachus deserve a chance to be father and child.

The parallel, by the way, of Athena entering this saga to help an outnumbered Telemachus, and now closing it with him/Odysseus unknowingly helping her win her own battle too. JORGE HOW DARE YOU T_T

[gothamite-rambler]

Harley: Why are Cattie and Battie acting like… how do I word this without grossing you out?

Nightwing: Like horny young adults?

Harley: Yes…

Harley pointed to Batman and Catwoman, who were acting like they were in their younger dating days. Catwoman playfully circled her fingers around Batman's lips, making him laugh before leaning in for a kiss.

Harley: Yes! What is that?

Nightwing: My nightmares. For a legitimate answer, Batman made this medicine he needed when he felt his bones making too many strange popping sounds. He wanted to feel better, and it worked… except whatever he put in it makes him act like I imagine he did when he first became Batman in a lot of ways.

Nightwing whimpered, covering his face like a child who just walked in on his parents in the middle of sex. Harley patted him on the shoulder.

Nightwing: I’m not upset about the romance part; I just don’t want to see it.

Harley: Oh, I can relate, but Cattie doesn’t seem to be complaining.

Nightwing (still hiding his face): About that… Remember when she fell off that building and landed on an awning? I’m not sure when, but he gave her some of his currently tested-only-on-him medicine, and then he dosed himself again. I want stoic Papa back.

Harley: Oh… oh… Ooooh! You poor thing. I assume you were lucky enough to miss this as a child?

Nightwing (whimpering): Mostly… Have they at least stopped yet?

Harley: I’d look the other way if I were you.

Meanwhile, the couple continued to embrace, kissing passionately as Batman dipped Catwoman. Red Robin’s masked eyes glanced at the exchange for a moment before he turned away, walking past Harley and Nightwing.

Red Robin: Don’t mind me; I’m going to find a mugger and see if he can beat me into memory loss!

Nightwing: Good luck, bro. He won’t be able to clear his mind. Once you see it, it stays with you.

Harley: You've walked in on Batman—

Nightwing: Five times, yes. Not always with Selina. One time was with Talia… The horrors. It was like a wolf versus a giant black widow spider. Harley, I’ve seen surreal horror from working with the Titans, and this makes me want to stare into the sun.

Harley (taking Nightwing for a walk away from his father): That's a normal reaction. That’s your dad and future step-mom; of course, you’re going to want to avoid seeing that. It could be worse.

Just then, Batman and Catwoman dashed past them, heading to the Batmobile and driving back to the manor. Nightwing quickly received a ping on his phone.

Nightwing: “Going home to train. You got this.” And... he sent a thumbs up with it. Awesome, thanks, Dad! A few more days left. Just a few more days…

Harley: How long has their libido been on high?

Nightwing: A week now.

Harley nodded, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

Harley: Talk and fight bad guys with me for the rest of the night.

Nightwing: Punching villains and thieves will actually help distract my mind. You know, when he took that drug called Venom, that was easier to handle. I’d take insane over ready to bang any day.

Harley: I walked in on my parents during a three-way with our neighbor. I can help you get through this; I gotcha, kid.

Nightwing: Thank you. I'm going to need all the support and journaling for… this time period.

pt 1

pt 2

[mariacallous]

I LOVED this article. Leslie Gray Streeter expresses it perfectly.

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/opinion/column/kamala-harris-no-press-interviews-OPD4MAXYKRB4XJHB2TFB6ZJX6Q/

Since becoming the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Kamala Harris has done myriad public appearances and given speeches but has not, as of this writing, talked to journalists outside a brief session on the tarmac before a flight.

I’m a journalist and have been for more than half my life. And you know what? I don’t blame her one bit.

Because of her refusal to sit for an interview with any print or broadcast media, Harris has been the target of a lot of indignant insistence that she change her mind — that she’s not giving the American public answers they deserve. Critics say she’s subverting an expected system that all other elected officials have gone through. They say she’s hiding behind a wall of hype and “irrational exuberance” that is proof she lacks the toughness to hold the office she seeks.

Be ever so real, y’all. You know that quote, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”? It would be insane to subject yourself to unfettered questions by an industry that doesn’t seem to know how to handle interviews with true journalistic integrity and practices. Why beat your head against a wall you know is made of brick and disinformation?

Harris has seen a media landscape that arguably legitimized soon-to-be-President Donald Trump as a normal candidate when he was sowing seeds of unrest, writing about him agreeing to accept the 2016 election results, “if I win,” and then denying those results in 2020 with not an nth of the absolute pushback and condemnation it deserved. She saw, as we all did, major outlets referring to obvious racist attacks by the current Republican nominee and others as “racially tinged” and to blatant bloody lies as “falsehoods” and “misstatements.”

The vice president recently approached the press gaggle with a deliberately direct “Whatcha got?” That is the same thing my late daddy used to ask me point-blank when I’d been calling and calling and he knew I wanted something. The reporters had been clamoring for this. And their response? A bunch of requests for a response to crazy stuff Trump said about her.

This is the same industry that initially wrote presidential fanfic pondering replacement candidates that weren’t Harris. Then, when President Joe Biden stepped down from the race and named her as his chosen successor, they compiled panels ruminating on Trump’s assertions about her racial identity. Fox News has gone on the attack about her every day, but she’s being called a coward for not agreeing to a debate on that network in front of an arena of opposing fans.

Yeah, no. She is not, as we say in my culture, Boo Boo the Fool, nor is she, as she’s stated, falling for the okey-doke. Would you rush to sit down to withstand more of that foolishness? I would not. Despite the protestations of several writers from traditional media absolutely aghast at her avoidance of them, the truth is that Kamala Harris doesn’t need them.

Just as Trump has flocked to friendly outlets like Fox and a live conversation on X with app owner Elon Musk (or what Harris’ team referred to as “whatever that was”), Harris has done speeches at a rally in North Carolina and last week in Prince George’s County, and she has her savvy and very online comms team to get her message out. It’s smart, because most outlets have proven they don’t know how to approach her.

The vice president has expressed interest in setting something up, but I wouldn’t be shocked if she sidesteps your Dana Bashes and Kristen Welkers and does something inventive. If I were her, I’d talk to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, who has himself been critical of media colleagues, including his own network.

Maybe she should completely pivot and do something fun like “Hot Ones,” where she can answer policy questions while eating spicy wings. Talk to Teen Vogue. Do podcasts. Hang out with “The Real Housewives of Potomac.” I know these sound like lightweight options, but are any of these suggestions less weighty than Harris’ opponent, who bleats lies and racism on his own app, or his approved media partners who go on about Harris’ laugh, dating history and heritage? It’s all a circus. I say make your own big top.

And if madam vice president decides to talk to the traditional media, be it the New York Times or CNN, I think she should only do so with interviewers who have proven themselves to have cultural competency about race, gender, historically Black colleges and universities, the Divine 9 Greek system, step parenting and being a baddie in the 1990s. I’m not saying it has to be a friendly person like Trump seeks, but it does have to be someone who respects Harris enough as a candidate to do research and not spend the whole time asking gotcha questions about her opponent’s lies. Heck, I’ll do it! I know this is a long shot, but at least I know what okey-doke means.

I am excited for Harris’ future media choices because they are sure to be unprecedented, just like her candidacy. And it’s going to be on her terms. Everyone gets to set theirs, after all.

[shadowtriovibes]

Hi! I absolutely love your fics! I have a little request/idea. Sebastian finds out that MC has a little crush on professor sharp and all of a sudden can’t stand his favorite professor. (His small crush on professor garlick is totally different and super justified)

jealousy, you got me somehow

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1.7K

Summary: Sebastian finds out about your little crush on a certain Potions master and all of a sudden can’t stand the man. (His small crush on Professor Garlick is, of course totally different and super justified.)

“You’re sure you won’t become too affected by Sharp’s dulcet tones and neglect something important?” he asks with a smirk. Annoyed, you huff and abandon your notes at your side. “You’ve been waiting several days to bring this up again,” you grumble. “I should’ve known I wasn’t safe.”

Sebastian first finds out about your little preoccupation when he innocently stumbles upon you studying with a group of your fellow Slytherin girls in a quiet corner of the library. Or at least, it was quiet until Nerida Roberts had started to derail your entirely legitimate conversation about the uses of Dittany for an upcoming Potions exam by bringing up Professor Sharp himself.

“He’s just so handsome,” she sighs dreamily. “How am I supposed to focus on what’s going on in my cauldron when he’s standing right across the room looking all brooding and roguish?”

Violet McDowell giggles and adds, “I could listen to him talk all afternoon and I wouldn’t learn a single thing!”

“I suppose that’s why so many seventh-year girls are still taking Potions even if they don’t need it for their N.E.W.T.s,” you murmur.

“Can you blame us?” Violet sighs. “You must admit, he’s quite nice to look at.”

“Of course I think he’s handsome,” you say with a scoff. “Just because I have a boyfriend doesn’t mean I can’t see the man.”

As if on cue, Sebastian comes around the corner carrying a large stack of books on defensive magic and spots the three of you huddled around your Potions notes.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” he says with an easy smile.

Sebastian sets his books on the edge of the table and leans down next to you to steal a chaste kiss while he can. He’s seen relatively little of you this week while you both prepare for exams in classes the other doesn’t have, so not even your late-night study sessions have overlapped.

“Speak of the devil,” Nerida teases.

“Shh!” you whisper. “Enough now.”

“Not keeping secrets from me, are you?” Sebastian asks teasingly as he snags one of the empty seats.

“Of course not,” you demur. “By the way, have you got my Potions notes from last week? I think I mixed them up with yours from Ancient Runes.”

Sebastian chuckles and asks, “Trying to change the subject? I must have walked into something quite scandalous.”

“It’s nothing bad,” Nerida says teasingly. “We were just chatting about Professor Sharp.”

“Oh?” Sebastian asks, surprised. “What’s he done now?”

“Nothing,” Violet McDowell answers. “We were just saying that he’s easily the most handsome professor at Hogwarts.”

“He’s certainly your girlfriend’s favorite,” Nerida says with a smirk.

Sebastian raises a skeptical eyebrow at you, and sure enough, you’re blushing.

“Really?” he drawls. “You have a thing for Sharp?”

“No!” you whine. “I just – I really like Potions class, that’s all.”

“Of course you do,” Violet taunts. “So you can moon over Sharp during his lectures!”

You shoot Violet a threatening look and not-so-gently kick the toe of your boot against her shin underneath the table. She yelps and curses under her breath before indignantly burying her face behind her Potions textbook, and Nerida wisely avoids eye contact and doesn’t offer anything further.

After a beat, Sebastian clears his throat and says, “Well then, I, er… suppose I’ll leave you girls to it.”

He helps himself to one more kiss goodbye and you can tell by the significant look he gives you before leaving that this is not the last you’ll hear from him about your crush.

Sure enough, a few nights later the two of you manage to claim a loveseat by the fire in your common room where you can curl up against his side and revise your Potions notes one last time before your exam while Sebastian dutifully transcribes runic diagrams onto lengths of parchment.

“Are you feeling prepared for your exam tomorrow?” he asks you casually.

“I think so,” you answer. “It’s not a practical, so I can’t imagine it will be too challenging.”

“You’re sure you won’t become too affected by Sharp’s dulcet tones and neglect something important?” he asks with a smirk.

Annoyed, you huff and abandon your notes at your side.

“You’ve been waiting several days to bring this up again,” you grumble. “I should’ve known I wasn’t safe.”

“What?” he laughs. “I’m just teasing you, love.”

You narrow your eyes at him skeptically. “I’m not sure I believe you.”

“Well, it’s just… I don’t really know what you see in him, that’s all,” he murmurs, lazily turning a page in his Ancient Runes textbook.

You frown. “What do you mean?”

“I just think he’s rather foul,” Sebastian says plainly. “He’s impatient, meticulous, he’s clearly got a dark past and I truly don’t understand why all you girls think he’s obviously the most handsome man at Hogwarts. To me, he’s simply average.”

Merlin’s beard, you think. You knew Sebastian wasn’t a fan of Hogwarts’ Potions master, but you had no idea his dislike ran so deep.

“I think he’s a good professor,” you offer quietly. “He’s always been quite helpful to me, especially when I needed to master healing potions, and he saved my life in the Repository.”

“How generous of him,” Sebastian mumbles.

Angrily, you sit up a little straighter and pluck Sebastian’s quill out of his hand so he’ll look at you.

“And what about you?” you demand indignantly. “While we’re on the subject of good-looking professors, I happen to know that you turn into a stammering, blushing fool whenever Professor Garlick is nearby.”

You know for a fact that Sebastian Sallow is not an idiot, which is why it’s all the more frustrating when he tries to deny something you’ve known about for months.

“I do not!” Sebastian protests. “That’s – that’s ridiculous.”

You scoff and roll your eyes. “You are not a subtle person, Sebastian, nor are you particularly good at being punctual, yet somehow you’re never late to the greenhouses.”

“W-well, I’m rubbish at Herbology so I like to make sure I won’t miss anything important,” he lies.

“Maybe you wouldn’t be quite so rubbish if you actually listened to the professor instead of staring at her chest for the entire lesson,” you grumble.

Sebastian goes bright red. Clearly, he had no idea you could see him doing that.

“Look,” he whines. “It doesn’t mean anything, I just think she’s nice to look at is all.”

“And I’m not allowed to think Professor Sharp is handsome?” you counter.

“It’s different,” he insists. “You actually like him, it’s not just an attraction.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you hiss.

“It means he’s a powerful wizard, a brilliant duellist and he’s a former Auror for Merlin’s sake,” Sebastian angrily confesses. “I couldn’t possibly measure up to that.”

You feel your heart break a little when you realize what this is truly all about – your love’s relentless insecurities, the same ones he’s battled for many years now.

Softly, you ask Sebastian, “Do you actually feel threatened that I might leave you for a professor? We’re seventeen, Seb.”

“It’s preposterous, I know,” he sighs. “But I just… I feel like I could never compete with him.”

“Sebastian,” you croon as you take your hand in his lap. “I want you to listen to me very clearly, alright?”

You wait patiently for him to meet your gaze before you continue.

“As you said, Professor Sharp is impatient,” you agree. “He’s also meticulous, and maybe he does have some darkness in his past. But you also said that he’s a brilliant duelist and a powerful wizard. Do you know who else has all those traits?”

Sebastian swallows nervously and squeezes your hand a little tighter.

“You do, love,” you say softly. “So perhaps the reason I’m fond of him is that he reminds me of you.”

“I’m not an Auror,” he points out a little sullenly. “And I’ve never saved your life.”

“Not yet you aren’t, but we both know that’s why you’re studying for Ancient Runes so much lately,” you say with a fond smirk. “And since I’ve saved your life plenty of times, I’m sure you’ll return the favor someday.”

Wordlessly, Sebastian tugs you against his chest and presses a soft kiss to the top of your head.

“I love you so much,” he murmurs into your hair. “I’m sorry for being such a prat.”

“Apology accepted,” you whisper into his chest. “And I love you too, you fool.”

He holds you close for a while after that, nose buried in your hair while you listen to his slow, even heartbeat through his uniform shirt. When he finally lets you sit up so that he can kiss you properly – not one of those chaste ones from the library – you find yourself halfway in his lap before you even realize you’ve shifted.

For Merlin’s sake, your notes are in a messy pile on the floor now.

You huff and try to climb off of him to gather them up, but Sebastian coaxes you back to him with a single finger on your chin, his eyes firmly fixed on your lips. By the time he’s kissed your frustration away, you can’t even remember what you were supposed to be studying for.

“We should bicker more often,” Sebastian says with a satisfied grin, his lips slightly swollen.

“On that subject, I was just wondering…” you ask him with a teasing smile. “Is there anything Professor Garlick has that I don’t? Should I be worried?”

“Absolutely not,” he murmurs as he flicks open the top button of your shirt. “Truthfully, you both have two very nice things in common.”

“You’re foul,” you tell him simply.

“I meant that you’re both kind-hearted and beautiful,” he says smoothly.

You’re positive that you know exactly what Sebastian meant and appreciate the compliment nonetheless. In fact, he’s being so sweet that you even let him undo a few more buttons while you can take advantage of your seclusion.

The next day during your Potions exam, while your female classmates are undoubtedly slipping in and out of pleasant daydreams about your alluring professor, all you can think about is Sebastian’s lips on your neck and his hand inside your shirt as he’d whispered all sorts of electrifying promises about what he’ll do to you after you turn in your parchment.

It’s a fierce struggle to focus on Dittany of all things with that in the back of your mind, but Professor Sharp is nevertheless pleased when you end up being the first to submit your completed exam and then promptly excuse yourself from the dungeons.

[ofeliaxoxo]

i bought sooo much paulos stock during the ausgp here were my favorite moments:

1) that video where paul sees like a stray thread on carlos' hoodie somewhere near carlos' shoulder/neck and literally goes to tear it away with his hands and basically the whole time he's doing that charles and carlos are making flustered eye contact

2) paul mouthing the correct answers to carlos during the quiz thing, taking carlos' side in being like "carlos said the correct answer before charles did" (even though the slow mo replay showed that charles clearly said it first lmao), and messing with the rules in a few other small ways to give carlos the advantage over charlie

3) carlos not really paying enough attention at the beginning of the quiz and charles getting like 3 in a row which made paul basically tell carlos to lock in. and you know what? after paul told carlos to focus he Literally Did. it was insane to see (i mean i'm sure carlos was also thinking like "ok these media duties are still part of my job paul is right i need to like be more engaged" but still). (this is also one of the moments that reinforced my firm belief that like… if carlos the control freak is comfortable enough with someone…… he would actually enjoy being told what to do………………)

4) the blindfolded challenge where after paul was blindfolded carlos touched his arms and went "this is your left hand and this is your right hand" like? girl he knows? they haven't changed just because he's blindfolded?? lamest excuse to touch a boy everrrrrrr come on carlos you could've come up with something better than that !

anyway good to see my investment is still paying off in 2025. i thought it was so funny how obvious it was (or perhaps how obvious paul decided to make it) that he liked carlos more than charles. i honestly believe that if carlos had realized that he would've legitimately invited paul to a race this season like as his personal guest. unfortunately i'm not convinced that he realized even after paul literally helped him cheat to beat charles at a silly quiz (i feel like generally speaking especially outside of the f1 bubble people are always doing things like that for carlos in part because… well. as paul himself said carlos is A Very Pretty Boy !!)

Well first of all I am of course romantically in love with you. This was the first thing I saw in the morning and frankly an ideal start to my day. Now let’s discuss PAULOS.

That moment is so funny to me because not only does Carlos not really know what to do, CHARLES is like hello??? Can he do that? Like neither of them are sure how to proceed but they don’t like it. Powerless to stop him tho. Two pretty Barbie wide-eyed car men unable to deal with Paul’s boisterous man swag. Why are these literal athletes getting out-masculined by this aspiring hipster/actor. Any threesome between them is just Paul playing with his dolls

(If anyone has this clip please send it to me!)

The challenges video is so funny because you can see how lowkey stupid Paul thinks it is. Like he dgaf he thinks it’s strange he does not care if he and Charles win the remote control car thing. Hes gonna play along but he is not going to buy into it. Hes not from the bubble of f1 and hes like. Ok. He DOES however want Carlos to win😭 he’s like Carlosssss cmon get the answers right I know you can do this. Charles CANNOT know more about the Roman Empire than you!!

Also yeah literally it’s so clear he prefers Carlos. Why girl what did Charles do is he just not your type lmao. All that for a couple minutes long game video. He was down horrendous. This video also endears Charles to me because he’s the only one who actually gaf. Like he’s YELLING the answers he NEEDS to win the Roman Empire quiz. And normally Carlos would be on that level with him but here he’s by himself and it’s kind of sweet lol. Paul is like Carlos I NEED to fuck you carlos is like when will we be done w ts I need a coffee and Charles is like THERE WERE FEMALE GLADIATORS I KNOW IT!!! In my mind palace we can do a situation with this dynamic where Charles is desperately trying to pretend everything is normal while Paul undresses Carlos with his eyes. Hes like I do not give a fuck at all btw. Do NOT write down that I give a fuck because I don’t!!

My ultimate suspicion is that paulos is tragically doomed because I don’t think Carlos cared back😔 I think Paul left him unmoved. Even Charles was like waow Paul slays such a cool guy and Carlos was like yeah #whatever I met him. Which leaves the floor open for a hilarious triangle where Paul likes Carlos, who likes Charles, who overcompensates and insists he and Paul get along sooo well.

Tldr: Paul needs Carlos so bad. But he’d have better luck with Charles in whom he is NOT interested lmao

[acescorazon]

Changes

Chapter: 19

Title: Red Rubies and Blue Hyacinths

Rating: M

Warnings: Language.

Word Count: 4936

Chapter Excerpt:

All the good behavior (and gifts) over the course of days and weeks from Crocodile and Mihawk isn't enough for Buggy to act all buddy-buddy with the two, but he finds himself relaxing ever so slightly in their presence now and again. 

On the night before they’re expected to leave for Prickly Pear Island, Buggy finds himself staring down at a plate of Tilapia and roasted potatoes, wishing it were something a little different. His men brought plenty of food back to the island, but they’re trying to save all the good stuff for later. The thought process is a rational one, but Buggy could go for something like beef or even lamb right now.  

Just as he has that thought, he hears a voice call out to him from outside his tent. “You inside, Buggy?”

|Ch1|Ch2|Ch3|Ch4|Ch5|Ch6|Ch7|Ch8|Ch9|Ch10|Ch11|Ch12||Ch13||Ch14||Ch15||Ch16||Ch17||Ch18||

Mihawk’s hands are surprisingly gentle as he tends to Buggy’s wounds, as is his voice. Whenever Buggy flinches or hisses in pain, Mihawk offers him a quiet apology before he resumes what he’s doing. It feels so surreal being in this position and having Mihawk taking care of him instead of beating him senseless. 

When did things change?

To tell the truth, the silence in the room makes Buggy feel a little awkward, even though the other two might find it peaceful right now. “So… Did you want to have a meeting or whatever, Hawkeye?” Buggy asks. It’s a little late for a meeting, but he’ll sit through one if it makes things feel a little less weird.

“No, I just wanted to patch two very foolish men up.” Mihawk replies, “And I believed it would be best to do that in the meeting room and away from any prying eyes. The men on this island are rather fond of gossip.” Buggy would be lying if he said that there wasn’t some truth behind Mihawk’s statement, so he remains quiet. 

Mihawk finishes treating Buggy’s injuries around the same time that Crocodile decides to step outside to smoke and get some fresh air. It’s then that Mihawk takes Buggy’s hand and squeezes it. Buggy isn’t sure how to react to Mihawk’s gentle touch. He isn’t sure how to react to any of this actually. Should he yank his hand away, or just pretend that this isn’t happening? The answer to his question eludes him as always. 

“If you wanted to fight someone, you could have just fought me.” Mihawk murmurs. 

Somehow, Buggy doesn’t think that fighting Mihawk would be the same as fighting Crocodile. He gets the feeling that Mihawk would go easy on him and that they would have a very one-sided fight, whilst Crocodile wanted a legitimate fight and put some actual effort into fighting Buggy. Though, it’s still weird that Buggy actually wanted a real fight and not a staged one or to just take all his anger out on Mihawk. “I don’t want to fight you,” Buggy admits. “I don’t want to fight you or hurt you or do anything like that.” 

He still doesn’t understand why, but the kind of revenge Mihawk’s offering just isn’t something he’s interested in. There’s something almost pathetic about the thought of him beating down a completely defenseless Mihawk who wants nothing but redemption and punishment and will do anything to get it. Maybe that’s it: Crocodile wanted Buggy to settle a score, Mihawk wanted Buggy to punish him. There’s a small difference between the situations that made one option seem more appealing than the other but he can’t tell what it is. 

“But you’ll go and fight Crocodile immediately after leaving my quarters?” Yeah, well… That wasn’t exactly planned. “I don’t understand. I was willing to… I was willing to let you get the revenge you so desperately wanted.”

“Yeah, but…” Buggy trails off as he rubs the back of his neck, “I don’t know, man. I just didn’t want to hurt you like that.” 

“I don’t understand.” Mihawk repeats, then gives Buggy’s hand another squeeze. “What am I doing wrong?” He asks. It’s not that Mihawk’s doing anything wrong, it’s just…

Fuck, Buggy doesn’t know why the situation is so complicated either. Things should be black and white, shouldn’t they? Mihawk’s hurt Buggy, and now he’s willing to serve Buggy his revenge on a silver platter, so Buggy should get said revenge, but… 

Buggy shrugs, “You’re not doing anything wrong, I just don’t want to take my frustration out on you like that.” He can tell that his answer only confuses Mihawk more though, but he’s still unsure how to even respond to Mihawk’s question in general.

Mihawk shakes his head, “How do I earn your forgiveness then? If you won’t take your frustrations out on me or fight me, or even accept all of my apologies, then what do I do? I thought that I did everything right. I…I apologized… I admitted my faults and changed my behavior.” he searches Buggy’s eyes for an answer that not even Buggy himself has, “

I’ve done nothing but try to be more kind and gentle… I’m utterly baffled. What do I have to do to earn your forgiveness? What do I have to do to show that this change in my behavior is nothing but genuine and that I care?!” he asks. 

“I…”

“Please, just tell me what I have to do because I'm driving myself mad trying to figure out how to make things right. Do I have to shower you with material goods?” No, that’s not…” Do I have to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness?” No, that won’t…” Do you want me to write a 1000-page letter expressing how remorseful I am?” Now, that’s just a little silly. 

Mihawk cups the side of Buggy’s face, and Buggy’s a little startled, but he doesn’t pull away from Mihawk, “What do I have to do? Do you just want me to pack up my things and never show my face again? Just tell me what I have to do and I’ll do it, even if I don’t want to.”

I don’t know anymore. 

“I–” Just as Buggy is about to answer, Crocodile comes back in and sees them. He feels like he’s just been caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing, and he quickly pulls back from Mihawk’s touch. “I should really go lie down and rest,” He mutters as he gets up from his seat and rushes past Crocodile, who gives him a strange look, one that Buggy doesn’t even want to make sense of right now.

After a long, eventful evening, Buggy finally makes it to his room and desperately tries to get his thoughts and feelings straight for once. His head hurts and now that most of his excitement has died down, his brain is slowly returning to its chaotic state from earlier. A lot happened today. A lot has been happening in general, and he's never stopped to think about how he feels about everything. Truth be told, Buggy has so many confusing emotions, and it seems like they change like days on a calendar. 

So much has changed right under Buggy’s nose, but he feels like he’s been too caught up in his own fears and hatred to notice said changes. So many things have been said to him over the last few weeks, but he hasn’t listened to a single word uttered to him because he didn’t want to hear what was being said. 

There have been little things shown to Buggy here and there as well, but Buggy turned a blind eye to anything and everything that he didn’t want to see. Buggy heard what he wanted to hear, saw what he wanted to see, and believed what he wanted to believe.  

Buggy has a seat on the edge of his bed and buries his face in his hands. What kind of mess did he get himself into? Just how much did he disconnect from reality? How long was he hiding in some tiny world that was made of nothing but painful memories?

Again, he asks, when did everything change?

There’s everything that’s going on with Mihawk, and It’s gotten to the point that Hawkeye is so desperate to be forgiven that he’s quite literally willing to do anything for said forgiveness. But how did things get to that point? How long has he been seeking his forgiveness?

Buggy still isn’t entirely sure if one person can change so much in such a short span of time. He told himself over and over again that there’s no way that Mihawk could ever change or be remorseful. He told himself that Mihawk could never truly care about him. He convinced himself that he would never in a million years forgive Mihawk and that he would just try and be friendly around him to avoid an ass beating. He was so willing to die on that hill, but now… 

He closes his eyes and right away he’s transported back to Mihawk’s room, and Mihawk’s confession from earlier begins to play in his head on repeat. He doesn’t understand any of Mihawk’s words from earlier, nor does he understand any of Mihawk’s actions either. 

Good grief, how did something like that even happen? How does pure hatred turn into feelings of affection?! Buggy still has so many questions regarding Mihawk and his feelings, but something tells him he shouldn’t look for answers. 

Buggy should be disgusted, though, right? He should be totally disgusted and maybe even offended by Mihawk’s confession, right? This man has been such a jerk to him, and the thought of Mihawk now possibly having romantic feelings for him should make him sick to his stomach, shouldn't it? 

Where's the hate and the disgust that he’s supposed to be feeling right now? He wonders. Oh, this is the absolute worst. He's searching for a logical response to Mihawk's confession that has to lie somewhere within him but he can’t find it. 

The logical response, of course, would be something like anger, pain, disgust, disbelief, and maybe more hatred. He digs and digs, searching for one of those emotions but all he can come up with is confusion mixed with just a hint of embarrassment. He wonders if he's broken, if he's so fucked up that he would actually find something flattering about the idea of Mihawk having feelings for him...But something like that isn’t possible.

 

You literally hate him, stupid. Buggy tells himself, You hate him, and you wish he were out of your life. He knows all that, and yet he didn't hurt Mihawk like he should have. He knows that, and yet he didn't flat out reject Mihawk. He knows that and yet… when Mihawk offered to disappear from his life completely…. Buggy didn’t jump on the offer.

Then Mihawk had tended to Buggy’s wounds after his fight with Crocodile. He let him touch him, he let him back into his personal space. His touch was so soft and careful, and Buggy didn’t feel hatred or disgust even once during that interaction.

God, what is wrong with Buggy? 

Then there’s Crocodile. It’s funny how both Mihawk and Buggy think that Crocodile is the most consistent (or rather predictable) member of the group. He wants genuine forgiveness too, something that Buggy never imagined would be possible for him to get. However, after tonight, Buggy can’t help but think maybe he should let things go. Just this once, maybe he should forgive the two for all that they’ve done and move on. 

Buggy’s already put his hands on Crocodile and he’s already received multiple apologies from both men. He doesn’t know what more he could ask for, or rather, what more he should ask for. 

It probably isn’t doing him any good to hold onto such deep-seated hatred and the past. Part of Buggy kind of thinks it would be kind of sad if Mihawk and Crocodile could change, but he couldn’t. He’s not sure how they can form a genuine bond with each other, though.

How can Buggy wake up tomorrow morning and not feel some type of negative emotion sooner or later? How does he stop feelings of doubt,  fear, anger, distrust, and hatred from resurfacing? How does he forget all those memories that caused him so much pain? How does he get his thoughts and feelings organized because right now they’re nothing but a jumbled mess and conflict with one another. 

Maybe it’s something he’ll just have to work on. 

…

First thing in the morning, Buggy’s men surround him after he gives a grand speech about Cross Guild’s future plans in the big top and promptly shower him in hugs and praises. He’s such a good leader and father figure that he doesn’t even interrupt any of them while they celebrate his obvious victory over Crocodile.

“Chairman, Chairman! You looked so cool last night while you were fighting Crocodile!” Well… That is true, isn’t it? Buggy’s pretty sure that was his coolest performance since the war, actually.

“Oh, well, I wasn’t really focused on being cool at that moment, you know? I just had to show ol’ Croccy who’s boss.”

The men around him all hum in unison and nod their heads. They really don’t question anything that comes out of his mouth, do they? Good.

“Chairman, you really are the coolest! What did Crocodile even do to deserve your wrath?” What did he do? Oh, he…

“Well, you know, that’s a little private. I don’t want to embarrass Crocodile by telling you guys the full details of our dispute.”

His men nod and hum again, one of them even says: “You know, that’s why I love you, Captain! You’re so kind-hearted and compassionate! And you always put your crew first!” His kindness is his biggest flaw, unfortunately. “You never hold grudges either!” 

Buggy heaves a sigh, “You know, I always try to be the bigger person, and it can be mentally exhausting sometimes. Sometimes I just want to be petty, but I don’t because I know that I'm better than that.”

“Ah, you’re incredible, Captain!”

“You’re a real man’s man, Chairman!”

“You’re the leader of the generation, Captain!”

Sigh. All those things are true, aren’t they? It’s honestly quite exhausting being such a wholesome guy who everyone loves and admires. He’s starting to wish he were a little less popular, especially with his own crew.

“Captain, is it true you almost choked Crocodile out but then Mihawk came along and broke the fight up?!” Did…Did Buggy almost choke Crocodile out?! No, but he’s almost annoyed that he didn’t think about doing just that. Maybe he’s growing soft.

Buggy pauses for a moment and pretends that he’s remembering his fight from last night, “Well, it’s not something I'm particularly proud of–” Buggy begins to reply, however he trails off once he smells cigar smoke. Buggy whips his head to the side and notices Crocodile approaching him. 

Oh, fuck! Did he hear all that?! Please tell me he didn’t. I was just bullshitting! 

Buggy laughs nervously and prays that Crocodile didn’t hear that last question, “No, of course I didn’t do something like that to Crocodile. It wasn’t that kind of fight.” He replies and then laughs nervously again when Crocodile raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Talking shit about me again, Captain Buggy?” Crocodile asks, but instead of sounding angry, he actually sounds rather amused. “I would love to hear what you’re saying about me this time.”

“I’m not… I'm just...”

Crocodile waves his hand dismissively, “Relax. I’m just here to give you your flowers. You dropped them on the ground last night.” he says as he holds out the bouquet in his arms for Buggy to take. Oh, Buggy had forgotten all about those roses.

 

“Chairman, why is Crocodile giving you roses? Is it your birthday?”

“No, The chairman’s birthday is in August, stupid!” 

“Maybe it’s a bribe…” 

“Should I get Captain Buggy flowers too?”

Crocodile grits his teeth as Buggy’s men chatter amongst themselves, “Shouldn’t you all be doing something more productive right now?” He asks, “Don’t worry why I'm giving him roses. Get lost before I gut you a–” He pauses, cutting himself off, “Get back to work.” he orders instead and in a softer tone.

“Yes, Sir…” At least twenty men mutter in unison with their heads lowered in defeat.

After Buggy’s men start to clear out of the area, Crocodile opens up his coat and pulls out a wooden box. “This too,” He mutters as he shoves the box into Buggy’s arm without warning. So aggressive, Buggy thinks, wanting to roll his eyes. 

“What is this?” Buggy asks as he turns the box in his hands and inspects its smooth, polished surface. Treasure? No, it wouldn’t be treasure. A box filled with important documents? No, Crocodile wouldn’t put that in a box and give it to Buggy. Shanks’ ashes?! No…he’s getting his hopes up too much now.

Crocodile clicks his tongue, “Open it.”

“Is it going to explode?”

“You should open it and find out.”

That was not reassuring at all, and Buggy can’t tell if Crocodile is trying to joke with him or not. Part of him is weary, but he decides to trust Crocodile just this once (but only because he knows Crocodile probably wouldn’t stand so closely to a potential bomb.) He glances at him before he pops the latch on the box and opens it.

Inside the box, Buggy finds a variety of expensive looking jewelry waiting for him. There’s mainly watches and rings with dazzling gemstones inside the box, but there are a few necklaces and even a pair of earrings inside too. When Buggy looks a little deeper, he also finds the occasional Ruby or Sapphire as well. “What do you want me to do with this? Get it appraised?” Buggy’s no expert, but he’d say Crocodile has at least a couple of thousand berries worth of jewels in this box alone.  

“No, I'm giving that to you.”

Buggy glances down at the wooden box and then back at Crocodile. Okay, now he’s really confused. “Why are you giving me these?” he asks. This is a really expensive gift. If anything, Buggy should be giving Crocodile something like this and hoping that he’d accept it as payment for part of the debt Buggy has to pay off. 

Crocodile makes a rather frustrated sounding noise, “It’s part of my apology. I realized that I had those lying around and thought they might pair nicely with the flowers. ” That again? Buggy thinks. The flowers and the fight they had was more than enough for Buggy, actually. It might sound weird, but it’s the truth.

“Oh, I can’t take all this.” Buggy tells Crocodile even though it pains him to give up such an expensive gift. His inner pirate thinks he’s absolutely stupid for not taking the box and running with it, but… his stupid goody two shoes side thinks he should tell Crocodile he’s forgiven, and he doesn’t have to do all this.  “It’s cool, man. I don’t n–”

“Keep them.”

“Seriously, we’re all good now. I don’t ne–”

“You hard of hearing?” Crocodile asks with a frown, “I said they’re yours now. I don’t want them, I got more in my tent anyways.” Jeez, just how loaded is this guy? “Now quit trying to argue with me, we have a meeting we need to go to. Come on.”

Buggy wants to be stubborn, but rejecting thousands of berries worth of jewels would be stupidity not stubbornness in his opinion, so he shuts up and follows Crocodile from a distance. He opens the box and looks inside a few more times as he heads to the meeting room, admiring his gift without truly realizing it. Hm, maybe he’ll try on some of the jewelry in the box later. So Sparkly… He thinks with a small smile on his face.

Crocodile and Buggy make it to the meeting room after a short, quiet walk, where Mihawk is already waiting for them. Buggy has a seat in his usual spot with a smile on his face as he sets down the wooden box as well as the bouquet in his hands. It’s then that he notices Mihawk staring at him, “Hey,” He greets.

“So you did want material goods.” Mihawk mutters before he turns and looks away from Buggy. He seems either disinterested or annoyed, but Buggy can’t tell which emotion is which when it comes to Mihawk sometimes.

“No, it’s not like th–” Buggy stops himself. Oh, just let it be. If he wants to get you a gift, let him so he can feel better about himself, a voice suddenly says in Buggy’s head. He heaves a soft sigh and turns his attention to Crocodile who stands in the center of the room as always and begins their meeting. 

…

Now that Cross Guild is on the same page more or less, their plans involving Prickly Pear Island start to fall perfectly in place.  Crocodile says that he wants to head to the island by the end of next month, but the next several days pass without any further incidents as everyone gets ready. Their men return with supplies earlier than expected actually, which not only pleases Crocodile greatly, but also pushes things forward by a few days. 

During this time, Buggy finds himself focusing more on what needs to be done rather than his own feelings, which is fantastic by the way. However, a couple of things happen that linger in the back of Buggy’s mind, even though he doesn’t have time to actually think about them right now.

At some point, during all the chaos that’s going on, Mihawk gives him a bouquet of his own. He gifts Buggy a decent sized bouquet of blue hyacinths, and when Buggy asks what they’re supposed to represent, Mihawk shrugs and simply goes, “I doubt you’d believe me.” before he walks away. It seems like an odd reply at the time, given the fact that Buggy had no reason to doubt the meaning of a flower. 

However, Buggy now thinks that what Mihawk was trying to say is that Buggy wouldn’t believe the feelings and emotions he’s trying to express through his gift. When he asks Alvida about it, She says blue hyacinths mean something like sincerity and loyalty, but she wasn’t sure and that Buggy should just buy a book on flowers at this point.

Sincerity and loyalty? There’s a lot to unpack from those two words alone, and part of Buggy has been dying to go and see how others interpret the flower. However, he’s afraid that some meanings and interpretations might be too intimate for him to handle , so he just leaves it be. 

Mihawk’s bouquet also sets off a chain of events that Buggy should have seen coming in hindsight. His men end up seeing both Crocodile and Mihawk giving him flowers and instead of questioning the reasoning behind those gifts, they follow suit, and soon Buggy’s entire room is filled with flowers from his men. 

Buggy doesn’t even like flowers! 

What he does like, though, is the gifts that Crocodile continues to send to him almost every day even though Buggy’s said he’s given him more than enough. Buggy’s not sure if Crocodile is sending someone out to buy things, if he’s having things delivered, or if he just has extremely expensive valuables lying around, but Buggy finds himself receiving gifts he couldn’t even dream of.  Somewhere along the line, Crocodile must have realized that Buggy likes shiny and valuable things because he often has Daz give him more jewelry. However, Crocodile has also given Buggy a few wine baskets, more flowers, a couple of treasure maps, and even a new suit. (Buggy doesn’t wear suits, though.) 

Buggy didn’t think his forgiveness could be bought that easily, but perhaps he was underestimating his own greed. With each new gift, Buggy finds himself warming up to Crocodile little by little, and occasionally Buggy finds himself disappointed when Crocodile doesn’t give him something nice for the day.

At this point, Buggy thinks that Crocodile might just be giving him gifts out of guilt - if that’s even an emotion Crocodile can even feel - but he has no plans on stopping him anytime soon. He’ll say: ‘Oh, you don’t have to keep giving me gifts. I already forgave you,” But he won’t put much effort into rejecting the gifts he receives because he likes free shit.

All the good behavior (and gifts) over the course of days and weeks from Crocodile and Mihawk isn’t enough for Buggy to act all buddy-buddy with the two, but he finds himself relaxing ever so slightly in their presence now and again. 

On the night before they’re expected to leave for Prickly Pear Island, Buggy finds himself staring down at a plate of Tilapia and roasted potatoes, wishing it were something a little different. His men brought plenty of food back to the island, but they’re trying to save all the good stuff for later. The thought process is a rational one, but Buggy could go for something like beef or even lamb right now.  

Just as he has that thought, he hears a voice call out to him from outside his tent. “You inside, Buggy?” Oh! Is Crocodile here to give me another gift?! Buggy actually finds himself wondering. He could go for another one of those wine baskets with the fancy snacks in them right now.

“Yeah, give me a second.” Buggy replies as he gets up from the couch and heads outside. He finds Crocodile waiting outside with a plate of steak and green beans. Where the fuck did he get that?! Buggy thinks. Why does Crocodile get to eat steak while Buggy has to eat tilapia?!

Buggy almost begins to feel jealous until the gears in his brain start turning. Wait, what if he’s bringing me dinner as a gift tonight?!  Oh, god, if that steak is for Buggy, then Buggy really will forget all about their troubled past. “Is…Is that for me?!” He asks. 

Crocodile looks down at the plate and then back at Buggy, “Nah. Actually I wanted to see if you would give this to the cat. It seems scared of me.” 

“The cat?” Buggy asks, confused.  

“Yeah. The big one.”

Buggy only grows more confused by Crocodile’s simple yet cryptic words. “Are you talking about Richie…?” Buggy asks since Richie is the only feline he can think of that might be on the island. 

“Yeah, yeah. That one. The fat lion. Give him this.”

He wants Buggy to give Richie a whole steak?! Buggy opens and closes his mouth a few times as he looks at Crocodile and tries to formulate a response. Hey, hey, Buggy loves Richie as much as the next guy, but does he really deserve a plate of steak while everyone else is eating cheap fish?! “You’re serious…?”

Crocodile grunts in response, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?.” He asks, and there’s not even a hint of sarcasm behind his words. “I like him.” He confesses. Oh, do you? Buggy thinks, somewhat annoyed. Of course, the only thing Crocodile actually likes about the island is their resident lion. Honestly, why isn’t Buggy surprised at this point?

Buggy begrudgingly agrees to give Richie the damn steak that has him drooling, but he doesn’t like the idea one bit. Honestly, that cat is fat enough… Buggy thinks as he leaves the dinner he’s uninterested in behind and goes to search for Richie instead. Maybe we can share this…

He thinks, and as he walks, he hears heavy footsteps behind him and realizes that Crocodile is following him. What? Think I'm going to hog it all for myself? Of course, He doesn’t bother questioning Crocodile though. 

Within a few minutes, he finds Richie on his own, undoubtedly prowling the island to see if he can get his greedy little paws on someone’s leftovers. That or he’s looking for Mohji, but it’s more likely that Richie just wants to eat more than to find his beloved owner.

Part of Buggy is really hoping that for once Richie won’t want to eat something, but that seems like it’s just wishful thinking on his part. In fact, the moment Buggy presents the plate of steak and green beans to Richie, Richie gobbles everything up in huge mouthfuls. The food is gone within seconds and not even a crumb is left behind… I bet that was tasty, you little hog… He thinks as he stares at Richie with a look of pure jealousy.

Buggy then glances off to the side and notices Crocodile glaring at Richie. Why are you mad? I thought you wanted him to have the damn steak?! Buggy thinks as he watches Crocodile’s reaction. He’s just about to question Crocodile when he notices him shuffling closer to Richie with an outstretched hand. 

What the hell are you doing now?

Crocodile reaches for Richie, but the moment he sees him move, Richie takes off running. Crocodile clicks his tongue in annoyance. “Damn.” He mutters, almost sounding disappointed, “Why won’t that damn cat let me pet it?” He asks, turning his glare towards Buggy and staring him down like he’s the reason that Richie doesn’t want Crocodile to touch him. 

I’d run away too if I saw you moving towards me like that. 

“He’s just skittish around new people.” Buggy lies because he honestly doesn’t want to tell Crocodile that most things with a pulse find him scary.

Crocodile clicks his tongue again. “Whatever. Thanks.” He says before he turns on his heels and heads in the opposite direction. What? That’s really all he wanted?! Buggy is just as confused now as he was about ten minutes ago when Crocodile first showed up at his tent. 

Crocodile actually went through the trouble of having a steak prepared just so he could have Buggy give it to Richie as a sign of Crocodile’s friendship? He did all that just so he could pet a lion, and ended up getting rejected by said lion anyways. 

Buggy scoffs. The things that happen in his life are truly unbelievable sometimes. He shakes his head. A part of him wants to feel annoyed that this whole situation happened in the first place, but another part of him secretly finds the thought of Crocodile doing so much to make friends with a lion rather…

Cute.

A/N: I've wanted to do this thing with Crocodile and Richie for litereally a year now in order to try and humanize Crocodile more and i feel like it might seem out of place here at first but trust me when i say it makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

[sjsmith56]

A Better Man, Part 4 - Connections

Summary: Steve discovers something alarming that affects all of them at Barnes Contracting. Bucky has a PTSD episode after a small accident.

Length: 4.3 K

Characters: Steve, Natasha, Sam, Bucky, Andrea.

Warnings: cursing, PTSD episode of incident involving violence.

Author notes: Some twists in this chapter which complicates things.

<<Part 3

Part 4

The four of them had a great time at the tapas bar, eating the tasty morsels, then washing them down with a bottle of the best Prosecco. When the music started, Steve held his hand out to Natasha.

"Dance with me?"

With a smile, she took his hand. Twirling her around they moved onto the small dance floor, pressing close together as the Spanish inspired beat took hold of everyone. His hands ran down her back, then settled on her waist, synchronizing the movements of their hips together. It was sexy as hell to watch and even better to experience.

"Who are you?" he murmured into her ear, close enough for her to hear him. "Where the hell have you been all my life?"

She pulled away then turned around and pressed her back against him, guiding his hands around her waist and hips, then raising hers to caress his face and hair. He placed a kiss on her neck, then nudged his face alongside hers, bringing out a soft groan from her that affected him deep inside.

"Come home with me," he said, "right now."

She turned around, lacing her hands behind his neck. He had slowed down their moves, oblivious to the other dancers around them. It was definitely playing with fire to dance like that with her, but he was enthralled with this woman he only met a couple of days ago.

"I hardly know you," she answered.

"You knew me from the moment you saw me," he stated. "We could have something amazing together."

She smiled sadly. "Maybe, but there are complications."

He tilted his head slightly, not expecting that answer. "You married?" She shook her head. "Engaged?"

She shook her head again. Bringing his head down closer to her face she spoke in his ear. From the table, Sam and Natasha's friend Maria had watched the pair dancing, noticing the obvious chemistry between them. They were working on their own chemistry, and he thought they were having a wonderful time. Just as he was going to propose she come home with him Steve appeared at the table, pulled his wallet out and threw down enough cash to cover the bill. He did not look well.

"We have to go," he said bluntly to Sam. The other man looked up at him, puzzled. "Now."

"Why? What's going on?"

He looked past Steve to where Natasha stood, her face filled with resignation. Steve leaned down to Sam, saying something in his ear, that made him stiffen and look at both Natasha and Maria with alarm. Then he stood up and pulled out his wallet, but Steve stopped him.

"I got it."

He turned to Natasha, grimaced at her, then headed to the door, with Sam following. Once they were out in the open, they walked without talking for several minutes, then Steve stopped at a large doorway. He pulled out his cigarettes and lit one, inhaling it deeply.

"They're cops?" repeated Sam. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, she told me. She knows what we are, Sam. I mean she figured it out on her own, but I also told her the other day after she asked me outright if we were a legitimate company. Damn, how could I have been so stupid?"

"But we haven't been raided since she was there," argued Sam. "She could have turned us in. Did you ask her about that?"

"No, as soon as she said they were cops I had to get us out of there." He took an angry drag of the cigarette, blowing the smoke out forcefully. "Bucky is going to kill me."

"She's also Andrea's friend," said Sam. "What if she tells her about him?"

"That will be the least of our problems." Steve stubbed his cigarette out and ran his hands over his face and into his hair. "I'm going to talk to a friend and see if I can find out some dirt on Officer Romanoff. Maybe we can blackmail her into keeping quiet. Bucky's not going to like that but what else can we do?"

"I'll monitor the security system," said Sam. "See if they show up during the night. In the short term, we're going to have to deliver everything in the warehouse and empty it of the evidence. In the long term, maybe we should be hustling up some legitimate renovation work. They can't arrest us for that, right?"

"Right," agreed Steve. "Let's be smart and handle this properly."

They split up, each of them taking a separate taxi to their apartments. Steve went up the elevator in his building, his insides all twisted at the turn things had taken. He really had to stop his dick from making bad decisions. Pulling his key out of his pocket as he left the elevator, he stopped in front of his door, then felt a gun in his back.

"Easy tiger," said Natasha's voice behind him. How did she know where he lived and how did she get here so fast? "I'm not going to shoot. I just want to talk."

He finished turning the key and opened the door, stepping inside. For a moment he considered turning the tables on her and taking her weapon but that was assault on a police officer and could land him in prison. So far, in his life, he had managed to avoid that. Turning on the hallway light he raised his hands and turned around, then scowled when he saw she was holding a reading glasses case.

"Really? You were using that as a gun?" He lowered his hands. "What now? You've come to tell me that I should watch my back because you know about us and if we make one false move, you'll turn us in?"

"You're such a dumbass, you know that, right?" She pushed him forcefully against the wall, using both hands against his chest. "You got all upset when I told you we were cops that you just ran out of there without giving me a chance to say anything more. I said it was complicated, not impossible."

She was so close to him, close enough for him to smell her hair. Close enough for him to see into her green eyes then notice how full her lips were. Close enough for his dick to throb a little at the thought of being this close to her.

"Okay," he answered quietly. "Why are you here?"

"Maybe because I don't run into handsome, honest crooks very often," she answered. "I checked into you guys. Yeah, you're on some task force's radar but you're not a priority and you've managed to cover your tracks well enough that certain people in the District Attorney's office are recommending that Barnes Contracting be left alone so that attention can be focused on the really bad guys. Like Hydra Contracting and their subsidiary Sitwell Renovations." She batted her eyelashes at him, an action that made him laugh a little. Gently slapping his face, she smiled. "You're also helping my friend out and that counts for a lot."

He deliberately placed his hands on her waist, drawing her closer. "We are, aren't we? So, what does that mean? Are you going to turn us in?"

"No, but you should divest yourself of any stolen goods as soon as possible," she answered. "Stick to legitimate contracting work for a while."

"Uh huh, and?"

"Don't get all mad at me again."

"Okay, and?"

"Show me how amazing we can be together."

"You're sure? I am a crook."

"An honest one. There is a difference."

"Not to some people." His eyes bored into hers.

"None of your employees have been convicted of violent crimes," she said. "You, Sam, and Bucky have never been convicted of anything, except Bucky for a misdemeanour, which he was fined for. You've never been involved in anything violent or anything really nasty. It seems to be limited to transporting stolen goods; mainly things that have "fallen" off a truck. For a crook, that's considered honest. I'm actually quite impressed that you have kept your noses pretty clean."

He smiled at her and she watched his lips as he spoke, wondering if this guy was worth risking her career for.

"It's how we were raised. There's enough violence in the world. We don't need to add to it."

"So, can I stay?" She was still in his arms.

"What do you like for breakfast?"

"Whatever you make me."

Their lips met, softly at first, then more passionately. Steve fumbled for the light switch, turning it off and lifting her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist. It looked like he wouldn't need to dig up some dirt on Officer Romanoff, after all. Everything else could wait until the morning.

🎧 🩹 🥞

Bucky was up early, running on the treadmill in his home gym. Normally, he would crank the music up while he ran but with Andrea and Lily asleep in the bedroom next to this room, he wore his headphones instead. He didn't hear her call to him from the doorway, not until she appeared at the side of the treadmill, scaring him enough that he stumbled and fell, the treadmill dumping him at the end in a heap.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she cried out, balancing Lily on her hip, while she kneeled down to help him up.

"I'm good, really. I'm fine." He pulled himself up, rubbing his one knee that hit the floor first, then reached over to hit the stop button on the treadmill. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah." Andrea looked stricken with guilt. "I realized you couldn't hear me so I moved to where you could see me. Still scared you. I'm so sorry." She looked at his knee. "You're bleeding."

He looked at the cut that was now oozing a stream of blood down his leg. Suddenly, he felt faint and wavered, and Andrea put her arm around his waist, supporting him. Guiding him over to the weight bench, she helped him sit.

"Just breathe," she said, "slow and deep. Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yeah," he wheezed, gesturing out the door. "Pantry. Oh, I don't feel so good."

Quickly, she went to the kitchen and found the first aid kit just inside the walk-in pantry. Coming out, she stopped at the linen closet and grabbed several face cloths, bringing them into the room with her. Placing Lily on the floor, she pressed one of the face cloths onto the cut.

"Hold this in place while I get something to clean this," she said. "Can you do that?"

Bucky nodded, pressing the face cloth onto the cut, feeling like he had to throw up. When she came back, she had a package of baby wipes with her and pulled one out, lifting the face cloth and carefully cleaning the cut, then wiping away the blood that was now halfway down his shin. He looked away while she did it.

"Are you afraid of blood?"

He nodded. "Saw something I wasn't supposed to see when I was a kid and ever since I can't stand the sight of it," he said. "It makes me sick. I'm surprised I'm not puking right now."

"Just keep breathing," said Andrea, as she looked in the kit for some ointment. Not finding it she ran back to her room, coming back with some baby cream. "It's normally for diaper rash but it will help heal the cut."

She covered the wound with the ointment, then found a bandaid and placed it on the cut before looking up at him, smiling, then stopping when she saw Bucky was fixated on his hand, which had blood on it from when he rubbed his knee. He definitely looked queasy. Quickly she pulled another baby wipe out and cleaned his hand, before holding it in her hands.

"Hey, it's good," she said, soothingly. "It's not another cut. You're okay."

Without even thinking Andrea placed a hand on his cheek, getting his attention. Breathing deeply, she got him to mimic her breathing, and he slowly calmed down.

"You must think I'm really weird," he murmured. "A grown man, scared of blood."

"It must have been something really traumatic," she replied, sympathetically. "Did you ever get counselling for it?"

He shook his head, realizing he couldn't tell her the truth, not without telling her everything.

"No, I guess I should." He looked over at his knee. "Someday, I'll tell you about it. Thank you for being kind to me. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here."

"You wouldn't have fallen," she smiled. "It happened because I startled you."

He smiled shyly back at her. "I guess. What did you want to tell me?"

Andrea looked blankly at him then realized she had meant to talk to him before she scared him.

"I was going to ask if I could make you breakfast," she said, still kneeling on the ground in front of him. "Pancakes and bacon?"

It was then he noticed that she was kneeling there, looking up at him with those big brown eyes, and her lips parted just so. Steady. She's just being helpful.

"Yeah, I would like that," he said. "I need to shower first so take your time. Will the bandaid stay on?"

She looked at the wrapper, nodding that it was waterproof. Standing up she offered him a hand, still holding it when he rose, making sure he was steady before she picked up the kit, and everything she had used.

"I'll wash this facecloth today, so the blood doesn't set," she said. "I have a few baby things that I need to wash anyway."

He pulled his hand out of hers and tried to move around her but they both moved the same way, bumping into each other. Finally, Andrea stood back and let Bucky pass. Lily smiled at her and gurgled.

"He is cute, isn't he?" she said to her daughter. "He's so different than what I first thought about him."

She picked up Lily, put the bloody facecloth, baby wipes and ointment on the change table, then put the soiled wipes in the kitchen garbage can. Pulling the highchair over, she put her daughter in it then washed her hands and began making breakfast.

In his bathroom, Bucky looked at himself in the mirror. It had been a while since he last had that reaction to blood. That was when he, Steve and Sam were playing basketball and Sam got accidentally elbowed in the nose. Bucky had barely made it to a nearby garbage can to bring up his lunch. He pulled his T-shirt off and started up the shower before stripping off the rest of his clothes and stepping into the warm stream.

It was the sound of something being hit that woke up six-year-old Bucky. What a strange sound to hear in the middle of the night. Climbing out of bed, he quietly opened his bedroom door. That's when he realized there were more sounds, scary ones. His mother was crying, and someone was telling her to shut up. He didn't recognize the voice, but he didn't like it. As he got closer to the kitchen, where the sounds came from, he could hear that male voice asking where the diamonds were. His father told the man to go fuck himself. Then there was the hitting sound again, a groan, and his mother crying harder. He still didn't really know what happened then, but he must have gone to his parent's bedroom and got his dad's gun from the nightstand. Somehow, the man who was hitting his dad ended up on the floor, not moving. Everyone was yelling and screaming, and he just wanted them to leave his parents alone. There was so much blood. Then his dad was holding the gun, and his mother picked him up, carrying him back into his bedroom, where she hugged and kissed him.

"You don't tell anyone about this Bucky," she whispered. "No one must know. They'll put your dad in jail if they find out. You just try to forget it, okay, baby?"

In the morning there was no sign that anyone had been there. There was no blood and although his father's face was bruised, and he groaned every time he moved, neither he nor his mother said anything about what happened. Bucky did try to forget it, and most days he didn't think of it. Then every so often he would see blood and it would all come rushing back and he'd feel sick to his stomach. Perhaps he should go for counselling. They weren't allowed to tell the police about what he told them during therapy, were they? Plus, he was just a kid, and it was 27 years ago.

With a start Bucky realized he was just standing there. Who knows for how long? Grabbing the shower gel, he poured some on the puff and ran it over his body, avoiding his knee. He didn't even want to look at it. It hadn't been that much blood, and it still made him sick. Turning the shower off after he rinsed, he dried himself and styled his hair, then stepped out into his room and dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. Andrea smiled at him when he entered the kitchen.

"I was tempted to send a search party for you," she joked. "You were in the shower for a long time."

"Sorry, I was working something out in my head," he replied. "Lost track of time." He looked at the spread of food. "You did all this? It looks great."

"Told you I liked cooking."

It was all so normal, sitting there eating breakfast with Andrea and Lily. Bucky could almost picture himself doing it everyday, with maybe a few extra kids added and the hubbub of family conversations starting out the day. He found himself smiling.

"Penny for your thoughts," said Andrea.

"What?" He felt his face become warm. "Sorry, it's just ... I don't want to say. You'll think I'm being a creep."

"It's nice having company, isn't it?" she asked. "It's just been me and Lily since my grandmother died. Breakfast for me has usually been toast or cereal and milk. It felt good making a proper breakfast and sitting here with you. That's what you were smiling about, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," he acknowledged, daring to look at her. "That's not too weird for you, is it?"

"Not at all. You're really an introvert, aren't you?"

"I guess. I do keep to myself a lot. It's hard for me to trust people. I trust you."

"I trust you, too." She put her hand on his and squeezed it.

It was a moment that meant a lot to both of them. When he left for work, Andrea and Lily stood by the elevator door, to say goodbye.

"I'm going over to the house today to take some measurements and open up some of those areas with the leaks," he said. "I'll call you if I get a chance."

"You have a really good day," she said. "Maybe I'll make something special for dinner."

"You don't have to do that." He looked at his hands. "Unless you really want to."

She smiled. "I want to. I'll see you later."

I wish I could kiss her goodbye. Bucky nodded and pressed the button for the elevator. It came all too soon but he entered it then waved goodbye at Lily. He grinned for the entire elevator ride.

Although Bucky had every intention of going to the house, he did want to stop at the office first to pick up some equipment and his tool belt, as well as a notebook for him to jot down the notes for his estimate. He was surprised to see the place was bustling when he arrived. Normally, they tried to keep their activities low key, in order not to attract attention. But when he walked into the reception area, Mrs. Parker was busy on the computer and on the phone at the same time. He tried to ask her what was going on, but she just put her hand on the microphone of the handset.

"Go see Steve," was all she managed to get out before she was speaking to the person on the other end. "Mr. Quinn? Yes, we have to make that delivery today as something has come up and we'll be unable to do it at the original time. I know, sir, but we have no choice in the matter."

She wrote down the new delivery time then headed towards the warehouse area, where Sam presumably was. Bucky went to Steve's office, finding him on the phone. His best friend looked up at him and nodded, then gestured to the chair in front of his desk while he tried to soothe the person on the end by promising that this was a unique situation. When he ended the call with the news that they would be unable to schedule any more deliveries in the near future, Bucky looked at him with alarm. What the hell was going on? Putting the handset down, his friend looked at him, then got up and closed the door.

"What's going on?" asked Bucky. "Why are you delivering everything today?"

"Don't get mad at me," started Steve. "I met a woman. She's actually Andrea's friend, Natasha. She came here the other day to tell you why Andrea got angry at you when you asked her to live at your place. But you were still in your snit phase, so Sam and I talked to her instead."

"I don't have a snit phase," said Bucky, defensively. "But what does meeting a woman have to do with what's going on?"

In one breath Steve spilled it out. "She kind of figured out that we had a side hustle but didn't seem bothered by it, so I arranged a double date for Sam and me, with her and her friend, and it was going really well so I asked her to my place, and she said it was complicated. She's a cop; they both were."

"Jesus, Steve, you had a date with a cop?"

The fair-haired man nodded. "We got out of there as quickly as we could and decided that we should get rid of all the stolen goods we were holding for shipment. No evidence means no charges, right? Sam suggested we take on more legit renovation jobs for a while so that we're doing what we're licensed to do." Bucky looked stricken. "That's not all."

"What? What else happened?"

"Somehow, Natasha knew where I lived, and she was waiting for me. She basically said that we're already being noticed by some task force but we're not a priority, then she suggested we get rid of the stolen goods and go legit for a while to throw them off our scent." He looked away, embarrassed. "It was exactly what we had decided but with her being a cop it was kind of eerie but also kind of confirming that she wasn't going to turn us in. Then we slept together."

Bucky stared at his best friend, not quite believing what he just heard. "You slept with her, after you found out she was a cop?"

Steve shrugged. "I like her, and she likes me. You know we don't often meet nice girls in our profession. We had a connection from the moment she first walked in here. She's smart, beautiful, and it was one of the best nights of my life when she stayed over."

"She stayed over?" Oh my fucking God! Bucky got up, pacing back and forth while he ran his hands through his hair. "You're sure she's not undercover or is setting us up?"

"I'm sure," he smiled, remembering the night and how little they actually slept. They both drank a lot of coffee at breakfast. "She's something else. I told her not to tell Andrea about you. I figure you wouldn't want her to get the wrong idea about you. Natasha said it would be up to you if and when you tell her, but you should know that Andrea really likes you. She's just wary of jumping into anything too soon after Brock and they both know what Brock is."

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Bucky stopped pacing.

"How much have you moved this morning?"

"About half of the inventory. I had to pull the guys off the house move to do it. Sorry, but I figured this was a priority."

There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Parker came in, looking a little frazzled.

"Bucky, it's Scott on line 2," she said. "They got pulled over for a traffic violation. It's Officer Rollins. He wants payment to not arrest them for transporting stolen goods. Cash, $500. He won't release the truck until someone shows up with the money."

"For the love of ...," Bucky huffed, then he looked at Mrs. Parker. "Get the location and I'll take the money over. We have lots of small bills, right?"

She nodded. "I can get it ready for you. We just paid him off last week, Bucky. He might be getting greedy."

"Yeah," he agreed. "The thought occurred to me, as well. We have no choice."

She left to gather the money together and Bucky sat as Steve phoned another client about their shipment. This happening now was really going to throw a wrench into their revenue stream. They didn't exactly advertise for renovation clients. In fact, they didn't advertise at all. Most of their clients tended to be on the shady side of the business. They were going to have to come up with something to generate some legitimate clients on the renovation side. Why did this have to happen now?

Part 5>>

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[jrow]

May Prompts (19)

Day 18 here. Start from the beginning here. Day 20 here.

Weather

They are talking about the bloody weather.

Sure, he is legitimately thrilled to be outside for the first time in days (even if he is stuck in a wheelchair) and it is unseasonably warm. But still, the weather hardly warrants 10 minutes of conversation. He knows that he and Molly are both avoiding having what might be a slightly uncomfortable conversation. It is so very British.

He sighs and looks at Molly, who is still talking about how Toby loves lying in the sun. Enough is enough.

“Molly,” he interrupts, “do you know if I gave Sherlock his birthday gift? Do you know if he opened it?” There is no point in beating around the bush.

Her shoulders tighten a bit but she lets out a sigh. It’s like she’s both relieved and anxious that they are having this conversation. “You definitely gave it to him. I guess you don’t remember but you were … determined when you went over there that night.” She smiles sadly. “It was about time, if you ask me.”

He takes a deep breath. “I don’t remember getting to Baker Street but … yeah, determined is the right word. I remember feeling that.” He closes his eyes. “Sherlock hasn’t said anything.”

Molly scooches down the bench so she’s closer to him. “He hasn’t opened it,” she stage whispers. She looks around the hospital garden as if making sure no one’s listening. “I popped by Baker Street yesterday—Mrs. Hudson let me in. I wasn’t snooping, I swear! Sherlock borrowed a few files from me last week and I needed them back. I didn’t have the heart to ask him to get them so I just did it myself.” She leans closer. “And your gift was still unwrapped on the coffee table.”

He rubs his hand over his face. “Okay, that answers one question. But why hasn’t he mentioned it at least? Even in his recounting of what happened that night?”

“John,” she says, reaching out and touching his leg. “He’s terrified. And, quite frankly, he has other things on his mind.”

“He feels guilty. It’s obvious.”

“Yes. Incredibly obvious.” She chuckles. “He feels guilty about your fall. You know how he can be. Somehow his silly little brain has decided it’s his fault. I suppose he thinks he should have caught you.”

She makes a good point, but he can’t help but worry it’s something else. “It could be about the gift, though. What if he deduced what’s in the box and feels guilty that he doesn’t want the same.”

She looks to the sky and sighs. “Boys,” she says quietly as if to herself before turning her gaze back towards him. “That’s stupid, John,” she says bluntly.

John leans back, a bit offended. “Come on, you know Sherlock can deduce anything.”

“Not about you!” she says, raising her hands in the air. “You’re his blindspot.” She puts her hands down and takes a deep breath. “And do you really think he’d spend time deducing a birthday gift while you were lying in a hospital bed? I saw him that morning, John. He was a mess. Kept it together on all things Rosie but all in all a mess. He’s not feeling guilty because he thinks he needs to let you down easy.”

John feels slightly chastised but also better. Molly isn’t lying about this. She believes what she’s saying. That’s the best he can hope for.

“Thanks, Molly,” he says, leaning forward to put a hand on her shoulder. “For everything.”

“I’m happy to help. I keep offering to do more with Rosie, but Sherlock refuses. At some point I do want to actually see her when she’s awake!”

He laughs. That all sounds about right.

She shrugs. “You know, I’m not sure Sherlock will get it anyways. When he opens the gift, I mean. You are trusting that present to explain quite a lot. Most people would just see it for what it is. A bit extravagant maybe, but that’s it.”

“He’ll take one look and put the pieces together.”

“Blind spot, John. And then you’ll be forced to use your words. Heaven forbid.”

“He’ll know, Molly.” He takes a breath. “I was determined. I am trying to get that determination back. And … I’m not good with words.”

“You two are a pair in that regard.” She shakes her head and then stands up. “Come on, let’s get back.”

@keirgreeneyes @raina-at @totallysilvergirl @meetinginsamarra @jolieblack @phoenix27884 @friday411 @calaisreno @quimerasyutopias @lisbeth-kk @safedistancefrombeingsmart @momma2boys @helloliriels @dapetty

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[flanpucci]

Hello and welcome to my TED talk today I have decided to write a wall of text about why portraying Dio and Pucci’s relationship as manipulation is actually taking a lot out of Pucci’s agency and character, and diminishing him. Disclaimer that this is not shipping discourse, this is media analysis. I don’t want to talk about whether it is moral or not that they get along, I don’t care, I only want to comment on the media.

So someone sent me a DM telling me that Dio was manipulating an emotionally distraught and vulnerable Pucci into following his plan, and that he exploited him to do all sorts of crimes (framing Jolyne, killing people, stealing discs) by presenting himself as a trustworthy, God-like figure, and called the Heaven plan ‘Heaven’ to get Pucci to follow it by exploiting his religious beliefs.

First of all Dio met Pucci before he was distraught about his sister's situation. After the situation occurred, it is Pucci who seeked him for answers as to why he was alive and not his sibling/s, like he seeked answers from God a few years before by becoming a priest student. Dio left a door open, nothing more. Of course Dio was seeking to be admired, he was also seeking companionship as he has always done ever since he was young, and someone to carry his plan. Pucci was looking for answers, for self-growth, for someone to push him towards the top, towards what he believes is the destiny that was designed for him (the reason he’s alive and not his twin).

Is it forbidden to look for something in someone? Does it make it not genuine? No, we all look for something in a friendship. And this seemed like a fair deal for both. One needs a trusted friend, an ally, but not a blind follower, and as we’ll see later, he needs someone to help him transcend his human? vampire? condition again. The other one needs a reason to live, a quest to fulfill, and hope that he could one day obtain the ‘happiness’ and ‘peace of mind’ that Dio wants so much too. He’s also someone who strives for greatness, who wants to ‘step outside human boundaries’.

Not forgetting that Pucci is someone fueled by a profound curiosity and rationality, it is only natural that he’d side with someone who has the abilities and ambition Dio has. Framing Jolyne, killing people, stealing discs, it is all out of Pucci's agency, long after the death of Dio. He's actually the one who suggested he could store and use Survivor, and he’s the one who asked for it! Dio thought Survivor was useless, that it was only a weakness, and Pucci convinced him with the idea that it could be prove itself useful.

Pucci is shown to have ‘lost’ faith in Christianity very early on, maybe not really having true religious belief at all (as in, the actually believing there’s a God sense.) He got into priesthood for philosophical reasons (seeking answers to an existential question). He seems to be a very pragmatic christian with interests in science that contradicts some of the scripture’s theories.

I don't think calling the plan ‘Heaven’ was a bait based on Pucci's religious beliefs. Over Heaven isn't canon, but it shows Dio having a very Christian mother. He's an intelligent man, born in a very christian time and place, and thought ‘Heaven’ was the name of the kingdom promised to the legitimate ruler of the world, himself. If anything the first time they meet he makes it very clear they're not striving for anything Bible related but for realizing their full potential and finding happiness.

Dio saw very early on that Pucci was not a very faithful catholic, judging by the book he's reading when they meet in the ossuary, and then Pucci commiting crimes even before seeing Dio again (hiring someone to beat up his brother, leaving his brother as dead). He then commits blasphemy by calling him King of Kings and comparing his love to the one he has for God. Pucci does not think of Dio as the christian God, he loves him as he loves God, but he's not blind and misled. He refers to him with proximity terms all throughout the manga (even when he's young), never used honorifics like the henchmen do, calls him 'kimi' (casual/informal ‘you’), 'my close friend'.

Even Dio uses ‘kimi’ instead of the ‘omae’ that shows inferiority that he uses with Vanilla for example. In the way they talk to/about each other, they're protrayed as equals, which once again is very unusual for Dio. All throughout their scenes Dio is shown slightly seductive at first, then not as overtly seducing as he usually is, he’s talking about the plan, and strategy (even though he still maintains physical contact, I mean, it’s still Dio), and then seems to relax progressively by doing activities and chit-chatting, to the point of Dio becoming paranoid that his weakness is known. Yes, Dio was pretty nice and not as big an asshole as usual because he needed someone for the plan, but what did he need? A "friend that he can trust from the bottom of his heart" (信頼できる友), so he tried to make one by not being an asshole, and guess what? He did! And he got scared that he managed to do so, because it's freaking Dio lol. Dio’s life has only been him trying to show dominance, and facing rejection. Heck he was rejected and degraded even when he won that chess game against an adult in the first minutes of the show. But everyone wants friends for a reason! Be it not to be alone, to be loved, to have someone to talk to about certain topics... And we all make efforts and try to be nice to make friends. That's not manipulation that's called not being a dysfunctional piece of shit like Dio usually was shown to be before he met Pucci. Why was he different with Pucci? I'm bringing up the parallel with the Jonathan and Dio scene which really shows that Dio hasn't changed and is acting the way he always has, testing people, he just has never been met with trust and acceptance, only with rejection, unlike what Pucci has done from their first meeting and after :

Scene plays out very similarly at first, except that this time Dio hasn’t done anything wrong, but he was expecting to be betrayed and wasn’t, which led him to get paranoid and set up Pucci so that he’d attack him, which he didn’t. And what did Dio do? Apologize and give him a part of what's literally the most important thing he has, 'his' body.

The fact that Pucci kept his 'sentimentality' towards his friend (I quote), his obsessive affection for Dio, and hope in his plan for such a long time is easily understandable, he had everything to win from Dio's plan (which is very different from nothing to lose, he has quite a lot to lose!). He could be cleansed from his sin, or at least put everyone on his level, be granted the reward of unconditional love, he could grow to a close to godly status or be a messiah carrying god's will (be special, push the boundaries of being human), and maybe, just maybe revive his loved ones too. He could rewrite his destiny at best, and at worst, obtain peace of mind. If anything helping Dio might even have been an excuse for Pucci to lie to himself about his real intentions with this plan (unconsciously : finally accomplishing his destiny of being special over his sibling and basically everyone else, consciously : giving everyone the chance to prepare for tragedy + opening everyone's eyes to the fact that what he did, cause his sister's death, was not really his fault since it was written by fate all along.)

Now if you really have a high esteem of Dio's intelligence you can argue that he did it all on purpose, he gave out his weakness on purpose to mellow Pucci, he called the plan Heaven to cater to Pucci's faith, he talked him into doing crimes, pretended to feel equal/inferior so that Pucci would give him his trust... But 1) Dio's not that good at it, has too big trust issues himself and has other means for submitting people to his will (as seen with Kakyoin, Polnareff...), 2) it's literally written this has to be built on trust which in my opinion completely disqualifies a manipulation aspect to it. Of course there are many other sources that further the idea that they were really friends, I'm thinking about how their relationship is described in interviews or the Jojo Mag, but I wanted this post to focus on canon interpretation.

Thank you for reading my essay, I’m always happy to chat and comment on the dynamics between characters in the material. I am not willing to talk about morality or shipping discourse here so please refrain from sending me such comments.

[specialgradefckr]

omg your new satosugu fic is sooooo good it’s breaks my heart in such a beautiful way you wrote it so well I couldn’t help but wanna be petty and get them back. Like reader is obviously oblivious to their feelings so I wonder what would happen if they suddenly went to a therapist because they just couldn’t take all the hurt and confusion they’re going through and they just feel so pathetic for liking the satosugu couple and then through therapy they get better and instead of moving out like that last ask you answered what if they’re just gone more often not wanting to interrupt Gojo and Geto’s fun time and eventually finds a guy who’s a walking green flag and one day when they invite him over they feel super bad and embarrassed because gojo and geto are in the middle of a session in their room but readers date being the green flag he is changes the subject by offering to play video games and reader just forgets about everything and has a bunch of fun with the guy. Sorry for this ramble it’s just an idea I’ve had for a while and it’d be so ironic and funny to see Gojo and geto jealous instead of reader like their plan totally backfired. Anyways love your work I send you all my love and support ❤️❤️❤️❤️

see i love you SO MUCH and it's incredibly encouraging to hear other people See The Vision,, The Beauty,,, just how good the yearning and desire hurts,,

however this is NOT the place for therapy. beat your heart to death is a fic about crazy people driving each other even more crazy. NO GREEN FLAGS NO HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS ALLOWED!

this dress code is enforced by suguru and satoru. let me tell you. although they would be very pleased that you want to get them back, they are not about to let you live your life peacefully.

if satoru has to bankrupt your therapist, so be it. if they have to break in, read your therapists' notes, and use that knowledge in pointed conversations about what you're doing with your life, are you really being a good friend to them, are you a good person at all... so be it.

whatever green flag you find is getting stained red, one way or another. like i mentioned in another answered ask, satoru and suguru will lie, cheat, steal, kill, fuck, noncon, incriminate... pretty much whatever fucked up thing you can think of, to keep someone else out of your life.

the only way to stop them would be to find an equally red flag like toji or sukuna sjdhfghgfdg but that doesn't end with you being in a happy relationship.

i do feel you though on the energy of like... "the best revenge is living well". and that would work, but only if you were capable of living well without them - i just don't think they'd allow it.

but if you found a legitimate scumbag.... someone like naoya with zenin connections who they couldn't fuck with as easily - and you married him JUST to get back at the two of them, that could really fuck them up.

and naoya is shit. of course he's shit. you fucking hate him. maybe you don't even let him fuck you. but you let him hurt you. let him yell at you. treat you like shit.

and how is suguru supposed to watch that? how is satoru supposed to overhear you talk about how naoya doesn't think women can (should?) cum during sex. how he makes you "put out", how he's hoping you'll get pregnant as soon as possible, even though you're afraid.

you can't live well without them, but you could live miserably. and that would torment them in a way your happiness never could.

sure it would drive them insane to see you happy with someone else - so insane they'd be sure to ruin it.

but to see you miserable with someone else... you don't have any happiness for them to ruin. you're already in hell. and you'd choose that over them?

that would shake them to the core. and they love you. for all their faults. they don't want you to suffer, at least not unless it's for the sake of love. they don't want you to hurt in any way they can't fix. the end goal is always for you to end up together, obsessed with one another, like you should be.

[caesariawritesstuff]

Hi dearest!!!! Since you’re taking requests on Cat&Mouse verse, could you write relationships headcanons (or full fic if you wish) between Edward & the Detective? Like say they’re moved in together, how would it go? How would be their relationship dynamics? Love you babes keep up the good work!!!! 😘😘😘😘

Moving in Together

Summary: Just some headcanons about what it would be like for Detective and Edward to move in together.

Word Count: 1.1k

A/N: This fic is currently not canon to the official Cat&Mouse!Verse storyline, but I plan on incorporating some of this into the official story eventually! As always, I am so so sorry this took me so long to get to!

You never expected to actually move in with Edward. Never thought it would be a possibility, never ever even thought it would be allowed by City Council, and in fact, you never thought you would ask.

But one night, after a particularly tender round of sex, you’d been lying on top of him, tracing your fingertips across his chest, trailing against the soft curls of chest hair woven into his pale skin – when you heard it. A little whining noise that made you peek your head up – just in time to see a rat scurry across the floor.

You screamed, jumped up, yanking blankets over your naked body as if a rat would somehow gaze at your naked body like it actually gave a crap. The rat raced out of the room, leaving Edward staring at you like you were a terrified little mouse. But, the moment had been a wake up call: you’d looked around his crappy apartment, taking in the smell of must and mildew, the water stains on the ceiling, the fact he had barely any furniture and that you were lying on a mattress and not even a full bed.

The words had slipped out of you then, “Move in with me.”

Edward stared at you like you were the crazy one. “What?” he’d asked, as if he hadn’t heard you correctly.

“Move in with me,” you’d said again, unable to stop yourself. “You can’t keep living here, Edward. This place is…”

“Not to your standard, your highness?” he’d asked with a quirk of his brow.

You laughed and playfully swatted at his chest, but he pulled you back into his arms, pulling you back down onto the bed with him. But as you laid there, listening to his heart beat, one question left his lips, “Would you really let me move in with you?”

“Yes,” you’d whispered without a beat of hesitation. The idea of Edward moving in with you didn’t even hit until later, the slow implications of what you’d asked eventually settling over you like a weighted blanket. And at first, you didn’t even think Edward was seriously considering the offer – until he approached you about the idea the next day.

And so, when it seemed like you both wanted it too, the slow process began: Edward approached City Council with the idea. They were reluctant, at first, and required several lines of tape for him to cross: competency hearings, parole board hearings, an increase in his weekly therapy appointments, a hearing with Dr. Murphy, and even with you to ensure the reasons for this relationship actually were legitimate. You were required to surrender your guns and sign paperwork swearing you wouldn’t keep any weapons in your apartment that he could get ahold of. It took weeks. Months. And when it finally seemed that the answer would be no – a call from a city council member came in.

You and Edward huddled by the phone with bated breath as the woman said, “Mr. Nigma, after much discussion, we’ve decided to grant your request to move in with Ms. —”

You’d practically cried out in joy. For so long, it’d felt like every meeting and hearing was for nothing – but you and Edward thanked the woman, before hanging up and engaging in a bit of celebratory, passionate sex where he fucked you against the wall and whispered your name like a prayer when he came inside of you.

A few weeks later, Edward officially moved out of his apartment and into yours. He didn’t bring much more than his clothes, a few puzzle books, and his laptop. You made as much room for him as you could, rearranging furniture and your closet for his things.

What you did not expect, however, was how quickly the two of you fell into a routine. Of course, it helped that you both worked at the GCPD and could carpool together, but life settled into a strange domestication that you’d never quite experienced before.

Edward always awoke before you and prepared your morning coffee just how you liked. He kept the apartment clean, often cleaning up your messes. You cooked the meals and did the grocery shopping.

Edward generously agreed to split the bills between you and him, which surprised even you, but he paid his share on time and always on the dot every month. He even complained to the apartment manager whenever something went wrong, something you found yourself too shy to do.

The two of you fell into a routine that felt so natural and peaceful. Fights were far and few between and when they happened, it was because Edward often said something out of left field without empathy or care, or if he got a little too jealous over a coworker talking to you for too long.

Once a month, you attended a therapy session with him and Dr. Murphy to ensure your relationship was still healthy for the both of you. It was a time to air out any grievances still affecting your relationship – which often culminated from Edward’s jealousy and, at times, his complete disregard for your feelings when he felt whatever he was doing was the best course of action. Empathy, it still seemed, was a struggle for him to learn.

The sex was great. The two of you had so much sexual chemistry that almost every night ended with you two tangled in each other’s arms, sweating and panting, talking long into the wee hours of the morning, only to do it all over again by the time the sun came shining in through the blinds.

However, despite all the good that came from moving in with Edward, also came the bad. The dark moments when Edward broke down and fell into old patterns, when his anger rippled through him, palpable and unyielding – whether it be because of his jealousy, his irritation at the “stupidity of Gotham’s citizens”, or simply his own frustrations at his own human limitations – you often found yourself having to pull Edward back from the ledge.

It took time, and your own patience, to keep Edward from spiraling into the insanity that often threatened to pull him back into his own dark place. A lot of soothing words and touches, a lot of reminding him that you would not leave him or stop loving him when he got into one of his moods – moods you knew you’d decided to weather the moment you decided to be his girlfriend.

And so it seemed, when he finally made it through the storm and kissed you and reminded you all over again why you’d fallen in love with him, that every day was worth it, just to be at his side. And you never regretted him moving in with you for a second.

[freesia-writes]

Day 4 - Intimacy

I am SO EXCITED for the revamp and re-release of my Howzer longfic... It's called Quantum Entanglement (nerdgasm, I know) and features the sexy captain alongside my OC Aurelia. I'll share more about her on Day 7, but in the meantime, enjoy this 850ish word snippet from the falling-for-each-other stage of their story. They began to compete with one another of who could find/share the coolest "spot" for a date, and Aurelia may have found a neat place, but I think Howzer won this date in a different way. 😏

This particular moment still gives me the tingles. 🙈

If you'd like to be tagged when I start posting the story, you can sign up for my tag list (or opt out) here, or even better, message me for a link to my tag list discord server, used only for posting works, no chatting or other stuff. 😊 @clonexocweek

They were in a ritzy district of the planet, where the buildings were not all a standard rectangular shape but were full of elegant curves and artistic edges. Glowing lights bathed the entire area with a dreamy glow, and the few people who were still out and about were clearly well-to-do.

"We definitely fit right in around here," Howzer quipped, looking up at a tall statue of some rich politician.

"What, you didn't bring your black and white armor?" Aurelia answered, although she did feel self-conscious and couldn't believe she hadn't thought to bring a change of clothes to work. She had eight hours of sweat and drinks clinging to her clothing and body, and she was positive she didn't look or smell great. To avoid spiraling in self-judgment, she focused on the task at hand.

"I'll have to ask them where I can get some of those," Howzer mused, as she pulled him by the hand toward one of the glamorously curvaceous buildings. Slipping around the back, Aurelia opened an inconspicuous door that would otherwise be missed, and they entered a dark hallway. Still holding his hand, and trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach at the thought of it, she turned sharply to a narrow set of stairs that climbed into further darkness. There was rich orchestral music playing somewhere nearby, and it had shifted to a rather ominous sound.

"Listen, if you're mad about earlier, we can talk about it," Howzer began.

"What?" Aurelia was shocked, and stopped on her stair to look back at him.

"I mean, you don't have to bring me here and kill me."

"Ahhh, haha..." she laughed, more nervously than she would have liked. She didn't know if or how to talk about all of that, so roundabout humor was always a good place to start. She continued up the stairs, keeping her tone light, "Why would I be mad?"

"Cause you've got the hots for me," Howzer declared, without missing a beat.

Aurelia laughed again at his accusation, though it wasn't without merit. She just couldn't tell if he was toying with her or was legitimately trying to discern where they stood. They climbed another two flights, back and forth, then reached the top of the steps, which ended in another plain black door. The only light they could see was peeking around the edges of the door, a dim glow from whatever was on the other side.

"You do," he taunted, pulling on her hand to stop her before she could reach the door handle. "You've got it baaaaad."

She turned to face him, feigning confidence and dropping his hand, "Why would I, if I have to compete with every other female on Coruscant?" She tilted her head and crossed her arms, settling her weight to one side in an attempt at sass. "It seems like a silly idea."

"Does it?" Howzer asked, with a serious tone now. He drew closer, and the sheer weight of his full presence and attention made her unconsciously take a step backward, right up against the door behind her. Placing one hand on the door to the side of her head and reaching for her hip with the other, he leaned in until he was less than a foot away, gazing into her eyes intently. She could see the reflection of light in his brown eyes, and her heart skipped a beat at the intensity of his expression. She forgot every word she'd ever known, and slightly parted lips was the closest she was able to get to speaking.

He bent his head down slightly, bringing his face within inches of her own, and she swallowed hard, pulse racing. She felt electrified and frozen at the same time as he stopped his approach, faces nearly touching, and spoke.

"Told you."

He purred it so quietly that, had he not been teasing her, she would have melted into a puddle right then and there. But he pulled back with a little chuckle, reveling in his hold over her. Once the tingling subsided, she felt the indignation rise. She gave him a little push, her hand slapping on the chest plate of his armor, and he grinned with an infuriating amount of pride.

"That's ridiculous; I could do the same to you," she protested, with a breathy little chuckle that masked a sigh of relief... or disappointment?

"Yeah? Go ahead..." he invited, leaning back against the wall to the side, putting his arms up and the backs of his hands on the wall as if he were at her mercy.

"Mm, nice try," she said, although the scene playing out in her mind was very different. "You're just trying to stall my victory over you with this awesome place."

"You're right... A dark staircase is truly stunning."

"Alright, alright," she laughed, turning to open the door behind them. The light made them squint, even though it was still relatively dim. As they edged out of the doorway, onto a narrow balcony, Howzer took a look around. They appeared to be in the rafters of some kind of opera house; far below them was an orchestra on a stage, surrounded by luminous orbs of light in varying shades of blue and gold. It was the tail end of some performance, and they had a bird's eye view.

[yes-i-write-fanfiction]

Since you u did a autobots responses to death. Can you do the deceptions responses to death telling them he’s come for their life because they’ve gone and pissed him off or have done something that is insulting to his work? “So why don’t I do us both a favor and take your spark now.”

TFP verse

-Megatron snarls and immediately takes a combat stance. He's not afraid of Death and he's not going to just lie down and accept his fate. "You want my spark? You're going to have to come at me with everything you got because I am not going to go down without a fight."

-Immediately, Starscream transforms and runs away. He does not believe for even one second that he could beat Death, at least not in a fair fight. Until he can figure out a way to get himself into Death's good graces again he's going to keep on running away, never staying in one spot for long in fear of being found.

-Similarly to Megatron, Soundwave prepares to fight. However, he does not think that he's going to win. He's prepared to die but he refuses to just give up. That goes against everything it means to be a decepticon. No, if he's going to die then it will be while fighting, resisting until the very end.

-At first, Knockout tries to talk his way out of the situation. He's totally freaked out but he tries to appear calm, tries to smooth talk Death into forgiving him for whatever he's done wrong. When that does not appear to work then he'll go for plan 2; run away. Deep inside, he knows he can't run forever, but he's too scared to accept death just yet.

-Breakdown asks why Death wants his spark. The answer don't matter though because even if there's a legitimate reason, he will fight for his life. Even in the face of impossible odds, Breakdown stands tall and if he's going to die then by Primus, he's going to go out like a legend.

-Like Breakdown, Shockwave asks Death why they want his spark but whereas Breakdown is genuinely curious, Shockwave is doing it to buy time. In the short time it takes Death to answer, he's already thought of a plan on how to prolong his existence. He will engage in a brief altercation with Death, not with the goal of winning but to find the best way to escape. Once he's managed to run away, he's going to pour all his research into how to defeat Death. Dying is not an option for him.

-For Dreadwing, there's two ways this will go. Either he will fight, even though he knows he's going to lose, simply because of his pride as a warrior, or he's going to accept his fate. If Death has ordained it, has come to the decision, then his fate is already sealed. There is no escaping Death, he knows this. If he accepts it, then Dreadwing will offer up his own weapon do Death, kneel down, close his optics and face his end with dignity.

-Airachnid runs away. She's a cold blooded killer but she knows when she's beat. And Death? She knows she stands no chance there. But she's going to cling to life, dig her claws into it and hold on until the very end. So she'll run. And run. She will never accept her own demise and will do whatever it takes to stay alive for even just a day more.

[toxicanonymity]

raider analysis

Warnings: angst, references to violence, captivity, references to past assault/abuse, warnings from the related posts this is analyzing.

A/N: this is about the hypothetical from today, plus some about the 🐶 (goes into Hunger). Keep in mind I share these because some people enjoy it, not because i want you to read it like AP Lit, lol. 🫣

------

Ok, the kinda tearjerking exchange (not my favorite kind of jerking, but it happened, sorry) starts off

“‘Member what I said after ya ran?” You nod. “that you only want me if I'm good?” A tear runs down your cheek.

I have to admit I'm sad for both of you in this moment. You especially, sweet pea. But also, Joel regrets how he treated you in the aftermath of your escape, and he can't undo it. He's mostly thought about the physical part of it (glimpse of this in the yoga drabble). Now hearing you paraphrase his words, he's faced with the fact that it's even worse than he's been beating himself up over (deservedly, tbf). 

As far as you running away, the main thing that reassured Joel was how you said it wasn't about him, it was the other guys, to which he said you gotta talk to him when something's bothering you. So in his eyes that was his main point. But before he calmed down enough to express that, he was angry and it made a real impression on you. Your main takeaway was that his interest in you (and your safety) was conditional.  You don't think about it a lot these days, and in the big picture it's outweighed by his extreme possessiveness, but it's a thread of insecurity and the first thing that comes to mind when he asks if you remember what he said.

For Joel, there's a whole other conversation happening here (with himself) under the surface.

In this convo when Joel says “that was real bad,” it all was, including what he did in response.  When he asks “we’re past that, right?” he means all of it. He wishes that day would just go away. It's also kind of an empty hope related to what he's done to you. He doesn't think he deserves forgiveness or love, but at this point he also doesn't want you to live in fear of him or only stay for that reason. 

You answer as if he just wants to know you wont run away again, and that's still nice to hear. He latches onto that answer as a momentary "out" from feeling the weight of what he's done, reminding himself what's supposed to really matter to him–that you're "his"--like your answer assumed he was thinking.

—--

Also, a word about the dog. Not everything with the dog is profound. I like doggos and think they should have one. But, the initial interaction/freeing him from the collar is meaningful if you consider who else has been chained in this story (but not lately).  And there's more parallels you can draw if you want to, but I also support just enjoying the little guy.

In the same chapter, it's the first time we see Joel take you out with him as a capable person (armed). Then he even lets you go into the forest alone. The reason he ultimately goes in after you is because he's worried about you. In general, Joel wants to keep you for his own sake but is also scared of what could happen to you on your own (he's almost seen it). You're legitimately worried about the dog’s well-being and think he needs you, but you also just want him around.

Joel despises the addict and the way he treated his own dog. Joel hates himself, too. His thoughts coming out of the forest reveal he’s coming for the junkie as a stand-in and what he really wants is to hurt everyone who ever hurt you. He knows he's one of those people. I'm not saying he wants to hurt himself but some of the aggression he takes out on other men (when a simple bullet would suffice) is from his own self hatred. Normally these men have something in common with him. 

Joel initially rejects the dog, not wanting another someone to take care of distracting him from protecting you. But later the dog demonstrates he's more than meets the eye and has a lot to offer and for good reason Joel seems to come around, even if he won't say it. Despite that progress, in the hypothetical from today we still want more for the dog.  The dog deserves more. We still want more for sweet pea who is emotionally starving and has been subjected to Joel's coldness in her previous attempts to get closer to him. She deserves more. Like maybe a kiss at least (when she's awake). In night air we see why Joel struggles with that, but he keeps making progress. At least he's kissing your other lips.

-----

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Thank you for reading and being invested <3. Joel's a bad guy but tbh I identify with and pour myself into both these characters in different ways.

I'm tired but this isn't exhaustive 😅 your thoughts and interpretation are valid, too.

[shadowfoxsilver]

jackrisstuff/jacrstuff/jacrsstuff/ jacrstuffsposts/jacrstuffsblog psa/beware

Update: As of 7/26/2023 all accounts are now down! Unfortunately this kind of scam still pops up as other users so please take caution if you get asks like this from accounts that are only a few days old and don’t show any images as proof of who they are. Always ask questions.

Update 2: As of 8/13/2023, their back under jacrstuffsblog.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jackrisstuff that reads as follows: “Hello sorry for tagging. Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because l'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. Anything appreciated” and ends with a beating heart emoji. /End ID]

Just a heads up to my followers and anyone else, this account blocked me when I requested them to provide evidence that their a real person needing support. Instead of answering my concern and replying to a link that brought up suspicions, they opted to start spamming asks to my mutuals/followers in efforts to try and get them to share the aid post. This is clear proof they don’t intent to prove their a real person needing aid and are just spamming asks to everyone they can find instead of proving they actually need support.

I do not want people to be scammed because a blogger decided to spam my friends askboxes. If you got this ask, I also suggest you to ask the person for proof their legit or block them before they can spam your followers/people you shared from. It’s sickening they likely stole someone’s real fundraiser pictures to pass off as their own ill daughter.

This is exactly the reason why I try to tell people please don’t spam asks to get support. There are scammers who do the same thing and don’t like it when public concern is brought up. The email they give is linked to a suspended twitter account that was sending the same message but had an entirely different pic.

UPDATE!

New url is jacrstuff. Their trying to avoid my alert now which further proves their not legitimate. No one needing aid would change urls like this.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jacrstuff that reads as follows: “Hello sorry for tagging. Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because l'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. Anything appreciated” and ends with a beating heart emoji. /End ID]

Update 2: Url change again instead of verifying who they are and still trying to get away from this warning. Now under jacrsstuff.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jacrsstuff that reads as follows: “Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because I'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. I'm struggling for medicines, shelter and groceries that really puts a lot of stress on me. Anything help with a bearing heart emoji used and then and is very much appreciated ending with a praying hand emoji. /End ID]

Additionally, if you search their email provided in their post, it shows up with a suspended twitter account using the photograph of a white adult woman with a child while the asker claims to be a black adult woman with a child. The twitter post seems to use the same exact wording as the askers post though I am unable to find the source of the image they used for the twitter post.

Update again

yollandde on twitter is now running the same scam.

[atopvisenyashill]

If a sane/politically adept blonde Joffrey won a Great Council against Stannis and Renly and convinces the realm he’s legitimate, what would happen afterwards? Would Stannis and Renly give up or keep trying for the throne? What could they do after having lost stare decisis before the whole realm?

this really depends on HOW he convinces everyone and how renly/stannis plan to usurp him in this scenario. the thing is that jon arryn & stannis start digging into the whole affair because-

joffrey is clearly unstable

cersei is not well liked

robert isn't particularly useful

two of those things have to not be factors in order for joffrey to turn out stable. either cersei needs to be a less destructive mother or robert needs to be a less negligent husband & father but either way, if joffrey is being taught and molded more by a cersei that has not alienated herself or a robert that hasn't spent most of his days drinking and whoring and beating the shit out of his family (because NOTE when robert has that tantrum in Winterfell, renly steps forward to calm him - for all that renly is an idiot, part of his refusal to accept joffrey as king is that he's had to cover for robert frequently and has gotten it into his mind that being king must be easy).

but idk. okay let's say that after the cat incident joffrey gets sent to foster elsewheres. maybe on dragonstone, maybe in the vale, maybe in the north (probably in the north, although the vale is a strong contender). beyond the reach of his parents, building friendships with other people, making a name for himself as a squire, learning to redirect his anger into more constructive avenues....varys & littlefinger are going to make sure someone finds out (and that's not even speaking to renly's own spy network) but like....how? who believes them? sure stannis will feel duty bound when he finds out but the context of him finding out is essentially "littlefinger said" and no one likes or trusts littlefinger. does renly even believe it? and if renly knows joffrey is liked, is he really going to rebel or is he going to orchestrate a margaery-joffrey himself?

um anyways, maybe this isn't the answer you're looking for, but in a world where joffrey is more stable, i don't know that jon arryn or stannis would believe any sort of rumor about his paternity, and renly would likely be more willing to look past it and get margaery married to joffrey earlier. and a joffrey that is more politically adept will get renly on his side - that's just common sense. but the same way that rhaenyra gets the velaryons on her side with marriages, a politically adept joffrey is likely to a) figure out he's a bastard earlier & take steps to combat rumors and b) probably look to get shireen a handsome match to get her and selyse and probably stannis on his side as well. so a politically adept joffrey just isn't going to have the same issues as open rebellion from his uncles even with poking and prodding from littlefinger because the reason the rumor gains traction is because joffrey sucks ass as an heir.

but also lol, lmao, varys is NAWT about to let robert have a politically adept heir nor would he ever allow for something as measured as a great council deciding the succession crisis. if joffrey visits home after jon arryn has died and varys sees he's straightened out and has started movin and shakin, he may very well just out and out kill joffrey and frame someone else for the murder, which leaves tommen as crown prince and creates a new issue depending on who he frames (like stannis, or renly). even IF everything goes exactly how it does in canon - i just can't see either baratheon brother agreeing to a great council even if everything goes exactly the way it does in canon when robert dies minus joffrey being a tyrant. renly knows damn well he doesn't have a claim and stannis is too proud. there's no way he'd get them to agree to it - imo a great council pretty much has to be called by the old king or the old king's council because by the time the king is dead, it's too late.