#so I don't have to spend so many words just trying to explain the CONCEPT of this stupid fuckin series

[russellsppttemplates]

Dance with me (Charles Leclerc)

Although Ferrari's strategy is going somewhere, albeit all over the place, Charles and Y/N are quite sure about their feelings towards eachother

Note: english is not my first language. It took me a bit but I've managed to do a part 2 to Stomp your foot. Also @ ferrari, get your thoughts together so that, while the boys get the results they deserve, I can write about good things too, please and thank you. There is also a little Mariana Zapata reference, if you know you know 😏

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

Tw: Ferrari's season, curse words, mentions of gender inequality

"Y/N is on her way here to spend the day with us", Charles reminded his family as they tidied the table from breakfast. He messaged you when you posted an Instagram story of the beach view from the room you were staying in Ibiza, asking if the meet up he proposed in Hungary was still up, the two of you finding a day to get together after your friend had gone home and before you left for Maranello. "So we're finally meeting the Y/N you're always talking about, I feel like I know her already", and Charles rolled his eyes at his brother Lorenzo's antics, "It's true, it's always Y/N this, Y/N that, oh Y/N likes that ice cream flavour too, and I stopped listening to you talk about her a long time ago", he finished as he headed upstairs, and Charles was about to bite back with a reply when he heard the doorbell, heading there to open to, he assumed, let you in.

You parked the rental car in front of the house Charles had sent you the address for, checking the door number on the message before ringing in, hearing footsteps on the garden path before Charles opened the small gate, "Hi Y/N, glad you could join us", he greeted with a kiss on each of your cheeks, "Hey Charles, thank you for the invite once again", you smiled as he stretched his arm so you entered the property, excusing yourself in through the open front door and taking in the house before Arthur's footsteps down the stairs caught her attention, making her turn her body to see the younger driver, "here's my favourite engineer, it's a shame Ferrari swooped you from the academy", Arthur said as he greeted you the same way his brother did. "You two know eachother?", Charles asked, the confusion clear by his expression, "I filled in for Prema Racing when one of their engineers was unable to attend for two races", you explained, "you're not the first Leclerc I'm ordering around", you giggled as Charles took the information in, "you never mentioned it when I talked about her", Charles said, and despite feeling like he might have outed himself, Arthur smirking as he saw his brother put his foot on his mouth, he simply shrugged, "there are many Y/N in the world, how could I know?", he teased as you walked into the outside area, "And here's another person who has ordered Leclercs about for a while, Y/N, this is my mother Pascale, mum, this is Y/N". "Hello, it's so nice to meet you. Thank you for welcoming me here", you said as she greeted you with a tight hug, "hi dear, it's so nice having you here, I'm the one who's glad you could join us. If you ever need tips on making them listen to you just let me know", she winked, "Charles isn't the problem, it's the other men that usually don't listen to what I say", you replied as you watched her head to the big window that led into the kitchen, "Can I offer you anything from the kitchen, darling? Maybe a drink...?". Taking the box from your tote bag, you explained its content "I'm good thank you! When my friend was here, we went to this shop that had these cakes with cookie ice cream in them and I thought I'd bring some for you", you offered as Pascale went to grab the box, thanking you before heading inside to place it in the fridge, "I told you you didn't need to bring anything", he said, "like I ever listen to you", you teased, "You really should, I have some great ideas and things to say", he said before his older brother made his presence known as he laughed, "you really don't sell yourself short, not at all. Hi, I'm Lorenzo, the older brother", he said as he greeted you.

You placed your tote bag on one of the sunloungers like Charles told you to before he grabbed a some beach rackets, "care to join us for a game? I promise we will go easy on you", he smiled as you stuck your tongue out at him, leaving your sandals as the four of you headed to the large grass area.

Lorenzo teamed up with Arthur while you and Charles made the other team as the net delimited the area for each pair. When Charles said they were very competitive between them, you'd never think it was like this. The balls were hit with great force, given that you were playing with athletes, but you dealt with athletes since you joined race early on, you knew competitiveness at a high level but this was beyond that, every now and again hearing muttered brotherly offenses between the brothers whenever one of them scored a point, Arthur and Lorenzo (only?) glaring at you when you scored the points as Charles highfived you. After playing for hours, you and Charles managed to win two out of the three games they had set to play after the first one ended with a one point difference between the duos, Charles hugging you while he lifted your body off the floor, "put me down", you squealed as he finally complied, "See? I know how to order you about", and little did you know he would probably do anything you asked him to if it meant you kept that beautiful smile that was now on your face forever.

"How about a swim now? I could use it to cool off", Lorenzo suggested as you grabbed the rackets and a ball to place them back in their bag that was next to the sunlounger you had placed your things on, seeing Pascale removing a cover up she was wearing so that she could join, "Why do I have the feeling that if I wasn't playing with them that would've been much uglier?", you said to her as you saw Arthur purposely throwing a ball he found at Charles and then pretending it was unintentional, "Oh definitely, yesterday Charles lost and he didn't speak to them for an hour, they take these games very seriously!", she chuckled as she made her way to get in the water. You rummaged your bag for a little pouch you had brought, reapplying the sun protection lotion on your face, Charles snickering at your white face, "what? At least I know how to behave in the sun and, as much as I like to work for Ferrari, I don't need to sport their colours all the time", you teased back as you rubbed the product in, checking your reflection in the window to see if you had done it properly, you hands moving to the button of your shorts so you could undo it and get ready to join the guys in the water, taking your flowy top off too.

You looked really good, Charles' eyes scanning your body as you folded your clothes neatly on the end of the lounger, the dark forest green of your swimsuit hugging your body complimenting your gorgeous figure, making the Formula 1 driver gulp, his brothers noticing his reaction and chuckling, the snickering between them going unnoticed by their middle brother as he watched your strong legs strut their wait into the steps, "Anyone seeing you would think you work for Aston Martin instead", he somehow broke the transe he was in, not wanting you to feel uncomfortable from his stare, "Seb is a good man, after all he was the one to teach me where the good coffee was at Maranello", you said and Charles looked at you, "Seb too? Really?", he mused, "I have been working in Ferrari longer than you have, I know many many people", you said once you submerged your head to wet your hair for a much needed dip, coming back up and smiling back at Charles as he shook his head. You were going to be the death of him, that much he was sure.

You were helping Pascale finish setting the table when Lorenzo handed you a tray with the bowl with the meat for the grill, "Can you bring this to Charles, please? And maybe stay in there with him and make sure he doesn't let it burn, we have everything under control here and you're our guest, too", he smiled as you excused yourself and made your way to a shirtless Charles that was lighting the fire in the grill, "the meat is here", you said simply as you watched him, "Shouldn't you put a t-shirt on? You could hurt yourself", you expressed your worry, not that you wanted him to cover his beautiful and well shaped torso, but safety came first. Smiling at you, "I think I can handle it", he said as he managed to get the fire to last for a little bit before it started to die down, "wait, there's salt here, let me just", you said grabbing the bowl from the tray and taking a bit on your hand before throwing it in the wood sticks, the flames livening up again, "You're a do it all, aren't you?", he smiled as he poked at the embers a bit, "in my case, you have to learn how to do it otherwise people will treat you like a child and assume you're a fluke, unfortunately", you reasoned while looking at what he was doing, not wanting to look at his face after you blurted that without thinking much first, but he picked up on it. Grabbing the the tongs to place the meat on the grill, "How come?", he wondered simply, "when you're the only woman in the middle of men, it can get quite intimidating until you find your ground and learn to stomp your foot. They're always assuming I need to be helped and that's the only way I'll get anywhere. And I haven't. I got into Ferrari with my hard work, my own blood, swear and tears, and I pushed through everything and every occupation to be able to become a strategist", you explained, the outskirts of what you had read after the Hungary GP about your position on the team taking a toll on you. You could only handle so much.

Checking the meat, Charles turned to you, tapping your arm so you could look at him, "I have been in the business for a good time too, and maybe you know a lot of people too", he tried to bring a smile to your face, succeeding as your lips curved upwards, "but trust me when I say that I never thought less of you because you're a woman, I actually think you fit really nicely in the team and there have been so many improvements that were all your doing", he said, the genuineness in his voice making the words sink into you easily, the butterflies on your belly dancing a melody of their own. "Thank you, that means a lot coming from you", you nudged his side, wanting nothing more than to hug him but refraining from doing so as you were still tiptoeing around your feelings for him, sometimes feeling like they were reciprocated but the nagging option of it affecting your job still present on your thoughts.

Pascale was looking at you as she placed the drinks on the table, noticing how her son's body language showed some hesitation to touch you and how you nudged him, seeming to want more out of it before resuming to laughing along to something Charles said, the smile on his face bigger than ever, "those two are taking their sweet time admiting what we all know", Lorenzo mentioned, Arthur humming in agreement as he placed the bread basket on the table.

.

"But why did it happen like that? That's my only question", your assertive tone was heard in the room, not rasing your voice to be heard as you knew that it was not how things worked out for the best, "we win as a team and loose as a team, we fail and conquer together. We all know that what happened out there today was not what we work for. Carlos deserves more. Charles deserves more. Ferrari deserves more. Tifosi deserve more. So much more. So I think we should really think about what we need to do to make it better. I've expressed my concerns and ideas and I hope you, too, think about it and bring them to the next meeting", you finished your intervention in the debrief meeting.

After a mixed feelings Dutch GP for the team, positive since Charles had managed to get on the podium but negative about the way things were handled for Carlos, everyone was quiet as they tidied things around the garage once you left that tense debrief, heading to the hospitality's balcony to get some fresh air and gather your thoughts. Hearing footsteps, you look over to see both Ferrari drivers, "Hey Y/N", Carlos said, "Hey guys", you replied, "Again, sorry we couldn't do anymore", you honestly said, upset at how the afternoon turned out despite a slight happiness that Charles was back on the podium, even though not in the spot you knew he wanted to be. "The guys, they were showing us the recording you have from what you discuss in the pitwall. And thank you", Carlos said looking at you and seeing in your eyes that you knew what he meant. When you noticed the rear tyre missing, you were pissed off, looking at the situation with your fingers rubbing circles on your head, the words just coming out of you as you defended Carlos and talked to his side of the pitwall, no one being able to tend to your questions and back to the pit stop area, groaning as you looked at that mess, your mumbled words after he managed to finally go caught by the system showing just how disappointed and frustrated you were about the decisions that were made, "Isa is downstairs, so I'll get going. See you guys later", the spanish driver said as he waved goodbye. Sitting next to you, Charles noticed your clear distress, "you're not the only person making the decisions, you shouldn't be taking all of this on your shoulders", he said, despite he himself feeling all the emotions about his own race, "fuck, this is just so hard, week after week, as you guys must feel it even worse, that we're failing you", you let out, taking Charles' honest silence as an (rightfully so) agreement, "we have Monza next week, and I'm going to make sure everyone in this garage knows what they're doing, I promise you", you said as Charles grabbed your hand in his as he squeezed them together, wanting to share some of your hope and resilience.

.

Monza really was a whole different atmosphere, the fans that gathered making it an unique race. You were putting on your yellow t-shirt for the celebration weekend when you noticed both drivers in their new suits that matched everyone else's tops, "you guys really look like minions, people on the Internet are right this time. I'm sorry, but that's the first thing I thought of", you said, "But we are handsome minions", Carlos said, noticing your eyes checking Charles out, "the handsomest", you replied, your eyes kept on the monégasque's face before you excused yourself and let them recover between the free practice sessions, Carlos speaking up as soon as you were out of earshot, "Honestly mate, if you don't make a move on her, I will make it for you. You guys are so into eachother it's actually insane", before he sipped on his water, Charles' eyes following you was you moved some pieces around.

.

Qualifying always got your nerves going, already being known in the paddock by how you could never sit for long during the three sessions, "Do you think we can get them both on the podium today?", Xavi said while you looked at the data, the beggining of Q3 approaching, "at this point I feel like if we can, Max is quick but maybe Charles could have an advantage, because looking here", you said as you pointed to some graphs and the notes you had scribbled down.

When Charles and Carlos were in the first two spots, you started feeling hopeful that, despite still having to work with penalties for the race the next day, the pace seemed to be there, your heart thumping on your chest as you tapped your foot nervously as Charles' data improved after the warm up lap, and when Xavi yelled "And P1!" into the radio, you did your happy dance, not having a care in the world about what others thought as you watched the Tifosi erupt in cheer.

Team dinner was going really well, everyone happy with how the day had gone and feeling hopeful for the race as they dug into their plates, the nights chill still not bringing the mood down. When nearly everyone decided to go inside for a liquor the owner of the restaurant offered, only Charles, Carlos, Isa, Xavi and you stayed behind, speaking until Isa noticed how you and Charles weren't particularly interested in whatever they were talking about and started having a conversation of your own, "I need to get something from the counter, amor, can you come with me?", she asked as her foot nudged Xavi's, the two men getting the hint as they left the table, you and Charles carrying on your conversation until one of your favourite songs rang through the outside speakers, "C'mon", you said, getting up, "dance with me, we need to celebrate today", you explained as you pulled Charles by his arm, your hand holding his as he spun you around, the both of you giggling like mad until Charles thought this was it, under the italian starry sky on an empty patio, his hand cupping your cheek as his forehead touched yours "tell me to stop and i'll stop, I promise", he whispered as his eyes flickered between your lips and eyes, your mouth pressing on his taking him by surprise for a second before he responded the affections, his other hand cupping your other cheek as your hands grabbed each of his wrists. Interrupting the kiss for air, Charles giggled as you hid your face in his neck, your lashes tickling him as his arms circled your waist, "it's going to be hard, but I promise, if you'll allow me, that I'll protect you and support your decisions at the same time. You are my equal, my partner and my teammate, and I want to navigate these feeling with you", he whispered in your ear as if he was telling you his deepest secret. Looking up at him, you smiled, "I want that too" before his lips latched on yours again, dancing together as the newfound addiction seeming hard to suppress.

[thepaperpanda]

A Cultural Fusion || Neteyam x fem!Omaticaya reader

Masterlist

Summary: Neteyam instructs you on the customs and significance of Valentine's Day, a special day celebrated by humans

Warnings: none

Word count: 1690

Author: Rouge

A/N: prior to reading, it’s important to know that: the reader is female Omaticaya ✤ you'll find a glossary underneath the fic ✤ today’s prompt: learning about Valentine’s Day

Neteyam had always been fascinated by the ways of the humans. He had spent many evenings listening to his father recounting stories about the strange and exotic customs of the outsiders. But one particular story had always stuck with him - a tale about a special day called Valentine's Day.

As he walked through the lush forest, Neteyam spotted you sitting alone by the river, lost in your thoughts. He approached you with a gentle smile, curious to know what was on your mind.

You looked up at him and returned the smile, happy to have some company.

“Oel ngati kameie, Y/N," Neteyam greeted you. "Are you okay? You seem a little troubled."

You shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking about something."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Neteyam asked kindly, taking a look around, smiling as he spotted a few kenten sitting in the nearby bushes.

You hesitated for a moment before nodding. "It's just that tomorrow is Valentine's Day, Lo’ak told me about that, and I don't really know what it means. I’ve never heard about this before. And your brother said it has something to do with love and feelings, but I don’t know if I can believe him."

Neteyam's eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah, I know about this day. My father told me about it. It's a day when humans show their love and affection for one another."

You looked at him curiously. "How do they do that when they do not have anything similar to tsaheylu?"

Neteyam paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Well, they exchange gifts, like flowers or sweets, to show that they care about each other. And they spend time together, doing things they enjoy."

You listened intently, fascinated by the concept of expressing love through such simple gestures. "But why is it called Valentine's Day?" You asked.

Neteyam shrugged. "I'm not sure. My father didn't tell me that part. But I think it's because there was a human saint named Valentine who used to help people express their love. Humans have a lot of saints, after all."

"Saints? What are those?" You asked, puzzled.

"They are people who are believed to have lived holy lives and are now in heaven. Humans pray to them for help and guidance," Neteyam explained, taking a seat by your side, slipping his feet into the water.

You looked at him, surprised. "Really? Humans have so many beliefs and traditions. I can't keep up with all of them."

Neteyam chuckled. "I know it can be overwhelming. But I find it fascinating to learn about all these different customs and beliefs. It helps me understand humans better. My dad was one of them, after all."

You nodded, but you still didn't quite understand why humans would pray to someone who was no longer alive. Neteyam could see the confusion on your face.

"It's hard to explain, Y/N. But I think it gives humans comfort to know that there are people in the heavens watching over them," he said.

You looked at him curiously. "Heaven? What's that?"

"It's a place where humans believe they can be happy forever, with no pain or sadness," Neteyam explained, playing with a tuft of grass.

You nodded, trying to understand this concept. "So it's like a place of eternal peace?"

"Exactly," Neteyam nodded with a smile. "It's like becoming one with Eywa after death. Humans believe that they can reunite with their loved ones who have passed away and be with them forever in heaven."

You felt a sense of understanding dawn on you. "I see. It's like the ultimate reunion."

"Yes. It's a way for humans to find comfort in the face of death, to believe that they can be together with their loved ones again someday."

You smiled, feeling grateful for Neteyam's insights. It was always interesting to learn about the beliefs and customs of humans, even if they were different from your own and usually meant danger. And in some ways, the concept of heaven was similar to your own belief in the afterlife, of becoming one with Eywa and the spirits of your ancestors. It was a reminder that, despite all our differences, there were still common threads that bound everyone all together. You thought about this for a moment, trying to wrap your head around the concept. "I see. I guess it's like how we believe in the spirits of our ancestors who guide us."

Neteyam smiled. "Exactly! It's different, but it's also similar in a way."

You smiled back at him, feeling grateful for his insights into the human world. It was always interesting to learn about their many beliefs and traditions, even if you didn't always understand them.

You nodded, feeling grateful for Neteyam's explanation. "Thanks for telling me about it. It sounds like a nice tradition, that Valentine's Day. But it’s a little strange that humans have one particular day where they are affectionate with their loved ones."

Neteyam had been thinking about Valentine's Day for a while, and he decided to make a small gift for you. He spent many hours working on it, putting all his love and care into each stitch and bead. "Y/N, I made this for you. It's not much, but I wanted to give you something special for Valentine's Day, even if it would take place only tomorrow," Neteyam whispered, reaching for the little bag hung over his shoulder. He pulled out a beautiful bracelet made of woven leaves and colorful beads. It was delicate and intricate, and you could see the time and care that Neteyam had put into making it.

“Neteyam,” you whispered, looking up at him, accepting the gift. “Ma Eywa! It’s beautiful.”

Neteyam smiled, happy to see you enjoying the gift. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted to bring something from human tradition, because that's what father does for mom, and I thought a handcrafted gift would be a good choice."

You nodded, feeling grateful for Neteyam's effort and his understanding of human customs. It was fascinating to learn all that stuff about sky people.

"Thank you, Neteyam. This is a wonderful gift, and I'll cherish it always," you said, putting the bracelet on your wrist and admiring its beauty. “But… I don’t have anything for you, and after what you said I understand that Valentine’s Day is about exchanging gifts.”

Neteyam's smile widened, pleased to have made you happy. It was a small gesture, but it meant a lot to both of you, a symbol of the growing bond as Neteyam had his eye on you for a long while. "There's something you can do for me," Neteyam suggested.

Your head tilted to the side, and you asked, "What's that?"

In a bold voice, he asked, "Kiss me." Neteyam gazed into your eyes, feeling his heart racing with anticipation. He took a deep breath and reached out to gently take your hand in his. Neteyam leaned in closer to her, feeling a surge of courage. "There's something that draws me to you. I feel a connection with you that I can't explain." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and then he leaned in even closer until your faces were just inches apart. 

Your heart skipped a beat as you looked into Neteyam's eyes. You saw the sincerity and vulnerability in his expression, and you felt your own heart begin to race in response. Without a word, you leaned in and met Neteyam's lips with yours, feeling a jolt of electricity pass between them.

For a moment, the world around you fell away as you shared your first kiss. It was a gentle and tender moment, filled with the promise of what could be. As you pulled away, Neteyam looked at you and smiled, feeling a sense of hope and joy that he had never felt before. He looked at you, his eyes wide with awe and wonder. It was as if a new world had opened up to him, and he was seeing everything in a different light. He couldn't believe how soft your lips were, how your touch had sent shivers down his spine, and how his heart was beating so fast in his chest. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, and he knew that he was completely and utterly smitten. For a moment, he was lost in his thoughts, trying to process the overwhelming feeling that had taken over him. As he looked at you, he saw the way your eyes sparkled in the light, the way your smile made his heart flutter, and he knew that he was in trouble. He had never felt this way before, and he knew that he wanted to explore this new and exciting world of emotions that you had introduced him to. Neteyam couldn't wait to see what the future held for the two of you, and he knew that he was ready to take on any challenge as long as he had you by his side.

In that moment, you knew that everything had changed. You felt an intense connection with Neteyam, and you were completely enamored with him. It was a kiss that you would never forget, and you couldn't wait to see where this newfound attraction would take you. “Neteyam,” you whispered softly, trying to find proper words to describe your feelings.

“Shhh,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around your shoulders, pulling you closer to his strong chest. “I’m also lost for words.”

You couldn't help but nuzzle your face into Neteyam's chest, basking in the warmth and comfort that emanated from him. It felt like you were melting into him, and the feeling that rose within your chest was indescribable. As you breathed in his scent, you felt a sense of calm wash over you. It was like you were exactly where you were meant to be, and everything else in the world just fell away. You closed your eyes, savoring the moment, and letting yourself be completely enveloped by the feeling of being in Neteyam's arms. It was a moment you knew you would treasure forever.

Glossary:

kenten - fan lizard

tsaheylu - bond

oel ngati kameie - I see you

[bestfriend491]

Super Powers

| Made From Request 2

Okoye x Female Reader

Summary: Okoye doesn't smile for anyone, so everyone wants to know what super powers you have that make Okoye change completely.

Author's Note: I kind of came to the conclusion that this work is in the same universe as Hateful Love, because of the writing style. But the two stories aren't related for the most part. Just read it if you enjoyed Hateful love. 

Word Count: 3.5k Fluff Warnings: None

Dedicated to : @hyperf1xate-much because guess what? That one very short convo we had about this ended up being the only reason I decided to finally make it. So everybody say thank you, Mayari!!! 🫶🏾😌

Joy and Happiness are two different things. 

Though frequently used interchangeably, they are both defined as different states of emotions. Hosting many differences in how they might appear in someone. 

Happiness is an emotion that is often outwardly portrayed as a feeling of absolute elation. 

It's often felt before, during or after one has had an earthly experience, or when someone has acquired a material object of their desire. 

It is that feeling that one gets when something good has happened, or is about to happen. 

It is the one thing that many people spend their entire lives trying to attain. It's the thing that most people believe will make them feel whole for once. 

People chase hopeless opportunities in the name of finding happiness. 

The only problem is that they don't know the truth about it. 

They don't know that happiness isn't everything that it's talked up to be. 

It is brief. 

And it is fragile. 

It is as easy to lose as it is to gain. 

It can pamper you with gifts and warm feelings one moment and strip you bare the next. 

If Happiness is a state of being, then joy is an existential being. She can't be seen but when found, she remains loyal for as long as one will have her. 

Happiness is nothing like Joy. 

Joy is peace and contentment. She connects you with your internal self. Diving into the deep crevasses of one's soul to find all the good in their life. 

Joy doesn't give out fake promises. When she announces her presence, she promises to stay forever. 

Joy is nothing like happiness. 

Because if happiness is the end goal, joy is the result of an entire healing journey. She is an eternal feeling.

Joy can be channelled into one person. one thing. It can be placed into the heart of someone and hidden from the rest of the world. 

Joy is the underdog of emotions. She is not given the respect that she deserves. 

Instead she is grouped in the same category as Happiness. 

Because to the common person, they are one in the same. 

At least, that’s how Kabia felt about it. 

To her, if you could find happiness, you could find joy. It was all an interconnected chain of reactions to her. 

Raneah, her close companion, felt very different about it.  She was an existential thinker after all. 

She thought about those slight differences between both words. The details that changed the entire meaning of them. 

She was a lot more in her head than Kabia was. 

Her daydreaming, however, didn't stand a chance against the last addition to their close friendship. 

The way that Ekih thought about life was far less complex or detailed. It was more imaginative, like a child's way of viewing the world and it was constantly coming up with new ideas to explain old concepts.

She also knew of the difference between Joy and Happiness. She just didn’t know all the needless details that others had pointed out about them over the years. Happiness is just what she felt and joyful was what she was. 

The three had their own definitions of happiness and joy, and they often disagreed on who was more correct.

By each teenagers’ standard, the amount of people who had found their joy between the three of them differed. 

WIth Ekih’s theory. Everyone had found joy. Her more than the rest of them as she was always happy and full of joy. Both Kabia and Raneah could agree on that. 

What complicated things was figuring out whether or not Kabia and Raneah were happy using Raneah’s theory. 

Ever since they’d become Dora Milaje, the answer to that one question had been hard to find. 

With the new skills and experiences that they had acquired over the last year, they were both sure that they were more than happy with their positions in life. 

The only issue was that Raneah was sure that Kabia hadn’t found joy yet, and it was affecting her ability to fully indulge in the honour of serving her country. 

She was always chasing the hero title, spreading herself thin with unnecessarily intense training. 

Kabia argued otherwise, claiming that it was Raneah who felt this way and she was just projecting. 

She knew that she was just distracting from the truth. Seeing as Raneah had always been more reserved. But she wasn’t willing to admit that she had no idea where she was supposed to look for this mysterious ‘Joy’ figure. 

So she stood her ground. Arguing with her friends and comparing who was happiest. And who held the most joy. 

The same conversation recycled itself over and over again, becoming a regular topic of conversation for them. 

Even as they walked into the training grounds of the palace, they bickered about it. 

“For the last time, Kabia. Joy and happiness are not the same things.” Ekih said to her friend. She walked backwards to be able to face the other 2 as they approached their desired building. 

“Exactly, “ Raneah started, looking at Kabia with her all-knowing eyes. 

“I’m just saying how can we compare the two when they bring the same feeling to us? Why are you two being so headstrong about this? It’s not like you can physically see any of these things anyway.” Kabia argued. 

The never ending comparison between the two feelings was becoming tedious. She was becoming less susceptible to listening and understanding their points. 

So much so, that she easily allowed herself to be distracted by the calling of her name. 

“Kabia!” came a deeply rich voice from behind. 

She turned instantly, knowing who she was going to find standing behind her. 

“T- Thimi.” she stuttered out. 

“You’re back from your mission.” she continued, struggling to keep her mind focused anymore. Her cheeks burned as she tried to push down a smile. 

Thimi nodded with a grin. Going in to hug Kabia, who just stood stunned at the young wardog’s reappearance. 

“I missed you.” Thimi whispered in her ear, sending chills down Kabia’s back. 

She held onto the other woman for far longer than necessary. Forgetting who she had previously been walking with. 

When she let go, and let the wardog go to hug the other two girls, her mind was in a completely halted state. 

A dizziness came upon her. And she had to hold on to Raneah's arm to keep her balance. 

“Kabia?” came a voice again.

"Hm.?" She asked once she realised that someone had been talking to her. 

"I asked if you wanted to hang out sometime next week. Before I get assigned to leave again." 

"Uh," Kabia started, trying to arrange her thoughts. Looking at Ekih and Raneah, she realised that this wouldn't be a group activity. It would just be her and Thimi. 

Her face grew hot, and her mouth dry.

The wardog stood looking down at her. “I’ll give you some time to think about it.”

Still, Kabia didn’t say a thing.

She watched the woman hesitantly walk away, instead.

“Well there’s your problem.” Raneah’s voice came through, snapping her out of her daze.

“What’s my problem?”

“You’re your own worst enemy.”

“I am not!”

“Kabs, are you serious right now?” Raneah continued. 

Ekih interjected finally, “Kabia, that was your physical evidence of joy and you just let her walk away.” 

Kabia shook her head and folded her arms, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

The other two rolled their eyes.

She dismissed them.

"I don't have time to talk about this. We're going to be late." 

Luckily they didn't press the issue more, deciding to just follow her to the training facilities. 

From the moment that training started there was a strange energy in the room. 

It wasn’t as tense as every other day. 

Kabia looked around for any particularly different features in the room that she stretched in, but the room looked identical to how it had when she had last been there. 

She wasn’t the only one to notice. Ekih and Raneah doing their rounds of observation too. They made eye contact with each other when a laugh came through the room. Unfamiliar to all of them. 

Their focus shifted to near the door of the room, where an unknown woman stood talking to the General. 

As they looked closer, they saw the most unusual thing of the day. 

The General had a large grin across her face. And it was clear that she had been the one laughing. 

Kabia’s eyes grew large at the sight, seeing General Okoye’s hand being held by the woman without the General flinching or pulling away. 

Instinctively the girls stood up and went to a corner of the room to talk. 

“Is that-” Ekih started. 

“-General Okoye smiling.” Kabia finished. 

They were huddled in a triangular shield-like form. 

“Who’s that woman standing next to her?” Kabia asked.

“Clearly Bast herself; with the way she’s making her smile.” Ekih laughed, getting a chuckle out of the others. 

Raneah looked up at the two again making sure that she was seeing things correctly, “So none of us have ever seen her before?” 

Her friends shook their heads in agreement. 

Nobody had ever seen this woman. But clearly Okoye was very familiar with her.  

“Maybe it’s a test. Something the General has set up to see if we’re observant.” Ekih suggested. 

A minute of silent thought took place, and the other two couldn’t argue with her idea. It was likely that Okoye was testing them. 

That was what made the most sense. She had to be pretending to be happy to trick all the newer Doras. 

“Should we approach?” 

“No.” Kabia quickly stopped them. “If we attack and it’s not a test we’ll be done for. Let’s just stay together and keep an eye on them until the woman leaves.” 

The others followed her lead, going back to their positions close to each other. They kept an eye on the General and the strange woman for the majority of the session, even slowing down their normally fast paced sparring to take more glimpses of the scene that never ended. 

By the end of the day, they were certain that something was wrong. Okoye had barely been herself the entire time. All she was focused on was the woman that held her so closely. 

Okoye hadn’t been oblivious to the stares that she had been getting throughout the day. Especially the ones from the Triple Bullets, as she liked to call them. 

Kabia, Raneah and Ekih were her strongest new recruits.

They were also the nosiest. 

From the first day that they entered the palace, they were a tight unit of gossipers. 

Which was why she wasn’t surprised that even 30 minutes after training had ended, they were all still pretending to pack their things up, when really they were just staring at you and her. 

She was more surprised that the girls hadn’t found out about the two of you months before.

You stood in front of her, your hand in hers. “They’re still there?” you asked, looking away from the girls to prevent yourself from laughing. 

She nodded, her day-long smile fading as she rolled her eyes. 

“I should probably introduce myself before I get ambushed on my way home.” you said, getting a sigh as a reply. 

“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” 

The two of you turned, looking directly at the group of young girls. 

“Girls.” she said, crossing her arms in salute. 

You stood next to her with an awkward smile, as you waited for your cue. 

“General.” they all said in patchy unison. 

“I’d like to introduce you to someone.” Okoye said.

They all looked at you. You crossed your arms, before extending your arm out. “I’m Y/n. Okoye’s-”

“-Wife.” Raneah declared. She pointed to the ring on your finger, then at the matching one that Okoye wore. 

The other two gasped, getting a chuckle out of you, while Okoye tried to hide a grin. 

“I did not expect that.” Raneah said breathlessly. 

Okoye eyed her questionably prompting her to correct herself. “Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I meant to say; You look like a wonderful couple.” 

You smiled at her as she finally took your extended hand and shook it. She had a strong grip, apologising through her expression. 

When you offered your hands to the others, it was a lot more comical. 

Kabia had completely zoned out so she didn’t notice until Raneah bumped her shoulder. 

Ekih was more aware of your presence. Taking your hand in hers but nearly yanking it off with the amount of force that she used. 

“Woah” you said, pulling your arm back. 

“Oh sh-.I am so sorry.” she said, breathing heavily. 

“It’s okay.” you said,

Okoye glared a warning to the girls.  

‘Stop embarrassing me.’ 

You cleared your throat, “ I was assigned a new weapons development project that requires me to work with the Dora for a few weeks.” you started to explain. 

The girls nodded in understanding. Clearly having been waiting for an explanation. 

You all stood there for a while, before Raneah looked out and saw that the natural light from the sun was dimming. It was getting late. 

“I think we’d better go.” she said.

She led the other two out of the facility.

“Of course they chose the one day you were going to be here to act like that.” Okoye said. 

The girls made their way to their homes, all shocked by the new revelation of Okoye actually having the ability to smile for longer than a split second. 

“It’s got to be magic.” Ekih said, walking backwards once again. 

“Magic? Don’t be ridiculous, Ekih.” Kabia argued. 

“I’m not being ridiculous. What else would explain seeing the General smile for hours on end?” 

“I don’t know, but it’s definitely not magic.” 

“Think about it. Maybe Y/n has some kind of power that attracts people to her.” 

Kabia rolled her eyes, “If that were true we would have acted normal back there. And in case you didn’t notice we were a mess.” 

“Fine. Maybe it only works on the General. There’s no other way she would have been acting like that. Smiling is not a normal thing that she just… does.” 

“She seemed pretty normal to me.” Raneah finally pitched in. 

“Of course she looked normal to you, Miss “Joy can find everyone”. “ Kabia mimicked her. 

Raneah gently shoved her to the left. 

“Well maybe it is joy.” she shot back. 

The other two both looked at her questionably. 

Ekih’s expression pleading for her to elaborate while Kabia’s pleaded for her to let it go so she could forget about the embarrassing interaction. 

“I know that we’ve always seen the General as this emotionless woman who doesn’t experience regular human feelings like the rest of us. But maybe we’re not one-hundred percent right. 

What if she’s kept a tough exterior shell and made it an entire fake-personality to showcase to the rest of the world. And she deliberately chooses to fool the rest of us and make us paint a specific picture of her. 

And she does this as often as possible. Pretending that she’s unapproachable and unhappy or annoyed. All because she knows that she can store her Joy into her forever person. 

The person that she knows will love her regardless of what’s going on and won’t judge her for her authentic personality…” Raneah rambled on, completely enthralled by the potential of the concept that she had developed actually being correct. 

Ekih leaned into every word, loving the idea too. 

Both of their minds were spinning in different directions, analysing the situation. 

Kabia on the other hand, barely paid attention to the absurd idea. 

“Or maybe she was just having a really good day and decided to smile for once.” Kabia argued. 

Ekih shook her head. “That wasn’t something you get from a good day, Kabs. What we witnessed back there was Joy. Real , pure joy that is probably not going anywhere as long as Y/n is there. Again, magic.” 

“You're really going to keep calling it magic?” 

“It’s either that or I’m calling it love powers.” 

Kabia sighed at the suggestion. 

Somehow she preferred the former. 

“So what do we do with this information?” she asked. She was becoming intrigued, though she didn’t want to admit it. 

“Well, you should use that information to put your pride aside and agree to go out with Thimi.” Raneah said. They were nearing her house, which meant that the other two’s houses weren’t too far away either. 

Kabia immediately shook her head. “I’m not doing that.” 

“Why not?” the other two whined in unison. 

“Because I’ll look like a foo- I just won’t, okay.” She stopped the conversation there. 

Ekih grew completely silent, detecting her house from a farther distance and offering her goodbyes. 

Raneah and Kabia stood in front of the formers’ house. 

Kabia, looking at the ground, felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up trying her best not to show too much emotion.

“Look. I know you might think you don’t need joy in your life because you're making a mark by being a Dora. but everyone needs that extra something that keeps them going. I’m not saying you have to go out with her if you don’t want to. I’m just saying; if you want to - which I can tell you do- you should do it.” 

Feeling her eyes start to water, she wiped the developing tears away, smiling at Raneah. 

“Thanks.” 

The two hugged, and Kabia made her way home.

A week after the first time anyone had seen the General smiling, it was becoming a regular occurrence. 

With you so close by, she was constantly smiling at you or with you. 

She had barely noticed that there was a major shift in her behaviour. She always acted like that around you. 

Though the previous weeks’ intense stares had been directed at Okoye. Now they were mostly being given to you. 

The girls had been a bit more subtle than the last time, but you could still clearly tell that they were staring at you as you worked. 

Okoye had walked past you and pointed it out a couple of times, but you had politely declined all her offers to handle the situation. 

As the third hour of training came into action, and the Doras were taking a break, you could feel the stares intensifying. 

Again, Okoye came to you. 

‘Y/n, my love. If I catch them looking at you one more time, I’m going to cause a scene.” she spoke with a fake smile on her face. 

You hummed in understanding. “Let me talk to them first, Okoye.” 

She reluctantly let you go, watching you approach them as they tried to avoid eye contact now that you were close. 

By the time you stood right in front of them, they were still trying to avoid looking directly at you. 

“Did you girls need something?” you asked, looking at Raneah, who was the only one comfortable enough to look at you. 

“We’re really sorry for staring. We just have so many questions.” she said to you. 

“Go ahead.” you offered. 

Ekih’s eyes lit up and she immediately looked up at you. 

“We’re trying to figure out what to call what you have.” 

Your eyes wandered up in thought. “What I have?” you questioned.

“The thing that you have that makes General Okoye smile so much.” Raneah explained. 

You looked out towards your wife when you heard this. She was always at least slightly smiling when you were around. It was hard to envision her not being the same when you weren’t around.

“How often is she like this when I’m not around?” you asked no particular person. 

Kabia let out a sly chuckle, “She’s never like this when you’re not around. It's like a magical super power that you have. That’s what Ekih calls it. ”

A super power? You wanted to laugh at the idea, but the girls seemed very serious. 

As you turned her head to look at Okoye, and you saw her bright smile towards you, you softly returned her one of your own. 

“Okoye smiles.” you tried to reason with the three. They shook their heads heavily. 

“Raneah’s the most observant person we know and even she hadn’t seen the General smiling so much before you came last week. “ Kabia spoke. 

“It’s amazing to look at honestly.” she continued , “I don’t want to agree with Ekih’s idea that its a literal super power, but it's a nice figurative super power.” she smiled sheepishly at you. Thinking about her own potential superhero. 

You took in a deep breath of contentment. 

“Maybe it is like a super power.” you whispered.

 ‘One that I’m more than grateful to have.’ you thought. 

If you could bring Okoye even a fraction of the happiness that she brought you, you would be more than glad to. 

As for Kabia, she was starting to soften up to the idea of taking Thimi up on her offer. 

After all, what was the worst that could happen?

Maybe she’d find her joy.

[devilfic]

FIRST OF ALL

I luv your writing omg

Now second, if you want-tho

Concept were Bruce makes a playlist for his partner

LIKE-

pairing: battinson!bruce wayne x gn!reader. cw: fluff, established relationship. words: 983.

a/n: you are so galaxy brained for this one. I'll also be writing these concepts more like headcanons/blurbs just because it's a bit easier to do (and way more fun ngl)

also! I've plugged this playlist before on clean slate but I just have to plug it again because OP captures what I imagine bruce's taste is PERFECTLY with the grunge and nu metal

now, battinson's bruce definitely doesn't set out with the intention to make you a playlist... at first

bruce is one of those people that has to have music on while they work so he'll be fixing up the batmobile or working out when a song comes on shuffle and he just. starts thinking about you. whether the lyrics express his feelings or he just thinks you'd like the sound, he'll quietly make a note about it and the list just naturally grows on its own

I think bruce is into alt rock and metal—branching into the subgenres a bit as he's feeling out his taste—so expect a lot of music of that vein

(I do like the idea that bruce has also retained some of his parents' music taste which consists of oldies from the 50's and 60's ;-;; he has a lot of respect for jazz and swing and the occasional sappy love song)

for some reason I can't see bruce making you a digital playlist, like I really see him putting in the effort to make you a cd LMAO and he'll scribble on the face of it something like "for you" or "songs you might like" or something unintentionally cheesy so that you can pop it into your car stereo and listen to it in surround sound. he will try to make you something more portable at your behest BUT he insists you have something physical too. not to be soft but he's really adamant about you getting to hold the physical and audial amalgamation of his feelings for you

he is sooooooooo eager to hear your thoughts on the songs too!! I know I said bruce doesn't really set out to make you a playlist but I swear on bruce's electric guitar that that man spends hours combing over every lyric, every singer, and the order of the songs to make sure that it's flawless before he even THINKS about presenting it to you. and you know this loser will still try to be cool about it like leaving it in your vicinity and telling you to check it out whenever you get a chance

there are very few things I think bruce is readily prepped to info dump about but of those few things, cars and music are by far at the top of the list. you'll ask him about one of the songs he put on the playlist and he'll give you the drummer's entire life story just to explain the breakdown during one (1) part of the song

(something something sharing an experience intimately with the one you love something something carrying an arrangement of sounds and words and feelings around with you forever that reach back as far as one moment in one band member's life that resulted in one verse that now perfectly encompasses the love you feel-)

he really does try not to be too bothered if you don't end up liking it but like I said, dude's agonized over every possible aspect of this playlist and even if he doesn't want to show it, he ABSOLUTELY wants you to like it..... he'll very obviously watch you like a hawk when you come to give him your thoughts on it, hanging onto every word

if you like it he is OVER the moon about it. he'll get to work right away on a new one (though he won't tell you) and try to aim for a different vibe so that you have playlists for every mood like he does

(you cannot tell me bruce doesn't have playlists for every mood. he 100% has one just to get him pumped to leave the house for patrol lmao)

he appreciates if you're honest about not liking it too! while music is something very dear to him, there are so many other things that you two can share. it doesn't have to end there. he'll also probably try to make you a playlist of music you gravitate toward more, even if it's out of his comfort zone

if he knows you're lying about liking it he will be crushed. please don't lie abt ur feelings, you can tell him the truth and he'll find a rooftop and cry on it handle it like the adult he is

jk jk but no seriously, if you don't end up liking his song choices or maybe you both just don't share the same music taste at all, it's ok!!! bruce strikes me as the kind of guy who sticks very strictly to his favorite genre and isn't super comfortable branching out but music is a window into his soul, so why can't it also be a window into yours?

he will 100% ask you about your favorite artists and add their music to his usual rotation until he GETS comfortable with it (esp if you're hanging out with him in the batcave. he will hear you get excited and start singing along and laugh under his breath ;-; he might even sing along with you, but you didn't hear that from me)

we also know that bruce has a fucking electric GUITAR and he probably only plays it in his downtime when no one is around, but if you ask him to play for you, he'll... consider it

I headcanon that he wasn't trained in guitar, he just sort of played by ear for years and taught himself until he got decent at it, so he does worry that you won't be impressed by it. but whether you know how to play yourself or not, he would really appreciate any encouragement on your end and probably play for you more unprompted after the fact

(and maybe one day he might write you a song of your own...?)

(there's a box under his bed of failed songwriting attempts from when he was a teenager that will never see the light of day)

[frickingnerd]

your love is all i've ever known

pairing: eunie x gn!reader

summary: when you learn about love in the city, you realize that you've been in love with your childhood friend eunie all this time...

tags: silly & wholesome fluff, childhood friends to lovers, accidental confession, oblivious!reader, happy ending

you had been friends with noah, lanz and eunie ever since you met during training as children. you had spent your entire life by their side and those three were the most important people in your life. especially eunie always had a special place in your heart, yet you could never quite explain what you felt for her. 

it wasn't until you all became ouroborus and made your way to the city, that you started to understand your feelings a little better. you had learned about so many new things, but one word especially stood out to you: love!

as monica explained love to all of you, talking about marriage, partners, dating – all words that were new to you – it suddenly clicked. monica had mentioned a special someone, a person that's unlike anyone else you'll ever meet. someone you don't just love but that you're in love with. someone you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. 

while everyone was still trying to wrap their head around the concept of love, it seemed to come rather natural to you. 

"i think… i get it. it's pretty much the same way i feel about eunie. i want to spend the rest of my life with her and i don't like the idea of there being someone she likes more than me…"

suddenly everyone's head turned and they stared at you surprised. you hadn't even realized you said anything special, you were just trying to add to what monica had said earlier. so why was eunie's face all red when she looked at you? and what did that smile on monica's lips mean?

"did i say something weird…?"

you turned to monica, before awkwardly glancing towards eunie for a moment. monica just smiled and pat your shoulder.

"you just confessed your love to eunie, did you not? usually people are too afraid to say what they feel, especially with an audience around. but you seem to be quite brave…"

"oh, i…"

you looked at eunie again, her face still as red as it was a moment ago. you awkwardly rubbed your neck, getting a little flustered yourself now. you didn't think what you said was such a big deal, but apparently you were wrong.

"well, i do mean what i said…!"

you turned to eunie, smiling at her and trying to look confident, as you confessed properly this time.

"i do love you a lot and there is nobody else i'd rather spend my life with. i'm not asking you to have babies with me or marry me, but i'd like you to be my partner…!"

monica smiled amused as she watched the two of you. eunie's face seemed to get more and more red with each word you said and she nervously tugged on her feathers as she glanced to the side. you had never seen her this flustered before…

"i… i think i could do that. being your partner and all… if you promise you won't change your mind…!"

eunie spoke up nervously, before reaching out her hand towards yours, only for you to smile and lock pinky fingers with her, just like you had done when you were children.

"i promise!"

[royalydamned-archive]

Second Chances

(Michael Demiurgos x Reader) - Part IV

<- Part III Part V ->

Summary: Angel in a human world, just like fish out of the water.

|AN|: "The next part is not gonna take months" lmao Barry shut the fuck up. At least we are moving a bit forward in plot, but I am not promising anything anymore with so many WIPs.

I wanted to include a bit more on here, but I don't know how I'm suddenly on 3.5k words and I don't want the parts to be too long. I do get a bit carried away, it seems like it's short and nothing really happened yet and suddenly we're past the 3k mark. Annoying.

-------------------------------------------------------------

There was something confusingly comforting in watching you eat. Other times, he would have found it gross, the whole concept of hunger seemed too demeaning for an angel – how your body controlled you, dictated you, with your mind defenceless to its demands.

You, however, held no annoyance in such act. Quite the opposite, it seemed like many humans took great pleasure in eating and sharing it was a gesture of affection. They truly weren't that different to animals.

Slowly you slid you plate towards him across the table, encouraging look in you eyes. "Want some?"

Michael scrunched his nose and shook his head in response. "That's gross."

"You're gross," you scoffed and pulled the plate back to you. "Do you even like anything?"

"Like food?"

"Like in general." He rolled his eyes, but as he thought about it, maybe you were right. Spending so long trying to be better than Lucifer, to prove he could do what he did, and do it even better, he neglected his own life. He built it around his brother, around nothing but recognition. For millenia he tried to be better than others until he lost himself.

"I don't know," Michael admitted, and you could see the shift in his eyes – once again solemn, remembering what once was and how to possibly get it back. "I liked home."

"What was it like?"

"Clean, bright, peaceful...complete opposite of whatever this is," he gestured vaguely outside, rather no looking out of the window  into the dirty crowded streets and questionable individuals roaming them.

"I think you get fond of it after some time." A small smile played on your lips as you watched a couple pass by with a small dog in their arms, clearly tired from the heat, carrying it to spare it's paws from the hot concrete. Michael followed your gaze, his eyes going right through the scene that caught your attention, instead focusing on a man loudly screaming into his phone.

"Will never understand your stupid optimism."

"The same way I will never understand your unnecessary negativity." He narrowed his eyes at you, but you only smiled, getting another bite from your food without breaking eye-contact. 

"You're eating very slowly," he said after a beat of silence, dodging the topic. It was clearly you got him.

"Trying to enjoy it."

"Why? Food is served to do satisfy a human need and sooth hunger. There is nothing enjoyable about weakness." He was serious, yet from the amused expression your face beared, it seemed like you took it as a joke.

"Hunger is a weakness?" You laughed and popped a fry into your mouth. Sometimes you made him wonder how you kept your high spirits and straight up irritating attitude.

"Clearly." You raised your eyebrows, urging him to explain the reasoning behind his words. Of course he confused your simple human mind. "Anything that can kill you is a weakness, and it's pretty easy to starve to death."

"You look at everything from the wrong angle."

"I look at everything objectively. And that is a fact." Michael watched you as you stayed silent, for a moment thinking he had won the little exchange as you seemed loss of words, but for the short time he had the displeasure of knowing you, he remembered not to underestimate you. Well, not much at least.

After a few second, you leaned closer to him across the small table that was dividing you, disregarding his personal space, and yet, he found it not utterly uncomfortable. Michael didn't trust, not his family, not anyone, let alone a person he met just a few days ago, who could stab him in the back for a few bucks for coffee – in his mind, he kind of expected you to – but as much any closeness and human contact made his skin crawl, he found himself leaning in as well. You were an exception. Against his better judgment, he met you halfway, curiously awaiting whatever thought in that mind of yours.

Michael watched you intently, following your hand as it grabbed a fry off your plate, bringing it to his face. You poked his lips with it, silently urging him to open his mouth and he could do nothing but frown, holding your mischievous gaze with his unreadable one.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly, neither of you pulled back into your half of the table.

"Feeding you," you stated the obvious and shrugged your shoulders.

"Why?"

"I want to poison you with human food." A smirk creeped up into your face. You decided to play his game, willing to pretend you were befriending something supernatural, something that just didn't understand or know better.

"Very funny."

"Jesus Michael, just eat the goddamn fry." He just rolled his eyes and took a hesitant bite, knowing you wouldn't let him be unless he complied.

"So? How is it?"

Oily, oversalted and fake, he thought to himself bitterly, but the words didn't make it out and he cursed himself for what he said instead. "Alright, I guess."

"You hate it," you concluded, seeing right past his lie and he only had to comfort himself in the fact he didn't try to be believable. Otherwise he would have fooled you.

"I do," he admitted and a short laugh accompanied it, surprising both you an himself.

"Well, you're so far the only person I know who dislikes fries, but then again, you are not like anyone I've ever known."

"Is that an insult?" With a chuckle, you sat back, leaving Michael still leaning in, almost chasing the closeness from before, yet not realizing he sort of...missed it.

"No, I like how weird you are." He wanted to say something in return, as defense or put of the habit that had grown between the two of you, but decided against it. For a moment he let himself believe that you did like him. Nobody else ever had, and when you admitted he convinced himself you meant it, because he knew how to spot a lie. It filled him with warmth he didn't mind.

After that, he quietly waited for you to finish your meal, strangely enjoying the way you spent your time together, but he was not ready to admit to himself he didn't mind you as much as any other human.

"If you don't like fries, what do you say we go for ice cream?" You asked him after you paid, nudging him with your shoulder as you were leaving.

"No."

"Why not?"

"You've just eaten." Michael saw you open your mouth, sure that another brilliant argument had appereaned in your head, and spoke first, not giving you the chance to react. "And I don't really have any cash."

"How do you pay for the apartment?"

"With my brother's card, he won't miss it."

"Michael!" you exclaimed and grabbed his elbow to stop him from walking away. He turned to you, frowning, like he didn't understand what upset you about it. "You can't steal from your brother!"

"Why not? He stole a lot of things from me." Michael couldn't return home, he had lost his wings, his dignity, his family. He had nothing – no one – and yet, somehow, he was the bad guy again. Like he had always been.

No one, except for you, he thought and quickly shut down the irritating little voice in his head, the one that liked the way you held his hand, the one that believed you when you said you liked him. The voice that wanted to believe he had a friend.

What was this dadforsaken place doing to him after just a couple of days?

"No," you said and shook your head. "I know he must have hurt you, and you probably don't have the best relationship–"

"I hate him," Michael interjected bitterly.

"Well, alright," you looked at the man in front of you, uncertainty in the way the narrowed your eyes, as if studying him. "But  isn't that one more reason not to be like him? Be a better man?"

"No." You closed your eyes and sighed at his response. Maybe trying to calm down? Think of a better argument? He couldn't tell, human mannerisms always meant something else and who was he to try and understand?

"So you still want to depend on him?"

"I've never–!" The angel stopped himself. Maybe he had depended on him, in some sense. He needed him to ruin something once again to prove he was better, but that was long gone. Michael no longer had a greater purpose; he was no soldier, no angel, no son. Just another man – human man – pondering over his life, trying to find the reason he was there. Alive. "Just take it."

You watched him fish out the card from his pocket and he angrily trusted it into your hands. The frown on his face deepened when he saw you flash him a bright smile, maybe he hated you for being right. That fit him quite well.

"Don't worry Michael, we'll get you a job." His face turned sour as he heard you say it, but knew that it was inevitable. He couldn't return home and as much as he didn't want to, he had to blend in, get used to the miserable life earth offered.

"Can't wait," Michael answered sarcastically and slowed down his pace a bit, seeing you struggle to keep up. You seemed to notice, flashing him a grateful smile, but stayed quiet, almost knowing he wanted it to go unnoticed.

"Well, I guess we can skip the dessert then. I'll go talk to Liam, he said something about needing someone to replace Steph after she quit." You started rambling about work and Michael didn't hear a thing. All he could think of, was how much he had truly fallen. The humiliation of working, like he had never been a soldier of heaven, like he had never been an archangel at all. Just another cockroach crawling around, in mercy of the wealthier, the more powerful. Submit or die.

"Not sure I follow," he said, absently looking ahead.

"In short, we'll work together. Different shifts, of course, but still. We'll be colleagues." Michael didn't understand the excitement, maybe it was solely human thing. He might even learn to be the same, over time.

The thought almost made him shrug.

"I'd...like," he struggled out and stole a quick glance your way. "to work with you. More than the other girl, that's for sure."

"Oh please, Zoe grows on you."

"Hopefully not."

Michael saw you smirk and something similiar passed through his own features as well. Just for a second. No matter how he tried to hide it, you saw. Without a word, you grabbed his hand, and to his own surprise, he grasped it as soon as he felt the skin touching his, letting you drag him wherever you pleased.

-------------------------------------

The pub was much emptier in the middle of the day, even more than late at night during business days. Most tables were empty, one of them was occupied with a single man, his face hidden in his elbow, clearly sleeping while a half drunk beer and a few empty shots laid by him on the table, it's wood drowned in spilled alcohol. He didn't seem to care about how wet his sleeve was from the liquor, just peacefully snored into his hand, which was the only sign that he was alive.

A bit closer to the entrance door, a pair of older men sat, ones Michael remembered from the night before. One of them, Harry if he remembered correctly, was pointing at something in the newspaper, ranting away with an irritated face, while his partner sat quietly, listening to him with a small smile playing on his lips. It made Michael wonder, how can one seem so happy with the other, while the only thing they shared in common seemed to be the bowl of chips in the middle of their table. It must be exhausting, being around someone so different all the time.

"You can sit behind the bar and I'd go find Liam, I'm sure he is somewhere in here." Before he could answer, you had gone somewhere into the back, leaving him standing by the entrance door. Thankfully, neither of the customers seemed to pay him any attention, so he sat down on one of the barstool, waiting for whatever comes next.

Back at home, he used to be convinced he was wasting his talents, that Dad was wasting his talents when he had made him to follow and submit, and not to rule. He was an archangel, a great warrior and smarter than any of his siblings could wish to be, they were the soldiers, they were meant to follow. He had been made to rule. Michael realized now, he might have been a bit less greedy, maybe that way he would still have been home, with his wings still a secure weight on his shoulders.

He was expendable. Not a son, just a figure on his father's chess board, one he could have replaced any time he wanted. And maybe he did want.

A strange pain bloomed in Michael's chest and he clenched his fists, nails digging into the skin of his palms, a poor attempt to distract himself from his thoughts. From the realization, that nobody had probably ever wanted him.

"I really dislike that sour expression on your pretty face." A voice came from next to him and he sighed.

"Hi Zoe."

"Hello handsome." Zoe hopped on the bar, sitting right beside Michael, a glass in one hand and a rag in the other as she quietly polished it while waiting for any reaction from the man next to her. For a while the only sound between them was the squeaking of the wet fabric against the smooth glass.

"I can hear you thinking," the angel said without a single glance at the woman's direction and she just laughed and jumped off the bar to put the glass to its place, almost dropping it at least three times.

"Just don't say it out loud, it'd be inappropriate." Zoe leaned over where he was sitting, inviting herself into his personal space and he straightened his back, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. "Am I scaring you?"

"I'm not scared," Michael snapped back, annoyed. "I just don't like people that close to me."

"You're the first person ever who doesn't want me close to them," she winked and stood back, some of her long, dark red braids falling into her face and she brushed them away. "I like that about you."

"Very strange thing to like."

"I like strange things." Zoe shrugged her shoulders. "My cat has no fur, I have a pink fridge and my first tattoo was a dolphin with a cowboy hat and two revolvers."

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Michael interrupted, fearing he would have to sit through a very long and unnecessary story of her tattoo's meaning, and he could only stand so much social interaction in one day.

The woman sighed, her face suddenly serious, and weirdly, he liked it better laughing and obnoxiously loud. Her silence seemed more dangerous. "You have to understand, I wanted to seem friendly, a lot of people open up to me, especially men, and as much as I do like the whole thing you have going on there" she wiggled her index finger in front of his face. "don't blame me for being alert. You have a face of a millionare, but act like an awkward schoolboy."

"The face is, I'm afraid, a personal touch of my parents," he gave her a forced tight smile, obviously lingered with irony, and she rolled her eyes.

"So your parents happened to make the almost perfect Lucifer Morningstar?" Zoe's black eyes narrowed, her long pink nails tapping rhythmically against the wood surface of the bar, and not even knowing how or why, Michael found himself being interrogated by a woman who had gems stuck to her eyelids.

"Yes," he answered quietly. "That happens when people have twins."

"Lucifer is your brother?"

"That's literally the only plausible and logical explanation. What did you expect?" She just shrugged again, like it was no big deal. As careless as his brother and equally devious, she was that kind of person he wanted to avoid. That kind with whom he had lived with for too long.

"Something more exciting. Like identity theft, face reconstruction. Things worthy of a movie." Michael looked past her behind the bar where you had disappeared, hoping you'd come back any second. As much as he wanted to believe you, that he would eventually warm up to the particular friend of yours, none of it was happening and the angel doubted it would be anytime soon.

"Sorry to disappoint then."

Zoe stopped for a moment, just quietly looking at him, and Michael fought the urge to squirm in discomfort. Amanediel used to glare at him the same; for one reason or the other, she was better at it.

"Zoe, dear." The woman's head snapped towards the couple sitting not too far away, where the man whose name Michael didn't know yet waved with a bright smile. "Can we get one more beer, and a soda?"

Zoe showed him thumbs up and pushed herself off her place behind the bar, walking towards the tap handles and passing them without a single glance. Instead, she reached into a fridge and pulled out two cans, delivering them to the already waiting couple, who started engaging her in a conversation as soon as she approached them. She, however, didn't seem to mind and even sat down on one of the free chairs, fighting for a word with Harry as they debated something he had just found in the newspaper.

Not too long after, you finally emerged, behind you a short chubby man trailed, a cigarette in hand and pair of square glasses resting on the top of his head, strands of greying hair tangled into their frame. He scanned Michael up and down, frowning deep in thought, the crease between his eyebrows as deep as a gash, and the angel dodged his intense stare, looking at you in question instead.

"Michael, this is Liam, the owner. Liam, this is Michael he–"

"Wants a job," Liam interrupted, waving you off with his right hand without a single look. Like you were nothing but an annoying bug. As if he was not the same, as mortal, as insignificant. Michael held back a scowl. "Do you have any working experience?"

"No," he answered simply, slightly enjoying the annoyed expression on the short man's face.

"Then why should I hire you?" he snapped and took a long drag out of his cigarette, blowing the smoke into Michael's face and he did everything he could not to flinch and cough.

"Your last one quit, didn't she?" Liam's face twisted and beside him, Michael caught a glimpse of your smirk. Almost proud.

"Nobody likes a smart-ass," the short man grumbled and stroked his stubbled chin. "You mean you never worked anywhere?"

"He helped with family business," you piped in quietly. "Travel agency."

"Travel agency," Liam repeated and snorted out an amused laugh, making Michael flinch as he almost sprayed him. He, however, ignored his disgusted face, like he seemed to ignore everyone at any time. "Fuck me."

"I served a long time in the army, didn't have time for career experience," the angel said suddenly, twisted delight spreading in his chest as he watched Liam's face slowly fall.

"It would be good to have some muscle around," he murmed to himself, eyes fallen onto the wooden floor and Michael knew he could no longer bear to hold his gaze. At least some of what he used to be wasn't truly lost. He still had the greatest weapon to use against humanity – their fear. "Where did you serve?"

"How is that relevant?"

"Fair. You're hired. You can start tomorrow at 4pm, but come to my office first, I want to discuss pay. And you," he abruptly turned towards you, his index finger almost poking your eyes out as Liam was closer than he had thought. "Show him the ropes. If you have any issues, figure it out. I don't want to know from you unless something is on fire, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

With that, he threw the butt of his cigarette into a nearby ashtray, and with a heavy step and loud breath, wobbled away. You and Michael watched in silence, until you couldn't even see his silhouette, and then turned to stare at each other for a few silent second.

"Do you remember when you called me a massive dick?"

"Vaguely," you responded with a ghost of a smile and Michael's right corner twitched slightly. "He rightfully took that place from you."

Taglist:

@chipster-21 @tea-effect @littlepeanut03 @spideysimpossiblegirl   @flippittygibbitts @repostingmyfavs

[askanallo]

Could you explain what attraction is? And how you feel towards people you are attracted to vs those you're not?

So this is one of the things where I think definitions get difficult because the ace community uses the word attraction to mean something quite different from most people.

Generally, allos refer only to sexual and romantic attraction, usually as one combined thing, as attraction. There's no knowledge of platonic attraction, alterous attraction, etc. for most people. However aces refer to many many different things as attraction. The split attraction model it's called I think? Where attraction is split into a lot of different types that are all very specific. 'Platonic attraction' for example either doesn't exist for allos or they would call it something different than attraction. From an allo POV, you're not meant to be attracted to your friends unless you want to take the relationship into a different (romantic/sexual) direction while being attracted to your friends (platonically) is considered to be the normal among aros&aces.

As for me, I have never felt the ace version of attraction. I don't know what platonic/alterous/queerplatonic attractions are and sensual, romantic, aesthetic and sexual attractions cannot be separated for me, together they make up this one concept of a general attraction (which varies a lot, depending on the strength of the feeling).

For me, if I get a crush on someone, I get nervous around them and want to impress them. I can't stop noticing how pretty they are. Usually I try to spend more time with them. (Assuming I'm not in a relationship. If I am, I just try to interact like normal and ignore the feelings.) If I meet them a couple more times, I start thinking about them a lot even when they aren't there and maybe fantastize about them while masturbating - which is a conscious process btw. I've never looked at someone and involuntarily started imagining myself having sex with them, which is apparently what most of the ace community thinks attraction is? I don't know if I'm an outlier or something, but I've never experienced that, and it sounds extremely inconvenient.

Once a relationship begins, I stop being nervous after some time but I start craving non-sexual touch and lose all concept of personal space with my partner. Attraction then becomes a short-cut to intimacy. Romantic relationships generally get more serious faster because the brain chemicals you get from being in love & attracted to that person can sort of fast-track your relationship. It's like using a cheat in a game or something lol. It took me far longer to get comfortable with my current group of friends than with my boyfriend. It is very difficult to describe. When I was younger, I didn't get the difference between romantic and platonic relationships and the people I asked just told me "you'll know when you experience it" and yeah I did get it then. The new relationship brain chemicals I had for a couple of months after me & my bf got together were fucking insane. Like they single-handedly pulled me out of an awful depression spiral even though it was literally the beginning of covid and my living situation was actually kinda awful.

I don't get as nervous around people I'm not attracted to, I don't seek out ways to be around them as much, and I never fantasize about them. I hope that this was helpful!

[terrence-silver]

What if Terry's therapist recommended spirituality to Terry, looking up to God to attain peace of mind and try to get himself on track during that period when he hit rock bottom after the 85 all valley..let's say he went on a business trip to India and whilst there, his therapists words kept playing in the back of his head.

" Try to find your spiritual self ..."

Terry comes across a few kids playing whilst on a tour . They run off towards a nearby temple , he decides to follow them for a reason he doesn't quite know himself. Leaving his tour guide without saying a word he goes . When he reaches ,the first thing he sees is the architecture and various deities being worshipped ..but he doesn't understand the concept of any of this.

A priest sees him looking around and approaches him after noticing him gazing at the structure and the activities going on ...the priest offers him a sanctified sweet. He explains that it has been offered to the gods . Terry being someone who doesn't intake sugar silently accepts this and eats it.

He silently listens to the priest explain the traditions and various aspects of the history of the temple . By the end of the evening, having spent hours in this temple silently just taking in his surroundings the priest notices he still there long after he left him to perform a prayer ceremony. Before Terry leaves the priest gives him one of the prayer beads and explains the meaning of it.

That night alone in his hotel room, he stares off at the view of the very same temple from the window. And he thinks . Can his soul attain any of this spirituality at all? The darkness that his mind is consumed in, the pain he feels after John left, Vietnam... Is peace something he will ever attain?

He doesn't know, but he finds himself visiting that temple and spending most evenings there learning about the religion and culture for the rest of his stay in the country. By the time he goes back to his life in LA he ponders upon whatever he experienced in that place and finds that he still has those beads on his hand. He finds some sort of comfort in them and just keeps it on . His mind may not be at peace completely but he finds he may be able to pick himself up.

And he does pick himself up and Dynatox flourishes . He makes frequent visits to India, specifically for visiting that temple and whatever business he needs to take care of.

And over the years he finds he has many of these beads now on his hands and only takes them off when training to prevent them from cutting and of course to prevent injury or any opportunity for the opponent to use against him.

One night waking from a nightmare , being back in the jungle at Vietnam surrounded by snakes that bit him constantly, the feeling of the venom coursing through his veins making his body go limp. He wakes in cold sweat and looks down at his wrist. He fondly remembers the time when he first went to that place in India and the sweet he ate. He trains in his private dojo during the late hours of the night and when his limbs are sore and he worked up a good amount of sweat,he sits by the fire place and reads one of the books he recently got from India. Some spiritual literature he picked up at the same temple but never had the time to read it.

This is just what I imagined , I don't know if it fits much but I find it's something that could have happened.

This is...oddly pure.

Terry being recommended to ensure his remission's process and recovery doesn't fail by developing his inner connection to God, The Creator, The Universe, whatever he so deems fit (or truly, just about whatever works for him personally, the Therapist clarifies, because no one answer functions the same for everyone at all times) and him travelling to India to do so, as the epicenter of such beliefs. Maybe it isn't limited to solely just India. Maybe he spends years travelling everywhere and nowhere on and off, perhaps, initially avoiding going precisely where he was sent, not wishing to be ordered around like some sort of...hippie on a pilgrimage, as his father would say back in the days, and partially being unsure what he'll find there (if anything at all, wasting his time), but when he eventually arrives to India, he might discover everything and nothing, observing a barrage of things ranging from distinct martial art forms like Kalaripayattu and Silambam (which he can try to learn, adopt and weave into his own style), all the way down to children playing on the streets, street vendors, people simply living their lives, and yes, priests mingling around ancient temples. An obvious American tourist that he is, he is given a string of prayer beads which he keeps. Then, he can acquire more on his own accord. And more. Maybe he commissions some for himself, purely to have, in varying types of opulence and humbleness, respectively.

Thing is, the trip does Terry some good and it is hard to tell why.

Maybe, much like Daniel Larusso in Okinawa, Terry simply feels happier outside of The Valley as well, whether he realizes and admits to it or not, and some temporary distance was needed to partially clear his mind. He comes back home and he is indeed more at peace and more in control of himself, the way he sees it, just like remembers himself being in years past, because to Terry, whenever he isn't literally in a frenzy of unhinged violence is technically self-control. He isn't a paragon of light, by any means, his heart still somewhere dark and tucked away, steeped in shadows, ever changing, as it will always be, but there is comfort in that. In the abyss of all he is. Maybe the priest told him an old legend about The Nagaraja. The semi-divine serpentine kings of the Nagas residing in the netherworld of Patala, occasionally taking human form, to walk unseen among mortals. -"Demigods they are, of unimaginable wealth, beauty and power, their mighty tails coiling around all creation,"- The priest says, in shaky, but patient English. -"but, the snakes make home of the darkness. That is where they thrive best. Snake on the concrete, under the sun too long is a fried snake."- The priest ends his lesson with a quip and Terry supposes an epiphany hits him right about then. A remind of just who the fuck he is. The darkness and being unknowing and unknowable is his peaceful habitat. -"...That’s where they thrive. Yeah."-

The serpent's natural disposition is to burrow, brumate and slither, hidden.

To go against his own nature is to fundamentally suffer.

He repeats the priest's words silently, murmuring them, savouring them on his tongue, weighing shades of meaning and symbolism, hyper focused on a stone carving overgrown with moss at the altar of the temple illuminated with lit candles and offerings placed there by the locals and travellers alike; a viper encompassing the dome of reality in solid rock. Terry Silver could just about be fine relating to a myth and fancying himself a bit of a god too. Maybe he's found what he has been looking for all along.

[raggaraddy]

I'd Die Fighting

Request from @dramaclub-thin: Mafia BTS where the reader is shot for/because of them.

A/N: Thank you for your request! I really like the concept, and kind of got carried away with the stories and now they're too long. So I'll release them as individuals as I finish them. I hope you like them! ^-^

If anyone else wants to request you can here.

Mafia Bangtan Other parts:

Namjoon

Yoongi

Taehyung

Jungkook

Summary: Pinned down by the cops, you know you're the only one who can stop Jimin from getting himself killed.

Trigger Warnings: Police shooting, gun usage, blood, violence, death, ambiguous ending.

Jimin

Mafia! Jimin

You were in the middle of a scheduled pick up, collecting the gang's share of the profits for the month. There had already been 3 today and all had gone as routine as the times before. You're in a residential building site, parked in one of the driveways, and on a Sunday too, so it's nice and quiet and empty. There was no reason to think that this stop would be any different than the last.

That was until the lights and sounds of police sirens filled the street.

You could only watch on in dread as 4 cop cars sped into the driveway trapping you and the two men into a box. With a 10-foot foundation wall behind you and building walls on either side, you were now realizing that this location wasn't so much secure, as it was an obvious dead end.

Looking back in the side-view mirror, you can see Jimin with the dealer. The guy panics instantly, pulling out his gun without a chance to even aim it before he is blown away. There are dozens of deafening shots all at once and the guy, no older than you, drops down dead.

Barely able to contain your terror, you are not able to do anything but to watch helplessly as Jimin dives behind the rear of the car to avoid the stray bullets.

Slowly, the officers start down the concrete path, closing in tighter, all of them with their guns drawn, all of them looking alarmed and ready to fire. With this many cops, you know neither of you stands a chance. There is no escape here, not without a miracle. But you know Jimin. You know he isn't going to just give in. He's said it before, he's said it often. He might die, but he'll die fighting before he dies in a cage.

The officer coming closest to the car bangs on the hood to draw your attention making you jump. "Stay in the car," He mouths the words.

You can't abide. If you don't do something Jimin is going to get himself killed. He may be willing to die, but you're not willing to lose him. You shake your head hard, swinging the car door open, stepping out tensely with your hands upright. Your arms and legs are shaking with pure adrenaline, relying on nothing but a prayer that they don't shoot you right now.

"Get back in the car." "Stay in the car." "Miss, get back in the car." A sea of loud, demanding voices shout at you all at once. While your survival instinct is telling you to obey the angry people with guns, you ignore them all. Your instinct-your love for Jimin is greater than your fear.

Walking paced steps backwards, you're watchfully eyeing them. They're still pressing forwards, but they have slowed substantially. Half of the group aiming more aggressively, and the other half pointing their guns at you more hesitantly. Calls of stay in the car turn into orders to get on the ground. But you can't, you won't.

Coming in line with the back of the car, Jimin is knelt behind it his gun in hand. "Y/n! What the fuck are doing?!" he snaps, eyes full of worry.

He may bluster to everyone else, but you know the full expression. In private he'd whisper the ending to you and only you. 'I'd die fighting before I ever die in a cage. And I'll spend my life locked up before I ever see you hurt.'

"Get back in the car!" He growls.

"No," you whisper.

"Get back in the car!"

"No."

"Oh for fucks sake, will you just listen to me for once!" He growls, running his hand back through his hair, about to lose any composer he has remaining.

"No!" You shout, your eyes darting from the cops to Jimin and back.

He roars, grabbing your shirt, yanking you down the ground beside him. The commands of the police heighten and start coming more frequently as they steadily begin to entrap the two of you again.

"I'm gonna beat the hell outta you after this." He shouts, reaching over the top of the car to fire a slew of shots, not aiming to hit anyone but just trying to keep the cops away.

"Fine. Do it. But just let there be an after." You plead, eyes filling with tears. "Put the gun down. Please!"

"What?! No!"

"Come out with your hands up or we open fire." A far off voice, coming through a speaker, gives a sickening order.

Jimin's harsh defiant look turns to one of pure fright and frenzy. He knows if they're shooting at him, they're shooting at you.

His hand scrunches in the scruff of your shirt, dragging you flat to the ground further out of harms-way, using the same momentum to launch himself into the open, weapon ready. He gets only 2 shot off before they retaliate with more than half a dozen. Not all connect, one catching his leg, another his shoulder. The hits double him over, making him drop the gun.

It all happens before you are able to even turn back over. The sight of him struck has you screaming, acting rashly and impulsively. You wail his name clambering to your feet, wrapping your arms around his neck. Lifting him upright, you're covering him with your body as much as you possibly can. You don't pause think what might happen right now if the officers began to fire again. You only know you need to save him from them. Save him from himself. Pushing him with your chest, you force him back more and more until his body hits the foundation wall. You turn yourself around towards the encroaching men and women, shoving your weight roughly against him. To shield him, and trying your best to keep him pinned to the bricks so he is unable to act suddenly or foolishly.

Thankfully the cops still seem hesitant to shoot at you. Although you don't trust it for it to last much longer.

Your stomach drops, feeling a warm wetness dripping over the exposed skin on your upper back. Jimin's shoulder is bleeding heavily down you.

This is so fucking bad.

"Stop, please stop, Baby!" You whisper to Jimin, nearly unable to form the words due to the shake in your voice. It's just the two of you opposing 7 armed police officer. You know he hates the thought of defeat, he may even hate you for this, but neither of you has any way of winning this standoff.

His forehead presses to the back of your head, his hot breath fanning down your neck. In the smallest motions, you feel him nod against you.

Raising them in surrender, his arms come out from behind you. There's a sharp pain in your side with a sudden booming sound. It knocks your breath away. You whine, your hand squeezing tighter against his legs, into the fabric of his jeans.

"Y/n?" Jimin knows what's happening before you do.

One of the officers mistook Jimins actions as hostile and got twitchy with his gun.

You gasp slumping back into him, your legs weakening. He catches you, lowering with you as you fall to the floor. "Baby!"

Jimin looks up to the cop who fired. He's memorizing every detail of their face. Already having resigned to hunt them down and make them suffer.

Finally able to inhale, you cry out a low scream, pain spreading from your stomach up. "Jimin," you cry clawing his arm, fingers wrapped in his sleeve.

The swarm of police starts to move more frantically. A knee flies at Jimin sending him into the wall, separating him from you. Without him, you fall flat into the dirt. To your right one of the men is forcing Jimin to the ground with a knee trying to flatten him. But he isn't giving in, fighting and struggling against the weight, desperately trying to get back to you.

Even as there are three of them versus only Jimin, he is still putting up enough resistance that they are unable to fully hold him.

"Y/n!" He yells, as one of his arms is pinned behind his back, driving him heavily into the dirt. "Get the fuck off!" he snarls.

Your throat feels full. You're starting to choke, spluttering blood out and down your cheeks. Your hands clutching your stomach are wet and slippery from blood. The heavy amounts of it pouring from you making you weaker with each passing second.

"Alright!" There's a heavy thump as Jimin stops resisting and is plunged aggressively into the floor. "Just help her! Help her!" With all of the pain and fear you're feeling, it's the pure panic in Jimin's voice that finally brings you to tears.

Rolling your head towards him, his chin is dug into the concrete floor, his skin and clothes red with blood, his face pale and flush, his eyes red and teary with emotion. With him no longer fighting they are able to cuff his hands. They haul him to his feet, carrying his weight. He yells in pain, his cries turning into pleas for you, calling again and again for someone, anyone to help you.

One of the officers comes to your side pressing firmly on your wound making you shriek, spitting out even more blood. They speak into their walkie-talkie describing your state and injuries calling for an ambulance. Explaining that a male will be coming to the hospital by a police cruiser.

In front of you, the others are dragging a limping Jimin away. Being pulled from you he begins his fight again, battling to not leave you. But he's too injured and restricted to combat them much more. Only able to call out to you over and over.

Even as the car doors close on him, you can still hear him shouting your name. Even as you lose consciousness you can still hear the echo of his voice.

[my-strange-attraction]

hey do you have any advice on how to deal with aphobia that maybe isn't so blatant and comes from your friends? So I'm oriented aroace and do not desire relationships and I've expressed this to my friend, but I don't think she understands me. When I first came out she thought I was joking, and then I had to correct her after a while when she would try shipping me with people (which I hate). And this was all fine but it got worse a few days ago when she tried to get me to ask out a guy(her crush!!!) and I told her no and to stop because I am very much aroace to which she said "are you sure because it really doesn't seem like it not that I'm discouraging it." For context, people tend to mistake my interest in others as friends as romantic interest because I fixate on specific people sometimes. Also, this was coming out of a place of jealousy from her because I am better friends with her crush than she is. Thanks in advance, your advice is really helpful

Situations like these can be really tough! You want to set the record straight and establish clear boundaries of how you want the people you care about to treat you, but you also don't want to come across too harsh and risk them not understanding or thinking you're overreacting. Unfortunately, there's few ways to handle this situation without setting a clear and uncompromising boundary.

Your friend needs to know what exactly she's done wrong and why it is hurting you, and how she can avoid making similar mistakes in the future. I would recommend telling her what you've told me, that you're worried she doesn't really understand you or that she doesn't believe you and it hurts you because you're a human being who deserves to be respected for the labels you choose for yourself, regardless of what others' opinions may be on if they fit you or not.

I would also recommend that you nudge your friend to do some research of her own on the topic. It is very difficult to concisely explain all the nuances of split attraction and microlabels in the aspec community, and unless she really spends some time with it, it may just be a slippery concept. If you have a blog on here where you talk about your experiences and you feel comfortable, you can show her that, or if you don't then there are so so many blogs that you can show her that go into depth on these topics. I probably only have a few posts myself about oriented aspec identities, but there are so many great blogs out there that talk specifically about them and which you probably already know about since you've come to identify with the label in the first place.

Also on a smaller, microaggressions level, like that comment she made, tell her in the moment to cut the bs. Probably not in those words unless she's really not listening, but she needs to know in the moment when comments she makes are not ok with you. It can be scary to confront someone in the moment before you've had time to think over what to tell them, but it will have the biggest, most immediate impact that way.

The only thing I'd caution you about is bringing up the part about her crush. If you're having a deeper conversation with her and she seems to really be understanding you, it might be good to mention to her that even if you were interested in and dating the guy she likes, it's something that she would have to be ok with because thats the mature way to handle interpersonal relationships. But honestly that part just sounds like a problem of juvenile crush culture, which she should grow out of as she matures (I'm assuming for the sake of answering this ask that you're around middle/ high school age and I hope I'm not too off base with that).

All in all, it seems like something you should be able to work out if your friend values your guys' friendship and puts in the work to understand you, and if you put in the effort to make sure your boundaries are clear. Because it's not as blatant homophobia, it seems like it's mostly coming from a place of not understanding or being very educated on the topic, and I am optimistic that you will be able to talk to her about it and still remain friends.

I hope this advice was helpful and as always anyone who sees this post can feel free to add on any other advice that they feel is relevant! Best of luck, anon, and thanks for the ask <3

[turanga4]

Hi!!! 💞, 💥, and 💋 for the ask game <3

So many cute emojis! I am thrice blessed.

Emoji ask game here.

💞 what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language? Hmm...prolly, the characters. Being true to the characters, even if it's just to the idea of the characters I have in my head, showing something interesting in how they connect to themselves and one another. Plot whut plot, and my grammar is terrible. Worldbuilding...meh. I do spend inordinate amounts of time crafting and refining my language, trying to hone in on the BEST possible word or phrase to carry an idea in a way that sounds nice. But none of that matters if the characters aren't "real."

💥 find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

Ah yes...the one I evidently drop-kicked very swiftly off the face of a cliff.

I confess I'm a bit salty about this, because I did it the same week I did a hinny piece, and honestly, I think this piece is so much stronger in terms of concept and craft than the hinny piece, but White Wizards In Luv got exponentially more attention than this one, which features Kingsley Shacklebolt explicitly NOT gettin' tail. I like Corridors because I think it's neat and important to tell stories that aren't simple reciprocated love between the Main Characters, and there's a couple lines in it that I especially enjoy, including this description of how Kingsley, in retrospect, sees the opportunities he DIDN'T seize for pursuing a relationship with Sirius Black: "Little nudges, little chances, little gifts left on the ground."

💋 when you leave comments on a fic, do you want to hear back from the writer? It's...nice. But I don't expect it. I remember that I genuinely used to be like HOLY HOLY SHIT SHE SAID THANK YOU TO MY COMMENT LOOK LOOK RIGHT HERE AT THIS AO3 PAGE HASHTAG NEVER WASHING THIS PHONE AGAIN. I still truly love it if the author responds to my thoughts with their own--explains, for example, why exactly they made a craft move that I'm celebrating. But ultimately, I want the writer to do with my comment whatever feels best to THEM.

[falthiere]

What is it about genshin that makes you want to play to it's meta? More power to you if that's fun I just don't get it

Just a "I like the game so I want to play it well lol" thing?

sorry for getting to this late!

short answer: i like big number

long answer: i have a deep and intense love for genshin's combat system. it's designed to be simple to understand and play since it has to function well on mobile, but there is so much depth and complexity to the mechanics that you can spend so much time learning about!!!

the elemental reactions is a really interesting concept to build a game upon and genshin really does its best to deliver: there are so many teams you can build around those reactions with various nuances to them, and that's something i find really enjoyable! my background leading up to genshin (and what got me interested in playing it) is its resemblances to JRPGs. because of that i'm already the kind of masochist that likes grinding in video games, and i derive a lot of satisfaction from working hard to become strong and clearing content.

i think the wording "play TO the meta" isn't very accurate: that makes it seem like it's some really stringent and restrictive ruleset for how to play the game, and that's not how i regard it at all. there's a lot of meta teams that i'm not personally all that interested in playing, and others that i am. meta is pretty broad in genshin impact, and there's a LOT of different teams and playstyles you can try, especially with the release of dendro. it's not just "play hyperbloom and international," there's nilou bloom, burgeon, double hydro, vaporize, fridge, curry, soup, etc etc. so many things!

i don't consider "meta" to be a limiting thing at all, or something that i adhere to. i consider it a lot like speedrunning! speedrunning is the result of months, sometimes years of research into a game, learning what makes it tick, and utilizing all of that knowledge to stretch the game to its limit. i find it sad sometimes that people view things like fanart/fanfiction and theorycrafting as concepts that are so distant, with one not being something that comes from passion at all. theorycrafting is another way of enjoying genshin impact, and it is fueled just as much by love of the game as someting like fanart is.

sure, the units i have triple crowned are units that are pretty meta, but i didn't triple crown them because they're meta units, i did so because i think they're really fun to play or because i like them as characters. diluc isn't a meta unit by any means, but if i had him i would for sure triple crown him.

so i guess the tldr isn't really "i like the game so i want to play it well", it's "playing it well is what makes me like it" if that makes sense? like, that's how i have fun in genshin impact. i view genshin as a video game first and foremost and judge it like one: i'm not really much of a lore/story guy (but i do have my faves).

if you're interested in learning more, i would highly recommend taking a peek at zajef77's youtube channel! he's a theorycrafter and a GREAT teacher at explaining the deeper mechanics of this game, and he does it with such genuine enthusiasm too. his iceberg video or his elemental reaction guides are a pretty good place to start

[probably-haven]

Hello!! After seeing what you wrote about xiaoven fics I went to see what things you usually write and omg, your archon Venti headcanons????? I am absolutely in love. So if it isn't annoying, could you talk about xiaoven or Venti or Xiao or whatever ship or character you like? I don't care what you are going to say, I just want to know more about your thoughts ^^

I- is this... bestie, this is essentially a free ramble pass- kerujsgheskdfug. Trust me when I say that in no way is this, and in no way will it ever be annoying in the slightest- i literally- lets just say rambling off thoughts is kind of my specialty, especially when provided a topic to branch off of because otherwise I'm just- really indecisive about it so- iujskdh yeah- 100% definitely down to talk about Venti, Xiao, and/or Xiaoven XD. Also, yes- it may have been awhile since i last posted one(cuz again, indecisive about which direction to take part 5), but the Archon War Era Venti headcanons are still without a doubt my favorite posts I've made. It's just such an interesting topic with such endless potential that so few people actually think about or consider or even realize is there, so i always just get really psyched whenever i see someone interact with them lol.

.... this ended up being a bit of a mess: warning in advance

Anyway! onto the actual content!

- You see the thing about Xiaoven is that there's a lot of different ways that it could end up working out, and just personally my favorite way of portraying Xiaoven in my mind is as an unlabeled relationship because if anyone in genshin would give off that vibe its these two. And a number of other reasons.

- Firstly, I heavily headcanon Venti as being an aroace polyplatonic or perhaps heavily demiromantic. However, regardless of this I just don't think that Venti is really the kind of person to worry about how he should label his feelings, thinking it's silly to try to put them in one box or the other, especially with feelings and emotions being as fluid as they are in general. Plus it fits his whole God of Freedom vibe. I just- dont think he's the biggest fan of labels or social categorization in general.

- And secondly on the hand of Xiao... his defense mechanisms are very much ingrained in his personality. It's probably hard enough for him to not go into fight or flight(the answer is fight) at the slightest affection at first, at the slightest feeling of vulnerability. Even further down the line, with his fierce dedication to Liyue, I cant help but get the vibe that the moment he recognized that he was falling for Venti he would begin avoiding him, not only to avoid distraction from his duty, but to avoid corrupting him or losing him in general like he has with like basically every other person he gets close with(even believing that the cycle had repeated once more when he first heard of Morax's death)... now imagine Venti tryna slap a label on their relationship and tell me Xiao would have a positive reaction.

- The thing with Xiaoven.... honestly, i feel like theres more ways that it can go wrong than it can go right, but if they do manage to make their relationship work out, it's just simply beautiful in all terms of the word.

- Lets talk about killing. - During the Archon War, both were forced to kill a large number of people and gods alike- Venti out of a need to remain alive to protect Mondstadt, it's freedom, and the nameless bard's legacy by extent- and Xiao out of servitude to the god that was once his master

..... actually- break here- ive talked a lot about Venti on this blog but I havent actually spoken about Xiao all that much- so i should probably do that a bit first... do note though that my characterization of Xiao is pretty flexible actually- this is just- the possible characterization of him that i tend to favor as being the most- uh- "realistically complex"

-

Theres a line I saw this one time in a certain story: "He is a trained weapon. That's what he is, was, and always will be. You cannot change that so stop trying." And i just- think its a really interesting concept- that applies pretty well to Xiao now that i actually think about it. - the concept behind it is this: After spending more than a vast majority of his life killing or otherwise in battle, it's become a part of who he is, a normalcy that after centuries and centuries would be near impossible to get rid of or reverse, and even if it was possible, with his karmic debt constantly eating away at him its unlikely he has enough time left for that to happen. - it sounds like a cruel thing to say about him- but in context it's actually pretty layered and i think about it a lot. It's not as much a "he's a killer lol, that his whole personality" its more of a "The centuries of trauma he experienced have conditioned him into a constantly alert and battle ready mindset while also shaping his dehumanizing inferior-in-worth-but-superior-in-capability view of himself that would have likely been necessary to get through those time, and at this point he's been under that conditioning for long enough that it's essentially ingrained itself in his personality."

- the main idea is- it's a part of who he is, that needs to be accepted as who he is because its not something that he can just up and change. It's not all he is of course but his constant battle mode, as though always waiting to be ambushed or to be granted a new target to eradicate.

a couple character story quotes:

-"His past of service under the evil god had rid Xiao of his innocence and gentleness. All that remained within him was the means to kill and the weight of his sins. The only way he could be of service to mortals was in combat." -"Xiao does not feel any hatred. Having lived for over two thousand years, no single karmic debt constitutes anything more than a fleeting memory. No grudge can last a thousand years; nor is any debt so great that it cannot be paid off in this time. Xiao has spent many long years alone. But his battles have never been in vain." -"where did Xiao have to return to? He was merely leaving the battlefield." -"since Xiao wages a constant war against dark forces powerful enough to devour Liyue in its entirety, any bystanders who witness him in the heat of battle are likely to end up as collateral damage." -"The war he fights can never be won, and will never come to an end." -"Because ultimately, the one with whom Xiao wrestles is himself."

i feel like at some point this very nearly did consume his whole personality, almost turning him into nothing more than a being of slaughter under Morax's control, devoid of any "humanity" at all, consumed and corrupted by his karmic debt like his fellow yakshas before him. - until he experienced a moment of clarity- a song in the wind, the peaceful melody of a dihua flute. - and pulled back from the border of something he wouldnt have been able to return from, there a was a shift in his mind- a concept grown unfamiliar enough with time that it took him a great time to identify what it was; a curiosity. Something that there was no place for on the battlefield, something that by all means should have been completely useless to Xiao, and yet he held onto that curiosity, slowly regaining over time, a sense of who he was and who he could choose to be with each song that the wind chose to carry towards him every once in a blue moon.

and eventually that curiousity turned to longing. Longing "for a day to come when he will wear the mask and dance — not to conquer demons, but to the tune of that flute amid a sea of flowers"

...... uh- heh- if you couldn’t tell already i have a tendency to make my characterizations/analyses of characters more serious that i probably should. 

to summarize: Xiao is constantly toeing the line between his ingrained nature and his humanity- almost as though still trying to decide how much of that humanity he deserves to have, how much he is allowed to have, and how much is safe to have.

^looking back after writing this, i think the best way to explain it is that this is the view that i keep in mind/the lense that i tend to most enjoy looking through and refering back to while examining and/or analyzing his character, actions, story, lines, and overall personality.

idk- i kinda got off track but i just think its a really interesting interpretation to think about because it has some really interesting implications ig- it’s not the full extent of how i view him of course, but i kinda got ahead of myself and its long enough as is so ill just elaborate as i go- Lol i actually have in progress playlists for both him and venti and just- vibes- i could ramble about the playlists alone for hours explaining everything... It’s probably a problem- uh- ill keep going now lol.

anyways! stepping off the angst path for a brief break! Brought to you by their lines in the snow: both waiting for it to get thick enough, Venti for the purpose of a snowball fight and Xiao for the purpose of a tasty and nutritious breakfast.

but its actually something of note that Xiao doesnt actually need to eat so anything he does eat is usually out of obligation or enjoyment- so like.... snow.... like i dont blame him, but of all things- an adeptus who refuses to eat basically anything but almond tofu looks at the freezing-cold-floor-water that yeeted itself from above and decided at some point- damn- that seems more edible than basically ever single actually edible thing ever.... im gonna eat it- like- im glad if eating snow makes him happy but- at the same time...

He probably convinces Venti to eat snow too though and Venti wouldnt even resist I mean he’s wind and has probably consumed worse things in his time so- 2 anemo cryptids with glowing tattoos sitting in Dragonspine monching snow in the dead of night is an amusing thought to me.

- kay, now back to more serious-toned thoughts

One of the things about the ship that i really like is the different contradicting parallels between them:

A lot of how i view Xiao’s character is someone formed largely by the things he cant control and who was forced to accept that accepted that and learned to thrive in it as much as he can.  Venti on the other hand is surrounded by things he cant control and is ever adapting to control as much as he can while embracing whatever he cant as being part of the unpredictability of the world, seeing beauty in it. 

both of them have lost people and do what they do to honor their memory: Xiao continues to do what the Yakshas once did And Venti chooses to do what his friend couldn’t

Xiao’s power coming from himself  and Venti’s from others And both seem to appear to use their power for their own gain while truly helping others behind the scenes

both have killed a lot of people during the archon war Xiao views it as another necessary event out of his control and Venti would likely view it as a tragedy he chose to enact himself

and this is where we meet out balance

Xiao- contrary to how i think a lot of people view him as thinking of himself as a monster- seems canonically to have accepted this as part of his duty, as long as those he killed are not mortals. I dont think he enjoys it no- but someone has to do it and he’s just accepted that its a part of his duty Venti on the other hand-

See the beauty of the ship- as someone with an angst-centric mind- is this- these are two of the most traumatized mfers in the game 

Xiao is by far the one who needs the most help and who can serve to benefit most from the ship- but he is nowhere near self aware enough to recognize that there’s anything wrong or unhealthy about his mindset in the slightest-

whereas you have the contrast with Venti who sorted through most of his trauma with the nameless bard alone during the archon war and while the result appears more healthy- is still really not- but he’s not self aware of that either because i mean- who’s going to tell him? nobody even knows. 

however- venti is aware enough to notice flaws in Xiao’s mindset and “Venti” enough to want to help them through it-

Xiao- while not aware enough to recognize the flaws in Venti’s mindset, can recognize where it contrasts with his own, and is blunt enough to point it out- and then it’s out there to be mulled over- 

they’re so similar and yet so different and a feel just conversing between the two of them, being in each others precense, just being exposed to two mindsets that are so very different could do both of them a whole lot of good.

GEEE THAT BIT OF RAMBLING HAD LITTLE TO NO DIRECTION AT ALL- LET ME-- LET ME MAKE THIS START MAKING SENSE- WITH... DYNAMICS OR SOMETHING

I don’t think Xiao needs to sleep really- and i dont think that sleeping would do anything except make him uneasy at first- he’d probably just get nightmares after all he’s been through- but with Venti he would soon learn that it doesn’t have to be that way, lulled into the first peaceful sleep he’s had in... as long as he can remember.

anywho back to not making sense cuz im fickle and i think most questions about ships are best displayed through character interactions so like- a possible exchange thats cliche but cliches exist for a reason

Xiao: Why do you try so hard to help me, it isn’t easy. I know that much Venti, with the most adoring expression: Because you’re worth it, obviously Xiao: But surely there are others more deserving of- Venti: No Xiao, everyone is just as deserving as the next person, you included Xiao: Then why me above others? Venti: ehe, cuz ur my warrior of course [O//////O oh shit, hes right] Xiao: My contract is with Morax alone [gay panic but in broody yaksha]

it’s kinda difficult cuz neither of them really address their feelings.  I mean Venti does but he does it very indirectly and its rare that he ever does it with like- genuine directness- even spilling his backstory was in the form of a song- and told in the third person- so a lot of their interactions would often have some deeper meaning, especially with Venti being the bard he is. 

I come up with a lot of- errant thoughts about Xiaoven- but this is making me realize that a true analysis of their ship is rather difficult because it just encompasses so many dynamics so its hard to settle on just one and not go rambling about who knows what bouncing from one end of the ship to the other-  Because you truly can and thats the beauty of it

within one moment you can be having a heartfelt conversation about the archon war the impact of lost friends and times past, and the next moment Venti is trying to forcefeed Xiao an apple while Xiao screams about disrespecting the adepti and its just- so lovely

so while they have picnics with nothing but apples, dandelion wine, and almond tofu they can sit down and talk about the dreams Xiao once devoured, and the dandelion wine and apple cider that the first Ragnvindir invented from the plants that never could have grown in Old Mond. The foods that tasted of familiarity, or of the grilled ticker fish Pervases always used to eat, foods that tasted of friends and frankly family that had since passed, glaze lilies and cecilias and qingxin flowers scattered in the surroundings and woven into Xiao’s neat braids and Venti’s now messy ones, rebraided by the steady and inexperienced hands of one unused to gentle action. 

and then of course Venti steals Xiao’s tofu once the mood becomes too grim and replaces it with a bottle of wine that Xiao refers to as “vile poison,” a remark that fatally wounds Venti as he collapses on the floor, proclaiming how he can only be healed by a Yaksha’s kiss. Xiao ignores this of course and simply takes back his tofu with a slight smile on his face, but as Venti persists he soundlessly places a kiss on his own palm before intertwining their fingers and pulling him back up from where he was dramatically sprawled on the floor, grumbling about how such action was “unbecoming of an archon.” A sign of affection only Xiao would ever know about. But Venti is literally wind and I hc his senses work differently anyways so he definitely knows- plus Xiao’s face is red as the blood of his enemies and the way he is pointedly not looking at Venti at all really speaks volumes anyways. 

 -Venti playing epic battle music whenever Xiao goes into fights in what looks like a ridiculously extra performance to anyone else but is actually doing wonders to keep Xiao’s karma at bay

-Venti preaches the practice of “kissing wounds better” and Xiao is unfamiliar with this medical treatment but views it as unnecessary regardless because adepti have accelerated healing, doesn’t mean he’s going to stop him though. 

-Messages whispered on the wind

-Venti’s 1000 year sleep- an accident, not a fun time for the yaksha, and not a fun time for Venti once he woke up. Venti is actually more afraid of restful sleep than Xiao is, hence the sleeping in trees thing, but when Xiao is there, he can sleep restfully with faith that Xiao wont let another millennia slip through his fingertips. 

- Xiao tends to make excuses when doing things that aren’t necessary to his duty, like in his birthday voice line “Have this, it’s a butterfly i made from leaves... Okay. Take it. It’s an adepti amulet -- it staves off evil” because at the current point in his progress it helps him to feel like he’s allowed to do these things. Not wanting to put him off from progress, Venti never comments on his excuse but never fails to whisper a quick reminder of how proud he is of how far Xiao had come.

- Xiao’s karma saddens Venti greatly- not only because of how it effects Xiao but also because its a reminder that as much as Venti tries to honor the memory of those he’s killed, there will always be those who resent him for it, and when he took the option of living away from them, he truly can’t blame them. - And when he gets too wrapped up in thoughts, whether around this topic or similar ones or otherwise, eventually, he’ll hear the sound of a flute on the wind. It’s not divine by any means, but as his own wind connects him to the source, he gets the sentiment all the same. “What impact does one individual’s remaining wrath have on the present. You have done much to help the living in the present” the unspoken idea that Xiao has included himself in that statement, because now, with Venti’s help he’s beginning to learn just how to experience living for himself. 

- Venti’s form and Xiao’s mask are off limit topics though because if either mentions it the other will counter with the opposite and the mood will turn immediately bitter at the idea that both know that what they’re doing is destructive but neither are willing to change

- Venti who has different tells for negative feelings than most people because as much as he likes to pretend it is- this form isnt his, and Xiao who is able to identify those

- many fanfics and headcanons have Venti recognizing when Xiao is uncomfortable and getting him out of those situations. I see that and I love it but i raise you: - Venti taking Xiao to Mondstadt, careful that he doesn’t get to the point that he’s uncomfortable. And nothing goes wrong exactly, but Xiao notices the the way Venti’s cape is blowing in the wind, the way he’s holding his weight, barely on his feet so much as floating on the wind, connected with the ground only for the sake of appearance, all the while he looks just as happy go lucky as ever. And without a word, he grabs his hand and teleports them both out of Mondstadt.  - turns out it was just a slight thing that reminded him of the archon war (cuz i will die on the hill of him having more tragic backstory than just Decarabian), and he of course gives a sincere if not flustered thanks to Xiao, because he’s really not used to people noticing. 

- Venti trying to vent sneakily through fictional stories and Xiao is just like “Didn’t that basically happen to you” and Venti is just like “<_< shit”

- Venti once said affectionally that he wished he had met Xiao sooner and Xiao immediately and seriously shot it down by saying “If you had, I would have been forced to kill you” and both of them now stay up at night wondering who would have won that fight, not sure which result would have hurt more. (because honestly I have no idea who would win in that fight and that terrifies me- I like to think it would have been one of those legends that end with “and the fight persists to this day” or something along those lines)

- “How long have you been together?” “Adepti have no need for-” “1000+ years T^T how dare you deny our love” “O///O our...? ...useless”

- its disney- let me explain- i have this- i have this headcanon inspired by watching too many animatics- - so venti has a human form that isnt his- which he would have had to get used to moving in- and he’s a bard- - uh- anyway- as a third degree black belt in mixed martial arts, i can speak as an authority on this(not really an authority since i havent gone since quarantine but lets pretend). We have a thing referred to as the big three(most things do), and those things are martial arts, gymnastics, and dance. The idea is that they reflect really well off of each other and the best in any one category are good in all three. Timing, balance, form, discipline, technique, hand-eye coordination, grace, ease of motion, they all play a part- anyway-

- Venti taking Xiao’s prowess in martial arts and acrobatics and teaching him how to dance, and as someone who’s extremely skilled in the first two, the third comes easy to him, almost naturally. And it’s delicate and beautiful and lovely and it isn’t hurting anyone. And Venti points all these things out and more and despite how much Xiao insists that he feels ridiculous he truly does enjoy it and it goes a long way towards helping him form more healthy views of himself and his worth.  - Verr Goldett walked in on him once and made a joke about performing at the inn. unfortunately Venti was there and agreed on Xiao’s behalf before he could protest and- and it wasn’t as bad as Xiao thought it would be... he still wouldn’t do it again though without reason, but with good enough reasoning he could probably be convinced. 

- anyways point is he likes dancing to Venti’s songs and i just think that’s really cute - just picture the idea that all the animatics you see actually have the potential to be canon- ugh

- venti tries holding something out of Xiao’s reach since he’s taller and Xiao just fucking teleports 

- both need their space but when they dont, all they have to do is speak the other’s name and they’ll be there.

- and because i just had to.... love languages

- lets start with Xiao- i don’t think he’d view acts of service or quailty time as a love language tbh, and he blunt but really bad with words so affirmation is out, leaving gift giving and physical touch. However, he seems to view most material things as meaningless so- - Xiao who’s love language is in his fleeting touches, something he’s only recently grown comfortable with because of Venti, and now is giving back, which he knows he doesn’t have to do, but that he want’s to, though he’ll still continue to make excuses for each one. “you were shivering” “The inn is high up, you could have fallen..... I said what I said, you’d question an adeptus?”

- and as easy as it is to say words of affirmation for Venti- he does that for everyone- i want to say his is actually acts of service - its the acts of service that let him see just how much Xiao has progressed afterall, from teaching him to dance, to playing another song on the flute, to supplying him with the almond tofu he seems to enjoy so much. Every little thing he does helps Xiao to grow and he couldn’t be happier about that. 

-

- of course most of my headcanons for the ship do take place latter into the relationship because- y’know the less serious unhealthy vibes allow for greater range of thought, but i do still love to think about the serious implications so i kinda hopped back and forth. So sorry about how messy it is btw, i kinda- got carried away- it kinda got some kind of structure near the end tho so- maybe it’s okay. anyway- back to... lol something, we’ll see where thought forests lead. 

[letteredlettered]

Like so many other people, I really admire your writing! "The Boy who Only Lived Twice" and "Away Childish Things" especially.

I'm always trying to hone my writing skills too. Something I've been wondering about, especially regarding really skilled writers like you, how you go about choosing the events that occur in your story? Sure, there are story ideas and concepts that come along that work as foundations for a story, but when it comes to the execution of those ideas, there are many different directions a writer can go. Writers with potential will get maybe half of the events in a story "right" and most readers will come away enjoying the story overall. Excellent writers, however, manage to get 90% or more of these story events "right" (leading to readers being swept up in a story, a build up of emotion, and eventually satisfaction that leave readers with a lasting impression from the story). I personally feel like I'm in this potential-having category, probably because I can make most event ideas that first come to mind "work" in a story even if they aren't the best choices overall, but I really want to reach the excellent category. To perhaps better explain what I'm getting at, in John Truby's "The Anatomy of Story," the chapter on "Premise" states: "One of the biggest reasons writers fail at the premise stage is that they don't know how to spot their story's true potential. This takes experience as well as technique. What you're looking for here is where the idea might go, how it might blossom. Don't jump on a single possibility right away, even if it looks really good." I figured, I would go around asking some of my favorite writers about this part of the story-writing process, see how that stage works for them. So, do you have any tips or thoughts about this part of the writing process? Your tips on writing dialogue have already been super helpful!

In another post, my answer was the Marie Kondo method. If a scene or event sparks joy, I write it. If it still sparks joy after I write it, I keep it. For all my best pieces of writing, if I didn't love a scene, I didn't keep it. I either threw it out, or, if it was necessary for the plot, I summarized it instead.

The key for me for really good writing is to really enjoy what I'm doing. This is perhaps why I am not a particularly prolific writer, and also why I can't write a lot of things I want to, and also why I've never been able to make much money off original writing. Some people do say I'm prolific because my stories are very long, but you'll note in my AO3 history that I've been writing fics since 2003, for a total of 2,095,616 words. That's about 116,000 words per year, or 10,000 per month, or 320 words per day, which is just not all that much in the scheme of things. I really struggle to write things I don't love, because the reason I write is for my own personal gratification, and that really guides a lot of what I do.

Therefore Truby's advice isn't really something I use all that much. It's definitely true that I sometimes get ideas for stories and don't write them right away. I'll sometimes let them marinate, spending time thinking of the scenes I would like to write. I had the idea for an HP de-aging fic years and years ago, but though I loved the idea, I couldn't think of a single actual scene. I tried to write the premise several times and then put it on the shelf, because there was nothing that I loved about it. There are other ideas, though, that I think about quite meticulously, that I pore over, thinking about what I want to say, imagining specific scenes--and those don't always work either. I had lots and lots of ideas for By The Grace, but in the end, that story just wasn't executed well. Meanwhile Another Mask Behind You is something I barely thought about at all, and while I don't love that fic, I think in a lot of ways it's a lot more compelling than By the Grace. The key is excitement.

Some fics I signed up for fests or auctions and had to write them. For those, I Marie Kondo'ed the first half, in that I worked really hard to love every single scene and every single word. Then I Great British Bake Offed the rest, by which I mean I didn't have time to make everything perfect; I just needed to get something on the plate and hope it tastes good and doesn't collapse. Away Childish Things was a fic where I really took my time and loved every single scene. The Boy Who Only Lived Twice was a fic where I really just tried to get something on the plate.

So, I'm sorry this isn't shaping up to be really great advice, but my question for you is--why do you want to be a good writer? Is it so you can write a story you love? Or is it so people will say you're good, so you can quit your day job, so you can make money off things you've written? Because, my friend, those are two different paths for most of us, and my advice really only works for the first one.

[mech-mantis]

OK so this is a aimless ramble and I'm typing this on my phone I'll fix the spelling another time maybe some time later

Why I dislike how the Fandom treats starscream

Don't get me wrong I dont hate the screamer but I don't necessarily love him either so pls don't twist my words

1. People act like he deserves what he got

Believe me I do think that his punishments were half deserved in the concept of how the decepticons treat each other but in a normal society it's who g and punishable by jail and yes I love megatron as much as the next person on tumblr but I don't root and say kill that Fucker whenever starscream gets beat up and it seems as the Fandom treats it as theres nothing wrong with it, now on the opposite side of the spectrum

2. starscream is a absolute bean who did nothing wrong

i swear to primus thos people make me want to pull out my own optics hes a decepticon a villain a big bad he did shitty things and will continue to do it even if he has the option not to hes a evil dude and yes some of the things that were done to him he didnt deserve but that dosnt mean hes a good guy like how would you feel if i said megatron who killed thousands of innocent lives was the victim-wait people already do that-so anyways to put him in a light in which he is absolutely perfect and deserves no backlash is something i dislike

3. hes a sexy motherfucker which everyone want to sleep with

one no in no part in any of the shows has he demonstrated he wanted a intimate relationship with another bot (correct me if im wrong tho) and he dosnt seem open for that kind of thing usually spending to much time scheming and trying to get himself on a higher pedastool and in half the starscream fics i read hes getting raild 90 percent of the time bonus points if its by someone who hates him and i think that seems out of character

4. all the fucking aus

trust me iv made as many aus as the rest of yall but half the aus are the starscream did nothing wrong or be sympathetic for this poor man and even the hes al powerful or cool so fuck you aus it rubs me the wrong way that i see not as many aus the shows who starscream is as a character and alters him so many times you cant even tell its the same guy

5. black and white perspective

the bullet point kinda explains it but people make it seem that if i like megatron i must hate starscream and this is why hes bad and stuf ecc ecc ecc and if i like starscream that must mean i want to kill megatron whent thats just not true people act like i cant enjoy 2 characters who dislike eachother and its a problem in this fandom not just with starscream i just notice it alot more with him

in conclusion

starscream is a character i have a love hate relationship with and i dislike it when people make him the satan incarnate or jesus himself and it jus ignores who starscream is as a character hes a tragic bot who is his own worst enemy and take risks just to rise to the top that may have horrible consequences thats what makes me injoy the character and how much room he has to grow and the chance of a character arc without altering his whole personality or shipping him in toxic relationships thats all for my rant i may or may not edit this but tell me what you think of ya want

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

Part 3 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Transformations, Potions and Power-Up's

Welcome to my analysis of basic concepts in Miraculous. Let's talk about transformations, potions and power-up's. This one is going to be interesting.

Apparently, only child superheroes have a time limit and can use their power only once. And adults can use their powers many times and maintain their transformation.

I don't take Thomas Astruc's Twitter statements seriously, but he said that adults don't have to detransform because they can feed the kwami with their energy. What happens when energy runs out? Does it mean that holder of the miraculous dies and transformation drops? Or does transformation drops when the kwami grows tired enough? However, according to "Silencer", transformation can't be released until the holder says detransformation words or uses their power (applies to children only). Is that why Master Fu doesn't transform these days? Because he is old and doesn't have enough energy for Wayzz.

At the same time, Bunnix/Bunnyx held her transformation for several thousand years in "Timetagger" and she was still alive. Moreover, not only she was still alive, she hasn't aged a day. Alix still looked around 25 even after spending so much time in stone. Her sanity was also still intact. Does that mean that as long as people are transformed they are immortal and can't die of natural causes, can't get sick or be killed? Does the Miraculous pause all inner processes? Do people stop ageing when they are transformed? Does that mean that prolonged transformations essentially slowed down puberty for Marinette and Adrien because every Akuma attack (their transformation during this attack to be precise) acts as a pause for their growth process? Does that mean that transformed heroes don't need food, sleep or oxygen? And Alix doesn't experience any negative side-effects after prolonged transformation. A lot of questions must be answered here.

But apparently, the "adults can use their power many times without detransforming" rule does not apply to Gabriel. In "Heroes' Day" he turns Nathalie into Catalyst who gives Hawkmoth the power to "release as many akumas as he desires". Does that mean that he can't normally do it? On the other hand, in "Queen Banana" he creates another Akuma right after the fight with akumatized Chloe ended.

Do you remember this? In "Origins" we find out that akumatized butterflies can multiply. That's why Ladybug needs to purify them. So, does that mean that Scarlet Moth and Catalyst weren't necessary?

Hawkmoth's plan in "Heroes' Day" was actually very smart. However, it can fall apart when you remember that butterflies can multiply. How does that work? Why do they multiply? Could Gabriel akumatize Nathalie into Catalyst (akumatized object is something not very valuable, like a piece of paper), then break the akumatized object and release the Akuma into the world? Would that turn people only into copies of Catalyst? I wouldn't call this thing a plothole, exactly. I'm just curious because it's an unclear moment. Perhaps you could explain it as the element of a soft magic system with unclear rules. Because the magic system in Miraculous is a mix between the hard and soft system.

Adults without time-limited power have a serious advantage over children. Why does Master Fu give Ladybug and Black Cat to teenagers then? In the beginning, Fu doesn't know that Butterfly holder is an adult. Isn't it safer to give 2 most powerful Miraculouses to adults just in case? If Butterfly Holder is a child then 2 adults with more powerful Miraculous would win much faster. If Butterfly Holder is an adult as well, then the fight is more even.

We know the out-of-universe reason for doing this. There would be no story then. Miraculous holders have to be kids since it's a kids show. But in-universe it doesn't make sense. In "Furious Fu" Su Han even says that children are not allowed to handle the Miraculous at all according to the rules of the Order. Fu knows that children have a time limit. It looks like he deliberately sets them up for failure. Why?

Is that because children are easier to manipulate as they are most likely to trust Fu's judgement no questions asked? This reasoning doesn't look good for Fu, who is supposed to be a wise and kind mentor. Is that because children won't abuse their powers? Find a trustworthy adult then. Give us some kind of in-universe explanation!

If you can't explain it then do something with the time-limit rule. It's an important plot device, which contributes to tension and raises the stakes during fights. So, removing it is unwise. Consider giving adults a time limit as well then.

Or you can create different rules. Maybe Black Cat and Ladybug can't be wielded by adults, unlike other lower-tier Miraculous? Maybe Miraculous and Kwami can choose the wielder in some capacity, and this magical bond can't be changed? Do Kwamis feel a pull towards several people and Guardian then chooses the final holder? If there's no pull whatsoever, then Kwami won't be able to grant powers to this person? How much weight does the decision of a Guardian have?

I actually like this last idea the most. It makes sense and avoids plotholes at the same time preserving the time-limit rule. I spent less than 20 minutes figuring this out.

This way Fu gave Ladybug and Black Cat to children because he didn't have a choice. Plagg and Tikki gave him suggestions but these people didn't pass his tests. Marinette and Adrien are the last ones and they do pass. It adds some tension and showcases desperation on Master Fu's part. Magical pull doesn't always mean that potential holders are good people. That's why Miraculous sometimes end up in the wrong hands.

Insert a conversation between Marinette and Tikki or Plagg and Adrien about this choosing process, have them wonder about the bond Nooroo and Hawkmoth share.

Then add more information about bonding. The magical connection can be formed just like people form relationships if human and Kwami spend some time together. It nicely adds up with the reason why Master Fu gave Ladybug and Black Cat to teenagers. He could have given both jewels to adults without a bond and waited for the connection to form but alas, there was no time. He needed active holders right now, and waiting for some adult to come around wasn't an option. But here's the catch. Only decent, kind people with good intentions can earn and create a magical bond. And this has the potential for a truly delicious scenario (more on that later).

It's a very tricky situation. But these rules must be stated and figured out in the very beginning. Because it can create plotholes down the line.

Unification

Combining several different Miraculous is an interesting concept and fusion of powers has been used for a long time as a storytelling element. It's important for the plot in several episodes of seasons 3 and 4.

However, there's "Kwamibuster", where the worldbuilding is broken one more time. It is awfully inconsistent within itself just like "Chat Blanc", "Timetagger" and "Furious Fu". (How do writers keep doing this? I have no idea. But then again even "Avengers: Endgame" contradicts itself numerous times. It's truly miraculous how they managed to do this with their budget, I'm impressed).

For a moment let's ignore all absolutely awful priorities that Marinette has in this episode as well as the rule "you can't know the identity of your partner or else you will have to give up your miraculous". This rule is literally never mentioned again before or after this episode. It's just there and it doesn't make sense. I know it's hard to ignore, but one must try. Instead, let's focus on this dialogue below.

Master Fu clearly states that you can't merge the Miraculous. It could make you lose your mind. The only more or less acceptable unification is that of Ladybug and Black Cat.

What happens next? Marinette puts on every Miraculous without any problem just "to free Kwamis" and transforms into Multimouse. The only sign of her discomfort is a moment of dizziness that's gone in a few seconds. Moreover, it never happens again, it's never mentioned. Then she does the exact thing that Fu told her not to do and starts merging Miraculous left and right. She continues to do so in season 4 every other day. What? Of course, how could I forget Shadowmoth? Gabriel merges 2 Miraculous every time in season 4. He doesn't lose his mind.

You can't tell us that merging can make you lose your mind and then in the next scene show us the complete opposite. That's bad writing. If you need the concept of unification to work then cancel the "lose your mind" rule and instead say that the merging process tires you out. There's no lasting harm, just that you will be very tired. If you want to raise the stakes, then say that wielding more than one Miraculous requires a strong will and practice. It's possible, but you can't perform unification just like that.

In this case, you lay the groundwork for the plotline of Marinette and Adrien for season 4 and 5. This plotline is about mastering unification. Show us how our heroes practice with different combinations of Miraculouses outside of Akuma battles. Show how they are improving. Maybe, Ladybug and Chat Noir nearly lose in the season 3 finale because the unification still drains them. However, in season 4 they put more effort into their training and by the time season 5 rolls around they are good at this. They became a stronger team and partners because of that. Their training sessions are also a good set-up for the development of the love square. Nothing like this will happen, but a girl can dream.

Look, I get it. You want Marinette to be special. Unfortunately, you have made her too special. She starts to break the laws of your magic system. We don't see the process. One moment she has 0 knowledge about something and then she is already an accomplished master of the thing in question and often it happens in the same episode. Marinette somehow just knows about the properties of every Miraculous on-screen, but her training happened off-screen. We as the audience are left confused and wondering. Wait, how does she know this? Was there a missing episode? Was this mentioned in some comic? The audience keenly feels the lack of plot-relevant content and explanations.

Potions and Power-Ups

They are a marketing ploy to sell more toys and merch with character transformations. That's it. Are they useful for the story? Yes, they are sometimes. Do power-up's make sense as a worldbuilding element? I'm sorry to tell you this, but no.

Miraculous Grimoire contains lots of potion recipes for Kwamis. I liked that Kwamis can't read the grimoire to avoid giving information to malevolent holders, which implies that they can't lie to their holder about their powers. I talked about this in my previous posts.

Let's start with Ice Transformation. Apparently, in-universe its only useful characteristic and the thing that sets it apart from normal transformation is skates. Maybe, this transformation also has additional protection from the cold. Maybe. Miraculous makes heroes nearly invulnerable and enhances their physical abilities. I find it hard to believe that protection from elements is not included in the package. And that's it. If we remember that Miraculous holders have subconscious control over transformation's appearance, we can also assume that a person can have conscious control as well. The laws of the magic system in Miraculous allow Marinette to ask Tikki to create skates for this particular transformation. Potions aren't necessary for this. This way you can still sell new toy, but in-universe this works better.

Our next stop is Aqua Transformation. It gives heroes the ability to breathe underwater and fins. That's all. In "Syren" it appears that this transformation also makes them more agile and fast in the water. However, Ladybug's yo-yo worked just fine before Aqua form when she tried to drag Kim to the surface. Her movements underwater weren't restricted either with normal transformation. So their fighting ability is not affected by the potion.

Kwami can live without oxygen. I mentioned earlier that Bunnix with normal transformation in "Timetagger" spent several thousand years in stone without oxygen and probably in some kind of stasis. Do transformed heroes need oxygen? No. Then their inability to breathe underwater doesn't make sense. Therefore, a potion isn't necessary for this.

Next, let's talk about fins. They could appear through the conscious desire of the holder just like skates.

Honestly, "Timetagger" and "Chat Blanc" completely destroyed worldbuilding in Miraculous. These episodes just shouldn't exist. They aren't even consistent within themselves, nevermind the rest of the show, which is why I still don't understand why fandom has such a weird hard-on for them and for Bunnix. Oh, wait. On second thought, I get it. They were just fanservice after all.

Cosmo Bug an Astro Chat. Space power-up give heroes the ability to fly and exist without oxygen. Ancient grimoire had the recipe of space potion, apparently. And humans got into space in the second half of the 20-th century. Ok. That totally makes sense.

If ancient people invented a space potion, that could also mean that back in Ancient Egypt Ladybug and Black Cat holders could use advanced technology. But Su Han in "Furious Fu" is surprised to discover that Ladybug can just call Chat Noir. He assumed she would send a bird with a message. That means that unconscious control over transformation extends to the weapons of heroes. For Marinette and Adrien communication means smartphone with navigation, messages, trackers and Bluetooth earbuds. That's why magic gives them smart weapons. Su Han's words prove that the invention of the space potion is not possible. Unless space potion was also subjected to unconscious control over transformation. People couldn't imagine the possibility of space travel in Ancient Egypt, but they could imagine flight. So, perhaps, for heroes back then space potion simply meant wings.

We've established that heroes don't need oxygen. So, a potion isn't necessary for this. The ability to fly also could be achieved through conscious transformation.

That's all for this part of analysis. Let me know what you think. Stay tuned for the next meta. See you!