#that's not so endgame behavior

[nowmemoriees]

I'm here just to remind you that this was said years ago.

[thesapphicsoldier]

Never getting over this shot unfortunately

[theprinceandthewitch]

Very tragic that we never got to see Luz and Hunter kick Philip's ass like it was set-up in TTT... we never got any payoff for the Lunter hints in SAI and the Caleb/Evelyn parallels that were established in HP and made more apparent in HM... very disheartening that TOH got cancelled after TTT aired, now we'll never know how it ends 😔

[jonathanbyersphd]

In the Hawkins Yearbook Jonathan's favorite class is English Lit. Nancy's first period is English lit. In 2x01 she tells Steve it's only been an hour since they saw each other. Jonathan and Nancy leave the same class...

EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR JONATHAN "SIMP" BYERS

[death-rebirth-senshi]

oh look an endgame picture of my elden ring paladin and he's wearing clothes

Kind of want to new game+ him kind of want to start all over and relive the journey, kind of want to leave him here at the end game and not revisit until the dlc comes out. Decisions decisions.

[tekras-iszovh]

"= in other news about the new universe thing, there is now a single small rocky but non-life-inhabited planet inside it (besides me), which at this given moment, prevents the death of anything living on it, even by force. it, ah, how do i put it. cancels the death. and, as such, is also automatic unless i myself am like. disarmed of abilities, which, i don't think is happening any time soon. it's a 'set and forget', so, i think now i can get to 'make this place livable' and then i can launch my little project. which is, getting an artificial atmosphere intact, and seeing if anyone will show up. and setting up wide transportaliser access. fuck, that will be annoying. backdoor it. fuck it. ="

"= the only annoying thing, it is unbelievably dark at night. without an actual night's sky. the atmosphere is good, the star is a little far away but bright enough. but, hm. at night, there is nothing going on up there. a little ominous. but, i think, the outdoors is a little boring. so. hm. unsure. maybe a moon. or a large but small mirror. far away. ="

[ot3]

i fully believe that de-centering romantic and/or sexual relationships as the endgame of human companionship is unequivocally a good thing but 'amatonormativity' and 'allonormativity' as concepts are so completely the wrong framework to meaningfully accomplish this. so often these words are used to group what love and sex mean to groups who have historically been denied those things (such as gay/trans and disabled people for starters) under the same umbrella as what they mean to groups that actually uphold and benefit from the cultural norms surrounding them, which is, when you get down to it, still just the usual suspects. it's patriarchy. it's white supremacy. it's capitalism.

the idea that our society has an emphasis on love and sex that is harmful to many people is just straight up true. but it's next to useless to have words to describe this phenomenon that make no attempt to account for 1. which types of romance and sex are considered desirable and socially rewarded 2. what kind of people are allowed/rewarded for romantic & sexual behavior vs what kind of people are denied/punished for it and most importantly 3. What social forces and power structures are responsible for this

[sylusjinwoon]

{ 168 }

the only exception.

yandere!jinwoo sung x fem.reader

disclaimers: i do not condone such behaviors in real life; read at your own caution; contains obsessive and possessive behavior.

whenever the news and gossip magazines chose to focus on the life of south korea's latest s-rank hunter, they would more often than not see sung jinwoo being so close to cha hae-in. there was a kindness in his gaze whenever the beautiful blond woman was settled right next to him, and he remained the ever so perfect gentleman when it came to how he treated hae-in.

and when their dating status had been confirmed, the world went wild for their relationship! paparazzi would discreetly follow them to each of their outings, the cameras catching them in their most pristine moments...

from holding hands while exiting the theaters together;

to late night walks spent on the beach;

and even the hundreds of kisses they shared after the completion of each raid they had went on together.

truly, jinwoo and hae-in's love story was something that was well known across the entirety of the world. there wasn't a single doubt in anyone's mind that they would become each other's endgame-

that is... until you arrived.

{ ... }

you kept pulling at the collar of your blouse, feeling as though the stiffness of your newly bought clothes was a bit too stifling for you-

or maybe you were just nervous about your new transfer to the korean hunter's association branch. apparently, news of your skills as a healer had caught the interest of one of the most well known branches of the hunter's association. and despite being on the fence about leaving the comfort of your country, just seeing the amount of money they had offered you was more than enough to make you reconsider.

before your transfer, you had taken some time to learn a bit of the language, just in case. despite how you knew that the chairman could speak fluently in various languages (including yours) you still wished to do your part and at least make an attempt to speak korean.

while approaching the chairman's office, you smoothed out the fabric of your skirt and blouse once more, ready to knock on the chairman's door had it not already been splayed open for you.

grateful that your reflexes were fast enough, you managed to take a step back, avoiding getting your face smashed in by the wooden doors. with a surprised gaze, you saw standing in front of you was a tall man who appeared to be around your age. his eyes go wide as a gentle, blue glow seemed to shine against them.

his full lips were parted, and his eyebrows were furrowed in response as he kept staring at you; not even blinking once as his eyes kept on trailing down your form. the more he kept looking at you, the more his soft, ebony locks of hair seemed to fall across his face, further covering his eyes.

for what seemed like an eternity, you and the tall man remained in that position. while you were caught up on why he looked so familiar, a sudden lightbulb went up in your head.

he's the super strong hunter that's dating that blond woman, hunter cha?

sung jinwoo. his name finally comes back to you.

he looks back up at you, eyes becoming even wider for the briefest moment as you let out a gasp.

fuck, did i say his name out loud? the urge to apologize to him was felt coursing through your veins as you gave jinwoo a polite bow.

"i'm sorry, i didn't mean to say your name so casually. uhm..." you introduce yourself to him, letting him know how you were a new transfer in as much korean that you could manage.

once you finish, it appeared as though there were a shift in jinwoo's demeanor. instead of staring at you with a look of faint interest, there seemed to be a dreamy expression taking over his features. he tests your name out a few times before looking away from you-

with a prominent blush seen settled against his cheeks.

"would you like to join me for dinner?" jinwoo asks you in a flurry of words, making you take yet another step back.

did i hear him wrong?

a pout was seen against jinwoo's face when you didn't answer him, making him ask again, this time in english (a somewhat universally known language), "you and me, dinner?"

"oh, no, i'm sorry!" you quickly held up your hands in hopes of mitigating the tension you felt in the air, "i can't tonight because i have a meeting with the chairman..." your face felt hot, wondering why this was even happening.

jinwoo's shoulders seemed to slump just the tiniest bit in response, with his lips pursed. a sudden movement from your periphery catches your attention, and you trail your eyes down to see what it was, finally noticing the way jinwoo had his fists clenched in response.

a hearty voice calling out your name was what ultimately saves you from this awkward situation, standing up straight as chairman go gunhee greets you, "i was wondering what was taking you so long, but seeing hunter sung jinwoo means that you two must have just met, right?"

"sorry, i'll go now." jinwoo finally leaves just then, but not before suddenly bumping his shoulders against yours. a cold sensation was felt coursing through you, making goosebumps appear all across your skin as you had to fight back the urge to shiver.

jinwoo's presence was just so... overbearing at times. you could feel the darkness exuding from his form in absolute waves, making you feel intimidated by him at first...

but after his sudden question about asking you out to dinner, you were left a bit more confused than intimidated.

only when jinwoo leaves did the chairman place a comforting hand on your shoulder, smiling down at you with words of reassurance. "hunter sung can be a bit intimidating, but he's a good man that means well."

you nod your head in agreement with the chairman, following him into his office, completely forgetting about your strange encounter with jinwoo, remaining blissfully unaware of the strange pairs of glowing, purple eyes that were now hidden beneath your shadow.

{ … }

you had been filled in about the association’s current policy when it came to healers working here. these terms were simple, but had one golden rule that had to be followed:

healers were not allowed to join a guild or form a contract with any guilds; they are meant to serve the association as a whole and go on various raids to help hunters on the field. and because you were evaluated as being an a-rank healer, it was vital that you were kept on call and had to prepare for any raids that were to come.

of course, such a policy remained the same from your own country as well, so you were happy about this fact and saw no issues with following the rules.

as you were escorted out of the building, you let out a happy sigh, taking in the fresh air the night had brought you before making your way back home. as you pass by the citizens that went on with their day, none of them seemed to pay any attention to you, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

which caused you to think back to jinwoo and the general… oddities seen in his behavior.

why did he ask you out when the whole world knew of his relationship with hunter cha hae-in?

as you kept mulling your interaction with him over and over again, you managed to come up with a rational answer…

surely, he had to have meant it in a more professional manner, right? jinwoo probably noticed how nervous you were and wanted to help with further welcoming you. yes, that was probably it.

feeling satisfied with your answer, you began to walk with a bit of a bounce in your step. as your figure got closer to a streetlight, it manages to lengthen your shadow as a sudden, ink-like movement was seen on the pavement.

your eyes go wide, making you look down to see what it was. as your eyes trail across the sidewalk, the only thing you could see was your own shadow growing from beneath the intensity of the light.

“perhaps i’m lacking sleep or something.”

doing your best to convince yourself that you were not losing your mind, you continue your trek home, still unaware of the glowing eyes that remained expertly hidden from beneath the depths of your shadow.

{ … }

to say sung jinwoo had developed an infatuation with you would be a complete understatement-

he was obsessed with you.

ever since you began working as the association’s latest healer (left in the wake of several other healers own retirement), jinwoo had followed along with your every raid.

a strange sense of pride fills him when he sees your face plastered against the news articles. the nation adored your tenacity and potency of your healing abilities, which boosted many hunters’ own confidence and morale with each raid.

and despite how proud jinwoo was for your growing popularity…

he also hated it.

he hated how you were surrounded with other men (and women) who constantly boasted about you and your abilities. seeing how so many people adored you filled jinwoo with a sudden urge to slash them all away from you-

but he held back such urges. after all, it was vital that he play his cards right and appear to be the same, normal hunter sung jinwoo-

a sung jinwoo from before he ever met you.

{ … }

you knew something was amiss when the chairman made a direct call to you on the day that was supposed to be your day off. no gates had appeared as of late, and you took this chance to take a much needed breather from everything.

so you spent the next thirty minutes heading back to the hunter's association building, feeling your anxiety and concern increase by a tenfold the moment chairman go had met with you right when you first entered the building.

"come, let's take a bit of a stroll away from such prying eyes."

the chairman places a gentle hand behind your back, leading you out of the building and back into the warm, afternoon air. you walk aimlessly beside him, wringing your hands together in response to how anxious you felt.

"what's wrong, sir? you seem... conflicted."

he chuckles while glancing down at you, "you're a sharp woman."

the chairman stops walking while staring blankly ahead, and it takes him several seconds to compose himself before he tells you, "ahjin guild wishes to recruit you."

the sudden revelation makes you stop dead in your tracks as well. "what? but that's impossible... you can't mean to tell me that you're considering it, sir?"

he shakes his head while letting out a sigh, "i said the exact same thing to hunter sung. but he would not budge. he truly is going all in, just to have you."

it had been months (a total of 6 months, to be exact) since the day you had first met him. you had not seen him during the various raids you had participated in, the memory of him being brought to the backburner of your mind-

and now, you come to find out that jinwoo wished to recruit you?

impossible.

"he says that if i will not allow you to join ahjin- if i am refusing to make an exception for you, then he will quit being a hunter."

chairman go's words succeeds in making your knees feel weak, nearly making you fall had it not been for the way his powerful arms were kept wrapped around your shoulders, keeping you steady.

"sir, y-you agreed to let him recruit me?"

a solemn expression was seen on the older man's face, giving you a slight nod before admitting to you, "i have made millions of loopholes for the sake of keeping jinwoo within his home country... as long as we have him on our side, then we shall always have the upper hand. i'm sorry."

your heart was pounding in your chest, filling you with a hint of despair, since you knew that there was no way that you could refuse now.

"a-and, when does hunter sung wish for me to start working for him at his guild?"

the chairman meets your gaze and answers, "he wishes for you to start first thing tomorrow morning."

{ ... }

the moment jinwoo received a call from the chairman, pretty much confirming you as the latest member of his guild, he was overjoyed, to say the least.

he had spent so much time paving a path for you; a path that would ultimately lead you to him.

now, all he had to do was tie up some loose ends.

jinwoo remained in his office, settled within the comfort of his guild when he could hear the tapping of someone's shoes echo across his floor. but his mind was too occupied to pay them any mind, holding his cup of instant coffee while staring blankly at the cityscape bathed beneath the light of the full moon.

in the next few seconds, his peace would be interrupted when a woman bursts through his office, panting heavily. he sees hae-in's features being reflected against the smooth pane of the window, and he gives her some semblance of his attention when he acknowledges her with a side glance.

"hunter cha, good evening. what brings you here?"

a sharp inhalation was heard coming from her, the woman's slender hands remaining clenched in response as her eyes began to flash gold. "you know why i'm here, jinwoo. just... just what has been going on with you?!"

"it's been months since we last spoke to each other, and... and every plan that we have made together has been cancelled by you so... so effortlessly."

jinwoo hums, putting down his cup of coffee before fully facing her. "i think you and i both know what's going on, cha hae-in."

angry tears were seen streaming down her face now, with her fists clenched in response. "i may understand it, but that doesn't mean that i'll accept it. we have been dating for nearly a year now, y-yet you're so eager to throw it all away!"

the shadow monarch folds his arms across his chest, left completely unfazed by hae-in's outbursts. "that's why i'm giving you a chance to save your pride; break up with me now and announce it in your next conference."

he watches as her nails dig into the palm of her hand, creating crescent shaped imprints from the sheer amount of pressure she had placed. "and if i refuse?"

the woman wasn't even given a chance to blink when jinwoo reaches her, summoning one of his daggers as he presses the tip of the blade close to her neck. a choked whimper was heard coming from her, and she watches with wide eyes when a droplet of blood manages to slide down the pale skin of her throat.

"you will do as i say, unless you really put such a low value on your life?" jinwoo sneers back at her, eyes glowing a dangerously violet hue.

it was in that moment that hae-in knew jinwoo had changed for the worse, seeing the tendrils of his dark love and obsession take over the entirety of his senses. all she could do was nod in agreement, promising jinwoo that she will make the announcement of their breakup the next day all while silently praying for the new woman jinwoo had fallen for...

{ ... }

[ FAMOUS AND POWERFUL HUNTER CHA HAE-IN JUST ANNOUNCES HER BREAKUP WITH FORMER BOYFRIEND AND FELLOW S-RANK HUNTER, SUNG JINWOO ]

the headlines that you read on your phone made you feel even dizzier as you made your way to ahjin guild's building, sending a wave of vertigo to course through you.

you were breathing heavily, leaning against one of the buildings as you fought back the urge to puke up your breakfast from this morning.

"relax... calm down, it's probably a coincidence. breakups happen all the time, and this time should be no different."

but was it really a coincidence? such timing seemed too... serendipitous. what were the chances that sung jinwoo would become single once more the day you were meant to join his guild?

not to mention, his strange desire for you to join in the first place...

fighting back the bitter taste within your mouth, you continue your trek towards jinwoo's building, ignoring the warning bells that went off from within the depths of your mind. even though your legs felt like lead with each step that you took, you push through and manage to arrive at ahjin's base of operations with a few minutes to spare.

the moment you step into the lobby, you were not expecting jinwoo to be standing directly in front of you, with you barely taking a step across the polished area when the president himself greets you.

he says your name (were you imagining the strange sense of yearning heard in his voice?) before placing a hand behind your back, "i'm so happy to see you again. it's been quite a while since our first meeting, and i intend to make up for it."

the sudden passion heard in jinwoo's voice catches you off guard even further, but you were given little time to react when he tightens his arms around you. a sudden shift was felt in the air as several, wisps of shadows began to surround you and jinwoo-

which left you a gaping mess when you found yourself in an unfamiliar room, surrounded with all the things that you loved.

from a bookshelf filled with your favorite novels and authors,

to various gaming consoles with a brand new laptop settled on a desk-

and the large, luxurious bed settled in the midst of it all-

your mind was struggling to keep up.

a new wave of nausea hits you as jinwoo wraps his arms around your front, bringing your back even closer to his chest as he practically presses you against him. he lets out a soft coo of your name, the tip of his nose felt brushing against your hair before he opens his mouth to gently tug at your ear with his teeth, lightly grazing at your skin.

"you have no idea how long i have waited for this moment, my darling love." a hint of insanity was heard within his voice, causing you to shiver when you tried to meet his gaze-

only to feel your blood turn ice cold at the mere sight of him.

his expression seemed to be in a haze with a prominent blush seen against his cheekbones. his mumblings were unclear to you, but the more you listened to him, the more you realized that such crazed mumblings were of your name alone.

"you’re mine mine mine mine... and if i even sense another breathing down your neck, i'll rip their hearts out."

his sudden admission makes you nearly slump down against the carpeted floors of the room, but jinwoo manages to keep you pressed against his chest. "oh, my darling girl, it's okay, it's okay... you won't need anyone else but me... and i'm going to take such good care of you. you're mine mine mine mine MINE... ah... sorry, i lost myself back there."

jinwoo's rich chuckle fills your ears, and you were still struggling to process everything when he carries you toward the bed decorated with blankets and sheets that went with your usual style. with a hum, he pulls back the blankets, getting into the plush bed with you still in his tight embrace.

after what seemed like an eternity, you manage to ask, "why... why are you like this?"

jinwoo continues to chuckle, further tightening his embrace around you, "well, what do you mean, sarang?"

you tremble and did your best to meet his gaze, "y-you were so loving when it came to hae-in... the perfect couple... you were the picture perfect lover, so why-"

"ah, that version of me is not the real version of me, my darling love." jinwoo interrupts you, admitting it with a sigh of relief. "in fact, it was quite stifling, pretending to bask in such minuscule emotions... one that does not even warrant to be defined as love-"

"oh no, what i felt for cha hae-in pales in comparison to what i feel for YOU. where all i felt was a lukewarm fondness for her, i feel a burning inferno for you."

jinwoo's breathing becomes heavier and more labored when he slowly unbuttons your blouse, lips latching hungrily onto your newly revealed skin as you cried out to him.

"b-but i don't understand... the love that i had seen between you and hae-in seemed so perfect, so why am i so different?"

jinwoo's teeth was lightly felt sinking into your skin, earning a gasp from you as the tears began to well up within your eyes, "well, if my darling must know, then i shall tell her."

jinwoo picks you up just then, allowing your frame to straddle his abdomen when his hands lovingly trace at your figure, "you just have a charm that i find irresistible, sarang. your scent and your appearance drew me into you, like a damn moth to a flame...! i can't help but feel as though the entirety of my existence is to serve and love you..."

he trails off just then, now leaning up to press another kiss against the shell of your ear before harshly whispering, "i'm not going to let anyone else have you. you are the one that evoked such changes in me... revealing my true self... allowing me to love you freely as the way that i have always been."

the severity of his confession was what ultimately sinks in, making you tremble in response. no words were able to escape from your parted lips when he spends the rest of his time littering your face with his possessive sweet kisses.

yet the moment he whispers the following words to you, you knew that your fate had been sealed from the moment sung jinwoo first laid eyes on you:

"you're the only exception... the only one that matters the most to me. everything that happened before you is meaningless now, and i hope that you're ready to take responsibility for all that you have done to me."

a.n. - whew, this was so much fun to write,,, and lowkey hot as well. like jinwoo, i accept you, darkness and allllll 😭😭😭😭

all stories are written by rei; reposts, translations, and plagiarism are not allowed.

[on-leatheredwings]

Baby-trapping you say? 👀

baby trapping i say!!!

maybe i should say its specifically stealthing [picks nose]? he doesnt really care to 'trap' you because he literally just believes you're endgame

sneak peek bc god im tired of writing:

tw: weird ideals about fertile (cis) women, intent to stealth, implied/tangential somnophilia (???) and other yandere-typical behavior

18+ only, Damian Wayne is 21

He does want to be with you above anything, and if children were out of the question due to natural causes… sure, he would learn to get over it. His brothers are all adopted and are as legitimate heirs to his father as he. But as it stands, Damian needs an heir someday and he knows your body can provide that. 

A part of him, a part that’s been planted in him since his childhood, quietly admits that he simply wants his children to be blood. He was taught that he was the result of two genetically perfect individuals – Bruce Wayne the Batman and Talia al Ghul, Daughter of the Demon’s Head. 

So why shouldn’t his child be the genetic amalgamation of you and him? The thought of impregnating you sounds… good. Ideal. Natural, even. Call him a romantic.

Back from class, you decided to read on his living room recliner while he drew in his study. He indeed sketched, as he did everyday, but he also wanted to check if today was the day he thought it was. Damian opens the drawer of his wooden desk, papers neatly filed. He picks up a sleek black folder.

When opened, inside is a calendar for the year, with no notes or writing. The days are simply blank or highlighted in either red or green.

His eyes skirt down to the current day of the calendar, and Damian's pleased to see it is indeed among a week that's painted in green. You've ovulated, and the six days afterward are an ideal window. 

You've said in passing that your cycle is pleasantly regular and Damian's past investigations have proved this to be true. He doesn’t ask anymore. He snorts, remembering how last time you looked at him incredulously and asked if he was a Republican, since he was “all up in your womb.” 

However, you do keep menstrual products in your bag when he’s predicted it. You also spend quite some time at his place, so he does note when there’s pad wrappers in his bathroom trash bin.

Last year, the day he knew you were the one, his One, he brewed you a tea before bed. Its sedative contents ensured you wouldn't wake. So, Damian pulled off your pants, and collected a sample from you as you slept. Of course, he did so with sterile, sexless precision –  Damian wasn’t a pervert or deviant. He sniffs. He’s better than that. Even if his hands did linger.

Test results proved you were healthy and fertile. He remembers being proud. As expected, you were perfect in all things.

[wttcsms]

if you feel like falling (catch me on the way down) | ONE

ᝰ.ᐟ after getting your heart broken by professional soccer player, rin itoshi, all because he loved the game more than you, you officially swear off all men — especially athletes. your publicist doesn't get that memo, though, and you find yourself roped into a fake relationship with yoichi isagi, who isn't just a pro soccer player, but also your ex's rival. things could get messy. ( fem!reader )

pairing yoichi isagi x reader (endgame), past! rin itoshi x reader word count 2.9k chapter synopsis there are certain perks to having a relationship that operates on a "private not secret" basis. for example, you're allowed at least two weeks before the batshit crazy people online figure out that little miss it girl just got her ass dumped. chapter contains partying to cope, social drinking, diet culture, this fic is so chronically online LOL author's notes so normally, i would organize the fic's different arcs or acts by explicitly saying "act 1" or whatever. like i said, we're gonna be chronically online, so the arcs are described as different "eras" and when it's a new arc, we'll get a new era 🤭 each era has special graphics for it: what the media sees vs what's actually going on. think of the era intro as a moodboard for the chapters that'll follow <3

⋆˚࿔ CURRENT ERA: PARTY GIRL 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ from the outside, it's giving irl serena van der woodsen but even better, no one can possibly have the same 24 hours as you, someone needs to convince you to drop the skincare routine STAT, matter of fact - we just need your whole game card

— guest starred on the hottest pop culture podcast where it was basically just a glaze session for you (besides the last 10 minutes where the host started asking about rin), articles that want to help readers live your (unattainable if you're not rich!) lifestyle, and a devoted fanpage that updates your every move... every move.

on the inside, it's actually giving listening and actually relating to sad music, asking an 8 ball if you're the problem, being desperate enough to believe those tiktoks that say if you claim this sound and interact 3x he'll text you back, wondering when you should mail him back his stuff, keeping busy in the public eye so no one suspects how miserable you are right now

— even spotify clocked you and it's auto-generated, customized playlist perfectly depicts what you're going through (talk about the saddest soundtrack to your life), got desperate and consulted quora (this is how you know you're at rockbottom). not shown: your credit card statement (retail therapy works, right? right?!)

“Promise you’ll be on your best behavior?” Yukimiya peers over his sunglasses so he can give you a very pointed look. You tilt your head innocently.

“When am I ever not?” 

Yukimiya lets out a very loud, very drawn out, very exasperated sigh. When have you not been on your best behavior? Well, just last month, you got drunk, stumbled out to your garage, hopped in your custom-wrapped pink Porsche, and somehow ended up falling asleep on top of the hood. (In your defense, at least even in a drunken stupor, you weren’t stupid enough to drive.) Last week, you collected the numbers of about eight different athletes and models, sufficiently led every single one of them on, and are now actively ghosting all of them because they committed the cardinal sin of not sounding like, feeling like, or being anything like Rin. And speaking of the devil, Rin’s the reason why just last night, you ended up blocking not just him from your social media, but his whole entire team, too. You felt vindicated when you did this at 2 AM. Yeah, because that’ll sure show him! He hasn’t looked at your story once since the breakup (not that you’ve been keeping track or anything), but in case he tries to play it cool and gets one of his teammates to view it on his behalf, you’ll have put a stop to that plan. 

(Even when you’re spiraling, you’re still painfully aware of the fact that Rin’s most likely doing okay, if not still performing at his best. He is most certainly not doing something as childish as getting his teammates to relay info on you to him. Meanwhile, you are apparently a social liability for your closest friends. Spectacular.) 

“Don’t answer that.” You tell him. “I don’t want to know what my life looks like through your eyes.” It’s bad enough that every little thing you do gets documented, photographed, and then sensationalized on the Internet, but it’s one thing for strangers to commentate on your behavior when they don’t even have the full story. It’s another thing entirely when it’s your best friend criticizing your current lifestyle. 

“I’m just saying, it’s going to be a very casual lunch with my favorite people. Not a party.” Yukimiya clarifies. 

“Kenyu, you do realize that inviting me to a birthday party, and then saying ‘it’s not a party’ is kind of giving mixed signals right now.” Now it’s your turn to give him a pointed look, but just like his, there’s no true venom behind it. It’s Kenyu’s birthday celebration, anyway. You’re not about to corrupt Mr. Catholic Private School and tell him to throw a fucking rager. 

“If my team gets their way, there probably will be an actual party. If there is, you’ll be the first one I give the details to.” There’s a distant shout in the back; the photographer is done with his lunch, and he’s ready to wrap this shoot up. Kenyu examines his hair in the vanity mirror before getting out of his chair and giving you a quick hug. Your photos have already been taken, and there’s really no point for you to be on set still. 

However, Kenyu’s on set. Your only other viable option is to just go home and hide under your covers, rewatching Someone Great on Netflix and Doordashing Ben & Jerry’s. Juliette is home in France and won’t be coming back until the end of the month, and you’re not really in the mood to see any of your other friends. It’s tiring being around people who can’t separate front-cover-of-Vogue you from the real you. If you’re going to have to fake a smile, it might as well be on set rather than grabbing brunch with people who would kill to be able to leak something as headline-inducing as your breakup. 

“Pinky promise?” You look up at Yukimiya. “You promise to tell me about the party even if I’ll make a fool of myself because apparently I don’t act on my best behavior?” 

He rolls his eyes at your comment. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way, and you know that. Besides, you could never make a fool of yourself. Anything you do is declared iconic, anyway.”

Having a famous movie director as a father and a certified Hollywood starlet as a mother, life wasn’t just set at easy mode for you. You practically were given an unlimited money hack and started off with like, five times the XP compared to any other beginner. At thirteen, you told your parents that for your birthday, you wanted to become a model. Two phone calls and a private jet flight later, and you had signed with the best modeling agency in the country and had your first ever photoshoot booked. 

Fate gave you parents with connections, and you’d be a fool to not use it to your advantage. Fate also gave you the same photoshoot as another young model, and you’d be a fool to not befriend Kenyu Yukimiya immediately. Out of all the friends you’ve ever made, fate only gives you good luck twice: first with Yuki, then with Juliette. You used to think you got lucky three times — meeting Rin for the first time was like experiencing something cosmic. Now you know better. Even rich people can have shit luck, too. 

Today’s unlucky situation is the way Yukimiya’s “favorite people” all happen to be athletes. There’s not a single person here who isn’t his teammate or somehow related to Bastard Munchen, except for you. If you didn’t love Yukimiya so much, you would have hauled ass. It’s normally easy enough for you to avoid soccer players at parties because they don’t normally get invited to the same social events you do, but now you’re the odd one out. 

At least the food is good. You don’t have a photoshoot scheduled until next week, and that’s exactly why you’re comfortable with choking down half a bagel sandwich rather than socialize with the guys seated by you. Yukimiya’s real big on intimacy and the power of friendship or whatever, which is probably easier to achieve when you play a team sport versus the modeling industry, where good jobs are few and far between, and the reason why some models are so skinny is because they can’t afford to eat — literally and figuratively. If they’re not booking jobs, there’s no way they can buy groceries in this economy. 

He has everyone assembled at one long table in the massive backyard of his mansion. It’s honestly kind of Last Supper-core, but it fits him. Little Yuki’s finally old enough to have a seat at the big kid’s table. He’s sitting across from you, and you’re sandwiched between Kunigami and Hiori. Next to Yukimiya is Isagi. Out of everyone at this party, soccer player or not, Isagi is the person you want to avoid the most. So far, you think you’ve managed to skirt under his radar. If everything goes as planned, you’ll be able to leave this lunch with your belly full and not having to interact with anybody. It’s looking like you won’t even have to drink in order to get through this. 

“Hey, out of all of us at this table, who d’ya think would have the best shot at being a model?” Hiori is clearly speaking to you. The blue-haired player is looking directly at you, for God’s sake. You wonder if it’ll be mean to blatantly ignore him, but considering how this little question seems to have captured the attention of the surrounding players, it looks like pretending you’re hard of hearing is out of the question. 

Inside, you’re dying. The last thing you wanted to do was socialize, but it’d be selfish and bratty to request that Yukimiya find more time in his busy schedule to have a one-on-one celebration with you. You’re here to support your friend. You can stomach being friendly with boys who have probably seen Rin more recently than you’ve last seen him. Fuck — why are you thinking about Rin? Do not think about Rin!

You grab one of the premade mimosas from the tray in the center of the table. You down the glass in one swift gulp. On the outside, you flash Hiori a bright smile and give an airy giggle. “Why? You trying to get a foot into the industry?” 

Hiori’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink. “W-well, no. Just wanted to make conversation.” 

“No worries! I’ve been trying to keep up with whatever you guys are talking about, but even after all this time being friends with Kenyu, I still don’t really get soccer.” Your smile is still intact. You reach for another mimosa. 

“Rin didn’t teach you anything?” 

Ever since you entered the industry, you knew that you had to get comfortable with standing out. No — you needed to thrive on standing out. You needed to crave, to rely on, people’s undying attention in order to survive. In the eyes of the media, you’re the center of attention. You got what every girl your age wants. At this table, everyone’s eyes are focused on you. What you want is to be back in your room, away from their prying gazes and curious stares.

But you’re a trained professional. Your smile never slides off, never turns into a grimace. You give a casual shrug, directing your answer to the person who mentioned Rin in the first place. 

“I make it a rule to not discuss work when we’re together.” You look at Isagi, asking him with your eyes if that’s a good enough explanation for him. He holds your gaze, looking at you like he sees right through you.

You drink another mimosa. 

After loosening up because of the drinks, you find casual conversation with the Munchen players to be easy. The boys honestly never shut up, and you don’t know what they’re talking about half the time, but you’re cracking genuine smiles every so often, and by the time Yukimiya is going around and saying his thanks for everyone showing up, you are…

Not drunk, per se. You’ve built up quite the tolerance these past few weeks, and it’s hard to get wasted off of drinks that are basically three-fourths orange juice. (Seriously, was Yukimiya getting stingy with the champagne? Sober You might be able to acknowledge the fact that Yukimiya might have just been preparing for the Worst Case Scenario, which would be you hogging all the drinks to yourself. Which sort of happened. Fuck. Sometimes it sucks to be known so well.) You’re definitely tipsy, though. Maybe half a tier above tipsy? Whatever the case, you are definitely in no shape to drive. 

“Kenny,” you whine out his nickname, trying your best to pull out your puppy-dog eyes. “Please take me home.” 

“Ah, damnnit, [Name].” He runs his fingers through his dark curls. “Did you seriously get drunk off of orange juice?” 

“Champagne drunk is the best drunk. I’m pretty sure People Magazine quoted me on that like, last year, so it’s basically fact.” Yukimiya doesn’t seem overly impressed. “And I’m not drunk, but my alcohol levels right now are definitely above the legal limit. Sorry, but I don’t plan on making headlines for a DUI. Hard to spin that into something iconic.” 

This gets Yukimiya to crack a smile. “I thought you were leaning into the party girl look?” 

“Yeah, but after Justin Timberlake got caught for intoxicated driving, he made it look totally lame. He ruined it for us!” 

“I wish I could drive you back, but I have to retake some photos for this sneaker ad I’m doing, and with traffic, I’m really cutting it close already. Do you want to just come with, or hang out at my place until I get back? You should’ve said something sooner; I could’ve asked one of the guys to drop you off.”

You crinkle your nose. “No, thanks. I’m not a fan of strangers knowing where I live.” Becoming a model at such a young age thrust you into the spotlight. With media attention comes total pervs who lurk in Reddit threads and 4Chan, and stumbling upon some of the things said about you, reading the things they would do to you if they found you, all laid out in disgusting, graphic detail, left you kind of paranoid. Getting doxxed might be one of your worst fears. No Ubers. No car ride homes with strangers. “I’ll wait here. It’s been a while since I went through your things, so I’m sure there’ll be enough of your dirty secrets to uncover to keep me occupied.” 

“Did you need a ride?” 

Shitty luck, indeed. 

The teammate who decided to stay behind to help clean up (because he’s just that outstanding of a guy) is the sole reason for why you went buckwild on the mimosas. You can see why Rin was always frustrated with him.

“Nope—” You say, at the same exact time as Yukimiya nods enthusiastically. 

“Would you mind? [Name] actually lives pretty close by, so it might not be out of the way.” 

You shoot Yukimiya a scathing glare. He ignores it completely, smiling at Isagi. 

“I don’t mind. That is, if you don’t mind.” Isagi is looking at you expectantly. Yukimiya trusts him. And you trust Yukimiya. By some sort of logic, you should reasonably be able to trust Isagi. It’s clear that Kenyu wants you to carpool with him, anyway, otherwise he wouldn’t have been so happy to dump you onto him. 

“Sure. I’m ready to go whenever you are.” 

What would happen if you jumped out of a moving vehicle? 

At best, you’d get your pretty skin all scraped up, meaning your photoshoots would either have to be delayed, or you would have to endure all the clear distaste for your “unprofessionalism” in the workplace from the people who actually had to work to get to where they’re at. At worst, you end up hospitalized. Somehow, it seems easier to photoshop out a few cuts and scrapes than working with someone in a full-body cast.

As you weigh the pros and cons of jumping out of Yoichi Isagi’s vehicle — a sleek, black sedan that’s top of the line, sure, but understated luxury; it’s not flashy like the sports cars you see most athletes sporting — he smoothly reverses out of Yukimiya’s driveway. Isagi does that boyish thing where he ignores his backup camera completely and opts to rest one hand on the back of the passenger headrest, the other hand on the steering wheel. Fuck. Maybe it’s not a boyish thing. Maybe it’s manly. Isagi leans a bit into your space; not enough to bother you, but enough to where you can smell the scent of his cologne. He smells clean and fresh. Maybe it’s not cologne, but laundry detergent and fabric softener. Somehow, you find this very fitting of him. 

He glances out the window to check for traffic and eases you two onto the open road. 

He’s not playing any music, and you’re sure as hell not about to ask for the aux. You look out the window instead, watching the world pass you by through tinted glass. It makes everything around you appear darker. Somehow, you find this to be very fitting for you.

“You live around this area, yeah?” Isagi asks you, and you’re reminded that if you want to go home, you actually have to let the driver know where home is. 

“Yeah, sorry. Keep heading straight, and I’ll let you know when there’s a turn coming up.” Talking to Isagi shouldn’t feel so awkward. After all, you managed to talk (and actually enjoy talking) to all of Yukimiya’s teammates. You even got along well with Kaiser. But it just feels weird — you’ve never met him directly, but you’ve heard so much about him, that it’s hard to not see Rin’s rants every time you look at Isagi. 

So you don’t — look at Isagi, that is. You look at everything else. His car is clean. There are air fresheners in the AC vents. The floor of the passenger seat is oddly clean, like no one ever sits here. If that’s the case, you hope your heels didn’t track in any grass blades or dirt. 

“Um,” Isagi awkwardly clears his throat at a red light. “When I mentioned Rin earlier at the party…” 

“What about it?” Fuck, this is so embarrassing. Since the car is stationary, you’re in the clear, right? If you just unlock the door, you can escape on foot. Your house is now close enough that it’ll just count as today’s exercise. 

“Sorry for bringing him up. I didn’t know—”

“—didn’t know what?” You turn to face him. His jaw is surprisingly sharp, and you watch the way he swallows before he answers you. 

“I didn’t know that you two broke up.” 

No one knows that you two broke up. You’re still in the process of making sense of it all, and because you’re so messed up over it, naturally you had to confide in Yukimiya and Juliette. Neither of them would ever share that secret, though. 

So why the hell does Yoichi Isagi know?

“The light’s green.” You tell him, shifting your body in the seat, avoiding him by positioning yourself even closer to the door. 

Neither of you say anything else during the drive.

[windvexer]

dealing with a nonthreatening entity in your home, if you can't easily communicate with spirits

just how I'd do it, the flowchart I'd personally work with, UPG ahead, etc; take what you like and leave the rest behind.

Nonthreatening: An entity which hasn't harmed you or tried to harm you, or isn't an active threat to you or your household, even if they may have acted in unpleasant or disruptive ways.

Dealing with: Sorting out the situation so that you feel comfortable with what's going on.

This post is about resolving a spirit situation in your home that you're uncomfortable with. It's not a general guide on spirit work, and it's not a recommendation for how to treat all spirits in all situations.

Banishing should probably not be a first step when dealing with an unwanted/surprise/unexpected spirit, or learning that a spirit exists where you didn't expect to be one.

Ideally, for the diplomatic spirit worker who wants to be regarded well by the otherworlds, several other steps come first.

Decide what you'd ideally like to do

Ideally, do you want the spirit to leave completely?

Never interact with you or make its presence known?

Hang around as long as it doesn't bother room mates or pets?

Integrate into the household and be a spirit room mate?

Become a part of your spirit family?

Etc!

Not saying you'll get your wish but it's a good idea to sit down and figure yourself out before you go and start moderating the life of an entity.

Like if your actual feeling is, "I do not want this guy here and I won't be comfortable in my home unless he leaves," then don't set out on purpose to make the guy a spirit home and give him house rules. Skip to the endgame step of asking him to leave.

Check on wards and protections before you take action

Not trying to be an alarmist but every now and then a random guy ends up being a big jerk, and in that situation the preferable option is to have just checked up on what tools you have on hand.

If you can communicate with spirits

Talk it out 👍 you may have to make compromises, especially if you're working with Big Guys who have a say in things, but by and large I find that if you can make the spirit a nice little house in a place they like and some solid house rules, a lot of situations are going to be resolved real fast.

If things go tits up, banishing.

If you can't easily perceive/2-way communicate with spirits

When perception isn't easy/possible, take reasonable steps and wait to see what happens.

If the stuff that was bothering you is resolved, count that as a win 👍

If you're still encountering problems, take the next step; do this until you've exhausted all options, and then move to banishing.

When you take actions, clearly affirm your intentions and expectations. Do not invite open-ended conversations that you can't participate in.

🛑 "If this spirit house isn't suitable for you, please try to let me know. I'll see what I can do to change it."

✅ "I've made this spirit house for you. Please make use of it according to your desires, but move on to another property if it isn't to your liking."

Set or review house rules

This isn't a comprehensive guide, but all you've really got to do is write down a list of rules, ritually read it off, and then stick the list somewhere you won't lose it.

A lot of spirit problems can be resolved by establishing solid house rules

A lot of panic about powerful spirits and faulty wards can be resolved by fixing accidental loopholes

Get your rules lawyer friend to help troubleshoot

E.g., "uninvited spirits aren't welcome here." Is a spirit still uninvited if you carry it in while it's inside of an object? It can get a bit tedious but it's a miracle spirits can understand human language at all, much less the miles between what you actually desire to occur versus what gets codified.

If a new spirit arrives or behavior occurs that you think is against your house rules, review your rules to see if there could be a loophole. Then, 'set' them again by re-reading them in a ritual setting. During that time, specifically ask the spirit to stop its bothersome behavior.

Divination or consulting with other practitioner friends can really help troubleshoot house rules.

Popular house rules include things like:

Don't mess with my dreams or sleep

Don't scare or make yourself known to house members or pets

Never go into my bedroom

Don't interfere with my spells or ritual workings, even if you're trying to help or protect me

Wait for a little while and see if that resolves things.

Make the guy his own little house

A spirit bothering someone isn't always them just being mischievous. Active spirits who roam around the house bored as hell can accidentally make themselves known. And ordering a bored guy to never do anything fun isn't necessarily a recipe for a happy household.

Make the guy a nice little area with some things to enjoy, especially little fidget toys and shiny stuff, and invite him to dwell in that area and make use of the enjoyable things.

This doesn't need to be in the shape of an actual miniature house.

Crochet basket, thermos with the lid popped open, desk organizer, pile of little cloths, small box with or without a lid, old jar, plastic tub, books stacked to make a nice private corner, etc.

Include a soft bed, which can take the form of comfortable cloths or a nice little pillow you crochet, etc.

Include things the spirit might like or use, such as coins, a fidget spinner, a mini rubix cube, a sun catcher, etc.

Spice it up by decorating it all nicely and including pretty things, like a nice printed silk scarf, a paint job or facade on the container, or lovely objects placed nearby.

Focus on privacy - give the guy somewhere to go so he can relax and unwind, and not constantly be bothered by people.

Most vitally, ensure that the spirit house won't be disrupted. Don't place or design it so that children or unwitting partners might "tidy it up" or take it down and play with it.

You don't have to do a big ritual cleansing or consecration or whatever.

Invite the guy to dwell there. Enter magical headspace or initiate ritual communication in whatever method you prefer.

"My guy, I see you are a part of the household. I've made you this house to use if you want to. Either way, bothering my partner has got to stop. If I need to talk to you for anything, I'll come back to this location. Anything I leave right next to the house is for you."

If the guy is stuck to an object, take that object somewhere nice

Learning how to bind a spirit to an object is a valuable skill for a witch. Sometimes nature does the job for you and the spirit is bound to an object on arrival.

Move that bad boy to a nice location, possibly to a spirit house you build, or maybe outside, even at a faraway location (I've left a few spirit vessels up the mountain, myself).

Make sure to positively affirm that you are taking this action to help the spirit, and your goal is to put it in a nice location.

Sit down with the dude and tell him to knock that shit off regardless of house rules

Presumably we're at this point because the spirit is still around, you don't want to actually tell him to get out, but something is happening that isn't working for you.

Despite the sarcastic section header, it's actually probably wise for you to own up to your own role in the situation.

Most spirits aren't jerks or stupid. They may be trying their best to interpret your words and behaviors.

You may be being unintentionally confusing or contradictory.

You may be laying down rapidfire changes that's making the spirit nervous or confused.

Your own magic may be creating barriers or impossibilities in the spirit world that prevent them from doing what you're asking.

They may be reacting to unseen situations you're completely unaware of.

A little humility goes a long way in soothing the waters.

Go to the guy's spirit house, if he has one, or otherwise go to where he's known to dwell; or, go to your usual working area. Enter magical headspace or initiate ritual communication.

Say something like,

"Hey, I need these very specific things to change. I don't mind you staying here, but it's my responsibility to care for this household, and I can't have this happening. If you are unable to stop doing this, I must politely request that you leave this household and find a new place to dwell."

(Note: If you're trying to cultivate psychism and want to be a spirit worker and so on, this is a great juncture to actually invite communication in whatever form might come - even if that communication comes slowly over days or weeks. But if that's not your jam for the present situation, you don't have to.)

(Maybe a controversial take, but you have a responsibility to do your best to do right by the spirits. We all have our limits and you also have a duty to your household, but if the reality is "I can't perceive or get input from spirits," you're limited in what you can do. Acting fairly and taking reasonable, diplomatic steps can sometimes be the best you can do.)

Ask the guy to leave

Enter magical headspace or initiate ritual communication.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't working out. I hold no ill-will towards you, but you must now depart and find a new dwelling outside of this property and this home.

It might be a good idea to invite him into a little vessel and then take that somewhere nice, but far away.

You can cleanse and bless a river rock and invite the guy to move in there, and then go take that somewhere you think is nice, or even just near a new apartment complex where he could find other residences, etc. I often find the vibes when transporting a spirit vessel to be very strong and they can be very opinionated about where they want to be left.

If you transport a spirit vessel to a new location, consider bringing a small offering (like a pinch of tobacco, or some bottled water) and pouring them out near the vessel in dedication to the spirit.

Announce that you're parting ways in good faith, and if you should ever meet again, that it will be in peace.

If all that fails, banishing is next

[yayll]

~ a little something about Dazai and his tantrums ~

"... Hmph. I hope you crash this car and we both die."

The moody brunet mutters under his breath as he looks out of the car window, his arms crossed over his chest, refusing to look at you. He was awfully cute whenever he did this, and oh so vexing at the same time. You learned to acclimate to this very early into your relationship with him.

"What? All I said was that I was going to be driving us, Osamu!"

Your laugh is light hearted as you focus on the road ahead, dismissing his whiny behavior for another one of his... Melodramatic performances, his co-workers once called it. He finally turns to glare at you, but a wicked glint in his narrowed eyes betrays him... You can tell he's more unserious than anything. Playful, even. And besides, he would never actually be upset with you, he just can't stop thinking up schemes to make you roll your eyes at him. Your smile alone makes his thoughts impure, shame on you!

"Yeah, well... I feel dehumanized! overlooked! neglected..." He feigns offense, sighing heavily as he slouches into the passenger seat. He places a bandaged arm over his face, groaning softly but still side eyeing you to check if you're looking at him or not.

"You do that all on your own, silly."

"Excuse me? I'm expressing my grievances and you're calling me silly? Oh, so that's what this is really about. You don't love me anymore! What a cruel beauty you are..."

He gasps, now burying his face into the crook of his elbow, pretending to weep as he mumbles incoherent nonsense about how much you mistreat him. In actuality, he was giddy as hell. You park the car, and turn to face him, a coy smile flashes on your lips.

"Nobody said anything about not loving you. Now, what can I do to fix this, Mm?"

He lifts his head up, suddenly composed and shrugging his shoulders as if nothing ever happened, speaking in a matter of fact voice that somehow deepened.

"Well, definitely don't let me drive. I don't even have a license. I'd kill us in an instant."

"... Then why argue about it?!"

"Because you look so beautiful when you're yelling at me. And you make me feel alive. Anddd, because I'm bored~"

He flashes you a cheeky grin, it's dreamy and sickening. His eyes twinkle with mischief as he leans over the seat and flicks away a stray hair from your face. Dazai then taps the tip of your nose, slowly dragging his finger down to your plush bottom lip, gently flipping it over to expose your teeth. The pad of his finger gently swirls against your canines, and finally, retreats... He knows there's a time and place for his worship prodding. His eyes travel back up to yours, and you can swear they look darker than usual. If only the Port Mafia could see what became of the Demon Prodigy... A new man reborn! A man who loves!

The rest of the day is spent with you indulging Dazai, something along the lines of 'reparations' is what he calls it. Only he knows how much it means to him that you can handle him during his calculated outbursts... or rather harmless tests to prove you won't leave him at the first sign of trouble. He needs you to be in it for the longhaul, just like he is. It's deceptive, but no one has to know! He just loves you and these are simply counter measures. You'd probably call him selfish, but as long as you call him at all, he doesn't give a shit. Because in the grand scheme of things, he really can't drive, and you two are inevitably endgame.

You're the ball, and he's your chain.

[jonathanbyersphd]

I hope whoever put Jonathan's photos, his David Bowie poster, mixtapes and love letters in Nancy's room in s4 knows I love them

[love-byers]

btw they knew will was going to have feelings for mike when they wrote

Do you remember the first day that we met? It was...it was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends. I just felt so alone, and so scared--but I saw you on the swings, and you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself. So I just walked up to you and I asked--I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done.

why the fuck would brilliant writers like the duffers give a character such a beautiful touching monologue, make the recipient of the monologue in love with them, just for it to mean absolutely nothing in the end.

if s5 ends with mlvn endgame and will accepting mike doesn't share feelings and moving on then all of that amounts to nothing. it literally means nothing. it'll be as if it never happened.

if the narrative of will and mike's arc is "gay boy falls in love with straight best friend because of straight best friend's adoring behavior and he just has to accept that some people are just straight" i will be absolutely flabbergasted. literally nobody besides mlvns want that.

part of stranger things since s3 is that some people ARENT straight. we think robin is straight and has feelings for steve in s3 because the writers allowed the heteronormativity, just so they could flip it on our heads later on. and they do a similar thing with vickie in s4, giving us hope that she shares robin's feelings, just for us to be devastated when we see her with her boyfriend. then they DOUBLE flip it on us by revealing vickie does indeed like robin.

the writers are literally teaching you to not just assume people are straight no matter how it may seem. we saw vickie flirt with her bf and kiss him and look happy when he kissed her neck and GUESS WHAT?? NOT STRAIGHT AND HAD FEELINGS FOR SOMEONE ELSE!!!

in almost all the most beloved couples, we've seen them appear happy with someone else before. like, genuinely happy. but we know that doesn't mean anything, because they can appear happy and still have issues/have hidden feelings for someone else. nancy told steve she loved him to his face and not even a week later got with jonathan. murray literally says you can genuinely like someone and be attracted to them and have real love for someone else at the same time.

not everything is what it seems. wizards of waverly place literally prepared us for this like come on

[nobodyfamousposts]

Do you think people cling on too much to Adrien's high road advice as a reason to salt on him?

Yes, especially when there are plenty of other reasons to salt him that have previously been ignored. But to that end, it DOES serve as the final straw for people after a SERIES of problems that had previously gone unaddressed.

Much like many aspects of the show, Adrien has displayed problematic behaviors that have been overlooked and waved off in the earlier seasons. This is likely or especially due to the way how in each and every incident, Adrien was narratively shown to be correct. In his stance. In his choices. In his behaviors. He was always right. It doesn't matter if he shouldn't be, because he is.

Now unless you're a hater or anti or salter or whatever negative name people tend to get for not liking a story as it's presented, readers and watchers tend to follow along with the narrative as it presents things and how it presents things. It's a common setup in any story. Protagonist Centered Morality, I feel framed best by Susan in the Discord series:

Susan: ...and then Jack chopped down the beanstalk, adding murder and ecological vandalism to the theft, enticement and trespass charges already mentioned, but he got away with it and lived happily ever after without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done. Which proves that you can be excused anything if you're a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.

Pretty much this. Most people will follow what the narrative says because it's the narrative. If the narrative wants you to focus on Marinette being embarrassed, you're going to focus on how much she's cringe. And if the narrative wants you to view Adrien as a perfect sunshine boy who never does anything wrong, anything he does is going to be framed through that lens and it's difficult to break from that view and call out the times when he is wrong. Not unless he does something particularly severe.

It should be noted that outside of Chameleon, Adrien had, among other things: lied to his partner, caused someone to get akumatized and had his partner take the blame, was messing around during life-threatening and city-threatening situations, did nothing as Chloe tormented people right in front of him, DEFENDED Chloe after she tormented people right in front of him, bailed on an event with friends to set up a date with someone who said she had other plans and then got mad at HER for it, tried to flirt or confess in the middle of an active crisis which took necessary attention away from said crisis, caused himself AND his partner to get hit by akuma powers and needlessly be taken out of commission.

And yet people could mostly overlook these instances. They weren't his fault. Chloe is his friend. Marinette is worse. He's just a kid. He has a tragic backstory. So on and so forth. Easy to overlook. Easy to ignore in favor of the Sunshine Boy setup people were given and want to believe in.

But there were three major instances that really grabbed people's attention and stayed:

His attitude in Frozer. It probably wouldn't have been so bad except this rejection already happened in Glaciator, where he was supposed to have learned a lesson and accepted just being Ladybug's friend and now apparently didn't, despite it happening earlier that very season. Then in response, he decides to date Kagami as a rebound, drags Marinette with him on his date (without realizing how he's asking his friend to be a third wheel on a DATE) and focuses on her when he's supposed to be with Kagami, throws another tantrum in the middle of an akuma fight and refuses to work with his partner when the city is literally frozen, and requires Ladybug to apologize to him for hurting his feelings before he finally working with her. Again. But okay, he's a teenage boy in love. Not used to rejection and got his feelings hurt. Lovesquare is endgame so of course it'll work out anyway, so it's not like this bump in the road is really going to matter long term so we shouldn't hold it against him. Fine. Dumb, but fine. We've forgiven it in other shows and other poorly done teen romances, we can forgive it here.

His behavior in Syren in which he demanded to know secrets from people when the secrets were not theirs to tell him, and went so far as to attempt to blackmail his kwami (which was funny) and threaten to quit and abandon the Ring that the big bad is after while the city is flooded and people were trying to not drown (which was decidedly less humorous). But it was played for wholesome when Plagg reassured him and he got what he wanted by Fu revealed himself even if Adrien did nothing to actually show he earned it, so all's well that ends well, I guess? And people could justify it because "they're partners" and "part of a team" and "she should trust him" and "it's not fair he's the only one left out of the loop" and "he has a right to know" and just general "Fu is an idiot" (which is admittedly hard to argue). So people were disgruntled, but most were willing to overlook it.

His holier than thou lecture to Marinette in Maledictator over everyone being happy Chloe was leaving. When all Marinette was doing at the time was watching everyone else have fun. When Adrien specifically guilted Marinette and not any of the other actual partiers involved who were literally throwing a party over his friend leaving and probably should have warranted a lecture more than the girl just standing there. When the girl in question was also Chloe's main target and out of everyone had valid reasons to be happy that her bully won't be around to bully her anymore. When Adrien himself has historically been present to witness Marinette being targeted including twice he witnessed Chloe attempt to steal from Marinette, once he witnessed her try to blackmail Marinette, and numerous other times when she actively caused harm to Marinette and others. When Adrien then proceeded to sit in a corner and pout rather than do anything else or just leave if the party really bothered him. When Adrien, if he really cared so damn much, could have gone after Chloe himself! Or y'know...have stood up for Chloe earlier when she got upset in the first place. But fine, okay, Chloe is his childhood friend. So maybe he's just being biased and oblivious to the fact that his "friend" is a horrible person. But people can excuse and justify it in that they are friends and friends support each other, and the longer someone is friends with someone else, the harder it is to break from them. And that Marinette was probably just the target of his lecture because she was the one there in the moment (and the only one who would listen without arguing). And her calling Chloe useless was "mean" despite it being quite frankly the least of what she could have said about her in the moment (coughcough theft cough blackmail cough punished the entire school cough TRIED TO CRASH A TRAIN AND NEARLY KILLED HER AND HER PARENTS COUGH-FREAKINGCOUGH). Fine. Childhood friend means Adrien supports her in all her horrible and even deadly actions. Frustrating, but again, able to be explained and you can see where he's coming from.

These are all things that definitely got Adrien some side eye at best and some detractors at worst.

BUT if you really think about it, all of these examples are objectively worse than his lecture to Marinette in Chameleon. Not accepting being told "no" and continuing to chase a girl who isn't that in to him (while leading on another). Putting lives at risk over personal wants that could quite honestly wait until AFTER the crisis is over. Defending someone who is harmful and guilt tripping the victims. Compared to those, telling someone to leave a liar to their lying seems relatively minor.

So why this? Why here? Why is it Chameleon that has people saying enough is enough? Why is it this episode that is causing the sunshine boy to be so tarnished and the subject of salt in fan fiction?

Because this is the time when it couldn't be rationalized. There wasn't even a valid sensible canon-based reason for his stance. The arguments that Adrien "knew confronting her wouldn't work" or that he "handled her like paparazzi" or that he "knew Marinette previously failed when she tried" (even though he wasn't there and didn't know) or that he "didn't think anyone would believe him" don't come from canon. Those were fan arguments made after the fact to justify him after the base was broken and the outcry became too much to ignore.

This case didn't have any of the ties or rationales of the previous incidents. Adrien wasn't defending himself or his place in a partnership. He wasn't fighting for his love or his dream or an outcome he wanted and that we all knew was coming—if anything, he was fighting against her. He wasn't defending a friend like he did with Chloe—I mean, it's pretty evident he doesn't even really know or like Lila at this point, and for all intents and purposes, this is apparently only the second day he actually had any interaction with her. There was no notable reason Adrien really had for why he essentially chose to protect Lila over literally anyone else as she wasn't a friend and it wasn't in his interests to protect her from a consequence that wouldn't hurt her short term as much as it would likely harm everyone else long term.

And yet, he still defended her and her freedom to lie. Over Marinette. Over Ladybug. Over his friends. Over any sense of right and wrong he seems to have no problem throwing around when it comes to Marinette/Ladybug. Which seems like he targets her 9 times out of 10 compared to pretty much anyone else by this point. So it's little wonder then that people who didn't already hate the lovesquare because of the cringe factor from Marinette started to hate it for being incredibly unhealthy given that their relatively limited interactions tend to involve him lecturing her for failing to live up to his double standards that only seem to apply to her in any given situation.

This incident by itself doesn't seem like much, but when looked at as part of the series as a whole, it's when people couldn't keep overlooking this trend. Where he seems to admonish the wrong person. Where he acts like a mouthpiece rather than a person. Talks like he’s wise in a situation he seems to have a childish and one-sided view of. Acts like a brat but is treated as though he has no accountability in the situation he causes. Where he is wrong but no one and certainly not the narrative acknowledges it (not until season five and two seasons too late when it doesn't matter and he's still not the one facing consequences for it).

And it's not like he actually follows the stances he himself promotes. In Chameleon, canon presents him with this idealistic stance that Lila could change if given a chance, except he doesn't give her a chance. He doesn't push her to be a better person. He doesn't support or in any way help her to be the better person he insisted to Marinette she could be. He also doesn't do anything or warn anyone when she keeps lying and actively harms the people he says he cares about. He doesn't do anything one way or the other other than some lackluster encouragement to stop lying and a warning that goes nowhere. It just further gives credit to the argument that Adrien either simply doesn't care about other people, or that he doesn't care for Marinette specifically. Neither is conducive to the lovesquare or the increasingly tarnished view of the "sunshine boy".

And it could have worked. Canonically and intrinsically to his character. His idealism and trust in the wrong person comes back to bite him. He learns and grows from it. Except that, much like with nearly everything he does in canon, Chameleon set it up that Adrien was the writers' mouthpiece and thus was not "wrong". I'll grant that they did have him admit it and apologize to Marinette for it two seasons later, but it is pretty evident that during Chameleon, they intended his lecture to be right, with no foreshadowing and no implication otherwise. And I'm fairly certain they only backtracked and had him do that much because of the amount of fan outrage over the episode.

So yes, I think his lecture in Chameleon was really a final straw since unlike Chloe, Adrien has NO relationship with Lila to justify his defense of her. Especially when the argument is in favor of letting her lie to the people he's supposed to care about. That combined with how jarring it was how most of the class just sided with Lila over the seat issue in the first place, and I think people were less inclined to just ignore the problems in the episode specifically and with the series as a whole as they were compared to the first and second seasons. Not just with Adrien, as we see that Alya also started getting more callout and salt since then as well as more retrospective scrutiny over her behavior in earlier seasons.

But yeah...Chameleon was where things seemed to take a 180, so it's bound to be the deciding episode and deciding incident that sticks out in people's minds with these characters. That's probably why it ends up the go-to for salt and complaints on the characters involved instead of any of the other incidents that would arguably warrant it more.

[ouchmyghostskin]

Season 2 predictions regarding payneland:

I've been having thoughts since seeing the cameo where George said that there was a deleted scene post confession/ pre Crystal saying goodbye, where Edwin encouraged Charles to be honest with her about how he feels (which is kinda insane character development compared to episode one??? But good for him). Granted , they deleted it and we don't know why, but I'm going to assume it was for space/time etc. Originally I wasn't really sure if Edwin had picked up on the open-endedness of Charles saying that they had forever to figure it out, though I suspected he hadn't, but I thought that if he *had* that he would most likely wait. But now I think that Edwin probably saw that as "I don't reciprocate but don't worry we'll figure everything out". So I think the likelihood that Edwin might pursue something with someone else in season 2 is a definite possibility. Fully accepting Charles "rejection" and consciously deciding to address his loneliness and desire for romantic/sexual connection, despite his feelings for Charles. And....I suspect it's going to be the cat king. And I suspect that Charles is going to be caught between his interest in Crystal and insane jealousy about Edwin, and it's going to be the catalyst for him realizing that his jealousy is romantic in nature.

There is always the possibility payneland isn't endgame but I'm an optimist 👌

Now for some personal thoughts about the above that has some mildly negative feelings about catwin so if you would rather not read you can scroll now. 👍. Yay for curating your fandom experience!

So I'll be honest, there isn't even a small part of me that ships catwin. I thought the plot line was interesting, and I think the cat king is an interesting character that functions very well as a catalyst. I don't *hate* it and I have absolutely zero negative thoughts about people who enjoy it, just to be clear about that. Ship whatever you want, it's all paper dolls in a sandbox to me. For me personally though, I found the dynamic coercive enough to put me off it entirely as a ship. (For some people that's fun to explore, or ignore, in ships for a wide variety of reasons that I have zero desire to police, so again, I'm not criticizing catwin shippers). Secondarily , I actually don't ship characters all that often, but when I do Im pretty OTP about it, so that's contributing. But if that's the direction they're going in , it makes sense for them to continue with the cat king since it's established that Edwin is attracted to him, and has appeared to forgive him for manipulating him in season 1. So....I'll not be thrilled to see catwin content in season 2? But I can grimace through it if it's not endgame. Also...I've seen whispers that indicate some parts of fandom don't enjoy the jealousy plotline specifically bc they feel jealousy is harmful? I get it if it just doesn't interest you or brings up bad memories, but emotions don't harm others. Being angry or jealous is an almost unavoidable part of the human experience. Only your behavior motivated by those emotions can harm people. So ...I'm ALL for Charles continuing to grapple with emotions like jealousy and anger and coming to terms with realizing they don't make him an abusive person. Even if he handles it imperfectly that's still an interesting flaw, and there's an extremely large sliding scale of behavior between "that's something to work on but you are a great person" and actually harmful/abusive. Yay nuance!