#the rest of her appearance in the series is just crumbs

[courtesanofdeath]

In truth, even I wanted to do girly things like going to fancy cafés to extort protection money, or cute little cake shops to get rid of traitors who were selling cakes.

happy birthday mutsu ~

[hypnagogics]

how soon is now? | part one

READ THIS FIRST 🇵🇸

teasers: one. two. series masterlist. next part here!!

♡: hallway crush!ellie x uni student!reader

☆: listen, i know this timeline is kind of ridiculous, but i’ve organized it all best as i can! this is the expanded story based on those first little blurbs introducing the au (reads fine on its own though), and this part specifically was originally going to be one huge fic, but i've ultimately decided to split it up and drop the first part now, because i feel like it ends in a convenient enough space where i can make a separation not so jarring. so that means this will have a direct continuation (how soon is now? 2 ? lol this is so stupid-), and that will be posted soon enough once i finish it! but yes that means after so much waiting, it's finally here for y’all. i literally thought up this silly idea right before i passed out on new years, and never expected y’all to love it so much…but i keep my promises, so here. also love the smiths and felt the title sort of fit. i feel like not too much happens but eh anyway, thank you for waiting, thank you for reading, and please enjoy!

♧:4.6k word count

◇:suggestive but not explicit - horny descriptions and tension, however no smut (for now?….BUT DON'T HOLD ME TO THAT.) no descriptions of reader’s physical appearance, no use of “y/n”, slow-burn construction and loooooads of pining, a lot of build up but stay with me, attempts at occasional foreshadowing, smau elements(text messages lmao), savage starlight is a plot point lol, hallwaycrush!ellie is sort of a mix of loser/modern/university au/dorky-ish ellie I DON'T EVEN KNOW. abby is your bestie, girl what else do i put here- this is just kinda plot, plot, and more plot progression about the whole ordeal, and me indulging my obsession with modern!ellie. (lmk if there's anything to be added!)

“Abbyyyyyyyyyy.” 

You rolled around your lifelong best friend’s bed, babbling her ear off while she studied away at her desk, or tried to at least. This situation has been a daily occurrence for weeks at this point.

Laying on your stomach facing away from her, you could hear her scoff in annoyance. “What?” “Please give me some advice..I don't know what I'm even supposed to do. She's driving me up the wall." This crush was the sole thing occupying your poor mind, so naturally, you had to drown your bestie with your troubles as well. That's what friends do. Abby spun around on her chair to face you, with a clearly fed up expression on her face, and leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees. 

“Well I don’t fucking know man, I’ve already given you my best advice, and that's either introduce yourself, or suffer.” She said coolly. You sat up and groaned. Wasn't there an easier way? One that didn't involve actually taking initiative and doing something? Maybe, hypothetically, you ace a test, and the professor announces it in front of everyone as he emotionally congratulates his star student, and she bounds over, beaming. Then tearfully confesses her love and admiration for you- hold on, where the fuck is this going?

“Oh come on, you know I can’t do that..” You gulped a burning bundle of anxiety down as you replayed the scenarios with your obsession for the thousandth time that day, the mere crumbs you were forced to fixate on until you saw her next, the first sighting that started this whole fiasco,  and shook your head to clear it and listen to what your best friend had to say. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, slamming her textbook shut and making her way over to sit next to you.

“Listen babe, I love you, but you really gotta get ahold of yourself, alright?” She spoke sternly, looking you straight in the eyes to make sure you understood and absorbed every last word she said. “Listen, here's what you're gonna do. when you pass her in the hall, smile, it's simple but it's a classic, okay? And then you listen to the lecturer as normal, right? I have no idea what you nerds do in astrophysics, but that's besides my point. Make sure to pay attention and not stare only at her like a stalker or something, I cannot stress enough how normal you gotta be. But here's where it gets good, you still with me?” 

You're listening to her for sure, and nod vigorously. Crystal clear. She continues, “Okay you said you sit as far as possible from her? Sheesh, why'd you do that? When the class is over I want you to go over to her, and introduce yourself. Catch her on her way out, tap her on the shoulder if you're feeling bold. Ask for some of her contact details, play it cool. Just don't shit yourself, got it? All you gotta do." 

Abby finishes her speech, smirking and looking smug. She's positive she got through to you this time. On the surface you're totally chill, confident even, ready to snatch this ethereal being for yourself, however underneath all that you knew you didn't have an ounce of the courage that was required for this seemingly impossible task. 

Breathing deeply to calm yourself and try to take in her helpful words as best as possible, you give Abby a hug. “Thank you Abs, really. I'll do my best. Oh, but what if I freak out and start stuttering- or what if I trip and fall on her…I can't do this what the hell.” Swarmed with worry, you start doubting yourself yet again. Burying your face in your palms, you feel two strong hands on either side of your upper arms and you look back at Abby, who's really not playing around anymore. 

She was so serious about this it almost scared you. Either she cared about you more than anything, or she wanted to hear the end of these pathetic, lovestruck rambles. You prayed it was the former. 

“Suck it up. You can do this. You've had crushes before haven't you? This should be a piece of cake c��mon, I believe in you. Make sure to keep me updated every step of the way! I need to hear every last detail.” She lightens up at the end and releases you from her grip once she sees you've relaxed. 

Unsurprisingly, your best friend always knew what to say to snap you out of your spirals. Maybe most would disagree with her methods, say she was being rough, but they worked for you. Heart rate returning to a normal pace, you reply genuinely. 

“Okay, okay I got this. Yeah, it'll be fine.” She was getting through to you, this time you felt sure of it. “Good, good. Now will you let me finish this stupid assignment? Then we can watch something or do whatever." Abby chatted as she got up and sat back at her desk, resuming her studious endeavor as she left you with your thoughts. 

Immediately you heard her mutter, “All this and you don't even know her goddamn name…good grief.” For the sake of preserving the peace you chose to graciously ignore that one. She said she wanted some quiet, didn't she? 

Drifting away into a sea of daydreams, your thoughts inevitably returned to being clouded by this cryptic figure. It was like she'd cast a love spell on you. Did she even know who you were? Or did she shoot everyone those insufferably charming looks of hers. Was she even aware of how fucking cool she was? 

Dressed in that deliciously grungy style, you yearned to know what floated behind her greener-than-grass eyes. Her hair looked so smooth and soft, the wispy auburnette strands framing her refined features, intriguing fern tattoo decorating her lean forearm…. You felt your cheeks begin to heat up as a portrait of her materialized in your mind's eye. Nestling into the comfortable atmosphere of your best friend's room, you sunk deeper into your thoughts.

Like Abby had mentioned, it certainly wasn't as if you've never had crushes before, you've certainly had your fair share of them, like most people. But that was a sort of flaky, surface level interest, whether it be for their looks, their little quirks, or ways they treated you. Maybe it has been a while since you'd had a proper crush, but you couldn't recall a time when the infatuation, the pure limerence, had hit you this hard before. You almost felt helpless, just besotted by her.

You simply needed to act on this. Right then and there you steeled yourself, and decided you were going to follow Abby's advice after all, and go after this hallway crush. Worst comes to worst, she turns you down, you get over it eventually, bla bla end of story. It wasn't going to be too complicated, right?

You and Abby had stayed up all night, dusk till dawn, gossiping about things other than your hallway crush, shocking, and you were greatly regretting that decision the very moment it was time to gather your books and get to class.

You really did not feel like stunning everyone around you with a gorgeous outfit today, you were just trying to make it through the day in one piece to be honest with yourself. 

With a pounding headache you threw on some mismatched sweats, and ran out the door to be on time. Your bag felt unreasonably heavy as you made your way down your apartment stairs, and you cursed your past self for choosing a building without an elevator. Sure, exercise is healthy, but it can’t be when you’re feeling like a zombie, and wish for nothing more than a good, long nap.

Luckily the lecture hall was a comfortable distance away from your place, not far enough to make it a pain, but enough so you could get a much needed breath of fresh air. The tiredness had pushed all plans of action you and Abby had discussed the previous night to the back of your head, and you weren't thinking of your crush at all. At least for now. 

Walking slowly with your gaze pointed downward, you eventually made it to the hall. Completely dazed and zoned out, you made a mental note to never pull an all nighter again, gross, who’s idea was that- thump. 

Out of nowhere you're rudely jolted from your silent sulking by colliding with something, or someone? It takes a moment to register what happened, and you quickly look up from staring at the ground to sort the situation out. “Oh my gosh I am so sorry..” 

Profusely apologizing while simultaneously being smacked across the face with the realization of who this was. Her. Your words trail off as you’re suddenly winded, and you feel your blood run cold. You’re transfixed by the intense eye contact, and it feels like time has stopped. Goodness, this is dramatic. 

In the time it takes for you to briefly die and come back to life, the young woman has lowered her chunky headphones so they rest around her neck, Morissey’s vocals faintly floating out of them, and is looking at your stunned state with an indiscernible sneer playing on her face. Was this actually happening? Holy shit you and Abby did not discuss this scenario…you weren’t looking where you were going and had collided with an actual Earth angel. Great.

Still gawking at her like an absolute buffoon, akin to a deer in headlights, she breaks the tension first, with a smooth voice that you would obey virtually any command for. 

“Nah, you’re good.” And a wink. Your heart skipped a beat, or four, when you witnessed her wink at you. Did you imagine it? Was she being suave on purpose or did she have an eyelash in her eye…Was your life a literal rom-com or what? 

“Um..” Your mouth opens and closes in an attempt to form a coherent sentence, but your brain is much too fried to do so because, well, you had just made physical contact with the literal girl of your dreams. And gods did she smell good…while you’re unable to tear your eyes away from hers, she keeps talking as if nothing happened.

“I think the prof had an emergency or fuckin’, I dunno.” She stops to gesture around the two of you at the crowd that had formed in front of the auditorium’s double doors with elegant, ring adorned fingers..holy fuck you needed those inside you right fucking now- WHAT. 

Briskly shoving those thoughts down to the deepest depths of your subconscious back to where they belong, you turned your attention back to her, and put on a brave front. Hyper aware of how searing hot your face felt, her pretty self didn't show a hint of caring that you were making a fool of yourself. They say that any situation is always worse in your head than it was in actuality, well you hoped so. 

“So, what are we supposed to do now?” Clearing your throat you managed a sentence back, hooray. You were doing this. Good job. Although, of course, before the gorgeous nymph before you had a chance to respond with her own assumptions, a substitute lecturer you had never seen before pushes his way through the crowd and unlocks the door while people file in, separating you from her. You felt like Rose, viciously torn away from Jack from Titanic, what a cruel, cruel world this was.

And once again you didn't get to ask her name. Re-slinging her bag with one arm, she looks back at you one final time and throws you a “cya around.” Before disappearing into the auditorium with everyone else. You meekly nod at her and force a lopsided smile, before leaning against the wall to steady yourself after that fiasco in the now empty hallway.

Wasting virtually not a moment of time, you pulled your phone out and began furiously texting Abby with a recount of the events at a speed faster than the speed of light. 

Once that excruciatingly torturous class was over, you applauded yourself for containing the stares in her direction and keeping your eyes fixated on the professor. Whether you actually retained any information, now that was a different story. Picking up your bags and laptop, you stay behind for a moment as everyone else files out, no need to crowd and suffocate amongst the other students, and you had nowhere to be except catch up on your favorite shows and relax all by yourself. 

Filing out the auditorium with everyone else, you see a familiar face pass by you, and vaguely hear Abby’s voice in your head urging you to seize the moment. Now’s your chance, go! And so you gather every little bit of strength you possess to do just that. 

After a couple deep breaths you jog up to her. “Uh, hey.” She turns around and gives you a warm smile, making your legs instantly turn to jelly. You subtly checked her out and took in her outfit, another bulky jacket and lightly distressed jeans. Fingers studded with layered silver rings, and those big ole headphones seemed to be magnetically attached to her, she always had them on her. Note to self: ask for some music recommendations.

She was even hotter up close…with a beautiful galaxy of freckles scattered across her fair skin, you wanted to place a kiss on every single of them. “I, um, never caught your name.” “It's Ellie.” She sticks out her hand for a handshake and you accepted it, you finally had a name to the face you've been pining over so intensely for so long. Abby was going to lose it once you tell her about this. You steady your voice and hide the glee that was likely evident from this interaction going so smoothly, and introduce yourself to her as well.

After some time of idle chit chat and standing there, neither one of you knowing really what to say, Ellie pipes up, facepalming, tsking, and furrowing her brows. “Oh yeah, I don’t mean to spring this on you outta nowhere, but would you wanna study sometime?” She flushes a dusty pink, “I don't know anyone else taking this course and am having kind of a hard time with it...when I chose it, I expected it to be more about space and the planets, and less about numbers and math, my head hurts.”

Her demeanor was making you feel rather comfortable with her, even though the two of you had just formally met a few minutes prior. “I would love to, yeah!” Maybe you were being a little too enthusiastic, but at this point you were operating on pure instinct and not thinking critically of what was coming out of your mouth. “I actually don't have any plans now, or today at all, so if you want to, we can get a head start before the next class?” Well that just slipped out. Go you, blurting things out. 

You had no idea why you'd said that because your place was an absolute mess, clothes strewn everywhere, trash can still full, you'd been too preoccupied with your studies, and well her, to do much about it. To your horror, Ellie exclaims, “Hey, that's perfect! I don't have anything to do right now either, and it would be good to act on it while it's still fresh in my mind, y’know?” Her face morphs into an adorable toothy grin as she taps on her skull comically, you were becoming more obsessed by the second, if that was even possible.

Every little sliver of her personality you got to see under the stoic one you had assumed she had just grasped at your heartstrings. You smiled back at her so hard you almost pulled a muscle in your cheeks, “Awesome! Follow me, then, my dorm isn't far.”

The walk there was mostly fine as the two of you made it to your place, Ellie occasionally making comments about how she hates the class even though she adores outer space and learning about it on her own time, and you were nodding and acting as if you're listening, agreeing with her robotically while she rambled away and you daydreamed about what her lush lips would feel like on yours. You wondered if she was gentle with it, or if she’d kiss you hungrily, devour you like her very last meal….gulp.

Leading her to your place was an automatic task, not much navigation needed, and when the journey was done you had to legitimately stop short for a moment in an attempt to soothe the pounding in your chest. 

The crush that has plagued your mind for ages, who you've just met formally today, was about to be in your room. The two of you were about to be alone. That was totally fine, yeah, she can't be a murderer…..right?

“You good?” She asked sweetly, why did she have to be so nice, “Those stairs were killer, I totally get it, phew.” “Oh for sure, gets me every time.” Covering up your panic smoothly, you unlocked the door and went inside with her. When she walked inside, Ellie took a glance around your room and set herself down at the edge of your bed, immediately making herself comfortable, while you still lingered in the doorway, awkwardly swaying and staring at her, unsure of what to do with yourself. 

Suddenly you had completely forgotten why she was here in the first place. “No way, you read Savage Starlight too???” She spotted the figurine on your desk and snatched it up in her hands to inspect it thoroughly, with a childlike wonder in her eyes. “Wow, this one was a limited edition and it sold out in like an hour, I'm so jealous you got this!! How much you want for it, I'm serious.” She was so excited, and you couldn't believe it. Savage Starlight has always been one of your favorite comics ever, you've loved it since you were a young teen, and now this seemingly perfect human before you, who you're hopelessly obsessed with says she loves it too? Could she get any more flawless, is all you could wonder.

Her happiness because of this little thing you two bonded over was infectious, and some of your nerves slowly began to go away.  Grinning genuinely, you sheepishly said, “I've never met anyone else who likes it, that story has helped me through lots of phases in my life, and Daniela was my gay awakening.” Ellie gaped at you for a beat, making you almost doubt revealing that information.

“No. Fuckin’. Way. Mine too! Her suit was just- damn. And those action scenes in the third volume had my thirteen year old self’s brain just mush for, I don't even know for how long. This is crazy, I can already see we’re gonna get along so well.”

You wanted to talk to her about everything and anything forever, and her glee made you want to squish her, but there was unfortunately work to be done first. “There’s so much we have to discuss, but we gotta get some studying done first if we wanna make it out of this course alive.”

You were sitting at your desk, hunched over the sprawled out textbooks and messy notes, as you drew the graphs and talked to her about the concepts she was struggling with. Your desk was so small and you only had one chair, and you were the one using it, so Ellie was forced to hover over you to see all you were doing.

Focusing solely on the subject before you was proving to be more difficult as studying time went by, because you were a little too aware of the way she had caged you in against the desk to watch, her oversized shirt grazing your upper back. You gripped your pen ever so tightly to minimize any trembling, and kept a steady voice as best you could while explaining it all.

She was so, so close, the tension in the tiny room was palpable, she didn't seem to notice your nervous tremors or the proximity she’d created, and the low murmurs of, “ohhh, mhm, yeah,” as you embarrassingly stammered over your explanations made you flushed and to be frank, needy. You could feel her warmth radiating off of her, could faintly hear her breathing just above you. You didn't dare move a muscle. Was she feeling this too?

At this point you swore the delicious gravelly vibrations from her voice this close to you would be plenty enough to make you cream your pants. The air in the enclosed space was getting hotter and thicker by every passing moment, it took everything you had to keep yourself from losing your mind right now. If you moved back a petty few inches, you’d be pressed flush with her front. What would that be like, you wondered. Oh, no. Your throat felt drier than the desert when you swallowed, the thought of that making you weak.

Since your focus on the work was lapsing, you were beginning to make some little mistakes and blunders, compelling her to take the pen right from your hand and fix them herself. “No, no, this one’s supposed to be like this instead, see? Then you're able to get the right answer which is…” She stretches over you further, you nearly whined, someone save you, and grabs the textbook to review the solution. “Like this, yeah, I was right. Honest mistake though, don’t worry about it.”

You nod your head and make a pathetic murmur of approval, ignoring the fiery tingles spreading all the way up your arm when her hand bumps yours to return the writing utensil, and the blistering coil of want forming in your stomach. This all had to be deliberate, right? She couldn't lack that much spatial awareness, could she? Well, it wasn’t that you minded, she could get as close as she damn wanted to, you'd let her throw you around like a ragdoll even- you were just afraid your heart was going to give out if she kept it up. “Could you show me this work you guys did? Of course the one day I'm late, the prof talks about something new and I miss it.” 

What feels like an eternity later, you hear her groan above you and she returns to her earlier spot on your bed. You can finally breathe properly. Glancing at the clock, your own headache begins to set in. Crap it was late, how time flies. 

“We’ve been studying for so long, it’s getting late.” “Shit, you’re right, I’ve definitely overstayed my welcome. Sorry about that, and hey, thanks for this. I understand it all a lot better now, see you tomorrow.”

She stands up abruptly and ushers herself out of your door in a flash, to which you clumsily stand up, knock your chair over, and hastily run after her, not wanting her to go just yet. “Wait, Ellie!” “What's up, did I forget something?”

She pats her pockets and looks at you with concern. Round puppy dog eyes, and lips in a miniscule pout, so cute. You were in front of her now, but did not process what you actually wanted to say. Just ran after her like the smitten nincompoop you are. Upon feeling your face go hot, you look at the ground to mutter, “Uh- nothing. See you later.” Realistically, what were you planning on saying, or doing?

After stumbling over your words you two finally part ways and you slump down against your door, missing her presence already. You simultaneously wanted to jump around or open your bedside table drawer to release the energy you'd accumulated, and wanted to fall into the deepest sleep of your life to recuperate from the experience. This was just, a lot. You wanted to scream and screech like there's no tomorrow, but did not want to deal with noise complaints from the others living on your floor. Gosh she was so close, she shares your niche interest, your hands touched, albeit accidentally, lo and behold you were in love with her.

Maybe it was early to call it that, but you were going to plan out your future together. Preferably a quaint, peaceful farmhouse, the one you two lovebirds renovated together exactly how you envisioned, where you could ogle her doing the farmwork. Ugh. Cook all her favorite meals, make sweet, sweet love under the moonlight. Take strolls through the flower gardens you two planted, receive her curated bouquets as gifts, you two are going to have such a tender, domestic life. 

You had to mull it over some more, and didn’t dare wish to forget how close she was to you, you were still buzzing from her essence. You were pointlessly pacing around your room now, unable to stop looping the study session's events in your head. The simplicity, the eroticism of the encounter. One-sided or not, you had yet to find out more about her, the impatience was going to take over. The day almost seemed too good to be true, but for now you had to force yourself to relax and think about something other than her. Time to browse Pinterest with striking kitchen ideas for your beautiful future. 

What were you going to say to her the next time you see her? You were eager to know how, or if at all, this new friendship was going to progress. Part of you was dying of impatience, but the rest of you wanted to take it all as slow as possible, savoring every little moment and making the most of it. 

You sighed, this was going to be a long, long, year.

lovely taggies: @amiorca @mostlyhornyandsad @lasting-lover @radioheadfan699 @sophie-thefrog8 @machetegirl109 @ellieschair @aouiaa @wavesgocrash @tangerinngi @elliesbitchvenus @dinaissoprettyoml @rxreaqia @camicocom1a @elliesexual @ellslvr @boobdrug @writing-on-a-bathroom-stall @bready101 @yourelliewillms

.......really hoping this doesn't flop because it isn't smutty, yall wanted more fics that are plot soooo

[peakyswritings]

Heart, Body and Soul || Tommy Shelby x OC

CHAPTER 8

Summary: As Nina and Tommy slowly appear to come to terms with their feelings, they realise they might not be as discreet as they thought they were. An unexpected visit complicates things.

Warnings: mentions of arranged marriage, slow-burn, small age-gap (Tommy’s 30, Nina is in her early 20s), time-typical misogyny, references to past attempted assault, harassment, violence, Stefano, no proofreading, English is not my first language. This is set between season 1 and 2.

A/N: alright it has been awfully long since I last updated this, but believe me when I say I was stuck. Hopefully I’ll be more active from next week on.

As usual, there are some dialogues which are supposed to be in Italian, but I chose to write them in English for the sake of the readers (and mine, ‘cause otherwise I should’ve translated lots of stuff). I just kept some words and sentences here and there to give the idea.

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If there was one thing that Maria Ferrante took very seriously, it was the Sunday lunch. She was already up and about at dawn, free to walk from place to place in her kitchen without the rest of the family in the way. She only left it to attend Mass, and once she was home again, there was nothing that could distract her from her cooking. It was known that a good ragù needed to be cooked for hours in order to be perfect, after all.

When Nina walked into the kitchen at eleven a.m., after almost twelve hours of well-deserved sleep, the delicious smell of the sauce filled her nostrils, making her stomach growl.

“You missed church this morning,” her mother scolded her, agitating a wooden spoon in her direction.

“Did I?” She absentmindedly murmured, peeping into the pot. The boiling red sauce, mixed with the finest meat one could find in town, crackled exquisitely, appealing to her empty belly.

“This family lacks discipline,” Maria asserted, moving to cut some vegetables. “I cannot remember the last time we all went to church together. We’re losing all the good habits.”

Too captivated by her new target to pay any attention to her mother’s rants, Nina stealthily took a slice of bread from the basket on the table and put it in a plate. Then, taking advantage of her distraction, she dipped it into the pot.

“Nina!”

With a grin on her face, Nina moved away from the stove, unbothered by her mother’s curses. She took a bite from the bread, and hummed in appreciation when the sauce-covered crumb melted on her tongue. There was nothing like dipping fresh bread in ragù on Sunday mornings. However, her breakfast was soon forgotten when she caught sight of Tommy outside the kitchen, fully dressed and perfectly groomed as usual. Her father was explaining something to him, but they were too distant for her to listen to what they were talking about.

There it was, that strange, funny feeling that seemed to pervade Nina every time he was near. It had grown stronger, since what they had called their “moment of weakness”, and she could no longer lie to herself. She could no longer deny that she was intensely, inevitably drawn to him. She longed for a gaze, a word, an accidental touch, anything that could grant her a fleeting moment of connection. And she couldn’t comprehend how that man, who she had met as recently as a month ago, had managed to invade her every thought, her every desire. She had to force herself away from him. She had to push him out of her mind, so that when the time came to watch him leave, it wouldn’t hurt as much as the thought alone was hurting her now. It wasn’t right. It was fair to Agnese, it wasn’t fair to her family, and it wasn’t fair to herself. She had to let those feelings pass.

She looked away from Tommy, coming back to herself, and when she turned to her right, she noticed her mother was looking at her with a strange look in her eyes. Nina averted her gaze in discomfort, the woman’s inquisitive stare never failing to make her feel like an open book. She walked past her and put her plate in the sink, a poor attempt to escape her piercing eyes, but she could still feel them on her, following her every move. So Nina grabbed the wooden spoon, hoping that making herself useful would do the trick. “The sauce needs stirring.”

Her brothers bursted into the kitchen, diverting her mother’s attention away from her, and Nina almost breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Where have you been?” Their mother asked them, placing her hands on her waist.

“We had some things to take care of,” Pietro said, and Nina figured the vagueness of answer was an answer itself.

“On a rest day?”

“There’s no such thing as a rest day when it comes to business,” Salvatore brushed it off in a playful manner, approaching his mother to place a tender kiss on her cheek. That gesture seemed to make her soften, cause the annoyance slipped out of her face, replaced by an expression of resignation. “You look too beautiful to get angry, mum,” he continued, walking towards the stove.

“Bootlicker,” Nina mumbled, earning herself a kick behind her ankle. “Ouch!” She exclaimed in surprise, sending her brother’s way a sore look. Salvatore, in return, was blatantly smirking to himself. “Stronzo,” she spat out, giving him a shove.

“Keep your hands off me,” he shoved back.

“You started.”

“It was my foot, not my hands.”

“Enough you two,” Maria interrupted them, raising her voice. “See, this is what I mean when I say that this family lacks discipline,” she said to no one in particular.

With the shadow of the smirk still present on his face, Salvatore brought his index in front of his mouth. “Quiet,” he teasingly whispered.

Feeling her blood boil, Nina raised the wooden spoon in the air in a silent threat, but Pietro was quick to take it from her hand. Clearly, he didn’t trust his sister to restrain herself from actually using it. Nina inhaled deeply, telling herself that the angrier she got, the more Salvatore would find satisfaction in bothering her. Much to her luck, her brothers soon decided that the content of the pot was way more deserving of their attention. Making sure their mother was too distracted to stop them, they took a slice of bread each and dipped it in the sauce.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Maria snapped, putting down the knife she was using. With long steps, she walked over to her children. “Out,” she ordered, pushing all three of them towards the door. “No discipline, no discipline at all.”

Vincenzo Ferrante, who just like Tommy had heard all the commotion, shook his head in a mixture of resignation and disapproval at the sight of his snickering children getting out of the kitchen. Concealing his embarrassment, he murmured some excuses to his guest, half relieved by the fact that at least he hadn’t been able to understand the foolish reasons of that fuss.

“Nina!”

Shit. Nina squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, still with her back to the very reason why she had tried to get back into her house as fast as she could. She didn’t have the stomach to face her cousin, not after what she had done, not with the things that she had been hiding from her. That she was still hiding. She had stabbed in the back the only person in her family who had ever shown her an ounce of recognition, who had treated her like a person and not like some bad seed to be rogued out. But maybe that’s exactly what she was. A bad seed.

“Hi,” she faked surprise, turning to face her.

“What have you been up to?” Agnese asked her, adjusting the empty basket she was carrying on her hip. “Feels like you’re ignoring me.”

“I’m not,” Nina replied, maybe a bit too quickly. “I’ve been… busy,” she lied, the pathetic excuse making her feel even worse.

“My mum asked me to go buy some groceries, and I need someone to accompany me,” Agnese said, seemingly oblivious to her cousin’s fib. “I was going to ask Rosa, but why don’t you come with me?”

“Sure.”

Truth was, Nina didn’t want to go. How could she keep on talking to Agnese, spending time with her, all while pretending she hadn’t done something awful to her? And what made her despise herself even more was that guilt wasn’t the only reason why she didn’t want to see her. There was a stinging, but almost imperceptible feeling deep inside her, too close to annoyance, and resentment. Resentment. As if she were in the position to be resentful. Out of all people, Agnese didn’t deserve it. So she swallowed those feelings and went with her cousin.

“Don’t you wanna know how things with Tommy are going?” Agnese asked her as soon as they had passed the gates of their shared garden, her voice tinged with excitement.

“Of course,” Nina nodded, keeping her eyes on the unpaved road beneath her feet.

“You know he had lunch with us a few days ago right?”

“Yes.”

“We all thought he’d finally propose, but he didn’t.”

Nina raised her gaze on her cousin, studying her expression. She still remembered the strange wave of panic that had gone through her when her mother had stormed into the kitchen to give her the news. The poor girl’s desperate, she had told her. “How did you take it?”

“I was worried,” Agnese admitted, moving her basket to her other arm.

“And now?”

“Not anymore. My father talked to him, and he said he just wants to do it the right way. He thought it would be more proper to wait for a month to pass since we met. If everything goes as it’s supposed to go, he’ll propose by the end of the week,” she explained, and the emotion she had tried to hold back came to the surface in all its strength.

“Good,” Nina forced a tight-lipped smile, unable to ignore the vice tightening around her heart.

“Mr. Shelby’s reputation scared me, at first, but he’s a real gentleman. I mean, he’s a bit cold,” she let out a chuckle. “But he has been very kind to me, and never overstepped in any way,” she assured. Then her eyes lit up, and she began talking again. “Did you know he’s a war hero? He won medals.”

And he threw them in the cut, Nina thought to herself. A part of her just wanted to put an end to her cousin’s rants, to tell her that there was nothing she could say about him that she didn’t know already. And that she was so, so wrong about Tommy. That he could be cold, yes, but also so very ardent. That the walls of ice he had built around him weren’t impenetrable, that they could in fact be melted. That he had strong beliefs, and his own sense of justice, and that on such things he’d never compromise. She had learned all that and even more on the nights they had spent together in her kitchen, in front of cups of tea slowly growing cold. But she didn’t have the right to tell her that. Because Tommy didn’t belong to her. Because it was Agnese who would get to see every part of him, and to Nina he would become nothing more than someone she had once deluded herself she could know.

“I’m…” she paused, the insincere words refusing to come out without some insistence on her part. “I’m happy for you.”

Agnese must’ve noticed that something in Nina’s dark eyes didn’t match her words, that a feeling far from happiness was gnawing at her from the inside, because she stopped walking and placed a hand on her arm. “You’ll find someone too,” she said softly. “Be patient.”

Nina shook her head, a bitter smile making its way on her face. “I don’t want anyone, Agnese.”

“Do you really want me to believe that you wish to be alone?” She took on a scolding tone, widening her eyes in disbelief.

“My aspirations are different than yours,” Nina said firmly, holding her gaze. “And I’d rather be alone than caged.”

“Marriage is not necessarily a prison,” she insisted, her lips curving up in reassurance. “I know I haven’t known him for long, but I can tell Mr. Shelby is not a brute. You might find someone like him.”

No, she wouldn’t. Tommy was like no one she had ever met. There were so many layers to him, so many contradictions that she could live a hundred lives and never meet someone like him. But on one thing Agnese was right: deep down, as preposterous as it sounded, he was good.

“He’s the exception.”

“What are these?”

Putting down the vegetables she had bought for her mother, Nina looked at the bouquet of red roses resting on the table. She was pretty sure they weren’t there before she left the house.

“What do they look like to you?” Her mother asked rhetorically, raising her eyebrows. She looked significantly calmer than a few hours ago, and Nina wasn’t sure whether that was because she was almost done with the lunch or because of the flowers. “Stefano brought them for you,” she explained, going to grab the grocery bag.

It took Nina more than a moment to register her mother’s words. She blinked, her mouth going dry as the memories of what had happened the last time he had been at her house came to her mind. She shifted her gaze from the roses to her mother, then to the roses again.

“He was coming back from church, when he saw them at the flower shop,” Maria continued, taking the vegetables out of the bag. “He said they made him think of you, and thought about making a little deviation to bring them here.”

At that point, Nina wasn’t even listening to her anymore. All she could do was stare at the roses in front of her, her heart racing at the realisation that Stefano was actually moving in that direction.. “This can’t be fucking real…” she murmured. “He’s not seriously doing this.”

“…so I invited him for lunch.”

“You did what?” Her head snapped in her mother’s direction, Maria’s statement harshly pulling her back to reality.

“He’s in your father’s study, talking to him. The boy’s serious about you Nina.”

In a sudden fit of rage, Nina grabbed the flowers and strode toward the bin, but before she could throw them away, her mother snatched them from her hand. “I didn’t raise you to be rude,” she scolded her. “It’s a gift, and gifts must be accepted.”

“I don’t want his gifts,” Nina spat out. “I don’t want anything from him. And I don’t want him. He can make his peace with that.”

Maria let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Nina,” she started, putting down the flowers. “He’s a nice guy-”

Nina scoffed, causing her to stop mid-sentence. So nice that he dared touch me in my own house.

“He’s a nice guy,” her mother repeated, louder this time, a way to tell her not to interrupt her again. “He talked to your father, brought you flowers. You’re twenty-two, it’s time for you to find someone. And this is an occasion. He’s willing to marry you despite-”

This time it was Maria who stopped herself. She bit the inside of her cheek, searching for better words, but Nina didn’t give her the chance to. She crossed her arms over her chest, squinting her eyes. “Despite what?” She asked, watching as her mother averted her gaze. “Despite what, mum? Despite who I am? Despite what I think? Despite what people say about me?”

“That is not what I meant.”

“I think that’s exactly what you meant,” she said coldly. A silence full of tension fell between them, and deep inside Nina hoped her mother would say something to make up for what she had just said. But she didn’t. So she put on the mask of indifference that had become so natural to her, and pretended that those words hadn’t gotten to her.

She was used to it, after all. All her life, Nina had watched her mother hope she could just be different. She had never missed the embarrassment on her face when someone pointed out her child’s peculiarities, nor the subtle envy she could see in her eyes when she looked at her nieces. All beautiful, well-mannered, pleasant, suitable for marriage. That’s what she expected to have when a daughter was finally born. Instead, she got her. She didn’t need to say it out loud for Nina to know that she wondered every day why her daughter couldn’t be a bit less like herself and a bit more like them.

It was tiring, to constantly feel the pressure to live up to everybody’s expectations, to know that she would be considered a disappointment no matter what. And although she wasn’t waiting for anybody’s approval, it would’ve felt nice to have at least one person who understood her. She didn’t want the life her parents wished for her, and at the same time she had no way of living the life she wished for herself. She wasn’t even sure what it was that she wished for herself. She only knew what she didn’t want. Yet it felt like every effort she made not to end up like her mother was inexorably guiding her to that fate.

Tommy didn’t understand the reason why Nina strode out of the kitchen with a face like thunder until lunchtime. The whole family was sitting around the table in the garden that separated the two houses. The arrangement was pretty much the same as every time they had lunch together. Vincenzo Ferrante was at the head, his wife on his left side, Pietro on his right. Salvatore was sitting between him and Nina. However, something was different this time: next to Nina was sitting Stefano. His jaw clenched at the memory of what he had walked into the other day, and his hands itched with the urge of doing what Nina had stopped him from doing. Spinietta must’ve sensed his staring, cause he raised his gaze on him with a hint of smugness on his face. He didn’t know why he was there, he didn’t know exactly what Nina’s past with him was, but it was clear there was some kind of pressure going on. She was keeping herself closer to her brother, in an attempt to put as much distance as possible between herself and Stefano, and apparently pretended he wasn’t there. Tommy could only imagine how hard it was for her to sit next to that poor excuse of a man.

Mario Ferrante, who was sitting at the end of the table with wife on his right side and the other two of his daughters on his left, glanced at him and Agnese from time to time.

Agnese. Tommy had lost track of their conversation long ago. It had become more of a monologue on her part. But how was he supposed to listen to a single word she said when something so unfair was happening right in front of him?

The one thing that brought him some relief was that Nina could find some distraction in her conversation with her brother. Salvatore said something to her, and her frown was replaced by a laugh. It enlightened her whole features, and Tommy couldn’t keep himself from lingering on the way her irises, hit by the sunlight, were marked by golden flecks. A pink tinge warmed her cheeks and two dimples were showing at the corners of her lips. For a moment she looked relaxed, off-guard, even. Lost as he was in that rare sight, Tommy didn’t even notice that a faint smile had appeared on his face. But Agnese did. Her words slowly died out, and her brows furrowed as she followed the trajectory of his eyes.

Before she had the chance to say something, Vincenzo Ferrante got up, causing the chatter to fade.

“Before the wine starts speaking for us, I’d like to say a few words,” he announced, his Italian accent threading through his words. His eyes travelled around, stopping briefly on each person at the table. “You see,” he began once everyone’s attention was on him. “Our family and Mr. Shelby’s family had…” he paused, looking for the right word. “…Misunderstandings. But we were able to communicate with an open mind.” He set his gaze on Tommy, who in return agreed with a single nod. “Now we’re sitting at the same table. Soon, we might even have something to celebrate.”

“Who could’ve guessed it, eh?” Mario Ferrante joked, eliciting laughter from those who could understand him. Maria and Rita Ferrante, whose English was too broken to understand much of what their husbands were saying, simply smiled in support.

“To peace,” Vincenzo said, raising his glass. But when he pronounced his next words, his eyes looked right in his daughter’s. “May we all make our choices with an open mind.”

The lunch proceeded smoothly enough, but it was impossible for Tommy not to sense a general feeling of discomfort. Even the eldest of the Ferrante siblings, Pietro - whose placid expression never gave anything away -, seemed to be upset. There was something going on, and he could just hope it didn’t also involve him. He hadn’t forgotten the dangerousness of his position, alone in a foreign country, surrounded by former enemies with no men on his side.

A sharp noise pulled him out of his thoughts, making him raise his gaze in front of him. Nina had dropped her fork on her plate, visibly bothered by something. More like someone. Because Stefano had been adamant in his attempts to engage her in conversation. Chuckling at her reaction, he pinched her chin with fake playfulness, a gesture that might’ve looked affectionate to less attentive eyes. Tommy tried his best to keep his face straight as his grip on the cutlery tightened. As much as he wished to intervene, there was nothing he could do that wouldn’t raise suspicion. He could just be glad that, surrounded by her family, Stefano wouldn’t be able to try anything again.

For her part, Nina was trying hard not to lose her calm, but they weren’t exactly making it easy for her. Her father’s toast had been the last straw. She hasn’t missed the way he had subtly made it clear that his words were meant for her. She was right, at last. She had been right all along. All that talk about leaving the choice to her was nothing more than empty words, than a way to make her feel like she had some kind of control, when in truth she was just another pawn in his schemes. Because at the end of the day, he was still a man. A man who wanted power, and would’ve done anything in order to achieve it. Even sacrifice his own daughter.

She wanted to leave. She needed to leave. How could everyone pretend everything was fine? How could they sit together and eat when everything was so wrong? How could they digest the hypocrisy? She couldn’t stand them, any of them. Now more than ever. She couldn’t stand their voices, she couldn’t stand their laughter, she couldn’t stand the way they talked and talked and talked. She hated the way they suddenly seemed inhuman. They were all hunching over their plates, chewing and slurping, the awful sounds almost painful to her ears. Even Stefano, who always carried himself with composure and dignity, seemed to have transformed into some feral animal, hands and fingers dirty with crumbles and sauce. Those same hands he had put on her not many days before.

“Excuse me,” she blurted out, abruptly standing up. All eyes were on Nina now, but she ignored the murmurings and crossed the garden to go back to her house before anyone could stop her. She couldn’t stay there anymore. She couldn’t tolerate the little games, and the lies. Even her own lies. Her lies to her family, her lies to herself. She couldn’t.

She grabbed the kitchen counter for support, taking deep breaths to put an order to that vortex of overwhelming feelings.

“What’s wrong, huh?” A familiar voice resounded behind her, making her snap her head up. When she turned around, Stefano was there, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. “You’re not having fun?”

“Leave,” Nina commanded, and she didn’t even need to put on a brave facade to spit those words out with all the hatred she felt for him. She had sworn she’d never let herself be scared of him ever again, and she was determined to keep that promise. He had no right to make her feel unsafe in her own home.

“Are you going to embarrass me like that when we’re husband and wife?” Stefano moved away from the door to approach her with slow, measured steps, hands in his pockets. It came as a surprise, how easy it was to end up alone with her. He had just needed to act all concerned and offer to go check up on her - out of apprehensiveness and affection, of course. However, he was aware he had always had a certain influence on people.

Not on Nina, though. She was the one person he had never managed to fool. She had always been able to read right through him. Just like she was reading through him now. He wanted to intimidate her, to prove to her that it was him the one in power, that he was used to take what he wanted, and that he wasn’t above deception.

“Fuck off.”

Stefano tutted. “You really must be taught your place, don’t you?”

“By you?” A laugh escaped her lips, but it held no humour. She was openly mocking him, and that was enough to get under his skin. A veil of darkness seemed to cover his gaze, and he snatched her arm with a swift movement.

“Careful,” he murmured through gritted teeth. Even though her heart was racing in her chest, Nina held his stare, a mixture of anger and mockery in her eyes. She was walking on thin ice, yet she couldn’t help but push his buttons, see how much effort it would take for him to snap. She wanted to be a nuisance to him, to torment him like he had tormented her for all those years, to haunt him with the reminder that it didn’t matter what he did or said, he wouldn’t get what he wanted.

“What’s happening here?” Maria Ferrante entered the kitchen, interrupting that staring match.

Stefano promptly brought his other hand on Nina’s arm, making it look as if he was supporting her. “Nina’s not feeling very well, signora Maria.” His hard expression softened as he put on his usual mask of affability. Nina grimaced, taking a step back, and a wave of relief washed over her. Her skin almost burned where he had touched her, and she felt the sudden need to scrub the imprint of his fingers off.

“Go to your room, then,” Maria said sternly to her daughter, and this time she was not surprised to see her comply without hesitation.

She didn’t believe a single word Stefano had said. She had seen her Nina’s face. She was her child, her blood. And although their relationship seemed to be made of misunderstandings and words left unsaid, she knew her like the back of her hand. She could read through her every expression, every gesture. And she had seen something in her eyes she had never seen until that moment, not even once. Fear. That brave, reckless girl who had never been scared of anything since she had drawn her first breath was afraid of Stefano.

That same guy who always behaved so nicely, who helped her carry her bags, who showed the outmost respect to her husband, who spoke words of affection for their daughter. Now it didn’t seem like an innocent infatuation anymore. Because when he looked at Nina earlier that day, he had the same look in his eyes she had seen in hundreds of men. And when he touched her, he did it as if he was entitled to it. His mask had slipped, and she could finally see him for who he was, behind the pleasant smiles and the charm and the courtesy. Maria could only be thankful to Mr. Shelby for asking her for some more water at just the right moment.

Her gaze went to the knife lying on the table. Men like him, like her husband, like her own sons - mafia men - only understood one language. Stefano’s guard was off, and Maria was quick enough to catch him by surprise. In a matter of seconds she had the knife pointed at his throat, and she was unknowingly pressing the edge of the blade against the small scar that her daughter had given him a few years earlier. He clamped his jaw, keeping himself as far as he could from the blade.

“Tocca di nuovo mia figlia,” she said lowly, gritting her teeth. “E ti sgozzo come un maiale.”

(“You put your hands on my daughter ever again, and I’ll gut you like a pig.”)

NEXT CHAPTER

Heart, Body and Soul taglist

@zablife @queenofshinigamis @raincoffeeandfandoms / @justrainandcoffee @call-sign-shark

@kmc1989 @babayaga67 @kmhappybunny240 @diorrfairy @mariaelizabeth21-blog1

@gaslysainz @brummiereader @loverhymeswith @fairypitou @prettywhenicry4

@mysticalbouquetwolf-posts @woofgocows @girlwith-thepearlearring @goblinjnr @outlanderuniverse

@citylights31 @neonpurplestars89-blog @red-riding-wood @evita-shelby

General tag list:

@iamngoclinh08 @lilywinchesterlove @fandom-puff @capitanostella @caelys

@lucillethings @peakyxtommy @queenofkings1212 @lyarr24 @kmc1989

@call-sign-shark @jomarch-wannabe @ce1iat

@red-riding-wood @optimisticsandwichgladiator

Tommy Shelby taglist:

@50svibes

[nohara-rin-dot-mp3]

Nohara Rin characterization guide part 1

Have you ever wished that Rin had a personality beyond "dead girl" so that you could write more fleshed out interactions between her and the rest of team Minato? Have you ever wished you could care about her, but struggled to figure out where to start, since there's so little there? Are you interested in creating complex characters out of the crumbs provided from canon? You're in luck! I've dedicated the past 2 years of my life to studying Rin (not as much of an exaggeration as it should be) and I've put together a "rinterpretation," so to speak, of her that I think is pretty neat, and today I'm here to explain some of that to you.

This is the first post of a two-part series; in it, I will be going over what we canonically know about Rin. In the second one, I will explain how I have connected all of that into a cohesive character, and further explore how the themes and imagery in canon reflect this character. Edit: here's a link to the second one!

To begin with, we have her two databook pages. Let's go over them one at a time.

There's not much of note on this page from the fourth databook. It tells us repeatedly that she's kind, a mednin, and a balancing force between Kakashi and Obito. It emphasizes the fact that she died, and that Obito and Kakashi are sad about this because they cared for her. We do get some interesting rinmages (images with Rin). Front and center on this page is the classic closed eye smile pose. There is significance to this to me. That's about it, though.

I don't have an English version of this page, sorry. I do have a translation, though- let's take a look!

Rin Village: Konohagakure Rank: Chuunin Ninja Registration Number: 010885 Birthday: November 15 (? years old, Scorpio) Height: ? cm Weight: ? kg Blood Type: A Personality: Gentle, intellectual, devoted Favourite food: Strawberries Least favourite food: Tsukudani (Seaweed/fish boiled down with soy) Speciality Jutsu: Medical Ninjutsu Favorite word: Friendship Interests: Collecting shells Graduated from the Ninja Academy at age 9 Promoted to chuunin at age 11 Mission Experience D-rank: ? C-rank: ? B-rank: ? A-rank: ? S-rank: ? Statistics Ninjutsu: 3.5 Taijutsu: 1.5 Genjutsu: 2.5 Intelligence: 4 Strength: 1 Speed: 2 Stamina: 2.5 Hand Seals: 4 “Heey…quit it, both of you!” Carefree smiling face – Kindness along with strength. Rin is an impressive warm, calm face. But when her injured companions are before her, she shows no weakness or tears, and executes her duty accurately. On the battlefield, this medical ability always kindly cares for her companions. As a celebration of his promotion to Jounin, she gave Kakashi a special medical pack. This was a symbol of Rin’s medical talent and her affection. She demonstrates her medical talent when her companions are injured. She is completely serious.

This is from the second databook- and there's some really interesting stuff here. Although most of the information given contributes to the image of a perfect, selfless girl who exists only to support Kakashi and Obito, there are some hints of person beyond that. She's describe as "serious" and "showing no weakness or tears." It seems that she's not all that emotional- and that's actually backed up by the manga, at least! (I wouldn't know about the anime, I haven't watched it in a while, lol.) I'll get back to that point once we start going over manga pages.

We also learn that her favorite food is strawberries, her least favorite food is tsukudani, and that she likes to collect seashells. Those are really interesting and important tidbits of information. Building off of these can help us create a more three-dimensional Rin.

The picture of her they chose to center on this page is also quite funny to me, because she kind of looks like she's about to kill someone, but maybe that's just me.

Let's move onto the manga. Rin appears, by my count, in a total of 278 panels. A significant chunk of these are just flashbacks of the same few static images of her. The sections she actually gives us something to work with are the kanabi bridge mission chapters, the chapters where she dies, and the Obito flashback sections. I'm not going to go over every single panel- I'll just focus on moments that can be used to further a good rinterpretation, and sweeping generalizations we can make.

Let's start with kanabi bridge.

The first few chapters don't really reveal much about Rin. She does seem very competent, both in healing and in strategy, but she also gets kidnapped and used as material by which to move the plot forward, yada yada yada.

Rin being serious and smart.

Things start getting interesting once Obito gets crushed by that bolder. To start with, Rin is able to transplant a fucking sharingan into Kakashi's head with seemingly no issues very, very quickly. We've been told that she's a pretty good mednin, but she's far from a prodigy. I feel like it's fairly obvious that the Uchiha wouldn't have let anyone learn anything that might let them perform an operation like this- so how did Rin learn this?

It's up to you how you answer the question. Maybe she's a better mednin than we've been led to believe. Maybe she's an implant on the team from Root, trained specifically to implant sharingans. Maybe Kishimoto just doesn't care about the logistics of surgery. There's a lot to unpack here if you choose to examine it from an in-universe perspective, though, so I'd encourage you to look at this from a Watsonian angle.

Rin also confesses to Kakashi in the next sccne. This is... an interesting decision, both in terms of writing and whatever the hell Rin is thinking. However you choose to explain it, and whether you think she was ever really crushing on Kakashi, I think it warrants some though. Time and place, Rin. Time and place.

Finally, I'd like to look at this beautiful panel:

I love the ambiguity here. We don't know what Rin is thinking- but this panel signals to us that she is experiencing some kind of emotion that we are not privy to. Every other character spells out their feelings through dialogue. This panel confirms that Rin is a person with interority- we're just not allowed to see it, or what it is. That's how I read it, anyways .

From here on out, every Rin appearance we go over will be taking place in a flashback which means that they are, to a certain degree, unreliable. Don't disregard them completely- there's some really important characterization here. Just keep the fact that Kakashi and Obito aren't completely reliable narrators in mind.

In my opinion, there's not much to be found in the Obito flashback chapters. Most of them are focused on establishing the Team Minato love triangle of Obito loving Rin, and Rin loving Kakashi. But mostly the Obito loving Rin part.

This was really dead wife coded of her.

I'm not going to go over them in depth. There's stuff you can read into if you're reaching, but I'm trying to keep this as canon and vanilla as possible, so let's move on for now.

Although the chapters in which Rin dies/is dead are mostly focused on Obito's reaction and subsequent evilness, they're also very revealing in terms of Rinformation. Why? Well, let's go over what we learn.

Rin has been turned into a bomb. She is very close with two of the world's greatest sealmasters, but she seemingly does not suggest going to them to fix the problem. We know that Madara used a genjutsu to make her unable to directly kill herself, but we also know that there's quite a bit of wiggle room in regards to how she had to follow this compulsion, seeing as she's able to outright jump in front of Kakashi's chidori, and I'd argue that jumping in front of a train is a pretty direct method of committing suicide.

So, this raises a few questions. One: why is Rin so set on dying? Two: Why does she choose to die in the way that she does? Three: Why does she kill herself on Kakashi when any of the enemy shinobi would have worked just as well, and been less traumatizing towards the guy she allegedly cares so much about?

It's up to you how you choose to answer these questions- whether it was just a result of her not thinking straight because of the situation she was in, or if the answer lies in something more deeply rooted that we never really get to see. Answering these questions is important to creating a good rinterpretation, though. Examining this moment outside of the impact it has on Kakashi and Obito helps us understand Rin a lot more.

Other interesting detail: it seems as though Rin isn't crying here. Earlier, it looks like there's tears running down her face, but then the camera moves back and we see that it's just the rain. Both Kakashi and Obito cry in this scene. Rin, though? Well. we know that she's serious, and shows no weakness or tears...

The final moments I'd like to go over are the ones where Rin appears to Obito (and Kakashi, in one panel). Fair warning: these are a even more dubious, because in my opinion, it's completely up to interpretation whether Rin is actually there or not. I'm still going to go over them, and what they'd mean for her character, but keep in mind that you don't have to rope these into your Rin characterization. They're kind of like optional seasoning you can add for flavor if you feel like it.

So: let's go over why these Rin scenes are really fucking wild.

First, we've got the classic team 7 parallels panel!

It's just... in context... she's dragging them into the path of Kaguya's chakra bullets. Can we talk about that? She's dragging them into this weird self-sacrifice. Naruto's weird about self-sacrifice, yeah- but we don't have to be. We can step back and say that if this is Rin's spirit coming down from the afterlife to tell Kakashi and Obito to fucking kill themselves then that's kind of weird, right?

There's also this moment, where Rin tells Obito that he didn't do anything wrong (???). That raises a lot of questions for me, personally. This entire sequence actually kind of reads like horror to me, but maybe I'm just too deep in the Rin sause. I'm not sure. Either way, it's a really weird moment.

One last thing before you go: Rin's eyes are kind of weird. Please take a look at some other people's eyes as compared to her's. Please consider that they were so weird and unsettling that in the anime, they changed how they looked. Like literally why the fuck did he draw he like that. This isn't like, a solid characterization moment, but just like. Think about the fact that she looks dead inside when you write her. It'll make things a lot more fun.

Glowup?!?!

That's about all for now. You can read part 2 of this or just move on, but I hope that you consider some of these moments when writing Rin. It's really easy to fall into the girlboss/mom friend trap when writing for female characters without much canon personality, but I think it's nice to strive for something beyond that! Hopefully this will help you decide where to start when building a complex rinterpretation- or, if you want to hear about how I see her, you could read part two of this post. Or just scroll through my blog for 5 seconds I'm always yelling about her lmao. Anyways thanks for reading!

[jeonstudios]

Boy am I about to rant in this ask lol

The amount of people who want them (jk, OC) in DC to be end game makes me question whether they would survive a serial killer in a horror movie.

Basically, all I hear is "yeah he was mean to her, called her names, told her she doesn't deserve to be treated nice from men..BUT he's hot and said sorry!" Like...you really missed the point. I'm not saying they can't end up together but my girl OC has been through hell and back with the opposite gender. She needs to heal first lol

Also I'm glad DC is taking it's time because girl you ALMOST had me not read the rest of the chapter when I read she asked for handcuffs.

I was thinking "has everyone suddenly got amnesia and forgot he was mean to her? But oh well he's being nice to her so let's jump forward to a relationship... 👏 grab the handcuffs!!!"

Honestly I really don't think as of now they should be end game but let's see what he does to atone for his previous treatment of her. Does that mean that once he apologizes with words or actions he can get together with OC? Probably not, but it's up to OC. She hasn't been treated nice or as an equal from men. JK is too good to be true to just forget how she's been treated.

(and now for my literature interpretation of this series so far lol)

I really hope the next chapter with jks pov can clarify some of my doubts because the complete 180 he did is so....I can't wrap my head around it. He insulted her appearance, her chest, that she doesn't deserve flowers...but now that he found out she's a SA victim NOW she deserves to be treated like a human. NOW she's a woman deserving of flowers 🙄

I'm gonna give him a crumb of doubt because at the time, his friends, who are the perpetrators of OCs trauma, were nice to JK.

It's hard to imagine that a friend who treats you so nice can have this horrible side to them and assault OC. Not only that but they implanted a false narrative of what went down and because they are so nice to him, he took their story for what it was.

It's easy to say from an outsider perspective "well why didn't he come to his own conclusion and investigate before automatically assuming it was true?" But we're not omniscient. We can't predict the future and this perspective comes from what is known now vs what little information you had then. And this can fall both ways like yeah he didn't know much back then but also he could've dug a little deeper but that's such a rabbit hole I will not dive into cuz it's a neverending cycle.

ANYWAYS, Now that he's got the other side of the story, WITH PROOF, he wants to get justice for OC and maybe even start a relationship with her (TBD), but how can you do that when you were also indirectly hurting her with your words that further pushes her to not trust men? That further deepens her wound/trauma/wtv you wanna call it.

I mean think about it, if you were OC, you were close to dying at the hands of a man who wanted sexual gratification one way or another, and then it kinda swept under the rug...she's never gotten true justice. And because the guy hasn't been put in jail, it gives him an ego boost to think he got away with it and rubs it in OCs face by making up a false narrative that everyone believes and turns against her, further isolating her from who she can count on.

First, by getting away with the assault, he's won, and now by having people turn against her and hate her, he's won again.

DC jk and all the things he's said and done to her, indirectly adds more salt to a wound that hasn't healed. Yet again another victory to the perpetrator.

So at this moment, a "sorry" and "I'm not like the other guys, I'm a nice person, I took a knife for you, you can trust me" isn't enough for OC to heal. OC even said how she wants to trust JK but after everything she's been told, after everything she's been through, it's hard to put that guard down and just trust him. Because that's also how she was assaulted by her previous partner.

So...with that said, let's see what the next chapter reveals because right now the plot is in the middle and it can go in any direction. I think it was a good choice for OC to leave bc that whiplash from jk being rude to the greenest flag ever might be a bit too much for someone like OC who's only ever had bad experiences with men.

As for the romance between JK and OC, let's put it in the back burner! Lets put these cowards in jail first and then we can talk about it.

My girl OC needs therapy...

Oof! Sorry for the rant but I'm ready to look like a clown if the next chapter completely destroys what I just typed lol 🤡🤡🤡

to be fair and maybe play devil's advocate, i feel like, to many people, jk has already redeemed himself. because we already knew he was horrible to her before, but he did apologize pretty sincerely for how he acted because he didn't know. and then he died for her (but survived lol) only to go on to rat all the rotten men at the station out and take them out, one by one. then he tried to respect her decision to lay low for a while (literal months) but had to check on her because he was worried for her safery. and then he convinced her to stay with him because of that worry. so he's been "taking care" of her while also working almost day in and day out on catching the ones who raped and tried to murder her (and him!) while also trying to "uncorrupt" the station. not to forget that he went to her friend and talked about reopening her case against one of their colleagues that drugged her, and he didn't do that to earn brownie points with reader.

so i think it's a little of "he thought she was the evil perpetrator but now he knows that she's the victim"? more like they not only assaulted her but trashed her character?

but yeah, they did feed him a false narrative, which he shouldn't have believed!!! so his first and maybe biggest mistake is trusting these men over the woman blindly when he's very much aware of the fact that men do stuff like this? so he definitely should've talked to her instead of just believing them and then going to such lengths to "avenge" his friend.

because yeah, even if he's shown himself to be a good guy now, reader can't know exactly why he's acting like he likes her. if that's because he actually does like her or if there's another reason. because as she's come to know him, she realizes that he probably would've told her if he thought she was pretty and was attracted to her. and knowing everything that he said, it's understandable for her to doubt if he has feelings for her or not.

so i definitely understand both sides, both the people feeling like yeah, it hurts to know what he actually said and how he treated her, but he's shown (actions over words) that he's actually a good guy and if he can explain himself and thoroughly apologize, there's still a chance. and the people who feel like he went too far and the wounds are too deep no matter how good of a guy he is now.

anyway, thank you for your analysis!! i really enjoyed reading it!! ♥️♥️

[merovingianprincess]

As Fate Would Have It...

Here's the beginning of the mini-series I mentioned I had an interest in writing. Please let me know if y'all want more. : )

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: I don't own the Tolkien-verse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was both uncommon and unusual for my father to not tell me anything regarding business and trade deals. Even if he didn't tell me everything, he would at least give me a crumb of something to keep me satisfied until whatever deal was brokered and completed.

"Why can't you tell me?" I pestered him, following him around his small wooden office in the rebuilt Esgaroth.

He just shook his head, signing the piece of parchment, folding it, and then pouring hot wax, and stamping it with his insignia.

"It's best for you not to know until it's finished and done," he replied, standing up with the letter in hand, heading towards the door and handing it to a waiting messenger.

I followed my father out the door, angrily shutting it behind me. The messenger quickly took off down the wooden pier and off until I no longer had him in my sight. I turned to face my father again who was already walking in the opposite direction a few feet ahead of me.

I groaned picking up the skirt of my pale blue dress and briskly walked after him, trying to catch up with him. He walked quickly, with a purpose. People greeted him as they walked past, offering smiles to me as well. My father was the well-respected mayor of Esgaroth, and I was his curious and headstrong only daughter. My brothers were off on business elsewhere.

He kept ignoring my pleading attempts for information on whatever he was keeping from me. Soon we came to the outermost edge of the town, where we looked down over the edge at the work being done by some brave men. They were diving down to retrieve jewels from the corpse of Smaug the dragon.

The jewels were beautiful and exquisite; Father told me that some were being traded and sold, some were being kept as a reminder of that fateful day, and the rest were being used for something my father wouldn't tell me about.

Two things he wouldn't tell me about and it was irritating me. As I previously explained, I am curious and I like to know things, so I can help out if needed. Father calls me nosey, I disagree.

I saw the divers come to the surface with fistfuls of jewels, putting them in baskets that were then pulled up by ropes by other men and carefully distributed into 3 different piles. I knew from tales that Smaug was a large dragon, but I didn't realize just how many jewels covered the dragon's chest; though the arrow that claimed his life was still embedded in the bone.

Father inspected the jewels, still ignoring my pleas. Huffing, I walked back to our residence and poured myself some honey wine, my father disapproved of me having some wine before dinner but he wasn't here to judge at the moment. I decided to spend the rest of my afternoon reading a romance book that I recently acquired from some traders.

A few hours passed when the cook started making dinner and my father arrived back shortly after.

"Mmm, Alis, whatever you are preparing smells wonderful," my father praised the cook, taking off his coat and draping it over his favorite chair, before looking over at me, "and Eleanor, it appears you haven't stopped sulking," he remarked sitting down. I glared at him over my book from my seat on the couch.

"Ah sir, she hasn't been sulking, she's been good reading her book," said Alis, chopping up an onion.

I smirked, returning my attention back to my book that I was nearly done with. All was quiet for a half hour besides Alis chopping up ingredients, until there was a knock at the door.

My father stood up from his chair, "Ah his response was quicker than I thought it would be." he mumbled walking towards the door, opening it, and receiving a letter from the messenger who once again scurried off.

"And dinner is done," Alis announced placing three plates of food on the table.

I set my book off to the side and got up from my seat, taking my place at the dinner table where Alis sat, pouring herself some honey wine, and my father leisurely made his way over unfolding the letter with an insignia I did not recognize.

I too poured myself a drink and took a sip, watching as my father sat down in his chair reading the letter, a smile appearing on his face before he set the letter folded up, down on the table.

"Good news sir?" Alis asked, raising her fork to her mouth.

"Yes, wonderful news and an excellent new alliance." my father said taking a bite of his potatoes.

I tried to not act interested even though I was DYING to know, I was tempted to snatch the letter and read it, but I stayed collected. We ate in silence for a while until we were almost done eating when my father decided to speak.

"Eleanor, you will be getting married soon." he proclaimed, sitting back in his chair, and bringing his cup to his mouth.

I almost choked as I was taken by surprise, "Married? To whom?"

He was quiet for a while, watching me squirm. I wasn't against the idea of marriage, I actually dreamed of finding true love and a good husband. But I wanted to know my suitor. Was he nice? Was he valiant like in the romance stories?

"The elvenking, King Thranduil," he said, putting his cup down on the table.

I had heard little of King Thranduil, I only knew he was the king of Mirkwood and fought with his army at the Battle of the Five Armies, almost 100 years ago.

Alis reached over and gently squeezed my forearm, "You'll be a queen," she said with a smile, before standing up and clearing the table whilst I stared at my father.

"But he's an elf," was all I could say.

"Yes, that's why he is called the Elvenking." my father said, standing up with a stretch.

I rolled my eyes as I scooted back my chair and stood up as well, "And I'm a human. It's almost unheard of for two different people to marry." I said walking around the table to my father who was making his way back over to his chair.

"Yes, but there are a few instances of it happening and like Alis said, you will be queen," he replied sitting back down.

I sat down on the couch silently, taking it all in. While I had odd feelings about marrying an elf, I understood my father had some sort of new alliance with Mirkwood, I didn't want to negatively affect that if I refused to marry the Elvenking; also I was 18 now, and I needed to marry. So I silently accepted it.

"When do I leave for Mirkwood?" I asked, getting up from my spot on the couch.

"In two days a few elf guards will be here to escort you to Mirkwood," he replied, staring into the empty fireplaces, the room getting darker.

"Two days," I whispered, before heading to my bedroom and closing the door behind me.

[desertfangs]

Anne's mind is so fascinating to me. She really had a whole plan for Daniel and Armand (which as wacky as it was, was a plan of sorts), and instead of even alluding to it in the books, she was like: "yeahh Daniel... that guy. He lost his mind for a while, lived in Marius' house, built some train models, then got back together with Armand and then moved to his house... any q's? No? Thought so. So, about that mural...", I unironically love her so much lmaooo

Oh my gosh, me too! I unironically want one of those t-shirts with the scan of her brain on it. Her mind was fascinating.

I’ve been in and out of this fandom since the 90s and I think one that keeps me coming back is that there’s just so much in this world that’s left unexplored. So many throw away lines you could write half a book about (DM is full of these but it’s true of the entire series!), so many scenes that are glossed over or suggested or implied and never fleshed out.

There many conversations and encounters that must have happened that just do not appear on the page—they were in the Sonoma Compound together for a while, and on Night Island together for a while, then at Court! All of them have talked and interacted and what we get in the books is just a tiny fraction of it. Which makes sense mostly-- I mean, somethings arguably should have been included, like Louis' reaction to Daniel as a vampire for example!!--but obviously a lot is happening in every book and there just isn't space. Louis had to condense the entire story of his life into one night, he couldn't go night by night for hundreds of years. No one is going to spill every detail or every moment. It all comes down to the pieces that build the main picture, and then we can then take it and infer the rest from that.

Anne was masterful at leaving little breadcrumbs you can follow if you want to. And of course, she was such a talented, skilled writer, who created these characters that just feel real and alive. She had her quirks and she was human. She wasn’t always right about things and sometimes she was more willing to admit that than others. She was just a person who told amazing stories and those stories have stuck with me since I was far too young to be reading those books, and now here I am, almost 30 years later, still writing fic, still rereading the books and finding new little nuggets I’d never noticed, still so excited to hear other people’s interpretations of scenes or characters, and to read other people’s fic that explore all these little crumbs and flesh them out.

When I say I love this fandom, I mean it from the very bottom of my heart, and we owe Anne so much for building a world that we have so much room to play in. It really is incredible. It blows my mind sometimes how real and visceral and powerful the world of the VC feels. But I digress!! I completely agree, anon. Even if we don't get a lot of Armand and Daniel in the later books together, we do get a satisfying story for them as a couple, and we get the joy of filling in those missing pieces ourselves. 💖

[goldeneyedgirl]

day 125 asking for home again please i'm begging u i don't mind if you have a new chapter an idea or just rambling randomly about this fic i'm only asking for crumbs i hope it will touch your heart

Anon, you moved me. I'm so sorry I forgot your request. I have a memory like swiss cheese.

The rewrite has temporarily stalled, only because I have four chapter fics going, three one-shots needing to be finished, and I'm plotting out Whumptober, Nanowrimo, and Ficmas. Plus I have uni work which involves planning and writing a manuscript in 2025. Soo rewrites have escaped me for the time being.

But I do have plans to add a couple of fics to that series. The next fic I was going to publish was second chronologically - Cynthia's wedding. So this takes place maybe eight weeks after Home Again, so everything is kind of new and Jasper gets to experience Alice's family nonsense and how the insanely rich live.

Other fics I was messing with in this universe (the file for these has disappeared, so I have to do a deep dive on my harddrive to see where it was filed but it's totally gone at the moment) includes Alice's father showing up in Mexico for a surprise visit at a very inopportune time; the Brandons deciding to have a pre-Christmas gathering at Alice's house so that Alice's mom can get a bunch of photos for social media; Alice and Jasper in Seattle (I mean, we need to have Maria show up at some point - I love writing Maria); plus drama around the rest of the family - Edward and Bella having a baby, Peter and Charlotte getting married, and just other wholesome nonsense.

I might also drag the OG drafts for celebrity Alice out of the archives for Ficmas because, listen, the original Vision was very different. I think there were three different versions in 24 hours, lol.

Anyway, here is some of the draft of Cynthia's Wedding/the Spectacle.

jasper.

Flowers.

That was Jasper’s first thought.

He’d never seen so many flowers in one place before.

Or ribbons.

Or people.

“Breathe.” Alice was standing beside him, looking much more at ease than he felt. She looked beautiful but almost foreign on his arm; she’d had hair and make-up people in their suite early, and had emerged with an artfully messy updo and an almost porcelain-doll appearance.

She didn’t seem entirely real, honestly.

None of this did.

They’d arrived in New York City the afternoon before and this had been the most eye-opening twenty-four hours of his life.

First of all, the chauffeur that had picked them up from the airport had swept them to one of the most expensive hotels in the city - he knew Alice had vetoed the Plaza, where Cynthia was getting married, citing a complete lack of privacy - and they had been quickly and efficiently swept up to a suite that was, frankly, nicer than his Seattle apartment. A perfectly tailored suit and Alice’s dress for the wedding had been waiting for them, along with a handwritten schedule and half a dozen floral arrangements - as well as a bottle of champagne and a ‘good luck’ note from Carmen, which made Alice snort.

There had been a dinner reservation made at the hotel restaurant with Alice’s godmother - a pinched woman who downed three martinis and left citing a need for a cigarette before they’d even received their entrees. Alice had laughed at his total bewilderment - “I’ve known her my whole life, Jas, and I’ve never seen her eat anything more substantial than a martini olive - or stay at an event longer than thirty minutes.”

The next morning, Alice had disappeared to spa treatments, hair, and makeup after breakfast, and returned to the room looking rather blank and popped two pain pills on a relatively empty stomach but had reassured him that she was fine. He’d even gone out to get her something to eat, but she’d only picked at it and blamed nerves about being in front of the camera.

And now they were at the wedding.

Alice’s dress was beautiful - dark plum lace tailored close to her body with a high neck and buttons running down her spine. The hem brushed the floor, concealing the fact that she had insisted on nearly four inch heels despite the pain they caused her. A small fortune of diamonds hung from her ears and around her wrist that Alice claimed belonged to the family trust, from a long-dead family member. The suit Carmen had arranged for him was tailored so perfectly that it was one of the most comfortable things he’d ever worn - and one of the nicest, far and away nicer than what he'd worn at his own wedding.

That made him a little nervous - first class flights to New York, the hotel room, the suit… Alice had convinced him that as her date, she was going to cover everything. He was doing her a favour, after all - Cynthia wouldn’t have allowed her to attend without a plus-one. But this whole weekend was costing more than his entire life, and that made him somewhat uncomfortable.

“This is…”

“A lot, I know.” Alice’s smile is pasted on her face, and doesn’t look quite right. “Just look like you’re happy to be here and no one will notice.”

“I’m happy to be here with you, this is just terrifying,” he murmured in her ear and for a moment, Alice’s mask dropped and she gave him a genuine, albeit bashful, smile.

The entrance had an actual red - well, gold - carpet at the entrance, against a wall of white roses. Various photographers were lined up, snapping away. It took him several moments to place a few of the other guests dotted along the carpet - models, celebrities, singers… It was surreal.

Ignoring people calling out to her, Alice carefully guided him inside the hotel.

—

The ceremony room was all gold and white, adored in hundreds of white candles, and masses of flowers in whites, pinks, and lemons. It was dizzying and oddly hypnotic, like standing in a secret garden but knowing that something wasn't quite right about it.

Gold chairs draped in silky fabric were arranged for the guests - rows and rows of them, negating Alice’s assumption that this was planned to be an intimate wedding. A white and gold bar was set up at the back of the room, where numerous people were clustered around - people Jasper had only ever seen on TV.

“You’ll be seated in the front row,” the perky attendant said, escorting them down the aisle, gesturing to two seats.

//

Securing a glass of champagne for Alice and a gin-and-tonic for himself, Jasper immediately returned to where Alice was seated - where a man was looming over her. He wearing a well-worn, rumpled suit, clutching a drink like it was a lifeline, and looked like he needed a shave and a good night's sleep. He wasn't anyone that Jasper recognised, but the way he was scrutinizing Alice made Jasper feel oddly protective of her.

"Mary, Mary," the man said in a rough voice that sounded almost mocking to Jasper's ears as he handed Alice her champagne.

“Alistair,” the fake smile is back but Alice doesn’t rise, merely nods at him. “How are you?”

Alistair, the former fiancé - a long-time associate of Alice’s father and not someone Alice has spoken of fondly. He didn’t know the details of the break up - or even the engagement - and he couldn’t bring himself to google search his own ... what? Girlfriend? Either way, it felt very disloyal to google things Alice didn't really want to talk about.

“You look better than I expected,” Alistair is frank, and is inspecting Alice like a piece of meat. “The way your family has carried on, I expected...”

"To be at death's door?" Alice offers sweetly.

"You not to be here," Alistair chuckles, before looking Jasper up and down.

//

Mr Platt is exactly what Jasper expected; an imposing man with salt and pepper hair and generic movie star looks. He doesn’t acknowledge anyone around him, firmly focused on his phone. There’s a haughty looking woman next to him in a shimmering dark blue dress and smooth red hair that Jasper suspects is his wife, even if she isn’t old enough to be Alice’s mother.

“Fourth wife, former assistant,” Alice murmurs to him from behind her champagne glass. “Mother of two daughters, and she’s very upset that neither of them were boys.”

[covenists]

✦ WELCOME TO NEW YORK, L. STROLL

he has travelled to new york for so many times, but that's in that's past. now, all he wanted is to be with you on a special trip, circling around nyc as they're going to enjoy their love life together.

vday series masterlist

now playing: taylor swift — welcome to new york!

yourusername

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TWITTER

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lancestroll New York or Nowhere?

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[kittytheartist]

toilet bound Hanako-kun chapter 94

this chapter took me by SURPRISE!!! it definitely made chapter 93 feel Complete!! I thought they were going in a different direction even though I thought it would be the worst kind of plot point AidaIro turned it the fuck around on me?? it was a PERFECT idea for an oni!! he not only wanted her but he took her life, he ATE her, that's such an amazing feature to their relationship!! but it breaks my heart, poor Sumire, she didn't have a problem with that and let him eat her??? that is just horrible, although with the choice of words she used I don't really know what to make of it but I suppose she didn't go against it and even when he bit her and not gently at that!! she was still as twistedly in love with him as she was before but I don't know about you guys but I feel like I could read the resentment and anguish in her last words....but maybe she didn't see it all that differently compared to dying in a hole so many times, she must have come to feel the pain of hitting the ground and be more self aware, I know that most people would faint before reaching the bottom but she's been through that MANY times, and our cast is usually better at pain tolerance and she clearly isn't the most opposed to pain. and I don't know if she saw this(Hakubo eating her) as a choice of hers and letting the person she loves doing whatever he'd like. but she clearly likes being in control over the life of at least an animal and she's never gotten to control whether she herself dies or not. I'm just not really sure...

but the gore panels we got?? they were beautiful!! I LOVED the way the injuries and his teeth were drawn

and the HANDS were so pretty in this chapter? I loved it

and this was so disturbing to read and connect to the rest of the series and I loved it sm

and Sakura swooping in with Nene is interesting?? not sure where AidaIro is taking this but it would not be a satisfying way to learn more about the Yugi past :(

and it felt out of the blue? but it may have been Hanako and Tsukasa sending both their assistants back there to have a talk and to take care of the Yorishiro?

but Sakura picking up babes

LIKE THEY'RE SO PRETTY HERE????

but we should have been back with Kou and Natsuhiko this chapter even if I think this chapter was interesting :(

but hopefully next chapter will be with Natsuhiko and Kou!! but so glad that Sumire and No.6 were wrapped up, and in the most gruesome way, it was amazing, still cang get past tge romantic filler throughout chapter 93 and it still was not necessary to bring them to the cave. and I can't see it as something they would do, going through the town and look back on memories, i get Sumire is a hopeless romantic when it comes to things like this but....

but honestly I don't think Nene is going to ask about the Yugi past so cross your fingers!! because I'd much rather her ask about what he plans on doing then his past because he has once again not tell her anything and just decide things, not to mention how Tsukasa appeared outta nowhere so she must want to ask about that, and how Sakura knows so much... but how she treated Aoi in that panel makes me so mad, AidaIro stop putting Aoi as last!! >:[

I know Nene is just so focused on other things and thought Akane would handle that but Nene was fed up before the navigation arc with Hanako, so why the sudden change? I know she has SO MANY objectives that were cut off before she could finish them(like Sumire) but Nene girl...get your shit together please.

but the crumbs of Akane were amazing

he is so CUTE here!!! he looks so worried and Aoi is just a cinnamon roll, although recently I think Aoi has just had a blank expression far too much...I get her character but I think her character and how she feels was just thrown in the back after being used, and now she just has the same expression...I'm not really sure how i feel about it but oh well, hopefully we'll get more Aoi because she CANNOT be thrown in the back so much!! I know she's used to pull the plot but her character was established in the Sumire arc/grim reaper arc so why do this to her? oh well...

but they ARE really cute there

and I've been needing new images of Akane bc I don't feel like going through the entire manga looking for images I don't have because I need more in my album idk

okay I'm done rambling

[weasleyswizardpleases]

Low Profile (reader x fred and george)

Summary: You and your best friends find yourself entangled in a secret polyamorous love affair, right under their family’s noses.

Warnings/Notes: Cw language, kissing (but no sex of any kind), family not accepting poly/queer relationship, bruising. This is for the wonderful and talented @lunalovecroft​’s 2.7k trope-inspired writing challenge! It’s also part of my loose series of fics that take place over the summer when y/n stays at the Weasleys’ house. No twincest- v shaped poly relationship. Here’s my masterlist if you want more! Enjoy!

Ever since you and Fred hooked up the first night of the summer, you’ve been joined at the hip even more than usual, and since George is always with Fred and usually with you, he had to be told once it was clear that you and Fred were gonna be more than a one night stand. You were a bit sad, knowing that it’d probably make him feel left out, in a way. You noticed that George looked a bit miffed when the two of you told him you were dating, in the loosest sense of the word. 

“What’s the matter, you jealous Georgie?” you tease, putting your hand on his knee flamboyantly. He blushes and you and Fred exchange a look.

“Oh my god, you actually are, aren’t you?” Fred asks, half-mocking. For once, George seems to be at a loss for words. He looks quite uncertain and a bit sad. You figure that you may as well break the tension and speak honestly; it’s more important to you to be frank and maintain your friendship than anything else. You clear your throat.

“George, honestly, if you’d been there instead of Fred that night, I’d probably have hooked up with you, too. We’ll all still be friends. That’s why we’re telling you, so we’re not keeping secrets,” you say, trying to goad him into speaking. He shakes his discomfort off and begins.

“Oh, I knew this would happen! We used to just be friends before the two of you started making eyes at each other all the time. Now I’ll barely be able to talk to the two of you- my two best friends, mind you- without all this lovey dovey shit. What an absolute nightmare!”

You open your mouth to speak, but George barrels on, looking at Fred this time.

“And you, some brother you are. You know how I feel about Y/N, I thought we had an agreement to keep it platonic all around?”

“It’s not my fault they’re interested in me!”

“George, I said I would have kissed you that night too! Actually, that’s what I’ve been trying to say to both of you. I’ve got feelings for you, both of you.”

They stop bickering and turn to look at you, turning the idea over in their minds.

“What are you saying?” asks Fred, looking a bit hurt.

“I’m saying,” you take a deep breath, “that I’ve never been better friends with one of you than the other. We do everything together. I don’t want that to change. Besides, you two are identical. Did you think your birthmark was that big of a selling point, Freddie? Of course I think you’re both good-looking, look in the mirror for goodness’ sake!”

They blink at you, then turn away to confer with one another in whispers. You tap your foot impatiently, but when they turn around, they’re beaming.

“So what you’re saying is you’d be fine with us sharing you?” George asks.

“More than fine. I’d be absolutely chuffed,” you say, returning their smiles.

“It’s settled, then,” Fred says, and plants a kiss on the top of your head. You look up at George permissively, and he puts his arm around you and gives you a squeeze.

“One thing, though. Mum and Dad can’t know. Mum especially. She’s not the most open-minded when it comes to this stuff. Especially with us. At least, I doubt she is,” Fred says.

“Yeah, funnily enough it never occurred to me to ask what she’d do if my twin brother and I started a poly fling with our best friend who also lives with us and sleeps in our bedroom, but if I had to guess, I don’t think she’d approve,” George adds, smirking.

“That’s ok. We have a pretty good track record when it comes to keeping secrets,” you say, a mischievous glimmer in your eye.

That evening, you’re helping Molly fold linens when she steps away for a moment to take the kettle off. You feel four hands slip around you from behind and soon you’re pulled into a kiss, Fred on your left, kissing you hard on the neck and collarbone, and George kissing your lips, taking your bottom lip gently between his teeth. You kiss them passionately but push them away after a second, regaining your composure.

“Not here!” you hiss, grinning. They exchange a cheeky glance and kiss you on each cheek before scurrying back to their room, giggling. You shake your head and turn back to folding sheets, just as Mrs. Weasley returns.

“My, my dear, that’s quite a bruise you’ve got there, what happened?” Mrs. Weasley clucks, gesturing to your collarbone where you’re surprised to see a dark, newly formed hickey.

“Oh, pickup quidditch match. I’m not very good, I’m afraid,” you say, the rush of the small lie filling you with butterflies.

“Well now, we are wizards after all. We can’t have you running about looking as if you’ve been sleeping under the whomping willow,” she says cheerfully. She extracts her wand and uses a quick healing spell on the spot, which fades quickly. You wonder if she really doesn’t recognize the bruise as a hickey, but you shrug. The twins have certainly gotten away with worse under this roof.

That night, you and the twins are in the kitchen having a midnight snack. The rest of the house is quiet. You’re sitting on the countertop, helping yourself to a biscuit, and George is leaning on the counter beside you. You feed him a little bite and he licks the crumbs from your fingers playfully. Fred is rummaging through the fridge across the room, and George peers into the fridge nosily. Something piques his interest, and he heads over, whispering to his brother indistinctly. You catch them giggling, and can hear snatches of their conversation. They appear to be working on something as they chat eagerly.

“Take the…”

“... and the… yes! Use a…”

“... that’s just bad…”

“...dare you…”

You hear the familiar sound of compressed air decompressing, and Fred whirls around with a pie tin full of whipped cream in his hand, grinning devilishly.

“No!” you whisper-scream, nearly falling off the countertop, but you’re not fast enough. Fred flops the tin into your face with a splat, and George laughs so hard he winds up on the ground kicking. You lick the cream from your lips, hungry for revenge.

You know Fred is secretly quite vain about his hair, and you waste no time sliding off the countertop and wrapping him up in a hug from behind. He suspects your ulterior motives immediately, but it’s too late for him to escape.

“Oh darling, give me a hug my sweet,” you say, making exaggerated kissy noises while burying your pie covered face in his nice clean hair. He flails about, and you tickle his ribs defensively, causing him to buckle. You fall to the ground with him, giggling and shoving at one another. Just as George joins in, trying to drag you off of his brother, kissing you all over as he tugs on your legs, you hear a floorboard creak. 

Ginny, whose room is closest to the kitchen, stands at the foot of the stairs, gaping at you. You’re sure she saw the kissing, and, well, the whole situation does look a bit… familiar. You whack George on the head and nod in Ginny’s direction.

“Oh, hello Ginny,” Fred says, disentangling himself from his situation beneath you.

“Hello, big brother,”

“Hello, Ginny,” George says, surprise straining his voice.

“Hello, other brother,”

“Hello, Ginny,” you say uncertainly, standing up and wiping your face off with a tea towel.

“Hello, Y/N,” she says. “Some of us are trying to sleep, you know,” she says, raising an eyebrow knowingly. Everyone speaks in hushed tones once again, having remembered that it is indeed the middle of the night. She nods curtly and scampers back upstairs, smiling cheekily.

“Did she see?” George whispers.

“Oh, she saw,” you assure him.

“But she wouldn’t say anything, right?” Fred asks.

“Surely not,” his brother replies nervously. 

“But if she does…” 

“We’re toast. No way mum believes us over her.”

“You guys are being too paranoid. Ginny isn’t a snitch like Ron and Percy, she wouldn’t blab on us for a bit of… roughhousing,” you say hopefully. The twins agree, and you help each other get cleaned up, George dabbing your face clean with a wet towel, giving you gentle kisses in between. 

The rest of the week goes by uneventfully. As far as you know, Ginny doesn’t say anything about what she saw, and life in the burrow goes on as usual. In the mornings, you and Hermione read quietly in the living room over tea. She reads the paper, you look at the comics, every once in a while stopping to remark on a thought you’ve had. 

Then George wakes up. He’s quiet in the mornings, a bit slow, although not very grumpy. Then Molly gets up and usually whips up some sort of breakfast, and by the times everyone’s up you all gather round the long table and eat together. Then, if you’re lucky, you run off outside or to a neighbor's house or abscond to the attic with Fred and George, away from prying eyes and away from Molly’s commands. If you’re unlucky, Molly enlists at least one of you in some chores, usually out in the garden. 

The next time the three of you come close to getting caught, you’re doing just this- de-gnoming with Fred, George, and Ron when Ron gets a headache and goes inside, complaining that it’s far too hot. In reality, the day is rather mild, although the sun is bright enough that Fred and George both have pink sunburns radiating across the bridges of their noses. You flick Fred on his sunburnt cheek and he winces.

“Ow! What’s that for?!” he asks, nearly dropping a gnome right back into the grass. 

“I need your attention!”

“For what?”

“A kiss,” you reply devilishly. He obliges you and kisses you dramatically, dipping you low, holding you in his arms. “Like this, mi amore?” he asks in a silly accent.

“Lunchtime!” Molly calls from the doorway, causing Fred to drop you to the ground and George to leap in front of the two of you oddly, trying to obscure his mum’s line of sight. You brush yourself off and head for the house, hoping Mrs. Weasley didn’t see anything.

“Fred Weasley!” Mrs. Weasley says shrilly, and you all cringe. You hold your breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Fred, did I just see you toss Y/n to the ground? That’s no way to treat a guest, especially when you’re meant to be doing housework!” You sigh deeply, relieved. “Come in, dearie, I swear, sometimes I don’t know who raised those two!” she says, putting an arm around you to guide you in the house.

[nanayuz]

this actually NEEDS to be talked abt more, so i'll talk about it because i'm not tired at all even though i need to fucking sleep. chloe.

she had a ton of unused potential just because the writers didn't include / forgot her story, which could've made it way more . . more. this is the 3rd eevee in a row and the 2nd that actually stayed an eevee, so they had to make it more memorable. but they just didn't, besides the serena─ and regina─ episodes.

there were pokémon like pidove and ponyta / rapidash and impidimp and even fucking yamper that could've been included more. she could've been included more. i would've loved to see her become a research fellow sooner, maybe just over halfway through the series, just so she could be onscreen more. fans love her.

so, what in arceus' name went wrong? her story was both rushed and taken too slow, just like project mew, except project mew was a pretty memorable thing that hadn't been done before. the episodes surrounding the eeveelution arc are spread out from the middle of master journeys to the middle of ultimate journeys, which sounds reasonable considering pm went pretty similarly ( end of master─end of ultimate ), but most of them included one-off characters, except for the serena one and the last one. but in the last one, those were only the scientist's second appearance. they're basically one-off.

gary / gladion are RIGHT THERE. soleil was on the more interesting side, but there are 2 main characters in the past with umbreons. both of which had very prominent stories in jn. zoey has a leafeon, right? hey, dawn came back, let's bring zoey back too. the fact there were so many characters of the day made the story seem like it wasn't supposed to be big. it was.

she could've met gary. SHE COULD'VE MET GARY.

and like i said, she had other pokémon she befriended along the way. she was slightly into research and had a professor for a dad, get her in other regions more. i would've loved to see her start getting interested in contests when dawn came back and not just pulled into one in jn105. would've gotten fucking wallace out of there, but what needed to happen with him is for a different post.

it just felt like the writers forgot about her and wrote something up in an hour because they just needed to finish. no re-looking, a bunch of twists and turns that were completely unnecessary, and barely any appearances after she first met eevee that really showed her bonding with it besides her own episodes. and jn069 was okay. but it feels like they just threw a dart at a board full of pokémon professions, it landed in between a bunch of options, and they decided to do that in the worst way possible.

i headcanon that she went on a ( very short ) journey with ash between the afternoon of jn132 and the afternoon of jn135 ( i'm guessing it's at least a day, maybe even two to let them rest ) which explains why she got along much better with him in jn135 when they interacted like, twice before that. and that she went to galar, met marnie, established a rivalry with bede, trained, and battled the gym leaders. and that she met gary motherfucking oak.

obviously, i don't think that stuff should've actually happened in the anime, but after the first season of journeys, it's almost like she stayed the same while people were trying to have her grow. her development didn't feel like her. nothing with ash, nothing with goh, crumbs with dawn and soleil and regina and serena, basically the only characters that somewhat mattered in her arc. besides dawn, the rest showed up for one episode each. one.

also she could've met gary have i said that.

I have very strong opinions on how Chloe was treated throughout Journeys and they're not positive ^u^

[psychee92]

Why ACOTAR 5 Is (Without a Doubt) Elain’s Book

Warning: This post will be a long one, and will analyze the series as a whole (including ACOSF). As you read it, please consider taking your shipping goggles off, as none of this has anything to do with shipping and everything to do with character development/plot/the overall narrative of the series/good storytelling. Thank you!

Main points: 

Elain’s role in the ACOTAR series

Elain’s character evolution throughout the series

The foreshadowing in ACOSF (+ bonus POVs)

The overarching plot 

SJM’s own words

The ACOTAR Series and Elain’s Role

We have multiple interviews of SJM saying that Nesta and Elain’s role started off as a fairytale trope: that of the evil sisters. Then, Nesta surprised her when she decided to go after Feyre in ACOTAR, and the rest is history.

The sisters went from being a trope to being an instrumental part of the series. In ACOMAF, they were a link to Feyre’s human life (a final thread that she needed to let go of), as well as a means to an end (first, by being a bridge between the IC and the Queens, and then, as leverage, or weapons that were used against Feyre in Hybern). The final scene in ACOMAF was the catalyst for everything that happened in ACOWAR—and everything that is yet to come—but, most importantly, it also opened the door to two new character arcs/journeys—two new protagonists.

The protagonist exists as a sympathetic device to drive a story. To be effective in this role, they are usually there from the inciting moment to the end.

The similarities between their journey and Feyre’s are astounding: human made into something that she was raised to fear; coming to terms with trauma; letting go of the past; accepting her new condition; and the list goes on and on.

Now, who had more to lose by becoming fae?

And who lost more than anyone else?

Elain lost a future.

She was happy, content, in love.

Then, everything was ripped away from her in the span of a few minutes.

She was turned into something she had been raised to fear, something that her own fiancée had been raised to hate.

And, if that wasn’t enough, she was also forced into a bond neither her, nor Lucien, wanted. Mated to a man who participated, even if unknowingly, in the loss of her life—of her future. A man who did not know her, want her, love her.

This, right here, is good storytelling. It sets the stage for what is to come—for Elain’s future story and character arc.

ACOWAR is centered around repercussions:

For Elain, this book is one of healing, at least on the surface. SJM built the foundation of Elain’s journey, evidenced by:

Elain hitting rock bottom

Erasing any hope of a future with Graysen

Severing the last thread to her human life (with the death of her father)

This book also emphasizes Elain’s vital role in future books by:

Making her powerful (a seer)

Making her instrumental in the war against Hybern (due to her visions)

Having her save both, Nesta and Cassian (the protagonists of ACOSF)

Creating a connection between her and Vassa (and, ultimately, between Lucien, Vassa, and Jurian)

Having her introduce the next big bad (Koschei)

Hinting at her being the only one who can locate the one thing that can kill Koschei (the onyx box)

So, when you add everything that we know from ACOMAF and ACOWAR, what do we have? Potential.

We also have a character whose journey has been building since ACOTAR. The most significant hint is the constant use of the “dirty hands” imagery in reference to Elain. But more on that later.

Once the ACOTAR series wrapped up, we learned that, while Feyre and Rhysand’s journey was over, Sarah had more stories to tell—specifically, Nesta, Elain, and the ICs. As such, ACOFAS had two purposes:

To wrap up Feyre and Rhys’s story.

To introduce the future plot/main conflict and, with it, the next couple.

ACOFAS, however, also served to set up the stage for future protagonists, as well:

We saw some progress in Elain (her keeping busy with gardening and baking, her still having bad days, her friendship with Nuala and Cerridwen, and her slowly finding her place within the IC)—all of this was brought up again in ACOSF.

We got hints about Azriel and Elain’s growing feelings for each other (a storyline that was present throughout ACOSF, and confirmed in Azriel’s Bonus POV).

We learned about Azriel’s estate—Rosehall.

We got Mor’s POV, and learned some new things about her which will probably factor into her future book.

Again, SJM spent time focusing on Elain, fleshing out her character (while still giving Nesta and her journey center stage), which only solidifies the fact that she will be getting her own story soon.

It’s interesting to note that Azriel was not given a POV like Mor, and had very little character development (in comparison to Elain).

Now, let’s look at ACOSF. We have:

New conflicts—with the Queens and Beron

A new villain—Koschei

An overarching plot that connects the conflicts with the villain—the alliance between Koschei, the Queens, and Beron

A secondary, but related, plot—Vassa and, with her, the Band of Exiles (Lucien and Jurian)

Potential weapons—the Made objects

A potential solution—the onyx box

What do all of these have in common?

Elain.

She is directly tied to both, the Queens and Beron (and the Autumn Court). She’s had ties to Koschei since ACOWAR (she was the first to tell the IC about him, after getting visions about him). Her visions, in turn, led to the introduction of Vassa, which created a link between them both (and Lucien, because of their mating bond). She is the only one, apart from Nesta, who can find the Made objects (and a 4th one was introduced in ACOSF). She is also the only one, apart from Nesta, who can Make an object. Finally, she is the only one who can locate the onyx box (an image she’s been seeing since ACOWAR).

As a seer, Elain is arguably the most valuable character in the NC. She has been having visions about both, Koschei and Vassa, since ACOWAR.

Most importantly, however—her journey has been hinted at since ACOMAF:

Her role in future books having already been established, what about Elain as a character, as a protagonist? 

Let’s begin by looking at what a character arc is:

While main characters might face big challenges, character arcs have to do with internal, personal change. Characters will find their strengths and weaknesses tested over the course of the story—so that by the time they arrive at the story's end, they are a changed person.

When the protagonist overcomes external obstacles and internal flaws in order to become a better person, it becomes a hero’s journey.

At its core, this arc is made up of three points:

The Goal: Every character needs to have a goal. It might be to fall in love. Or it might be to make as much money as possible. Either way, their journey will be hindered by...

The Lie: A deeply-rooted misconception they have about themselves or the world that keeps them from reaching their true potential. In order to reach their goal, they’ll need to acknowledge and overcome the Lie, by facing…

The Truth: While the character may have their own plans, the positive change arc has its own goal: self-improvement. This is achieved when they learn to reject The Lie and embrace The Truth.

Now, let’s look at what we know about Elain:

The Goal: To defeat Koschei/the Queens/Beron.

The Lie: That she doesn’t have what it takes. That she is not as strong as her sisters. That she is the weak link, too gentle and sweet to get her “hands dirty.”

The Truth: That she is just as powerful AND capable as her sisters, and that she can do anything she puts her mind to (find the 4th object, discover the location of the onyx box, fight against Koschei/the Queens/Beron).

We already see SJM start to break down the Lie in Feysand’s Bonus Chapter:

This is followed by Feyre saying:

So not only is Elain not afraid to get her hands dirty, she’s also not afraid of getting hurt in the process.

ACOSF is filled with moments that hint at Elain becoming just as powerful (if not more so) than her sisters. She has a very important role to play in future books, because she is the only one who can locate Koschei’s box and the 4th object. Her visions have been instrumental in the series so far, and there is a big hint that she might have more than just seer abilities:

Powers. Plural.

It makes sense for Elain’s book to be next. SJM has been scattering crumbs for her story since ACOTAR, and she is the character who would add the most to the plot—the only character who can move the plot forward.

You cannot ignore all the foreshadowing:

= a literary device that writers utilize as a means to indicate or hint to readers something that is to follow or appear later in a story.

Clear foreshadowing in ACOSF (it would take too long to list all the passages in previous books, as well): 

These are just a few examples but, for me, the one that gives it away is this passage (that can easily be overlooked) in Feysand’s Bonus POV:

SJM is basically telling us that, once Nesta’s journey ends, Elain’s will begin.

And it makes sense!

This series is about the Archeron sisters. About human women turned fae.

The first three books were about Feyre. The fourth about Nesta. It would not make sense to skip Elain, only to return to her story in the final book. Why?

Because, in order to defeat Koschei, all three sisters need to have reached their full potential. All three need to be healed, and strong, and fully in control of their lives and powers. You cannot cram everything into one book: Elain’s healing journey/character arc, Vassa’s own journey (because there is no way that SJM will NOT write a Swan Lake retelling—just look at her Pinterest board!), finding the 4th object, finding the box, and, ultimatly, defeating Koschei.

Feyre had a whole book to heal—ACOMAF

Nesta had a whole book to heal—ACOSF

Elain will have a whole book to heal, as well.

No other character adds as much value—or has as much untapped potential—than Elain.

Also, there is no way that SJM will postpone telling her story in favor of a male character (Azriel). If you’ve read any of her books, you know that it is always the female characters that eclipse the male characters.

Also, if Elain will become dark or even a villain (temporarily), then this will take place in her own story, and will not be used as a plot device for angsty!Azriel or for another couple to make sense/be pushed together.

If we look at the pattern in ACOTAR, we have:

The first book ends with a happily ever after. The MC has defeated the big bad and has walked off into the sunset with her LI. There are hints about a future conflict, but nothing is fleshed out (in ACOTAR, Feyre’s bargain with Rhys + a potential conflict between the courts and with Hybern).

The second book is all about development (both, character development, in the form of the MC’s healing journey, and plot development). The scene is being set for the final conclusion (the war/battle), and everything that takes place serves to bring the characters closer to the main conflict resolution. The book ends on a false happily ever after (Feysand’s mating bond, having what they need to annul the Cauldron’s powers), followed by a cliffhanger (the sisters turning fae, Feyre returning to the Spring Court).

The last book is centered around defeating the big bad and ends on a happily ever after for (almost) everyone involved. It brings the main players together in a final showdown that ends with good ultimately defeating evil.

If we are to look at this pattern, then:

ACOSF - Ends with a happily ever after (Nesta has healed, reconnected with her sisters, found her place in the IC, and has a family outside the IC—Gwyn, Emerie). She has defeated Briallyn, but the biggest threat—Koschei—has barely made an appearance, and there is no ending in sight.

ACOTAR 5 - Elain’s healing journey. Finding the 4th object. Knowing exactly what has been happening behind the scenes with Beron, the Queens, and Koschei. Finding the 4th object and uncovering the location of Koschei’s onyx box. Cliffhanger: Koschei has been freed/has found a way to free himself.

ACOTAR 6 - The journey to find the onyx box or a way to destroy whatever is inside. The repercussions of Koschei’s freedom. Vassa’s story coming full circle. Now that all three Archeron sisters have reached their full potential, they will most likely join forces/powers to hold off Koschei long enough for Vassa (because she NEEDS to have the killing blow) to finish him off.

This post is already long enough, but here are some honorable mentions that I haven’t spoken about because I wanted this to be a mostly character-driven argument:

The mating bond—Elain needs to either accept it or reject it, and I cannot see this happening in the last book because it would lose its effect (considering that they need to defeat Koschei in this book)

Elriel—The unresolved feelings between them need to be addressed/dealt with.

The Blood Duel—There is no way this isn’t happening. SJM wouldn’t mention it without it playing some sort of role in Elain’s book.

I might make another post (because I still haven’t addressed everything I wanted to), but Elain’s book is (without a doubt) next.

As a reminder: SJM has recently said that writing about characters that are hated/disliked is something that she loves doing. I think it’s safe to assume that, given the recent wave of hatred/dislike towards Elain, we are in for an epic journey.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S1:E3; Chapter Three, Holly, Jolly - [Pt. 2]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘠/𝘯, 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘈 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳.

WARNINGS: Mentions of [lots of] blood, use of the 'f' word literally ONCE, uhh, I think that's it?

|| 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

El sits on the floor of Mike's basement, back to the couch. Candy wrappers and crumbs were scattered around a finished puzzle of a beautiful green forest. The strange plastic ship, floating in the air in front of her. It suddenly drops to the ground as her attention is brought to the Supercomm on the couch. She picks up the device and clicks it on, bored with the static that comes from the other end, she soon abandons the device and stands up.

She walks up the steps, eager to explore the house more. When she reaches the top of the steps, she cautiously peeks around the corner. When she decides no one is home and the coast is clear, she continues to explore the house.

With the house to herself, she had more time to linger, and appreciate and explore. It was fascinating to her, and yet it made her sad. Could she have had a life like this? She didn't know what to think when she admired every object, every picture on the wall. There was one in particular that caught her eye.

It was a small photograph, but you could tell it was important. It was another picture of Mike and his friends. Only, they were younger. They were playing and splashing around in the water, a lake it looked like, surrounded by beautiful green trees. Each of them had an arm wrapped around each other forming a line, and their pants were rolled up to their knees.

The young boy on the very left had messy black hair, who El immediately recognized as Mike. He was smiling brightly at her from the picture. A young Lucas to his right, who wore a rather proud grin. Dustin was looking at the two, more specifically Lucas; he had been laughing when the photo was taken.

Will, she believed his name was, had one scrawny arm draped loosely around Dustin, however, he had his full attention on a very cheery looking Y/n who stood proudly showing off a very small frog to the camera. He had daisies on his head, tangled in his hair, and a gleaming smile showed off a missing tooth. He was holding the frog so delicately.

But it wasn't Y/n, or even Mike that caught her eye. It was the way Will was looking at Y/n. His eyes held a certain fondness and appreciation, his smile warm and genuine. El tilted her head ever so slightly, thinking. Something deep inside her was gnawing at her, a feeling that was foreign to her. Shaking her head, she moved on to the rest of the living room.

She went back to the funny chair Mike had shown her and took a seat. She reached over and pulled on the lever, sending her back and forth as it kicked her feet out. She looked around curiously as the chair rocked her back and forth.

El noticed the weird device on the table beside her and picked it up. It was a strange curved thing attached by a curly wire. It had many buttons, every one of them had a number on them. It let out a strange noise, barely audible from the top. She brought it up to her ear to listen to the endless monotone hum. Not knowing what else to do she mimicked the tone, just for fun before putting it back.

She stood up from the chair and sat herself down on her knees in front of the TV. Curious, she ran her fingers down the side until she felt the button and pressed it. A brief crackle of static rang out and as soon as it came on it was replaced with the voice of an older man, the screen lit up in front of her.

"...was occupying a large part of Lebanon. Today, Syria has become a home for-"

Click.

El pressed another button.

The moving picture on the screen changed, where many bright flashes of color dance across the screen. A fake man with yellow hair held a sword as he exclaimed.

"I have the power!"

Click.

"...gift that will last forever. From the Harmony Treasures' collection-"

Click.

A beautiful melody came from the TV set and El's eyes widened in surprise.

Click.

"On the beach and in the sun"

El froze. She recognized the rolling tin can that appeared on the TV. Her breathing began to quicken as she fought the memories back.

- 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

The all too familiar humming and beeping of the machines echoed off of the cold, isolating walls. Eleven sat at the same table, with the same camera facing the same window with the same adults who watch her and study her. Nothing was new, and she feared nothing ever would be. All she wants is to go this over with. Wanting to get the damn wires off of her head.

Yet, she sat still, compliant, unmoving. Never taking her eyes off of Papa as she watched him hand the clipboard to one of the men and give her a nod of his head. She turned her head and attention to the small Coke drink. Her eyes bore into the empty can and she concentrated.

Her head shook ever so slightly as she focused, straining. It was difficult, but she was able to do it. The can caved into itself with a loud 'crack' and it wasn't until the monitors stopped did she realize how loud they had been. She looked back to Papa, looking for his approval.

He stood unmoving, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. She felt her nose run damp, a warm liquid oozed from her nose. She blinked, confused and slowly brought her hand up to her upper lip, realizing she was bleeding. She looked to Papa, expectantly. He only smiled a cold empty grin.

- 𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

"Coke is it! Coke is it!"

El quickly pushed the first button, shutting the TV off. Breathing heavily, she stood up and made her way to the basement.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

My back was beginning to hurt from hunching over for so long, but nevertheless, I continued looking. Lucas needs ammo for his wrist rocket, so naturally, the four of us were currently scouring the schoolyard for rocks.

"How about this one?" Mike asks, walking up to Dustin.

Dustin examines the rock Mike handed to him.

"Too big for the sling." He shrugs, tossing the rock to the grass. "So, do you think Eleven was born with her powers, like the X-Men, or do you think she acquired them, like... like Green Lantern?"

"She's not a superhero. She's a weirdo." Lucas says as he searches for that.

"You don't know that," I mumble, Lucas, however, doesn't hear me.

"Why does that matter? The X-Men are weirdos." Mike adds.

Lucas turns to Mike, agitated. "If you love her so much, why don't you marry her?"

I roll my eyes, and straighten up, stretching out my back.

"What are you talking about?" Mike sighs.

"Mike, seriously?"

"What?"

"You look at her all, like... 'Hi, El! El! El! El! I love you so much!'" Lucas teases, grabbing Mike in for a hug before getting down on one knee. "'Would you marry me?' I'm telling you, man, you're just as bad as Will!" He stood back up when he said the last-

'Wait...What?'

"What?" I asked, completely thrown off.

The boys freeze, Lucas especially. Lucas excluded, the boys all look at me with awkward smiles on their faces. Dustin chuckles and gives a still frozen Lucas a few pats on the arm.

"Good job, man. Real smooth."

"Guys, what is going on?" I asked exasperated, crossing my arms.

"Shit," Lucas whispers, closing his eyes.

"Lucas..."

Mike wears a triumphant grin on his face and looks expectantly at Lucas.

"Yeah, Lucas. Tell him."

Lucas sighs, and stiffly turns around, his change of attitude dramatic. He looks around once or twice before growing stern with me.

"You, and Will?" He suggests.

"What about us? What does that have to do with- Oh come on... You can't be serious. He does not like me."

"Literally everyone knows he is totally in love with you." He scoffs.

I scoff in return. "Love? Don't you think you're being a little dramatic? Not to mention, ridiculous?"

"Am I wrong?" He turns to the boys, who hesitantly shrug.

He turns back to me, a look screaming 'There you have it.'

"That doesn't prove anything! We're best friends! So what if we're close?"

He laughs. "Yeah, just as close as Nancy and Steve! And you're no better. You just haven't realized it yet."

"W-What? W-what ar- No!" My words are caught in my throat and I felt my cheeks begin to burn.

'No, I don't!'

It takes moments for me to recover. "Okay, let's say you're right. Let's say he does love me. How can you know for sure, huh? It's not like he told you!"

"Uhh, yeah! Might as well have. He didn't deny it!"

My heart stops, and I feel butterflies erupt in my stomach.

'Will? And me?'

"Look what we have here!"

'Oh, God. Not now.'

I roll my eyes and before I can stop myself I speak. "What do you want, Troll?"

My eyes widen at my sudden boldness but I remain confident. I stare down the two boys who have been bullying us for as long as we've attended this school.

"You better watch your mouth, freak-"

"Back off!" Dustin yells, cutting him off.

Troy looks over to Dustin, looking prepared to throw more insults at my brother but something changes his mind and he cools off. A smug smile tugs at his lips.

"Or what?" Troy spits.

Dustin falls silent, and Troy continues.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. What are you losers doing back here anyway?"

"Probably looking for their missing friend." Troy's goon laughs.

Anger begins to take over and my blood starts to boil.

"That's not funny. It's serious. He's in danger." Dustin immediately cuts in.

"I hate to break it to you, Toothless, but he's not in danger. He's dead. That's what my dad says."

'Where's that damn rock?'

"He said he was probably killed by some other queer."

I feel a lurch in my chest, and I can practically feel my vision going red.

"Come on. Just ignore them." Mike soothes, not only to me but to Dustin and Lucas as well.

He's right. I need to get out of here. I storm off, ready to shove him in the shoulder as I pass but suddenly I feel something catch my foot and I fall to the ground. A sudden wave of searing pain explodes on my chin when I hit the ground.

Dazed and confused, I push myself up enough to see a large, rather bloody rock just inches from my face.

I groan, rolling over on my back, I hear laughing and frantic footsteps.

"Y/n!" Dustin and Mike run over to me, Lucas storms up to Troy.

Dustin and Mike each grab an arm and help me sit up. I hesitantly bring a hand up to my chin and I hiss in pain. I look at my fingers and they are absolutely covered in blood.

'Holy crap.'

I groan and look to Lucas worried. He stands firm and tall, right up in Troy's face.

"Leave us. The fuck. Alone." He says through clenched teeth.

My eyes triple in size, surprised by Lucas's actions.

Troy and his friend laugh and walk away. Repeating Lucas in a mocking voice.

"You okay Y/n?" He reaches out his hand.

I gladly take it. However, I get a little lightheaded as I stand. "Shit, that's a lot of blood."

I look down and I see splots of blood already sprinkling my shirt.

'Great. This will be easy to explain to mom.'

"You still have that first aid kit?"

I close my eyes, sighing.

"Crap. No. I left it at Mike's." I sigh.

"We better get you to the nurse's office then."

"No, I-I'm fine." I sigh, wincing at the pain.

"Are you sure? You're bleeding, like a lot." Mike says.

"Yeah, I'm good. As long as I stop the bleeding, I'll be fine.. My body has always been able to heal quicker than most, anyways."

"He's right. I've seen it."

I offer a small smile. "Well, I at least better go get a tissue or something. I'll be right back." I say.

The boys nod, and I head off to the bathroom. My mind wanders back to what Lucas was telling me earlier, and the weird feeling in my stomach returns...

[sparklingsad]

title: out of my mind (part 7)

characters: baji x reader, toman peeps 🤍

prompt: you don’t know if you should tell baji you like him because is he even interested in other people?

summary: here’s what happened at school after the hangout!

a/n: hello guys! maybe you can feel that the story has been a bit slower (??) than usual? I'm trying to expose more of Baji's side to the things that are happening after focusing too much on y/n! I think this is necessary to move the story and have a peek of what also happens in Baji's thoughts about everything :)) AGAIN, AGAIN TAGLIST IS OPEN FOR THIS FIC JUST DM ME TO BE INCLUDED <33

Series list: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8, Part 9

Baji is not a talkative one, but he is not the type to keep mum either. He could have been ranting to Chifuyu about the nearing English exam, or nagging Kazutora about not bringing him to one of his drives again. Strangely, however, today he was just mindlessly flinging Peke J's toy in front of him, while the kitty just helplessly chase after it.

"Hey, Baji." Kazutora calls on his friend,

"That cat's lungs' gonna give up chasing that toy, you know," he said laying flat on his stomach on the bed while scrolling through his phone.

"Huh?" Baji suddenly stops swinging the toy and shoots his friend a confused look, blinking both of his eyes.

"Baji-san, just say something if you want to," Chifuyu said without lifting his eyes from the comics he's been reading.

"Say what?" Baji said nonchalantly, now petting the cat on his lap.

"Whatever that has been making your head think waaaaay more than it usually does," Kazutora said with a ridiculous eye roll.

"Your mind's on overdrive Baji-san," Chifuyu now closing his book and giving him a deep look.

"Yeah, ever since Mikey asked you."

"Well, I--" Baji struggled to form his words.

"Fuck. Ya know what? I'm not good at these things. Mikey even called me emotionally fucking constipated," his voice emanating frustration.

"Didn't even mean to make her feel bad about all of this, ‘cause we're friends ?" he explained.

"Hm? Friends?" Kazutora raised an eyebrow cockily from what his friend had said.

Upon seeing this, Baji rolled his eyes, stood up, removed his necktie, and bid his goodbye.

"Fuck ya. I'm going," he said going straight out of Chifuyu's bedroom.

Kazutora just let out a mischievous laugh seeing his friend's reaction "Sleep tight, Baji!" he shouted as Baji slams the door closed.

As soon as Baji left the room, Chifuyu gave Kazutora a mean look.

"What?" Kazutora feigned innocence to his friend,

"You should not push him to the edge you know," Chifuyu said picking up Peke J from the floor,

"Well," Kazutora said sitting up from the bed, "He should learn how to deal with his problems rather than burn cars, slug people, or embarrass himself. He can’t do that if he can’t even sort out his own feelings,"

There was a long pause,

"Not that I'm any better though," he said, smiling at Chifuyu.

"Mm, whatever. Mom said you can stay for dinner," Chifuyu said, as he starts to walk towards the door?

"Oh cool! Will we have dessert?"

"Let's just go there." Chifuyu said, leading his guest to the dining area.

“Hey Ken-chin, you think y/n’s really okay?” Mikey asked as he gobbled down his lunch.

“Well, Mitsuya says so didn’t he?” Draken answers as he picks off the crumbs of the tempura that’s been scattered on Mikey’s desk.

“Mmm, is it really necessary that she does a lot of things though?” Mikey said, chin on top of his hand.

There was a short silence before Draken replies “I also think she’s trying to keep herself too preoccupied, but we can’t do much but support her—,”

“— And tell her to rest,” Mikey continues.

“Yeah,” Draken agrees.

Not long after, a familiar face suddenly appears at the classroom.

"Oh, Kazutora!" Draken greeted his friend who just entered their classroom.

"Draken!" he greeted back.

"Oh, what brings you here?" Mikey said finishing his lunch.

"I just saw Chifuyu and Baji on the way here and thought we'd drop by," he said sitting on the desk next to Draken.

"So where are they?" Mikey asks.

Kazutora gestures his thumb towards the corridor, "Getting some drink on the vending machine,"

"Hey!" both Chifuyu and Baji greeted as they enter the room.

"Oh just the two of you? Where's Mitsuya-san and y/n-chan?" Chifuyu as he pokes the straw to his melon milk.

"Well, Mitsuya needed to attend to his club duties and y/n was called by the president to help out on the upcoming festival," Draken explained.

“Yeah, that’s going to make us busy again. Kinda makes me wanna skip all the prep,” Kazutora complained.

"Oh but you didn't tag along Mikey?" Kazutora asked,

"Nah. She didn't want us to come. Said we'll be just bored there,"

"She's getting busier isn't she?" Baji suddenly interrupted, sipping on his yogurt drink.

"Yeah sh--,"

slam.

The classroom door suddenly flung open.

"Mikey! Fast! Lend me some money, I'm gonna go get some drink from the vendo," you said as you hurriedly brisk through the classroom.

You started to rush to your table to fish out the financial reports from your bag "I don't have time to eat since we're still far from finish," you said in frustration,

"Don't worry, I'll eat later!!" you said as you successfully got the reports out, and without looking you grabbed Mikey to accompany you to the machine.

"Mikeyyy don't walk so slow," you whined as you continue to scroll through your phone walking towards the vendo.

“What’s dragging your feet anyway?” You complained to him.

"And you're hella quiet. What the he--" you suddenly shut your mouth the moment you saw the person you were dragging along the corridors -- tall figure, messy black waves -- you couldn’t be mistaken.

It’s the one and only.

"Baji, I-- I'm sorry!!" and you suddenly retracted your hand that was clinging on the cuff of his school blazer and turned your face against him.

"Y/n.. it's okay," he said in a bashful tone, but he let out a small smile.

“No! No! I shouldn’t have interrupted your lunch!” You said, still not facing his way and definitely feeling the heat of embarrassment.

Shit.

“It’s all good. We’re just actually passing time. Don’t sweat it y/n,” he assures you, but he’s worried himself too.

You grew silent for a while.

"Um, didn’t you say you’re going to get a drink?” Baji tries to break the lingering awkwardness.

“Oh, uh, um, yeah.. yeah!” You took a while to actually respond to him. Your heart is still in shambles and you’re standing in front if the guy that made you so vulnerable.

“If you don't mind I can pay for the drink instead," he offered you and he started to walk to the machine.

"Which one do you like?" he asked scanning his eyes through the options displayed.

"This one?" he clarified when you pointed at the strawberry milk of the top right of the machine.

"'Kay here you go," he handed it over to you with a generous smile after the milk dropped on the slot,

You kept quiet the whole time. Responding to him with just nods and gestures. Not like he mind though. You can see him still being his usual self in front of you.

“Y/n..” he called you as poked the straw against the tinfoil lid of your drink.

You only looked at him bashfully under the hair that’s been partially covering your face, hiding your rose-dusted cheeks.

“I think ya should eat…er..somehow,” Baji says as he squats down in front of the vendo searching for something.

“Hm?” You finally asked him.

“Oh, I said ya should at least put something in your stomach,” he continues to read through the display.

“Oh,” you were actually caught by surprise at how he was acting. Shouldn’t he be a bit… distant?

“How’s egg sandwich?” He points at the snack.

“Oh, no what about onigiri?” Pointing at the rice snack.

“Oh I know, melonpan?” He asks, pointing at the beige-colored bun on the display.

When he heard no response from you, he looked at you for a bit, proceeded to insert yen on the machine and catch the bread that fell.

“Here,” he hands you over the bread.

“Oh! Um, thanks,” you said bashfully, almost whispering your response.

You slowly reached out your hands to grab the food out of his grip.

You muttered again a small thanks before waving goodbye and running off to get back to the council room.

Meanwhile, he just stood there waiting for you to to be out of his vision once you’ve reached the stairs and you could feel yourself that you’ve going to melt any second now. But you try to push him off the back of your mind.

"Oh, oh god he's here, he's here," Mikey warned his friends.

And they all immediately faked laughs and smiles as they sat on the desks as if they were not peeking from the classroom just a few moments ago.

"Just act fucking normal. Geez." Draken complained.

When Baji entered the room he just casually walked inside and took his seat from where he was dragged moments ago and continued finishing his yogurt.

When he sat down and said nothing, all of them are now looking at him.

"Hm? What?" Baji asked and scanned their faces whose eyes are glued to him.

"What? She just thought I was Mikey. I payed for her drink though,"

"And?" Chifuyu asks.

"And she just thanked me and left,"

"You didn't say anything?" Kazutora pried.

"The fuck am I supposed to say? She seemed...busy" Baji said in a low voice as he fidgets with the empty carton in his hand, looking over the fields.

He obviously knows what he wants to say.

When the bell rang to signal the end of classes for that day, Baji immediately gathered his stuff and shoved it inside his bag. He did not even wait for Chifuyu to finish packing his things before he started to proceed outside of the room.

“B-Baji-san!” Chifuyu called out to him as he almost tripped on his feet chasing him outside.

“Oh, Chifuyu,” he said but his eyes are not batting at his friend, and instead is scanning the hallway that is starting to get flooded by students who are dismissed from their classes.

Stretching his neck in all directions, looking left and right, Baji seems to get more and more agitated as the hall empties.

"Baji-san," Chifuyu softly said. "How long are we gonna stand here? Are we waiting for someone?" he tried to ask as he looks over the school gate from the corridor.

"I ... want to talk to her," the words slowly rolled off his tongue as he continues to search for your face among the others.

"But I can't find her goddammit!" he let out a small grunt but his words can't hide the frustration he feels.

"Hm? Maybe we can walk over there? Isn't her classroom that way?" Chifuyu said, pointing to the classroom at the right-most end of the hall.

"I don't think she's in there. I heard from our class rep that they were excused for the time after lunch to finish festival prep," Baji said who is now punching keys off his phone to send a text to Mikey.

Just as when they started to move to their classroom, you suddenly came out of the bathroom they are about to approach.

You immediately noticed the two of them so you busy yourself pretend-texting on your phone and focusing all of your attention on it.

"Uh, um, y/n.." Baji called softly from behind,

But because you are trying too hard to be fixated on your phone you immediately just blurted out a reply to make an excuse.

"Oh, 'Fuyu if it's something important please text me. I really gotta go now! Bye!" you said as you ran off the hall and took the staircase leading to the fourth floor.

"Y-y/n..." Baji sighed.

"What? Did you call me?" Chifuyu said, confused of suddenly hearing his name.

"Nah. When I called her, she thought I were ya. And ran off again." he said, now looking more despondent than he was that day.

"Let's just… go home," he said as he mindlessly trudged the hallway.

“So I really fucked up big time huh?” Baji asked Chifuyu, eyes locked on the street ahead of them, both hands tucked inside his pants' pockets.

"Hmm. Do you really know what you fucked up though?" Chifuyu said in return.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Baji now looks at his friend who just continuously walked beside him.

"Ah. Baji, you've been agitated the whole day and you've been having a lot of weird interactions with y/n the whole day, but" Kazutora took a pause.

"Do you really know the reason why you're feeling that way?" he looked at him and tilted his head that made his earring jingle.

But the boys were only met with silence.

“Was it your friendship or was it something else?” Kazutora said, making it simpler for his friend

What does Baji think he really fucked up anyway?

He racked his brain for answers but he only let out a sigh before parting ways with Kazutora and Chifuyu.

He needs to do something.

a/n: you guys make my heart swell :')))) tysm for making it this far!! I'm really happy that you guys keep up with my updates and all. I hope you enjoy all of it just the same :))

taglist: @hanabihwa @q-the-rockaholic @prettysettersq @tsumusfattytuna @galaxyfruits

[rhetorical-ink]

Haikyuu!! SPOILERS: Chapter 401, How We Connect the Dots.

**PENULTIMATE SPOILERS BELOW**

I just posted a video with my live reactions to the chapter, but here are my highlights, because FURUDATE YOU MADMAN GENIUS. This chapter connected so much together. So, let’s do:

My Top 10 Thoughts on Haikyuu!! Chapter 401:

10. Of course. In true Furudate fashion, he has Kageyama block the spike from Hinata, BUT, what Kageyama doesn’t realize is all the training on the beach Shoyo has done to prepare for such a moment. And that heel kick! *swoons* Also, someone reacting to Season 4, Episode 9 of the anime, where Hinata kicks the ball back to himself called this happening all those months ago...Furudate is next level at foreshadowing. Not that we didn’t already know that.

9. Hey, remember how in the VERY FIRST chapter of Haikyuu!! Shoyo did this crazy run across the court to score? Yeah, Furudate knows we remember. And he pulls this -- and Kageyama’s beautiful reaction, only for --

-- Only for it to all be a DECOY. Kageyama, you made this monster, you know. I love that Shoyo has come all this way from wanting to score all the points to accepting that the decoy DOES have a vital role to play, and in this instance, it’s allowing Bokuto to score the winning point for the MSBY Black Jackals. Just look at that smile! And of course, Tanaka and Asahi KNOW the power of Hinata as a Decoy...because they’ve been in Bokuto’s shoes before. 

8. UGH, the aftermath of that moment is glorious, which will detail down below -- but I love Shoyo and Kageyama’s interaction, though. How they’re still keeping track of each other’s wins and losses, exhausting Miya, hilariously, and showing that they’re on equal footing now, after all these years. This chapter is just cementing the last several chapters’ worth of character development. 

7. ARE YOU SHIPPERS READY FOR YOUR FOOD?!

Because these next few pages were healing my shipper heart. I mean, yes, the Kagehina fanbase is raving right now, but let’s talk about THESE ships below, starting with:

Tsukishima x Yamaguchi:

So, Tsukishima, of course, is not sappy about any of this and just points out how the season’s just getting started (ready the fanfics, y’all). 

And of course, Yamaguchi wants to watch Tsuki play! Yachi says she’ll come too! I LOVE how just like he was with Akiteru, he doesn’t want them to come watch (even though we all know he’ll love it when they’re there). Now, some people have commented that Yamaguchi could be with Yachi, but y’all...Yachi is in Tokyo. Yamaguchi and Tsuki both live in Miyagi. I can’t wait for all the Sendai Frog/TsukiYama fanfics!

If you’re looking for an extra Kagehina crumble, just look at the end of this adorable exchange between Romero, smol adorable Rubens, and Shoyo (who perfectly crouches down to talk to him MY HEART I CAN’T), to see Kageyama notice that Shoyo can speak multiple languages...oh, honey! If only you know about Hinata and Pedro’s marathons of DBZ in Portugese and English! ^^

Also, Furudate WE SEE YOU. We see you being meta and implying that now Haikyuu!! is over, he’s moving on...Akaashi’s line about going forward hit me hard...it’s like he’s telling us, the fandom, that going on to start something new isn’t so bad. SO YOU SAY. 

BOKUAKA NATION -- WE CANON NOW, RIGHT?!

I love that Akaashi gets to interview Bokuto (IS HE GOING TO BE THE STAR of the Volleyball manga Tenma Udai is writing?! He would be PERFECT for it!) and how happy Akaashi looks, even if he and Bokuto realize how differently they view the term “normal.” 

ALSO, it’s implied above that Akaashi, Bokuto, and Tenma were going out for drinks...which now....we know that it’s just Bokuto and Akaashi, since Tenma was going home. Uhm, FAN FIC WRITERS ASSEMBLE!

I also love that Udai joins the club, along with Fukurodani’s coach and manager, of people who realize that Bokuto and Akaashi are weirdos but they are weirdos together, so it’s fine. 

Keeping the “Ship Train” going, we get little bits of Shimizu x Yachi from the bathhouse before the Inarizaki Match, where Kiyoko finally acknowledges she is okay showing her legs...thanks to Yachi’s words. I also find Suga wanting to know “the tea” on the situation to be adorable. 

AND FINALLY, YES, Y’ALL:

I was spoiled with Kuroo’s return, but seriously, Furudate, you saved him for the end here so INTENTIONALLY. 

Because OF COURSE Kuroo would work for the JVA. As a promoter. CONNECTING people...with Volleyball...because that’s the Nekoma way.

And FURUDATE ARE YOU SUGGESTING TO US THAT KUROO AND KENMA ARE BUSINESS PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS BECAUSE MY KUROKEN HEART IS SOARING -- 

-- and let it be known Atsumu Miya rightfully doesn’t trust Kuroo, and neither does Sakusa. A nice SakuAtsu crumb where we actually see Sakusa agree with Miya without sacrasm or question! Poor Shoyo is a salesman’s dream, though. I mean, Kuroo does look a little sketchy in some of those shots...BUT....

6. Kuroo’s speech about sports was SO fitting. Seriously, everything he says here is BASICALLY what makes Haikyuu!! such a great series. I DID laugh out loud at the line about “hardly anybody dies.” 

*Flashbacks to “Dead Daichi” meme*

5. It’s taken us the ENTIRE series, but Kageyama finally talks to Kindaichi and Kunimi. This was so heartwarming, seeing Kageyama wanting to play WITH THEM. AS A TEAM. This made my heart expand three sizes. The character development on Kageyama, and Kindaichi, is through the roof.

I also LOVE Kunimi the most in these panels. Kunimi is a MOOD. 

Y’ALL. I’VE WAITED 400 CHAPTERS FOR THIS PANEL OF THESE THREE HAPPY AND BECOMING FRIENDS AGAIN.

4. I love that Hoshiumi doesn’t see Hinata as a Rival, but as someone that is going to help him show the rest of the world the strength of someone who doesn’t have height. I also find it interesting that we see the Japanese Olympic Coach walking out just as Hoshiumi gives us that beautiful gaze. So...does Hoshiumi know he’s going to be on the Olympic team, with Hinata, maybe? Foreshadowing, perhaps?

3. Okay, okay, I held it together until this page. 

It wasn’t Ushijima’s panel with Washijo that got me.

It wasn’t Saeko and Akane reuniting, though that was sweet. 

It wasn’t the three “Pure Captains” reuniting, though it made my heart happy.

It honestly wasn’t the five first years together, either. They’re all so happy and having a laugh at Kageyama’s expense, and as beautiful as that panel is.

SUGAWARA IN LINE TO GET KAGEYAMA’S AUTOGRAPH.

That is what got me. 

Him in line, so meekly, to get the autograph of his kouhai, the man Suga joked would have to tell about how much he learned from HIM when he was giving out interviews and autographs...I just...Sugawara made me cry. That is all. 

2. Then there’s this last page. 2021. 

"We overcame difficulties and stand here.”

Furudate really said “screw you” to Covid messing up the timeline.

Yes, seeing Kageyama and Hinata in their original jersey numbers was amazing, but I think we all saw that coming if these two happened to get on the Olympic team. 

What I want to focus on are the two countries we see included in the bottom corner here. We see: 

Brazil -- and some fluffy haired man carrying the flag for the team.

And we see the United States -- there’s several American Flags and stars and stripes on the shirts of the crowd, there.

SO, HEADCANON TIME: 

* Oikawa was on the Argentinean League, so could he play for Brazil? It’s not likely, but not impossible....BUT, I don’t think that’s it.

I don’t think Oikawa is on Japan’s National Team for the Olympics.

If he is on the Olympic Team, I think he’ll be on America’s. 

Why? Because, and this could be because I’m the biggest IwaOi shipper, but Iwaizumi was still in the United States with Ushijima’s father at the end of Chapter 395. And if he’s still there, there is no reason why Iwaizumi couldn’t be a physical trainer alongside Ushijima’s father for the U.S. Olympic team. And why wouldn’t Oikawa trek over to the States to be on the same team as Iwa-Chan’s working with? I’m probably wrong, BUT -- 

We also still need to see Seijoh’s banner, and as others have theorized, how fitting would it be to see Hinata, Kageyama, and (probably) Ushijima on the team facing Oikawa? I just....I’m betting money that Oikawa shows up in 402. I hope we at least see him on the Olympic Stage. OIKAWA DESERVES IT. 

1. So, who are we missing that hasn’t been shown yet?

We still need to see the rest of Nekoma (Lev, Yaku, Yamamoto, Kai....could they be in the stands or on the Japan team? I guess we’ll find out!)

We haven’t seen Daishou and Mika -- I would love to see them watching or narrating in the audience during the Olympic game.

And finally, yes, we’ve seen Tendo in the Chapter 395 flashback, but we’ve never seen what he’s DOING. Furudate has shown us with every character what they’ve been doing since the timeskip....EXCEPT TENDO. I’m calling it that he’ll appear one more time next chapter, too.

So....guys....I’m staying off of Social Media from Wednesday to Sunday next week, to prep for the last chapter and not be spoiled. I’m going to do a live reaction for YouTube, and I’ll post it here. You can see the one I did for 401 now. 

Furudate, this series has been immaculate. Time for one more round.

Let’s all cry together next week.