#the problem with THAT being i have a surface

[mytheoristavenue]

Do you think you could do somewhere like where the straw hats + doflamingo are really tired after a hard day and reader offers their lap for them to lay on? And they end up falling asleep? Sorry if it's to much to ask, or if you've done something similar 😅 😭

I originally wasn't going to do this, because I don't really write for OP anymore, but sure! Also, Doflamingo will not be included, as I am not up to that point in the anime yet!

OP Strawhats lying on your lap!

Summary: After a long day, you offer to let them rest in your lap!

Warnings: Innuendo on some, mostly fluff, short

Monkey D. Luffy:

"Ugh, I'm so tired!" The captain groaned, wandering below deck after hours of standing very still at the help of the ship. Nami had condemned him to boredom after finding out how much money he blew on food the past week while in port and he had finally finished serving his punishment.

"You look it," You mused with a small smile. You rolled your eyes as he approached you, dramatically swaying. "Oh, c'mere then, before you fall over."

Luffy cheered, collapsing to the floor, head snuggly tucked in your lap, sighing happily. "You're the best..." He purred, already on the verge of drifting off.

Roronoa Zoro:

Zoro had been crabby all day, he was just tired and it was entirely his own fault. That meant it was everyone else's problem. He was currently ranting at Sanji for something silly when you whistled at him and called him over. "I'm not a damn dog! You can't just-" You patted your thigh invitingly. His shoulders slumped and he came over and planted his cheek against your thigh, not caring for who saw.

"You better stop staying up all night working out." You scolded lightly, raking your fingers through his short hair.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Nami:

"They're all just so dumb!" She groaned, pacing the floors. "You have no idea how hard it is being a secretary to these men." You simply nodded and listened, knowing better than to interject during a rant. "Like seriously, you don't wanna know how much Luffy spent on food while we were ported. And I don't mean for all of us, just for himself!"

Eventually, her pacing turned to standing, then sitting beside you, and finally, she found herself lying between your legs, face snuggled into your inner thigh, anger ebbing in exchange for drowsiness.

"Feel better?" You asked softly, petting her tangerine hair gently.

"I guess..."

Usopp:

You entered his workshop, shoulders slumping at the sight. He was slumped over the workbench again, cheek squished to the wooden surface. You rolled your eyes and approached him, nudging him lightly. "Usopp," You whispered so as not to startle him, though ultimately, your caution was for not.

He jumped, scrambling up into a straight sitting position. "(Y-Y/N)! Y-You can't just scare me like that!" You simply snickered and pulled him up and toward the small bed in the corner. "No, I gotta finish this project-"

"I'll let you lay in my lap." You offered with a knowing smile.

"O-Okay!" He smiled sheepishly, following you, collapsing in your lap without hesitation. The moment he stopped shifting, he began to snore again.

Vinsmoke Sanji:

You had watched him bustle around the kitchen all day, refusing any help offered to him. In the back of your mind, you knew, when Sanji crashed, he'd crash hard. As predicted, after the dinner dishes were finished, he made a beeline for you, hugging you tightly. "I'm so tired..." He mumbled into your ear, voice deep and groggy. "What would be the best way to charm you without exhausting any effort?"

"Consider me charmed." You scoffed playfully, pulling him over to the couch in the lounge before patting your thigh. The way he stared at you, you would have thought you'd just asked him to claim you right then and there. His face was red, eyes glued to your thighs. "Behave yourself." You wanted as he dropped to the floor and nuzzled between your plush thighs.

"Yes ma'am!"

Tony Tony Chopper:

It was typical of Chopper to get sleepy earlier than the rest of the crew, frequently curling up with Robin while the adults settled down to enjoy an evening activity together. This night was different only in one way.

"Ha, royal flush!" You laughed, laying your cards on the table and claiming the cash in the middle of it. You nearly yelped when you felt soft fur brush your calf. Looking down, you found the reindeer climbing up on the bench beside you and curling up in your lap.

"Awe..." You cooed on a whisper, shushing the rowdy rest. "Look at him..."

"It seems I've been replaced," Robin mused with a gentle smile. "How tragic."

Nico Robin:

It was known that on especially hard days, she would welcome you into her lap, uttering soothing words or reading silently while threading her long nails through your hair. But tonight was different. You could tell she was upset, despite her cool nature. When you'd finally convinced her to open up, you found that she was having unpleasent dreams involving her past.

"Can't get anything past you, can I?" She laughed sadly, before her brows shot up in surprise as you patted your lap.

"I know I'm probably not as good at this as you are..." You muttered sheepishly. "But..."

To your delight, she laid down, face up in your lap, and allowed you to play with her hair while she read quietly to herself. "You couldn't be more wrong, this is perfect." She sighed blissfully.

Cyborg Franky:

Franky had been in an awfully sour mood lately, totally uncharacteristic of him. After witnessing him get into a small argument with Usopp over a new ship upgrade thew were collaborating on, you knew you had to have a word with him. "Franky, what's your deal lately?" You huffed, hands on your hips.

"No deal," He scoffed, turning away. "What's it to ya?"

"You're acting like Zoro when he misses a nap." Your eyes narrowed sternly. He sighed.

"I ain't been sleepin' well, okay?" He finally admitted sheepishly. You softened, smiling slightly.

"Why didn't you just say so?" You climbed up on a large crate of ale, sitting at the perfect height, patting your lap. "Come take a nap, you'll feel better."

"N-Nah, I'll be good," He shook his head, cheeks a bit pink. After a bit more convincing, he finally sat on the floor, back against the crate, and rested his head in your lap as you brushed the cyan locks from his eyes and removed his shades. "You were right, this is nice..."

Brook:

The ship was eerily quiet today and for the life of you, you couldn't figure out why. Suddenly, it hit you. You hadn't seen or heard Brook all day long. After asking around, you found him in the lounge, staring at the fish. "Brook, you okay?" You asked softly, tilting your head into his view.

"Oh, yes, my dear. Just in thought." He sighed, empty sockets seemingly tracking the tropical fish as they wandered the glass enclosure. "The only I get, the younger my old friends seem." He admitted quietly and your eyes softened.

You weren't entirely sure how long had passed as you sat there with him, watching the fish interact with one another, or when you'd begun to lean into one another. "Brook?" You asked softly, eyes never looking away from the tank. "I can't do much to help but...would you like to lay in my lap?"

"I'd like that very much, my dear." He replied, patiently waiting for you to get into a comfortable position before laying out his lanky form on the sofa between your thighs. "This helps so much more than you know." The pair of you stayed that way for a while until you began to feel skeletal phalanges lightly digging into the meat of your legs. "You know, since you're in such a giving mood..."

"You're done." You deadpanned, pushing him away.

Jinbe:

You had never had much experience with Jinbe, having only known him for a short while, be he seemed to always know when the emotional atmosphere around him had changed. Thanks to this empathy, he noticed immediately when you'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed. "(Y/N)? What's the matter?" He asked, cocking a brow as you stepped below deck.

"Just in a mood..." You grumbled, coldly brushing him off. Ever patient, he simply gave you a warm smile and let you be. As the day wore on, you both found yourself winding down in the lounge. You grumpy day catching up with you, you dozed off, cheek pressed to his shoulder. Smiling fondly, Jinbe repositioned you, delicately resting your head in his lap, large webbed hand very carefully brushing the fringe from your eyes.

[luvleyshif4]

HEART TO HEART

Rafe Cameron x Reader

Summary: bf!Rafe and gf!Reader moved in together, bf!Rafe helps gf!Reader when it’s her first time using a laptop..

Content: Close proximity, use of the word ‘baby’, moving in together, reader and Rafe are in a live-in relationship

Words: 1.19k words

Authors Note: heyyy so this is a small Drabble I made after I saw a cute reel of a couple. I feel like most my ideas come from reels or TikTok’s of couples😭 but it’s alright cause they always end up being so cute.. HOPE YALL LIKE IT💗💗

(PS I finally figured out how to get gradient text>_<)

Rafe and you had been together for a while now—long enough that the idea of moving in together didn’t feel like a leap but more like a natural progression of your love. You’d both talked about it endlessly, debating everything from rent to how much space you’d need for your things. It wasn’t practical, it wasn’t sensible, but neither of you cared. What mattered was that you couldn’t imagine life without the other. It was stupid, really, but you were both too in love to think about anything else.

It had been a whirlwind of decisions, and in the middle of it all, you had found yourself staring at the laptop you’d been saving for months to buy. It was your first real splurge. Every dollar you’d worked for, every late-night shift, had been towards this moment. You were excited, but you had been hesitant too. It was an investment, an expensive investment at that.

When you finally went to purchase the laptop, Rafe had insisted on helping you out. You tried to resist, explaining that you had saved up for this moment and that you wanted to do it on your own. But Rafe had insisted on paying for half, knowing you’d have to save for more important things soon. Though you were reluctant, you finally gave in, realizing he was right.

Unpacking the boxes in your new condo took longer than expected. Your place was still a bit empty, yet there was an excitement in the air that you couldn’t shake. It wasn’t much yet—just you sitting at the kitchen island, surrounded by scattered boxes. It was cozy in its own way, the space slowly starting to feel like home. You’d claimed the spot on the island chairs by the window overlooking the sea as your own because of the view. The large windows gave you a perfect view of the sea, making it a peaceful place to unwind and relax.

You sat on the chair, legs crossed, finally opening your new laptop. The smooth surface of the keyboard and the glow of the screen felt like a reward for all the hard work that had led to this moment. You clicked a few things, feeling the thrill of something new and shiny. Everything was good. But then, you hit a snag.

The cursor wouldn’t move in the way you wanted it to, and no matter how many times you tried, the issue remained.

You frowned at the screen, clicking at random, but the problem persisted. You leaned back slightly, pushing a hand through your hair as you stared at the screen.

You were determined not to ask for help, convinced that if you tried hard enough, you could figure this out. But the minutes dragged on, and you began to feel the frustration creeping in. It was one of those little things that seemed simple but just wouldn’t budge.

Rafe was across the room, setting up the TV in the living area. Your eyes briefly lingered on him—how focused he looked, how comfortable in his element. You let out a quiet sigh and glanced back at your laptop, trying to work out the problem on your own for a few more minutes. But your fingers hovered over the trackpad, unsure of what to do next.

You shifted in your stool, your patience wearing thin. You couldn’t let yourself keep wasting time on something that was so simple to solve, but you couldn’t quite figure it out. You sighed, calling out, “Rafe? Can you come over for a second?”

He turned from his spot in the living room and immediately walked over. He paused when he reached you, his voice gentle, a slight concern on his face. “What’s wrong, baby?”

You didn’t look up, just pointed at the screen and said, “The cursor’s glitching. I’ve tried everything, but it won’t move right.”

Rafe leaned down slightly, standing beside you. His hand came to rest lightly on your back, rubbing gently. His attention flicked between you and the laptop, but his gaze lingered on you more than anything. He took in your expression—slightly exasperated, but with that familiar determination you always had when you got frustrated. He reached over to the laptop, clicking and adjusting, but his focus was still on you, his chest lightly brushing against your back.

He didn’t immediately lean over, instead standing beside you, his presence both comforting and distracting. You didn’t mind. You loved the warmth of his closeness. He was so gentle, so careful in how he made sure you felt supported.

He glanced at you, then back at the laptop. He hummed thoughtfully, then gently rubbed your back again. “Alright, let’s see…” he said softly, his tone light but assuring.

You didn’t bother turning the laptop toward him, neither did he. Rafe stepped closer, positioning himself behind you, and you could feel his presence envelop you completely. His hands, big and strong, slightly engulfed you, hovered over the laptop keyboard as he adjusted a few things.

You could barely focus on the screen anymore. The closeness of his body, the subtle warmth radiating off him, made it hard to concentrate. The way he moved, the way his breath brushed the skin on your neck—it was enough to make your heart skip a beat and make you smile.

Rafe, unaware of the effect he had on you, continued explaining, his voice low and steady. His hands worked expertly at the laptop, moving the cursor to where it needed to be. But your attention was elsewhere.

You didn’t realize it at first, but when Rafe paused and glanced at you, his brow furrowing slightly, he realized that you weren’t listening to him. You weren’t even looking at the screen anymore. You were lost in the feeling of him being so close.

Rafe tilted his head, a soft smile tugging at his lips when he saw yours. “You’re not even listening to me, are you?” he said softly, his voice teasing but warm.

You opened your eyes, the small smile grew on your lips when you look up at him. “Sorry..” you muttered, but the smile on your face told him you weren’t sorry at all.

Rafe chuckled softly and pressed a light kiss to your temple. His hand rubbed gently over your right upper arm, making your smile widen.

his hands shifted, his right hand moving over your chest to rest lightly on your left upper arm, his left hand still on the keyboard. His gentle touch was a reminder of how much he cared, and you couldn’t help but feel giddy having him so close.

You leaned back into him even more, your head tilting back to rest against his shoulder. Making him lean his head towards yours.

His left hand remained steady at the laptop, but the closeness between you made everything else seem distant. All you cared about was this moment.

Rafe was explaining the issue with the cursor in more detail once again, you focused on the words this time. You kept your hands in your lap, cross-legged on the stool, as you simply allowed yourself to bask in his presence.

[moonstandardtime]

mostly based on vibes. love putting characters on graphs. elaboration under cut

siffrin — i think this is pretty self-explanatory. least self-aware mf in the room (mostly due to being unaware of everybody else too). their perceived "normal" is very different from everyone else's.

loop — more self-aware than siffrin due to. siffrin. definitely more aware that shit's fucked. but they also for sure have a VERY warped view of "normal okay things to experience" (in a different way than siffrin—siffrin is more "that was a fine thing to experience. [symptoms of ptsd] are just part of life :)👍", while loop is "that was bad but it wasn't THAT bad. i'm just a big crybaby loll")

mirabelle — writes fanfiction and has anxiety meds. next

isabeau — seems like something defenders should know (and by that i mean its relevant so he did more research than strictly necessary) and he's very self-aware. he knows his placement on this graph. he's telling himself it's not a problem and it's working out... alright. has a very solid(ly Not Great) coping strategy of Play Pretend.

odile — she knows what ptsd is conceptually at the very least. and she's coping in a way that works. she knows what she's doing and it's working fine for her. (is it good? ehh debatable. but you can't deny it works.)

bonnie — children are both extremely aware and extremely not self-aware. they know what's normal and what's not but it doesn't really click that bad things result in bad feelings beyond a surface level.

[caffinated-squid]

Dissecting Pete and his complicated role in The Eltingville Club

Time to talk about Pete, the character that I have actually struggled the most to write about because I have a lot to say and have been struggling to coherently organize it. Also because I have seen some other people make really good analysis pieces about him, so I’m going to try my best to contribute.

On surface level Pete appears to have the same function as Jerry in the club, he is the support of the group and is able to break up a lot of the arguments that Bill and Josh get into. However, Pete doesn’t resolve the actual problem, he actually has the tendency to exacerbate it by actively encouraging the characters shitty behaviors instead of calming them down. One example that comes to mind is the Steel figures, instead of getting Josh to calm down and move on, he goes on a rant about the movie, and then encourages Josh with the idea of burning down the Steel display.

There is also the possibility that he originally joined the club as a kid both to talk about their nerdy interests together, as well as to get away from the violence in his family. But overtime he ended up needing to deal with fights and arguments from the club, as well as eventually participating in it.

*Focusing on Petes temper for a second, I think the main reason why a lot of his outbursts result in property damage is from him having no fucking clue how to deal with his emotions. From the brief scenes we hear his dad talk and what Dorkin has mentioned, Pete grew up in a household that encouraged toxic masculinity and rejected his own interests as being unimportant or for children. Dorkin also mentioned Pete growing up in a physical household where he was hit a lot, (which can also be implied when his dad threatens to break his legs if he ever tries to meet with the club again) so his go to for anything is to get violent, its the only acceptable emotion to express.

**I also like to think this is why Pete had the least of a reaction when Bill goes on his rant tearing him down, its probably the norm for him.

I find Pete’s contributions to the environment of the club to be interesting because of how contradictory it is. Pete is usually the character to call other characters pussies or make fun of them for not doing things that are traditionally masculine, (like the comment to Jerry about how sewing is for chicks, sissies, and sweatshop workers) but at the same time needs to defend his own interests from the club as it gets brushed off as being gay or not worth discussion, including needing to defend his admiration of horror make up/special effects.

His reaction makes sense in the context of his family life since they don’t care about his interests either, and the club being his only friend group probably gives the urgency to both protect his interests while also aggressively stamping out any suggestion that it implies something about him. If bi Pete is canon, I’m assuming he doesn’t even want to think about it because if it were true, it would probably lead to more isolation and more things for the club and his family to shit on him for.

Out of all the character punishments, next to Josh, I think Pete got the worst of it when it came to punishments, as he was forced to throw out all of his horror stuff after the comic shop burned down, since his method of escapism was completely ripped away from him and confirmed as non important kids stuff that he needs to grow out of. It’s also sad to see because in comics like Unstable Molecules and They’re Dead, They’re All Messed Up, you can see Pete’s interest in horror make up and costumes shine through. Mentions of him improving the zombie looks from the prior year and his admiration for the horror make up in The Twilight Zone episodes show that he cares about the craft behind it. (same with him talking about horror icons like Peter Cushing, Anne Rice, and Christopher Lee)

Destroying this escapism didn’t make Pete more of an adult. Ironically he became more of a child as he got older, his insecurity about his interests made him seek out more adult content, both because its content he gets off to, as well as wanting to be perceived as an adult, which is why he gave up comics years ago ‘to take up fuckin.’ Pete never solved any of his actual problems, he’s still short tempered, a sex pest, and insecure about himself, but is now the one abusing other people with his scrap of power, just like his dad and probably his brothers did to him.

[lailols]

Kai’s Pretty Girlfriend [4]: Confusion?

OT5 x f!reader

Warnings: lots of kisses and a little dry humping <3

Ever since the game things have been pretty tense in the dorm. Well, maybe tense isn’t the right word but awkward? Not between you and Kai, never between you and Kai, but there’s definitely a difference in the way the guys treat you.

It’s not even spoken about and if you hadn’t known them all for so long, maybe you wouldn’t have realized. But you can tell. It’s almost as if when they’re with you they default to their ‘idol’ personalities.

You feel it when you visit the practice room to drop off food on a long day and while Kai greets you with a hug and a kiss, the guys simply thank you and disperse to eat.

You feel it when you’re watching anime with Soobin in the living room instead of his room and rather than you leaning against each other and borderline falling asleep on top of the other, he keeps a large distance between the two of you.

You feel it when you’re talking with Beomgyu and instead of having conversations that range from deep and intense to silly and random, he keeps it surface level before he makes an excuse to leave.

You feel it when you stay up late to make sure Taehyun eats when he makes it to the dorm after he stays to practice more, and he politely thanks you but tells you he already ate and then you wake up to him sneaking out of the room later to go eat.

You feel it when your messages with Yeonjun go from being filled with silly pictures, and videos of some new choreography he’s come up with to read messages and reactions rather than actual responses.

You especially feel it when you come into the dorm when Kai is out to wait for him to get back and sit in the living room to watch whatever’s on and everyone scatters suddenly having other things to do. Or when everyone starts eating out of the dorm instead of begging you to cook or ordering takeout. Or when… yeah, it’s been a lot.

It’s not hard for you and Kai to make a plan to corner the guys and address the tension that’s settled over you all. It took a bit of convincing from Kai because you’re, admittedly, feeling a little rejected. What else are you meant to feel when they go from having you in an intimate way to flat-out ignoring you?

It's a perfect reflection of the talk they gave you and Kai after the movie incident. You and Kai standing in front of them while they're sitting on the couch.

"You guys have been avoiding me."

"No, we haven't. We literally had dinner together yesterday." Beomgyu is right but the dinner was shrouded in silence with them leaving immediately after they finished eating.

"It wasn't the same as it used to be, and you know it." You take a breath before continuing. "Listen, if we... If I made you guys uncomfortable, I'm truly sorry. We don't have to do anything like that again, I just want us to be good again."

"There wasn't anything wrong with what we did. We're just... confused." Taehyun's words are accompanied by his brows furrowing as if he's trying to figure out the answer to a problem. You would probably consider it cute in another situation.

"Confused about what?"

"What you want from this. What you both want from this. Even if we didn't do much, you can't expect us to act as if nothing changed when something did."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Was it just a one-off thing? Are you guys experimenting or something? You went from begging us to leave the dorm for you to have alone time or doing things quietly to fucking in front of us and letting us participate. It's a big change and while we were okay with it, we don't want to push boundaries."

You expect Kai to answer, but he turns to you first.

"Well, I guess experimenting is the best way to put it.”

“So, Kai wants to watch us fuck you?”

“No!” Kai exclaims in answer to Beomgyu's question but then continues in a softer voice with red crawling up his face. “Well, maybe, at some point. But what I mean is, I don’t mind if you want to do that or anything really.”

“Anything like?”

“Anything that y/n is comfortable with. Actually, she should really lead this." All eyes turn to you.

"Um, like Kai said we're okay with me being more intimate with you all if you're okay with that."

“Why?” Taehyun asks, and, really, why does anyone do anything? You don't need to do this with them. You and Kai are as close to perfect as you can be. You shouldn't need to seek anything else, but you are. Is that so bad? Is it selfish? Probably. But you want it and you think they might want it too, so it can't be that bad.

"We don't really have a reason. Just a feeling and we wanted to try it out with you."

“So you guys have an open relationship?”

“No!” Both of you exclaim.

“No, not that there’s anything wrong with that but, ugh, I wouldn’t trust anyone else with y/n the way I do with you guys. So, maybe, but not with anyone else. If that makes sense.”

"It doesn't, but I think we get the gist. What do you want exactly from us?" Soobin asks, and though you've never seen him in the setting yourself, you imagine it's similar to when he's in meetings speaking on behalf of his members. Making sure he knows what's expected so he can make a decision that doesn't make the group fall apart. And, really, this is one of those decisions.

“I want us to be close like we were. And maybe more? It feels kind of selfish but you guys are all so good to me, why wouldn’t I want to be doted on by you?”

“So we get to have you?” Beomgyu's getting excited, shifting forward in his seat.

“Yes, if that’s okay with you all.”

“All of us?”

“Yes. Or no? If any of you don’t want to, you don’t have to, obviously, but I’m okay with it. With you. All of you.”

“Oh.” It’s quiet until the four form a circle and start playing rock, paper, scissors.

“Um…” you and Kai stare awkwardly at them. “What are you doing?”

“Seeing who gets to kiss you first, duh. Use that big brain of yours. Go ahead and prepare yourself.”

“Wait! I want to play, what the hell?!” Kai cries indignantly.

“You get to kiss her all the time, suck it up. Shit. Do you see what you caused?” Beomgyu is out.

“Fuuuuuuuck.” There goes Soobin.

It’s a war of nerves between Taehyun and Yeonjun. They don’t even notice Kai turning you to him and planting a kiss on your lips until a moan leaves you when he bites on your bottom lip.

“Hey! No! That’s cheating!” Beomgyu’s words startle Taehyun out of his thinking and Yeonjun ends up winning the round, jumping up and letting out a screech of victory before pulling you out of Kai’s arms.

“So, you come here often?” Yeonjun brings a hand out to tilt your head up at him with the other making a home on your waist.

You let out a giggle before playing along, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “Sometimes, I haven’t seen you around before though.”

“Well, this may come as a surprise to you, but I do in fact live here.” He’s steadily closing the distance between your faces as he speaks.

“Are you sure?” You tilt your head up until your lips are barely touching. “I swear I would’ve remembered a face as pretty as yours.”

You cut off his screech of ‘you stole my line’ by pressing your lips to his. He freezes for a bit before relaxing and returning the kiss. His lips are soft and plump and taste faintly like a strawberry chapstick you're sure you lost a while back. He squeezes your waist once, twice, before rubbing his tongue gently against your lips to get you to open up for him, which you obviously do.

He pulls you impossibly closer to him and deepens the kiss before a different set of hands wraps around your body and pulls you away.

"Hey! Keep it in your pants, old man! We still haven't gotten to kiss her yet." Beomgyu is holding you against his chest as he shouts.

"I won! I can do whatever I want. It doesn't seem like y/n was complaining about it either!"

"Well, she couldn't with your tongue two miles down her throat," Taehyun interjects smoothly before taking your hand and pulling you away from Beomgyu. He gives you a soft smile before bringing a hand up to your face and caressing your cheek. "This okay?"

"Yes. It's okay, I'm okay." A bright smile rises on his face in response to your words and he brings your lips together in a short, but sweet kiss that leaves you wanting more. You can’t help but lean into him again. He smiles into your next kiss and his free hand moves down to your hip giving it a short squeeze before pulling away. This time he uses the grip he has on you to keep you separated but the look in his eyes is so warm that you don’t doubt you’ll find yourselves in a similar situation soon.

Taehyun has always been a bit reserved with his relationships, wanting them to be known but kept private. Though your situation isn’t anything like that, it makes sense he would want to fall into you away from the prying eyes. You look around for Soobin to see him still sitting on the couch.

“Yah! Choi Soobin don’t make her chase you!”

“I’m not! I just want her to be comfortable. Four first kisses is a lot in one night.”

“Thank you for wanting to make me comfortable, Bin.” You say as you slowly walk over to where he is on the couch, hesitating a bit before straddling his lap. “But I want to kiss you now, is that okay?”

“Yeah, yep. Totally! So okay with me it’s actually insane.” He finishes with a soft smile that is so cute, you can’t help but indulge yourself a little. Leaning down to press a short kiss to each of his dimples and nose before bringing your lips to his. He sighs softly and moves his hands up to your waist, drawing little circles with his thumbs.

You know that this is meant to be a small kiss, something of a marker of the new relationship you’re stepping into with the guys, but the implications of that new relationship are finally catching up with you. Maybe you should've pulled him off the couch to kiss him because this can quickly get out of control. Especially with the way he puts his all into the kiss. The way he’s not even trying to dominate the kiss but going with the flow whether that means you’re leading or him. You can’t help but shift your hips down to meet his. And, oh, the sounds that leave him after that make you want to drag him to your (Kai’s) room and see what other sounds he could make. But you forgot about the people watching.

“As hot as this is, I would like to kiss y/n before I turn fifty.” And with that, a familiar set of hands are wrapping around your waist in an attempt to pull you off Soobin. Too bad, Soobin doesn’t seem to want to let go. Just as you’re starting to wonder how far he’s willing to go with the others as an audience, he pulls away and presses a last peck to your lips before taking his hands off you.

“Hey, you.” Beimgyu says after wrapping your securely in his embrace.

“Hey.” You smile up at him.

“Ready for the best kiss of your life?” Kai lets out a prompt ‘Hey!’ at his words.

“You can try your best.” You challenge.

Rather than responding to your words, he just cradles your face and presses your lips together. It feels like something clicked into place in your mind. There's no doubt in your mind that there is nowhere else you should be than right here surrounded by these five men.

Beomgyu's thumbs rub back and forth across your cheeks as your lips move in tandem. Against your expectations, he does not try to deepen it more than this. He just kisses you as if he has all the time in the world.

When you pull away from Beomgyu, you look around to find five fond smiles turned towards you. You don’t really know where this is going to lead but you trust these men so fully that you know they’ll treat you right. You only hope your heart can handle it.

Step four is “completed”, yippie! I don’t really like this chapter so if you see it updated at some point, mind your business. >:(. If it’s unclear, you and Kai had a talk off-screen about what you wanted. Now we get into the member specific chapters! Guess which member goes with which description! Masterlist

[olderthannetfic]

https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/post/772134036909047808/tumblrcomolderthannetfic772021907545554944elsa#notes

That's fair. But this is mainly about someone who's completely shitting on any concept of ethnicity, culture, heritage, history and lived reality, and tries to make everything "a human-racial classification" to begin with. Same shit applies to latino and Asian. Do they mean East Asian? South East Asian? South Asian? West Asian? Literally none of them are the same. Even with "white" and "black" you're setting your ass on fire, you mean East, West, South, North White/Black? Do we even wanna start with Latino? Latino is probably even more so straddling a line between all that bullshit.

Hell, RACE doesn't make a lick of fucking sense because it's not actually "race" it's clearly 100% about ethnicity and even then it's more shallow than a puddle during a drought. Because even if we went with ethnicity it lacks any kind of intersectionality between identities. But we're just arguing within whatever the fuck the maker of those lists is doing every year.

Just as a sidenote, I know several Saami. That's why I spoke about them specifically. The one dude I know who used to be in my class, who's Saami has never considered himself anything but Norwegian and never really used Saami about himself, but does that make him any less Saami? He just IS a Saami, but he seems to think more of the location he's living. The other guy, he's like 40 year my senior, thinks of himself as a Saami, but his children are both Saami and ALSO half-Saami because of their mother. His children, slightly older than me, share that view about themselves, if you asked they'd probably just say whatever's more relevant to the question at hand. BUT!!! That's also just the people I know, and I also know that there are more Saami who consider themselves only Saami, regardless of their other parentage. 100% Saami, because it's none of anyone's business what their genetics are, they are Saami so deal with it.

Clearly this is 100% more complicated than whatever the fuck that list is making it, or any arbitrary race thinking, and it's complete bullshit to even include "race" when it's this poorly done and this surface level this crosses borderline offensive into straight up offensive racism.

The list is completely ridiculous because it actually tells us nothing. It's a completely arbitrary label slapped onto random characters, without any care what it'd actually mean in real life. Does a black person stop being black because they're also Latino? Or does a Latino stop being Latino because they're black? According to this list? This isn't a math equation where one cancels the other out, but according to the list it does. That's the problem, because it also perpetuates the idea that you can divide people into neat little boxes, and just ignore any kind of "complicated" intersections of a person's identity.

So for Elsa and Anna. Does their indigenous heritage from the second movie erase that they were/are also Disney Norwegian? Do they have the same view of themselves now? Or does one have stronger feelings towards one heritage than the other? Especially since they were raised completely without the knowledge of said heritage. How complicated is it to find out there's an entire half of your heritage you never knew, and now you're supposed to try and figure out how to handle that? Well who knows, because this is a question about identity that has never been answered, because only the people "living"* that reality can actually answer their own view on who they are and with what they identify as. *living in quotations because obviously they're just fictional. So the real answer would have to come from a creator of them. (Hell, just calling from the side, I'm mixed ethnicities, and I identify with both, but my sibling only identifies as one half, and really doesn't care about the other half/is ambivalent towards it. Does anyone have the right to override my siblings view about their own identity and what they want to be perceived as? Or what I want to be perceived as? That's why that list, and any comparable list or understanding of "race" or ethnicity are complete bullshit that should have been flushed long ago because it never includes the nuance of individual perception and identity.)

--

[pinkhues]

▊▊▊ ⠀⠀⠀ ┈ ⠀⠀⠀ ✦ ⠀⠀⠀ THE PINK PALETTE, ⠀⠀⠀ 2022 tracklist. ⠀⠀ 1. foolish ⠀ 2. blush! ⠀ 3. how you like it ⠀4. puzzle piece

user pinkierings said : i'll never forget when sweethearts supported this ep when it dropped only to start slutshaming the entire group bc photos of anais and drew surfaced of them holding hands and walking to a 7/11 lmao

serving as the introduction of the palette series, pink palette represented the more bubblegum, puppy love that comes with having a crush or falling in love. while the ep is catchy and sweet, many love notes started to believe that the lyrics of the songs can come off as a bit obsessive; marking the beginning of the theories surrounding their prettier music representing the girls' uncontrollable yearning for another individual to the point of it being unhealthy. this fan-created plot only strengthens with each release, even leading the girls to watch an hour long video on the lore due to their interest. one comment, made by journey, would go on to go viral after being clipped by watchers of the live: "this would actually go so hard if i cared about a man that much."

▊▊▊ ⠀⠀⠀ ┈ ⠀⠀⠀ ✦ ⠀⠀⠀ THE RED PALETTE, ⠀⠀⠀ 2022 tracklist. ⠀⠀ 1. red flavor ⠀ 2. how sweet ⠀ 3. thirsty ⠀4. passion(ate)fruit

user voguejuice said : remember when they got hated on during this comeback all because saori called it their "fruity era" and they all started being gay kjhjkfhds like why are you mad that anais is grabbing ass and that jooe and eesha are kissing be so serious we had bigger problems to deal with starting with MINYOUNG BEING STRAIGHT THE ENTIRE TIME

out of the three-part series, the red palette will reign as their most successful ep that conquered the summer of 2022. red flavor and how sweet were referred to as "ear worms," hence being the first in poser history for an artist's song to be fighting over the number one spot for a consecutive 13 weeks on melon. the girls also dominated award season: their biggest accolades being the 3 rookie of the year awards, song of the year, and their total of 29 wins. the red palette will start to accusations of poser buying the blush's awards only to be met with a now deleted video of anais and saori mocking the rumors by pointing at certain comments and laughing under a blanket at their dorm.

▊▊▊ ⠀⠀⠀ ┈ ⠀⠀⠀ ✦ ⠀⠀⠀ THE BLACK PALETTE, ⠀⠀⠀ 2022 tracklist. ⠀⠀ 1. siren ⠀ 2. bewitched ⠀ 3. impurities ⠀4. sink or swim ?

user pinkprada said : i hate all you bitches so not hyping this up enough because it "threw off their concept" THEY WERE HOT MERMAIDS! THEY WERE GLISTENING UNDER THE MOONLIGHT ON A RANDOM ASS BEACH IN SOUTH KOREA, BODY GLITTER ON AND POSED UP AND YALL HATED IT!!! PERISH!!! ALL OF YOU!!! stream bewitched <3

met with more controversy and mixed opinions, the black palette was perceived as their least favored release due to channeling more "sexy and mature" concept compared to their previous cutesy ones. this era had the girls themselves more confused if anything with all of them coming out and expressing how fun it was to explore this side of their discography. "when we released foolish, we were too childish. we release bewitched and suddenly we're whores omg you insecure bitches are the worst." will go down in history as the instragram story meant to be posted on minyoung's close friends will publish to her public one though people believe it was intentional seeing as she reposts the same caption an hour after taking it down.

▊▊▊ ⠀⠀⠀ ┈ ⠀⠀⠀ ✦ ⠀⠀⠀ THAT SUMMER WHEN, ⠀⠀⠀ 2023 tracklist. ⠀⠀ 1. super shy ⠀ 2. hype boy* ⠀ 3. we go! ⠀4. pink lemonade ⠀ 5. be mine* ⠀ 6. young_luv ⠀ 7. sticky⠀ 8. summer '23*

user jooeism said : i can never hate these them for so many reasons like wdym eesha and jooe were on live when they got a nude and they both screamed and cried? wdym journey slapped myles at MAMA so hard that it left a print for the rest of the show? wdym saori was showing off her lockscreen and forgot that it was a pic of her and jaein? wdym anais and minyoung fought but were forced to do an hour long live together right after with their bruises still visible???

iconic summer hits and unforgettable scandals; that summer when was the repackage for the mini album "summer blossom" that added three new songs to the tracklist. this era, similar to the red palette, will go on to be their best one thus far, earning the girls the title of "summer princesses." despite their successful year, blush will find themselves at the center of several ( good and bad ) moments that heightened their popularity. their biggest achievements were winning song of the year, best girl group, and album of the year, leading to many people insisting that the last award was brought due to many other groups having a better release. this will once again be mocked after one of the girls liked a tiktok of a love note dancing to hype boy with the caption "blush in the dorm celebrating while everyone accuses of them being frauds despite."

▊▊▊ ⠀⠀⠀ ┈ ⠀⠀⠀ ✦ ⠀⠀⠀ EVANGELICAL, ⠀⠀⠀ 2024 tracklist. ⠀⠀ 1. midnight fiction ⠀ 2. d.r.e.a.m ⠀ 3. ditto ⠀4. sweet nothings ⠀ 5. you(_)me ⠀ 6. cat&mouse⠀

user whimsynote said : this was quite literally sharkboy and lavagirl with better cgi and a more cohesive plot because they really invaded cole's dreams and made him fall in love with them only for him to wake up and have NONE OF THEM recognize him in real life, causing cole to become obsessed with the girls like-

released after returning from their asia tour "code pink&red," evangelical is their latest mini album surrounding a more dreamy concept while honing in on the "obsessive" theories created by love notes. while it was received pretty well among critics, the comeback was overshadowed by the news of jooe having to sit out for three shows due to injuries sustained by an alleged attacker in one of their hotel rooms. fans began attacking the company for the lack of protection, but an anonymous user on x will go on to say that one of the members return to the hotel an hour before the attack happened, leading many to believe that there's more to the story than what poser is letting on.

[heartbeatbookclub]

I've attempted cobbling together multiple different full-length essays on my thoughts on Yuri being autistic, something i've referenced multiple times on this blog virtually every time I do any deeper analysis of her character, partially as a means of pressuring myself, but mostly because I really don't think there's a way I can understand her character without this as a baseline. It's something that's really fundamental to how I see her character, and as something of an autist myself, it's something I feel pretty strongly about.

I've attempted making multiple full-length pieces on this. Emphasis on attempted. So, rather than doing a true full length analysis, I thought I'd just throw myself in and go a bit off the cuff.

Understanding is what follows Trust, quite literally immediately after. I think I've been underserving my point (and my own understanding) every time I've talked about the Side Stories directly without addressing the formatting and overall themes. I've got an extremely old draft trying to enunciate my fuller thoughts on it, but I doubt I'll ever take that anywhere, so here's this now: I think probably the broadest theme across all of them comes down to something like connection. Communication, miscommunication, words left unsaid and the fact that you never really know what's going on inside someone's head. And despite all of the individual problems which can create conflict and breed disconnect, the Literature Club is formed with the intent of being a club for everyone, where each person can come and feel safe expressing themselves, with the hope that they could find community. Which they succeed in.

I think, really, when you look at DDLC as a whole, its entire point can be condensed within this idea, and both the Side Stories and Base Game are just two different ways of viewing it. This post puts it pretty well, I think. There's this constant emphasis on the unseen side of someone, just beneath the surface.

"Can you hear me?"

Anyway, my broader point in leading with that is, each of the titles refer to specific ideas which the stories they contain deal with in great detail, usually as a central element to a given conflict, and revolving around some central thing that needs to be learned (further emphasized in Equals). They're obstacles to the connection they're trying to create. These traits are instrumental, both in terms of building the club as it comes to be, and in bringing each of the characters closer together, solidifying the connection between them in spite of their differences. I think in general you could also describe them as fundamental traits that go into creating the Literature Club as a concept, particularly on terms of the vision as a place people can feel comfortable expressing themselves in.

Trust is all about the relationship built between Sayori and Monika, and the...well, trust they build with each other. The trust they invest in one another, that leads to them sharing some of their deepest secrets with each other. It also, I think, represents the trust that's necessary in the environment they're trying to create (It's difficult to express your true self if you don't trust the people you're expressing yourself to, after all!) I think Trust sets out the modus operandi which the rest of the stories operate under; in order to create the environment which Sayori and Monika envisioned at the start, there are a few essential hurdles which need to be crossed.

I think Understanding having direct continuity from Trust is important in that sense. It's a direct showcase of their vision in action; from creating it in Trust, to making it a reality in Understanding. And in that sense, it showcases the first major hurdle they have to get over.

To get away from the whole subtextual analysis thing, Yuri's introduction does a lot in a short period to establish the kind of person she is. As Monika puts it: "intense". She jumps straight in to talking about her books as soon as she's sure she's in the right place, in a way that awkwardly (but effectively!) side-steps the attempt at introductions which Monika and Sayori give (a theme that becomes common as the story goes on), and gets straight to her point, that she wants to join their club, and that she really wants to share her books with them.

I also can't go on without at least mentioning this adorable little moment--

It's really obvious from the outset here that Yuri is very excited to have found a place where she can talk about her books; a place filled with people who seem to share a common interest with her, where she can find like-minded people to make friends with based on her love of fantasy literature. In fact, she seems so taken with this idea that she doesn't even seem to notice Monika or Sayori being put off at all by how overexcited she is. She gets so caught up in her own thoughts on the matter, in fact, that without a second thought with regard to the social consequence, she takes off to go and get her books once she realizes she didn't bring them.

I gotta be honest, I don't think Yuri was really paying attention to how this conversation was going, not to dig on her. There's a particular reason for that, I think.

I think she spent a whole lot of time running this entire moment over in her head, again and again.

That might seem like an obvious assumption, but I have some specific reasons why I think that, like the fact that she forgot Monika's name two separate times, or that she says she took the flier immediately but had to work up the courage to come in. I'd say even the fact that she feels the need to say that she "should be good enough" to join their club (as though there's a skill based barrier to entry in a school hobbyist club?) indicates that she probably spent a lot of time creating imaginary standards to check herself against just to be sure she'd be up to snuff in any serious literary debates.

I think her idea of a "Literature Club" is fairly similar to what MY idea of what a Literature Club would be when I first heard the title, and what I'm sure a lot of other people kind of envisioned: something like a book club. For books. And people who read books. Made for people to come in and talk about books. As a consequence, I think she excited herself building this idea in her head of a club at her school, filled with her peers, where she could go in person to meet like-minded people to talk with about something she's truly passionate about. It's all of these factors together that lead me to thinking she probably came in with a very one-track plan in mind, potentially as simple as "see if anyone there likes fantasy, see if anyone there likes annabelle dupont, makes friends by talking about annabelle dupont!" after doing a lot of thought on the matter, and considering a lot of what could go wrong.

I think that's why she pushes past the introductions quickly, and why she's so resistant to (or, maybe better put, uninterested in) small talk. When she came in, she had a few very specific, and very important thoughts in mind. She wanted to see if anyone in the club shared her specific interest, and she wanted to join their club. The introductions, the social element? That was mostly secondary to her real desire here. I'd say she even saw it more like an obstacle to what she wanted to do.

And this introduction, with this context in mind, leads me to a very particular idea about Yuri's whole deal.

Yuri is very passionate about literature, in particular a specific fantasy series by Annabelle DuPont, which she is very happy to gush about at length with likeminded people. Yuri lacks a great deal of intuitive social awareness, and has a tendency to get caught in her own thoughts pretty easily, social consequence be damned. This in conjunction with her obsessive interests can be very clearly seen to put off people around her, and impair her own ability to recognize when other people are put off by her. She takes a rather literal, straightforward approach to things, and is mostly uninterested in introductions as opposed to a conversation about her interests.

Guys...I think she might be Literally Me.

Okay, so I'm not going to pull out a full DSM-V diagnostic criteria list here, but the emphasis on her social dysfunction combined with her obsessive interest in a particular subject (in this case, with a particular overcomplicated fiction series) are some clear indicators, but it does go a bit deeper than that, imo. It's hard to really typify, but unironically, there are a lot of things to the way she's written that I just deeply identify with as an autistic person, coupled with some dense anxiety.

The moment of her pressing her knuckles against her cheeks is a pretty obvious example of stimming, something she does in this instance because she's too excited and happy to express the feeling in any possible words. Her immediate jump into asking about fantasy I think comes from the fact that this question was on her mind and she just needed to find a moment to ask it--something I find particularly relatable as a former child who could never find a good moment to interrupt a conversation. When you have something really strong on your mind that you really want to say and you're just looking for a good moment where you can finally break in and ask it and it just seems to never present itself so you just have to break in at some point even if it's awkward--whether that statement is "I want to join your club!" or "Do you like fantasy?" or "Is your shirt a reference to this band because their music literally changed the course of my life and if you like them I wanna be your friend". I view this as something of a consequence of autistic inertia (as in, the trouble many autistic people have of switching between tasks), particularly when you have to deal with engaging in a conversation you're currently in which you'd like to steer in a particular direction--or that you just want to jut this question into. This is, in my experience, one particularly common reason an autistic person might come off as blunt or tactless in conversation: sometimes you just wanna say something and you don't know how to do it naturally or politely. (At the very least, this is a common reason I've personally been called blunt or tactless.)

And of course, since I mentioned it without focusing much on it earlier: Yuri's intense focus on her books and what she's talking about leading to her not noticing how the other two are reacting is a neat little showcase of impaired empathy, though it's also a consequence of her hyperfocus on her own train of thought in that moment.

It's also a very nuanced, and I would say exceptionally real portrayal of autistic empathy. See, I've mentioned this before on this blog, here, but there's this funny little trope with autistic characters, where due to the idea of "impaired empathy" as an autistic trait being...rather ironically taken too literally, autistic characters are often presented with this unflappable confidence of having never been rejected by other people in their life, as though they can't even empathize enough with the idea of rejection to understand that they're supposed to feel negatively about it. As a consequence, autistic characters will often be written with this constant need to be insensitive, emotionless little weirdos, and any blunt, tactless, implied or explicit insults they share are just accepted because "they're autistic lolz", and they never advance from this perspective.

This is...needless to say, not a good way to portray autism, I can speak firsthand, hi, I know a shitload of autistic people and also I am one of those, what the fuck guys, at least make me a cool terminator robot or a Ryan Gosling character or something--anyway, more bluntly, it's also just inaccurate, and speaks to a misunderstanding of what autism even is. I think most portrayals of autism in Hollywood and TV are broadly misinformed about the autistic perspective (ignoring that there isn't really a universal autistic perspective...that's a broader discussion that's not important here tho), and the way they portray autistic people's experience with empathy is probably one of the most obvious examples.

Autistic people do not have some magical lack of empathy. It's not somehow impossible for autistic people to understand (or at least relate to) your feelings. It's just that there's often this extra little gap you need to bridge to really get there. It's a bit tough to really explain past general terms like this, especially since every person's experience with autism is different, but let me just elaborate on it on terms of Yuri, because she outright defies this very Hollywood idea of impaired empathy in a pretty nice way.

When the others react to Yuri's enthusiasm, she doesn't seem to really pick up that they're uncomfortable. She doesn't seem to notice their facial expressions, or the overall tone of the conversation, or how one-sided it really is. She gets one piece of positive affirmation from Monika ("Fantasy is cool.") and immediately latches on to that, ignoring the rest of the awkwardness of the conversation around it. She's not picking up the cues here that the others aren't on the same page with her, and it's only after she receives an admittedly very minor and well-meaning bit of pushback from Sayori that she realizes she might've gone a bit far. More specifically, it pumps the brakes on her excitement and forces her to be a bit more receptive to an actual conversation, which enables her to slow down, and in that way, reflect a bit more.

She doesn't let on anything about it immediately, but the following day, she apologizes, revealing that on reflection, she decided that she was being overbearing, and didn't consider anyone else's feelings in the matter. Here, even when Sayori pushes back on that, telling her she didn't do anything wrong, she's pretty set on apologizing, acknowledging she did do something wrong, and pulling back, instead letting other people take the lead. She states (her opinion) that nobody was actually interested in her book, and instead that they were just humoring her. When Sayori pushes further, indicating that she is interested, and it's something she really wanted to do as a club activity, Yuri immediately swaps to the other end of blaming herself, immediately questioning why she's being so resistant, when she wanted to do this anyway, then apologizing for "being like this".

The anxiety on display, the immediate turn to catastrophizing about how this situation can go wrong (or already has), something we saw briefly earlier when she talked about how she thought Monika might've spoken ill of her in the club when she received the flier, that's all one thing, but what seems plainly clear here is that there's a gap which isn't being bridged. Yuri doesn't actually understand Sayori's thought process, and Sayori doesn't understand Yuri's, and that's the fundamental conflict here. That's the real gap in understanding.

And that gap, between how one person looks at a scenario and how another views it? That is, in my view, the most fundamental element of autistic empathy. That's what fuels the disconnect. There's a lot of different traits which might make up an autism diagnosis, but the differences they create on terms of thinking and behavior aren't some magical other separated from neurotypicals as a class of people; there's always some fundamental logic to it, which you just need to take the time to understand.

Digressing--there's a lot of littler things around these moments that I tie to this view, like Yuri's issues with many people, or Yuri only seeking out people to talk about literature with online. I mean, when you consider it, it is kind of obvious to check around the posted clubs to see if there were any to suit her interest...so why didn't she? I think it was intentional, though unconscious. I think her decision to come to the Literature Club was actually fairly motivated by the fact that Monika outright placed the flier in front of her, creating an impetus for her to want to join, besides the fact that it seemed like it was perfectly made for her. There's now an active pressure for her to go, as opposed to a passive "oh that sounds nice..." you'd get from seeing it on the walls.

There's also that little back and forth between her, Sayori, and Monika, where she quickly focused on the framework Sayori created on the conversation rather than anything else (you say something, then I have to say something), then immediately struggled as Sayori broke that framework to do a quick bit with Monika, before turning back to her. Again, I think there's more struggle here with figuring out when it's her turn in a conversation, which is probably a big part of why she prefers to stay quiet.

On to them reading, there are even more little things, like Yuri's particular way of explaining the lore, introducing the series, and using paper to take notes and detail her thought process (which individually indicates that she seems to have a very particular and seemingly meticulous way she likes to enjoy her favorite series, and her desire to share it in EXACTLY the way she likes it, so she can be sure to get all of what she views to be most important about it, and of course, a need to be organized to keep all of her thoughts together and help visualize everything; this kind of alternative thing isn't just an autism thing, but autistic people tend towards using alternate forms of communication and visualization to help understand something in their own particular way, more on that disconnect), as well as that not so subtle example of her not picking up on Sayori's extremely mild sarcasm, or the fact that "you can't generalize intelligence" is quite possibly the most technical and autistic way of downplaying a compliment I've ever read committed to word. Oh, and Yuri's indignant little response to Sayori writing nonbook notes on the book notes page, minor and offhand as it is, indicates further that Yuri's a stickler for details.

Once they start reading, we see more of the actual issues Sayori has, which fills out the rest of the conflict. Both of them end up stuck in their head. In Sayori's case, her own inferiority complex builds this progressive sense that she's not doing good enough for Yuri, and that must be why she's not having a good time. Meanwhile Yuri becomes convinced that Sayori is just patronizing her (despite all appearances), in large part because of her past experiences with others, which I think is an especially important thing to address.

I've already touched a bit on the following conversation between Monika and Yuri here, but this part kinda just lays a lot of it bare. Yuri's great at talking about her interests, but struggles with anything else. She has a lot of trouble doing this kind of social reflection and trying to figure out what other people are thinking. She doesn't know how to bridge that gap. She's really bad with other people...and she's accepted that.

I think that's an especially important thing at play here, and it's where this whole conflict comes from.

Monika's able to bridge the gap in the first place, because she knows what to say to direct the conversation in a useful direction--to make Yuri trust her, and trust that it's okay for Monika to act in her interest, because she's club president. It's her job to try to help everyone feel welcome. Then, as they talk, she's finally able to work out what Yuri's actual problem is, peeling the wall back between them with trust, then bridging the gap with understanding. And Monika does understand! Because Sayori and Yuri...aren't so different.

Both Sayori and Yuri have this constant preoccupation with the fact that they aren't good enough. Yuri, in particular understands that she's an awkward, deeply weird person, and she can accept that about herself. Everybody seems to have one of a few different reactions to her. Realizing that she's weird, and awkward, and makes people uncomfortable...well, the only reason people must appear to be accepting of her is because they want to make her feel better about herself. To allow them to make themselves uncomfortable, to deal with all of her inability to be a more socially conscious and considerate person...that'd be evil. She'd feel guilty doing that. And the thought that she could be doing that to someone because she doesn't understand that they are just humoring her? That's one of the worst feelings in the world.

As a consequence of all of this, and her constant preoccupation with not doing that, with not taking advantage of another person's kindness, she overcorrects. She assumes that other people can only tolerate her being herself, being who she is, and not actually like her. They're patronizing her to pretend, and so the only way she can truly be accepted is by suppressing herself, or just not even participating.

She thought the Literature Club might be different, but the thing of it is, she is the problem. Not because she's somehow uniquely unlovable or because she's just gotta pull herself together and can't, but because her entire view of the situation is off.

I think a big part of this comes down to Yuri's previous experience with social rejection, which isn't directly detailed here, but is at least tacitly expressed. And I think a lot of this view of herself, as though she's some uniquely socially broken weirdo who will never truly fit in anywhere she goes, and can only find tolerance, not true acceptance, likely in some part comes from that rejection. That's probably why she focuses so much on her own interests, and in talking with people about them online.

That's probably why Yuri wasn't looking for a club that suited her interests at all. And it's why the Literature Club was something she really, really needed.

This...in particular, is why my view of Yuri's whole deal is specifically undiagnosed autism, and it's actually a pretty big part of why the entire thing sort of clicks for me.

Because fun fact! I didn't even have an inkling that I might be autistic until I was 19, despite plenty of evidence. The only reason I'm actually not diagnosed (shock, awe!) is the fact that my parents fought the school board on it so I wouldn't be placed in special ed. That's a whole other conversation, back to my point; A lot of Yuri's reflection on her social struggles is very relatable to me personally, particularly with her difficulties understanding why she is the way she is, and the shame that creates. Not even just in Understanding--a lot of what happens, a lot of what she talks about throughout the Side Stories is something I personally find relatable in a way that's hard to conceptualize for me without tying it to my own autistic experience.

To finish, I'll brush over a few quick thoughts and then talk about the conclusion in Understanding a little.

Both during the conversation with Monika and leading up to her breaking down in tears, Yuri has these sudden little outbursts; things she says before she even realizes she's saying them (This is something that happens in Self-Love, too!), and I just wanted to mention it, since I've done it too, sometimes. I've talked quite a bit before about how Yuri tries to keep a handle on her emotions, but when she does get emotional, things spill out. This is an especially common form of masking ("sometimes, masking is fighting to appear aloof at all times because emotion comes out too strongly to be controlled and expressed in a socially acceptable way"), and this particular kind of emotional outburst and breakdown is something which is a common consequence of it. It's gotta come out at some point, and when you're so used to maintaining that kind of control over yourself, emotional regulation can be especially difficult.

AND THEN SAYORI BRIDGES THE GAP BECAUSE SHE'S THE GOOOOOAAAAAATTTTTT--

ahem.

Sayori bridges the gap because she's the goat. finds her own way to peel back Yuri's walls. Just in time, too...

Creating a path for the two of them to be honest with each other, and (albeit...unintentionally?) preventing her from running away, all but forcing her to take her kindness to heart. Yuri finally just drops all pretenses and lets out all of the thoughts she's had this whole time. Monika created an environment where she could feel safe expressing these thoughts and not feel judged, and convinced Yuri that it would be the same with Sayori. So she's spilling her guts as a part of learning to trust other people. Now that she has, it's on Sayori to finish it, and bridge that gap. Mend the divide.

Yuri's speech, obviously, just reinforces everything I've been saying thus far. She wants to be a normal person, at her core. But she isn't normal. She knows that.

And the reason she's here is because she wants to make more friends...but this hasn't gone at all how she's expected. It hasn't gone to plan at all.

Sayori's here to show her that that's okay. Sometimes, things are messy. People are messy. It's not something that's easy to understand, and that's okay, you don't need to, totally.

And in turn, she shares her own anxieties, her own problems that she's been having, which shocks Yuri. This is another little element of empathy, but more of what I think this represents is self-image vs how others view you. Yuri points out--she did all she could to reassure her! She would never get frustrated with her while they were reading. She knows that.

But Sayori doesn't, and moreover other people can't just peek directly inside your head.

So to get these things across, you need to talk them out. Without communicating with each other, it's impossible to understand each other. People aren't mind readers.

But Yuri, being autistic, needs a great deal more help communicating, both on terms of understanding others, and explaining herself so others can understand. She says herself--she doesn't have good communication, so she needs others willing to reach out a little to bridge that gap, which is what the Literature Club is for.

Oh yeah and Yuri's comment about getting people's consent to be touched makes me chuckle because that's some shit I'd do. You know she was thinking about that from day one but didn't want to be rude about it, and now that they're being honest with one another, she's gotta say it, even just at the end of that huge emotional conversation. That's another point for bluntness.

This has been something I've had in the drafts for months, almost a year by now. It's the last major character analysis type deal I still had outstanding, and I've got piles and piles of notes. I've watched back over Understanding multiple times for material, and I have (as mentioned) multiple unfinished versions of this analysis. I wouldn't call this perfect, but it says most of what I've wanted to say for a while, including referencing most of the other major posts I've made on the subject. I might have more to say on the subject later, I might even correct a few things on this later, but as yet, these are my thoughts. She's got that certified autistic rizz guys

[greenerteacups]

Hi GT~

In chapter 73, you have described that Hermione is more like a seeker, which is absolutely appropriate, however I just can’t help being worried about her “weak” dueling skills. Will Draco help her to improve? Will she be able to protect herself during real battles? By the way, regarding the Patronus. I haven’t realized Draco’s Patronus is a owl in book3, and now you tell me it is the owl he gives to Hermione, I can’t imagine if anything can be more adorable than this. And the memory Hermione used to cast Patronus is definitely magic! So as you, GT, thank you so much for give us this magical story.

Hi! Thank you! I obviously can't answer questions about what happens in future chapters, but as for right now, writing fifteen-year-olds (sixteen, in Hermione's case) requires a fine balance between a realistic depiction of people who have been training in pseudo-combat for several years and, y'know, writing realistic teenagers. Most of them are not gonna be that good at fighting, especially since none of them have really fought yet. Draco is an exception because he learned from Narcissa, and Harry and Ron have had enough rough-and-tumble adventuring on their own. But Hermione? Her role in the group is established: she calls the tactical shots, but she's way better at solving technical problems, like runes or potions. Her reflexes aren't insane — she's not clumsy, but she's usually not the first to react. When she beats Marcus in the Undercroft, it's because she outsmarts him and uses a spell he's not expecting, not because she's got better dueling form. Hermione is a really powerful witch who's really good at magic, but one of the things I wanted to stress about magical fighting in my fic is that being "good at magic" is only part of the equation; dueling well (or fighting melee, which is a different skill!) is actually a really complex skill in its own right, and Draco is relatively unusual in that he's pretty good at it.

All that can change, but I'd also say that there are many roles in a magical war, and because Lionheart hasn't had any real "battles," we haven't begun to scratch the surface of what magical combat can be.

[dreamerimpossible]

His reaction when you say someone else's name during sex.

Warnings: +18 content, unhealthy relationships, mentions of violence and death, dark content.

Characters: Mikey, Kazutora, Sanzu, Izana, Ran Haitani, Rindou Haitani, Kisaki, Hanma

Mikey

You'd have to be crazy. Did you forget that Mikey is the person who protects you from the other gangs doing something against you for being involved with him? Did you forget everything that Mikey has done for you? Well, he doesn't forget. He stops and looks at you with those empty eyes. On a particularly bad day, he tells you not to forget your place and who you're with, because he wouldn't have any problem showing you what it would be like to be a day without him and everything he provides for you. It scares you to see him with that look and that menacing voice. He doesn't look like your boyfriend; he looks like just a predator. After that, he's back to himself. Like nothing ever happened. Suddenly, people needed a reminder of how strong he was. You got it.

Kazutora

He becomes obsessive. He pushes you over and over against the surface, be it the bed, the wall, or the car, whatever. He asks you who that man is and why you're naming him. He screams at you and goes crazy. He gives you hickeys in his rage; you can feel his bites. You explain everything over and over again, but it doesn't seem to relax him at all. He runs around the city like a madman waiting for you to tell him who this man is and where he lives. It gets worse if you don't tell him. In your desperation, you take him to an alley and whisper sweet nothings to him that he refuses to believe at first. You tell him that he will know who the man is, but that you needed to apologize first. You gave him the sloppiest oral of your life, holding back the tears that came out of your eyes as you choked. He forgives you, but seriously, he still expects you to tell him who this man is.

Sanzu

Uh… what the fuck? No one would do that. But if you did, you would only be saved if he was drugged. He wouldn't notice, really; he would be on a terribly high adrenaline and only think about the feeling. Then, in the morning, he would have forgotten everything. However, if you catch him sober and lucid, you're lost. He tells you to explain clearly while he shows you his gun and leaves it on the mattress. It's an implicit threat, but quite functional. He doesn't think you simply want another man; he thinks you're cheating on him; that's why he goes so crazy. He can't stand being cheated on, even less when he never cheated on you. It would be unfair, and he wouldn't tolerate it. When you convince him, he's still angry, but a little less paranoid. He'd look at you closely, put a lot more "security" in you, and become more possessive. If you openly show that you like how much he "protects" you, he'll let his guard down, but not enough.

Izana

He gets dressed and leaves. Not before making a fuss and reproaching you for things you never did. His abandonment issues come to light, and it seems impossible to fix things with him. You don't even speak; you just listen and don't know what to do. Then he walks away and tells you to forget about him and that he doesn't want a bitch like you. Then you realize that the guy was hurt by a fight he had, and you know exactly who did it. He wouldn't look for you; he's proud; he ended the relationship that day. He doesn't like to feel left out or like a second choice. So you approach him and put up with some indifference, but there will come a time when he'll like to see you beg for him, letting you be with him conditionally for a while, just to test your behavior. and he'll miss having you. He lets you be with him conditionally for a while, just to test your behavior. If you do it right, he'll be nice to you again, but he'll always want you to introduce him to your friends and people close to you, even just acquaintances. Although, let's be honest, he was like that before.

Ran Haitani

You can see the confusion and pain in his eyes. He tries to cover it up by joking around a bit, but it hurts him, and it shows. The difference with the others is that he won't go crazy; he'll just wait for you to explain; he can actually be quite mature when he wants to. You explain it to him, and he understands, at least with you. You promise that you will make it up to him, and he will give you the chance. That same night you moan his name many times until he gets tired of hearing you. However, that man will not be spared from his cane. Sorry, not sorry.

Rindou Haitani

Pretty direct. He asks you what the hell is wrong with you and if you are cheating on him with someone else. You rush to tell him no and explain everything. He nods his head and says nothing more; he seems to have his same expression as always. He remains serious for the rest of the day; you try to get closer to him, but no progress seems to reach him. Don't worry; after a few days, he will be fine. He needs time. Afterwards he will prove himself and make you come many times. You make sure he has no doubts.

Kisaki

He gets dressed and leaves. He doesn't say anything to you. He doesn't even change his usual expression. The scary thing about him is that he only acts; he doesn't provoke or threaten. That makes you expect anything from him. He comes back the same way he left, unchanged, but his expression seems darker. You decide not to ask. You try to explain, but he doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t feel threatened by it anymore. How could he? There’s no one to confuse you anymore, no one alive, at least.

Hanma

He laughs at you, in disbelief. He might make you a little insecure too, which only made the fight escalate. There are no healthy reconciliations with Hanma; you should know that by now. You’ll get possessive every time he purposely teases you, and he’ll make a fuss every time you get together with a guy. That’s how it is. That seems to be “reconciliation.” There’s a lot of sex too and unhealthy ways to get out frustration. Hanma actually seems to enjoy toxicity.

[hmshermitcraft]

Gempearleo again because the Gempearleo tag is still too small (it's just Gem and Cleo at first, Pearl will show up in a bit)

Gem loved the ocean. She loved the peace and quiet of being the only human being for miles, she loved the soft sound of waves crashing against her boat, and she loved the gentle swaying of her ship as she sat and fished in silence.

So of course she begs the love of her life to join her every chance she gets.

Cleo would love to go out with Gem, but she's just too busy! They've got sculptures to work on, and a base to build! But she can only hold back the excitable fox hybrid for so long.

Gem is ecstatic that Cleo finally agreed. She's planned out a whole day of just being together on the ocean, the perfect date.

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

Pearl was bored out of her mind. There's only so many times one can stare at the same piece of coral before running out of places to look. She's finally left the other merfolk to be on her own without their silly rules, and it's even more boring than before! Maybe they would take her back if she returned, at least then she'd have someone to talk to. That's when she hears something above her, she looks up and immediately darts behind a rock in fear. It's a boat. Growing up she was always taught that boats had the most dangerous creatures in the world on them.

Then again, the merfolk were wrong about everything else...

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

It's been a few hours of Gem and Cleo just chatting and staring out on the ocean, they finally stop the boat a little bit away from a coral reef. They're sitting by the edge of the boat and laughing together.

"Thank you for finally coming out here with me" Gem breaks the silence

"Well you've been begging for weeks, it's the least I could do." Cleo laughs

Gem is about to say something else when she notices a large dark figure in the water swimming towards them. She starts to mention it to Cleo when she feels a hand on her leg, and gets pulled into the sea.

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

Pearl stares up at the supposed "dangerous creatures" sitting on the edge of the boat. They don't seem to be doing anything, maybe she could get a closer look? She starts swimming closer. Pearl finds it odd that they haven't come into the water, why would they come all this way if not to look at the reef? Maybe they just didn't know it was down here. She could show them! Maybe they were nice, and would appreciate being shown the pretty coral, and then Pearl wouldn't be alone!

Looking back, the loneliness may have been getting to her more than she thought. The merfolk would've called her mad.

She grabs the smaller one's leg and helps her into the water.

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

Gem tries to swim up but something keeps pulling her down, she's panicking and running out of air. She glances down and gasps, letting out more precious oxygen. She stares at the stunning girl in front of her with a glittering reddish orange fish tail and long flowing brown hair. The merling seems excited to see Gem, and then confused as to why she's clawing at her throat. She doesn't know that Gem can't breathe.

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

Cleo stares in shock at the place her girlfriend was moments ago, and quickly dived in after her. Cleo was already dead, so she didn't need air quite as much as Gem did. (They would still become a drowned if she stayed under too long, but that would have to be a later problem.) She looks around and sees Gem being dragged deeper by...something? They swim down as fast as they can and grab Gem's arm, but Gem seems to have stopped struggling against whatever it is. Cleo glances over to see a merling swimming circles around her unconscious girlfriend curiously.

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

Pearl is disappointed, why did her new friend fall asleep? It doesn't make sense. Then she feels something grab at the girl and looks to see her friend from the boat pulling her back to the surface.

"Hey! Wait, I wanted to show you something!"

The green one says something in a language Pearl doesn't quite understand, but they seem upset. Pearl understands that they want to get the girl back to the surface very badly. She's not sure why, but maybe they'll want to be friends if Pearl helps! Both of the people here are...gorgeous, so maybe after a while they could be something more?

That's thinking too far ahead Pearl, get it together.

She helps pulls the sleepy girl back up the boat and watches as both of the land dwellers gets out. The one with green skin starts pushing on the girls chest repeatedly. Pearl watches curiously and hops up onto the deck. She's never been on land before, it's an interesting experience to say the least. Her tail slowly shifts into legs like the other two have. She stares in awe at herself for a moment until she hears coughing behind her.

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

Gem wakes up to Cleo doing CPR on her. She coughs up water and tries to get her bearings.

"What...happened?" She manages to cough out

"This one doesn't seem to understand that you need air to live." Cleo gestures at Pearl, who is watching in fascination.

Gem inches closer. "Hi, I'm Gem, who're you?"

The girl respond in a clicking sound that Gem doesn't understand.

"Um, sorry? I don't...uh..." She's cut off when Pearl kisses her without warning.

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

Pearl had heard that merfolk could use magic, but wasn't sure if it was true. Supposedly, a kiss could work as a translation spell.

"Can you understand me now?" Pearl asks her hopefully

"...WHY DID YOU KISS ME?!"

As far as first meetings, Cleo has had worse. Much worse, honestly, being undead tends to do that.

Pearl is delighted she can use magic, Gem is confused with the entire thing. Cleo sits back, pleased that their date just got so much more interesting. Would Pearl be willing to pose for some sculptures, she'd look gorgeous.

[pall0r-mortis]

All things considered, he wasn't terribly disappointed at the time. Maybe James wasn't giving him much information overall but maybe he hadn't come there for information, maybe he had come there just because he had a point to prove. And that point seemed distant, he had proven it, and James said proven himself to be equally immobile.

The answer wasn't an answer, Sid wasn't sure if the answer mattered in the first place, he was just trying to figure out the outlook behind it. James had not seemed to be particularly optimistic, and that was either a byproduct of the situation or just his personality. Cynical Sid had already guessed, sarcastic; none of which were shocking or even unusual, but frustratingly there seem to be a much sharper something under that surface. James was clever.

He would have grumbled in annoyance if he wasn't more invested in keeping up with whatever circular game James was playing at the time well.

"No," Sid noted the faint change of expression that crossed James' face as they reached the intersections of the roads, "apparently we're on a hike, so I guess it counts as a date but also I should have just brought my car."

His brow furrowed at the nickname, turnabout was fair play after all, and Sid begrudgingly had to admit to himself that he actually liked that about James.

"What, I don't seem like marriage potential? I think I have an endless amount of potential there," he countered, this was actually a lie because it was hard to imagine anyone would want to be around him that consistently, "I do hate that white wedding thing though, so that's off the table; it's ugly. Not going to have an ugly wedding."

This of course was the oddity, he was discovering, about being around James; there was a challenge to it and there he was answering stupid questions because he liked a challenge and maybe James had already figured that out about him and how to use it. Or maybe James just really liked asking stupid questions.

"Kids? Why not; somebody has to be a problem after I'm gone, right? I have no point of reference on how to do that in a way that doesn't fuck a kid up but it can't be that hard." Sid reasoned. As unrealistic as the entire hypothetical situation was he had to be a better father than his own had been. Frankly a rabid animal had to be a better father than his so it wasn't a high standard.

"We are definitely going to have to have a discussion about names though," he continued because James had started this and James was not going to escape either, "because every time I hear about someone naming their kid something stupid like Arizona or Rainbow, or whatever the hell else, I want to punch them in the face." Sid rattled off, kicking at a rock in the street as they crossed.

"There's only so much compromise I can make there Princess," he concluded, tone so clearly mockingly saccharine with a hint of something that was more of a huff but clearly dangerously close to a laugh.

@captainjamesjoneshook

@pall0r-mortis

James had not expected this tactic from Sid.

You know, the one where you bring up something and obviously hit the nail on the head, and then thought better not and backed off by baiting and switching the topic.

He would have fully expected Sid to just attack the wound that James had provided full access to, having only needed the opening before it became a feeding frenzy. But he didn't. Instead he just moved on to– well, asking after James' injury wasn't exactly a safe topic, but it was no doubt safer than talking about his dead father.

As apparent as this already was given their previous encounters and conversation, James was coming to the very surface level conclusion that Sid was a weird person. He was blunt and yet he just talked around it circle after circle, almost like he derived some sort of satisfaction from the shape itself and by pulling someone else in the maddening loop with him. Like right now, having demanded a date out of James even though they both knew neither of them wanted to be doing this.

And yet, here he was! Entertaining him!

Ridiculous and strange. Very, very strange. Even for James Jones the II.

"No, I get it. You bring up death, I put down my death card and then you put down the wild card so you could change the color. Very clever, but I'll be the one shouting Uno here in a minute," he said. "But yeah, I dunno really. They keep saying I'm on my own time line. Which I know is them just being annoyingly kind because they do have their own time line they want to keep me on. It just depends on how well it heals and how willing I am to do all the exercises and whatever else they ask of me."

James gave a sigh. Then, "Anyway– enough about me. Let's cut to the chase! We're on a date, after all."

Once they'd reached the corner of the street he carefully maneuvered down the dropped kerb to the rode to cross, bringing them over to turn onto Ever After. Christ, James just had to have chosen a place all the way across town, hadn't he? Uuugggh.

"So, tell me, sunshine, what are your thoughts on marriage? Kids? You want any?"

[ravenxbones]

i did this almost as quickly as humanly possible and my pen pressure is acting up because i need to replace the tip but i can never resist a good funpoison drawing. happy new year this is inspired by @spraypaintstainonawhitewall ‘s post here

[forgettable-au]

FORGETTABLE-AU (page 82-85)

THAT LAZYBONES!!

[BEGINNING] [PREVIOUS] [CONTINUE]

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

finally at that age where i'm thinking i should get a tattoo. not bc i feel strongly about it, just seems like a waste not to. i've got so much skin i'm not using

[s0fter-sin]

soap's whole deal being sniper and demolitions gets me going bc on the surface they sound so different but when you get into it, you realise it's bc soap's smart

sniping is all math; calculating distances and wind interference and bullet drop. something i think people overlook is he was listed as a sniper first so it can be implied that he's better at it than demolitions. he does more sniping in both campaigns than demolitions work; in capture or kill, ghost specifically calls on him to take down the aq snipers

and demolitions is math with a hit of chemistry; knowing what mixes with what, knowing how much to use, recognising environmental factors and adjusting accordingly. it's not just about the boom; so much work goes into contained/ planned explosions. especially when having enough power for a breacher charge and not bringing down the whole building is the difference between mission success and failure

the chemical bombs he makes in alone can't just be any old cleaners, they have to have the correct reaction to each other; he just knew off the top of his head what would mix with what to create what reaction. he would also potentially have to recognise them by sight/smell bc they would’ve been written in spanish

soap would also have to know architecture; recognising structural integrity and weak points so he knows exactly where to plant a charge to bring it down and how it'll come down

he has an incredible soldier's mind people just forget that bc he's sociable which itself is a skill

we know he tends to buck against orders he doesn't agree with like when he pushes back against ghost in capture or kill and shepherd when he tells them to release hassan

he gets closer to people and sees if he can trust them and that's when he follows them without question. really think about how he talks to alejandro and rudy; he asks about their home and alejandro's family and rudy's relationship with him. those aren't questions you ask a stranger after a few hours of knowing them. that's not even touching on his relationship with ghost

he also deliberately brings people of higher ranks down to his level; talking informally with ghost and giving him a shoulder punch, addressing alejandro (a colonel!!) by his first name and rudy by his nickname despite literally just meeting them. he personalises all of them and it’s in direct opposition to the reason most characters do that; it’s not due to insubordination or lack of respect, the more he respects and trusts someone, the more casual he is with them

he digs into people; he wants to know what makes them tick and that determines if he can one, trust them and two, follow their orders. once he decides that, he's the ultimate soldier; he bleeds loyalty which makes him vicious when that loyalty is taken for granted

he isn't naive or bubbly or insecure; he's an incredibly smart and aware soldier. he's aggressive and bloodthirsty and loyal and intuitive and i love him so much