#their friendship just comes so naturally to me

[kings-highway]

After Tendou moves to France and Hinata moves to Brazil, Kageyama and Ushijima are both left to make their way in Japan on their own - and since these occurances overlap, and they're already on the same team, it comes naturally to both of them that they move in together to split the rent and replace the former roommate that they had lost.

While living with somone 'new' is uncomfortable for both of them, they both quickly find their footing and both, equally, realize that they are "cut from the same cloth," that is to say, get along phenomenally. Most notably, however, is that they both realize how... uniquely free spirited their previous companions had been to things like house chores. Ushijima goes to take out the trash, one day, and finds that it's already been done. Kageyama finishes dinner one evening and realizes that he, in the six months they've lived together, has never washed a single dish that wasn't his own - he's never even seen a dish in the sink. They work perfectly together, with similar habits, similar needs - they stop turning on the overhead light at all, and instead the place is almost always lit from the soft yellow lamp in the corner of the room.

When Tendou or Hinata call home they are cute and sweet and playfully act remorseful for leaving. "I bet you're missing me so bad. I can't believe you're roommates with him! You're so antisocial, I bet you wish me, your best friend, was back to share the space with, no?"

And it is true, they both are missed terribly, but Ushijima and Kageyama find themselves at a loss for what to say. Kageyama can hear the question come through from the video call, and he can see Ushijima look up from the computer, eyes questioning and looking for help like he was known to do. Kageyama gives him a slight shake of his head. Its not worth it. It'll only upset them to know the truth.

"Oh, yes," Ushijima says, nodding severely as he lies through his teeth. "Living with him is... awful. Can't... can't wait until it's just me and you again."

They know, ultimately, that this roommate-friendship that sometimes feels more like a torrid love affair for how intently they hide it from their partners will have to end, and they will eventually make proper homes and lives with them, but for now, just for now, they enjoy the fact that neither of them had ever tripped over a shoe left out of place in the doorway.

[onlyrains]

[5:21pm]

genre: comfort, fluff wc: 1.1k ┊not proofread!

you are nothing near from being the greatest singer of the century, to begin with. you're not even a singer at all. but layla, a border collie of your best friend's–jake, might be your first fan ever.

whenever she sees you around in some comfortable circumstances, she's never hesitate to lay down beside you and sometimes even rest her jaw on your thigh. on top of that, one day when jake come to your place to check on you while you lay sick on your bed, she also lies and put her paw on your arm.

she keeps ignoring her nature as one of the most active and energetic breed and you have a soft spot for her also. so of course, you always gladly sing for her. you even made a playlist to sing for her, which full of coldplay's old songs that you found she loves the most.

as an owner, jake found this quite beneficial sometimes when he needs to done his things but very much confused at the same time. what's up with your voice? he's a good singer too. people even recognize him for that. but why's his dog, his best buddy, his love, never react the way she does for you?

"she's my child, jake." you always say.

"stop saying that. i literally clean, do the chores, and work for her?" and he always replies.

today, as he promised yesterday, he came to your place with layla. and no, you're not sick today, it's apparently the opposite. he arrived with a pissed, frustrated face and refuse to talk fifteen minutes ago. he's just walks around your living room with his disheveled white office shirt.

you continue to read your book while playing with layla's hair and humming to coldplay's song. you make sure to open your bedroom door widely to let him know that he can come in when he's ready. it's not the first time you've seen jake in this state and you know the best way to deal with it is just let him do anything he wants. he will talk about it when he's tired.

speaking of which, the tail of your eye catches his movement towards you. well, maybe it is a very serious matter since he has never got tired this quick.

"what's up?" you snap, closing your book on your stomach. layla got up at your sudden movement as she sees her owner walks in your direction. she jumps on the floor and her favorite song is now long gone.

"jake?" he sits on layla's spot earlier and lets out a deep sigh.

"it's work." his eyes looking at the white sheets beneath him and draw an imaginary circle with his index.

"i know. wanna talk about it?"

he drags his body to lay next to you, head burried in your pillow while his arms stretched out to his side and your neck, almost choking you.

"i don't know, girl. i'm just... tired."

"is it that bad?" you ask carefully.

he nods. "there's a problem with the project and this mf blame me for it," he groans. thank god your pillow muffled his voice.

"oh? what a prick."

"can you sing for me?" he raises his head.

you never turn your head so fast.

"what?" you blurt out a laugh.

he lies on his side, perfectly facing you. "oh, c'mon. you always make layla chill out with it."

"but you're not layla?"

"i'm her owner, you know. she's my daughter. like father like dau–"

"okay, stop. you started sound silly,"

"babe, c'mon. i just need to sleep. you know how much effort i put on this project? i barely had a proper sleep,"

as soon as that pet name came out of his mouth you know it's hard to win over him. he will starts pleading as soon as he can, so you let out a heavy sigh and stretch your arm reluctantly.

"c'mere,"

the next thing you know, he already burried his head on your shoulder. well, actually, this is your first time being this close with him in this kind of position despite your nth years of friendship.

so when he’s seemingly already found his spot on the crook of your neck, you can't help but squirm a little, but jake is too quick to catch your waist to prevent you from moving anywhere.

"don't move." he says against your neck.

you bite your inner cheek to hold back a sharp gasp that almost come out of nowhere.

you take a deep breath before placing your hand on his head, brushing his hair lightly. you decide to continue to sing to spark, which was previously forcibly cut off.

"my heart is yours," you start to whisper.

"it's you that i hold on to,

that's what i do,

and i know i was wrong,

but i won't let you down,

mmm, yeah, i will, yeah, i will, yes, i will," your voice get slightly lower.

"i said, oh,

i cry, oh,

yeah, i saw sparks,

yeah, i saw sparks." you massage his scalp lightly.

"sing it out,

la la la la la la,"

you feel his breathing becomes steady while in fact he's just enjoying his action to inhaling your scent that mixed with a soft fragrant from your newly washed sweater. he has never been this relax in a long time.

you keep on with the lyrics in humming as your eyes glued to the plain ceiling of your room. you feel his arm is still lazily attached to your waist then what are you doing, really? is it normal to cuddle your friend from high school? is it okay to comfort your guy friend like this?

you haven't finished think about that but jake already raised his head.

his eyes slightly red from the drowsiness that suddenly hit him but the smile on his mouth is as wide as ever. "y'know, layla actually has a good taste."

a heat suddenly strikes your cheek, causing it to turn to a shade of red.

his head turns to his dog on the floor. "dang, my girl is talented, for real."

you roll your eyes at him. "okay, now move."

he's quick to back on his previous spot, even more suffocating right now as he pulls you impossibly close to his body.

he tilts his head upward to face you. his wet eyes stares at you so innocently, which quite opposite to his actions that practically hugging you so tight while trying to sleep.

"ey, c'mon, don't be so stingy," he snuggles to you, again.

you bite your lip this time. maybe you just as tired as him, but you swear, you saw the sparks.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Some James, Lily, and Sirius notes

I needed to figure out for my fic what Sirius was doing after graduation and before Azkaban. Like, what James, Lily, and Sirius were doing for a living, you know. The common fanon consensus is that Sirius and James were Aurors, but I found an interview that gave the closest to canon answer that we have:

Q: Harry often wondered about his parents lives before he died. What did Lily, James, Remus, Lupin and Sirius do after Hogwarts? JKR: To take Remus first, Remus was unemployable. Poor Lupin, prior to Dumbledore taking him in, led a really impoverished life because no one wanted to employ a werewolf. The other three were full-time members of the Order of the Phoenix. If you remember when Lily, James and co. were at school, the first war was raging. It never reached the heights that the second war reached, because the Ministry was never infiltrated to that extent but it was a very bad time, the same disappearances, the same deaths. So that’s what they did, they left school. James has gold, enough to support Sirius and Lily. So I suppose they lived off a private income. But they were full-time fighters, that’s what they did, until Lily fell pregnant with Harry. So then they went into hiding.

(Interview)

And I found this answer hilarious and it implies 2 things:

That my assumption that James and Lily went into hiding prior to Harry's birth when the prophecy was made is likely what the intention was.

And that there is a nonzero chance Sirius lived with James and Lily at least part-time. He was, after all, living off of James' inheritance (while Remus didn't). JKR stated James supported Sirius and Lily, not Remus who was suspected to be a traitor at the time.

The mental image of a married James and Lily with an infant Harry and Sirius all in the same house is hilarious and I just wanted to share it.

We know how close James and Sirius were:

“Naturally,” said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. “Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here — ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!”

(PoA, Ch10)

They were so co-dependant they enchanted the two-way mirrors becouse they couldn't bear to stay in separate detentions from each other. James and Sirius' friendship was insane.

And Lily's letter to Sirius actually hints the situation wasn't far off from what JKR said in the above interview:

We were so sorry you couldn’t come, but the Order’s got to come first, and Harry’s not old enough to know it’s his birthday anyway! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it but I can tell—also Dumbledore’s still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend.

(DH, Ch10)

It's made clear Lily wrote to Sirius outside of her relationship with James, that she and Sirius were close by that point, and that Sirius came by whenever he could. I don't know, I just find these three and their potential dynamic in these few years between graduation and the end of the war super interesting.

like Lily and James are married, James and Sirius are best-best friends, and Lily is clearly very close to Sirius by her death. He's probably her closest friend (or one of them) when she dies. And, like, these three are raising baby Harry between them.

Like, Lily asking Sirius to come over to cheer up James... idk... it makes me feel things.

[lena-thinks-too-much]

The irony of fanon treating Tim as the introverted, antisocial, loner robin when he probably has the most friends in and out of the mask.

I mean people just love this guy. He's charismatic the way Peter Parker is charismatic. Awkward and nerdy and authentically himself and it just draws people in. I mean he had a pretty large group of friends in Brentwood Academy. And in Louis E. Grieve he manages to impress the school jocks in a way that makes him essentially popular (in the sense that he's well liked and well know but not popular popular). And let's not forget the fact that he regularly ran DND campaigns and like actually socialized outside of Robin, and maintained those friendships for years.

His canon boyfriend was someone he knew explicitly as a civilian throughout his junior year.

And that's not counting the way people just like Tim in the mask. He's the natural leader in young justice (98) and several people who objectively hate batman will cooperate with the bats because they like Tim (Helena comes to mind here). Tim's friendship with Anarchy starts from the very beginning of his run as Robin when they both reflect on the fact they're very similar: two incredibly clever and talented teenagers who love to be challenged.

Tim is just that guy.

When Damian tries to restart the teen titans while Tim is presumed dead, Beast Boy especially is constantly talking about Damian could never measure up to Tim. While yes that's largely because Damian is abrasive and hard to get along with. A good part of that is because Tim was just that likeable.

Like yes Tim might be more introvert coded but he is not antisocial or a loner or whatever.

I mean let's bffr y'all. You can't tell me we're just going to ignore the Tim outsmarted Ra's in red robin because Ra's was relying on the bats' hyper independence and Tim just goes "I'm not like Batman. I have friends" Like bro violated Bruce so hard and I feel like it's just such a pivotal part of his character that people ignore. Like yes Tim pushes people away when he can't deal with his emotions but he's also wayyy better than Bruce at relying on others.

Idk I feel like half of fanon infantilizes Tim while the other half treats him like a mini Bruce clone with the added risk of going rogue and it's neither.

[heejamas]

nicest guy: 7. the aftermath

word count: ~2.6k words

warnings: profanity, sexual jokes, weed consumption, alcohol consumption, jake and hoon hate each other, puking, hangover, crowded party

Every time you had to go to a party, you hated the feeling of it. It wasn’t really because you didn’t like the people – even though you're an introvert, you're the type of person who can hold a casual banter. It wasn’t even because you hated the loud music or the drinking. You love good music and a night of heavy liquor. You just preferred doing all those things (hanging out with your friends, drinking, and listening to music) from the comfort of your own home.

But this time, things seemed different. Sure, the party was super crowded, drunk people everywhere, people bumping into you, people judging your looks. But you were actually having a good time with your friends. That is, until Woonhak sent you that message.

“He did what?!” Sunoo gasped, eyes wide.

“Apparently, he tried to sneak in... and now he’s stuck,” you said, setting your phone down and taking a final sip of your drink before storming out.

“In the bushes?” Giselle asked, raising an eyebrow. “What the hell is wrong with this kid? Jesus…”

“Do you need help?” Sunoo asked, gripping your shoulders before you left.

“Nah, I’m good,” you replied with a small smile, then burst out laughing. “God, why is he like this...”

What you didn’t know was that Sunghoon had been eyeing you all night. He wasn’t sure how to make it sound casual, but he really wanted to get closer to you. His friendship with Jungwon meant a lot to him, so naturally, he wanted to be tight with his twin sister too, just like Jay was. But there was something about you that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He thought you were funny—everyone thought that. But this was the first time he’d seen you up close for more than a few minutes, like those brief encounters in the college hallways when you bumped into Jungwon. Tonight, though, you were way closer. Still, you hadn’t said a word to each other besides "hey” or "how are you” or “this drink is pretty strong”.

So, after downing about 8 or 9 beers and a couple of vodka shots, he figured it was definitely a good idea to talk to you. And then you stormed out. But even then, he still thought it was a great idea to try and help you with whatever was going on.

Only did he know that your cousin - your underage cousin - was trying to sneak into an already crowded party and got trapped in the bushes outside the house.

Sunghoon rushed toward you as you made your way outside. He bumped into you, causing his beer to splash all over the floor—and a little bit on your shoes. “Sorry, sorry! I’m so sorry, Y/n,” he mumbled, clearly tipsy.

“That’s alright,” you laughed at him. “Why aren’t you with Jungwon?” you asked, since you had just seen him a minute ago chatting with Jay and your brother.

“I—I saw you storming out, and I thought you might need help with something.” He looked down at the alcohol stains on his shirt, trying to clean them off with no luck.

“And your drunk ass is going to help me, huh?” You chuckled. “Alright, let’s go outside.”

Sunghoon followed you, even though he had no idea what was going on. And honestly, neither did you. You weren’t sure why you accepted his help. Your friends had offered to come along, but you turned them down. Still, there was something about Sunghoon that made him fun to be around—even if he was drunk as hell. And, yeah… you thought he was kind of cute. Dangerously cute, considering he was one of your twin brother’s best friends.

The moment you stepped outside the house, Sunghoon leaned against a column on the balcony, eyes closed.

“Are you okay?” you asked, stepping closer and gently placing your hand on his shoulder. “I can grab you some water.”

“No, no need,” he muttered, his eyes still shut. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and suddenly found himself staring at you. You were standing there, looking up at him with your hand on his shoulder, offering help in the sweetest way possible. You looked cute as hell.

His best friend's twin sister looking cute as hell.

Sunghoon quickly got to his feet, stepping back from you like he just realized he was getting too close to danger. “Thanks, though. So, where are we going?”

You thought it was weird how he moved away so suddenly, but then again—he was wasted.

“So… do you know Woonhak?” you asked, to which he nodded.

“Well, he tried to sneak into the party, and now he’s stuck in the bushes. So we’re going to help him out.”

He blinked at you, clearly trying to process your words, but his drunk brain was too busy thinking about how cute you looked to focus on anything else.

Sunghoon followed you as you walked around the side of the house, looking for any sign of your cousin hiding in the bushes. Yeonjun’s frat house was massive—basically a mansion. People were still pouring in, and the party was getting way more packed than it had any right to be.

You pulled out your phone to text Woonhak and ask where the hell he was. That’s when Sunghoon placed a hand on your shoulder. He mumbled something you couldn’t quite catch, so you turned to face him.

“What was that?”

“I’m gonna…”

And then it happened.

He threw up right beside you. Your shoes were instantly soaked in vomit.

You were in shock. You had no idea what to do. Sunghoon was mumbling at you, but your brain was way too foggy from the unpleasant surprise.

“Fuck, Y/n. I-I’m so…” And then he threw up again. This time, right on a bush.

“Oh. My. God.” You heard a familiar voice from the bushes. “Is that puke? What the fuck! Oh my God, I’m gonna barf.”

“Woonhak?!” you yelled, still in disbelief. “Is that you?”

“Y/n?!” your cousin shouted back. “What the hell, dude?!”

“I’m with Sunghoon, he came to help. But, uh… he’s feeling sick.” You watched Sunghoon flop onto the grass next to you, yanking off his jacket. “What are you doing?!”

“I’m gonna clean your shoes.” Sunghoon mumbled, placing his jacket on your shoes and attempting to wipe them off, with zero luck.

“No, Sunghoon, you don’t have to—“ You stood there, frozen, watching the mess unfold. You leaned into him, grabbed his arms, and awkwardly pulled him up. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

He draped his arms over your shoulder, but he was way heavier than you expected. By now, you had already abandoned your shoes, and you yelled back at your cousin, still stuck in the bushes.

“Woonhak, I’ll get someone else to pull you outta there! Hold on!”

Woonhak yelled back, clearly pissed off by your response. But you were way too focused on not gagging from the smell of vomit to even care about what your cousin was saying.

You stumbled into the house with Sunghoon slumped against your shoulder, and, by some miracle, you found a bathroom that wasn’t already occupied. The house was packed, and it was starting to feel a little claustrophobic. As you made your way to the bathroom, you had to elbow your way through the crowd—people giving you weird looks as the smell of vomit followed you and Sunghoon like a shadow.

And of course, one of those people was Jake. The college quarterback, who had a major crush on you and hated Sunghoon with a burning passion.

But Jake didn’t even notice you were the one carrying Sunghoon. He was way too focused on finding yourself in the crowd. When you bumped into him, he didn’t even register it was you—he was too busy trying to spot you through the sea of drunk college students. Not that he wasn’t tipsy himself, but he wasn’t Sunghoon-level wasted yet. He was just tipsy enough to be a mess.

“Still haven’t found her?” Niki asked, handing Jake another round of beer in a red solo cup.

“Nope,” Jake muttered, taking a sip and continuing his search.

“What are you gonna do if you actually find her, though?” Heeseung chimed in. “I mean, you see her around all the time, and yeah, she texted you out of nowhere, but you still don’t have the guts to actually talk to her.”

Jake shot Heeseung a look. “You’re saying way too much for someone who can’t even text in English.”

Heeseung rolled his eyes. “Whatever, dude. You’re gonna be drooling over her for the rest of your life if you don’t do something.”

Jake knew Heeseung was right. He’d had a crush on you for way longer than he could remember, but he never actually talked to you. At this point, he was pretty sure you didn’t even know what he looked like. And that was kind of shocking, because Jake was the starting quarterback. Everyone knew Jake. Hell, even your cousin Woonhak was practically fangirling over him. So the fact that you didn’t give a shit about him had Jake way more intrigued than he probably should’ve been. And, just to make things worse, you looked hot as hell.

“Alright, I’m gonna wash my face for a bit,” Jake muttered, turning away from his friends and heading for the nearest bathroom—the one you and Sunghoon had just entered.

The door wasn’t locked, so Jake swung it open without a second thought—only to freeze when he saw what was happening. There you were, standing at the sink, trying (and failing) to clean Sunghoon’s shirt while he sat on the toilet, bare-chested and totally wasted.

Jake was stunned. He couldn’t even process what he was seeing. You—his ultimate crush—with his nemesis, sitting half-naked and drunk as hell, right beside you.

“Can I help you?” you asked, clearly a little annoyed, as Jake stood there, completely frozen, staring at you.

“Sorry, I just…” Jake mumbled, his words stumbling over each other. “Sorry, I’ll leave.” Then he slammed the door shut, still in shock.

He leaned against the bathroom door, trying to process what he’d just seen. You were just cleaning his shirt, he thought. There was the overwhelming smell of vomit in the air, so Jake had connected the dots. Still, he felt this annoying twinge of jealousy. Not because Sunghoon was puking and you were helping him out, no. It was because Sunghoon was close to you. And Jake hated that.

“You look like you just saw a ghost,” Beomgyu said when Jake finally rejoined his friends.

“I did. I saw Sunghoon,” Jake muttered, taking a long gulp of his beer.

“So what? You see him at practice all the time.”

“I saw him with Y/n. In the bathroom. Just now,” Jake practically whispered, like he was sharing a dark secret.

“Oh.” Beomgyu and Heeseung’s eyes went wide. “In the bathroom? Doing what?”

“She was cleaning his shirt, I guess. He was sitting naked on the toilet,” Jake sighed.

“Naked?!” All his friends gasped in unison. Jake was already drowning in stress and embarrassment.

“Half-naked. I think he got sick or something. It smelled awful in there. She was probably just helping him out.” He snorted. “I swear to God, we have practice on Monday. Is he seriously going to show up hungover like that?”

Jake didn’t stop to think about the fact that he himself had been drinking. But right now, all he could focus on was how pissed he was that you—his ultimate crush—were stuck with his nemesis. He needed to blame someone, and Sunghoon was as good a target as any.

Meanwhile, you had already called Jungwon to help you out. He said he’d get Woonhak out of the bushes and suggested you and Sunghoon head out of the house since it was getting way too crowded.

So, you agreed. Now, you were sitting on the balcony with Sunghoon beside you—completely wasted, his shirt half-dry, half-wet, while you were barefoot and trying not to look like a mess. And, in the midst of all this chaos, there was just one thought running through your mind: I should’ve stayed home.

“I’m so… so sorry, Y/n,” Sunghoon mumbled, barely getting the words out as he leaned heavily against the wall. His face was pale as he’d just emptied his entire stomach.

“It’s fine. These things happen,” you replied, trying to steady your breathing and avoid focusing too much on the situation.

“No, really.” His gaze met yours, his eyes soft and unfocused, and despite everything, you found yourself noticing how round and gentle they looked. “You never come to these parties… I feel like I ruined it for you.”

“You didn’t,” you reassured him. “You were just trying to help.” You weren’t sure if Sunghoon was the type to cry when he drank too much, but you figured it was better not to find out.

“I just wanted to get closer to you,” he admitted quietly, the words broken up by a hiccup.

You handed him the cup of water you’d brought over, watching as he accepted it like it was some grand gesture. The vulnerability in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed.

“Why?” you asked softly.

“Because Jay’s close to you, and he’s not your brother's BFF. I am.” His expression twisted into a slight pout, and you couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

“Right,” you said, giving his knee a gentle pat. “But I think you’re more like Jungwon’s best friend, Sunghoon.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

You smiled, knowing he probably wouldn’t remember any of this tomorrow—and honestly, you hoped he wouldn’t. You just wanted to him not feel so bad aboud the fact that he just threw up at your shoes.

At this point, Jake had fully committed to getting obliterated tonight. So, he and Heeseung knocked back a couple of vodka shots and decided to light up a joint on the balcony. As they stepped outside, Jake was on a mission to find a quiet corner, but then he saw you again. With Sunghoon. This time, he wasn’t half-naked, but that didn’t stop Jake from being pissed.

Without thinking, Jake stormed off, leaving Heeseung standing there, completely baffled by what was going on with his best friend.

“Is he bothering you?” Jake snapped, glaring down at you and Sunghoon. His eyes flicked to your bare feet. “You need shoes? I can get Yeonjun to grab you some.”

“No, he’s not bothering me. And no, thanks,” you shot back, annoyed.

Jake realized then that he had definitely had more to drink than he could handle. And seeing you with Sunghoon like that? Not helping.

“Well, because he’s always bothering. He’s gonna show up at practice on Monday hungover, and gonna mess everything up,” Jake mumbled, drunk as a skunk.

“What?!” You stared at him, incredulous. “You’re gonna be just as hungover on Monday! Why are you beefing on him like that?”

“Is he your friend?” Jake asked, slurring the words a little too much.

“Well, no—” You started to answer, but then someone screamed from the front of the house.

“The cops are coming!”

Panic spread like wildfire. Everyone started running around like chickens, and when you tried to help Sunghoon stand, you got hit with another surprise.

Jake. Threw. Up.

This time, not on you.

But on Sunghoon’s feet.

You froze. Is this real life? You thought. Are the introvert Gods punishing me for turning down a quiet Mario Kart night and takeout?

Your brain kicked into survival mode. You grabbed Sunghoon and Jake, half-dragging them toward a room. As you tried to remember where the hell Woonhak was, you spotted a basement door. Without missing a beat, you ran toward it.

You flung open the door, dragged the two of them inside, and Sunghoon collapsed on the bed and passed out immediately.

The room was clearly a student’s lair—posters of bands you’d never heard of and manly stuff you couldn’t care less about, but whatever. You had bigger problems.

Jake, meanwhile, had found a trash can and was busy making sure it was filled to the brim with his own vomit. You stood there, completely stunned, trying to process the insanity. Your brother’s best friend was face down on a random bed, unconscious. The college quarterback who hated Sunghoon’s guts was puking into someone else’s trash can. You were barefoot, in a party you never wanted to be at, with cops outside because the place was literally bursting at the seams.

And oh yeah, your cousin was still stuck in the bushes.

Was he? Did Jungwon help him out?

And now, you were trapped in that basement. And you didn't know what to do.

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author's note: HEY GUYS this is the first pov i write, sorry this is longer than usual 😭 btw this is pure chaos and it happened something really similar to a friend of mine, believe it or not. anyways!! hope you guys enjoy it 🤍

taglist: @jayparked @jungwonsstrawberriesnchocolate @kixri @soobnuuy @dreamiestay @somuchdard @nyyoryyu @atinyrosedoor @enhaverse713586 @miszes @wildtigerlili @hoonkishoe @wilonevys @m1dn1ghtv1olet

[minnlahzz]

Alain Relationship Headcanons.

requested.

alain, alain... i hate french people, but ig he gets a pass because his pokemon are sick!! sorry for the delay of this request, procrastination gets the best of me

alain isn’t the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. he’s reserved, almost to a fault (dangerously nonchalant 😔🙏) and it takes time to understand how he shows affection. he’s not one for grand declarations, but his loyalty and quiet care speak volumes. you might not get a lot of words from him, but his actions leave no room for doubt.

alain would never confess first–not because he doesn't care, but because he's too cautious. (also because he doesn't know how he would talk to you about this, considering he's still young and doesn't want to look like a fool infront of you) you guys have a great friendship already, why ruin it with all that mushy stuff? even if it's obvious you like him back, he's not quick to make assumptions and sees this as your 'friendly gestures,' which definitely killed you as he ignored all your signs BLINDLY. so realistically you would have to confess first.

when you confess to him, he just zones out trying to process what you said. almost like he didn't believe that you liked him back. It would go something along the lines of this.

you weren't planning on confessing, and especially not today. it just slipped out of your mouth while you guys were hanging out. “i think i’m in love with you,”

alain blinked, turning to look at you like you’d just spoken gibberish. “what did you just say to me?” he heard it loud and clear, he just didn't understand why you said that.

“nothing!”

“...you’re terrible at lying.” (he likes you back)

for him, actions speak louder than words. that's why his love language is 100% acts of service. he’s not great at expressing his feelings, but he’ll go out of his way to do it for you. need help with something? already done. forgot your umbrella? he’s there with one even before it started getting cloudy.

alain is okay with pda, as long as its not excessive or like frequent. holding hands? sure, why not. hugs? yup! kiss? sure, but only on the cheek.

he’s very observant and notices things about you that even you might overlook. if you’re stressed or upset, he’ll pick up on it right away, even if you’re trying to hide it.

alain can be quite protective, but not the point of being overbearing. he trusts that you can handle yourself, but if ever someone tries to mess with you, they're going to face alains charizard!!

arguments with him are rare, but when they happen, they’re intense. he’s not the type to yell or lose his temper, but his stubbornness can make things drag out longer than they need to. he hates conflict, so he’ll sometimes shut down instead of addressing the issue right away. it’s frustrating, but once he’s had time to think, he’ll come back to make up.

dates with alain aren’t traditional, and honestly, they might not even feel like dates at first. like a walk through the streets of lumiose city or spending time at a Pokémon Center while Charizard gets checked up. it’s less about the activity and more about being with you in a way that feels natural to him. he tries his best though!!

he's not that romantic let me make that clear, but his silliness is somehow charming in a way. he does hilarious things without noticing, and he'd just stare at you confused on what you're laughing about. he's the type of guy who would give you flowers randomly and then say "it was on sale..."

one time, you walked in on him mid-rant about how the weather was today, and charizard was just sitting there nodding like it understood. when he noticed you, he got all defensive: “what? it’s not weird.” yeah, okay, whatever you say alain...

rating time!! 8/10 he's actually really fun to be around despite his cold demeanor and nonchalant dread head energy, he's dependable and genuinely cares for your well being, but his communication skills are through the floor because its almost non–existent! goodluck showing him to your parents...

[wen-kexing-apologist]

QL 2024: Favorite Friendships

Tagged by @lurkingshan, I love my friends so much so naturally I love watching portrayals of incredible friendships on screen as well. So here are my top ten friendships of 2024 in no particular order (did I cheat a little bit? Yes, yes I did and I’m not sorry about it): 

Yako, Nomoto, Kasuga, and Nagumo - She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat 

gif by @musicdramalove

As someone with a metric fuck ton of friendships that started on the internet and moved to meeting in person, I really love that Nomoto met Professional Baby Lesbian Mentor Yako online and that they maintained that friendship for awhile. It was so wonderful getting to meet Yako this season and to see the friendship between her and Nomoto blossom first with online movie nights and then meeting and cooking together in person with Kasuga and Nagumo as well.  I also really loved Kasuga, Nomoto and eventually Yako adopting my beloved Nagumo in to their little found family and being so accepting and accommodating with Nagumo’s relationship to food. I love that while it was Kasuga and Nomoto that Nagumo first confides in, we see a genuine friendship between Yako and Nagumo start growing outside of their ties to Kasuga and Nomoto. 

Latte, Almond, Thanwa, and Peak- Knock Knock, Boys!

One does not watch all these boys collapsed and sleeping together in the living room of their home without appreciating the bonds of male friendship in all its messy glory. I love the ways they show up for each other, I love how distinctive their personalities and their functions in their friendship are. I love that Thanwa kind of mothers all of them, that he’s encouraged to follow his dreams, that they all come together to figure out what is happening with the recorded videos, etc. I love that the romantic relationships between Latte and Almond and also Thanwa and Peak come after a very strong and genuine friendship, so that them getting together is believable. Also, I want to give a special shout out to Jane for how much she cares about Peak and how often she pushes him to stop running and take accountability, that’s love, bitch!

Go Yeong and The T-aras- Love in the Big City

My absolute favorite change from the book to the television show was the inclusion of the T-aras as the bridge between each part of Go Yeong’s life. They work as a litmus test for Yeong’s romantic relationships, who he does and does not introduce them to, how they interact with is partners. They work as a point of comparison between Go Yeong’s ease and joy with them compared to his (brief) experiences trying to maintain het male friendships with people in college. They may not be able to see so strongly through Go Yeong’s mask as people like Gyu Ho but they are there for Go Yeong through all the hardest parts of his life, they are there fighting hospital security to make sure Go Yeong knows he is loved when he wakes up from his suicide attempt, they help Yeong carry his mother’s coffin, and they are there to spread love and joy to Yeong after his breakup with Gyu Ho. 

The Sea Creatures- Marahuyo Project

I had to include them all together because there are a number of beautiful friendships between these kids. Lili and Lorena, and the feelings and protectiveness between them. King and Venice and the solace and support they find in one another as visible, loud, proud queer people. Of all the ways they show up for each other, for the Pride parade they have despite not getting permission to start their club. This handful of queer kids in this small little town are so important to each other and also so important to me.

Wei Qian and San Pang- Unknown 

San Pang has been there for Wei Qian through thick and thin, he’s been the relief support when Wei Qian was struggling as a teenager, and he has been the bridge between Wei Qian and Zhi Yuan as they navigated their growing feelings towards one another. It’s not just the relationship between San Pang and Wei Qian that I love, it’s the way he is important to the whole family. Like the way he looks at Wei Li Li is so important to me, and the conversation that he has with Zhi Yuan when trying to tell Yuan he cannot have romantic feelings for Qian is one of my favorite scenes of 2024. He has been family to them for so long, and I am very glad that even though dating Wei Li Li confirms he has a death wish, I am very glad that he is officially a part of the family. 

The Three Must-Eat-Eers - Cooking Crush 

gif by @save-the-data

These boys love each other so much, and I really appreciated both the teamwork that they exhibit and also the fact that even though they are the best of friends and have been through hell together in school, that the narrative still allows them to fail Unky as a friend and that Unky is not only allowed to be mad about it, but it’s not seen as dramatic or unfair by Prem or Dynamite. They feel really bad about it, and they do what they need to do to make it up to him. I love that their friendship extends beyond school, that they aren’t just friends because they are in the same classes, but that they match each other’s freak, that they have sleepovers, and get together outside of school to watch their favorite show in their matching outfits. 

Makoto and Daichi- No One Cares for an Old Man’s Underwear

An important part of any relationship is reciprocity and I do believe that Daichi and Makoto have one of the best examples of reciprocity in their friendship. I love that their friendship starts with Makoto making a homophobic comment and Daichi literally laughing in his face. He is so patient and kind with Makoto as he navigates this brave new world he is uncovering, and yet he does get annoyed and angry and upset. Neither Daichi nor Makoto are perfect people and they do not have to be. Daichi is there to help Makoto when he stumbles, and Makoto is there to help Daichi when he’s upset about his dad’s homophobia. I also just think it is really important to see friendships with big age gaps like this one, because people can be friends at any age and it feels important to remind people of that. 

Kakeru and Hasegawa + Kakeru and Karina- No One Cares for an Old Man’s Underwear

Just as I think it is important to demonstrate conflict in friendships like Unky, Dy, and Prem’s, I think it is vitally important for Kakeru to learn that having conflicts with people does not mean that people hate you or do not want to be your friend. I love that Kakeru’s reasons for not going to school have nothing to do with him being bullied and have everything to do with him feeling uncomfortable with the way his teammates talk about/treat women. Karine is an intense and passionate person who really loves what she does, and when Kakeru is first introduced to her, he avoids her like the plague because he doesn’t want to be in conflict with her. But once she corners him and forces him to talk with her, she speaks her mind about Kakeru giving away his makeup advice for free and cutting her out of her little in-school business. Their friendship begins with conflict and quickly moves past that in to a genuine connection over a shared interest. Karina helps teach Kakeru that not only can he speak his mind to his friends, but that he has a literal obligation to do so. 

Meanwhile, Hasegawa is a really wonderful example of Kakeru making assumptions about the people he is around and how that can negatively impact his ability to maintain friendships with them. Yeah Hasegawa was a part of that conversation around women that caused Kakeru to leave school for awhile, but he also see’s Kakeru’s interest in makeup and looking cute and immediately goes to him for skincare advice. He tells Kakeru when he thinks something is cool and later on in their friendship he tells Kakeru when he thinks something Kakeru is doing is lame. So while Karina and Kakeru’s friendship started with conflict and moved on. Hasegawa and Kakeru’s friendship started with connection and had conflict, but that did not implode their relationship with one another and Kakeru did speak his mind with the baseball team when they started talking about girls in a way he didn’t like and the world kept turning and his teammates did some self reflection and immediately agreed that what they were saying was kinda shitty. I believe it is a profound act of love from a friend to hold the people you love accountable and to help them become better people, to love themselves, and to learn and grow in general and I think Kakeru’s friendships with Karina and Hasegawa are really beautiful examples of that. 

___

For the last two on the list, I want to talk about some complicated friendships that I absolutely loved this year: 

Lee Do Hoe and Ha Hyeon Ho- Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

I really enjoyed Ha Hyeon Ho’s relationship with Lee Do Hoe. It makes perfect sense in a town like they grew up in, in the time that they grew up in that Heyon Ho would be present for and engage in physical conflict with Do Hoe. And, it also makes perfect sense that Hyeon Ho would do what he could to protect Do Hoe from getting seriously hurt or injured. I think one of the most important tiny moments to me in Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo was when Hyeon Ho’s other friends shoved Do Hoe to the ground and Hyeon Ho stuck his foot out to catch Do Hoe’s head before it could hit asphalt. 

There is something so beautiful and so tragic about Hyeon Ho sticking around Do Hoe in adulthood with some hope that Do Hoe might one day reciprocate his feelings. I love that he keeps all of these secrets for Do Hoe because he loves him and believes that he is helping, but all it has done is hurt Do Hoe. I love that Do Hoe knows why Hyeon Ho sticks around and strings him along. I love that they are friends for this long and that they hurt each other, and that they know it and that they can’t stop. I really appreciate how sympathetic they made Hyeon Ho, and that Hwang Da Seul really demonstrated that Ju Yeong was the right person for Do Hoe because Ju Yeong knew how much it was eating Do Hoe alive to live in this lie, even if Hyeon Ho believed he was doing the right thing. 

Venice and Archie- Marahuyo Project 

God talk about a complicated fucking friendship. This is such a raw and real representation of the ways in which love, care, grief, and fear can hurt ourselves and the people we care about. Venice and Archie’s friendship is also a beautiful example of what radical empathy looks like. Archie undoubtedly, repeatedly, and somewhat unremorsefully hurts Venice. He misgenders her, he deadnames her, he deadnames Christina. He pushes himself further and further into the folds of religion, internalizing his homophobia so deeply that it literally makes him so uncomfortable in his skin. But the hurt that Archie causes Venice is borne from a place of love and fear for her and her life and her safety. And despite how terrible Archie treats her throughout the show, Venice takes it in stride, and she talks with him, and laughs with him, and cries with him over a monumental loss. I do not believe for a second that Venice would tolerate the way Archie treats her from anyone else, but she knows exactly what is causing Archie to react this way towards her, and so she tolerates it, and she treats him with kindness and compassion and patience. She knows that Archie is scared and alone, and trying to run from the feelings he has.

Honestly I really need to watch this show again because I want to sit with their friendship more, and it means so much to me that though Archie is likely going to go down the path of priesthood for longer than he really should given how terrible it has been for his mental and physical wellbeing, to see this change in Archie that allowed him to help with the Pride parade in a way that felt comfortable and safe for him was incredibly important, and a truly beautiful moment of love towards his friend Venice and the community he is a part of, even if he cannot be loud and proud with them.

tagging @so-much-yet-to-learn, @shortpplfedup, @emotionallychargedtowel, and @neuroticbookworm

[wildflowerwoodsworld]

Wild's Black Clover Fic Recs

I did have one list, but Tumblr wouldn't let me post is all as one, so stay tuned for Part Two with more shippy fics

So, I've seen a lot of these floating around over the years and they all seem to have the same dozen fics on them, so I want to try and highlight some of the lesser known fics in this fandom I love alongside some of the more well-known ones. (Note: I have done my best to avoid reccing more than three/four fics by the same person to make sure plenty of authors make it onto the list, not just the popular ones)

This is not just my tastes, I have asked a lot of other people in this fandom for their own fic recs to compile into this list.

Disclaimer: despite my best attempts to be unbiased with this list, I'm human. There are some amazing fics that I haven't personally read bc they contain my NOTPs or tags I don't like or they just squick me out. This is not a complete list of fics in the fandom you should read. This is a list of fics I, and my friends, like.

I will also not be including any purely smut fics on this list.

Wordcounts have been rounded to the nearest 1000 words. They might be slightly longer or slightly shorter than the wordcount listed.

With that being said, let's get into it!

Gen Bulls-Centric Fics

I'm going to preface this entry with the statement that I was not intending to put any of my own fics on this list. Then I had several people tell me that I needed to include this. So here it is.

Crytpid Black Bulls (Series) by WildflowerWoods

Rating: T Ships: Gen Black Bulls Length: 130k The Black Bulls are the cryptids of the Clover Kingdom. AKA a series of short stories about the Black Bulls and everyone else coming to realise just how crazy they are. Not in chronological order.

Small Problems by eclipsingbinary

(I would also reccomend the series this fic is attatched to)

Rating: T Ships: Gen Black Bulls Length: 52k Yami sends out four of his magic knights to investigate a well explored dungeon. Three of them come back a little different. The story of Yami's adventures in unexpected fatherhood, Asta's sudden promotion to 'not the youngest member of the squad anymore' and Vanessa's new talents in children's toy manufacture. Also featuring unpleasant realisations, child endangerment and a hefty dose of making things better with cuddles and pancakes.

hearts can break, but can also be mended by Katcchan

Rating: G Ships: Yami & Finral, Black Bulls & Finral Length: 3k A few days after the Royal Knights Selection Exam, Finral wakes up to Yami talking to William and his brother, Langris.  Finral + Yami/Black Bulls hurt/comfort fic!

love, i've lost a screw or two, so could i snag a spare off you? by JadeGM

Rating: G Ships: Yami & Everyone Length: 2k After the final battle against the Dark Triad, the Black Bulls all want to make sure their captain's okay - and they're not the only ones.

Found My Heart and Broke It Here by JadeGM

Rating: M Ships: Luck & Magna, Luck & Vanessa Length: 5k Being bodysnatched via forbidden magic isn't a pleasant sensation for anyone, but it works out especially badly in combination with Luck's natural mana sensitivity. There will be hugs at the end, just as in canon.

The Place I Call Home by Oighear

Rating: G Ships: Gen Black Bulls Length: 3k Day 8: Free prompt- Home How the Black Bulls made their base and their squad their home.

A Bird in the Rain by Acacia_May

Rating: T Ships: Finral & Yami & Vanessa & Gordon Length: 2k If Captain Yami is being honest, he doesn't know what to make of the poor girl who followed him home from the Forest of Witches and who, for some unfathomable reason, still hasn't left yet. When the Black Bulls get caught in a torrential downpour in the middle of nowhere, however, he gets to see a completely new side of her and a new side of his squad as well. Maybe she belongs with them after all. Pre-Series Black Bulls Family Fluff and Fluffy Team Bonding. This is all about the love of a found family and friendship. I guess if you really wanted to see some of the relationships as romantic you could(?), but this is not a romantic work (beyond just the tiniest bit of Finral being Finral, I guess haha). This story takes place before "Yellow Flowers," but you don't have to read that story in order to understand this one. Rating is for some language. Thank you for reading! Cheers!!

Spin the Wheel by Cyrooo

Rating: G Ships: Gen Black Bulls boys Length: 1k Day Two: Competition In which eight black bulls members play Twister under the watchful eyes of their captain and vice captain and it's as horrible as it sounds, really.

Let Us Be Stars (ongoing) by Teleportation_Magic

Rating: Not Rated Ships: Asta & Noelle Length: 7k Her legs were shaking. Asta was somewhere, ahead of her, sword in hand and a sort of never-ending conviction in his heart. She couldn’t match that, shouldn’t have tried, really, since she was going to end up dead now. And then the sky lights up. Or, Noelle and Asta find themselves in the Purple Orcas with enemies on all sides and a corrupt Captain. However, their fate is still inextricably tied to the squad of criminals as their enemies gather and pounce.

Fortune Favours the Bold by BeamMeUpCas

Rating: G Ships: Asta & Yuno, Yami & Finral, Asta & Finral Length: 21k A few months after the Eye of the Midnight Sun attacked the capital, rebuilding efforts are still ongoing. The Diamond Kingdom capitalizes on this opportunity, threatening the borderlands. The Black Bulls, amongst others, are sent to quell the insurgence. But when a lucky strike leaves Asta badly hurt, Finral, Yami, and Yuno need to do the unthinkable to keep their friend alive.

Hunted by eclipsingbinary, finralroulacoolsa

Rating: T Ships: Finral & Magna Length: 100k Liliane Vaude stands at a crossroads in her garden. In one universe she turns right. In another, she turns left and finds her son and stepson chatting together instead of doing lessons. She knows now that Finral is holding Langris back. They need to get Finral out of the house before he corrupts Langris with his idleness. That Magic Knight they met at Gueldre’s party was interested in spatial magic. He might be convinced to take Finral away to mentor him in the city. Six years later, Magna Swing is trying to improve his magic after failing the Magic Knight entrance exam. He is cold, wet, and hungry. Surely one night in a warm basement is not going to do any harm. He is not expecting what, or who he finds.

New Squad-mate, Who Dis? by ZirconiumDragon

Rating: T Ships: Finral & Zora & Asta Length: 2k Finral wakes up to find that his squad suddenly has a new member.

Fears, Insomnia, White Wine, and Hugs by unfortunately_i_love_it

Rating: T Ships: Finral & Vanessa Length: 5k No. No, he can’t. He can’t. This... This is already so stupid. So stupid of his thoughts and so stupid of him for letting the thoughts get to him like this. He couldn’t tell her what was wrong. He couldn’t tell her what was wrong because there was nothing wrong. It was fine. He was fine. He’s just overreacting. He’s just being stupid. He’s just being- “-pathetic.” Or: Vanessa comforts Finral after a rough bout of un-gucci thoughts following a rough battle.

Crazy Trust Thing by eclipsingbinary

Rating: T Ships: Finral & Yami & Vanessa Length: 24k The Black Bulls are given an undercover mission to take down mage-traffickers on the border. It sounds dangerous to Finral, but anything is better than being in the Capital when his family arrives for Langris’s Magic Knight Exam. Yami would just like his ride to come off the roof. Featuring hurt Finral, lots of comfort, finding a family and finding a home. Also known as “the story of why Captain Yami never asks Finral to ‘push past his limits’ when he says he cannot make a portal.”

The sides of Finral (Vaude) Roulacase by Lacris03

Rating: T Ships: Finral & The Black Bulls, Finral & Langris Length: 14k Finral is known to be a happy-go-lucky member of the Black Bulls. But everyone has more than one side to them. Finral is no different. The series of one-shots will mainly focus on the various sides to one Finral Roulacase and how it changes everything yet nothing at the same time.

It's Okay. We'll Just Keep Finding Ourselves by ZirconiumDragon

Rating: G Ships: Finral & The Black Bulls Length: 19k 5 Times Finral helped his squadmates. And one time he was helped in return. (Or maybe he was really being helped all along.) Alternatively: The Black Bulls are a family. And Finral is the mom friend.

Lumiereward by Cyrooo

Rating: G Ships: Nero & Lumiere, Nero & the Black Bulls Length: 1k Nero misses home. (Always). OR: Nero is a compass and Lumiere is her north.

faith bleeds through the cracks by TellNearaToWrite

Rating: T Ships: Finral & Yami Length: 8k Yami knew three things. First, that being a squad captain was shaping up to be a lot like fatherhood, and second, he was definitely not cut out for that shit. Third. Well. Julius had a lot to answer for, that was for sure. The least he could do was help a bit.

Why Asta (and Liebe) are Banned From the Kitchen by bluemeanies

Rating: G Ships: Asta & Liebe Length: 2k After Yami's katana becomes Demon Slicer and joins Asta's grimoire, Asta and Liebe start looking for other things that could be good anti-magic weapons. Liebe might be taking the concept a little too far.

Flower Crowns by AngelicCharizard

Rating: G Ships: Asta & Liebe Length: 1k During an off day, Asta decides it's a great idea to bring a devil to a church

Gen Not Bulls-Centric Fics

Think about it (Series) by thoughtfullyrainynightmare

Rating: G Ships: none Length: 6k This is a collection of short drabbles that exist to give insight to the canon characters presented in Black Clover from my personal perspective. This is about how I see them

What you sow by Willows_Bend (Katy_Stark)

Rating: G Ships: Jack & Charlotte & Yami Length: 1k Jack didn't know what to expect when he walked into their shared apartment living room. Yami glaring at a tiny plant in a pot while trying to navigate the language of botany was not one of them.

Black Clover: Captain Yami's Rescuers by YenGirl

Rating: Not Rated Ships: Yami & Jack, Yami & Charlotte Length: 1k While in captivity, Captain Yami ponders the age old question of who will rescue him and William Vangeance.

What Yami Saw by BeamMeUpCas

Rating: G Ships: Yami & Nozel Length: 8k Nozel needs a favor. Yami will maybe not hold it over his head for all eternity but he'll take great delight in letting Nozel think he will.

Ten-year Rendezvous by khanh

Rating: G Ships: William & Damnatio Length: 3k William and Damnatio went out drinking once every year.

Life goes on by teaxtime

Rating: Not Rated Ships: Yuno & Belle Length: 1k Bell had lived a long time, and will be around for even longer. (Somewhat of a character study)

The Misadventures of Morning and Darkness (Series) by BBRosenfeld

Rating: G Ships: Yami & Morgen, Yami & Nacht Length: 11k Morgen and Yami are Magic Knights from the Grey Deers squad, and most unlikely of friends. However, they were as efficient as they were opposites of each other. Follow our two besties on their path towards knighthoods, in a fanfic that explores the sinfully unexplored potential of Morgen and Yami's shenanigans as Magic Knights!

Prince Sekke by Oighear

Rating: G Ships: Silva Family Length: 6k The equilibrium between the three royal families in the Clover Kingdom was fragile. If most royals believed their own House deserved to stand alone in power, they refrained from stating these thoughts and acknowledged that the other two Houses were necessary in maintaining the perfect system they had crafted. This cordial understanding was however put in great danger when none other than King Augustus Kira Clover XIII decided to make Sekke Bronzazza a prince.

When the sun sets by khanh

Rating: G Ships: William & the Golden Dawn Length: 1k On the night Zenon captured William, the Golden Dawn has an argument. “Captain Vangeance used everything he has to save us all!” “And he shouldn’t have!! What is the use of us?!”

Follow That Dream by IAmStoryteller

Rating: M Ships: Kirsch & Dorothy Length: 6k It never occurred to anyone to question how Dorothy Unsworth, a whimsical witch, earned the trust and loyalty of Kirsch Vermillion, the narcissistic, arrogant royal.

baking dawn by saikiks (jakubox)

Rating: G Ships: Langris & the Golden Dawn Length: 1k in which langris finds himself in a happy, chaotic mess.

playing pretend by November_Clouds

Rating: T Ships: Yami & William Length: 1k When Yami Finrally comes to, all he can see is darkness. day 1: waking up restrained + shackled manga spoilers!

Lay Beside Me, Under Wicked Sky by AvaCelt

Rating: G Ships: Silva Family Length: 2k Noelle leaves, and the chips fall where they do. [Silva family!fic, post-canon]

Sunset by Lanternova

Rating: G Ships: Finral & Langris Length: 2k Before leaving on his journey, Langris and Finral talk.

birdcage by dollyfish

Rating: G Ships: Finral & Langris Length: 1k here’s gold, here’s flesh, here’s a person with two eyes like a bright, vast galaxy. you’ve never even believed in eyes so honest, and you’re thirteen, you ought to have some proper experience with the world outside the mansion. but you’re also a Vaude, and you don’t. you’re facing another Vaude, and you think- just a flicker, but it’s there- you think he pities you.

Artifice by subtleassiduities

Rating: T Ships: Silva Family Length: 31k When a retrieval mission traps Nozel with a dangerous and powerful artifact, Nebra and Solid struggle to find help before time runs out for him. But their attempts are thwarted by a widespread, rapidly progressing phenomenon: Everybody in the Clover Kingdom is forgetting about Nozel Silva. Their only choice is to depend on one another-- and Noelle, the only other person who can hold onto a memory of their dear brother. Their rescue mission forces them to face their own memories, twisted against them in ways they may not be able to overcome. TL;DR: You ever see Pokemon 3: The Movie? It's kind of like that, but better.

That One Time When Julius Was Late by wintermelon_soldier

Rating: G Ships: Julius & the Captains Length: 1k "We're late... again," Marx said with a worried expression. "Don't worry, Marx. I'm sure everything is just f-" The Magic Emperor pushed both doors open hoping to greet the Captains only to be welcomed by a vast wasteland. The conference room where it once stood is replaced by a large, empty landmass with no trees or building in sight. "W-what in the world is happening?" Marx cried at his mentor.

Ghosts by IAmStoryteller

Rating: T Ships: Julius & Everyone Length: 3k Julius has a bit of a secret. He can see ghosts of his dear departed friends.

OC Centric Fics

Paper Hearts (Ongoing) by KaLolasFantasyWorld

Rating: M Ships: Nozel/OC Length: 270k Helena Drazel is a twenty five year old Royal from Diamond Kingdom. She's a charming and cheerful woman, ready to leave the sheltered embrace of her family's estate. Her mother previously a Clover citizen and an old friend of late Acier Silva, gets her daughter an invitation to study healing magic in the Capital. Because of that friendship Helena is placed under the care of Royal House of Silva. However the siblings, especially the eldest Nozel, are not so fond of her at the beginning. You don't have to know the Black Clover story to read this. I'll be the explaining the world as the story progresses. It will be happening throughout the main events of the whole Black Clover animated series starting from the beginning (episodes 5 - 170), but I will describe them from Helena's perspective. This is a romance, but also a Silva family redemption story and a long slow burn, with many platonic relationships and BC characters appearances. It's canon plus meanwhile... Other ships will appear later in the story. There are some illustrations ;) I will include notes about possible anime spoilers. Prepare yourself for lots of laughter, drama, spanglish, angst and sexual tension. Enjoy <3

Embers of Sun and Flame by thoughtfullyrainynightmare

Rating: M Ships: Fuegoleon/OC Length: 243k This is a love story that unfolds during troubling times. Clover Kingdom facing threats from all around, but still two souls battle to merge themselves into one. Though it is not easy, especially given that one of them is not from Clover herself. But will their efforts be enough? Will their tender emotions burst into flames or shall the faintly flickering embers dim down and die out in the ashes? Read to find out ;) The story continues in "Embers of Sun and Flame: Before We Have It"

Children of the Future by LightNova

Rating: T Ships: Next Gen kids & their parents, YamiChar, Greyche, Zobra, Fuegoleon/OC, FinVan, William/OC, Julius/OC, Astelle, Yuno/OC Length: 105k When Yami and Charlotte had been summoned to see the Wizard king they had not been expecting to find out they had a 19 year old daughter from the future! Nor had they been expecting even more children from the future to appear in their world shortly after her. Just what was going on, and who was sending them here and why?

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Thank you, this covers several other things that I thought about that information! I was thinking about that page from the Daily Show book (a page I only know about because you took that picture and shared it some time ago) - the page that confirms that it is true that Ricky Gervais was involved in getting John Oliver the Daily Show job, though if I were John, these days I'd be backing Demetri Martin's claim that it was actually him who got John the job, even if there's no truth in it.

That page was the first time I learned that Andy Zaltzman was on The Daily's Show's radar at all, but as you say, there's nothing in that book that says Andy actually auditioned as well. I'd just been assuming they went to watch Zaltzman and Oliver perform as a double act, and of the two of them, John was the guy whom they decided to call in for an interview. Probably because... I know John Oliver isn't the most Hollywood-style/conventionally handsome man in the world, but he looks more telegenic than Zaltzman. Also, John Oliver's humour does tend to be a bit more grounded and accessible, while Zaltzman's the one doing the wildly convoluted flights of bullshit fancy. So I can see how TV people who watched them both perform would decide that John's the guy they want.

But the information that they both auditioned is new. I'm now seeing this through my lens as someone who was in highly competitive sport for many years - because I've already made it clear that I find it nearly impossible to describe the Zaltzman/Oliver dynamic without descending into sports metaphors. And it's because so much about how they work together reminds me of what I've seen from the very best teammates/training partners in sport, ones who bring out the best in each other and push each other to become better athletes. Ones who know each other's styles so well that each style have to evolve and adapt in order to respond to the other, their matches with each other reach deeper levels of the sport than anything else, just because they've learned how to get past each other's basic responses and they both end up finding new ideas.

In all my years as a competitive athlete and then as a coach to competitive athletes, one thing I learned is that when you have two teammates/training partners in a relationship like that, the worst thing that can happen is they get pitted against each other in a competitive situation. You want those people tearing each other to pieces in the practice room, but in a tournament, competing in different divisions so they can cheer each other on. If one beats the other when it actually matters, the friendship rarely survives, and the training relationship takes a big hit. They stop being able to work well together in practice, because they're trying to hurt each other instead of improve each other. And even if they try to go on as they did before, the bitterness comes out and messes with it.

...I am aware that Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver are not competitive athletes. But relationships like the ones I've just described are so common, and as a coach, trying to preserve relationships like that, even in the face of competition, is a big part of my job. Which may be part of why I find comedy dynamics like those described in article from the beginning of this post so interesting, the double act where both people make each other more than the sum of their parts, until it all implodes.

Point being, I already knew that the fact that the Zaltzman and Oliver working relationship lasted for so long despite the massive fame disparity means Andy Zaltzman is a saint who's largely resistant to the natural human bitterness response (not 100% immune to it, as evidenced when John Oliver finally left The Bugle, but Andy's good humour held on for a long time before that). But if they both auditioned together for a life-changing opportunity, and only of them got a callback? By rights, that working relationship should have imploded in 2006.

I realize that reading all this stuff into the situation between two people I've never met is incredibly parasocial of me, by the way. I don't have a good justification or mitigation for it, or anything. I just want to acknowledge that I know. Sorry. I would try to avoid getting too parasocial about Chocolate Milk Gang-era Zaltzman and Oliver, but I think that ship's sailed long ago, I'm leaning into it now.

Anyway, @lastweeksshirttonight, I also want to know whether they were auditioning to be the first double act on The Daily Show, or whether they knew they were both competing for a single spot. What a shame that I didn't come across this article until after it was too late to submit questions for the Zaltzman/Oliver 2024 Bulge Q&A. Which is coming out this weekend, and I'm sure we'll all be a normal and non-parasocial amount of excited about it.

I just came across the article today, and the whole thing is very interesting. I highly recommend reading it all, to anyone who's interested in the history of British comedy double acts. It's basic stories that I did already know - Cook and Moore, Lee and Herring, Newman and Baddiel, French and Saunders - but it juxtaposes them in a way that I quite enjoyed reading, and adds a number of details that I did not already know. I am interesting in double act dynamics, so this was a really cool article.

However, I am, of course, going to cut and paste on particular segment:

In 2006, Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver, who were at the time writing their third Edinburgh show together, travelled to London to audition for a role on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. Only Oliver, however, was called to a second audition. “When they offered him the job, unfathomably, John chose to go and work on the world’s leading satirical TV show rather than speak to 30 people in a tiny room in Edinburgh,” Zaltzman tells me over a Diet Pepsi in a London pub. After the swift departure of Oliver, who now presents HBO’s primetime political talkshow Last Week Tonight, Zaltzman was left to write and, two weeks later, perform the Edinburgh show alone. “It was difficult because I had nothing to replace this wonderful working relationship and friendship,” Zaltzman says. The year after Oliver left for America, Zaltzman “bumbled along” performing political standup. Then they were offered the opportunity to record a weekly topical podcast, the Bugle. Oliver agreed to rejoin the double act (albeit via a telephone line) as co-host. “It worked well straight away,” says Zaltzman. “There hadn’t been any great falling out, so in that sense it was easy for us to work together again.” The podcast, a satirical take on the week’s news, ran from 2007 to 2014 without a break. It then had a hiatus while Oliver focused on launching his new TV show; he soon found that the show was taking up too much of his time, and the Bugle came to an end in 2015. Then in 2016, Zaltzman relaunched it without Oliver, instead partnering with a roster of comedians including Nish Kumar and Hari Kondabolu. “To lose [Oliver] after having worked so closely for years left a void,” says Zaltzman. “But my frustration was not with his success. I like to think I haven’t become a bitter, twisted, resentment-fuelled showbiz cliche. But maybe there is a residual awkwardness about the different paths we’ve taken.”

Sorry, what the fuck? Did anyone else know about this? That apparently Andy Zaltzman also auditioned for The Daily Show, at the same time as John? I know a hell of a lot about the Zaltzman and Oliver history, and I never knew that. Which means Zaltzman's kept it quiet, in the all the times he's told stories in interviews about the paths their double acts took in those years.

I'd heard all that other stuff before. There's a Bugle quote (from 2018, the same year this article came out, so I guess Andy was into that phrasing at the time), in which Andy refers to: "June 2006, when [John Oliver] told me he wanted to do the Daily Show job instead of coming with me to Edinburgh to talk to 25 people a day in a darkened room." And of course I've heard Andy talk about how he felt like he was "bumbling" in the year between John going to America (June 2006) and The Bugle starting (Oct 2007), as he tried to get by without the double act. I'm convinced that the difficulty he had during that year is why he waited so long to pull the plug on The Bugle in 2015, when John had clearly checked out, and yet Andy kept doing filler episodes in which he'd tell us they're going to get this going with John again soon, like a mother telling the children that their dad has just gone out for cigarettes and will be back. Of all the double act stories in that article, Zaltzman and Oliver has to be one where one member tried the hardest to claw on after the other was out, not wanting to let go of it. And I include Lee and Herring, when I say Zaltzman and Oliver did that more than any others.

Anyway, the information that Andy Zaltzman had also auditioned for The Daily Show is a massive fact for this article to just casually drop. That recontextualizes a lot of stuff from around that time, and makes a lot of sense. @lastweeksshirttonight, @bimwi - as the other people here who know a lot about that history, am I the only one who didn't know that? Was anyone else aware of this?

[rise-my-angel]

Can you do reader and theon’s friendship in the your og series first and then the Modern AU?

I thought doing mini headcanon style might be easier, so let's start with main series hotgw:

Because Theon is the captain of your personal guard, he spends a significant amount of time with you. If he isn't on his off time, or dealing with his men, he's with you. So since coming back he and you are together a lot.

Theon is endlessly amused by how little you let anyone touch the baby. Pointing out the maids just want to help but still dismisses them because he can see the look on your face isn't happy about the suggestion they watch the baby for a while so you can relax

Normally, once little Eddard is asleep, you enlist him into helping with whatever youre doing

Normally you're doing a lot of Jons really tedious behind the scenes paper work and you make Theon help you since he's used to this sort of work from when he was Ned Starks ward

A lot of this time is spent bantering. It's the most normal you two feel. You make fun of the dumb letters Jon gets sent, Theon jokes about how boring Jons job really is and then teases you for wanting to do the boring parts. Saying its only because your boring.

He doesn't actively interact with little Eddard, since he knows your sensitive about him, but you like to encourage the baby when hes in your arms to let Theon say hi. He's actually quite good with him, it reminds him of when Rickon was that small and how much he enjoyed that stage.

Its actually now a lot like it used to be. You and Theon are very different people now, but your day to day lives are a lot like when you were both wards under the Starks.

Theon doesn't get involved in a lot of active drama involving you, since much of his life is just ensuring you dont walk out into a snowstorm barefoot and never come back. He has enough to do trying to wrangle you in from doing shit he knows Jon wouldnt want you doing. Which is what you used to do for him, so he wouldn;t get in trouble with Ned. The roles are reversed.

He doesn't want to talk about Yara. She's the sister that abandonded him, and you're the sister he chose himself. And his real sister tried to kill Jon, potentially the baby, and kidnap you to bring you to Euron and despite what else she did afterwards that redeemed her, he doesnt care. She's done too much to him and the people he loves. He doesnt want to talk about her with you, because he wants to keep that part of his life away from you now. Knowing Euron is involved, he wants to keep you as far from the rest of the Greyjoys as possible including her.

He has a very amusing side friendship with Olly and Gendry both, whom really put to test his wit considering how being so lowborn meant they are used to saying what they want.

You two have never discussed Ramsay since Jon executed him. Neither of you discuss how Ramsay would do things to you and make Theon watch, or worse look each other in the eye when it happened. He never brings up the even worse things he knows Ramsay forced you do to, and you never bring up the horrible things Ramsay did to him. It's a silent trauma you both can look at each other and feel, but neither of you want to go back there. Deep down you're both still far too scared to talk about Ramsay again with each other. You both went through so much side by side that no one else can understand and it's terrifying to go back to that.

You have begun asking more and more about Euron though, and thats made Theon worry. That you might be severely underplaying whats been going on with Euron towards you, and that you might also not be telling the whole truth to Jon either. And that also scares him, since he knows as bad as Ramsay was, Euron is worse, and Euron is alive, out there, wants you, and is way smarter and more terrifying then Ramsay ever was.

Their modern!au friendship has a lot less hangups, I promise.

Neither of you ever hated each other. On the other hand, you both were easy friends rather quickly. You both had difficult fathers and distant families, you both were spending much time in the North as outsiders, and you both shared a lot of the same interests.

You both would go out into the wolfswood and see who could climb the highest rock side cliff without any saftey gear, much to the Starks dismay. You were both very competitive with just the other to the point really thats what bonded you.

You never had any brothers, and Theon barley knows his sister, so it was like a match made in hell. You both found siblings in the other and have treated each other like it ever since.

On multiple occasions when you lived five hours away with Karl Tanner, Robb and Jon would have to talk him out of driving up there and beating the shit out of him anytime you'd post something worrying online. Everyone was worried, but Theon felt that big brother instinct to go defend you and drag your ass back to Winterfell.

You both have video games you love to play, but Theon also has a better ability to play them for way longer then you, so sometimes you end up laying on the couch watching him play something like its a movie, and you just talk non stop about whatever.

Theons known Jon was in love with you for way longer then anyone else, save for Ned. He could see it clear as day and would make jokes about you and Jon that you never picked up on were supposed to be hints. Jon would drive you to meet somewhere and be a bit late, and Theon always joked "You two were so busy making out you couldn't be bothered to show up on time?" But you never took the bait because you never realized it was bait.

What he didnt see coming, was you having feelings for Jon back. You are such a closed book about things like that, so every boyfriend has taken him off guard. He hated Karl, he fucking hated Ramsay, but he likes and trusts Jon. Its nice, not having to worry about your boyfriend hurting you for once.

Then Robb starts causing tension between you and him, and himself and Jon. He puts it together just as fast as he did realizing Jon was in love with you. He knows also, your fucking oblivious to it and he'd prefer it stays that way.

He doesn't want the two guys he's grown up like a brother to, to cause issues over you, the girl Theon grew up seeing as a sister to him.

He's been the most normal towards you, not changing the way he talks or acts with you at all, and lately, he can tell that you are more then releived for it. You have a diner you both go to, some hole in the wall place no one but its locals and you two know about. Its a nice getaway when Robb and Jon are tensing up the house.

He drives you out there, you have dinner and somehow the best coffee in existence, and you two do whatever. Go to the wolfswood and rock climb, see a drive in movie and make jokes about what part of the movie youre supposed to start making out during.

Theons the only one right now who treats you like normal, and it's been your lifeline for months. The only one truly keeping you grounded and outside of your own head.

I hope any of these were what you were sort of hoping for!

[tvckerwash]

wash tormenting the reds in the most petty ways possible because he's still pissed off about them hitting him with a car and then blowing him up in s8 is so important to me you don't even understand

[kandadze]

This drama is great at showing how our goals and priorities can shift, drastically so, as we change and mature. I have a different take on WX's "ending," not that I disagree with you on it being tragic in a way, I just choose to look at it as temporary. As in, yes, at a time that the drama ends, WX is alone. But she hasn't lost what she gained (love and friendship, and confidence in herself etc), rather her grasp has become very loose.

Someone said that once ZYZ died the whole squad scattered to the winds, and I think it's only natural that after living in one another's pockets for a while, especially considering how eventful that "while" was, there will be a moment where everyone will need to be by themselves. Simply to process, away from outside influences, but without losing touch with them.

Going back to WX's main relationships. ZYC and her were practically inseparable since she arrived at the Demon Hunting Bureau 8 years prior; it was high time for him to come to terms with his feelings both towards her and ZYZ, and act on them as he saw fit, and he does just that. I cannot imagine WX would try to stop him from finally doing something just for himself.

I believe WX left PSJ to give the archer a slight push to figure out whether she actually wanted to pursue what seems to have started between them at the beginning of the drama. She showed clearly enough that she was interested, but PSJ has to make that final step.

And it might have been me who said that WX gave ZYZ's soul the freedom to fly to ZYC (though I'm pretty sure I just expressed a lot of folks' exact same thoughts out loud) by leaving the contract at the altar stone, but in my mind it wasn't giving up on the relationship with him... or rather, it was giving up the relationship with who he was before - the great demon, full of malicious energy and suicidal ideation to boot, who could never be truly hers. She might still be able to have a new relationship with the "new" ZYZ, if he comes back, and if he comes back early enough, and the thing is, at the end of the drama, we can't know if any of that will come to pass, just as she can't.

But she can hope, and so can we.

I paused my FoF rewatch for My Journey to You but reading fanfics about FoF has me thinking about how tragic Wen Xiao’s ending is. When I watched it the first time, I was so focused on the tragedy of Bai Jiu, Pei Sijing being left alone, and how how happy I was that ZYC and ZYZ got a hopeful ending that I didn’t pay that much attention to Wen Xiao. But I keep coming back to how sad her ending is and maybe it doesn’t seem as sad as it actually is, at first, because nominally she got exactly what she wanted — the restored powers of the Baize Goddess. In fact…EVERYONE gets exactly what they wanted at the start:

Wen Xiao starts out seeking the Baize token and trying to make herself useful — at the end she is the fully restored Baize Goddess, very much alive and useful

ZYZ starts out wanting to die at ZYC’s hands — ends dying at ZYC’s hands

ZYC — wants to restore the Demon Hunting Bureau and kill ZYZ — ends with the Bureau restored and kills ZYZ

Pei Sijing — wants to solve the mystery of her brother death — solves it

Bai Jiu — wants to bring his mom back/find out what happened to her — brings her back

Ying Lei — wants to become a cook — becomes a cook

But as each character gets what they said they wanted, we see that their priorities have shifted and they are now focused on something else. This ranges from Bai Jiu, who is overjoyed that he succeeds in his original mission, but is now focused on saving his found family, to ZYZ, who doesn’t want to follow through on his original goal at all.

For Wen Xiao, like ZYZ and ZYC, getting what she originally wanted turns out to mean sacrificing her personal desires for the greater good. But unlike ZYZ and ZYC, who manage to duck out of their worst ending at the last minute, Wen Xiao is trapped by her fate as the Goddess without reprieve (as far as I can tell?! someone come tell me i'm wrong?!).

Not only does ZYC leave her and Wen Xiao leaves Pei Sijing, she also probably gives up her relationship with ZYZ (someone wrote a great meta about how she places her contract with ZYZ on the alter stone and this is her letting go of him and that only by releasing him in this way is he able to find his second chance with ZYC).

She ends the drama completely alone in the Wilderness, having lost everything she gained over the course of the drama except the token itself! It’s what she's been working towards the whole time and it’s only made possible by her selflessness and it’s a complete fucking tragedy!!

Wen Xiao’s selfless generosity is a dreadful and heart wrenching thing.

[deva-arts]

I have a ladybug in my room that made it in to find shelter for the winter. It's been flitting around on my windowsills, and every once in a while I see it pop up again. It's been here for a few days so I think we're roommates at this point... I wouldn't know, I haven't asked it yet.

Today I placed a droplet of water in front of it. It practically scampered over and has been drinking for the last five minutes. I hope it understands I offer free refills.

[littlest-bugz]

Does anyone else go thru phases where you don’t want to talk to anyone?

Like,,, I love you so much, but I just need to RECOUP. I need my alone time so I don’t have another breakdown.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Oh ho ho what a highly interesting question, anon👀

(Answered under the cut because it's a bit long)

ㅤ

Before I give my proper answer, allow me to explain a bit of my interpretation of Tails. I actually see him as a sort of naturally jealous person with some innate possessive tendencies who has grown used to curbing these tendencies of his, which he had to do due to a number of factors.

One major reason is due to Sonic himself. To me Sonic has always had a complicated relationship with different kinds of love or attraction (and I do see him as on the aro/ace spectrum). So, when absolute strangers (or those he doesn't particularly like) obsessively pursue him for clear romance/possessive reasons, he tends to react with strong rejection or indifference, in contrast to how he welcomes ego stroking and praise from those who can be merely categorized as "fans" (or those he does particularly like). To me, Tails' initial admiration and pursuit of joining with and becoming like Sonic very well parallels how Amy Rose began to admire and pursue a romantic relationship with Sonic. Even if we consider that Sonic did save Tails that one time from being bullied (according to Sonic Prime and a new animation for Sonic 2 present in Sonic Origins), his pursuit of trying to work together with his hero (which is detailed a bit more in the jp manual for Sonic 2, and includes Tails going so far as to follow after Sonic everywhere and modify Sonic's plane) really isn't any more "normal" than how Amy begins to pursue a romantic relationship with her hero after Sonic saves her from Metal Sonic. The only real differences here were that Amy was explicitly pursuing romance, and that Sonic rejected Amy's advances but eventually took Tails on as his sidekick/little buddy.

This is also not to mention the implications here and there in what we can find of Sonic and Tails' backstory that Sonic would continue to run away and pretend he did not care, while secretly keeping an eye out for Tails.

And beyond that, as one of Sonic’s oldest friends, Tails gets to spend a lot of time around Sonic, and gets to see firsthand how he reacts to romantic prospects, his complicated relationship with "love" as a concept, and is present as Sonic’s group of friends steadily grows.

With all of that, I at least see Tails learning to deal with his innate jealousy and possessiveness so

Sonic doesn’t reject him

Because he doesn't want to keep Sonic from pursuing relationships with others

And for the sake of one's image/being a good person

If Tails has learned that confessing and making his romantic intentions clear could lead to Sonic rejecting him or it ruining their friendship (since he's seen first hand how Sonic has reacted in certain cases to love confessions or overt romantic affection), it makes sense to me that he would try to hold his feelings back (both those that are not squarely platonic and are explicitly romantic and/or sexual). And when it comes to Sonic, there's a guilt factor and an impossibility factor when it comes to keeping him from other people. Not only would Tails feel at least a little bad for restricting him, but Sonic does not respond well to being controlled. Now of course, how he reacts does depend on the time of his life and who it is, but there is nevertheless a futility in trying to control Sonic "I have no master except the wind that blows free" Hedgehog. And finally, my view on both Sonic and Tails, well... I believe that image and visual alignment is a big thing for these two, and that the two are secretly more...in the gray (or at least, that they're surprisingly immoral so to speak). In their origins to me, Tails is just a kid, minding his business, who does not inherently seek to hurt others (though his faith in those around him does matter), and Sonic is just a kid, free as the wind, who doesn't particularly care about being a good guy, but loves the attention. Essentially, though he does save some people on whim, the idea is that Sonic originally fights Robotnik simply because the Doctor, his machines, and his pollution have such a negative effect on his home. So beyond this point, he fights as a hero both out of interest of having his home intact/being alive, and because (simply put) he likes what comes from being considered a hero (all the praise and perks). And so because Sonic is someone that Tails admires, because Sonic has to uphold a baseline image or reputation so he can still be considered a hero/good guy, Tails becomes accustomed to doing the same. That's a bit of an oversimplification (how I see them and why is the subject of a proper essay about that), but the point is that Tails is also conscious that trying to overtly control or manipulate Sonic would not objectively be considered "hero or good guy behavior", especially if it goes too far.

And so with all of that plus the fact that Sonic has never seemingly accepted anyone's romantic inclinations or dated anyone, Tails curbs his natural inclination towards jealousy and possessiveness so he can be content enough to be at Sonic's side. Perhaps there are more friends Sonic is going to get, people he's going to show an interest in, but Tails can put stock in the fact that it's unlikely that Sonic will date anyone. Plus, even if that somehow does happen, Tails is largely fine as long as he's guaranteed to be by Sonic's side no matter what. So as long as he can be with Sonic forever, no matter their relationship, he's as content as can be.

ㅤ

But then Sonic starts dating Nine, right?

And hahaha don't get me wrong here. Tails is pretty practiced. He's not gonna blow up or anything.

But once he gets past the initial shock of that being true, I think he just feels jealous and conflicted by default. I mean, he's just been accepting that there's no hope of ever being in that kind of relationship with Sonic. And not only has someone gone and done it, it's not just anyone.

It's a version of him.

And if a version of himself managed to do it (a version of himself who once lashed out at and fought against Sonic no less), then what does that mean about him? Does it mean that there's something about Nine Sonic likes better? Does it mean that he's had this entire situation wrong? Does it mean he lost his chance and he'd been so afraid for nothing? Does it mean that he could have had that this whole time?

And that's not to mention navigating this. Even if I believe Sonic is very very capable of having multiple best friends or even partners, it's only natural for Tails to get a little afraid of being replaced (especially if he learns that Sonic also considered/considers Nine as a best friend also)

But Tails is the type to not want to burden Sonic with all of this while becoming increasingly more worried. And although he would naturally have a complicated relationship with Nine, I still think he would generally like him and not want to take out his feelings on him. So with that being said, I think he'd sort of try to hold it in and act normal while really not acting all that normal, because though he could hide his feelings better if he wanted to, he still kind of lets it slip because he kind of does want to talk to Sonic about it or let his feelings be known.

I think that whenever Sonic eventually does see that Tails is acting a bit off he'll eventually talk to him about it or try to get him to, but, honestly, even if Sonic could say things (true things) that would make him feel better, I don't think Tails could be as content as he would be if it was idk... Knuckles or Shadow or what have you. Because if it was anyone else, Tails could be more content knowing that his relationship with Sonic is special and that he'll always be by his side, even if he's dating someone else.

But with the fact that the person that Sonic has chosen to date is another version him—a version of him which Sonic has also kind of clearly developed a similar "best friendship" with? I feel that even if Sonic tries to reassure him, Tails will forever be plagued with bitter and jealous feelings. Even if he'd never force Sonic to stop dating anyone, much less force him to date him, I don't think he can even really feel content here unless Sonic chooses to date him also if that makes any sense.

So, yes. That's my answer. Tails would try to be really good about it, but he's still bitter and annoyed and jealous and wondering if he's enough or has been doing something wrong. He's wondering why it couldn't have been him. And he won't be able to just be content at Sonic's side if he can't also be with Sonic. So while I can't say how long it will take, something will have to give eventually. I think at some point in their future, Sonic will have to tackle his specific feelings for Tails and they'll have to talk about their specific relationship, especially if he's dating Nine right in front of him.

[jinxofthedesert]

I recently got out of a toxic and unhealthy friendship on here. I had to be the one to end it; hopefully the other party decides to leave it be and not smear my name due to realizing it wasn't healthy and that I had to end it because of it.

Basically, if someone makes you start feeling like shit, from your life, to your goals, passion, and everything else, then it's not a rewarding friendship. And it's hard to sometimes see it in the moment. Because you want to think the best of peeps, especially ones you care about.

But sometimes the healthiest thing for You is to know when to put your foot down and end it, even if it hurts you and them. At the end of the day, you matter and what you're doing matters and no one has the right to make you feel shit for who you are when you're just living your life. Life is hard enough without adding peeps who make you feel that way or question how you live when, prior to them showing up, you were happy with all of it.

To anyone in a relationship or friendship like that, I hope, like me, you are able to take a stand and realize you deserve better.

I knew I was being manipulated but not how much until I talked to others close to me. I pray you all never have to experience such a thing because damn, you know you did the right thing, but feel so fucking guilty at the same time.

But your happiness matters. You matter. Please remember that.