#what does it say about him that his healthiest relationship seems to have been with ali who was the most forgettable of all love interests?

[fiona-fififi]

Since I'm digging myself a hole tonight, I kind of actively hate the "But I am ready for something, and I think maybe that something could be with you."

Like, my first instinct was that it was sweet and that Buck was taking back a little bit of agency there and asking for what he wanted.

But I don't know. In so many ways, it also actually feels like it feeds into a very unhealthy pattern for Buck.

I mean, I might just be projecting because I cannot imagine ever being so infatuated with someone that I'd be like "I want to try a relationship with you" after only knowing them for 30 seconds and being left on the curb after a failed first date, but I digress.

But just. I don't know. This feels like such a pattern for Buck. Have someone express interest, only to then be rejected (Abby, Taylor, Natalia, now Tommy) and then chase them that much harder.

Like, Buck. Darling. PLEASE. Your value is not defined by the people for whom you have to prove your worth.

And I don't even mean this as anything directly against these partners. But Buck gets so caught up in forcing a relationship that he speedruns things without actually giving anyone (including himself) any space to grow into it, and it just feels kind of devastating that that's still where he is with himself.

[narcjsistx]

𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐇𝐂𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 | reo, isagi, kaiser (part one)

𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ; take a look, trust me!

— reo mikage

✶ don't even remotely expect to lift a finger in his presence. the princess treatment in his relationships is MANDATORY, he simply loves to do the things that the people he loves want. it would be something like "I know you can do it, but I'm your boyfriend, so let me do it for you"

✶ I think one of the things he loves most about his partners is when they are dressed in shades of purple or maaaybe white, in clothes given by him. do you want to bring him to his knees? do as I tell you, trust me!

✶ kind of guy who would post you everywhere, like: his ig profile feed is made up of 80% of posts with you or dedicated to you, the remaining 20% ​​are photos relating to soccer. he loves to show you off, and above all he does all those trends (even the cringe ones) like posting your girlfriend with a certain song on a certain day

what would he post on socials ↓

✶ his concept of family is quite normal, sooner or later he would like to have a family, actually, the idea of ​​getting married has never displeased him. as a child, being the only heir of the Mikage, he had to bear all the expectations alone... therefore, his idea would be to at least have two children, not that he wants to share the expectations between them! simply as a child he suffered a lot from being the only child

✶ jealosy level: 4/10 (he's not the jealous type! he might only be more so in cases where he sees someone trying with you EXTREMELY too hard)

✶ flirtiness level: 6/10

✶ pet names: "babe" / "precious"

—————————————

— isagi yoichi

✶ even though on the field he seems to have bipolar disorder, isagi is literally one of the most possibily boyfriend in the entire verse in my opinion. he's just a chill guy who takes soccer a little too seriously, but hey, you love him for that reason right? yeah, absolutely yes

✶ he's someone who would be embarrassed by a kiss even after years and years of being in a relationship. at the beginning of your story, he had to take a lot of his courage just to ask you if he could hold your hand, but over time he got used to it. with kisses, well... he still gets embarrassed, even though he's often the one who initiates them. he's just a sweet coward in this things

✶ he is someone who, in my mind, cares a lot about gifts related to the phases of the relationship, such as those for the first month together, the six months and so on. not huge gifts, he keeps those more for more important dates, but gifts like letters, stuffed animals or bracelets found at random moments of the day and which immediately reminded him of you for some reason that only he knows

what would he post on socials ↓

✶ his concept of family is actually based a lot on what he had. he doesn't exactly have a preference on the number of children, one or five would be fine, he just knows that he will love them no matter what. getting married has never been a thought he's actually spent 5 minutes thinking about every now and then, but now with you he's pretty sure that asking you to spend your life with him is a great excuse to see you in the white dress

✶ jealosy level: 2/10

✶ flirtiness level: 3/10 (more in private, but absolutely not in public, he just can't do it)

✶ pet names: "cutie" / "y/n chan"

—————————————

— micheal kaiser

✶ your relationship is certainly interesting, maybe not one of the healthiest, but you can't say you don't care for each other. Kaiser definitely has some problems related to trusting or in any case "letting himself be discovered" by other people, but surely you are the closest person to him at the moment, hell, you are literally the emperor's girlfriend!. micheal knows very well that he is not a simple person and just the fact that you continue to not let him go, and he wouldn't blame you, means a lot. will he ever admit it? no, obviously not, because he also has a problem, or perhaps more than one, with expressing himself

✶ Ness, one way or another, will have to worship you too. Ness probably just wants to strangle you because you stole the little attention Kaiser gave him, but if Kaiser says he has to worship you like he would him, Ness will do it without a word. Kaiser doesn't even minimally accept someone saying anything remotely comparable to an insult to you, let's say his love language is to protect your respect. he wouldn't mind throwing a punch at someone who even called you "stupid", it's something he can't stand

✶ even if you are not cheering for him at the stadium when he plays, which is quite strange because you are there all the time, you already know beforehand that if he scores a goal, it will obviously be dedicated to you. it's something he always found beautiful when he was little, when he saw videos on public screens in Berlin: seeing then-famous footballers dedicate goals to their girlfriends seemed so exciting. he's the emperor now, right? he must repay his empress somehow for always being so good to him

what would he post on socials ↓

✶ well, we all know that Micheal didn't grow up with any concept of family, or rather, he never actually had one. having children actually scares him, and the same thing happens even if he just thinks about getting married. he is simply afraid, and indeed he is sure, that sooner or later everything would turn into what he experienced in Germany with his father. it would take a LOT of reassurance, and maybe therapy, to eventually have children and get married. he actually wouldn't be a bad father, because he knows what it's like to live in a toxic house with someone who doesn't really love you, and he doesn't want his heir to go through the same thing he went through when was a kid. Kaiser is not like his father, and never will be, and just the thought of being like this with his kids makes him vomit

✶ jealosy level: 8/10

✶ flirtiness level: 9/10

✶ pet names: "schatz" / "mein liebling" / "doll"

[sanguineterrain]

a bloody vow | jason todd

Summary: After the racy encounter with your knight, you seem to lose all progress made in your relationship. You hardly talk, and you're lonelier than ever. But after a house break-in has you running to Jason for help, you're forced to face each other, blood and all.

Pairing: knight!Jason Todd x gn!reader 

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings/tags: violence! Jason kills a man. reader and jason's house is broken into and the thief attacks the reader (but they're okay.) mentions of self-flagellation, religious guilt. reader feels very lonely without their big strong knight :( the eroticism of killing for another person. codependence. partial nudity. probably not the healthiest relationship but whatevs. Jason would do anything for them what more could you want?

the divider

Everything's changed since the morning that you found Jason with the whip.

He won't even eat with you anymore.

He accepts whatever you make and thanks you quietly, then eats his supper in the shed. He didn’t say much before—now you're lucky if you get more than a word from him.

He's also taken to punishing himself regularly. Jason does it far away, so he won't wake you. But you've seen his back and the welts peeking beneath his tunic and the spots of blood. You also see fresh injuries from his training, injuries that could be avoided if he was more careful. You've tried to offer him a salve to heal his back. He always refuses, flinching like a kicked dog if you get too close.

You fear that you'd pushed Jason too far that morning. You replay it in your mind, wondering what exactly had possessed you to act in such a vulgar manner. Exposing yourself to him like that after spying on him earlier—what were you thinking?

You weren't, is the truth. It seems all rational thought leaves your brain when you're around him.

It's truly like living with a ghost. Your feelings are jumbled, caught in a maelstrom of guilt and fear and desire. More than anything, you're unbearably lonely. You'd feared a harsh hand when you first were deposited into Jason's bed. You never imagined that there could be a worse fate than being wanted: being ignored.

So, it's been three weeks of this new routine. Jason has been disappearing at night to the pub. Not that he told you that—you know this because of the incessant gossip that flies around the market. It's not hard to decipher who the 'hulking knight' is when people stare at you.

You try not to think about what Jason gets up to. You really have no right to be angry if he finds someone to warm his bed. You're lucky he hasn't thrown you into the sea after your insolence.

Routine is all that keeps you sane. You do the washing and cooking without complaint. Jason still leaves you money to go to the market, and sometimes you save a couple of coins to buy books. You keep the books under a floorboard in your room. He never asks you for change.

You don't know if this routine will be enough, though. You wish Jason would just throw you out and be done with it. You're certainly not performing the duties that the king expected of you when he brought you here. Jason can hardly look at you, much less touch you.

You eat alone tonight. By the time you wash up and are ready for bed, it's late. Jason still isn't home.

Not unusual these days. You get into bed and blow out the candle. Maybe you won't wake in the morning. Then you'll both be free.

A crash jerks you out of slumber.

You're awake immediately, fumbling under your bed for the small dagger you'd secretly purchased when you first came.

Your first thought is that Jason came home drunk. But if he’s come home drunk in the past, you've never heard him, and it's always as quiet in the morning as it was the night before.

A chilling second thought hits you as the floor creaks outside your door.

Someone's broken in.

You quietly get to your feet, dagger in hand. If Jason were home, he would be here already, dealing with the problem. As it is, you're alone and completely vulnerable without your knight.

Your door splinters open. You stumble backwards.

"Wha' have we here?" A lantern shines in your face. "Look a' this. Pretty thing like you shouldn't be left alone."

You bolt for the front door.

“Oh, no no, you don’t.”

The intruder darts after you and stops you before you can open the door. He hauls you backwards and throws you against the dying fireplace. You land on your ribs and the wind is knocked out of you.

"Too big of a house for a little mouse like you,” the man says with a greasy sneer. 

You turn and lunge at him. You catch him off guard enough to stab his shoulder with the dagger. He howls in pain and shoves you off. Your head hits the wall, and for a moment, you fear you’ll vomit. But you don’t, so you stand.

"You bitch!" he shouts. "I'll fuckin' kill ya for that!"

That's all the motivation you need to run.

You’re aching all over, head pounding. Your legs are cold, being that you're only in a nightgown. You might be bleeding. But you keep running.

You run all the way into town, which feels like miles at this time of night, bruised as you are. It’s easy to find the pub, and it doesn’t even occur to you that you’re not allowed inside. All that’s on your mind is Jason. Find Jason.

You pound your fists on the door of the pub, crying.

"Jason, Jason!" you shout. “Help me, please! Please!”

The door opens. You stumble in, almost tripping on the uneven wood. Men stare at you as you enter.

"Jason!" you yell.

A knight you don't recognize stares down at you, blocking your path. You stumble back, grabbing the wall for support.

"Out," he snarls. 

"Please," you beg. "Please, I need my husb—"

He's shoved aside suddenly, ale sloshing over his mug. He growls in protest, but someone drags him away by the back of his tunic. 

Relief floods you at the familiar face who takes his place. Jason.

He's obviously shocked to see you here, eyes roving over you. His shirt is unbuttoned, a thin fresh cut on his cheek. He says your name. Every inhibition you’ve felt over the last month disappears.

"What—"

You throw yourself into his arms, weeping. Jason catches you, cradling the back of your head. You're surrounded by him, the rest of the world blocked out. He smells like the strong yellow soap you make in large chunks because it’s cheaper than purchasing it at the market. He smells like the home you share.

"What is it? Where do you hurt?" he asks quietly, shielding you from all the pairs of eyes. He rubs your back, bent over you. You cling to his neck, shaking with the memory of tonight.

"A man b-broke in," you say, and Jason's grip tightens. "He said–he said he w-would...k-kill…"

You trail off. Jason pets you, breathing even on your neck.

You know that you hardly have any rights, that the men here would sooner see you die than step into danger for you. Perhaps that includes Jason too. Perhaps it's too late. 

"I understand," Jason says into your ear. He doesn’t waver despite how you tremble. "It's alright. I won't let him hurt you again. I'm... I'm so sorry for leaving you alone."

He exhales, long and slow. You feel him begin to pull away. You panic, digging your nails into his arms. Jason quickly soothes you. He doesn’t chastise you for clawing him. 

"It’s alright. I'm going to handle this, and then we'll go home," he says. "Roy."

A redheaded knight approaches. You slowly turn your head. He smiles gently at you.

"Your Highness," he says, bowing deeply, and you feel a little lighter.

"Roy's going to take you home while I handle the thief," Jason says. "I promise that I'll be fast, alright?"

"You promise you won't leave?" you ask. “You’ll come home right away?”

Jason takes your hand, stroking your knuckles. "I swear. May God strike me down if I don't return."

“Oi, man, get your little harlot out of—”

Jason stands, rising and towering over the angry drunk. He’s immediately cowed under Jason’s gaze.

“Watch your mouth,” Jason says, even and deadly. The man leaves in a huff.

"I'm sorry for causing trouble," you whisper, cheeks still wet.

"You haven't," is all he says, before leading you outside.

You have an audience, which is absolutely humiliating, but neither Jason nor Roy pays them any mind, so you don’t either. 

Roy helps you onto his horse, and in the time that that takes, Jason is already headed back to the house by the time you and Roy start off. You realize then that you trust Jason. You've never met this Sir Roy in your life—Jason's never even mentioned having friends. But you trust that you will get home safely. 

“Jason won’t let him get away,” Roy says. You believe him.

The ride is short. You don’t know if you’ll manage to go back to sleep without Jason there, but the least you can do is host Roy, perhaps. You’re bone-tired, but you ought to be hospitable, shouldn’t you?

But as you get closer to the cottage, you hear voices in the woods. Jason’s horse is out front. You dismount without Roy's help and take off running. He calls after you. You ignore him.

You don't go through the house, not ready to face the destruction your intruder left in his wake. Instead, you go around and follow the stream into the woods. The voices get louder. When you get to the clearing by the shed, you stop.

The lantern has been knocked onto its side, flames flickering. But you can very clearly make out Jason in the dark. His shadow cuts a frightening figure that dances across the trees. Moonlight flickers through the canopy, illuminating him and the other figure. Your attacker.

Your attacker, who’s discovering that he picked the wrong house to rob.

Jason's got him pressed against a tree. Blood drips from the man's head and face. You stay a few yards away, behind a tree. The bark dully bites into your hand. You’re torn on whether you should make yourself known or not. Stop this or not.

"You touched them," Jason says, and does something with his sword that draws out a strangled groan from the attacker. The metal shines with fresh blood.

"I am worse than you," he continues. "I lost sight of my duty. My reason for living. Everything I do is for the star-crossed beauty my king captured for me. It's all I can do to pay penance for my sins. And you come into my house and dare to lay a hand on what is mine?"

The breath leaves you in a punch. You're cold with sweat, but something tugs at your gut. Something frightening. Something that tells you to stay hidden.

"I am worse," Jason says. "Because a good man would show you mercy and let you be hanged for your crimes."

"That fuckin' bitch deserved it," the intruder spits.

Here, Jason loses his composure. Here, he twists his sword.

"I will tear you apart," he says, voice a snarl.

And Jason does exactly that. It's bloody and gory. You feel sick a few times. You can't see everything in the fractured light, but you can hear it all. Bones crack, the man screams, but Jason doesn't relent. He drives his sword deeper and deeper. Blood gurgles from the attacker's mouth.

You watch on, feeling quite like you had the day you saw Jason fucking his fist.

The body drops with a thud as Jason lets him go. You imagine a sword slick with blood. You imagine Jason covered in it.

The realization is dizzying. You are an executioner, and Jason is your axe.

You don't know what you're more horrified by: the fact that it took you this long to look away or that you don't mind the stench of fresh blood.

Jason takes two steps and picks up the lantern. He sees you. He stops.

"He's dead," you say dumbly.

Jason swallows, face otherwise blank. "You... you were not meant to see that."

"I didn't." But you did.

He knows you did.

"Roy should've taken you inside," Jason says.

You can't understand why shame draws the lines of his shoulders. 

"I didn't want to go inside," you say. "Not without you."

Jason inhales sharply. Then he looks away. "I shouldn't have... I pray that you'll forgive me, but I understand if you don't."

Jason is covered in more than a little blood. Red spatters his cheek, though it looks black in the shadows.

He's slick with blood. You wonder if he'll bathe in the river. If you might help him.

You step forward. Jason is still. He watches you steadily as you approach.

You pull down the sleeve of your nightgown and reach for Jason's face. He flinches. You hush him.

"It's alright," you whisper.

He lets you touch his cheek. His eyelids flutter as you wipe the blood from his face. Then you hold his cheeks with both hands. Jason shudders.

"You can touch me," you say.

Immediately, Jason shakes his head, hands curling into fists at his side.

"No. I'm unclean. You shouldn’t touch me either, you’ll—you’re—”

"I don't mind." Your thumbs trace the contours of his face for a moment, feeling the hard line of his nose, the curve of his jaw, his full bottom lip. He lets you, eyes locked on yours.

Then, you pull up your nightgown, revealing your bare thighs, your underwear, your belly. Jason’s chest heaves. He immediately looks away. But you’re quick. You guide Jason's hand with your other hand. He stains your flesh with blood. You picture the sticky, bloody handprint he'll leave on your waist. That frightening feeling returns. 

Jason's hand is hot on your skin. He exhales shakily. 

"I'm sorry," he says again, cupping your waist. His fingers gently knead your skin as if he's testing if you're real. It tickles, but you don't move, fearing Jason will pull away at the slightest jerk.

"Don't sleep in the shed anymore," you say.

"Alright."

"Eat supper with me."

"Okay."

You draw Jason closer. Blood smears your clothed chest. His thighs warm your exposed legs. You will not let him punish himself in the morning. You will sleep on his chest if that’s what it takes. Only you are allowed to draw blood from him. 

"Are you mine?" you ask.

Jason's answer is instant.

"Yes."

[sorcave]

Hating Calypso does not mean you don't understand morally grey characters and defending her does not mean you understand them.

I've seen many takes from those defending Calypso in one way or another dismissing those who hate her as "not understanding morally gray characters" which is simply isn't true. Defending her as a poor victim who didn't know any better does not mean you understand the concept of morally gray characters either.

The main divide is whether intent, her actions, or both matters in defining her morality and by how much. Either side of that spectrum is missing the nuance of the situation- she's not a supervillain intent on making Odysseus' life horrible nor is she an innocent, naive girl who shouldn't be held accountable for her actions. To me, while I don't think she is evil, she is at the darker end of the "morally gray" spectrum as her actions are so egregious that her intent nearly doesn't matter.

Most defenders use the story that Calypso tells in "I'm Not Sorry For Loving You" as their evidence. She didn't INTEND to hurt Odysseus- she hasn't known anyone before so she didn't know! She was just lonely! She just loved him! If you were stuck on an island all alone for 100 years and finally someone came, wouldn't YOU want to make sure they didn't leave? Besides, she apologizes for her actions!

This is a trap that the song actively brings listeners into. It is meant (or at least easily interpreted as) as a plea for sympathy, to make the audience feel empathy for poor Calypso. It is not a simple explanation for her actions and it is definitely not an apology for them. The reason it feels like a "Youtuber Apology" is that they share many similar characteristics. She is intentionally vague about what she is apologizing about, to the point they are nearly irrelevant. "Coming on too strong" wasn't the issue- it was "Coming on too strong" AFTER Odysseus told her no ( "From here you're mine, all mine"/ "Hell No") was. It doesn't address her main crime, specifically keeping a man AGAINST HIS WILL for seven YEARS, even AFTER he became so desperate to leave that he was moments from committing suicide. Lastly, she doesn't take accountability but (intentionally or not) blames Odysseus . "I'm sorry if my love was too much for you" is a VERY common phrased used by abusers to shift the blame from themselves onto their victims.

The crux of the issue for me is while her rough experience up until she met Odysseus may explain her actions, too many people seem to use it to EXCUSE her actions (including, seemingly, the narrative itself). Why this rubs so many the wrong is because of how many real life victims have been told they have to "forgive" their abusers because their life was hard or "they didn't know better." Many who were bullied as a kid had at least one guidance counselor say they needed to "forgive/even befriend x because they are struggling/ \[Insert Bad Thing Here} happened to them." Many others see Calypso using the same tactics their own abusers used to hurt them, and justifiably hate her for it.

I am not saying someone is wrong or stupid for having a more forgiving perspective on Calypso. If you are one to put more weight into intent than actions, I could see why Calypso could be a much lighter gray ( I am not seeing many defenders saying she is an entirely innocent, "morally good" character"). It can be argued that her actions were not of an intentional abuser but of a goddess who haven't had much experience with relationships before, especially with mortals. If her idea of romance came from whatever the Ancient Greek version of romance novels were, it makes sense that her idea of romance may not be the healthiest. Heck, even reading the myths would explain or even excuse why she didn't see "She's my wife" as a sign to back off- for probably at least 90 percent of Greek Heroes, that would not matter.

In summary, Calypso is a morally gray character- but that doesn't mean there aren't valid reason to dislike or even hate her. Seeing her as dark gray bordering on black doesn't mean you don't see the nuance- many who are against her understand her intent may not have been evil- but that her actions make her intent almost irrelevant. So please stop dismissing those who dislike/hate her as simply misunderstanding/being naive with morally gray characters. Many are not (especially since the entire show is full of them) and simply put weight in her actions more than her intent.

[saccharinesunsetretired]

Yours, Anyway | Revivebur x Reader

Fun little piece I did for this event using one bed, forced proximity and a tiny bit of enemies to lovers as my trope prompts :) I don't know how good this is but I will cut myself some slack

Summary: Wilbur gets lost in a snowstorm after the destruction of the burger van. With frostbite, exhaustion, and desperation setting in, he ends up on your doorstep despite believing that you despise him. After all, what other choice does he have?

Warnings: Brief mentions of vomit, unhealthy eating habits and weight loss (Revivebur is not the healthiest guy)

Word Count: 4.6k

Minors DNI

The last thing Wilbur had wanted was to get caught in a snowstorm. After days of no sleep and hardly eating, it was the last thing he needed. Yet, there he was, knee-deep in the snow as wind whipped his face. His ears were nearly numb, (he cursed himself for not owning a hat) and his fingers were aching, the first sign of potential frostbite. 

The plan had been to make it to Phil’s house. After the…incident at the burger van—now a pile of rubble—Wilbur needed a place to stay, to lick his wounds and relax while attempting to assuage his guilt. The weather had other plans.

He braced himself against the wind, pulling his coat tighter around his shoulders. He would have buttoned it, except all the buttons were slightly loose and would probably have popped off had he tried. Considering this was his only coat, he couldn't afford to ruin it. With the combination of the wind blowing his hair into his eyes and the snow hitting the side of his face, he could hardly see ten feet in front of him.

However, he could see a light in the snowstorm, the warm glow of a fireplace through a cabin window. “Finally,” he murmured under his breath, his words immediately carried away by the harsh winds. As he approached, however, he realized this wasn’t Phil’s cabin at all. It was yours.

Wilbur’s relationship with you was…tense, to say the least. You had struck up a friendship with Phil and Technoblade after Wilbur’s death, becoming a member of the Syndicate and training under their guidance. You’d heard about Wilbur, of course, the man who betrayed his friends and reduced his own country to rubble. The man who, in your eyes, repeatedly took advantage of his father’s kindness and resources, only to squander any opportunity at bettering himself. You had become protective of Phil, viewing Wilbur as a threat to his father’s well-being. While he couldn’t always disagree, Wilbur’s bitterness toward you hadn’t faded in the slightest. After all, what did you know about his relationship with his father? Who were you to judge him? 

When he recognized that the cabin was yours, he nearly kept walking. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make heads or tails of where he was. He knew Phil and Techno’s cabin couldn’t be far, but he didn’t know which direction he was looking in. He had no compass and no map, and even if he did, it would be nearly impossible to use them in this weather.

Despite his reservations, he found himself knocking on your door. With any luck, you wouldn’t toss him out the second you saw him.

The door opened. Wilbur could feel the warmth radiating from inside, and it was tempting to shove his way in despite any protest you might have. However, he refrained, meeting your eyes instead.

“What are you doing here?” you asked. Despite the harshness of your tone, Wilbur couldn’t help but be mesmerized. You were far from being friends with him, but despite that, he found himself drawn to you. You were tough, principled, independent. Unlike him, you didn’t need to rely solely on the kindness and leniency of others to keep yourself afloat. He envied you for that. Ever since his revival, it seemed that all he did was survive off other’s pity. 

But you didn’t pity him. You treated him as a person. And even though the two of you didn’t like each other, he was drawn to you. It wasn’t surprising to Wilbur. He’d always been attracted to things that were bad for him.

“Was trying to get to Phil’s,” Wilbur said. “Got lost.”

“I can see that.” Your eyes narrowed at him. “What do you want?”

“Shelter. Obviously.” Wilbur motioned to the flurry of wind and snow behind him. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a storm going on. A pretty significant one. And I don’t exactly have proper winter gear.”

“And whose fault is that?” you asked sarcastically. “Maybe, instead of mooching off your father, you should’ve gotten yourself a place. Somewhere that you won’t get caught in a snowstorm by yourself.” 

“Yeah,” Wilbur replied tersely. “I get it. Look, can I please come inside? Just for a bit, to warm up until the storm is over, or at least has died down.” He shivered, a little more than he actually felt the need to, just to show you how cold he was. Wilbur had become good at evoking pity. 

There was no pity in your expression, however. “Are you armed?” you asked. Wilbur shook his head. “Good.” 

To his relief, you stepped aside, allowing him to enter the cabin. He was hit with a wave of warmth. He closed his eyes, standing just inside your cabin and soaking it in. He heard the soft click of the front door being closed, and he opened his eyes as you walked past him further into the cabin.

Once his eyes were open, he took a moment to absorb his surroundings. The cabin was simple, only two rooms. He could see the fireplace in the center of the room, made of stones cobbled neatly together. A small pile of firewood sat to the left of the fireplace, logs ready to be burned in order to keep the place blissfully warm. There was a window beside the front door, the one he’d seen while stuck out in the snow. You had a bookshelf as well, full of neatly placed books and some random objects that you’d found on your travels. A cushioned loveseat sat in front of the fireplace, and beside that sat a comfortable-looking chair. To his left was a small room—most likely a bathroom—and tucked against the wall was a bed. On the opposite end of the room was a kitchen, stocked with the bare necessities. A table sat in the corner, only big enough for three people, perhaps four if you tried hard enough.

It wasn’t a large, luxurious place, but it was comfortable. It reminded him of his childhood, spent in small homes and cabins similar to this one. “Nice place,” Wilbur said. “I’ve seen it from the outside, but I’ve never gone in.”

“You’re right,” you said. “And there’s a reason for that.” You turned your back to him, walking over to the kitchen. Wilbur watched as you filled a glass of water and handed it to him.

Wilbur took the glass, confused. “Then why let me in? Why help me?”

“As much as I dislike you,” you replied, “I think Phil would be pretty upset with me if I left his son to die in a snowstorm.”

“You dislike me? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Then you’re even dumber than I thought.” You looked Wilbur up and down. “You look like shit.”

It was true. He still had ash clinging to his coat from the burger van incident. The bags under his eyes had become more pronounced, and he hadn’t eaten in ages, which he figured must be evident based on the way you were looking at him. “Thanks,” he replied simply. He took a sip of the water you gave him. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was until he took a sip, and the glass was emptied in less than thirty seconds.

“How long has it been since you’ve eaten?” you asked.

“A while. Why?”

“You’re just going to throw up all that water if you don’t eat,” you said. “Your body won’t absorb it.”

Wilbur didn’t mention that eating often went poorly for him since he came back from the dead. It was as if his body knew he wasn’t supposed to be alive, that his time was supposed to be up. If he ate too much or too quickly, he often felt nauseous. He’d thrown up more than once by not being careful and eating too fast. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. “I don’t exactly carry a meal on me at all times,” he said.

“Sit down,” you said. “I’ll make you something.” He looked at you in disbelief. “Are you going to sit, or you going to stand there and stare at me?”

“I’ll sit.” Wilbur glanced around the room. “Do you want me to take my boots off?”

“Just set them by the door,” you said. Your back was already turned to him again, gathering ingredients to make him something to eat. “You can hang your coat up as well.”

“Thanks.” He did as you said, removing his worn, leather boots as well as his coat. He cringed at the sight of it, the coat that had carried him through Pogtopia, through the afterlife, and all the way to your front door. It had seen better days. 

Actually, he supposed it hadn’t. He’d only started wearing it when he was cast into exile from his own nation. The only version of himself that wore that coat was the version that was broken, fractured into a million pieces. The coat had only ever belonged to a man who felt like the shell of his former self. The man who hurt everyone he loved. 

He shook the thoughts away and hung up the coat next to one of yours before walking into the kitchen area, trying not to let the guilt consume him. He sat at the table, perching himself on one of the wooden chairs. “The chairs look handmade,” Wilbur pointed out. “Reminds me of the ones my dad made for the house I lived in as a kid.”

“He taught me how to build,” you replied. Your eyes were focused on your work. “Helped me assemble the chairs. And the table, for that matter.”

“So you’re my dear old dad’s new kid then, huh?” Wilbur asked. “His new project.”

You rolled your eyes. “Your jealousy is showing, Wilbur. It’s not a good look on you.”

“How would you know? You’re not even looking.”

You turned toward him. His breath caught in his throat. In the dim light of the kerosene lamps that lit your cozy cabin, you looked practically ethereal. At first, he thought you were going to say something, but you faltered and turned back to your work.

Moments passed in silence. Wilbur tapped his fingertips lightly on your kitchen table, a nervous habit. Before long, a bowl was placed in front of him.

It was oatmeal, sprinkled with some brown sugar. There were fresh berries in it as well, berries that he figured you’d likely picked yourself. “Thank you,” he said. He hadn’t had oatmeal since L’Manberg. The thought made his throat feel like it was closing up.

“You’re welcome.” To his surprise, you sat at the table with him. He felt unnerved by your proximity. If he scooted a few more inches to the left, his elbow would brush against yours. 

He feared that one touch from you would be his undoing.

He ate a few bites of oatmeal, resisting the urge to devour it. Instead, he ate slowly and carefully, trying to appease his sensitive, post-revival stomach. He could feel your eyes on him even when he wasn’t looking at you, and he tried to ignore it. You, unfortunately, were very hard for him to ignore.

It didn’t take long for him to finish the oatmeal, despite him trying his best to eat slowly. The second he was finished, the bowl was lifted and carried to the sink by you. His eyes followed your movements, then looked away as you turned back toward him.

“Better?” you asked.

Wilbur nodded. “Much better. Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome again.” To his surprise, you smiled at him. He’d seen you smile, but never due to something he’d said or done. The sight was a pleasant one. “I didn’t know if you were capable of being polite,” you said. Your tone was more teasing than malicious. 

“What can I say? I’m a regular gentleman.” Wilbur returned your smile with one of his own. He felt an unexpected pang of guilt. Multiple times, you had scolded him for taking advantage of Phil’s resources and generosity, and here he was, proving you right by doing the same thing to you. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked, attempting to assuage his guilt by asking if he could help you in some way to return the favor.

“Yeah, actually,” you said. “You can go take a shower. You’re stinking up my cabin.” Once again, the words were said in a way that were more indicative of banter rather than malice. Wilbur wasn’t sure what to make of your kindness.

“Can do,” Wilbur said. “A shower sounds…wonderful, actually.” He’d washed himself off recently, of course, but hadn’t had a proper shower. He didn’t have access to one. “Except I don’t have any other clothes with me.”

“Phil lent me some of your old ones once,” you said. “Mine got dirty.”

“How did you manage to get so dirty that Phil needed to lend you my clothes?” Wilbur asked, amused.

“Sparring practice,” you replied. “Technoblade kicked my ass, and I ended up in the mud.”

Wilbur snorted. “Sounds like Technoblade.”

“Don’t worry, I got him back for it later.” You walked over to your dresser and shuffled through the drawers before pulling out some clothes. Wilbur recognized them—an old, gray sweater, a pair of sweatpants. He hadn’t seen those clothes in ages. He wasn’t even aware that Phil had kept any of his old clothes. “Bring these with you into the bathroom,” you said. “There’s a blue towel hung up in there that hasn’t been used. The shower water takes a minute to warm up, and you can’t stay in there too long. Waste of water.”

“Got it.” Wilbur stood up and gently took the clothes from your hands. “Thanks.”

“Enjoy your shower,” you said.

“I will.” The notion of warm water on his skin sounded heavenly to Wilbur. He was still chilled from being outside in the storm. The second the bathroom door was closed behind him, he was stripping himself of his clothing and turning on the water. Just as you’d warned him, it took a moment for the water to warm up, but as soon as it did, he stepped into the shower.

The water felt so good that he could cry. He scrubbed every inch of his body, lathering himself in more soap than was probably necessary just because he could. He washed his hair, working his fingers through all the knots and tangles. By the time he was done, he felt brand-new. Plus, he smelled like you, now, like lavender and honey. 

He got dressed and exited the bathroom. When he stepped out, you were sitting in bed, dressed in your pajamas, flipping through a book. You looked up from your book at Wilbur, still damp from the shower. “You look better when you’re clean,” you said.

“I feel better when I’m clean.” Truthfully, Wilbur dreaded having to leave, having to carry his dirty clothes, to put on his boots that were nearly worn through and his coat with loose seams. He dreaded the walk to Phil’s house, and he dreaded the moment he would have to tell Phil that he’d ruined everything. Again. 

One day, you would hear about it, and once again, your scorn would be tossed in his direction. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind. Right now, things were peaceful. Surely, he deserved a bit of peace for a while longer. 

“I bet you do.” You watched Wilbur, who looked unsure, not quite knowing where to sit or what to do. To his surprise, you scooted over. “Sit.”

He obeyed, sitting on the bed and crossing his legs. His eyes drifted toward the window. The snow was still coming down hard, flakes of it hitting the window. “Do you think this will let up before morning?” he asked. You were so close to him that the two of you were nearly touching. He could almost feel your warmth, so close and yet so very unattainable. 

“It’s not likely. My guess is you won’t be able to leave until the sun comes up.” You sighed, leaning back against the pillows. “I would suggest that you take the couch, but it’s just a loveseat, and considering how freakishly tall you are I doubt you’d fit on it.”

Wilbur couldn't help but laugh a little. “I could take it anyway. It’s just one night.” At least he’d be warm, he figured. 

“One more problem,” you said. “I don’t have extra blankets.” 

Wilbur blinked a few times. “You live in the arctic. How do you not have extra blankets?”

You shrugged. “Never needed them. It’s not every day some guy shows up asking for a place to sleep.”

Wilbur, despite trying to shove his pride away, couldn’t help but say something. “‘Some guy’, huh?” Despite intending to joke, his tone came out sounding needlessly defensive. He cringed at his own words. 

“Ah, right,” you replied. “You’re the infamous ex-president of L’Manberg turned burger van owner. That’s quite the name you’ve built for yourself.” Your tone wasn’t teasing anymore. It was back to reprimands. 

“If you dislike me so much, why are you letting me stay here? I feel like one second, you don’t hate me, and the next, you want me gone again. Why?” Wilbur watched you intently, trying to read every shift in your expression. 

“Because one second,” you retorted, “you’re pleasant to be around, and the next, I remember what a self-important dick you are.” 

“I’m self-important?” Wilbur laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair. He watched as you got off the bed, clearly not wanting to sit next to him any more. Even as he spoke, he could tell that he was about to take it too far. As usual, though, he just couldn’t stop himself. “Have you seen yourself? You show up out of nowhere, make friends with Technoblade and my father, and now you think you’re so special because they let you join their book club. It’s pathetic.”

“Oh, look who’s talking,” you snap. “Poor, poor Wilbur Soot, showing up on people’s doorsteps in the snow reeking of ash and body odor, relying on other people’s generosity. Do you not realize how pathetic you look to everyone else? Everyone is either scared because you’re a ticking time bomb or sad because you’re so pitiful.” You crossed your arms. “Like I said, I helped you because I can’t in good conscience turn you away after Phil has been so kind to me. That’s it. It’s not because I like you. It’s not because I care. It’s because of who you’re related to. So maybe, just maybe, you should grow the fuck up and realize that you only get so many second chances.”

Wilbur stared at you for a moment, your words slowly sinking in. He’d had the same revelation himself the moment the adrenaline from the burger van incident wore off. All he had done since he was revived was fuel a petty rivalry and get people hurt. And for what? For a desperate power grab that was doomed to fail. For a sense of control that he’d lost long before his death, a sense of control he may never have possessed in the first place.

“You’re right,” he said slowly. His eyes met yours. “You’re right, and I’m sorry.” He should have known that he wouldn’t be able to outrun the guilt forever. It always came back, like a dog on a lead that he wished he could just let go of. And there I am being selfish again he thought to himself. Wishing I didn’t feel guilty for the things I deserve to feel guilty for.

You shook your head. “It’s not me you need to apologize to. I’m not one of the people you’ve hurt.” 

Wilbur nodded and looked away. He felt the bed shift as you sat back down, arms still folded, eyes fixed on him. “Yeah, I know.” He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. “I know that I’ve been selfish. Selfish and prideful and careless. And I know that…that you have good reason to not like me. I’ve hurt and taken advantage of people that you care about. I doubt I would like me much either if I were you.”

A moment of silence passed, and Wilbur’s eyes reopened to look at you and gauge your reaction. “How do I know you’re not saying this because you know it’s what I want to hear?” you asked. 

Wilbur shook his head. “You don’t. I guess you have to trust me. And I know how stupid that sounds, but it’s the truth.” 

“…So what are you going to do?” You asked.

“I’m going to apologize,” Wilbur replied. “I’m going to try and make things right, to make amends as best I can.” He hesitated before speaking again, unsure how much he should say to you. “I apologized to a few people when I first got revived, but it wasn’t…earnest. I wanted to be forgiven. I wanted people to forgive and forget and move on.”

“And what do you want now?” Your tone became softer, quieter. You looked at him with a look of curiosity, sympathy, even. 

“Closure,” Wilbur replied. “For the people I hurt. And maybe, one day, for me.” He gazed at you, you, who was so much stronger than he had ever been or ever would be. “Are my answers to your satisfaction?” 

“Are they to yours?” Your shoulder brushed against his, and Wilbur hadn’t realized how much he craved someone’s touch—anyone’s touch—until this very moment. 

“I think so.” Wilbur went quiet, deep in thought. “For what it’s worth, I admire you. You came here, joined the Syndicate, made a name for yourself. I’ve seen you spar with Technoblade, and it’s impressive. And Phil speaks highly of you.” He paused. “You're doing well for yourself."

The silence that filled the room was long. Just as Wilbur was about to speak again, you spoke for him. “The storm stopped.” You tilted your head toward the window, motioning for Wilbur to look. Sure enough, the storm was over. Snow was no longer falling, and the world outside the cabin looked still and calm. 

“Looks like it.” Wilbur made no move to get up, not wanting to move from his spot on your warm bed. He knew he had to at some point, that you were bound to kick him out, so he soaked up every second he could get. 

“For what it’s worth,” you said suddenly, “I don’t think you’re a bad person.” He turned around to look at you. “And…and I don’t think Phil is blameless in all of this. You may have asked him to kill you, but he shouldn't have done it.” 

“I deserved it,” Wilbur said. He tried to focus on the crackle of the logs in the fireplace rather than the soft sounds of your breathing beside him. “You may not have been there, but you know all about it. You know what I did. And now Ranboo got hurt because of me, and I…” He realized that his fists were clenched, and before he could un-clench them, he felt the soft weight of a hand over his own. He looked at you in surprise.

“What happened to Ranboo?” you asked softly, your hand gently holding his.

Wilbur swallowed. It was hard enough to talk about this, but confessing this to you while you were being gentle with him felt impossible. He never wanted that touch to go away. “He, uh, lost a life,” Wilbur says quietly. “We set up this—this stupid trap for Quackity, and everything went wrong, and Tubbo was going to get hurt, so Ranboo sacrificed himself.” Wilbur squeezed his eyes closed, waiting for the reprimand. 

You sighed. “Wilbur, I don’t even know what to say to that.” 

“It’s a lot. I know.” To his surprise, your hand was still there, resting atop his. 

“Whatever else happens, you need to apologize to him for dragging him into your shit,” you said. “And you should definitely apologize to Tommy. From what I’ve heard, the kid has gone through hell for you.”

Wilbur felt his heart squeeze in his chest, felt the guilt weighing him down. “I know.” He laughed, but the sound was empty and self-pitying. “Still think I’m a good person?”

“I never said you were a good person. I just said you’re not a bad one. And I stand by that.” 

“You also said that I only get so many second chances.”

“I did.” You squeezed his hand gently, and he un-clenched it, properly taking your hand in his. He reopened his eyes, finally having the courage to look at you. “I don’t think you’re out of second chances yet. I think you have time.”

Wilbur faltered. “What if I don’t deserve that?”

You shrugged. “Whether you deserve it or not, you have it anyway.” 

Wilbur felt his throat close up, tears threatening to build up in his eyes. He was so tired, so tired and so ashamed that it felt like it could kill him. And there you were, someone who didn’t even like him, showing him kindness anyway. He wanted to say thank you, but he feared that he’d sob the minute he opened his mouth.

“Stay,” you said softly. “You’re not dressed to go back outside in this. I’ll take you to Phil’s tomorrow.”

Wilbur didn’t have it in him to fight you, nor did he want to. He managed a nod and watched as you let go of his hand and slid under the covers. The second your hand left his, he felt the absence of it. “Not tired yet?” you asked, looking up at him.

“Very tired,” he replied. 

“Under the covers, then.” Wilbur complied despite his nerves. The nerves disappeared, however, as soon as he was warm under the blankets. He sighed with relief, happy to be in a proper bed instead of a ratty mattress in the corner of the now-destroyed burger van.

Once he was comfortable, he became hyper aware of each of your movements, every small shift and breath. “You didn’t do all of this just because I’m Phil’s son, did you?” he asked quietly. 

“Unfortunately for me, I have a bit of a soft spot for you,” you confessed. “Despite you being a careless idiot.” 

“Thanks…I guess.” He stared at the ceiling for a few moments before turning on his side. You were on your side as well, facing away from him. “I’ll try to be less of a careless idiot in the future.”

“And I will believe it when I see it.” He couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh at your words.

“Fair enough.” Wilbur relaxed even more, unable to stop looking at you, even if all he could see was the back of your head. “Thank you, by the way. Genuinely. For everything.”

“You’re welcome.” Slowly, you reached a hand back, tugging gently at the front of his shirt.

Wilbur laid there, confused. “Wait, do you want me to-“

“Yeah. Get over here.” Wilbur hesitantly scooted closer, wrapping an arm around your waist. “See? Cozy.”

“Yeah.” Wilbur was grateful you couldn’t see his face. He was willing to bet that he looked just as flustered as he felt. He wanted to question you, ask why you wanted him like this, but he felt he already knew the answer.

He wasn’t sure that he deserved your affection, but he had it anyway. And that was enough.

[gabityaby]

Since the finale, and before, i have read a concerning amount of people who viciously clamor that they can't wait to enjoy the harrowing deaths of the main female characters because, and i quote, "can't stand what they did to her character".

It is extremely concerning to me because not once have i seen this behavior around the male characters of the show who also have been massively changed from the show, everyone just hates Criston, yes, most of the fandom wants him dead but its never with that viciousness, its always a passive "i really hate this guy, hope he dies", same with Aegon, we've been shown his behavior as a rapist, drunkard and intellectually uninspired person yet one scene with his dragon nudging him while he smiles and he's everyone's favorite character? wtf? can't even talk about Aemond since he's evil but he's just badass enough that it can all be forgiven and the aemondwives here seem to ignore every psychotic trait of his because he's fit and fits the bad boy type, same thing with Daemon.

Damn, and even though i really respect and appreciate GRRM's writing he does tend to give the male characters badass and quick deaths meanwhile female characters of his tend to have long and humiliating ones (no spoilers but Rhaenyra, Alicent and Mysaria are among them) so just more fuel to the fire to people who enjoy female suffering under the simplest of pretexts.

My proof of this actually comes from Reddit the grand majority of the time so it really isn't much of a surprise, there they say that Catelyn and Cersei had a comparable relationship to Rhaenyra and Alicent in the show and get 1k to 2k upvotes with everyone agreeing so not really the healthiest place to discuss the show seriously.

[anonzentimes]

Except it's not actually a hierarchy he's created in his head. The thing that so many fans fail to get is that what is truly terrifying about Nagito Komaeda is the fact that there are lots of Nagito Komaedas out there in the world of Danganronpa. People who's sense of self-worth has been royally fucked by the culture that Hope's Peak (and later the Future Foundation) helped foster. Nagito is simply the one who says the quiet stuff out loud. Like something that's really telling in hindsight is before Episode 4, Hajime never actually calls Nagito out on his talk of talentless people being worthless. Because as the climax of the game makes clear, Hajime is one of those many other Nagito Komaedas out there.

Honestly, great point anon thank you! While he undoubtedly does have a hierarchy in his head I actually did forget to mention in my ramble that this specific trait is mostly a learned thing from the world that they live in (never let me cook at 3am again smh). It's commonly accepted and believed in, Hajime is the biggest example that we see. The "objective" fact everyone accepts that the talented are better than the talentless. Hajime only cares when he learns he's "worthless," and it takes a toll on his personal self esteem.

Nagito believes his talent is worthless because it harms everyone around him and only benefits himself, and when there's no one to harm it goes after him, so he considers himself on the same level as someone who isn't an ultimate. Just combining this with his unhealthy coping mechanism and obsession with Hope and we get some of the most important traits of his character. His self esteem may come from growing up with terrible experiences and blaming himself, or that he's on the same level as someone who isn't an ultimate.

I do think that it's upsetting they play into how he thinks he's worthless by never caring to give him reciprocation or just not at all being bothered by his absence when he's suspended it just really sucks.

The closet thing he gets to reciprocation is Chisa which her caring about him shocks him, and Chiaki a little bit because she's trying to help the whole class and he's included. In Dr2 he is drawn to Hajime and he attempts to get his attention and approval pretty often, they enjoy each other's company at least before things get crazy and Hajime shows reciprocation. Nagito's more of an actual threat in Dr2 and I can understand more their fear and negligence, I still think tying him up and not letting him go anywhere is a horrible thing to do to anyone. I understand it more but It still feels upsetting.

I'm happy for Nagito that Hajime is in his life though, he seems to genuinely love him/care for him quite a lot. Hajime seems to care for him too, even when he's afraid and upset. It's not to the same degree as Nagito, mostly because of Nagito's threatening presence once he loses his filter, but Hajime does care for him and has enjoyed time with him. Their relationship can and has been healed after the killing game and he can actually have one of the healthier, if not healthiest, relationships in his life with Hajime.

(Also I say love because saying like doesn't feel right it doesn't express enough emotion and relationship as general relationship I don't care what you ship lmao)

I really do enjoy seeing fan works and such where his classmates, even if not the to the extent of Hajime's reciprocation, they genuinely care for him and treat him a lot better.

Anyways!! Just wanted to say with this reply some extra stuff I didn't before, some restatements, and the fact yup you're completely right!! Sorry I forgot to mention it in my original ramble post thanks so much anon! :)

[midnightshade]

Title: The Greatest Curse

↷Synopsis: An Assortment of NSFW and SFW Headcanons of how Kenjaku would be in a relationship

Pairing: Kenjaku x Reader

Series: Jujutsu Kaisen

Rating: E (Explicit)

Word Count: 3,373

Warnings: Slight Possessiveness and Controlling Behavior from Kenjaku, Breeding, Pregnancy, Marking, Rough Sex, Mentions of Violence, Exhibitionism, Anal, Consensual Noncon

Author's Note: I updated this because I had accidentally deleted the other one from my old blog, so I re-did it. Hope y'all enjoy ♡

Masterlist

reblogs and interactions are incredibly appreciated ♥︎

Kenjaku loves life. He likes living and he likes people! He hasn't been jaded by his long life and sees the opportunity and potential in even the mundane. That being said, he doesn't often let himself get attached to people.

It makes sense. He's functionally immortal, so getting attached to any one individual can be impractical. Making long-term friends instead of just allies or finding a lover seems like an impossibility. So when he finds himself getting attached to you, he does what he usually does when he feels a connection forming: deny it.

His immediate reaction is to try and deny any feelings of fondness he has for you and keep you at arm's length. There's definitely a "testing period" for Kenjaku when he notices he's taken a liking to you.

You will notice a shift in his personality. Kenjaku is a polite man, all things considered. He's capable and willing to work with others to achieve his goals, but you will notice him pull away.

He isn't outwardly rude, especially if he still needs you as an ally, but his responses are kept clipped and he is more demanding of you than before.

If you manage to push past this roadblock and he finally accepts that he likes you, it's like a 180.

He isn't especially doting, but he is devoted.

Whatever the reason, if you've somehow managed to slip past his defenses and become someone he actually cherishes, consider yourself blessed.

Just by virtue of being with him, your relationship will not always be the safest or the healthiest.

To be blunt, you'll know he loves you because he hasn't killed you. If he's allowing you to stay at his side and to warm his bed every night instead of just disposing of you once you stop being useful, then he loves you.

Because this type of love is so rare for him, know that he tends to be possessive. I do see him preferring more capable partners, so if you can defend yourself or if you're clever enough to get out of a bad situation, he has no issue with letting you wander and do as you please.

But he will check up on you, and he does tend to prefer having you close by. Just for his peace of mind.

He will mentor you in any variety of subjects if you ask. He finds it fun to share his knowledge, and watching you learn and grow is an exciting side project for him.

Kenjaku isn't typically one to say "I love you," aloud. It isn't like he'd never say it, he's just more likely to show love and affection through acts of service and physical touch

He likes to be touching you when he can. A hand on your shoulder or an arm coiled around your midsection. He enjoys hugging you from behind and resting his chin on your shoulder or your head, usually to look over what you're doing.

Likes soft affection like kissing your knuckles or your forehead. He is prone to grabbing your chin or cupping your face to make you look at him when he's speaking.

Admittedly, his controlling nature can bleed through in little behaviors like that. He sees you as his partner, but he's more comfortable leading the relationship.

He doesn't really get jealous, but he can be protective. If you're targeted, he won't waste his time dispatching the problem.

If someone hurts you, there's really no question about what their fate will be. Messing with you is the single dumbest thing anyone can do. He will have no mercy and he will not hold back. All it takes is one wrong move before they're reduced to an unidentifiable stain of red on the pavement

He likes a partner with ambition. If you have the drive to pursue your goals, he finds that incredibly attractive. He will nudge you in that direction if you're more on the timid side.

He likes children so he is very keen on it if you're either good with kids or have some sort of fondness for them.

Even if you struggle with children, don't despair. For a millennia old evil Sorcerer, he's surprisingly talented with kids and he's more than happy to teach you how to properly care for and spend time with them.

If children are something you 100% do not want, he will struggle a little with that. He likes children and he wants them, especially with an actual lover. I don't know if he will be okay with never having children.

The kids he's already had were mostly for experimental purposes. He wants to experience what it's like to actually have children just to have them.

He might try to convince you or manipulate you into it. He might love you, but Kenjaku is used to getting what he wants.

Isn't big on most pet names, but he will call you things like "dear" or "love." Likes it when you call him pet names, though. He finds them amusing

If you're in a relationship with him, you have to accept all of him, especially his work. He enjoys his work, and he's naturally very curious. He loves you, but he isn't abandoning his work for anyone. It's his passion

If you have a quick and ready mind and show that you're just as curious as he is, he will fall for you hard and fast. He craves intellectual stimulation and wants someone to call an equal. He loves talking to you about anything and everything. It's comforting for him to have someone to dispel the loneliness for once.

However, his work isn't just fun and games. He is not a good person. He has killed people and destroyed lives without a second thought just to further his goals and satisfy his own curiosity. You have to accept this part of him as well if you're going to be with him.

Seriously, if you're at all squeamish, a relationship will not work with him. He's prone to dissecting curses and humans alike, and you've definitely seen his brain on more than one occasion. Not to mention the amount of blood he has on his hands.

If he trusts you enough, you will end up being involved in his plans, meaning you'll be getting your hands dirty. His work is important to him, so there's no greater honor than being entrusted with it.

He is happy when you take a genuine interest in his work. He's the type to guide you through the process of dissecting a curse and see it as a genuine bonding experience.

He likes quiet moments together. He is especially fond of when you rest against his chest while he reads over something. Will often play with your hair at the same time

Regardless of whether or not you're a Heian Era Shaman who has been following him for centuries or a Modern Day Sorcerer, please have some fun with him.

He has a deep love and appreciation for life. He likes to have fun! (Often at the expense of others) Don't be afraid to be spontaneous with him or drag him somewhere just because it piques your interest. He enjoys someone who likes to have fun.

He's interested in new inventions, always has been. New tech, breakthroughs in science and medicine. Even TV and video games.

He actually loves video games. He doesn't always have time for them or to keep up with new IPs, but he enjoys playing with you. Especially retro style games and puzzle games like Portal.

He can be a little shit. He will pull little pranks on you or come up behind you and tickle you. He enjoys getting a bit of a rise out of you and thinks it's funny when you yelp and pout at him. He'll give you kisses all over your face as an empty apology.

Little things show his trust for you. Letting you sleep with him, eating the food you make without worry of poisons, allowing you to tend to the stitches along his head. All of those are rather vulnerable situations, and he doesn't shrink away from letting you near.

He's a great cook. He's had time to practice, so he'll surprise you every now and then with a meal he's prepared. It's typically vegetarian, because that's what he's used to, but it's always delicious and leaves you wanting more.

Be warned, this is Kenjaku we're talking about. He can be manipulative. He'd rather talk any problems out, and he doesn't have patience for childish screaming matches or arguments. He'll talk circles around you, anyhow. He knows how to bend people to his will.

He is a vain man, at least I tend to think so. He has an aesthetic he likes to keep to, even when he's changing bodies, and he tends to prefer more traditional styles of fashion.

Because of this, I think he might be a little insecure about his appearance. He'd sooner gargle shards of glass before ever admitting to it, but once you enter into a relationship with him, there's this slight hesitation from him to change bodies if he thinks his new host won't be as attractive.

As such, he greatly appreciates loyalty. Assure him you still love him, no matter what he looks like, regardless of whether he's a man or woman. It puts his mind at ease.

If you don't flinch away at the sight of his brain, he will fall deeper in love. Being able to handle the sight and also see him in such a vulnerable position means a lot

He's a possessive man. As mentioned before, he likes people but he rarely allows himself to get attached. Being his lover means he is very fond of you, which means he is not letting you go

When you die, he will reincarnate you. It doesn't matter if some other poor soul has to die so you can use their body, all he cares about is having you back with him where you belong.

And know that he will revive you as many times as necessary. If you die in action or of old age, no matter what era he met you in, he's bringing you back.

Til death do us part, but not even death can part you from him. You are his, and that's just how it is.

Loving him isn't always easy or safe, but if he's let you by his side, know that you're the most important person to him. You're under his protection, and he will see to it that you're well loved and well taken care of.

NSFW Under The Cut:

Kenjaku is a walking breeding kink. This man gets insanely horny thinking about flooding you with his seed and getting you pregnant. It doesn't matter if you physically can't get pregnant, he's going to fuck and fill you regardless.

His breeding kink isn't just for show, either. If you two have been together long enough, he will want children eventually. He'll either breed you himself or, if you have a dick, he'll jump into a body with a womb and carry the baby himself.

His favorite position is a mating press. Any position that lets him fuck you hard and deep and that lets his balls smack against you is his favorite.

He can't bring himself to pull out. If he's fucking you, he's milking his balls inside of you. It just feels better to cum inside and he enjoys the intimacy of it.

The one exception are the rare times he pulls out when he's fucking your mouth so he can cum all over your face. He loves seeing you painted with his cum.

He needs to cum at least twice a day, so prepare to have your holes stuffed often

To say he prefers rough sex would be an understatement. He can be violent in bed and he enjoys a little pain with his pleasure.

If you're a one-night stand that could be a problem because he would care very little about your pleasure or comfort, but as his lover he would be more attentive to your needs.

He'll slow down and be more gentle if he needs to be and he never pushes you further than he thinks you can take. He'd also implement a safe word if necessary.

Not to say he never enjoys slow, gentle sex just for himself because he does. He likes to see you come undone underneath him, watching you fall apart with every slow roll of his hips and every gentle kiss to your face.

He likes marking you. Leaving bruises all over your pretty skin, biting you and sucking hickeys all over your neck. They're presents from him, proof of his ownership.

He also likes being marked in return. He will keen if you rake your nails down his back and if you bite him, he always encourages you to bite him harder. He doesn't mind bleeding a little.

He is great at aftercare, despite what people may think. He'll clean you up and make sure your injuries are tended to, all the while praising you for being so good.

He likes to cuddle after sex. He enjoys the quiet intimacy of holding you in his arms, basking in the afterglow. Sometimes, he'll doze silently as you both regain your energy, but usually, he'll engage in pillow talk, usually about whatever has piqued his interest.

His marking kink ties closely with his breeding kink. He sees the act of breeding you as another way to mark you as his own, and if you can get pregnant, he will show you off a lot and ensure everyone knows he's the one who put a baby in you.

He has a praise kink and a body worship kink. He's vain, so hearing his partner call him beautiful or handsome really gets him going. He likes to be pampered and worshipped in bed, even as the dominant one. He wants you to submit and praise him for making you feel so good.

He also likes praising you. He takes pleasure in watching you blush or look away in embarrassment at his words. He'll say the nastiest shit in your ear in the sweetest, most affectionate voice he can.

Just like in the relationship itself, Kenjaku prefers to take a more dominant role. He doesn't like giving up control, despite what he might say otherwise.

He gets a headrush knowing you completely submit to him. Having that power over you is intoxicating.

He'll let you top him, but don't mistake the situation. You may be the one fucking him, but he's the one in control.

If he's in a male body, please play with his ass. He turns into a drooling mess if you fuck him in the ass. Whether you're using your fingers, your dick, or a strap-on, it's one of the few times you can actually make Kenjaku beg for more.

Tease his asshole with your fingers, lick and kiss at it before shoving your fingers in, and his thighs will start to shake before he demands more. He's a size king, so the bigger the better

He also loves being eaten out. Spend enough time between his legs eating his ass (or his pussy if he has one) and he will fall deeper in love with you. He'll pull and pet your hair and moan out praises as you please him with your mouth.

It's rewarding seeing a man like Kenjaku turn into a desperate mess.

If he has a dick, depending on the body he's in, he loves having his balls played with. The fastest way to get him in the mood is to come up behind him and grope and fondle his balls. Squeeze them gently and tug on them and Kenjaku will slam you against the nearest wall and fuck you until you're unconscious.

Big on Somnophilia. He will discuss it with you if that's a boundary, but if you give him the go-ahead, he will take advantage of it. There will be times when you'll wake up, and he'll already be balls deep inside of you.

He is not shy, and he has no shame. He actually gets turned on fucking you in front of people and sees it as another way to claim ownership. He has no problem continuing a conversation while you're moaning and creaming around his cock.

He has a stupidly high libido, but his self-control is even worse. Sure, he may not mind bouncing you on his dick in front of people, but if you're purposefully trying to get him to lose control, he has no problem ignoring you.

Be careful, though, because when he gets the chance, he will pull you aside and bend you over the nearest flat surface and fill you up until you're a drooling mess.

He will walk out with you trailing behind him, legs shaking and cum still dripping out of your twitching hole while he looks like he hardly broke a sweat from breeding you.

He likes to cockwarm you, but he's more so obsessed with the feeling of you cumming around his throbbing cock.

He'll play with your pussy or stroke your cock mindlessly while you shift and grind yourself against him. He's stubborn and won't move, but his free hand will be placed firmly on your hip to keep you still. When you finally cum, he revels in the way you clench and pulse around him 

Kenjaku loves edging and overstim. Receiving and giving. He will often do it together, edging the both of you while he fucks you, making the sensations more intense until you just can't handle it anymore.

When he's built up the pleasure enough he'll make you cum over and over and over until you're crying from overstimulation. But he won't stop until he's satisfied and exhausted

Please have fun with him. Sex can be passionate and romantic, but he never wants it to be a chore or a job. He wants it to be fun!

Make jokes, be silly, laugh at the weird noises bodies can make sometimes or if one of you accidentally hits your head against something from going too hard. He doesn't want it to be boring.

He loves pleasuring you just as much as he likes to be pleasured. He's more giving in bed than people may think.

If you have periods, he literally does not care about having sex while you're bleeding. You've seen his brain, he's killed people. Do you think a little blood will gross him out?

His dirty talk is more graphic and usually tends to be about the act itself, about how he wants to fill you up and make you scream for more.

He's fine with calling you a slut or a whore, but he doesn't like calling you thinks like stupid or ugly. Even he would never go there.

You have probably kissed his brain at one point and yes, the mouth inside of it can be used. He has eaten you out/sucked you off with it before and it was as strange as it was arousing.

Not to mention a little nerve-wracking since you were concerned about hurting the very sensitive organ.

Kenjaku finds it arousing and very comforting that, even in bed, you don't find his Technique off-putting.

He's into consensual noncon. Dubcon, to be more specific.

He likes it when you struggle against him and make him work for it. He likes to force you down or force your legs open 

Fight back against him, and it'll really get him going, but he does have a limit.

He would be turned off if you cried or screamed at him to stop, even if you were acting. He likes a little chase and struggle, but the idea of actually forcing you turns him off.

Having you fight back a little, only to submit and beg for more is what he wants. He wants to be desired, after all.

He may be rough in bed and possessive, but he loves you more than anything.

You're his, every part of you, but that also means every part of him is yours.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Do you ever think of Wylan as one of the most mature crows at the end of the books?

This is a really interesting question, and I think I would agree at least for the most part. Although all the crows undergo great personal development during the duology, I think that Wylan and Inej are the two left in the healthiest position they could be in at that time. The interesting thing about Wylan, for me at least, I’d the scene when Genya is tailoring him to lose Kuwei’s features and return to his own. In an attempt to encourage Jesper to tell her that he’s a Fabrikator, Wylan admits to Genya that he cannot read. Wylan, who at the end of soc was “red-faced” and “barely able to speak the words of his supposed affliction” (or something to that effect, sorry I don’t usually write these with the book on me to double check), is now able to openly admit it. He clearly struggles and Jesper describes him blushing and seeming visibly embarrassed, but he is still capable of so much more than he was previously. Genya’s reply is simply “that’s because no-one took the time to teach you”, and here’s the thing: I STRONGLY believe that the version of Wylan that existed at the end of soc would have stayed silent and let her believe that, but now he is able to correct her and say “lots of people took the time to teach me, it’s just something I can’t do”.

The nonchalence in Genya after this revelation is also massively important, because it shows Wylan that people will not always react like his father did. Because even though it didn’t change the Crows’ feelings for him, ultimately there people he already knew loved him and who were so different to his father in so many ways, including in their position in the world. But this is someone with no preconceived notions about him, high up in her government as his father is in theirs, and she simply does not care either way, it has no effect on her attitude or behaviour around him, and really that’s all that matters because they have no relationship. One of the saddest things about Wylan’s ending is that, even though he and Jesper are able to trick them, the Merchant Council react the exact same way to the suggestion that he can’t read that he feared they would - “How could you say such a thing about your own blood?”, as though it’s a horrendous insult. But having already admitted it to Genya shows Wylan that there’s a massive gulf between those who care wholly too much and judge him for it (his father, the council) and those who care in a support capacity but are entirely unaffected by it in their feelings towards him (crows, presumably his mother) and the people in that gulf simply don’t care. I think for a child who’s been scrutinised and judged and abused their entire life for not being enough, knowing that the vast amount of people don’t care what he’s going to amount to can be very empowering as long as he also knows that there are people who care in a supportive capacity as well.

I think this opens Wylan up to being able to mature more than the others since he’s found the power that will put him on the road to healing, as Inej has. For Jesper, the importance is that he has begun to look for that power - and will quite possibly find it in Wylan. However, I would always point out the immensity of Jesper requesting to have his money from the job put in his father’s name; is absolutely massive for him, it shows such a maturity to admit the problem even if he hasn’t found the way to healing yet, it’s incredibly important and should not be missed. For Kaz and Nina it feels a bit more complex to find their maturity, I think for Kaz there’s an want to find the oath to healing fighting against an active hatred of healing that’s been forced upon him by the city (I’ve talked about this a little bit before) and for Nina it gets more complex with the loss of Matthias, but I think she knows that she’ll find what she needs to in Fjerda and that’s the first step she needs to take. I also think that Matthias has undergone massive maturity before his death, and I’ve spoken about this a lot in my recent discussion of religion in the Grishaverse but he has undergone so much change and so much genuine improvement and attempts at improvement not only in acceptance but in his own well-being and starting to heal himself from us trauma as well. I think that if he hadn’t passed away he would’ve been a contender for most mature, but it’s also coping with his loss that has a massive impact on the maturity of the others.

I hope this made sense and thanks so much for your question! ❤️

[brujitaadinbo]

I've been picking up some Tolkien reading again; I am a fan of his writing and I remembered some verses from the most beautiful love story for me in the entire Tolkien universe; after Faramir and Eowyn, the story of Luthien and Beren; a story that crosses all barriers for love.

So when I go back to the story of both characters; How Luthien's love for Beren is so strong (and it's a two-way connection) When Beren falls into the clutches of her captors, Luthien fights with all her might, against everyone who held her and was against her love for Beren, even her father.

How to reach your loved one to save him.

Somehow it made me remember this point and relate it to another universe that I love (and I don't care what other people say) star wars

SW has a lot of Tolkien and it is evident that its female characters exude strength, especially if the fight is for someone or something they love.

When this universe begins with episodes 4, 5 and 6 Leia develops this complicated relationship with Han, but love somehow unites them, thanks to strength and destiny.

She ends up rescuing him even when she is also captured, but her feelings make her throw herself into danger for him

Later, on another SW bridge, one of my favorite couples in this universe develops within the conflict. Kanan and Hera; a couple that I believe is one of the healthiest and best developed. Love was always his hook and compass

When he ends up being captured, Hera does not hesitate at any time to go to his rescue, convincing the entire gang that "just because they are family"

Actually; You could see Hera's need to go rescue her boy. And when she is captured, Kanan does not hesitate to find her and save her.

After; My favorite shipment appears and what I love most recently. A pair of stubborn and deluded Mandalorians, who don't know how to interact in this matter of feelings, but who unconsciously help and support each other. Bo Katan no longer wanted to know anything about this man with silver beskar, he was already resigned, but love seems to have other plans for them.

The force moved its pieces and destiny helped in this play. Din Djarin almost ended up saying goodbye to this universe but Grogu went in search of the most trustworthy person and the one he knew would help them, because Bo has a special affection for that green boy and a stronger feeling for his Mandalorian father.

And he throws himself against the danger and pain of memories and seeing Mandalore fallen. And it continues like this on constant occasions when she is able to save him and keep him safe. This is how they show affection to each other and this is how he swears that he will be close to her.

And finally; the couple that no one understands and that many do not support (but I don't give a damn, the fandom of this shipment exists and we agree that they are very good at being together) Separated by conflict and circumstance; The force has different ways of acting, but that does not mean that mutual feelings disappear, especially if destiny brings them closer again. Sabine and Ezra are in a constant struggle, even with their own feelings, but even when he is far away, she never stops thinking about him.

When the promises made are there, she sets out to fulfill them and see him again, make him come home. Leaving aside everything and sacrificing the safety of an entire galaxy; a selfish impulse but that can only be done out of desperation to have it close, love sometimes makes you act unconsciously.

The only thing you can do is let yourself go. Being captured is the only way to get to him. And that's how they find each other, they manage to see each other, even when they have to separate again.

Luthien and Beren's story is similar to many of these stories of the couples I love in SW We can agree that light, love, strength and destiny are always there to cross your paths. And they will manage to love each other (or already did) or be together in their own way.

This is the way.

[aftgficrec]

Anonymous asked: Is there any new Nicky and or/twinyard centred fics or any Kevin wymack bonding ones?

Or wymack parenting the other foxes?

We made it to part 3! Neil getting adopted by Wymack is quite a popular AU, but Andrew’s relationship with Wymack also gets investigated a few times.  On the whole, the fandom does seem to love Dadmack. - S

NB: other posts from this ask: Nicky/twinyards centered fics here; Kevin & Wymack bonding here

You might also like some of these previous recs:

Wymack protecting his foxes here

Neil & Wymack fics here

Andrew’s trust in Wymack here

Wymack & Andreil here

‘100% Loved’ here

‘Even Angels fear the Fall’ here

‘thoughts about Andrew and Wymack’s relationship?’ here

‘andrew minyard’s gossip sessions with david wymack’ here

AUs where Wymack adopts Neil:

‘We Used To Be Friends’ here (completed)

‘quicksand’ here

‘Raised on Little Light’ here (completed)

Wymack & Neil:

You're Ours Now by Nicodeimus_2006fox [Rated M, 1082 words, complete, 2024]

The Foxes loose a game Neil thinks it's his fault So he spirals. Wymack's not taking any of it.

tw: panic attacks

slow down (you crazy child) by Major_816 [Rated T, 21152 words, complete, 2024]

A set of thirteen, composed in the first year. Or; the Butcher killed his wife and tried to burn his son with her, this is what happens after he's pulled from the fire. ~ Ms. Gina turns the car around a corner, putting on the blinker and leaning to both sides to look around her seat first. “I know these past few days have been pretty scary for you.” Ms. Gina says a lot, he thinks. And most of the time she doesn’t really make sure that it’s all true.

tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: nightmares, tw: panic attacks, tw: anxiety

Make a Home by sof_unie [Rated T, 13351 words, incomplete, last updated July 2024]

”As he traveled along the coastline, he continued driving until the distant glow of the small town faded from view. Without casting another glance at his mother, he parked the car and left the keys inside. Getting the gasoline and lighter that his mother had left for him, he doused the car with fuel before taking a final deep breath. He ignited the lighter and threw it into the car."

or Neil is found by Wymack when he is still a kid, Wymack takes him in and introduces him to the family

tw: implied/referenced overdose, tw: canonical character death, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: panic attacks, tw: dissociation, tw: ptsd, tw: nightmares, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: violence

make me a promise, tell me you'll stay with me (if I'm bein' honest, I don't know where this leads) by kal25 [Rated T, 3095 words, complete, 2024]

Neil should have been more careful. He should have understood that just because he was Neil Josten and not Nathaniel didn’t mean that everyone had forgotten who his father was. He was reminded every day of history he’d much rather forget when he looked in the mirror. He was learning not to hate his eyes, but it had become clear that not everyone shared that sentiment. Someone—Neil wasn’t sure who, and frankly, it didn’t matter—retaliated for the death of his father. In a way, Neil supposed his father's death was his own fault. It was supposed to be an evening run, a few miles just to clear his head. He’d been having nightmares, and he decided that this was the healthiest way to process all the information his brain was feeding him. He didn’t expect the evening to turn red with his own blood. It did, though, and Neil emerged with another bullet wound, a few more scars, but most importantly, no more death on his hands. He ended up at Wymack's door, banging on it with the hand that wasn't busy stopping blood from exiting his shoulder. "Coach?

tw: gun violence, tw: blood, tw: injuries

The Devil We Know And The Devil We Don’t by neilsversion [Rated T, 2869 words, complete, 2023]

the final chapter of trk from wymack’s pov (inspired by bisexualchaosdemon’s post on tumblr)

tw: injuries

Wymack & the twins:

Take This Lonely Heart by simonsrosebud [Rated M, 44933 words, incomplete, last updated July 2024]

Wymack grunted. “Hey, why don’t I call in takeout from Sweeties and we can eat it in the office? I have a sixteen year old boy in the back of the patrol car right now that I’m running to the station.” Andrew scoffed quietly to himself and set the phone on speaker to light his cigarette. Muffled, he said, “He better be eye candy if I’m coming to that dump.” Andrew inhaled deep and closed his eyes for a moment before blowing the smoke out through his teeth. On the other end of the phone, just as he was bringing the cigarette back for another drag, he heard Wymack say, “Hey, my son wants to know if you’re cute.” Andrew coughed up his lung at that surprise, but he didn’t miss the way that a distant voice piped up with “I want to say yes, sir.”

tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: nightmares, tw: ptsd, tw: panic attacks, tw: dissociation

Burned Out by TogeMythia [Rated M, 3217 words, complete, 2023]

It had been quite some time since Andrew’s last forced entry into his apartment, so he was curious as to what had prompted the blonde to make this unannounced visit. - Andrew shows up at Wymack's apartment a few weeks after Aaron's trial.

tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced murder

Dadmack by poly_pr1nce [Rated T, 880 words, complete, 2020, locked]

I didn't save the original prompt but it was about Wymack looking after Andrew and Andrew letting himself be vulnerable in front of the man

tw: claustrophobia, tw: implied/referenced abuse

Make my messes matter. Make this chaos count. by Side_effect_of_the_meds [Rated T, 3064 words, complete, 2020]

Ok but I’ve always wondered about the missing scene in TKM where Wymack and Andrew go to get lunch for the team after the whole Aaron-Allison-Andrew debacle. Care to ellaborate? Yes. Yes, I would. (I tried to keep it in character but the whole checkout scene is incredibly self-indulgent but I refuse to be sorry about it.)

tw: alcohol, tw: implied/referenced violence, 

Some day I'll learn to breathe again by Side_effect_of_the_meds [Rated T, 2290 words, complete, 2020]

With Wymack dead, Andrew begins to question his worth.

tw: character death, tw: terminal illness

Musings about my foxes by Side_effect_of_the_meds [Rated G, series, updated 2019]

Chapter 2: Dad

Have y'all noticed how much time Andrew spends with Coach Wymack???? 

Wymack & Andrew meta by @fortheloveofexy [tumblr, 2023]

The thing that gets me about Wymack is that he doesn't actually have to bribe Andrew into playing.

Wymack & the Foxes

All for the family by babyprincess675 [Not Rated, 3692 words, complete, 2024]

The Palmetto State Foxes have been, are, and will always be a pain in his ass. Tragic past, tragic present, tragic future. The foxes are rabid, violent charity cases some would say. David Wymack tried to coach them and stay out of their business, their troubles, and their…problems at the same time. But he is only a man. Or 5 times David Wymack didn’t mind his pay grade, and 1 time he didn’t even realize he wasn’t doing it.

tw: violence

STUD by Mercey [Rated G, 2136 words, complete, 2024]

‘It’s time to gather ‘round, Foxes,’ Allison baldly announced, ‘I have photographic evidence that Coach was hot.’ Or: the foxes find pictures of Wymack in the 80s

piece by piece, he restored my faith (that a man can be kind and a father could stay) by kal25 [Rated T, 2337 words, incomplete, last updated June 2024]

David Wymack did not raise kids, but he did raise his Foxes. Each one of them, whether they were past, present, or even future, will always have a place in his heart. He understood what it meant to be beaten by a man you called your father, to feel fear and hatred and another dozen emotions all at once. He understood what it felt like for guilt to eat you alive about things that never should have been wrong, and he understood what it meant to not have a place to call home. And he swore, when he became a coach, that he would create a home. He would build one from the ground up with his own two hands, and he would invite every single child who chased Exy like a beacon of hope and had no other place to call home—because that’s what he wished someone would have done for him.

tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon

lucid dreams (thinking of you) by cyanidecatalyst [Rated T, 11451 words, incomplete, last updated May 2024]

the foxes as kids growing up

tw: nightmares, tw: implied/referenced child abuse

GOODNIGHT COACH! by Kory_Rory [Rated T, 4517 words, complete, 2024]

Neil and Kevin are bored out of their minds. Somehow they were able to drag Andrew into their shit as well. The TV is boring, the whole team are on an exy ban for the entire weekend and it's 2 in the morning so none of the other foxes are awake. So what better way to spend the night but by breaking into their coaches apartment and stealing some drinks?

Wymack's punishments for the Foxes by @dvrcos [tumblr, 2024]

Wymacks always threatening to sign the Foxes up for marathons as punishment but I personally like to believe he gives them much more unconventional punishments. Ones that he just knows will annoy the Foxes.

NB: spoilers for TSC:

After Care by @justadreamfox [tumblr, 2024]

Wymack flies home from dropping Jean in L.A.

tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: implied/referenced violence

Art

what if they show up to practice in matching jorts by @ziegenkind094

David and Neil Wymack are gossiping by @moontrader-arts

"Help me,"  "Let me," by @rainbowd00dles 

neil and wymack art by @cacuilustra

Dadmack & his foxes by @yourleftpinkytoe-blog

I’m an Exy Dad art by @/eislekaj on instagram

[lopposting]

So, I have some mixed feelings about the Rise ending. I don't know, it's complicated. At the centre of the game seems to lie a father-son relationship and the lengths of approval. You are "punished", in a sense, if you decide to hand your heart to your father. But it does still technically "reward" you with approval in the good ending with his acknowledgement. I thought it would've been really interesting if Geppetto says the exact same thing as the Free from the puppet string ending ("I knew it, you're just a useless puppet") in the Rise ending, but in a different tone.

[I know this is a complicated subject, and I'm sure that many people may have some personal perspectives on this, but I hope people get what I'm trying to get at]

But after some time, I think that the apology is not really for the audience, it's for P. The apology is a worthy inclusion, not because Geppetto needs to be redeemed, but because without it, the only "wrong" option is to seek his approval. Maybe his acceptance isn't the "right" thing to want, or what we "should" want [I don't mean in a moral way] - but Pino isn't wrong for wanting it.

Or maybe he is, I don't know. But I think, despite everything - it's still what Pino wanted. and I think it does provide him with a bit more closure and peace than something else. (And it can do this while also not portraying it as the "healthiest" thing to want.)

And I think that's what they're showing us with the extra shot of him looking over the balcony. There's no other purpose of this scene [I mean other than establishing the next scene for the audience], and In his reality, it would've been completely silent. He's just looking at the view. Not even listening to music. And then he finally goes to sleep.

[majaloveschris]

Why nothing makes sense, part 8.

Comic Con and Wedding Ring Edition

So before I start this part of the Why Nothing Makes Sense series, I'd like to say that I'm not saying there wasn't a wedding or that this isn't real. However, I'm going to explain why things don't make sense to me and why I think this might not be real.

So before we jump into this amazing Comic Con weekend, I'd like to go back to the DM Boston airport sighting. So that picture of them coming back from Portugal happened (according to that "anon") after their honeymoon and wedding. So we could all see in that picture that Alba was wearing no ring. This was obviously very weird to a lot of people, since if you are newly married, why wouldn't you want to wear your ring? We got explanations from anons, like they wanted to keep the marriage private or that they only had a commitment ceremony. After the thousands of articles and the comic con, we can all agree that both of these explanations are bullshit. So why wasn't she wearing a ring? Where was hers? If this is real and they got married, then why didn't she have hers on?

People love to throw around "they are private" excuses, but they aren't. They never were, and they never will, because they want to sell this relationship. Since Alba stepped into his life, he has forgotten that he is a private person. And he is still pretty private about everything except her. If they were private, there wouldn't have been Instagram stories uploaded or articles about their wedding, or he wouldn't have worn his ring, or even if he had, he wouldn't have talked about their wedding. This whole shitshow is everything but not private.

After people started questioning this whole ring thing, he suddenly appeared to wear one at the Comic Con. I think he was showing the ring much more on the first day but appeared to hide it more on the second. The ring alone looks cheap and not very fitting. I'm not only saying this based on the pictures, but I talked to someone who's met him (yeah, I have evidence they met), and they said it looked rather yellowish than gold, and it was clearly too big for him. He looked unhealthy, and I don't really understand the "he looks the healthiest and happiest he's ever been" comments because I don't really see it.

Then we got that amazing interview. So the whole thing started with the lady saying that he's been working a lot in the past 2 years, and if there was a personal project he was working on right now, This question was clearly planted. I doubt that he or his team didn't know about the questions prior to the interview. Even if they didn't know about this question, he could've said anything else. Saying he's getting ready for fall and immediately changing the subject, or he could've started talking about Dodger. He needed to talk about her; he needed to talk about the wedding. He said it was really, really great. Now call me disputatious, but he always said how much he wants to settle down, get married, and start a family. So if she is the one, if she is the person who makes him happy, etc., I would assume he would've said something like, "It was the best day of my life" or "This was everything I've ever wanted, and I'm so happy" not that it was "really, really great". Then he continued that they "kinda had two ceremonies, one on the East Coast and one in Portugal". What does "kinda" mean? You either had two ceremonies or not. And why did he say East Coast and not MA? Everyone knows he lives in Massachusetts, and there were like a thousand articles about them getting married, so there isn't really anything to hide at this point. Then he mentioned his wife's Portuguese, which we've all also known, and I don't even want to mention the awkward "Go Portugal!" thing. He also said it was wonderful and beautiful, but a lot to organize. Then he said they've been enjoying life since then, and he mentioned autumn and seemed excited and happy to talk about it. He turned back to "their" life, and his face changed again. It seemed like he didn't even take himself seriously when he said that they were "reflecting". I think he only mentioned the last sentence so he could change the subject and start talking about something. It felt like he was trying to remember everything he had to say and share.

People said he looked happy talking about the wedding. I mean, he didn't look desperate or sad like every other time we saw them together. I care more about actions than words, and him smiling while talking about the wedding won't make me forget how he acted during the NYC pap walk, Disney, that awkward car kiss, or the Boston airport photo. I also think that you can see that as soon as he changed the subject, he looked happier. He looked way more excited to talk about autumn and Dodger than about his own wife and their kinda weddings. And he definitely talked much more about it.

He didn't share new information; everything he's said we already knew about the weddings. There wasn't a fan who asked him about her during the interview; they knew the questions prior, and even if they didn't, he didn't have to talk about her. So then why? People won't start liking her and shipping them just because he talks about her, and what if some people think they didn't get married? They seem to care so much about what people think about this, which I don't really get since if this is real and they are happier than ever, then why do they keep trying to convince people that it is? They are supposed to be private, yet they act like they are selling something. They keep trying to fill gaps and make this more authentic, but it's not and never will be. Those things that make this whole thing really fake for me and for a lot of people are already out there. You can't change what's done, and no matter how hard they try, those inconsistencies and bullshit are out there and will stay there. They can try to explain and fill the gaps by "randomly" mentioning it or publishing an article, but again, why would they do that? Why are they doing all of this if this is genuine and they have nothing to sell or prove?

[blazinghotfoggynights]

Wank is definitely trying to infiltrate the fandom. The proliferation of posts aimed at the fans of specific ships, fans who do not like characters or character development, or fans who point out unrealistic situations and behaviors is definitely frightening. So, I will say a few things and keep going.

(Disclaimer: If you don't like my views, kudos to you. It's called free thinking and free will. Maybe if you explain why you don't agree, it will open a fun dialogue.

Saying I am wrong or I suck doesn't bother me and does not count as supporting your views. You can't leave anon comments. You can thank a few who can't act like civilized humans for that change. I am always open to discussion and debate, if it is respectful.)

Here goes some of my thoughts on current fandom war topics I have seen:

BuckTommy is gross/pointless/forced/not believable.

I don't think it is gross. Lou isn't my type, but I can tell he is a handsome man. So, I understand someone being attracted to him.

I think Buck needs to explore himself, not just his sexuality, outside the 118. As for not being believable, I think it is. And there are many interpretations, I believe, that could be correct.

I don't feel this is forced in the way most of the posts I've seen are implying it. I think Tommy was a convenient character and maybe TPTB are using this as a way to get that character, and possibly his unit, more exposure. Spinoff maybe? When you think about it, it would have been just as easy to create a new character and have him force Buck to look within himself.

I think the relationship is very believable, but not for the most common reasons.

This is organic attraction and a natural progression.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I believe that even though we are in a new season, Buck is still traumatized by dying. I think he is hiding it well. I think throwing himself into a relationship with someone who was obviously only into him due to his brush with death distracted him. But I don't think Buck has dealt with dying and what that dream showed him. There is no way he does not have a lot of unresolved issues.

I think Natalia was a distraction that actually worked for a while. But, if you go back to the scene where he tells Eddie they broke up, he is obviously in need of attention. He is blatantly resentful after Eddie says he is unavailable due to Christopher's date but asked Marisol to help chaperone. (Eddie is no better. Listen to how he says Natalia's name.)

So, we have a man who died, didn't deal with that at all, threw himself into a relationship with a death doula, the relationship ended, his safe place was now taken by Marisol, whom Eddie was asking to fill a parental role that would have been Buck's before.

In that one scene Buck was slapped into a reality where Eddie is not always available when he needs him, he is no longer Christopher's de facto second parent, and Eddie is trying to move on a build a family with someone else.

We know Buck doesn't have the healthiest coping skills. I was waiting for him to go off the rails. He was drifting alone.

Enter Tommy. Tommy who is instantly drawn to Eddie. If you never find out that Tommy is into men, and look at the sparring, the fixing Eddie's car, the FLYING THE MAN TO VEGAS FOR A SOLD OUT FIGHT, the intense focus, amazing adventures, and acts to impress Eddie still seem like someone showing off for someone they like.

You can interpret the scene of Tommy, Eddie, and Buck separating after watching Bobby and Athena as Tommy being smitten with Eddie, watch how he stares at Eddie, and Buck trying to draw Tommy's attention away from Eddie, whom he is already seeing slip away due to Marisol.

(I will probably explore this in another post.)

In other words, I think Buck was experiencing a breakup, seeing Eddie as slipping away, still shaken by his death, and not dealing. Tommy could very well be Natalia 2.0, a distraction when he needed it. Tommy was into Eddie but Eddie was taken and wasn't giving him any signs that there could ever be more. Buck needed someone and Tommy saw an opportunity with a hot man.

Buddie doesn't make sense because Eddie is not gay.

May I remind everyone Buck was canonically straight for six seasons?

Eddie doesn't have to be gay. He could be bi, pan, demi, or whatever. I've touched upon Eddie Diaz's unusual behavior with and toward women in prior posts. I have been on this Earth long enough to know that Eddie Diaz does not behave like a typical heterosexual male.

I also know sexuality is not as concrete and clear as we always think it is. A lot of people have figured out in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond the sexuality they genuinely believed they were was not quite accurate.

Eddie's relationships have all been based on what he feels he is supposed to do. That man has never once shown a genuine sexual attraction to any woman he has been paired with. He never looks at any of them with that gleam in his eye.

But you know who he does look at like that? Buck. He has done it many times throughout the series. (That will probably be a separate post, too.)

Eddie doesn't pursue women. He doesn't feel comfortable with relationships naturally progressing with those women. When he finds himself in a relationship that is moving to another level he panics, literally. He basically has kicked every woman out, yet he invites Buck over all the time.

Eddie Diaz is not straight. Eddie Diaz has never had a functional, stable relationship with a woman. Eddie Diaz is just as messed up and in need of thrice weekly therapy appointments as Buck.

BuckTommy and Buddie can't coexist.

Why not? How many people here have only had one partner in their lives? It happens but it is rare.

Many seem to overlook that Buddie can't happen right now anyway because Eddie is with Marisol. So, just as Eddie jumped at Marisol because Buck dove into a relationship with Natalia headfirst, why would it be such a stretch to consider that Buck is throwing himself into an opportunity with Tommy because Eddie is taken.

I keep pointing out those two are the poster children for unhealthy dynamics.

Some fans don't like Tommy Kinard.

What's wrong with that? I've seen many valid reasons fans given by the fans who don't like the character. I've seen some that are ridiculous, too, but I scroll quickly past those.

Tommy, canonically, was a terrible person but is now a fan favorite and suddenly redeemed.

I get it. He says he was struggling with his sexuality and trying to fit in and all is forgiven. 🙄 Personally, I don't know why the hell Hen would ever forgive him. I understand forging a positive working relationship with him, but as a woman, I have seen so many men treat us, I am a woman who has worked with people of all races and sexualities, badly in the workplace and a simple "I'm sorry" is supposed to be enough to erase the damage and anguish that casual misogyny, racism, and homophobia caused. It hurts when you are insulted, humiliated, and punished for something you can't control, such as your biological sex, race, or sexuality. He wasn't a dumb kid in junior high trying to impress some kids so he could be their friend. He was a grown ass man who chose to bully a woman due to her sex, race, and sexuality. What makes it worse is he is gay, too!

Some fans have said they see negative personality traits in the character. I didn't initially, until I rewatched his scenes after reading some posts on social media. I missed a lot of little things. He's older. He's experienced. He knows how to woo someone. But he also talks down to Buck. When he says Evan, it isn't warm and loving like when Maddie or Eddie says it. It is almost scolding and reproachful. I also concur with those who say he uses snark to put Buck in his place and Buck doesn't even notice. (Let me stop right here and state that if those traits are meant to be subtly conveyed, Lou Ferrigno, Jr is doing a damn good job.)

It's perfectly fine to dislike the character. There is no rule saying fans have to like every character on the show.

BuckTommy and Buddie can't coexist. If Buck is with Tommy, it is a slap in the face to Buddie. If Buddie happens, it is a slap in the face to BuckTommy.

Buck and Eddie have been with other people. If they ever get together, their pasts don't matter. I hate to be the one to tell you, but wedding night virgins? Not common anymore.

Buck is exploring man on man sex with a man who knows what he is doing.

Eddie is in a relationship, too. He's learning about himself. Catholic guilt. Not living for himself.

Every single relationship they have had has shaped them and taught them something.

I wouldn't even be upset if Eddie figured out he liked men, then spent time with an experienced man.

Everyone in the 118 needs to find outlets beyond that group if you ask me.

I admitted early on I am a Buddie endgamer, but I am enjoying seeing slutty Buck openly thirsting over Tommy. I would enjoy seeing Eddie openly thirsting over some sexy man for a while, too. Bring on the breathless begging for the D. I get it. I have been there, baby. When the D is good, you don't mind begging.

So, those are just some thoughts based on the state of fandom right now.

[abybweisse]

People who don't believe in or even Hate the undertaker=cedric theory always have tow reasons, 1,they simp over ut so bad that they can't tolerate him having kids with another person 2, it will make him absurd, because love makes things cheap and not interesting, which I highly disagree with,because if there was anything ever between them I highly doubt it was lovey dovey and healthy, I mean we have ut who is a literal death God and I don't see him as a caring and gentle person like many do at all, and then we have claudia p ( I meant c'mon she is the grandmother of ciel and the mother of vincent, just imagine how deranged and manipulative she herself was) so I really think the relationship between tham was fascinating although I don't think we will ever get a flashback of them because it's not relevant to the current story... just wanted to know ur opinion on this.

Some UT x Claudia/Cloudia thoughts

Well, anon, it's an interesting take, and I agree with certain elements of it, but I have to disagree with the rest.

Some fans might simp over him so much they can't stand the thought of him canonically with anyone, and some might find the "I did it for love" motive to be too cliché and boring. But there are other reasons I've seen for why detractors or critics of the theory don't like it.

Many of them can't handle the idea that a reaper could or would mate with a human. I believe it's entirely possible within the Kuroverse; it's just forbidden. Well, when you are a reaper who has deserted your post, why would you care anymore about the rules? In fact, I think he could have his own motives for mating with humans... like giving his human offspring traits that are supposed to be reserved for reapers. Or even with the intention of decreasing the number of new reapers (if they are reborn to reaper couples, as I theorize). A relatively small chunk of the fandom doesn't want Undertaker to be Vincent's father... because they ship those two guys together. Though, finding out they are father and son might not entirely stop them. 😑

It's possible that a relationship between Undertaker and Claudia/Cloudia wouldn't be the healthiest thing for either of them... but I can totally see it being lovey dovey 🥰. Don't forget that well-written characters aren't so one-sided, and they are allowed to be -- for example -- manipulative and cruel and loving and generous, depending on the circumstances. Undertaker can be gentle and caring; he might have been even more so before she died. Grandma P might have been strong willed and possessing of an evil streak a mile wide, but she also might have fallen head over heels for the most attractive male character in the series, according to Yana-san herself. Don't forget that despite him being cruel and manipulative as queen's watchdog, Vincent does truly love his family -- something else Yana-san has previously said. Why wouldn't people like Undertaker and Claudia/Cloudia produce children like Vincent and Francis/Frances? They seem exactly like the sort of offspring I'd imagine from a pairing like that. They might have had children together for more than one reason, but I believe love is one of them. An act of rebellion might be another. 😏

I sure expect at least one flashback of them together, since it's totally relevant to what's going on. Remember when Sebastian asks our earl just how far back they have to follow the series of events to figure out which culprits to target for revenge? Well, I think our earl's problems largely started with that pairing. Or, more specifically, started with people who didn't appreciate that pairing. I think it's why she died when (and however) she did. I think it adds to the various reasons why the Phantomhives were attacked in 1885. Forget the fans who don't like the pairing; there must be someone in the story that doesn't like it, either. Like the queen... or John Brown....

When Sebastian asks Undertaker what his relationship to the Phantomhive family is, he says he'll leave it up to imagination. But, eventually, I expect him to explain it anyway. And that's when we'd likely get at least a panel or two of them together. We could even get several chapters of them together in a long flashback.

[brw]

What drew you to Beast as a character? As someone who's been into various X-Men through the years, he's been on the periphery for me until very recently, so I'm interested in hearing from someone who's been a fan for (what seems to be) a while.

Oooh so to be completely honest I didn't get into Hank proper until I became focused on Wonder Man. I always sort of appreciated Hank, but I think I found it easy to take him and his place in the X-Men for granted. He's almost always there, because he's such a staple character of the team, so it was easy for me to be like oh, there's Beast! My friend Hank! But not actually think much about him. I remember sort of accidentally reading some solo comics he was in (there was this X-Men Unlimited issue I read where he and Kitty go to the opera I remember very clearly), and I enjoyed those but I never purposefully sought him. He seemed fun but at that point I was already quite attached to Hank Pym and Reed Richards and I figured he'd be like Bruce Banner to me, where I liked them but never enough to seek out their comics.

This changed when I became really interested in Wonder Man, both because those two are best friends and you can't read Wonder Man without greeting Beast, but also because Simon really does love Hank as a person and you kind of start to appreciate what Simon seeks in Hank as his friend. I knew in abstract that Hank McCoy was a kind person who wanted to be there for his friends, whose character bit was that he looks like a scary cat-ape but actually speaks like an English professor, who despite appearances is a romantic, a comedian, a scientist and a very loving person, but it was different seeing those traits play such a fundamental part in Simon's character trajectory. Simon really needed a friend like Hank when he was reintroduced into the comic canon, and interestingly Hank really needed a friend like Simon for where he was at in the Avengers. It was just really interesting seeing these two get closer and closer, from stout friends to low-key (high-key) a gay love story compounded by the fact they were an actual item in an au. And when you read Hank McCoy as a very repressed bisexual man, who is scared of ever acknowledging this part of him because of his own unexamined fear of himself because of his animal nature and features, who is in love with his equally repressed gay friend... well, that's just an interesting character!

I don't necessarily think I wouldn't have gotten into Hank without Simon, because he more than stands up as a character in his own right, but I think Simon really got me to see Hank in a new light because of how important he is as a person in Simon's life. He is without a doubt one half of the most healthiest, happiest, most stable relationship in Simon's entire character history. Which isn't to say they're necessarily a healthy and stable dynamic in of themselves (Hank has a very rose tinted glasses perspective on Simon, unable to acknowledge the edgier sides of him, and Simon in turn for better or for worst always sees the best in Hank even when sometimes he shouldn't), but both Simon and Hank have such messed up relationships with so many of the people around them that when they're around each other it's somehow the best relationship of their lives.

Anyway, there are a lot of things I like Hank for. He's misunderstood, both out of universe and in universe. He's someone hopelessly dedicated to his loved ones, often at the expense of his own happiness and wellbeing. He's brutally aware of the fact that he's wasting his life for the X-Men, for their lives and what keeps them alive and happy, and both resents them for taking up so much of his time but resents himself too, for thinking that way about the people that gave him so much. He sings Frank Sinatra in the bathroom and enjoys French cinema. He doesn't know left from right. The one thing in the world he's most scared of is becoming the animal the world sees him as, becoming the animal he thinks he might be underneath all his diplomas and achievements. He flew all the way from Scotland when he heard his best friend was alive on a one way ticket and bought red roses to match his eyes for the occasion. He loves his parents and he has an undiagnosed mood disorder. He's a strange blue man and I love him!