#why are we focusing on bullshit and ignoring possibilities

[maineventbts]

The Boy Is Mine

pairing: jey uso x oc

word count: 2.1k

warnings: cursing , some innuendoes at the end , that’s pretty much it.

note: i haven’t written anything in a while , im just testing the waters. pls be kind <3

It was Monday, meaning you were walking into the arena for tonight's show. Typically, you enjoyed coming to work; you had the best job in the world. However, this was the last place you wanted to be today. Your silver suitcase was rolling behind you as your best friend power walked to keep up with your quick strides. Your goal was to reach your destination as quickly as possible, avoiding as much contact as you could. You greeted some staff and fellow coworkers before rushing into the female locker room. Holding the door open for your friend, as she gives you a side eye on her way into the room. "What is wrong with you? You need to slow the fuck down," Nia said with her hands on her hips, trying to catch her breath.

You refused to tell her the reason for your speed walking into the arena. In your mind, the reasoning made you sound like a high schooler, and you were grown as hell. You and your longtime friend, who happens to be Nia's cousin, were going through a rough patch. You and Josh were not just typical friends; you were practically in love with each other. You couldn't get enough of each other from the day you first met. Sitting together in catering, riding to shows together, even having him hold your purse sometimes. You two even shared many steamy moments in private. No one ever questioned your closeness until a new person was added to the mix. Newer talent, Nikita, the Bane of your existence. Because you and Josh were not an official item, he was fair game for anyone. However, you were ready to go to bat for that man, like he put a ring on your finger.

"Hello? Girl, you almost killed me; this better not be about Josh again." Nia shakes your shoulders, pulling you from your daze. You playfully smack her hands off of your body, "my bad, I'm just a little tired today." Not believing your excuse, Nia opens her mouth, preparing to remind you of your busy day. "And I know we have a tag match tonight, I'll be focused," you beat her to the punch.

After setting up your space in the locker room, you and some of the other women head to catering. You've only had a matcha latte today, and if you didn't eat anything soon, your body would give up. Thankfully, there is always a diverse spread of delicious food, so you never have to worry about going hungry. You grab a Gatorade and pack your plate with three tacos and rice. As soon as you sit down with Nia and Naomi, you notice Naomi's continuous glances at you. "Yes, Naomi," you say, already knowing what was about to come next.

"Why are you ignoring that man," referring to her brother-in-law, Josh. Unsurprisingly, he told his twin brother Jon, who definitely told Trinity. You poke at the food on your plate before looking up at the girls, "I'm not ignoring hi-," Trinity put her hand up, not wanting to hear whatever bullshit you were about to spew. "I literally watch you speed walk past him at every show. And he won't stop calling me and Jon to see what's wrong with you." It was obvious that Trinity wanted to help you both, but you wanted to avoid being lectured by your friends. "He out here entertaining other bitches, what am I supposed to do," your words came out in a whisper in an attempt to keep your fellow workers out of your business.

You’ve been talking about Josh too much because he comes around the corner like Beetlejuice. In an instant, your head is down, and you begin eating your food, praying that he'll ignore you. His eyes are on you instantly, but to your surprise, he doesn't approach you. Instead, he sits down with Xavier and Kofi, at the table beside you. Your back was toward him, but Nia's constant looks in his direction weren't helping your paranoia. "Stop looking over there," you mouth to her, causing her to look down at her plate.

Just as you thought things couldn't get any worse, Bane arrives here to ruin your day. "What up Nikita," you hear Xavier greet the girl, who takes a seat at their table. Your jaw tightens, and your grip on your fork is deadly. Her presence makes you want to flip every table in the room and slap the taste out of her mouth. "I'm liking the little blue in the back, Josh; did you just dye it?" just the sound of her voice raises your body temperature. Smoke is practically barreling out of your ears as you try to remain calm. His hair color is none of her business, and why didn't he tell you about it? Your mind is racing so fast that you don't notice Trinity and Nia's concerned facial expressions. If you didn't leave this table now, Nikita would be laid out on it. Gathering your trash and personal items, you get up from the table and get away from catering as quick as possible. Little did you know, Joshua was staring at you the entire time with puppy dog eyes, praying that you'd look his way.

Back in the locker room, you begin to prep for your match. Earbuds snug in your ears as you riffle through your suitcase, trying to find the best gear to wear. After a swift search, you pull out one of your strategically distressed t-shirts, trunks, and kickpads. You change in one of the stalls and throw on your black boots. "You want to look like me so bad," Nia lets out a laugh as you both come out of the stalls wearing the same colors. The show had already started, and it was time for you two to get in the makeup chair.

"Do you want to go with a neutral type of look tonight," Melinda, one of the makeup artist, always asked what you wanted before she worked her magic. You went with the neutrals, and so did Nia. You and the girls are enjoying small talk as she puts the finishing touches on your face. "Y/N," your body instantly tensed up, and you refused to look away from the girl in front of you. Nia instantly looked away and continued to chat with the other girls. "Girl, i know you did not," you mutter, shocked that she'd leave you to deal with this alone.

"Yes, Josh," you fight the urge to face him, trying to stay strong. If you looked that man in the eyes, you just might let everything go and fold. "Can we go somewhere and talk," he moves to stand before you, not allowing you to avoid him any longer. "I'm getting my makeup done," you quickly respond, hoping to excuse yourself from the situation. "Actually, you're all done now," Melinda pats your shoulder as she ushers you to get out of the chair. Your eyes widen as you've just been thrown to a wolf by your favorite makeup artist. You thank the woman, realizing that you can't hide anymore. "Come on," you tilt your head towards the far end of the hall, which happens to be empty.

"Why you ignoring me," Joshua jumps straight to the point, looking down on you. His body looks tense as he folds his hands in front of him. It was beyond evident that he was just as nervous as you were, if not more. "We been friends for years, you know you my girl," you could hear the hurt in his voice, and it completely shattered your heart. The last thing you wanted to do was hurt Josh, but you were hurting too. "If I'm your girl, why are you flirting with other bitches? It's supposed to be me and you, Joshua; this is not a group thing." You could hardly hold eye contact with him anymore; his eyes looked angry and apologetic, while you looked like you were about to burst into tears.

He cupped your jaw, forcing you to look at him. "Ain't nobody flirting with nobody. She just follows me and the guys around sometimes, you need to stop trippin-"you smack his hand away from your face. How dare he accuse you of being dramatic. "I need to stop trippin? You won't even let Dolph sit next to me anymore. Anybody gets friendly with me, and you get upset, but I can't be mad at you for getting fresh with someone that ain't me," no longer were you scared to look at him; you were practically fuming. Head cocked to the side with your arms crossed over your chest, "you're so fucking backwards, Josh. If you wanna flirt with other people, if you want to fuck with other people, go ahead!" The two of you sat in silence for a moment, unsure of what even happened. He clenched his jaw, as you tried your best to hold back the flood that was ready to fall from your eyes.

"Fuck you, Josh. I'm so fucking done with you," you turn away from him, not wanting to waste any more of your time on someone who wasn't truly committed to you. Head hanging low as you speed past everyone in the hall. Joshua watches you walk away from him, knowing that you need some time to cool off. Though you might not understand now, he loves you more than anything else in this world, and he wouldn't let you walk out of his life that easily.

The rest of your evening was bearable. You won your tag match with Nia but had to go up against the one person you wanted to strangle. Luckily for you, Josh was nowhere to be found; now it was time to get the hell out of there before he magically appeared again. You and Nia were outside, waiting for Saraya to bring the car around. Sitting on your suitcase with your earbuds in, this was the most peace you had gotten all day.

As Saraya pulls up in front of you, a hand drapes over your shoulder. You recognized that soft yet heavy hand anywhere. "What do you want Josh," your words come out very monotonous as you pull the earbuds from your ears. "You riding with me tonight," his words sounding more like a statement than a question. You shrug his hand off of your shoulder before rising from your seat. "No, I'm going with the girls to-” before you could finish your sentence, Joshua is holding your suitcase along with his, "you gon' stop running from me. You know just how much I love you, even though we haven't made anything official, I've made it more than clear that you my number one." Before you can get a word out, he continues, "I shouldn't have let her get that close to me; that's my fault entirely. But never once did I feed into her advances or little flirtatious behavior. I'm not checking for anybody that's not you, ma," with every word he says, you feel your face get hotter. You weren't sure what you were expecting, but you didn’t think that he’d profess his love for you outside the arena.

"I know we ain't made nothing official or anything, but I wanna change that. I don't want no one thinking they got a chance with you, and I know you don't want that either." Joshua advances towards you, letting go of the suitcase handles. Hands slowly wrapping around your waist and pulling you closer to his body, "be my girl, officially." You couldn’t resist it anymore, the last thing you wanted was to keep fighting with Josh. Your hand comes up to the back of his head, strands of his blue hair through your fingers, "I'd like that very much," your words come out softly as you feel your face burning. His eyes were scanning all over your body like this was the first time he’s ever seen you. You couldn’t lie, you did get some new braids in and did your makeup a bit different lately, hoping he would notice. He wasn’t the only one staring, you found yourself drooling over his tattooed arms and the shine from his grill. It’s been a minute since y’all got together and you needed him now.

"Kiss her! Be a man," you hear Saraya and Nia yelling from the car, you completely forgot that they were waiting on you. Leaning down, Joshua carefully places his lips against yours. Wasting no time, you parted your lips, allowing his tongue to slip into your mouth. Your nails are softly combing through his hair as his hands start to roam your body. You hear squeals in the background before slowly pulling away from his lips. Gloss slightly smudged on your face and on his lips. Your mouth curves into a smile before you turn your attention to your friends. "I'll see y'all in the next town," you raise your middle finger at the pair before gathering your items to leave with your new man.

"You gon' apologize for ignoring me all this time," he looks over at you, licking his lips as you help him load up the rental. Already knowing what kind of apology he wanted, you shake your head, "nah, I've been under so much emotional stress lately. I think you owe me an apology, maybe even two," you giggle as he closes the trunk. "I’ma give you whatever you want baby," he says, hand smacking your ass before you walk over to the passenger door.

[veltana]

Sell my soul - 1

✦ Pairing: Lloyd Hansen/Fem!Reader

✦ Word count: ~1k

✦ Rating for this part: Mature

✦ Warnings/tags: Alpha!Lloyd, Omega!Reader, omega auction, slow burn, eventual smut, pet names (sugar plum).

✦ Summary: Lloyd buys you

✦ Note: Due note that this is a drabble series and the parts will be short, but I hope you like it any way! I started writing this because Lloyd was trying to hijack my brain and take over the Buy my heart series, so he got his own instead, and I'm gonna make him suffer 😈 Reblogs, comments and asks are much appreciated!

Series masterlist

Masterlist | AO3

“This is bullshit,” you mutter as you pull on the sheer dress. It's basically see-through. Why can't you wear regular clothes? Isn't it embarrassing enough that you have to sell yourself, you have to be as close to naked as possible also?

But you do it anyway and don't say anything more. This is really your very last resort. Everything else you've tried so far has been a failure.

Panic starts to rise in your chest. What if he's out there? What if he buys you?

Then you realize that everyone sitting out there is an alpha and he wouldn't be allowed in. It calms your nerves a bit but you still glance around now and then as you wait for your turn. He's found you before. You're not safe anywhere.

“This is bullshit,” Lloyd growls as he adjusts the mask covering his face. He recognizes the scents of at least three alphas, despite being unable to see their faces. The masks aren't hiding shit. He knows they're more for the omegas on stage than for the alphas but so far the entire event has been a disappointment, and he regrets attending.

Instead, he studies the high ceiling and artwork on the walls, only glancing at the omegas appearing, one after another getting bought.

Just as he's about to up and leave the omega on stage catches his attention. Eyes that keep flickering and a stubborn mouth, but otherwise delectable! He raises his paddle before he even knows it. A few people bid too, but Lloyd is determined. His paddle is the last to go up.

The omega's mouth is a thin line. A smile cracks Lloyd's face below the mask as he rises and makes his way out to pick up his newly acquired omega.

“Be nice, be nice, be nice. Be nice to the alpha who bought you. You need his protection.” You remind yourself as you stand outside in your clothes after being shown out by the attendant. There isn't an alpha around and your eyes keep searching. You don't like to be out in the open like this but if you huddle against the wall he's probably going to think you're weird. Or you'd have to explain.

With a roar, a flashy sports car pulls up. The owner steps out and looks at you. He’s tall with neat hair slicked back, a mustache above his smile, eyes sparkling with glee. You look away, he obviously thinks you're a prostitute. It would be great if your fucking alpha could show up.

“Hey, get in!” The man calls. You glance at him before saying, “I'm waiting for someone.” “Yeah, me! Omega, get over here right now or I'll command you.”

You stare at him. He waves a piece of paper. “You're the alpha who bought me?” “Damn straight, sugar plum!” Sugar plum?! Your name is on the paper!

“Actually,” you begin but he interrupts you. “We can talk in the car, come on now!” Displeased, you walk over.

The inside looks barely used but it’s filled with his scent. It’s a delicious perfume that smells like the woods after it's rained, an earthy clean smell with an undertone of burnt sugar that makes you think of creme brulee. Saliva pools in your mouth and you ignore it.

Your new alpha, who still hasn't introduced himself, steps on the gas and the car shoots down the road. “Where are we going?” “To my place, it’s not far!” At the speed he's driving, you're downtown within minutes, too focused on holding on to ask any other questions. He doesn't offer any more answers, either. Soon, you lose track of where you are, finding yourself in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Elegant houses and high-rise buildings blend together unnaturally. He parks in an underground garage, and the elevator ascends to the tenth floor. Everything looks new and untouched almost. You've never been in such a place before.

Inside the door, you stop and stare. The apartment you used to live in was a perfectly adequate size, but this is ridiculous. On top of that everything is spotless and sleek. Sure, his scent is present in the apartment, but otherwise it looks like no one lives in it, very similar to the car. Your new alpha seems to be very neat.

You look down at yourself. It's been a while since you had the opportunity to wash your clothes properly. The bag in your hand with your few belongings has seen better days. The alpha struts into the apartment, not noticing you've stopped. You don't have socks on so you don't want to take off your shoes.

Frozen in place you can't decide what to do. Everything is just too much. But you're still at the front door, if you turn around you can run and go back to what you know. It would be easier in a way. He doesn't know you. He has a name but it won't get him anywhere.

Steps coming towards you snap you out of it and you meet the eyes of the alpha. They are calm and blue. The urge to run settles and you notice he has a bundle of clothes in his arms.

“You'll have to borrow some of my stuff until we've washed yours and gotten you more clothes. Bathroom is this way,” he jerks his head and turns around. This time you follow.

The bathroom has everything one could wish for and you look longingly at the tub. How long ago was it that you had a real bath? The alpha puts the bundle down on top of a basket and then shows you where to find towels and what all the different dials in the shower do. You nod, trying to keep up.

Then he turns and heads out but before he shuts the door you blurt out, “Wait! What's your name?”

He turns around and grins at you in a way that is both creepy and at the same time not unpleasant. “It's Lloyd Hansen, sugar plum.”

next

[morlock-holmes]

Notice in the post below that the only named task that the OP struggled with is homework?

Now, people diagnosed with ADHD or similar disorders often do struggle with tasks that we might actually want to do, but almost always, the diagnosis is linked in everyone's mind to an inability to do homework.

But homework is fucking bullshit.

I really think it's absurd to ignore that fact when talking about how you complete tasks.

"Gosh, my kid seems to have a lot of trouble focusing on dull make-work which I force him to do for two hours every single day, why could this be?"

I spent literally as little time in school as I could and still graduate. As in, by my junior or senior year the principal sat me down and said, "If you skip anymore school we aren't going to be able to graduate you from High School."

And yet... When I bothered to go, I got good grades. I did generally quite well on tests and did eventually graduate. I'm quite proud of that as an act of self-mastery but it does raise the question:

Why was so much energy spent on trying to get me to go to school for all that time when I was demonstrably able to get the benefits with literal years less work than they wanted me to put in?

Why was so much time spent trying to devote those years to schoolwork when it simply wasn't necessary for me to learn?

Homework is a microcosm of that whole question. I always wanted to know,

"So, if I can skip 60% of the homework and still get an "A" on the test, why do you try to force me to do it?"

And to this day I have never gotten a good answer.

So: I saw no value in most of my homework and that hasn't changed to this day.

So, here's a pop quiz for the people wondering why their kids with diagnoses don't do their homework no matter what planning and techniques adults supply them with:

What would your kid have to do to spend less of their valuable time on homework?

"Well, if they just knuckled down and got it done..."

BZZT! WRONG! You get a "D-" on this test and I really hope you apply yourself more to the next one, you have so much potential...

If they "forget about it" then they have to do even less.

Now, of course that means that your kid is in a state of constant stress from avoidance. They are thinking, "Man, I'm going to get in so much trouble for not doing this, but I just can't seem to force myself to do it, and anyway I don't fucking want to."

You think that they'd be better off spending two stressful hours on their homework and then being able to relax the rest of the time. They feel like they'll be happier not doing it at all and feeling a vague undercurrent of stress as they go about their leisure time.

What's the third option if they want to spend less time on homework?

Oh, nothing? Is it nothing whatsoever until they graduate from school?

This is infuriatingly counter-productive. We spend literal years teaching ADHD kids that avoidance and procrastination are the only ways to exert control over their lives in the face of unpleasant situations imposed from outside.

Now, in point of fact this is absolutely not the case for adult life, which offers a plethora of ways to reduce pointless make-work imposed on you by outside authorities and, in any case, rarely bothers to impose two hours per day of unpaid, unrewarding make-work on people anyway.

How much of the difficulty ADHD people have with cleaning the toilet or whatever is because psychologically, they still think of it as homework? Cleaning the toilet is not homework; it rewards you with a clean toilet at the end and it's entirely possible to defer it, or hire someone else to do it, or find shortcuts. But if the major psychological task of your childhood is homework, maybe it might take quite a long time to think that there could even be anything aside from homework?

[anaer]

wip wednesday (nov 20 24)

JJK time travel fix it fuck it up fic (chapter two) (in which gojo dies and decides to have it all when he wakes back up) sukugo/stsg rating: gojo is a good teacher, really

Three days later, Gojo realised that he forgot to give his students a due date for this assignment. He realised this when he bounced into class, smile on his face, declared, “Okay! Time to turn your essays in!” and Yuta nearly passed out crying while Maki and Toge glared at him.

“Eh?” He stared at them all through the white covering his eyes, frowning in confusion. “I did not say a single thing that should have made you cry. ”

The cacophony of shouting – insults both obvious and onigiri – filled the classroom above the sound of Yuta’s tears. Gojo pressed a finger between his eyebrows and sighed.

“Okay, okay, okay. My bad. Just tell me what you know or whatever. Maki?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes, slumping lower in her seat. “Fine. Ryoumen Sukuna, King of Curses, strongest in history and all that, could possibly kill you even—”

“Yes, definitely,” Gojo interrupted her to say, doing his damnedest to clamp down on the dreamy smile slipping across his face. It would really undercut his authority with her right now, and she already didn’t respect that. “He can definitely kill me, especially when he’s possessing Megumi. Otherwise it’d be very up in the air.” He paused. “I can’t say for sure that wouldn’t still happen, but it’s definitely a toss-up.” If he’d stayed alive longer, maybe they would’ve gotten around to fucking, though. It had really felt like it was heading that way for a while. Which ultimately meant—

“Huh, I wonder if killing Megumi now would…you know, that could work—nah, ignore me. I’m not gonna do that; I’m just joking. I would never kill one of my precious students.”

He would probably kill Toji’s kid, though, he did not say aloud.

“You know, especially not Megumi. Who I definitely care about and would never harm. Really. I wouldn’t. Although…maybe? No. Dumb idea. Forget I said that.” Maki stared at him like he’d lost it (so did the rest of them), but as she always looked at him like that, he gestured for her to continue.

"He…ravaged the land, terrorized people a thousand years ago, et cetera—you know what? Fuck this. It’s bullshit. What are you even trying to teach us? This is all shit we know.”

“Shake,” Toge agreed.

“Um…I don’t,” Yuta said. He’d finally stopped crying. Gojo was really going to have to work on fixing that.

Maki continued, “I know you’re being a freak. First, you give us an assignment out of fucking nowhere when we all know you don’t teach. Then you make us randomly research Ryoumen Sukuna, which is not even part of the curriculum this year.”

“How do you know that’s not part of the curriculum this year?”

“Because you don’t even know what the curriculum is,” she said.

Gojo stuck his tongue out at her. Maturely.

Maki rolled her eyes. “And then we come back in to the classroom to see you’ve made that weird ass mood board on the back wall and have ‘Fuck Sukuna’ written in big letters like one of your life goals.” She pointed to the goal in question. “Is this why you said bonus points for his love life?”

Gojo ignored everything she said and focused on the important part. “On that note, what did you all find out about his love life? Any wives? Kids? Boytoys?”

Maki groaned loudly, even as Yuta raised his hand.

“Yes, Yuta-kun! I’m glad someone wants to actually participate like they should.”

“Um. Gojo-sensei…So. I do want you to be happy and all, but. That’s. Uhhhh. Can I just ask…why you’re trying to fuck a thousand year old dead evil sorcerer? And not, you know. Someone else? Literally anyone else. Not that I’m…judging. Who you’re into.”

Gojo made up his face. “Well, good, because you’re married to the cursed spirit of your dead childhood friend that haunts you, so I’d hope you wouldn’t.”

Yuta did not start crying again. Progress.

[odinsblog]

Trash talk is a part of most sports, but it’s definitely a part of basketball.

Let’s break it down and get to the point: Angel Reese was humiliating Caitlin Clark. And she made the John Cena gesture at a time when Clark and Iowa had no possibility of winning. This made qwhite a few people mad. The real questions we need to be asking are 1) Why did it make them mad? Because Caitlin was expected to win and had already been dubbed the girl boss darling of the tournament. 2) Why weren’t those same people upset when Caitlin Clark told an opposing player to her face, “You’re down 15 points, shut up!”? Why was it cute “girl boss” when Caitlin was mean and rude to someone else, but it’s “poor sportsmanship” when Angel Reese gave it right back to her?? 3) Why are white people sooo comfortable making up brand new rules that suddenly advantage them but penalize others whenever they aren’t in the winner’s seat??

What all the upset white people are really saying is, Angel Reese did not show Caitlin Clark the “proper” amount of respect. Caitlin was supposed to be the inevitable winner.

And it doesn’t matter if Caitlin did the same thing to others. Because it very specifically burns white people up when a Black woman has the upper hand and isn’t suitably “kind” or not demure enough—even to someone who taunted the Black person first.

And for many of the selectively outraged people, it didn’t begin until Angel Reese did something wrong. That is sO very much like white history in America: ignore everything that happened preceding the event. Ignore or make excuses for everything that happened right up to the point where white people got mad.

The same thing happens every day in schools, politics and workplaces: except we call the double standards and made up rules “professionalism,” and certain white people are allowed to flaunt professionalism and other Black people are not.

Also, people saying this has nothing to do with race are lying. A predominantly Black team beat a predominantly white team. This is 2023 America and racism is alive and well.

Who do you think most of those players on the Iowa team are going to vote for in the next presidential election?

And it bears repeating again: Jill Biden inviting Caitlin Clark and the Iowa team to the White House is thee foulest, most white privileged, All-Lives-Matter kind of bullshit. Everyone is super focused on making sure that the white girl doesn’t feel bad.

Oh, last thing - it’s not against the rules of basketball to follow someone around on the court. Some people call that covering your opponent. If you follow (cover) the wrong person or don’t follow them well enough, ultimately your team loses points and loses the game. Just like Iowa lost. To LSU.

[oikasugayama]

Hey I haven't written fanfic in about four years and this is the first time I've ever left my OG fandom. Have a Tsukishima x Yamaguchi confession. Now available on ao3!

x

"Can we talk?"

The walk home in silence has been painfully awkward. Silence isn't unusual from Tsukishima after a long day of school and practice, but for him to force himself one step ahead of Yamaguchi and to ignore every word he tries to say, that's beyond unusual. That's wrong.

"Tsukki, seriously," he begs, jumping ahead of his friend, landing squarely in his path. "Stop."

Tsukishima rolls his eyes, side-steps and continues.

"Tsukki!" he yells, disrupting the quiet evening. "Stop!"

"What?! What could you possibly want to talk about right now?" Tsukishima asks, spinning around. "Because as far as I'm concerned we've got nothing to talk about, Yamaguchi."

"Nothing? You're not gonna talk about how you've been ignoring me all day and how you've been cruel to Shoyo at practice since you found out we've been studying together? What is up with you?!"

"Me?! What's up with you picking him all of a sudden? Do you think you can just replace me, is that it?" Tsukishima lurches forward, making Yamaguchi step back in tandem. "You've been sooo focused on Hinata recently that you're just gonna throw me to the side like nothing? Like you don't care at all about what I want?"

"What are you even talking about?! We're just studying!"

"When you're supposed to be with me! We walk home together every day, we go to practice together, we hang out sometimes and you've been canceling on me. Am I replaceable to you, is that it? You think I'll just back down and let him have you?"

"Tsukki!" Yamaguchi gasps as his back hits the wall of the building they stopped beside. He looks into his best friend's bewildered eyes and has never seen so much anger, so much anguish directed at him before.

"Shoyo's my friend. He just needed some help studying. You're not being replaced. You're my best friend--"

"Don't say we're just fucking friends!" Tsukishima's voice tears out of him. He slams a fist against the wall beside Yamaguchi's head. "Don't! We're more than that and you know it." He raises his other arm to box Yamaguchi in. His heart is pounding, the blood rushing in his ears nearly deafening him to the sound of Yamaguchi's gasp and indignant stuttering.

Tsukishima takes a moment to gather his thoughts, to steady his breath and return to his level-headed self.

"Don't think I would let you go that easily," he mumbles.

"I-I really... Tsukki, I didn't know..."

"Bullshit," he tsks. "Bullshit... How long has it been since we've just been friends? How long since you started coming to me for comfort? Not just protection from playground bullies, but for crying on my shoulder, and laying your head in my lap while we watch movies? How many times have we held hands on that stretch of road where the streetlights are out so no one can see us? How long since we started spending holidays together? Look me in the eyes and tell me how many days its been since we kissed on Christmas Eve, because I know you know."

Tears prick at Yamaguchi's eyes. His already racing heart refuses to slow down, and the adrenaline coursing through his system makes his hands and voice shake.

"It's been... One hundred and eight..." he says, eyes squeezed shut, too embarrassed to meet Tsukishima's golden eyes.

A smile quirks at the corner of Tsukishima's mouth.

"It's been a hundred and eight days since we've kissed and you've not brought it up once or asked me for another. Why's that?"

"You haven't either..."

"I thought I didn't need to. I thought you knew how I felt about you. It's been only you for years. I thought you knew."

"But you never said!" His tone is accusatory as he finally meets Tsukishima's gaze.

"It wasn't a thing we did," Tsukishima chuckles. "I've always known about your feelings. I can see how you feel when you look at me, and lately you've been looking differently. You've been spending more time with Hinata and lighting up when you talk about him and I don't like it. That look's for me, isn't it?"

"It's different," Yamaguchi admits. "For Shoyo we really are just friends. It's nice to have someone who's as happy as I am, you know...? Not that you're not happy--!"

Tsukishima laughs. He leans in close enough to feel the body heat radiate between them.

"My happy is different than your happy. My happy is much quieter, more 'I'm content walking home with my love,' and less 'I'm jumping twice my height because someone gave me some free juice.'"

Yamaguchi laughs, his nerves finally cooling down. Tsukishima smiles, leans in, noses at Yamaguchi's cheek.

"Say we're not just friends."

"We're not."

"And what are we?"

"I-I don't know..."

"You don't? I thought it was obvious." Tsukishima grazes his lips against Yamaguchi's jaw.

"Tell me and we'll be it," Yamaguchi says, reaching his arms up to wrap around Tsukishima's waist.

"Best friends... Partners in crime... Boyfriends."

"Yes. Yes, yes, all of it."

Tsukishima raises his head so he's face to face with Yamaguchi, a soft smile etched into his usually stoic face. He leans in for a kiss that Yamaguchi meets half-way.

[angelasscribbles]

The Dark Kingdom Chapter 8: Man on a Mission

Series: The Dark Kingdom

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Max (although only Max appears in this chapter)

Word Count: 1,115

Rating: MA

Warnings for this series: mature themes

A/N: This idea was born from this ask I sent @alj4890. A flicker of an idea sprang into my head and over the next few days it just kept growing, so here you are, Max on fire. Happy belated Birthday!

My other stuff: Master List.

Maxwell Beaumont strode through the palace corridors on a mission. Two years shy of three decades of life, he was ready to settle down and take his rightful place as the heir to Ramsford. His brother would ascend the throne when their father stepped down, leaving Max to pick up the mantle of duke.

Russet brown hair framed a rounded face. Bright cobalt blue eyes that usually danced with good humor were solemn and ladened with worry as his five-foot-eleven frame barreled down the hallways without regard to the servants that scattered and dove out of his way.

He had to get to her.

Having just returned from Ramsford on Beaumont family business, the snippets of rumors and conversations that had made their way to his ears were troublesome at best.

“Maxwell, wait!” His brother bellowed as he chased after him.

The younger man ignored him, laser focused on his destination.

“Max, come on!” Bertrand heaved as he finally caught up. “She’s just run away again, like she’s done before. She’ll be back.”

“No,” his head shook vehemently back and forth, “She would not run away, not now!”

“Max. This wouldn’t be the first time—”

He stopped outside her door and spun on his brother. “I just saw her two days ago, Bert. We made plans! She did not run away!”

“What kind of plans?” Bertrand demanded.

A bit of the fury eased out of him as he replied, “Marriage plans.”

“Marriage?” Bertrand yelped as he stumbled back, “She’s practically our sister!”

“She’s not. And I didn’t grow up with her thanks to our father sending me away.”

“He merely wanted to ensure that you received the best education that—”

“Bullshit! I look too much like our mother, and I wasn’t stoic enough for the old man. I showed my grief and since he couldn’t show his own, he couldn’t stomach mine! That’s why he sent me away!” He turned back to bang on the door. “Riley! Riley! Open the door!”

“I’m telling you, she’s not—”

The door swung open to reveal not Riley, but a skittish young maid, “Your Highness?”

He pushed past her into the room. “Where is she?”

“G-gone, sir.” The maid squeaked out.

He whirled on her. “Gone where?”

She jumped, tears welling in her eyes, “I-I don’t know, sir.”

An older woman with steel gray hair inserted herself between them. “Young master, please, it’s not the girl’s fault.”

Max’s rage ticked down a notch or two as he took in the familiar head of housekeeping. “I know.” His eyes flicked back to the girl. “I’m sorry.” His attention returned to Matilda. “Is it true? Did she run away again?”

Riley had been a troubled child. Max knew nothing about her past prior to his parents taking her in. Riley herself couldn’t remember anything. She had seemed happy enough when Annabelle was alive. A year or so after the queen’s death, something had changed. Everyone chalked it up to grief. Riley had become withdrawn, jumpy and prone to bouts of depression. At thirteen she had run away for the first time.

But she was a grown woman now. A woman that he had fallen in love with. Deeply, madly, head over heels in love with. She had assured him she felt the same. She had agreed to marry him. They had made plans. They’d discussed the future, the colors for the wedding, possible names for their theoretical children.

There was nothing in him that would believe she had voluntarily left without telling him anything.

“You’re wasting your time.” His brother said from the doorway, shaking his head.

He opened his mouth to respond, but the words died on his lips as his eyes fell on the sheets that had just been stripped from the bed. He surged over to the pile of laundry and snatched a pillowcase from the top. “Is this blood?”

“Probably from her hair.”

“What?”

“She pulled out a chunk of her own hair.” Matilda pointed to the trashcan.

Max dumped the contents of the can onto the floor, revealing a hank of bloody hair. He held it up, his body shaking as he demanded, “You think she did this to herself?”

“The king said that Lady Riley is prone to—”

“I don’t give a fucking damn what that old bastard said! She didn’t do this to herself!”

Matilda took a step back. She had been a maid in the royal household most of her adult life and she had never seen Maxwell angry, much less in the grips of a blind rage. “But sir… who within these walls would dare—”

The younger maid whispered, eyes wide, “The Esseri…”

“What?” Max gave her his full attention. “What did you just say?”

“The Esseri, sir…vampires—”

“Don’t be ludicrous!” Bertrand scoffed.

“Shut up, Bert! I want to hear what she has to say.” He dropped the hair and crossed the room to stand in front of her. “What do you know?”

“N-nothing! Just that the soldiers say her trail crossed the partition, but the dogs and horses refused to follow.”

Icy dread clawed at his stomach. It made sense. Who else could get past palace security? Who else could carry a grown woman out of the capital right under the noses of the King’s Guard? Who else could, or would, cross the partition? Turning in horror to his brother, he uttered, “They took her!”

“Max, we don’t know that!”

“They took her, Bert! No one saw or heard a thing! The dogs tracked her to the partition! What more proof do you need? Send a detachment into the Black Spire Mountains, now!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That would break the treaty. Based on absolutely nothing! She ran away, gave them the slip—”

“Bertrand.... Please!”

“Even if I wanted to, father would never agree—”

“Fine. I’ll do it myself. Move!” Maxwell pushed past his brother, shoving him back into the wall as he went.

“What? No!” Bertrand regained his balance and flew down the hall after his brother in panic, determined to stop him from undertaking a suicide mission. One that was sure to plunge the country into war, no less.

It was to no avail. He had never seen Maxwell move so fast. He gave up the chase and instead veered off a side hallway that looped back to the wing housing the king’s offices. Perhaps their father could talk sense into him.

But it was too late. By the time the king gave the order to stand down, a detachment of soldiers had already left with the young prince, marching headlong toward the black spire mountains, the Esseri, and almost certain death.

[galaxy-stardust]

Duskwood

Jakes view

Part 9

While he sits on the bus, his phone vibrates nearly nonstop.

Alright, let's check what's going on. Dan shot Michael, and...a stream? Hannah! And Richy. Alive but tied up. He's relieved. She's alive. I knew it.

He stares at the stream for a while. Hoping something would happen.

More messages are coming in.

Dan, oh boy, I know you don't like me. And yes, you're right; I would be skeptical too if I were you.

But I'm not the bad guy here and I will not read this bullshit any longer. He rolls his eyes.

For the rest of the trip, he takes care of the stream.

As he reaches his new goal, a hut in the middle of nowhere, he checks the new messages.

They found out that the stream comes from the mines at the Grimrock waterfall. And Michal wants MC to come to the mine.

Thomas is going crazy and wants MC to go to the mines to meet the kidnapper. Seriously?! No way.

If you believe it or not, Dan, I was busy.

MC, a word?

Alright, time to apologize and to tell her that I do not allow her to put herself in danger.

I know you can do it, and you are important, MC, but it's too risky... It would be suicide to bring it on point, and I've already made my decision.

He switches to the group chat and tells the group his decision.

I know you don't want me to go, MC. He feels a stitch in his heart.

Thomas, I already have a plan. Just let me do it.

I don't have much time, but I have to talk to MC again.

He can feel her anger. She wants to go to the mine. But I cannot allow that. I can pinpoint their location, but I don't know for how long. We have only this one chance. I have to do this, MC. I must bring this to an end. You know that. And no, you can't go. Again: I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger. You have to allow it because I have made the decision to protect you.

And then he gives her a glimpse into his life.

She felt sorry about that.

She wants me to stop fighting against it. I already have.

If I stay in Duskwood or if I disappear?

Yes, it is dangerous.

She would like me to stay. He smiles; the butterflies are back, and he misses her already. I wish the day we met would be today...

We will not have much time in Duskwood.

She wants to make the best of it. That's my girl. She understands, and she really wants to meet me.

He smiles.

Alright, I have to go. He calls a taxi, packs his stuff, and leaves the hut. The taxi just arrived in time as he shut the door.

Grimrock waterfall, please.

The taxi starts driving. Jake sits in the back, his hoodie deep in his face, and searches for a map from the mines.

Alright, I got the map. Only one hatch... There are a lot of paths, but I will make it. I will find them and meet MC after it.

Grimrock waterfall. The taxi driver stops. Jake pays him and leaves the car.

With the flashligt from his phone, he walks along a little path.

He reaches his goal and makes the first step into the mine. Then he stops and opens the chat with MC. I don't want to do this alone. I will go with her through the mine. I feel better with the feeling that she knows what I'm doing and where I am. As good as possible.

And so he makes his way through the mine, climbing down old ladders and listening into the darkness of the tunnels.

That was easier said than done. Damn, why is this thing so twisted?

He ignores the messages in the group chat. He only focuses on his way and MC.

Part 10

[unknownkona]

absolutely tweaking rn, so rant incoming about the horror fandom, specifically tcm lol. mostly writing this because of a post i've seen today and some recent events

content warning for triggering topics and the discussion of antis and proshippers

both antis and proshippers are two sides of the same coin, and both are driving me up the walls. antis don't know how to defend their cause and proshippers are gross. my god, when i hear the argument of "you're fine with murder but draw the line at x?" holy shit dude. and usually x are those taboo, problematic topics but the ones i'll be focusing more on are incest and necrophilia.

breaking down that argument, last time i checked, no one actually thinks murder is okay. where's the horror in horror if violence is portrayed as a good thing. it's more tolerated than incest or whatever, why? because murder can have a reason— necrophilia, sexual assault, incest, etc, cannot. do any of those reasons make it okay? absolutely not, but there's the possibility of an explanation. in the case of texas chainsaw massacre, they're doing it to survive. maybe not johnny (which is someone i'll come back to later), but they're planning to eat their victims. they could've turned to a less drastic option, yeah, but hey it's fiction. whatever's necessary for an interesting plot.

speaking of fiction, the argument of "it's fiction not reality" also sucks in its own right. fiction usually has elements we take from reality, most things we make are based off of reality somehow. again, we have the antis that harass people that enjoy villains being villains and we have proshippers that actively romanticize incest, pedophilia and shit. gotta tap the sign that says "people that enjoy villains and evil characters do not condone their actions" for antis and the sign that says "whatever you support in fiction is a reflection of who you are as a person, a person based in reality" for proshippers. besides, do any proshippers have siblings? i really hope they don't as someone who has a brother lol

and it's not that you shouldn't write anything with problematic topics, it's all about the delivery and intent. write toxic relationships, but don't act like it's a healthy couple. the post i've seen that prompted me to write this bullshit down mostly had the coffin of andy and leyley context to it and well— it's clearly written to be fucked up. does it make it good writing? depends, to me it comes off as incest written solely for the edgy shock value as of now but who knows. want a good example of problematic topics written well? go look at lolita by vladimir nabokov or something

anyway back to johnny, i've seen him being called a rapist, a necrophile, even being shipped with sissy. leave the bastard alone LMFAO. i can't deny that johnny being a rapist doesn't seem like a farfetched assumption, but at the same time, what the hell happened to boundaries? i don't care if people are into it, it's a problem when it's tossed around like canon lore and shoved into people's faces instead of treated as a private nsfw headcanon. surprise, people can enjoy horror without having their boundaries ignored just because they like horror.

getting a little petty here, but the whole necrophile drama really grinds my gears because a) it doesn't really make sense to johnny's character and b) it started because someone got the definition of necrophilia wrong. johnny's a narcissistic asshole that kills for fun— there is no power in sexually assaulting a corpse. the fun's over when a victim is no longer able to cower in fear and give any pain response. being turned on by killing people isn't necrophilia, hope this helps. even searched up on the classifications of necrophilia (insane how there's classification for that) for how they described johnny being a necrophile, and none of them fit

anyway that's basically everything, we'll see if i get pissed off enough again to rant about new dumb arguments

[forabeatofadrum]

It's Out of Touch Thursday, or maybe we should be in touch, since it's also mental health day. I hope you are all well. Thank you @wellbelesbian, @confused-bi-queer and @bitbybitwrites for the tag.

I have watched Heartstopper and I am not over it.

Anyway, writing! Last week, I made a huge WW post about names and identity for my Dancin' on that bamboo ceiling series, the series that tries to give the wacky, inconsistent, and sometimes blatantly racist representation of glee's Asian characters a place. I actually already posted two chapters: the one where Wes reflects on his last name, and the one where Yu-Jin and Tina talk about names being changed through adoption.

And now, here is something from Mike and Tina's chapter:

"You should wear red," Mike's mom says as she straightens the lapels of Mike's jacket. "Should I?" Mike asks. He wants to make a great first impression on Tina's parents. Maybe red is too bold. "Good Chinese sons wear the lucky colour," Mike's mom says, and Mike's not sure if she's serious of making fun of the notion. "I don't think they care whether I am a good Chinese son, māma." "They're Chinese, aren't they? It never hurts to try." Mike frowns. "They're not Chinese." Now it's his mom's turn to frown. "I thought Tina was named Chang." "Cohen-Chang," Mike corrects her.

A little bit more on this, under the cut, again. It's not as long as last week's post, but it's still something.

I know I said I was going to ignore the elephant in the room, which is Tina's last name. I have been doing it since 2017, when I started this fic, but again, in an installment that's all about names I don't see a way to do so. Not only that, but I think it'd be nice to have a chapter where Tina and Mike meet each other's parents and how they discover new things about the other. It would be a great parallel.

I mentioned in last week's post multiple possible explanations for the name Cohen-Chang, and in the end I have decided to settle on the explanation that somewhere high up in Tina's family tree, there was a Chinese person and the name has stayed over the years. I mean, it could happen. Look at my 11 generations long Sims family tree. Some last names are still in rotation. I am still working out the details and maybe I don't have to, since it's glee, and also Alice Oseman straight up did the same thing with the Spring family, but we'll see.

In hindsight, I think the best "canon" explanation for Tina having the name Cohen-Chang is that her family is mixed: one parent is Cohen, the other is Chang. It could work within canon, since we know nothing about her parents apart from the fact that they adopted her. We have no names or faces. It would also explain why Tina also mentions how her mum, for example, made her tea with panda hair and all that crap. In my fic it's all explained by the fact her parents are very sensitive of her heritage and try (emphasis on try, because... panda hair???? Oh glee.)* to include Asian things in her upbringing. Honestly, the fact that I didn't come up with this is entirely on me. I suppose I was so focused on exploring adopted identity from the POV of an Asian person in a white family that I completely did not think of this.

I think it does raise the question: why did they adopt from Korea, then? Adoption from China is a can of worms, especially since the last couple of years, but in the end, it doesn't mean Tina's parents would HAVE to adopt from China if one's Chinese. But it might have been easier. I don't know. Again, can of worms.

But hey, that is not how it goes in the Dancin' on the bamboo ceiling series, and whereas it may have made more sense in the glee canon, it is still the glee canon, and there's also nothing within said canon that contradicts what I have written now.

To quote Zach Woodlee: "But it's glee!"

*To add: I looked it up to be sure, and Mike's mom is the one who made the panda hair tea! As far as I am aware, that is just kinda bullshit? That being said, tea made from panda POOP is apparently a thing. The more you know.

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos @coffeegleek @caramelcoffeeaddict @raenestee @tectonicduck 

@nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch

@that-disabled-princess @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @wellbelesbian​

@artsyunderstudy​ @facewithoutheart​ @shrekgogurt @rockitmans

@whatevertheweather @shame-is-a-wasted-emotion @esilher @kurtsascot @blackberrysummerblog 

@nightimedreamersghost @ivelovedhimthroughworse @thnxforknowingme @martsonmars

[lettucedloophole]

hi apologies if youve alr made a post abt this (if u have, then maybe u can add a link to that specific post?) but i just wanted to ask for ur perspective bc this is smth i keep getting hung up on and i rlly only trust u to answer:

why would abolishing gender be harmful to trans ppl if transphobia stems from emphasis on traditional gender roles, and the abolishment would further their focus on relieving dysphoria thru physical sex change instead of relieving it by having to conform to sociological femininity and masculinity as a means to adapt in this patriarchal society?

thank you for taking the time to read and answer this <3

no worries! i haven't made a post about this before since no one's asked, but i'll answer it right here for you.

the answer is, it wouldn't be harmful. abolishing gender would ultimately be the best for everyone, but especially lgbt people & women. however... the contextualization of this point is what makes or breaks it. let me explain--

trans people have a negative reaction when people discuss abolishing gender not only for the same reason cis people might (a kneejerk reaction to protect the status quo), but also for the very valid reason of wanting to defend transness in a transphobic society. it's the same reason why some gay people will react negatively to the fact that homosexuality is a social construct, and therefore cannot be innate; most people use this argument to justify homophobia & patriarchy.

the thing is, to abolish gender, sex must also be abolished as it's the primary method of naturalizing gender. sex is a social construct-- it's not natural. however, terfs and any garden variety conservative will reify gender through the naturalization of sex. they'll say, "cis women and men are natural, but trans people aren't. therefore, they must be eliminated." similarly, "heterosexual people are natural, but gay and bi people aren't. therefore, they must be eliminated." eliminated can mean killed or, forcibly dissolved into the "natural" categories via bullshit self-loathing propaganda.

a really easy way to understand why this is so upsetting to trans people is just comparing their situation to gay people or women's, really, as they are so similar. if you walked up being like "wow i cant wait for gays to be abolished<3" ofc people will assume you mean it in a homophobic sense rather than a complicated, radical feminist sense, and if you're focusing on the abolition of minority groups in particular, it does likely stem from bigotry. not saying that you've said anything like that lol, but those examples are the best way i can illustrate the point.

also, everyone on the internet hates radical feminism, so regardless of how eloquently you explain your point & how sensible it is, if you associate it with radical feminism people will ignore what you say, misinterpret you so severely that it seems deliberate but could very well be internet stupidity, and also throw tomatos at you. 😭 radfems, matfems & a handful of marxist, anarchist, intersectional fems + womanists are the only ones i trust to not be covert antifeminists.

last p.s.: we don't know what a society outside of patriarchy looks like. assuming people will continue getting sex changes assumes the existence of a natural sex binary, though it's possible people may change "sex" characteristics as they please. trans people's issue is not only being forced into gender roles, but a hatred of transness which puts them into a catch-22 regarding survival under patriarchy-- they're "reifying patriarchy" if they transition, but plagued with dysphoria, martyrs to a post-patriarchal world centuries away from us if they don't. perhaps, a similar scenario would be if you told a gay or straight person to simply see people as gender/sexless and to experience attraction, to give affection as though we lived in a post-patriarchal society-- it just wouldn't be possible, and for the gay person who is particularly vulnerable under patriarchy, it would more likely be traumatizing. dworkin put it so succintly in woman hating...

i hope that wasn't too repetitive or long, i just wanted to be thorough. admittedly, this is kind of a loaded answer if you aren't familiar with sex as a social construct, so if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask!

[melishade]

All of these Angsty prompted are really interested, so I'm just going to pick a random number between 1 and 50. Maybe 22?

This ask game

Hm...22 would work well for the Dark Timeline, specifically the conversation that Magath and the Warriors have after Optimus in holoform informs them about the secret execution of the Eldians once the Founding Titan was secure.

For more context: Part 15: Magath and the Warriors

"You lied about Marcel's death!" Magath yelled at Reiner, "You let Porco believe for years that his brother was taken by Megatron! Instead, it was because of your own incompetence! First Zeke, and now you! You lied and betrayed your motherland!"

"And what choice did he have, General?" Annie seethed at Magath, stunning Reiner. She...she was defending him.

"Leonhart-!"

"Enough with your bullshit!" Annie shouted at him, "The Warrior Program! Eldia! Marley! It was all bullshit from the start! You've just had your own head up your ass to actually see it! You just wanted to use us to do your dirty work and take all the glory! Because lets be honest: Who in their right mind would serve a nation that has done nothing more that mistreat, abuse, and kill their own people?! Do you really think that we would have stayed in Marley if there was any other option besides that shitty life?! Being on the island, was the most liberating it has ever been for all three of us! I was so close to thinking about betraying Marley one too many times because of it!"

Magath felt guilty. He was aware of the mistreatment. He had even grown attached to the Warrior Unit, but he had ignored it and focused more on the bigger picture. He had to focus on the future of Marley. He regained his bearings and spoke. "Have you forgotten the whole point of the Warrior Program?! Not just to gain the title of Honorary Marleyan, but to free the Eldians once the Founding Titan was secure! Have you forgotten the fact that if the Founding Titan remained in Paradis, there was a possibility of the Rumbling being used! Getting the Founding Titan for Marley, would have secured your freedom!"

"Do not lie to them," Optimus ordered Magath, earning all eyes on him.

"Why would I lie to them?!" Magath demand from Optimus.

Optimus turned his gaze to the Warriors. "Shockwave had managed to gain intelligence from Marley, and discovered that there was a secret agreement by almost all world leaders: to execute any and all Eldians once the Founding Titan had been secured. Shockwave is not known for his deception, but I had asked Megatron if he had any knowledge of this. Megatron told me that he heard this from the former general himself. Marley had no intention of freeing Eldia. They had full intentions of execution."

Magath froze when all three Warriors turned to face him. Reiner looked horrified and betrayed. Pieck stared in disbelief and anger. And Annie's eyes were just filled with pure, rage.

"...you knew?" Reiner asked him.

"I didn't," Magath insisted.

"You knew!" Annie yelled at him, "You knew they were going to kill us and you still lied to us!"

"I didn't know!" Magath exclaimed.

"But hearing this, you must've assume Marley would've tried something like this," Pieck spoke, "Right?"

Magath swallowed. "I..."

"Answer her," Reiner demanded, his horror turning into anger.

"I-,"

"Answer her!" Annie yelled.

There was no way out of this for him. "I...wouldn't have put it past Marley to go through with this plan."

Before Magath tried to come up with an explanation, a defense, anything, he was met with a fist to the face. Magath was knocked to the floor, crashing and knocking over a table in the process. Magath looked up in shock to see Pieck glaring down at him with fury in her eyes.

"P-pieck." Magath could only muster.

"I never cared for Marley," Pieck declared, "Like Annie, I only because a Warrior because I wanted to help my father. Even though I don't believe in Marley, I still believed in the comrades I fought beside. I thought you were one of them...but I was wrong. You would have let Marley do what they wanted with us, regardless of how you felt. Because your motherland came first."

"That-!"

"Now we have no real place in the world." Pieck's hands trembled, "Not then, and especially not after Shockwave's interference. Even if we somehow survive this, the world will just want us dead. Divide and conquer until none of us are left. That's how it always is. If we go back with you, we will just be securing our own deaths."

"All of you will be granted immunity," Optimus declared.

"What?" Reiner faced Optimus.

"During my absence, you all have helped protect my home and my family," Optimus explained, "I am in your debt, so you, your friends and family, will all be granted immunity once this is over. I will make sure that you and your loved ones will remain safe."

"Y-you can't do that!" Magath yelled at Optimus.

"Are you going to stop him?" Pieck challenged, "With what army? Optimus has more favor with both Marleyans and Eldians for his heroism and sacrifice. And Marley's military is all but gone. All but us, but why would we go back to you now?"

Pieck clenched her fists. "After Shockwave is dealt with, and we somehow survive, we are done. We are not going back with you to help you rebuild Marley. If you want to remain in power, figure it out on your own. We are done serving someone else. And if you come near the Warrior Cadets, and the rest of our families, I will kill you myself."

"You'd...really kill a Marleyan official?" Magath challenged her.

“I’ve killed, for years, for Marley,” Pieck reminded, “I have the blood of thousands on my hands fighting your wars and doing your dirty work. What’s one more enemy to me?”

Magath froze at her words. Enemy. He was...her enemy now. Pieck stepped over Magath and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Reiner quickly ran after her, while Annie stepped directly on Magath's chest and followed Reiner out. Magath scrambled to his feet, and tried to run after them, but Optimus quickly placed a hand in front of him and stepped forward.

"It would be wise to heed Pieck's warning," Optimus advised, "And understand this: I will not let you lay a hand on any of them. They will never again be your slaves."

Magath grew fearful, trembling at the sight of Optimus practically staring into Magath's soul. He couldn't move as Optimus lowered his arm and left the room, leaving Magath all alone.

Optimus managed to find the remaining three Warriors. Reiner was comforting Pieck, while Annie stood quietly with crossed arms, looking just as miserable.

"If there is anything that you all need," Optimus began.

"Did you really mean that?" Pieck spoke, "That you would grant us immunity? That you would keep us safe?"

"Yes," Optimus answered with no hesitation, "I swear to you."

"Even though we are your enemies?" Pieck questioned.

"You are children forced into a cruel situation," Optimus explained, "You have suffered enough, and I will make sure that Magath will not take you."

Optimus held out his hand towards her, but was stunned when Pieck just hugged the holoform.

"Thank you," Pieck mumbled, "Thank you, Optimus."

(The AUs are free game for this dialogue prompt too. And if you want to ask from them, again the link to it is up at the top.)

[3am-starry-night-sky]

Your mental gymnastics of a theory SUCKS

The narrative puts Kaeya as the direct descendant of the founder of the Abyss Order, he has to know about the connection either way, either as a warning or experienced it himself while he lived underground.

Hoyo wouldn't make an entire mission with that info only to be like "Haha! Actually Kaeya is the 20th cousin once removed of the founder of the Abyss so he has nothing to do with it even though he is conflicted between two sides." And I'm sure that what remained of Khaenri'ah converted to the Abyss Order.

I am pretty sure that he wasn't ment to be a spy in a traditional sense, I think this is the only aspect he is left in the dark with because you'd expect a spy report regulary to the ones he is spying for.

But the history of the Clan, the Abyss Order, ect. I am pretty sure he knows as much as he should habe been taught.

If he was truly ignorant he'd be in shock, denial or correct it or he would have come of the thought himself and still be im denial. Instead as Dain notes it is odd that Kaeya accepts it and claims some bullshit about answering some questions about his past.

The game had enough chances to have him fight the Abyss Order but instead he thinks about how hilichurls don't have the mental capacity and instead of fighting the mage or going to a fighting position, Diluc does it for him. Later during an attack he sneaks inside and got intel from them by "fraternizing", he is way too focused on treasure hoarders and never once on hilichurls and the abyss order, yet the game tells us he speaks hilichurlian.

Not to mention the change from Heart of the Abyss to Glacisl Heart

Well anyways I'm pretty sure the narrative regarding him will be in my favor rather than yours

I thought about whether or not to respond to this.

And that's not because I don't agree or am against your theory. It's a nice theory and to some extent, I agree with you. Kaeya probably knows more than he lets on, and to some extent faked his mild unawareness. As he said he has had his doubts, so it's not so much news to him. I tried to develop and look at the interaction in a new way.

It's okay and even usual that you don't agree with it or find that it goes against some of your theories and evidence.

But you know you can be more respective about it. And that's the part that ticked me off a bit.

When posting, I genuinely thought you were interested in a discussion. When answering your thoughts, I agree, I did go off the track a bit from your ideas and thus formed new theories. There's no telling whether it's correct or anything and I never presented it as THE theory, but as A theory among many, as some interesting thoughts I had.

In the end, Hoyo has not confirmed either of our theories. And the thing about theories is that they're about connecting existing facts/info and either making direct connections or abstracting a wider connection and forming a theory out of it. So in a way forming different theories and finding different connections is a way of mapping out possible outcomes and/or solutions. And especially in regards to theorizing about fictional narratives, it's partly about having fun too.

So am I a bit delusional.... probably? But am I having fun forming different theories, yes!

PS! I hope we can stay civil about this. I am raising a toast to your theory and I will celebrate if your theory turns out to be true. I just don't get why you had to be so salty about it.

Anyways have a good day! And don't let me change your mind, keep making theories. Your message was a good prompt for my ideas and thanks for knocking some reality into me. :)

[manslaught]

it starts to bother her, the possibility that lottie only reached out to her, like she's the only one damaged enough for lottie to justify it to herself. it's bad enough that the rest of the world is convinced she's the most fucked up of the survivors, completely ignoring the trauma her father put her through for eighteen years in favor of focusing on what happened in the wilderness, like that was what was to blame for his death— but it's insulting coming from one of them. “ what the fuck was i supposed to do, tai? when was i supposed to mention that? you wanted me to just suggest taking some road trip to camp whatever the fuck it's called after we buried the body? ” the truth is, she forgot to mention lottie at all, because it didn't feel relevant. and like she said, she thought everyone knew about it. she frowns at tai's refusal to believe she's fucked up, because even though mikayla wants to believe she isn't, how the fuck would tai know? it's not like she ever checked on her, like she ever asked. “ maybe i am. ” she says it out of bitterness, but there's some truth in it, the closest she's ever gotten to admitting that she isn't okay. and it shouldn't be surprising that she's not, not when she spent five years in complete solitude, forced to sit with everything they did out in the wilderness, with little options to distract herself.

mikayla can feel tai's stare, but she doesn't acknowledge it, letting herself focus on the ring instead. maybe it's petty, putting it back on just because she feels rejected, reminded that she's not tai's first choice, that she lost that decades ago, but she doesn't know what else to do, because actually talking about what she's upset about doesn't feel like an option. it's her fault for letting herself be so delusional, so she's not going to bring it up.

she rolls her eyes, because she's almost entirely sure that whatever lottie's up to is exactly the same type of bullshit she did in the wilderness, something mikayla never let herself fully believe in, even if she did participate. it felt necessary back then, but now, she can go back to laughing at the idea, the way they used to— which is why she isn't entirely sure why taissa seems uncomfortable with it, until she remembers the times when she'd almost swear that she seemed into it, though mikayla never said anything about it back then, afraid to start an argument by calling her out on it. and if it helped tai, she felt no need to, because as much as she didn't want to give into anything they did out there, mikayla just wanted tai to feel okay, no matter what it took.

her smile is smug, because tai reacts just the way mikayla hoped she would. she deserves it, she thinks, after making her feel completely stupid just moments ago, so she keeps going, shrugging. “ well, yeah. calypso's gone, but i still have needs. you remember how high my sex drive is. ” she found out later that it was mostly a result of being with taissa, because being with other women felt like a nuisance sometimes, even if that's how she chose to cope in the years after her release. but that was different, only ever used as a distraction, like spending her nights with someone else would make up for the fact that taissa seemingly forgot about her.

she's not sure if tai is trying to hint that she actually wants to go, but reminding mikayla that misty is there definitely isn't giving her more motivation to go. but natalie being there is concerning, and more importantly, maybe lottie can help tai. again, she thinks back to their time in the wilderness, the brief moments where taissa seemed comfortable with the stupid rituals, thinks back to what tai told her earlier about what she found in the basement, how clearly, a part of her believes in that— so maybe it's not the worst idea, if it means getting tai help that mikayla no longer knows how to give, not when they aren't together. “ you want to go. ” she meant for it to be a question, but it comes out more like a statement, like she's already certain of it. mikayla glances back down at her ring, smirking again. “ she won't notice it if my hand's somewhere else. ” she just wants to remind tai that she lost her, that she technically isn't hers anymore, so mikayla's free to do whatever she wants— just ignoring the fact that the only thing she actually wants is her. “ it's only an hour away from here, i think. her stupid camp. if you're really that curious. ”

tai scoffs,  like it’s a ridiculous assumption,   mostly because she’s mad that she herself didn’t know —-  especially after hiring someone to do her digging for her.   where the fuck was jessica,  anyway?    and what is she actually accomplishing other than taking taissa’s money?       ❝  no.   she never reached out to me,  ❞    she says,   her eyes squinting as she starts to second guess.    did she?   had taissa just ignored it?   she can’t dwell on that possibility, though.    ❝  you just didn’t mention her at all when we were all together?   ❞    she asks,   slightly accusatory,   even if not entirely intentional.      ❝  i’m sure that’s not why.    because you’re not,  ❞    she insists,  choosing to ignore the resentment in her tone,   mostly for her own sake,   because she’s tired of fighting with her,   even though it’s not really her choice to let it go.   

 she does notice her move,  but she doesn’t let herself question it—- until she watches her grab her ring.   she scoffs,   shooting a glare back at her,  trying to ask her with her stare what the hell she’s doing.   it almost makes her fold,   almost brings her back into the moment,   almost encourages her to remind her what she just said moments ago:    you’re mine.   but then her eyes shoot down to the ring on her finger,   and she lets out a scoff.   she knows what she’s doing;   she knows her too well,  even after all this time,  to not know.    she’s trying to prove some point;   obviously,   since she just admitted to her she isn’t in love with her wife nor wants to make it work.   so tai rolls her eyes,   turning away and moving on—   but that doesn’t mean she’s going to forget it there,   that mikayla is still trying to taunt her. 

 her jaw clenches as she talks about whatever it is that lottie’s doing—   because back then,   tai hated it,  too.   she thought they were all wasting their time,   that they were trying to make something out of nothing.   it got under her skin because it didn’t make any sense,  which made tai feel trapped,  and yet—  there was also a time when she learned to find comfort in it,   even though she wasn’t willing to admit that to anyone directly.    even to herself,  because she kept telling herself she was just doing it out of self preservation,   that it was easier just to repeat the bullshit and pretend she’s part of something so that she was never found on the outside.    but she was in it,  in some way,   even though she didn’t realize it.   clearly,  the other part of herself knew—-    because that's what taissa found in her basement,   and mikayla’s words irk her,   because doesn’t she wonder now,  too,  what kind of offering taissa was really trying to leave?   

❝  we don’t know that’s what this is,  ❞   she mumbles,   shifting uncomfortably,   because even the thought of defending lottie makes her skin crawl  —-  but not out of malice towards lottie,   just the situation,   just the idea of being like her the way it always bothered her,  because it made things too real.   she’s stuck in her own head now,   wondering if she’s wrong —- if that is what lottie is doing there,   and if it is,   should she stay away?   or should she give in to it,  like she clearly did before?   she doesn’t know how to talk to mikayla about that,   even if that’s what she came here for,   but when she calls lottie hot,   it snaps her out of her daze,   her head shooting back to her with a look of disgust.   she doesn’t disagree,   she just doesn’t like to hear it from mikayla,   especially right now,  after all of this.     ❝  that’s what you’re thinking about?  ❞    she mutters with a scoff,   shaking her head,   trying to ignore the sting of likely unnecessary jealousy it hits her with.   ❝  —-   something’s going on,  if she’s got nat and misty and—-  whoever else there.  ❞   any more blasts from their pasts?   ❝  you're not curious now? ❞ she pauses, trying not to let the underlying anger get the better of her, but then she catches the ring on her finger again and lets out a sigh. ❝  not going to impress her with that thing back on your finger, ❞ she mumbles, though obviously, it's not about lottie, she just can't help but comment on it.  

[zumpietoo]

Racist is an Ignorant Twat..

Ummm....dude.....it’s been on for seven fuckin’ seasons, Netflix controls the “syndication”, anyway......and paid for it all along.....it’s been “profitable” all fucking long.....plus “this” was what they were always choosing. That YOU chose to ignore that doesn’t make a difference.....

Racist, where TF have you BEEN? That was always the problem with the show. Do you even watch? 

And I might dislike this as much at the next person.....and certainly think RAS is a complete hack.....but he has another (lameassed) show and is a millionaire, now. Once again, he’ll be just fine. Save your concern for others.....

Also “getting any profit”???? Learn English, loser!

Wow, I think you need glasses, Racist....

Oh sweet jeebus.....there’s no shortage of Pussy’s pussy a tinglin’ (god knows why) over Tinkle doing a shitty job of shaking her ass....it’s clearly her lezzie awakening....however, duuddde?

“JT dating”???? Ummm.....while, yes, they ARE flirty, we have other BTS confirming this, etc....it’s also possible they’re either A) focused on their mission or B) Jug’s, again, playing along or something....plus “dating” in the 50s has nothing to do with real Plaiderdale, anyway.....but, yes, it’s obvious Juggie still love his ladyyyy....

And no, it isn’t that “things are wrong” bullshit Scratchy spent all season insisting would happen. Twisted up and playing in a sort of bizzarodale way? Oh yes....but, no, it isn’t leaping from universe to universe like Chrestomancy.....that’s not the concept here.....

Tho, TBF, Jug will initially attempt that.....but will also find it isn’t the same. 

No, dude, you’re livid and you’ve called exactly NOTHING correctly.....stop lying.

Oh and the flirty Jabi? If that were jizzy, y’all would be fapping yourselves raw, insisting YOU’D “won”!

“Mocking”??? No, dude.....but it certainly fully forgot jizzy ever existed, even with Jug clearly and fully retaining his memories!!!

Oh Racist, we know you’re completely “worried”.....(tho, again, I’m firmly convinced it’s a BAV triangle.....). With Jabi ongoing and endgame....

(TBC....cuz there is much moar lying and gaslighting....)

[rozcdust]

Chasing ghosts

Platonic Pairing: Bonten x GN!Reader, Sanzu Haruchiyo x GN!Reader

Genre: Crack, SMAU

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: Canon divergent, profanity, ooc, violence, blood draining, gore, drug abuse, conspiracy theories, religious trauma, cancer, religious items, mentions of religious trauma, allergies, seeming disordered eating, Kakucho needs a break

Day 1 of Promptober

A sharp gaze prickled at the back of your neck, making you want to squirm, yet your stubbornness didn’t allow you to show discomfort, your all too damned pride forcing you to keep your focus on the work at hand.

So what if Sanzu was staring at you accusatory the entire past week? You didn’t even do anything, not to him at least, not that you would remember anyway, and even Kakucho told you to not worry about it, that Sanzu was just in one of his drugged-up episodes, and that you had nothing to worry about.

Still.

You were trying to peacefully do your job, and Sanzu was just standing and staring, like a fucking creep.

Ugh.

Mikey should have kept his rabid puppy dog chained.

“Why do you always do that?”

Your head snapped up, an eyebrow quirked.

“Do what?”

“Drain them of blood.”

Sanzu and his stupid fucking questions.

“Because it’s easier to chop them up and turn them into fish food that way? We all do this? Ran literally taught me how to do this. And why are you even here? You’re not doing shit!”

He shrugged, still eyeing you suspiciously, his face nestled into the crook of his elbows as he watched you work.

Rolling your eyes, you choose to ignore him, focusing.

Bodies won’t disappear on their own.

“Kakucho, I don’t know how to convince you, but I’m telling you, y/n’s a fucking vampire. Or possessed. Still not sure which one it is.”

Kakucho's head was buried within his palms as a sound of sheer desperation escaped his throat, his eyes screwed tightly shut to avoid looking at his one true current problem.

Sanzu.

Sanzu spewing bullshit conspiracy theories, precisely.

God help him.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Kakucho opens his good eye to peek at the pink-haired maniac.

“Do I even want to know how you came to this conclusion?” His voice was wary, tired already. This was utter nonsense, and Sanzu should have known it, even if his brain was* utterly and completely fried on whatever the fuck he snorts in his free time.

“Probably not. Wanna see anyway?” The grin playing on the scarred man’s lips made Kakucho nervous.

“No.”

Sanzu stood up from his chair, stretching like an irate cat, and with a quick, unstable step, left the room.

Kakucho thought he was free, and he just breathed a sigh of immense relief when he heard it.

The scratching sound of shitty, rusted wheels on marble floors echoed in the hallway, followed by Sanzu wheeling in a pinboard, a photo of your face thumbtacked to the centre of a true shit show, multiple strings of red yarn connecting it all back to you.

Kakucho almost wept.

He doesn’t get paid enough for this.

Sanzu started by presenting a series of incidents.

Sanzu always found it odd you only ever worked at night, no matter how hard Mikey tried to drag you into meetings in broad daylight, you always refused, persistently and stubbornly, firmly stating that ‘Sun is a horrendous creature of misery and deserves death’ and ‘You’re more of a night owl’ and how you’d rather die than have that disgusting thing ever touch your skin.

Suspicious.

.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚..˳⁺⁎˚˳⁺⁎˚ (:̲̅:̲̅:[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) ˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳

“Okay, and? That proves nothing, Sanzu.”

“Kakucho, shut the fuck up and listen.”

.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚..˳⁺⁎˚˳⁺⁎˚ ( :̲̅:̲̅:[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) ˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳

Sanzu has been to your house a few, very few, times, as you were always cagey about your personal space and tried to kick all of them out as soon as possible, even if it was your turn to host the poker night and even if it was your turn to be the designated driver and let them sleep off the drunkenness in your house.

But he noticed something… Well, odd.

The blackout curtains.

Thick, dark fabric draped over every one of your windows, covering every possible entry point, blocking the entrance to the balcony and forbidding any and all natural light to as much as shyly try to enter your house.

You almost scalped Kokonoi when he tried to open them once, jumping onto him and forcing him down on the ground, sitting on his back, not getting off until he let go of the curtains and until you could close them all the way shut, muttering about the damage the UV light does to skin or some shit.

And the very few times he did see you in the sun, it was only after you lathered your skin with thick layers of sunscreen from a suspicious bottle with only the words ‘Ew ew sun’ written on it in sharpie.

.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚..˳⁺⁎˚˳⁺⁎˚ (:̲̅:̲̅:[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) ˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳

“Listen,” Kakucho groaned, running his hands down his face, “I get their fear of the sun is weird, and a little excessive, but dude, come on. Their mum died of skin cancer, and she died in their arms, it makes sense they’d be cautious.”

Sanzu frantically shook his head.

“No, because listen, there’s more.”

.��⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚..˳⁺⁎˚˳⁺⁎˚ (:̲̅:̲̅:[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) ˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳

You barely ever went to dinner with them.

Whenever you were invited, your most likely answer was ‘No, thanks’, and the few times you did agree, you never ordered any food, no matter who was paying, instead opting out for some wine or whiskey instead, under the guise that you don’t really feel hungry.

Every.

Single.

Goddamn time.

You never ate at the headquarters either, or at least, Sanzu has never seen you eat, only ever seeing you sipping on coffee or boba at your desk when he barged into your office unannounced.

He has tried feeding you, but you refused like a stubborn mule every time, coldly saying you don’t trust his cooking before returning to sipping on damn Starbucks.

It was suspicious enough that Ran asked you about it, and you simply explained you have a couple of severe food allergies and don’t feel like dying on a fucking Tuesday from an anaphylactic shock, which did get Ran and Koko to shrug and leave you be, but not Sanzu.

He opened your fridge when he was at your house, just to check what you had in there if you never ate out, but all he found was a block of cheese and a carton of strawberry juice.

Suspicious.

.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚..˳⁺⁎˚˳⁺⁎˚ (:̲̅:̲̅:[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) ˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳

“You dug around their fridge?”

“Kakucho, I don’t think you’re hearing my point.”

“They have allergies. You have no points.”

Sanzu sighed, frustrated, but that quickly got replaced by a smile.

And jazz hands.

“But wait! There’s more!” In his best showbiz tone, Sanzu continued rambling.

Kakucho was ready to cancel his subscription to life.

.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚..˳⁺⁎˚˳⁺⁎˚ (:̲̅:̲̅:[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) ˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳

Rindou sometimes wore crosses.

Not to show his huge devotion to Christianity of course, no, more as an accessory, one that looked damn fine on him if Sanzu was to pass any judgement, the silver crosses with ruby red jasper stones dangling from Rindou’s ears making him seem somewhat sophisticated, giving him the charming energy of a wandering ghost.

You absolutely hated Rindou’s silver cross earrings, a scowl twisting your face anytime you saw them, but you usually chose to say nothing.

Until Rindou noticed, and with an offence that bordered on hilarious, asked you what the fuck your problem was.

You merely sighed.

“Don’t like it when people wear crosses, that’s all.”

Rindou leaned back into his seat, now with a sneer.

“What, you hyper-religious or what?”

“Nah, try to go more ‘growing up with religious trauma’. Crosses just make me uncomfortable.” Shrugging, your gaze went back to your laptop, but Sanzu noticed the way you flinched if Rindou came closer to you when wearing his earrings.

.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚.˳⁺⁎˚..˳⁺⁎˚˳⁺⁎˚ (:̲̅:̲̅:[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) ˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳˚⁎⁺˳

“Honestly, you’re starting to sound like an ass. They’re bi, and grew up in a super religious household, of course they’re not all up for fucking religious items.”

Sanzu’s seemingly infinite well of reasons you’re possessed apparently to dried up, and he slumped into his chair with a sour look.

“I’m telling you, and you’re not listening.”

“You honestly sound like you don’t have shit. You literally just misinterpreted their trauma and allergies and made them into some fucking monster, and really dude, that’s fucked.”

Sanzu huffed.

“They’re also allergic to silver! How do you interpret that, huh?!”

Kakucho truly wished to bang his head against the wall.

“They’re allergic to nickel, you piece of absolute ass, as is half the human fucking population, and all silver has nickel because silver by itself is too soft for jewellery.”

Sanzu sunk into his chair, arms crossed, pouting.

Kakucho forced him to write you an apology card.

Even with Kakucho trying to knock some sense into Sanzu, he was still convinced.

There was something off about you, and he knew it.

So as he Googled vampire lore, and possession symptoms side to side, about a thousand tab bars open on his laptop, he stumbled upon something that gave him pause.

Reflections.

You have a reflection, he knew that much, he has seen you try out clothes and pose in front of any fucking shopping window that was polished enough, but there is a catch.

Apparently, vampires in medieval folklore don’t have a reflection because old-timey mirrors are made with silver.

Silver, which you just so happen to be allergic to, and no, fuck what Kakucho said, he’s stupid, Sanzu knew it was silver and not fucking nickel.

Modern mirrors are made with aluminium.

Sanzu took a pause, and in a quick moment of putting two and two together, he texted Kokonoi.

You barely registered Sanzu sneaking into the break room next to you, being too tired at this late hours of the night to focus on anything but the coffee you were brewing.

“Hey, didn’t expect you to be here so late-“

You never got the chance to finish your sentence, because someone is a bitch and that someone just grabbed your fucking arm out of nowhere and started dragging you away.

“Wha-“

“I know what you are.” Sanzu briefly looked back at you to flash a grin, his nails digging into your wrist.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He didn’t respond as he kicked the doors of the men’s bathroom open.

“Sanzu, what the hell-“

Before you could process it, he grabbed your shoulders, shoving you in front of the mirror, giddiness mixing with glee visible on his stupid, stupid face as he stood behind you.

Your own tired eyes stared back at you.

He blinked.

“Wait, let’s just-“ He carefully pushed you out of the mirror’s reflection, knocking on it as if it were a broken TV, before pushing you back in front of it.

Still just your tired eyes and large eye bags.

“Huh.” His fingers sneaked to the side of your mouth, pulling your upper lip up to reveal small, if a little crooked canines.

Huffing, you wrestled out of his grasp, arms crossed over your chest.

“Mind explaining what the fuck is this about, Haruchiyo, my beloved? If you wanted to look at me you could have just DONE THAT!”

He scratched his head, confusion written all over his features.

“Sorry… Uh, thought you were a vampire.”

You quirked an eyebrow.

A beat of silence passed before you sighed, letting your arms fall to your side.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“Sorry.” He slightly bowed before scurrying away, slamming the doors to the bathroom shut, and leaving you alone.

Sighing, you turned to look at yourself, fixing the little bit of makeup that smeared under your eye.

Choosing to think you look presentable, you paused just as you were about to leave, a sort of glee forming on your face as you flashed yourself a grin.

Your canines scratched your bottom lip, drawing just a bit of blood.

You knew that replacing all the mirrors was a smart choice.

🔖Taglist:

@1818cigarettes @nana-phobia @dilf-city @wakasa-wifey @rinsie @kisekihany @missarabellla @bajifairyy @cryszus @r-xochitl @levistiddies @sanzucide @touyasghost @graythecoffeebean @yukihime-mikeys-girl @mukounisuru-gashadokuro @sunahyejin @crybabylisa @yamaguccitadashi @minoozi @trashmemebitch @frogtits1 @sup-zfam @whydohumansss @xashiui @bontens-whore @nqctre @lumi-does-some-stuff @hana-patata @hxked @erza-uzumaki @sh4nn @sisnot @soushswag @kneeapartman