#you sometimes mistake that for him being lenient

[satoruhour]

T!!! do you ever wonder what it’s like to lose your virginity to Gojo? personally, I think he’d be so sweet but he’d tease here and there just to make you cry a little 😋

a/n: fem!reader, discussions of losing virginity (both you & gojo), oral f! receiving, fingering, p -> v sex, praise and soft dom dynamics, protected sex, aftercare

losing v-card w/ gojo i think would be def sweet !!! ok for me theres like two versions: the ver where youre both virgins and losing it to each other and the other where u are the virgin. i would think gojo as a virgin is cute and clueless, but he learns fast enough, BUT when its the two of you being virgins it’s just so adorable bc you guys are still new to this and intimacy feels so weird and stuff. you bump heads the first time you try to kiss, gojo isnt sure what to do past making out

you figure it out together, you both have weird perceptions of what sex was bc you heard it from your friend and gojo sometimes watches p*rn but it doesnt rlly have that same kick. he also doesnt want to hurt you. virgin gojo gasps at everything lol when u first remove ur shirt and he sees your breasts. gasp. removes ur pants and sees u in underwear. gasp. pulls your underwear away from you. loudest gasp known to man. 

compliments you a lot, but sometimes he uses the terms in a weird way “you have such… symmetrical labia, babe!” like WHAT. ? its endearing that hes trying his hardest but also … ���dude. like i said he learns fast enough but in the dynamic where u are both losing the v-card to each other you two are a lot more reserved and nervous! lots of mistakes, mishaps, you thought u could suck dick but you gagged and you had to take a min against his thigh to just rest. you two talked like his dick wasnt in ur hand the whole time 😭😭 it was funny

even with the penetrative sex, gojo bought like flavoured lube and ate a bit just to try it and youre panicking when he tips his head back and squeezes the lube into his mouth HELPPP like yes its safe to put in ur mouth just … dont. clumsy and a whiner, cums really fast into the condom and pouts when it ends like bitch u didnt even make me cum yet ! apologises profusely and proceeds to eat u out like you deserve. this second time is infinitely better hes getting good!!

okay virgin reader on the other hand .. yes! he would be so sweet (my fav), and be a soft dom but his playful antics and comments sometimes catch you off guard. a lot of dirty talk to ease into it and a lot of praise but also he emphasises for you to tell him if anything hurts or if youre not feeling it any more. is very skillful with his hands and makes you beg long before the real thing

“my hands feel nice, yeah?” as he’s kissing down your body and his hands wander, they stay above the water for quite a while, just feeling you up but once youre comfy youre nodding to him and he says “i need a verbal yes, darling”LIKE STOPPP BEFORE I FALL IN LOVE W U … he cares about ur consent and being vocal in what you want. hums a lot when he sees u in all your glory, smiling to himself when ur shirt first comes off and your perky tits are just begging to be played with. takes his time, a lot of body worship!!! says stuff like “dont be shy, i dont bite.. unless you want me to” to tease you but is so gentle w/ your body

makes u cum first on his tongue too, like at least thrice for u to know what you like in bed, but also to show u that your partner’s pleasure always comes first in the case for guys bc if ure not worshipping and groaning abt ur girls pussy .. what r u even doing atp? is pretty lenient when giving you oral with u as a virgin, doesnt want to overwhelm you so his ministrations are slow. hes also still getting to know your body, what makes u cum and the sensitive parts on ur body, “oh…? you like it when i do that?”, “does my sweetness like my fingers in her?”, “pussy looks so perfect, doing so well” is pretty goofy for your first time, sometimes cracking jokes in between too.

also deprives u of ur orgasm just to see how youd react to it since its ur first time and will apologise with kisses. u wouldnt put it past him to do it again when ure more familiar tho but since this is an introduction to ur body of some sorts he’ll be nice <3 doesnt let u suck him off on the first, always, he’s prioritising you

talks you through as he slips in. before when he was hooking up and fucking around he never liked to fuck people who are virgins just cause he doesnt like to see the pain on their face. it hurts, a lot, you have to admit, and gojo lets you take all the time in the world to scratch at his back, hold onto his arms, breathing with you as he inserts his cock inch by inch. satoru on the other hand is.. going insane by his standards. u just feel so warm and tight inside he has to do everything not to slam into you, and while he hates that the tears at the corner of ur eyes was bc of him, he’s desperate to see you crying in pleasure next time

“that’s it, baby, you need to breathe.”, “bottomin’ out soon, you okay?”, “good job, sweets, you took all of me!” does the jokes even thru penetrative sex just to see you laugh. the first thrusts r also pretty painful or rather uncomfortable, gojo kisses you to distract you from the pain when his hips move, “it’ll lessen soon okay? you’ll be moaning soon enough” you trust gojo, nodding into the kiss before your pussy’s pretty much accustomed to his dick in you and the pleasure settles in and hes all “there we go…” hes grinning so largely it scares you a little but his hips pick up pace just a bit more and youre having the time of your life. praise praise praise !!! so much of it. you’re cumming soon enough and gojo tries to memorise the way ur pussy feel bc he doesnt want to push u past ur limit, but is surprised after when you change positions and start riding him, hiding your shy face in his neck

teehee. it takes a while to get better ofc, gojo is rlly big that u still need time to adjust but that first time will always stick w you bc of how caring he was 💟 did aftercare like a pro too, cleaned you up in his bathroom, washed your hair and let you wash his body, wiggled his eyebrows and teased you about having shower sex, lots of kissing in the shower and everything was very soft. u slept like a baby that night

[random-fandom-tandem]

Mike Schmidt: Dating Headcanons

Because this guy hasn't left my brain since seeing the movie a few days ago, and I finally broke down and had to do something about it.

18+ only

Minors DNI

GN!Reader

Sweet (SFW):

❤️ Can be a bit overprotective at times. Given that he still blames himself for his brother's disappearance, though, it's understandable. While he doesn't admit it out loud, he's uncertain he could handle it if something terrible happened to you too.

❤️ Having grown accustomed to being up at night, due to his recent security job, on the nights he's off and is able to find someone to watch Abby, he'll sometimes invite you for an evening drive. His hand remains on your thigh nearly the entire time, occasionally giving it a gentle squeeze, as you two sit in a comfortable silence, just enjoying the soft music on the radio.

❤️ Is actually pretty lenient when it comes to what is chosen for movie night. He's more happy to just have some needed downtime with you. Also, cuddling during the movie is almost always guaranteed. (Please give him some, the poor man needs it.)

❤️ Got a little annoyed with you one time after you borrowed his walkman and forgot to swap back the cassette tape to his nature sounds one. Cue him getting startled one night when he turned it to help him sleep, only to be greeted with whatever pop or rock idol you had been listening to beforehand. Being that it was an honest mistake, he couldn't stay mad at you...but he never lent you his walkman ever again. (On the flipside, though, he did gift you one of your own for your birthday.)

Spicy (NSFW):

🔥 When it comes to sex, he typically lasts one round, just because he's often so tired, but he tries his best to make sure it counts. Even if he's exhausted, he will try to make up for it with lots of kisses and soft words.

🔥 Exception being when he's extremely pent up or needs to release some frustration after a bad night at work. During those times, you can expect at least 2-3 rounds out of him. He starts out with a rather quiet intensity, focused on just getting rid of that mounted tension, but the volume of his groans increases the closer he gets to finishing.

🔥 On the mornings when he ends up waking up earlier and doesn't have to go anywhere, he actually enjoys sleepy lovemaking. During those times he just wants to hold you close (and/or to be inside you, if applicable) even if you two don't move very much.

🔥 Expanding on an earlier headcanon, car sex is absolutely a thing. He likes the privacy it offers, and will often just park at some abandoned spot where it can just be you and him, with no outside interruptions. He's barely put the car in park before you are straddling his lap, furiously making out with him and rubbing yourself up against his hardening cock. Next thing you both know, hours have passed. Uh, he didn't need to be at work that night...right?

[coralinnii]

❋ If you are a villain, then let me be your accomplice ❋

feat: Lilia genre: mild hurt/comfort, slow burn romance note: sequel to reincarnated into a new world as the bad guy AU Lilia ver, no pronouns used, Lilia is depicted as his older appearance with long hair, human!reader, mentions of minor injuries unintentionally inflicted on reader, 1.6k word count 

I liivvveee! For now, anyway. I still have my job projects and finals are upon me but I finally found some time to myself so I hope you enjoy another addition to the Villain/ess!series. I might end up failing a class but I know it’s not the end of the world for me and I really enjoyed the class so I wouldn’t mind retaking the class.

Yeaa...this did not end up as domestic fluff

WARNING: This part has kinda hard-to-read topics regarding children and childrearing. Sometimes parents, guardians, caretakers and/or other children accidentally get injured by a child and the child doesn’t know how to get over that. We never want to blame the child for these mistakes but we want to make sure they can learn to avoid such mistakes again. This is an odd case since these are fictional non-human characters and some people can view Lilia as too harsh or see MC/reader as too lenient. I’ve seen parents approach this concern differently and honestly to me, the next course of action is never easy to figure out without truly discussing with the child and those involved.  I'm not saying whose method is right or wrong, I just wrote what would be the best course of action in this scenario. You might have your own opinions or approaches. Read at your own risk

A lot has happened since your first visit to the Vanrouge household. Lilia surprised you by taking both of you into his home, protecting you while helping to raise the young Yung. He offered a room to the small dragon and one for yourself (though Yung still prefers to sleep in your bed with you). 

Speaking of Yung, he was still wary of Lilia and his servants, choosing to hide himself in your embrace or behind your legs. He refused to speak to anyone and if he needed something, he would whisper into your ears and being the pampering type, you would oblige. 

“Dear me, he seems to have really imprinted himself on you” Lilia chuckled casually but then he quickly hardened his gaze and the conversation turned more serious. “However, if he does not grow out from this phase, he may end up unable to control his dragon side and hurt himself or you” 

This worries you as you know due your knowledge from your previous life that Yung will grow to be very powerful but he fell victim to his own strength and destroyed himself with his power. 

Distressed, you begged Lilia to give his guidance as the former guardian of the Dragon King and with a playful smile, he gave an offer to you. 

“Very well, I will be his guide. But as a fair trade of service, why don’t you become my attendant? This would occupy your time and perhaps young Yung could use this to be a little more independent?” 

And thus began Yung’s days of torture as your new job constantly took precious time from him by Lilia. Yung can no longer ask for walks with you because you’re needed to look over some paperwork with the duke. Nights where you would lull him to sleep were getting less and less as Lilia requested your assistance in looking over some schedule details before the new day. And even when Yung gets to hang out with you, Lilia would almost always be there to monopolize your attention. 

At first, you decided to trust the young(?) duke and his tactics since you did come to him for his guidance anyway. Despite the rather playful demeanor he seems to have, Lilia seemed so confident to you and assured you time and time again that this is a rite of passage of sorts for fae like him and Yung since powerful beings like them must learn self-control before anything else. 

But self-control continues to elude Yung and it wasn’t long before the cute little dragon decided enough was enough.

“Wuv is mine! Mister duke go away!” 

To the best of his ability, Yung wrapped his short arms around your waist as he screamed at the duke. If Yung was any normal child, his growth would have been unprecedented as he was already walking (to chase after you and Lilia) and speaking fairly comprehensible sentences (to yell at Lilia). But as a fae, this was a typical growth spurt, quickly growing stronger and bigger than a typical human to ensure his survival. His physical strength was more obvious to you right now as the young child was unintentionally tightening his grip on you which started to hurt. 

“Yung, l-love” you tried to speak but it came out as a short gasp as the small fae ignored your call. His hands, while small, kept digging through your clothes and into your skin which made you wince slightly. You tried other means of grabbing the young one’s attention but all was moot as all of Yung’s focus zeroed in on Lilia alone, his eyes glowing a slightly menacing color and a glare reminiscent of a dragon ready to defend his territory.

“Sigh…you are still a foolish child” 

In an instant, the pain in your sides lessened as you found yourself in the arms of the duke instead of Yung’s hold. Both you and Yung were shocked by this sudden change of the situation. How did neither of you notice Lilia as he somehow managed to rip you out from the young dragon’s grip without his notice or harming you in the process? 

“Are these the skills of an experienced fae?” 

After looking over you for any major injuries, Lilia sighed again with slight disappointment, reminiscent of a father figure upset with a child that nearly broke something precious. “How can you protect your treasure when you can’t even protect them from yourself?” 

Following Lilia’s previous line of sight, Yung’s heart sank when he saw the torn fabric of your outfit. With his extraordinary senses, he caught glimpses of red lines across your skin through the ripped clothing. He instinctively reached out his small hand to you but saw his nails were longer and sharper, like talons of a dragon. 

He hurt you. He hurt you. He hurt you. 

Yung broke into tears as those words cycled in his head, haunting him for his crime. You were instinctively pushing yourself from Lilia by the sound of his cries, running to enclose your arms around the poor fae child, holding him while softly giving words of comfort. 

“Love, I’m alright. It was an accident, I know that” 

 But Yung continued to sob and he apologized profusely, his voice getting sore from his cries. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Lilia stood still behind you, watching silently as you continued to console your child, wiping Yung’s tears and holding his small, shaking hands. 

Night came and Lilia visited you in your room once the family doctor was done tending to your scratches. The head of the manor immediately called for the doctor but you refused to show your injuries while Yung was still panicking over the incident. It was only when Yung calmed down and stayed with him until he fell asleep in his room. You kept your smile as you downplayed your wounds, not letting Yung blame himself.

When Lilia entered your room with your permission, he shocked you as he said something unexpected. 

“I’m sorry.” He even bowed his head to you, showing the sincerity of his words.

You replied with confusion in your voice. “Pardon? What for?” 

“I expected that Yung was getting possessive of you but I didn’t think that you would get this hurt in my attempt to distance you two. I should have intervened sooner” 

Lilia held this guilt throughout the day, ashamed that he roped you into his little test for the dragon fae. He knew raising a powerful fae will be a rough journey, taking his experience from caring for Malleus. But if Lilia were the one to get hurt, it would be but a scratch that would heal in an instant. Whatever Yung would do, Lilia can handle it with ease. 

But you weren’t fae. You were a human that bleed at the lightest touch from his kind, that break much too easily, and perish much too soon. 

“You should leave this manor” Lilia stated with an uncharacteristically serious tone. “I will find a comfortable inn for you to stay in and provide other essentials until you can find another living situation to your liking” 

“Wait a minute!” You jumped from your seat, your mind thrown for a loop. “I can’t just leave, what will happen to Yung? It'll break his heart! I didn’t mean to inconvenience your grace and your plans but I’ll be care-“ 

“Do you not understand the dangers of your situation?” Lilia’s tone was ice cold. “You nearly bled from what Yung thought was a childish hug. What if he were to get angry one day and suddenly knock you unconscious? He is not a mere human child but a fae, and a strong one as well. You are a human that may die by his own hands” 

Silence filled your room as the weight of Lilia's words sink in.

You won’t lie, Yung’s nails were painful and your wounds still sting even after treatment. In the story from your past memories, Yung’s power will be on par with the current Dragon King, with the power to move mountains and call upon flames that would leave nothing in its path. Yung will continue to grow stronger and nothing you, a powerless human, can do that will be able to stop him. 

But still… 

“I stayed silent because I didn't know what would be good for Yung. But damn it, I love that child! As long as he needs me, I’ll be there for him” you locked eyes with the long-haired fae with determination. “He’ll become stronger, but he wouldn't hurt others. He is a happy, kind child"

"And how will you ensure that?"

"I will be there to make sure he stays that way” you made a bold choice, but you're confident in this. You were confident in your little Yung that he will go against his ending in that story nonsense of your previous world.

Crossing your arms, you made another bold comment.

“Besides…you still agreed to guide him. So, this will be a team effort” You were testing your luck but you assumed that should anything like today happen again, then you could always hide behind the great general Vanrouge. That's a team, right? Being able to depend on them during tough patches?

But Lilia stayed quiet and chose to simply match your stare with his. It was intimidating to have such an attractive man look at you with such intensity but you held your ground. You puffed out your chest and refused to look away from Lilia’s admittedly beautiful ruby-coloured eyes. 

Then…Lilia giggled. 

“Lilia, the renowned general…giggled….and it was so cute?!” 

You were taken aback when you saw a soft smile crept onto Lilia’s lips, so different from his mischievous grin whenever he scares you from behind during work or the confident smirk when he wins a round of a card game that you introduced to him from your original world. You were upset, offended even that he would giggle at your proud proclamation to care for Yung. But wow, he was really attractive doing so.

Not noticing your conflicted expression (or choosing to ignore it), Lilia placed a hand on your head, closer to your forehead, then moved slowly to caress your head. His touch was so gentle, careful not to scratch you or add unnecessary pressure. 

“He’s good at holding back his strength” you thought, only having heard the stories of the unbeatable general. Lilia is a playful man but his power is impressive even among other fae so this gentle side of him was a pleasant surprise to you.

“Goodness gracious, I wonder if this is where Yung gets his audaciousness from?” Lilia had a shine in his eyes as he kept his gaze on you, almost as though he was captivated by what he saw. “I look forward to your cooperation then, teammate”

[gunnrblze]

what do you think the ghosts would be like as fathers?

Ooh the Ghosties as fathers, this is a good one. Prepare for me to get maybe a little too in depth below the cut, cus this got too gahdamn long lol

Hesh- peak dad/husband material. giggling kicking his feet ‘n crying when he finds out he’s gonna be a father lol. he’d be as involved as possible and I see this being something he’s the most proud of in his life. i think a bit of cycle breaking would be going on with him as far as the way he and Logan were raised (looking at you Elias, yea🤨), he’d do things a little different but in a good way. would still model his parenting style quite a bit after Elias’ though in many ways. def a worrier too, and may be a little overbearing sometimes bc of it

Logan- similar to Hesh, he’d be an enthusiastic dad I think. would brag about his kids consistently, regardless of what they do/become. type to be like “my kid made macaroni art at school the other day, it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen” lmao. i see him also being veryyy supportive in general, like do/be whatever you want, as long as you’re a good person. would also parent similar to how he and Hesh were raised, but i almost see him being more lenient in some ways. def the kind to let his kids learn from their mistakes and learn good, though.

Elias- ofc we saw a lot of how he was as a father in the game (lots of debatable choices being made💀), but i think he honest to god, like most parents, did the best he could. doesn’t necessarily excuse certain things, and i think Hesh specifically prob has a lot of baggage from that, but he was also a good dad in many ways methinks. generally solid father material alongside the easily criticizable behavior LMAO

Merrick- first, he def gives me girl dad energy lol. but regardless, i see him being very very loving to his kid(s) actually, like “this is my heart and soul, everything is for them, I live breath and die for them” type shit. I can see him being a bit strict at times, mostly due to his protective nature. under the personality we see from him in the game, I think his kids/kids in general would probably bring out a goofier side of him too, the dad jokes would be unlocked immediately lol

Keegan- I see him being like a mix of Hesh ‘n Merrick tbh. Very very proud to be a father, like “I’d put it on my resume if I could”, and would love unconditionally. i think he’d be the type to maybe be a bit overbearing/intense at times like Hesh, mostly due to how much he cares about his kids wellbeing/success in life. also very supportive, and i could see him struggling a bit with how to juggle his fatherhood vs his career (like a lot of military parents tbh). he’d be the kinda dad that his kid(s) really respect i think

Kick- i honestly can’t see him being a father too much, i think he’d probably be the one here to not have kids. however if he were a father, he’d take it very seriously. i think he’d be the loving and goofy kind, his personality would really shine as a dad methinks. in his kids early years, I think he’d be tweaking out a lot like “what if I’m not good enough, what if something happens to them”, but as they get older i see his attitude almost changing like “oh yea, they love to swan dive off the back of the couch, we just let them” lol.

Rorke-pre fed here cause let’s be honest…🫥. i see him being a great dad, probably struggles with balancing that vs his career like Keegan might. he’d also be a bragger when he could like Logan, but in a more “yea my kid is on the honor roll…literally got all A’s, wtf can your kid do?🙄”proud type way lmfao. i see him being very dynamic as a father, a bit strict but a bit lax. sometimes he’s more present, sometimes he’s not. I think he’d value teaching and guiding his kid(s) like Elias. also a “you’ll learn your lesson” type of guy. you fuck up and complain and he’s like “hmm, tough shit, better luck next time” after he imparts his fatherly wisdom about it lol

[oldhalloweentape]

🧨 Vinny Santorini (Atlantis) x (gn) reader🌹

(Kid Edition!)

(Picture’s not mine!)

(Request here! Howdy hey!! Been a bit since I last did something for this man, real glad someone asked for him <3333)

- Alright so, when it comes to children he’s very hit or miss, like sometimes succeeding in keeping a child happy and safe with him—

- And the other times that kid is frighteningly close to an ignited fuse to a firework that makes Satan’s Baby look just like a baby.

- I don’t think it’d be much of a difference if said the child was his, though he’d definitely exercise caution.

- In general, I think he’s a great father, a father that knows how to lay the law but also has fun— Pranks the kid with harmless crap as soon as they are old enough to comprehend what a prank is.

- He adores his kid greatly and isn’t too lenient with them, knowing well that kids can and will take a mile of you give an inch far too often.

- A part of him still knows how to be a kid, to have that kind of joy in life that is palpable when he does something he loves wholeheartedly, and he hopes that his kids share that same energy, especially in his presence.

- I think he can be an enabler at times, like, there’s no doubt in my mind his kid would have that talent for demolition and the sorts.

- No one can tell me he wouldn’t somehow make a little version of himself and be elated by that fact.

- Regardless of gender, that kid is well loved and cared for, he doesn’t have it in him to not be as rough around the edges as he can be, he’s a genuinely good person who cares deeply for the people who have a part in his life.

- His child BECOMES his world when they’re born, he holds the memory of holding them for the first time close to his chest with an insane amount of love, as cheesy and cliche as that is.

- Much like any other parent he does get frustrated with his child’s antics, little kids do such stupid things and I think even before he has a kid he knows it all too well being the eldest child of his family.

- That and he too was a stupid kid back then… Even before the fireworks incident, I think he was a very impulsive kid who got into trouble after being cooped up in the family business.

- I think when the kids are still little he establishes himself as a good dad, though when that kid starts growing up it’s hard for him to grapple with because that’s their stage of discovering themselves and being less dependent on him.

- He has his imperfections when it comes to parenting— But who doesn’t?? He’s the type to learn and fix his mistakes after some stubbornness with a kind of courage that can let his kid rely on him as a father when they realize they are as mature as they let on.

- He’s tough on them when it is warranted, as chaotic as he may be, he’s become well acquainted with what is acceptable and what isn’t with trial and error, and not wanting that for his kid he promptly teaches them consistently till it sticks.

- Though I think he’d bail them out if they ever did get in trouble with the law when they’re still a kid, especially when he’s just so wealthy after the expedition… Though he of course makes them repay that bail money through hard work among other things…

- They’re probably on their own if they do it when they’re older. As much as he loves his kid, he ain’t about that if it’s coming from his fully grown child.

- Has his tough love moments, but it isn’t thinly veiled abuse or anything, thinks consistently smacking kids is pretty counterintuitive— Might give them a light smack upside the head when they do something progressively dumb as shit after he warns them over and over again about what they’re doing is wrong.

- Again he’s not about that but he does spoil his kid with fantastic foods, clothing, etc— He’s as present as can be as the owner thriving a string of flower shops maintained by various members of his family.

- Talking about his family, his family definitely dotes on his kid, in general, that child is having a great childhood with many benefits.

(If you think this was hastily written at like 2am, you’d be very correct in that assumption— I just had to write for this guy after what feels like months of nothing @ayothepizzahere4)

[ofekma]

On one hand I love Percy Jackson to bits and I dearly missed his narration.

On the other hand it feels like a lot of things in this book feel wrong *partly* due to to his narration.

Of course that Percy isn't stupid. But he THINKS he is. He thinks so lowly of himself it's actually painful and makes me want to shake him.

And he makes Annabeth looks like this perfect flawless person even when casually mentioning "oh yeah she's prideful but like. Isn't that kind of an advantage sometimes too??" because he's head over heels in love with her and has been through things no one deserves to go through with her.

There is no excuse for Grover acting the way he did tbh, but at least the reveal that he was so scared his friends will leave that might have driven him to act so irrationally managed to salvage a tiny bit his characterization. It's better than just "oh you see he just couldn't help himself because it was strawberry!".

But Percy not being able to word his anger towards him or even letting himself feel it fully? Percy blaming himself for "leaving him alone in Hecate's house" and for "not realizing how he and Annabeth's moving away would affect him" was so... Unhealthy.

And kind of infantilizing for Grover. Grover is (or should be at least) old and responsible enough to not drink something he's not allowed to, and to look after a house with two pets for a couple of hours as his friends are at school. Grover is (or should be) old and responsible enough to be able to communicate his feelings to his friends about them moving away. Percy described it as some point like he felt like they were kids again and Percy had to protect him from bullying. Like despite everything he still sees Grover as a kid who needs to be protected and not as someone who can be experienced to handle himself.

Overall I love the new books, they're as low stakes, slice of life as it can get without leaving behind the fantastical adventure element completely. It's a nice change of phase for those characters, a way to catch up with them and how they're doing without making them go through hell yet again.

I'll admit that it's been a few years since I've last read (the original) Percy Jackson. Maybe had I read it all again and compare the books I'll find even more flaws with the characterization or ideas. But as of now, I like it. It's nice. It's not any masterpiece but it's also not mindless.

Percy kept his core aspects of sarcastic humor, brilliant improvising skills at the moment of truth, undying love for his friends and pure, unfiltered empathy to everyone around him. Percy picks the difficult, scary but honorable option every single time. Percy is unbelievably brave but he feels so lost and confused over how to solve seemingly impossible problems.

I'm not sure entirely what are my thoughts about Annabeth's characterization. I do wish that the books would address everyone's trauma and get them treated tho. Otherwise it feels more like repression.

The book does have an excessive mention of peeing and farting. Tho it's not the first time a character is described like this (like Thor from the Magnus Chase series). The cuteness of. Nope just might make up for it.

It's hard to be an author, especially one with a large fanbase. People are ready to tear you apart for every mistake. And Rick Riorden does make many mistakes.

I feel like Rick Riorden might be more lenient in those new books than he was about his originals but less in an "I don't care anymore those suckers will read everything I'll write so I can write trash" and more of an "I like those characters, I want to have some fun with them and I think that my fans would want this too so I'm not as worried about those books succeeding as I was back then when I was a new author." Which... Yeah, does unfortunately show in quality but I don't want to be cynical about this man.

I don't think he should have let the frenchise die as long as he still feels like he has stories to tell in it (tho he can bother to polish them some more) and I don't think he doesn't care about his fans or work or characters or kids in general.

Some creators start off good but lose their touch or reasons for creating in the first place. Some creators weren't that good but became popular anyway. Some creators were put on a pedestal and when they couldn't meet their fan's impossible standards they got shunned. Some creators. Some creators aren't good people but their fans didn't know that because all they knew about them was their work which spoke to them.

But like, I want to believe that some creators are just good, if imperfect, people. Good if imperfect creators. And that Rick Riorden is one of them. That he's trying his best at least most of the time, that he's working on his shortcomings, that he's listening but knows that you realistically can't make everyone happy all the time and sometimes you just gotta go with your guts and do what makes YOU happy.

I want to believe in people. And in him specifically, even if it's because I'm biased.

[alexiswritingstuff]

Not so scary after all.  1/2

Pairing: Gustavo Fring x gn! reader.

Other Appearances: Jesse Pinkman, Walter White. 

Request:  I was wondering if you could write a short story/oneshot where the reader (gender neutral) works in the lab with Jesse and Walter, and Gus has an obvious soft spot for them. Being lenient with them when they make a mistake, being more gentle with reader, etc.

I know it is very OOC of Gus but imagining him going all soft 😩🙏

Warnings: none, but be aware of possible spelling mistakes and such.

A/n: To the person that requested this, I hope it is what you wanted! I have a tendency to just wing fics sometimes, not realising that I might be going in the complete opposite direction of what someone wanted me to go in.

But I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Taglist-  @sukunamybeloved​  -  @viviennemuerte​

More Gustavo fics.​

The lab, that engulfed anyone within, had gone quiet as the machines were finally able to cool from their heated activities. 

It had been hours. The process of creating the demanded product had been complete. Put into the cooling fridge to set in their usual trays. 

About a minute ago, you had pulled one of them out, ready to do your job of breaking the crystal into the usual sizes that they sold at... Though now you, and a certain Pinkman, were stood side by side in front of the tray you had selected and put on a free surface. 

Two pairs of eyes stared down at it, trying to solve the sudden nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right. But it was one of those things where the longer you paid attention to it, the less your brain actually focused.

Jesse sniffed, breaking the created silence from intense thinking, “Is it just me, or, uh. Does that look wrong?” 

“Yeah,” you answered slowly, mind too consumed to use your full voice, “But I can’t tell what.”

It began again. The two of you looked over every inch of that tray once and then twice, and then one more time, before there was an equal sigh. Jesse had even rubbed his face in an attempt to soothe himself. “I don’t get it, man.”

Was it the colour?

The consistency? 

The feel?

Surely, with the time you had spent just looking at it, you should’ve been given at least a form of answer. So why wasn’t there one?

“Okay, look.” you huffed out, squeezing your eyes quickly in attempt to rid them of the tiredness that clung. “How about we go back, go through it step by step, see if we missed something, huh?”

Jesse defeatedly waved his arms with a groan. “Come on.” You ushered, and after giving him a pat on the shoulder, he complied. Picking up the clipboard of notes along the way.  

In all honesty, it took a good chunk of time to check certain stations off of the list.

The process was so consistent that whenever you made batches it was a done and dusted kind of situation. So, when you were stood there, in front of the grand machines, wracking through your brain for specific information on how you did it. 

It wasn’t very easy.

Eventually, however, the two of you had landed at Station 5. The settling tank. 

Jesse cleared his throat as he raised the clipboard once again, trying to focus his tired eyes on the small words that appeared in front of him. “All right,”

“There’s not really much for this one, but, uh... I guess, as long as it was set at 75 there shouldn’t be a problem.” 

You were about to hum in response. Your feet had readied to continue onto the next piece of machinery to just get this over and done with, and admit defeat as the answer still hadn’t been found.

But your body had frozen, the number ringing in your ears like an alarm.

Your eyes flicked to the temperature dial on the tank, even though by now it had gone back to zero, “What?” Jesse’s body turned in your direction, gaze still on the checklist, “The temperature.” he repeated simply. “It was set to 75, right?” 

Oh, shit.

When there was no response, Pinkman’s eyes finally left the writing to find yours. And then his head slowly raised, the realisation ready to kick in. “Right?” The look on his face urged a cringed smile to take over your lips.

“I thought you said 85.” you confessed through your gritted teeth and Jesse’s eyebrows furrowed immediately. He looked back down at the list, “Why the hell would I say 85 if it says 75 right here?”

“Dude-- I don’t know. I don’t exactly have control over your brain, do I?!” you practically hissed, arms crossing over your chest in shame while the kid beside you shook his head in disbelief. “Well, apparently, you don’t either,  I mean...”

“85, man. You-- That would’ve turned it into some kind of-- of sludge. Right? So... What, every single tray is like that then?”

Words didn’t even have to be said to give him the answer. 

“Yo, come on man!” His shoulders slacked, a louder sigh than before beckoning through his lips as he walked off for a second, hands moving up to sit on his hips. “They-- They’ll never let us do it without Mr. White again.”

Your eyes followed him as he started to pace back and forth in front of you, “Jesse, every person in this building has made a mistake at least once in their life.” You paused, gulping, “... Though, I doubt not being able to cook will be the least of our worries.”

That didn’t seem to help Jesse’s nerves as he let out yet another groan, his increasingly warm hands now raising to reach at his face once again. “Look, we just... We’re just going to have to make another batch.” 

Suddenly, he looked up. His eyes found yours, even while his feet continued to move, and he pointed a finger, “You’re telling Gus.”

“What-- Me?! Why me?!”

“Because... He doesn’t shout-- He doesn’t get mad at you.” Jesse insisted, lightly shrugging his shoulders in a way that had your eyebrows raising, “He doesn’t shout at you either.”

“Yeah, but--”

“Is there a problem?”

The sound had cut through the air in a matter of seconds that made you feel like you had jumped out of your skin. But instead, you and Jesse had spun round towards the entrance of the lab, the posture of both bodies straightening out at an impressively fast speed.

There he was. The man himself stood right on the catwalk, hands sat atop the cool railing as he looked down at his employees that might as well have been a pair of ants.

Uh oh.

Gustavo waited there for about a second and then he was off, making his way down the stairs despite the equal internal pleas for him to either stay there or go back through the doors. 

The sound of his footsteps continued to bounce off of every wall in the room. 

You and Jesse had practically turned into ice by the time he got to ground level, and the two of you sent each other worriedly looks before turning back when Gus had stopped himself not that far away.

“Well?” he questioned, his entire body going eerily still, almost ridged, like it usually did. You cleared your throat, “Yeah, uh... There’s a complication with the batch.” 

Gustavo’s eyes had locked onto yours. His head was slightly tilted, his jaw clenched, which together was such a thing that it had sent a chill down your spine. “Go on.”

You gulped, your gaze moving from his to send a quick glance over to Jesse before you forced yourself into at least a sense of composure, “I-- It’s my fault... Sir.”

“I got the temperature for the settling tank wrong, and... we only just realised.” The more the words spilled from your lips, the dryer your throat had become, “Telling you that I didn’t mean to do it doesn’t exactly solve the problem, so I--”

“You’re saying that the whole batch is like this. Correct?” Mr. Fring clarified, raising a singular eyebrow, and you nodded slowly after blinking for a moment, “Yes.” 

Your hands felt like they were about to start shaking from the anticipation of awaiting his reaction. “Sir, I swear, I didn’t mean it, I don’t-- I don’t even know how I misheard a number.”

Gustavo’s head rose steadily. But then his eyes moved from yours over to the man stood to your side, “How fast can you make another one?” he questioned, instead of issuing a punishment like you had thought, and now you and your lab partner shared yet another look. 

“What?”

“How long.” Mr. Fring repeated simply, though his voice was a little lower than before. More firm. “Uh... It depends.” Jesse stated. However, when Gustavo had raised a brow again, he continued. “Like... 6-8 hours. Tops.”

In that moment, a faint breath sucked into Mr. Frings lungs. He straightened up, nodding only once before his lips had parted. “Go.”

“What-- But what about that batch?” you questioned, gesturing towards the failed product still sat on the counter. But he didn’t turn. His eyes hadn’t even moved. 

“I’ll handle it.” was all he said. And only now had he began to move, his walk even more ridged this time from what could mostly be assumed to be due to anger. 

A factor that your brain had apparently decided to ignore when a sudden panic had raised within you.

Your feet had began moving before you had processed the consequences. “Wait, Gus.” you called, trying your best to follow his movements before he got to the stairs.

And then within a matter of seconds, he was turned back in your direction. Something that almost had you stumbling over yourself as you attempted to stop your feet.

Gustavo wore a mild frown. It was one that had gradually set deeper into the lines of his face since he had entered the lab. Though when his gaze had focused on your own, it had disappeared like it wasn’t even there in the first place. 

You cleared your throat when your eyes actually processed the fact that they had already been met with his. 

“Mr. Fring.” You corrected yourself after a moment, missing the look of disagreement that twitched through Gustavo’s expression upon hearing the name coming out of your mouth. 

“Please don’t tell Walter.”

You could fully hear your heartbeat by now. The blood was purely pumping through your veins as if it was about to give you an adrenaline rush, especially when Gustavo’s eyebrows had subtly furrowed. “Why not?”

You turned to look back at Jesse, who could only just meet your eyes, before you faced the other man once again, a deep breath filling your lungs even if it didn’t help to soothe. “He already has a lot on his plate, and I...”

“I don’t want to make it worse just because of a stupid mistake-- My stupid mistake.”

The words settled in the tense air for a good few seconds. 

It was a waiting game. The prize of which being whatever reaction the man in front of you held, even if it wasn’t going to be a good one. 

The two of you stared at each other for a moment. Gustavo’s gaze hadn’t changed once throughout the conversation, and now the silence. It was strong; bold, unmoving, calm. All the while you had felt like some kind of cowering animal stood. 

 “Like I said, Y/n.” he spoke suddenly, indicating that the decision had been chosen. It was a great relief when he had finally let himself bink. 

“I will take care of it.” 

And with that, his back was turned towards you, the footsteps that had once echoed through the lab doing so all over again as he made his way up the spiral stairs without another word.

~

The past few hours had sort of blurred together as you and Jesse had absorbed yourselves in the process of making the new batch.

A few of Gus’s employees, that you had seen only a few times, had even been in and out while you remade the product. They took the trays out one by one, throwing out all of the useless contents, and then returning them to the cooling fridge.

By now the usual concoction was in the middle of being filtered through the last set of machines, a procedure that always seemed to take a long time to complete, or at least feel like it did.

So, there you were, using up the spare time to sit at one of the tables. Your tired eyes were set upon the new checklist you had written out yourself this time. Carefully.

All the steps that were taken had been marked so far. And though you wanted nothing more than the last few ones to be over and done with, you didn’t really mind the surrounding atmosphere.

It was only the sound of the machine that rumbled through the warehouse of a room. Everything else was silent, somehow including Pinkman, as if there was collective knowledge that the session was soon coming to an end.

It was peaceful.

The door to the lab had slammed open so quickly that a fierce sound purely echoed when the hinges had allowed it to move as far is it could go. 

“Jesus!”

You stood up from your seat, watching a breathless Walter White practically stumble along the catwalk until he was leant heavily against the banister, while both you and your partner recovered from the near heart attack, “How-- Is everything okay? Is anything damaged? Nothing’s damaged, right?”

“What?” you questioned, narrowed eyes searching over him from afar. But then he just huffed, pulling himself along the walkway with the railing so that he could get to the set of spiral stairs.

“Mr. White?”

Right as you had managed to move round a set of machinery, your gaze landed on Jesse who was now being grabbed by Walter, getting shaken like ragdoll as if there had been some big disaster.

“Yo, what the hell, man-- What are you doing?!” the kid yelled, close to falling on his ass by the time he finally got out of the grip on him. Walter threw his arms out, “Gus.” he stated as if it would spark something.

But you and Jesse only furrowed your eyebrows, your arms crossing over your chest once again as you took the spot beside him.

“He told me about the-- the-- contamination. I told you that one person has to stay in the lab or things like this... They will happen!”

It clicked.

Gustavo had acted upon your wishes. He had fabricated a whole story to take place of a mistake that you had made.

He lied for you.

When Walter stressfully rubbed at his face, covering his eyes in a way that almost snapped his glasses with a groan like sound, you took the chance to look over to Jesse to see if he had gotten the memo himself. 

The expression on his face told you enough. 

“God... We’re going to have to make an entire new batch.” Mr. White pointed out, his initial concern slowly forming into what appeared to be annoyance.  

Jesse shook his head, “Hey, relax man we already started. It, uh...” He paused, turning to look at the machine thats rumble was slowly beginning to ease. “Actually, you know what? It should be done soon.”

But his words did nothing. Walter had started mumbling to himself about the setbacks, throwing around numbers, and words that you couldn’t define no matter how hard you tried. 

So when he started walking away, neither you or Jesse moved to interrupt him.

“I told you.”

Your attention shifted once again, and soon you found a certain Pinkman looking at you with a weirdly smug expression as he mirrored your stance. “What?”

“Gus likes you.”

Every muscle in your body tensed so fast. Your head turned to the side, avoiding your partners gaze with a scoff, that sounded a little too fake, “Wha-- No, he doesn’t.”

Jesse was purely grinning if he hadn’t been already, “Yeah, man, he totally does.” Each word felt like it’s own individual tease through his slowed voice, “All that lying for you, and shit... I don’t know, Y/n. I would say that he’s definitely hooked--”

“Shut up, man.” you hissed, uncrossing your arms just so that you could lightly shove him in annoyance, but all he did was chuckle once he managed to stabilise himself.

And though he didn’t add anything else to his point he wiggled his eyebrows at you, turning to go back to his work station before there was even a chance to scold him again.

So, instead you just rolled your eyes, a heavy sigh pushing its way through your lips once you had taken in the fact that you were now stood by yourself. 

Walter was... somewhere, and Jesse had gone back to whatever he was doing before.

It was finally quiet again.

Your shoulders mildly slacked, the exhaustion from hours of work officially seeping into your system in a way that made you want to put your head in your hands, though you still had your gloves on.

You stood there for a moment, moving your arms and rolling your shoulders to disperse that aching tension, as you thought about going back to your clipboard. 

There wasn't anything else to do really. You could probably sit around again and find an extra piece of paper to doodle on, maybe even just use the back of a page. Wait for the time to go by.

Just as you were about to take a step, there was this sound that your ears had barely caught. You stalled.

From your guess, it seemed a series of light taps. Something hitting against a hollow object one right after the other until it stopped. Like it didn’t want to be heard any further. 

You turned your head to the side, letting your eyes scan over the direction Jesse had disappeared in earlier. He could’ve been bored, he always had this trouble of sitting still. Or, if not, maybe he had heard the noise too?

But it was neither.

You tried to peer round the side of a tank, your narrowed gaze trying to locate Walter as he was the next easiest assumption. Though it didn’t really seem like the sound had come from that direction anyway.

There it was again. That sound.

It was a distinct sound this time, louder than before but still faint enough that you had to turn your head to fully hear it. And soon, the rest of your body followed.

Your eyebrows were furrowed by now as you spun on your heel, your plastic suit creaking and rubbing together as you twisted until you finally managed to turn around. Your gaze landed at the entrance. 

And then you found it. 

There, stood right back on the catwalk exactly like he had been hours before, was Gustavo Fring. 

His eyes were already on yours, despite the fact that you could barely see them through his glasses, his hand was laid atop the banister in a way that encouraged your attention to fall to it. 

The source of the tapping.

The two of you sort of stared at each other for a moment. Caught up in each others gazes like Gustavo had apparently wanted, except I guess he didn’t think it would actually hold.

You tried to smile, a sign of respect, though you could practically feel how awkward it had come out. So instead, you nodded your head, an inaudible thank you falling from your lips.

The next movement from Gustavo was sudden. He had nodded too, his head not even half way back to where it usually sat, before he had turned, soundlessly pulling the lab door open so that he could officially take his leave.

It was something that you initially had no reaction to. 

I mean, his face had appeared in the stoic way it did most of the time. Not even a twitch could alter the movement of his eyebrows, change the look in his eyes, or adjust the way his jaw set.

But the more you thought about what he did before his movements, the more that there was this nagging feeling that you had missed something. Something that your mind was so close to catching onto. So, you let yourself think. 

You replayed the scene over and over again, focusing on a different aspect of it each time, like a different facial feature or part of his body. 

You thought over the way his feet moved, the way his arms went back to his side after he let go of the railing, the speed that his head had turned at... And then you got it. 

The image of his face right before he had turned towards the doorway, right before he had chosen to leave, was there. The thing you were missing was now clear as day in front of your eyes. 

The corner of his lips had started to curl. He had turned away in an attempt to conceal it.

He was trying not to smile back.

next part.

[petitelepus]

So, I've been seeing these kny match ups and naturally in curious about mine cough um4. So I guess, I just put up the type of paring I want and go from there.

Here's all about spife for a yandere/romantic match up (my gender preference for a partner is men):

I'm a rather positive person, who has no time to spare for those who wish to put me down. Although, at first it may seem like I'm revealing too much (which I sometimes do) I have my fair share of secrets and allow myself to be vulnerable with only those I trust– I tend to shrink back into my little shy hole if I think I'm too much. I like complimenting people, like to remind them to not put themselves down and be kind to themselves even if they make mistakes. I also like helping people because it makes me happy to see people happy (especially those who need to vent, I'm willing to listen and be the shoulder to cry on, even if I'm a complete stranger). However, I am also very emotionally sensitive (I get the urge to cry if someone I really like yells at me or lectures me about something I find funny even if they're trying to help as they make me realise I'm embarrassing or have embarrassed myself). I am assertive when I need to be, although in a calm and composed manner (I lose my temper when I'm frustrated though I think I do well under some pressure). I possess a strong sense of justice and FIRMLY believe in fairness for all and (usually) when I engage in deep conversations with my friends, I tend to pity those who suffer of the cruelty in the world and criticise those in power who choose to do nothing aka corruption. I am a FIRM believer that strength must be used to protect and help others and that people must have an open ear for the broken and hurt (I cry when people cry or for those who are misfortune and end up praying for them at times though very rarely). I am also quite lighthearted, though. I can laugh at myself if I make a mistake and will bring up the memory for fun times. And useless fact, I am a sweet tooth. In general, I'm a sensitive, introverted ray of sunshine who also will uphold their beliefs no matter what anyone says and despite the fact that I tend to be too lenient, I will almost always end up confronting someone. In general, I have been taught by my mother to always be kind to others because you don't know what they could be going though.

That was long. I'm curious to see who I get! Have a nice day (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

Hantengu is Yandere for you!

Hantengu was scared of you when you first met, but despite being a Demon, you showed him the benefit of the doubt because of how frail and pathetic he was to even look at.

He could deduce that you didn't see him as a threat, not yet anyway, no, you seemed to pity him. The moment Hantengu realized this, he knew he could manipulate you as much as he desired.

He makes you believe that nothing is his fault, that it wasn't his fault he was a Demon, or that he had to kill and eat people to live… And you believe him, because of what your mother said about not knowing what others have gone through.

Oh, you're such a Saint, surely you would pity poor innocent Hantengu! He hasn't done anything wrong, he swears, but people still bully and torment him!

Hearing him wail and cry and seeing him tremble so hard his teeth are clattering, they make you cry for his sake and they activate that protective nature of yours and that is exactly what the Demon aims for.

But Hantengu didn't expect to grow so fond of you. Normally he would eat anyone in your position, but you are strong, not some normal human, and he could use another bodyguard.

…But he falls for you and your chivalrousness, only when Hantengu falls for someone, he will become obsessed with them.

He has to know where you are and what you are doing every single second of the day. If you are gone too long or he doesn't know where you are, he starts to cry so hard and call out for you.

You think you must protect him when it might just be you who actually needs protection.

You're so sweet, he fears that other people might take advantage of that kindness of yours. Just like he does, but he is different! He loves you! What's their excuse!?

You're stunned when you first time meet his clones, and you can tell they are strong. That's when you start to realize that maybe there was more to Hantengu than you thought yet you still stay because they won't let you leave.

Sekido has to be careful around you because he has a tendency to snap at things, but he is obsessed with you just like Hantengu, and doesn't want to scare you off. He will tell you that you trust too easily, but when you ask what he means by that, he goes silent.

Karaku loves seeing and spending time with you. He is the most laid-back clone, but he loves having a good time and highly enjoys teasing you. You're just so cute when you get flustered, he could eat you up!

Aizetsu is probably the only one who feels awful about tricking you into becoming their own personal human, but he doesn't do anything to fix or make things better for you. In the end, he loves you also and doesn't want to let you go.

Urogi thinks it's hilarious how you actually believe Hantengu's innocence, but even Hantengu believes so also; so in the end you are both way too gullible. That works for him though.

The point is, Hantengu won't let you go and if it's a fight someone may want, his clones are there to protect him and his special bond with you.

I match you with Gyomei Himejima!

The Stone Hashira could sense you before he could "see" you. You radiated this brilliant, genuine, kind, and courageous aura, it nearly left him speechless.

He is happy to meet you and is crying in a matter of seconds, stating that he can "see" your "strength", whatever he meant by that. The two of you hit it off immediately and grow a strong bond of kindness and respect for each other.

You take an immediate liking to Gyomei, and you may feel like you need to take care of or help him because of his blindness, but he assures you that he can "see" fine on his own and how things had been that way since his childhood.

That doesn't help and it makes you cry, knowing how hard life must have been for him. The Hashira chooses not to tell you about the actual sadness and hardships he had to endure because he doesn't want you to cry anymore. If you cry, he might start crying too. This does happen daily.

You don't hold secrets from Gyomei and he feels honored that you trust him so much that you are willing to share so much about yourself with him. He makes small mental notes here and there to remember later, like your favorite book or what sweets you like most so he knows to get you some while he is out there hunting Demons.

Gyomei admires your strong sense of justice and how you want to see the best in everyone and everything... But this can make you gullible and he warns you about it.

You may get a little upset by his remark, but he just wants you to look out for yourself also and think of yourself sometimes first. You are still a human and not a Demon so you can get hurt badly or die even and he wouldn't know what to do if something like that happened to you. He doubts that he could ever heal from that.

He wants you to stay safe, but you want to protect people like he does and he knows he can't change your mind about it... So he makes a humble request to Master to let him accompany you on your missions when he doesn't have any.

This means Gyomei doesn't have much free time, but every moment spent with you is even better than those moments alone in his manor. He loves to hear how you describe things to him and how you laugh at the silliest things.

A day doesn't pass when Gyomei doesn't thank God for lowering you on Earth. He loves you that much and wants to spend as much time with you as possible.

[bugflies00]

some days ill be going about my day and then ill think about how much and unfairly cwilbur was ostracized and i feel ill .

because yeah, he fucked up and he hurt people and he was an asshole sometimes. he’s a very flawed character whose bad habits & self image impact his actions and reasoning and it ends up hurting people cause he can be pretty self-centered. some characters were obviously justified in not trusting him and didn’t owe him forgiveness. but also oh my fucking god

like NO ONE got NEARLY as much shit for their mistakes as cwilbur did. barely anyone gave him a chance the moment he was revived, and they all treated him like some kind of ticking bomb or generally a threat when he was clearly trying to change. hell, even ctommy, while he was arguably the one who stuck closest to him and was most lenient with him, said some pretty fucked up shit. like so many people implied or acted in some way or another like it was better off for everyone when he was dead. people preferred his GHOST. because ghostbur was wilbur but wrong, meaning really in their eyes he was right because wilbur was wrong. that’s the message he was getting. like sorry but if i were him i would also feel a lot of fucking resentment towards that guy. and im saying that as someone whose favourite character was ghostbur for like my first two months. (wilbur and ghostbur being the same person is an integral belief of mine but its also a different post)

and even BEFORE. in pogtopia. yeah people tried to help him but. did they really? tommy tried his best but, at the end of the day, given the average mental health awareness on this server no one truly tried to give him the help he needed (although ctommy was 16 and it literally wasn’t his responsibility, again im talking more about other characters). can you imagine how alone he must’ve felt? seeing the project he built his life and self-worth on rot and corrupt? slowly feeling himself sink deeper into paranoia and depression? while everyone watched on and kept him at arm’s length because of the threat he represented to others, rather than himself?

everyone around him focused on the fact that he blew up l’manberg and ostracized him for it, when doomsday trio who objectively made extensively worse damage to the place received nowhere near that level of criticism. sure they had enemies and not everyone trusted them, but people were willing to talk to them. get close to them. they weren’t treated like the fucking scum of the earth and someone who should die because of mistakes that they tried so hard to amend and that they made when in the worst mental health spiral of their life to the point where they wanted to die.

so yeah cwilbur deserved better

[vro0m]

"Clearly you're very annoyed that I don't think Max is completely right, but I'm not interested in debating you on that, so I'm just not gonna do it. (...) I again am not talking about whether he gets punished by the stewards because of course he gets penalties I'm talking about whether his entourage including his team act like "well it is what it is the stewards made a decision" or "he was right and they were wrong and our driver can't do no mistakes and nothing bad" which, historically, they have done."

? Thats not has been said, nor the type of narrative you and other accounts have been feeding regarding Max and his driving. I dont think Max was completely right, for the record. (Not that it matters) He only hurt himself by the choices he made in the fight with Lewis. He was clumsy and frustrated although not in a vacuum. Of course, as a fan, I'm going to be sympathetic of the context that led to his error. I'm not asking u to do the same, ur obviously not a fan. In Austria its a different story, he raced how he was being raced and was fully within his rights to do so. If his team, his "entourage", along with multiple other drivers on the grid, Alain Prost, Eddie Jordan, etc btw, also agree with how he raced, I'm not sure why you thinking it would be "beneficial" for him to change is any way relevant to the discussion. (You, and other accounts like yours, that claim objectivity above all else, asked for a drive through penalty for Austria, on top of the penalties he received. Hungary was considered a racing incident, with Hamilton being noted as the who should have made a better effort to avoid collision. No penalty.. Is this, to u, an example of stewarding favoring Max and rewarding his style of driving?) You've made implicit and explicit references to Max being treated more leniently than others by FIA, and not learning from what you consider to be subpar driving, which ends up hurting him. This is your opinion. This is not based on any data, its just an eye test for Verstappen and what you think is good or bad for f1. This whole time I've been asking you for recent specific instances where max was penalized according to a more lenient rule book that only benefits him and is detrimental to others. I'm also asking you why veteran champions like Max and Lewis have different reactions from you and the public when it comes to what they demand from their teams and what they can or cannot say when those demands aren't met. I also get how this can be boring and uninteresting to you. I dont have any issue or beef with u specifically lol I just saw your posts and wanted to challenge some notions. Thats it. Feel free not to interact anymore.

Yeah see you're talking of "other blogs like me" who supposedly share my opinions but I think you're mistaken about what my opinions are. You seem to have wrongly associated me with other takes you've seen elsewhere that do not come from me and that's why we're both confused in this convo.

Because what you've just said is not what has been said is actually exactly what I've been saying lol

I did not ask for a drive through in Austria? I did not say he should have received a penalty yesterday? Like I've told you before I'm not saying the stewards are favouring him. I also did not say his driving his subpar. I think he's an excellent driver and have repeatedly said so.

Like legit you're misattributing things you've read elsewhere to me. You're generalising based on a stereotype you have in your mind of "blogs like mine" but I am not who you think I am and you are being kinda weird about it to be completely honest.

My point was, I think Max sometimes is rash (like you said he got frustrated and it led him to be clumsy yesterday) and I think that the fact that he's historically not been held accountable for his rash behavior by his team and entourage (NOT talking about the stewards) is not good for him because he would get even better if they didn't see him making contacts with others as just fine. He would have to learn to control his emotions better and not get clumsy like that when he's frustrated (which is a normal thing to happen, but getting clumsy because of it is a pity), and that would make him not less bold but smarter about it, and I would like to see that happen because I like good racing and he's a good racer.

[gameboy-berry]

There’s not really much to speculate on when it comes to PPT2 episodes. We get little-to-no information regarding the plot. Mostly just out-of-context previews from various scenes and storyboards. The only looks we get into the plot is 4-image tweet from Yellow that represents a part of a bigger scene.

HOWEVER…. I have noticed a pattern regarding the past few merge episodes. They each seem to have a theme of sorts, reflected in the actions of the characters that episode. With the descriptions and dialogue being very forward about the messages it wants to tell, I’m guessing this is very much intentional.

“Living On the Edge” was about change and the various ways it manifests. That being change is inevitable and a natural part of life. You can’t stop it, no matter how much you try. And sometimes, people change for the wrong reasons. The last two sentences mostly apply to Gold Ingot in particular, but you can get a sense of how the new changes have upended a lot of previously established dynamics within the game itself.

“Platinum Puppets” is about how sometimes, the people you hurt aren’t obligated to forgive you, even if you have changed your ways. Post-It Note is usually lenient with his allies’ mistakes, but once Bottle votes him off, he stops giving her any second chances. This runs in parallel with Gold Ingot’s own plot, of course.

“A Rotten Egg”… Isn’t really as overt in it’s theme as the other two are?? From the description and what I can gather, it seems to be about responding to stress, whether it’s breaking out or cracking under the pressure. Chainsaw tries to break Bottle by belittling her, only for her to retaliate with brute force. The constant push-backs frustrate Plasma Ball more and more, until her anger literally blows up in her face. I’m not sure if Ukulele successfully sabotaging without Slipper’s guidance really factors into this theme however.

With this in mind, we can only assume the same will apply to this episode. As Yellow has confirmed on his Discord that this episode will have more focus on Treasure Chest and Cup, there’s a chance that whatever theme this episode has, it will be explored with these two. Or the former, at the very least. The previous episodes seems to be setting something up regarding Treasure Chest. If Treasure Chest is going to last longer, he’s going to have to confront the failings that caused his team to fall apart head on. Eliminating him here wouldn’t do him any good, seeing as his pact with Bottle was just established 2 episodes ago, and it didn’t really have much focus in the previous one. As we have a 50/50 split between the Brackets and everyone else, now would be a good opportunity for the latter to finally start taking action. Treasure Chest has Bottle, who is much more experienced at understanding people and mediating situations than him. Maybe she can nudge him towards the right path. I don’t know if Plasma Ball is ever going to factor into this. I wouldn’t be surprised if she showed reluctance or skepticism towards working with Treasure Chest given past events. Not to mention the fact that Team 47 was sabotaged… Which the narrative doesn’t seem to want to bring up for some weird reason. It would be a let down if she did just go along with no objections whatsoever. The latest episode seems to be setting up an arc for Plasma Ball to manage her anger, so if anything this is killing two birds with one stone. I’m not sure what Yellow has planned for Cup besides not relegating him to gags. I do hope it will focus on Cup’s other traits that the past couple of episodes seemed to have glossed over.

Whatever happens next episode, I at least hope it does something with what’s been established in previous episodes. The contestants can’t keep crumbling to the Brackets forever. (and it's obvious that 3 of them are in no way suited to be runner-up anyway)

[tojikai]

I have a small message for some readers: stories and characters develop. People are going to change for the better or the worst, that’s just how it goes. Naomi wasn’t always the perfect girl (she never was), and with Gojo that’s up to you. Some people feel like he hasn’t done enough or doesn’t deserve Y/N for what he’s done to her, shit even Gojo himself feels like he doesn’t. That’s totally valid. But it’s weird when some readers are frustrated that characters try redeeming themselves or turn out to be terrible or even just make mistakes 😭 no one is perfect, that would make for a boring story. honestly this behavior happens sometimes and I just don’t get it. That anon that was victim blaming gojo for almost getting r*ped and excusing naomi really got under my skin and I felt like I had to say something. ANYWAY.

One thing I wanna say is, good for his dad. He’s finally doing what he should’ve done earlier. Staying together for a kid is never a good idea, they can always tell and it’s better to live with two parents that are happier apart than miserable together. Satoru probably saw how his father tolerated his mother and it skewed his view on relationships. But not anymore, I hope they both cut that parasite out of their lives for good. I hope that they can both go no contact easily but poor Satoru is gonna need years of therapy to undo the damage she’s done.

I’m so nervous about what Toji is going to say to Satoru. I’m actually feeling like Toji might tell him that he wants to give Satoru another chance with Y/N. Another reader pointed out that Toji had the luxury to live out their happy family and I know he would want Y/N and Yui to have that opportunity. Toji has his faults but he’s a good person and I said a couple chapters back he wants Y/N to be happy.

I DO THINK he should be letting Y/N make these decisions to be honest but I don’t even know what Toji is gonna say so let me stop before I get ahead of myself LOL

Satoru was too lenient on Naomi but it’s his decision to make on what he thinks should happen. A legal battle would just put the entire situation at the forefront of his life for months, maybe years and he just seems tired of it all. I just hope she leaves and doesn’t ever come back, she’s done enough.

Through it all, I wonder what Y/N wants. Would she be willing to give Gojo another chance? Does she even still love him like that? We’ve been a bit in the dark about her actual feelings for him, we just know what she’s been thinking. She’s a very reserved protagonist, even to us as readers I think. Toji can make her happy, I think she knows this too. So if a decision was to be made by her, I wonder what she’d choose.

I’m hoping that this zoo hangout can give them some peace and clarity for their future. Whatever it is, I know you’ll do it justice. This next chapter is either the final one, or the second to last one and I’m so excited!

Thank you so much Kai, this chapter was incredible and I hope uni is treating you well 🥰 much love to you and I appreciate your work so much. Be well!

hiiii, this is so on point. just like real people, these characters change depending on the situation they go through and information they acquire. i feel like some readers wants someone perfect, but having perfect characters could literally end an angst story in a chapter or 2 so that's less fun 😭 as for toji, he really wants yn to be and he can make her happy, it's just that their situation isn't really helping or allowing it to happen smoothly 🥹 satoru was being a soft about what he wants to happen to naomi for the sake of peace. man's just tired and other than that, he's blaming himself for it too. it's like he's thinking that it wouldn't have happened if he didn't drag it long :(( As for yn's feelings, i hope chapter 8 can deliver it well, it's in there !! anw thank you so much for this, im grateful for all of your support to me and this story<3 i hope you're doing well~

[heartbreakercupcake]

rei relationship with her children it's decent or

I keep putting this off so I'm answering it rn

Rei's relationship with her children is actually very good, once she started having them she became a stay at home mom, Enji insisted cause he was making enough to take care of him and the kids and Rei agreed cause she wanted to give her kids the mother figure she didn't have growing up.

You wouldn't have guessed it from first glance but Rei is actually a very affectionate mother, whenever she had a new baby it was hard for her to put them back down at first.

Rei is also the easiest parent to talk to, she isn't judgmental and more encouraging for the kids to find themselves, if they make stupid mistakes she knows that's just a part of life ( she still gives out punishments if needed she's just the more lenient of the two but if the kids where to upset her it would hit the hardest)

Where the issue comes in is that Rei is pretty much doing most of the parenting and the emotional labor when it comes to the kids, she loves them but what's frustrating is that Enji is as active in the kids lives as she is, which she calls him out on, she understands he has work but it wouldn't kill him to make some time for them and talk to them, I feel like Enji would be that kind of parent that thinks providing for the kids is enough.

This of course leads to them arguing sometimes cause Rei is tired of always being the one having to do most of the parenting, which leads to Enji hiring a Nanny to help out Rei, but of course that's NOT what she meant, she wants him to be a part of their lives as much as she is.

Toya- just felt like he was a failure cause he couldn't carry on his father's hero legacy cause of his disability, Rei tied her best to be encouraging and look after him but it HARD cause he wants his father's love too, hearing her say that his father loves him isn't enough, he wants him to acknowledge his existence.

Fuyumi- knows her mother loves her and well.....she THINKS her dad loves her but, deep down she thinks her father only does so out of obligation cause she's his daughter and she feels like her dad treats her differently cause she's a girl, comes up cause Rei was more then happy to train her once she found out they had the same quirk but Enji is more disapproving of it (though he mostly did is out of protectiveness)

Natsuo- Rei made him feel like he was actually worth something, she was a big part of his life talking to him and helping him find his place in the world, Natsuo was only had cause Enji was actively trying to have a kid that was the perfect blend of his a Rei's quirk, so when he had his mom's quirk he didn't bother much with interaction outside the norm.

Shoto- LOVES his mom cause she sees him as an actual kid and not just something used for personal gain, Rei would tell Shoto that he doesn't need to be a hero and that alone was enough for him, he still wants to be one, but it's nice to hear that he has other options and that he'll still be loved if he changes his mind, he of course doesn't feel ANY love from his dad, he KNOWS that he's only reason he had him was to succeed where he thought he failed, he feels more like a tool if anything.

Anyways, if you were to ask them if they love their mom they would say yes without hesitation but if you asked if they loved their dad, Fuyumi be the only one to answer while the rest just sat there.

[babiestbubbles]

Can you do Caregivers Ming and Jin and Regressor Mei (Turning Red) headcanons?

ohhh this is a fun one

-Okay so originally Mei starts regressing alone. She loves her mother dearly but knows that if Ming ever found out it would end in more trouble than it's worth. A hundred questions about where she went wrong and if she's a bad mother and if her daughter's okay what's causing her to need this kind of coping mechanism. Put simply, a huge mess. -So for about 6 months she slowly starts regressing more and more in the comfort of her bedroom, behind a locked door. Her friends catch on pretty soon (about 3 months in) that Mei sometimes gets in these 'Childish moods' where she's a bit more giggly and carefree, but they don't think much of it. If anything, they're glad to see her happier and to know that she isn't as stressed as they'd be in her position.

-After catching her biting through one too many pens and even her lips or nails, they order her some chewable jewelry for her birthday. They're not the pastel water-filled teether her little side longed for but she loved and appreciated them nonetheless. Happy to have something 'safe' to chew on!

-And then one day, she makes a mistake. After getting up to go brush her teeth before bed, she forgets to lock her door. So, of course, tonight just has to be the night her father decides he wants to say goodnight to her before bed and in walks Jin, who's met with his daughter cuddled under the blanks watching Ni Hao Kai Lan with a bright red pacifier in her mouth and stars in her eyes. And Jin can't help the way his heart absolutely swells, seeing his normally too big, too busy, too burden laden little girl so soft and happy. But the stars are quickly replaced by tears as fear pools in Mei, she spits out the pacifier with haste and a trace of disgust, her body physically shaking with the intensity of her sobs.

Jin doesn't waste a second in running to comfort her. Reassuring her that he's not mad or upset in the slightest, even offering the pacifier back to her, which she adamantly declines. After a few minutes, she calms down and he tucks her in to bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead and wishing her sweet dreams.

The next morning, Jin's presented with an entire power point slideshow on age regression, the ups and downs the ins and outs, everything there is to know about it and then some. And Mei gains her very first Caregiver.

Jin respects his daughter's decision to not tell her mother and agrees to keep the secret as long as it isn't hurting either party!

-Jin's a playful and lenient caregiver. It turns out to be surprisingly easy to find time for the two of them to be alone without fear of Ming intruding, and when they do Mei always has tons of fun. Sometimes it's baking something in the kitchen, sometimes it's watching a movie, sometimes it's digging up old toys out of the garage. Mei finds it difficult to regress the first few times, sill a bit fearful of being so venerable outside of her locked bedroom, but once she gets familiar she regresses harder than ever. And Jin is always more than happy to get to take care of his little girl all over again. -It only takes a month of regressing with Jin for little Mei to miss her mom/mama/mommy

(I think her nickname would change based on Mei's headspace age. Mom 10+, Mama 5-10, Mommy <5. But it's totally up to you!)

Jin is absolutely heartbroken when little Mei starts asking for Ming, an he's not sure how to explain to her why she's not allowed to see her, so he normally tells her something about her mom being busy with work, etc. About a week after this starts, Mei comes to him asking for his help to tell Ming.

Together they set up a modified powerpoint on Agere and tell her on a Friday night, so that she has time to process it all.

-Ming's more than a bit apprehensive at first, but Jin being there really helped. She was a bit upset that he found out first, but when she took a second to think about her initial reaction she understood why Mei went to Jin first.

They start off Saturday with a little morning, Mei's in a WAY bigger headspace than normal because she's still a bit afraid, but Ming slips into caregiver mode surprisingly easily. She manages to be this perfect balance of cautious and caring, without being condescending. By the time Breakfast is over Mei is practically in babyspace, and she's attached to her mother's hip. Constantly holding onto her hand or arm. Very touchy/cuddly.

-Once Ming gets familiar with it, she support's Mei's regression wholeheartedly, even scheduling little days every weekend on her calendar. She and Jin take turns looking after Mei, but Mei's favorites are days/nights where both her parents are free to take care of her. She especially loves movie nights with ice cream and cuddles and lots of popcorn! Uhhh specific cg headcanons bc I'm not sure if the above is what you asked for <///3 Jin - Again, super playful and lenient. Mei can basically puppy dog eyes him into letting her so just about anything. Extra cookie? Later bedtime? Help packing up toys? You name it, she can get away with it. Jin really doesn't mind and Mei hardly takes advantage of that.

Because he loves to cook, he sets up lots of simple treats they can make together. Usually heatless and quick silly snacks, he's really good about picking things suitable for Mei's headspace! He's got 'a thousand and one' tiny bowls and dishes (according to Mei) for prepping ingredients to make things easier. Mei especially likes their mini cheesecakes! Super into playing along with games and things. (Think Bandit Heeler/Bluey's dad if you've seen Bluey! )

Ming -'Strict' but not really. Like very much the more logical and rule oriented of the two (her and Jin) but still very much willing to bend and break rules for a good teary eyed pout. Super cuddly and touchy with Mei (who absolutely loves it). Very sweet, and unfairly good at babying Mei and making her feel absolutely itty bitty. (She and Jin have little 'competitions' about who can make her regress smaller)

She spoils her baby and she's proud of it. Mei just has to mention something she wants more than two times and consider it purchased. Jin can't even be mad at her for it. Mei's face just absolutely lights up every single time. She's giggling and clapping and bouncing. Her whole body just bubbles up with joy! And it's never something expensive either, everything she wants is less than 10$ usually less than 5$ even.

[009720kakashi]

Rules

Hey all! I go by Mhiyah and rp for 15 + years meaning yes, I’m an adult :D and so is the character.

I do not want to interact with minors and I do not want them to follow the blog. I’m dead serious on that. No exception. It makes me uncomfortable. Please respect that.  

Please note the following rules:

1. I’m not a native speaker in English. I actually do have an online dictionary open constantly :D. I do my best but there will be mistakes. Please be lenient.

2. No godmodding and don’t force your headcanons about my character on me. I’m very willing to adapt to the things you have created for your own character but not when it comes to my character. Also please note that if I make mistakes with your headcanons it’s not on purpose. I do my best but for many characters there are a lot of headcanons. Usually I try to check them again before replying. This is not possible if I reply on a mobile device though. Just tell me and I change the reply.

2. No pairings with minors obviously.

3. No exclusives.

4. No stress please. I’m a relaxed person and I do this for fun. It’s strictly character here. You won’t find me post all that much completely unrelated to the character or rp on this blog. If I do it will be deleted after a short period of time. I refuse to participate in any tumblr animosities. If people have problems with each other don’t drag me into it. I won’t take sides. I will block the person who pressures me into this stuff.

5. No hate of any kind. If I see any hate (be it homophobic, transphobic, racist or whatever) on your blog I block you immediately without any comment. I don’t want to interact with stupid hateful people. It’s as easy as that.

6. If a rp blog posts too much ooc stuff I will unfollow it. Also I don’t automatically follow back.

7. I won’t necessarily reply to threads in order. That is because sometimes I need to think about it a moment before replying. It has nothing to do with you, your character or your reply. I just want to give you a decent answer because that is what you deserve for taking the time and effort to write.

8. I don’t expect anyone to match the length of my replies. I sure tend to babble sometimes. However if I constantly just receive one or two sentence replies to a long paragraph  I will get the feeling that you are not awfully interested in the thread and then I’ll probably drop it. It’s just no fun for me then. It’s the same if everything I write is ignored. I usually do quite some research especially when it comes to fighting scenes and the jutsus used in these scenes. Fights are very difficult to write. So if a jutsu, attack or block fails (which they should at times of course) please tell me why so I know what to do with it. Usually there is enough room for interpretation after all. Also keep in mind that with battle stuff we eventually will have to go for exits and end the thread otherwise one character ends up dead :D

9. Relationships: Yeah well, that’s a difficult issue. I do not see Kakashi enter into a relationship. He sure has sex but definitely has issues committing to someone. He does not easily open up. Someone would have to be very understanding and persistent I suppose. Never say never though. As for sexual relationships. I think he does have those but no strings attached.

10. I also tend to write him a bit more ‘serious’. There are two sides to him. One being rather goofy and the other being very serious. I think to a certain degree he tends to hide behind the goofy side. Though it definitely is a part of his character too. However he has had a very rough life and lost almost everyone dear to him. 10 years of ANBU sure did not help his mental health either. Caring for Team 7 pulled him out of that darkness a bit but that also was not exactly a win for him considering he did not manage to keep the team together. Sasuke lost to Orochimaru, Naruto went with Jiraiya and Sakura with Tsunade. It was quite a short lived experience. Kakashi has to deal with a lot of guilt and self-doubt and has a very low opinion of himself. That shines through in his dark moments in the anime and manga. I don’t think he ever overcame that really. He maybe can accept that others do not think that about him. It does not change that he thinks himself to be a fraud. He avoids the topic to the best of his abilities.

11. The mask thing: I don’t think there is much depth to this really. Honestly he does reveal his face for instance while eating in the anime and it is absolutely impossible to hide your face constantly. Especially on missions. This is probably the one headcanon I have since it has never been confirmed. For me he started wearing the mask as a kid because he has a heightened sense of smell. To deal with that the mask helped and that’s it. Additionally he does have a pretty face but never gave the impression to enjoy attention. For that the mask also helps. Now he is just used to it and it still has it’s merits. However he will pull it down and not make a fuss about it.

12. Also I have a job.

13. That’s it for now. Looking forward writing with you!

[mrssimply]

17th: Sleepless

Filling the prompt list with things from my ideas folder, there was still a blank... So I wrote "Slice of life" and it was a mistake because it's was so broad! I didn't even know what I wanted to do, kept thinking up things, they were all bad and worse. In the end, @m-lter helped me without knowing. We had a talk around this fanart about how the boys would have difficulties with falling asleep, or would fall asleep right away only to be woken up by nightmares. So this is the result, which is why it's gifted to her, even though she didn't prompt it.

I also gift this fic to all of you out there who suffer from insomnia: hope Kerry can help you to find the Sandman ;)

You can find the prompt list here.

Every fic will be posted on my AO3 Account here.

It's t-rated. Literally nothing happens ^^'

They have trouble sleeping, Johnny and V. Kerry already knew that about Johnny from the last time he was alive — and how weird is it that he can say it like that : the last time Johnny Silverhand was alive. Anyway, it seems that dying and coming back to life didn’t cure Johnny of his insomnia. Kerry doesn’t know if he can call it insomnia, because Johnny generally falls asleep just fine: he the first one to snore when the three of them settle to sleep after a good fuck. But he doesn’t sleep long before he’s awakened.

Back when they’d just met and lived in a squat together, it was nightmares about the war. Johnny would jerk awake with a gasp, gripping his chrome shoulder so tightly Kerry half imagined it would dent the metal if it was any tighter. His eyes would be open but unseeing even when Kerry turned on the light. In Johnny’s dark pupils, his friend saw the panic, the confusion, the fear and the sadness all swirling around madly. It was what made him keep being so lenient with Johnny, because he knew what hid under the rage and the anger: a lost boy, running in the dark, calling out for help but never receiving it. Kerry fell in love with that boy and never fell out, even when it turned out to be a curse.

Later in the 20’s, when they toured or Johnny crashed at Kerry’s for a few months, generally after a severe injury on a gig, the nightmares turned to other things. Johnny’s own violence came back to haunt him: he would see himself stand in the middle of a fire, not even trying to move, just waiting for the heat to become unbearable, for the smoke to strangle him, for the flames to burn his skin. He would wake up, panting and trembling, and tell Kerry about it only when he’d taken some Blow. 

By the end, he kept dreaming about a crumbling tower, and when Kerry asked him if he ever made it out alive, Johnny would smile at him and say no. His smile was strange, like he knew this dream was some sort of prophetic vision, but couldn’t really find it in himself to care. By then, Johnny was either be rageful, or totally numb, nothing in between.

So, Kerry isn’t surprised by Johnny having nightmares that wake him up after two or three hours of sleep.

Kerry is more surprised about V’s sleeplessness. Sure, V lived through some traumas, too, but from what Kerry knows, it’s about the average kind when you were born and raised as a streekid in Night City. Kerry has some of them, too, like having to fight for water, being offered shelter in exchange for your dignity, being a victim and an aggressor at the same time… 

But apparently, it’s not that. V turns and tosses in bed for hours, waking Kerry up because he keeps moving, fussing with the pillow, rearranging the covers. He’s too cold, then too hot, can’t seem to find a comfortable position. Sometimes he just gives up and goes to tinker with his pistols, or deals with fixer shit. Since Kerry and Johnny keep odd hours, too, they don’t really find it weird, and Kerry isn’t particularly worried because once V is asleep, he can sleep for nineteen hours in one go and not look like a zombie when he wakes up. 

Tonight is apparently a night where V can't find rest. Kerry fell asleep in his arms with a hand over Johnny’s collar bone, over the place he used to have the scars from the field surgery that had saved his life and granted him The Hand. An abomination Kerry is glad he got rid of during his death. The new arm is much sleeker, a lot more sensitive, and has an incredible bonus in Kerry’s eyes: it doesn’t turn Johnny cyberpsycho. So that’s how Kerry fell asleep, or he thought he did but maybe not because he finds himself with eyes wide open something like an hour later, in that strange state of mind where he isn’t sure he really slept. 

One thing is sure: V isn’t sleeping. He sighs loud and deep, and Kerry knows he’s on the verge of giving up and getting out of bed, deeming this night a bad one. Chasing the remnant of his maybe-not-sleep, Kerry turns between the sheets. He finds his input propped against two pillows, scrolling on his favorite app — which apparently contains mostly cute pictures and funny videos of cats — with a tired expression.

He glances at Kerry when he turns.

“Can’t sleep?” the musician asks and V shrugs before dropping the phone on his chest with another weary sigh. He turns on his belly, shifts and moves his head on the pillow until he’s satisfied… Then move again, once more under Kerry’s growing smile before he settles. 

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” the rocker asks with a gravelly voice, whispering as not to wake Johnny up, too. Let him get a few hours more sleep if he can.

“Nothin’,” V replies, eyes roaming over Kerry’s face and the musician sees his shoulders relax somewhat, as if just looking at Kerry has an appeasing effect on him. The singer just raises an eyebrow and V groans, hiding his face in the pillow.

“It’s silly.”

“Well, you know I love silly stories.”

Another muffled huff, then V’s sparkling eyes reappear.

“You know, that gig I did yesterday?”

“The Romeo and Juliet one?” Kerry asks after a moment of thinking. Not only does V rarely speak about his gigs to him — he does with Johnny, because Johnny generally goes along with him — but the superstar isn’t that interested to know about every detail. It would probably make him lose sleep, too.

Yet the musician seems to recall the target was the heir to a rich and influential family, apparently being held against her will by her own grand-parents because she planned on donating most of her fortune to charity. The charity in question was to help the victims of water poisoning caused by her family's industry. Apparently the heir had fallen in love with one of the activists, who was the one who’d contacted V.

“Yeah. Well, I went with that merc, Helen?”

Kerry nods, he’s been hearing about this rising star for a while now. When Johnny is unavailable, V generally asks Helen along.

“The client knows the flat is under heavy automatic security but couldn’t tell us more. So we went to do recon. We climbed the unfinished building on the other side of the street to get to the right level. We were setting up to watch, when suddenly, we stumbled upon construction workers sleeping on site — I mean, I thought they were squatters at first. It surprised us and vice versa so here we are at a standoff. I don’t wanna harm them but they’re really panicky, don’t speak english and have no translators. I try to understand what’s happening when suddenly a fucking rocket —” V explains, whispering so loudly Kerry puts a finger across his lips to tell him to keep quiet. Kerry can’t help but smile at V’s outraged expression that someone dared launching a rocket at him. 

“A fucking rocket,” the merc repeats more quietly, “comes right at us. Apparently we made so much ruckus it alerted the NCPD drones patrolling down the street, which identified us as a threat and just fired. Helen and I ducked, but the construction workers weren’t all so lucky… One got hit by the rocket square in the chest, another fled right into a hole in the ground and fell four stories high…”

V trails off, looking haunted.

“And then Helen and I were dashing madly down the stairs, firing at the drones and hoping the NCPD won’t just be waiting for us when we get to street level. I swear it was the worst recon I ever did,” he finishes, a note of anger in his otherwise really weary voice.

Kerry stays silent, only strokes V’s cheek tenderly. He can feel his input’s pain at innocent lives being lost. It’s exactly what made Kerry and Johnny fall in love with him: after all he’s been through, V still cares, and he cares so much it’s sometimes difficult to bear.

“I keep seeing him fall,” V confesses as he closes his eyes and shuffles closer to Kerry. “Then I keep thinking about the fact it could have been Helen. Then it makes me think about Jackie when we escaped the Konpeki Plaza… and if not that, then i think that i haven't heard from the Aldecaldos in two months and they should have come back by now, or I think about what Dino said about this mysterious BD circle who’s been releasing really hardcore content and I need to fuckin’ find them before they settle in my fuckin’ city for real but I —”

“Hush,” Kerry interrupts him firmly, still stroking his nape gently, “you’re getting all worked up, no wonder you can’t sleep”.

V lets out a dry chuckle and turns away to face the ceiling. 

“I can’t stop, it’s running in a loop in my head.”

“I know.”

He does, it happens to him too, though a lot more rarely since V is in his life. Kerry just moves so he can rest his head against V’s shoulder and caress his stomach, his chest, tracing over the tattoos on his skin.

V catches his hand after a while and brings it to his lips to kiss his knuckles. He looks calmer.

“I keep thinking about everything I could have done to prevent it,” he admits and Kerry smiles. V is an over planner and a control freak when it comes to his work, even more so now that he’s mostly a fixer. He wants to make sure his clients get what they paid for, and to keep his mercs alive, too. Guilt and "ifs" are what’s keeping him awake, and it’s one of the things that makes Kerry sure V is a good guy.

“That’s because you care.”

“I care too much.”

“No, you care just enough. I think it’s normal to feel guilty because two men died for nothing. But it’s not your fault, the NCPD is just trigger happy, especially in the areas they have sponsors living nearby, and those workers shouldn’t have been there. They should have been home, safe and sound, and not sleeping on the construction site because they can’t afford lodgings.”

“Carefull, you’re starting to sound like Johnny,” V snorts good naturedly.

“You know he’s right on these things.”

“Yeah, don’t tell him.”

“I heard it,” Johnny interrupts, turning to face them. He’s probably trying to sound smug but he’s still blinking sleep away so the effect is just cute.

“We woke you up?” V asks with a frown. 

Johnny shakes his head no.

“Nightmares.”

“We didn’t feel you thrash around,” Kerry replies with a worried expression.

“I think I woke up just when it started… Like my brain said ‘nope, not doing this again’ and woke me up.”

He looks confused about this, troubled by the fact his brain wouldn’t happily subject him to more horrific memories of his past.

“Heh, that’s an improvement,” V comments.

“I’m still awake after…” he checks the hour on his holo, “an hour and a half. So I basically took a nap.”

Both Kerry’s inputs sigh dramatically, prompting a laugh out of him.

“Ok, let’s… Let’s do something else, ok. Watch a movie or something, since we’re all awake?”

“Sure,” they reply with little enthusiasm, but Kerry has some for three. With a grin, he throws the covers back and puts on his gown before going to the lounge room downstairs to set up the home cinema. 

Johnny and V join him as the screen finishes lowering itself over the portrait of his naked ass. Kerry has pulled out the plaids and after telling them to settle, he goes to make pop-corn. 

When he comes back, he sits in the middle, and both men put their head on each of his shoulders.

-

Two hours later, Kerry has finished the bowl of pop-corn and he’s sniffling softly as the credits for A Nomad Story scroll down. He missed it when it came out in theaters, but the critics were unanimous about this being the movie of the decade, with magnificent photography, good old school acting and a heart wrenching universal story about love and loss. 

As he wipes his cheeks with the sleeve of his robe, he glances down to see if his inputs liked it, only to chuckle when he discovers they’re both asleep. Johnny's head is actually resting on Kerry's lap, face buried against his stomach. The musician can’t recall feeling him settle like this so he must have been really engrossed in the movie. V is snoring softly, drooling against Kerry’s neck, mumbling something in his sleep.

Kerry smiles, and tries to move. He really needs to get up because he feels all stiff for one, but also because he needs to pee. He gently pushes V the other way, not worried about waking him up now that he’s asleep. He could sleep through the armageddon. With Johnny he’s more careful, but manages to extract himself. Stretching, he groans when his spin pops and shakes himself before walking to the bathroom.

-

When he comes back, thinking about watching another movie, he finds Johnny seated on the couch, looking at V with a strange look. From the way he is breathing, hard and fast, Kerry can tell this time it’s a nightmare that woke him up.

Johnny jumps and turns swiftly to Kerry when the man comes into his field of vision. His hands spasm over the blanket he’s still holding, and when his eyes meet Kerry’s, they look lost. With a frown, Kerry closes the distance between them in two strides.

“Hey, hey,” he calls gently, “you’re ok, you’re safe.” Johnny looks at his lips like he can’t hear Kerry’s voice, but can read the words on his lips. He relaxes, sighs softly and lets his forehead bumps against his friend’s.

Kerry brings his hand to his nape, stroking it gently. He feels Johnny’s chrome hand slide under his robe to feel his skin, thumb rubbing over the muscle of his thigh.

“What was it, this time?” Kerry asks in a whisper after a moment of silence.

Johnny shakes his head,  and frowns like he can’t really remember.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m back in Mikoshi, or the Black Wall. And I wake up but the sensation follows and I don’t know if it’s real or not.”

Kerry makes a soft sound of commiseration and brushes their mouths together.

“It’s real, you’re here,” he affirms, gently gripping Johnny’s cheeks. “You can feel my hands and the heat of my body. You can hear my voice…” he trails off as the other man tilts his head until their lips press harder together. Kerry welcomes him in, licks inside his mouth, sucks on his tongue briefly before nipping at his bottom lip. Johnny groans, shuffles closer and lets his hand roam higher.

With a last kiss, Kerry draws back to look at him with a worried expression. His skin is cooling down, cold sweat covering it now, but his eyes look clearer. Johnny groans lowly before diving back in for another kiss and Kerry laughs into his mouth.

“Sometimes I don’t feel like it’s real either,” he admits against Johnny’s lips. The man smiles, a wry expression that silently translates his regrets. He nuzzles against Kerry’s cheek, playfully bites his earlobe before looking at V.

“You know, I always felt like we’ve been dealt shitty cards,” Johnny murmurs. “But it’s like… You know — what Misty says about karma.”

Kerry nods, hugging Johnny against him.

“V is an ace.”

The other man nods, huffs against Kerry’s neck.

“Or maybe a wild card,” Johnny adds like an afterthought. 

They stay silent like this for a moment, before the resurrected rocker snorts.

“Look at him sleeping.”

Curious, Kerry disentangles them and looks over his shoulder at his other input. V is deep in slumber now that his brain finally let him fall asleep. He’s sprawled on his back, one hand down his shorts, holding his limp dick and snoring with a happy face. He sleeps like the innocent. Kerry grins; he kinda wants to draw a dick on V’s face. When he looks back at Johnny, he can tell the man feels the same and they laugh maniacally, but discreetly, so it sounds like they’re wheezing like old men.

“Think we can transport him back to bed?” Kerry asks when they are done snickering.

“With all the cyberware, even I can’t, he’s heavier than he looks.”

The singer knows because sometimes after sex V sags over him. Kerry loves it, feels safe under his mass of muscle and chrome so he smiles dopily, which earns him a disgusted expression from Johnny.

“We could get the spare mattress here, though. He can have the couch,” Kerry suggests.

-

So that’s what they do, then they decide to roll a joint, and then to play guitar. They play softly with no amps, even if they both know it wouldn’t bother V. He’s snoring rhythmically, so Johnny and Kerry use his snores as a bass line.

“We should record it,” Johnny says when they stop to listen to him. Kerry hums, feeling sleep calling him once more. They both settle on the mattress next to the couch, having pushed the low table further away.

In the low light, Johnny watches Kerry blink sleepily.

“You happy?” he mouths and the question makes the musician frown then nods softly, a gentle smile blossoming on his lips.

“Never been happier,” he replies, still a bit confused about the sudden inquiry.

“Because of V.”

Kerry looks at him, turning on his side to better observe him.

“Not only,” he replies, reaching out to brush Johnny’s mouth with his thumb. Their gazes meet and Kerry gets lost in his friend’s dark eyes, turned black by the night. He can’t say it out loud yet, but he hopes the message gets through anyway. Johnny doesn’t comment, but some lines around his eyes and mouth relax. It’s strange to think he was… worried, about that. Johnny used to be so good at pretending he didn’t care.

“You?” Kerry asks just as softly. 

Johnny catches his hand, flesh meeting flesh. He holds it as he turns his head until his lips brushes Kerry’s palm. In his chest, the singer’s heart beats faster and he smiles wryly at himself: he’s still such a fool for this man. Johnny stays silent for a good moment, so long Kerry hinks he won’t answer. He closes his eyes, unable to fight sleep any longer. He won’t push tonight, he knows better anyway and he’s too tired now with V’s snores like a comforting lullaby in the background.

Johnny moves to wrap his arm around Kerry, holding him closer and entangling their legs together. The singer makes a happy but sleepy noise and feels himself drift.

“I don’t think I really knew what being happy meant until now. Took me a while to understand what I was feeling,” Johnny finally answers, voice rumbling through his chest like a purr.

Kerry smiles at him and feels a matching expression on Johnny’s lips against his forehead. 

Maybe he’s already dreaming.