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astranne · 1 year

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FAKE DATE ME? !blue lock

mikage reo x gn!reader

notes // honestly, blame vera for this. i'm not a reo simp, rin thoughts only but here we are... with a reo work.... ugh. as always not edited because i'm lazy and i wrote it during lessons. this completely escalated so uh, have almost 1k of reo just being a simp

wc // 911 words

tagging // for all my reo simps <3 @stellumi , @lilikags , @keqism , @wanderersbell , @venexus

Listen- it was not his fault! He was desperate, the pressure of the public and his parents heavy on his shoulders, all while he only wanted to play football with Nagi. The only reason why his dreams weren't crushed, was because of Blue Lock, as insane this project was.

It saved his life, well, more like his life as a striker and opened so many possibilities. He wanted to play football, he wanted to be the best and he was. Part of the first Blue Lock Generation and survivor of the Neo-Egoist League, he really was one of the best.

And still his parents tried to persuade to take over business, to become the head of Mikage Corporation but he didn't want to! Why was that so hard to understand? He wanted to play football, he wanted to win the World Cup again, he wanted to play against the best because he was part of the best.

In the end, no matter how many times he argued with his parents, he always ended up in one of his many fancy suits, right besides his parents, hair slicked back and a polite, cold smile on his lips. The people around him, old men with too much money to spare and their wives at the age of their own, barely adult children tittered around him, hiding insults behind admiring words and compliments.

They mocked him for his choices, all while going purple because of their jealousy. Others showered him with compliments, trying to gain any kind of favor for their own, untalented sons, or trying to push their brain-dead daughters in his direction. All of this didn't interest him, not when he played in one of the best European clubs as a regular, not when he was the next head of a rich company, not matter how much he hated it.

But he got tired of it, women trying to hang on his arm, simply because he was famous and rich. Richer than most football players. Their interest was not in him, but his fame and money, of course it bothered him and of course he didn't want to do anything with them. He gently pried their arms off, dodging their sharp nails, ready to dig into his meat to leech off and feed their greed.

All this happening to him was the reason why he was here now.

Here, standing in front of you, blurting out his proposition and watching you blush, stammer words and fumble with your hands. That is until you fall silent and agree with a silent 'yes'. How could you not? You, who had a bleeding heart and saw how your friend suffered under the attention he got, the unwanted gazes and whispers following him, while all he wanted to do was playing soccer...

He didn't announce the 'relationship' right away, fearing you would be overrun by the press, his fans and other unwanted people. But coming to sense, he knew that if the paparazzi found out, it would be much worse.

And so he posted a picture on his social media accounts, your hand in his, with a cheesy caption.

Of course, his fans went crazy, trying to find out who your new darling love was, but Reo quickly made it known that he wanted to protect you from the vultures of being famous, just a tiny bit longer.

Instantly he was portrayed as the sweetheart boyfriend, oh so considerate of his partner's feelings, trying to keep his relationship as private as he could.

He hoped that this would be enough, enough to stop his noisy parents breathing down his neck, enough to stop the touchy women on galas, enough to stop everyone.

Mikage Reo was naive. Very naive and too hopeful. Not only did his fake date gather too much attention to just split off, oh no- he also gained feelings for them, like an idiot.

His heart was beating so fast, as if he was in the middle of an intense game, the tip of his ears constantly red, always when you were near him, laughing with him, smiling at him and be his, no matter how fake it was. He was desperate, trying to get closer, reasoning with himself that this has been just so no one would find out, trying to deny that he was in love, trying-

Why was he even trying? He knew he fell for you the second you agreed to help him out, completely selfish (or so he thought). He fell for you hard and fast, with no way backing out of this and he was in a relationship with you! It was almost perfect and so he started to pretend, pretend it was actually perfection and he could call you his official and true partner.

He was trying to hide it, to hide his affection, his crush, his love- and yet he clearly failed, when everyone around mentioned how good the two you were looking, finally stepping into the light of the public, together, two as one.

Whipped he was, some said. Others mentioned words such as 'being in love', 'completely besotted' or 'utterly infatued'.

It was true, how could he deny it? How could he still continue to pretend, while the whole world whispered about him being oh so in love?

He couldn't. And so he confessed, stumbling words and eyes on the floor, fearing your rejection.

But he had nothing to fear, you loved him as well.

ASTRANNE 2023

#blue lock #bllk x reader #blue lock reo #bllk reo #reo x reader #reo x you #blue lock x reader #blue lock x you #blue lock x gn reader #blue lock fluff #bllk fluff #🪐 galaxy milky way

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ravenadottir · 1 year

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tier list that nobody asked for

listen, some of these moments from season 2 live in my head rent free, might as well use them to build a tier list. (if i didn't play the season, which is half of s4, seasons 5 and 6, i'm talking about appearance and looks)

these are the tiers and explanations. normally i wouldn't even put it into context but some of these are... cut deep.

day 10 sex with your LI in the hideaway: we waited and it DID NOT disappoint. whether personality, storyline or looks, or a combination of those, it did not leave us hanging dry.

rahim solving the rubik's cube: SO OVERLOOKED by the fandom (or myself in some cases) and i want more. that's it, that's the tier.

bobby singing during brunch: just like the singing, these people can be endearing but sometimes they're just not for you. you either swear by them or doesn't give a flying fuck.

hope crying and collapsin' on noah: CRINGE, i'm honestly ignoring they ever happened but they insist like a fucking tooth ache or something.

lottie biting noah's ear: "i worship and install chaos for the fun of it". all of these are giving new york telling a random girl to choke on flavor of love JUST BECAUSE.

returning!hannah "i'm a bad girl now.": the tease is badass but the attitude is fucking annoying and insecure. fuck these girls i don't care.

lurik leaving with rocco: they deserved WAY MORE than what was given, because what was given was fucking nothing. they didn't have the time or the personality, and i grieve for these men.

mc and li having sex during nope's argument: just like mc and her li, these people could not give a shit about anything, if the villa explodes or not, they're there to vibe and unapologetically be themselves. they might be the ones lighting the match but... still.

gary talking about a chance with hannah: IT'S GIVING RED NOSE, IT'S GIVING COLORFUL HAIR, IT'S GIVING BIG SHOES. actually you're not even the clown, just the horn. SHUT THE FUCK UP.

the shirt that never was: ah, all the suffering and expectation, just to get to the end and... we were so naive, so innocent, so wide-eyed, gullible, so... hopeful. ((the ones we got at the end? yeah, the payoff was not proportional to the waiting, argue with the wall)).

lottie offering to read tea leaves: I - DON'T - CARE, I REFUSE TO SPEND GEMS OR EVEN LOOK AT MY SCREEN WHILE I VIGOROUSLY TAP THROUGH IT.

chelsea talking about the* other villa: i... we could've done without this. it just... didn't need to exist. it's not even entertaining, just plain weird and misplaced, and i lowkey hate it. fuck all these designs to be honest. and as for the twin... fuck the twin.

#litg #love island the game #litg s1 #litg s2 #litg s3 #litg s4 #litg s5 #litg s6 #litg bobby #litg lucas #litg jake #litg talia #there's 600 people here i'm not tagging everyone #queue #litg season 2

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willowmosby · 1 year

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Honestly the fact 1899 is cancelled is bullshit. Like it was such an incredible first season, and I am almost always of the opinion the a shows first season is it's weakest, and yet they still cancelled it. I think it's super odd considering that as much as Dark is one of my personal favorites I don't think it was nearly as successful in it's first season as 1899 ( I mean that's mostly based on people I know in real life not real stats so take that as you will). I saw 1899 on the top ten list for weeks and yet.

I'd also like to take a moment to talk about why I personally ( I'm not a tv critic or a pop culture expert) think that the Netflix mode of cancelation is so flawed. Controversially I don't really care that shows like Emily and Paris are getting renewed they have there demographic and entertainment doesn't always need to be revolutionary. And I naively believe that people one fandom shouldn't have to disrespect another for their own gain. The problem comes when they cancel shows in between seasons. I know this sounds weird but I honestly think that if they gave the creators of shows like 1899, Warrior nun, or even Julie and the phantoms half a season heads up that the creators could put together a satisfying ending instead of being left hanging with no resolution. I know that's not ideal, we'd all prefer the creators get how many seasons they plan for or at least get a whole season to make a final season, but its a situation that most network tv has learned to deal with. I mean how many network tv shows can you think of where the creators weren't at least aware of likely hood of their next season.

I think a large part of people's anger is the the show didn't have a satisfying ending, you can claim it's about the creators all you like but I just don't think that's the biggest reason. I worry about that , not because I disagree just that I worry in the world of modern streaming that creators will do away with cliffhanger endings to appease the new format just as 22 episode seasons and "filler" episodes have slowly begun to decline. That fear that a show may end early has always impacted tv but when you can't watch you ratings until long after the show has wrapped every show could suffer from the fear that each season finale will be their last.

I know that was long and kind of incoherent but I hope some people get it and I really am deeply sad that we won't have another season of 1899.

#1899 netflix #netflix #dark netflix #emily in paris #julie and the phantoms #jtp #warrior nun #netflix cancellation #television #streaming #1899

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yesimwriting · 1 year

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i am absolutely obsessed with final girl!!! it is so good and the way you write everybody, including y/n is perfect ! i love how y/n is observant and picks up on a lot of the weird things that stu and billy do and say and then brush it off cause of her upbringing, its a perfect way to have the reader pick up on the clues yet not ruin the plot! (please use this ask to explain and rant away about it because i am obsessed with their dynamic in every way possible!!)

im curious, does the reader being from texas mean anything for the plot and the backstory? if not then i am seriously overthinking it and im going mad 😭😭

i cant wait for the next update but of course take your time!! hope you have a good day/night!!

Hi!! omg this ask is exactly what i needed!!

Thank you for picking up on how Y/n is observant but then brushes it off!! that's something i'm super intentional about when writing chapters, especially bc i've always felt like fics feel more realistic/immersive when the reader does notice things that can influence plot,, but sometimes it's hard bc i have to think of a way for billy and stu to cover up what they do 😭

but i try! a large reason it works is bc of their dynamic,, that i will always be willing to go into heavy detail about!

Y/n doesn't have a ton of experience with close guy friendships. It's partly bc of her mom being relatively "strict" in that area and that area alone, and it's partially bc of where she grew up. Lots of lifelong friendships in a small, southern town before the move,, which i'll be exploring a little more really soon in the series!!

but anyways, the point i'm getting at is that in those towns, any guys you're friends with barely feel like boys bc you've grown up with them. They're basically your brothers. So Y/n's a little...i don't like using the word naive bc it's not exactly that...i see her as trusting and inexperienced.

She's aware just enough to be like hm...this feels a little weird, but once billy or stu offer any kind of explanation or breeze past it casually enough she just assumes that it can't be too bad. A tiny bit of it is a gender assumption thing...like oh, it's a guy thing to be a little cagey and play around with girls that are just friends like that bc they're a little flirty.

But that's just a fraction of why she dismisses things, it's a baseline thinking that she chooses to lean into subconsciously bc billy and stu wanted her to feel borderline dependent on them,, and honestly, they've done a good job so far.

ik we don't have a tonnn of canon details on the og friend group when things were nice and normal before billy and stu went on their little stab spree,, but i definitely picture them as being that group,, you know the ones where they're super solid but still feel comfortable hanging out in different combinations of pairing. I feel like they're also the kind of friend group where people that go to the same school/are in the same age range see hanging out in public and a tiny part of them wishes they were apart of it bc once you're "in" you're "in" and even if you're kind of a sideline piece in the friend group, it'd still be great.

(Opening of part 8 is actually a friend group bonding thing to explore this a little more!!)

Anyways, all this is to say that Y/n's still feels like she's circling around "in",, so at first, she lets things slide bc she likes all of them and the friend group is the only thing making the move bearable. And if you're referencing all the advances they get away with--especially Stu--it's bc it's also done in front of the entire group, and if it's not a big deal to everyone (especially their girlfriends), why should she make it a big deal? Plus, when Stu goes out of his way to do it,, it's kind of like announcing that y/n's "in".

Then, after some time has passed, they started getting away with more and more until they got to the point that we see them in in the actual fic. The end goal was always to have y/n look like the group's friend (to keep from suspicion) but be closest to them,, and they're not smart for nothing, it's definitely working.

Now the reason they get away with so much isn't so much y/n being scared of losing out on the group, but scared of losing them. Even though y/n definitely sees everything that's happened between them as platonic, they're her boys now. Things are easy to dismiss because she feels like she knows them. Sure, there might be the odd comment or reaction, but it's nothing worth looking too closely at. Not when she's comfortable, and they've been consistent enough that even the new questionable things can fall under the umbrella of 'oh they're just like that'.

They're also tactful about the behavior they make obvious and planting seeds that explain it, especially billy. I see billy as being a little more in touch/at least aware of how other people that are wired without the murder mindset feel. Like he knows that bouts of possessiveness/jealousy that aren't justifiable make him look bad and might even make him off putting.

I think this awareness comes from how close I picture his mom and him being. I've always felt like there was probably some unhealthy co-dependency between billy and his mom, which factors into how he views attachment and gave him some more awareness on other people's feelings. It's not a perfect view, but at least something he factors in. Definitely feel like the thought of being left makes billy panic, so that's why he at least tries to think things through. If he acts normal in front of y/n and thinks about how things would make him seem, she won't leave.

That's part of the reason billy goes out of his way to plant explanations for behaviors that aren't under control. He tells stu to mention his family when he apologizes and he'll mention his own dad when he wants sympathy points. He knows how to tug on y/n's heartstrings/empathy.

Stu's tactic is the opposite of being subtle. He gets away with things because he's him. I think he definitely hides darker/more serious toxicity under a layer of open toxicity that feels lighthearted. Like he's easily 'set off' but his moodiness doesn't off put y/n bc it's played off as being almost meanly oversensitive. It'd annoy y/n a lot more from anyone else bc when stu's good, he's great, and he's always been open about it.

And as far as y/n being from texas there are some reasons!! it comes up a little in part 8 for the first time! no spoilers, but part of the reason is bc i pictured Gloria, y/n's mom, as one of those southern-y, larger than life moms. There was also a scene that I took out of part 6 that I'm going to use later (probably in chapter 8, but might reserve it) about y/n and her ability to shoot. Texas has pretty lax gun culture, so there's a scene where y/n shows that she's a good shot bc her mom's been taking her to a shooting range for years. It's a way for her defend herself from ghostface!!

I also wanted y/n's hometown to be far away for a couple reasons. More of a start over feel, if she ever tries to go back it could cause some tension bc of distance, explains why she doesn't have anyone else around, etc

#final girl fic #ask #scream x reader #scream 1996

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jsab-crisis · 1 year

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It’s been mentioned in several posts that Square had a girlfriend at one point, but he doesn’t seem to have one during the time of the comic. What happened to her?

"I have a hard time convincing myself if she was actually my girlfriend or not. I mean, she said she liked me and I liked her back, thought that was the automatic stamp for a relationship but I was young and naive back then and I'm pretty sure she was too."

"We talked about life and what we wanna do when we grow up... she said she had no idea what she wants to do in life and I said the same thing, pretty sure we bonded on how much we're expected to do so much while we're still trying to figure things out."

"She didn't have any ill intentions like the guys who'd force me to do petty crimes or they'll gut me. No, she was just like me- in a way. Clueless of what to do and honestly... it was comforting, knowing I wasn't the only one who had zero thought in life."

"I think I tried to love her or act like a good boyfriend, we only hang out whenever we see each other at school cause she had strict parents. So our dates are usually at lunch or after classes."

"She... liked me too, I think, she tried to be there for me but it felt like we were just clinging onto each other for our problems. I don't think I've gotten to know her to a personal level involving her passions or dreams, just listening to her problems while she bonds with mine."

"I think we stopped seeing each other once graduation was near and... she got me flowers. I should have been the one to do that but she got me flowers first. It made me realize I rarely gave her any gifts like chocolates or teddy bears, either cause I'm always robbed or maybe it never occurred to me what boyfriends usually do in relationships."

"She said something along the lines of 'I would have liked running away with you'. She hated where she was going and I knew she hated what was happening, she was... she had no choice but to let everything happen."

"...I think that's why I find myself tearing up for her. She was like me in a sense, I could relate to her pain in a way that I felt like I was still by myself with my own thoughts- just a different pretty face. Maybe I didn't love her and maybe she didn't love me... maybe we were just two lonely people trying to find comfort in the worst people."

"We were just two young kids in the worst of things and trying to cope by bouncing our problems off of each other because we don't know how to comfort one another. And when she left, it felt like nothing changed. I was still me, the worst kind of me, and even after all of that; It's still me."

"Maybe if I did love her- just try to love her more, maybe she would have been happy. She would have felt what it was like to be loved and maybe she wouldn't have gone away like that. Maybe she would have smiled or laughed or anything."

"But I couldn't... I didn't know how to do that at the time."

"I think it's too late already. I'm not sure how she's doing but I hope she found happiness somewhere."

#ZCArt #Crisis au #jsab crisis #ask #crisis speaks #just shapes and beats

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finethingswellworn · 5 months

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I've been so anxious about season 3, about the reunion, about everything, really.

But I'm choosing to cope by thinking about what it means, in the GO universe, that Crowley and Aziraphale know one another so well.

Yes, yes. Alright. Har har! Feel free to insert the inevitable "You mean knowing in a Biblical sense?" jokes here. Get it off your chest.

Because Crowley obviously likes Aziraphale. In all senses of the word.

But more importantly, Crowley knows Aziraphale. He's known of him and known him and has been known by Aziraphale in return for so long now it boggles the mind.

And what I mean is

Crowley sees who Aziraphale is in the garden, sees that he is an angel unlike the others, an angel with a conscience, an angel who doesn't always do the "good" thing but will do the right thing most of the time.

Even then, Crowley sees more of Aziraphale than heaven ever could. Crowley's intrigued, fascinated, willing to truly engage with Aziraphale, test him from the very beginning. But he doesn't know, yet. Not completely.

After all this time, however, months and months out from season 2, I still believe the Job incident solidifies there relationship for Crowley. For Aziraphale. For us, the devastated audience. And I think it works in tandem with 1941 part II to give us an idea of what to expect in season 3. Or, at least, it gives us a glimpse of how Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship could potentially go.

Because as much as Crowley is sure Aziraphale will break out of heaven's black and white mindset, Aziraphale is equally confident in Crowley's sense of justice, his inherent, if not goodness by heaven's definition, then his... humanity. Both his love for it and how he's been influenced by it.

Crowley stands in a fiery house with the lives of Job's innocent children hanging in the balance, asks Aziraphale if he really knows him, and not once does Aziraphale waver.

In 1941, we get an explicit, out loud declaration of trust along with a quiet realization of love in the ruins of a church. It's beautiful.

"You said "trust me,"."

"And you did."

But also, haven't they been doing this for millennia already? The sheer level of faith they've had to put in each other, starting from Job, carrying through to 1941, and finally to the present storyline is honestly astounding.

Circling back around, I think the heartbreak on both sides is the perceived misalignment between what each of them knows about the other and their present day choices.

So yes, they have issues. They fundamentally disagree about how to be together, how to make it finally safe to be together. They've hurt each other. They're not talking.

But!

Does that matter?

When shit hits the fan, haven't they always lied for each other, broken the rules for each other, protected each other without a thought?

They know it, too. They've known it for a long, long time.

I've seen some people say that one or both of them were naive to what their relationship was until The Kiss™, and I just can't agree with that.

So, this whole ramble is to say, just because you don't say something out loud doesn't mean it's not there. Just because you break someone's heart doesn't necessarily mean you won't come running to them in an instant if need be. And one conversation, no matter how hurtful and fraught, cannot undo thousands of years worth of actions.

They have, quite literally, been loving each other too long to stop now.

Deep down, both of them know that, too, I think. I'm choosing to hope.

#yes I’m back on my bullshit again #because these episodes have not left my mind since I’ve watched them. They have refused.#and I much like Crowley I’m choosing to be an optimist #good omens

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lloyd-got-a-knife · 2 years

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Old wounds that don't quite heal

(A fic in which Lloyd relates a bit too much to the bullied character in the movie they're watching. No comfort, only hurt)

It was a quiet evening, the rain was drumming gently against the windows creating a soothing and cozy atmosphere and for once the ninja actually had a moment to enjoy it and rest.

Lloyd couldn't remember the last time he had had time to do normal kids stuff. His uncle had kept him busy with Green Ninja training ever since he got aged up and, even when he did have a moment of free time, he found himself uncertain of which activities he was allowed to participate in.

He still hadn't quite figured out what was age appropriate for him to do or what age he was expected to be and act like. He didn't wanna do something childish and risk being ridiculed by the others, so he tended to just avoid most things that could be deemed as such.

Lloyd was still stuck at what to even do with his freetime, when the others invited him to join them for a movie. The movie sounded kind of boring, but Lloyd's best guess was that it was a grownup movie, and he should probably get used to watching those now.

Besides, he wasn't one to shoot down the opportunity to hang out with the others. He didn't want to risk getting excluded next time they did something, and he still didn't really feel like a real part of the team. His inclusion had been very forced and rushed. First with the revelation of him being the Green Ninja, and later with him getting turned older in "the Tea Incident", as the others referred to it as.

It was safe to say that a few months ago they wouldn't even have wanted him on the team, and Lloyd still wasn't sure if they really did or if this was just out of necessity. He was leaning towards the latter though.

Either way, he was just happy to be included, so when the others put on the movie he really was feeling rather positive about the whole thing.

Then the bullying of the main character started, and Lloyd was suddenly feeling less than comfortable. Lloyd watched in horror as the main character started to get ridiculed and targeted by their peers. He felt oddly nauseous, his hands were clutching the edge of the blanket he was curled up under. This was honestly worse than when he convinced them he was fine watching adult horror movies.

He felt his shoulders tense at a particularly awful scene where the main character got hung by his belt on a clothing rag by some of the older kids.

Lloyd had to keep reminding himself it wasn't real, but it felt so real and his chest felt so tight. The laughter erupting from the characters on the TV felt sharp and painful in his ears and made his heart beat so fast it hurt. Lloyd tried to steady his breathing, but-

"Lloyd, buddy, you okay?"

Kai sounded concerned and gentle, but all Lloyd could focus on was how mocking it had once sounded. His hands shook with anger as he got up, trying not to show how dizzy he was. "I'm going for a walk," he said. His voice hoarse and cold, but surprisingly steady. He made his way towards the door.

"Lloyd, it's raining quite a bit-" Jay tried, but Lloyd was having none of it. He needed to get away right now or he was gonna explode, or, even worse, cry.

"I said, I'm going for a walk," he snapped. Then he left.

He walked for what felt like days, but was only hours. His hair and clothes was completely drenched and he felt rather cold, but he just needed to get it all at a certainly distance. When he finally felt calmer, he started to make his way back home, naively hoping they could just brush this aside and that they wouldn't have to talk about it, but when he got back the first thing he was met with were several pairs of worried eyes watching him. Lloyd felt himself shrink under their gaze and made his way for the bathroom.

He, however, didn't get very far, as we was stopped by Cole.

"Hey, buddy, did you have a nice walk?" Cole asked with a smile that seemed a bit too soft and gentle for Lloyd's liking right then.

"Yeah. Saw a bird, so that was fun," Lloyd answered, just wanting to get away from his interrogation as quickly as possible. He was cold and just wanted a hot shower and to never speak of what happened again.

Cole stared at Lloyd for a second, thrown off by the change of topic. "Oh, that's cool. Uh-" Cole hesitated, searching Lloyd's face for some kind of clue. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" He paused again before continuing. "Did something in the movie upset you?"

Lloyd looked at the others and realized they were all watching him carefully just like Cole. He grabbed his own wrist and squeezed it, a nervous habit he had had since he was a kid. "No..." Lloyd said, not wanting to elaborate further, which instead left his words hanging in the air. After a moment he spoke again. "Anyways, I- uh- I'm gonna take a shower," he said, his voice oddly pitchy. He hurried towards the bathroom, trying to brush past Cole.

Cole put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Look, Lloyd, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," he gave Lloyd's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "If you don't feel comfortable saying it out loud you can just write it down?" Cole suggested, gently, while clearly trying to get Lloyd to meet his eyes. Lloyd however looked anywhere but Cole's eyes, instead settling for looking at his own feet.

"Lloyd, I promise I won't make fun of you for whatever it is, "Cole reassured him.

For a moment Lloyd considered it, but then Cole continued. "When have I ever made fun of you?" Lloyd saw red. He grabbed Cole's wrist and forced his hand off his shoulder, then he harshly pushed past Cole, a bit harder than he had meant to and he heard Cole stumble into a chair. Lloyd cringed, he still hadn't quite learned his own strength. He felt bad, but he was still too mad to check if Cole was okay, so instead he just hurried to the bathroom before anyone could stop him.

#ninjago #lloyd garmadon #mars writes #ninjago angst

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remmammie · 2 years

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Greetings.

Can I request Neku, Joshua, & Rindo headcanons with reader who acts like Chiaki from Danganronpa?

Ohmigosh, writing this has made me realise how much I miss NEO:TWEWY. I still haven't completed it - I'm right at the end - but I might pick it up again after this. Also, I haven't played Danganronpa in a very long time so I apologise if I remembered Chiaki's personality incorrectly! Also, if you're a DR fan, is the new game any good? I might get it if it is... Anyway! I hope you enjoy! I wasn't sure if you meant a platonic or romantic relationship, so I was vague!

Neku, Joshua, and Rindo (seperate) with a Chikai-like!Reader HCs

Neku

Honestly? I think Neku would really get along with someone who is just as relaxed and introverted as him. It’s not the kind of relationship where you two are both too quiet because you both enjoy the comfortable silence that comes with being together.

You both have strangely similar yet different interests that often require a lot of focus and quiet to enjoy: Neku with his music and artistry, and you with playing games. Your hobbies are both something you can do side-by-side while maintaining quiet chatter or complete silence.

This quietness or common interests are probably how you two met as well. Maybe it was a convention or a school project and, because you were the quiet two, you were paired together.

Since then, you two find a couple of hours a week to hang out in each other’s home partaking in your hobbies!

I think a big part of your bond is buying each other trinkets. You might have a backpack filled with pins or a jacket with patches or a phone with charms on and a lot of these might be what Neku has bought you as a gift. In return, I think he’d appreciate it if you buy him albums or posters or pieces of artwork in return.

You two are also pretty well-known amongst your friends for your bluntness as well. They love it, actually, it’s pretty funny to watch. Maybe Neku will comment something, you’ll add on something just as blunt but the both of you are just staring down at a device, completely unbothered. You’re silent weapons.

As far as the Reaper’s Game goes, if you were involved, Neku knew you were capable of fighting for yourself even if you weren’t partners. So, while he made sure to team up with you wherever possible, he wasn’t overly protective of you because he knows how independent you are.

Joshua

It’s safe to say that, in this sort of partnership, Joshua does most of the talking for the both of you. While you bring your characteristic bluntness to the relationship, Joshua knows how to sweeten his words a bit and tell little, subtle lies.

You spend a lot of your time keeping Joshua’s manipulative and teasing attitude in check, though. You’re not afraid to tell him off when he gets a bit too eager messing with naive people. He might pout a little, but he’s definitely not the type to take it to heart.

Whenever you play games around him, Joshua’s full of questions. Soon enough, he’ll learn how to kill bosses himself without ever having picked up a controller so expect him to be back-seat gaming. But, all in all, he just enjoys watching you play games since you’re so passionate about them.

I imagine when you take long pauses in conversation to think of what to say, Joshua just sits there smiling like an idiot in awe. And, if anyone tries to interrupt your train of thought, he has this evil glare that he shoots them.

If you sometimes struggle to understand things that others might regard as common knowledge, Joshua takes the time to explain it for you, though he can be a little teasing about it.

Also, your bizarre sense of humour might fall flat with other people, but Joshua is exactly the same and adores it. It leads to you two creating a bunch of inside jokes that no one else really gets.

Rindo

My first thought when it comes to Rindo with a friend/partner who likes gaming is arcade hang outs. He loves his city and wants to explore it with the people close to him so of course he’ll take you out somewhere fun.

I think Rindo would also enjoy watching you play games, usually purely for the art style. If you put in extra effort to unlock concept art in the games you play for him, I think he’d appreciate that as well.

If any of the games you play have any kind of moral or greater purpose, Rindo would really enjoy learning about that too, especially with his interests in motivational speakers and influencers.

Rindo takes real joy in watching interactions between you and Fret. Neither of you have very much common sense so getting into bizarre situations is really amusing to watch, and your honest bluntness massively throws Fret off. Of course, you and Nagi are also very similar so baffling Rindo and Fret with your game-centric conversations is also a big part of why Rindo loves watching you talk to others.

Most people know you both from how much you distract one another. You’re both avid FanGO players and you spend any time you have apart texting each other. You’ve developed a rather…unique texting style that makes it so other people can’t tell what you’re saying to one another. It’s a fun little code.

If you have any kind of interest in fashion, I think Rindo would enjoy going to big mall stores with you and helping you find your style. He’ll want to find out which brand of clothing you prefer, maybe you could even get matching phone charms or phone cases.

#twewy fanfic #twewy #neo twewy #twewy neku #neku sakuraba #neku x reader #twewy joshua #joshua x reader #twewy rindo #rindo x reader #twewy headcanons #twewy x reader

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dusksrepose · 11 months

Text

-X

I hope this finds you well. For nearly a year, the only image of you've I've been able to see, is that confused and scared woman you were, there at the end. "The End". I don't really know what else to call it. I didn't know then, in that moment, that that was the end. And that haunts me. I find myself subconsciously refusing sleep. I ignore the clock, my body; I just find reasons to stay up . Eventually I do have to go to bed. I don't know if it's God, My Dad, You, or a rhetorical assault on myself, but I find myself asking for the peace of one night's sleep. Short of the memories that haunt me. The dreams that trap me. The life I couldn't make and the hell I've found myself in. A respite, is all I need.

Every waking day is the same. Only in the fact I am still myself. Nothing has changed. While the world spins on around me, life continues. I know who I am. I'm not perfect, rather the opposite. But.. I know who I am. I love, wholly. Without prejudice. Without thought. I'm all in, and I never waiver. That's what love inspires me to do.

The first day I laid eyes on you, it sparked an ember in me. Over the next 3 years that ember turned into an inferno. A warm, gentle burning in my soul that warmed me to my core. You were my hearth on a frigid night. I had never known love like that. And without pity, or patronage, I freely admit I will never will again.

The rest of our committed life, wearily dragged on. I know who I am. And you could bring out even more in me, the best. But whether the fire grew too hot and we had to step away, or maybe that hearth was no longer warm enough to be near.. I just hope you know, I've always loved you. I always will.

I'm not about to say these next words to accuse, or assign blame. I carry the blame. I know you loved me. I saw it. I felt it. It was the one of the most defining moments of my life. I wasn't perfect. But you loved me for who I was. I'm thankful you saw those things in me, and I'm so grateful to have had you by my side, creating a life together.

I so bad want to say I wish I knew why the things happened the way they did. And I scream at the top of my lungs so my ears ring and can't help uncover the onslaught of thoughts that come up in that moment. But they do. Every time. Every day.

I honestly don't know what led you to the decions and actions that became 2019 and on. I have no doubts that I played some roll. That, I carry guilt. And shame.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never wanted you to settle. I never meant to let you down. I always loved you, and I tried to show you, from the first day to the last.

I loved you so much that I ignored myself. I stopped taking care of myself. I couldn't.. tell you. I didn't want to be weak. I lost my way. I couldn't bring myself to be the guy not there for you. A failure to communicate the feelings I had. The doubt. The pressure in my chest. The fact I couldn't be the man you wanted. But I'm not... naive. I understand it's hard to hurt someone close to you. I know it's not malicious. You made choices. The only thing I truly regret was not fighting harder for you. I thought I was fighting, when I was really just trying to put all the blame on you. That's not right, or fair.

It's quickly coming to be a year since you left. God.. in my mind that sometimes feels like a week ago, or ten years ago.

The fact is, I'm finally getting around to packing up your clothes, that are still hanging up in the closet. I find myself occasionally picking up one of your blank canvas', or looking at the few hung up you painted. I've been staring at the Tom Clancy book you used to press a variety of the native flowers here. I haven't been able to open it. I'm constantly reminded of you here. I've left the 3 pieces of clothing in the hamper since the day you left. I thought, no- I hoped, that you would call me. We know that didn't happen.

Please don't ruin your relationship with your father because he answered my calls a few times. He's one hell of a dad. I will always be grateful for meeting him. He accepted me from day one, and it was good to have a man like that open to.

I know why. Why you won't talk to me anymore. I know why you divorced me. I don't blame you. I never will.

At this point, the only thing I can want out of this situation, is knowing you're taking care of yourself. You're doing what's best for you. And that you're taking good care of yourself.

I'm bias. I love you. But I've spent the last few years trying to understand you, to save us. Or more politically correct, To realize what's best for you will not involve me. That's on me.

I'm sorry A, I truly am.

I carry these things with me, every day. And I will for a very long time.

I wish you the best. And I wish for nothing less.

-o

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svucarisiaddict · 2 years

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Hello, how are you? I hope you have been well.

So I saw these prompts that kind of stood out to me and I was thinking about them in reference to one night stand series;

“I’ve never felt like this about anyone, and honestly it scares me.”

"I never stood a chance, did I?” “That’s the sad part – you did once.”

"You were more then a one night stand".

but idk, I just liked them for some reason. Not sure if they work but I thought I'd send them over and get your thoughts?!?!

I don't just see her listening to Sonny and going okay then happy ever after but I also don't know if she is really willing to stop with him either. I'm probably reading to much into this but what do you think?!? When your write a series such as this one was there a thought on how it will go or is it something when you start writing?

I know it sounds silly, I just like the reader. She's flawed with her putting up the walls, arguably self destructive and going back to Stone who seems to be that safe, familiar relationship even if it's not the best (ex for a reason). I love that despite her feelings for Sonny she isn't hanging around to wait to get hurt or even be anyone's second choice.

But Sonny here, I guess the choice has gone because she has, but honestly he's pined, had feelings for, had this close relationship with Rollins for ever that we know. But he had this chance right with someone else. And look what happens!

I'm so invested and like alot of your fics I have been going back and re reading..... Im sorry I'm rambling with no real questions at 4 in the morning my time.

Ps. Okay John Carter, yasss. Such a mood and I love him. I was quite young when ER was on but my mum got me into the re-runs much later and he was def my fav! So excited to hear your writing for him.

First, let me say thank you for sending me your ask. I love when people ask me questions about my series! You really seem to get my writing and the characters :)

The prompts are perfect for the series. So, thank you! In fact I used one in the most recent chapter of the series!

She is definitely not over Sonny nor will she just accept his explanation of his feelings for Amanda. We all know Sonny has liked Amanda for years. Deep down he probably does. You are not reading into it at all! That’s exactly how I want the story to come across.

As far as my writing I usually have a rough idea of how the story is going to play out but sometimes change on a whim. It may depend on how I’m feeling that day emotionally, not liking what I wrote and rewriting, getting a better idea, etc. And sometimes I just get stuck on where to take the story. I’m releasing the next chapter later today and I am working on the next. And I’m stuck. I have a couple different ways to go.

You’re not silly. I like the character too. I try to write real characters. Everyone has flaws and I try to reflect that in my writings. I feel people can relate to a story or character if they see themselves in a similar situation to having the same feelings and reactions.

Peter Stone is complicated. He is a broken man but he has the capability to love deeply. He truly cares for and loves our leading lady. I have a feeling he is going to fight for her and prove his love to her. Whether he’ll be successful is to be seen.

Don’t count Sonny out though! He cares for the reader as well. She’s made him realize that there is someone out there other than Amanda he can love. I do think he’s torn on what to do because now he thinks that the reader is over him and he lost his chance with her.

I’m still uncertain who the reader will end up with, if anyone! We’ll see where the story takes us!

I’m so happy to hear how much you enjoy and are invested in my fics. I appreciate it so much! Please message me with any questions on my fics, my process, etc.

I love Carter too. I was so naive and sweet when the show began. There were times when he irked me and I didn’t care for how he behaved. I have a middle story for him and the reader but need to work back to thow they meet. I have a couple of different scenarios but not sure if I like them. Stay tuned for Carter fics!

Thank you again so much!!

#sonny carisi #peter stone #asks #fics #prompts

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fadebolt · 20 days

Text

Well.

It appears the fandom has completely imploded while I was off doing important real life stuff. These sorts of things are pretty rough for me to process, being a pretty gullible guy that has the tendency to always see the best in everyone, and give them the benefit of the doubt, even when they don't really deserve it.

So I suppose it's good that we have more than enough people who are able to recognize when the way someone is acting is not ok, and are actually willing to put their feet down to deal with it accordingly. As much as I would love it if everyone acted more like me, we still need a decent bit of judgy-ness to prevent and deal with messed up things, especially ones that can have negative effects on others.

My only concern is that the whole shipping server is being dragged into this, even though we're only talking about the actions of a single person, and a couple mods that made a few lapses in judgement when it came to handling the situation.

Let me tell you, nobody knew about this. From the perspective of over 95% of the members, it was just a couple people acting a little strange, and/or leaving, but I honestly just assumed that they're in a rough spot on their personal lives, and so I didn't really make much of it.

So, no, this is not an indication that the server is filled with disgusting people that do disgusting things. They're all just as shocked, disappointed, unhappy and angry as everyone else is.

Thankfully, I didn't face any harassment due to this, probably thanks to a combination of not being associated with the server as much (even if I hang out there a decent bit), and not being too much of a big name in the community.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if many other innocent members did get hate. And if they didn't receive any now, then they still very well might, once that big "server exposing" document is out.

So I very much hope that this dies down, and that the big doc project gets cancelled/abandoned, especially because like, the perpetrator of it all has already been dealt with. They're banned from everywhere, and everybody knows of their actions, so a large portion of the fandom likely has them blocked by now.

So if there isn't anybody else who is secretly evil behind the scenes, then what else is there to achieve and talk about? The only thing we'd get out of a continuation of this would be more harassment and fandom divide, and I think we've had more than enough of that, as is.

At the end of the day, I just hope this won't cause too much damage to the community. I'm on great terms with some members of the Container, as well as some folks who are now haters of it, and I don't want to be forced into having to choose between them.

I have absolutely no issues with the people that dislike the place, I just don't want them to go "Leave, or I refuse to talk to you!", especially if we've had pleasant interactions beforehand (cus like... I'm the same guy as before, I didn't condone shitty behavior then, and I don't condone it now)

I really never thought I'd take the role of a naive idealist that just wants everyone to be happy and get along no matter what, but here we are.

I know things are a bit more complicated than that, but now that everything has been addressed and dealt with, I really hope that everyone will be able to go back to doing fun stuff again, just with a creep cancelled, and a couple mods having learned a lesson or two.

#fade rambles

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culttvblog · 4 months

Text

Second Verdict: Who Killed the Princes in the Tower?

In October 2023 I published a post about an episode of the police series Barlow. I made the mistake of commenting in it that Stratford Johns played exactly the same character in numerous shows over the years and listed the ones I thought he was in. Naively I hadn't realised that I still didn't have the whole list of his appearances as Detective Chief Superintendent Barlow, and have since found that he was teamed up with a co-star in the Softly Softly series (Frank Windsor, who played Detective Chief Superintendent Watt) in other shows as well.

So these two actors played the same roles (I'm going by IMDb here) in Z-Cars (1962 to 1965), Softly Softly (1966 to 1969), Jack the Ripper (1973), Softly Softly Task Force (1969 to 1976),and Second Verdict (1976). These come up to a total of 345 episodes, and honestly they must have felt like they could do their job blindfold. In addition Johns played Barlow in Barlow at Large/Barlow (1971 to 1975) to a total of 374 episodes, playing the same character for 14 years! He even drifted into the role while a guest on the panel on Whodunnit and spoofed the role in The Two Ronnies.

I hope you're not that bored of your job.

In Second Verdict they come together as these fictional characters dramatically to try to solve long-standing mysteries. I'm fascinated at this format of having fictional characters solving real mysteries, and unfortunately it only lasted for six episodes (there was another series about Jack the Ripper which I will come to in a separate post). There is a mystery of studio and location filming for our fictional detectives and the testimony of the real people is acted out. It's clever television, and I'm afraid I can only echo what so many of the reviews on IMDb say, namely that you couldn't possibly make this nowadays. The reviews refer to this sort of TV as 'two men talking in a room', but I don't think that is that much of a problem when so much of the 'content' on the internet is people talking in a bunker echo chamber to their base nowadays. Rather I suspect that viewers (nowadays and possibly even then) wouldn't want to watch a show where they feel they are watching a conversation. This TV is more like watching a symposium or discussion than being told something.

The subject of the episode I have chosen is the disappearance of the deposed King Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, from the Tower of London in 1483. There has always been an assumption that they were murdered, probably on the orders of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who ascended the throne as Richard III. Just to be my normal annoying self I'm not going to say what Barlow and Watt conclude.

Even if you don't follow the line of reasoning and evidence that closely (and I'm sure there are endless enthusiasts of the subject who watched this with notebooks and screamed at the screen) this is delightful television. It takes us back to a former age of England, and anything with any scenes set in the Tower of London can't fail to do that.

There is a possible criticism of this show that it is possibly misnamed because they don't always reach a second verdict on these cases: clearly if you are considering a suspected murder committed in 1483 there is unlikely to be any evidence which hasn't already been extensively chewed over in the search for a solution.

Other cases reconsidered in the series are the Lindbergh kidnapping, the Henri Desire Landru murders, John Alexander Dickman who was hanged for murder, Lizzie Borden, and the arson attack on the Reichstag in 1933. Some of these are currently available on YouTube on a channel which is adding new contact so they may all still be available online.

This blog is mirrored at

culttvblog.tumblr.com/archive (from September 2023) and culttvblog.substack.com (from January 2023 and where you can subscribe by email)

Archives from 2013 to September 2023 may be found at culttvblog.blogspot.com and there is an index to the tags used on the Tumblr version at https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/729194158177370112/this-blog

#70s tv #second verdict

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textingaboutprometheus · 7 months

Note

One of the problems with parasocial relationships is that we don't know these people but can begin to feel like we do. Then, when they reveal things that don't match with how we see them in our heads, it can seem like they're acting out of character or they're not the person we thought they were. But even with further revelations, there's still so much we don't know. People are complicated and when we only see people through social media/their work/the things they choose to reveal to us, we're missing a whole lot of context and details. I don't know, I just see a lot of people being a bit judgmental and jumping to conclusions about who people are (I'm thinking of R at this particular moment, but I think this can apply to everyone we talk about here). Of course there's nothing wrong with talking about these things and speculating a little, but I wish people would keep in mind the fact that we really don't know who these people are or what really happens in their lives.

Honestly, I thought my hyperfixation/parasocial relationship jumped from R to the PSA guys alone. I haven't quite shaken R yet though. *sighs* I still care what happens to him. Honestly, I don’t care what he does, I just worry about his safety. All those horror stories he's told of people trailing him and threatening him and the Jan 6 reporting where he had to hire security at his mom's place because his family was threatened. That to me is naive, but I really do think about this sometimes. 😅

So anytime he travels I'm like "Not a hostile country" with my fingers crossed. I was relieved it was Germany this time.

I'm glad we are all able to talk about this. Baby boy can hang out in any club he wants. I do hope we get Elon Musk the Sequel from him soon.

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sagejin · 2 years

Text

MASTERLIST

2 years ago

"So, what do you say," Gojo looked at you softly, "will you go out with me?" You weren't surprised, this was his 5th confession to you. However, it felt different this time. You've never seen him look at you the way he is now, his sapphire eyes have never been so soft. You tuned away from him, unable to meet his gaze.

"Y/n," he took your hands into his, "I understand that you may be unable to reciprocate my feelings and I'm okay with being just friends, but for one last time, all I ask is that your honest with me about how you feel. If me confessing to you every now and then makes you uncomfortable please let me know, or just reject me, I don't want to keep chasing after you like this."

Gojo looked at you solemnly.

But Gojo being Gojo quickly changed back into his playful mood and leaned in, "So how do you honestly feel about me?"

"I–," you avoided his gaze, "would be open to the idea of dating you." Gojo chuckled and leaned in, a smirk on his face, "so do you like me or not? Actually, maybe you love me?" You put your hand on his face and pushed him back, "If anyone's in love here it's you!" He chuckled at your flustered state. Taking one of your hands in his, he brought it to his lips, "You aren't lying, l do love you," he smiled and looked softly into your eyes, "and I'll cherish you forever."

Present day

"Who's that woman," Shoko questioned, peering over the menu. You peeked over too, catching a glimpse of the woman.

Kira Mizuki

Your eyes widened, "Satoru's secretary." Shoko looked at you, eyes wide. You both watched as they took a seat on the far corner of the cafe. They flipped through their menu's, looking up from time to time and talking. Despite the situation, you smile at the thought of what Satoru was probably ordering, a sugary coffee with something sweet, like a donut.

"Why are you smiling," Shoko wondered how you could smile at a time like this, the man you loved and who claimed to love you was here with another woman. "I trust him," you smile softly and solemnly look down at your hands, "I'll discuss this with him later, she's just his secretary. There's also the possibility he's treating her to something."

How naive.

Shoko could sense the slight doubt in your tone, like you were trying to comfort yourself, trying to hang on to the last bit of hope you had.

Denial.

Betrayal.

Rage.

Are all emotions you should be feeling, emotions Shoko wanted you to feel. She wanted you to kick and scream, to cause a scene, to slap Gojo across his face, to make him feel some sort of pain or regret for his actions. There are so many people out there who would treat you better, who deserved you more than he did.

"And what if it's more than that? What if, there's more to it that you think," Shoko looked at you sternly.

Just what was she getting at?

Nervous.

That's how Gojo felt as he looked though the menu, sneaking glances at the woman infront of him. "Excuse me," he called out to the waitress nearby, "we're ready to order." She stood infront of them, "One latte with extra sugar, and 2 chocolate donuts for me," he motioned towards Kira, "Just some tea please."

They set down their menus as the waitress walked away, an awkward silence surrounding them. "If it's a girl," Kira spoke softly, "I want to name her Hanako, and if it's a boy, I'd name him Haru or Kazuya, unless you have some suggestions?" Gojo covered his face with his palms and sighed, "What if, what if I don't want the baby."

Kira froze, staring at him in shock, later braking into soft smile, "Even if you didn't want the baby still keep it." "Here your order," the waitress interrupted, placing down their order. Gojo watched for a moment as she walked away, turning back to Kira. From where he sat, the light hit her perfectly, illuminating her brown eyes and soft brown hair.

What would a child between us look like?

...

He scolded himself mentally for thinking such thoughts. He sipped his coffee, deciding it needed more sugar. "I have an appointment next Wednesday," she took a sip of her tea, "to find out the gender. If you want to come I can send you the details." Gojo took a bite of his donut and leaned back in the chair, "Sure, I might be able to make it. Just send me the details anyway."

"Okay," Kira smiled softly at him, his heart beating a little faster. Maybe he'll let himself feel this for a moment, just a minute.

So he smiled in return.

"Nanami," you rested your head on his shoulder, "a friend of mine asked me for advice. She said her boyfriend had been acting strange and that when she went to a cafe, she saw him with another woman, but that woman works for him. How would you feel in her situation." He stared down at you, you looked confused and on the verge of tears, "I'd try to communicate my worries to them first before taking any actions, if I still feel unsure, I'd ask to look through his phone, or maybe I'd talk to his friends," he paused, "Actually, I'm not to sure about the phone part."

You lifted your head off his shoulder and turned to him, "You always give such good advice Nanami. I feel like I could come to you for anything." He chuckled, "So that story was about you. Are you okay," he rested his hand atop your head, comforting you. Tears welled up in your eyes, Nanami was a special comfort to you.

Tears began spilling from your eyes, frustration, confusion, unjust betrayal. Everything you were feeling from these past weeks was released just by the mere presence of Nanami. He pulled you do his chest, patting your head as you cried.

He was so warm.

His smell, his voice, his warmth.

All comforted you.

<-previous next->

Tag list:

@reapersimps @brumous11 @stillintheupsidedown @shaylove418 @voldimir @soda-rin @kiwibao

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creweemmaeec11 · 3 years

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Hi! Could you please write on this prompt if you're comfortable with it? It would mean a lot! No pressure!!

(Too pure for this world and a lil naive) Hero, who does something really selfless for the (Big Bad) Villian. And villian who never really experienced people being nice to them, then vows to protect their lil' cinnamon roll hero forever. Then once they witness supervillain, or another villian taking advantage of hero's kindness into something bad, rushes to stop them, but too late, the damage has already happened. Now it's up to the villian to nurse them thru their worsening mental health, (OBV. THRU LOADS OF KISSES AND CUDDLES AND LIL PRAISES;) and get their sunshine of a hero back!!

I hope you don't mind? Sorry if it's wayy too specific 😅 had this idea for a really long time but couldn't think further...

A Story of Starfish

The hero flinched, sucking in a sharp breath at the pain.

"I know, I know," the villain soothed from behind, continuing to clean the hero's wound as gently as they could, "I'm almost done, you're doing great,"

"Don't patronize me," the hero hissed through gritted teeth.

"I'm not," the villain replied earnestly finishing the last stitch, "I mean it. Not many people would be able to stay this still,"

The hero didn't reply, instead tightening their grip on the edge of the tabletop, hanging their head.

A few minutes later, the villain finished dressing the other's wounds.

They rounded the table just in time to see a silent tear fall from the hero's eye.

It broke the villain's stone-cold heart. Made in feel heavy and empty inside. Before the hero, it was a sensation they didn't think possible for them to feel.

But now...?

They stepped forward, slowly raising a hand to either side of the hero's head, gently twining their fingers into the other's hair as they guided the other forward to rest their forehead against the villain's chest.

"Shhhh" the criminal whispered softly into the crown of the other's head, voice muffled by the hero's hair. Gently, the villain's fingers began drawing perfect light circles against the hero's scalp, "you're okay, I've got you,"

The hero shivered, leaning into the touch.

They still hadn't spoken about whatever had happened with supervillain. The villain wasn't sure they wanted to know what had left the city's hero in this state.

The problem, was that aside from a couple nasty scratches and other injuries, the hero wasn't all that terribly hurt. At least not as much as one would imagine when dealing with a supervillain.

So what was it they'd said to the hero to leave them like this?

They were also jumping at practically anything, as if scared of their own shadow. The worst part was noticing how frustrated the *hero* seemed to be over that particular development, as if admitting they were afraid only made them angrier at themselves.

Part of the villain hated themselves for not getting there sooner, before it had even happened.

A few minutes of unmoving silence passed, the only noise being the soft comforts whispered or the smallest sniffle.

That's when the villain realized the hero was starting to lean more and more heavily against them.

"You should try and get some sleep,"

The response came in the barely discernable shake of the hero's head.

"Hero you're hurt, you need-"

"Don't want to be alone," the hero grumbled under their breath.

The villain hummed.

"Would it help if I laid down next to you?"

The hero pulled back at that, sitting up again, surprised at the casualness of the offer.

"You'd do that?" they asked quietly, the hint of hope in their voice obvious.

"For you," the villain replied honestly, trying for something like a soft smile. Reaching up, they used their thumb to wipe away the remaining tears on the other's face.

They spoke like it was that simple, but- perhaps that's what made it feel that simple.

A slight pink dusted the hero's cheeks and they nodded, "o-okay,"

Sleep did sound amazing. Safe sleep sounded even better.

The villain didn't say anything, extending their hand out. The hero realized what they were offering, and it only made them blush more. It was stupid, they shouldn't need such a stupid thing to feel better- and yet...

They reciprocated, taking and holding the villain's hand as they lead the hero through a few different corridors of their facility. The pair got into a coded elevator, which opened to...

"Is this your room?" the hero asked, a mix of surprise and almost wonder.

"I thought you'd feel safer behind the coded doors, and my room is much nicer than our guest rooms but if you're uncomfortable-"

"No, no," the hero cut them off, offering a smile, "I wanted to say I liked it,"

The villain smiled faintly.

*They were still holding the villain's hand*

Shyly, the hero let go, wringing their own hands together nervously. The villain had to bite back a laugh.

The next few minutes were spent getting the hero into some clean, fresh pyjamas, which, to ensure they didn't rip any of their stitches, required a little bit of extra help. Much to the hero's chagrin.

"I thought you were going to lay with me?" The hero asked after getting into bed, a note of panic in their voice.

"I am, I am, I'm just going to go get another blanket-"

"You have a king bed," the hero replied in amusement, "we can share the blanket,"

The villain gave a small defeated smile, "Okay. Would you like me to turn off the lights?"

"Y-yeah, but leave a small light on?" They asked meekly.

The criminal nodded and shut off the lights, leaving only the small desk lamp in the corner before crawling into the other side of the bed.

The following few minutes of silence was eventually broken by a shy, quiet question.

"Can I come closer?"

In the dark, it felt easier to ask.

The villain turned their head, glancing over toward the hero, who was peering up at them. The look reminded the villain of a child who was asking to sleep with their parents after having a nightmare. It was obvious the hero meant more than just shuffling over a little.

A small smile broke out on their face as they opened their arms, "come here," the villain instructed.

They'd barely managed to get the words out of their mouth before the hero basically lunged at them, snuggling just about as close as they could get.

The villain only sighed and held them closer, as if to protect them from the world.

"Hey, hero?" The criminal asked after another few minutes of silence.

"Hmm?"

"What happened with supervillain?"

The hero in their arms immediately tensed.

"Shh," the villain hushed, rubbing the hero's arm comfortingly, "You're alright, we're just talking,"

The hero took a deep breath, shuffling slightly, "They made me realize how pointless being a hero is,"

This time, it was the villain who stilled, "what do you mean?"

"It's just- I'm never going to be enough. No matter how hard I try people are going to die, crimes are going to be committed. Even if I get to a location in time, there could be another robbery across town happening in the same moment. I'm only one person, in a city full of crime and accidents. It's pointless,"

The villain glanced down when they felt a dampness in their shirt, realizing the hero had started tearing up again.

"You saved my life," the villain replied quietly, "Do you think that was pointless?

"No of course not! It's not about that, it's about the bigger picture!" The hero snapped, wiping at their eyes angrily, "No matter what I do, or how many bank robberies I stop, there will always be another one, even long after I'm dead. It's like throwing a thimble of water on a bonfire. It'll never make a difference,"

The villain hummed quietly, twining their fingers through the other's hair as they considered the hero's words.

"I heard a story, once, about an old fisherman who lived in a small village along the coastline,"

The hero peered up at them in confusion at the abrupt change of subject.

"It was early spring, and there was a forecast for a hurricane, so he tied up his boat at the harbour at went home for the night. The next morning, on the way to the dock he noticed the beach was covered in starfish. They had come into the shallow water to breed for the spring but the rough waves of the hurricane had washed them all out of the water and left them to dry out in the sun. There were hundreds littered along the coast,"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Just listen" the villain shushed, brushing a strand of hair out of the hero's eyes before continuing, "knowing there were way too many, the man was about to continue to his boat when he noticed a young boy on the beach. Upon closer inspection, he realized the boy was throwing starfish back into the water one by one,"

"But I thought there were too many?"

"There were,"

"So why is he bothering?"

"Well, that's exactly what the fisherman asks as he approached. He told the boy his efforts wouldn't make a difference. The boy turned to him and replied, "but it made a difference for that one, and this one, and this one too," he explained as he continued tossing them in,"

The hero was suddenly very quiet.

"But a couple starfish won't change anything, hundreds are still going to die," the fisherman argued. The boy agreed that the man was right, "for all of them, it will change nothing, but for some, well, for some of them it will change everything, and that will always be better than nothing,"

The criminal glanced down, noticing the hero was simply staring off into space.

"You're right that you will never change the world, not for everyone," the villain continued, "but that doesn't mean you can't change the world for someone,"

The hero was sniffling softly again, loosely holding onto the villain's shirt as if it were a teddy bear and not a monster they were cuddled up to.

"You saved my life," the villain reminded, "Certain people might even say that made the world worse. Out of all the starfish on the beach, you choose the poisonous one to throw back in, and I can tell you that meant a lot to me, as well as the rest of the starfish you've saved. What you do isn't pointless,"

Suddenly the hero snuggled into them even more- somehow.

"Thank you," they said quietly, "For that and- well- for all of this, and for not making fun of me either,"

The words "your welcome," seemed to catch in the villain's throat. Saying the words felt wrong. *They* should be the one thanking the hero, not the other way around. They didn't *deserve* a thank you from anyone, let alone the maddening creature practically on top of them.

"Close your eyes and try to get some sleep, you need it," the villain said instead, tucking a strand of hair behind the hero's ear, watching their eyes flutter closed, "I'll be here,"

Silence fell over the room, with nothing more than the patter of rain on the window and the soft sounds of breathing for a few minutes.

Finally, the hero spoke again, "Saving your life might not have made the whole world better," they said quietly, muttering and half asleep, "but it definitely made *my* world better, poisonous barbs and all,"

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