#not everything needs to include the group you belong to specifically

[milaisreading]

I will be his Valentine... right?

AN: This was kind of a suggestion from @chxxrybxxmb and I found it fun to write! Hope u like it!

Warnings: Reader uses she/her, but since she is crossdressing, the guys use he/him. Requests are open

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura ⚽️

It was the night before Valentine's Day, and the boys at Blue Lock for the first time were invested in the day. Emotions were high and the tension was all over the place in the 5 stratums. Everyone was either nervous or excited about the upcoming holiday, excited to give their gift to a certain captain, who looked dead inside half of the time. Currently, it was bedtime for the players, and while most of the were asleep, the captain included, a certain group of people was wide awake and talking... as civiliy as possible.

German stratum🇩🇪

"What did you get for (Y/n)? I found this chocolate brand he wanted to try for a while." Hiori grinned as he showed off the box, the rest of the group looking at their wrapped up items.

"A-ah... I found a perfume and some other things I know he would like." Isagi said as he glanced at his present. He pretty much lied on that one. He remembered (Y/n) say how she wanted to try out make-up and mentioned a specific brand, but couldn't get it because her parents would get rid of it if they found it. So, he went and bought it when they had a day off. Yukimiya nodded his head and looked down at his present, which was wrapped up in pink and silver wrapping paper.

"I found some limited edition plushie at the Sanrio store. He did say he liked those items. I was lucky since it was the last one."

"I heard him mention he likes collecting sport cards. So I got them and an album where he can store it." Kurona added in, smiling proudly as Gagamaru remembered his present that was back in his room.

"I got him flowers! Heard roses are a good gift for Valentine's Day."

"My sister said something to keep your loved one warm is the best gift, so I got him a scarf." Kunigami chimed in as they all looked at each other. Silence fell among the players as they eyed the presents that were in the room.

"He will be my Valentine, just so you know." Yukimiya smiled, causing the rest to look at him in bewilderment.

"What? My present is clearly the best."

"No way! (Y/n) will be my Valentine! My present is a 100x better!" Isagi glared at the model, earning tsk sounds from Hiori and Kunigami.

"I am clearly the best pick here. (Y/n) needs someone who is gentle and calm."

"Oh please, Hiori. We all know that your facade doesn't work on anyone. You can't fool me. (Y/n) would probably want someone who is more reliable like me." Kunigami rolled his eyes as the cyan-haired boy looked at him while smiling.

"Didn't hear you correctly, muscle head. Repeat that."

"I am a good pick, as well! I know that! I know that!" Kurona added in as Gagamaru frowned a little.

"(Y/n) would like my gift way more. Plus, the two of us have more in common. I am a better pick."

French stratum 🇫🇷

"What did you just say, bird head?!" Rin yelled out as he looked at Karasu, who sported his signature smirk as Tokimitsu tried to calm Rin down.

"I saaaiiddd," Karasu said in a condescending manner, annoying Rin even further.

"I am going to be (Y/n)'s Valentine. I bought the best gift for him. He is closer to me than to you. And, we get each other's humor more. What do you two have in common, again?" Karasu's smirk widened as Rin's face turned redder.

"You?! You are literally beneath him. You can't even dribble the ball properly. Why would (Y/n) pick you? If anything, I am the number 1 pick."

"Not everything is about football." Tokimitsu chimed in, a little annoyed by the two of them.

"I am sure he connects with me the most. You know, not everything is about football skills. Sometimes personality wins." This sparked a even louder argument between the trio, each one of them trying to say why they are the ones (Y/n) would want.

Italian stratum 🇮🇹

Niko nervously wrapped up the gift he prepared for (Y/n) as Aryu and Barou were having their own conversation... more like mini argument. It started off as a calm conversation between the older two, but soon turned sour as they tried to justify why (Y/n) would pick just one of them.

"I am the one (Y/n) is closest to. Why would he pick a drama queen like you? Also, I bought a better gift." Barou glared at Aryu, who just rolled his eyes.

"It's not about the gift, Barou. It's about who makes (Y/n) feel the most comfortable and happiest, and that's obviously me. I always give him my skincare, always share my food with him. I have a way better chance." Aryu chuckled as Barou's face turned red in anger.

"I do way more for him that you do! He likes me more, just give it up."

"Over my dead body."

As the two continued arguing, Niko finished packing up the present. A small smile and blush decorating his face as he thought of the captain.

'I hope he likes it. It's the least I could do after he scared those bullies away that one time...'

English stratum 🏴󐁧󐁢󐁥󐁮󐁧󐁿

"Chigiri, I need you to be so serious right now and leave (Y/n) alone." Reo said, sending Chigiri a fake smile, something that the redhead returned to him.

"I am serious right now, Reo. (Y/n) wants me around, and probably would pick me to be his Valentine over you any day. After all, I am not the one who tried to throw him away as friend." Reo flinched a little from the last remark, but quickly recovered.

"We, as in Nagi, (Y/n), and I made up already. Stop being mad on his behalf. And even so, he knows me the best. Of course he will pick me as his Valentine. And I will make sure to rub that in your face tomorrow."

Chigiri's eye twitched for a moment as he saw the billionaire's smirk.

"(Y/n) preferes personality, Mikage. Something you don't have."

"You little bastard..." The two started shouting at each other while Nagi was sleeping soundly on his bed while hugging one of his pillows. In his dreams, it was already Valentine's Day, and he was out on a date with (Y/n) while he made sure to rub his victory into his teammates' faces.

Spanish stratum 🇪🇸

The atmosphere between Otoya and Bachira was surprisingly calm for the most part. Bachira was in his corner and Otoya was in his. Both were either preparing their speech tomorrow or making finishing touches on the packaging. Bachira smiled warmly as he looked at his present, already imagining (Y/n)'s reaction.

'Bachira, this is the best gift I could have gotten! Of course I will be your Valentine!' The boy giggled as be imagined the scenario.

Meanwhile, Otoya could feel his heart racing as he thought of all the possible outcomes. He can't really remember when the last time was that he was invested in the holiday.

'You are the best, Otoya! This is so sweet! Of course I will date you!' The boy sighed dreamily at the thought.

"(Y/n) will definitely be my Valentine." The duo said at the same time, causing them to look at each other.

"What did you just say?!"

"No! What did you just say?!"

The next day, the air in the dining hall was pretty tense as they waited for (Y/n) to come and eat breakfast. The Blue Lock team tried to stay calm and subtle, but prepared themselves to fight each other to be by (Y/n)'s side as soon as she walks in.

"Hmm? What's up with you all?" Loki wondered as he left his table to go talk with Rin, Karasu, and Tokimitsu.

"Nothing-" Karasu spoke up, but stopped himself as he saw (Y/n) walk in, holding a beige wrapped present.

'A gift?! For who?!' The team wondered, excited to see who will get it.

"Hmm? Good morning, you all! Hope you slept well." (Y/n) smiled at the team before walking over to where Loki was.

"Happy Valentine's Day! Here, hope you like it!" She cheered while giving Loki the present. The French prodigy smiled as he took it, then started guiding (Y/n) out of the dining hall.

"Thank you. My present for you is back at my stratum. Let's go and get it."

The team watched in horror and confusion as (Y/n) got taken away by Loki... Julian Loki of all people! How could they compete with him?!

'No way...'

'Why him?! Why not me?!'

'I knew (Y/n) for way longer than that guy! This isn't fair.'

The team gulped, sending each other frantic looks. They couldn't lose their captain like this!

"We need to separate them. As soon as possible." Rin spoke up as he slammed his hand against the table, earning nods from the rest.

#bllk #blue lock anime #blue lock manga #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #blue lock scenarios #isagi yoichi #crossdressing #reo mikage #chigiri hyoma #kunigami rensuke #rin itoshi #nagi seishiro #yukimiya kenyu #karasu tabito #otoya eita #barou shouei #aryu jyubei #blue lock tokimitsu #kurona ranze #hiori yo #gin gagamaru #niko ikki #julian loki #blue lock requests

[to-eat-laugh-love-in-peace]

You know what drives me absolutely insane about Tristamp, something that is specifically emphasized in ep 8, it’s the existence of different accounts about someone or something surviving even in the wake of the most devastating of disasters, this being the Big Fall, as seen with Brad having brought back to Ship 3 the black box, and Rem’s belongings, which include a few photos of her, Vash, and Nai, and A JOURNAL, something I desperately wish that we get to see the contents of in S2, maybe in a flashback by Luida and/or Brad, or maybe in present day by Meryl, like I wonder if she wrote in code or in a different language to make it a little harder to decipher if anyone else got their hands on it, if the accounts in her journal start before she joined the SEEDS Projects and boarded Ship 5, like when her boyfriend Alex was still alive, or if they start after she boarded Ship 5 to chronicle her journey alongside what remains of humanity across the stars in search of a new planet to inhabit, or maybe if they even started when she discovered Tesla and Conrad and the rest of his group of Plant specialists began to tear her body apart in the name of science not long after that, since she was one of, or maybe the only one in Tristamp, the few who protested against the group’s treatment of Tesla only for her to be ignored, so it could have been a way for her to express and process her thoughts, feelings, and experiences throughout the whole ordeal.

(I STILL like to think that this recording pad she used to film Vash and Nai's first birthday somehow survived the Big Fall even if it wasn't shown along with the rest of her belongings that Brad recovered from Ship 5, if only because there's quite a bit of emphasis put into it with the framing of the scene and all, though who knows maybe it was just a way for Studio Orange to make a smooth and believable transition between a flashback and present day but I still have hope.) And then there’s Vash who’s also shown writing on a journal of his own, another thing that I also desperately wish to see the contents of in S2, in his room prior to Luida coming in to give him his red coat. With Luida going off to bring Vash back to Ship 3, leaving Brad to do some much needed self-reflection on the choices he’s made and the actions he’s taken, I wonder if, since he was looking through his things in hopes of finding some sort of clue he left behind about the other Independent, he actually took a look at it, and on the off chance that Vash hadn’t written his accounts in code or in another language, maybe he would have been able to read Vash’s own thoughts, feelings, and experiences throughout his time on Ship 3, the Big Fall, his time with Rem and Nai on Ship 5, maybe even his discovery of Tesla, and everything that had gone down with Rem right after that.

Back on the topic Ship 5’s black box Brad had recovered from the ruins, and repaired 5 years after the Big Fall, I noticed that when he and Luida were listening to the audio recording, HE MUTES THE RECORDING RIGHT AFTER NAI SAYS THAT VASH WAS HIS ACCOMPLICE SINCE HE WAS THE ONE WHO GAVE HIM THE ACCESS CODES. With how people have pointed out how Studio Orange likes to play with unreliable narrators like Vash omitting the fact that he was the one who gave Nai the access code which made Nai’s claim that he was his accomplice in the Big Fall in episode 1 more plausible for example, this has to imply that there was more to be said in that audio recording and if Brad hadn’t muted it to fixate on the fact that Vash lied to them about the other Independent being alive and come to the conclusion that he had been lying to them this entire time, that he was never on the side of humanity to begin with, then things might have gone as badly as they did, maybe Vash wouldn’t have ran away from Ship 3 to find Nai on his own, maybe he wouldn’t have had to lose his arm to keep him and the everyone else in the scene from being swallowed by his gate. @tristampparty

#Trigun #Tristamp #Trigun Stampede #tristampparty #Brad #Luida Leitner #Rem Saverem #Vash the Stampede #Vash Saverem #Millions Knives #Nai Saverem #This is NOT the last post I will be making on this topic #I have SO much more to say on about this #The only thing that held me back from including all of it in one post was the image count #Will be making a least one more post about this and it will focus more heavily on Tesla and will obviously involve a lot of Trimax spoilers #God i hope Brad took the time to listen to the rest of the audio recording after Luida left to find Vash and we get to hear it too in S2

[drowsystarlight]

I like the idea of Death the Kid having a walk-in closet full of pristine branded clothes (honestly a Special kind bc he values style and comfort). He’s rich and lives in a Mansion with multiple rooms. Suits are his casual attire and he’s just that type of person. He never needed a material thing that he couldn’t just get. He can buy that shit. If a dress shirt ceases being symmetrical? Ditch it. Buy a new one. His customized blazer got damaged? Replace it. Easy. No son of Death would wear anything less than perfect.

Meanwhile, Blackstar is the type to keep the same five pairs of clothes until they’re literally breaking down at each seam.

Tsubaki even has to beg him to buy new stuff, or gift it to him on birthdays (even those ones get worn down for years, too). He grew up under Sid’s care and i bet he never had the luxurious life Kid had. Maybe Sid bought him clothes out of his own salary as a teacher and Blackstar knew that, so he treasures the clothes he gets. Assassin clothes, hand wraps, tank tops, sleep attire, old hand-me-downs get cut up and recycled into bandages or wraps for training, etc. Maybe he knows how to sew because he wanted to keep wearing a specific star-filled tank top Sid got him for his 13th birthday, so he asked Nygus to teach him. He wasn’t good at it at first but hey, practice eventually makes perfect. When he goes to missions and fights, he repairs the damage in his clothes. He’ll keep wearing the same shit until it gives up on him and even then, he really doesn’t want to let it go. Shoes are his worst nightmare because all his running wears it down fast.

It’s easy to write him off as a slob. Blackstar wore nothing formal; he looked like shit when he tried, too, slobbering for food when he attended the Academy’s founding anniversary. The boy didn’t know class, or finesse, or elegance. Everything he did screamed fucking reckless and immature. Obnoxious. It showed in his clothes, tattered as they are—because why else would it be so worn down if he was a careful man?

Being friends doesn’t exactly erase the impression, but it opens a bridge to ask. When Kid finally asks Blackstar why he circles through the same two tank tops whenever the group hung out outside the school, he’d say he liked the star designs. It suits me, he’d brag, and Kid is just jealous of his great clothing sense. Typical. But Maka eventually, secretly, tells Kid it’s just a special top because he’s had it since the both of them were twelve (everyone knows Blackstar would rather eat dirt than admit to being attached to things). Sentimental and Blackstar didn’t feel like they belong in the same sentence, but that thought felt odd now that he knew. Especially after he sees him discreetly check the stitches after an intense basketball match.

Death the Kid would notice every new stitch on Blackstar’s uniform after a mission since then. From afar, you don’t see it because it’s hidden well, but up close (maybe when they’re sparring, or sitting next to each other, or that day when Blackstar carried him through Excalibur’s wretched cave—though he foolishly shrugged that off). He can see it if he paid attention long enough, if Blackstar doesn’t move around too much for a moment. Stitches on top of old fixes, or the odd bits of his tank top turning out to be patches he couldn’t really hide. When he points it out again, they’re alone together and Blackstar happily shows it off (“I’m the best at everything, including sewing! Marvel at my craft!”). Kid admits ti thinking he’s a slob, and then the man would proceed to poke and prod at him for his branded stuff. There’s a reason why everyone saw him as a spoiled brat, after all; on the walk home that day, he ponders if he really is. (Liz and Patty say yes.)

Maybe it only really hits Kid, how much he’s really changed, when he lends Blackstar some pajamas after a gnarly night fighting against kishin eggs. Blackstar refused until he shoved the soft, flawless cotton in the man’s hands—told him to shut up and What, so the great Blackstar can’t handle wearing neat pajamas? He’s only ever seen him in tank tops but the sleeves didn’t seem to be the source of Blackstar’s discomfort. Having a spontaneous sleepover with the others, having Patty cause chaos in the name of fun—their antics eventually result into a rip of threads that only Blackstar seemed to be startled by. He apologizes as he returns it the next day, early in the morning, as neatly folded and packed in a paperbag as he could. Maybe Tsubaki did the folding. Blackstar is shit at folding clothes or wearing stuff that weren’t creased to hell and back.

But by then, even if there’s a stitch on only one sleeve, Kid keeps it. Seeing it makes him smile. The damage was repaired with a star-shaped stitch—(how did he even do that?), but he doesn’t wear it yet. He tells himself it would drive him insane, knowing something is off, but he hangs it with his other clothes. He didn’t need to replace it this time; Blackstar fixed it, and it wasn’t ruined. It’s better.

#soul eater #blackstar #death the kid #deathstar #kidstar #idk #also has the others but i am lazy #neeks writes #….???? #this was a random idea that got out of hand #LOL #leave it to me to be carried away #beep dee doo

[aalghul]

Nice post about Roy I like how kind your response was. But yeah as a Roy fan I find the idea that he would hate anyone but the man who killed his daughter to be silly. Cause like thing is Roy has a line till he doesn’t. Like you said Roy draws a line for himself with Cheshire but he never ever 100 percent commits. Even after the bombing and her holding a gun to Lian and threatening to shoot her while trying to escape prison, in his time with the League he still is hinted to love her and still lets Lian visit her. Flash forward to now they are still on again off again lovers/enemies. The old Titans ‘Roy breaks up with Cheshire’ story was written like it was the full end of their relationship but DC loves that concept and in comics they will always come back.

With Mia or people hurting his family Roy would not care at the end of the day unless that family member died sorry. Roy forgave a woman who babysat Lian and helped terrorists kidnap her and then broke his leg in an attempt to kill Cheshire. No he didn’t just forgive her he offered to let her keep babysitting Lian saying he didn’t think he had the right to judge anyone.

People other than Roy say he belongs in the light but Roy kind of hates that about himself and actively denies and resists it because he thinks the dirty work is the real important work. He worked in fantasy superhero CIA for years and even killed for them, left and made the Outsiders, initially didn’t want to leave and basically stayed till the last second till his mental health gave in, joined the League and didn’t actually have a great time with the group or ever really believe he belonged, had a horrible ending with that group and became a straight up villain after the ROA fiasco and worked on a team of villains all of whom except Slade he expressed some sort of sympathy for.

Roy just doesn’t give up on people and kind of really wants to do antihero work and tries to again and again. The age/maturity thing kind of gets it but that only matters where you connect Roy and Jason, they are peers and work together in some fashion off screen for a year in Outsiders, put a ROA recovering villain Roy with really any post UTRH Jason save Morrison Jason and you could write an intergenerational friendship arc easy.

People forget but before 52 first started a lot of people wanted a Jason Roy book. It was floated around as an idea for ages and rumor was even Winick made a pitch but can’t confirm. When 52 was first announced a lot of people thought not only that RHATO made sense and only Kory didn’t belong but thought the comic had real potential. And really it might have since Roy and Cheshire at one point would not have made sense for either character and notably everything about their relationship happened off screen. We give things a pass because of how well the stories are written. I think most issues with comics are people moralizing about the characters and saying they would never do this or that when 9 times out of 10 the writer just shat over the execution of a concept and the writing as is was shit.

-- i’m just going to include my thoughts down here --

I agree with everything you said about Roy just not being the person who holds a lot of hatred for people. He comes off as strict and even angry sometimes, but at heart, he’s one of the most understanding characters.

I always took Roy’s failed attempts at being an anti-hero as proof that it’s not what he’s meant to do. He keeps trying because he sees his sympathy and desire to do more as a sign that he needs to get his hands dirtier, but each time leaves him with the realization that he can’t be doing that type of work. He was reluctant to leave the Outsiders because he didn’t want to abandon them, that’s why he does leave as soon as Ollie provides funding for them (which he also does specifically because he knows Roy wouldn’t leave, no matter how much he wanted to, otherwise). The Outsiders did end in Roy himself realizing he couldn’t stay there.

I think Roy has always worked best in the various Titans teams he’s been part of. Unfortunately, Teen Titans (2003) set a new status quo with enough of the original Titans leaving and the team working under the leadership of younger members even when more experienced Titans were present. So we could never really go back to the titans as they were in any of the iterations prior to that.

I don’t think Jason and Roy worked together for a whole year; it was just Jason reaching out to Dick, and then subsequently teaming up with him and Roy to give them information of Black Lightning. Which definitely worked to let Roy know the type of person that Jason is (i.e. not a villain), but it was also very much through Dick, so it would again be a reminder of the time that Jason, as a child, teamed up with Roy and the others. Roy’s affinity to taking a guiding role when he works with team members significantly younger than him is just such an important part of who he is that I can’t get past it. I don’t mean to say that Roy’s going to treat Jason like a child, but that there’s going to be a significant gap between their friendship as compared to the friendship that post-flashpoint gave them. Roy is just at a completely different stage from Jason, who is essentially just beginning to catch up on life as a teenager. That difference can’t be ignored easily.

I didn’t read comics back then (and was also a very little kid lol) so I didn’t know about that being something people wanted back then! It must be disappointing to see how it’s turned out.

At the end of the day, I personally think that Roy and Jason could work together very well short-term, and then it would have to end in them walking their separate ways because Roy can never stay in the dark too long, whether he admits it or not. I get what you’re saying about good execution making all the difference, though! I just want to stay as consistent to Roy’s character as possible, so Jason and Roy as best friends/a long-term anti-hero duo never quite works out.

#submited by #anonroyfan #and there is also the fact that a lot of roy's writing post lian's death was just. bad. lazy at many parts #i hope this is coherent bc there are a lot of words and i proof read none of them

[door]

Knives Out Reference Guide

hello it’s your friendly neighborhood obsessive murder mystery fan here. the knives out films are delightful for a number of reasons, one of which is that rian johnson is a huuuuuge movie nerd and loves to include references and hat tips in his films. i have had great fun recognizing those references, so here is a little guide! some of this is based on things johnson has said and some of it on my own observations. i’ll indicate which is which for the purists.

first off, if you’re not interested in having these pointed out to you but want a viewing list, here it is! i’ll put everything else under a cut (which will have glass onion spoilers, so beware). these are great movies for knives out reasons but also for normal film reasons, and i highly recommend them.

Sleuth (1972) Death on the Nile (1978) The Last of Sheila (1973) Evil Under the Sun (1982)

First off: Benoit Blanc himself.

Blanc is very clearly meant to be an homage to gentlemen sleuths of the past, and Johnson even gives us a clue as to which gentleman sleuth he was thinking of with Blanc, with his Southern gentleman amidst the Northerners aping Hercule Poirot’s Belgian-amongst-the-Brits. Johnson has also said that Peter Ustinov is his favourite portrayer of Poirot (fun fact: he was also Agatha Christie’s!--not that she lived to see David Suchet take on the role), and personally I think having Blanc direct the questioning from the piano in Knives Out was an echo of Poirot at the piano in a similar scene in Death on the Nile.

That said, I think there’s a lot of Miss Marple (and Jessica Fletcher, who is herself a modern Miss Marple) in Blanc. The way he has a tendency to observe while deputizing a younger assistant to do the actual snooping for him is very Jane Marple. And he weaponizes the lil-ol’-me Southern gentleman act in much the way Marple made use of the assumptions people in her day and age had about retiring spinsters.

now let’s get into the FILMS. the first one is easy, because it’s really just Sleuth. (1972. i cannot stress this enough--Sleuth 1972.) it does not share a plot, but Knives Out is clearly paying a lot of tribute. Sleuth is a film in which two men, one older and richer and laurence olivier and the other younger and poorer and michael caine, attempt to outwit one another in order to win the woman they both love but who we never see (and yes it’s very very homoerotic). (fun fact: Sleuth was originally a play by Anthony Schaffer--who also wrote the screenplay for Death on the Nile!--who based the elder character in part on Stephen Sondheim, who loved to play games.) it’s set entirely inside the rambling manor house belonging to olivier’s character, a mystery writer, and it’s full of figurines and automatons, and otherwise weird old shit. you seeing how this lines up?

there’s even a very direct tribute in the form of the sailor you see almost immediately in the film.

however, aside from the setting and the blueprint for harlan’s character, there aren’t a lot of similarities between Knives Out and Sleuth. Knives Out is much more a play on general mystery tropes than it is a specific mystery movie.

Glass Onion is very much the opposite.

(FROM THIS POINT ON, GLASS ONION SPOILERS ABOUND)

Glass Onion is playing very deliberately on The Last of Sheila. The Last of Sheila (written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim name a more iconic duo i’ll wait) is about a wealthy and powerful man who invites a group of old friends onto his yacht (”Sheila”) in order to play a series of games (i see u Stephen) and perhaps solve a mystery? (the mystery is who killed his wife, Sheila.) The friends all come in spite of misgivings because they all need something from their host.

Glass Onion is about a wealthy and powerful man who invites a group of old friends onto his private island in order to play a game and solve a mystery (the mystery is who “killed” him). the friends all come in spite of misgivings because they all need something from their host.

so you see what’s he’s done there.

it’s a very loving tribute, and johnson has put his own distinctive spin on it, both with the addition of a detective who nobody expected to be there, as well as the inexperienced assistant whom he’s deputized. but unlike your typical watson and very like marta’s character in Knives Out, helen in Glass Onion has a huge personal stake in solving the mystery. also, of course, Miles is a very specific, recognizable piece of shit.

but door, you might be saying, because you have very closely read this post for some reason, what about Evil Under the Sun? oh, i am so glad you asked!

Evil Under the Sun is another Ustinov Poirot mystery, set in a resort on a private island. The trappings of Glass Onion owe much to it, from the luxury getaway setting (complete with swim fits), to the opportunity to have your characters dress for cocktails, to the “hourly dong” (based on Evil’s “hourly gun”). oh, and i know this was deliberate:

so! that’s what i’ve got! if you noticed other things i missed (i’ve only seen Glass Onion once at this point), please let me know! 

#here it is ashleigh! #enjoy! #knives out #glass onion #glass onion spoilers #murder mysteries #rian johnson be my penpal challenge

[autism-alley]

augh found my old post abt pjo and disability from before the show came out but it was on ye olde blog so i’m literally just gonna copy and paste, 3, 2, 1—

ok now that i’ve got it on the brain, i want to talk about disability in pjo and specifically how calling percy jackson dumb or treating him as such is not only a mischaracterization, but ableism. as a quick note, i’m keeping this to just percy to avoid having this already long post be even longer, but there are other disabled characters in pjo worthy of discussion, though i hit many of the same points in this post. i bring up percy specifically because he is mostly the character i have seen people treat as stupid.

percy is a dyslexic teen with ADHD who comes from a low-income family, raised by a single mother, and deals with an abusive step-father. i cannot stress enough how much of his character is shaped by that experience, but as hard as it is to single out any one part, i am going to focus on his ADHD and dyslexia. this kid has nightmares of being forced to take tests in a straightjacket as teachers ask him if he’s stupid and withhold him from recess with his peers. he is constantly labelled as “troubled” and blamed for things he didn’t do or aren’t his fault. he is told, over and over again, even from trusted adults, that he is “not normal” (othering him). he bounces between schools. he struggles to make friends. he deals with bullying. he has difficulty studying and reading, even when invested. teachers struggle to connect with him and tend to just give up on him. these are real disabled experiences, and rick does a good job at presenting them in the pjo books. sometimes, it feels like everything is a struggle. you are living inside a system that not only is restricting, but actively works against and punishes you.

in contrast, CHB is a great example of how when environments meet the needs of disabled people, it hugely changes how disabled we are in that environment. demigod brains are hard-wired for ancient greek, not english, and they’re born impulsive, with high energy levels that help them survive battle—but aren’t very good for a classroom setting. but by having them read books in ancient greek, regularly do lots of training/physical activities, and have genuine opportunities to express themselves...they function pretty damn well. percy discovers that while he struggles academically, he is brilliant in combat and capable of saving the world numerous times—he is a hero. do you know how important that message is for disabled children? disabled adults, too? that we can be heroes?

it is here, in camp half-blood, that percy finds a place he belongs, that shows him his worth—finally, somewhere is built to not only include him, but to nurture and genuinely prepare him for the world outside its boarders. however, i think people forget that just because percy functions in the world of CHB and the gods, that does not mean he doesn’t face ableism in the mortal world—and that there is an entire group of people who see ourselves reflected in his character.

i could talk on for hours about how much being disabled shapes percy’s identity and how he interacts with the world—like how percy’s humor revolves around coping with his environment and actually displays a very low self esteem after being looked down upon his entire life. this kid doesn’t even have to say anything and he screams i had a neurodivergent childhood. but about 5-6 years ago, when i was more regularly tuned into the fandom, every time i saw someone call percy jackson dumb or an idiot, even jokingly, i raised an eyebrow, and now that the series is getting fresh coverage from disney+, i have wanted to make this post. so much of this kid’s life and personality comes from being treated like he’s dumb or incapable, so it’s troubling to watch part of the fanbase reflect the harmful parts of this character’s upbringing. i truly hope it does not become common again. it’s also one thing coming from a neurodivergent/disabled person with similar experiences (and even then i personally find it a little uncomfortable), it’s another to be said by a neurotypical/able bodied person.

percy jackson’s experiences make for very important representation, and for people to characterize him as just a goofy, unintelligent guy is not only an insult to his character as a kid who is intelligent, but previously lacked the environment to show it, but also ableist. so in the dawn of the new tv series era, i ask that we cut that shit out. rick riordan did not create rep for neurodivergent and disabled kids for them to be called stupid by the fanbase. even jokingly.

#anyways yea just had 2 bring this post back #in light of the new show i’d say i don’t think rick has made percy just a goofy airhead but #his and all demigods’ disabilities do feel kind of side lined #and it is disappointing #like. percy’s nightmares of school have made me cry. it breaks my heart especially as a ND kid who had similar nightmares #so yes when i see fans just echo the belief he’s been told all his childhood? infuriating #pjo show crit #pjo #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo show #ris raves

[fuck-you-showerthoughts]

hello, I apologize on the behalf of my fellow angry people in your inbox.

I'm also a little angry but I'm doing my best to put that aside because I'm trying to understand you. Please understand that I'm not trying to hurt you with this or anything. This comes from a place of genuine intrigue (while also kind of mad).

Why do you feel the need to define yourself using the transfem label? I get that you think of yourself as approaching femininity from a masculine start point. You said earlier that it's a different, new kind of femininity, like two different sodas. How? Why? From what I understand being a woman is not choosing a monolith out of a henge but instead just identifying with a group. Why are you getting out of the group only to return to a different part of the same group?

I know men and other bigender/multigender/etc people who started as men, fucked around with being a woman or nonbinary for a while and then either returned to masculinity or kept it as part of them. None that I know of insist of saying they're transmasc the way you do. [I have also seen afab people do the same thing, I'm not making this a birthgender thing, I just used this example somewhere else] I myself, during a period of my life "detransitioned" from transwoman to nonbinary and I did not consider myself transmasc for that.

My kneejerk reaction is of course "fuck you, get your effeminate hands off my special little word" [I'm making fun of myself] but after reading through everything you posted recently and thinking about shit I'm asking myself why. Why do they want the word?

possible answers include:

they just want it

internalized misogyny causing them to grow disillusioned with their previous identity as a woman but they still feel like one and wish to return to it under a new pretext

genuinely feels like they have disconnected entirely with womanhood while transistioning and wants to reconnect

I'm doing a shit job of summarizing my feelings on this, I apologize.

Also, why do you refer to yourself as a trans^4 multigenderqueer (hyperbole) but still have your pronouns listed as they/them.

off anon because I think people who hide behind it are cringe.

hello! thank you for such an excellent breakdown of your feelings, and for taking the time to think about your own emotions (completely sincerely, I had a similar journey like this a while ago and getting rid of first impressions is HARD). I think the main disconnect here is the idea of masculinity and femininity being separate (inherently and for me specifically) -- like i said in the answered ask before this, I'm already both a man and a woman, together, at the same time. This, for me, means that both of those aspects of me are trans simultaneously -- I use transfem while being afab because my femininity is trans. (The same would be true of my masculinity had I been amab)

I can't leave cisfemininity because I never belonged there in the first place, and I would never abandon being a girl altogether, so to me the obvious (and quite honestly only) conclusion is queer femininity (which naturally mtf trans women are an immediate part of). The bullet point explanation you've missed here is that I use transfem because it's simply the most accurate word I've found to describe my identity, and gender limiting things in 2024 of all times just doesn't make sense to me :]

(Also I have they/them because that's what I'm most comfortable being addressed as by *checks follower count* almost 20k people. I use different sets with different people -- but also sometimes expression is a lot simpler than identity haha)

#asks #mod talk

[colourstreakgryffin]

Random Hashira Post #4

Massive shoutout to the darling, @kindestwalkingmentalbreakdown for the scenario! All credit goes to her!

Hotel Vacation with the Hashira

Uzui Tengen

- Good luck keeping control of Tengen after he shoots off to the bar

- He becomes way too wild as he is waving his arms around and walking off, drunk out of his mind but laughing at the same time

- Tengen is very child-like in the hotel. He’s interested in everything he sees

- It may seem like Tengen is a regular at hotel but he actually is not. This would be his first trip to a hotel

- And he already loves it dearly! He got to help tune the DJ booth with the head DJ and he was thrilled

- Smooth talks the female bartenders and/or waitresses into flirting with each other. It’s harmless fun

Himejima Gyomei

- Once again, the caretaker/take-chargist of the Hashira

- He paid for the deluxe hotel experience(which includes the restaurant, the pool and etc.) and takes care of their belongings in their big-ass hotel room

- Gyomei smiles through the chaos. Unless something is going on that he needs to break up, he’ll be chilling and keeping a ear out for the nine whilst most likely reading

- He experiences gratitude very openly whilst attending the activities with the Hashira. He’ll make sure the staff know he is grateful

- Gyomei goes to bed a lot early then the rest of the Hashira and sleeps like a rock. You won’t be able to move him nor wake him up until next morning

- Enjoys the tours. The outside tours to nearby villages, sunset tours and more. Just hearing a soft-voiced staff tell him about the sights he can’t see, calms him down

Tomioka Giyuu

- Unless Shinobu quite literally drags him across the floor, Giyuu will spend all his time in the hotel room on his designated bed

- He’ll probably catch up on sleep or simply read. At least, he’ll be alone

- He isn’t hyped for socialisation so he’s dead quiet for the entire activity experience. He may respond to the staff and that’s it

- Would rather eat alone but is forced to be with the group at the restaurant by Shinobu

- Believe it or not but Giyuu goes to the Spa pretty much everyday during the Hashira’s vacation. It’s quiet, it’s warm and he gets free relaxing messages. He’s all for it

Kocho Shinobu

- Shinobu finds the hotel amusing all over. It’s interesting, she’ll join in

- Shinobu is a wine lady. She’ll go to the bar when she is bored and pick out a glass or two of red wine to finally enjoy the night

- The type to pick out a very specific dish on the breakfast bar/restaurant menu and refuse to have anything else. She’s picky as fuck

- Why waste this fun experience? Shinobu partakes in all the designated hotel activities and personally buys more since she does actually enjoy them(alongside Mitsuri and Kyojuro)

- Shinobu stocks up on self-care products from the hotel’s stores for her mansion and ends up falling in love with the uniquely shaped soaps she finds

Iguro Obanai

- Simply follows Mitsuri everywhere. He believes he is a lot safer with her in this new environment

- He has NEVER been in a hotel before in his life so he is a bit overwhelmed by the sights

- Obanai brings Kaburamaru to the hotel’s deluxe activities, and will fight with the staff if they demand he has to bring the snowy serpent back to his room

- Mitsuri goes to the breakfast bar? Obanai is deciding that he needs a second breakfast. Mitsuri goes to the pool? Obanai is carrying a bag of her belongings to watch over. Mitsuri is simply looking over the balcony? Obanai is next to her on the nearby chair with a book

- On his own, he kinda just tags along as he isn’t really interested in the experience. It’s a place to sleep, eat and waste his time but that doesn’t mean he won’t join in

- Obanai is the type to read a put-off book whilst at one of the hotel’s experiences, either the restaurant or the pool

- Obanai will not get in the pool with the rest of the Hashira. He doesn’t feel comfortable. Too many random people are around

- But he’ll go shopping for Mitsuri

Shinazugawa Sanemi

- Okay? This is a hotel. It’s not like Sanemi is really awed nor cares

- He has seen plenty of hotels in his life(mayhaps because he had to provide Genya with a place to sleep more than once)

- He does really enjoy the hotel’s restaurant food and plays in the bowling arena section every single day

- Sanemi is rarely in the Hashira’s hotel room. He is always out and exploring the hotel

- He even stays up late. Sanemi is one of the two last Hashira to hit the hay(other is Tengen)

- Don’t be surprised if Sanemi somehow ends up finding Tengen and dragging him back to the Hashira

- He goes to the Hotel’s little gift shop and buys a gift for Genya but shush, he won’t let the Hashira know that

Kanroji Mitsuri

- Loves attending the live music events. She sings alongside the band, even if she doesn’t know the lyrics

- Mitsuri orders so much food that the poor waiters need the Hashira’s help with carrying the plates

- Is the type to talk to the strangers in the elevator. She wants to make friends with everybody

- Mitsuri hates the cold so she goes to ask for extra blankets very embarrassedly and to express her thank-you, manually goes to clean them in the laundry mat before she leaves the hotel

- She sometimes worries about bed bugs and asks the Hashira about it. Eventually, Gyomei has to move the bed and Obanai to thoroughly check the sheets to ease her worries

- Mitsuri is so excited for the next day everytime that she gets up insanely early and then wakes up Obanai so they can go out

Tokito Muichiro

- Somebody put this boy on a leash. He’ll wonder off and never be findable

- Creates the stress for the Hashira. He won’t just stay in one spot

- The staff regularly enter the Hashira’s room to give them back Muichiro

- He is kinda plain about the whole experience. What’s he suppose to think? Ya. It’s a tall building with movies, food and beds

- Talking about the movies. Let Muichiro watch something at the hotel’s cinema and then he’ll stay put for AGES

- Don’t ask how it works. None of the Hashira know. Muichiro goes from bored and uninterested to willing and calm all because he watched one movie

- He takes almost ten minutes to process the Hashira are doing a activity(like the pool, restaurant or the child friendly board games) and then goes along with a lot of questions

Rengoku Kyojuro

- “GREETINGS, DEAR SIR/MA’AM!” Kyojuro yell-asks how the staff are when he sees one. He is curious how their day has been

- He loves the food tours. Everybody may look at him when he calls out ‘Umai’ but it’s free, delicious food. Kyojuro feels obligated to express his gratitude

- Kyojuro swipes the Hashira’s pillows on their beds and creates a nest out of pillows on his bed at random. It’s pretty cute

- He’ll do absolutely every activity the hotel offers. He wants to make the experience the most fun humanely possible(he brings Mitsuri along since she’s the same)

- Kyojuro becomes one-time friends with random people at the hotel’s restaurant, whilst waiting for his food, he talks to the nearby table. He bonds well with the family’s kids

- He goes to get his hair styled at the hotel’s hair salon and his hairstylist compliments his hair for the colour. Then he goes on a 30 minute rant about the history of his family’s flame-coloured hair

- Kyojuro is the type to collect dirty dishes/laundry himself and bring it to staff before he leaves the area

- Overall, Kyojuro will leave a very positive review of his time at the hotel and even suggest it to Senjuro and Shinjuro

If it’s not obvious, my creative juices are a little stuck on this scenario but hope it’s okay

#kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #anime and manga #kny hashira #kny imagines #iguro obanai #obanai iguro #kanroji mitsuri #mitsuri kanroji #himejima gyomei #gyomei himejima #kocho shinobu #shinobu kocho #shinazugawa sanemi #sanemi shinazugawa #tokito muichiro #muichiro tokito #tomioka giyuu #giyuu tomioka #uzui tengen #tengen uzui

[songsofbloodandwater]

🔥 witchcraft - in response to your unpopular opinion repost

Oh it's long, but here's what's recently been doing rounds in my head:

I'm with the gatekeepers. But sometimes people don't "gatekeep" correctly from my point of view, and then from their point of view, I am "too gatekeepy". When it's not about "more or less" gatekeeping, it's about how we go about it and who's doing it.

I often encounter situations where people don't respect nor properly protect things that need to be handled with respect and protection, and nuance, for the safety and general well being of everyone involved. In most cases, it's because they don't even know what they're trying to protect, or who, or why.

Gods Bless Nuance. It's completely gone from some very influential witchcraft people's vocabulary and behavior. And it irks me every time.

Like yes, sure, you can do magic without thinking too long and hard about the hows and whys that make magic work in general, and work specifically for you. But that's only going to take you so far as the "tried and true recipes" can take you, and in that case, you’re definitely not fit to teach or preach. You can't try to define, name, or explain to someone else something you don't thoroughly understand. And you certainly can't pretend to gatekeep the "Mysteries" if you've never fully submerged yourself in Them either. Not read about them! no matter how many books! Not taken a masterclass! submerged yourself fully, experienced them first hand, without the intervention or "guide" of others. Only when you've fully learnt to stand on your own. And that includes knowing when to say "this isn't my expertise, i'll refer you to someone else" or "I don't know". Standing on your own doesn't mean know everything and do everything, it means, what you do, you do properly. What you've learnt, you've fully internalized and know how it is applied. What you were given, you've made your own. You've earnt your stance.

The roles of teacher and gatekeeper in magic, in my opinion, always come together. When you're choosing what to preach and who to teach, you’re choosing what and who makes it through the Gates and more importantly how they do so.

Which means, if you're not fit to teach, you’re not fit to be at the Gates making Big Decisions about any tradition or the place of any person on either side of the gates. Specially not traditions that you don't belong in, but no, not even your own. You should still be in a teacher-student position and trust in the guidance and gatekeeping of your Elders or Teachers.

Not everyone is fit to teach, and most people online aren't. They're simply sharing their own experiences. But in the process, they often share more than they actually should, and more than they're fit to teach. Which ends up in all the misappropriation and bastardizing of practices, beliefs, entire cultures and religions on the greedy hands of people that should've never even been able to peer into them.

But students often underestimate the value and sacredness of what little has been shared with them in their journey. Specially in the beginning, when they don't know the whole truth to that specific concept, belief, practice nor the tradition as a whole and thus can't see the place of it in the bigger picture, or their own place as a practitioner, or simply don't have the maturity to take that weight in and act accordingly. They also vastly underestimate the sheer damage that incorrect handling and disrespect can do to a magical tradition and all the people in it, or to an initiatory, occult or "closed" religion, specially those magical practices belonging to disenfranchised and marginalized groups, and even to the people outside the culture, magical tradition, witchcraft tradition or occult religion, as they're reading or watching the student being inexperienced and incorrectly handling or inaccurately explaining something incomplete and out of context, to an even more lost audience, and thinking that's all there is to it. Missing the context of the message and who it was given to, and why. Missing the cultural context of the practice and all the ways that people coming from other cultures or traditions can fundamentally misunderstand it. Missing the theorical beliefs and cosmology behind why these truths are what they are, how and why these practices stem from them. Not just harm intellectually to that witchcraft tradition, the very real harm (physical, mental or spiritual, or all of the above) that anyone involved in that situation can incurr in if they don't learn to do certain things properly.

There's an alarming amount of so called "professionals" who are taken by others as authorities on certain magical traditions, and continously share bits of the "new findings" they're making, or the progress they've experienced personally... only to capitalize from it. Then completely detach themselves from the consequences of their actions. How can you share something you've learnt personally, and teach others how to do it themselves, if you haven't even fully internalized that lesson yet? if you haven't familiarized yourself enough with those spirits? what makes you think that what you're teaching, scratch that, selling, is actually something that is yours to teach or sell? what measures have you taken to ensure your own capability to teach this, who vouches for you and why? what measures have you taken to ensure you give due honor to the elders, the spirits, the Ancestors, and to the people who make up the body of this culture and tradition? and I don't expect just pretty words on a presentation if you're capitalizing off of a marginalized culture, I want really solid ways in which the profits of this work, class or else, will be going directly back to the original keepers' hands. I want them front and center at all times.

But even if it's not a marginalized culture or tradition. Even, no, specially when it's something that you created on your own, and had no one to lead you or teach you how it's suppossed to be done safely, the limitations of it, the reasons why it worked for you specifically and why it could or couldn't work for others. Hell, having no one there to challenge your biases. Witchcraft practitioners are often too quick to try to generalize an idea they had, a lesson they've learnt or a practice they've developed, in order to share it online with others, and sometimes, specifically in order to have something new to sell. Which opens a whole 'nother can of worms.

When you find all of that mess... with a cutesy instagram caption telling you to check out this New Offering! available only for U$D 200, for a limited time! That's just the cherry on top. Enjoy "learning" from someone who's practically a newborn to the relationship with those spirits, and has never had any of their biases or mislearnings checked. There's more chances that you'll be the one teaching them than anything else. And paying tens or hundreds of dollars ontop. The blind leading the blind.

TL;DR: If you're charging people hundreds of dollars for consultations and work, doing witchcraft profesionally, you can't claim to "never want to be seen as an authority". You can't literally place yourself in a position of authority, reap the benefits, pay your bills, but disregard and detach yourself from the responsibilities that come with your words and actions. Just because you know something doesn't mean you can share it, just because you learnt how to do something doesn't mean you can teach it, and you probably shouldn't either way. Witchcraft is often too personal and too culturally-historically tied to you specifically as a person, to your experiences in a tradition or lineage, and it's irresponsible, actively harmful, to generalize concepts, beliefs, practices or entire religions, for a wider audience in order to be able to capitalize off of them. "But I'm a witch and I got bills to pay" is never a valid answer to any of this. There's proper ways to learn and teach things in each tradition and culture, and they should be respected, in order to protect both the tradition and the people who wish to be, or are already, involved in it.

#Witchcraft #Witchblr #Witches of color #ask #asks #hey it was meant to be an unpopular opinion #so if this ruffles any feathers... #take it up to your elders and spirits #my notes #the way that my people teach #Is the complete opposite of how I see some people sharing or even #''teaching'' things online #which looks from over here like the witchcraft equivalent of gaming's ''i'm pushing all the buttons'' #''I just did it'' #''you should try it too'' #''lmk if you figure out what button we're suppossed to be pushing'' #...*very concerned stare*

[cosmicjoke]

“Why the hell can't we sympathize with a character that isn't like us? Why do they have to be what we are in order for us to care about them? Why do we have to see ourselves in everything?”

Thank you for this. As much as I understand that a part of connecting to literature (or media in general, whatever), when young, depends on how much that is relatable to your own experience, and that is why fair representation is important, I think that like many other things this need has been bastardized and commodified. Now you can’t connect to a character unless you convince your followers that the characters has the same sexual orientation/gender/ethnicity/brain as you do (but in an argument when you remove your personal need from it, and present your need as a hard truth that everybody has to agree to, or else).

You think it helps diversity; in fact, it only makes people see characters as recyclable labels, and people as well.

While I don’t think all the people that do this are assholes (it’s such a widespread trend, claiming I don’t know, bisexuality for this or that other character, that is mainly about being young, insecure, wanting to belong… then there are indeed assholes among those, but not all, and a lot depends on group dynamics, and pervasive violence in internet discussion spaces), I wish there was a clear understanding that the best thing you can do when experiencing stories is to find commonality with people different than you, and that knowing that commonality is part of the human condition, and not because they have the same X diagnosis you have.

*sigh*

Exactly, and well said.

And no, not all of them are assholes, just the ones that harass others and literally try to force their pathological need for these characters to be self-inserts onto everyone else. When they start becoming aggressive and hostile toward anyone who doesn't accept their headcanons as canon, then there's a problem. And those seem to be the ones that dominate fandom spaces, and make the general experience of fandom miserable.

And like I said, this absolute refusal to acknowledge that this or that character isn't them and doesn't encapsulate who they are and what they identify as, is often indicative of how they'll treat people in the real world, flying off the handle at anyone who expresses different views to the ones they hold, or isn't what they are (i.e. this general hatred and demeaning attitude toward anyone who isn't like them, or isn't part of whatever group they identify with).

The idea of story telling, as you said, is to find commonality even with people who AREN'T like you, and through that, to find empathy for one another through our shared humanity. But we've gotten to a point in society now where racial or sexual or gender essentialism has taken over, where once the goal was to render these things obsolete and recognize them as arbitrary and thus non-essential in judging another person. Instead we make them the only thing that matters about someone, and that's also reflected in this obsession with making every character gay, or trans, or nonbinary, or bisexual, or whatever. Because we make those arbitrary characteristics the most essential part of who we are, then we also want to make them the most essential characteristic of everyone else too, including fictional characters, and yeah, it ends up homogenizing everything, instead of creating actual diversity.

Relating this to Levi specifically, it's particularly ironic, since Levi is the most empathetic character in the story, and that empathy extends to people who are very, very different from him. The people that try to force Levi into a box then are completely missing the entire core of his character. Levi should be teaching us about the importance of compassion and empathy and kindness, but instead these people display this attitude toward Levi where, if they can't mold him into exactly what they want him to be, then in their eyes, he's worthless.

#Levi Ackerman #attack in titan #shingkei no kyojin #meta #commentary

[staygenezy]

New Family: Adopting Chaos | Ch-1 (l.h.s)

PAIRING: Heeseung x Reader, Jake x Reader, Sunghoon x Sunoo, Other relationships revealed later

CHAPTER WC: 2.4k

GENRE : Angst, Suspense, Slight Fluff, Eventual Smut, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Multi Chaptered, Slow Burn, Omega Heeseung, Alpha Jake, Alpha Sunghoon, Omega Sunoo, Alpha Jay, Beta Jungwon, Unpresented Ni-ki, Stray Beta Reader, Love triangle/ Love polygon lol, So much plot, Reader and Heeseung don't get along at first, Unrequited crush, Falling in love, Dystopian society kinda, Housemates/Roommates AU, College/ University AU

CW : Referenced Sexual and Physical Assault (Later chapters), Eventual Mature Content (Minors DNI), Secondary Gender Inequality, Other Mature themes

CAST: Enhypen, Itzy, Choi Beomgyu, Karina aespa, Winter aespa, Other K-pop Idols cameos

A Perfectly Reasonable Arrangement

The apartment is quiet for a Saturday evening. The only occupants being the two Betas,you and Chaeryeong, the latter fast asleep after her draining dance practice.

The other four housemates have left to the doctor's to get Lia her check-up after she presented on Wednesday. It was a shock for the whole pack,minus you, because you are not part of the pack, to find their second eldest presenting as Omega at a very late age of 21.

 Both Lia and Chaeryeong used to be the Betas of the pack, whereas Yeji and Ryujin were Alphas and the maknae Yuna being the sole omega until the fated mid week day when suddenly Lia contracted what was supposed to be a fever. Turns out it was not a 'fever', but actually a heat,the dreaded first Omega heat to be precise. What ensued was total chaos as it was totally out of the blue and it fell on your and Chaeryeong's shoulders to stop the alphas from going insane and jumping the newly presented omega. Thankfully,Yuna helped Lia build a nest in the former's room for the painful 4 day ordeal and comforted her through her company and using her fellow omega pheromones,which is known to make alphas and omegas alike to feel at ease.

Yeji and Ryujin were fretting for the remaining work week and doing everything in their power to provide for the pack, from buying excessive food to showcasing alpha typical protectiveness and territorial instincts by growling every few seconds as they heard the Omega struggling. No wonder they beat everyone else to accompany Lia to the doctor's as soon as her heat subsided this morning. You volunteered to go with them but they refused saying that Betas wouldn't understand the effects of presenting as they don't apparently show much secondary gender specific characteristics like scenting, aggressiveness or submissiveness.

 It's true enough for you to agree because you were 20 and didn't show any secondary gender characteristics and were naturally assigned 'Beta' by the norms.Usually people presented from the ages of 16-18. Rarely did they not present till the ages of 20/21 like Lia. As soon as people present, they gather into packs of their own.Most packs have leaders, mostly Alphas, though not restricted to that. Joining and leaving packs was not a very big deal nowadays compared to some decades ago, especially because people moved away from their previous packs after graduating highschool or college and could not maintain being with them with the demands of life and sometimes even joined new packs.'No bad blood',they say.

What instead was a bit taboo was being a stray like you - people who belonged to no packs, the 'loners'. Being a alpha and a loner might sound cool but you being Beta, it was as if people saw you as a person lacking in many ways. Betas were needed for packs to balance out the power dynamics between the other two secondary genders. Betas were second only to alphas, were wise people when it came to smoothening out any friction in the group, had decent olfactory skills, though they don't scent their partners as much as Alphas or Omegas do.

Why did you not join any pack even though several packs showed their interest (including your current housemates ITZY)? Well, you never believed in this whole 'pack' dynamics nonsense.'Every man for himself' is what you believed in. Beleive it or not,you tried to join packs during your high school days..but you have the feeling that you never really 'fit' into them...The problem was that you typically lacked tact and didn't obey the social hierarchy of bowing down to Alphas.Your previous classmates called you a ''Wannabe Alpha" as it was a known fact that both you parents were Alphas(which was another socially looked down upon thing,but let's save that discussion for another day).

The only thing your parents apparently passed on to their daughter was their 'Alpha typical' aggressiveness and anger issues and surprisingly also the signature Alpha 'protectiveness' and a bit of strength. You had gotten into a lot of trouble for protecting your Omega friends from their undeserving and overbearing Alpha 'partners'. 'You are a mere Beta, don't act like you can complete with an Alpha with your non existent power',they had mocked you. You waited for a miracle to occur and present as Alpha to prove these douches wrong. Don't misunderstand, you have always been proud to be a Beta but it was imprinted from a young age that you were born to be a Alpha because the chances of Alpha parents having a kid of any other secondary gender was very less.

But false hope only led to disappointment, year after year. On your 19th birthday, you even took a blood test to check if you were an 'Alpha in the making ' but the results turned out to be worse than you imagined. So, you gave up on thinking to miraculously wake up to become an Alpha and do some reality checks instead. Thankfully, you made a few friends and ITZY was kind enough to allow you to live with them even though you refused to join their pack in fear of showing your non-Beta typical behaviors and ruining the pack. See, you even got into arguments with the Alphas, especially Ryujin, even though you were her best friend. Yeji was always patient and kind to resolve the pack's fights though. You didn't want to be kicked out of the pack, so you did the most obvious thing a person can do, you never joined one in the first place

"Are they not back yet? I could smell them though -", Chaeryeong sleepily walked into the dining hall,where you were sitting after making yourself a sandwich.

Sniff.Sniff.

You could not smell anything in the air when you heard the doorbell that betrayed your nose by indicating their arrival.

"How did it go?", you asked your newly presented roommate while taking a bite into your sandwich after seeing the 4 members crash onto the living room couch.

"The doctors were a bit surprised..I mean I'm 21 for God's sake", she let out a mirthless laughter with obvious tiredness in her voice, "Got some scent blockers and supressants to feel a bit of normalcy", she added.

 

Even with your malfunctioning nose,you could smell Lia' s pheromones from a distance..It was so sweet, like literal honey and flowers - typical of an Omega.Lia is gonna be hoarded with suitors next Monday,that much was obvious to you.

"Apparently Unnie is experiencing everything very intensely as a payback for not having these for a good few years", Ryujin chimed in.

"Hey atleast now you can be yourself at ease!", you tried to encourage Lia after seeing her worn out look.

"That's true.But I have to get used to this newfound 'attention' from unwanted people ", Lia sighed and lay down on Yeji's lap.

Oh right.One of the reasons you were so glad to be a Beta was because Omegas were never 'safe'. Especially the ones that didn't have partners.Very sad but very true.Even though a lot of laws were passed to ensure their safety,the crime against them was not decreasing anytime soon.

"Don't worry unnie,the people at our uni know better than to mess with Shin Ryujin's Omega ', Ryujin said with a menacing smile.

Yeji let out a growl at that. Weird. She even covered it by coughing.Weirder,you noted.

"So, unnie where are you sleeping tonight? Do you still want to share my nest?",Yuna questioned.

Lia looked at you and then back at the pack members.

"Could I please sleep in my room tonight?", she hesitated before adding, "Alone..."

Ohh.It is true that Omegas wanted to have a separate room, all for themselves when they weren't mated. They could not share it with other Alphas for apparent reasons .But weren't you a Beta..Still you nodded your head at Lia and she gave you a grateful look.

Ryujin,Yeji and Chaeryeong shared a room. Yuna had a room for herself and now that Lia occupied your shared room, you decided to sleep on the couch.

A week past by and still the setup was the same.Lia apparently craved to rest alone in your room and whenever you tried to enter and lay down on your bed, she seemed nervous and practically ran out everytime telling excuses till it started bothering you and you brought this up to the pack leader.

"Yeah Y/N ..Even I noticed her behaviour...Since she has presented so late and still hasn't gotten used to the attention of being an Omega ,i guess she is behaving this way", Yeji rationalised to you during dinner where everyone was present sans Lia.

"Um....I don't know how to bring this up ..But isn't your back aching after using the couch for a week?", Chaeryeong questioned you meekly.

You nodded your head while trying to straighten your back and relieve some pain.

" This won't do..", Yeji looked at the pack members and they nodded to give her the green signal to continue further.

Seems like the atmosphere was tense. Are they hiding some mutual agreement from you?, you wondered .

 

" Y/N ...I know this may sound very rude but....We love you and we enjoyed every second we spent with you in the house but it pains us to see that you cannot use your room..We spoke to Lia about it ..and she is apparently a bit uncomfortable to share a room.......with you ", Yeji declared looking at you with pity in her eyes.

You stopped breathing for a second.Did you do anything to offend Lia? You shook your head in disbelief.

" Um..it would be better if you could move out of our apartment ", she continued, "Actually I found- ".

"So, you guys are basically kicking me out?", you exclaimed in disbelief looking at the cat eyed girl on a mid semester evening.

"Hey, don't put it that way!", Yeji looked at you with a silent pleading look in her eyes."You know that Lia just presented and she doesn't feel safe sharing a room with a Beta...since you are also not part of our pack ... "

Your mouth was left agape with confusion as to how a mere stray Beta can cause any source of threat.

Ohh that's it .

You were not part of their pack.Of course they will kick you out one day or the other.

"But don't worry, I already found you a new home!", she continued excitedly, "Enhypen members are okay with sharing their apartment with you!"

"En- what?", you questioned,mind still reeling with sadness and confusion and most importantly,shock.

You looked at the other three girls. Their eyes also mirrored uneasiness and pity,just like their leader.

You sighed and said , trying to keep your voice neutral, " I understand why you guys took this decision...Even I didn't think of staying here forever ". Chaeryeong let out a sob at that.Yuna followed and Ryujin was for a first, lost of words and looking down the entire time.

" So, you agree to stay with ENHYPEN? ", Yeji asked , a bit shocked.

"No, I don't even know who they are... Don't worry I can find a room for myself ", you said as you stood and rushed to your room to pack and leave.

Ryujin held your hands, stopping you and said, "Hey Y/N, please take up their offer. Me and Yeji unnie talked to Jungwon, their leader and apparently they can accommodate another roommate. You don't even have to join their pack .And what do you mean that you don't know them? You have even met Ni-Ki from my dance team..And also they live only a few blocks away from us and the campus...We really didn't want to see you go...You know me,right? I love you so much but at this situation,this is the best thing to do...Please agree Y/N..you know how hard it is to find a decent room ,that too at the middle of a semester "..

You thought about what she said and yeah it did make sense..If they really didn't care for you,they would not have gone and spoken to people to get you a room ...They don't owe you that..and they still did.. However hurt or shocked you were, you couldn't disagree with her reasoning.

" How many people are there in their pack", you questioned as you sighed, giving in .

" 7 !!", Yuna jumped up, " Unnie ,I was so afraid you would fight and not agree"

" 7!! How can they live in one apartment ", you groaned.

" Two actually...3 people in one apartment and the other four in another adjacent one ", Chaeryeong said while wiping her tears .

You talked a bit more and to your surprise you didn't throw a tantrum and cause drama about betrayal like you thought you would...Part of the reason was because you believed that your friends really meant the best for you and would not intentionally cut you off.

After a teary farewell from the 5 members,you exited the apartment and entered the cab with your belongings to move in with the new pack that you barely knew.

To be honest, you didn't actually not know ENHYPEN, they were pretty popular around campus. But you didn't know anyone personally from their pack except Ni-ki, if you consider a brief 5 minute talk and introduction as knowing someone personally. But still something is better than nothing. You were even told that two of their pack members were from your major - Psychology. You were indeed an introvert and a big one at that , so you never spoke to many people unless you were forced to and that's why you didn't know.

After a teary farewell from the 5 members,you exited the apartment and entered the cab with your belongings to move in with the new pack that you barely knew.

To be honest, you didn't actually not know ENHYPEN, they were pretty popular around campus. But you didn't know anyone personally from their pack except Ni-ki, if you consider a brief 5 minute talk and introduction as knowing someone personally. But still something is better than nothing. You were even told that two of their pack members were from your major - Psychology. You were indeed an introvert and a big one at that , so you never spoke to many people unless you were forced to and that's why you didn't know.

Niki was waiting at the front of their apartment building and swiftly took your luggage from the cab and ushered you inside,while greeting you with a smile.

" Sorry to join you guys suddenly...I can move out next semester..that is in about 2 months..", you smiled awkwardly at him in the elevator .

" Hey! Noona... don't feel like a bother please..we were indeed searching for a roommate anyway", the younger boy beemed at you.

You entered the apartment with him and looked around before 6 other guys joined you and introduced themselves.

"Welcome to your new home Y/N",the blonde boy named Sunoo smiled brightly at you, quelling all your nervousness and doubts.

You smiled at them all and bowed.

You wished and hoped that you can get along and live quietly without any troubles.

Little did you know that it was indeed the starting of your chaotic journey with your new family.

A/N: Hey guys! I'm fairly new to Tumblr and this is my first time writing a fic and also English is not my first language, so please bear with any spelling/grammatical errors. Cross posted on AO3 (bangtanstolemyheart).I've written 14 chaps till now and I'll post them every day here.

P.S: Please like, reblog, comment or interact to show some love to this fic haha. It keeps me motivated to write more 😁

-> Chap 2

P.S : Please like, reblog, comment or interact to show some love to this fic haha. It keeps me motivated to write more 😁

#heeseung x reader #enhypen smut #heeseung smut #enhypen angst #enhypen fanfiction #new family : adopting chaos #alpha beta omega #sunghoon x sunoo #jake x reader #enhypen fluff #enhypen x female reader #enhypen au #heeseung fic #enhypen fic #heeseung x y/n #heeseung

[txemrn]

Wounded

Book: TRR/TRH Post-series

Pairing: Liam Rys x MC (Riley Brooks-Rys)

Word count: ~2500

Song Inspo: "Wounded" - Maddie Wilson

Warning: for mature audience only; the TW are the plot twists in this story; if you are not sure if you want to read this and/or you are a fairly sensitive reader (nothing wrong with that!), scroll to the very end of this post (right above the tags) for a more specific list of TW

A/N: I am SUPER pumped to be participating in week 9 of @choicesflashfics prompt challenge! I chose prompt #3: “I don’t know what I thought was going to happen, but this was definitely not it.” The prompt will be in bold.

A/N 2: Most of the characters and some of the plot points belong to our friends at Pixelberry; HUGE thanks to my dear friend (and birthday girl) @sfb123 for pre-reading this for me. Please excuse my errors! Also, if you are curious about Royal Roulette: it's a fun little challenge you can do anytime for yourself! Take your music and hit mix! Take the first song that pops up, and use it as a muse for a fic! No need to credit me, but do tag me if you do it because I LOVE reading other RR!

~🖤~

(Present)

It's just past 8PM, and I find myself in the tiled coffin of my personal sanctuary: my shower. The balmy steam hides the evidence of my swollen, tear-stained cheeks, my own words replaced by wails of mercy. The sweltering water stings across my porcelain skin, the unbearable discomfort distracting from the emptiness, the nothingness of my shattered, lifeless heart.

Today. Of all days, why today?

If only my body didn't complicate things... 

If only my body did what it was supposed to do…

If only my body did what I was crowned to do…

Liam and I have spent over six years testing every last inch of my body for an answer. The simple answer is polycystic ovarian syndrome… if only life were that simple…

------

(Yesterday)

"PCOS isn't what it used to be, though. There are so many women living with it–myself included!" Savannah takes another bite of cake, and I've never been more grateful in all my life for the reprieve from her voice. This is my fourth time hearing this speech about PCOS, and how the diagnosis is taken 'too seriously'. I mean, afterall, we are at her baby shower for Beaumont baby number two. And three. "They gave me the same talk, blah blah blah, percent this and that, and after taking Clomid for only two months," she smiles joyfully, massaging her rounded belly.

I fake a smile, shoveling some fruit salad in my mouth in hopes of keeping my sharp tongue quiet. I'm happy for her; I really am. .

But she's also never lost a baby. Or three.

Two months? 'Only' two months? God…

Liam and I have been prescribed every drug on the market to conceive; we've even tried more natural, holistic remedies, like crushed up superfoods and tree roots, tiny needles being stuck in my eyelids and in between my toes, religious relics and crystals

God, if you've never experienced humility before, the struggle with infertility will strip you bare of any pride left in your body, and after six different specialists, we finally resorted to my biggest–our biggest fear: in vitro fertilization.

But, IVF might actually be the answer to our infertility story.

As Savannah answers more intrusive pregnancy questions about her own body from our close family and friends, my mind disengages. Shielding the bright sun from my eyes, I look across the palace's heavily-decorated back lawn. Soft petal pink and pearl-colored balloons litter the divine scenery.  Signage that boasts kitschy baby phrases seem to be multiplying before my eyes. 

I feel a sudden shift in the atmosphere, one that is making me feel– I don't know… funny? I don't feel like myself. In fact, I'm starting to feel slightly ill.

An abrupt piercing shrill of pressure shoots through my temples as my breathing quickens. A trickle of sweat courses down my back as everything begins to spin wildly around me. The laughter of the group of women I'm with becomes sinister and terrifying.  

I need to get out of here…

"What an exquisite group of lovely ladies!"  

Leo Rys, my ever-charming, newly-divorced brother-in-law. He is well-trained in managing a crowd, but the heart-throb is a master at wooing a very specific demographic: women. 

Case in point. 

"Sav," he tenderly takes her hand in his, "you look absolutely radiant. Where is that foolish husband of yours, leaving your beautiful self alone–" he slows down his flirting rampage, and I instantly look up, making contact with those familiar Rys crystal-blue eyes. He mouths, 'Are you okay?' before taking out his phone, no doubt to text Liam. "'Scuse me, ladies," Leo nods with a forced, jubilant grin. 

With a skip in his step, my brother-in-law takes a knee while placing a tender touch on my clammy arm. "You're looking a little green there, sis," his lips curl softly as he pushes back my careless wisps.

"Kermit the Frog did warn us that it's not easy being green,'' I chuckle. The vibrations of my voice soothe my slightly queasy stomach. I relax further into my chair, fanning myself as I pull my oversize sunglasses over my eyes. "I'm fine," I grin cheekily, welcoming a sudden cool breeze over my skin.

His phone chimes. "Eh… negatory," he snickers under his breath, holding out his hand for me to take it. "The queen has been summoned to his majesty's presence." 

Damnit, what did he say to him?

"You better not be making my husband worry about me–"

"Someone needs to keep an eye on your bad self," Leo jokingly winks. "C'mon."

And maybe it was a good thing for me to get away from those women, to get away from this party and out of the sun. I do have a lot on my mind as well–too much actually. Enough to make anyone unwell. 

I hate exiting groups earlier than expected.  I just… I just know the inevitable will happen when I leave: they will talk about Liam and me. Worse, they will look at us as if… as if we're wounded.

Gone are the days of hailing us as the 'it' couple… 

Gone are the days of discussing our bright future…

Gosh, I really don't feel all too well as I stand up with Leo's assistance, but we make it inside the palace to a secluded sunroom. Bracing myself, I ease into a lounge chair while Leo helps me prop up my feet.

He really is a kind man, much like Liam. I hope he knows how much his return to Cordonia has meant to us as a family, especially his brother. Sure, we have staff that can help us with the countless doctor's appointments and emergency trips to the hospital, but these are intimate times that should be spent with family. And I'm glad it's with Leo.

"Are you okay, love?"  Liam appears at the opposite end of the quarters. Worry is etched across his face as he slowly saunters to my side. "I got here as soon as I–"

I wave my hands in the air. "I'm fine, babe. I think I just got a little overheated," I playfully roll my eyes. 

He lets out a slow exhale, wiping the perspiration off of my forehead. "You know better–"

"I know, I know," I raise my hands in surrender as he kisses my head. He's always watching me closely, so carefully, especially with so many hormones pumping through my veins.

"I'll leave you two alone," Leo clicks his tongue as he casually shoves his fists into his khaki shorts. "Text me."

Liam stops him, leaning in closely to whisper, "Grab us some seltzers please. And crackers." Leo nods as Liam makes himself comfortable next to me. 

I sit up, adjusting the pillows around my husband before I quickly find the crook of his arm. My crook. By the time I am settled, my gaze is happily met by his.

God, I love him. 

Even after all of this time, he still looks at me like I'm the only woman in the room. He doesn't see my shortcomings as a wife or as a queen. He sees me… and still loves me. 

I study his face, counting the fine lines around his eyes. He's beautiful, but this has taken quite the toll on us, aging us both. I reach up to caress the perfectly smooth skin of his jaw, my thumb tracing over his dry lips.

He pulls my hand from his face, peppering the inside of my wrist with sweet kisses. He finally rests my palm on his chest, weaving his finger through mine. 

I hate that it takes loss to make us appreciate life more, but watching each rise and fall of our hands reminds me that right now, in this moment, we have each other. And each heartbeat, each breath is to be cherished.

Suddenly, we hear a voice clear behind us. "Are you not well, your majesty?"  Gretchen, our part-time nurse, carries a tray of snacks and seltzers into the sunroom.

"Oh, Ms. Gretchen," I quickly wipe away my tears, brightening to her approach. "We're fine." 

She is an older woman who actually helped care for Liam's mother in her pregnancies, and also for his father in the end. Liam trusts her, and he thought hiring her would be immensely helpful to us right now. 

And he was right; she's been a perfect angel. I don't know what I would've done without her help.

"Leo told me what happened." She pulls up an end table, setting the wooden tray down. "It’s too early for your medicine, but I figured some refreshing snacks might be in order."

"Mmmm," I hum with approval as Liam helps me sit up. "This looks absolutely perfect. Thank you."

Gretchen kindly bows before excusing herself.

I grab a piece of toast, spreading some fresh apple-butter on top. "Have you eaten today?" I pass him a ginger ale as I take a sip of my drink. 

I abruptly stop fumbling with the tray when I feel his steely-stare boring holes into me. I glance once, then twice as I watch a large Cheshire grin crawl across his mouth.

"What?" I chuckle as I take a bite of my toast. "You have trouble written all over that face."

He wiggles his eyebrows as he pulls me safely back into his arms, our lips instantly meeting. His tongue swipes eagerly in my mouth. "Baby!" I squeal, pushing back from him as I wipe the corners of my mouth.

He snickers, swiping his thumb across his lips before sucking on it. "Mmmm," he quietly moans, "just what I thought."  I raise my eyebrows in curiosity. "That's the best damn apple-butter I've ever tasted." He tenderly squeezes my bottom as I claim his lips again. And again.

I love this man.

I rest my head back on his chest, listening to the deep thrumming of his heart. My home. We lay in perfect silence, watching the shadows shift throughout the afternoon glow.

But as the sun sinks lower into the earth, I feel my body cling tighter to Liam.

"What are you thinking?" he whispers gravelly.

Damn him. He knows me too well. I reposition myself, sitting up on my side. My eyes begin to sting as tears threaten to fall.  I grip his shirt as his fingertips lightly trace the freckles on the back of my arm.

"About tomorrow," I quietly exhale.

"The doctor's appointment?" He drops his hands to my lower abdomen, giving it a hopeful caress.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I can only nod my head, my breath hitching in my chest as I nuzzle into his shoulder.  

Damnit, why us? 

"Riley," he croons, enveloping his arms around me. His fingertips become lost in my waves as his lips press intimately against the shell of my ear.

"I–I'm so scared, baby," I whisper, my voice rattled with hoarseness as I wrap my arms around him.

"Shhh," he pulls me closer.  He gently rocks my body, a hand tracing soft figure-eights across me back. "Me too."

------

It's early. Liam and I sit in the doctor's office, waiting for her to return with our test results so we can form the next plan of action for our family. 

I've been sick most of the morning, my nerves getting the best of me. But Liam remains steadfast, my rock. He's been reassuring me all morning, wiping my anxious tears away. He refuses to let go of my hand. 

A child needs a father like him; this can't be the end of our journey. It… it just can't be.

We hear a click, and Dr. Nguyen walks into the room with a thick file folder. I can't read her as she takes a seat, but suddenly, I see my husband's knee begin to anxiously bounce.

She finally makes eye contact with us, revealing her swollen, red eyes as if she's been crying for days. She clears her throat, dabbing at her cheeks. "Your majesties, I–" she stops to gain control of herself. “I don’t know what I thought was going to happen, but this was definitely not it.”

Her voice trails off as a subtle ringing forms in my ears, and suddenly, everything seems to be moving in slow motion. Liam let's go of my hand; he rests his elbows on his knees, burying his face in his hands.

I take a deep breath, shaking my head. What just happened? I've missed something. I frantically look between my husband and his oncologist. "I–I'm sorry. What?"

"I'm sorry, your majesty," she swallows back the lump in her throat having to deliver the news again. "The cancer? It–it didn't respond to the treatment. And from his scan last week, there are new spots on his kidneys, liver and lungs."

I blink a couple of times, feeling as though I don't know what all of this means. Because it can't possibly mean what I think she is saying.

He's not dying. He can't be dying…

"So," I swallow thickly, "you have a plan. Right?"

"Well," the physician folds her hands on the desk. "We… can… make him as comfortable as possible–"

"I'm sorry," I interrupt. "Are you–are you saying that my husband...?" I pause as I gasp for a morsel of air. "The love of my life is, that he... he's–?" I clamp my hand over my mouth. No, I can't-- I refuse to say it.

But through the blur of my tears, I see the truth.

She’s nodding.

------

(Present)

"Riley?"

I break from my thoughts as I turn towards the deep voice. There at the entrance to the shower towers the most handsome man I have ever seen… or will ever see. His golden curls have been gone for months; he and his best friends shaved their heads when he first started chemotherapy a year ago. His shoulders are still broad, but with his colon resection and loss of appetite, he's thinned out quite a bit.

He is weaker; his skin has weathered.  But he's still my Liam. Even in all of this, he remains my North Star, my hope and my strength.

Which is why I can't get out of the shower. Not yet.

He flashes me a crooked smile, handing me a towel. "C'mon, love," he turns off the shower.

I carefully stand up, wrapping the towel around my damp body.  Liam extends his large hand towards me, my petite grip finding his palm. He leads me out of the shower and twirls me into an embrace, my back against his chest.

He buries kisses into my hair and across my shoulders. "I need you," he lovingly growls.

Then he tenderly drops his hands to my growing, pregnant belly. "And I need you too, my little peanut."

My poor husband… how do I do this?

Without warning, a rush of agony roars around my 22-week abdomen, the abrupt sharp pain causing me to double-over. I grab onto the sink in front of me as I groan from the intense throbbing.

This can't be happening.

"Riley?" Liam steps out of the bathroom, and hollers down the hallway. "Leo! We need help!" He takes me back into his arms. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The pain subsides, and I begin to sob. I can't look at him. 

Today. Of all days, why today?

"Liam," I choke out , "my water broke."

~🖤~

TAGS (updated 09/2022; please let me know if you wish to be added/removed):

PERMA

@21-wishes @alj4890 @ao719 @charlotteg234 @issabees @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nikirennie87 @peonierose @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam

ALL TRR

@3pawandme @alyshak92 @iaminlovewithtrr @lovingchoices14 @malblk21 @rubiwalker @sfb123 @twinkleallnight

***

TRIGGER WARNINGS: discussion of infertility; discussion of cancer; insinuation of a major character death; miscarriage

***

#the royal romance #choices trr #trr fanfic #choices fanfic #liam rys #king liam rys #liam x mc #liam x riley #royal roulette #choices flashfics #prompt challenge

[thatoneguy031]

Pinned Post(Stuff about me and... stuff)

Hey.

You dudes can call me Guy, and I'm a Pokemon known as Samurott. Y'know, luscious beard/goatee/mustache (Honestly, you can just call it a mane), blue fur, them slashin' seashell swords(Try saying that ten times fast), and you can't forget the iconic helmet.

I currently live in Unova. Where, specifically...? Hard to say for sure. I sorta have a weird situation going on compared to humans. I live between Accumula Town and Striaton City, but not really living on the connecting routes either. I make my way around Unova as I please, as I don't necessarily reside in a particular area. Just sayin', you'll most likely find me in the in-between of the towns I mentioned.

Speaking of humans, I don't do that. None of it. I don't belong to a Trainer, I don't want to, and I don't see a reason to be trained under a human. I'd rather not say why.

I evolved about half a year ago now, like... within the last two weeks of this June. Yeah, somewhere around then. I'm not quite used to Samurotting yet, so please cut me some kind of slack. I'm only doing what I can.

I have very little knowledge about how this Rotomblr thing works, but I'm enjoying the chaos so far. I originally made this for some advice with the whole "evolving" thing, but wow, are these people supportive. I have friends now, my main bud being @poke-historian, my favorite dork. Myla's adorable too, we'd hang out if I could travel to Galar. I'm figuring out a way I can do that, mostly because there's a lot I want to do in this world, and I have no idea how much time I have to do it. Oh, and @silverott-chevalier is cool too. He's a 'Wott Trainer from what I understand, and he's given me some crucial info about battling and stuff. As a matter of fact, all eeby-deebies are fine by me, as long as you don't have nefarious intentions.

Don't be too scared to ask me stuff. I'm more than happy to answer some questions about myself and what it's like to be a Pokemon, as long as it isn't too personal, y'know? Even advice is pretty well appreciated.

But, uh... Yeah. That's basically everything that I think you guys should know about me. If there's any questions or things like that, my askbox is currently open (And admittedly sorta empty). Anons can ask me stuff too, since it'd be pretty hypocritical for an introvert to not provide that kind of option.

But now, without any further ado...

(OOC under the cut)

Hey, guys. I'm the mod for this whole shebang, although I'd rather not speak my name because reasons. If you want, you can just call me Delta(Confusing, considering my past posts, I know, so let's just pretend those don't exist). As well as a pkmn IRL blog, this is also my main blog, so expect a ton of reblogs or whatever. So, to help everyone, including myself, I am including some tags to filter what content you see:

Guy Rambles/Cherry Chatters/Suicune Speaks: The tag if you want to see stuff about what the main trio are up to, and their perspectives on their current situation. Stuff about themselves, the people/Pokemon they meet, and the experiences they go through, things like that.

I should really make an OOC tag(Desperately in need of a new title): Anything that I post that doesn't come from them, but from me. Personal life, and how school is going so far, things of that nature. Y'know... Stuff.

Arc (Insert number here): Displays the arc that I'm currently writing for, and some stuff that the squad's doing within that arc. Pay attention to these, this is where lore is normally added and/or revealed.

Currently, this is the "Adventures Anew" arc, or Arc 3. Guy, now having met a very mysterious Suicune and reuniting with a Flygon named Cherry, has his sets on traversing the world. Thankfully, Cherry has him covered, making him aware of a cruise ship that is making its way to Unova in some time, and heading to Sinnoh soon after. With a plan of action set, Guy and his group are preparing for the long journey to the unfamiliar region.

As well as that, Guy had also unlocked a dark power deep within him, of which is often described as "evil" or "scary". Not much is known about the bizarre energy, although many suspect that it can become very powerful once Guy learns to harness it for himself. With the progress he's making, however, it doesn't look like it's going to be an easy process...

Here are some ask hints, if y'all want those:

-Guy seems to have both fond and unfortunate memories of a former friend of his. Perhaps you can force some info out of him? -Guy also has a few issues regarding humans. While he's gone into some very slight details about his experiences with them, it's clear he's not telling the full story. -Cherry has quite some experiences with both battling and performing. Maybe she's willing to tell some stories about 'em. -Cherry definitely hesitated when she mentioned that she was a Trapinch before. Surely, there's more to that than what she said. -While they've never hidden it, Mx. Suicune's never outright acknowledged his broken leg. -It's brought up that Mx. Suicune can speak, but has very clear reasons why they don't. Despite that, no one has ever elaborated on what the reasons in question were. -Mx. Suicune has an odd connection to Guy, being the first to acknowledge out loud(ehhh... sort of) his rather dark and evil aura. Perhaps there's a reason for that.

All of these tags are going to be alongside the "pkmn irl" "pokeblogging" "rotomblr" tags and stuff like that, you get the gist of it.

Me and Guy are both minors, so no NSFW asks please. Suggestive ones I'm iffy on, though. Guy might answer them, depending on what content is in them, but don't do anything extra. Zoo- and pokephilia are also off the table, for obvious reasons. Please stay away from here if that describes you. Oh, and that goes for child-diddlers too, because obviously. I naturally believe that everyone can change for the better, so I just hope that these kinds of folks do exactly that.

Oh! And I also run two other blogs! @midnight-battiness, which features Chris, a human-turned-Noibat that was dropped onto the world of mystery dungeons, and @battle-bond-gone-wrong, that features a Samurott and human Trainer that have had their minds swapped (Sort of. It's complicated, it's better explained over there), and features most Pokemon that the Trainer has captured over the course of his journey. Check them both out when you have the chance, I thought they were cool.

Is there anything else I'm missing? ...Oh yeah! Magic anons are allowed too! Just make sure not to make it too weird.

But uh... yeah. That's about it, yea?

#pokemon #pkmn irl #pokeblogging #pokeblog intro #pokemon irl #rotomblr #pokemon rp #pkmn rp #samurott #guy rambles #cherry chatters #suicune speaks #i should really make an ooc tag #Arc 2 #Arc 3

[munson-master]

At the Château | Chapter 3: Feeling less Fine

Summary: finally coming up with a solid plan the group infiltrates the secret room only to find the unexpected.

Pairing: Eventual Steve x Y/N x Eddie

Tags: slow burn, angst, hurt/comfort, mentions of blood, mentions of head injuries

Part: ONE | TWO

❀❁✿

“Yeah I don’t know man… I don’t know if you can fit in here. It’s like uhhh super tight.” Steve was on the ladder while you, Robin, and Dustin stood back. You had your arms crossed, body leaning against the far wall as you watched Steve climb down.

“I’ll fit. Trust me, no collar bones remember??” Which threw Robin off guard.

“Uhhh excuse me??” You hid a smile behind your hand as you let Steve try and explain before stepping in.

“Yeah uh he’s got some disease. It’s crydooo uh i don’t know something.” You scoffed and turned to robin.

“It’s cleidocranial dysplasia. He has CCD. It's like a disorder that impacts the development of bones in the skull and clavicle area, thus no collar bones.” You offered Robin a brief explanation.

You honestly had no idea what the condition was before meeting Dustin. You had never come across the disorder before and when Dustin had given you an explanation on why his teeth still hadn’t grown when you first met you made sure to look into it. You would never admit it, but you loved that little nugget like a brother and god forbid if anything happened, you made it your top priority to know everything you could about the kid. This included researching cleidocranial dysplasia and any complications or specific needs that came with the condition. You did the same for Will when he developed PTSD and for Eleven's nose bleeds. You honestly weren’t super into medical studies or anything you just wanted to be prepared at all times after what you had all been through together. These kids had enough of their childhood taken away when Will went missing and they found out monsters were real. You didn’t want something like a medical condition holding them back and if you could help you absolutely would. Plus you were a worrier by nature, a total mother hen when it came to anyone close to you.

Of course, you never told anyone this. Never shared how you would spend hours in the library reading different medical dissertations and theories on alternate dimensions. It’s just that you felt like you owed it to them, the little group of monster slayers you had made. You were never close with your family, always made to feel like you didn’t belong. And when this group of kids and Nancy and Jonathan had accepted you as one of their own no questions asked you grew incredibly attached to them. Steve was then added as an addition to that group you considered closer than your own family.

Steve’s voice was the one that drew both yours and robins attention back to the task at hand.

“Yeah that. He can bend like Gumbo.” You snorted, good lord Steve was definitely living up to his himbo characterization.

“You mean Gumby…?” Robin shot you a look that said ‘is he serious’ which you reciprocated with a solemn nod of the head. Poor Steve he was so pretty but the kid was nothing but hair, not a single thought occupied that gorgeous head of his.

“I’m pretty sure it’s gumbo.”

“Steve just shut up and push me!”

You looked from the two boys back to Robin and rolled your eyes. Dustin continued to yell at Steve, his voice muffled through the wall, something about his butt? You weren’t too sure but you turned you full attention to Robin who was just shaking her head in muted disappointment.

“This won’t work, we need like someone tiny. Like a literal child…” you trailed off trying to come up with a new plan while Steve and Dustin argued in the background.

“Yeah you would think you guys would have one of those lying around, you know on account of the fact that Steve has his own personal child army.” This made you laugh out loud, you never really thought about how your little rag tag group would look to outsiders. You guess it would be strange if two highschool graduates hung around freshmen all the time, hell you would be extremely suspicious if it was anyone but your group of friends. Something’s just transcend age gaps and fighting faceless monsters from an alternate dimension was one of those things.

You were pulled out of your musings by the sound of an insistent bell ringing. Both you and Robin shot each other a look before looking through the window of the Scoops back room. There was Erica Sinclair, and it was as if you could literally see the light bulb go off in Robin’s mind. This was going to be interesting, you knew Erica well enough to know that she was not going to just do you guys a favor for free. You also knew that she was smart, really smart, and that she could hold her own in tough situations. This just might work.

While Robin went out to the counter to convince Erica you walked up to the two boys who were still bickering.

“Hey….” Your call completely falling on deaf ears as you watched Steve press both hands on Dustin’s butt shoving the poor kid but failing to move him even a centimeter.

You reached up to tap Steve on the shoulder which of course startled him causing him to lose his footing on the ladder, arms pinwheeling as he tried to regain his balance.

“Shit Shit sorry!” You immediately put your hands up to steady him, each hand landing on a butt cheek. Now wasn’t this comical like a weird little butt touching train. You loved your hands as soon as he felt stable refusing to acknowledge the slight blush you could feel creeping up your neck, Jesus he had a firm ass. You shook the thought from your kind, now was certainly not the time to be thinking about Steve Harrington’s ass. Actually no it was literally never the time to think about his ass, he just became one of your closest friends don’t make it fuckin weird. You chastised yourself silently as you stepped back to let the two boys down.

“Thanks y/n. Where’d Robin go?” And before you even had the chance to answer, the girl's head peaked through the window.

“Get out here dingus I have a plan!” Steve shot you a look just as Dustin made down to the two of you. You simply shrugged and turned to walk out the door the other two right behind you.

❁

After copious amounts of ice cream bribery Erica agreed to be your vent crawling spy master. You couldn’t help the pang of worry you felt at involving a ten year old in this mess but you couldn’t see another option. You went over the plan at least ten times with the group before even thinking about showing Erica the vent, you would not let something happen to the smaller Sinclair. But you had no control over what happened in the vents or what was waiting for her in the room. This alone had you pacing back and forth on the roof while the others talked to Erica via walkie-talkie.

“This is a mistake ….oh god this is a bad plan…” you ran your hands down your face and back up to grab you hair.

Steve noticed your panic and turned to face you, placing a hand on your shoulder stopping you from pacing.

“It’ll be ok….she’s a tough kid and she’s smart she won’t go in if there’s any danger ok.” He reassured you, eyes softening at your worried expression. Just as he tried to continue to calm your nerves Erica’s voice popped up over the radio saying she was in, causing Steve to tense up. It was then that you noticed he was just as worried as you were which honestly made you relax a bit. Something about having someone else there to worry with you left you comforted more than words could have. Steve let out a deep sigh as the two of you moved to peek over the edge of the roof mumbling a quiet “oh god” and you waited with baited breath. A moment passes, then another, your hands gripping the ledge pleading to whatever higher power that Erica wasn’t just killed by some crazy Russian spy because you guys promised her free ice cream for life.

The sound of the door opening had you sinking to your knees, the air escaping your lungs in one long relieved sigh. You completely blocked out whatever Erica was shouting below as you went to stand with the others, making your way down to the no longer locked room.

“Steve, maybe we should have the kids wait outside…” you suggested as the group met up with Erica at the doors. Your voice was overheard by both Erica and Dustin eliciting complaints immediately.

“Absolutely not, this was my discovery. I’m the only reason we are all here in the first place you’re not taking all the credit!” Dustin pushed past the two of you before you could even react, before Steve even had the chance to register your suggestion. Erica followed behind him sticking her tongue out at you which just made you let out another sigh, you had an abundance of those tonight it seemed.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine…” he trailed off as all five of you surrounded one of the cardboard boxes on the table, a cute panda image adorned one side with the words Imperial Panda written across the top. You swear you weren’t normally this anxious, you just had a bad feeling. Maybe it had to do with involving the kids or maybe it was residual worry over what happened with your family earlier in the day.

You watched with bated breath as Steve slowly cut into the top of the box revealing a silver case that was definitely not Chinese food. Once Steve released the top of the box a hissing could be heard as air escaped through the opening, cold air began to float out visibly giving off a slight mist like dry ice.

“Maybe you guys should step back.” Steve suggested while looking from the box to you.

You maneuvered your body to be standing in front of Erica and Robin, shielding them in case the container had some sort of fail safe or was dangerous in any way. Dustin stepped closer to Steve to get a look causing Steve to put his hand out slightly pushing him away. Which in typical Dustin fashion he protested, loudly.

“No. NO! If you die I die!” He shouted pressing his chest against Steve's outstretched arm causing Steve to look over at you with an exasperated expression. You just shrugged, “I mean to be fair if it explodes we will all probably get hit anyway….” You offered earning an eye roll from Steve and a grin from Dustin.

“Okay….” He turned his attention back to the box and slowly gripped one of the four circular handles in the box. You tensed slightly, feeling both Robin and Erica peek out from behind you. This was a bad idea, what if it was a bomb, or nuclear chemicals, or like body parts or something equally horrifying. You held your breath as you watched Steve reach his hand into the box, Robin grabbing the arm you placed in front of her in anticipation.

You all watched as Steve lifted what looked like a glass container of some kind filled with a glowing green liquid.

“What the hell??” Steve mumbled in awe lifting the cylindrical tube higher for a closer look while Robin spoke up from behind you mirroring Steve’s confusion. “What is that?” And before anyone could answer the room shook.

“What was THAT?!” You gripped the table in front of you while Dustin began to look around. “Was that just me or did the room move?”

“Booby traps” Erica whisper behind you while you moved toward Steve, Robin following and grabbing the vial from Steve and insisting you all left. The room shook again, a mechanical whirring accompanying the tremor. You watched while Dustin repeatedly hit the Open button on the panel, anxiety growing when the doors didn’t budge. The rest of the group began to argue while you walked forward to the door you came in trying to force the door to open. Their argument abruptly cut off as another door came crashing down where you were standing, causing you to fall back in surprise. You closed your eyes waiting for impact but instead you felt a pit of hand grip your waist steadying you.

“Woah there…” Steve muttered as he helped you stand, hands lingering on your waist as the two of you looked at the now shut door before both of your gazes moved to the floor when you felt it shift. Then your stomach dropped along with the room as Steve wrapped a protective arm around your waist, the other firmly planted on the wall for stability. The others screamed,while you gripped Steve’s arm looking up to see the walls moving up at a rapid pace. You were falling, or the room was moving down, like you were all in a giant elevator of some kind.

“Jesus…” Steve mumbled, breath tickling the back of your neck, before you turned to him equal looks of fear on your faces.

It kept falling.

Steve was shouting now with everyone else while you had your palms pressed firmly to your ears, eyes squeezed shut. It wasn’t until the floor lurched to a stop did you open your eyes only for both you and Steve fell to the floor a box crashing on top of you. He finally let go of your waist to move the box off the two of you.

You felt a sharp pang on your temple where you had hit your head earlier that day, a warm feeling good trickling down your forehead once again. The band aid Steve placed there must have ripped off in the fall you thought while Steve reached a hand out to help you up. While screaming about Russians designing elevators or something, you weren’t really paying attention to them, your own thoughts too loud to hear the others. You were genuinely freaking out at this point. You were who knows how many feet beneath starcourt mall which meant not only was Dustin right about the Russians but you all had stumbled across some sort of secret base. Maybe this really was the answer to whatever happened to your family, it couldn’t just be a coincidence. This thought alone steeled your nerves and broke you out of your thoughts as you looked around to take stock of the damage. Everyone looked fine, Steve was arguing with Robin about key cards and Erica was complaining about being at Tina’s or something?? Then Steve was yelling again, sending more pangs of pain shooting through your head. You rubbed your forehead smearing the blood down the side of your face, you think you heard Dustin mention something about climbing?

You weren’t too sure, your head seemed kind of foggy, maybe hitting it twice in one day knocked your brain around more than you’d like to admit. You tried to focus on what Dustin was saying the thought about climbing. Climbing out was a dumb idea you all had to have fallen at least 20 feet, just the idea of you all scaling up the elevator was was comical. The thought made you chuckle under your breath catching Robin’s attention.

“You ok? You’re uh bleeding again…” Robin asked, spotting the drip of blood trailing down the side of your face. This got everyone else attention as Steve was climbing back down from the top of the elevator. He of course hearing this immediately moved to your side, brows furrowed in worry.

“Hey, shit did you hit your head again?” Steve led you over to the steel table the boxes were resting on previously. He held your hand as you hopped up onto the table, too tired to argue with him when he was in mother hen mode. He took the little red tie from his uniform to dab at the blood dripping down your face. His features were scrunched in concern as he gingerly felt around your head, a hiss escaping your lips as he pressed the slight bump forming at your temple.

“Shit sorry sorry, fuck we got to get ice or something on that…” Steve removed his hands as if he’d been burned the moment you let out that hiss of pain moving to run them through his hair in frustration.

“Haha Steve I think ice is the least of our concerns right now…. We are stuck in a Russian elevator like 50 feet below the mall… I think we have bigger problems than a small bump on the head.” You tried to reassure him, he didn’t need to know the room was slightly spinning or that you felt kind of nauseous. It just meant you probably had a slight concussion and there was nothing you could do about it at the moment.

“I don’t know y/n you could have like a subdural hematoma” Robin chimed in from behind Steve.

“Or a brain hemorrhage!” Erica piped up as well causing your eyes to roll.

“Yeah or a brain hemorrhage! Head injuries are no joke man.” Robin agreed, nodding safely while you just looked between the two of them back to Steve who looked like he was going to either fight the other two or the box that hit you.

“Thanks guys, I feel so much better.” You sarcastically replied, wincing as Steve moved the tie to a bit of blood seeping from your temple. He still had a worried expression maring his features, “the swelling isn’t too bad but you should definitely get some ice on it…”

“Yeah Steve’s been knocked in the head enough times to be an expert at this point.” You could hear Dustin shout from above his head peeking down into the hatch in the Ceiling. This mixed with the face Steve made at his comment had you laughing out loud completely missing the way Steve’s expression went from annoyed to fond.

“Maybe you can like press this tube thing to it.” Erica offered, the green vial glinting in the fluorescent light making you feel uneasy.

“Thanks but no thanks. That stuff might be radioactive, don't wanna grow a second head or something.” You joked, earning you a chuckle from the two teens.

“Well we can’t have that, we only need one of you running your mouth.” Steve quipped back fondly as he went back to cleaning up the last bit of blood from your face. His tender touch made you smile, despite being the clumsy and brash person he was Steve always was careful when it came to caring for others.

“Oh you wouldn’t be able to handle two of me, that's what I’m hearing.” You hopped down off the table, swaying a bit when your feet hit the ground. Steve’s hands immediately went to steady you, that concern showing again in his expression. You offered him a sheepish smile before standing up straight waving him off to show you were fine.

You could hear Dustin shouting into his radio on the roof and your mind drifted, trying to come up with your next plan.

“Haha we are so screwed, Dustin’s gonna burn out the radio trying to get a signal we are like 50 feet below the surface dude.” You mused as Steve let go of your arm after making sure you weren’t about to fall over. “Yeah…yeah I’ll take care of it.” He grumbled moving to make his way back up to Dustin. You could hear them bickering through the metal ceiling, a smile forming on your face.

“So…now what.” You turned to Robin who was messing around with the button panel again trying to see if there was a way to bypass the keycard system. Then your gaze turned to Erica who was fiddling with another box.

“Nothing we really can do…. Guess we wait until the mall opens before trying the radio again? I’m just…gonna take a quick nap I think.” You replied to Robin sliding down the wall opposite her to get comfortable. This had her moving her attention from the buttons to you, a frown forming on her face. “Should you do that? What if you have a concussion?” It was as she was asking that did Steve and Dustin make their way back into the room.

“Woah wait what?” Dustin moved to your one side while Steve crouched in front of you. “Y/N you can’t sleep if you have a concussion ok?” Steve gently explained growing more concerned at your half lidded eyes.

“Don’t worry Steve I’m just tired, I literally drove like 9 hours just to get attacked by my mom then trapped in a Russian elevator. I just need like a short nap please.” You pleaded with the older boy, trying to give your best puppy dog eyes.

Steve looked at Dustin then Robin, his expression a mix of worry and helplessness. “Guys? She’s right, she really should get some sleep. Who knows how long we will be here…. What if we just wake her up every half hour? Would that be ok?” You were already closing your eyes again leaning a bit further into Steve who instinctively wrapped an arm around your back for support.

“Actually I’m pretty sure sleeping helps with a concussion, I tried looking into it when you got your shit rocked by Billy last year.” You mumbled, eyes still closed as you cuddled closer into Steve’s side. This of course earned a laugh from Dustin, who chimed in.

“Yeah after I told her Jonathan kicked your ass before you guys became close she started to get worried about your big head.”

Which Erica interrupted from afar with a snarky “probably worried about losing the last two brain cells left in there.”

“Okay rude” Steve scoffed before shooting you yet another worried glance.

He knew you needed the rest, today had to have been hellish and he wanted to give you that little break you needed. He watched as your breathing evened out, your weight fully pressing into his side. There’s no way he had the heart to wake you, not when you looked so exhausted and pale. Now that he had a moment to fully take in your appearance he took note of the dark circles under your eyes, the bruise that was turning a darker shade spreading from your temple.

While Steve stared at you, the other three stared at him two with understanding gazes and one with complete boredom. If any of them asked about gentle his gaze he would simply scoff and say you were strictly platonic friends. Steve may be even willing to admit that over the past few months the two of you might have even become best friends, you both bonding over Nancy growing distant and your mutual love of these damn kids. If he was being honest he was so focused on you being Nancy’s best friend that he had never even considered you to be anything other than just that, a friend. When the two of you started making regular phone calls he was surprised by how well the two of you got along, he found himself sharing things he never dreamt of sharing with Nancy. The connection the two of you had felt so natural, so easy that it was almost as if the two of you grew up as childhood friends. It may have been because the two of you had a lot in common, both from families that couldn’t care less about you, both from a well off background but still somehow you both felt there was much lacking in your everyday lives. It could be the loneliness you had told Steve about one particularly rough night, the same bone crushing isolation he felt after that Halloween party where Nancy had called what they had bullshit. Or maybe it was your shared love of those damn nosy kids, Dustin especially, the same one who got you all in this mess in the first place.

This connection that the two of you shared had grown so much over the past two years and was so new to the both of you that the thought of any type of feeling other than platonic friendship hadn’t even had the chance to develop. But that didn’t mean the people around the two of you didn’t notice how well the two of you fit together. Hell, Robin probably heard so much about you these past two months that she could probably list everything about you in extreme detail if asked. Dustin knew something was there the moment both you and Steve showed up to help with the demodog when no one else did.

All three of the teens were pulled out of their thoughts by Erica who broke the silence with a yawn.

“Well if she gets to sleep I will too…who knows how long will be stuck here because of you nerds.” Erica set her backpack down before laying back to use it as a pillow.

“Hey kid you should try to sleep too we could be here for a while. Steve and I will wake you up if anything happens.” Robin motioned to Dustin who looked like he would protest before a mischievous grin formed on his lips.

“Riiiight right well don’t you two get into any shenanigans while we’re out.”

❁

And just like that 8 hours had passed, Steve checking on you regularly while Robin tried to find a way out of this mess.

Your brows furrowed, your neck hurt along with you side and head.

What the hell did you fall asleep at a table or something? When you moved to get up the soft thing you were laying on moved with you causing your eyes to shoot open. You were met with Steve looking down at you from the side his arm retracting from behind you.

“Shit oh my god I’m so sorry!” You immediately scooted back away from the boy who was now Turning his arm various ways, stretching out his shoulder muscles.

“Heh morning princess sleep well?” He joked before moving to stand and crack his back. You were mortified as you wiped a bit of crusted drool off the side of your mouth. Your face heated as you realized you basically drooled all over poor Steve while you used him as a pillow.

“Ugh how long was I out?” You stood stretching, trying to work out the aches and pains in your body.

“8 hours. And lover boy over there didn’t move an inch to help me look for a way out.” Robin complained, while Steve groaned as he stood.

“Shut up Robin.” Steve ground out before turning to you and added “nah it’s cool not like I had anywhere to go anyway.”

You watched him as he moved over to the ladder before looking around to see everyone else was already up, Dustin missing which you assumed meant he was on the roof again.

You moved to join Robin in examining the panel of buttons for the door.

“Um hey thanks for letting me take a rest, I’m sorry I kept Steve from helping.” You sheepishly offered an apology, not really knowing Robin well enough to gauge her reaction. Nerves dying down a bit as she sent you an easygoing smile, her relaxed posture easing the tension a bit.

“Oh dude don’t worry about it. Steve wouldn’t have been much help anyway there literally is no way out of this stupid metal box.” And before you could respond a foul odor filled the air causing both you and Robin to look for the source.

A liquid began to seep through the ceiling causing you to stare in confusion while Robin to wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Can you redirect your stream please?!” The short haired brunette shouted up and you watched in horror as the stream moved in a zigzag to the corner.

“Ugh gross.” You before you could complain more a loud banging filled the room causing you to turn just in time to see Erica bashing the glowing green tube against a steel barrel. Your gut clenched in fear before running forward and grabbing it from Erica.

“WHOA WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” You hadn’t meant to shout but a flash of your mother holding a needle to your neck filled your vision. What if whatever she tried to drug you with was in that vial? What if it was some horrible mind altering super drug the Russians cooked up? You gripped the glass container close to your chest while you imagined the worst case scenarios. Apparently you weren’t the only one upset as you heard Robin and Erica arguing while you zoned out. Just then a distant whirring filled your ears, you turned placing your ear against the door and the sound got louder.

“Guys…. GUYS! Someone’s coming.” You shouted getting the other two girls' attention before running over to the ladder and climbing up both Robin and Erica close behind.

The group held their breath as the two men came in, grabbed a few boxes and left, driving off as the door began to close. You were genuinely surprised they didn’t notice the missing vial or obvious puddle of urine, even though one even mentioned it smelling like piss. Before you could contemplate the intelligence of these so called Russian spy’s Steve was already moving, sliding the glass container under the door just in time for it to stop.

The group slid under one after another, Steve making it out just in time to see the glass shatter, green viscous liquid pooling out. The floor began to hiss and steam as the liquid ate away at the metal, a relieved sigh falling from your lips as you helped Steve up.

It was then that you saw the impossibly long hallway the two men had left down. You whistled, “damn that’s a long ass hallway…” the group groaned and began their trek in the only direction available. You hoped you weren’t walking straight into a pit of vipers, with no chance of escaping.

❁

After and impossible amount of walking, a bit of bickering and one Russian transmission later you found yourself staring in awe at the crowd of people going about their business in the room the tunnel led to.

“Shit fuck!” You ducked out of the way, your group following suit as you felt yourself panic. That was a lot of soldiers, way too many that wasn’t just one or two soldiers, that was a whole ass army. That was literally hundreds of grown ass adults with automatic rifles and military training and here you were a group of fucking kids. What the hell were you going to do? God what were you even hoping for? like should you turn back the way you came? Should you just give up now saying that you all accidentally wandered down here somehow.

As you were spiraling into a full blown panic the others made a plan. It wasn’t until you felt Dustin pull on your hand did you even realize you were all moving again, staying low and moving quickly. Everyone slipped through the door a solider had just left only for your heart to freeze in your chest.

Someone was here and oh my god he was reaching for his gun. Robin shouted in Russian, causing the man to falter giving you enough time to step in front of Dustin and Erica, arms out in a protective stance. That dude would have to go through you to get to these kids and damn you weren’t going to make it easy. Just as you got ready to fight Steve screamed not only startling you but the man as well. Then he was running straight at him, straight at the man with a gun and your blood ran cold, heart jumping to your throat.

Then it was over and the solider was on the ground and Steve was standing there and your heart was still in your throat.

“Are you INSANE?!” You squeaked out, voice completely being covered up by Dustin shouting “Dude!! you did it!! You won a fight!”

And god damn that big haired idiot because the pride you saw shine in his eyes calms your nerves, sending your heart back down where it belongs if not still beating a little too fast.

“Jesus H Christ Steve what if he shot you?’” You ran up grabbing his shoulders trying to assess the damage done. You pat him down, hands moving from his shoulders to his face, vaguely aware of Erica and Dustin once again arguing in the background.

“I’m alright really, he was totally caught off guard. Not even scratch on me.” He reassured you as you turned his head side to side, you worry completely overshadowing the light blush that started to creep up the tips of Steve's ears. A stern reprimand sat on the top of your tongue just as Robin shouted pulling your attention to the other scoops employee.

“There’s something up there!” She points to a glowing stairwell, a faint blue pulsing light filling the doorway. And as you made your way up the steps your pulse began to quicken again, a foreboding feeling stirring in the pit of your stomach. One that only grew as you looked stepped through the door and crept up to the windows.

Your breath caught in your throat and a memory seared to the forefront of your mind.

It was the moment you stepped foot into your home, Heather and Billy close behind. A chill ran up your arms and goosebumps formed as you rubbed your arms looking back at Heather. “Hey why the hell is it so cold in here? It’s like barely 80 outside?” Heather simply smiled and motioned to Billy. “Oh he likes it cold.”

The memory slammed into you morphing into another of Will screaming, his small frame writhing against his restraints as Johnathan cried for his mother to stop. More and more memories flashed through your mind as you gasped staring in horror at what was on the other side of the glass.

The Russians weren’t just here to spy on American soil, they were opening the fucking gate. The gate that eleven had fought to close, the gate that banished the mind flayer from Will. In that instant you knew, everything clicked together, the weird lack of communication with your family, the violent and alarming actions of your mother and sister. The nearly freezing temperature of your home.

The upside down had made it's way to your family, and it was all because of these Russian soldiers.

A year slipped down your face, realization on what this meant nearly taking your breath away.

He was back and he had your family in his clutches. This was not the answer you were hoping for.

❀

Next chapter

A/N: I realize I’m basically writing this just for my own entertainment but I hope those of you who do give this a chance enjoy it. Um the story starts to pick up from here, what with the Russian drugs and beating and mind flayer. At this point in the show I think Y/n’s family is turned to meat globs for the flayer body but that will come in later… this certainly isn’t as popular as my Eddie fics but if I’m being honest I just don’t care haha.

As always any feedback is greatly appreciated ✌︎

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve angst #steve x y/n #steve stranger things #steve harrington angst #steve harrington is a mom #steve harrington fic #Steve Harrington x Holloway!reader #season three spoilers #slow burn #Eddie Munson will be here soon guys #eventual Steve x reader x Eddie #at the château

[jebiknights]

Corries and Anakin you say? Potential for more fun, I hear

Because honestly, with how often I imagine Anakin visited the senate (be it for a senator or for a chancellor) I think he’d at least kinda get to know the guard? Maybe it’s just my need for more clones interacting with my comfort character, and maybe it’s just my need to fix the sad by making it sadder and then fixing it after that, but all I know is there is a chance he could get to know the guard.

Also isn’t Anakin like, Chancellor rescuer number 1? Wouldn’t that have him and the guard working kinda close together? Maybe I’m reaching for straws, but I’ve accomplished more with less lol

So yeah, Anakin and the Guard, I want more, we deserve more Corrie content anyways

(I am so sorry this took so long to answer I had work this weekend and a wedding (and also ate complete shit at the wedding I am still in pain))

BUT YES ANON YOU GET ME. I don't bring it up a lot because I hate being that person who just inserts my blorbo into everything, including places he doesn't belong, BUT with the fact he spends so much time with Padme, the Chancellor, even in Legends he's met with Bail before with Obi-Wan (though typically out of office, but still). He's arguably one of the Jedi that it would make the most sense for them to spend time with that aren't like, Mace or Yoda or Adi. (I understand the Quinlan stuff, esp because he doesn't have a canon group but also, Quinlan spends just as much if not more time off planet as the frontliners so-)

Also Anakin is just a friendly guy with the clones specifically, he would definitely chat with and befriend them whenever he was waiting for the Chancellor or after they managed to rescue him (his tunnel vision might be too bad before the rescue lol).

I think it also would be an interesting dynamic to explore, especially in the context of the previous ask about the Corries being the only ones who notice quite what is up with Anakin and Palps (or at least that it's weird), because in Legends canon at least, Anakin... apologizes a lot for Palpatine. It's interesting actually, because Palps will fixate on Anakin, compliment only him, or attribute things to him that other people deserve (Esp wrt Obi-Wan) and Anakin is constantly worried about how that reflects on both Palps and him, and tries to smooth feathers. idk it's interesting to watch, and I wonder how Anakin would likely try to play mediator b/t the Corries and Palpatine.

(I'm ngl, I think Anakin sees more of Palpatine's bad aspects that we think, and that he both rationalizes them away as him being an old man stuck in his ways but with very good intentions, and also him just being groomed and conditioned to write off the bad things.)

#corrie guard #corries #anakin skywalker #anon #anonymous #sorry this is so late anon! #asks

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Do you think it’s best to take everyting they say at face value or think that at other possiblities?

In one hand there are clear cases of them having ulterior motives :Jk going live when the hiatus was announced and doing damage control, but at the same time I do think there is no point in dissecting everything because is very subjecting: shippers are projecting(of course for them Tae and Jk doing a live is a sign, of course Jk is lying about the tattoo and Jm stands for Jimin), big accounts control narratives and shape younger and newer’s fans perspective of BTS.

All in all everyone is too emotional when bts do anything so we never get more objective perspectives.

I think it depends on the situation and even then, we have no way of knowing because this is a parasocial relationship so there's always going to be some severe imbalance.

I don't believe in the army mantra of believing only and everything BTS says and take it at face value. Once again, do I need to remind that they're people like us and they can lie as well? Be it a white lie, or a dirty lie, whatever it is because it's part of the human nature in a way. We're all "guilty" of doing it. So I don't think we should blindly and automatically believe what comes out of a celebrity's mouth. They will say stuff for their own advantage. I'd say that fans, especially in international online spaces, are so deep into projecting their own fantasies over these men, that being/acting clueless even when common sense and experience might make them raise some questions, they won't do it because they voluntary fell into the trap of this wonderful story that includes seven men who always tell the truth, their behavior is without fault, their soft masculinity separating them from the rest of the world, society at large and the specifics of the society they live in. And then you also have the people (shippers and severe cases of solo stan-ism) in which they see signs of conflict, mistreatment and broken relationships in every little gesture, every word, every interaction or a lack thereof it.

You see, it's a combination of projecting ones fantasy and othering people and being highly subjective. And I can't even fault people for the last point because it's impossible to leave our subjectivity aside. Everything we hear and see is then filtered through our own ways of understanding, our own values and standards and then it transforms and gets out into the form of our opinion and how we see what is in front of us. And our belonging to specific groups of fans (like ot7, shippers, solos, etc) directly influences our thoughts because each focuses more on aspects they are emotionally invested into.

As futile as it seems, it's part of being in the fandom. People are subjective because they are fans and feel connected to these men in some way or another. And if an external person who is not a BTS fan, someone who would look at this from an entirely analytical pov, would still not be able to deliver a fully objective perspective because they would have their own subjectivity involved. This is not science we're talking about, we're not using data, but an area which involves understanding people and relationships. And more importantly, trying to understand that without having the majority of information that would help makes it all the more complicated.

#bmt asks #bts #bts army #bts fandom discourse #bts fandom behavior