#probably a bit late for this but it’s worth saying regardless

[whatever-you-can-give-me]

clarifying something in regards to my trigun meta, because i’m realizing finally why people get so tetchy with me about it.

tl;dr: can i please talk about canon events of consent violation as an entirely separate conversation from the fandom concept of a ship? i’m talking about what is, not what if.

cw: trigun spoilers, rape, incest. you know the drill.

also, because i made this mistake once before: if you use or interpret this post as some kind of tirade against kv shippers, or get morally righteous about icky fetishists in my notes: fuck off, you do not speak for me, i hate you, and this is exactly why we need to be able to separate analysis and shipping.

moving on.

okay but. people do understand. that rape is not necessarily about attraction or even about sex, right?

when i talk about the scenes i describe as sexual assault in trigun, i’m not saying that it means knives/vash is canon. i’m saying that there’s a deliberate construction to the narrative that makes knives’ violation of his siblings’ consent a driving force of the plot and what eventually screws him over.

i know this is a “yelling in the library and expecting not to be shushed” situation. you can’t take a piss in fandom without someone asking if you have a fetish.

but i really think we can stand to at least not keep putting square pegs in round holes, here.

yes, i know, you tag non-con with a slash too. but i’m not talking about shipping when i talk about knives violating the consent of vash and his sisters. those are two different modes of engaging with consent violation and relationships that involve it.

attraction and desire can be motives behind assault. but it’s not the only or even the most driving motivation. assault — violation of consent — is about power. having and exercising power over another. regardless of that’s to satisfy a personal desire or to force them to comply or just to hurt them.

(this is the same reason that using “pedophilia” as the catch-all it’s currently used as is rather than its actual definition is Fucking Stupid, but i digress)

when i discuss the metaphysical acts i refer to as analogous to rape, i am not saying that knives’ actions and his treatment of vash are driven by attraction (exclusively — that’s a conversation for another post) or that he fuses with his sisters to have an incestuous genocide orgy.

i’m saying that it’s extremely telling how knives treats his siblings, the acts of domination over them and the violation of their consent, their bodily autonomy, and their willpower, when his stated goal is to prevent humans from doing the same.

knives believes in power. that’s the only thing he believes in. and fundamentally, that’s why his attempts to “help” the dependent plants results in far more harm than good, and ultimately in failure.

he doesn’t understand freedom. he understands power. so for plants to be safe, in his eyes, there can be no humans that could hold power over them — the only one with the right to overpower them is him.

in vash’s case, the line blurs — vash is almost a whole, real person to him. he wants his cooperation, wants his company, he does desire him, in one way or another. but if vash won’t listen to him, won’t comply, won’t cede, won’t indulge in power for power’s sake [july incident, trimax] there’s no choice but to overpower him. consume him.

and the other reason i describe these events as assault, as rape — they are not just violations, not just acts of control. they have consequences. knives takes power from his siblings. keeps it, hoards it, so they have no way to challenge him. he literally consumes [trimax] and warps [stampede] his sisters’ bodies and destroys their homes. they cannot go back what they were before he raped them. and neither can vash — knives’ actions, nearly all of them, are designed to isolate vash. to make him terrified of his own body. to keep him from reaching out to humans. to give him nowhere to run but back to knives, knives who will stop hurting him, stop him from being hurt, if he’d just listen.

does knives love his siblings? yes. but when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. and when all you have are knives… well.

shipping is a what if. this is just what is.

#trigun meta #trigun #probably a bit late for this but it’s worth saying regardless #reblogs and replies on for the moment but i will turn them off if people can’t behave #tw rape #tw incest #tw abuse

[thebestofoneshots]

Gilded Constellations | (wolfstar x reader)

Series Masterlist | Previous episode

Pairing: Wolfstar x Reader Word Count: 12 K Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence. (Reader discretion is advised). Prompt: It's game time. This IS a wolfstar x reader fic, but it's incredibly slow burn. They won't start all dating each other until we're very deep into the story, but I promise the long wait will be worth it. Proofread by sweethearts: @aremuslupinsimp & @profoundpidgeon

Chapter 30: Bridge Over Troubled Water

You stayed with the boys until Peter and James arrived, and since it was already past curfew, but mostly because he wanted to, he offered to take you to your room using James’ cloak. You were both already outside your door when he stopped you and pulled you in for a short kiss. 

“Starshine, I might not see you tomorrow…” 

“However will I survive?” you chimed in.

He rolled his eyes, a very small smile playing on his lips before he focused again “That’s not– tomorrow’s the game–” 

“Yeah, I’m very aware.” 

“And I won’t be there.” You nodded, holding your tongue instead of interrupting him again, “You will be the seeker.” 

“Sirius, What’s your–” 

“Just promise you won’t do anything stupid.” 

You gave him a look, and then smiled, reciting a line from a comic you’d read with him a couple of weeks ago “How could I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.” 

He deadpanned, “I’m serious.” Again, you had to hold your tongue before saying something that would probably frazzle him a bit more, “Take care of yourself, you’re more important to me than winning the game.” 

You smiled at that. It was a game against Slytherin. You’d be seeking against Regulus. Those words meant a lot more than they let on. You looked at him, and nodded “I won’t do anything stupid.” 

“No using yourself as a shield for a bludger?” 

“Nope,” you confirmed with a nod.

“Stay the hell away from Crouch.” 

“You don’t even have to tell me for me to do that.” 

“And don’t trust Minho, I know you’re friends but he’s as quidditch crazy as James, he won’t go easy on you just because you’re friends.” 

“It’d be a boring game if he did,” you said with a pout. Sirius shook his head in disbelief before pulling you into a hug. 

“Not gonna lie, I’m kind of glad you’re playing seeker instead of guardian, with your shoulder and everything…” 

“Shoulder’s fine,” you said with a shrug, leaning onto him. He was squeezing you tightly, and you rather enjoyed it. “But I’ll get hurt more often if you keep coddling me so much.” 

“How about you don’t get hurt ever again and I promise to continue coddling you regardless?” He hummed into your hair, his tone laced with humour. 

“I suppose we could reach to an agreement,” you replied with a smile, as you took in the scent of his soft shirt, and then pulled back to look at him, “Don’t pick up fights with Evan while you’re in detention with Slughorn,” you added in a warning tone. 

He gave you a look as if to say that it was impossible but you reached up and placed your hand near the bottom of his lip, where a small cut was healing, he winced as you brushed your hand over it “I thought as much,” you told him earnestly as you let your hand fall to the side of his cheek, Godric, he’s so unfairly pretty, you thought. 

He stared back at you, and you must have stayed like that for a while, if anyone saw you, they’d assume you were two idiots in love, which was pretty accurate in and of itself, thankfully the cloak was still covering the two of you, letting you bask in each other’s gazes without anyone bursting your bubble, until Sirius did, remembering it was late. “All right, off you go, you have to wake up early tomorrow, eat a full meal and get ready for the game.” 

“Sure thing Prongs,” you teased, you would have said mom, but being honest, James was a lot more concerned about the games and your eating habits than either of your moms ever were, especially Walburga, at least your mom tried, even if you didn’t agree with the choices she had made in order to please your father. 

He huffed a laugh, “I’ll tell Rem to watch over you.” 

“I don’t need a nanny.” 

“He’ll watch over you anyway,” he added, which was true in two ways, one: he’d tell Remus regardless of your objections, and two: he was pretty sure Remus would watch over you even if he didn’t directly ask him to do it. 

You hummed in response and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before sliding into your room. Lily was awake for some reason, she had a book in her hands and was using the light of her wand to read. You narrowed your eyes at her and decided to go straight into her bed, sitting beside her. 

“Where were you all day today?” She asked in a whisper, you took your wand out of the pyjama pants the boys had given you and cast a silencing spell over the two of you. “The school was chaos, Nox and Comet came over looking for you at lunch, we had to tell them we hadn’t seen you since breakfast. And then it was my date with James, I wanted to ask you if I looked nice but nobody knew where you were, it was like you vanished.” 

“You always look nice,” you said, addressing one of their first statements. “James is head over heels for you–” 

She frowned, looking over your body. “Hold up! What are you wearing?” she asked, placing her hand on the flannel pants you had on, pants she was sure she had seen either on Sirius or Remus (perhaps both), and then turned to the shirt, a little too big for you. A shirt she definitely had seen on Sirius. You didn’t change back into your uniform since you weren’t expecting anyone to be awake. “Isn’t this Sirius’… Oh my God! You were with Sirius,” she said with a gasp, covering her own mouth since she had been much louder this time around, “How was it?” 

“Ah that… It’s not what you think!” You managed to mumble, “I was working on my project with Rem and then I accidentally spilt coffee all over myself, he borrowed this,” you explained, making it all up on the spot, feeling rather satisfied at how convincing you’d sounded. “Sirius came over later and we all just chilled together for a bit, Remus was reading to us and I just kinda lost track of time.” 

She quirked an eyebrow as if analysing what you’d said, Lily was clever, that’s why you had added a truth after the lie, perhaps that way she wouldn’t suspect too much "Does that mean you haven’t…?"

You shook your head. "We’ve… kissed a lot, but no." You then turned to her, narrowing your eyes. "Lily Evans, what makes you so curious?"

She turned red, pulling a strand of shiny red hair behind her ear. "I kissed James today."

You looked at her shocked, James had told you and the boys that the date had gone well, he hadn’t elaborated further. It should have probably made you wonder why he rushed into his bathroom, but you were way too comfortable laying in between Sirius and Remus as he read an action-packed scene that you didn’t pay too much attention to it. In fact, you weren’t sure you’d be able to pay attention to much anything other than Remus’ calming voice, let alone with Sirius, who had at some point taken a hold of your hand and fidgeted with your fingers as the other boy narrated. 

"You know you have to tell me everything about it, don’t you?"

She nodded. "That’s why I stayed awake."

And she told you everything, from how James had picked a few wildflowers, which you recognised as Remus’ idea, to how he’d taken her on a walk near the lakes. How he’d somehow gotten his hands on the muggle coffee candies she adores so much -which you knew had been thanks to Sirius’ cousin Andromeda- and he’d placed them on a small picnic basket filled with her favourite food from the great hall (those had been courtesy of Pebblier and Nimbletwist, you had been the one to ask them for it), how he’d taken some paints and parchment and proposed to paint each other. That had been his own idea, at least the making portraits of each other part. 

She took out her journal and pulled out the parchment, she had neatly added it to one of the pages with tape. James might be good at a lot of things, but he wasn’t a Michelangelo, perhaps a Picasso? You could certainly say Lily’s portrait was an abstract piece. But she seemed absolutely delighted by it. And her happiness was contagious. 

At some point, you had both laid on their bed as he continued telling you all the things they’d done. How he’d behaved like a total gentleman, but kept his very distinctive James Potter charm. She wondered how she had been so blind and not seen that side of him before. You’d been tempted to tell her she was a goner, but held your tongue. You told her a bit about the book you’d been reading with the boys, and she told you that she heard about it. That there was a movie, or maybe they were still making it, she wasn’t too sure. Hogwarts was incredible at many things, but it wasn’t very good at helping students keep up with muggle news. In between laughter, secrets and teasing, the two of you fell asleep beside each other.

 Sunday, November 28th, 1976

"Darling, you need to wake up," you heard as you felt a hand on your shoulder. The pain woke you up, rather than her voice, and you groaned, thankfully Marlene thought it was because you were still sleeping. "Teddy wants us in the pitch earlier since he wants to revise the strategy."

You gave her a look, still rather sleepy but nodded, getting up from Lily’s bed, she was still sleeping soundly on the side, and stirred only a little as you stood up, if Marlene noticed anything related to the pyjama you had on, she said nothing. You went straight to change, freshening up a bit by throwing some water straight at your face. 

You checked your wound, it looked a lot better, the pain was still there, but it seemed like it was already closing. You threw in some healing spray Remus had given you the night of the prank and wrapped it again. You brushed your teeth, and after you were done, you threw some more water at your face. You felt a lot more awake now, but you were sure breakfast would finish waking you up completely. While it might have not been the best idea to stay awake talking to Lily, you still thought it had been worth it. 

You gave a look at your reflection in the small bathroom mirror. "Let’s do this," you told yourself with a smile and stepped out, Marlene was waiting for you outside, she was lacing up her boots."Breakfast?" 

She nodded in response, and the two of you walked over to the door. "Should we wake her?" she asked. 

You shook your head "She stayed up quite late-"

"Talking to you," she interrupted. 

You shrugged. "Yeah, but she didn’t have a game tomorrow," you told her, nodding to the fact that you had been irresponsible, but were okay with it either way. "She’ll wake up before the game, she set an alarm. We should let her rest."

Marlene hummed. "Her date must have been pretty exhausting," she told you with a cheeky smile, you laughed. "Though I still wonder how he managed to convince McGonagall to let him off punishment to go on the date."

You raised your eyebrows "Well… I suppose James can be very convincing."

"He probably cried to McGonagall," she said with a laugh. "Wouldn’t blame him, I’m not sure if Lily would have given him another chance."

"We would have convinced her."

"If only to get James off our backs," Marlene said with a laugh, by then you were already close to the entrance of the great hall. 

James and Sirius –as expected– weren’t there when you crossed the huge doors. Teddy was amiably speaking with Tim and Lucas, who would be covering for your friends, while Gale and Anne sat a little bit further to the side. When Gale saw the two of you, he raised his hand and made a gesture for you to walk their way. 

Both you and Marlene followed and sat in front of the two of them. You served yourself some apple juice as you all greeted each other. They were both already wearing their uniforms, just like you and Marlene were. The Slytherins also had their uniforms on, and they were all sitting close to each other. You realized the boy that would be covering for Evan was the same you had seen in Barty’s room, the Gaunt kid.  

“How’re we feeling?” Gale asked, diverting your attention towards your table again. 

You sucked in some air and smiled. “It’s always the excitement before a game, isn’t it?” 

“Excitement?!? I’m shitting my pants from how nervous I am,” Gale said as he took a sip of some lavender tea Anne had given him to relax. “There’s no way in hell I’m as good as you as a keeper.” 

You almost gasped at his words, you were absolutely shocked the overconfident Gale Thomas, the same boy who had taken your handkerchief away on the tryouts, who was so fast you hadn’t even noticed, would be reduced to a bundle of nerves by something like this, you tilted your head. “Gale you’re brilliant, you’ve always been brilliant!” you said. “Even on the tryouts, you were amazing as a keeper, I’m sure we stopped just as many–” 

“You stopped around 5% more than I did, you had a block ratio of 95%,” he said, leg bouncing up and down as he took a bite from a toast. 

You leaned down on the table to get his attention. “Gale?” you called, he threw you a look, worry still evident on his face. “They wanted you to be a keeper too,” you told him, pointing at Teddy with a nod. “And if they attempt to throw the ball 20 times, and you stop 19, we would still be many, many points ahead. Alison and Mina are great chasers, but I’m sure you’ll be on par, after all, you defended against Teddy, James, Anne and me on the tryouts.” 

Anne nodded. “Say it louder so it gets through his thick head,” she said, a little louder and sounding just a little annoyed. He’s been going over since we came downstairs. 

“You really think I’ll be on par?” he asked, looking absolutely hopeful. You smiled, sometimes you forgot how much younger than the rest of the team Gale was.  

“I’m sure you’ll outperform them,” you added with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. 

“What about you, how long has it been since you played seeker?” 

You took a deep breath, pondering on the question, it had definitely been a while, but you had played mini-matches with James several times, just trying to catch the snitch in morning flights. You still had the touch, or at least the two of you were much better than Sirius, who had only managed to catch the snitch like 7 times of the hundreds you had played. And one of them had been because he’d distracted you by blowing you a kiss.

“Officially? Probably in March or something, but I’ve been practising with James on our morning flights.” 

“You’re not nervous?” Anne asked as he threw a chip in her mouth. 

You bit your lip. “I’m excited,” you responded honestly. “Although, the fact that I’m seeking against Pads’ brother and he won the race does make me feel rather queasy,” you added, deciding to avoid the rest of the drama that he’d caused a few years back.  

“I still don’t get why you keep calling him weird names,” Anne said with a shrug. 

“Regulus?” 

“No, your boyfriend, first it was Puppy, then Pads, as the boys call him. What’s wrong with just… Sirius?”

“Oh, have you heard what they call her?” Marlene intervened. “There’s Starshine, Little Witch, Trouble, Kit–” 

“Vix!” Remus said, cutting Marlene off and giving the perfect example. 

“Hey Moons,” you said with a smile as you leaned closer to Marlene so he could sit. 

“Vix?” Anne asked Marlene in a rather hushed tone.

“Stands for Vixen.”

“And she just lets them call her that?” 

 “It’s because she’s as sly as a fox,” Remus intervened. 

“And it’s still better than Wormtail,” you said, just to get a reaction from Peter who was taking a seat  across from you and Rem. 

“Oi! Stop it, Wormtail is a perfectly fine nickname thank you very much.” 

“If she’s Vixen because she’s a sly fox and Peter is Wormtail because he’s as quiet as a mouse–” Anne started. 

You snorted. “When has Peter ever been quiet as a mouse?!” 

Yes, it was true Peter wasn’t nearly as loud as James or Sirius, and it made it especially evident since he was always hanging around the two boys but Peter was far from “quiet as a mouse”, if anything, Remus was quieter, and that was only half true, because once you got him talking about a book, he could go on and on with it, just like James could talk about Quidditch for hours. 

“And why is he Wormtail then?” Anne asked. 

“He looks like a rat,” Remus responded simply, which would have sounded mean if he didn’t have a complicit smile as he stared at Peter. 

“Quit it with your word games you two!” Peter warned in a rather stern tone, and yet, there was a certain shimmer behind his eyes, as if he knew more than he let on. It was all in the secrecy, really, on being part of the brotherhood that actually knew what was happening behind the nicknames. The shared secret allowed you to do and say things that people didn’t quite understand, even if you sometimes had to play offended. You enjoyed being able to be part of it, part of them.

“And Remus is Moony, isn’t it?” Anne asked, “Why’s that?” 

“Because he’s insane,” you and Peter responded at about the same time, before bursting out into a laugh, Remus pulled your hair lightly in response and you turned to him with your tongue out. 

“If you keep it up, little witch, I’m not gonna give you this,” he said as he pulled his hand up for you to see, his sleeve fell back a little and you could see what he meant, Sirius’ lucky hair tie. 

“You wouldn’t go against Pads’ wishes,” you told him as you grabbed his hands and started to tug at the hair tie, but he dragged his hand away, leaving you with a pout. 

“You sure about that luv?” He asked, eyebrows quirked. 

“Confident,” you said, attempting to drag his hands down, but it was pretty useless, his muscles wouldn’t even budge, freaking werewolf strength, you thought with a huff “Reeem!” you whined. You wondered for a moment what that strength would do as a beater in quidditch and almost shivered.  

He just smiled and tilted his head “How about you ask for it nicely?” 

You rolled your eyes. “Darling Moony,” you said, exaggerating. “Can I please have Puppy’s hair tie?” 

He knew you were playing a part, he could also hear the sarcasm dripping from your voice, and yet… he rather enjoyed that all of your attention was on him. And Merlin the look that you were giving him, it felt almost as good as when Sirius climbed onto the side of his bed, grabbed his hand, and manhandled it until he managed to slide the hair tie in. It still smelled of Sirius’ hair long after he had left for detention. Remus tried not to smell it, he didn’t want to be weird about it. But he couldn’t help himself. 

Now he had you all over him, legs pressed against his and hands all over his arm as you attempted to pull it down, and he adored it. Even if he knew he shouldn’t, even if he knew you were Sirius’, he loved having your undivided attention. Your eyes on him, and no one else. 

“Pretty please?” you added, and now you had that sneaky little puppy dog face you gave him when you wanted something. The same face he could barely say no to when you weren’t pressed against him. 

He sighed and lowered his arm, allowing you to take the tie from him, relishing on the way your hands brushed over his own. Your hands were much smaller than Sirius’, even if a little rougher from so much quidditch and not that much piano, but he liked them just as much as he liked the ones of the boy.

When you managed to slide it off, you pulled back a little to add it to your hair “Have you eaten?” Peter asked from the front. Suddenly you remembered it wasn’t only you and Remus in the room and felt awkward for half a second, but everyone seemed to find the interaction the most normal, especially Peter and Marlene who hung around you and Remus often. 

You looked down at your clean plate, you had been so focused on comforting Gale and then on Remus’ talk, or perhaps just on Remus, that you had forgotten to even serve yourself anything. You shook your head and filled your cup. “How much time do we have?” you asked Marlene. 

“About 15 minutes,” she informed. 

“That should be enough,” you said before taking a drink and grabbing onto a toast before spreading butter on it. Then some cream cheese and you were about to grab the marmalade when Remus spoke. 

“Here,” he said as he passed over a plate with fruit to you. 

“Thanks, Rem,” you said as you grabbed a few of the berries and placed them on top of your bread. You then started munching on some of the other fruits on the plate. You didn’t realise, with the rush, that the plate actually had only your favourite fruit. Remus had picked them up from the centre of the table as you prepared your toast. 

You pretty much gobbled your food, like you had been doing all week, even if the absolute craving for meat had significantly diminished -especially when you were around Remus you noticed- the hunger seemed to prevail. All the types of hunger. Every time you saw Sirius you had the urge to kiss him over and over again like that time in the passageways. That type of hunger didn’t seem to subside when you were around Remus. 

You stood up, Teddy, Tim and Lucas had already left, and Marlene was just finishing her eggs while Anne and Gale stood up. Remus was still eating, a lot more calmer as the four of you motioned to move. 

“Little Witch!” he said, just before you started walking towards the door, he used his wand to levitate a blueberry muffin towards your face. “Take this for the way.” 

“What about me,” Marlene asked. 

“It was the last one, sorry.” 

Marlene gasped playfully. “I swear, this is what you call preferences,” she said with a humph and turned her heel. 

“I’ll save one for you next time,” Remus said with a simple shrug, and Marlene just gave him an incredulous stare before marching off behind Anne and Gale. You gave Remus a look and he shrugged again. “It was for you, she’s playing what she always does, you aren’t,” he added, did that make sense? he sure hoped it did. 

“Thanks, Rem,” you told him with a smile. “I’ll see you in the game, yeah?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” 

“See you there too Pete,” you said with a wave, the boy nodded and hummed in response, too busy picking the onion bits out of the eggs. Peter didn’t like onion, and he always took his sweet time taking it out of his eggs, Sirius had given him a spell, but he said it wasn’t as good as using his hands and eyes. 

You moved to follow behind Marlene and had almost gotten all the way out of the room when two Slytherins cornered you near the doors. You smiled. 

“You did it, didn’t you?” Comet asked, a complicit smile on her face. 

“Had to be you, Crouch has been on your back for months,” Nox added. 

“And then there was the incident with Evan, Severus has always been an ass to you and Mulciber follows them along wherever they go,” Comet intervened. 

You gulped, a small smirk on your lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“And you were in my room, jeez, how the hell didn’t I notice.” 

“You must sleep pretty heavy,” you said with a shrug. 

“Ha! She’s admitting it!”

“I can’t confirm nor deny anything…” 

Nox looked dumbfounded while Comet laughed. “Thanks for the heads up,” she told you. 

“What warning?” you asked with a complicit smile. 

Nox breathed out, a smile playing on his lips again. “Should have heard his screams, he woke up drenched in sweat and crying like a baby,” he added, smile turning to smirk. You had never seen so much Slytherin-ness on him before. “Serves him well.” 

You bit your cheek to avoid making your smile bigger. “Well guys, there’s a game I need to attend.” 

“Good luck!” Comet said with a smile as you waved them goodbye and started walking away. 

“We hope you lose,” added Nox casually, he actually liked Regulus, he’d always been a good roommate. Comet dug her elbow on his stomach, she didn’t care much for the Quidditch team, except for Minho, but she liked you better. 

“I don’t, I hope you win!” she said with a smile “but invite me to the celebration party, I’d hate to miss it.” 

You turned with a smile and a wink. “Of course, you’re always invited to the Gryffindor parties.” 

You continued walking towards the pitch, you bumped into Nina, who hugged you and wished you a great game. She told you she’d be watching on the Gryffindor side with Sibyl, which made you smile. 

After a few more minutes you were already on the pitch, everyone was there already, and Teddy was talking with Gale now, he turned to you and called your name, using his hand to prompt you to come.“James said you’ll be seeking.” You nodded, you knew. “But… and I know this might be a lot to ask, but could you keep an eye on Gale?” 

“But he’s brilliant!” you argued, and then turned to him, standing on the side. “You’re brilliant Gale, I told you already.” 

“He knows,” Teddy said, getting your attention again. “But he asked me to ask you to do it, just in case.” 

You looked between the two boys and realised that more than anything, what Gale wanted was reassurance, so you smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Of course, I’ve got you covered,” you bolstered him. “Just do your thing, be as fast as you always are but stay in the goals, all right?”  

“Will you teach me how to do the backflip?” he asked. 

You nodded, “How about I teach you during our next practice, in case you ever have to play keeper again?” 

He nodded excitedly. “I want to be as good as you one day.” 

“You’ll be even better,” you told him with a smile. And you truly believed he would, it was almost like a hunch. 

“All right guys,” Teddy said, “10 laps, we need some warm-up.” You nodded and did as told, speeding through the pitch as fast as your broom allowed, then up and down, practising the break before reaching the ground. 

Eventually, Teddy called everyone down, and you all started to gear up. You helped Gale with the many layers of protective gear he’d be wearing and then sat down near the bleachers to fasten your own gear. Most of the gear was similar to the stuff you wore normally. Although James had given you a pair of old gloves, that he said he’d used to win his first match. You tried not to think about the fact that your hands were so small that James’ had been the same size when he was 13, but then you remembered being James, and it actually made sense. 

“Feeling ready?” you heard a soft voice from behind and saw Remus’ hands out of the corner of your eye, as he sat down on the grass beside you. 

You hummed. “Yeah, I just need to finish with this,” you said as you pointed at the laces that you were passing through and around your shins. 

Remus leaned on his palms as he looked up. “It might rain soon,” he informed. 

“It’s a wonderful day!” You told him with a smirk, he gave you a side eye but smiled. 

“Here,” he said, giving you a small, marble-sized transparent ball. 

“A swamp bomb?” you asked curiously as you looked through the transparent-ish ball and looked at all the little murky water details inside.

“Throw it on the ground and you get an instant swamp,” he said with a smile. “Sirius and I trapped it on the marble a few years ago, we made one for each, they always carry them on rainy games.” 

“For… luck?” you asked with a bit of a frown. 

Remus quirked an eyebrow. “In case you slip off your broom,” he responded matter of factly, “use it and you’ll fall on water rather than on the grass, it’ll break your fall”

You gasped in shock, a surprised expression that turned into a smile the more you thought about it. “That’s insanely clever! It should be used as a failsafe for every quidditch player. I mean change the swamp for cleaner water and you have the perfect little artefact.” 

Remus nodded in agreement, “Keep it in you, all right?” 

You nodded. “You really did take the whole “taking care of me” thing seriously,” you said as you pocketed the marble. 

“Take care of you?” he asked with a frown. 

“Didn’t Sirius ask?” you asked a little confused. 

He had.

Although, Remus had been too busy trying not to blush when he grabbed his hand to put the hair tie in. Did he? he wondered, perhaps he did, I wasn’t exactly listening. Remus cleared his throat, you noticed he did that quite often when he was around you, you wondered if maybe he was getting sick or something. “Yeah, I… yeah, but you’re my best friend so, still…” 

You nudged him with your shoulder. “Don’t get all soft with me,” you joked. “You know I’ll be alright, don’t you?” 

He propped his elbows on his knees and leaned his head on them, giving you an expression you could only describe as cute, even for Remus. “I know,” he reassured. “How’s the shoulder?” he asked, brushing his fingers on it lightly. Perhaps he was giving himself too many liberties around you these days, you didn’t seem to mind it. 

“Better, it still hurts, but much better. Think James would have allowed me to play if he hadn’t gotten detention?” 

He humphed. “You would have convinced him, you always do. Maybe it’s the fairy bIood?” 

You shrugged, “Nah, mom was the last one in line with the ability to glamour.” 

He smiled, “How about going against Reg?” 

You swallowed thickly, you had told Remus about not using the hexbag on him. “It’s… It’s whatever.” 

“You still resent him?” 

“Am I petty?” you asked with a frown. “It’s… It’s not even about me and Sirius anymore, you know? It’s about the betrayal. I trusted him, Rem. I did, and Sirius warned me, he told me he was always doing what Walburga and Orion asked but I chose to trust Regulus. I thought I saw something in him, maybe a friend but… I guess I got my gut feeling wrong then.”

Remus nodded as he listened. “Did you ever talk to him about it?” 

Yes, Remus, the voice of reason, of course, that’s what he would ask. You averted your gaze and shook your head, “He sent a letter once.” 

“And?” 

“I burned it down without even opening it.” 

“You really have a knack for burning things that could be useful to you.” 

You hit his shoulder lightly, knowing exactly what he was talking about, the werewolf book pages. “Either way, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to talk to him, things got really awkward when I blew him off during the race.” 

Remus sighed, he really had to go and fall in love with two of the most headstrong and stubborn people in his life. He was about to say something when Teddy called for you. You turned to him, a smile plastered on your face as if the sad subject hadn’t been touched at all. “Enjoy the show then,” you said in the most enticing tone before standing up and pulling your broom up to your hands without even saying a word. Impressive, Remus thought, but then again, she’s always been impressive. 

“The game is about to start,” Teddy informed, “Mckinnon, Lucas; Crouch will be all over Gale because he’s new, I want you to keep your eyes on him.” 

“I… I think perhaps he might be all over (Y/N),” Marlene said. “He’s got beef with her.”

Yeah, Beef is certainly a way to call it, you thought. “Nah, Minho is friends with her, she won’t be in the danger zone too often.” 

“I’m here,” you said, intervening with a raised hand, they were talking as if you weren’t. “And while I do think he’ll be trying to shoot the bludgers straight to my face, because that’s just who Barty is, I’ll stay close to Gale, no need to choose between the two, how does that sound?” you asked. 

“Fine, but don’t stay in place if you see the snitch, go right behind it.” 

“I was planning to.” You liked Teddy, you really did, but he wasn’t a great captain, James was.

“Davis, Tim, we’ll play offensive.” Teddy was still coordinating with the chasers when you heard a loud whistle sound from the referee. 

You all walked towards the centre of the pitch, Teddy at the forefront, you and Gale to each side of him. The Slytherin team was right in front of you, Regulus was looking at you with a bit of a frown, his lips pursed, as if he wanted to say something but was holding his tongue. 

You stared at him, and then at Barty who was glaring at you. You stood a little straighter, pulling your head back just a little and giving him the most unbothered and cocksure expression you could have mustered. It worked, his eyes narrowed and his glare thickened. Regulus, who had been watching the entire exchange, almost smiled proudly at your stance.  You really were the same girl he had met years ago at the resort, perhaps even a little bolder now that you were older. 

“Captains, greet each other,” the referee said –a Ravenclaw player who had been commissioned for the job. Dimitry and Teddy stepped ahead and shook hands. 

You shot Minho a look as they stretched their hands and he winked at you. You knew he wasn’t going to make it easy for you just because you were friends, and you were thrilled to finally be able to play against him. You had heard stories, and you had seen him in practice games, he was good, professional player material even. 

“Seekers,” the referee called, you turned to look at them, “your turn.” 

You took a step forward and awkwardly shook Regulus’ hand. It was as soft as Sirius’, you still found it impressive how much they looked like each other and how different they were from the other, “I’m looking forward to playing against you.” 

“I’m looking forward to beating you,” you said, a lot more bitterly than you originally intended for it to sound.

Regulus scoffed but smiled, that’s definitely something you would have said to him before the incident, although your tone would have for sure been different. The referee let the snitch out, and it circled Reg before circling around you and flying up into the air. You stared at the shiny orb until it disappeared in the air. Gale and Dimitry were already on the goals. There was another loud sound whistle, along with sparks and the game started.

You did as you promised, flew straight towards the goals and kept a decent distance between you and Gale, flying a little higher as you looked through every bit of the field to try and find the little golden ball. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes and the sky started to rumble. You looked up, and felt the first trickle of rain over your cheek. You smiled, things were about to get good. You had promised you’d stay near the goals, and you really did intend to do it. But then you saw something moving in the distance, barely a glimmer, a flicker of gold through the thick drops of rain. You turned to Regulus, he was looking towards the same spot you were. So you dived that way about at the same time he did. 

You saw Anne Davis get a grip on the ball and dive straight towards Volkov’s goals, she missed the shot and he threw the ball back to one of their chasers but Tim intercepted and shot it back, managing to score some points for your team. The crowd erupted in cheers and even you joined in their cheers. Tim beamed from his spot, it was the first time he played an official game, and managing to score was a huge moment for him, although you never doubted his ability.

You and Regulus were almost side by side, flying towards the east side of the pitch, but the snitch seemed to have vanished again, he did a swift break a few metres from the ground but you continued down hoping to see the sneaky little ball somewhere, breaking just before you reached the grass, and rolling around the bottom on circles to diffuse the momentum of the fall. You looked up, Gale was being surrounded by the beaters of both teams, while Marlene and Lucas were trying to push the ball to the other side Minho and Barty were viciously dragging it back to Gale. You took a deep breath and flew as fast as possible towards them, not quite looking at Gale but pretending you had seen something. That would get them off him and to follow you instead. 

“Don’t do anything stupid” you heard Sirius’ voice echo in your head. Well, it’s not stupid, you attempted to reason. It’s not like trying to stop a bludger with my own hands or stepping in front of one to defend Gale, definitely not like throwing your wand on the ground when facing a werewolf. This is teamwork. 

You followed through with your plan and continued taking sharp turns, emulating the kind of turns the snitch would make you take and surely enough, in a matter of seconds, you had both Minho and Barty all over you, throwing the bludgers at your face as you skid and dodged them over and over. Thank Merlin you had decent reflexes. 

Gale seemed to be a lot calmer now, and even if the reserve player, Solacis Gaunt, had scored 10 points earlier, he was visibly struggling to get past Gale’s defences. You smiled proudly at yourself as you continued to soar through the air, and dodged a few more throws from Crouch. Perhaps it was a bad idea to taunt him, but you couldn’t help yourself; when you steered clear of yet another shot from him, you turned around with a cocky smile and waved. 

Crouch did not look happy. Minho was laughing in the background and Marlene, who was still close to Gale, watched the whole interaction with a bit of a frown. That was it, the stupid thing Sirius had told you not to do. 

Even Remus, who didn’t have such a good view of the situation from the bleachers, noticed how you were haughtily making fun of Barty’s shot and stiffened in his seat. You could be so insolent sometimes, often failing to realise the consequences of what your actions could do to you. Like getting you thrown on the shrieking shack or almost eaten alive. Regardless, he had never seen anyone be so damn stunning while boasting. Actually, that was a lie, Sirius was equally beautiful when he did.

The game was tight, Regulus and you were darting almost side by side, he seemed a little confused at first because he couldn’t see the snitch you were so animatedly looking for, but then he noticed: your worrying looks at Gale, the little proud smile when he managed to stop a quaffle after Minho and Barty were off his back. She’s protecting him. 

Regulus knew Gale, they were in the same year, and he knew he was a good guy, he was always studying and even if he was a little too loud and conceited for his own taste, he respected him. In fact, he was a little surprised he was so self-conscious about the game since his very confident persona would rarely waver into diffidence. 

And then he saw the way you threw the boy a thumbs up and he realised: that could have been the kind of friendship that developed between the two of you. If he had done things differently, if he had perhaps… gone to the waterpark with you and Sirius. Maybe then you wouldn’t be so angry about the lies he’d told to keep you from harm. But he was also certain that what you wanted, for him to admit that it had been your idea, wouldn’t be something he would ever change, he wouldn’t have done anything to put you in danger. 

From the very beginning, you had been kind and friendly to him, like you were to everyone you met, and even if you were clearly drawn to Sirius like a moth to a flame, you had never left him out. You’d even tried to convince him to come along, but he was too scared, he’d seen the way his parents punished Sirius. He didn’t want his mom to pull that kind of face, let alone those kinds of spells…  Yeah, he might have been a bit of a coward, but everyone was safe in the end, and you were happy now, which in a way made him happy too. 

He hadn’t seen the snitch either way, so he followed your game, darting behind as close to you as he could. He knew Minho would control his shots if he thought he could hit him, so in a way, he was protecting you and himself, since your team’s beater would be doing the same. Although –and he was indeed curious about this– they seemed to be sticking to Gale rather than following behind you and protecting you, or trying to tumble down the other players, like they should.

But then it happened, another glimmer like the one you had seen earlier, passed just over Dimitry Volkov. He swallowed, eyeing you, but you hadn’t seen it, no you were too busy trying to avoid Barty’s aggressive blows. Regulus darted straight towards Volkov, and you instantly knew he was probably following the snitch. So you went right behind him, managing to get shoulder-to-shoulder against each other. 

BIoody hell, she’s fast. 

He knew that too, but it had never been as evident as having you flying against him, and you didn’t even have your Dark Nimbus anymore. Eventually, you saw the snitch too, and picked up your speed. Both you and Regulus were on the verge of getting it, the sly little ball darting just away from your grasp as if it had a mind of its own. 

It didn’t matter, both you and Regulus were as skilled as the other, which was something to say about the boy, since you had been doing this for a lot longer than he had. And even then, you found it a little hard to keep up with him in the sight department. Yes, you were faster, but the snitch often got lost in between the rain in your perspective, but Regulus seemed to always know where to go, never losing sight of it, which was getting on your nerves. 

You lost sight of it again and whispered “fuck,” the bludger darted your way and you speed forward, it brushed over the sweeping side of your broom and made you lose balance but the grip you had on the handle was strong and you managed to straighten up before the other bludger sped your way. 

You managed to move away from it this time, but not before sending Minho an incredulous look, he just shrugged with a small smile in response “I told you I wouldn’t make it easy for you darling!” You rolled your eyes but nodded, moving out of the way as Marlene shot the bludger back, straight towards Minho, who barely had enough time to react. 

You chuckled at his incredulous reaction, as if he was genuinely shocked. Which made sense, last time he’d seen Marlene, she was still guarding Gale like a loyal dog. She threw you a look, a small nod as she let you know “I’m with you” without having to say a word. You looked at her with worry and turned to give Gale a look, once you made sure he was fine, you turned to her again with a smile.

Yes, Teddy had told her to stay by Gale’s side, but you truly needed to have 0 common sense to stay guarding someone who didn’t need protection and leave someone that was struggling with so many bludgers thrown their way by themselves. Besides, you were roommates, friends, she wasn’t gonna let you fall off that broom. 

With Marlene on your side, you managed to let go of some of the extra apprehension you had been withholding to try and stay on your broom, she was countering the bludgers and you finally managed to focus on the snitch.

You tore through the air, faster than you had in the previous game, and faster than you had in the race, even without your broom, you’d somehow managed to pick up more speed, the wind whipping past with a biting force. You weren’t sure why it was happening, but you were benefiting from it so you didn’t think much about it. 

You were shoulder to shoulder with Regulus again when your eyes landed on the snitch, it wasn’t far, you just needed to push through a little further. You could feel the sharp droplets of rain hitting against your face like icy needles from how fast you were moving, and the clouding in your glasses made it a little hard to see much of anything, but you were focused. Gaze fixed solely on the elusive glint of the snitch, tantalisingly close. You weren’t going to lose sight of it this time, not now that you were ahead of Reg. 

As you neared the prize, almost forgetting your surroundings, you felt it, the yanking of your broom, the same yanking that had jolted you off it a few weeks past. Clenching your teeth, you tightened your grip and tried to push through, ignoring the feeling, you were so close. The snitch was within reach; your outstretched hands were on the verge of capturing it, ignoring the strain on your shoulder from how fiercely you were using your arm to grapple the broom, you fought to maintain control over it.

Regulus noticed “Barty!” He spat angrily. You didn’t hear any of it, the broom was pulling backwards, prompting a split-second decision. So you did the only logical thing you could and harnessed the momentum to leap towards the snitch just as the broom slipped from beneath you. Then, the fall began. 

The whole crowd seemed to be holding their breath. Regulus, Marlene and Minho, who had been the closest all tried to fly towards you, to catch you before you hit the ground, not that you noticed. 

You were rather high when you started to fall, and it almost felt like it was in slow motion, but you had already dragged your hand to the marble Remus had given you earlier when you felt the broom slipping from under your legs. You threw the marble to the ground and braced yourself for the rest of the fall. Trying to keep your eyes open as you wrapped your arms around your body and hoped to fall into the murky water. 

In less than two seconds, you felt the freezing hit of the water all around you, lowering your temperature even more. Fortunately, the pocket swamp was deep enough, you didn’t even reach the bottom as you fell a few metres down the water. It took a minute to adjust, opening your eyes as you looked down, managing to see only darkness and some vines of seaweed. However, just as relief washed over you, and you started swimming upwards, you felt something grip onto your ankle. You looked down, panic cursing through your veins when you noticed the bony hand attempting to drag you down. What the fuck?

Above the water, the game seemed to be frozen, the players didn’t know if they should continue playing when two members of the Slytherin team and two of the Gryffindor were completely distracted by the accident. 

“Minho, Regulus!” Dimitri shouted, “to your fucking positions.”

Teddy seemed to be about to do the same thing when Marlene threw him a warning look and he shot up, indicating the rest of the team to be on guard with his hands instead of speaking. 

Minho turned to Dimitry, second-guessing himself, before turning back to the rippling water in front of him, you weren’t out yet. He shook his head and chose to stay, taking his wand and pointing it to the water “Hidroclearus!” The murky water responded to the spell, gradually clearing to reveal the unfolding scene beneath the surface.

Regulus didn’t even turn to look at Dimitri, he was fully focused on the water, worried. 

Remus, who had seen you fall, had already crossed half the pitch with a panicked look on his face, followed by a terrified Lily, and a very concerned Mary. Your Slytherin and Ravenclaw friends were on the edge of their seats. Everyone except for Sibyl, that was trying to get Nina –who was crying hysterically–to calm down.  

Someone was trying to stop Remus from going deeper into the field, so they wouldn’t interrupt the game further, but he pushed them off his way easily, Lily and Mary weren’t as lucky, and they were stopped by the game staff as Remus strode towards the swamp. 

Under the thick water, your initial shock faded quickly, and you realised that whenever the boys had trapped the swamp in the marble, they had also trapped some kind of water creature. A water creature that was clearly pissed and very hungry after being carried around the boys’ pockets for so long. You pulled your wand out and cast a wordless reducto, getting it to snap his hand away, and started swimming upwards as fast as you could. By then, the water was clearer and Minho saw you, struggling to outswim the creature. 

You threw a few other curses at the thing but it was relentless, it wasn’t thinking anymore, the creature had starved inside the marble for so long, the pain your spells caused was completely overshadowed by the rumbling of its stomach the moment it noticed: you were food.

Regardless, there was something you had that the monster didn’t, and that was raw stubbornness, you kept shooting jinxes and swimming however you could, and then you saw a hand, you had no idea who the owner was, but a stranger’s hand was still better than being eaten alive, you reached for it, the hand gripped around your wrist and hauled you up. 

Seconds later you were finally above water, gasping for air and panting, you turned to the side, Minho, you realised. You looked back warily, pulling him by his robe as you stared at the water, and only relaxed when you were sure the thing was not about to follow. 

Regardless you pulled your wand and whispered “glacius.” A thick layer of frost started to coat the lake and you finally exhaled.  You pulled your head back, looking at the sky, the game was still going, but everyone was on edge. Regulus was looking at you in shock, but he seemed more angry than anything and Marlene rushed towards you before the lake froze completely. 

She placed her hands around your face, “Are you… are you okay?” 

You nodded, head a little squiffy as you tried to gain back focus, the surge of adrenaline finally draining and letting you feel the discomfort of the fall, and the one from your wound. Then you looked up again. “Why… why are they still playing?” 

“Regulus stopped searching for the snitch the moment you fell,” she told you, Minho was still standing beside you, worry evident on his furrowed brows, he’d never seen you so fazed. Remus had, but that did not make his long strides slow down. He was also rather angry about the game continuing even after the entire thing had happened. Everyone should have stopped, everyone should be helping you. 

He exchanged a look with Minho, the boy stared at Remus’s eyes for a second, seeing the worry and his concern, it reached deeper than his own, and he instantly knew. Yun Minho, the boy who had once kissed Remus, and knew the meaning behind his eyes from the amount of stolen glances they had shared at some point, was the first one to realise how irrevocably in love he was with you.

“That… that doesn’t matter.” 

“I bIoody well agree but those are not the rules!” Marlene said, a little riled up but trying to control her anger.  

“No,” you said slowly. “I mean, the game is over.” 

Marlene frowned, and then Regulus noticed, in one of your hands, the one you had kept glued to your body the entire time, knuckles white from your hard grip, there was something, a small, unfolding wing, and he looked at you, absolutely stunned. 

Still looking at Marlene you gave her a lazy smile, tilted your head and pulled your hand up, slowly unwrapping it until you were holding the snitch in between your index finger and thumb. Marlene’s jaw dropped while Minho looked at you impressed and patted you on the back.  

You didn’t wince, but turned to him with a smile. “That was quite a game,” he said. 

You nodded, letting a soft laugh out, raising your hand higher, so people would notice. The commentator, who had been struggling on whether to keep up with what was happening in the air or what was happening with you, gasped. “She has the snitch!” he said pointing at you, more surprised than anything before clearing his throat and announcing it properly, “That’s 150 points for Gryffindor! The final score is 200 against 60.” 

You raised your eyebrows, Gryffindor had been losing by one shot. You could see your teammates start to fly down but were distracted by a bone-crushing hug, you hadn’t seen him coming, but you knew it was Remus instantly, his smell was unmistakable.

You smiled at his hug, you knew you were soaking him with murky, smelly water, but he didn’t seem to care, he was just glad you were all right, you almost snuggled your head on his chest, basking on his warmth, warmth that he had somehow kept despite the cold rain still falling over everyone. 

“Rem?” you managed to mumble, he hummed in response, his head was on your shoulder, his eyes shut tightly as a tear of relief soaked your robe, you were fat too wet to notice. “You’re… you’re crushing me a little.” 

His head snapped from its place and he looked at you with worry as he pulled back, his hands still on your arms. Now looking all over you, trying to make sure you weren’t hurt, that he hadn’t hurt you either. 

You noticed instantly, the panic in his beautiful brown eyes. “It was just a little,” you reassured. “I’m fine,” you added. “Thanks to you, actually.” 

Professor Pendragon had rushed towards you and stared at the lake, Nightshade was trailing behind, Remus stepped aside, but kept his hand on your back as the dark-haired teacher leaned closer to inspect you. “There’s a water spirit under the swamp,” you informed, “It’s hungry.” 

She raised her eyebrows at you, impressed at your quick thinking. “That’s why you frosted it.”  

“Didn’t want it to come up after me.” 

“You had to fight it, presumably.” 

You nodded, “It wasn’t that hard.” 

Remus narrowed his eyes, it was as if you and Seraphina were saying a lot more words to each other than the ones he was actually listening to, it was in the intense gaze you shared, you seemed uncomfortable, almost on edge, but she seemed… pleased. 

Professor Pendragon intervened a little later, he called you by your last name “You must be taken to the infirmary.” You threw a worried look at Remus, he had also wanted to take you there, but he bIoody well knew he couldn’t. 

“I’m fine, it won’t be necessary,” you said with a smile. Nightshade tilted her head backwards, she knew why you had declined, you were clever, you knew people couldn’t see the probably still rather fresh would your werewolf friend had caused you. “I’ll just… go dry up and I’ll be good as new, the water broke most of the fall,” you added, reassuringly. 

Cunning, Nightshade realised, she would have also been fooled, if she hadn’t known better. But she did, and she knew how much that fall must have stung. 

Lily and Mary had somehow managed to get across now that the game was over and they were fast approaching but Gale beat them to it, and he also pulled you into a hug “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he repeated like a mantra. You frowned at him and allowed him to pull back of his own accord. “If it hadn’t been for me and my-” 

You shook your head. “Nothing was your fault, Gale. I’m fine, we won! You did incredible today too.” 

He still seemed a little uneasy but nodded. “Yeah Thomas, it wasn’t your fault, if anything, it was Teddy who told me and Lucas to stay by your side,” Marlene said, throwing the chaser an angry side eye. He recoiled, he’d been staying a little further from the reunion. Lily and Marlene came over next, squeezing you in between the two of them before Peter did the same.

The rest of your friends also came down to tell you how happy they were that you were fine, Nina had pulled you into a hug almost as tight as Remus’ and didn’t let go of you for a few minutes while Sybil attempted to pull her off a few times. After a few more hugs, everyone seemed to be ready to start the Gryffindor celebration party.  You had whispered Comet the passwords when she came to make sure you were all right, and she smiled, telling you she’d bring Nox along, even if he wanted you to lose initially. 

After you and most of your friends started to walk towards the Common Room you felt a rather sharp pain in your arm. You winced but swallowed a whimper, you didn’t want to worry any of your friends, especially Lily and Remus, who looked somewhat at ease now. 

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” you announced. 

Lily frowned, “I’ll come along…” 

You shook your head. “No need. It’ll be quick, I’ll see you in the common room. Could you help me find something cosy to change into?” 

She gave you a scrutinising look but nodded. Stepping ahead, but as you diverted, you felt an arm stopping you. “Where do you think you’re going, young lady?” he joked. 

You turned to Remus with a diverted smile. “To the Toilets. Care to accompany me?” you said the last bit with sarcasm. 

Remus chuckled. “What if I do?” he said then, in a rather teasing tone. “With the magnet you have for trouble I wouldn’t be surprised if you bumped into a troll or something.” 

“A troll? In the girl’s lavatories?! Don’t be ridiculous, Rem! Go on and spare some fire whiskey from me, why don’t you?” 

He wasn’t too sure about letting you go on your own, but he also knew how you were feeling, you had been literally surrounded by people from the moment you’d stepped out of the murky lake, and while it was nice to get hugged and all after getting hurt, sometimes all you needed was time to process what was had happened, he would know, he certainly did sometimes. 

Perhaps, like he had many times, you just wanted a few minutes for peace and quiet. And although it took him a few seconds, he reluctantly let go of his grip on your arm and allowed you to go. “How much?” he asked with a smile. 

“At least a flask,” you responded, he arched an eyebrow at you. “Come on, I’ve had quite a week, I deserve it, don’t I?” 

He chuckled and nodded. “I’ll save two then.” 

You smiled widely “That’s why I love you, Moony!” You had used a rather playful tone when you said it but that didn’t stop the knot that formed on the boy’s stomach, “See you in a bit, yeah?” 

The boy nodded and you turned towards the toilets, speeding through to check on the wound. You removed your robe and sweater and used a spell to wipe them off the murky water as you checked the wound. Quickly washing it over the sink as you saw the splotches of cherry red slide down, contrasting against the porcelain white sink. 

You rolled your eyes, the fucking wound was getting more annoying and inconvenient than painful at this point. Regardless, you dried it out, threw some of the painful ointment you had kept in your pocket with a spell for it to remain fresh in case of an emergency and wrapped it again, wiping the tears that fell from your eyes from the sharp sting of the dreadful but effective medicine you had somehow crafted. 

You took a deep breath and moved towards the outside, you were just rounding the corner when you heard two voices, two very recognizable voices. 

“You fucking asshole,” Regulus said, anger dripping from his tone.

“Off me, Black!” Barty countered. You leaned your head over, Regulus had him pushed against the wall as Barty fumed and tried to squirm his way out. Regulus was taller, but Barty had always been more vicious, and you knew how strong he was, after all, he had been the one to haul you to the shack on Monday. 

“You do that again and you’re dеad meat,” Regulus seethed in between gritted teeth. “You got what you wanted, now back the fuck off!” 

“Why are you even trying to… You didn’t have the nightmares I had! You SAW Evan, in the fucking infirmary!” Barty seemed to feel actual grief over that last bit.

“You both had that one coming, you think I’m blind? You’ve had it against them since the quaffle incident.” 

“Well, she had it coming too!” The boy against the wall complained. It’s about me, you realised. And it almost pissed you off that Regulus would even try to defend you, who the hell does he think he is?!

You turned around to leave when you heard Regulus mutter a jinx and heard a howl from Crouch, you leaned over the wall again, to try and see what had happened, but Barty spotted you. 

“Bitch’s here,” he said as he nodded your way, his jaw slightly slack.

“Yeah and this is none of my business,” you said, skipping past the two boys, not sparing a second glance at Barty, who was on the floor clutching his stomach. 

“Hey!” you heard Regulus’ distressed voice “Wait up.” 

Barty huffed at his reaction, rolling his eyes as Regulus trailed behind you like a lost puppy. Fucking Blacks’ obsession with that fucking girl, he thought as he stood up and limped to the other side. 

“I said wait up!” Regulus said, grabbing your forearm. You yanked it away from him, with a vicious frown. 

“Regulus, don’t fucking touch me,” you said in a warning tone, he seemed to recoil but stood his ground. 

“Let me explain,” he said, running past you and blocking your path, the anguished look on his face reminded you so much of Sirius you almost folded  “I–” 

“No need to explain,” you dismissed while shaking your head. “Whatever you do with your life is your fucking business. And no need to worry about it, I don’t like talking behind people's backs like others. I’m no snitch, and I’m not gonna go running my mouth either.” 

He seemed taken aback by that, blinking a few times as he processed the information. “You…” he stammered, “you never read my letter.” 

You scoffed. “Of course I didn’t fucking read your letter Regulus, there was nothing you could have said to take back what you’d done. Sirius and I didn’t talk to each other for fucking years after that, I thought he hated me!” You were angry, bottled-up emotions spilling out of you like boiling water in a small pot. He was quiet, staring at you like he didn’t know what to say “Fucking thought so,” you whispered and skipped past him.

He had thought of so many things to say to you over the years. He was sure you hated him because he hadn’t let out the fact that it had been your idea, not for telling his parents about the escapade, and of all the times he had run this conversation in his head, none of them had included that fact. He felt like short-circuiting, and you were about to turn the corner when he managed to say something. “It wasn’t me!” You continued your way. “I didn’t tell them, I wasn’t the snitch!” 

You froze in place, what? that… it doesn’t make sense. 

Regulus took a deep breath, grateful you were listening, finally listening. “Someone sent an owl to my dad, they said they’d seen you in town.” 

You turned to look at him, your eyes analysing him, his words, his red-rimmed eyes and the absolute raw emotion visible on his face, nothing like the stoic Regulus you were accustomed to. 

“He asked me where you were,” he continued narrating. “I told him you had gone flying but he already knew. Then he slipped something in my drink and I couldn’t– it was veritaserum.” 

You looked at him shocked, he was about to cry from the memory. Veritaserum? His parents used veritaserum on him?!? You wouldn’t put it past Orion and Walburga but still, it was absolutely heinous. “Reggie….” 

He let out something in between a breath and a sob when he heard the nickname, the same nickname he had hated but longed to hear after the incident. He looked so much like Sirius you wanted nothing more than to comfort him, you hastily realised how awful you had been. 

“You never…” you swallowed. “You didn’t snitch on us.” He shook his head.  You sighed, you face falling. “BIoody hell, I’m an asshole,” you said thinking back to all the times you had ignored and blown off the boy, your boyfriend’s little brother for fucks sake.

“You didn’t know,” he tried to reassure. 

“Ignorance is no excuse,” you managed to say, disgusted with the way you had treated the poor boy. A boy who –and you had noticed from the beginning– craved a decent friendship, some kind of human connection. All the attachment you had felt for him before the escapade at the hotel came crashing back, and you groaned and how much of an asshole you had been “Sorry.” 

He shrugged, “Does that… does that mean you don’t hate me anymore?” 

You sighed again, cringing at yourself for causing such an impression on him. “Of course, I don’t fucking hate you Reggie. I was pissed, I AM pissed, I…” you struggled to form a coherent sentence .“I trusted you, besides Sirius warning, I trusted you because it was what my gut told me to do and then… then I thought you had betrayed us and I was pissed, I was pissed at you, at my parents at your parents, at Sirius who didn’t admit it was my idea and…” you sucked in a breath, “I was pissed with myself, for being foolish enough to trust you.” 

“I’m sorry…”

You shook your head, taking a step closer, the urge to comfort him almost taking over, “No Reg… It’s me, I AM sorry, for not giving you a chance to–” You remembered the train, the race, the other times Regulus had tried to approach you and you had either ignored him or scowled at him to scare him away “–And you tried so many times.” 

He laughed at himself, “I’ve been told I’m rather stubborn.” 

You let out a breathy laugh. “Reminds me of someone.” 

“Will you…” He hesitated, “Will you tell Sirius?” he asked, a mix of frightened and hopeful. 

You nodded, “He needs to know, he’s… resentful.” 

Regulus swallowed, another one of those expressions you had seen your boyfriend do, his eyes were still red, his breath was heavy and he looked like he was about to burst into a panic attack, you took another step towards him, reaching your hand to grab onto his arm before you stopped yourself. “Do you mind it if I–” you started, “can I hug you?” 

He turned to you, a little shocked at your request, Regulus looked like he desperately needed a hug, you weren’t sure if your hug was the one he needed, but you hoped you could comfort him, if only to take back a little bit of the evil you had done to him, even if it was under the wrong belief. 

Eventually, he nodded and you leaned closer, wrapping your arms around him, he was taller than you, unlike when you’d met, shorter than Sirius, but taller than you regardless. “I’m sorry,” you whispered, “for being a piece of shit.” 

“You didn’t know.” 

“I should have known. I just needed someone to blame and then Sirius–”  

“It’s fine now,” he said with a smile. You don’t hate me anymore. Regulus seemed to relax as you rubbed your hand on his back, trying to comfort him as best as you could, and then he pulled back. “You have a party to attend to,” he told you, motioning to the side. “You were brilliant today.” 

You smiled, “Bullshit, I pretended to know where the snitch was just to get Barty off Gale’s back.” 

“And you fooled him,” he added with a bit of a smile. “That’s no easy feat.” 

You shrugged, “You certainly helped.” 

“That’s what friends are for.” 

You swallowed. “Did you… did you let me win?” you asked with a frown. 

He looked at you, eyebrows raised, “I would never let you win!” he said disdainfully, a whisper of the disagreeable Reggie you had met at the park. “It wouldn’t be fair to you.” 

You nodded, a small smile playing on your lips. “So that means I won fair and square.” 

“You jumped off your fucking broom to get the snitch, of course, you won fair and square.” 

You shrugged, “I knew I had the swamp marble, and I was gonna fall off the broom anyway.” 

He clenched his jaw, “Fucking Barty.” 

“I can deal with him, don’t keep messing around or you’ll end up with a shaved head or something one day.” He placed a hand on his hair, looking slightly panicked and you laughed. “You’re so much like Sirius is ridiculous.” 

He frowned at that. “Just go to your party.” 

You smiled again, holding a laugh as you turned around, deciding not to tease him further, but you turned back to him “Hey Reg… Will you be alright?” 

He looked at you and nodded. “I’ve got you as an ally now, of course, I’ll be alright.” 

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

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A/N: You guys, I had some people asking me about Reggie for a while and I did mention that eventually things would be fixed up between him and the reader, didn't I? I know it took a while but it was sooo satisfying to write this one, and I've been wanting to see your reactions since I wrote it a few weeks ago, I really hope you enjoyed it <;3 Reggie deserves all the love!

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[riacte]

Arguments for The Incident being scripted:

This is Doc’s baby. Like everyone knows you don’t mess with it

A bunch of hermits are returning / have announced they’re returning, perfect time to stir up drama

The main “actors” being Grian + Scar vs Doc, tried and true shitstirrers on the HC server + fan favourite duos

The perfect cocktail of old / classic Hermitcraft meme tropes. Among Us. Grian and Mumbo’s silly back and forth. The back of his base bit. Scar’s appropriately inappropriate comments about Doc’s hole. Grian vs Doc (again). The perfect opportunity for “Listen Grian, nobody touches my redstone” (which is a fandom wide meme). Like if this is scripted, they really threw in a bunch of shit that used to be popular / is still popular with the fans 💀

All I’m saying is that they really tossed a bunch of popular tropes in a blender (intentionally or not), like these eps have the markings of classic Hermitcraft drama

The nostalgia / familiarity of the above tropes + returning hermits + drama = yay viewership!!

The way everyone is MILKING this for all it’s worth— Scar’s dramatic irl sequence— Doc’s tweets + retweeting fanart— it’s the perfect way to drum up attention and content

Arguments for The Incident not being scripted:

Grian and Scar’s genuine screams of terror. Like that was good acting if it was scripted

The fact that they spent THREE HOURS talking about it in discord. And the hermits had a watchparty. Like I don’t think they usually mention behind the scenes details like that for “scripted content”, so this I feel strongly supports the non-scripted theory

AND the watchparty hermits all agreed they were in so much trouble… suggesting a spontaneous event leading to spontaneous reactions

Same with Scar showing a screenshot of the bore in a genuine attempt to repair it— like there’s sincerity there

As above, Grian mentioning it was like 2am his time (and him saying it was late when he was forced to do the back of his base)

However, I won’t be surprised at all if they tried to script a conflict but accidentally ended up blowing Doc’s complex redstone which was not what they expected— hence the mass panic lmao

Parts of the HC fandom would probably genuinely annoyed at Grian and Scar for “blowing up Doc’s stuff”, which makes me think they probably won’t script it as extreme as this

Regardless:

Ohhh they’re really in it now

Everyone found it funny enough to not only include it in their episodes, but milk it for all its worth

You just know Doc’s enjoying being an absolute terror on Twitter. He’s even been RTing fanart

A bunch of people are talking about this already, so yay the perfect drama to invigorate a mid season slump (it’s been feeling kind of peaceful lately)

I hope everyone goes insane with this. They deserve it <3

#hermitcraft #meta #grian #goodtimeswithscar #docm77 #ria.txt #I AM ENJOYING THIS SM #godbless. grian and scar are dead like how they were in 3l ❤️ #doc’s hole

[greelin]

“You didn’t manipulate me into caring about you or trusting you, for the record. I did that of my own accord. Happily, in fact. I have a tendency to do that. Especially when it’s someone like you who deserves it and needs it. Which is often.”

“Fascinating. Such an unfortunate and naive affliction. I can’t imagine the end result is ever anything noteworthy or worthwhile. Probably came back to slap you in the face on numerous occasions, too, I’d wager.”

“I don’t go into it expecting anything in return or any benefit to me.”

“Of course you don’t. You’re too good for that. You couldn’t possibly fathom expecting anything to serve a purpose to you. Wanting something is unfamiliar to you. Untouchable. You only know how to give and give and give, even if it hurts you. Even if the person is literally draining the essence from you and leaving you to stumble around the next morning, lightheaded and empty.”

“I want people safe. Happy. If I can contribute in some form, even the slightest bit, then, well… Worth the risk completely, I think. Every single time. Regardless of what happens.”

“As I said. What a ghastly way to exist. I’d almost call it pathetic, if I didn’t have to begrudgingly give you some credit for your.. endearingly stupid tenacity. I don’t know how you don’t go mad or break entirely. Baffles the mind.”

“You should try it more often. Faith in people. Caring. Might surprise you.”

“Ugh. As much as I hate to admit it, I think I have been, as of late. No doubt thanks to your… bad influence. Inspiration.”

“My “bad” influence to be good?”

“I’d say so. You are, regrettably, quite charming. Too charming for your own good. You can make even the worst things hold some appeal. It’s still rather dreadful, I hope you know. Tedious. Not anything fun.”

“But you’re doing it. That’s what matters. Trying.”

“So I am. Right now, truth be told. A great deal.”

“…trying?”

“Succeeding, love.”

#will probably delete this. 👍 limited edition

[iveer-y]

ryuji sakamoto/reader headcanons !!

— ## you/your pronouns

fem!reader (1), masc!reader (1), & gn!reader (5)

anon asks: ryuji sakamoto x reader headcanons 🫶🏻

A/N: this has been sitting in my inbox for around three months,,,um. whoops (*°▽°*) thanks for being so patient and happy (early) ides of march anon !! hope you like them ❀(*´◡`*)❀

FEM

WHEN RYUJI FIGURES OUT HE LIKES YOU, he makes it very obvious; suddenly Ryuji is almost always complimenting you, gushing about you— just generally making it very obvious that you are special to him. Probably confesses almost immediately. He’s not very good at subtlety.

MASC

WHEN RYUJI FIGURES OUT HE LIKES YOU, he panics a little bit; he’s never liked a boy before! He isn’t quite sure how to compliment you: is it the same as it is with girls? Would it be weird to call you “hot”? If you’re out, then Ryuji has a much easier time figuring his feelings out, especially since he can ask you for advice! Unfortunately, he’s not really good at subtlety; he makes it kind of obvious that the potential guy he likes is you. Equal chances of confession from both sides; if you’re more anxious, though, Ryuji will probably confess first.

GENDER NEUTRAL

IF YOU’RE A NIGHT OWL, late night phone calls become commonplace. Just being in your presence, even just through a phone, is enough to make his day. He probably tries to find games to play with you, regardless of if you’re a gamer or not; the most research he’s ever done is to find a game that the two of you might like and can play into the early hours of the morning — or, rather, to both of you — the late hours of the night.

RYUJI IS EAGER — sometimes overeager — to spend time with you. Whether you’re already dating, not-so-carefully toeing the line between platonic and romantic, or still in that stage of pining, fleeting touches, and shared looks, he pretty much asks you to spend time with him whenever, wherever. Come train with him! Oh, you’re not really a gym person? That’s no problem, you can just watch — he’d love a cheerleader! Wanna go get ramen? Oh, you already ate? Is there a store you’ve been dying to visit? A bakery you’ve been eyeing? Let Ryuji escort you!

IF YOU’RE A PHANTOM THIEF, Ryuji hates to see you hurt. He knows that you’re capable of defending yourself, and that every member they have is someone not just willing, but wanting to fight for their cause — but seeing you get hurt doesn’t sit right with him. It settles heavy and solemnly in his gut until he can personally check up on you. (Not that he doesn’t trust Morgana, or Ann, or Makoto, or, hell, even Joker — he trusts them all with his life — just maybe not yours.)

IF YOU’RE NOT A PHANTOM THIEF, Ryuji wishes you were. To be honest, he thinks you totally could be! But, for all it’s worth, he knows that being a Phantom Thief is dangerous, and he hates not being able to tell you. It eats away at him. He hates keeping secrets from you — not to mention he’s horrible at keeping secrets, especially one as big as the Phantom Thieves — but after Makoto he learns his lesson. (Because, sure, they earned a cool new teammate but what if Makoto had been someone else? What then?) He considers outright avoiding you just to not have to experience the heartbreak of not telling you something. In the end, he can’t — he’ll endure it all just to be with you. (And, of course, in the end, you’ll figure it out. Whether it be through intellect and deduction or Ryuji outright telling you, you learn his secret. He’s relieved, honestly — because after the Phantom Thieves there’s only one secret he could have left: his feelings for you.)

THIS BOY BICKERS. He argues. He likes you — loves you, even! — but sometimes you’re wrong, and sometimes he wants to experience the electrifying thrill of seeing you all riled up. He loves to tease you, start playful arguments, say stupid things just to get a reaction from you — there’s something about the way you get flustered trying to argue with him. His stupidity is only (mostly) a façade: he knows when he’s gone too far, when to stop. He would never try to make you intentionally uncomfortable. In the case that he does make you uncomfortable, it’s always unintentional — and he always strives to be better — to communicate — so that it doesn’t happen again

#persona 5 x reader #persona x reader #ryuji x reader #ryuji sakamoto x reader #ryuji sakamoto #persona 5 #persona 5 royal #spoiler free #gender neutral reader #request #second person pov #headcanons #fem!reader #masc!reader #gn!reader #canon x reader #romantic

[silvershiningtarot]

🍒PAC 18+ - What Will Your Crush Want Tell You Before Asking You Out?

🌟take a second to breathe, don’t look at pictures because they are pretty and I got these are on Pinterest. All Free readings are closed. Remember this is general readings take what resonate and take what doesn’t. Reblog and comment on what you like about this reading. 🌺ENJOY IT!!

💓Pile 1: Your crush will say to you, you are their Twin Flames 🔥, they’ll say it’s worth it being with them and give it a chance. It’s tough but it is worth it. Probably something is going on with your Twin flame for some of you. They’ll have a secret account that nobody knows about. I sense a little butterflies in my stomach. They like you a lot. So I see them being hella nervous regardless of the label Twin Flame, Soulmate doesn’t matter they fuck with you. But that is exactly what they would say to you. Twin Flames. They would say that you should pause for a second before making any decision and think about what you are doing? So maybe they’ll ask you out, before they do they would want you to pause for a moment and think about it. So I see them just so giggly with you. This giving me puppy love vibes.. they’ll say that we are forever ♾️, love yourself first and always choose you. They’ll say that they feel stupid and whatever you assume about them, they’ll say that you're wrong. I can see them getting mad about it!! Like YOU’RE WRONG!! But also they’ll say that this is too intense, I can hear them heavily, maybe I’ll do a little message from them because they would wanna talk to you. But they’ll tell you that they love you. I love you 😘. Imma say little messages from them.

💓“Hello, Uhm I’m little bit nervous. I hope it's not too late to ask you out on a date? I just saw you standing there and the way you smile, just lit up my heart. I wanted to say you are something special and I’ll never forget that beautiful face of yours. I love the way you dress, talk, laugh and just everything, I would go into more details but I didn’t wanna take up your time. If that's okay with you my love. I can’t stop smiling and laughing when I’m next to you, please forgive me for being so nervous. You make me nervous, not your fault because you are just so beautiful. So I was wondering will you go out with me? If only you want to. I just wanted to say this since the moment I saw you, I felt this strong connection with you. I don’t know if we are soulmate or just meant to be together but you are my forever ♾️ maybe if we don’t last long enough, I will always remember this day. So again I’m sorry for taking up your time but Will you go out with me? You don’t have to answer right now but just think about it, I’ll be waiting for your response, don't worry I’ll be here waiting to hold your hand.”

Woah 🤯 I’m sorry that was truly intense what your crush have to tell to you. I mean they came out shooting with the message. Omg it’s like they want to tell you more, but they gotta calm down truly!! They crushing on you heavily!! 💓💓💓💓 oh I just heard them saying they wanna tell you more. So here is some more

💋“May I continue my life with you, Can I walk you home? Please I wanna spend enough time holding your hand, talk to me about your day or our future together. I’m so excited to see it happen with you. You're my dream come true, the girl I’ve been dreaming about. I hope I ain’t freaking you out, am I? I wanna keep you safe and take care of you and love you, oh snap I’m sorry did I say I love you.. well fuck it I love you, I ain’t ashamed tell you that. So be my girl, I don’t want to rush you but I wanna be with you. If you are with me, I’ll be the best version of me that I can be with you forever. I wanna make you happy forever no matter what. I don’t care what anyone else thinks. Do you? Whatever you go through I go through. I’m sorry babbling I just can’t stop, I swear you make me so nervous. All I ask is for your permission, May I kiss you? If that's okay with you, just want to make you as comfortable as possible.”

Pile 2: Oh my Lord with the messages your crush wants to tell you pile 2. Accept this one coming off a bit of a roughneck!! Here’s there message to you, if they comes off bit like dickhead then this might be your crush some of you.🌸🌸

🌸“Hey Cutie, I know you feel like I’m immature as fuck. You have every right to feel how you feel, sweetheart. I ain’t gonna lie to you but I wanted to smash the moment I saw you. Excuse me for being who I am but I want us to stay together forever. Ha I love the way you smile and laugh, you make me laugh. Sorry I come off aggressive but I don’t play no games and you just so damn gorgeous, anybody else didn’t see you come on through that door, because I sure hell did. You fucking magnificent because you pull me close to you insanely. The moment I saw it, I fell hard for you. I know it's gonna sound corny as hell but you're my little pixie girl, Can you sprinkle some of that pixie dust on me, because damn! You are so beautiful and small. No wonder no one couldn’t see, look how little you are but that’s okay big guy is right here anyone fuck with you because I got you. So tell me your name, so we can kiss under the stars. Sorry if I’m being too pushy but when I saw you, I just thought that me and you make a great couple together. So tell me, What do you see when you look at me? How do I make you feel? I know how you make me feel and you definitely don’t want to know how I feel when I look at you, just so goddamn gorgeous. Sorry for the ring rounds, just wanted to say Will you go out with me? I feel so simping with you or sort of crushing on you heavily. I don’t feel shy when I’m next to you talking to you right now. I feel like a King next to you. I can fuck the world up next to you. If you want fuck shit up we can if you want too. Don’t worry sweetheart, I won’t let no one harm you or even step close to you. So I’ll give you time to think about my question for a minute. If you can. I’m begging 🥺 I don’t beg for anything but only for you I will.”

No wonder I sense kind of dickhead vibe from this crush of yours. But they seems so honest and blunt! They ain’t shy when they are next you and I think that for some of you. They’ve been doing some readings about you. Obviously they ain’t done with their message.

🍀“Oh, wait a minute before I leave you alone, even though don’t leave me alone. I just wanted to say that i am so lucky 🍀 to go out someone like you, you are a like diamond that is hard to fine. That for damn sure I won’t let anyone touch or even talk to you, I know I sound very stupid or clingy or possessive but I don’t give a fuck! You just make me feel so much better. If you don’t mind I’m listening to a song In my head by Ne-Yo you make me better. Can it be that song for us? Or you wanna pick something else, I frankly don’t give a shit as long that smile stays on that face of yours. My queen, you are everything to me. I know I’m talking too much, I would rather take up your time because it is with me. You are important to me. So will you go out with me? Geez 😒 I know you getting annoying with me I just want you laugh with me and I see us together just to together. I don’t know if you want to be with me forever, which I hope that you do. Oh just wanna say that Do you smoke? Like a weed because I’ll light one up. We can get high together.”

Pile3: It seems like with them, they are fedUp. I don’t know, maybe your crush is mad about something but it seems to me that they get tired of you pushing away from them. Ooh Noo I can hear their message right now, they seem a bit irritated about it. So here’s their message to you.

😒”I sense a different type vibe over here between us, what’s wrong with you? Did I do something to make you uncomfortable or upset at me? Can you talk to me? If you push away I’m going to keep pulling you towards me. I won’t give up on you. There’s a lot of things I wanna say to you, but I wanna say this to you. Did you eat today? Was your day good? If it wasn’t then let me help you out with that day. Because when you turn away it hurts my feelings, I hate when you turn away from me. I just wanna tell you that I see you sweetheart. Do you see me? If I’m giving you a hard time, then just tell me. I wanna be the ear that you need and want. We can talk about all things you don’t like about me or yourself or relationships or whatever the case maybe just let me in. Do you like flowers 💐? I bought you some flowers 🌸 I hope that brighten your day because it did with me. I know I sound like a nerd or dork person but with you I feel so perfect, I don’t feel bad about it. So I was wondering maybe just maybe.. Will you go out with me? Can I be honest with you? I really wanna kiss you so badly, it's like I wanna lose my patience with you but I can’t. I’m respecting your space if that makes you happy. I wrote this poem to you, Can I read to you? Roses are red, violets are blue, you are the one that made my dreams come true. I know that sounded weird and corny but I wrote it just for you. Don’t cry, you're going to make me cry, you deserve this beautiful poem I made for you. It’s for you. I want you to keep it forever. Even 50 years from now, I want you to have it. Let it be our last. I feel like you're my soulmate, or whatever I feel for you it’s real. Not only is it real but it has been so long since I’ve been able to feel it again. I felt so numb for a long time, until I saw your face again and your eyes just sparked at me and I just couldn’t help myself anymore. I just wanted to come up to you and say, " Will you go out with me?.”

That’s exactly what your crush tell you or say to you. It seems like they have more to say to you.

❤️“Sorry I haven't finished what I was saying to you, am I rushing you? I hope I wasn’t rushing you because I don’t know it all seems so fast to me, I want you to meet my friends and family. I know they’ll love you dearly. Shoot they love you even now because they are with me and you're with me. Even if just for a moment you're with me standing here while I’m looking at you in the face. Telling you that you will go on one date with me. If you don’t like fancy restaurants we can go wherever you want to go. It can be at a fast food place that makes you happy. But I just want to say that you make my day everyday. Can I have a kiss on a cheek, just one kiss 💋 the rest is for later on our date night. Don’t have to make a decision even though I would want you to but take your time sweet face. You're my dream girl, I hope I’m your dream guy. I wanna wake up next to you in my arms, I wanna hug you until you fall back asleep again In my arms. I’m a cuddle, I love to cuddle . Is that alright with you? My love, can I call you my dream girl? Or should I say my queen. You are my best friend, my best side of me. If that makes sense to you. Haha 😂 making you laugh, makes me laugh 😂. Let's sit together so we can watch the sunset together. I wanna sweep you off your feet. No more getting mad 😠, if you are mad tell me about it even if it at me. I don’t care let’s fight about it, let’s just get it out of our system together. So we can share this moment together.”

💋Comment and Reblog this post. I’ve made for you guys and I hope that you enjoy it! Your crush just want to tell you how they feel about you before asking you out. This how they feel towards 💋💋💋💋💋💋

#pac reading #tarot reading #free tarot reading #fs pick a pile #tarot cards #divination readings #intuitive readings #love reading #pac reblog #pick a pile #paid services #paid request #paid readings #tarotcommunity #free tarot #tarot deck #tarot sale #tarotdaily #welcome home #reblog #happiness #crushing #true feelings #ask you out #thinking #free readings #love songs

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

I just have to get this off my chest:

I had a dream about Pedro Pascal last night 😭😭😭

He was like dropping me off at a bus station, we probably went on a date that night and it was getting late. Then, a few minutes later the bus came and he was like "you know what, I'm gonna come with you just so I can make sure you get home safely and we can spend a little time more with each other" and I was like "uhhh okay sure" then he held my hand and got on the bus 😭😭

When we got to our seat, he put his arms around me. We locked eyes for a bit AND THEN HE KISSED ME 😭😭😭

and then I woke up lol i got it bad for Pedro Pascal. Do what you want this information 🙈🙈🙈

I will. I will do what I want.

Din Djarin x Reader

Word Count: 1490

Warning, I did not proof read this my friends

Summary: Saved by a silver lining. What should've been a nightmare felt more like a dream, but everyone has to wake up eventually.

You were a firm believer that every terrible event had a bright side. Every storm cloud had a silver lining. For example, yes your father had made a shitty deal with a band of spice smugglers which put your entire family in debt, then he went and died leaving the loan payment in your name, and said spice smugglers decided they were going to even the odds by beating the kriffing hell out of you. Terrible, terrible event. The silver lining? You got saved by a mysterious Mandalorian who somehow managed to change your entire life in the span of weeks. Maker, he was even dressed in silver armor. The universe was not being subtle with this bright side.

If someone asked you why the Mandalorian decided to help you out, you would have no answer for them. Maybe you looked really pathetic when a few of the spice smugglers cornered you in a dark alley on the wrong side of Mos Eisley. Maybe he had just been really bored that day. Regardless, he stormed into the alley like an act of the gods and saved your pitiful existence. Then, the oddest thing, he continued to do so.

The spice smugglers hadn't given up, they sent more after you, and Mando (the aptly named Mandalorian) stayed by your side. For two long weeks, he fought off every single smuggler that tried to kill you while escorting you to a safer place to live. Granted, his safer place had been a little green planet named Sorgan and the smugglers had followed you there to raise hell, but it was the thought that counted. Mando even helped you travel all the way back to Tatooine.

Despite your life being in danger the entire time, you found yourself enjoying the time. It wasn't the circumstance, it was the man. Mando brought you peace in more ways than one. There was something about his presence that calmed you. You hoped he enjoyed your company rather than just put up with you. There was no need for him to keep protecting you so that meant he had to like you at least a little. Mando liked you enough to open up a bit. You knew he had a son, one that was lost to him (though he didn't elaborate on details and you didn't push since it obviously was a painful topic to him), and you had learned a good about his culture-- his creed.

Your point was, the two of you connected just enough that saying good-bye saddened you. To the degree that you were almost disappointed that the smugglers had given up on revenge. Mando had put a dent in their numbers enough that they realized you weren't worth it. Now, it was time to separate and you were disappointed by this fact.

"I can't thank you enough." You wrapped your arms around your body. "Without you, Mando, I..." You chuckled. "It would've been bad." Mando gave you slight nod of his head. "Plus, meeting the daimyo was pretty cool to, I'm not gonna lie."

"Glad to be of service. For both situations." Mando chuckled. Your journey had ended at the daimyo's castle because apparently he knew the man personally, and you got to enjoy a feast. Returning back to your simple, small home in Mos Eisley ws going to be difficult for multiple reasons now.

The droid controlling the landspeeder beeped behind you and you couldn't help but glance over your shoulder at the otherwise empty ship. The suns in the distance were beginning to dip below the horizon.

"Well, this is officially good-bye." You turned back to Mando. Suddenly nervous, you stuck your hand out for a handshake. Mando stared at it for what felt like forever.

Finally, he took your hand in his gloved ones, but rather than shake it he held it tight and walked toward the landspeeder beside you. He used your hand to help you step over the edge and into the vehicle. Mando released your hand and you immediately missed the warmth of his touch. However, Mando caught you off guard by dropping into the seat beside you.

You stared at him, unable to ask the question present in your mind, but Mando shook his head. "I just want to make sure you get home safely. I can always take the landspeeder back." He shifted in his seat an air of awkward energy surrounding you both. "Unless, you'd rather spend this time alone."

"Not at all. I think I'd like a little extra time with you." You admitted.

Mando's entire body seemed to sag in relief and after motioning for the droid to begin moving he leaned back into his seat. When the landspeeder picked up in it's speed, the bubble shield formed around the ship to prevent the course sand from whipping into your faces.

"What will you do now?" You asked. "You'll have a lot of extra time without me around to cause trouble."

Mando chuckled. "I'm not sure. I... I haven't given it much thought." He paused briefly before giving you a small shrug. "Maybe I'll try to visit Grogu."

You recognized his son's name and a wide smile filled your features. "I think that's a good idea."

A comfortable silence settled between the two of you. Mando shifted once more and you felt his arm rest on the back of your seat. It wasn't a new position. There had been many a night where you fell asleep by a fire nestled into his side. it was why it felt so natural to lean into him. There was no need for further words. That was the beauty of your relationship with him. His presence alone was satisfying enough that it never bothered you that he wasn't a man of many words. The words he did say had so much power over you that it didn't really matter.

When the landspeeder reached the city it was dark, and it only took the ship a few minutes to travel down the streets until it reached the outside of your home. It landed, the droid beeped to signal the conclusion of the journey, but neither of you moved an inch. You shifted just enough to stare up at Mando's visor.

He turned to look down at you. "What are you thinking about, cyar'ika?"

"I'm thinking..." You took in a shaky breath. "I'm thinking I wish I could kiss you." Mando's arm tightened around you, his body stiffened, and you felt immediate dread. You shook your head and tried to lean back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable--"

"Stop." Mando replied. His modulated voice a hoarse whisper. You felt his hand brush against your shoulder. Slowly, his other rose to his helmet. Your eyes widened at the action. The street was dark enough that your vision was imperfect, but there was enough light that you wouldn't be blind. You spoke out, ready to stop him, but Mando sighed. "It's alright. I want this."

With those final words, his helmet was lifted off his head. You couldn't make out details of his features, but you could see shapes. His silhouette was mesmerizing and you lifted a hand to where his cheek was. It hovered there until Mando gave you a small nod. When your hand settled on the side of his face he let out a shuddering sigh of relief. There was stubble under your fingers. You let them trace over his cheekbone, down his aquiliine nose, over his lower lip.

Mando breathed out a string of Mando'a. His unmodulated voice filled with admiration. It sounded like a whispered prayer. Unable to wait a second more, you leaned in and let your lips lightly brush against his. Mando sucked in a sharp breath, his entire frame trembling once, and then he leaned in further to deepen the kiss. It was simple and sweet. Not an action born of lust, but one meant to convey a more pure emotion. It was a silent good-bye. Without words, you were saying 'thank you'. You were saying 'I will miss you'. You were saying 'Please don't forget me'.

You pulled away just enough to separate your lips from his, but stayed close enough to feel his warm breath. A lump had formed in your throat and tears were forming in your eyes. Suddenly, you were thankful for the darkness that kept you from truly looking at the man who had changed every aspect of your life. It was keeping him from being witness to your sadness. You picked up his helmet from his lap and carefully settled it back in place. Before you grew too weak to walk away, you pressed a light kiss to the side of his helmet and then climbed out of the landspeeder.

Being with the Mandalorian for the time you had felt like a dream, but all dreams come to an end.

#the mandalorian #din djarin #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #mando x you #mando x reader #mandalorian x you #mandalorian x reader #reader inserts #asks #feel free to ask me about anything!!

[nicksbestie]

maybe an ashton x reader, the reader is a singer and ashton and the boys come on her tour for support <33

<3

SURPRISES

pairing: ashton irwin xreader

word count: 1200

warnings: none

~

Everything seemed sad at the moment. From the outside, your life seemed amazing to anyone looking in. I mean, what really could you complain about? You were world-wide famous,with stellar albums and singles that topped the charts, not to mention a hot boyfriend who was also in a world famous band. Really. What could there be to be upset about? 

You know, besides the fact that you were leaving for a tour on the other side of the world for months, and you wouldn’t be seeing any of your family or your boyfriend for what felt like ages. By the time you got back, your boyfriend would be playing drums on tour himself. It was an awful mix of lifestyle, and sometimes you wished you didn’t choose this life or tour at all. 

Neither of you were ready to say goodbye for the next few months, and had spent the past week absolutely attached at the hip to each other. 

Unfortunately for the both of you, the day had come. Tour started tomorrow, and you had to leave. Ashton had refused to be more than 5 feet away from you all day. You were wheeling a suitcase to the front door, and he came up behind you and wrapped his arms around you. You smiled, and turned around to hug him back. 

It was one of those hugs, the one where it’s clear in everyone’s arms that neither party ever wants it to end. One of those hugs where the weight of emotion causes the two to almost sway back and forth. Neither of you wanted to pull away. You knew you had a time crunch and that you had to leave soon, but that didn’t change the fact that even the excitement of playing a show stopping tour didn’t squash the ball of sadness in your heart at leaving. 

It wasn’t even just Ashton that you were leaving. The rest of the band were your best friends. It was going to suck being by yourself without them for so long. You knew you probably wouldn’t have much time to be thinking about it anyways, given all the rehearsals, soundchecks, late night shows, and just an expectant whirlwind of exhaustion, but you knew you would miss them regardless. The late nights you guys had spent together drunk off adrenaline had been high on the “best of your lives'' list.

Pushing the sadness away to where it was only visible in your eyes, you pulled back from the hug. It was like looking into a mirror when you locked eyes with Ashton. He reflected the same emotion, except his wasn’t hidden. He made no effort to pretend like he wasn’t sad you were leaving, or that he wasn’t going to miss you, or like it didn’t make him upset helping you pack. But he knew you were going to love the tour, and he knew it would be worth it in the end, and he’d be a damn liar if he said that he didn’t think about having a few tricks up his sleeve to make a few things a bit easier to bear. 

You sighed. He gave a tiny smile, one dimple showing. 

“You’ll facetime?”

“Every night. I’ll even watch the shows on a shitty Instagram live for you.”

You laughed. 

“What a noble sacrifice you have made, Irwin!” 

He grinned. 

“Oh I know. It’s a pain, but I suppose you’re worth it.”

You rolled your eyes. 

“I better be.”

He kept a small smile on his face.

“I really will miss you.”

“I’ll miss you more.”

“Don’t start.”

“Alright. I better go and hug the rest of the guys goodbye too, and then I’ll be off. See you in a few months.”

He pressed a quick kiss to the side of your cheek before replying. 

“Bye baby. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

~

Tour had started. It was easily the loneliest you’d ever been at times, but at others you felt the most surrounded you ever had. Performing for sold out venues was an amazing thing, and the adrenaline and excitement had truly hit you. It was absolutely surreal, and you loved it. The nights were quiet, and falling asleep at night exhausted but happy was a nice thing. 

You were 7 shows in, and you missed everyone. But mainly Ashton. Granted, of course he followed all the shows, and consistently texted you encouragement and that he thought your show was amazing and all of the things he does on a daily basis, and he continued to facetime you every night just like he promised. But it really wasn’t the same. The bed was still empty and cold, and you felt bad hanging up the phone every morning when you woke up to see Ashton never hung up and him knocked out asleep on the other end. Life on tour was nice, but it was definitely preferable when you weren’t alone. 

Ashton, on the other hand, had been doing a lot of thinking. Dangerous, we know. And his plan had worked out. He and the rest of the guys had convinced management to let them skip a Friday rehearsal and go see your show that night, and come back Sunday. It would take a lot of extra practice that Monday, but he felt it was worth it, and the band supported him. You were their best friend too, they also wanted to see a show. But it was to be a secret. 

Jesus. Tickets are hard to buy. Ashton had somehow managed to secure four pit tickets, and they were all going. This new experience had definitely made him more compassionate for when fans were trying to buy for their shows. That had majorly sucked. But it was worth it. They were all going and had front row tickets to see. Now the hard part was just to wait the rest of the week before they were leaving to be there. 

~

Another show. Another day passed. You thought it was show number 15, but to be completely honest you’d lost track and were quite surprised that you hadn’t also lost your hearing. It was shell-shocking, the volume those people had. Although it was thousands of pairs of lungs, so maybe it made sense. 

You stepped out, a smile on your face, surveying the crowd. You simply skimmed it, so quickly you almost missed it. Four ridiculously tall men, right in the front row, one with two arms held up, forming the small shape of a heart with his hands. You’re sure the crowd noticed your slip up on the words, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Just last night you had been thinking that there was nothing you wouldn’t do to have Ashton and the rest of the band there with you, and boom, the next day, there they were. So this was why Ashton had been acting so weird. He had continuously had a grin on his face, but refused to tell you why he was so happy. That little shit. It was definitely worth it. That was hands down the best show of your life, and you were sure that the crowd could tell.

#5sos #5sos x reader #5sos fic #5sos angst #5sos fluff #5sosfam #ashton irwin x reader #calum hood x reader #luke hemmings x reader #michael clifford x reader #boyfriend ashton irwin #ashton irwin angst #ashton irwin fluff #calum hood angst #calum hood fluff #luke hemmings angst #luke hemmings fluff #michael clifford angst #michael clifford fluff

[alparlaboratories]

Gonna ramble about Inyssa for a little bit.

Is it conceited to make a post about your own character's themes and stuff? Maybe. Whatever.

@inpurpleandred has been rereading and commenting on CoT and some of the stuff they said gave me ThoughtsTM about Niss, so here they are under the cut. It's long, and y'know... warning for all the stuff Niss goes through.

So you know that tumblr post that goes something like 'I'm probably X (trans, queer, bi, etc.) but I got much more pressing shit going on to deal with that at the moment'? That's how I viewed Niss'... everything while writing CoT. Partly because yeah, Niss really has so much shit going on that more urgently requires her attention during much of her story, 90% of it being Shadi's fault of course.

And she does deal with a good amount of it during the fic itself, mostly regarding her own self-worth, her feelings about her family and her own warped view of strength and heroism. And it's only near the end and the epilogue that she can even begin to consider anything else about her life.

And I think in that time, in those years between CoT and my future story, Niss does think about it, and tries things out, experiments and tries to find a place for herself in herself. And she realizes that she both has severe self-image issues and also some gender stuff going on maybe, but they're not actually related.

During much of the fic, Niss sees her body as separate from herself, as early on as the first chapter. It's a form of detachment that allows her to be angry at herself in self-harming ways that -in her head at least- don't clash with her vow to never hurt herself again like she did in the past.

And she is very, very angry at her body. It's a bitterness that keeps boiling under the surface of her skin whenever she's unable to do something she feels like she should. She sees her body as just a thing covering the real Inyssa, and feels like a chick who never got to break out of its shell. And though she tries not to admit it, one of her biggest fantasies is to literally rip herself apart like a molting snake and for the 'real' Inyssa to come out of the dregs, pristine and perfect.

And in a way, it's true, but it's not her fault. It's both Shadi and Johanna's (And Sarah's too, but for different reasons). Who is the most to blame is debatable, but regardless, it's because of them that Inyssa feels this way.

Because yeah, as one of my readers once said, the Dawn family is full of women who are made of stick and stones, but Inyssa takes that to an extreme. There's a chapter where Barry mentions that Niss was once noticeably taller than him, and she was! And she would've continued that trend, eventually growing as tall as Shadi if not taller, if she'd had a normal childhood.

But she didn't. Johanna neglected both of her daughters, and partly because of that -and her own bad tendencies- Shadi ended up doing much worse, especially psychologically, to Inyssa. And then she left. So Inyssa was left severely depressed and gaunt for arguably the most important years in terms of physical growth and development. Johanna says so herself; she practically starved herself, eating only as much to keep herself alive and not doing anything else. And she kept getting worse, and worse, until eventually she attempted suicide. Which, of course, only made the situation worse.

And by the time she was forced to start taking care of herself, it was too late. Her body was frail, and the malnutrition she'd suffered caused invisible scars that stunted her growth for the following years, making Inyssa feel like there was a disconnect between how strong her willpower was compared to her actual body. And so she went on hating said body, cursing it for all her problems because she didn't know who was really to blame.

It's also an endless spiral, because she could've gotten better if she'd taken better care of her body, but why would she, from her own perspective? So she treated her body worse, and it inevitably got worse, so she got even angrier, etc. It's only when she goes on her trainer journey alongside Barry, someone who cares to help her, that she starts getting better. And of course, following the end of the fic and the Epilogue, she's actively trying to eat and sleep more, to treat her body more kindly, like it always tried to do with her.

And it's only then that she has enough time and peace of mind to think about herself, her gender and all that. Now, Niss has always been bi. One of the few good things about Johanna as a mom is that she was unapologetically bi herself, and supported her daughters in learning their own sexual identities, Niss coming out as bi eventually, and Shadi as a lesbian.

After that, I think Niss would happily try new things, whenever she got the time. And though she would keep doing so even years and years after the fact (well into this new Hoenn fic and beyond) from an author perspective I think she'd eventually see herself as a baby butch, a pretty boygirl who loves wearing suits and ties and looking like she's straight out of a visual novel full of bishonen men.

And I love that for her, honestly.

#pokemon #child of thorns #inyssa dawn #cw: suicide attempt mention #cw: self harm

[welcome-to-the-districts]

Special Moments

This particular one shot is a little bit of a means of appreciation for @dogsamadoodles . Please go and follow them. This particular version of Greaseball properly belongs to them. This will involve a human reader having a nice cozy moment with the big guy. This one shot was inspired by this ambience. I highly recommend giving it a listen while reading this:

One shot under the cut.

You approach the massive yellow diesel with a book in your arms as he lies down on the ground in a loafing position. The ground shakes beneath your feet and knees almost buckle. You quickly regain your balance as he rests his massive head on the ground. His gaze quickly turns to you, watching you carefully with his large brown eyes. He lets out a silent sigh and the grass blows in the gust of air he exhales as he watches you approach. Most would be intimidated by the sight of the huge diesel watching them, but you show no fear. You stop and set your book down onto the ground off to the side before you sit down onto the ground next to him, close to his side.

You can only imagine how much of a privilege it is to be this close to him when he’s resting like this. Of course, you and him go back quite a ways. Meaning, you have had plenty enough time to strike up a bond with him. You pick up your book before opening it, picking where you left off at your bookmark. The deep sound of the diesel’s breathing fills your ears. You can’t help but imagine as if you were sleeping right next to a massive golden dragon, protecting the one thing that has become so precious to him.

“What are you reading this time?” Greaseball asks you softly. He is mindful enough to keep his voice at a lower volume, knowing he’s probably much louder than you are when he speaks. Even then, his voice makes the ground shake and you can feel it deep in your bones. You look up from your reading and in the direction where you know his head is resting. There have been a few times, you have been lucky enough to read some of your books aloud to him. Sometimes he enjoyed them. Other times, he didn’t, which led to him falling asleep not even a couple chapters through but you never minded it. The sound of his steady deep breathing has always soothing to you. A gentle reminder he’s there.

“Oh, uh, a book where a teenage boy accidentally hatches a dragon and they kind of form a special kind of bond through their minds. They set out on an adventure to stop an evil king and free the land from his clutches. It’s really good. Would you like for me to read it to you? I can start over. I’m not very far in, chapter wise.” You reply. There’s a moment of silence before you hear a growl, almost like a purr escaping from deep within his throat. He cranes his neck to look back at you. His brown eyes study you, his expression neutral.

“Maybe another time.. For now, I want to take it easy. That.. and I don’t want you to lose the progress you already made. Besides, I’m not one for books anyway. Too boring most times.” Greaseball rests his head back down on the ground. You smile softly.

“Says the diesel that was so engrossed in the last book I read to him, he begged me to keep reading, regardless if you were returning to work late.” You chuckle softly. You almost sense a smile from the diesel.

“Hey now, that one was good. The dragon and the princess teaming together to defeat the bad guys after they learned the truth. That was a fitting ending. A nice change from the typical princess and dragon fairy tale.” Greaseball chuckles. You nod, proving your point.

“Exactly. I just got that book the same day we hung out last time. I hadn't read it yet until I offered to read it to you.” You say as you look back over your shoulder towards his side. You're tempted, but you know it might not be the best idea for the time being. However, you and him have known each other for quite some time now. Perhaps he may allow it.

“It was worth being late for work. Besides, it wasn't busy that day anyway. I’m sure one of the coaches would love to have it read to them. You do the voices pretty good too.” Greaseball hints just a tiny smile. His head or face isn’t exactly in your field of view, but you can tell just by his tone alone he’s enjoying this.

“Maybe one day, I can set aside some time to read a book to them. Sometimes all you need to do is settle down and read a book, or listen to someone read it to you. Especially on a rainy day or night when you’re curled up under a blanket with a warm cup of tea or cocoa.” You consider for a moment. “Hey, Grease?”

“Mhm?” Greaseball lifts his large head and turns to look down at you. You are so small compared to him, fragile even. Yet, you feel safe sitting down next to him. He hasn’t harmed you yet, nor do you think he ever will.

“Is it okay if I scoot closer? If not, then that’s okay.” You ask. Greaseball ponders for a moment before he shrugs.

“Go ahead. I don’t mind, just don’t scratch the paint.” Greaseball replies. You smile and scoot back towards him, close to his side. Your back is nearly touching him. You can feel the warmth radiating from deep within his body. Satisfied, he rests his head back down onto the soft grass. The grass billows in the wind of each exhale he makes. You glance back towards his side before you cautiously scoot closer. You pause, seeing if he’s listening. Judging by his body language, he’s relatively calm. That’s a good sign. You hold your breath and take your chances as you slowly lean back against him. You feel him tense up for a moment and you quickly sit back up.

He quickly relaxes. However, he doesn’t lift his head to give you a glare, or warning growl. Perhaps he didn’t expect you to lean against him, to use him as a cushion to lean against as you read. You hesitate for a moment before you reluctantly lean back against his side. This time, he stays relaxed and you hear what sounds like a purr from deep within him. He’s welcoming it. You relax as you feel his immense warmth against you as his side gently rises and falls in time with his breathing, moving you along with it. He surprisingly has a bit of give to him, which makes it surprisingly comfortable for you to rest against him. You take a moment to process everything. This is the closest you’ve ever been to him. You close your eyes as you take it all in. The sound of his slow breathing, the feeling of his side gently rising and falling, the feeling of a strong heartbeat against your back combined with the warmth coming from deep within him. You find yourself relaxing into his warmth, prompting a chuckle from the diesel, making his side bounce slightly, bouncing you in the process.

“Comfortable?” He asks. His tone of voice hinted at a bit of amusement. No doubt he was smiling at the feeling of you relaxing against him. You sigh softly as you open your book once more.

“I am. Thank you for letting me do this.” You reply. The only answer from Greaseball was a sound similar to a purr. You pick up where you left off, getting lost in the book as the sounds of the diesel’s body fills your ears. Your breathing slows to match his own as you read and soon you find yourself lost in a world where anything is possible. Where dragons fly freely and kings and queens rule the land.

You’re not sure how much time has passed before your reading is suddenly interrupted and you’re suddenly back in the real world when you hear him start to snore. He’s fallen asleep. You look over towards where his head is resting before you smile softly. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to rest against him for a while longer. Besides, it would be rude to leave him to rest without saying goodbye. You decide to continue your reading, delving back into the world of fantasy and make believe. You find your eyelids are slowly getting heavy and you start to nod off a little bit. It seems you may not be too far behind in terms of sleep. You mark your page before closing your book before you slowly fall asleep to the sound of the diesel’s slow breathing.

#not au related #my writing #for dogsama #I love your art sm and I really wanted to see if I could write a little something to show my appreciation for your art #starlight express #stex #starlight express greaseball #stex greaseball #starlight express gb #stex gb #hope you like it #Youtube

[yesloulou]

Ill be honest. Idk if I am making sense here but I find Daniel’s attitude and overall lack of comprehension toward the intended - subtle or not - misogyny that he’s around a MAJOR ICK!

I’m thinking of the European 🐱comment, this book etc. Daniel doesn’t come out with anything but a laugh and stunned silence instead of “hey look, let’s not objectify women” or “ah it’s a bit of fun isn’t it? For me, it’s weird, but let’s not shame the person who has written it”. In private he can laugh at as many 🐱 jokes as he wants too, he can talk all day long about how f*cking weird fanfics about him are BUT when it’s in the public eye and he has hundreds of thousands of female fans, it’s pretty gross and feels like he doesn’t care about female fans at all. (Idk if this makes sense in the way I’ve written it)

We all know he doesn’t keep up with the news (he’s said so himself) but he comes across as tone deaf sometimes. You can get away with that at 22,23 but he’s in his 30s with a girlfriend. Come on! It’s not exactly giving “I have a girlfriend and a sister and would hate for my girlfriend and sister to be spoken about like that so let’s chill with the sexist, double standard comments.”

Don’t get me wrong, he’s not the only one (Pierre is a major eyeroll) but he’s not 25, he’s old enough to know better. If this Dax book thing isn’t cut and the drug addict continues to push Daniel to talk about it then shame on Daniel for not saying no - from both his side in it being weird and for ripping apart a female who was just doing something she enjoyed

Just my take. I’ll probably get shit for this

this ask is from a week ago.. sorry about the late response 😳 also the podcast incident has been discussed many many times in the past so i really hope me answering this ask won't reopen the discourse.

pretty sure this was related to the other ask about daniel's non-confrontational personality so im just gonna go from there. if daniel were a confrontational person and he chooses to not address the host's misogynistic remarks, then i think it'd be worth discussing whether he lacks the comprehension. but he's not. in fact he resolves conflicts in the most non-confrontational way possible. and im not saying this just to make a point. when i say 'the most' i really mean non-confrontational in like an almost pathological way.

example:

this was after z*k brown fired him in the most public and disrespectful way possible, including assuring him he still has a seat when they'd already given his seat to oscar. mysterious italian man said to him 'told you not to trust zak' and he just. smiled like this.

another example:

here max can be seen getting more and more annoyed for daniel by the second. meanwhile daniel smiled bigger and bigger. and when max interrupted to defend him daniel was NOT SURPRISED AT ALL even though he had appeared totally ok with Crofty’s question up until that point

idk why he is the way he is, but to me it's very obvious he's not a confrontational person. he's like the opposite of confrontational (would literally smile bigger when he's uncomfortable/offended) idek if they have a word for that. "hey look let's not" is just not something he would say.

i do find it disappointing that he didn't call out the host for the p*ssy comment. imo a moment like that is where he (anybody) should've spoken up regardless. but i'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust that he didn't react simply for the same reason he doesn't react to offensiveness/hostility in general. to me it doesn't necessarily mean he lacks the sensitivity or comprehension.

(the book thing was a whole different story tho. that book was literally erotica written about him. for him it's personal. imo he doesn't need to worry about how the writer feels at all)

#still ty for sending! #asks #* #I do hate what he said about news with a passion #lol #but I like him too much to care as long as it’s not a matter of principle 🫡 #txt

[inventors-fair]

Valiant Efforts: Battle Runners-Up ~

Our runners-up this week are @grornt, @hypexion, and @real-aspen-hours!

@grornt — Tovolar's Moonlight Assault / Harvesttide Exultation

I think this card is balanced, well-designed, flavorful, resonant, and pretty...normal! That's a good thing when you're designing cards that are supposed to be good. I did want to swing for the fences with the winners this week—as much as I could without destroying the stadium. This really is a well-designed removal suite for green and feels like it's doing everything that you can do right in the color, though, so what's to complain about?

Maybe the fact that is DOES do so much stuff is reason for concern, but green has had its heyday of advantages, and this card probably isn't going to break any formats like its pre/mid-2020s ilk. Creatures, life, card draw, and buffs isn't too bad...is it? I'm kidding, this all fits in for both how much a battle can matter when you need it to be a bit of everything, AND how easily a battle can be flavored on a world we already know with a story we're familiar with. Tovolar makes the Harvesttide a little crazy, and what more can we ask for than a witchy, wolfy get-together. Personally, I'd ask for Tovolar's digits. His wolfy, wolfy digits.

@hypexion — Attack on Eiganjo

Once more, everything about this battle makes sense. You want to find the best ways to deal damage to get the advantages that you need. The more that you penetrate the defenses, the stronger you can get. You picked a line, and stuck with it, and I'm right there with you. Did multiple people come up with the concept for the assault supertype? I missed conversations in the workshop if so. Regardless, that name makes sense and I'm glad that folks went with it. The different directions are quite interesting as well!

I wish there was an easier way for this particular scenario to be made manifest. Can you ping the battle over and over until you have eight power on board? Perhaps! Is getting two 2/2 creatures worth it, too? If they have first strike, I'd say so. The rewards for battling could perhaps be more fleshed out, and/or there could be a reward for winning the battle, if such a thing is feasible, but that hardly matters. I get what this card does and what it wants the game state to look like. It's complicated once we get there and I'd love to see the decision-making process of someone having to deal with/against this in combat.

@real-aspen-hours — Loot the Storehouses!

Another assault! Gotta love it, don't you. This is actually quite similar to the Granary card, or at least it would seem so at first glance. And then the actual ability and implied flavor happens, and we're in a different world. Probably literally! The card advantage is different, which is fine, and it's more focused on that than it is a more general reward feeling. I think what I really like here is the utilization of the second main phase, or at least how this card wants you to think about it. The benefits of battle, if you will.

I think "You may play those cards this turn" would be better than the whole "until your next end step" clause, just because of clarity, but that doesn't matter too much. Ooh, or what if you could only play them on a turn that Loot the Storehouses was attacked? There are plenty of options and there's not one right answer. Considering that card advantage is pretty easy to understand, my curiosity wants me to ask where you imagined this card taking place, y'know? What world, which storehouses, etc. It could be anywhere and that's all fine, but as it stands, I do want to thank everyone who submitted a single-faced battle this contest for all the cool things that one can do with them. Super proud.

So, I'll post about this in the Discord, but I'm going to be away from my computer most of the day. Again. Life is a long series of doing thangs. Commentary will either be up late tonight, or sometime during the day tomorrow. I'll be working as hard as I can, though!

@abelzumi

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair #commentary #battle contest #runners up

[toomanybandstocare]

{Cover Me, Bruce Springsteen}

Program: The diner rush is never fun, but it brings in good money. It seems as if everyone is in a dark mood from the roaring storm this evening, and two patrons can't seem to keep it to themselves. Even though you desperately try to ignore the insults and harsh words, Billy isn't letting it fly. Tonight or any other night. So, the two of you create a little countertop ritual to bare with the shitty coffee.

Pairing: Demo Derby Driver! Billy Hargrove x Server, GN! Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: Couple of swears, Verbal insult (Reader is called a bitch by two upset douches), Kind of a fight? (Billy defends reader when he hears the insult), Petnames (Cutie and Sweetheart), Reader is referred to as "curious little thing" but not in regardless to stature, Smoking

Tom's Diner (P.1) | Camp Upside Down Masterlist

“Another coffee when you have a second”.

“I asked for hash browns not home fries”.

“Could I get some hot sauce, over here”.

“How long does it take to get seated here? This is ridiculous”.

“Can you read? Sign says seat yourselves, and if you can’t tell, we’re a bit busy today,” you bite back. 

Plates of piping hot food burn your arms as you unceremoniously drop them in front of grumbling patrons. Your feet fly across the linoleum floors before the cook can even ring the window bell. One arm reaches up to grab the sizzling dish while your other grabs a pot of coffee from the countertop burner, and you’re already whirling on your heel. Not paying any mind to the seething pair of men at the entrance, you move past them to do a round of coffee top offs at the booths before you can breathe a little on counter duty.

The entrance chime drolls mutely against the raging storm spitting down on the trolley car diner this late in the evening. You pant lightly from the constant movement and overwhelming feeling of pressure bubbling against your skull.

“I wouldn’t bother with this dump or bitch. No respect for the customer and can’t even provide decent service,” a raspy voice from the entryway silences the diner.

All eyes seem to move in unison and lock onto the asshole who dares try to discredit everyone’s favorite server. Some of the patrons at the front end of the countertop swivel their bodies, ready to pounce when given the word. Everything freezes, and you feel your lungs harden. Embarrassment stings your cheeks as you clutch the coffee pot tighter. As much as you want to look over, you can’t bring yourself to move your watery gaze from your shoes.

“What’d you say,” a familiar voice sends shivers down your spine. Billy’s tone dead serious.

There’s a heavy pause that hangs in the air, before a different voice stammers out: “Didn't even tell us to seat ourselves when we got here. Then proceeded to insult us. Hardly a place that cares about the customer’s needs”.

You pull your head up to look over at the scene. Billy’s hard face glowers down at the two men as he slowly shakes his head in thought. A pang hits your heart that Billy may actually agree with them. Sure, the witty comeback wouldn’t have been an issue with a regular. A quick glance to double check who was on the receiving end would have saved you from this turmoil.

When Billy takes a step into their personal space, you swallow the lump in your throat. In a flash, he grabs the men in each of his hands and raises them off the floor just so that their toes graze the tiles.

“Hey,” you call out, “That’s enough, alright”. You desperately try to get through to Billy as you force yourself over to the altercation.

“You see this server?” Billy lowly growls. The men in clutch at Billy’s white knuckle grip on their collars and nod. “The only server this shitty little diner has? Hauling ass to serve everyone crammed into trolley boothes and rubbing shoulders at the counter. Arms probably burnt trying to get hot plates out to patrons instead of letting them cool for a second to make it easier. You two aren’t even worth the dirt underneath the tattered sneakers sliding on spilt coffee just to do a round of refills. So how about I do us all a favor and show you two out,” Billy’s voice slowly grows in controlled ferocity. His muscles press against his rain splattered jacket as his arms start to slightly shake. Cold blue eyes look neon in the dark diner as he waits for a response.

As everyone in the diner seems to sit in silence on the edge of their seat, even the owner and cook stand behind the hostess station to watch, it dawns on you.

Billy’s waiting for your response.

Not the two paling men in his hold. Not the cook who looks ready to step in at any moment. Not the owner who cares more about money than fire code. The server who seems to always be flying across the trolley car with someone’s shitty food or cup of stale coffee in hand.

“Unfortunately, it seems like we don’t have any more seats available,” you try to level your uneasy voice.

Without missing a beat, Billy lowers the men and drags them over to the entrance door. Shoving the door open with his upper arm, he quite impressively throws the two out the diner with a wet slosh of landing. He adjusts his jacket while walking away and lightly pushes past you in the small walkway.

Rooted in place, you stand in the walkway with a wash of dizziness humming in your head. When the door swings closed the diner fills with muted chatter. The coffee pot in hand swirls as you move behind the counter and resume routine. Your arm sweeps in habit as you grab a mug while moving to stand in front of Billy’s seat. A ceramic shriek shrills in your ear and stings your forming headache.

“Made you speechless, cutie,” Billy coyly asks as he flicks his toothpick with his tongue. His eyes now glow with electric warmth.

“You didn’t have to do that. One of the guys would have handled it,” you reply, crossing your arms across your body.

Billy scoffs, “So, I should have let them escalate their harassment during the dinner rush? When you’re already so worked up from the lack of hands out front”.

Your tired gaze dips from his pointed look. Shifting your weight, you pour his cup of coffee without a word and turn back to the coffee burner. You grab another mug to pour another cup of coffee before settling the pot back into place. The cheap metal edge of the service counter digs into your lower back as you take a slow sip of hot coffee. A combination of the scorching drink stinging your tongue and Billy’s sharp look makes you wince.

“You’ve been coming here for a week now. Why would you care so much about how a couple of nobody assholes treat me,” you inquire over the rim of your mug.

“So, you would let them treat you like shit if no one stopped them,” Billy states while taking out his lighter and pack of cigs. You silently grab the ashtray from its new home on the serving counter and place it in front of him.

“Kind of comes with the territory of an all hours diner,” you bite back, “Again- why does it matter so much to you?” He doesn’t know me.

Billy takes a slow drag of his cigarette and lets the smoke trickle down his throat. The ashy warmth fills his lungs as he takes your tired form in. A twitch pulses underneath his right eye. Why would you let some dirty rags walk all over you?

“How often does that happen,” Billy asks with a sting in his chest. When your eyes can’t meet his own, anger burns his chilled skin. He bristles at the thought. How could you, the shitty diner server who pulls smiles at five in the goddamn morning, let yourself endure this? “Not happening again, you hear me,” Billy raises an eyebrow at you. His leg bounces underneath the countertop, desperately trying not to reach over and pull you closer, so he could make you look at him. Hold your jaw in his scarred and callous hands to draw your kind eyes to indulge his greedy gaze.

Your eyes flash up to meet Billy’s locked expression, which leaves no room to argue. “You can’t promise that,” you breathe out.

Billy grits his cigarette between his teeth in an annoyed snarl as he shoves his hand into his jacket pocket. Furiously rippinging open his wallet, Billy thumbs through his earnings from last night’s show and slams another twenty dollar bill on the table. “Start a fucking tab, then. I guess I just can’t get enough of shitty diner coffee and this countertop cutie,” Billy exasperatedly says.

You bite your lip to hide your growing smile as coffee mixes with butterflies in your stomach creating a warm glee. “One condition,” you murmur.

Billy leans back into his seat and forces his muscles to relax. “And, what would that be? I’m already offering my services to you, cutie,” Billy eyes you while letting a puff of smoke fall from his plush lips.

Wetting your bottom lip, you ignore the crooked smile slithering onto Billy’s face. “A game of questions. Each time you come in, including tonight’s visit, I get to ask you three questions,” you bargain.

“Well, aren’t you a curious little thing,” Billy darkly teases. An enduring pause sits in the air as Billy takes a sip of his coffee. “Deal, but,” he counters, “I get to ask three as well”.

“Deal,” you agree and take the step to stand in front of him. Only the vinyl and metal countertop separates the two of you. The diner bustle disappears as you direct your attention solely on Billy. Not even the broken radio static hums in the background. It’s only the two of you.

“What do you do? I can hardly imagine you sitting at home all day keeping to yourself,” you softly inquire. Your fingers push and pull with each other as you fiddle in anticipation.

“Glad to know you like to imagine me in your daydreams, sweetheart,” Billy grazes his tongue across the inside of his lip. “Demolition derby driver. I’m either out driving for practice, fixing up cars, or competing. Had a show last night,” he shares. His eyes dart at the movement of your hands and without hesitation, Billy loops on his own fingers into your hold. With a little squeeze of his finger, Billy looks up at you and his chest tightens at the blush across the planes of your face. “Do you have a lucky charm,” Billy hums.

You scrunch your face at the question and tilt your head. “A lucky charm? I’ll give you points for originality,” you laugh.

Billy’s low chuckle joins your laughter, “Glad to know I’m racking up points in your book, cutie. Indulge me”.

“I feel like I do that pretty regularly,” you say lightly and squeeze his finger. “I guess it’s this piece of sea glass,” you hum and pull a small chain from the inside of your shirt. A small piece of light blue sea glass sways as the chain dangles from your finger. “Got it my junior year of college, so I’d have a piece of my favorite place when I leave college for break”.

Billy’s other hand leaves the cup of coffee and reaches up to carefully take the chain from your grasp. Barely applying any pressure, he gently pulls it closer to him in contemplation. Your heart hammers as your hips press against the countertop. “S’ pretty,” Billy compliments while releasing your necklace.

You swallow hard to try to ground yourself. “Why did you go so far with those guys,” you continue.

Billy sags at the question and turns his head to watch the splatter of rain hit the windows at the end of the trolley car. “Good question. You get two answers,” his voice thick, “First, no one should feel entitled or comfortable enough to harass wait staff or any service industry person”. Billy grinds his jaw before going on, “Second, those were guys from the derby. Not my guys, but I know them from rosters and competitions. I know them enough to know that I would win without concern in a fight”. He squeezes your hands before meeting your concerned expression with a blank one across his features. “Favorite color,” the words tumble from his mouth with a boyish grin.

You snort at the question and let yourself ignore the tension, “Dark green. Of all the questions to ask, you went with the cliché. Favorite song?”

“Pour Some Sugar on Me- Def Leppard,” Billy shoots you a wink and asks, “Favorite drink?”

A laugh of disbelief bubbles inside you and escapes your surprised expression, “Billy Hargrove, I know I said points for originality, but the clichés are killing me”. When his expectant gaze doesn’t waver from your incredulous look, you throw your free hand up. “Fine, a chocolate milkshake. Always cheer me up without fail”.

A small smile tugs at the corner of Billy’s lips as he takes his final sip of coffee. Standing up, he squeezes your hands and slides the bill underneath your lingering fingers. “Noted. I’ll see you tomorrow, cutie. Gotta get back to the tracks to help lock up shop,” he reaffirms with a flick of his collar to draw more protection from the raging storm.

“Drive safe,” you call after him and hold the bill tightly in your hand. 

Waving his hand behind him, Billy steps out of the diner and into the harsh night. Your countertop crush leaves you yearning for more than the small touch that still tingles your fingertips.

#camp halfwit bulletin post #counselor mythos post #stranger things #stranger things fluff #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines #stranger things one shot shots #stranger things one shot #stranger things fic #billy hargrove fic #billy hargrove #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove imagines #billy hargrove one shots #billy hargrove one shot #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove x you #billy hargrove x yn #billy hargrove x female reader #billy hargrove x male reader #billy hargrove x gn!reader #billy hargrove x fem! reader

[shakesqueers13]

Hi there!

This might seem odd, but I wanted to ask something as a fellow Shakespeare fan. It’s more on my behalf, truly.

Next year I will be going to a school in England (don’t know which yet) to focus on acting, specifically classical acting if I can. I love Shakespeare and classical works immensely, and I would just love to dedicate my life to it.

Not to reveal myself, haha, but I’m only 18 years old. While I love Shakespeare, and I think I can generally understand what one monologue says, it does take me multiple readings of the text to understand the plot and even longer to analyze the text within the entirety. It makes me feel kind of stupid, because so many other Shakespeare fans seem to be able to pull this texts out, with great analysis (yourself included) and for me, it takes an embarrassing amount of time.

I have an opportunity to maybe direct a show, and I’m stuck between Richard III and Cymbeline, but fear I’m too dumb to understand the text properly.

I know this is probably just my insecurity, but the reason I wished to ask at all is to wonder if that’s just me? Do other Shakespeare fans struggle to get it, and have to work at it? Even when I watch productions, I have to really really focus to understand each bit or I get lost (though watching is easier to comprehend)

Perhaps I’m just not intelligent enough to get it quicker, and not as a dig but a reality. Regardless, I love the work and I strive to understand it though I fail.

Hope this isn’t too insecure/pick me!! Just thought it was worth the ask. Thanks for keeping the stories alive :)

Hi!

It’s funny you sent in this ask because just last night I was thinking I should make a post about how there’s absolutely no shame in struggling to understand Shakespeare. I think it’s one of those things where every Shakespeare student secretly thinks they’re the worst at understanding/reading Shakespeare, but that’s totally not true. Everybody struggles, myself included. Shakespeare wrote in such an elevated level of voice that not even most Elizabethan citizens would’ve been able to understand a lot of what he said when they were watching his plays — he was making up words left and right.

I think everyone has to read the text multiple times to grasp the full meaning, and if they don’t, they’re probably missing out on a lot of important stuff. People wouldn’t still be getting PhD’s and publishing research about Shakespeare if we already knew exactly what he meant by everything he wrote.

I definitely struggle to understand Shakespeare a lot of the time. I’m dyslexic so reading the words off the page can be really difficult for me - I almost never read any Shakespeare for the first time off the page, I always try to watch a version while I read. Some other practical tips are to use the OED (Oxford English dictionary) to look up words from the year the play was published because it tells you what archaic words meant at the time. You can also just Google passages you don’t understand and often an explanation will come up. Finally, if you can afford an annotated edition of the complete works, like the Norton edition or the Folger editions, that will be very helpful as well.

I would also caution you if you’re getting the majority of your Shakespeare information from tumblr because a lot of people on tumblr sadly post misinformation, or theories with no textual support. It’s unfortunate but I see it happening a lot with Hamlet. If someone posts something that throws you off and doesn’t seem quite right, either ignore it or triple check it. You can use Google Scholar to find reliable articles—just type in Google Scholar and search articles from there with whatever subject you want, like “Ophelia’s death” or “Shakespeare’s late romances.”

Also, from your ask I’m guessing you’re still in high school? Unfortunately it’s quite hard to learn a lot about Shakespeare without taking specific, focused classes in university. My knowledge and love of Shakespeare grew about 1000% my first semester in college when one of my professors taught Richard III and I actually got the opportunity to study with a professional. The thing is, there’s really no substitute for studying with a professor who you can ask questions and who can explain exactly what they mean. The more you study Shakespeare, the more sense things will start to make.

All in all, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Just take the texts line by line and work away at them until it makes sense. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to learn this stuff while you’re still in high school or about to start college. Watching the plays while you read will be your best asset.

Lmk if you have any more questions. Good luck!

#shakespeare #ask #william shakespeare #academia

[cinamun]

My heart is so heavy. While I don’t feel bad about the overall situation because of how El chose to handle it, he deserved so much better from life. He had so much potential. For what it’s worth I always asked about him when he was absent from the story for a bit 😭 I honestly could care less about Sean’s tears. It’s a little too much too late for all that. I hope Hani handles it as well as someone in her position could because I know she’ll probably feel like some of the blame is on her for leaving even though it’s not in any way. And we BET NOT see that boy’s mother at the funeral. That’s all I’m saying.

Its kinda split on who feels bad and who doesn't but for me, regardless of how it was handled, I do feel empathy for Elliot. Which can also mean "bad" I guess. Reason is, from my pov, he was such a troubled guy *whew* and all the light in the world came from the Drakes and he lost that. He found Hani (and watch for her) and even she realized soon that she couldn't do what Hope could do/be. But she tried anyway and I love Hani for that. I mean I really LOVE her for that.

Its a sad state of affairs and Hope hasn't even woken up yet.

If we had to bet, I'd put my money on Hope in terms of who blames themselves. But y'all just stay tuned. We have a very well-respected and veteran Psychologist/Therapist/Surgeon and a newly trained professor with a Psych degree involved here. Things could go healthier than we expect.

We also have three OCs in the hospital right now who are very VERY well acquainted with the death of someone close to them.

Let's just do like Chae and ride it out....

#story stuff

[neuxue]

from the maximum trojan mindfuck list, if you don't mind, which of those books would you recommend individually?

It would depend on what I know of your reading tastes and interests, really. I don't think any of those four are on my 'would not recommend to anyone under any circumstances' list, but nor would I put them on an 'everyone go read this immediately regardless of what you usually enjoy' list.

So if you don't want to complete the full trojan mindfuck, some brief guidance below to help you determine which ones you might be interested in:

The Iliad: I feel like this one's worth reading (at least in some version) if you're going to read any of the others, just because it's the (or in one case, a) basis from which they're drawing. And also because it's one of The Classics, and one so frequently adapted or referenced in the Western canon. For that alone I'd say it's a good one to at least be familiar with, but I do think it's a compelling story in its own right, especially if you're into proud doomed heroes, the impetus for and costs of war, and what happens when all the ties that bind - of love or loyalty or fate - collide. Also if you, like me, are into the weird bond that exists between the great champions of opposing sides, and the moment that shifts from symbolic opposition to personal vengeance.

The Song of Achilles: I will say this is the one on this list that I enjoyed the least; it's just... not really for me (with the exception of a single sentence - boys trained for music and medicine, and unleashed for murder - that found its way into my brain and parked itself there), but I also think it draws more scathing criticism than it perhaps deserves, from those who despise it. If you'll forgive the flippancy, though, I think the most concise description I could give this would be 'Angsty Soft Gay Iliad', in a way that feels very ~2012-2015 tumblr. You may enjoy this if you like the idea of reading a doomed hero's story from the perspective of their best friend/sidekick/lover, or the idea of The Iliad but with characters who are gentler, or if your first stop after reading The Iliad is the Achilles/Patroclus AO3 tag. I would probably not recommend this if you're here for sharper/darker characters, the brutality of war, or complex politics.

The Silence of the Girls: This might be the one I would recommend most widely, not necessarily because I enjoyed it more than the others, but because of the modern three on this list it's the one I feel the least 'it really depends on your tastes' about (though it does come with some content warnings). I think what I liked about this, especially in contrast to some of the feminist Greek mythology/ classics retellings that have been popular of late, is the way it leans into the 'original' story even (especially?) when that's uncomfortable, rather than reshaping it into something more appealing to a modern audience. Obviously the latter has its place as well, but I really like how Pat Barker navigates this. Briseis is not a girlboss and Achilles is a nightmare, and all these characters feel at once so recognisable as their legendary selves but also so very human, in the best and worst meanings of that word. Read this if you like characters who are not easily classified as good or bad, if you enjoyed the messiness of the Iliad and the characters involved in it, and if you thought 'but wait, what would that look like if you were not one of the chosen of the gods?'

Terra Ignota: oh man, what to even say here. This might be the one on this list that I enjoyed the most (though at times I still struggle to decide whether enjoyed is even the right word), but it might also be the one I would be most... particular about who I recommend it to. It's extraordinarily unhinged, extremely committed to an on-the-surface absurdly pretentious bit, and the layers of narrative unreliability mean that at times it feels like a thousand-plus-page trust-fall as you just have to hope that the author knows what she's doing. Also this is one where it's probably easier to list the content warnings that don't apply as those that do. That said, this series is an experience, and the sheer scale and scope of what Ada Palmer pulls off in the space of four (admittedly long) books is kind of astonishing, especially because you get a depth to it that stories with that level of ambition in terms of setting and characters and concept and style and-- don't always manage to deliver. Read this if extreme content warnings and characters who have done monstrous things are incentives rather than warnings to you, if you like complex politics that are almost indistinguishable from complex interpersonal relationships, if you struggle to find narrators who are unreliable enough to suit your tastes, and if you want a story that believes in hope and the good of humanity but doesn't soften edges or skim over the darkest facets of it to get there. Or, I guess, if you're really into The Enlightenment and want to see it as a space opera. ('Wait Lia I thought this was The Iliad?' that too. When I say this series is ambitious.)

#asks #anon #recommendations #of a sort???