#i have no idea if i’m easy to love. people have seemed very upset about it when they find out they’ve stopped | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

raven-at-the-writing-desk · 4 months

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Yo! Good morning/evening, hope you are fine^^💝. I wanted to ask you a question but I was afraid that it may bother you or something (you know..that feeling when you are scared that you might disturb someone or being an unwelcome person) but yeah I will ask you since i was serious about your answer for some time now so I hope I'm not annoying you or something *feel free to answer only if you wish^^. You seem to know the characters pretty well, you are quite capable and great at reading and understanding them, one of the things I'm serious about is what do you think would make someone qualified enough to be with malleus? Do they have to be of the same species?certain Reputation, stature or traits?(sorry can't help it since I can't rest until I know everything about what interests me and figure it all out😅). Thanks for giving me some of your precious time I really like your blog, you're amazing💜

No worries, you’re not bothering me at all ^^ I love to talk about my hyperfixations www

Now, I know a lot of fans (particularly on the EN side) like to ship Malleus with their OC and especially with Yuu so I want to first make it clear that my response is NOT meant to invalidate those Malleus shippers. Whatever I say here is based on my own interpretation of canon lore (and let’s be real here, TWST won’t ever confirm if anyone is romantically interested in Yuu because it might not work with how some players view their own relationship with that character). In fanon, anyone can be with anyone, but in canon there are very specific in-universe rules and expectations laid out for Malleus so these are what I will be referring to.

I also want to emphasize that the final traits I discuss in this post do NOT reflect Malleus’s personal tastes or views. He has little say in what kind of an individual his spouse would be, so his own preferences are not speculated about or taken into account here. The traits I will be bringing up are based on what I believe the lore implies are the desirable traits for those marrying into the Draconia royal family.

We got it? Good 👍 Read more below the cut!!

Firstly, I’m completely disregarding the ideas of “Malleus can love whoever he wants to love”, “Malleus can scare people into accepting who he loves”, and/or “Malleus can change the law so he can marry who he loves” (a la Sultan from Aladdin or through some other Disney magic or logic). Here’s why:

In general, those solutions for “high stakes issues” are too simple, and that has never been how Twisted Wonderland tackles complicated problems. Just look at every single OB boy’s backstory. They’re so complex that they aren’t totally resolved by the end of their books; these problems persist and are long term things each of them are working on addressing. This is also true of the politics TWST introduces to us; Leona for example explains how there is social pushback and resistance to the idea of infrastructure reform because the culture of the Sunset Savanna stresses harmony with nature. This has made it difficult for them to adopt new technologies because real politicians in their world have to seriously weigh their cultural values with their health and societal progress. The only time there are really easy solutions are in events or vignettes where the emotional stakes are not super high, but who Malleus marries is, in fact, super important since this will entirely change the life of a main character and his country.

With that first bullet point in mind… No, Malleus cannot love whoever he wants to love. Certainly, he may feel affection for another but he can never truly be with them. He is royalty and the only heir to the throne of Briar Valley. It follows that he is expected to marry for political reasons/to better his nation. This is a non-negotiable obligation for him.

Rather than saying, “Malleus cannot scare people into accepting who he loves”, I think it’s more accurate to say Malleus knows he probably shouldn’t. I mean, yes, he may be upset about his S/O not being accepted by his people but I feel that is discrediting a lot of the loyalty he has for his own country. As a kid he may have thrown tantrums when he was upset and potentially harmed staff, but as a 178 year old he has a much better understanding of decorum and maintaining it in spite of his own grudges. For example, even though he personally dislikes Leona he still commands Sebek to apologize to him because, at the end of the day, this could harm Briar Valley’s relationship with the Sunset Savanna. That’s not to say that Malleus can’t be petty (he definitely is)—but implying he would be petty toward basically his entire country just because they would disapprove of the one he loves?? (We know this would likely be true because Sebek’s parents faced similar backlash when they got together.) I feel like his own sense of awareness and responsibility for his country, crown, and people would override that. As an example, Malleus states that he has never been in a car before because the senate would be against it and often kept Malleus in the castle. Someone of his power could easily ignore them and sneak out and do whatever he wanted, yet the dialogue implies Malleus didn’t. He obeyed his political advisors even when he was younger and arguably much more immature. Malleus might not like certain decisions made about his life but it sounds like he ultimately complies with them.

Continuing from the previous point, let’s say for the sake of argument that Malleus does scare everyone into line. What about his public image and the mental health of his S/O? Maybe Malleus can frighten people to not talk out of turn to his face, but he cannot control what people whisper about him behind closed doors or to treat his S/O well or like they actually like them. Not only would they be alienated (away from their own home and forced to adapt to a new one) but they’d be treated oddly by others too. What kind of reputation is that for Malleus? To be a tyrant king who throws a hissy fit anytime someone talks about his partner in a way he doesn’t approve of? With a spouse who is not at their best mentally because of the constant ostracization? (This is similar to what Leona experienced in his childhood.) I don’t think Malleus would want to subject anyone to that kind of life, especially not one he loves. And again, this attitude would be the vast majority of his people. It’s not like it can be avoided or resolved in an easy manner, especially when the people of Briar Valley have proven to be against change.

Lastly, Malleus would not change the law so he can be with whoever he wants to. To begin with, I doubt this is a unilateral position the senate would approve of. But okay, let’s accept that Malleus is royalty so his power overrides the advisors’ power. So he effectively just changed a law for a very selfish and personal reason rather than changing something to actually benefit his people. That doesn’t feel in-character for him, not when Malleus seems to understand that it is the duty of those in higher status to help those below them rather than themselves (see: Riddle’s Suitor Suit vignettes. Malleus has acted selfish before, yes (who remembers Endless Halloween Night? His Dorm Uniform vignettes? I do.)—but never at the cost of changing the status quo of his country. (Book 7 is not included here because he’s in a very distressed emotional state then; this “new law” scenario posits that Malleus is in a normal state of mind.) This is a major change—change which Briar Valley, its people, and most importantly, Malleus, are not ready for. You think there wouldn’t be social pushback against this? From a society that has become complacent with its own way of life and is still isolated from the rest of the world? That Malleus, someone who struggles greatly with accepting life changes himself, could enact such a big change so easily? (On a more technical level, you don’t just pass a law and it instantly becomes tangible or real, there is a process of approval and then implementation.)

Additionally, it’s made clear in Ghost Marriage that “[Malleus] cannot enter into an engagement lightly”, which is why Sebek goes in his place. Eliza, the Ghost Bride, is royalty (er, albeit dead) but it seems that royal status is not enough to qualify as his partner. Maybe this is because she’s dead and doesn’t have anything of value for Briar Valley (no land, no people, no political power), but it could also mean that the partner has to be given the thumbs up by other parties.

All that being said, here are some of the conditions I think would have to be met for Malleus’s future spouse:

Has to be someone of equal or at least high status. This means they also have to be a royal or at least of nobility. This appears to be true of Malleus’s dad, who is referred to as a duke.

Because of how self-contained Briar Valley is + nocturnal fae having beef with diurnal fae, I imagine his partner would have to also be a nocturnal fae. This would also solve the MASSIVE lifespan difference between fae and non-fae because at least fae would be far closer to each other even if their lifespans fluctuate but subspecies.

Someone suited to rule by his side. Being married into any royal family is no joke—it comes with the expectation that you will contribute somehow, and the partner should be fully equipped to enter the world of politics with him.

Piggybacking off the last point, I think mental fortitude is also a prerequisite. This is because being a politician (navigating the social climate both within your country and outside of it, keeping your people and colleagues happy, maintaining public approval, managing laws, dealing with potential attempts on your life, etc.) can be very stressful and can hurt those who are faint of heart or not prepared for the responsibility. Leaders have to make tough calls at the drop of a hat, and they have to be ready for it.

Has a lot to offer in terms of benefits to Briar Valley as a country. This could be in terms of resources, connections, and/or political savvy. This appears to be true of Malleus’s dad, who acted as a diplomat for Briar Valley.

Vetting and formal approval from the senate. lmao good luck with that

Has to be able and willing to have a child. They at least need an heir to the throne to succeed Malleus. (However, knowing how exclusionary and conservative as heck the senators are, I doubt they would accept anything but a biological child 💀)

Preferably someone with powerful magic or is skilled at magic already so as to lessen the chance of “tainting” the bloodline with a weak mage or a non-mage.

I believe that Briar Valley would prefer someone with old fashioned values like them, not someone pushing for massive reform. They have a culture that is resistant to change and a history of fighting for resources with outsiders, so if Malleus’s new spouse tries to introduce a bunch of technology or open its borders to other countries (even if they have good intentions), the people + the senate may oppose them. His father is implied to be open-minded, but he at least understood that such change isn’t reasonable without time and effort dedicated to the endeavor.

All that being said 💦 I think that this topic is actually less about what Malleus as an individual wants and what his country, his people, and, yes, even his asshole senators, want. This is basically an arranged marriage situation so that their country can maintain power and relevance. It’s about the collective and what Malleus must do for their perceived security and prosperity.

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wishuroses · 1 year

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.⠀ ݁ ⸜⸜ 𓂃 𓇼 avatar boys as romantic tropes.

✶ featuring: neteyam, aonung, lo’ak, spider, and rotxo.

✶ warnings: fluff, humor, crushes, pretty lengthy cus i got carried away, just boys being boys, lowercase intended!

✶ a/n: i remember seeing a trope post and thought it’d be fun to do! i also feel like i wrote too much but nonetheless happy reading :-)

〘 neteyam 〙⠀:⠀unrequited required first loves.

neteyam seems like the type of person to not really be looking for any kind of romantic relationship; he’s way too busy with trying to keep an eye on lo’ak and all that other olo’eyktan in training business he has. when you finally confess, he lets you down gently, “i hold you dear to my heart, but not in that way, i’m sorry.” “oh, no worries. friends?” “friends :)” you’re upset, obviously he wouldn’t think of you like that, he has too much on his plate to even think of a relationship, but you’re cool with being friends if it meant you still got to be near him. (truthfully when you confessed, he was wondering why his heart was palpating violently like it was about to jump out his chest and run away, and why the air felt hotter than usual.) after a while, neteyam realizes that he does, in fact, love you as much as you love him. neteyam felt so stupid, and he would do anything to prove that he’s loved you for the longest. “i was stupid to realize so late, that my heart has always belonged to you.”

⠀

〘 aonung 〙⠀:⠀bullying you cause he wants you.

aonung reminds me of those elementary school boys who bully and tease the people they have a crush on, and i mean this in the nicest way possible. he realizes his feelings quick and comes to terms with it (sorta), but it takes this idiot so long to even say something about it that you’re genuinely convinced he just doesn’t like you. despite his nonchalant front, he’s definitely the first person to notice something different with you and starts touching. got a new hairdo? “oooh trying to impress someone? (please say me)” he’s twirling your lock around his finger with a smirk on his face. new set of top and loincloth? “you made these yourself? a 5 year old could do better! (please go out with me)” he’s tugging on the top, you swat his hand when he reaches for your cloth. you later on find out that he does have a thing for you, but you’d have to be the one to make the first move, sorry! this boy is too prideful, but don’t worry, it’s easy to make aonung crack, any type of affection from you would have this boy on his knees in mere seconds. “if you liked me you could’ve just told me.” “i don’t like you???” “nung we're literally holding hands?” “...ok and????”

⠀

〘 lo’ak 〙⠀:⠀reckless loser who you would do anything for, something along the lines of blooming puppy love.

lo’ak is a very quiet character i haven’t quite gotten down yet, but he definitely has little to no idea about romance, nor does he really care about it–he’s just here to have fun and cause trouble. you, on the other hand, are completely smitten with him. you follow him wherever he asks you to go, even if you felt like it wasn’t a good idea–you knew he would never purposefully put you in danger, surely not. “your dad is going to beat the hell out of you if he finds us here” “not if i tell him you’re with me!” touché. he’s a man of little words, so physical affection is his go to, along with him dragging you places. you both definitely have a super secret hideout some place no one knows about. he calls you “bro” which you’re fine with but you only get confused when he does things like hold your hand (for such a long time too, you once counted 32 seconds in your head), so you’re just like–is he into me too or...? not to mention, tuk definitely tries to play matchmaker, despite lo’ak’s embarrassed protests. “tuk, shut up!” “blehh :P”

⠀

〘 spider 〙⠀:⠀both pining but are too stupid and stubborn to realize, everyone sees it except the both of you.

you and spider have liked each other since you two started walking. everyone’s sick of you tiptoeing around each other’s feelings and it’s baffling how oblivious the both of you are. the subtle touches and lingering glances grew more and more, yet you still weren’t sure if spider liked you in that way–and vice versa. let lo’ak make some sort of comment about it, spider gets defensive immediately “bro! shut up!! i don’t like them like that!!!” “wooaaahh spider don’t pull out the 9!” get lost in each other’s eyes once and all of a sudden that means you two should kiss right then and there. somehow jake gets involved? “aren’t you two dating?” “what?!?!? no we aren’t!!!” damn y’all might as well be! despite the both of you getting pep talk from kiri and lo’ak, it takes ages for either of you to make the first move, but eventually one of you will break sooner or later. and you bet kiri and lo’ak made some sort of bet out of it.. loser does chores for a month.

⠀

〘 rotxo 〙⠀:⠀best friends to lovers, slow burn.

you both are so in love with each other it makes aonung sick, he’s definitely the type of friend to fake gag when you two smile at each other “get a room you two!” (but don’t worry, he’s still rooting for the both of you, even if you’re both stupid). whenever something happens, whether it be good or bad, rotxo always goes to you, and you go to him! rotxo was definitely raised by his grandma, so you can imagine how sweet he really is–he even knows how to weave and weaved your clothes (managed to start courting you without even realizing he was actually courting you). both of you like each other but neither of you wanted something bad to happen to your already healthy friendship and make it awkward or something (which is an excuse–a very valid excuse– but still an excuse). “rotxo can i spend the night at yours? i miss your grandma!” “ah, sure, but do you ever miss me? :(” “of course, i love you too much not to!” bonus points if you hug him after. it takes the both of you a while to start dating, but when you do, you’re both inseparable.

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amatchinwater · 2 years

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Okokok Hear me out…

An eddie fic where the reader hears him say they’re clingy to one of the boys and the reader avoids him for a couple days, and when he finally find the reader when they attend the same party???

Bonus angst: he overhears them talk to robin about how upset they are

Ahhh!! Thank you! My first Eddie request and I'm so excited!! I tried to reach out to see what gender you wanted the reader to be, but since you used they/them, that's what I kept it as. I've never written gender neutral before, so I hope it's okay! I hope you like it!

Harsh Words | Eddie Munson x gn!reader

Warnings: 18+, underage drinking, angst, the reader cries b/c their love language is touch and gets called clingy for it, kind of hurt comfort because of the fluff later on

Words: 2367

a/n: Love me some good angst. This hit super close to home because I, too, am always afraid of being called clingy because of how tactile I can be with people I care about. Requests are still open (master list)

Not my gif!! Credit to creator!!

You make it all the way back to your car in the school parking lot before realizing that you left your jacket in the theater room. As much as you’d like to go home and relax or create a new character sheet since yours died to Eddie’s ruthless Cult of Vecna campaign, it’s Friday night and you won’t be able to get your jacket until Monday morning if you wait.

Groaning as you grit your teeth, you turn around heading right back where you came from. Walking the halls at night should be weird, but you’ve been doing it so long now it’s become second nature to you. When you reach the door to the theater room, it’s cracked open enough for you to hear your name being spoken from the other side. Gareth and Eddie are talking about you.

“I’m just saying, the two of you are so close,” Gareth says, “I’m surprised you haven’t asked them out on a date yet. You guys always seem so comfortable and touchy.”

Your heart sings, thumping wildly in your chest. There’s one secret that you’ve kept hidden under several locks and keys. That Eddie, one of your best friends, has been your crush for a while now. You pull your bottom lip between your teeth, waiting for Eddie’s response.

“Easy Gareth,” Eddie chuckles and you wish you could see his face to get a feel for exactly what kind of chuckle that was meant to be. Your nerves reach a terrifying height. His next words crack around you louder than thunder, “I don’t like them like that. They never get off of me. I’m not into someone so clingy.”

Clingy. Eddie called you clingy. Thinking back on all the times in the cafeteria, the theater room, and when you’d all hang out together a lump wedges in your chest. While you’re tactile with all of your friends, ruffling Mike’s hair, pinching Dustin’s cheeks, and even throwing your legs in Gareth’s lap to be more comfortable, there’s no one you’re in contact with quite as much as Eddie. He’d never shown you any signs that he wasn’t okay with it, nor did he ever tell you to stop, so you didn’t think it was wrong.

Apparently it was very wrong.

Apparently, you’re clingy.

Tears spring from your eyes, burning your cheeks as you race back towards your car, not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation. Fuck the jacket, it’s not like anyone will be here over the weekend anyway. It’ll be fine to sit until Monday morning. Not letting anyone see you cry is a little more important than an Iron Maiden hoodie you made yourself.

—

The whole weekend whenever Eddie called your house to get you to come hang out, you’d told your parents to let him know you were busy. You didn’t have an answer when they asked what exactly they should tell him. If he found you so clingy, distancing yourself seemed like a good idea in your head. When Gareth showed up trying to get you to come to their gig- that you always go to- you practically slammed the door in his face.

It’s not that you wanted to treat your friends like garbage, but you were hurt. It wasn’t even Gareth’s fault. He was trying to set you guys up and it backfired spectacularly. There’s no way he could’ve controlled that. Who knows, maybe he even stuck up for you after you ran off.

Eddie returned your jacket after the third call of his on Sunday you’d refused to take. You only know this because you were in the shower at the time. When you got out, your hoodie was sitting on your bed, your parents having told you when you came out for dinner. Thankfully they didn’t pester you as to why you were avoiding your friends. But you know your mom could see the sadness in your slightly puffy eyes.

During the week it was much the same. You didn’t sit with the club at lunch. Only exchanging pleasantries and telling Jeff that you just weren’t feeling well over the weekend. Dustin didn’t buy any of your lies, but accepted that you weren’t going to give him the real answer and let you be with the notion he’s there if you want to talk. Whenever you saw Eddie, you ducked out of sight into the nearest hallway. Seeing his perfect face and curly hair only brought the pain you’ve been trying to smother back to the surface.

It isn’t until the Friday before spring break that Nancy and Robin cornered you in the library.

“Want to tell me why you’re avoiding everyone?”

“Robin!” Nancy chastises her, jabbing the other girl with her elbow. “That’s not what I’d call subtle.” She rolls her eyes, offering you a kind smile, “is everything okay? You’ve just seemed off lately.”

Placing your book face down on the table, you sigh, “I’m fine.” It’s a weak lie at best, but you don’t really want to talk about it. “Just wanted some alone time,” you gesture to the empty library save for one librarian tucked behind the main desk.

“Nuh uh,” Robin tuts, straddling the chair beside you and resting her arms on its back. “Talk to me, I feel like I haven’t seen you in months with the way you’re hiding. What’s going on? Did Munson do something?” You bristle at his name. Robin was the only one you’d had the courage to voice your feelings to because she’s kept your secret. “He did! Tell me, I’ll kick his ass.”

“What does Eddie have to do with this?” Nancy asks, taking the other empty chair. Her being clueless on the matter proves that Robin didn’t breathe a word of what you’d told her.

You scrub the irritation off your face, “he didn’t do anything, so much as said something,” you explain. “It hurt…a lot.”

“I’m gonna wring his neck with that damn guitar pick necklace, I swear,” Robin seethes. “What’d he say?”

“You really don’t need to do that, Rob,” you muster a small smile for your friend, appreciating her protectiveness. Not caring about the door to the library being opened, you dive into your story. Telling the girls about last Friday night and what you’d overheard and how they all keep trying to ask you what’s wrong. “So I’ve been avoiding him, because all I hear on a loop whenever I see Eddie is him saying it. Only worse is that it’d be to my face this time.”

“Clingy?” Nancy shakes her head, “is he serious? You’re like that with everyone!”

“What you need- and I can’t believe I’m saying this- is a pick me up,” Robin suggests with a toothy grin. “Part of the reason we came to find you is that Nance is having a party tonight.”

“It could be really fun!” Nancy smiles warmly, “you can be surrounded by your friends and just have a night to not think about anything else.” The girls share a look before facing you again. “You know Eddie never comes to any parties. So you won’t have to worry about seeing him until you’re ready. Please, come, have fun. We’ll be there with you the whole time.”

Robin puts her hands together, silently pleading with you. “Come on, I need someone who won’t yell at me when I’ve had too much to drink.”

You roll your eyes at her, remembering the last time you were all at a party together and Nancy was like a mother hen with you both. “I’ll think about-”

“Hey,” Eddie’s voice whispers behind you and you freeze. If he’d heard any of your conversation, his face doesn’t show it when you turn to look at him. “I just wanted to let you know that Henderson went home with a stomach thing. So, uh, Hellfire is canceled tonight. We’re gonna do it tomorrow at Jeff’s.”

“Okay,” you nod, almost squeaking the word around the lump in your throat. “T-thanks.”

“Yeah,” he shoves his hands in his back pockets. “Can uh, can we talk?”

“Not now, Munson,” Robin cuts off whatever answer you’d planned on saying. You’re honestly kind of grateful, because you don’t know what you wanted to say in the first place. “You can have them tomorrow for your campaign. Right now, I need their help with something, okay?”

“Yeah,” he nods, clearing his throat, “yeah, ‘course. Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to let you know. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Bye,” you whisper as he walks away. “Thanks, I’m not really sure what to say to him just yet.”

“I got you, dude,” she grins devilishly at you. “Now,” Robin slams her hand on the back of the chair, getting up, pulling you with her. “We’re going to your house and finding something to wear and you’re coming to the party tonight.”

Your sounds of protest are silenced when Nancy loops her arm with yours too, “I’ve trained her well,” she whispers like it’s a secret.

—

“Since when are you this hard to find?” Eddie huffs a breath, both hands on his hips when he finds you on the back porch.

The whole point of coming out here was to be alone. You appreciate what Robin and Nancy are trying to do here. Really, you do. But being alone right now sounds kind of perfect. Of course it had to be Eddie to find you out here by yourself. You take a sip of the spiked punch, barely making a face at the sour taste of the alcohol on your tongue. “What do you want, Eddie?” You can’t even bring yourself to look away from the bush swaying in the breeze.

Afraid you’ll crack. Just shatter and break along with your heart because it wants nothing more than to reach out and hug him. Curl your hand around his wrist just to have something anchoring you to the earth. But that will just get you labeled clingy and you can’t bear to hear that word again. You know you can be, but physical touch is your love language, always has been. Even the smallest bits of contact make you feel more human; alive.

“We need to talk,” his voice breaks you out of your own head.

You take a large gulp, enjoying the way it warms your limbs and makes your brain quiet down. “About what?” You can’t help the sigh that escapes your lips.

Eddie quickly leans on the wooden railing beside you, “will you look at me please?” The slight desperation in his tone hurts more than it should.

Downing the rest of your drink, you wipe the small trail from the side of your mouth, “why? So that I can be called clingy again? So that you can run and tell Gareth all about how I won’t get off of you? Yeah, I’m good,” you scoff, turning to go back inside. The idea of dealing with stupid teenagers and too loud music seems like an easier feat than this conversation.

Eddie’s hand wraps around your bicep, stopping you in your tracks, “please.”

Your eyes burn when you look at him, his face borderline distraught. It fucking hurts. A lump wedges itself in your throat. A small whimper escapes your lips feeling his hand on your skin. A feeling you’ve sorely missed, but couldn’t ask for.

“I’m sorry,” his other hand comes up to your other arm, brown eyes staring intently at you. “Not just that you heard it, but that I’d said it to begin with. You’re not clingy. I actually really fucking enjoy it. I only said that to Gareth because you’re Steve’s ex. I really didn’t want to get shit from Harrington for going after you. So I tried to make it seem like I wasn’t interested in you. But I am, I really fucking am,” he laughs breathlessly, a tear falling from your eye that he jumps to catch with his thumb, “please don’t cry, baby.”

“How can I not?” You ask as more fall, ignoring the pet name while your emotions finally crack open. Or maybe that’s just the alcohol. Either way. “You were more concerned about how Steve might feel about who I like and what I do rather than taking into consideration how I might feel in all this, Eddie. I’m a tactile person when it comes to the people I care about. I enjoy touching you so much because I like you, Eddie. Because I’m comfortable with you. Because you mean every-”

Eddie kisses you. Cupping your face so fucking gently, but pouring every ounce of emotion into his lips pressed against yours. A moment of shock stills your frame. But when you realize he’s making no effort to move back, you whimper against his mouth and fall into him. Kissing him back, you curl your hands into his jacket and Eddie wraps his arms around you.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispers, pulling back only enough to look at you. “Please tell me you can forgive me, I need you,” Eddie reaches up to wipe away the last of your tears. “When I heard you telling Robin and Nancy that I’d hurt you, I didn’t know what to do. Please, you’re the last person I’d ever want to hurt. I should’ve told the truth. Told you how I feel about you and how badly I want to be with you.”

“You should’ve,” you agree, pinching your brows together in faux irritation. All of your anger seeped out of you the moment Eddie kissed you. Breaking off in a giggle at the face he makes, you playfully smack his chest, “it’s okay, Munson. I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it up to me.”

“Absolutely,” he grins, scooping you up until you’re sitting on the railing and he rests between your thighs. Eddie silences all of your giggles with his mouth against yours. “Just say you’re mine and I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy. Anything, baby. I mean, I came to a party just so I could apologize and try to make you mine.”

“I’m yours, Eddie,” you murmur against his smiling mouth.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x gn!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson #stranger things 4 #stranger things #Match Writes

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schraubd · 1 year

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Am I Nuts for Thinking a Jewish Florist Should Have To Make an Easter Arrangement?

One thing I tried to impress upon my Con Law students this semester (and every semester) is that the interplay between anti-discrimination law and freedom of speech (and freedom of religion) is complicated and raises a host of thorny questions that defy easy resolution. These issues, of course, lie at the forefront of the 303 Creative case currently before the Supreme Court, which I'm sure will address them with the care, nuance, and sensitivity they deserve [/sarcasm].

But on that matter, I want to flag a hypothetical offered by prominent First Amendment specialist and former federal judge Michael McConnell, to get folks' intuitions on:

What if a Jewish florist is asked to design the floral display of white lilies on Easter Sunday morning at a Christian church? Ordinarily, flowers are just flowers. But the lilies in church on Easter morning are a symbol of the new life in Christ. I cannot believe that a free nation would compel a Jewish florist to construct a symbol of Christ's resurrection—on pain of losing the right to be a florist.

McConnell frames this as his "personal favorite hypothetical", and clearly perceives it as a knockout argument for the pro-free speech/religious liberty side. But perhaps I'm not fully grasping the facts, because speaking as a Jew this prospect doesn't seem that frightening to me.

Suppose I'm a Jewish florist. A customer comes in and says "I've seen the lovely work you've done with white lilies, could you please make a similar display for me?" I agree, since I have loads of experience working with white lilies. The customer then says, "thanks -- we plan on putting this display up in our church on Easter morning!" This prospect ... doesn't upset me. I don't intuitively think I should be able to refuse the customer, notwithstanding the fact that I obviously don't believe in the divinity of Christ, and I don't view continuing to serve the customer as forcing me to avow any beliefs I don't hold.

At root, the reason why this prospect isn't bothersome is because I don't view my customer's use of my flowers as representing my speech. I just design the flowers; what they do with it is their business. If someone sees the arrangement at church and learns that David's Flowers created it, I do not expect them to think "wow, I had no idea David believed in Christ's divinity!" This isn't to say I have no free speech concerns regarding flower arrangements -- I would very much chafe at government regulations that, for example, regulate what shapes I can use in my designs. That part very much is my expression, would be attributed to me -- the churchgoer who compliments the pattern of the flowers would credit those decisions to David's Flowers (I wrote about this a few years ago as the problem of partially expressive conduct).

There are still plenty of tough cases at the margins. I show my customer a preliminary design; they twist their lip and say "I dunno ... it's just not capturing the majesty of Christ's resurrection, you know?" I'm at a loss ("So ... bigger?"). But I'm inclined to think that while such an example might demonstrate why I might be a bad choice to design the arrangement, it doesn't give me the right to discriminate against the customer if they are in fact thrilled with the work I do and have done for other customers.

For me, then, McConnell's hypothetical has the opposite effect than what he intended. And of course, for many Jews -- particularly Jews who live in predominantly non-Jewish areas -- the more salient threat is that local businesses will be given carte blanche authority to refuse to service any of our religious life cycle events lest it be seen as "approving" of them. To let vendors say "ordinarily, a cake is just a cake -- but a cake served at a Bar Mitzvah has religious significance that we, as Christians, cannot approve of" is not a door I want to open.

But perhaps some of my readers disagree. Curious to hear people's thoughts on this.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/184tzfG

#discrimination #Jews #religion #religious liberty

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ivyrosetglued · 8 months

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Halloween Bet Part 1 Reformatted

Halloween Bet Chapter 1 (Reformatted)

Clint agreed to go to a Halloween party with his sister because his sister loves Halloween. She didn’t have anywhere to go or anything to do on the night before Halloween. He would have gone with his girlfriend, but she’s visiting her family for a week and she’s getting back the day after the party. His sister is 20 and he’s 20. He always feels the need to be right or get the last word in with his sister. Clint is 5’8’ as is his sister. Clint isn’t a very muscular guy; he's got more of a slight build. And he has short, light brown hair and green eyes. Clint’s sister is the same height as him. She has dark brown hair and green eyes. She’s quite petite but she’s well formed in the chest and back. Cliff had moved out on his 19th birthday and moved into an apartment building. It wasn’t much, but it was a place to live, the rent was cheap, which was good for him because money is tight.

In Clint's Apartment

Come on! You can be more creative than that!” Clint’s sister was upset because she put so much effort into her costume. She was a zombie nurse, with fake blood and a whole bunch of makeup to make her face look dead and green. He told her he had decided to just buy a ninja costume like he does most years. “I have an idea!” His sister's eyes lit up. ‘I really don’t like that look’ Clint thought to himself. “What is it?” Clint sighed with a hand on his face.

“You could go as a girl!” she could barely hold in her laughter. “Haha yeah right. No way in hell would I do that. Not even YOU’RE that good at makeovers'' He responded awkwardly.

His sister seemed a little hurt by his comments. “I could turn you into a convincing girl! You’ve got the build for it. I’m good at makeup and cosmetics.” He glared at her “No, no, no, no, I’m not doing that.” His sister knows that money is the way to his heart, so she grinned and said slyly “Fancy a wager, big brother?” He thought for a few seconds and responded, “Hmmm. Okay I’ll bite, what’s the wager?” She had a sneaky smile creeping across her mouth as she spoke. “I bet you I could make you so convincing that not even your own girlfriend would recognize you.”

He laughed “Ha, unlikely. So, what happens if she does recognize me?”

“I’ll pay off your rent for a year.”

“Sounds easy enough. What if she doesn’t recognize me?”

This is the part he was worried about.

“If she doesn’t recognize you when we knock on her door, I’ll text her when we get back to the car and let her know about our little bet. You will have to stay as a woman for a week.”

Most people would not take this chance, but Clint was desperate for money and agreed quickly “Deal! But tonight, can I just wear my ninja costume and you can dress me up tomorrow?”

“Tonight, I’ll just let you wear your stupid ninja costume, I’ll cook up a makeover plan for you tomorrow… just you wait….” They stared into each other’s eyes and shook on it.

At the party, Clint saw a few of his friends. He talked to them about the recent football games, as well as hunting. He had a moderate amount of alcohol. Overall, he had a good Halloween party.

The next morning Clint’s sister went to the mall and came back with many bulging bags around 5pm.

“Happy Halloween bro! Are you ready for your makeover?”

*sigh* “Let's just get this over with” Clint responded.

“Okay, so the first thing I want you to do is to shave all your body hair, Clint.”

She handed him a pink razor and some shaving cream.

Clint took them and responded glumly “My whole body?”

“Yup!” his sister said.

Clint got to work spraying the foamy shaving cream all over himself. The cream smelled of cotton candy. It was so sweet it made him feel sick. He shaved his; face, body, arms (and pits) legs, hands, feet, and genitalia. All this took him about an hour and a half. He walked out with his bathrobe on. His sister giggled and said, “You smell AND look amazing!”

“Did you really have to get the scented one? It’s so strong it’s making me sick” he moaned.

“Yes, it's all part of the illusion now, stop complaining, follow me downstairs and I’ll shape your body, Clint.”

Clint sat down and saw his sister pouring glue all over some silicone breast forms. “Why are you putting glue on them!” She glanced sidelong at him “How ELSE are they going to say on stupid? The glue will hold for 2 weeks, but I can get them off in 1 week or a day. I’ll glue all of it so it stays.”

she thought she could remove it, but what his sister didn’t realize was that she had made an error and purchased the wrong glue. She had the solvent for what she thought was the temporary one but she accidentally bought ‘Semi-permanent glue’. There was no solvent for it and the only way to get it off was to wait a full year, so it would start to wear down and other solvents would work.

His sister pressed the breasts hard into his chest and held them there for 15 seconds. She then did the same for the butt pads and hip pads. She even glued on a silicone vagina she had purchased.

“This is soooo damn weird I have the body of a chick” Clint said while feeling his new body.

“You’re welcome. I gave you an excellent form, you’ll make all the girls jealous, also I've decided on our cover story, you’re our cousin who lives a distance away. I’m going as a devil and you an angel.”

“So, I’m in a double costume then…?”

“Yeah”

She then moved into the makeup, she rubbed concealer and foundation all over his face, and bronzed his cheekbones. She glued on long fake lashes and did eyeliner in the waterline and around the eye until it came to a nice wing. She did glossy lips and sparkly golden eyeshadow. She then basically threw glitter in his face. His face was shiny and glittery. She used the same glue to put in light brown extensions to match his hair. She gracefully grabbed her curling iron and gave him some very feminine curls which made it down past his shoulder blades.

“Now for your costume!” His sister clapped her hands together excitedly and handed him a bag. “Put all of it on please.”

He opened the bag and got dressed. He put on the matching white bra and panty set. Slipped into his angel costume, which included a sleek, tight shimmering white dress. The breastplate. While tight, was a beautiful matched the wings. He added the halo as the final touch and stepped out. His sister's eyes lit up and she snapped a picture.

“Hey!” Clint protested.

“Oh, please Clint! You're beautiful! I’ve got to go get into my costume Claire. Please sit tight until I get back.”

“Claire?”

“Yea, that’s the name I decided for you.”

“Fine”

50 minutes later his sister came down in the devil costume.

“Alright let’s drive to your girlfriend's house Claire.”

They arrived with their candy baskets, walked up the steps, and briskly knocked. A gorgeous blonde Caucasian woman answered the door. She was around 5’10”, and had grey-blue eyes with long straight golden blonde hair that went to her hips. She had her bangs pulled to the back and fastened with a white butterfly claw clip. She had pastel blue acrylic nails on. She was wearing a lavender cocktail dress and some sandals. She put one hand on her hip. She saw Clint’s sister and a smile shot across her face.

#tgcaptions #cute crossdreser #forced feminized #tg story #mtf captions #sissy ferminization #super glue #cross dressing #blonde #girly

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boldlygreatsuit · 2 months

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youtube

Why I love one-sided radiostatic

Before I start this little rant I must disclose that I’m aroace (so please know that this isn’t me trying to erase his orientation and present asexually as a problem, this is me trying to explore these complex and flawed characters) and so naturally I love the representation of alastor also being aroace so maybe me shipping radiostatic is a little hypocritical of me but I can’t help but love the story and tragic character exploration behind it.

Personally I like to believe that Alastor GENUINELY loved Vox, just not in the way he wanted. (They had some kind of queer platonic relationship but Vox wanted more and Al felt uncomfortable) And I think it killed Alastor to hurt his closest friend so much when he turned him down, I’ve been through something similar with an old friend I used to have. I know what’s it like so maybe I’m projecting onto Al but ehhhh.

It’s easy to just paint alastor and a evil psychopathic serial killer, a cannibal, and sadist, who loves torturing and tormenting people, don’t get me wrong, he is all those things but don’t forget he’s also human, he still has emotions no matter how much he represses them for the sake of his pride, reputation and self preservation. I could totally see him struggling to understand why’s he’s different and just brushing it off, after all, it’s never been an issue before now. He never had many close friends, nobody he’d ever be interested in pursuing. And now the person he loves the most wants him and he cant bring himself to want him back no matter how much he wants too.

I like the idea that Alastor wants to want him so much but he just can’t and it absolutely destroys him. He feels guilty and ashamed that he cant reciprocate Voxs feeling towards him (remember he’s from the 1930s, I doubt he knows what the LGTB is, let alone asexually so he’s probably under the impression that’s he’s broken in some regard. He probably never gave romantic and sex much thought, assuming that he would start feeling something eventually but nothing ever happened). While Vox just cant understand why he doesn’t like him back and keeps trying and it creates an uncomfortable situation for both of them.

I think radiostatic can be so tragic, they both love each other but in different ways and it tears them apart and they lose their closest friend due to it. Which ends up with them both bitter, raw and angry. Both blaming each other outwardly (Vox hating that Alastor rejected him while Alastor is upset that Vox went and caught feelings, complicating their perfectly platonic relationship) but internally hating themselves (Vox thinks he did something wrong to scare alastor away while Alastor hates that he couldn’t feel the same way).

I know Alastor is a very prideful person but I think behind closed doors his incredibly sentimental, after all, he’s pretty much a snapshot of the 1930s and he doesn’t seem to happy about change. So I could just imagine him up at night staring at the ceiling struggling with what he could do, whether or not, he should just lie to keep Vox happy and enter a relationship He does not want to be in so he can avoid losing his best friend (but also risk leading him on); or he turns him down and is honest with himself, not forcing himself into a relationship he doesn’t want but irreversibly hurting Vox in the process, and also risking losing Vox forever.

This could also create an interesting situation where Alastor agrees to date Vox and really tries to love him, hoping that maybe he’ll start feeling something eventually or at least get used to it. Of course this doesn’t really work and just creates resentment and pent-up emotions. Due to lying to Vox about wanting him and digging himself into this hole and the longer he stays the harder it is to leave without hurting Vox, this could lead to a messy breakup when Al just cant take it anymore and leaves.

I think “never love an anchor” and “tongue and teeth” are such perfect songs to encapsulate this kind of situation, the guilt and remorse but also the inevitability and hopelessness of it, the knowledge that there ISNT a right answer, no fairytale ending, this isn’t something to be overcome only accepted, and no matter what is done someone gets hurt severely and the only question is who and by how much.

I want to see a Alastor and Vox confrontation where we see how upset they are and how they’re equally heartbroken. Al for the first time shows actual vulnerability as he’s expressing his self loathing and guilt towards his choices but even so he stands by them and tries to defend them. He hates that he did what he did but there wasn’t another option for him and he didnt know what to do.

They both struggle with their emotions but also their pride and respective personas, not wanting to put aside their pride and admit their own shortcomings and guilt, and be genuinely honest and vulnerable with each other. They want to comfort the other but they’re just at a point where they don’t know if they could, if it would make it worse. they both still love each so so so much (in different ways) but it’s all wrapped up in fear, resentment, guilt and heartbreak which complicates things.

Ngl the best outcome is these two going to therapy, probably Charlie, and actually learn how to communicate.

#Youtube #alastor hazbin hotel #vox hazbin hotel #Vox #Alastor #radiostatic #staticradio #i know im a sucker for the angst #angst #kinda controversial #rant post #rant #shipping #complex relationships

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dyns33 · 8 months

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Shielded by the moon - Part 2

I had NO IDEA how to end this properly…

Tag : @lotrefcp (I thought about it !)

Y/N had a habit of lying. Of hiding things.

Between her job for SHIELD and her special abilities, she had to learn early on how to modify the truth to avoid trouble. That didn't mean she liked it.

It was perfectly normal for Steven to be a little upset that she hadn't told him she was an agent on a mission, even though he said he understood and wasn't angry.

It was even more normal that Marc and Jake didn't trust her.

The first because she had hidden things, the other because he knew that she continued to hide things, even if it was also somewhat his fault.

“Mentirosa.” he muttered as he followed her to her hotel, because his God had ordered him to protect her, or at least to watch over her.

"You're one to talk. The others don't know you exist, or what you do."

“And it will stay that way !”

"You're calling me a liar, while asking me to lie. Make a choice."

"You, make a choice. Leave them alone. Leave. You have the answers you wanted, so leave."

The Moon Knight wasn't wrong. Y/N had gotten all the answers SHIELD was looking for, she knew who the mummy was, how he got his powers, and his motivations.

Although Jake wasn't very talkative, she understood that he wasn't a danger, even if he was dangerous. He only took on people who deserved it, criminals, so there was no need to constantly follow him, or try to stop him.

There were two problems.

Y/N couldn't give these answers to her superiors, because Jake didn't want anyone to know about him. It was already too much that she knew.

It also risked putting Marc and Steven in danger, when they didn't even know that another alter was using the body when they slept to jump on roofs and beat up people.

And Y/N didn’t want to leave Steven. She really liked Steven.

SHIELD wouldn't be that hard to trick. She just had to pretend that she had to stay in London longer to track down the mummy, while giving a few new elements to satisfy them.

The problem was that she didn't want to lie to Steven, or to Marc, who both seemed to have suffered enough because of the secrets and lies.

They already knew about her work, but not about her abilities. Y/N was afraid they wouldn’t understand. That they would judge her, look at her like her parents and the doctors. It seemed stupid, but the idea was eating her inside.

There was also Jake.

“If you talk about me, you’re dead.” he said before flying away.

“I couldn’t find anything on this Jake.” Marc had said the next day, continuing to look everywhere for the new Moon Knight, and not understanding why their paths never crossed.

Jake was the real problem. Because as long as she didn't talk about him, he considered her a dangerous liar, and if she talked about him, she became an enemy to be defeated.

Probably because of his past, the mercenary could sense that Y/N was still hiding something, and he didn't trust the young woman either.

There was only Steven, who agreed to believe her.

"Excuse him, he had some issues, if I can say that. I know you're a nice person. I mean, SHIELD hasn't always done good things, but with good intentions, and I think it’s the same for you.”

“If anyone is nice here, it’s you Steven.”

"Thank you, love. Dove ! I mean…Thank you !"

Their relationship was unclear. It wasn't really easy, between her job, Marc who was staring at them in the mirror with a dark look, Jake who came to threaten her during the night when they were sleeping, and the shadow of Khonshu who hovered over her constantly.

Wanting to be with Steven was normal, and dangerous and loud and stressful.

"You'll never really be with him, mentirosa. He doesn't know who you are. He doesn't know that you're hiding things from him. He hates that, you know ? Marc made him suffer a lot."

"And not you ?"

“No, I’m not here for that.” growled the Moon Knight as he approached dangerously. "And I won't let anything happen to them. Why these lies anyway ? Little prophet. Khonshu has nothing but compliments and sweet words for you, like he worships you. He says you're special. I think that you are nothing, and you must leave.”

It could have been simple if she had listened. Y/N would have returned to her small apartment, telling her bosses that she didn't know the identity of the mummy, but that she could determine that he was not a threat, and everything would be stopped there.

But she stayed, and Marc called Layla.

Their marriage, their divorce and Steven's crush did not affect her. Layla was a nice woman. The large hippo that followed her was another story.

The cries between the hippopotamus and Khonshu especially.

Y/N remembered the screams of the creatures when she was a child, when she entered a sacred place, always followed by her father's screams because he didn't understand why she was crying.

"… Y/N ? Is everything okay? "

She didn't hear the question. The gods were shouting too loudly, attracting other things, and suddenly she was on the ground, hands over her ears, desperately trying to shut herself out from the world. There were too many voices, too many noises, too much of everything.

“Make them stop, make them stop.” she begged, sobbing.

"Sal de aquí. ¡ Mierda, lárgate ahora !"

It took a long time for her to realize that silence had returned, and that there was someone near her on the floor, holding her close, rocking her and whispering incomprehensible things. Things in Spanish.

“… Jake ?”

"Shh. Breathe, mi pequeña mentirosa. Breathe."

"I… I'm sorry… I…"

“Breathe.”

There was almost no air left in her lungs. The advice was quite wise. Y/N didn’t understand why he was giving it to her. Jake didn't like her, he didn't trust her. He would probably be happy if she disappeared.

But his God would not. Neither would Steven.

"Love, talk to me, please. Please. Less noise. No, Marc, not now. We'll see later, you two stop. Y/N ? Tell me what I can do."

"I'm sorry. Sorry." she cried, clinging to him. "Don't call the doctors. I don't want to go back. I'm sorry. I won't lie again… Sorry."

She had said that often when she was younger. A sentence that made no sense, because her parents asked her to stop talking about the monsters she pretended to see and the visions she claimed to receive. Lies, according to them. As time went on, Y/N sometimes had trouble knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry." she continued to repeat, afraid of what was going to happen to her.

"It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong, babe. Nothing at all."

It was Marc who happened.

Undoubtedly the one of the three who could understand her the most, and he decided that she only deserved kisses, hugs and massages on the back, to reassure and protect her. Everything he would have wanted to have in his childhood and that Steven, and Jake in secret, offered him.

They stayed like that until Y/N felt better. The rest could wait, even the annoyed moon god, who had been ordered to leave the room by his own avatar. But it was for the sake of a prophet, so he accepted.

"… You want to talk about it ?" Marc asked almost shyly.

"No."

"Fine. Me neither."

Later, it was Steven who decided to talk about it. Because Steven had no problem speaking, and he considered communication to be important in a couple, if they were a couple. They still had to talk about this.

He didn't force her to speak though. He respected her need for privacy, and he didn't see it as a lie.

Either way, they had a more pressing concern.

“So… Jake?”

“I couldn’t tell you about him.”

"Oh, I'm not mad at you, love. Neither is Marc. In fact, they're the ones I'm talking to." he said, pointing at the mirror.

"Jake isn't too upset that I talked about him ?"

"He says you didn't talk about him, he was the one who showed himself, so no. Why does he call you 'my little liar' ? I don't like that. Marc, stop calling her 'babe', I don't like that either."

"My avatars and a prophet are a sign. The moon is brighter since you met, and my powers greater."

"Shut up, you big pigeon ! Why can I see the big pigeon again ?! Why are you still working for him, Jake ?!"

There were still several arguments and misunderstandings, especially with Jake who had even more difficulty than Marc in communicating, but no more lying.

The only ones Y/N said were sent to SHIELD, with a transfer letter to stay in England, in order to keep an eye on the Moon Knight who only agreed to collaborate if she was the intermediary. Not that it was really a lie.

#moon knight #steven grant #marc spector #jake lockley #moon knight x reader #steven grant x reader #not really marc x reader nor jake x reader #but they like her #you can imagine what happened next

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kolachess · 1 year

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Star Struck - Explaining the conflict and cultural nuance

Those of you who have seen the Korean BL, Star Struck, probably thought it was a(nother) mediocre school BL. In a year with more and more BLs from South Korea (yay!), it might have been an easy pass.

BUT, if you’re like me, you will have really, really appreciated the refreshingly realistic taste of a friends-to-lovers dynamic, complete with a conflict that is not just over one-sided or mutual dislike of each other for once! (Which is not to say I didn’t love the BLs that had that... they’re all great. But I do think expanding scope is always admirable!)

I realized that part of the reason why what seemed to me a rather thoughtfully constructed set of characters and plot development comes across as plain boring to many others might partially be a cultural nuance issue.

So, here’s my attempt to bridge that gap and give it a little more credit than it got (at least, so far). Of course, that’s not to say I think this drama is perfect... I do think a lot of pacing / editing could have done with some improvement. And at the end of the day... it is a coming of age sort of school drama, so it’s not going to be crazy complex. And I’m also writing this after episode 4, so there will be spoilers through episode 4.

Disclaimer: I am not Korean, nor did I grow up in South Korea, so I definitely do not have complete authority on this subject matter. However, I feel like a lot of what was happening in Star Struck might have been... unfairly overlooked or otherwise not understood by audiences who are less familiar with Eastern Asian cultural values, so as a Chinese American, I wanted to do my best to add a bit of perspective.

So. What is the root of SHJ (Seo Hanjoo) and JYJ (Jo Yoojae)’s conflict?

Certainly, SHJ’s (seemingly) one-sided crush on JYJ and JYJ’s reactive jealousy is a large part of it, but the other big part is a newfound wealth gap and how that translates into what esteem they hold each other in.

From the get-go, we can tell SHJ is very (self-)conscious about money. He knows how hard his mom has to work, and he feels guilty and early on already tries to justify to himself (and others) that some costs, like the cram school he saved up to attend, are not worth it. He’s too prideful to honestly mention his money troubles to anyone.

Although SHJ doesn’t know JYJ’s rich yet in this scene, JYJ’s financial circumstances still was better off than SHJ’s. But he’s clearly uncomfortable with the idea of his best friend paying for him like that. And here’s where I’ll do some cultural breakdown.

In East Asian culture, the collective identity comes first, and the individual comes second. Meaning, people take more pride in what school they graduated from, what company they work for, what their family background is, more so than people in many other cultures. I’m not talking school pride like, ‘I’m proud to be a <insert school mascot>!’ kind of spirit. I mean that everyone in your life, in society, will measure your worth first and foremost (and often only) by the primary institution or family background you came out of. And with SHJ’s sort of background - poor, single-mother - that’s a big stigma. He’s still a rational human being though, so at least he doesn’t blame his poor mother for their circumstance (which some kids do, given all the pressure of society). But that all said, this clearly weighs on him - how his lack of money reflects on him. And if money is viewed at all similarly to how it’s viewed in China... it’s basically a measure of your capabilities and standing in society. The inability to be generous with your money is ‘losing face’ i.e. embarrassing. And so... yeah. It’s a lot of ‘dings’ in SHJ’s social profile. The kid is understandably a bit self-conscious, though he clearly tries to not let it get to him.

Fast forward to when he finds out JYJ is now ‘rich’... Obviously, he’s upset at not being told because they’re supposed to be close friends. However, he’s clearly super self-conscious about being seen as someone who’s that sensitive about money. Notice how he hasn’t actually commented / asked about JYJ ‘moving out’. (Note: I wasn’t 100% sure if this carried the implication that JYJ might be moving away, but the text message made it sound like that? Correct me if I’m wrong.) He immediately assumes JYJ didn’t tell him because he’s pitying him or otherwise worried about how he’d react because of how it involves money. And he hates that. (Which... he’s not totally wrong about. JYJ might not pity him like how SHJ is thinking, but he definitely worries a bit about how SHJ will perceive things, and it becomes this death spiral of misread intentions.)

And of course JYJ starts to comment on SHJ’s family, which just confirms all of JYJ’s worst fears. He suddenly ‘realizes’ that his best friend who he has a crush on actually walks on eggshells around him because of his money situation, which is a blow to his self-esteem, because what does that mean? That there’s a meaningful gap now in their social status and JYJ looks down on him and just never said? That JYJ sees SHJ as too delicate to be able to handle this new reality? (His insecurities and perspectives, not necessarily what JYJ thinks, of course.)

It’s like having a close friend say something that makes you suddenly wonder if they were actually judging you this whole time, and your mind goes into overdrive analyzing every past interaction you’ve had and reading in between the lines to see if you were actually blind all this time. To SHJ, who is already a bit self-conscious about all of this... it’s a major blow. And although he says he’s only ever felt inconvenienced by his poverty... I’d say he’s being a bit dishonest with himself. Again, he’s clearly not the shameful type to blame his poor mother, but he clearly has trouble admitting his circumstances to even his closest friend.

Meanwhile, for JYJ...

...the guy is clearly struggling too. He obviously cares for SHJ and extremely mindful of his money situation, hence previously wanting to just pay for SHJ at the cafe. However, he also doesn’t want to hurt SHJ’s pride even more, so he ultimately still tosses his pair of perfectly good shoes he no longer wants despite wanting to give it to SHJ.

Once SHJ cools down a bit, and JYJ extends the olive branch, they both apologize to each other and come to an understanding. However, as is with a lot of human emotions... getting over it in the moment does not necessarily mean getting over it for good if you haven’t addressed the inner demons that spawned these bad feelings in the first place. And it’s not long before we see another issue pop up.

At this point, SHJ has had to move into the side house (and hides it from JYJ). He finds the Gucci receipt in the pocket of the jacket JYJ lends him, and JYJ immediately tries to wave it off saying it was pretty much something his mom made him buy.

He’s clearly worried about SHJ feeling bad again. He definitely doesn’t seem to care for the materialistic things as much as his parents seem to, and he even seems a bit embarrassed by it. So when SHJ brings up his big new house, he immediately tries to make light of the situation by joking about how indeed, the one good perk is that he can no longer hear his parents fighting. So that’s clearly another thing that weighs on him. SHJ is seemingly rather sensitive to JYJ’s money situation, but JYJ doesn’t really want anything to do with it at all. And the thing he really wishes could be new and shiny - his family’s relationship - is not something their newfound money could buy. In fact, it’s possible he’s even a little envious of JYJ for having such a caring mom.

Later, when he finds out SHJ has moved into the little side house / shack, he’s understandably upset that his best friend had chosen to hide this from him, that he didn’t see JYJ as understanding enough to be honest with him. He obviously also aches for SHJ’s circumstances.

Gift-giving is a big part of East Asian culture, but there’s casual gifts between friends, and there’s gifts between everyone else. When you’re gifting gifts to someone less close, you definitely don’t want to go for things too cheap, so people tend to skew for expensive and unnecessary things because it’s part of social gestures and having ‘face’. While well-intentioned, sometimes receiving (and continuing to receive) gifts, especially more expensive ones, can make the receiver feel like they have to reciprocate in kind and continue to stand on ceremony or otherwise have this formal distance between the other person. It’s a big game of chicken sometimes, but some people’s ‘face’ won’t allow them to take a more casual, intimate approach first. This is not the main reason why JYJ gets upset of course, but it is an element.

All that compounded - he’s hurting already on SHJ’s behalf, yet his best friend seemingly doesn’t trust him enough and still tries to save face. And what’s worse, SHJ seems to think JYJ is materialistic and chases expensive things, when that couldn’t be farther from the truth - he dgafs about this kind of stuff. So to have his best friend essentially woefully misunderstand his character, continue to hold him at arm’s length / treat him with non-intimate courtesy, make sacrifices that hurt himself to give JYJ something that makes him seem materialistic and puts even more distance between them due to their economic gap... he’s pretty hurt and furious.

Of course, in reality, while SHJ not telling JYJ might be partly due to his pride, the expensive gift was purely because he was crushing hard. And cue the confession tumbling out.

So actually, I feel like there was a wonderful build-up of their tension, oriented not entirely on SHJ’s romantic feelings towards JYJ, but a very real issue between two people compounded by the complexity of romantic feelings.

Although I grew up away from the frontline influence of these sort of social gestures and expectations, it was still a big part of my upbringing. And I feel the agonizing indecisiveness over what to say, how to react, etc. You read intention into every gesture and word, because that’s how Asian culture operations.

I was rather surprised to see people comment that this drama was boring, but upon analysis, I did consider that part of it might be because a lot of this tension goes over the audience’s head if you weren’t brought up in that context. What seems like beautifully nuanced dance of well-intentions-turned-sour might come across as a jumbled mess of ‘being upset over unnecessary secrets’. That, coupled with some abrupt scenes that might not be tied in too smoothly, might have led to a lower evaluation.

Or it’s just my bias for a non-romantic-feelings based tension haha.

Anyway... curious what others think!

#star struck #seo han joon #jo yoo jae #kbl #korean bl #스타스트럭 #yoojae x hanjoon #jo yoojae #seo hanjoon #spoilers

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mossymandibles · 1 year

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So I absolutely love your world building and neat as hell monster characters (Kraws design is just peak character design oh my lord)

And after scouring your entire blog to learn as much as I could, there's still so much I wanna know! How did Kraw come to adopt Gen? What happened to her eye? (I'm not sure if you've already explained what happened? Maybe I missed that detail)

Oh man, thanks! Glad to hear you like the dragon dad. And I’m sorry, I feel like my blog is very vague and unorganized as far as world building stuff goes, compared to others. Plus there’s a lot of outdated old art/storyline stuff that I’ve changed is still on here 😅 But happy to hear you enjoy it!

I have answered a similar ask about Kraw and Gen here. But lucky for you! I love to over explain things and I feel like I want to give a little more insight to Gen’s situation this time because I don’t think it’s spoiling anything too much. I honestly don’t know when I’ll get around to making little comics like I’ve wanted to in order show how she came about.

Gen has only told Kraw that she is from a city called the Fever. She remembers her friends from the city and that the Ladder was coming for them. She remembers falling into the ocean and seeing the giant eye. She couldn’t remember how she got aboard his ship, or how long she had been adrift at sea before then.

She wakes up in Sylvaine’s infirmary, where Kraw takes her after he finds her on his ship. Kraw distinctively remembers getting chills when he sees Genevieve again after Sylvaine nurses her back to health. He felt he was looking a completely different child in the eyes. She gets upset and doesn’t like to be pressed further or asked more questions on the matter, so Kraw slowly gives up, only knowing that she comes from the Ladder’s main facility. Most people of Marrowtide Isles like to avoid anything having to do with the Ladder if they can. He only hopes that it doesn’t mean that they’ll come looking for her.

She inherited her mug by unwittingly stealing/absorbing the most important energy source to the Ladder. She got away with some slight hemorrhaging, an occasional voice in her head and a strange growth on her face that Sylvaine classifies as ‘fungal’; an understatement to give Kraw peace of mind perhaps. Besides appearing to have a way with beasts, it gave her some other far more ghastly abilities, a few that only Kraw has been privy to seeing and seems keen on keeping a secret or even downright ignoring for the time being.

After some failed attempts to get rid of her (a dreadful incident with an orphanage and pissing Sylvaine off once or twice) she seemed to keep finding her way back to Kraw. Despite his initial reluctance and a possible fear of her, he found her endearing in some ways.

He notices that she seems to have a keen eye for math and helps him with heftier reading since he’s mostly illiterate. She also has way better people/negotiating skills when helping run the shop he has on the side when fishing season is slow. She didn’t seem to have anyone else and had latched onto him quite tightly, so he grew used to the idea of taking care of her. It surprises most people but Kraw is actually pretty good with kids. He’s just never raised his own until now. The absolute child-like disregard she seems to have for the detriment she could cause just makes her all the more interesting to him in a sense. Maybe he feels a child like that needs someone to look after them so they don’t end up causing world-ending chaos? If he can make her happy before whatever unknown future comes for her then he’ll feel he has a purpose for once that isn’t for profit or hurting others. However, raising a whole ass kid who has already been through life’s ringer isn’t as easy as he thought it’d be of course. Lol. Lmao.

#asks #Genevieve #kraw #monster dad #hallowed carrion #hallowed carrion lore #yaaay a little genevieve backstory #i want to make the comic of how they met sooo bad #but there’s sooo much and it has to be p e r f e c t #someday

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peachycrime · 1 year

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SLK or Spider/Kiri/Lo'ak Headcanons

idk what these will be about tbh i’m just writing as i think of stuff lmao

Kiri had a phase where she was convinced she was a witch because everywhere she went an animal would just waddle up to her

Spider, Lo’ak and Jake talk to babies like they’re grown people, like no baby talk and it’s hilarious

Lo’ak was once holding a baby, and you know how you hold them high in the air and they’re above you? Yea they were having a moment and then the little creature threw up all over his shirt and started giggling right after

“Dude seriously? we were having a moment wtf” it took everything in him not to just drop the baby

Lo’ak would copy everything Jake did as a kid, his lil mini me fr

Lo’ak’s first words were either dad or Teyam

Spider and Lo’ak both have severe anger issues and lord knows what would happen if they ever turned on eachother abt that anger

Lo'ak is always reprimanded about the things he does, gets yelled at and gets in trouble in situations where he isn't truly at fault. Authority figures never let him explain himself and always assume he's lying or trying to makes excuses and they expect him to just take it and move on. He does, but all that annoyance and anger at a situation he can't help tends to come back up a lot.

With Spider on the other hand, adults can never seem to shut up with their backhanded comments,

"you're nicer than i thought you'd be considering your dad"

"Oh wow you're so smart I didn't think you'd get it'

"You look just like him" (in a bad way)

"Oh you're good at this, who would've thought"

All this stuff and he can't really say anything because he'd be proving them right. So he stays silent, doesn't argue back and boy does he hate it.

One time Neytiri made a comment on the wrong day at the wrong time and he honestly considered violence before he just silently walked out of the room. He definitely punches and breaks stuff but he tries to restrain himself which adds to the pent up anger

They've both used that anger on their bullies, Spider broke the guys nose and dislocated his shoulder by pulling it up his back and making him promise to never show his face again

Lo'ak just went straight to the punches, broke the dudes nose and left him slack jawed

So if you ever catch them in a slightly off mood and you even try to talk to them or act any sort of way, you're getting sent to the nurse. I'm sorry i don't make these rules

Kiri is the mediator, she doesn't want to be but she sometimes ends up being the most rational because when she's upset, anger isn't her default unlike the other two

Lo'ak collects comic books, Jake started the obsession and he went wild. Have a comic or manga you wanna borrow? Vintage or not it's probably in his room somewhere

Spider is a math genius, the formulas are just free balling in his head and it makes it easy for him.

He's also a literature enthusiast but has a hard time expressing his own ideas on paper, great public speaker though

Lo'ak definitely over analyzes his favorite characters, gets sad and cries silently abt it

Kiri is an all around science nerd, she goes to class just because she enjoys helping out w hands on science stuff, most of the content isn't new for her

Kiri despises chemistry, she understands it but finds it uninteresting. Ofc biology and botany are where it’s at

All language nerds

All great at physical education, i mean like the actually science behind the body, they have all the muscle names memorized etc

Kiri is their little jewel, Lo’ak especially, he tries to make it the least obvious but Spider definitely tells her how much Lo’ak cherishes her

Spider is very open with his affections, he just doesn’t feel the need to hide it, they live that loves that about him

Spider and Neteyam know how to cook a mean meal, put them in a kitchen together and you’re literally drooling at the smell

Spider is a spicy food enthusiast right along with Jake and Neytiri

Kiri has had a cat for 4 years, Jake has only known for 2 years because he used to be terrified of them and Kiri didn’t want him to freak out

He now carries said cat like it’s his mini purse

I’m all out

i’ll be delivering some locorro crumbs soon!

#lo’ak avatar #neteyam #spider kiri and lo’ak #avatar james cameron #avatar spider #avatar the way of water #neytiri #kiri sully #avatar headcanons #locorro

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stargirl-evie · 1 year

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“Are you staying or leaving”Keefe x reader

um hello, im Evie and I’m not an experienced writer, but I like imagining scenarios with the characters and stories I like, so I figured I’d try to share them, so maybe you could enjoy them too!

I typically imagine myself in these scenarios so I apologize if the reader presents feminine or is described in any way that might exclude another reader… uh, anyways, basically this is a short one shot/ head cannon/ prompt…? (I’m honestly not sure) about Keefe Sencen meeting and sort of falling for (human) reader while in the forbidden cites. It didn’t really follow the plot or timeline of stellerloon, it’s implied that he’s in the forbidden cities much longer than in the book and that he struggles way more with adapting and it’s probably very ooc…anyways I love Sokeefe but I just though the idea was interesting :]

oh this also isn’t proofread and it’s probably really cringy but yeah, there isn’t enough x reader fics in the Kotlc fandom so I figured I’d try, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome and encouraged :))

…

⭒ …

To put things simply, he was lost, hungry, confused, and currently short on cash. Turns out walking around with the money from his mothers jewelry in his pockets…wasn’t the safest plan. He’d lost a good amount of it, and probably been scammed out of most of it. He’d considered sneaking back to the lost cites to steal borrow some more of mommy-dearest’s stuff, but the idea of getting caught and possibly facing his friends caused him to quickly scratch that plan. Besides, if he could get away with it the fist time, then it would probably be even easier to take some things from one of the fancier human houses he had paced by in his travels.

So here he was, standing outside the biggest house he had seen in the neighborhood, if you could call it that- all the houses were so far apart that of you tried to walk from the first one to the last one, you might need to stop and camp before continuing to the end.

He had planned it all out-making sure to use the weird human invention called a phone- to look up the owners, make sure they weren’t very good people, or that they’d be home that particular night. He could easily levitate to one of the higher windows since no one would be around. The (l/n) family would be in their vacation home, far from here, and no grounds workers or servants would be back until the owners were ready to return.

It would be easy, slip in, grab a few valuable things, maybe some food too, then slip out and continue on his way to London. What he didn’t have a plan for, was you.

His plan had been going smoothly, he was inside and sifting through your mother’s jewelry box, when you walked in.

For a moment you both stared at each other. You, at the seemingly your age and incredibly handsome boy in black jeans and a Batman hoodie that was currently holding a pair of your mothers diamond earrings- and him at a girl, probably a little younger than him, standing in a soft pink nightgown, and holding a metal baseball bat in both hands.

That seemed to snap him out of his initial shock, and quickly throw his hands up so you wouldn’t hit him with it.

Braking your own trance, you pulled the bat back, and demanded, “Who are you? Why are you in my house? How did you even get in? Wha-”

He was quick to back up a bit before interrupting your questions, “I’m Keefe, I swear I’m not here to hurt you, I just needed to make some money real quick,I thought your family was away, I wouldn’t have come if I’d know you’d be home!” He internally smacked himself for his stupid mistake.

“Oh yeah ‘cause that makes it so much better” you said while rolling your eyes and lowering your arms and ignoring the strange feeling you got about him not wanting to be there while you were, even though it made no sense for you to be upset by that. You decided to blame it on the fact that it was 2:47 am and he just happens to have really nice hair.

You pitched your voice lower to mimic his before adding, “I swear I’d only steal from you if I didn’t think you’d be home to catch me (y/n) sorry ‘bout that.” and then swung the bat around to place the head on the floor and lean your weight against it while smirking at him.

His eyebrows shot up, surprised that you were almost joking with him right now, instead of clobbering his head with the bat, like he thought you were about to. He cleared his throat, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, I just-actually I don’t know what I was trying to achieve with that..” He brought his arms down to wrap them around himself, before deciding that he probably looked stupid standing in front of you like that. Especially since you seemed so calm.

“Um, I should go,, I don’t, this was a mistake, sorry, I-I should probably go now-God I sound like an idiot right now. No wonder you aren’t scared of me. Not that i wanted you to be, of course i didn’t. Who would want a pretty girl with a weapon to be scared of them? Not that I think you’re pretty. I mean you’re not, not, pretty im just-“

It was time for your to cut him off, “hey! Relax ok, im honestly not sure what your rambling about right now, but you look like you haven’t eaten in days, and im going to ignore the fact that you called me ugly and pretty just now and offer you some food so you stop trying to steal from me.”

He took a step closer to you, confused as to why he was being so unlike himself right and even more confused as to why you were now offering him kindness. He focused on the emotions coming from you, trying to figure out if you were only helping him out of pity, but only finding empathy and a few more frantic vibes.

You shifted under his suddenly intense-and very close (seriously when had he backs you up against your mothers vanity chair)-gaze, the moonlight steaming through the open window highlighted his eyes and you could see in your proximity the striking ice blue and the darker flecks of azure, cobalt, and royal blue. but you shook your head and forced yourself to ignore his stunning eyes to push him back and question why he had gotten so quite and intense.

He apologized and stepped even further back. “ I guess I was trying to see why you were being so nice to me.”

“And you thought the best way was to push the limits of stranger danger and stare into my soul all intensely with your snowstorm eyes?”

You had meant to be teasing him, but the words came out quieter then you meant them to be, and he seemed to pick up on the later half more than the first.

“So… you were staring at my eyes?” There he was, flirty and teasing and giving you a smirk that had your insides doing weird flippy-floppy things they didn’t usually do.

You felt your face get warm, and you prayed to whatever higher powers there might be that your face wasn’t nearly as red as it felt.

Not that it mattered of course.

He gave you another smirk before letting out a laugh that would have the best choir angels embarrassed by their singing abilities. And that had your betraying face warm even more.

“C’mon, let’s get you something to eat before you push me into this mirror” you quickly turned to the door to lead him towards your own room.

He followed you down the long hallway while teasing you about the pink hue that still refused to let up, particularly due do his continued torture.

You grabbed a coat from your closet and pocketed some cash before leading him out the front door.

“So where are we going (n/n)? I didn’t see anything down this way to eat while I was stalki-er, uh, looking up this place.” He cringed at himself for reminding you about the circumstances of your meeting.

You ignored the word slip and the little nickname in favor of describing a little town with plenty of back alley restaurants that you often snuck out to eat at when your parents were actually home.

He caught the shift in your mood when you mentioned your parents and decided to risk asking about it, besides, how much weirder could this first meeting get?

“Sooo…. I’m kinda confused about something.” “Yeah? What’s up?” You slowed slightly to look at him while he spoke, noticing his slight shift in tone.

“Well, you don’t have to answer or anything, since you don’t really know me-”

“Oh wow, uh sorry to interrupt, but it feels like I do, given how easy it is to talk to you, strange that we only meet what? An hour ago?”

He stoped walking completely to stare at you. “Really? Only an hour? Huh it does feel like we’ve know each other longer…”

The both of you fell quite for a moment before walking again, this time with your destination in sight.

“Uh anyways, why are you here, if your parents and staff are away?” He focused on you emotions to make sure he hadn’t seriously overstepped.

“Oh, well, we don’t really agree about much, or anything really. They’re jerks that only care about money and showing off to other people about how perfect they are. My mom is always taking about how young men approach her about leaving her husband because shes so ‘naturally’ beautiful and my dad is always bragging about how incredibly smart he is and how good he is at handling his business. They like to talk about how well they raised me, even though they never spent time with me or did any of the parenting stuff, and they like to parade around like they’re better than everyone when really, they’re miserable together and they’re always doing shady shit behind the scenes of their business. When they said they wanted to go on a cruise around one of their vacation homes I refused to go with them because they’d just ignore me and force me to play along with their stupid charade.”

By now you were standing in front of a tiny Italian restaurant with low lights and tall booths, very warm and inviting, the perfect safe space that just so happened to smell amazing. And Keefe was more than ready to eat whatever smelled so good. Even if it meant more of the god-awful human water.

But he couldn’t help but stop to watch you for a minute. It was insane how easy it felt to be around you, and safe. He had been in the forbidden cities for months and this was the safest he’d felt in a very long time. Everything about you felt like a complement to him. Even your shitty social status obsessed parents were another way you were similar.

You looked at him, and for a moment he wondered if the weird emotional flurry around you meant you felt the same way. “Keefe? We should head inside, and you can tell me about whatever led to you breaking into my house.”

You giggled at him, it was soft and sweet and he absolutely believed that you could bribe any of the councilors to do your bidding if you wanted to with that laugh.

The rest of the night (or rather, incredibly early morning) was spent sharing every detail about both his and your lives, even when he confessed that he was an elf you barely bat an eye, and he could tell that you genuinely didn’t mind that his mom had done all kinds of weird shit to his head.

You shared your own secrets as well, and you marveled at how accepting he was. Everyone and everything faded away, and for a few hours you were simply two teens that could really understand each other, and it was you best either of you had felt in a very long time.

As the sun came up you took him to the roof of a flower shop that had yet to open for the day. Together you sat and shared the desert from the restaurant while you described your passion for drawing, and he described his. Everything just seem perfect and both you and him wished it could last forever.

Of course things could never be that easy, after all, he explained why he was in the forbidden cities, and you understood that he would probably return to his world eventually, but that did nothing to stop the overwhelming desire to kiss him and run away together.

Even as he explained how his empathy worked and you tried to get your emotions in check so he wouldn’t think you were insane for developing such strong feelings in the span of a few hours, nothing could shadow them.

And when he looked at you, even more intensely than that first time he read you in your mothers bedroom, you couldn’t help but feel like he felt the same way.

He leaned forward slightly and you met him halfway, there was a hairs space between you, and you could feel his warm breath, see all the different blues in his eyes, and smell his soft skin…

“Wait Keefe.”

He froze and his eyes opened so wide you almost worried they would crack like real ice.

“Yes (y/n)? Is something wrong? Did I say something or-”

You cut him off before could spiral, trying to make your emotions clear so he wouldn’t worry so much.

“ I have to ask, after everything you’ve said, are you staying or leaving?”

He paused before pulling back and letting out a deeply emotional sigh. “I have to go, there’s still so much I don’t know or understand, and I still haven’t made it to London to look for those people and, wait! What if, and I know this might sound crazy but…”

He trailed off looking afraid to continue. You could feel your heart beating faster than ever before, and you tried to not get your hopes up. Gently, you urged him to continue, especially since these next words could change everything for you.

He said your name in a way that made your soul tingle and your stomach knot, “Would you be willing, to leave with me?”

You stared at each other for a moment, before you closed your eyes and quickly but softly pressed your lips to his. For a moment, your were scared, for a moment, you considered pulling back, for a moment, you thought you read all his teasing and flirting wrong and completely ruined the best night of your life, and then? He was kissing you back. He was wrapping an arm around your waist and cupping his hand around your face. He was blushing and nervous and probably feeling everything you were feeling.But he was kissing you back. And everything felt perfect.

Slowly you pulled apart and he reseted his forehead against yours while closing his eyes.

The two of you sat there, on the roof of the flower shop, bathed in soft light of the rising sun, practically glowing in each other’s arms.

It would be risky, but leaving everything behind for him seemed worth it, not that there was anything really keeping you here. Maybe you were crazy, but leaving with him felt like the best idea you had ever had, and you were not going to give that up.

He could only hope that none of this would put you in to much danger, but he’d do anything to protect you now, and keep you by his side. Maybe he was crazy, or maybe his mom had truly screwed his head on wrong after she messed him up, but this was the best thing that ever happened to him, and he was not about to give that up.

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princessmotif · 2 years

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Why do you see Azula as a lesbian?

I’m just dying for more lesbian!Azula content and I’d love to read your take on it.

well first and foremost azula has no significant relationships with men she's not related to so she just doesn't give the vibe of someone who cares about men in general. like i know that's because bryke wrote her as essentially a prop to make zuko look better, but they also chose to give her only meaningful relationships outside of her family with other girls. and those relationships are so meaningful they spur on a serious psychotic break when they fall apart.

secondly, i think the way she goes about trying to get chan to like her in the beach episode is very classic comphet. the idea doesn't occur to her until she sees ty lee getting male validation and attention, and considering how azula is a faildaughter when it comes to performing femininity, that upset her a lot and made her want to compete with ty lee's femininity. there's also a very easy tyzula lens to take to that moment, and i don't disagree at all that azula's motivations are also likely fueled by jealousy of the men getting ty lee's attention. i'll take it a step further and say there's also maizula vibes there because mai and zuko immediately enter/re-enter a relationship upon being reunited, and they do pda in front of azula who looks like she hates that, so not only is azula jealous of ty lee on both an attraction level and a "why are you so much better than me at performing femininity level," she's also probably jealous of mai on those same levels.

thirdly, the way azula performs a lot of masculinity while failing at performing femininity beyond wearing makeup makes me think she feels othered from girlhood and that is super common for lesbians. so let's say in addition to failing at being gentle and kind the way girls are "supposed" to be, azula is also failing at having the right kinds of relationships with and feelings about boys. that furthers the feeling of being othered and again puts the beach in perspective.

fourthly, this is where i'm going to enter maizula propaganda levels, i think it's really easy to read maizula interactions as romantic. they're limited, yes, but starting with the very first interaction, which canonically should be maybe 2 or 3 months after the last time they saw each other because omashu's fall is recent as is mai's family assuming leadership there, starts with them both very happy to see each other, to the point that azula laughs earnestly at mai's joke. there's also, of course, that super gay half-hug thing they do because azula is aware that mai doesn't like full-on hugs and is comfortable being physically affectionate with mai. azula's lack of punishing mai for openly and repeatedly going against orders implies a weird level of trust and care that i don't think bryke ever thought about which is gay on azula's behalf. the beach implies emotional intimacy as azula casually reads mai's whole life without it even being ill-intentioned and lets mai just yell at her. again, gay. azula would not let like 99% of people yell at her with no repercussions. the boiling rock episode of COURSE reads like a breakup. i don't even have to elaborate there. the whole throuple is breaking up but the maizula breakup is the roughest one given mai is dumping azula for her brother. i could go on about this in more depth, but i'm trying to limit my maizula propaganda tbh.

lastly, i just think azula seems like a lesbian. like even if not for all the textual and subtextual evidence that accidentally supports the idea, she's got mean lesbian energy, and i love that for her.

#azula #maizula

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dellafloosh · 10 months

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NO BUT WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT

I have so many thoughts

Spoilers for Good Omens below the cut

Ok so… Christ what a season. I loved everything about that. If Season 3 doesn’t get made I will cry.

Let’s start off with the easy stuff. Michael Sheen and David Tennant have amazing chemistry and play their parts so perfectly.

Crowley was already my favourite character even before this season but he just gets better. Him arresting himself to go to heaven was just so enjoyable to watch, and heaven not “changing their passwords” makes sense when you take into account Crowley’s earlier comment about how if you’re in, they don’t care if you’re an outsider.

Aziraphale was just as charming as in S1 and the book, however I feel his out-of-style-ness was cranked to 11 which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when he’s clearly very interested in people, but I take it as a stylistic choice by him, choosing that he simply likes talking with old-timey slang and quips.

Jim, short for Gabriel, was just so good. Every interaction he had with other characters was just delightful. He truly just had no idea what was going on and I loved it. One thing I did note was his purple eye thing, which happened at three times that I noticed. Twice in the bookshop and once during the Archangel meeting when he was getting fired. Not sure what it meant during the meeting but found it interesting.

Beelzebub was honestly probably the biggest improvement from S1. I’m not saying they were bad in S1, just not very present. But in Season 2, just amazing stuff. They’re starting to blur the line more, to a darker shade of grey instead of everything being black & white. The fly gifting was just so nice, similar to when Crowley made Jim a cup of hot chocolate which was such a small but huge thing for a demon to do!!

Beelzebriel is my second-favourite ship and it was on screen for like 5 minutes. I wish them all the luck.

Shax was definitely the antagonist of the season, but what was gonna happen with her was kinda predictable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just not that very interesting.

All the angels were quite good, definitely played their “Follow the rules” parts really well. Muriel seems nice, but if she sells even one book she will face the wrath of the Supreme Archangel.

SPEAKING OF WHICH

The ending was………… heartbreaking. Aziraphale got the job as Supreme Archangel and, when asked to become an angel again and work beside him, Crowley rightfully declined.

Crowley left heaven for a reason, he was upset with the system and felt the need to take a stand. Why would he ever want to come back?

Aziraphale believes that he’ll be able to change the system if he gets to a high enough position, but Crowley knows that he and Aziraphale could get a life for themselves all alone, just like Beelzebriel. Away from the system, from Heaven and Hell and all the complications they brought them.

The thing is that both of them are correct in their own ways. Until we see how it goes it’s so hard to tell who is correct.

THE KISS my god the kiss I have so many thoughts.

First of all, Aziraphale’s reaction was so devastating. I want to cry. I did cry. But that was when they kissed, not after. Crowley’s whole big talk about it being just the two of them for millennia was so good and I just wish Aziraphale could choose the slightly selfish route and go with his husband.

And now that these genderqueer dragkings have kissed I want to talk about how fucking inclusive this series is.

Like in S1 there was inclusivity, with Pollution and Beelzebub and all the “not men” moments (very Janet of them both). But Season 2, Jesus Christ (or is that S3??!!). The main love focus is a wlw couple, there’s a genderqueer person dating a POC, so much gender everywhere, just so much taking away the heteronormativity without making a huge statement.

Making a huge statement can be good and is VERY often good. But the fact is that trans people and gays exist everywhere without it having to be the main focus of their identities, and seeing that portrayed in a series is just so great.

And there’s a DISABLED ANGEL I love them so much. They kinda replaced Michael as Michael replaced Gabriel, which I like and they fit the role really well.

Writing this has been the main focus of my day and I absolutely adore this series. For S3, I hope we get to see more of God and Satan, the two opposing poles on the Celestial compass, and getting to see Jesus would be really fun.

#good omens #long reads #good omens 2 #ineffable husbands #beelzebriel #good omens spoilers

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caffedrine · 1 year

Text

Keith Howell - Chapter 17 - Summary

I pretty much have no idea what I’m doing. I don’t trust me, and you shouldn’t either. This summary is not guaranteed to be accurate, it’s mostly written for myself to follow along with the route.

In the castle city of Rhodolite, in a bar whose clientele is restricted to high-ranked people, two princes are talking. Or at least one of them was. Very upset, Silvio asks Keith if he’s paying attention to anything he’s just said.

Keith assures Silvio he is, Silvio had just gotten to the part where Rio stepped on his cape, tripping him and making Silvio fall over. A peanut suddenly flies from Silvio’s long fingers to ping off Keith’s forehead. Silvio complains that he didn’t fall over, and Keith is not paying attention to him. Why did he even bother to invite Keith out with him?

Keith reminds Silvio that they’re ostensibly celebrating his swift recovery and the return of his eyesight.

Another peanut bounces off of Keith’s forehead.

Silvio complains that Keith is making the alcohol taste bad. He finishes off the drink, placing the empty glass on the table. Silvio complains that Keith always brags about how fast he recovers, but the eyesight seemed to take a while this time. Maybe he just loved making Emma take care of him all this time.

Keith pauses mid-drink, his eyebrows furrowing. He thinks Silvio might have a good point there. Honestly, when he came to, his eyes were completely healed, so why did-

Silvio asks what Keith is muttering about this time. He urges Keith to try to project so that he can at least hear most of what he’s saying. Keith quickly assures Silvio that he wasn’t saying anything worth note. He was just lamenting how much of Emma’s time he was taking up.

Honestly, though, she was very impressive. He had gone over her list of medicinal herbs, and she had arranged the list so it was easy to understand in a single glance. And her handwriting was so lovely and clear, he thinks he has a good sense of how lovely she is inside and out. Oh, and how much she had finished! Emma is a dedicated and hard worker, worthy of all praise.

As Keith continues to breathlessly praise Emma, Silvio’s eyebrows furrow deeper and deeper.

Keith finishes up by complaining that since his eyes have ‘healed’, Emma has grown completely distant from him.

In a carriage returning to the town, Leon notes that this is the fifth time Emma has become lost in her musings about Keith since they’ve gone out.

There are only a few remaining rose petals left on the rose, so Emma is trying to get in as much time with the princes she’s supposed to be examining as possible. Today she accompanied the domestic faction to inspect several welfare and medical facilities, and is now returning back to the town.

Leon notes that Emma has seemed distant and aloof all day today. Emma asks if he noticed it, and Leon admits that he didn’t, Yves did.

Emma isn’t sure how to take it, but Leon and Yves are not wrong. Since getting on the carriage to leave for the inspection, she has been thinking about Keith. Thankfully his eyes have miraculously recovered without any side effects. Yves and Licht, who were friends with Keith, seemed even more relieved than the doctor, and Emma feels the same way.

In her heart, she is relieved that her role of taking care of Keith has ended. Maybe she’s just happy that Nice!Keith is back, as she had not seen him since the carriage attack. But at the same time, she cannot forget the lonely expression Alter!Keith had when she had wanted to see Nice!Keith. Now, every time she thinks about Keith, she feels a pang of guilt tighten her heart.

She had thought that they could be friends, and all get along together. Instead, she had found out that Alter!Keith was hanging on by a thread, with the fear that any moment might be his last. And their last moment together might have already happened.

But what could she have said or done differently back then? How can she advocate one existing over the other?

A sudden poke on her forehead shakes her out of her thoughts. Emma realizes that Leon’s face is right in front of hers, and she jumps back in surprise, banging her head against the back of the carriage seats. Leon apologizes and asks if she’s all right. Emma assures him that she is and admits that she was thinking about Keith again.

(Boo)

Oh, don’t worry. Leon already figured that out.

Leon asks how things are going with her and Keith. Emma admits that they’re not well, and Leon admits that he figured that out too. He was hoping to help her with her problems, but she’s reluctant to confide in anyone at all. Instead, she looks like she’s desperately trying to handle things, and he’s not sure that she’s succeeding.

Leon points out that Emma has already made a decision about what she’s going to do with her Keith problem. All he can do is cheer her on from the side. Leon tells her not to focus too much on the consequences, and to go forward with her decision.

Instead, she should focus on how she feels about Keith, and what she wants to do. Even if she doesn’t know how to say it, Leon has no doubt that she’ll be able to convey her feelings toward Keith. And if she has more trouble, he will always be happy to advise her.

Leon affectionately rubs Emma’s hair with both hands, and she can see her ghastly reflection in the window. It makes her laugh, and she can feel her anxiety fade away. Really, Leon always seems to know the right things to say. She thanks him.

Back in the bar, Silvio shouts at Keith to stop growing mushrooms, or at least stop trying to drag Silvio down into mushroom hell with him. He jingles as he points an angry finger at Keith, enunciating his point. Silvio laments how much time he has wasted giving Keith advice when he knew the solution all this time.

Keith complains that Silvio is shouting too loudly and wonders himself how often this has happened. Oh, his head hurts just thinking about it.

Silvio settles back into his seat, heaving a loud sigh. All joking aside, Keith seems to obsessively like the girl. Keith argues that he’s the one who’s most obsessed. Silvio is confused, and Keith recovers by saying that he can’t have such a cute, pure, innocent woman around him anyways. He pours more wine into his glass and downs it in one gulp. Despite all he has drunk, Keith is showing no sign of alcohol intoxication.

Keith mumbles about the situation he is in, the novelty of having a woman’s affections. But it won’t work, especially if he were to just disappear one day . . .

Silvio asks what he’s talking about. He wonders if Keith really is drunk and is the nonsense-rambling kind. Keith tells him that if he wants to think of this as drunken nonsense, Silvio is welcome to do so. Silvio just looks dumbfounded.

(You know it's bad when Silvio starts to worry about you)

Eventually, Silvio tells Keith that no matter what his weird views on love are, it’s fine to let Emma go. There are always women who are interested in members of the royal family, soon she’ll just be one face among the masses, and he’ll have a new one to replace Emma. Keith warns Silvio that he’s making an enemy of all women. Silvio argues that he’s simply telling Keith the way the world works.

Keith gives Silvio a wry smile, then casually looks around to see if anyone is listening to them. Like a signal, this completely changes the atmosphere between the two men. Keith admits that he joined Silvio to ask him something. He wonders if Silvio, the merchant prince, has noticed some interesting products from Jade being sold.

Keith apologizes for relying on Silvio, it’s just that there are some things that are making Keith anxious, so he’s hoping to crush them one by one. Silvio points out that this is a very inefficient method, and Keith agrees. He knows that Silvio and all the other excellent princes would have a more efficient method to handle things, but this is the only way Keith knows how to operate.

He knows that the information the wants will not come for free, but he’s willing to pay the price. He asks Silvio to tell him what he wants to know.

There is a long silence between the men before Silvio breaks it. He’s heard about a product that is going up on the market soon. The merchant who told him about it described it as a tree that grew money instead of leaves.

The day after her carriage ride with Leon, Emma made up her mind to see Keith. However, her resolve is complicated by the duties she has to carry out, duties that she had delayed and put on hold while she attended to Keith when his eyes were still healing.

As she hunches over an old tome, Emma wonders if she’s using her duties as an excuse to avoid Keith. It can’t be, Licht had told her that Keith was busy with his own duties. It was just a coincidence that they haven’t run into each other all day, after all the castle is quite large.

Besides, she had pulled away from Keith the last time they had spoken. Maybe out of consideration for her, Nice!Keith was avoiding her too.

She misses him. Those words spill out and echo in the otherwise empty room. She hears a noise outside the window and goes over to see who it is. A large body, a white cloak, and fluffy, soft hair. It’s Keith. Before she knows it, Emma finds herself running out of the library and out to the garden.

Upon seeing her, Keith quickly grows concerned that she is outside so late at night, and not at all dressed for the coldness. He tells her to wait, and begins unfastening his cloak.

Emma assures him that she’s fine, she ran here so her body is still warm. Keith warns her that it’s a false feeling, she’ll only cool down faster and catch a cold all that quicker.

Emma is in a pinch! She came out to talk to Keith, not have him worry over her! But just seeing him makes her guilt and loneliness fade away.

Keith tells Emma that he understands, his cloak is dirty and worthless. But please, at least allow him to block the wind for her.

Emma is startled, then realizes that she can’t make a foreign guest act like a windbreak for her. She frantically looks around the garden, trying to find an alternative. Then she finds one.

Emma crouches behind a rosebush and assures Keith that this is an excellent shelter from the wind.

There is a long silence.

Keith tells Emma that she is unbelievably cute when she’s like this. Unfortunately, she is wrong, given the direction of the wind, the rose bush is doing nothing for her. Emma realizes that Keith is absolutely right. Giving up, she stands up, and Keith moves closer to her, blocking the wind.

Emma feels strangely embarrassed, being hidden from the wind completely by Keith’s massive frame. It’s amazing, really, how different their body sizes are.

Keith notes that Emma came running out, and wonders if she had come for him. Emma admits that she had been hoping to find him . . . .

Keith asks if she’s planning on finishing that thought. Emma absentmindedly apologizes, reaching out to Keith’s head, only to have him back away just out of her reach. But he was a heartbeat too slow, and she has already noticed the abrasion just under his hair.

And, now that she can see him close up, there are a lot of hidden wounds on him.

Emma asks Keith to let her treat him. Keith declines, explaining that he’s used to this and can take care of himself. Besides, he doesn’t want her to waste her time on him. Emma tells him that it’s up to her to decide if the time spent with him is a waste or not. And right now, she wants to use her time on Keith.

Emma still wants to talk to him, so please, just let her.

Emma stares at Keith intently, her eyes never wavering as she waits for his answer. A small breath escapes Keith, and he gives in. He is unexpectedly weak to Emma’s gaze, and her ‘please’. He apologizes for taking up her time, but he would be happy if she were to help him with first aid.

Also, there is something he wants to talk about as well.

#ikemen prince #ikepri #keith howell

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dean-samw67 · 2 years

Note

A Fairy Tail writer😭 I thought they went extinct😟 If you're still taking requests for it, how about Gray x fem!reader who has a cold intolerance? How would they work around that?

Cold Intolerance

Gray Fullbuster x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Angst, Jealousy

Hi! No, I am not extinct just finally got back into the fandom after so long! Thank you so much for the request Anon. I apologize if I wrote the cold intolerance badly. I hope you enjoy this!

Words: 2387

Everyone knew you and Gray were a couple. It was hard to tell at first, considering you both never touched much. Not even to hold hands. Most people from outside the relationship thought it was strange. I mean why would you be in a relationship with someone you don’t even touch?

You and Gray hit it off pretty quickly when you joined Fairy Tail. You connected very well in many ways. You both had an undeniable emotional connection, and were very good at helping each other through hard times. The two of you could constantly laugh for hours together. You loved to go on dates and spend quality time together.

Though, it was hard to admit that it did upset you that there was a lack of physical touch between the two of you. Sometimes you were able to sneak in a peck on the lips or a quick rub on his arm before having to retract back. And let's be honest, his stripping habit made it a pain because it decreased the chance of you being able to touch him.

You had no idea why but you were always so sensitive to the cold. And just a few minutes of Gray holding you could cause you to shiver. It was rough to say the least, and it made the relationship hard to continue sometimes. Not because it isn’t good or anything but because sometimes it just isn’t easy.

You were happy, of course. Gray did everything in his power to make you happy. He would buy you flowers regularly so you always had ones in your vase, on your table at your apartment. He took you out to eat once a month at least. He would have movie nights with you every weekend. He even brought you on jobs with his team. Your apartment was scattered with different gifts he had bought for you. You had a box of letters he had written for you. He tried everything he could to make up for the fact that you can’t touch him for long.

You would do the same thing back. Buying him little gifts and making him things just to make up for the fact that your body seems to not be able to handle the cold. You loved making him breakfast in the mornings and cooking dinner with him. You did everything you could to show him love in other ways.

You were sitting at the bar talking with Mira about the few new guild members that have joined. It was always nice seeing the guild grow.

“So, how have you and Gray been doing?” Mira questions as she dries off one of the mugs.

“What, can’t get your fill of gossip elsewhere?” You laugh.

She looks at me with a smile, “Just asking.”

“We’re okay.” You nod as you look down at your half empty glass

“Still having a hard time since you two don’t touch much?”

“You make it sound worse than it is.” You scoff, leaning back in the bar stool. “He’s so understanding. I get it’s not his fault he is so cold. I just wish it was different, you know?”

“I’m sure you will figure something out.” That was the nice thing about Mira. She always tried looking on the bright side no matter what the situation was.

“Yeah. You’re probably right.” You spin the stool around until the back hits the bar and you are looking out at the abundance of people in the guild. Your eyes spot the dark haired mage that you loved so much. You grip the side of the bar stool, beside your hip as you take in the scene. One of the new girls was talking with him while he clutched a bouquet of flowers to his chest. She reaches up and rubs her hand down his arm, stopping at his hand and holding it there.

You could see Gray chuckle, awkwardly, before pulling his hand back and taking a step away from her. He shakes his head and puts his hand up, as if he was telling her no, while he was talking, before pointing over at you. You quickly whip around to face Mira again, acting like you weren’t just watching this random ass girl flirt with your boyfriend. You look back down at your drink as Gray walks up beside you.

“Hey beautiful.” He smiles before placing a quick peck to your cheek which sent shivers down your body as you pull the jacket you were wearing, which happened to be one Gray gave to you, closer to your body. “Sorry.” He mumbles before holding out the bouquet to you. You turn the stool to face him and take them.

“They’re beautiful.” You offer a small smile. Something about seeing him with that other girl made you feel sick to your stomach but it made you think. He could probably be happier with someone else. I mean you barely could touch him or hold him or even kiss him because of this issue. You knew one day it was going to become more of an issue but it’s not something you liked to think of often.

“You alright?” Gray’s question snaps you back to reality.

You nod and laugh like it was a stupid question. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seem upset by something. What’s the issue?” He takes a seat in the bar stool beside you. “You know you can’t lie to me. You are bad at hiding your feelings.”

“It’s nothing, sweetie.” You shake your head before looking him in the eyes.

“Okay. I won’t push it. But please, don’t hesitate to talk to me.”

“I won’t.” There you go lying again. Why? To not hurt his feelings? You get out of the seat and place some jewel on the counter as a tip for Mira. You know she never expected to be paid but it was something you did for her hard work. “I was supposed to meet Lucy at her house. Girls day.” Another lie. I mean not completely. You were going to try and find Lucy.

“At her house?” Gray raises an eyebrow and you just nod. “So why did she just walk in?” Your eyes widen as you look over at the door, Lucy walking in with Natsu.

“Oh, she must’ve forgotten.” You try to laugh it off and grab your flowers before speed walking to her and grabbing her arm, turning her around and linking your arm in hers. “We have a girls day today, remember?” You give her a look practically begging her to just go with it.

“Uh, yeah.” She nods and looks back. “I’ll see you later Natsu.” She waves to him before both of you walk out. Once you are safely out of the guild you let out a heavy exhale before standing straight. “Did Gray get you those? They’re pretty.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course it was Gray. We have a system. He always gets me more when my others begin dying.” You sigh as you lead her to your place.

“Are you mad about it?” She seemed shocked.

“No! No, of course not. It’s sweet. I’m just frustrated.”

“With Gray.”

“No, Lucy! With myself.” You approached your front door and went to get your key before you realized you forgot your purse at the guild. You let out a groan and turn around, plopping down onto the front step. “And I forgot my purse.” You place your elbows on your knees and place your chin in your hands as you stare out at the water of the canal.

“Do you care to elaborate?” Lucy takes a seat beside you.

“I just wish I wasn’t so cold intolerant.” You mumble, watching the water flow as you talk.

“Ah! So this is about Gray.”

“I guess, partially.” You shrug. “I just saw another girl flirting with him today, at the guild. She was touching his arm and hand before he pulled away. She didn’t even flinch.”

“Jealousy.” Lucy chuckles. “I know that feeling.”

“You do?”

“Of course. Most people who have been in a relationship have.” Lucy looks over at you.

You let your arms fall, draping over your legs as you turn to her. “When have you gotten jealous?”

“I mean there have been a few times. One I can always remember, because it was a big deal to me. Lisanna obviously was close with Natsu before I was around. So when she was back and she was all close with Natsu I remember it upsetting me. Made me irrationally angry sometimes.” She laughs. “And when me and Natsu started going out it made me even more jealous.”

“How did you deal with it?”

“How do you deal with any issue in a relationship? I talked to him about it. He didn’t take me seriously at first because, well, it’s Natsu. But once I sat him down and explained it to him more he explained to me that she was a childhood crush but she was just a friend to him now. He assured me plenty of times that I started overthinking.” She explains.

“Yeah, but this is more than just a childhood crush. This has to do with the fact that I can barely let him touch me. Maybe we just aren’t meant for one another.” You look down at your hands, picking at the polish on your nails.

“Or maybe you need to talk to him. He loves you.”

“What if love isn’t enough?”

“It’s Gray. He likes personal space.” She shrugs.

“I would like to be in that personal space.” You roll your eyes causing Lucy to laugh.

“Have you tried blasting the heat when you two are together. Maybe the cold will bother you less if it's super hot.” She suggests.

“Are you kidding, Luce? Do you have the extra jewel for me to blast my heat? I don’t have the money for that on my bill.”

“Okay, okay.” She raises her hands up to settle you down. “It doesn’t have to be something you do for long. Just long enough to spend a little bit of time being able to maybe touch each other. When we were going to Tenrou Island for the S-class trials you seemed okay with him touching you then.” You smiled at the thought. It was so damn hot the closer you got to the island that Gray’s touch was actually not horrible. It still was freezing and made you shiver but it was so hot that once he stopped touching you, you felt fine again.

“I guess it does balance it out a bit.” You shrug.

“That or you can get a snow suit.” Lucy jokes, elbowing your arm.

“It’s not funny, Lucy.” You cross your arms as you look over at her.

“Right, sorry. I just thought I could lighten the mood.” She sighs. “I really think you two should talk.”

You just ignore what she says and continue on, “What if he would be happier with someone else?”

“Y/n!”

“Okay! Okay! I’ll talk to him.” You sigh before placing your face in your hands.

“Found them!” Natsu’s voice echoes as he and Gray approach you and Lucy. You look up at Gray, who is holding your purse.

“You forgot this.” He holds it out at you. You sigh as you take it and fish out your keys before standing and unlocking your front door. Lucy gets up and takes Natsu’s hand, leading him and Happy back to her house. Gray follows you inside and shuts the door behind him. “I thought you two were going to her house.”

“We came here since it was closer but I realized I didn’t have my purse.” You set the bag on your table before turning to him. He walks closer to you, placing his hand on the table as he leans on it, looking at your face.

“Talk to me.” You knew there was no hiding that something was wrong. Lucy was right. You needed to talk to him.

“Do you sometimes think we are a bad match?”

“Not really, no.” He shakes his head. “Do you think we are?” You inhale deeply before walking around him and letting your breath out as you sit on your couch.

“I just…” You look down at your hands.

Gray turns around to look at you. “Do you want to break up?”

“No! I just sometimes wonder if you are actually happy with me.”

“Trust me, Y/n, If I wasn’t happy I would have left.” He sits down beside you.

“You never are upset that we barely ever touch?” You look over at him.

He lets out a heavy sigh before meeting your eyes with his. “I’m not going to lie, I do wish it was a little different. But you mean so much to me that I am willing to look past it. You are my best friend and I love spending time with you. And honestly, the lack of touch just makes our little touches mean so much more to me. Where is all of this coming from?”

“I-” You bite at the inside of your cheek before continuing. “I just saw you with that girl at the guild. It made me wonder if I was keeping you from a better relationship.”

“Y/n…” He chuckles and shakes his head. “You aren’t keeping me from anything. I want you and if that means touching is something that is rare then I’ll take it. I don’t need to be constantly touching you to be happy with you.” He explains. “Are you unhappy?”

“No.” You say as if you were offended he would even ask. “I just worry.”

“Well you have no need to. You show your love in other ways than physical touch and that’s okay.” You smile and nod. Lucy was right. Communicating these issues was nice. You pull your jacket closer to your body and lean over, wrapping your arms around Gray for a few seconds. It was enough to take in his scent as he brushed his finger through your hair but it still sent shivers through your body. “Next time you are jealous, just tell me.” He whispers in your ear before you pull away and gasp.

“I was not jealous.”

“Totally were.”

“Was not.”

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