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supernovafics · 2 days

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𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: 2.3k words

summary: in which it’s hard to see eddie with anyone who isn't you

warnings: friends to lovers to friends again (kinda), explicit language, alcohol consumption, very brief mention of weed, pining, angst

author’s note: this is fully inspired by the song "new love" by girl in red. enjoy<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“She’s right over there. Should I do it?”

“Yeah, go for it.”

Eddie nodded at your words and then he was standing up from the long patio chair that you, him, and Robin had been occupying for the past thirty minutes, and heading over to where his newest crush stood with a few of her friends.

Robin let out a laugh. “I don’t get it.”

You turned your head to look at her. “What?”

“How you guys can still be friends right now. You only broke up like two months ago.”

Making the promise to stay friends post-breakup was the only thing that made the breakup feel a thousand times less terrible. And it sounded easy enough— you and Eddie were simply just going to go back to how things were before you started dating.

“We’re better off as friends,” He had said to you that random Wednesday night back in January and you nodded understandingly. It was amicable and mutual, and eventually— maybe, hopefully— the barely five-month relationship would be a funny little story to reminisce about with each other years down the line.

You took a long sip from the red cup in your hand and then shrugged at Robin’s words. “I don’t know. This just works somehow. It’s better.”

You had been telling yourself that lie a lot lately— maybe almost too much. But, it was easier to pretend that that lie was the truth and that everything was fine, instead of thinking that maybe you made a mistake that night when you found yourself agreeing with Eddie and let things end between the two of you.

“No offense, but so weird,” Robin said with a shake of her head. “So, who’s this new girl he’s into anyway?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

Eddie had told you a lot about her— how she saw one of his band’s shows recently with a few friends and how she kinda ran in the same-ish circles— but most of what he said about her went in one ear and out the other. Hearing him ramble on and on about a new crush hurt more than you thought it would. Even more than when you two were actually just friends and you were harboring what felt like a hopeless crush on him for years before finally admitting it.

Breaking up was supposed to save you both from more heartbreak in the long run, but most of the time it felt like it was only making things worse. Sometimes you wondered if Eddie felt the same way— if he regretted it as much as you did.

It was almost too obvious that he didn’t, though, because he didn’t waste a second moving on.

New girl, new crush, new love. All of which wasn’t you anymore.

You looked away from where he stood next to the girl— you were only fifty percent sure her name was Ally. She was happily laughing at whatever Eddie had just said to her, and he was smiling widely.

“I’m gonna go inside and attempt to find the bathroom,” You told Robin before downing the rest of what was in your cup and placing it on the ground, and then standing up.

She looked up at you. “Want some help?”

“No, it’s okay,” You shook your head. “I’ll be right back.”

You kept your eyes down and away from Eddie as you walked into the house, a place that was way too small to have this many people in it. The inside was packed to the brim with a bunch of unfamiliar faces, and that was the main reason why you, Robin, and Eddie immediately retreated to the backyard once the three of you showed up. The only reason you all knew about the party was because of a friend of a friend of someone that Eddie met at The Hideout a few weeks ago.

You maneuvered through the throngs of dancing people and groups of friends talking loudly over the blasting music and headed up the stairs, hoping that it would be a bit more calm.

The universe must have been somewhat on your side because you found the bathroom on your first try. You didn’t even need to use it, you just wanted a moment of quiet. And even though you could hear the muffled sounds of the song playing downstairs through the shut door, it was still good enough.

You leaned back against the sink and let out a long breath.

It was hard not to think about Eddie with Ally and how happy they looked, even though it was only one of their first few conversations. All you wanted to do was take her place. All you wanted was for him to want you like that again.

It wasn’t supposed to be this hard, this complicated. Being just friends again was supposed to be the best thing to do, and you now wanted to bitterly laugh at yourself for stupidly believing that thought two months ago. Most of the time, that night played back on what felt like a continuous loop in your head. You kept wondering if you should’ve done things differently; if you should’ve, maybe, fought harder to keep what you two had.

“I don’t think we should do this anymore.”

You had immediately laughed at Eddie’s soft-spoken words, thinking that he was joking, but when he didn’t join in, you were furrowing your eyebrows in confusion. “What?”

“This just doesn’t make sense, y’know? We’re graduating soon, and then we’re gonna be going in completely different directions. You’re leaving Hawkins, and I already know that I’m gonna be stuck here.”

You were quiet because you had no idea how to respond to that. Maybe it was only half-right— yes, you were going to be headed to a college that was not in Indiana at the end of the summer, but you truly couldn’t imagine Eddie being “stuck” anywhere.

“We’re better off as friends,” He continued. “Neither of us can get hurt that way.”

It was all so surprising and felt entirely out of nowhere, but you could tell by how he said the words that he had been thinking about this for a while. There was a part of you that could understand what he meant, the sad why behind it all, so you decided to lean into that. Because, in a way, he was kind of right— the deeper you fell for each other, the more painful the heartbreak would be in the end, and the harder it would be to leave in August.

But, shit, you were already in way too deep.

You still felt yourself nodding in agreement with him anyway, even though it was the last thing you wanted to do. “Okay.”

“So… just friends again?”

You simply nodded again and gave him a small smile. “Yeah, of course. Just friends.”

Now you felt so dumb for saying that, for agreeing to the idea. You couldn’t be “just friends” with Eddie Munson anymore.

There was a loud knock on the door that abruptly pulled you out of your thoughts.

“Sorry, one sec,” You yelled out to the person on the other side.

You let out another breath and didn’t bother looking in the mirror to see if the sadness you were feeling was written so clearly across your face. Mainly because you knew that it definitely was and it would be too hard to replace it with a fake smile, anyway.

A random girl was rushing in before you were even fully out of the door, and you hoped that she was doing better than you were at that moment, but it didn’t entirely seem like it.

You decided that you wanted to go back outside and settle yourself back in your spot on the patio chair next to Robin, and you also really wanted another drink. The idea of blurring your thoughts for the rest of the night didn’t sound like the worst idea ever.

You made your way to the stairs and before you even started heading down, you spotted Eddie walking up. He easily noticed you too and he smiled before meeting you at the top of the stairs after a second. He looked at you for a moment and then his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked, reaching out to place a hand on your upper arm. It was such a subtle and simple action, but it still made you feel way too many things at once. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” You answered, giving him a weak smile, and then immediately changed the subject so that he wouldn’t question you further right then. “How’d it go with Ally? That’s her name, right?”

“Yeah, it is. But, that ask-out completely crashed and failed because she said that she just started dating someone.”

“Oh, sorry,” You told him, not because you actually felt it, but because it simply felt like the right thing to say at that moment.

“It’s fine,” Eddie shrugged. “What’s the dumb saying? There’s other fish in the sea or whatever.”

You let out a forced kind of laugh. “Yup, right.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

For a second, you considered lying again; it would’ve been the best and simplest thing to do. You could’ve said that you weren’t feeling well and you needed to just head back outside and get some air— you should’ve just said that. But then, suddenly, all you could think was fuck it.

“I can’t do this.”

He looked at you, confused. “Do what?”

“Be friends with you. I can’t go back to how things were with us before we dated. And I know that I have been doing it for the past two months, but I can’t anymore.”

“But, we decided—”

“I know,” You interrupted him. “I know what we decided, but that doesn’t mean that it’s been easy to do this. To just turn off my feelings and pretend that I’m not still in love with you.”

Surprisingly, it actually felt good to finally be honest about everything that you had forced yourself to bury over the past few months. It felt as if a weight was being lifted off of your shoulders.

“It’s not easy for me either.”

You couldn’t help but scoff and roll your eyes at Eddie’s words. “Yeah, because talking to Ally out there looked really painful and hard for you.”

“That doesn’t…” He trailed off as he shook his head. “That doesn’t mean anything. I promise. It doesn’t mean that I don’t miss you, or us.”

“Then why are we even doing this right now? What’s the point?”

You two had somehow moved away from the stairs and instead were standing further down the hallway, closer to the bathroom that you had left barely two minutes ago.

“I just,” Eddie began and then sighed. “I know it’s gonna hurt like hell letting you go in a few months, and maybe doing it this way is easier. It’s not at all easy, but maybe it’s better? I don’t know. Most of the time it feels so fucking stupid, and I feel like an idiot for what I did that night… But, maybe it was the right thing to do.”

You considered his words for a moment. Just like that night two months ago, a part of you could recognize that he was at least a little right. But, this time you decided against leaning into the small part of you that wanted to simply agree with him because it made things seem “easy.”

“You know me,” You ultimately said, stepping a little closer and finding his hand. “I overthink everything. I think about every possible outcome for any and every situation. But, this is the one thing that I don’t want to think that far ahead about. And maybe that’s stupid. And maybe we will end up feeling terribly heartbroken at the end of the summer, and we’ll regret not just leaving things like they are right now. But, I’d rather that, than to keep pretending that everything is fine and normal. Somehow that feels so much worse. Why can’t we just enjoy this, us, for what it is before we have to give it up?”

Eddie didn’t say anything at first and that worried you. You braced yourself for the inevitable rejection, and you were already telling yourself that you would be okay with it because at least you tried this time around— you had finally said the words that you wished you’d said that night.

But then he was kissing you. It was abrupt and sudden and you hadn’t seen it coming, even though it was exactly what you wanted to happen. He was pulling his hand away from yours and immediately reaching up to cup your face in both of his hands. They were cold, but you still felt as if you were on fire.

It was probably only him that could affect you this much and this easily. You didn’t realize how much you missed the feel of his mouth on yours and how much you missed having him close to you in this way until it was finally, finally happening again.

Your mind briefly traveled back to the last time this happened. It was the night before the breakup and the two of you were smoking weed in your backyard, sandwiched together in one patio chair instead of sitting in separate ones because it just felt right to do, and the close proximity allowed your lips to easily find his.

“I love you,” Eddie mumbled against your mouth now, which also reminded you of that last time. “I’m sorry I made us lose the past two months.”

Your hands were fisting themselves into his black t-shirt, pulling him impossibly closer to you. “It’s okay. Doesn’t matter.”

And technically, it really didn’t, at least not in your head. You were just glad to be here in this moment with him. It wasn’t too late. You two still had time.

“It’ll be okay,” You told him in between kisses. Maybe you two should have found a bedroom or simply moved anywhere that was out of the dark hallway and away from potential prying eyes, but that didn’t feel like the most important thing to do right then. “Whatever happens in the end. It’ll be okay.”

Eddie was nodding as he pressed you back against the wall and his hands dropped to your waist. “Okay.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

let me know ur thoughts<333

#eddie munson imagine #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst #eddie munson x fem!reader smut #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things fic #stranger things imagine #stranger things smut

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aimbutmiss · 8 hours

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"Finally, we have some alone time." Shanks sighed as he settled into the comfort of the expensive armchair, away from the intimidating presence of Crocodile and the judgemental eyes of Hawk Eye. It was a random decision, dropping by Cross Guild's headquarters. Of course he knew that two emperors meeting would draw the government's attention, but he couldn't bring himself to regret the spontaneous act as he stared at the lovely clown in front of him.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

"Huh?"

Buggy rolled his eyes at the red head's easily swayed attention. "I wouldn't be so sure that we are alone."

"... You think they're listening?" Shanks turned to the closed tent door in worry.

"No, I made them promise not to and they wouldn't break my trust like that. However... Croccy's really good at finding loopholes. I'm certain Daz is listening to us as we speak." He cleared his throat and raised his voice. "Daz? If you're there can you please knock twice on the door?"

Silence.

"Ugh, come on. If your boss can use loopholes so can I. Did he specifically say you had to be discreet?"

After a short moment, two small knocks were heard.

"Thank you!" Buggy turned back to Shanks, lowering his voice to fit the casual conversation they were having. "See?"

Shanks scoffed in disdain. "I can't believe he trusts you so little."

"He trusts me just fine. It's you he doesn't trust. Rightfully so, may I add."

Shanks' shoulders sagged at the formal speech. It's like there was a thick, invisible wall between them, and it hurt too much to bear.

"Buggy... Come to the Red Force with me. We can at least have some privacy there."

Buggy shook his head. "Absolutely not. As much as I would love to see Benn and Lucky Roux, it's not worth it."

Shanks could have made a joke about him not including Yasopp but he was too confused by the rest of the statement to do so. "What do you mean it's 'not worth it'? Too lazy to walk to the shore now?" He asked jokingly but the worry was evident in his voice nonetheless.

"Of course it's not that, idiot. I just don't want to be alone with you in your own turf."

The room was dead silent but Shanks could swear he could hear his heart shattering. "You trust me that little?"

The clown sighed, already tired from where the conversation was heading. "Shanks, this isn't about trust. It's about letting go of the past."

"So you do not miss me?"

Buggy lips tightened to a thin line.

"Because I miss you."

"Wrong thing to say with someone listening in..." Buggy mumbled under his breath. "Croccy will throw you off the island at this rate and even Mihawk won't be able to stop him."

Shanks' brow twitched at hearing the stupid nickname again, dropping from the bluette's lips so casually. "He respects you two that little?"

"No, he respects us that much. He cares, in his own, weird way. He's a good man."

Shanks smirked at the ridiculous answer. "A good man? You truly believe that? I can see your lips curling you know."

Buggy rolled his eyes. "He's a good man to the people that matter. He's good to me, Shanks. And neither of us are saints you know."

"Even so-"

"I have fame, money and power... But more importantly I have people who care about me to share it with." Buggy cut him off before he could get another word in. "People who protect me and help me when I need it but never push me. People who treat me like their equals. And for once in my life, I'm truly happy. And you're upset that you're not a part of that happiness. To that I say; move on, Shanks. I have, so should you."

"..."

"It's better for the both of us really."

Shanks bounced his leg up and down restlessly as his thoughts became cloudy. If anyone would have told him 25 years ago that him and Buggy would be where they are, so close yet so far from each other, Shanks would have never believed them.

He thought of a million things to say, questions to ask, to beg, but he could only bring himself to say one thing. "If that's your wish."

Shanks got up and turned around to leave, but Buggy spoke up last minute. "I do care for you, you know. I always have."

It wasn't a love confession, not really, but it was the closest thing to it that Shanks would ever get. "I know."

He didn't quite care how rude or embarrassing it was to avoid Mihawk's eyes as he boarded the Red Force to leave Karai Bari, he just did it because he knew the man would instantly know from one look what had just transpired between him and Buggy. And he didn't want to give him and Crocodile the privilege of knowing they won. They would still know, of course, but at least Shanks kept his pride (in his heart, at least).

#hey guess who's back!!#I feel like I haven't written anything in forever #I just didn't have any inspiration :/#god knows when I'll write again but this is certainly a start!!#also my comeback being me making shanks suffer again is very on brand #one piece #buggy the clown #cross guild #daz bones #shuggy #red haired shanks

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zippidi-dooda · 1 day

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"What are you?" You asked fearfully, staring into the bright, dual colored eyes of the thing that tripped you.

"Hehe, you fall so easy, Shrimpy!" The cheerful creature chirped. Half his teal body was propped up by his arm across the sand while the other half splashed in the ocean waves.

On his lips there was a wide smile that revealed a gleaming set of razor sharp teeth.

"What are you?" You repeated more firmly.

The being swished his tail, splashing up mini waves behind him. "You're a long way from home, ya know. Only the sailors and merchants come out this far."

You pursed your lips, thinking of how to explain yourself.

It's true normal folk don't normally come out past the city walls, there was no real need too. But you had to come here. There was no way you'd spend another minute trapped on that small island with all the same people that you know all the mundane details and traumas of.

Just hijack a small ship with some food and supplies and you were out before anyone noticed you were missing.

Though, you couldn't just tell this thing that.

So you countered with, "Aren't you too? A long way from home I mean."

The creature laughed and pulled himself closer, dragging himself forward using only the strength of his upper body.

The serpent-like agility was very unusual and rather frightening. With a slight squeak, you crawled back, bumping into a rock.

"S-stay back!"

"Aw! Are ya scared, Shrimpy?"

"I swear, you stay back or I'll ... I'll ...."

"I'd like to get in a fight with a real human so do me a favor and give me all you got, hm."

You swallowed slowly, eyes bulging as you watched him.

The smile fell from his face and he let out a sigh. "You're so boring."

Now it was your turn to frown. "You aren't so fun yourself, you know."

"Say, what do you guys wear all those clothes for? They're the reason so many of you drown so fast."

"They're ... for modesty."

"They're stupid."

You narrowed your eyes at him. "Listen here, Mister, not everyone can afford to have scales and fins to cover our bodies. Clothes help us stay warm when it's cold and are a symbol of one's status."

"Haha, you guys can't even keep warm? Humans are so weak." The creature reached for the brown bag haging across his chest, pulling out a rusted fork. "What's this?"

"Huh?"

"What do you use it for? Jade thinks it's for your hair but that doesn't sound right to me."

"It's ... for when we eat. We pick up food with it."

He laughed and reached for something else. "You guys do too much. What's this one for?"

You reached for the small pipe he held, brushing off some soot. "I'm not sure you could use it all drenched like this, but people use it to, uh, to smoke."

"What's that mean? To smoke?"

You brushed your hands on your shirt and stood up. "Well, it's certainly been ... a day, meeting you. But I need to get going now. Good da-"

"Wait! You can't go now," the creature gripped onto your ankle to prevent your leaving. His grip was vicelike compared to when he tugged to trip you earlier. "You have things to show me."

"Like what?"

He released your ankle and proceeded to dump the contents of his bag at your feet.

"I really don't have time for this-"

"But you have to! I didn't come all this way just to see a human walk away." The being crawled up to your height, pulling himself up by bunching the fabric of your clothes.

You struggled under his weight and held him as best you could, without recoilling from the slimy feel of his skin.

"Okay, okay! I'll-I'll come back tomorrow to answer whatever weird questions you have. Just get off me."

You propped him against the rock behind you and backed away, brushing your clothes back into place.

"You're not gonna come back."

"What? O-of course I am."

"Promise?"

Briefly, you looked over your shoulder at the walled city you were trying to leave behind. Then to the not so far distance where boats swayed near the shore, waiting for their tether to be cut and released beyond the horizon.

You should have left the island sooner.

"... I'll be out here again."

"You better." He grinned. "Or else I'll have to come get you myself."

***

The next few days you spent going to that same corner of the island, meeting with the (what you now know to be) merman whose name was Floyd, and telling him everything he wanted to know about anything. And missing your golden opportunity to leave in the process.

You should have left the island sooner.

Not that he cared. All he wanted was to learn about the "goofy" things humans had created. He was just as interested about the land as your people were about the sea, even if he didn't care all too much about you humans.

He really want shoes but without feet to wear them he could only voice his longings, playing with the end of his tail mindlessly.

He had made you tell him everything you knew about land and begged you to bring him little knickknacks and tell him in full detail how they were used.

You may have gotten tired of his whining and relented to bringing him things from your home, ignoring the comments made about "Hey, this thing went missing, it was here a second ago" as you left the house.

Today, you brought a small dish decorated in dotted mushrooms. It was really a statement piece rather than a dish to eat off of so you thought Floyd may be more interested in it compared to a normal dish.

As you walked to your usual spot along the shore, you found a familiar head bobbing halfway above the water.

"You're here early." You stated sitting in front of him.

He watched you silently.

Perhaps he was upset about something. But he often switched from one mood to the next in seconds so you hoped your trinket would help cheer him quickly.

"Look at this," He took the dish from your hands. "Now, it's not as ... mm ... I dunno, interactive? As the other things, but lots of humans have things like this. It's just something to show off."

He swam closer towards you, leaning his upper body against the shore. He smiled brightly.

"To think you'd guess my favorite thing by happenstance. Thank you kindly, I'll be sure to repay you in full one day."

He ... sounded odd.

Maybe he was sick?

"It's fine. Are you ... feeling okay?"

"Just swimmingly."

You forced a smile. Of course he'd say it like that.

"You'll be here tomorrow, same time, yes?" He asked.

Not like you had much of a choice. As quickly as Floyd could become happy, he could quickly become angered and he stated multiple times how much he'd like to squeeze you. You hadn't experienced it much, but his strength was nothing to laugh at. "Yup."

"Good. Azul will be pleased. I'll expect you no later." He smiled at you then vanished into the water.

***

As promised, you arrived on the dot at the usual place and Floyd was waiting patiently.

Upon seeing you, he smiled and waved you over. "There you are, I have something for you."

"For me?" You were surprised.

For as long as you had been meeting with him, Floyd had never brought you anything from his home and you never thought he would. So as unexpected as this was, it was a bit touching for you.

He handed you a small, shell shaped vial filled with a lime green liquid.

You smiled. "Thank you."

"Drink it."

You uncorked the top with pop. "You drink things underwater?"

"Sometimes. As different as your and my kind are, we are still similar."

You nodded and took a sip.

Then you immediately gagged. It tasted downright horrendous!

Floyd was quick to lean forward, tilting your head back and pushing the vial back to your lips. "All of it. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen now would you?" He was beaming.

You closed your eyes and scrunched your nose, doing all you could to keep yourself from throwing up.

"There you go. See, not so bad was it?"

You coughed and broke away from him as you took the last drop. "What was that!?"

"Nothing harmful. We've wanted to show you our home as a thank you for your hospitality towards us. Be sure to thank Azul for his gift."

"What?" It was becoming harder to breathe.

Floyd grabbed your hand and began to drag you forward.

"H-hey ... don't ...."

His smile never faltered as he pulled you deeper and deeper into the water. His chuckled rang through your ears and you began to gasp for air.

You tried pulling away. "Fl ... oyd ... I can't ...."

This was bad. If he didn't let go and kept dragging you under, you'd die from lack of air. Why did you ever trust him in the first place?

...

"Open your eyes, you'll miss all the sights."

You opened your eyes.

You could see normally and ... you could still breathe?

The merman swam skillfully, webbed hand holding firmly onto yours.

Everything moved in a blur.

At first, all you saw was an endless blue. But as you swam deeper you saw an ocean of color. Yellows, greens, orange, and everything in between. Swaying seaweeds and branching coral. All sorts of fish swimming merrily, bubbles trailing in their wake.

It was, "beautiful."

"Indeed. I hope you'd like to visit more often."

"Yeah ...," wait, you could talk? "Hey, what was that drink you gave me?"

"A potion to help you breathe underwater. You should adapt here quite nicely."

You began to smile.

Though it tasted god awful, you were glad it gave you the opportunity to see all of this.

You peacefully watched the bright sights all around you.

But then you kept going deeper and deeper until the array of colors turned to dark purples and navy blues, an infinite darkness stretching before your eyes.

Faster your heart began to beat.

"Um, Floyd ... where are we going?"

"Hm? To see Azul. Oh, and I'm not Floyd."

"... what?" Your heart seemed to stop.

Everything was getting darker and you could only look at the merman fearfully. His mismatched eyes seemed to glow dangerously.

You tried to stay calm, your only option was to stick to this creature. You were too far out, way down under, you couldn't see and you had no idea how long this potion would last. If you tried to get away now, you'd surely die.

So you could only hope you weren't lured out here to become a meal.

The creature pulled you alongside him through the gaping mouth of a long dead sea monster, into the pits of its stomach. The light seemed to have been wiped out completely.

You kept away from the bone walls and held the being's hand tightly.

You should have left the island sooner.

Soon, a soft purple light hit your eyes and the sound of jazz music filled your ears.

Instead of a barren expanse filled with bones of past victims, you were led into an elegant room similar to the high end restaurants back home.

Mer-people of all sorts sat at tables, chatting, eating their food, and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

This ... wasn't at all what you were expecting.

"Shrimpy!" A familiar voice called.

You were then wrested from the creature beside you into a tight hug from someone who looked exactly like him.

Their tail coiled around you a few times over, the end of it still floating in the water, their grip suffocating.

Then, just as quick as they had grabbed you, they pushed you away, glaring. "Shrimpy! You gave Jade a gift? I thought those were just for me. And it was mushrooms. I hate mushrooms. Why don't you ever get me anything I like?"

"Now, Floyd, it's not up to us if they wish to share with us both. And anyway, I think it's quite endearing."

You looked back and forth between the two. They were the same in every way, shape, and form, the only difference being their mannerisms and voices. Their gray and amber eyes the same, the strand of black hair the same, yet both features mirrored the other like a reflection. It was like you were seeing double.

The one who had brought you here smiled coyly. "Oh dear, they seem a bit shook up."

"Oi, Shrimpy, he's not your favorite is he? It's me, right?"

"... wh-who have I been seeing every day? Was it not 'Floyd?'"

"You've been seeing Floyd. But he's said so much about you that yesterday I couldn't help my curiosity getting the better of me and decided to visit. Floyd, you did mention me to them, didn't you?"

Floyd curled himself around you again. "Don't remember. Jade's not important right now, Shrimpy. You've missed me, haven't you?"

"Come now, Floyd, your dear twin matters much more to you than you've said, yes?"

You looked back and forth between the pair. Your day couldn't get any weirder, could it?

Jade held onto one of your hands. "Azul's been anticipating your visit as well. He's such a needy-I mean, friendly person."

Floyd uncoiled himself from you and held onto your other hand. "Yeah, he was annoying at first, but now he has something he wants from you so he wanted one of us to bring you to him. He's such a pain."

The pair swam you forward, past the tables of guests towards the back of the place. A row of shells and pink seaweed hung like a door in front of you. The twins parted them and pushed you in.

You gulped.

Though not very scary, the room held an intimidating air around it. It was decorated neatly with a large table at the center. There were, what seemed to be, cushioned chairs for you to sit on and behind the table was a large shell shaped opening in the "back wall" of the room.

The room was lightened, but the opening was shrouded. You couldn't tell what was there.

"Come in, come in, my dear. One mustn't lurk in doorways, it's rude." A kind, smooth voice beckoned.

Long, inky tentacles spilled from the crevice, snaking towards the table, attached to a blue eyed man drawing forward.

You gaped for a moment before walking up to the chairs. "Wh-who are you?"

They chuckled, "A bit nervous are you? Don't worry, this is all done with your best interest in mind. Jade, Floyd, go bring our guest something to drink."

"I'd rather not!" You spoke up, thinking of the potion you had drank earlier. "I-I mean no offense, I just ... had some already."

The being hummed then gestured to the chairs. "Take a seat. It must have been quite an adventure getting here. You humans aren't quite built to get this far. But I hope you liked your journey under the sea, I think it is quite lovely here."

In your seat, you nodded slowly.

"Wonderful! Now, let me introduce myself, I am Azul Ashengrotto, I run this place and may I say, I have been quite looking forward to meeting you."

He leaned against the table, "Admittedly, I wasn't thrilled that Floyd ran off during work hours but thinking it over, I believe it is a marvelous thing he got to meet you. Good mer-human relationships are difficult to come by so I'm glad you've been so kind to him."

He filed through the papers on his desk. They glimmered gold.

"He's been kind to you, hasn't he? Jade as well?"

Jade and Floyd smiled.

"You wound me, Azul."

"I ain't interested in hurting Shrimpy yet."

Azul glared at them. "I wasn't asking you two."

"Th-they've been ... fine." You shook your head, "what's all this about?"

"Straight to the point, hm? Then let me explain. I want you to help me out."

"...how?"

Did he want you to tell him what things were like Floyd did?

"Oh, it's simple enough. See, being a human yourself you'd know all the best human cuisine. I'd like to incorporate some of that into my restaurants, us mer-folk are fascinated by your kind, you see, and would love a taste of what your kind loves. I'd do it myself, but I'm afraid paper recipes don't do well in the water and your kind is quite ... unnegotiable when it comes to us approaching you."

He selected a paper and turned it over, sliding it across to you. "Contract," it read.

"If the situation permits it, I'd also like to incorporate other human favorites into my other branches."

You frowned, confused.

"Is that really it?"

"Yes, dear. And in return, I can help you get that freedom your heart so desperately desires."

"How did you-"

"Oh, I can always tell. A gift of mine you could call it. You won't have to stand on that land you know everything about again. I can put you in a place you'd never find all the mysteries to, a place with so much to explore you'll never feel the need to leave. Filled with others you'll never fully know everything about."

You looked up at him. "You can do that?"

"Easily."

Maybe your chance to leave your island hadn't left you yet. You could be free, you could live each day where nothing was the same and you didn't know everything about everyone around you for the rest of your life. And all it would take is telling him how to make what humans like.

Azul handed you a fish bone shaped pen and an inkpot. "You'll have all you've ever dreamed of."

"... what's the catch?"

"Oh no, there's no catch per-say. You may take as long as you need and may choose to go wherever. But, you can't leave until we've perfected everything and you will need to return to me the moment I need to know something else about humans. Business is a long, tedious venture you know, and we can't sell something without high chances of prefecting it everytime. But it'll all be worth it in the end I assure you."

You frowned.

You weren't a professional chef, you couldn't even perfect the meals you knew well most of the time, much less the high end stuff he might be expecting. And regardless of if by chance you did help him perfect it quickly, he could ask for something else anytime you were out exploring the world and you'd have to go right back to him.

Wouldn't be much freedom or exploring would it?

You shook your head and pushed the paper back towards him. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I can accept."

"... how unfortunate. I do hope you manage to get where you want to be on time."

You stood up and turned to leave, "And I hope you get ... get to ...," you took a deep breath, "make what ... you need to ... s-soon ...."

You took a step towards the door where Jade and Floyd were still waited beside.

Then you took another breath ... and water filled your lungs.

You choked and quickly covered your mouth. Then you tried to take another breath and water choked you once more

What was happening?

You dropped to your knees.

"Oh dear. Azul? How long did you say that potion would last?" Jade said.

"About an hour. I suppose it does take quite a while to get here. Especially since you couldn't swim as fast with our guest with you, their body wouldn't be able to handle going any faster than you had, and our chat did take up a lot of time."

You tried to keep yourself from coughing and making the situation worse.

"Eh? You told Shrimpy the potion wouldn't last forever, didn't you, Jade?"

"I was so excited to bring them here it must have slipped my mind." Jade smiled "empathetically" at you.

Your lungs tightened. You could barely take it anymore.

"Oh man, Shrimpy's going to die."

"Yes. Another poor, unfortunate soul will be lost to the sea ... unless."

You looked at Azul.

He lowered himself so he was at level with you, contract in hand. "Unless I adjust this contract here to say I'll simply save their life out of the goodness of my heart. The meaning of freedom and saving can be used interchangeably. After all, who doesn't feel free after being saved?"

You nodded desperately, gagging in futile attempts to keep your remaining breaths.

Your skull felt like it was being crushed by a pulverizer.

Three ...

With a tentacle, he dipped the pen in ink. "Though I suppose it'd be better to write a new contract with just that on it since our client here doesn't want this old one. But that'd take far too long, our poor dear would be dead by then."

Two ...

You were freezing with a chill you had never felt before.

Gagging again, you snatched the paper from his hands and reached for the pen.

"Now, now, you must think about this carefully, dear. What if you make a decision you'll forever regret?"

You didn't care anymore, you just wanted to live. You snatched the pen and hastily signed your name.

Azul grinned.

... one ...

Your eyes closed and your body went limp, the contract and pen floating from your hands.

Then, you weren't entirely sure what happened next.

Something had been pressed against your mouth and after a moment you were able to open your eyes, still dazed but feeling normal again.

Floyd had wrapped himself around you, "Yay! Shrimpy, we're gonna be friends down here forever now."

Jade held onto your arm, brushing your hair back gently. "I do hope you don't mind sharing your stories about land with me directly."

Azul stood above you, smile wide as can be, signed contract in his tentacles. He leaned forward, cupping your cheek.

"I'm so glad we were able to come to an agreement my dear. Oh, there's no need to thank me. I look forward to working with you. After all, this contract binds us. For all eternity."

You should have left the island sooner.

#twisted wonderland #twst #x reader #reader insert #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #floyd leech

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xoxof4ye · 4 hours

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WY@??

ch. 2 m.list ex choso x freader

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

five years ago

“i don’t understand why i can’t go with you!” you're sitting in your living room with your parents being in your junior year and 17; you just wanted to live out “the best year of your life” before you had to grow up, but unfortunately for you, your parents had other plans. “honey, we just can’t take you with us. you don’t know what america is like. we would be too busy to help you settle in." you sat there with a frown at the thought, “your moms right, i'm sorry, but it’s best if you stay with your grandma; she needs the company, and you two get along well together." your father smiled sweetly, thinking about the time you would visit her and how happy the both of you were.

she practically helped raise you while your parents were always working. he understood how you felt.

“i promise you, i promise i’ll try to visit as much as i can.” you didn’t have a bad relationship with your father. yes, you guys were distant, but there were always those little times that you two never forgot “f/n! don’t make a promise you can’t keep, plus it’d be too much work. let’s just come back every other holiday, or we’ll fly her out when we can."

your mother, on the other hand, was different. there were a lot of turns in your relationship, but you knew she was trying her best, and you knew you’d do anything for her, and she would do anything for you too. it's just the fact that you get your stubbornness and temper from her.

you knew there was nothing else you could say.

sitting out at the nearby park was your go-to when you felt lost. there was a small breeze with a little drizzle. it was the best weather for a moment like this. in the corner of your eye, you can see your best friend yuji walking up to you with a plastic bag in his hand. you take your headphones off and pause your music.

"y/n, there's no way you’re listening to rosyln." you laugh “what’s wrong with rosyln?" taking the plastic bag that he set down and opened to see if he had some of your favorite snacks.

“yuji, im moving." you don’t look at him when you say this; you’re too anxious to see how he will react. "i know my brother told me."

what.

his brother, when you hear that, you look up. he's your ex, but before he was your best friend, now you're just strangers who know everything about each other. “what do you mean, how does he know?” “your mom went over and told my mom, and he just happened to be there listening. he told me after i got home from training. i don’t know what happened between you two, but i know he still cares."

weird, why did you guys break up? you couldn’t even seem to remember it. it all happened so fast. the one person who you felt understood you was now nothing. you weren’t even sure if you fully got over him, but you definitely didn’t expect yuji to say he still cared. he definitely didn’t act like it.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

i’m so sorry guys😞 deadass as i got my whole idea for this and posted it SCHOOL decided to be funny like i had sats(i hate my score i’m retaking that bitch next year) and then work and then I HAVE A FREAKINF AP EXAM TMR LIKE OMG i didn’t even want to take APLAC they just put me in there☹️☹️yeah and i’ve been traveling too like i’m fr omw back home from michigan🕺might skip school again and go back on wednesday even tho i live like 4hrs away HAHA anyways sorry for the yap session once i finish finals next week for sure i’ll be able to give this more attention love y’all always (i read the new jjk leaks and fell to my knees y’all don’t even understand)

#anime and manga #fanfic #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen #writing #anime #choso kamo #jjk choso #choso x reader #jujutsu kaisen choso #choso x you #choso x y/n #choso my beloved

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eastbluesaga · 1 day

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mishanks + morning | 622 words

Shanks isn’t fond of waking up before the sun, or rising with the sun, or doing much of anything before it’s —at the very least—high noon; but the picture of Mihawk waking up an hour before dusk and training with his sword is something far too enticing for even a drunkard like himself to ignore. So, he wakes up an hour before dusk.

The castle is horrendously creepy at night, all tall walls and dark shadows and strange noises. It makes him laugh because it’s all so much like Mihawk to live in a dreary, weird place like this. He makes it out of the winding halls eventually, finding himself outside the castle steps. He is greeted with the best kind of hello: Mihawk’s arms flexing as he swings Yoru downwards.

He leans against the nearest surface, stumbling his way into a somewhat relaxed position, and lets out a low whistle. He grins when the noise only elicits an annoyed pull from the corner of Mihawk’s mouth.

Mihawk continues his motions, unaffected as he lifts his arms up, his muscles twitching ever-so-slightly as he brings his sword down again, this time, the swing so strong it audibly slashes the air.

Shanks wonders if Mihawk expects him to join, but then again, they’ve never trained with each other—and something tells him that Mihawk would be unhappy about that prospect—so he stays glued to his spot. He watches Mihawk with careful eyes—as careful as he can be at an early enough time that the sun hasn’t yet risen—and follows the lines of his veins and the pull of his tendons and the jump of his muscles.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed, but he knows there’s been enough effort exerted on Mihawk’s part because now, there is a sheen of sweat covering his body.

Mihawk stops his movements only to lift a hand to his forehead, wiping until a splash of sweat whips itself off from his fingertips. He scrunches his nose—it’s a miniscule expression, a small twitch of muscles, but Shanks sees it all the same—in that displeased way of his whenever something goes even the tiniest bit awry.

“Not used to sweat like us common folk, Hawkeyes?” Shanks can’t really help himself. Teasing Mihawk is built into his bones.

Mihawk rests Yoru on his shoulder and lets his eyes travel up Shanks’ body until it falls onto his gaze. “If you’re content on doing nothing, do you mind preparing breakfast at the very least?” He sounds exasperated, like he can’t quite believe that Shanks is taking up space in his home, but Shanks knows him better than that.

Shanks grins, and he finds himself squinting against the sudden rise of the sun. “You’ll make a proper housewife of me yet, won’t you?” he asks, smirking when Mihawk turns his head away, using his blade to cover his face. It’s too late, though, he sees the flush on Mihawk’s cheeks and he’s almost certain it didn’t come from the hour or so of training.

“No one expects you to stay in one place for too long, Red Hair,” Mihawk says eventually, lowering his sword and lifting his chin until the sun glints so perfectly against the silver of his blade and the softness of his skin. “I certainly don’t. I only expect things of you in the moment. And in this moment, I ask you to prepare breakfast. Please try not to set anything on fire this time.”

Shanks smiles and peels himself off the wall. “No promises!” he shouts, and he dashes off before Mihawk can get an exasperated word in edgewise, but he chances a glance back to see Mihawk’s pretty silhouette in the bright array of morning sunlight.

#mishanks #akataka #one piece #fic #drabbles #*

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minniebbang · 2 days

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within the forest | chapter 3

pairing: fairy!Chan x princess!reader word count: 1.1 k words Summary: Chan's younger brother came to visit Chan.

main masterlist | series masterlist | next

[WEEKS LATER]

Shutting the teak door, he continued heading to his backyard until he met an entrance protected by vines and branches. Gesturing his hand in a swipe motion, the barrier retreated and returned to its place. He walked inside and the entrance was sealed behind him. The place had grown green since the last time he visited. The chirping birds suddenly turned quiet, noticing his appearance in the place. Their heads hung low as if they understood his devastation.

His steps died once he stumbled across a grave - no, there were two graves. He smiled bitterly to himself before kneeling in front of the graves where grasses had grown on top of them.

"Happy death anniversary, father and mother. Hope you're doing great despite all the things you have done while you're still alive."

An airy chuckle escaped his lips as his wings began covering his shaking figure. A drop of tear poured onto his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't continue your legacy because I'm not strong enough. I guess I get that side from mother. I miss you and living without you for 8 years was difficult. I hope I didn't make you mad for being friends with Stellious's princess. She's a kind girl, I wish she didn't turn like her father. I'm going now. Please rest well." He placed the flowers on the grass. He rose to his feet, returning to his cottage.

Pushing the back door open, a silhouette he missed was there, greeting him with an unsatisfied expression as he leaned against the wood beside his bedroom's door, his black wings expanded fully. Chan averted his gaze to the square table in the living room. Two cups of steamy tea were there.

"Were you back from Father and Mother's grave?" The silhouette asked, walking to the living room and settling on one of the old chairs. The chair made a weird squeaky noise as it came in contact with the silhouette's body.

Chan nodded and sat across from him.

"Were you here to visit them as well, Minho?" He asked softly. His eyes rested on the younger who was slowly sipping his tea. Minho scoffed, placing the cup on the table harshly. Chan saw how the table shook for a moment.

"Why would I? They leave us with such a messed up legacy!"

"I know...but that's how they keep us safe from the king, wasn't it?"

Minho scowled and snapped his head to the side. What his brother said was true. Working with him was the only way to keep the siblings from getting executed by the king. The fairies knew how much Stellious's king hated them for having magic and being different. He said: that being born with magic was unusual until they were considered a threat to the kingdom. That was the only point their father told them because the rest was a made-up story from the king to blind his citizens.

He protected the fairies by saying they were his since he had promised the king that the fairies wouldn't harm anyone.

"But you're dragging yourself near the king, Bang Chan," Minho uttered sternly, emphasising Chan's full name. He crossed his arm over his chest, glancing at Chan with exasperation. Stupid, it was a foolish action. Never did he think his oldest brother could do such an oblivious act.

"What do you mean? Did I do something?"

"Hell yes, you did brother." He slammed the bedroom door open with his magic, revealing the princess, sleeping peacefully on Chan's small and uncomfortable-looking bed because it was just an old and deflated bed but she didn't mind.

Chan spun his head to the source of the sound and a chuckle escaped. Minho must recognise who that figure was. Chan gestured toward the door, a branch wrapped around the doorknob, and quietly closed the door before leaving. He glanced at Minho, flashing a thin smile.

"She doesn't have anything to do with the king. She's my friend, Minho."

"This is a joke. For how long have you kept this? From me and your younger brothers." He questioned, still in disbelief. He tried his best not to raise a tone while talking to his older brother although madness was growing inside of him. He clenched his fists tightly.

He has an explanation, he needed to.

"About 3 weeks now. She found me while I was resting in Mom's favourite place. A lonely adventurous young girl. It was fun to have her around our parent's cottage."

Minho bit his inner cheek and grabbed Chan's wrist, pulling him toward the brimming sunlight. The light hit Chan's wings, revealing a long scar on the surface. Chan screamed in pain and was immediately let go by Minho.

"Even after she did that to you? You're out of your mind, brother."

"She doesn't have anything to do with my injury. I made that decision."

Minho sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, gently. He dragged Chan back to the chair.

"Such a hard-headed person just like father. Do her parents know about this? Your friendship with her?"

"I left my feather in her room if she wants to stay for the night here."

Minho growled as he threw his head back, voice full of disappointment. "Why are you taking a risk for her?! Was father and mother's hard work vain for you? The king must be searching for you now!"

"I know the consequence I received once I made that decision. I'm not going to blame anyone if I die because of it. Father and Mother's hard work will protect you and the siblings, so I'm not scared if I die at the hand of the king."

"Fine, if you have already made your decision no one can change your mind, brother, just take care. I will not forgive you if that happens, you matter to me and the siblings although you're away from us, we still care about you."

Emerging, he brought his cup to the sink, placing it carefully inside. He turned his head toward his older brother, smiling sincerely.

"Minho, how's your work with them?"

"It's fine but painful too because-"

"You have to kill someone who knew you?"

Although he had a poker face, His brother always knew what was playing inside his mind. He can hide his feelings from the younger siblings but not from Chan. Minho nodded

Chan understood the pain Minho went through.

The fake promises they made to their victim.

The sincere smile they had with their victim.

Their victim's last cry and begging.

Would haunt them as long as they lived.

"I hope I'll get used to it in the future. I'm going now. Hyunjin will be mad at me if I don't get home. See you soon, brother."

Chan bid him goodbye and Minho's figure vanished as he walked to the front door, leaving a cloud of dust in the thin air. Chan looked down at his cup, staring at his reflection caused by the sweet dark yellow liquid. His heart ached thinking about the accident. That accident was probably why the king began hunting for the fairies again.

#skz imagines #stray kids #skz #bang chan #bang chan imagines #chan x reader #lee know #bang chan x reader #fairychan #light angst

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karamazovanon · 6 months

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a collection of the live action raskolnikov from this post :D i thought this version was SO visually interesting so i did a bunch of redraws of stills (most of which aren't in that post oops, thank you @rknchan for sending them!!! <3)

#i might rb this and add all my screenshots under a readmore for reference because i swear to GOD he put razu in a chokehold. like #also fun fact in the middle one i didnt draw it but in the scene hes fucking Stepping On Razumikhin.#crime and punishment #crime & punishment #rodion romanovich raskolnikov #raskolnikov #razumikhin #dmitri prokofich razumikhin #i fucking love this actors face. not in a weird way in like an artist way yknow #like most celebrity faces or influencer faces are just kinda boring. but this guys profile is INSANE #i love drawing noses like his.... i tend to give rodya a small upturned nose because i Want him to look a little off. like conventionally #handsome but still a little bit uncanny. and thats what button noses are to me LMAO #and like i cant give Every character a big/hooked/etc nose so somebody had to get stuck w a small nose but GOD. IT LOOKS SO GOODDDD #anonart #rodya #he looks like middle school me <- really into m/cr and in denial abt being a l/esbian.#god it always looks like im censoring I PROMISE IM NOT I JUST DONT WANT TO BE THAT CROSSTAGGING ASSHOLE

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yanderespamton78 · 9 days

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Pinup!!!!! the baby!!!! the guy!!!!

sorry if this looks kinda iffy the majority of this was drawn between 11pm and 2:30am so i was very tired loll

also yes that is a totoro bag i dont care if totoro doesnt exist in cyber city he has a totoro bag come at me

Pinup belongs to @turntableart

#read all the tags before you reblog otherwise you will be confused #i feel like i got the body type wrong uaughhh #i feel like the proportions are inaccurate #im blaming it on the clothes i promise the sketch looked good then the clothes went and ruined it #i feel really bad admitting this but now that i think about it i literally never draw chubby characters #all my addisons are pretty long and gangly for the most part and then spamton is just very small in my style hes not really pudgy #and tbh i didnt really draw full bodies very often before addisons and spamton but my one (1) oc was also pretty long and lanky #probably because i myself am pretty long and lanky #ueuugough hauguh #i need to practice more #also i feel like the shoes look weird #im generally not too happy with it but its ok ig #i was terrified of making the features too exaggerated and being offensive and i think i went to much the other way and just made him skinn #ffs #ill draw him again i promise #and it will look better pinky promise #🤙🤙🤙 theres no proper pinky emoji #i love him tho hes cute #i really like his original design #uururuguggg #ugh debating whether i should even post this or if i should keep tinkering with it #im gonna tinker with it a bit more i will continue writing tags when im done #ok tinkering over im much happier with it now #i made him a bit shorter and that solved all my problems #i think i have a habit of drawing characters too tall ngl lmao #also not too happy with the rendering but its good enough #uh im only posting the tinkered version that im happy with so if you want the untinkered version then just ask lol #pixel art #art #turn off the lights arg

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schnaf · 3 months

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this might make me sad but we'll see

reblog for larger sample size and so on but also reblog with your native language in the tags if you want to!

#fanfiction #ao3 #idk it felt weird not adding searchable tags #anyway i've been thinking about it again because i'd love to tell my readers 'i sound so much better in german i promise'#and then i considered writing in german again just to try it but.....#small fandom. narrow it further down to only german speaking (or understanding) people.#and then exclude the ones who think german fics are cringe #the worst thing is......... i get it. but istg i sound better in german.#the cringe doesn't stem from the language lol

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niallandtommo · 3 months

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this is a reminder for everyone to do more stuff alone even if it's scary. go on that trip, go to that concert, sit in your favorite coffee shop. i know it's terrifying but i promise it will get easier every time. don't miss out on things just because no one wants to do them with you.

#i used to hate doing things alone #it was awkward and weird and i was thinking about what other people might think of me #and now look at me #i've been doing solo trips and solo concerts for years now and it gets easier and better each time #there hasn't been a single trip or concert that i regretted #and i promise you won't regret it either #start small you don't have to go on a big trip for your first time #but pls pls PLS try to do something that makes you happy #even if you think it's awkward to do it alone #i promise it's not and no one gives a shit #you got this <3

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polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup · 6 months

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the higher-ups (and Yaga) immediately trying to leverage Gojo & Ieri's absence to put Yuuta on the roster??? God that's such a stark moment. Thank god Nanami and Gojo saw through that one immediately, because Yuuta wants to justify his own survival so badly he would've fallen straight into it.

That whole scene, with Yuuta immediately jumping on the opportunity to help people even though something is Extremely Wrong with him and he's on the brink of physical collapse--this boy is selfless to the point of self destruction and I am chewing the drywall about it. I love him so much.

If only he was able to summon his newly found homicidal rage in defense of himself, the higher-ups would no longer be a problem. Alas, this boy is Extremely Unwell.

(Sea Glass Gardens is absolutely incredible and i am obsessed with it in a way that is totally and 100% normal. I'm so normal about it, trust me <3 )

The thing about Yuuta is that he really is prime to be taken advantage of right now and the higher ups know it. They had him try to kill himself for them--they know that there's a window of opportunity that they can use to get him under their thumb and avoid The Problem of Gojo, which is, namely, having a human weapon who you cannot fully control. Gojo nailed it from the beginning: they want a magic gatling gun with no personality or free will. They learned their lesson with Gojo and are trying to rob Yuuta of his agency before he learns how to protect himself.

And Yaga's part in that scene really was meant to kind of emphasize how, even with the best intention's, he just doesn't work to protect the kids. Like. everything he said was technically true, and he meant it with the best of intentions. He's the guy who has to think of everyone's needs. he has to manage this crisis. he's got a lot of people hurt badly who just came out of a war, and a lot of people going into fights with some very aggravated curses spawning without sufficient manpower to address the danger and no healer to save them if they cut it a little too close. He didn't have the intention of manipulating or sacrificing Yuuta, but he was aware that it would come to his detriment and risk.

The issue is the higher ups. They don't give a shit about the people in their workforce. They should be the ones doing whatever it takes to solve this crisis and save their people--and if that means giving up on their machinations? They should have already done it. It's their responsibility.

They just don't care. They want Okkotsu Yuuta under their thumb, and their society hemorrhaging is treated like an opportunity, not a dire problem to be solved. They don't care if half a dozen of their own people need to die to do it. Hell, it's better if they do die--they can put it straight on Okkotsu for not being willing to sacrifice himself, when they should have been making whatever promises they had to in order to make this work.

Gojo's done this before, is the thing. He was Yuuta, a long time ago. Nanami was right there watching it happen. They both know what the higher ups do: They let society get to a crisis level and put all the responsibility on you to save it. they let you maneuver yourself into a vulnerable position as a result, and then they use it as leverage to put their goddamn boot on your neck.

The thing is that Gojo adopting megumi all those years ago really did put them into a crisis state. the zenin pitched the mother of all bitch fits trying to secure his unconditional return, and they were a huge percentage of jujutsu society's labor force and resource pools. instead of the higher ups managing the problem at all, they took advantage of the situation and shoved more and more of its weight and responsibility onto gojo, until he was dropping off his own kid at his abusers' compound thinking it was the only compromise that could resolve things. megumi paid the price for gojo not calling bullshit, and right now, with him in a hospital bed? gojo's less willing to repeat mistakes than ever.

he knows that they're going to use the safety and suffering of everyone else as the leverage against him, and he knows that as terrible as it is, he cannot blink first. He's played this game before, and he knows that the only way to get the higher ups to back off on something like this is to dig in your heels.

I think what happened to Megumi all those years ago and how bad it got before they put a stop to it is something that haunts all three of them. When they first started raising him, they were very young, and they were very broken, and they loved him very, very much. He was their little boy, and he was never the same after the Zenin. They were supposed to protect him, and they didn't, and not a single one of them has forgiven themselves for that.

Megumi was sort of sacrificed for the greater good when he was a kid. None of them thought that that was what they were doing when it happened, but that's what happened. His happiness, safety, and wellbeing were sacrificed to pacify the Zenin and make it easier on everyone else.

Megumi and Tsumiki had to become their non-negotiables after. They had to become the things they refused to compromise on. The Zenin would take miles and miles if you gave them a millimeter, let alone an inch.

Gojo didn't think he was compromising them when he left them on their own to deal with Geto's war. They were disgustingly self-sufficient kids. They had been alone for longer stretches of time when they were practically toddlers--they should have been fine on their own for a couple of weeks.

But they were still his kids, and he still left them alone for everyone else's sake, and now his kid is blind and half dead in a hospital bed. It's like being punched in the face by old mistakes.

So they're off the roster completely, all of them. And they're not compromising an inch on what their focus is, and they're not letting anything happen to any of the other kids in their care.

It's terrible that their coworkers are suffering, but it wouldn't be happening if the Zenin hadn't fucked with Gojo Satoru's kid, of all the goddamn people. It wouldn't be happening if the higher ups would actually do their job and start managing shit.

And if they use Yuuta as an anxiety riddled bandaid on the bullet hole in their society? Then they'd be sacrificing him the way they sacrificed Megumi all those years ago. And they have never been less willing to do that.

I'm so so glad you like the story! Thank you for talking with me!

#i think gojo has such a big emphasis on giving kids the tools to protect themselves because no one ever did that for him or geto #geto snapped under the pressure and was lost to gojo forever #Gojo repeatedly focuses on giving the kids the tools to enjoy their childhood without being hurt #like with yuuji--he doesn't want him to sacrifice his youth and happiness with the others #so he focuses on giving him the strength to protect himself when gojo isn't there #in my mind that's also why gojo was always trying to feed yuuji the fingers #like when i first started the series it seemed kind of weird to me because gojo very obviously didn't want yuuji dead #until i realized that yuuji canonically had a good chance at suppressing sukuna even at 20 fingers as long as he had them spaced out #if yuuji had sukunas power level and had gotten it in increments eventually the higher ups couldnt touch him and hed still be under control #honestly none of the adults are doing well right now #a little under a decade ago the issue with the zenin came to a head and megumi ended up being very small and very hurt in a hospital bed #and they promised him that it would never happen again #now he looks very small and very hurt and he's in a hospital bed and the zenin put him there #as much as he's an angry teenager who hates displays affection he really is their little boy and they adore him #nanami was the one who took him from the zenin the final time all those years ago and he personally promised megumi that he would never eve #go back to that place. he feels like a complete failure right now.#gojo always blamed himself for not digging in his heels and refusing the custody compromise and now he's FURIOUS that this happened under #his nose a second time. i think gojos really interesting in the hero role because he's canonically low empathy and struggles with homicidal #impulses and let me tell you he thought about just killing all the zenin back then and he's REALLY thinking about it right now. there's one #fucking way of making sure this never happens again.#shoko generally feels like shit because this is supposed to be the one thing she can do to help and she /can't/ do it right now to help #megumi. also she privately thinks she had the most opportunity to realize how bad it was with the zenin back then and /didn't/.#she was going through a lot of her own issues back then and the zenin had some kind of believable excuses for why megumi was always banged #up. like. he was already getting into fights at school. its not like the zenin had issues procreating. they said he was picking fights #with other kids and that's where he got hurt. they actually blamed maki more than once. and some bruises here and there is expected for a #kid in combat training even at what was meant to be a very preliminary level. he was supposed to be in like. kiddie karate classes and they #didn't realize the zenin were training him like a fucking marine. it was SO obvious in hindsight and that tortures them.#protecting yuuta right now kind of feels like a chance to get it right the first time and all of them need that now that they feel like the #fucked it up with megumi a second time #sea glass gardens

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theflirtmeister · 19 days

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It was hard to choose among all those wips cause they all sound amazing but- amanda alison and lawrence daniel pls im so intrigued 👁️👁️

Amanda Alison:

“Hey,” Amanda says, brandishing a screwdriver like a weapon. “You didn’t tell me your wife was hot.” Lawrence barely looks up from the blueprints. “Amanda, you are forbidden from sleeping with Alison.”

Lawrence Daniel:

“Oh,” He says kindly, and Daniel slumps in his seat. “Daniel, I’m afraid not. You’d need a cosmetic surgeon for something like that-“ “I don’t have the money.” Daniel says. “I was thinking – I was thinking that because we were both survivors, maybe we could work something out.”

#ANSWERED #i promise the daniel + lawrence one isnt shipping #i realised it looks weird out of context #basically small trans boy has a chat with old man

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celestial-hieroglyphs · 1 year

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its so important to me that ylfa is like 12. a pre-teen. shes not a cool-awkward teen, shes not a horror movie half-innocent little girl, she’s. something between, constantly figuring herself out and growing and questioning everything but authority.

she’s that weird in between of wanting to be a princess and asking about love but bristling to be bigger than anything she’s ever been, stronger than anyone wants her to be.

#dimension 20 neverafter #it feels both like going through the wrong puberty and going through the one youve been promised #just #ghh #to ME. theres transgenderism up in here #blathering.txt #dimension 20 #like theres the obiviois thing of like . bad ass Little Red is the Wolf #but also the LITTLE Red is Haunted. No More Innocent. Only Haunted Small Girlchild #like. no #shes complicated n weird n actively figuring out what she wants to be #i love her #shes so 12

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vocaloid-song-showdown · 1 year

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the poll for how to arrange the brackets just finished with proceeding as originally planned winning!

so, without further ado, here are the lineups ^^

note :: songs with a * next to them may require a content warning. i'll provide specific warnings as soon as i have the time, but as of now please proceed with caution

main matchup bracket ::

alice of human sacrifice* by yugami p / fear garden* by chaa

magnet by minato p / romeo and cinderella by doriko

world is mine by ryo / world's end dancehall by wowaka

triple baka by lamaze p / the disappearance of hatsune miku by cosmo p

meltdown by iroha(sasaki) / luka luka★night fever by samfree

fire◎flower by halyosy / trick and treat by oster project

daughter of evil by mothy / dancing★samurai by kanimiso p

rolling girl by wowaka / matryoshka by hachi

madness of duke venomania* by mothy / alluring secret ~black vow~ by hitoshizuku x yama

senbonzakura by kurousa / outer science by jin

doubleganger by kulfiq / mikusabbath by utsu p

jinsei reset button by kemu / common world domination by pinnochio p

the fox's wedding* by masa works design / tokio funka by takamatt

heat haze days by jin / patchwork staccato by toa

six trillion years and an overnight story by kemu / lost one's weeping by neru

aishite aishite aishite by kikuo / echo by crusher p

setsuna drive by taki yoshimitsu / yoake to hotatu by n buna

a fake fake psychotropic by kairiki bear / therefore you and me by tadanoco

my r* by kurage p / i'm glad youre evil too by pinnochio p

chururira chururira dadada by kurage p / mkdr by deco*27

blessed messiah and the tower of ai by hitoshizuku x yama / 86 by dasu

law evading rock by neru / nakakapagpabagabag by dasu

sand planet by hachi / ghost rule by deco*27

monster by kira / hated by life itself by iori kanzaki

cause i'm a liar by mcki robyns p / honey i'm home by ghost

hole dwelling by kikuo / bring it on by giga

meteor by divela / seraphim on the ring by mitchie m

the court jester by thquib / casino by azari

king by kanaria / villain by teniwoha

lower by lanndo / phony by tsumiki

higanbana milk tea by vane / scapegoat by ghost

queen by kanaria / bug by kairiki bear

honorable mention bracket ::

electric angel by yasuo p (original), giga (giga arrange) / freely tomorrow by mitchie m

po pi po by lamaze p / go google it by wintermint p

black★rock shooter by ryo / bacterial contamination by kanimiso p

i like you, i love you by gevanni p / first love academy • school of true love by nem

(also a quick general note ! i don't have everything ready for a formal polished reveal at the time of posting this. i plan on updating this post with links to the songs and also a visual bracket when i have the time. they'll definitely be up soon, so make sure to check back in a bit for them ^^

i'll also make sure that reblogs are turned on for the final version!)

#vocaloid song showdown #sorry it's just a list for now i promise i'll update it and make it look nicer as soon as i get the chance :'D #i'll also add the playlists to the final post so those will finally be out soon too !#but for now it's just a quick little post to get the matchups out sooner rather than later since this is already kinda behind schedule :')#anyway it's still kinda bonkers to me that only one person nominated po pi po and electric angel #those songs used to be Everywhere it felt like #and unless i continually missed it no one sent in llevan polka :(#(to be fair itnisn't originally a vocaloid song. idk if i could fully qualify it bc of that but still shocked that it got no nominations)#oh also ! until i have the image finalized if anyone thinks any matchups should be tweaked at all feel free to lmk !#i was mostly judging popularity based on nominations and view count (reprints included) but it was hard to tell for some ???#like i remember a whole bunch of reprint channels getting deleted or privating all their videos and i'm sure that impacted some view counts #and rolling girl in particular has a lot less views than i thought it would ???#it's not a small amount by any means but it also seems to be on the higher side of the average for the final bracket songs #it was also unsurprisingly the most nominated song #so some of the matchups were a bit weird and wonky to put together fhdkfh #(especially echo actually too ? it got 2 nominations and barely made it but has the highest view count out of all the songs last i checked)#anyway all that to say if anyone wants to give feedback on the bracket pairings i'm open to it until i get the formal version up ( ^^)b #additionally if i missed any songs that should have some sort of warning please let me know fhdkdh #i added them only off the top of my head so i might've missed one #(the final version of this will have more specific warnings too. potential flash warnings as well)#EDIT :: changed up within 24 hours to up soon #i wish i could've had everything together within 24 hours but things came up and i need just a little more time :(#but i wanna get started on voting monday (february 27) for real this time ! no more putting it off :'D

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