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tongue-like-a-razor · 9 months

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There Are Limits

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x F!Reader

Summary: Maverick's new female friend brings out your spiteful nature. And seeing you with a new man is harder on Maverick than he'd like to admit.

CW: age gap, student/instructor dynamic, swearing, drinking, and did someone say bring on the angst?? Because you know I can deliver..

WC: 4000+

This is Part 5 in the There Are Rules universe.

“Captain?”

Maverick looks up when you step into his office. He’s sitting on the edge of his desk and there’s a woman standing between his legs, so close, she might as well be in his lap. When you enter, she steps away half-heartedly, looking slightly annoyed that her conversation with Maverick has been cut short.

Maverick’s cheeky grin falters when he sees you, and he clears his throat as he hops off his desk.

“Lieutenant,” he says. “How can I help you?”

You stare at him in shock, not sure how to react. The last several weeks haven’t been easy; in fact, you and Maverick have barely spoken since your mutual decision to terminate your romantic relationship. But seeing him with another woman is a whole new level of difficult.

“Lieutenant?” he says, lifting his eyebrows worriedly. He doesn’t bother to introduce his companion, with whom he is obviously very familiar.

You swallow around the lump in your throat and exhale slowly. Maverick isn’t the only expert in self-regulation. It’s a skill that’s proven quite useful, if not invaluable, during your tenure in the navy. And, although it’s always come naturally to you, recent events have seen that you receive plenty of practice. “Sir,” you say promptly, saluting Maverick in an entirely professional manner, as if you’ve never even had his tongue down your throat. “It’s about next week’s squadron dinner,” you say.

It's true that you meant to speak about the dinner – about how you were planning on skipping it to avoid an ever vigilant Cyclone who's been watching both you and Maverick like a hawk. Moreover, the less you see of Maverick these days, the better.

But the scene before you has severely shifted the trajectory of your plans. And the next thing that comes out of your mouth is hideously unrehearsed. “I was wondering if we were allowed a plus one,” you blurt out, your eyes darting pointedly between Maverick and his female friend.

Maverick stares at you mutely, as though it’s taking him a minute to process your request. “You want to bring a date?” he then asks, his eyes widening and subsequently narrowing in a matter of milliseconds.

You feel like you might sweat right through your uniform with the way he’s staring you down, but you stand your ground defiantly. “If I may,” you respond unemotionally; the way you’d address any other superior.

Maverick nods slowly, glancing at the woman who’s currently rifling through some papers on his desk. You ignore how comfortable she seems in his office, like she’s been here plenty of times before. “I don’t see that being a problem,” he says. “Who’s the lucky…?” His voice trails off and he lets out a nervous laugh. “Should be fun,” he finishes, giving you a wide, artificial-looking grin.

You smile back at him. “I agree.”

…

“Boyfriend,” Maverick says, his eyebrows shooting upward for a moment before he checks himself and pulls at the collar of his jacket as if it’s suddenly an uncomfortable fit.

You try not to acknowledge his reaction and instead introduce your date to some of your squadron mates. You’re not sure why Sam has decided to put a label on your relationship at this exact moment, but you’re not going to argue semantics in front of the one person you wouldn’t mind buying into this spectacle.

“It’s new,” you hear Sam blurt out, presumably cowering under the scrutiny of Maverick’s gaze.

You make a point not to look Maverick in the eye because you’re still upset about walking in on him last week when he was clearly otherwise engaged. But when Sam walks ahead, busy conversing with the other aviators, you feel a finger brush gently over the back of your hand. You pull both hands behind your back and square your shoulders to face your instructor.

Maverick is watching you solemnly. “This is good,” he whispers, although the tilt of his eyebrows says otherwise.

You can’t express how much it hurts to hear him referring to this situation as good, and yet, you nod, grinning rigidly. “It is,” you say, pausing to give him an opportunity to come clean about his own blossoming relationship.

But Maverick does nothing of the sort. Maverick is as unreadable as ever.

You’re about to walk away when the woman you’d seen in Maverick’s office appears from behind him. She nudges him on the shoulder to get his attention and shoots him a brilliant smile.

Maverick gives her a polite nod before turning back to you. “Lieutenant,” he says. “I’d like to introduce you to an old friend of mine.”

The woman beams at you and holds out her hand. “I’m Charlie,” she says.

You shake her hand and return her smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Charlie,” you say. “Are you an instructor at Top Gun as well?”

She chuckles, throwing Maverick a flirty glance. “Not for a while,” she responds, looking back at you. “Not since this one made me rethink that particular career choice.”

Maverick drops his head with a laugh. “Sorry about that, by the way,” he says.

Charlie shakes her head. “Don’t be,” she replies. “It all worked out.”

Maverick nods, looking at her affectionately. “Charlie went on to bigger and better things. And by bigger, I mean she went on to design rockets.”

“Wow,” you say, both impressed and jealous of the woman who seems to hold a special place in Maverick’s heart.

“And look at how far you’ve come,” Charlie says to Maverick.

Maverick grimaces. “I’m right back where I started,” he remarks. “Full circle.”

“You’re right back where you’re meant to be,” she says earnestly. “And I’m proud of you.”

Maverick shifts his weight uncomfortably, hooking his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans. “We better grab a seat before Cyclone has an aneurysm,” he says.

You turn to see Cyclone watching the three of you with an irked expression from the table reserved for your group at the restaurant. He shakes his head ominously as you make your way toward the others. When the three of you arrive at the table, he mutters, “How gracious of you to join us.”

Maverick glances at him with a slight smirk but doesn’t say a word while Charlie lets out a small chuckle, taking her place beside Maverick at the table.

You lower yourself into the seat next to Sam, right across from Maverick and Charlie. Cyclone is sitting to Maverick’s right, aggressively perusing the menu.

“I hear the fish tacos are good here,” Maverick notes when Cyclone lays his menu down on the table in frustration.

Cyclone gives him a sour look. “Not a fish person,” he responds tartly.

You stifle a laugh, exchanging glances with Charlie, who is also snickering.

“There are non-fish tacos as well,” Maverick points out.

Cyclone nods grumpily. “Yes, I saw the entire section devoted to the various tacos they serve. I can read.”

Maverick bites the side of his lip to contain a grin. “Enchiladas,” he continues quietly, as if to himself. “Quesadillas, chiles rellenos…”

“I want a burger,” Cyclone declares, flipping through the menu anew.

Maverick shoots you an amused glance. “Let’s start with drinks,” he suggests, sliding a draft beer menu in front of his superior.

“Good idea.” Cyclone sighs theatrically, rolling his shoulders to loosen some tension.

“Hey, d’you want to share a couple of dishes?” Sam offers, tapping you on the arm to get your attention.

You glance over at him quickly, having almost forgotten he was there. “Sure.” You nod enthusiastically, even though it’s the last thing you would ever think to do.

Once all the drinks and food arrive, and you and Sam awkwardly try to allocate your respective shares of the dinner, Charlie pipes in. “How long have you two been together?” she asks, gesturing at you and Sam.

“It’s new,” Sam, the self-proclaimed boyfriend who has yet to work up the nerve to even kiss you, reiterates quickly while you chew on a quesadilla.

You wipe your mouth with a napkin before confirming, “Not long.”

Maverick’s eyes rest on you for a split second before he returns his attention to the ceviche in his bowl.

Meanwhile, Cyclone regards you with a dubious expression. “Where did you meet?” he asks gruffly.

“Through some friends,” Sam responds excitedly, as though it’s the most fascinating fact of the evening.

You take another bite of quesadilla and avoid looking directly at any of the three people sitting before you.

But Maverick cuts the silence short. “Is it serious?” he asks, and both you and Cyclone shoot him threatening glances. Charlie looks up from her plate, trying to interpret yours and Cyclone’s abrupt reactions.

Sam, meanwhile, is smiling blissfully to himself as he pokes at the contents of his fajita before rolling it up. “I’d say it has some potential of getting there,” he says.

You nearly choke on a pepper upon seeing Maverick’s expression transform from mild amusement to unequivocal displeasure. His jaw muscles contract as he forcefully stabs at his dinner with a fork.

Sam clears his throat nervously and speaks in a noticeably higher pitch, “Of course, I can’t predict the future.”

You roll your eyes and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “It’s none of his business, anyway,” you say.

To Maverick’s left, you see Charlie’s jaw drop slightly in her shock at your informal – bordering on impolite – addition to the conversation with your superior officer.

Cyclone chuckles quietly, finally appeased by your interaction with Maverick. “At last, something we can all agree on.”

Maverick smiles politely. “I was just making small talk,” he says, laying his fork down without finishing his meal.

Cyclone gives him a flat look and leans forward to address his friend. “Charlie, how long are you in town?”

While Charlie and Cyclone engage in conversation, Maverick catches your gaze inquisitively, as if he’s trying to figure you out. His eyes are so penetrating, you feel like he can see right through you. He must know that your relationship with Sam isn’t even close to being serious. He must know that you’re probably going to break it off that very evening. He must know you only brought him because you were hurt and you wanted to hurt him back. Because Maverick has reconnected with someone of significance and is involved in something meaningful.

You tear your gaze away from him irritably. You’re about done letting Maverick stir up your emotions without so much as saying a word. You’re about done caring for a man who’s done nothing but cause you pain.

You rise from your seat and excuse yourself, heading for the bathroom near the back of the restaurant. No sooner do you break through the door, than you collapse onto the nearest sink and break down. You don’t even care that your mascara is leaving streaks down your cheeks, or that the tears are clouding your vision. You don’t even care that your hands are gripping the basin so tightly that your fingers are cramping.

You glance up at your reflection in the mirror; pathetic. How did you let yourself fall this far? This hard? This fast? You run the tap and dab some cool water on your skin, patting at the trails of makeup that your crying spell has left behind.

You take a deep breath, staring at your glistening face with a scowl, preparing yourself for the remainder of the evening. But just as you make your way for the door, it opens, and Maverick enters.

You jerk back in surprise, despite his history of showing up in places he isn’t supposed to be.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

You panic. He knows. He knows that you ran away to cry. And this makes you furious. “I’m fine,” you respond curtly. “You shouldn’t be in here,” you add, gesturing to the door behind him.

He pulls his eyebrows together like he isn’t quite convinced. “You’re not okay,” he says.

You grit your teeth in anger. He can’t just ignore you for weeks and then try to comfort you like he gives a shit about your feelings. “Why are you here, Maverick?”

Maverick presses his lips into a thin line and breathes out steadily. “I was worried about you.”

You scoff resentfully. “Don’t be.”

Maverick sighs and lowers his head. “I can’t help it.”

You attempt to keep your voice even despite all the shaking your body is doing. “You better go, Captain,” you say spitefully. “Before Cyclone finds us. Or Charlie.”

He watches you soberly. “You asked me to stay,” he reminds you.

You stare wistfully into his eyes. He’s right, of course. You’re the reason he’s still here. Your relationship with him has been strained but civil since the incident on the carrier. There has been a mutual effort to avoid unnecessary encounters, and an unspoken understanding that, while romance is out of the question, it will take some time for both of you to move on completely. Obviously, you did not expect him to move on by moving in on someone new. Or old, in the case of Charlie, because the two of them go way back, apparently.

You struggle to remember why you’d wanted this – wanted him to stay despite knowing that nothing would ever come of it. In the moment, you were desperate not to lose him. But watching him carry on as though nothing ever happened between the two of you is absolute torture. You’d rather not witness just how little you actually meant to him.

You shrug. “Error in judgement, I guess,” you respond coldly, echoing his words from the night Cyclone had caught the two of you in the parking lot of the Hard Deck.

Maverick nods. “Been there,” he says pensively before turning to walk out. Just before he does, however, he glances back at you and adds, “I’ll wait out here until you’re ready.”

“Don’t,” you say.

Maverick meets your gaze with a weary look. “I’m not leaving.”

“What’s Cyclone going to think when the two of us come back together from the bathroom?”

Maverick shrugs. “I have no control over what Cyclone thinks.”

“What’s Charlie going to think?”

Maverick pauses in the doorway. “What’s Sam going to think?”

You roll your eyes. “He won’t even notice.”

Maverick watches you quietly for a moment, then says. “I doubt that very much.”

You lick your lips as a fresh round of tears threatens to obscure your eyesight. The fact that Sam isn’t here to check on you but Maverick is has not escaped you. “Go, please,” you whisper.

Maverick wavers slightly on the spot and, after a brief interval, holds his hand out to you. You glance down at it hesitantly as your stomach flips violently at the though of touching him again. Clearly, you’re angry with him, but the part of you that loves him always wins.

Slowly, you step forward and place your hand in his. He pulls you in the moment you make contact, wrapping his arms around you as he releases the door to the bathroom. He lets his face drop, pressing his mouth to the top of your head.

After a prolonged – mostly silent – embrace, you detach yourself from his arms and give him a nod. “I’m ready,” you say.

Maverick nods back without a word and then opens the door for you.

…

It’s past midnight when you hear the knocking, followed by some irregular footsteps and a string of quiet – but still audible – curse words. After a moment of hesitation, you unlock the door.

“Captain?”

Maverick is standing in the corridor before you, although calling it ‘standing’ might be a bit of a stretch. He’s not exactly stable on his feet.

You glance up and down the hallway to make sure that no one has seen him. “What are you doing here?”

Maverick is watching you with a squared jaw, as though he means to keep the purpose of his visit to himself. He breathes his frustration out through his nose before veering right into the doorframe.

“Sir!” you exclaim, grabbing a hold of his arm like you might have any chance of keeping him upright were he to topple over.

“Sir?” he murmurs, and you could smell the liquor on his breath. He catches your gaze now that you’re closer and, in another moment, his eyes begin to slip down your face before they finally close. “I told you,” he says, his mouth twitching as he grimaces. He pushes past you into the room.

You quickly close the door behind him, hoping nobody heard the commotion. Praying he’ll have the sense to keep his voice down.

But Maverick, it seems, isn’t nearly as concerned as you are about disturbing your neighbors. He rounds on you with a resentful expression and shakes his head. “I knew this would happen.”

You blink at him in confusion. “What?” you say. “What happened?”

“You happened,” Maverick says defeatedly. He takes a step toward you, his eyes flitting between yours as if he’s checking to see if you can relate.

But it’s a weekday and you had just drifted off to sleep when he’d started drumming on your door, so you’re not exactly following. You furrow your eyebrows. “I happened to what?” you ask.

Maverick watches you miserably, taking a step back now, as though he can’t decide which is worse: being closer or farther away from the source of all his troubles. “You two make a fine pair,” he manages to say, but not without a break in his voice.

You purse your lips, looking away from him. You’re not going to comfort a man who’s standing in his own way. After all, it was his decision not to be with you. Besides, Maverick brought his own date to the dinner, so you aren’t feeling overly sympathetic.

Maverick tears his gaze away from you and smacks a hand over his face. “What am I doing here, Lieutenant?”

It’s a fair question, to be sure; one you wouldn’t mind knowing the answer to, yourself. But you’re more immediately concerned about the consequences of Maverick’s unsanctioned visit to your quarters than the reasons behind it. “Maverick, it’s the middle of the night,” you say, shocked at how firm you sound despite the tremor travelling through you.

Maverick’s eyebrows converge and he shifts his jaw as his eyes well up with tears. “Yeah,” he whispers, nodding slowly.

“And you’re drunk,” you add when he takes a step toward you again.

“I am,” he admits, still in a whisper.

You ignore the stutter of your heart as he nears. “You can’t be here,” you warn.

He watches you wretchedly, giving his head a subtle shake. “I can’t,” he agrees.

You can hardly breathe when he finally stops before you, his soft eyes trailing down your face. His hand is coasting up the side of your neck before you even know what’s happening, and by the time his fingertips are hovering at the nape of your neck, you’re so lost in his gaze, it’s a miracle you’re still standing. Unsurprisingly, you aren’t in the state of mind to respond.

“I lied,” he says with a slight rasp despite the effort he’s exerting to steady his voice. “I think he’s terrible for you.”

You blink at him, taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“Sam,” he says. “He’s not the one.”

You pride yourself on your patience and understanding, even in trying circumstances; you’re not an unreasonable person by any means. But even you have limits. And, tonight, Maverick is testing every last one. “Are you the one?”

Maverick stares at you, his eyes swimming. Slowly, he shakes his head. “No, I’m not.”

You breathe out forcefully, astonished at his audacity. There is only so much you can let this man get away with. “Then, respectfully, shut the fuck up,” you hiss, pushing past him aggressively. You whip around sharply and point at the door. “Get out.”

…

The following afternoon in the briefing room, Maverick reviews the morning's flight footage with barely a look in your direction. He doesn’t even comment on the impulsive maneuver you pulled that left your partner confused and resulted in an uncoordinated hustle to regain momentum, costing your team valuable seconds that could have ended in tragedy were it a real dogfight.

Once the briefing is finished and the room begins to clear out, Maverick approaches your desk. “Can I have a minute, Lieutenant?” he asks in a subdued sort of tone.

You glance up at him grudgingly but don’t respond until the last of the pilots have left the room. “Is it about the Cobra Climb?” you ask monotonously.

“What?” He quirks his head in confusion before briefly closing his eyes and shaking his head. “No,” he says, and then adds, more emphatically, “No.” He lets out a heavy sigh and lifts a leg over the chair in front of your desk, sitting on it backwards to face you. “I want to apologize to you.”

You groan. “Not again.”

Maverick steals a glance at the door, ensuring that the two of you are still alone, and then he lays a hand over yours on the desk. “I’m sorry about last night. Showing up at your place – less than sober.” Maverick lowers his gaze with a disappointed frown. “I – I had no right. I have no right,” he says, looking back up at you. His eyes flit between yours imploringly, burdened with all the guilt he carries.

“Stop,” you say assertively, pulling your hand out from under his grasp. You can’t listen to another word. This entire relationship has been a series of failures in self-control, each one a ‘mistake’ in Maverick’s eyes for which he subsequently has taken full responsibility. You rise from your seat and gather your things mutely.

“Y/N,” he says hoarsely, standing up after you.

You shake your head. “I don’t need another apology, sir,” you say bitterly. “I just need some space.”

Maverick nods. “Of course,” he says. “And I’ve been denying you that – and I apologize –”

“I said, stop!” you exclaim, shooting him a threatening look.

Maverick trails you as you make your way to the door – the exact opposite of your request. You rush out of the briefing room, and he follows, not far behind. Thankfully, there’s no one in the hallway because he’s behaving irrationally, to say the least. He reaches for your arm and pulls you around to face him.

You gulp, staggering the moment you meet his gaze, the aching in his eyes undermining your determination.

“Let me finish,” he pleads in a whisper.

You exhale sharply. “Finish, then.”

Maverick slowly lets his hand fall away from your arm now that you’re no longer a flight risk and, this alone, hurts, because you want him to hold you forever. Even when you’re fuming, even when you’re yelling, even when you hate him.

“Seeing you,” he says slowly, evenly, as though he’s trying to compose himself as he’s talking. He takes a breath and tries again. “With another man –”

“Come on.” You scoff, even though your heart is already buzzing at the thrill of making Maverick jealous. “You can’t expect me to not date –”

“I don’t expect that,” he says. “Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

You think about the way you felt seeing him with Charlie and you’re instantly sorry for causing him that much pain, regardless of whether it was intentional or not.

“I was angry,” he says quietly. “At myself, mostly…” he trails off, moving his head to the side and lowering his gaze. “But also at you. And I blamed you for the way you make me feel.” He pulls his bottom lip under his teeth and grimaces. “But that’s not your fault,” he whispers shakily. “That’s on me.”

You bite into your lip to keep it steady. You wish you could look away because the devastation on his face is undoing you, but you aren’t strong enough. You take a step back and take a shuddering breath. “Please don’t look at me like that,” you say, your voice unsteady. You can barely get a grasp on his words because you’re too absorbed in his eyes.

Maverick’s eyebrows lift inward, as if your request has him concerned – or confused. “Like what?”

You roll your eyes – as if he doesn’t know like what. “Like that!” you respond as he takes a step toward you in alarm. “Just stop!” You sigh in frustration, unable to articulate your thoughts because his eyes are still commanding all of your attention.

“Where am I supposed to look?” he asks, agitated.

“It’s the way you’re looking at me,” you explain angrily.

“Are you listening to what I’m saying?” he asks urgently. “I need you to hear me.”

You shut your eyes and shake your head. “Enough, Maverick!” you exclaim.

Maverick stills immediately, watching you uneasily.

“You’ve been tiptoeing around me, treating me like I’m injured or in need of assistance –”

“I’m not –”

“You are and I’m tired of it. Why didn’t you call me out on the Cobra Climb?”

Maverick stares at you like you’re unhinged. “You want me to reprimand you?”

You let out a heavy sigh. “If you’re going to be my instructor – just my instructor – then instruct me. It was an idiot move and I shouldn’t have done it.”

“You were distracted –”

“You’re making excuses for me! Why?”

“Don’t question my teaching methods,” Maverick says in a low voice.

You scoff, shaking your head. “You’re afraid of confrontation so you’ve been avoiding me. You didn’t even think to give me a heads up about Charlie!”

Maverick narrows his eyes. “What about Charlie?”

“Whatever,” you grumble. “Just don’t stand here and proclaim that my bringing a date to the squadron dinner somehow threw you for a loop.”

Maverick studies you silently so you boldly meet his gaze. His jaw is set but there’s a tenderness in his eyes that nearly draws you in.

“Stop coddling me,” you say firmly.

You watch his Adam’s apple rise then fall as he gulps down whatever retort he decides to keep to himself. His jaw muscles contract once more as his eyes settle over your face.

You tear your gaze away. “And quit looking at me like you…” You sigh, unsure how to describe the inimitable combination of exasperation and affection you see in his eyes.

“Like what?” he asks, his voice rising in volume. You can tell that he’s becoming increasingly defensive as your blows continue.

You’re annoyed that he’s annoyed and you blurt the words out before you can stop yourself. “Like you’re in love with me or –”

“I CAN’T LOOK AT YOU ANY OTHER WAY!” he roars.

You freeze. Stunned by the volume of his voice. Stunned by the emphatic delivery. Stunned at his words.

He turns away in a huff, placing one hand on his hip while the other is balled up into a fist at his mouth.

“This was your idea,” you say quietly as he slowly turns back to look at you. You aren’t the one who refuses to even try, and he needs to acknowledge that.

“I know,” he whispers, his eyes brimming with tears.

You clench your teeth to keep your mouth from trembling. “Then stop,” you implore.

He shakes his head, pulling his lips into a rigid line. “I don’t know how.”

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978 notes · View notes

cursedvibes · 2 months

Note

What do you think of twins theory? Or got any other theories regarding yuuji and sukuna. And please also share your view on sukuna view on yuuji because I think others are too quick to put a label on their relationship as hate or indifference. I believe sukuna is slowly showing the results he acquired after being forced to coexist with yuji, and he is realizing it now. There is not much deep analysis on their dynamic besides sukuna hating yuuji.

I've written about my thoughts on the twins theory before here, but to summarize:

I do think there is some merit to the theory that Yuuji might have some connection to Sukuna’s twin, although I don’t think it’s as simple as just being a descendent. I think Kenjaku either made use of the twin brother’s flesh or soul in some way or Yuuji is more a metaphorical descendent of him as in, he serves a similar function. Sukuna was most likely a conjoined twin as we can tell from his body and the fact that he was ostracized since birth (an “unwanted child”). It could be that Sukuna’s brother used to be the more dominant one with most of the power over their shared body and Sukuna only really came into himself when he absorbed/ate his twin and made them one. Similar to the Maki and Mai situation. The power Yuuji has over Sukuna might remind him of that, creating some additional animosity or the ability of Yuuji's to do that could even come from the other twin directly. The way Sukuna used to reside in Yuuji’s body is similar to conjoined twins, some imagery in the manga has also hinted at that, but I don’t see this to mean they are actual twins. Also I don’t agree with the theories that Yuuji is literally this other twin. That seems way too easy and the way it is usually presented it sounds too close to making Yuuji simply Sukuna 2.0 or a carbon copy of some other person of the past, which nothing so far has hinted at. I don’t know, that just feels very cheap to me. So I think Yuuji might have a similar skillset to that brother, but he isn’t literally him or related to him.

Basically, I think there is very little evidence for Yuuji being literally a reincarnation of a person from the past, be it Sukuna's twin or someone else. If that was the case, I think Sukuna would act differently and we would by have heard more about who exactly this other person would be. It's also just personal preference because I think it cheapens Yuuji's character. He has always been about standing for himself. He isn't some descendent from some big family like Yuuta, Gojo or Noritoshi, he has no over-powered cursed technique, he is just very adaptable and can take in strength from other people (be it through absorbing them or teamwork). Even the skills he seems to have taken from the Death Paintings he has adapted for himself. So for all this to just come from some person in the past we haven't heard anything about so far would take away from Yuuji's character. The twins aspect seems most appropriate in a symbolic sense to me in that Yuuji and Sukuna are deeply connected, but also opposites. Both of them also use the other to enhance their own skills.

As for Sukuna's feelings on Yuuji, it's definitely not indifference. Never seen someone more bothered by Yuuji's mere existence. Mahito appears fun and chill next to him. Sukuna hates Yuuji and that in itself is already special. We've seen Sukuna fight a whole number of people, but he does it because he's bored, not because he hates them. Even when he cut down Mimiko and Nanako, he did it because they disrespected him and stepped out of line, there were no personal feelings attached to it. He doesn't care enough about them or any other sorcerer he faced to really hate them. It seems like he doesn't particularly like Kenjaku because they, similar to Yuuji, have power over him, but in this case it manifests more as Sukuna simply avoiding Kenjaku and talking a bit of shit behind their back, he isn't as excessively bothered by them as by Yuuji.

The reason for that I think is the deep connection they have by being forced to share one body with Sukuna not even being in the driver seat most of the time. Meaning, he was forced to see things from Yuuji's perspective and experience everything with him. In other words, he was forced to emphasize. As he said in chapter 248, other people don't matter. They might say their platitudes, dying wishes and strong convictions, but that won't touch Sukuna because he has no reason to care about them or be invested in their life or death except for how it might entertain him for a while. With Yuuji, he can't ignore all those convictions, he can do nothing else but to witness them.

It's not just hate because of some slighted feelings over being imprisoned but Yuuji represents an almost existential threat to Sukuna because he forces him to reflect on his ideology and question his entire approach to life. For a second, Sukuna asks himself if he might be fundamentally unsatisfied, if he might be longing for more than just hedonism, but then pushes it aside. He is right and Yuuji is wrong and to prove that he has to crush him.

Or theoretically his goal is to crush Yuuji and his ideals. Practically, he hasn't really changed his approach of ignoring Yuuji and sometimes making some petty remarks about him. Which isn't gonna get him any closer to putting a permanent end to Yuuji. I guess the other people are just distracting him too much to be able to focus... But that will hopefully change in the future.

Both Yuuji and Sukuna changed because of their co-existence, Sukuna even more so than Yuuji I would say. Yuuji was able to unlock the true potential of his body and got his first push to grow as a person through having to persevere against Sukuna. Sukuna has been able to feel the shape of his soul thanks to sharing a body with Yuuji, which eventually allowed him to turn himself into a cursed object again and change vessels. I think this is different from Yuuji. Yuuji also has gained more awareness of his soul, but I think he always had a firm grasp on it, that's why he was able to regain control of his body so easily after Sukuna first took over. He doesn't get overwhelmed, he sees an intruder and due to being able to instinctually perceive the edges between their souls could push Sukuna aside. Recently, he has basically learned how to properly take advantage of this understanding of souls and use it to hurt others. For Sukuna it seems to have been a more gradual process.

And like I said before, Yuuji also prompted a questioning of his life philosophy, which he never considered before. Yuuji has been pushed down and traumatized by Sukuna and Mahito, but they never made him question his fundamental principles of valuing life. In that regard Yuuji is stronger than Sukuna and able to pose a real threat to him.

#asks #itadori yuuji #ryomen sukuna

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byoldervine · 27 days

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If you're aroace, do you still write romance? If so, do you do it differently than allos do?

Tbh it’s made me very cautious of writing men and women because no matter what straight allos seem to think they’re flirting and would make a super cute couple. Back in my fic days that was often how I decided to have my characters date; I’d get loads of comments saying they couldn’t wait to see how X ship pans out when in reality it was just two friends having banter. And romance always seemed to be like a requirement in every story; if you don’t include at least a subplot where the main characters get together, what’s the point in creating them? Even if that mindset isn’t true

But just to show how my sexuality did indeed influence my writing - as well as my writing actually influencing my sexuality - I’ll give you guys an example:

I’ve mentioned it before but there was one character called Indigo who I wrote in an atrociously-written HTTYD fic on Wattpad back when I was like thirteen - all the comments were saying she was totally in love with another character, Plasma, and how they couldn’t wait to see her accept these feelings she has for him

Reminder; I had no intention of having them be in a relationship

But I decided to lean into it and explore why people perceived it this way, then used another character to be raising all the points. I did admit that, looking back as an older and more experienced writer, I did once or twice say things that implied more than intended because I didn’t fully understand the innuendo of them back then, but there was even some newer stuff that I just couldn’t figure out

So I tested my theories; I had the characters banter more, being very careful in that first chapter to keep it purely platonic, and people were going crazy about the flirting. So I figured if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em; I leaned into it, explored the idea of Indigo having feelings for Plasma. Let her get conflicted on it, let her vent that she had no idea what this kind of love feels like, just generally used it as an excuse to vent my own feelings on romantic love in general. I identified as bisexual at the time, but was starting to question things, so I just poured it out onto Indigo because it did work for her character and her general attitude to relationships of any form

Half the comments were about how they were worried about the ship and how Indigo had to realise her feelings soon - but the other half was people predicting that Indigo was aroace. I challenged my readers more directly to guess Indigo’s sexuality and asexual or aroace was the biggest guess. And so I leaned into it again and brought Indigo into what’s all but labelled as a QPR with Plasma, just to see how it goes, and in the meantime I was looking into asexuality. I think you can figure out how the latter went

But I guess what I learned from all of this when it comes to writing romance is that, at least for myself, it’s surprisingly easy to get people shipping them; have a guy and a girl banter. I’ll have to test in future if this works for visibly queer couples, but in general my go-to for flirting is just casual banter and so far it’s done the trick with my other old fics. I’m not flirting, I’m just sarcastic and British

What really scares me is writing sibling dynamics and other familial relationships because if I can make things flirty without even trying then how will this be perceived?

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sleepingdeath-light · 3 months

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yandere hcs + complacent s/o hcs ; emmet

requested by ; anonymous (17/07/23)

fandom(s) ; pokèmon

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; emmet

outline ; “I NEED YANDERE EMMET PLEASE RAAAAGH!!! 😭‼️ (and an s/o who’s ok with it because they take it as “awwww he loves me” but they don’t understand that this man is at “I’d kill Arceus for you” levels of love 😂)”

note ; this isn’t as overtly yandere as some of my other posts, but i can’t see emmet going the whole way and slaughtering people for his s/o so much as he just gets a bit obsessive over them (also i haven’t written for him in a while so apologies if this is a bit shaky lol)

warning(s) ; yandere!emmet, obsessive behaviour, possessive behaviour, unhealthy dynamic

emmet had always been a peculiar character in your eyes, even before the two of you became an item, so you never really thought to question some of his more outlandish behaviours when it came to your relationship

his possessive streak and obsession with you were, to you at least, as normal as his unwavering grin or his repetition of ‘i am emmet’ whenever he was speaking to someone — they were just another part of him that you accepted as any loving partner would

(it’s also not the most obvious to others unless they know him extremely well, such as his brother or their mutual best friend, and even then he typically just dismisses their concerns and goes back to being his energetic, ever-smiling set without ever really addressing how different he gets around you)

he still talks about you as his partner to anyone who will listen — and even to those who are very obviously not paying any attention to a word he’s saying — but his remarks take on a much darker and more possessive, even obsessive, tone that’s easy to miss if you don’t pay him much mind during battles

for example, he’s made a great many remarks to other trainers about how he’d do anything to keep you safe and by his side — remarks which include him being more than willing to battle, or even outright kill if it came down to that, any legendary (even arceus himself!) that came between the two of you

(a couple of trainers that managed to see the disturbing genuineness underpinning those statements have gone out of their way to find and warn you about your boyfriend’s obsession, but ended up being even more put-off by your response to their worries — that being anything ranging from neutrality, acceptance, or endearment at his ‘love’ for you)

although he’s still as passionate about trains and pokémon as ever, you’ll find him much less likely to talk about himself with you in favour of just sitting and listening to everything you have to say as if it’s the most interesting thing in the world (even if it’s something as objectively mundane as talking about what you almost had for lunch a few days ago) — he’ll interject every now and then with encouragement and questions that range from cute to concerning (e.g. ‘i am emmet. what did you do after that? i am emmet.’ or ‘i am emmet. that sounds very frustrating. would you like me to talk to them for you? i am emmet.’), but still it’s incredibly rare that you’ll get to hear about his day once his obsession with you has truly taken hold

he only ever addresses you by name or as his spouse (husband/wife/partner/whatever your label of choice is) even though you’re not actually married — legal distinctions don’t matter to him and he already knows that you’re the love of his life so he sees no point in waiting for some ceremony to show you off as ‘his’ to the world

before his obsession set in he was already very comfortable with public shows of affection and wasn’t ever embarrassed to do things like link arms with you, peck you on the cheek/lips, or anything else like that around others unless he was actively engaged in a pokémon battle — but now it’s like he’s gone from an eight to an eleven and you’ll never go long, when you’re around him at least, without him touching you in some way

an arm around your waist, pulling you against his side or chest, linking your arms, holding your hand so tightly you fear it may just break, peppering your face with kisses, etc. — all of those displays are common place for the two of you, and he’s even happier when you’re the one initiating and reciprocating (especially if you’re around others as it appeals to that possessive side of him that likes letting others know that you’re not just taken, but that you’re happily and eagerly taken by him, emmet, and nobody else)

he hasn’t yet been given a reason to kill someone for you, and in the moment he may not even go through with it, but he’s certainly offered to do so on multiple occasions whenever you mention someone annoying you, flirting with you, or otherwise making you uncomfortable — he’s also been known to go harsher on trainers that have shown interest in you in battle whenever you visit him at work (partly to show off to you and partly to put them in their place)

#sleepingdeath #gender neutral reader #yandere hcs #yandere x reader #yandere pokemon #yandere pokemon x reader #pokemon x reader #pokemon emmet x reader #yandere emmet x reader #pokemon black x reader #pokemon white x reader

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bullet-prooflove · 1 year

Text

Love Me Or Leave Me - Michael 'Riz' Ariza x Reader

Tagging: @anime-weeb-4-life, @danzer8705 @mysoulisasunflower @vannabanana1995 @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @sxmmarie @xmoonknightlyx @camelia35 @queeniesdiary

Riz is beautiful, dynamic, adventurous, everything you have ever wanted in a man. He’s easy going, laid back and he deserves the fucking world. He deserves better than you, better than a girl who’s struggling to make ends meet with two jobs and part time gigging, one with an ex-husband whose refusing a divorce and is dragging out every single detail of their relationship through the courts. He deserves something free and easy, someone that doesn’t come with the complications that you do.

That girl he’s with, the one at the bar who leans in close with her tits on display, you know her. It’s Lola, one of the sex workers from Vicki’s, she’s beautiful and fierce, she knows what she wants and how to please a man. You don’t stand a chance. So, you bow out because what is the fucking point.

You don’t tell him that your leaving, you simply pack your guitar away in the storeroom that Patrick let’s you store it in and slip out the back door. You don’t want the drama, the explanations, you know the two of them have been together before, you can see it in the way Lola looks at him, the way she touches him.

On the drive home you think of the two of them, lipstick staining his mouth as he fucks her in the bathroom. Him wrapped up in her sheets as she rides him, part of you is angry at yourself for not staking a claim, for not making a point of showing how you feel but that’s the problem isn’t it? You can’t tell Riz how you feel, you try to show him but there’s power in words. You know that.

This thing between the two of you has never had a label. You didn’t want one because giving it a name makes it too real, it means your invested and that terrifies you because you’re still trying to untangle the mess from the last time. Sometimes it feels like you’ll never be free.

Fuck you hate this; you hate how scared you are to admit your feelings. How every time you open your mouth to express it, the words catch in your throat and instead you kiss him, hoping to pour your emotions into that kiss, hoping that he knows.

But he doesn’t know, how could he?

You go round and round like this until you reach your house in a shitty part of town. It’s ramshackle at best but it’s yours for now. The rent is affordable with what you make, and you’ve learned to be thrifty. Most of the things you own come from second hand stores. Some out of necessity but others…

You can feel a history or a story in a piece of furniture that’s been preowned, it speaks to you in a way you can’t explain, the same way music does.

You aren’t home for long when there’s a quiet tap on your door. Long enough for you to change into a Fleetwood Mac t-shirt and pyjama shorts, you’ve pulled your hair up into a messy bun and put your song book on the table because it’s going to be one of those nights, you need to channel all this emotion somehow and why not into a song. There’s something cathartic about transforming your heartbreak into notes, about creating something from the anguish.

When you open the door Riz is standing there, the edges of his eyes crinkling as he studies you.

“You left.” He states.

“Hm.”

There’s a million things you want to say, you feel the build up of emotion in your chest. You want to bare your soul to this man, to give him everything, to tell him despite the fact it’s only been a couple of months you love him. That you loved him the minute your eyes met across a crowded bar, and you saw him smile. As usual the words die in your throat because being vulnerable does not come naturally to you, not during your marriage to Wyatt, when it was used as a weapon and certainly not after.

“I wanna talk about that.” He tells you, before tilting his head towards your living room. “Can I come in?”

You open the door for him with a sigh because you know this is how it ends. The man you love, reminding you that this thing you have is casual, that he doesn’t owe you a god damned thing. That’s one of the things you love about Riz, he’s open and honest, he makes his intentions clear, there’s no expectations.

His thumbs loop in the rungs of his jeans as he steps inside, he notes the song book on the table, your dress from tonight tossed in front of the washing machine. You’ve scrubbed your face free of make up and you still look fucking radiant. He wonders how you do that, how you pluck at all of his heartstrings at once. You’re like this melody in his head, one he follows but can’t quite capture no matter how hard he’s tries. He wants you; he always wants you, he wants to tell you that but you’ve been burned before, you’re skittish, he gets that but he also knows that things have come to a head. That he needs to lay his cards down on the table because you can’t keep going on this way, it’s make or break. He needs to know what this is because he’s already too far gone, he can’t do casual with you, doesn’t want to. He’s all or nothing, ride or die.

“That girl tonight, you know I’ve fucked her.” He says before realising maybe that isn’t the best place to start. “Before you, not since us.”

“You don’t have to explain anything.” You say as you linger in the living doorway, your shoulder coming to rest on the doorframe.

“No I don’t.” He agrees. “But I want to.”

You shrug. It’s a cold gesture but fuck he knows you; he knows it’s your way of protecting yourself, of getting distance. He can’t stand the idea of that, of a chasm between the two of you, right now it feels like there’s a gulf and he fucking hates it so he just comes out with it.

“I love you.” he says frankly, his hand rubbing over the back of his neck. “I have since the moment we met, there hasn’t been anyone else and there won’t be anyone else, not if you love me too.”

He stares at you, and he waits, but there’s silence. You don’t seem to know what to say, and he gets that. He’s just thrown everything out on the table, he wouldn’t know what to do with it either.

“It’s ok.” He says quietly. “It’s ok if you don’t love me too.”

He purses his lips together and he feels that fucking ache in the centre of his chest because his heart is breaking. He feels too much, he always has. He’s always been this way.

“I’m gonna…” he jerks his head at the door before squeezing past you. His hand grips the doorhandle to let himself out when he feels a tug on his kutte.

He turns to you surprised and for a moment your eyes meet, and he sees everything. He sees the fear, the adoration, the vulnerability, the want. He sees it all and he knows that deep down you feel the same way too. He knows that the world has hurt you, scarred you, made you impenetrable and you’re still learning that it’s ok to love somebody, to allow yourself to be loved. Your hands are in his hair, mouth brushing over his, the kiss is sweet and soft and he doesn’t expect it, he doesn’t expect anything from you and isn’t that just thing that breaks you.

“I love you.” You whisper against his lips. “Christ I’ve wanted to say it, I just couldn’t make the words come out. I’ve wanted to say it so many times…”

His forehead comes to rest upon yours, his thumb ghosting over the blush of your cheek. There’s intimacy in the gesture, a wealth of understanding that doesn’t need words. It’s hard for you, he gets it, he always has.

“Love me or leave me, but please don’t ever fuck around on me.” You request.

There’s a sense of pleading in your voice and it hurts him to hear it, because he knows that it’s happened before. That the fallout from it has made you closed off, because something like that it erodes at your self-worth, it makes you react the way you did tonight.

“I will always love you; I won’t leave you and I'll never fuck around on you.” he promises you as he looks into those eyes of yours. He wants you to see that he means it, that he believes in the two of you. “I'm yours Songbird for as long as you'll have me, in this life and the next.”

Love Riz? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

#riz ariza #michael riz ariza #riz x you #riz x reader #riz mayans #michael ariza x reader #michael ariza #michael riz ariza x reader #mayans fx #mayans mc #mayans

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istanchan · 11 months

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Are Pat and Kawi “bad characters”?

I usually don’t go on TikTok to read discourse about shows. But I happened to stumble across this while looking for edits and it just made me so frustrated.

So op made a post about how they can’t stand Pat and Kawi from step by step and be my favorite. They went on to talk about how they don’t even understand how Jeng and Pisaeng deal with their respective partners. Honestly I didn’t really feel like talking about it but with the tens of other people agreeing with them I couldn’t stop myself.

There’s a lot to unpack here but starting off with explaining why the two characters act the way they do helps.

With Pat I feel that most people who watch the show forget that there is a 10 year age gap between the characters (and the actors). While that may not seem like a lot, the fact that Jeng is Pat’s superior and his social class plays into their dynamic and Pat’s behavior. I am more convinced now then ever that the purpose of Step By Step was to portray a realistic representation of how it would be to date your boss. It’s messy and hard to work through. Pat’s character at times is an emotional wreck, I’m not going to deny that, but he still manages to be mature even when his boss and his partner (I don’t think it’s appropriate to label jeng as his boyfriend) isn’t. Jeng completely disregards reality in episode 10, he leaves Pat to handle the brunt of the gossip. Pat after trying to talk with Jeng to mediate the situation, ends up doing what he thinks is best. His character is raw and real and messy at times but I enjoy watching it nonetheless.

As for Kawi, I feel that it’s not fair to judge his character right now since only 6 episodes are out and we haven’t really gotten to the climax of the show. His character is still growing and learning. But honestly in my opinion Kawi as a character is easier to comprehend and understand than Pat. I don’t think Kawi acts completely unreasonable. He does makes mistakes but he tries his best to fix them and better himself. Again like in step by step there is the factor of social class that comes in between Pisaeng and Kawi. Pisaeng is rich and is well known around campus. Kawi struggles to see how a guy like Pisaeng could like him.

It seems this is the common denominator for Pat and Kawi—their insecurities. And to me that’s a completely reasonable factor. For us as the audience it’s easy to rule out what behaviors we would want to change or fix with character we watch, but if we were in their shoes would act completely dissimilar? Life isn’t black and white, and making the right choices isn’t alway easy. I feel that many shows and especially these two show this.

This whole discussion takes me to this wonderful post that I think about all the time when I’m watching BL shows now:

By/For/About Queers Part 1 &

By/For/About Queers Part 2

Both be my favorite and step by step have proven to realistically portray queer experiences. While be my favorite still has way to go I’m surprised by how the writers handled Pisaengs road to discovering his identity. Talking about BL shows in the light of which ones are really for queer or and not just about queer people changes the perspective. I think this plays a small role in why these two shows may be hard to understand the characters pov. Many people that watch BL shows aren’t queer and even some who are, don’t watch BLs for to sympathize with a queer perspective. Many just use BLs as a way to escape this heteronormative world, and that’s honestly completely okay. I do it too sometimes. But that doesn’t undermine characters like Pat and Kawi or even Jeng and Pisaeng.

At the end of the day each person is entitled to enjoy media however they wish, that’s the beauty of the internet. So I don’t have any animosity towards op and all the commenters. I’m glad they have a different opinion so I can share mine.

#be my favorite #step by step series #pat phakphum #kawi x pisaeng #jeng x pat #jeng kittiphong #be my favourite the series #step by step meta #be my favorite meta #thai bl #thai drama #bl drama

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asexual-means-no-attraction · 9 months

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Being in a very mogai-infested fandom is pain, but I'm probably most annoyed by demisexuality being so rampant as a HC. There is no reason for that label to even exist. I just came across a fanfic and decided to read it just to see what the author considers to be "demisexual" and:

[[Casual intimacy isn’t his thing if he’s being honest. The idea of sex without the weight of romance isn’t something he feels he’s comfortable with.]]

That's... literally normal. In fact, it's what I was specifically taught as a child was normal. That sex should only be had with the person I loved, and preferably was already engaged/married to. Because my family is catholic and that's their conservative opinion on sex.

It's totally fine to not be into one night stands or other hookups, but you are not a different sexuality because of it, otherwise being catholic is also a sexuality I guess.

(I didn't proof read any of this, so apologies now)

Gonna go off on a tangent here, but I swear it's related:

Growing up I watched a lot of Disney. And something I noticed a lot in any non animation show or movie, was just how rich everyone was. A house would have only a father and daughter, but have 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, a massive living room and dining room, and a state of the art full blown security system that at the time I didn't actually believe could actually exist cuz no 'normal' person could have that. And that would be the standard for many movies that were very much supposed to be realistic in the settings. They'd even say these people have average jobs. Even the apartment in wizards of Waverly place was HUGE. With each kid having their own bed rooms significantly larger than mine. They literally own a family restaurant that they live upstairs in. But the apartment was bigger than my childhood home. And this is coming from a kid who grew up middle class, the most well of between all my friends. If I were to base what the normal American home looks like based on the media I watched as a kid, I would have a very warped idea of what homes look like. If you actually look at the stats, not even my middle class home is normal.

Mainstream media is produced by rich people (the workers under them not so much, but the actual person in charge generally), and that can easily give a bias or warped view of what's "normal." This is even more exaggerated by the fact that characters in mainstream media are designed to be interesting not normal.

So if you're basing your idea of attraction, dating, sex, etc on what you see in the media, it's going to be warped. Which I feel like ties into your comments quite well.

Usually when I see people try to explain what is and isn't normal for experiences of attraction I get examples of media and fiction. Usually examples of characters having one night stands or being playboys. Which:

1. Flirty play boy characters are common in the media because it's easy to make them a dynamic character. Giving them character development or to gain special feelings quickly give them a whole new perspective that audiences love (this isn't a bad thing for the record).

2. Most irl people who are like these fictional characters don't get nearly as many one night stands as they or the media claim. They aren't nearly as much of a player as they seem. And they're also usually pretty annoying unlike the characters in the shows who are made to be likeable. It's unrealistic in the first place.

3. Media itself is not a good standard of what is normal as it's entirely biased on what the producer deems as normal or average. See my tangent at the beginning. The characters aren't a good way to figure out what's "normal."

I have had people explain things usually actual people as examples which I think ties into my earlier rant in exactly the same way.

How you view the people around you (or more accurately your perception of them) is biased. You have a limited social circle and can't really base what's standard for society off of it. I'm guilty of this too. We all are. It's a very natural thing to assume everyone is like the people that you have experienced with-- for better or for worse..

If you're in your teens and have teenage friends, it's gonna be really easy to feel like they're all obsessed with sex or dating. It's a new thing that you're (hopefully) just now really learning about and exploring. It's easy to go a little overboard with something new. And it's also normal to not be interested in something new. Some kids are gonna be really into dating while others aren't. Some are gonna go from one person to another, others aren't. Cuz no one knows what they're doing. No one knows their boundaries yet. No one knows what they want outta relationship yet. They're figuring it out. Whether you are interested in it or not-- both ends of the spectrum and everything in between is totally normal.

As a young adult you're still figuring things out so it's the same thing. Your own journey to figuring out what/who/how/where you want a relationship is gonna be unique then someone else's. It's normal for each person to have a different journey. This alone isn't some new identity.

Lastly, on a final note. The amount of people who want "sex without romance" is a lot smaller than we're led to believe. And the people who do feel that way are the ones who are abnormal. They may have trauma that influences it, they may not. They could be likeable, they could not. They may be abusers who just want someone to abuse, they may not have any ill will at all. They may be a shitty person, they may not. Regardless, our society pushes "romance goes with sex" a whole hell of a lot more than "sex and romance are separate." Like... a lot so. Historically and in the modern day.

So if your entire reasoning for a whole brand new identity is "I want to connect before we date or have sex," I need you to know how much that is actually extremely normal. And how much you've been influenced by biased media, possibly a shitty friend or ex, and just a warped pov in general (not necessarily of any fault of your own).

#answered #ask #discourse #lgbt discourse #long post #sorry for taking forever anon

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midknightwritings · 1 year

Text

Knights and their S/O as Ghost Hunters

Synopsis : What would the members of Knights be like with their S/O if they were in Buzzfeed Unsolved ??

Era : N / A

Warning/s : Swearing

Mentioned Character/s : G/N!Reader / Tsukasa / Leo / Izumi / Arashi / Ritsu

A/N : I have no excuse for this one. I just think it’s funny af to imagine Knights in Shane and Ryan's shoes LMAO

At the end of each of their sections, I added a summary and link to a Buzzfeed Unsolved moment that sums up the dynamics I imagined the best !! I originally wanted to label who's who for Shane and Ryan but I decided against it to let you decide~ Anyways !! I totally recommend actually watching the videos because they’re so funny LMAO

Please just remember that the show focuses on unsolved mysteries and the supernatural before you watch the links !!

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Tsukasa Suou :

Tsukasa’s secretly a believer in certain ideas but tries his hardest to pretend that he’s a complete skeptic and it’s honestly adorable but, at the same time, he’s really easy to tease. [ Which you do constantly. ]

He’s also the type to use logic to decipher certain phenomena and he knows his history well !! If you don’t stop him he’ll end up verbally reciting an entire history essay WAIT- IS HE RECITING A WORK CITED SECTION TOO ?! HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIB-

Tsukasa always brings snacks to your investigations. He’ll try to bring a variety if you’re not into sweets and would seemingly hand them to you at random points in time. So, most of your investigations consist of the two of you sweeping an area with half empty bags of snacks in your hands.

He tries to act as your knight in shining armor but you can sometimes catch him jumping a bit in surprise if he’s caught off guard. He’d explain that he’s tense because he’s ready to protect you from danger. [ Which is true !! At the same time though, he’s also scared but he’ll never expose himself like that... ]

Tsukasa’s view on respect also extends to spirits or supernatural beings, so he’d be the one that’s stopping you from taunting them. He’ll scold you depending on what you say but if you’re friendly, then he wouldn’t say anything. Just don’t go around announcing your, or his, address and he’ll let you say whatever you want.

He wouldn’t like the idea of sleeping overnight in a haunted building but if it’s for the sake of the investigation he’ll suck it up and do it. He isn’t used to sleeping in these sort of places but he doesn’t mind as long as you’re both together. Depending on the building, he’d either unintentionally pull an all nighter to make sure you're safe or would snuggle up close to you for comfort.

You both know each other so well that you can pretty much figure out what the other truly thinks or what they would say next. So, sometimes, Tsukasa would call you out on something when he knows for a fact that you're sugarcoating your explanation / reason.

Buzzfeed Unsolved moment that represents your dynamic :

Summary of the scene : Shane tries to sugarcoat his love for a certain theory before Ryan immediately cuts him off with the actual reason, which was the fact that Shane likes the idea of someone getting eaten by crabs.

Click the timestamp to watch it: 14:38 - 14:56

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Leo Tsukinaga :

Leo believes in aliens so it’s not too farfetched to say that he’s open to the idea of ghosts existing too right? He isn’t as vocal about it compared to his belief in aliens but, at the same time, he will jump if he hears a sound from the empty hallway.

You both have the goofiest dynamic ever. Always joking around, you both seemingly turn the scariest situation into something so comedic that it’s a surprise that you didn’t ruin any of the antique items with your tears from how hard you’ve both been laughing.

You’re more "grounded in reality" compared to Leo in some situations though, as he tends to come up with very fantastical explanations to certain mysteries. Though, there is the off-chance situation where one of his ideas could theoretically work.

You both have a non-spoken game where you try to scare each other throughout your investigations. Whoever scares the other the most wins !! It makes your investigations a bit more bearable but, at the same time, it desensitized you both to actual evidence when they happen. This desensitization helps you filter out possible reasons, real or supernatural, a lot better so you can think of that as a benefit !!

Leo will definitely try to befriend the spirits, saying things like;

“Ah, yes I remember Wahaha~! Hey spirits~ There’s this really cool food stall I know you’ll love near my house at-” “DON’T TELL THEM YOUR ADDRESS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

You always bring extra notebooks and pens because if you didn’t, you’d be holding Leo back from vandalizing the area when inspiration hits [ which happens; Every. Single. Time, during an investigation. ] He always says, “but the spirits wanna have fun too~” If you couldn't bring any notebooks, or Leo finished them, you both came to an agreement that he’ll scribble on your arms instead. So yes… Now you’re basically walking around dressed up as a sheet music.

Doesn’t really mind sleeping overnight in a haunted building because he thinks of it as a sleepover~ Though, most of the time, he’s so excited that he ends up pulling an all-nighter. He’d either make you pull one too or you somehow fell asleep before he could’ve tried to persuade you. With the latter, he’d lower his voice and either snuggle close to you or gently move your head so that it's resting on his lap; and with that, he’ll gently play with your hair while humming a quiet lullaby.

Buzzfeed Unsolved moment that represents your dynamic :

Summary of the scene : Shane and Ryan laughing at the thought of someone pooping himself in his final performance before dying.

Click the timestamp to watch it : 3:28 - 4:51

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Izumi Sena :

Izumi’s a skeptic who unintentionally acts like a believer, you can’t convince me otherwise. He acts all cool and brushes things off as "just the wind" but at the same time, he’s internally shitting his pants every time he’s remotely alone during your investigations. You tease him into oblivion because of this.

90% of your investigations are just you messing around with Izumi whether it’d be randomly jumpscaring him, telling him to go somewhere alone, or just pretending that you saw something to try and get a reaction out of him. [ Though, he’s numb to the last one since he knows that you’re just bullshitting at this point. ]

Izumi quietly talks to himself to psyche himself up when he’s doing a solo investigation. Just don’t bring it up to him because he WILL deny it, saying things like; “This is so~annoying and completely pointless !! None of this is scary at all !!” [ Spoiler alert : That was him psyching himself up to open the basement door. ]

He thinks that abandoned places are gross because they weren't cleaned and would complain about it for the entire duration of your investigation. Even with that though, Izumi’s the first one to dust off any debris that he notices on you and in return, you do the same for him. Assuming he didn’t dust himself off for the 30th time in the last 5 minutes.

Speaking about hating abandoned buildings, the amount of preparation you need to do if you want to sleep overnight in a haunted one is honestly more stressful than the actual sleeping itself. This is because, Izumi will absolutely not sleep on some dirty, musty old floor. You had to limit your overnight stays to haunted houses that have actual beds which decreased your choices by a lot but at least you get the bonus benefit of sharing a bed !! So free cuddles woooo~!!

When it comes to evidence though, Izumi’s skepticism kicks in at full force. He always comes up with logical explanations to certain phenomena and even provides real-world evidence to strengthen his claims.

The banter between you two is honestly hilarious because, most of the time, it’s just the two of you spitting insults at each other. You both know you don’t mean anything you actually said so none of you take anything to heart.

Buzzfeed Unsolved moment that represents your dynamic :

Summary of the scene : Ryan's exploring a dark, empty area by himself, complaining about his current predicament, before getting jumpscared by Shane who crawled out of an empty hallway in a low growl. Ryan cusses him out afterwards while Shane just laughs at him.

Click the timestamp to watch it : 12:06 - 12:54

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Arashi Narukami :

Arashi leans towards the skeptic side and doesn’t really believe in the supernatural but she’s the one that tends to “protect” you during your investigations. Her teasing is more like her calling out your reactions, saying that you’re adorable rather than actually trying to jumpscare you. [ She wouldn’t stoop that low~ ]

A lot of impromptu acting. You both vibe so well together that you can both just, “get into" character and develop them on the spot, all the while bouncing ideas off each other. It’s really impressive and funny at the same time !!

She’s really good at moving around the space and would often hold your hand / tell you to mind your step if she sees something that she thinks you might trip on. Especially since it’s so dark, she helps the two of you navigate the area. Sometimes she carries you bridal style while you’re the one holding the flashlight <3

She isn’t too keen on the whole “sleeping in a haunted building” idea because it’s either dirty and abandoned, which isn’t good for both your healths, or because she’s worried for you. She doesn’t want you to be scared so, if you both decide to actually stay somewhere overnight… Firstly, it’s most likely in a haunted house with beds [ Arashi doesn’t want you to get sick because of the dust and trash laying around ], and secondly, Arashi would constantly remind you that she’ll protect you <3 You’ll fall asleep safely wrapped in her arms~

She takes every single piece of evidence with a grain of salt but at the same time, she would also joke about certain ideas and theories. [ Especially if she thinks that those said theories are dumb or just too farfetched. ]

Arashi secretly wants you to overcome your fears but, at the same time, she wouldn’t force you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. If you do decide to go out of your comfort zone, she’s so supportive and praises you for your bravery. She’ll even pepper your face with congratulatory kisses in the end !! Since then, you'd constantly try to push yourself out of your comfort zone just for her kisses. [ Honestly, I can’t blame you cuz I’d do the same thing too~ ]

She isn’t the type to taunt the spirits into showing themselves but she’s also not the type to be friendly with them either. So, depending on how you act, she’ll purposefully be the opposite to balance things out and release any tension from the situation. Arashi wouldn’t be that extreme though, so she often reminds you to tone it down a bit~

Buzzfeed Unsolved moment that represents your dynamic :

Summary of the scene : Shane and Ryan talks about a certain crime technique from the past and explains it in a cartoonish way before breaking into overly-comical characters on the spot.

Click the timestamp to watch it : 15:22 - 16:00

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Ritsu Sakuma :

Ritsu may be a vampire but he acts like the biggest skeptic out there and honestly, he will not hesitate to tease you the entire time during your investigations.

You seriously can’t catch a break with him. He’s so nonchalant about everything that, at this point, you believe that the ghosts are afraid of him and not the other way around !!

His skepticism knows no bounds, and he will always come up with the most “grounded in reality” reason for everything. "It must be the sound of shoes squeaking", "The forest is pretty loud at night~", "That's just gravity", etc; and yes, he also despises the spirit box because it’s way too loud and it hurts his ears.

Ritsu will not hesitate to fight a ghost. Every time you enter an investigation area, the first thing Ritsu announces is the fact that he’s willing to fight anything here. He also taunts them to no end saying things like, “I didn’t get a good nap before this so you definitely have a chance to give me a papercut~”

“That’s so photoshopped,” is his signature catchphrase for any visual evidence you find and if the age / texture of the photo itself proves that it’s basically impossible for it to be edited, he would say; “It looks like shit… So, I don’t care what anybody says about it.”

He will try to push you out of your comfort zone for “the sake of the investigation” by telling you to do things or go to areas that you wouldn’t possibly ever wanted to in the first place. Such requests include taunting the spirits, closing your flashlight for 5 minutes, separating from each other for a few minutes to see if anything pops up, etc.

Ritsu honestly wouldn’t mind sleeping in any haunted building. As long as he has a sleeping bag and a pillow, he’s all good to go. He’s asleep the moment he closes his eyes while you’re still rolling around trying to get comfortable. If you unintentionally wake him up from your movements, he’d just pull you in and cuddle you like a pillow. You can’t escape his grasps once that happens~

Buzzfeed Unsolved moment that represents your dynamic :

Summary of the scene : Ryan's too scared to investigate the top of the stairs and Shane's pushing him to do so, saying that the investigation will be a failure if he didn't go all the way up. Ryan's excuses starts to become comically extreme and Shane says "that's fine" to all of them... "As long as you goes all the way up."

Click the timestamp to watch it : 7:22 - 7:55

[ I'm not too sure which episode this scene was from so if you know, please let me know so I can link the original <3 ]

#tsukasa suou x reader #leo tsukinaga x reader #izumi sena x reader #arashi narukami x reader #ritsu sakuma x reader #ensemble stars #enstars #knights x reader #knights x y/n #knights x you #enstars x reader #ensemble stars x reader #enstars x y/n #ensemble stars x y/n #enstars x you #ensemble stars x you #gender neutral reader #🍬 hansel's writing

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sisterofficerlucychen · 1 year

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so while rewatching a show for the first time again isn’t possible, rewatching the rookie through a different lens is because let me tell you how interesting it is to rewatch scenes as chenford is canon.

2x19: the q word for example

this conversation with tim and lucy - “what are you so happy about?” “what? nothing? can’t i smile?” “you’ve just been doing it a lot lately.” — this is so ironic because who else has been smiling a lot lately? tim. i don’t think we’ve ever seen this man smile so bright or so much and it’s so funny that he was the one to ask lucy this in season 2 when we’re now in season 5 and he’s so giddy and in love.

tim’s rule about no personal life talk in the shop. the little interaction of “my personal life is none of your business” “finally. there’s hope for you yet.” — it’s a little fun, comedic moment between the two but it also highlights how she’s literally the only one to have successfully broken that rule, time and time again because of how much personal life talk they’e had through the years. i think it’s safe to argue that out of everyone they know, lucy knows tim the best and tim knows lucy the best. ALSO THE FACT THAT HE’S NOW PART OF HER PERSONAL LIFE????

tim talking to chris’ training officer and as he does that, how his gaze travels to lucy like he’s always worried about her and it’s so sweet to see the evolution of how he worries and how he treats her. i think back in this episode, it was more tied to the aftermath of what caleb and rosalind put lucy through but he’s always been protective over her. 5x08 had such a great moment of this when the man with the collar was standing in the middle of the street and not only did he rush her toward him when they thought it was going to go off, he literally shielded her. it’ll be so interesting to see how this continues to be at play now that he’s in a different division because tim isn’t about to let go of that protectiveness

the parallel of the “gun hand” between 2x19 and 5x12.

when they’re driving and lucy asks if they can “talk about what happened earlier” — i just love how even in their earlier years, they’ve always communicated so well?? with the exception of 5x02 lmao. but just lucy addressing the conflict and tim not shutting her down and engaging in that conversation with her.

*snickers* lucy shooting down the label of emmett being her boyfriend because we all know how much she’s always steered away from labels but called herself tim’s girlfriend after a few weeks. heck, technically she called herself the mother of his children on their second date.

“you may be thirty days from crossing the finish line but the only thing that happens when you cross it is that i won’t be there to keep you from washing out ... or worse, so you better believe this next month is going to be tough” — omg, there’s so much to unpack here that i could probably make this its own post but let’s talk about it at a high level. as her training officer, tim was always hard on her. the moment he realized that she was worth his time to train, he never made it easy for her because he knew she could take it. he said it too, back in 3x11: “you are a kind and insightful person. you see the good in people. so much so that i had to show you the world can be a scary place.” he trained her not only ensure that she could hold her own but that she’d be confident in her ability to to do which she 100% can. like obviously a lot of it is her, to which he’s also acknowledged, but he supported her in getting there. would lucy be where she is had she had any other training officer? probably but the thing tim did that i don’t think anyone else would have, was challenge her strengths for her to be able to grow in that area too. lucy can handle herself, she’s proved it time and time again whether it’s been while uc or like with the dv situation where she took on the boyfriend and talked down kyra. anyway, what could be really intersting here moving forward is how their dynamic on the job shifts now that they’re not in the same department because more likely than not, they’ll still work together but what’s going to happen when lucy makes a life or death decision on the clock that worries tim but can’t do anything about it because she doesn’t answer to him anymore?? soz, i love some good old angst and i hope this is a place where we get it because i love protective tim, badass lucy, and their deep conversations.

the “i thought we weren’t going to discuss my personal life [...] we’re friends” is so funny because of how they spent their last shift on patrol together talking about their personal life and trying to solve that conflict but also, no lucy bb, you’re not just friends, you’re boyfriend and girlfriend :-))))) you just didn’t know it then lmao.

#the rookie #chenford #tim bradford #lucy chen #afljasdfkl #i kind of want to make this a series because i have so many thoughts as i re-watch it lmao

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desertfangs · 9 months

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Daniel for the 'send me a character' thing

Send me a character and I'll do the thing!

Sexuality Headcanon: He’s definitely on the bi side of the scale, but I think he skews a lot closer to gay and probably identifies more as gay, especially in the 70s in the circles that he and Armand traveled in. Although I don’t think Daniel has ever been particularly picky about labels applied to him in that sense, either.

Gender Headcanon: Daniel is the opposite of toxic masculinity. He can be masculine and he has body hair for days, but he’s generally soft-spoken and gentle. Cis, but not worried about being manly enough, you know?

A ship I have with said character: Armand/Daniel is my OTP of all time. I think he and Armand are just two halves of a whole and they make each other better. I absolutely think they’re soulmates in the deepest sense of the word. There’s the joke that Daniel is sort of Armand-sexual but I think it’s sort of true. Armand is the love of his life and the feeling is mutual.

And sometimes Daniel/Marius? Please don’t hurt me, but I go back and forth on whether I see him and Marius as romantic. The first time I read PL, it felt very platonic. Marius had spent a long time as Daniel’s caregiver and while they’re obviously close and connected, it didn’t read to me as anything romantic and the asexual in me longs for more platonic ships in this fandom. But I think the vampires can have a lot of intimacy without getting hot and heavy (this is true of humans too btw). I do think as a romantic ship, it's hot as hell and tbh I’ve written it both ways. I can enjoy it both ways! But in my personal fanonverse, it’s something I waiver on a lot. I do think they’re good together either way!

A BROTP I have with said character: Daniel and Lestat (it’s a BroTP with benefits, bonus points if it’s with Armand as an OT3). They just have a fun dynamic. They can get into trouble together and cause chaos, but they also sort of even each other out. Daniel allows Lestat to open up a little more than he usually does because he’s a good listener, non-judgemental, and adept at asking the right questions. Lestat allows Daniel to vent about Armand (in an affectionate way - we all need to get things off our chests!) and he appreciates Daniel’s sense of humor and wit. They both liking having fun and doing random shit.

A NOTP I have with said character: I don’t know that I have any real NOTPs with him. Maybe Santino? I don’t personally see him having any sort of romantic relationship with Louis, I see them as being friends who both have great love for Armand, but I’m not bothered by the idea either.

A random headcanon: When Daniel was recovering from his madness, Armand sent him an iPod when he heard Daniel sometimes got overwhelmed by noise. Daniel became obsessed with the podcasts at the time, mostly radio shows, things like Radio Lab, This American Life, and Stuff You Should Know. After he moves back into Trinity Gate, he and Armand listen to his favorite episodes of these together and have long discussions about them afterward.

General Opinion over said character: I think Daniel is neat. He’s affable, he’s friendly, he’s good at making conversation. He’s curious and up for almost anything, which is why he and Armand work so well. He’s funny and has a dark, sardonic sense of humor. He laughs easily, maybe too easily, but he’s pretty easy to get along with. He’s generally pretty agreeable but he isn’t afraid to speak up when necessary. He’s a cool dude. I dig him.

#daniel molloy #uncivilcivilservice #vc #vampire chronicles #armand/daniel #lestat/daniel #answers in the desert #vc headcanons #thank you for sending in an ask!!

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momentsbeforemass · 1 year

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Those people

(by request, my homily from Sunday)

“You’re always talking about the love of God.”

That’s how the conversation started. It wasn’t a statement of fact. It was a complaint.

They were going to straighten me out. To give me the plan for what I should be talking about.

I needed to be talking about their issue, their cause. It’s not a bad one. In fact, it tracks with what the Church teaches.

But as they went on about what I needed to be doing – God faded into the background.

It was all about their issue, their cause.

Until they got to the people who didn’t support their cause. “People you know,” I was emphatically told.

Then the knives came out. And the labels.

The people who didn’t support their cause became “them.” The people who didn’t support their cause became “those people.”

And God? God was nowhere to be seen.

If you’ve ever wondered why I’m always talking about the love of God, this kind of thing is one of the reasons why.

Because the love of God isn’t a coat of New Testament paint. That love, as St. John tells us, is the very nature of God.

The love of God isn’t a nice idea. Or a passing sentiment, a warm glow that’s here for a moment and then gone.

The love of God is eternal and dynamic, the very force behind creation itself.

The love of God is ongoing and intimate.

As St. Paul tells us in the second reading, “God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

That love is the ground of our believing.

And, as we just heard in the Gospel, that love is first given to “those people.”

The thing is, “those people” are not just out there somewhere. “Those people” aren’t just members of some group. “Those people” aren’t just the ones who don’t see things our way.

Every one of us has “those people” in our lives. Every one of us has someone we’re hoping will change.

Maybe it’s a child who’s adrift or a family member who’s setting themselves up to fail. Maybe it’s a friend who’s not making good decisions or a loved one who’s struggling with addiction or mental illness. We’ve all got “those people” in our lives.

We’re hoping and praying for them, but right now – it doesn’t look like anything’s happening.

We’re believing for the best for them, but right now – it’s like they’re moving backwards.

When that’s all we’re seeing, it’s easy to get frustrated. To think, that’s just the way they are. To see them as stuck. To write them off as “those people.” Even though they’re our people.

But that’s not what they need. They don’t need our help finding faults, they know them all too well.

They need someone who will show them mercy, not judgment. Someone who will believe for them, even when they can’t believe for themselves. Someone who will meet them where they are, and who will love them too much to leave them there.

Someone who will wait for them.

That is the example that Jesus is showing us in today’s Gospel, with the woman at the well.

Their meeting is no accident. As St. John tells, Jesus “is tired from His journey” and “His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.”

Jesus could have gone with them. Instead, He sat down and chose to wait. For her.

Look who Jesus chose to wait for. She’s a Samaritan, part of a breakaway group that refused to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. And that’s the nicest thing you could say about them. Long story short, good and godly Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. The Samaritans are “those people.”

Then there’s her personal life. Five marriages. Five divorces. And now she’s living with number six. She is a train wreck. Even to the other Samaritans, she’s one of those “those people.”

This is someone who knows rejection all too well. This is someone who doesn’t think much of herself. This is someone who’s been beaten down by life. She is definitely one of “those people.”

And that exactly is who Jesus is waiting for.

Look what Jesus says to her.

If you know the culture of the first century, then you know what it really means. It’s why the disciples were amazed when they saw them talking.

Jesus asks her for water, but with a familiarity reserved only for close family members.

Jesus speaks with her as if He had known her all His life.

She’s one of “those people.” And Jesus is talking with her – like she was His sister.

But it’s not just how Jesus says it. It’s what Jesus says to her.

Jesus doesn’t pretend things are perfect, but Jesus doesn’t judge her either.

Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. But instead of beating her down, He lifts her up and shows her mercy.

Jesus doesn’t choose sides. For Jesus, there’s no such thing as “those people.”

That’s the example that Jesus gives us. That is how you and I are supposed to treat “those people.”

But if we’re honest, we’ve seen this one before. In our own lives.

How many times has God waited on us?

How many times has God waited on you and me when we were adrift or setting ourselves up to fail?

How many times has God waited on us when we weren’t making good decisions or we were struggling?

How many times have you and I been “those people?”

I don’t know about you, but I lost count years ago.

Today, let’s take a moment to thank God for all those times He waited on us. All those times when we gave Him every reason to say, “I am so done with you.” All those times when anyone else would have walked away.

All those times when God didn’t. When God showed us mercy, when God stayed and helped us pick up the pieces.

Then, let’s follow the example of Jesus. And answer God’s call to wait on someone else, someone who’s adrift, someone who’s not making good decisions.

Will you pray for them and encourage them? Will you show them mercy and let them know that you care? Will you love them?

Will you show them how God treats “those people?”

Sunday’s Readings

#Those people #Wait for them #God #Jesus #Catholic #Christian #Church #Mercy #God's Love #Woman at the well #Moments Before Mass

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dwtdog · 6 months

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dnfweek day 1 the chains out now :3

full fic below the cut :3

Dream is in love with his best friend. Has been, for quite a while, even if he was a bit slow to realize it. And now, after months of waiting to meet, more months spent adjusting to being in person, and a late-night confession, he’s still hopelessly in love with his best friend, who is also his boyfriend.

He has a love-hate relationship with that word, boyfriend. When he’d just been on the verge of figuring himself out, it had scared him. Too many hours of sleepless nights of playing out scenarios in his head, realities where his romantic partner wasn’t a girl like he’d always been told they would be, always a dark-haired figure taking the place of the imagined male partner.

And when acceptance had come, there had only been one person he wanted to talk to about it. And when a teasing British voice had said the word over a never-ending Discord call, it had been freeing. Easy acceptance, no change in their dynamic.

And on the night of their confession, an earnest conversation following a kiss that had been the slowly built product of a lifetime of tension, the word hadn’t seemed enough.

George had been his partner for years. They were a team in many ways, filling in where the other fell short, always lending an ear or offering just the right words. And to Dream, romance was a natural extension of that. It was so them, to be partners in every possible way.

So when George asked what they were, Dream had hesitated. Did their label need to change? Was what they were something that anyone but them could understand? He didn’t know, but he knew who he could talk to about it.

“What do you think we are?” he whispers, not wanting to break the calm of the night as he parrots George’s question back to him. They’re both laying in Dream’s bed, facing each other and close enough that their breaths collide above the pillows.

George smiles softly and Dream wants to touch the crinkles that form at the corners of his eyes. “I asked you first, idiot,” he teases. “But if you have to know, I guess we could be boyfriends.”

The word. Dream’s not sure how he reacts, but judging by the way George’s mouth quirks, he must be making a face. “You think?” he asks, careful. He’s wary of the feelings twisting his stomach, unsure of their true origins.

“Well,” George starts, eyes meeting Dream’s and holding the contact, “You like me, and I guess you’re alright so, what else would we be?”

Dream rolls his eyes at George’s ridiculousness, even as a warm fondness chases away his prior worries. “Boyfriends,” he says, tasting the word on his tongue. It fizzes, like a strange candy, and he can’t say he hates it. “You’re my boyfriend. George is my boyfriend, Dream is George’s boyfriend.”

“Mine,” George mutters, and there is a brightness in his eyes that Dream isn’t used to that’s absolutely intoxicating.

And it hits Dream with another realization. “Are we going to… Tell people?” he asks.

“Do you want to? And you aren’t allowed to ask for my answer.”

“I- no, I don’t think we should.” Dream sighs. “I mean- obviously we tell like, Sapnap and Bad, but not-”

George cuts him off, “Only the people who need to know. And everyone who doesn’t can fuck off.”

“Well I wouldn’t say it like that, but-” and he’s cut off again, this time by George moving forward.

“We’ll figure it out tomorrow Dreamie,” and his proximity combined with the pet name are enough to completely remove any thoughts that aren’t just the name of the man whose lips are brushing against his as they both lean in.

And they do talk about it more, after that. They take their time, telling people carefully and explaining that they aren’t exactly telling everyone, so keep it quiet.

Sapnap is unreasonably happy, then tries to give both of them the shovel talk in defense of the other. It ends with the three of them cuddled on the couch, Sapnap insisting on being in the middle since he’s sure the two of them are getting enough time together.

Bad cries, and then comes to visit a few days later so he can cry some more and hug them both. Dream cries too, and he doesn’t miss how George ducks his head to hide his own misty eyes.

There are more people after that, but soon enough everyone who deserves or needs to know does, and then Dream has to deal with the hard part, which is holding himself back from bragging to everyone he meets that he’s dating the most beautiful, funny, and ridiculous man in existence.

It becomes a problem when he finds himself wanting to lead every conversation down the route of bragging about George, complimenting him to every stranger he sparks up a conversation with. His sister tells him to get a diary when he comes to her one to many times, so he opens a note on his phone just to store every George-related thought he has.

Depending on his level of intoxication, and the amount of time he’s been physically away from the man in question, the notes get more and more nonsensical. Some of them are so dirty he deletes them instantly, or sends them to George to laugh about. Some are sickeningly sweet, even for him, and he also sends those to George just to giggle at the mix of swooning and disgusted emojis he gets in response.

In the end, he forgoes the idea of the notes and just sends everything straight to George. It’s fun for both of them, and it keeps Dream from exposing their relationship to the masses.

And for a while, he doesn’t even think to consider that George has a similar problem. He knows George, adores him for all the ways he shows his love, but still he misses all the signs.

When they’re apart, whether it be on opposite coasts or just in different rooms, George will always make a joke when they reunite. Some variation of what he’d said on that first day they’d met, ‘Wow, Dream, you look like a god with your unedited video and three energy drink cans behind you,’ or simply holding up his phone to show a timer he’d started the moment they separated, and a number of other absurd little George-isms that Dream cherishes.

It only comes to a head when they’re in a jewelry shop, admiring the gold and silver on display in glass cases.

Dream trails a finger over the chain around his neck, something nice he had bought for himself just before the face reveal. He’s looking at a different chain, with George hovering behind his shoulder.

“Do you think I should get a new one? Cause honestly, I didn’t know much about jewelry when I bought this one, and I don’t think I like it as much as I like some of these,” Dream muses, pinching the chain between his fingers as he talks.

George hums, and Dream tries to get the attention of the girl behind the counter as he waits for a response. “I mean, it’s not like you couldn’t afford it.”

Dream laughs, “But that’s not why I wouldn’t get it- it just feels, I don’t know, wasteful to replace a chain that’s not even broken. Like there’s nothing wrong with it-”

“You could give it to me,” George says, speaking fast, then shrugging.

“You want my old chain?” Dream asks, a little breathless. George wearing his jewelry, wearing something that was his, is a breathtaking image.

“It would be like,” George hesitates, taking a breath, “having a part of you when we’re apart. And it’s like- like a ring, sort of.”

Dream turns to face him, and resisting the urge to pull him into a searing kiss takes every ounce of self-control he has. “Yes, yes you can have it.” He’s breathing hard, and he quickly turns away to focus entirely on waving someone over to get the chain he wants out of the case so him and George can get out of there as soon as possible.

They could have charged him any price for the new chain and Dream wouldn’t have noticed, too caught up in the euphoria of George’s request. As soon as they’re in the car, he’s reaching for the chain around his neck, fingers fumbling as his hands shake with giddiness.

“Oh my god- just let me do it, idiot,” George says after letting him struggle for a few moments. His hands are cold as they push Dream’s aside and brush against his neck, deftly unhooking the clasp.

He moves the chain towards his own neck, and Dream quickly hooks a finger through the dangling metal, stopping him. “Let me,” he asks, pleading with his eyes when they meet George’s.

George blushes. “How are you going to put it on me if you couldn’t even get it off?” he teases, even as he turns in the car seat, pulling his hair away from his neck.

Luckily, Dream’s shakiness seems to have dispersed with the newfound sense of purpose, and he’s deliberate with his movements as maneuvers the chain to loop around the front of George’s neck so he can clasp it in the back. He feels the way George exhales when Dream’s hand brushes against the stubble on his chin, and watches as his shoulders relax when the chain falls into place.

It looks good, and Dream curses himself for not thinking of it sooner.

George turns back around, reaching for the bag in Dream’s lap. “Now let me do yours,” and it's not a question as much as it's a promise, so Dream lets him.

And when they get home later, Dream delights in watching as George pulls his shirt off and the chain sparkles in the low light of his bedroom, falling against bare pale skin. It looks like it was meant to be there, nestled over his collarbones.

Dream takes his own shirt off, and George’s gaze burns against his skin, along his neck, and knows he feels the same.

When George leans over him, the chain dangles directly over Dream’s eyes, and he’s sure he must be a sight with the way his mouth opens in awe, the way his eyes are wide with wonder.

It’s a wonderful thing, to know George is his. And it’s near incomprehensible to know that George feels the same, that same possessive need to have a dedication to their partnership for the whole world to see.

#dnfweek2023 #dnf #dreamnotfound #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound

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