#UNFORTUNATELY. I LIVE IN THIS WORLD. AND THINGS AREN'T GOING WELL.

[son1c]

On the topic of chimera Sonic, Tails must be going THRU it

First a dragon like creature kidnaps his brother

then he has to venture into the dungeon to save him

then when he finds his older brother he’s not acting like himself and has feathers, wings and has the body of a freaking LION from the waist down

Then he has to presumably watch him kill people

And then after all that Tails finds out that Sonic died

That poor boy 😔 (im living for the angst)

And speaking of when Tails encounters Sonic again, does he find him already transformed or does he find him before in that trance-like state Falin was in when she snuck out the window in the middle of the night after she was resurrected? Or is it something different entirely?

Chimera Sonic is legitimately rotting my brain /pos

OKAY SO... i've been doing some thinking about this crossover... and i've decided that sonic got kidnapped specifically because of his gauntlet. which ofc he's wearing again now that he's back in the satbk world.

but why did falin want his gauntlet? well... it's not that SHE wanted it, but she was told to get it. and sonic, the stubborn bastard, refused to give it up, so she ended up just taking him with it.

what's so special about the gauntlet? well, after sonic left camelot at the end of satbk, merlina gave up her goal of creating an undying world. but... wizards are peculiar things, aren't they? she spent all that time studying necromancy. all those hours laboring over ancient texts. even if she's not going to go through with her plan anymore, she still has the ego to preserve her hard work.

so, she split up her research. the spells she crafted are broken up like puzzle pieces and scattered throughout the satbk world... and one line of it, she had engraved on the inside of sonic's gauntlet. (for nostalgia? maybe. but she also knew the gauntlet would be protected within the walls of the castle.)

but yeah. falin was ordered to retrieve the gauntlet. so that's precisely what she did. as for why thistle wants it... well, he wants to reconstruct the spell of eternal life that merlina created because he believes it will bring back delgal. so he's on a mission to gather all the artifacts with her spell.

right. so, sonic and tails. sonic was summoned to the satbk world via magic portal (exactly like the last time he went there). tails got dragged along because they were standing literally right next to each other and of course tails is gonna follow him through the weird sketchy portal! they don't call him sonic's best bud for nothing, you know!

but who opened the magic portal??? well, it was merlina. sorry for the spoilers. she's currently "missing" in the land of camelot, and she doesn't greet sonic or tails when they fall through her portal. like i said in a previous post, there's about a day that goes by where everything is... normal... and sonic and tails get to explore the castle and converse with the knights and catch up on the goings-on of the world and stuff.

merlina's deal here is that she's working with thistle. in the first game, merlina appeared to be a good guy until it was revealed she was the twist villain. this time, she seems like the bad guy... until it's revealed she's actually trying to stop thistle. see, she knows power when she sees it. and thistle is a huge threat. so, she's working "with" him in order to find a weakness and stop him. that's also why she called sonic back to this world... because she knew she was going to need his help.

unfortunately, things didn't go as she'd planned. falin delivering sonic's gauntlet along with his DEAD BODY to thistle shocks her. but it's fine. she can work with this--she hopes. things get a little tricky when thistle wants to dispose of sonic though, and merlina has to come up with an excuse for him NOT to do that.

cuz she can't let thistle know that she knows sonic. that would make her look suspicious. after all, she summoned him to camelot IN SECRET to help her TAKE DOWN thistle. so, she claims that she can sense an immense power within sonic and that he might be "useful" to them... so they shouldn't let him go to waste. thankfully, this works. and thistle is like "ok slay" (not his exact words).

merlina revives sonic with the magic she's learned from thistle. sonic then has about 5 seconds to process coming back to life, seeing merlina, and also some other weird elf guy before said elf guy steps in and turns him into a chimera using a bottled monster soul.

merlina also wasn't expecting this, by the way. but she's a very "ends justify the means" type of person and that hasn't changed. so, she promises to succeed in stopping thistle as she watches him turn her friend into a monster before her eyes.

#bestjeanistmonster reblogs #long text post #chimera sonic #things are different because i didn't want to copy beat for beat however. lancelot is still learning black magic for sonic saving purposes #rest assured.

[odinsblog]

“I'd say a couple of things. One actually goes directly to the comparison to the Holocaust. I think that maybe I was very focused from afar on the part of the comparison that deals with numbers.

What I think is a deeply cynical way of phrasing the description of October 7th as the largest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. And the reason I think it's cynical is because, you know, it does all this sort of normal, for that kind of thing, things of conflating Israel and Jews, framing the Hamas attack as an antisemitic attack, which I don't think it was. It was an anti-Israeli attack.

And of course, drawing that line directly to the Holocaust, what I think I wasn't hearing was the other part of the comparison, which has to do with defenselessness. And I was interviewing someone who said that they were watching the first videos early on October 7th and seeing Jewish people once again as naked without an army. I find that very interesting and compelling because of course, the Holocaust is not only the number of people who were killed, it is also the experience that went on for six years of a people without an army.

And if you read contemporary thinkers, like for example, Hanna Arendt, a lot of her essays written during the war were about the need for a Jewish army. So that, you know, the light bulb went off for me that, oh, this, you know, this comparison, in addition to the sort of the, what I think of it as kind of cynical dimension also has an experiential dimension. That fear of being naked without an army.

And, you know, that didn't make me change my mind about what I think of its political uses, but it made me understand better the emotional experience behind it. I think the other thing that I saw when I was in Israel a few weeks ago that I didn't realize was just the extent to which it's still October 7th in Israel, and the extent to which that helps Israelis not see what's happening in Gaza. Because of course, everything that is happening in Gaza, that has happened in Gaza, has happened in the last now almost seven months that have elapsed since October 7th.

But if you are living in October 7th, then it's not just the media that aren't facilitating you're seeing what's happening in Gaza. It's like you're stuck, the calendar is not letting you see what's happening in Gaza.

…I should have made it more clear that when I was talking earlier about not seeing what's happening in Gaza, I was referring to Jewish Israelis. I think the experience of Palestinian citizens of Israel is completely different. They're living the daily events in Gaza.

They wake up in the morning to check whether their friends and family are still alive and to read all the different telegram channels and watch Al Jazeera and really to keep following in minute detail what's happening there and add to that the growing violence and poverty in the West Bank that is also very much a part of their daily reality.

…Well, you know, you asked me about things that struck me when I was in Israel, and one thing that struck me was that even people on the left, whom I held to be sort of, generally speaking, accurate perceivers of the world, had really bizarre ideas about what was going on on American campuses, like this idea that American campuses are hotbeds of antisemitism, seem to have been very well communicated to everybody.

Ayelet Waldman discussed this, so some of this will probably be a little repetitive, but I think the points that she made were that, no, these are not hotbeds of antisemitism. They are crazies and outliers in every movement.

But very rarely do crazies and outliers in a movement, especially widespread social movements such as this one, get separate articles in the New York Times the moment something emerges. This idea that these protests are antisemitic is wrong, misguided, counterfactual, and promoted by mainstream American media, unfortunately.

But, you know, and I'm not saying that there are no antisemites in these protests. And I'm not saying that there were zero antisemitic incidents. I'm saying it's a hot mess.

And we know for a fact that there's a lot of spinning of these protests as antisemitic that doesn't reflect the bulk of what the organizing is about the views of the individuals involved and the messaging coming out of these campuses. And most of these kids, at least on a campus like Columbia are Jewish, not on a campus like City College of New York, which has almost no Jewish students, but Columbia, which has a lot of Jewish students, has a majority of protesters who are Jewish.”

—Masha Gessen, the descendant of Holocaust survivors, discusses student protests (part 1 of 3)

#politics #palestine #israel #antisemitism #masha gessen #weaponized antisemitism #columbia university #student protests #weaponized identity politics #idpol #hasbara #israel is a terrorist state #israel is an apartheid state #war crimes #genocide #ethnic cleansing #campus protests #weaponized zionism

[absolutebl]

Industry question for you, please: Why is it that it seems that Thai BL in particular has some really systemic issues with writing endings? Screwed-up pacing/editing, out-of-character/illogical actions, not being very satisfying... it seems like a show avoiding that fate is more of an exception than the rule, unfortunately. Do a lot of them just... not write the ending ahead of time? 😅 That would make having these sort of wacked-up endings at least make some sense, but... really, it makes *no* sense to me that that would be the actual standard writing strategy-- I mean, for example, one of the best living novel authors I know of *always* has very satisfying endings, literally without fail (I have read everything he's written and been perfectly content with the ending of every one), and the reason for that is he purposefully always writes the endings of his books *first*, then works everything back up to that point. Similarly, some of the best TV shows I've seen (from any country-- and this does actually include some Thai ones, to be fair) were written either all in one go or at the *very* least with their endings obviously already very firmly in mind, regardless of if they were completely original or were adaptations of some other source material. So... why does this often seem to be such a difficulty for the writers of Thai BL? 😅 (Sorry if I sound a little salty here, but endings either make or break all fiction for me {novels, manga/manhwa, TV, movies, games, whatever}, and I've been getting burned what seems to be more and more often lately with shows being great for the vast majority of their runtime but then inexplicably totally botching the landing, seemingly out of nowhere-- so I'm a bit frustrated with that when it seems to be a really simply-solved problem {that, indeed, has already been solved by many others before}: JUST WRITE THE DAMN ENDING *FIRST* and then work up to it? 🙃😅)

Endings huh? You a romance reader by nature? (Wait, no, you said... HE. So... Sparks? Green?) Anygay, where was I?

But yeah, I get it. I've always fancied the dessert course the most, myself.

To answer your question, not sure. I'm assuming its a narrative expectation based in culture. Like Japan and their lanes, China and 6 act structure, or Korea's adoration of love triangles. And producing culture comes to film and storytelling with its own set narrative conceits, archetypes, and tropes and aren't proscriptive but are leaned on a lot. Much as they come to film with a certain style as well.

Think about the "look" of Korean BL compared to the "look" of Taiwanese BL, for example. They have an entirely different flavor to them. Korean stuff is usually all bright and airy, lots of distance shots, super clean and uncluttered, filtered and filmy and atmospheric. Taiwanese stuff is much closer, more grainy, more bold with it's color choices and contrasts, kind-up n your face and gritty, a bit messy sometimes.

It's jarring to go from one to the other.

After watching nothing but Asian dramas for so long, I always find it jarring to go back to American shit. It feels over-acted and unsubtle and kind of brash. Over all "loud" and in my face. Jarring.

So when first encountering 4 or 6 act structure most westerners feel a little unmoored, it doesn't feel comfortable until you sink into it and leave 3 & 5 behind.

I'm mean I'm so used to K-dramas with that arbitrary year or more separation in the final episode I;m now shocked when it's not there.

I guess what I'm saying is maybe it's just a thing with Thailand, not to put that much truck in endings. The way (especially) romances do in the western world. There's a very fixed idea of what an HEA should look like in the west. Thailand may not share that idea.

I've not read the source books of any of these BLs, so I don't know if this is just their narrative style or not.

I mean there are some Thai BLs with good (if not great) endings, and plenty of Korean BLs with terrible middles, and far too many Taiwanese BLs with bad beginnings.

Ya just kinda get used to it, I guess.

15 Thai BLs with Good Endings

A Tale of Thousand Stars

Bad Buddy

Lovely Writer

2gether

Be My Favorite

Dark Blue Kiss (possibly my favorite on this list)

Destiny Seeker

Make a Wish

Naughty Babe

SOTUS

#asked and answered #sort of #stories represent culture #it;s the whole point #actually #thai bl #bad endings

[piplupod]

praying and hoping and begging for things to get better or at least more tolerable soon because i dont know how many more physical symptoms of stress my body can take

#me when i get eczema when the only time i had eczema in the past was when i was about to kill myself lmao #things are Preddy Bad actually fjfkfkfl #theres so many things i have happening and i look them up and its like ''reduce stress :)'' THANKS I WISH I COULD #UNFORTUNATELY. I LIVE IN THIS WORLD. AND THINGS AREN'T GOING WELL. #i actually cant think abt this all anymore tonight or I'll end up crying and i rly dont want to deal w crying rn fhfkdl #but man. things were supposed to go in such a better way. im literally a failure rn #all my siblings are doing way better in life and have a shot at things #and im stuck in my parents basement alone and a loser burn-out #this is so fucked #i realized the reality of my situation at 3am lying awake unable to sleep last night #like. i am.... alone and stuck living in my parents basement. no career prospects because im useless and too exhausted all the time #thats so fucking lame and awful and Peak Failure in society's eyes #man!!! #so unbelievably bleak!!! #anyways i hope this eczema goes away bc wow i rly have not had this except once or twice when i was engaging in suicidal behaviour #i dont want to be doing that again 😭😭 #WHATEVER. it is what it is. live fast die young or whatever #maybe tomorrow something good will happen #pippen needs 2nd breakfast #suicide tw

[oblitus-vulpes]

uh oh

#i love this fic don't get me wrong #but the dysphoria is wildin #which i mean #is good #my empathy is like dogshit low with other people but through the roof when it comes to characters in media. bc i'm removed from the #situation and can freely protect onto them. especially written works bc the emotions are written out in a way i can understand and feel #wowie wowie wow i haven't felt dysphoric at all in over a year so it feels Weird now #i mean #the closest thing I'll ever be doing to medically transitioning is probably some kind of bc so i stop getting periods. #I've considered a partial or total hysterectomy in the past #but i don't intend on getting it unless I'm in a good place financially. it's not a high priority lolol #unless i can go to my gp and say 'hey i want this i'm aware of the procedure and its risks and side effects' and she takes me seriously. #it's too much work + not worth it lol. #but wowie sometimes i think. i wish i passed. #but i don't want to cut my hair. #... maybe i should look into a short wig. a nice quality one #idk #unfortunately i live in a world where feminine men aren't commonplace #and passing and being. well. me. isn't a thing that can exist

[inkskinned]

one of the things that i think we should pay attention to, socially, about the disney v. desantis thing is that it is really highlighting the importance of remembering nuance.

in a purely neutral sense, if you engage in something problematic, that does not mean you are necessarily agreeing with what makes it problematic. and i am worried that we have become... so afraid of any form of nuance.

disney isn't my friend, they're a corporate monopoly that bastardized copyright laws for their own benefit, ruin the environment, and abuse their workers (... and many other things). this isn't a hypothetical for me - i grew up in florida. i also worked for the actual Walt Disney World; like, in the parks. i am keenly aware of the ways they hurt people, because they hurt me. i fully believe that part of the reason florida is so conservative is because it's been an "open secret" for years now that disney lobbies the government to keep minimum wage down, and i know they worked hard to keep the parks unmasked and open during the worst parts of Covid. they purposefully keep their employees in poverty. they are in part responsible for the way the floridian government works.

desantis is still, by a margin that is frankly daunting, way worse. the alternative here isn't just "republicans win", it's actual fascism.

in a case like this, where the alternative is to allow actual fascism into united states legislation - where, if desantis wins, there are huge and legal ramifications - it's tempting to minimize the harm disney is also doing, because... well, it's not fascism. but disney isn't the good guy, either, which means republicans are having a field day asking activists oh, so you think their treatment of their employees is okay?

we have been trained there is a right answer. you're right! you're in the good group, and you're winning at having an opinion.

except i have the Internet Prophecy that in 2-3 months, even left-wing people will be ripping apart activists for having "taken disney's side". aren't i an anti-capitalist? aren't i pro-union? aren't i one of the good ones? removed from context and nuance (that in this particular situation i am forced to side with disney, until an other option reveals itself), my act of being like "i hope they have goofy rip his throat out onstage, shaking his lifeless body like a dog toy" - how quickly does that seem like i actually do support disney?

and what about you! at home, reading this. are you experiencing the Thought Crime of... actually liking some of the things disney has made? your memories of days at the parks, or of good movies, or of your favorite show growing up. maybe you are also evil, if you ever enjoyed anything, ever, at all.

to some degree, the binary idealization/vilification of individual motive and meaning already exists in the desantis case. i have seen people saying not to go to the disney pride events because they're cash grabs (they are). i've seen people saying you have to go because they're a way to protest. there isn't a lot of internet understanding of nuance. instead it's just "good show of support" or "evil bootlicking."

this binary understanding is how you can become radicalized. when we fear nuance and disorder, we're allowing ourselves the safety of assuming that the world must exist in binary - good or bad, problematic or "not" problematic. and unfortunately, bigots want you to see the world in this binary ideal. they want you to get mad at me because "disney is taking a risk for our community but you won't sing their praises" and they want me to get mad at you for not respecting the legit personal trauma that disney forced me through.

in a grander scheme outside of disney: what happens is a horrific splintering within activist groups. we bicker with each other about minimal-harm minimal-impact ideologies, like which depiction of bisexuality is the most-true. we gratuitously analyze the personal lives of activists for any sign they might be "problematic". we get spooked because someone was in a dog collar at pride. we wring our hands about setting an empty shopping mall on fire. we tell each other what words we may identify ourselves by. we get fuckin steven universe disk horse when in reality it is a waste of our collective time.

the bigots want you to spend all your time focusing on how pristine and pretty you and your interests are. they want us at each other's throats instead of hand in hand. they want to say see? nothing is ever fucking good enough for these people.

and they want their followers to think in binary as well - a binary that's much easier to follow. see, in our spaces, we attack each other over "proper" behavior. but in bigoted groups? they attack outwards. they have someone they hate, and it is us. they hate you, specifically, and you are why they have problems - not the other people in their group. and that's a part of how they fucking keep winning.

some of the things that are beloved to you have a backbone in something terrible. the music industry is a wasteland. the publishing industry is a bastion of white supremacy. video games run off of unpaid labor and abuse.

the point of activism was always to bring to light that abuse and try to stop it from happening, not to condemn those who engage in the content that comes from those industries. "there is no ethical consumption under late capitalism" also applies to media. your childhood (and maybe current!) love of the little mermaid isn't something you should now flinch from, worried you'll be a "disney adult". wanting the music industry to change for the better does not require that you reject all popular music until that change occurs. you can acknowledge the harm something might cause - and celebrate the love that it has brought into your life.

we must detach an acknowledgment of nuance from a sense of shame and disgust. we must. punishing individual people for their harmless passions is not doing good work. encouraging more thoughtful, empathetic consumption does not mean people should feel ashamed of their basic human capacities and desires. it should never have even been about the individual when the corporation is so obviously the actual evil. this sense that we must live in shame and dread of our personal nuances - it just makes people bitter and hopeless. do you have any idea how scared i am to post this? to just acknowledge the idea of nuance? that i might like something nuanced, and engage in it joyfully? and, at the same time, that i'm brutally aware of the harm that they're doing?

"so what do i do?" ... well, often there isn't a right answer. i mean in this case, i hope mickey chops off ron's head and then does a little giggle. but truth be told, often our opinions on nuanced subjects will differ. you might be able to engage in things that i can't because the nuance doesn't sit right with me. i might think taylor swift is a great performer and a lot of fun, and you might be like "raquel, the jet fuel emissions". we are both correct; neither of us have any actual sway in this. and i think it's important to remember that - the actual scope of individual responsibility. like, i also love going to the parks. Thunder Mountain is so fun. you (just a person) are not responsible for the harm that Disney (the billion dollar corporation) caused me. i don't know. i think it's possible to both enjoy your memories and interrogate the current state of their employment policies.

there is no right way to interrogate or engage with nuance - i just hope you embrace it readily.

#does this make sense #to do be deleted probably yikes #(takes a swing at a wasp's nest) #like i think ppl have started to just be really quiet when they like something 'problematic' #and im like... u can be like - #girl tswift NEEDS to just TAKE A BUS . LIKE????????????????????? #while also being like. #''she's a lot of fun'' #if ur personal policy is that u don't support her for that reason that's great #but it's like. eating meat??? #like yeah some people won't bc the environment. but the fact i eat meat doesn't mean i hate the earth #like i can say that i think the meat industry is HORRIFIC and also downright cruel to its employees #but like. still enjoy a chicken nugget.... #there are people who choose otherwise. it's okay . we are people. i make like no money. u probably don't either #us fighting about whether or not it's Right To Eat The Chicken Tender just distracts from like. #actually turning your ire on the corporation #i hope it's clear what i'm saying here is like. when we fight each other for Purity Reasons #we are just doing the work of corporations . for free. like they WANT us to be doing this lol #it's the fucking DREAM of the upperclass that now ALL forms of responsibility fall on the individual

[doberbutts]

re: that reblog, some people really need to realize that privilege is something assigned to you based on perception and not, like, inherent to one's identity. it'd be sick if that were the case but we unfortunately live in a world where privilege is something other people afford us, not something we can claim...

Until people see privilege and oppression as something society inflicts upon you whether you want it to or not, instead of as a moral choice in which in order to not receive privilege or to stop being oppressed you simply have to decide something about yourself, I think we'll always be stuck here.

And it's really frustrating because the whole "has privilege" thing wasn't meant to be an accusation of someone's moral compass. It was intended to point out how someone may receive better social standing than they think or than other people receive because of society's inherent biases to value certain social groups as higher priorities than others.

This means the answer was never to go "you have privilege, you're bad" but to go "hey, why doesn't everyone get this treatment? it's not fair that others aren't treated this well" and then take steps to uplift everyone to equalize the playing field. Instead we just turned into crabs in a bucket.

[signedkoko]

Hello if you don't mind I'd like to request lucifer and Lilith x a reader that is a half sinner half demon like readers one Parent was a demon and the other was human, type of vibe you know

And maybe since the reader is half demon they are like stronger then the overloards in the pride ring

Lucifer X Reader X Lilith [Romantic]

In which you were born of a sinner and demon, which give you the advantage most overlords lack. Genderneutral reader.

Not many sinners and demons got along, considering the powerful advantage most sinners had over demons and the distinction between the groups

Despite that, your parents were anything but normal, and they lived as they died—in love

Unfortunately, you lost them to an extermination, and while it was a stab in the heart, you knew it was an inevitability

You'd been extremely lucky to that right, since your creation not another had been born or made to exist; you were hell's own miracle

Your appearance made heads turn, journals typed away about your life, and despite not living the life of a celebrity you were treated like one by the press

Your existence was, of course, of interest to Lucifer, who was more than eager to introduce himself the first time you were face-to-face

He was with his wife, who easily towered over the two of you, and embarassingly enough, they cooed at your features—a mix of two worlds

Royalty was royalty, so you did your best to be calm and introduce yourself, which ended in a long string of chatter until the two were pulled off

Lucifer is mostly interested in you since you are the first hell-born human.

Lilith is interested because you are both similar, somehow sinners and demons combined, albeit in much different ways

One day, you receive concert tickets in your mail to see Lilith perform as a VIP

There is a personal note from her mentioning that she would love to see you at her performance and that she hopes you enjoy the show

Of course you go! You even splurge on a nicer outfit

Her show is outstanding, and you had one of the best nights of your life being treated so kindly by so many, as well as not being the centre of all eyes for once

Of course, you were invited backstage, and she invited you to dinner with herself and her husband, to which the rest is history

Now you were part of the family, living with them and learning plenty of hell that you'd never known prior

Their story, their goals, their interests, and their hobbies—what made them tick

They trusted you with everything.

Their favourite aspect of your mixed blood is that they can take you on dates down to the other rings and show you only the finest that hell has to offer

Your favourite is that now you aren't 'the sinner-demon hybrid' and instead 'one third of the Morningstar trio'

It is certainly a shift in lifestyle for you, from rag to riches, and they are very amused but also baffled by your way of doing things

Still, they love to hear about what hell is like from your perspective, someone who wasn't given everything

So into whatever rundown restaurants you bring them to, especially Lucifer, he would love sloppy, fucked up food

Lilith prefers bitter sweets and coffee; she ends up loving your favourite cafe, too, and now you visit at least once a week

 

Author's Note - Of course I don't mind! I love these two so much, still one of my favourite duos to see x readers with because maaaaaaaan!!! I hope this is what you were hoping for, please enjoy 🖤

#koko writez #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #hazbin hotel x reader #helluva boss x reader #reader insert #x reader #lilith #lilith x reader #lucifer #lucifer x reader

[tsukimefuku]

CHAPTER ONE: PUTATIVE SELF DEFENSE ❀ HIGURUMA SENSEI SERIES

masterlist link | mdni!

❀ putative self-defense.

when a person believes they are in imminent danger and acts in what they believe would be self-defense, when, in reality, the threat does not exist or is not as severe as perceived. 

wc: 5.9K ❀ pairing for the series: professor!higuruma x student!reader

❀ summary.

after your roommate fails to replenish the coffee in your dorm room, you drag your insomniac ass towards the cafeteria before heading to your first criminal law class. unfortunately, things don't go as expected — it's so, so much worse than you could have anticipated. at least, your personal torturer is very good-looking, and has the most beautiful hooked nose you have ever seen.

❀ Tags and c/w.

non-curse au. college au. silly slow-burn rom-com between professor and college student (this is purely a work of fiction, okay guys?) reader is kind of a mess (like, literally). this is cliché with some twists. nobara is the best and worst roomie ever. nobamaki is a thing here. nobody likes cafeteria coffee. higuruma has a best friend, i'm so happy about that. second hand embarrassment. misunderstandings are talked through and resolved. higuruma is a little unhinged, and we love him for that.

thank you so much @redlikerozez for betaing this 🥺

Your morning was a clusterfuck.

Diving your face in ice cold water did absolutely nothing to wake you from your anxiety ridden all-nighter. The world felt like a half dazed hallucination by this point.

Your energy was running so low this morning that you wound up putting your jeans on top of your pajamas pants, throwing a coat over the rest of the mess, and twirling your hair into something that could barely be considered a bun, topping it all off with the ugliest scarf you had — a red polka-dot scarf.

It seemed to be a taunting from the Gods — this was, for some supernatural reason, the only scarf you ever found when you were running late, and you hated the thing, but feared that if you threw it away, some higher power would punish you, and you'd never find another scarf to wear.

You were also scared that if you tried taking a shower, you might end up sleeping under it.

"What are you doing?" your roommate asked, as you pulled your face from the bowl filled with water and ice cubes. "Jesus, you look like hell."

"Trying to crawl my way back to the world of the living. It's not working."

Nobara walked behind you and opened the mini-fridge, grabbing a single slice of cheese and rolling it up to eat it.

"Oh, a breakfast fit for the champions" you mocked, while patting your face with a tea towel.

She scoffed. "Get off my ass, I didn't have the time for groceries."

"Oh, you totally had the time, you just spent it all with your girlfriend in her room!"

Nobara grabbed a crumpled tissue that she found over the counter and threw it in your direction.

You dodged it because you weren’t sure what the fuck that tissue had been used for cleaning.

"Leave me the hell alone! I deserved it before classes started," she complained, pouting.

You laughed as you walked towards the coffee machine, to see if some liquid energy would be enough to pump you through the day.

"Aren't you supposed to be out there already? Weren't you going to head into criminal law today or whatever?" she asked.

And you were, actually.

"So, how is he?" you inquired, tapping around the coffee machine and behind it, looking for the coffee powder.

"Professor Higuruma, you mean?" Nobara got up and walked towards her bed, throwing herself over it like a rag doll. "I still haven't had class with him, but according to Maki, he's kinda weird."

"Your girlfriend's definition of weird for the male faculty members is too broad, Nobara. She said the same thing about at least four or five professors."

She shrugged. "According to gossip, professor Higuruma had to take some time off academia after his PhD because of a mental breakdown."

"Well, he is the guy that got two masters degrees simultaneously and one PhD right after. I guess that does things to a person" you mocked, opening the cabinet drawer. Where is the coffee?

"Oh, that's why he's the head of two chairs?!"

"Yup, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law."

"Well, from what Maki has told me, he likes to quiz his students on the spot randomly," Nobara stated as she pulled her phone from her night stand and began texting.

After looking all around and not finding the coffee powder, you were very much annoyed. 

"Nobara, where is the coffee?"

"We don't have any," she answered nonchalantly, still with her eyes glued to her phone.

You whipped your head towards her so fast, you nearly hurt your neck.

"Nobara, I need coffee. This is not a drill! It's my first criminal law class!"

"Oh, future criminal defense attorney, you definitely need some coffee, no one in their good mind would be wearing whatever the hell that is," she noted, pointing at you. "Especially that ugly red thing around your neck. Why do you still have that?"

"Ugh, now I'll have to go into the cafeteria before class to drink their awful coffee, and it's entirely your fault. Wardrobe editing rights are officially revoked!"

You stepped towards the door grabbing your bag as you heard her ask, "Hhey, is that your pajamas top?"

"No!" you replied, pulling your coat over your hello kitty pajamas top, before going out.

***

I can't fucking believe this.

You got in line to buy an overpriced $2 coffee — overpriced because it basically tasted like dirty water flavored with the souls of the damned — as you looked at your watch nearly every twenty seconds or so.

This coffee was so bad you usually tried to cover it up with milk, syrup and whatever else they had at their clients' disposal, but the aftertaste was always — always — completely cursed.

While in line, you noticed the guy who stood in front of you, and got distracted from your hurry by his back, as silly as that might sound.

He was tall — not the tallest, but at least a head above you — and his black hair was neatly cut by the tail end where his neck met his black suit collar. His posture was a little crooked to the side, one shoulder hanging a little lower than the other, and it felt kind of… charming?

Realizing you were nearly burning a hole in the man's back with your eyes, you averted your gaze elsewhere.

This is pathetic. I'm pathetic.

You figured that you had to be really sleep-deprived — and, honestly, kinda lonely — to be simping over some random guy's back.

Not only that, but while waiting in line at the campus cafeteria, the less sexy place to ever exist.

Class. I need coffee. I need to get to class. I'm pathetic. I’m also almost late.

And almost late you were. Somehow, you managed to wait just until you'd be a little too fumbled on the clock in order to get your ass out of your dorm room's bed to do something about it, and never even bothered to check if there would be any coffee to be made.

Just one of the many minor self-sabotaging shit you pulled against yourself from time to time.

After grabbing the damned drink and tainting it with further things to mask its terrible taste, your sleepless and nearly-late ass, when running across the cafeteria, body slammed by accident the same guy that was in line right in front of you. He was then covered in your coffee — an unholy concoction of said beverage, cold water, milk, and pancake syrup for sweetening. 

Not only that, but to top it all off, you chuckled right after you began apologizing, actually laughing at the poor man.

It wasn't because the situation was even remotely funny, or that you were cackling at his humiliation. You just had the laughter response to stressful or embarrassing situations.

At church, during the national anthem, at an accident, or in the middle of a very hard test — whenever you were really stressed, you found yourself having to hold your urge to cackle.

Unfortunately, even after twenty-seven years, this was something you hadn’t quite mastered yet.

As you tried to grab some napkins from the counter behind him, you slipped, ceasing the laughter immediately.

Instant karma. Seems fair.

Before you hit the ground, though, he held you by your waist and with a hand on your arm. You felt the taut muscles under the suit enveloping you and pulling you back on your feet in one dexterous, swift motion. His shoulders were not slouched anymore.

"Shit, shit, I'm so sorry!" you exclaimed, trying to shuffle yourself away from him. His grip was tight, clearly from someone that had just been startled, and his body felt warm — especially considering you had just covered the poor guy in hot liquid.

As you parted yourself from him, you finally took a good look at the man. 

The best words to describe him right now were disheveled mess. His tie was crumpled, his white button shirt had a massive brown stain from the coffee spilled, his short black hair was messily pulled back leaving a few strands out to frame his forehead, and his ashy black eyes were clearly surprised as he tried to check if you were alright. 

And that beautiful hooked nose.

He was definitely brooding and good-looking — the tired, overworked, insomniac, bags under his eyes and two steps away from sleeping on his feet kind of good-looking.

The front certainly matches the back.

Then, realizing your mind was doing whirls about his appearance, you shook your head for a moment, dispersing the thoughts away.

"It's fine, just let me-" he answered, taping his hands around his suit, seemingly looking for something. 

You had nearly forgotten you were tight on time until you heard the bell ringing. He turned around startled when it rang, cussing something under his breath, which gave you the perfect opportunity to dash away.

"I'm very sorry! I'm really late for my next class, I need to run, but I'm so, so sorry!" you blurted as you took off running, feeling a tinge of guilt knowing full well you had left him alone to fend off for himself with that abominable coffee stain.

So, why clusterfuck?

When you arrived in class, having lost yourself on campus twice when running around like a dizzy duck in a fatigued haze trying to find the right classroom, you saw who was sitting at the professor's desk in front of the entire classroom.

That huge coffee spill was pretty visible, even if he had now closed his suit jacket on top of it.

Shit.

The man was fumbling around with some papers over his desk with one hand while he adjusted his glasses — that he wasn't wearing earlier — with the other.

You sat in the back of the classroom, which had an amphitheater architecture to it. If you were lucky enough, though, maybe he wouldn't notice you.

However, upon further inspection, you noticed that the back of the class was especially empty, and realized at that moment you were standing out like a sore thumb. 

This couldn't get any worse, could it?

You wished for a hole to appear right under your feet and drag you down.

"So, good morning to you all. I apologize for my late arrival. As you can all tell, I had to face some unforeseen circumstances," he began, pulling on the edge of his jacket suit to reveal the brown-colored Rorschach of shame plastered over his white shirt.

Some students laughed, and you recoiled in your seat, praying this was all just a first-day-in-class-embarrassment type of dream.

It wasn't.

"Welcome to Criminal Law I. My name is Higuruma Hiromi, and I'll be your professor. I hope you all can learn a thing or two from me," he said, before stepping in front of his desk and sitting over it.

"So, I'd like to begin this class with the following question: what is fairness?"

Some hands jumped up, and you slid yourself under your seat even further, surely to hit the ground if you sunk any deeper. 

Higuruma's eyes began darting around the classroom.

Something you'd learn in a second about him was that he liked to poke at the students who didn't seem keen in participating, just to create some stormy engagement and get truly unexpected answers.

The ones who lifted their hands, the classic know-it-alls, were the students he considered to be remarkably boring and utterly predictable.

"You," he stated, and it took you a few seconds — and multiple blinks — to realize his finger was pointing in your direction. "Girl with the red scarf, tell me what you think fairness is."

You were at a complete loss for words.

"I… I… Fairness…"

Then silence.

You couldn't muster up anything to say to save your life.

You really should have slept better.

He sighed, and tilted his head to the side.

"Guess I'll have to demonstrate it."

Nobody understood what the professor meant, and much to everyone's surprise, he began walking up towards you, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he did so.

Then, looking straight at you, he stood beside the exit door, and gestured towards it. 

"Girl with the red scarf, please, leave this classroom."

Before you could actually be offended that he didn't even ask your name, you felt your stomach drop, and your face glow a warm, deeply uncomfortable red.

Out of everything you thought could happen, getting kicked out of the classroom within the first five minutes into a lecture wasn’t even listed as one of the top 10 alternatives.

What the fuck? Isn't that a little excessive?

Speechless, you grabbed your backpack from the ground, and lifted yourself up, standing there for a few seconds, completely dumbfounded. The classroom was silent enough that a needle falling on the ground could be heard.

And then, suddenly, the urge came upon you, raining down like a hailstorm.

Laughter bubbled up your throat, and you coughed a little, pursing your lips shut, scrunching your face all around, trying to avoid any sound from leaking out.

He looked at you a little puzzled, and seemed to be wondering if you were about to have a stroke.

You began walking towards the door, but as you were about to cross it, he extended his arm in front of you, blocking your passageway.

"Stay there for a second."

"What?" you asked, coughing a little to shy the laughter away, and his face was once again briefly puzzled when he heard your voice.

A few seconds later, he softly shook off whatever thought that was, and resumed speaking.

"Is this fair? Asking a student to leave a classroom because they failed to answer an open-ended question?" he inquired the other students, waiting for someone to answer.

"N-no, it's not," some guy answered from the front.

Higuruma gestured for you to seat back where you were, and you clumsily stepped your way back, face flustered in utter and absolute embarrassment. This was definitely how bad it all could get. Is he dunking on me for spilling coffee on him and running? That's petty.

 The man was certifiably insane. He was lucky to be so good-looking.

"And why it is not?" he proceeded with the questioning, slowly walking back towards the front of the class again.

"It would be excessive to do so," another student answered.

"Correct. Precisely that, it would be excessive," Higuruma chimed, sitting back over his desk, legs mildly spread as he opened his suit jacket and mindlessly smoothed out his tie with one of his hands. "Criminal Law isn't just about subsuming a person's actions to something the law has described as a crime, and then mechanically submitting said person to some randomly prescribed penalty. Fairness is the most vital and important theoretical foundation when studying criminal law. Not answering a question could be considered some type of in-class offense, sure, and expulsion from the classroom is one possible way to punish the deviant student, but it would be disproportionate and unreasonable to do so."

His gravely voice filled that classroom with no effort whatsoever, and it was an actually pretty good exposition.

It was one thing to describe what a sunset looks like, and another, very different, was to actually show one happening in real time. Words paled in comparison to the crimson, purplish sky engulfing the end of a day.

Most of your teachers, up until this point, had simply begun writing something on the white board at the start of each class, and made less than memorable remarks while spitting out the theory written in the recommended books list in the syllabus. So distant, so abstract, so… Detached from real life.

This was thought-provoking. This was enthralling. Well, this was the reason you enrolled in law school in the first place. 

For a moment, you forgot this professor had just exercised his petty revenge on you, propping yourself up with trepidation. Your tiredness was completely forgotten as his monologue ensued.

He was the real deal.

"Fairness. It will be your guide to assess if a given penalty after a verdict is adequate or not, if someone who acted in self-defense should be found innocent or exceeded their rights in doing so… If the law itself is good enough as it is or should be subject to change, because a penalty might be too high for a seemingly innocuous offense that shouldn't even be a crime in the first place." 

Higuruma paused for a moment to let his students simmer on his words.

"Fairness is the be-all and end-all of Criminal Law. I need everyone to understand this before we proceed, because fairness will be our primary lens in this classroom when studying the subject. So, can I trust that all of you understood what fairness looks like, rather than what it can be conceptualized as?"

He darted his eyes in your direction, and you saw yourself unconsciously nodding in acquiescence. 

You were sure you caught a whiff of a smile on his face right before he resumed his introductory class of principles in criminal law.

***

“We are the only nerds that do this in the teacher’s lounge,” Higuruma stated, as he made his next move on the checkers board.

“You’re probably right,” Higuruma’s best friend replied in his pristine striped gray suit vest, as he thought for a second before making his own move and taking three consecutive pieces of Higuruma’s checkers as he did.

Higuruma groaned in response. Why does he always win on checkers? Goddammit.

“How are you so good at this, Kento? Let’s play chess, just so then I get to win” he complained, leaning back against his chair. “ I can see you winning this one in three moves.”

Nanami huffed. “Checkers was your idea. Besides, we both have our classes soon, there wouldn’t be enough time for a proper chess game.”

Higuruma removed his glasses and slid them inside one of his suit jacket’s inner pockets, brushing the tips of his fingers against his closed eyelids. He couldn’t catch a wink of rest the previous night, anxious to be back in a classroom after such a long time.

It all became very blurry, so he put his glasses back on.

Higuruma didn’t know if he was eager, nervous, happy or dreading this day.

Perhaps a mix of everything and then some.

“I needed something to wake me up. I’ve barely slept, and I’m in dire need of some coffee.” 

“You could try drinking the coffee from the teacher’s lounge,” Nanami pointed out, gesturing his head in the direction of a creepy looking and unkempt thermal bottle. “I wouldn’t advise you on it, though. Only professor Ieiri has been brave enough to drink it so far.”

“I guess I’ll take my chances with the foul cafeteria coffee, I might survive that.”

Nanami smiled as he looked at his friend.

“You’re too overly dramatic.”

At that, Higuruma scoffed.

“And you’re too underly dramatic. That’s why I teach the passionate, great chair of Criminal Law, and you’re responsible for the boring, sleep-inducing chair of Commercial Law.”

“It pays the bills pretty well at my firm,” the other professor retorted. 

Higuruma lifted an eyebrow, as if offended that Nanami thought that argument would dissuade him from his stance.

They were both silent for a moment before Nanami spoke again, noticing the deep eye bags on Higuruma's face.

“Are you having trouble sleeping?”

“No more than the usual,” Higuruma replied, shuffling on his chair, still focused on the checkers board.

Nanami lifted an inquisitive eyebrow, silent for a while, and Higuruma sighed.

“I mean it. I’m fine.”

Still a little unsure, Nanami nodded.

“Okay. Just reach out and come to my office if you need anything,” he offered, slight concern masked under the monotone of his voice. 

“Aw, he likes me,” Higuruma playfully chanted. “So thoughtful of you, my dear.”

“Tsk, shut up,” Nanami scoffed as he got up, taking his neatly folded blazer on his bent arm, “and it’d take me two moves instead of three to have this victory over you.”

“Seriously?!” Higuruma exclaimed, glancing at the board. Upon further inspection, he realized his friend was right. “Shit.”

“Hiromi, go drink your coffee at once. You’re barely functional right now, there is absolutely no way you could teach a class in the state you’re in.”

“Kento, I could teach criminal law in my sleep,” Higuruma mused before lifting himself up. Nanami sighed as Higuruma exited the room.

***

This might be the worst coffee I’ve ever drank, Higuruma thought to himself as he put his cup over the counter and removed his glasses to pinch on his nose. It was all but a failed attempt to air out the foul taste of that watered down, sad excuse for a coffee.

He tried drinking it with nothing — no sugar, no milk, no sweetener, but this atrocity begged for anything to mask the old powder aftertaste.

After folding his glasses and throwing them in one of his suit’s inner pockets, Higuruma let out a heartfelt sigh, just hoping for things to go smoothly that day.

He'd have his hopes torn to shreds in seconds.

Some loud, hasty steps coming in his direction caught his attention, but as soon as he turned to face whoever that was, Higuruma was met with a hot splash all over his shirt and tie.

You have to be kidding me.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!”

He heard a female voice coming from the blurred face right in front of him. Her voice was what he’d call an unusually sweet — if worried — voice. It had a genuinely kind melodic quality to it.

Even if hasty, her words sounded like a heartfelt apology.

Then, she… chuckled? 

Hm… What?

She seemed to lean over dramatically and grab something from behind his back. 

However, on the way back with her arm, her body brushed against his in a worrying fashion, and Higuruma quickly realized she was about to fall. Even though he was over 24 hours sleepless, adrenaline and his reflexes kicked in, as he held her before she could hit the ground, pulling her against him to stand on her feet.

He was still somewhat disoriented from lack of sleep, and failed to realize his hand was still holding her arm intently before the woman squiggled away from his grip.

There was a red blurry thing under her also blurred face.

Only then did he realize he should probably see her face and talk to her properly about the debacle.

The professor said it was fine and began tapping around his suit, not remembering in which pocket exactly he threw his glasses in. However, before he found it, the bell that indicated the time for the first class rang, and Higuruma realized he had completely lost track of time. 

"Fuck," first class and already running late. 

The woman seemed to apologize and ran away, leaving him dumbfounded.

The professor finally managed to find his glasses, fishing them out of his pocket and putting them on, glad that his next class was at the building just around the corner. 

He walked hastily towards it, and got there in less than a couple of minutes, seizing the opportunity to check on his state on the mirror as he entered the elevator.

The coffee stain was humongous and very evident on his white shirt, but he was glad that at least his black tie seemed to fend off fine from the beverage. As Higuruma passed his fingers over the fabric of both pieces, however, it was somewhat sticky. 

He let out a disheartened sigh, stepping out on the corridor and into the classroom, placing his briefcase on the side of his desk.

Now, what will I teach these people today?

Hiromi began ruffling around his papers trying to find the course syllabus, and realized he hadn't brought it with him. These papers were nothing but useless administrative shenanigans, so he decided to wing it in any way he could to illustrate criminal law for the students.

The thing is, how can you effectively grab someone's attention when it's 7 o'clock in the morning, and most people are completely hungover?

With adrenaline, of course.

***

The rest of the class went on without a hiccup, and you had made much more notes than you anticipated you would. His voice had a weird calming and focusing effect on you, as much as you hated admitting it — also, it wasn't so hard accompanying him walking around making his exposition when his face looked like that.

However, you decided you'd talk to him, first off because it would be incredibly uncomfortable to keep going to both of his classes for six months without ever addressing the coffee faux pas, and second because you had just been victimized by the pettiest revenge known to mankind by a college professor. 

You kind of deserved it, but still. It was pretty immature, even if he was Dr. Genius who just taught the best class you had ever seen in your life.

"So, students, we'll have a quick test this week," Higuruma stated, "the Dean has requested that all professors use these to assess your knowledge every month, and I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."

Many sighs and displeased grunts could be heard around the classroom. He leaned over his desk as he sat, putting his papers away in his briefcase.

"I know, I don't like it either, but at least you'll only need to study a week's worth of content, not a month."

Some hm, fine, ugh, were uttered by the students as they left the classroom. You walked hesitantly behind them all, waiting for everyone to leave before you could speak to him alone. 

You were already going to be remembered as the girl mock expelled from the classroom. No one needed to know you also had assaulted their professor with a desecrated cup of coffee before that.

As you stepped in front of his desk, he lifted his gaze to meet yours.

"Yes?"

Something you hadn't anticipated was that looking at him — and his hooked nose — up close like this would jumble your thoughts around.

Oh, shit. He's handsome.

Dumbified, you spat out the first thing you could think of.

"So, professor, I'm the student you fake expelled earlier," you stated, realizing he obviously already knew that.

Brilliant. Off to a great start.

Higuruma nodded, feeling something prickling at the back of his brain as he heard your voice for a second time.

"What did you think? Was it a good way to convey this class motif?" he asked, finally closing his briefcase and putting it on the ground, completely ignoring the fact that it was probably an uncomfortable experience for all of the people involved, especially you.

You were a little incredulous at how oblivious he seemed to be, and it annoyed you. Was this out of good heart, or was he playing dumb?

"It was a good exposition, professor, but I wanted to talk about something else," you answered.

“5000 yen.”

“... What?”

“That’s my law firm’s hourly fee.”

You stood silent. He chuckled a little, shrugging back.

“I’m joking. I don’t even have a practice. Tell me what you need.”

Is this guy for real?

You cleared your throat before continuing.

“It felt horrible to be on the spot like that out of nowhere, without any knowledge as to what was going on.”

After blurting it out, you braced yourself, knowing full well by now that professors were usually pretty big ego'd kind of people. Nonetheless, this had to be said, at least for the sake of the next student he decided to torture with one of his experiments.

He looked at you with wide eyes, and seemed to ponder for a moment.

“Oh, I see. My apologies,” Higuruma offered in earnest, while his face softened.

You were very surprised.

“Oh, okay," you mumbled as you scratched the back of your neck, "I accept your apology. But maybe you should really give the student a heads-up next time you intend to do that.”

“That would presume I consider that students are people, and not minions to torture.”

Uh?

“Also a joke.”

“You’re not very good with those.”

Did I say that out loud? 

He simply stared surprised at you, seemingly a little shocked.

I did say it out loud.

"Fuck."

And that too. 

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Higuruma suddenly chuckled, much to your surprise. Your eyes widened, and you stared at him, extremely confused as to what was up with this guy.

“You're a sincere person," he noted, and you shrugged hesitantly.

Higuruma was definitely amused at this exchange.

He then proceeded.

"Being sincere is good, but my best friend always warns me to try keeping it to myself most of the time. I don’t listen, of course, but maybe you should for now. People get offended easily.” 

His exposition made you feel a little less out of place — and less alone, for what it was worth. You instantly remembered your parents used to chide you for blurting out things like that out of nowhere, instead of keeping them in your head like other people do, according to them.

You didn't realize you were smiling as you mindlessly opened your coat.

He took notice of your shirt, and began slowly realizing there was something off about it.

"Is that usual?" you asked, out of the blue.

He shook his head, being pulled out of his head. "What?"

"The mock expulsion?"

"Heavens, no."

"Then, why?" you inquired.

He rubbed his face with his hands.

"Because I needed something to wake mine and everybody else's brain up. Classes shouldn't be this early, and I didn't get a wink of sleep last night."

Higuruma was still out of sorts, spilling the tea of his insomniac state to one of his random students whom he had just met.

"Oh, me neither!" you told him, also absentmindedly, on a stream of consciousness rant towards a professor you were talking to for the first time. "Classes should start after noon, at the very least…"

"I know, right? Some things shouldn't be a crime, but making people wake up this early for class definitely ought to be."

You laughed softly, and you both kept silent for a moment, before you remembered what you thought was the reason for the mock punishment.

"Oh, professor… I'm sorry about the coffee."

He was confused for a few moments before broadening his eyes as he finally realized it.

No wonder Higuruma felt like he recognized your voice from somewhere, and now he took a good look at the red smudge he had seen earlier under what he figured was your face.

It was the ugliest scarf he had ever seen.

"I came here wanting to ask if you had done the fake expulsion thing as some sort of…" you sighed, a little ashamed. "Well, I'd like to apologize for staining your clothes, and offer to get you new ones, or at least pay for your laundry fee if needed."

He lifted one eyebrow at you before he resumed speaking.

"I didn't catch your face then. I mean, I didn't recognize you at all," Higuruma answered, "so no. But I'd never… Well, you barely know me, so you wouldn't know, but my opinion on the matter is that professors that exert selfish vendettas against students, for whatever reason, are absolute fools."

"You didn't recognize me? Say what now?"

He pointed at his glasses, and you finally understood completely how all of this petty revenge narrative was entirely in your head.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay."

"But still…"

He sighed.

"It was a possibility, given how things in a college setting usually go, but that is why we investigate things further before prosecuting, right? A narrative might make a lot of sense, up until you confront it with the gathered evidence."

You joined your hands in front of you, embarrassed.

"Yes, I guess so," you answered, "but please, let me at least pay to get your clothes cleaned."

The professor shook his head.

"Absolutely not. You're an undergraduate student. I've been one, I'm quite aware of the financial hardships most of you endure as I've struggled with them myself not so long ago."

Even though you felt somewhat uncomfortable about not evening things out, he was right. This money would be fairly missed — you were already missing the $2 worth of coffee you didn't manage to drink.

"It was an accident, you didn't cover me with your beverage intentionally. Also, you had to leave because you were late for my class," he paused, "and I'm actually flattered you'd leave someone to fend off for themselves against that foul cafeteria coffee just to run to one of my classes."

You chuckled a little, and he proceeded.

"So, it's okay. You don't have to pay me for anything. This is fine."

You sighed, truly relieved, and he was glad you came to talk to him and properly apologize for the blunder.

"Thank you for your time and kindness, professor. I hope you have a good day."

He bowed his head slightly.

"Same to you."

However, something was still scratching at the back of his mind.

"Hm, hey… since we are on the topic of clothing and I just let you off the hook on paying for my dry cleaning…" Higuruma said, and you stopped midway towards the door, turning to face him.

"This might be an odd question, but I'm very curious."

"Hm… what is it?"

He pointed at your sleeping shirt, now evident under the open coat.

"Are those pajamas?"

You immediately pulled your coat over your hello kitty top, lifting one eyebrow in pathetic defiance.

"Of course… not?"

Higuruma thought to himself that you were turning into one of the most unique students he ever had.

"Do you intend to be an attorney?"

"... yes?" You answered, with some suspicion.

He huffed.

"Then improve your lying game for Court. You can do your crazy, but defend it as if it was the utmost truth in the universe, okay?"

Higuruma couldn't quite explain it, but this conversation with you was strangely amusing.

Maybe going back to the classroom wouldn't be so difficult after all, if even half of his students were a little out of sorts like this.

"... Okay," you replied, removing your hand and letting your pathetic sanrio pajamas shirt show once again.

"So, are those pajamas?" he inquired again, more incisively.

You straightened yourself and made a fake serious expression.

"Of course not."

"Much better," Higuruma answered with an actual smile.

The way his cheek creased around his mouth was weirdly charming, just as most things about him, it seemed.

Trying not to stare, you smiled back at Higuruma and turned around, leaving for your next class with heat prickling against your cheeks.

Tag list:

@arusearu @yammy-yammy-yama @markleeisdabestdrug @redlikerozez @delirious-donna

@alwaysfreakingout @murderofravens @senseifupa @higurumapet @cindyneko-strider 

@ohhheymessa @actuallysaiyan @bigbaddulce

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk fanfic #jjk higuruma #higuruma hiromi #higuruma x reader #jjk imagines #jujutsu kaisen higuruma #hiromi higuruma x reader #higuruma #higuruma hiromi x reader #jjk hiromi #hiromi x reader #hiromi jjk #hiromi x you #higuruma hiromi x you #hiromi x y/n #higuruma x y/n #higuruma x you #jjk x reader fluff #jjk x y/n #jjk x you #jjk x reader #jujutsu x reader

[luviemax]

paris -oneshot

a/n: song inspo here!! live luv laugh oscar piastri.

-> oscar piasri x female!reader, no physical description of reader

warnings: none... i think, LOGAN BEST WINGMAN!!!

word count: 867 words

masterlist

Formula 1 is one of the most stressful sports in the world.

Well, that's a rather bold statement, but nevertheless, that doesn't make it less true.

Not only do drivers have to be in tip-top physical shape, but they also have to have the right mindset to race.

If you can't accommodate any of that as a driver, it's more than likely that your career would be over sooner than late.

It's a harsh reminder which is constantly hung over almost every driver's head when they aren't performing up to standard, and most of the time, driver's can't even escape it, because the media are like hunters constantly looking for their prey, which unfortunately happens to be the drivers.

Not only does the media choose to prey on their drivers', but in recent years, they've taken a liking to pursuing the drivers' private lives too, especially their romance lives.

You and Oscar had been seeing each other for around 2 years now. You'd been introduced to each other by a mutual good friend, Logan, and ever since, the two of you had hit it off, and history was history.

However, as previously stated, not all, but most journalists had the pretty snarky habit of snooping into the driver's lives.

In lieu of this, you and Oscar had mutually decided to keep your relationship private to the public eye.

People were aware that yes, Oscar had a girlfriend, but nobody really had an idea about who you were, what you did, or even what you looked like. Of course, this decision came with its own disadvantages, such as being unable to follow him to races or award ceremonies, but to you, the benefits outweighed the cons.

Due to your anonymity, your relationship was a hot topic of viewers, social media pages, and articles alike.

It was almost like a daily routine where you would open your phone first thing in the morning and see articles like: 'The infamously private relationship between Oscar Piastri and his girlfriend: have they broken up?'

Honestly speaking, articles like those were ridiculous- and laughable to you and Oscar.

"Hey," You scoff, "have you seen this?" You ask Oscar one morning in the comfortable silence of your shared London apartment, turning your phone in his direction. He peers at your phone for a moment, scanning the page before his eyebrows begun to furrow and one quirked up. "That's really stupid." Oscar's lips pressed together to form a straight line, voice deadpan. "Yeah, no shit." You sassily retort and the two of you share a good laugh with each other over such a superficial article.

You enjoyed the privacy that the umbrella of your relationship provided you. Of course, that sounds a little funny to the untrained eye, but you and Oscar had never been very public people.

It's a late night, but it's your birthday too.

To celebrate, you've decided have some girl-time with all your best friends at your favourite club, but then again, it is your birthday, and you are the birthday girl, so you go a little ham.

If you asked him to recall the events of that night, Oscar would say 'a little' would be a major understatement.

At the ass-crack of dawn, he recieves a phone call from one of your close friends. "Hey, Oscar?" Your friend asks, the booming bass of the club slightly muffled. "Yeah?" He replies, voice groggy from interrupted sleep. "Your girlfriend's a little out of it," your friend informs him, "She's had quite a bit to drink. I reckon you should pick her up." Within 5 minutes, he was out the front door.

Oscar gives the valet a tight-lipped smile as he passes the keys over.

He spends a good 5 minutes in the crowd of sweaty people attempting to locate you, until he finally spots you.

Just for a moment, he takes a second to himself to admire you.

You're absolutely ethereal in the blinding, neon lights of the nightclub. You have a beaming smile on your face, grinning so hard that your eyes begin to squint with the effort of your grin.

"Hey." Oscar places his hand on your arm, voice still raspy with sleep. "Oscar!" You exclaim, wrapping your arms around his waist and burying your face in his neck. "You sleepy?" He chuckles, weaving his fingers into your hair. "Yeah. Going home?" You ask him. "Sure baby." He reassures you, waving goodbye to your friends and leading you to his car.

Everyone has their own quirks when they get drunk. Some get really emotional. Some people get angry. But as for you... you have a tendency to get really mouthy. The words come out from your mouth faster than you can actually process it.

"You know," you start, chair reclined in the car and voice groggy with exhaustion, "that's what I really love about you." "Hm? What is it?" Oscar looks at you endearingly once you're at a red light. "Ya know, you might not show off our relationship on social media, but you're always there for me, like now." You grin at him, holding his hand over the arm rest. "Always," he promises, "just holler and I'll be there."

#oscar piastri #op81 #oscar piastri x reader #oscar piastri x you #oscar piastri imagine #oscar piastri fluff #oscar piastri smut #f1 x reader

[phoenix-bleh]

A: Oh, I have an idea for Shadow Milk cookie and y/n

I give Shadow Milk Cookie HYPNOTISM.

(please 🙂).

He’s too powerful at this point and hypnotism is definitely a power he would have.

Let's make this a fic

part 2 is here!!

You, Gingerbrave and his friends with Pure Vanilla were on a mission to find White Lily Cookie. Your time in Beast Yeast was overwhelming but you managed. You all did find White Lily and woke her up, but unfortunately “that didn’t magically solve all our problems” according to Wizard Cookie because now there was a big crack right in the middle of the Silver Tree.

There were now blue glowing eyes and two large hands spilling out of the tree from the rift. “Ooooooh! I see that those pesky little vine shackles that have held us captive for oh so, so, SO long…. Are gone!” The voice from the tree laughed that sent shivers down everyone's spine “whoa. That was deeply unpleasant…”

The knights of the tree started to desperately fight against it  in hopes that this awful predicament can be resolved before things get terribly out of hand.

You and the other decided to help and fight against it as well. After some time the large hands retreated back into the tree and everyone sighed in relief. That however was very short lived when the rift in the tree got even bigger than it did before. 

“OOOOHHHHHhhh doesn’t this fresh air just feel, DIVINE!”

A huge figure popped out of the tree and loomed over everyone. You couldn’t believe it, no one did. “Oh, I see I have quite the audience here!” This wasn’t supposed to happen at all. “I'm SO TERRIBLY sorry to have kept you waiting!” He stared down at all of you “But now the wait is over…your favorite trickster is here!” It was him, you couldn’t believe it was him. How doomed were all of you gonna be? “Shadow Milk Cookie!”

He grinned and examined everyone below him. You all just stood there in shock of what was happening. His eyes then landed on you and you swear that his smile got even wider. “Oh what do we have here?” Uh oh. He grabbed you by the back of your shirt and lifted you up to his face. Your friends were calling for you but you could barely hear them because of how high up you were.

“LET ME GO! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!” you shouted at him and started punching the air in an attempt to get him to drop you “Hehe you’re a feisty one aren't you?” He tilted his head at you with the same wide smile on his face. He then placed you on his hand and used his other hand he was previously holding you with to tilt your head up at him.  

“What’s a cute lil cookie like yourself doing in a place like this hm? I must say you caught my eyes. How about you join me in my plan on world domination?” You stare at him in disbelief. Why in the world would someone like him say something like that about you. He’s obviously lying; he is literally the embodiment of deceit. You continue looking at him not noticing the swirls in his eyes.

Why couldn’t you look away?

Were you really considering his offer? What he’s saying couldn’t be true….but what if it was true? I mean you had a boring life already, maybe you could spice it up a bit. Wait but you can’t betray your friends like that! But in the end would it even matter? Maybe you should just accept his offer-

Before you could finish your thought something had hit Shadow Milk Cookie in the head and he dropped you. You fell into Mercury Knight Cookies arms and he flew you back down to the ground with the rest. You shook your head realizing that those weren't your thoughts at all and he almost tricked you! “Thank you.” You told him “Of course, but no time to talk, we gotta get out of here!” He grabbed your hand and you all ran off.

“UGH you flying little PEST!!”

....to be continue?

#crk x reader #shadow milk cookie #shadow milk cookie x reader #cookie run kingdom x reader

[ancientgoddessofegypt]

ASTROLOGY OBSERVATIONS PT. 13 DIVINE FEMININE - ART OF TRANSFORMATION

So I want to get into the signs, houses, and aspects that express a form of transformation that isn't recognized thru them majority of the time. Scorpio placements will be one of the energies I get into, however it isn't the only one that has this gift down pack.

All placements have different forms of healing & transformation. I'm just highlighting the observations I've been getting from each sign listed thus far.

Aries Rising/Virgo Placements - > These two energies have an ability to let go of their environments, circumstances and going deep into the mind to let things happen. What I mean is, both these placements are strictly head first in a lot of what they do and this can be a pretty tricky battle. The way they transform is through the heart, and the body and the mind follows suit after. At some point in their reality, they will have to let the mind go, in order to form the life they wish to live for themselves more openly.

For aries however, this isn't typically their issue. Their issue lies in always moving with their head, and not being strategic like their Virgo pals. Moves made first without thinking doesn't teach them anything and once they learn to allow the mind to form a new way of doing things this is where they challenge themselves and create a new persona.

Scorpio Placements deal with transformation a lot differently. It is an everyday cycle, not something they can shut up. Unlike their friends the virgos and aries, they can shut this down through their minds and can easily suppress things quicker. Scorpios, unfortunately cannot get the same. Because they feel everything. And I mean everything. And internally, they know whats the spiritual reason as to why they are the way they are so their pain/trauma is justified. The art of transformation for these cats is to look into that mirror into the void and explore the rage, warmth, the things that matter and the things that don't and letting it shape them. They have the wounds to impact others with healing methods if they just listen to themselves. The way they transform is through the psyche, the unconscious realms. Their doing shadow work without all the journaling or magic. It just comes to them.

Pisces/Neptune Placements are constantly shapeshifting. Their form of transforming is strictly from the ethereal realm, and it finds its way through physical activity or thru the imagination. Their world is constantly shifting and changing and in most cases you can find it through their clothing style, the way they express themselves and even thru their perspective. All 3 of the things I mention in conjunction all align together when something mentally changes them, since they are ruled by the subconscious/unconscious part of their brain more then their peers.

Moon/Cancer placements have a dark side that at some point of their life they shift into. Most never see this to be a real thing until well... something or someone changes them to that direction. This transformation is almost inevitable. They have to learn the darkside of their emotions or else it'll literally hurt them in the end. They must go down the dark depths of their soul to conquer the hidden array of demons that they kept under their beds so long ago. Skeletons in their closet is an understatement, its not the type that we are normally use to seeing from this group. You wouldn't believe their like that.

On the brighter side, this shows that these people are multidimensional and not just the sweet loving nurturing breed of individuals they normally keep you accustomed to. When they get to this phase, they aren't for the weak. So get use to it when the get their because they'll balance out both personalities for the better.

Libra Placements - Have a mental transformation they embark in throughout their life. Their perspectives change them in a way that forms a fair yet equal link to other humans as they're prone to be more selfish in the beginning. The heart is also where they transform, and it is through love they really can make a difference. Everything is prone to mental physics first, then the heart leads the way. Their not use to showing all their skin, but usually when they do its because something or someone made them bare their heart, for better or for worse. If it gets worse, than they'll start being the ones to play you for your heart. If best, they'll learn to share that love in all ways as their charm lights up even more. For individuals who are normally private, their vulnerabilities is what sheds away the old demons and become aware of their souls embarking on ways compassion could heal them and others around them.

Virgos have to live a little, that's simple. Normally the picture perfect group, they have to focus on the heart and the body and NOT what the mind is telling them. They can't live in those rose colored glasses they made themselves. They gotta let things around them be as it may, and they can join the circus if they like. Being more open to things outside of their comfort zone challenges their old self, while creating a new one. Something shifts inside of their body before that transformation really starts to hit. Their the rulers of the maiden-mother-crone phase. Psychological something changes them during certain points in their life weakening they old self and making new beginnings form with experience. They are connected to the kundalini and the serpent mind. More to come on this seperately.

#astrology thoughts #astrology #astrology theories #tropical astrology #astrology observations #astro observations #astro notes #astro thoughts

[flower-boi16]

Hellaverse's World Building Problems (100 Follower Special!)

World-building is one of the most important things in any fantasy show, it fleshes out the setting the characters live in and tells you how things work. Unfortunately, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss have several issues when it comes to they're world-building that harm both series and in this post, I'm going to discuss them.

1. Obsession with Pride

An issue I have with Hellaverse's world-building is that, for some reason, sinners aren't allowed in any other ring outside of the pride ring. So, this creates a few problems. The first is that Hazbin Hotel can now only use one setting rather than the other six it has because the characters are forced to be stuck there, so we'll have to use the same exact setting in a world with six more.

This wouldn't be such a problem if it weren't for the fact that the pride ring itself is an extremely boring setting, it just looks like our world except red, and there's nothing unique or interesting about it aside from there being demons there.

The only place in the pride ring that has any potential to be interesting is cannibal town, and even then, it just looks like a normal town, there isn't exactly any cannibalization in it to be seen.

The other rings at least have interesting themes to them that make them distinct from each other, the pride ring is just some boring city painted in red. Then there's the issue of why sinners are even kept in the pride ring at all?

I'll go into this more later but the hierarchy in hell is very inconsistent at times. Imps are supposed to be lower class than sinners yet they have access to all the rings while sinners can only be in one. So why would Lucifer keep the sinners in the pride ring and only in the pride ring? The show doesn't bother giving an explanation for this at all.

I've seen the argument go around that it makes the exorcists do their job more effectively which while does make sense...it also doesn't exactly do very well for Lucifer as a character if he intentionally kept his own people in one ring so killing them would be easier. It loses a lot of sympathy points for him for me.

Besides, the show itself still needs to explain these plot holes rather than forcing fans to make fan theories over it. Seriously, I searched this question up on Google and I found so many people asking this, and all of the responses to the posts were people just making educated guesses because the show itself never bothered to actually EXPLAIN this.

So it's not even all of Hell having an overpopulation problem, it's just the pride ring specifically because sinners are confined there forever. If Charlie wants to solve Hell's overpopulation problem, why not ask her daddy to let sinners into other rings? (Assuming she doesn't know the actual reason why Heaven does this which totally does create serious issues with the show) Again, it's just the pride ring having an overpopulation problem, not all of Hell, so why Charlie never figured this out is beyond me.

But confining the characters to the pride ring creates more issues than just that, because now the show can't flesh out the other rings because it forces the characters to be stuck in just one.

So, you get the next issue with Hellaverse's world-building...

2. Packing World Building in a spin-off

Because Hazbin Hotel can't flesh out its world itself, it needs to rely on its spin-off, Helluva Boss, to flesh it out instead. This becomes a problem when you look at Hazbin as a stand-alone show separate from Helluva Boss; if you did not watch Helluva Boss, Hazbin's world-building would come across as fairly underdeveloped due to the characters being confined to one ring, so the other rings wouldn't get much fleshing out or development causing Hell as a setting to feel underdeveloped.

Hazbin Hotel is the main series of Hellaverse, it should be able to stand on its own as a stand-alone show and should not need a spin-off to flesh out its world-building. A new viewer should not have to watch a spin-off show to get more out of the main show's world-building, the main show should've fleshed out its world itself rather than rely on a spin-off for it.

This is why confining the characters to just the pride ring is a bad idea, the show can't flesh out its world now and it has to rely on a spin-off series to do that, so in order for a new viewer to experience more of the other rings, they would need to watch a spin-off show which is entirely supplemental material that one normally does not need to watch to understand things about a story.

Without HB, the other rings in Hazbin are very underexplored and underdeveloped, because we never get to see them or flesh them out. It needs to rely on its spin-off to flesh out its world, and that's bad because a spin-off is SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL. A viewer should not need to watch supplemental stuff to understand things about the main show, it should not be a required watch to get more of the world-building fleshed out.

Though, if anything, Helluva Boss just creates more world-building problems within the franchise, such as...

3. Hell's Hierarchy

So, in the Hazbin Hotel, there is a hierarchy in Hell. The order from most power to least is...

Lucifer

Charlie and Lilith

The Seven Deadly Sins

Ars Goetias

Overlords

Sinners

Hell Borns

Imps and Hell-Hounds

The problem here is that Hell's hierarchy is constantly ignored or broken by both of the shows. For example, Sinners and Overlords are confined to only the pride ring, meanwhile, Imps and Hell hounds, who are LOWER CLASS than Sinners and Overlords, are allowed to go to any ring that they like.

Then there's Beelzebub, whose mere existence causes issues. Let's get the obvious out of the way; why is a HELLHOUND one of the deadly sins when those are supposed to be just as lower class as imps? This could work if Beelzebub specifically had the least amount of power of the sins, but she doesn't.

FURTHERMORE, once we just ignore the fact that Beelzebub is a sin despite being a hellhound, we then have to open the can of worms that is her having a boyfriend who is also a hellhound, and...nobody cares about this?

I'm sorry, if a sin is perfectly allowed to date a hell hound in public, then why is it such a big deal when Stolas and Ozzie are caught fucking imps? Do the other sins not know about this??? Does Lucifer not know about this??? If so, why not??? Surely one of them being in a relationship with a hellhound would get they're attention...right?

And if they do know about this then again, why is it such a big deal that a Goetia Prince is sleeping with an imp and a sin, who is ABOVE HIM IN TERMS OF POWER, being in a relationship with a hellhound, who are just as if not MORE lower-class than imps, not? It's a confusing inconsistency.

Also, and I JUST REALIZED THIS, but what even happens when a sin or goetia is found out to be fucking an imp or hell hound? Seriously, what consequences does that sin or goetia even face? Stolas has been exposed for fucking Blitz ever since the end of season 1 yet he has received NO consequences at all, and like I said, Beezlebulb is allowed to be in a relationship with someone who is on the SAME LEVEL AS IMPS.

So why would Ozzie even need to hide his relationship with Fizz at all? What are the consequences for being in a relationship with a hellhound or imp? So far, there appears to be absolutely none! So why is it even that big of a deal when Stolas gets found out? Why does Ozzie need to hide his relationship with Fizz if there aren't going to be any consequences for it?

These plot holes hurt my BRAIN to think about. There is no consistency here, Hell's Hierarchy barely fucking matters in either of the shows, and characters higher up in the hierarchy are allowed to do SEVERAL things with lower classes and face no consequences despite the show trying to say they would. Oh, but all of what I just mentioned are just issues with HELL's world-building, now it's time to get into...

4. Heaven

I already talked about the problems with Heaven in the show so I won't dwell on the issues I've already talked about too much, however, Heaven still has many world-building issues like Hell does. For one, as I've already pointed out, we don't even know how Heaven even WORKS.

I already asked these questions before but like. How does one get into Heaven? What are the requirements for what make a good or bad person? We don't actually know and we never will because Heaven for SOME REASON doesn't have it's own criteria for what does or doesn't make a good person...

...WHY??!? Why don't they have this??? So how does one even GET into Heaven at all???? We have no idea of how Heaven works because the show never actually bothers putting in the effort to explain that.

Who even decides whether or not to get into Heaven??? Who is in charge of that??? Answer: We don't fucking know. Sera mentions the "divine judgment", which, after a quick Google search, says "the action of God's retributive justice by which the destiny of rational creatures is decided according to their merits and demerits"

So basically god decides who goes into Heaven or Hell, which would make sense...if it weren't for the fact, from what I've heard from other blogs...Viv said that god doesn't exist in HH or HB...so...

...divine judgment by WHO EXACTLY???? The lack of explanation of what does or doesn't get somebody into Heaven is made worse with Pentious getting into Heaven in the season finale.

I have already complained about this multiple times but like. HOW DID PENTIOUS GET INTO HEAVEN???? WHY DID HE GET INTO HEAVEN???????? He literally got killed by Adam! He should be a bunch of energy right out according to the wiki! Yet he makes it into Heaven anyway???? WHY????? The show never explains this at all! The only thing resembling a logical explanation I could find was on the wiki and even then the article was just speculating because again, the show didn't bother to actually explain this.

Viv. Can you PLEASE for the love of god (no pun intended) actually explain the rules of your world and its world-building? People should not have to create theories to patch up plot holes in your world-building, actually, EXPLAIN this shit for once.

Oh, and I'm still not done, because now there's the fact that the entirety of Heaven and most of Heaven's higher-ups except for Sera never knew of the exterminations, which creates MORE plot holes.

Did none of Heaven's citizens or other higher-ups question why the exorcists had BLOOD on them when they came back from Hell? Wouldn't have any of them put two and two together and think "Hey so they are probably killing people down there". Did none of them even question what was the point of the exorcists at all? How was Sera able to hide this stuff? Once again, the show doesn't answer ANY OF THIS.

Oh, and I'm STILL not done, because now, it's time to open the can of worms that apparently does not exist in this universe.....WHY?!?!? According to Google, the angels were created BY GOD. So, if he doesn't exist, how did the angels exist either? Who created them??? Heck, who even created HEAVEN ITSELF?????? Removing god from this universe creates so many issues and breaks the entire show. sigh, ok, I think that's enough....

5. Conclusion

So, Hellaverse's world-building has MANY issues. There are a lot of plot holes and thoughts about it that don't get answered, as well as hell itself, specifically the pride ring being incredibly boring visually. Not to mention a lot of the world-building is packed into a SPIN-OFF SHOW. So...ya, hope you liked my post, and thank y'all for 100 followers! So...bye.

#vivziepop critical #hazbin hotel critical #helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #vivziepop criticism #hazbin hotel criticism #spindlehorse critical #spindlehorse criticism #hellaverse critical #hellaverse criticism #thx for 100 followers! #tumblr milestone special

[ddejavvu]

can i request telling aaron you are not the type of person to get married or have kids because of some childhood stuff. maybe him trying to convince you it doesnt matter but you fighting him and saying that its all he’s wanted. sorry for the specificity, just going through an awakening.

You've always had this sinking feeling that you and Aaron aren't right for each other in the long run. It's bliss now, cuddled up on the couch for a movie night or bent over the kitchen counter when you've got the house to yourselves, but when your mind starts moving beyond date nights and sex-capades, you panic.

You're not the marriage type. A long relationship doesn't bother you, but the label, the spectacle, the permanence of it all unnerves you. It's an issue that's stemmed from your young years, and it hasn't gone away yet. Kids are even worse to think about; at least, having your own. Aaron's son is a sweetheart, and you have no problem making him lunches or tucking him in with a story at night, but the thought of having one of your own makes you want to flee.

Unfortunately, you think that's exactly what Aaron wants with you.

The conversation starts with an innocent, but inappropriate question from Jack, "Daddy, when are you and Y/N getting married?". And you foresee it ending in a breakup, which is why your chest is tight and your breathing is shallow while Aaron rubs your back. You're sitting on the bed, faced away from him, outwardly closed-off, but he's still comforting you.

"Sweetheart," His deep voice hums, "He didn't mean anything by it. He doesn't understand how the world works, he thinks anyone who's dating has to be married. He asked JJ's niece when she's getting married to her boyfriend, they're sixteen."

"It's not his fault," You mutter, "It's mine."

"Well that's not true," Aaron wants to scold you, but he refrains, "It's not your fault you don't want to be married."

"But it's not your fault you do, either."

"I'd love to marry you," Aaron answers honestly, "But not if you don't want to. I'd also love to date you, to live with you, to love you regardless of our marital status. Marriage isn't the dream, you are."

"I don't want kids, either." You remind him, your back still turned. "Jack is sweet. But I don't want to have one myself."

"That's alright," Aaron agrees without hesitation, "I don't need another one."

"Dammit, Aaron," You snap, moving away from his touch, "Why are you doing this? Why are you sacrificing your wants like this?"

"I'm not sacrificing anything," He frowns, watching as you retreat towards the bay window in your shared bedroom, "If this wasn't worth it for me, I wouldn't be here. But you are worth it."

"You want to be married," You inform him, pinching the bridge of your nose between two fingers, "You want kids. Hello, that's exactly what you did with Haley!"

"Haley is exactly why I don't care if we're married with kids," He huffs, "Our marriage certificate didn't stop that bullet. Jack wasn't enough to convince Foyet to spare her. People die, and terrible things happen, and if you don't love people while they're here, you may never get to again. Sweetheart, I don't love you because I want to get married to you. I don't love you because I want to have kids with you. I love you because you're you, and I want to love you forever. I don't care if we get married. I don't care if we have kids. I just care that I get to love you while I still can."

You speak through the tears that have blossomed on your water line, "But don't you still want that stuff? Even if you don't need it?"

"Honey," He says, like he's exasperated with you, "I don't care. I have Jack already, I don't need you to force yourself to have a kid with me if you don't want one. And marriage isn't a requirement for love. Marriage is- it's a piece of paper, sweetheart. A legal title. I don't need one of those, I don't need another kid, all I need is you. All I want is you."

"What if you change your mind?" You sniffle, and as your shoulders deflate, his arms wrap around your waist.

"I don't think I will," His chest presses to your back, and his lips brush against the shell of your ear. He’d kiss it if if was a less sensual place, but he doesn’t want you to think he’s making any moves. Not now, not when you’re just barely starting to lean into his embrace.

“But if I do, we’ll discuss it, and you’ll know. Okay? I won’t keep it a secret.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” He nods, nestling his cheek flush to yours, “You’re what I want, sweetheart.”

#aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner scenario #aaron hotchner oneshot #aaron hotchner one-shot #aaron hotchner one shot #aaron hotchner headcanon #aaron hotchner headcanons #aaron hotchner hc #aaron hotchner hcs #aaron hotchner fanfiction #aaron hotchner fanfic #aaron hotchner fic #aaron hotchner blurb #aaron hotchner drabble #aaron hotchner dialogue #aaron hotchner fluff #aaron hotchner x reader fanfiction

[lizz-crimson]

MK Characters Intro Banter With Monster Hunter Reader!

In this scenario the Reader is a monster hunter from the Monster Hunter game franchise! I love, love, love MH, and I also love, love, love, MK! So why not bring them together!? Reader is gender neutral and is simply called 'hunter' in these.

Tags/warnings: Language, talk of violence (against people and animal-like monsters), Monster Hunter termanology and references, Reader is a funny monster hunting badass!

Characters: Liu Kang, Scorpion, Raiden, Johnny Cage.

Part 2 Part 3

Liu Kang

You: "Y'know, I hunt dragons for a living."

Lui Kang: "Is that a threat, hunter?"

You: "Just a friendly heads up."

Liu Kang: "What are those blades made of?"

You: "My dual blades? These are made from the parts of Rathalos and Rathian I've hunted."

Liu Kang: "They are pulsing with both flame and poison..."

Liu Kang: "My dragon fire does not effect you nearly as much as others."

You: "These talismans aren't for show, Liu."

Liu Kang: "Let's see if I can't knock them off!"

You: "I'd love to see you get into a kick-off with a Seregios."

Liu Kang: "A Seregios? Another monster of yours?"

You: "Just imagine a golden parrot with knives for feathers. ...They also kick really hard."

Scorpion

You: "Never thought I'd meet someone as angry as an Odogaron."

Scorpion: "My rage cannot ever be sated."

You: "I can't imagine how hard that is.."

Scorpion: "Have a taste of hellfire!"

You: "Please no, I've already hunted a Magnemalo today.. "

Scorpion: "I will prove a much bigger challenge."

You: "It feels odd fighting you."

Scorpion: "How so, hunter?"

You: "I only ever fight monsters. I feel I may go too hard on you."

Scorpion: "That longsword is impressive."

You: "Thanks! It's made from that Teostra you saw me hunting earlier!"

Scorpion: "You mean to tell me you successfully slayed that creature?!"

Raiden

Raiden: "What are these Elder Dragons you speak of?"

You: "They are the scientifically unexplainable monsters that roam my world. I have fought and slain many."

Raiden: "Impressive. We could use your skills in defending Earthrealm."

You: "A Zinogre would be a good companion for you, Raiden."

Raiden: "I have no interest in pets."

You: "Not even a dragon dog with natural thunder abilities?"

Raiden: "I must admit, you are hard to strike with my lightening."

You: "I had to get good at dodging thunder attacks when a Kirin went berserk back home."

Raiden: "Your world has made you versatile indeed."

You: "Raiden, help me test out my new weapon!"

Raiden: "Are you welding an axe or a sword and shield?"

You: "Both, baby!"

Johnny Cage

Johnny Cage: "Damn, you take hits like a tank!"

You: "Armor and food, Johnny. Armor and food."

Johnny Cage: "What are those cats feeding you!?"

You: "Ready to face the music, Johnny?"

Johnny Cage: "Wait, you mean that's not a hammer?!"

You: "I'm gonna play the Ninja Mime theme while bludgeoning you to the pavement!"

You: "No Johnny, you cannot pet the monster I captured."

Johnny Cage: "Why not? It's just a big turkey!"

You: "A Kulu-Ya-Ku is stronger than it looks!"

Johnny Cage: "You beat that poor thing to death!"

You: "Unfortunately, that Pukei-Pukei became to aggressive near my village. I had no choice."

Johnny Cage: "Well pookie-pookie didn't know what hit her.."

------

Hope ya liked these! I keep saying I'm gonna post write stuff here but never do lol

Here's the monsters mentioned in these interactions for those curious! I put them in a lil collage in the order that they were mentioned!

#mortal kombat #monster hunter #mortal kombat fanfiction #mortal kombat x reader #liu kang #scorpion #raiden #johnny cage

[fortunatelychaoticphantom]

Why is the fact that Jesus and Jews were from Israel considered controversial? It’s what we’re taught at school (and for Christians - church) in the US.

I’m genuinely asking, this isn’t sarcastic. No one I know has ever disputed that fact before.

Hello!

You're referring to this post.

It's controversial because denying the connection of Jewish people (especially Ashkenazim but not only) to the land of Israel is a fundamental aspect of post-modern antisemitism.

Classical and modern antisemitism, particularly in Europe, relied on the Jewish people's foreignness to dehumanize them. It was obvious they were Not From Here, despite living there for centuries and longer, and many demanded that they Go Back To Where They Came From. And then they did.

But antisemitism didn't go away just because Israel was founded, it simply morphed, just like it had between its classical phase (centered on religious otherness, religious "crimes" and blood libels) and its modern phase (centered on race theory and economics).

Of course, right-wingers are still classically and modernly antisemitic. They usually don't bother to hide their hatred, it's pretty fundamental to their ideology and identity (though there are aspects of hiding, especially with holocaust denial). But the left has always been just as antisemitic as the right. But it has also grown in the post-modern age, after world war 2, with specific ideologies, centered around notions of humanism and the importance of human and minority rights. And antisemitism doesn't sit well with these notions, especially not after the holocaust... So something had to change. Unfortunately, it wasn't the antisemitism.

This is a classic cognitive dissonance; I feel something (hatred for Jews) that is inconsistent with my ideology (hating people based on their ethnicity is bad). In such instances you can either 1) work to change your actions (it doesn't matter what I feel, as long as I don't harm Jews, and eventually I might change my feelings for them); or 2) change your believes (Jews aren't a category worth protecting).

Now, "hating Jews" is still a big no-no in western left circles. Even now you can't actually directly say it (obviously this was true before October 7th. It seems like even these rules are changing as we speak). So westerners needed to do two things: 1) white-ify the Jewish people (especially the Ashkenazim) and 2) shift the focus on Israel.

The white-ification of the Jewish people is a major theme is western leftist circles in the past 70 years, especially in the US because of its complicated history with race and ethnicity, but it's prevalent in many other countries as well (it should be noted that Jewish people themselves have contributes to this phenomena for many reasons, but this is not the place for this discussion).

In the post-modern age, "whiteness" means "evil" and it is connected to European and western imperialism and colonization. So, essentially, they change what being a Jew is - a white person, as opposed to a Levantine person. This is where some of these people will do mental gymnastics to deny where Jews are originally from, whether denying modern Jews have anything to do with the historical ones (and many choose this route) or somehow both admitting they are from Israel but saying it doesn't matter because it happened a long time ago and then with the same breath talk about how Palestinians are the indigenous ancient people of the land (they are both indigenous, the world is just that stupid). Now, since white people are evil, they are open for criticism, especially if they are colonizers. And since Jews are white now, it makes no sense for them to live in the Middle East.

Which brings us to refocusing their criticism on Israel. Here, people have to walk a fine line between a legitimize political criticism of the Israeli government and the society itself throughout the years (and there are MANY justified criticisms...) and just being antisemitic. Unfortunately, western leftist circles tend to lean more heavily into the latter. And, again, as has been particularly evident for the last three weeks, their focus is on identifying Israel as colonizing enterprise, not just beyond the 67' Green Line, but by it's very nature of existence, since Jews are white now and don't belong there.

And now, once again, they call us to Go Back To Where We Came From (just to be very clear - Palestinians and the rest of the world are doing it as well), despite that part of the world literally saying "don't bring them here, they are not from here", like they always did, just like the post OP was sharing. Only those Europeans aren't saying "Jews are from the Land of Israel and they deserve to live there", they are just saying what the entire world has been saying for the past two thousand years - we don't want Jews anywhere, period.

They don't give a shit about where Jews are from. Some of them say we're from Europe for the sole purpose of destroying Israel. And they would gladly displace millions of Jews and send them to live again with the people who tried and nearly succeeded to annihilate us. Everyone else just don't care, as long as they can hurt us, but also refuse to accept us as their own. And trust me - if and god forbid when millions of Jews will once again become refugees, not a single nation around the world from which We Came From would take us in. Not one.

I know that people know where Jews are from, but the fact remains that huge sections of the world right now, especially on the left side of the political map, will actively deny it.

Because the truth is - the world doesn't give a shit what Jews are or are not. The world doesn't give a shit where Jews are from or aren't from. The world doesn't want Jews in Israel, and it doesn't want Jews anywhere else.

The only place the world deems the Jews to belong to is their graves.

#jewish things #antisemitism