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yanderambling · 1 year

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omg i’m thrilled that y’all like him so much!!! and these ideas were soso tasty ugh your minds~ i had a lot of fun with this, maybe too much if you look at the wc lol, so i hope y’all enjoy <3 ALSO continuity note: since Adrian is so popular, i won't carry major events through different stories unless requested, that way everyone can have their own version of his story! but i'll be keeping general facts about Adrian the same unless otherwise specified, like his parents being rich because i find it funny~ thank you and goodnight <3 (and yes i switched this gif with the last part shhhh it’s okay)

pairing: Masochist Puppyboy!Yandere(m) x Bully!Reader(gn)

words: ~ 4.6k

you can read the previous part here!

CW: 18+, NSFW, yandere behavior, stalking, bullying, physical/verbal abuse, BDSM themes, poor BDSM etiquette but neither party minds

Adrian nearly choked when he heard his name read next to yours for the school project.

It took you a second to recognize his; you mostly just call him mutt. Once you realized, you loudly groaned at the prospect of spending the week with that pest.

Adrian couldn’t hear it over his racing heart.

As soon as class lets out, he's right at your side, yammering on about project materials and meeting arrangements and times and "we should really meet at one of our houses so we don't have to worry about distractions, I'm fine with coming to yours! It's closer to school anyway, right? It'll be more private- I just think it makes sense-"

You finally shut him up by making the executive decision that you’ll work at his house (you don’t need him shedding on your furniture, or potentially getting any personal ammunition against you; he is way too interested in being inside your home, and how does he know it’s closer to school?).

Adrian was crestfallen that he wouldn’t get to go in your house (and smell the pure you imbued in your furniture, and pretend he’s really your dog while you sit together- maybe in your bedroom!-, and snoop through your underwear drawer when you go to the bathroom, and snoop through your bathroom when he goes in right after you...), but he was still over the moon at the idea of having you in his space.

(He’ll just visit your window later tonight like usual, anyway- he'll still get high off that closeness alone. Win/win!)

Adrian doesn't think about anything else for the rest of the day, zoning through his classes and plastered to your side whenever he gets the chance, just alight with energy and anticipation and not shutting up about it- he's lucky there's too many witnesses for you to knock him quiet (oh, but he would feel so much luckier if you did).

You would totally bail on this project if you weren’t already failing this class, which is mostly on account of you bailing. You’re wondering if all those cut classes were worth having to work with this, but you’re not feeling hopeful.

The day seems to drag on forever for both of you, for vastly different reasons. By the time school lets out, Adrian is buzzing out of his skin and you're seconds away from ripping it off him.

As you two start the trek to his place, Adrian can't get over how surreal it feels to walk beside you. It's like you two are a couple, and you're walking him home for an after school study date!

He gets lost in the daydream easily, giving you a brief reprieve from his energy, and allowing you to absently notice his rapidly wagging tail almost propelling him down the sidewalk. You can't help but smirk a little at the image that conjures in your mind.

He's truly ridiculous, you can't really believe him sometimes. Doesn't that thing ever get tired? What does he think is gonna happen that's got him so damn excited? That he's gonna get in good with you somehow (hopefully) and you'll leave him alone? (never in his wildest dreams.)

Yeah, fat chance.

When Adrian stops at his house, you think he's joking. But then he walks right up the driveway of this random McMansion, motioning you along eagerly, and enters a security code before holding the door open for you with a clearly anticipatory smile.

...The fuck.

You did not count on Adrian’s family being loaded. He certainly doesn't dress or groom like it.

You consider berating him for not mentioning it, but decide against it for the risk of seeming stupid- to Adrian of all people. You do make a mental note for your future errand requests, though.

Adrian’s parents aren’t home, he tells you his mom is always traveling and his dad basically lives at his office. You’re relieved that you won’t have to put on a nice face for the folks, but there’s apparently still a live-in housekeeper that floats around (are you fucking kidding?) so you stay diligent.

Adrian suggests you two work in his room; you figure the further from watchful eyes, the better.

Despite it being his idea, Adrian can't help his giddy nervousness as you enter his room (he’d texted the housekeeper to make sure it was clean as soon as you decided to come over, lucky he keeps his souvenirs hidden away whenever he’s not admiring them).

The room is frankly ridiculous, easily twice the size of yours, a king bed in the corner, a desk and coffee table and two dressers, and yet adorned with piles of clothes and clutter and more genres of nerdy shit than you even knew existed.

"Yeah, okay, parts of this make sense."

Adrian cocks his head, opening his mouth to ask what you mean, when he suddenly chokes on air.

You've made a bee-line right to his desk, covered in books and papers for hobbies and school alike, but also holding a locked drawer at the very bottom in which he keeps his "school collection" (just discarded pencils with bitten erasers, torn up notebook paper he can still smell your hands on, old gym shorts you were probably gonna replace soon anyway, a bandaid here, a plastic fork there; nothing crazy).

He watches with bated breath as you sift through the contents of his desk, occasionally scoffing or chuckling at what you find. He lets out a sigh when you seem to grow bored, just for you to move on to his dresser and have his stomach doing somersaults all over again.

Maybe he should've asked the housekeeper to hide his stuff better and just braved the questions later...

You move throughout the room like you own it (you do, as far as the both of you are concerned), making little jabs at his various posters and figurines which make his whole body flush hot with pleasure because you're noticing things about him, but every other move you make sends his heart jumping into his throat in a completely different way.

It only takes a minute or two for the stress to get to him.

“Ah- hey! Uh, maybe we should- maybe we should start on the project, right?”

You bark a laugh and spin on your heel to face him, an incredulous half-grin pulling your lips and revealing a gut-twisting flash of teeth.

"We?"

Oh, yeah, he much prefers those intense eyes boring into him.

He starts spluttering placations immediately. "No! Well, uhm, I didn't mean- you, you don't- have to- obviously, I mean, I don't- I wouldn't-"

You roll your eyes and shove past him, effectively cutting him off as you flop down onto his abominably soft mattress. "Right, yeah, whatever. Let's get one thing straight here, okay?"

Adrian nods, his whole being drawn to focus at your entrancingly commanding tone. Although, it's incredibly hard to focus on anything with the sight of you on his bed right in front of him; he's already planning how to avoid that area so it'll retain your scent longer, he wonders if he could cut that part of the duvet out and keep it in an airtight container, maybe the sheets under it too just to be safe...

"This is not a "we" situation, got it? I'm not lifting a damn finger for this bullshit, that's what you're there for." Adrian has a purpose to you! "I am only here to make sure you're actually doing it, which shouldn't be a problem because if we get anything less than an A, it's gonna be your ass."

As tempting as it is to see what punishment you would inflict upon him, Adrian really really really wants to please you- and he's pretty good at this subject anyway!

You then cross your arms and lean back just enough to look down your nose at him. "Got it?"

Adrian can't answer fast enough.

"Yes! Yes, that's perfect! Awesome, good- great!"

But then he doesn’t make a move. Ha.

He looks a little lost, standing in the middle of his own room, barely biting down a grin and wringing his hands as he seems to wait for another command.

Apparently, you’ve trained him well.

You scoff and let yourself fall onto your back as you pull out your phone (Adrian's gonna need a bigger airtight container).

"Well, go on then, we don't have all day."

Adrian scrambles to get to work. He quickly positions himself on the floor by the foot of the bed and pulls the coffee table closer, emptying his school bag carelessly onto the carpet.

You huff a laugh at the sight, all this money and the kid's parents couldn't buy him any class. Maybe sloppiness is an inherent trait, like his apparent passion for service- nobody with this much money should be such a pushover. And yet...

Adrian couldn’t be happier, sitting on the floor while you lounge across his bed and periodically weigh in with (mostly incorrect) corrections or snide remarks, an almost alarmingly wide grin settled on his face as his tail taps a steady rhythm against his carpet.

It’s not an unpleasant picture, you muse absently as you look up from your phone, it’s almost comforting to have your little puppy on the floor, cheerily working away for you while you laze about. It certainly beats doing the work yourself, or having to threaten a student with an actual spine to do it for you.

Still, it doesn't take long for you to get bored. Bored enough to notice your empty stomach, at least.

"I'm hungry."

Adrian's head shoots up from the book he was hunched over, ears raised at attention and eyes glittering with something you're not sure you care to identify.

He's on his feet in the next second, knocking his knees on the way up loud enough to startle you yet showing no signs of even noticing.

"I-I'll ask Len to make something!"

He darts out of the room before you can tell him what you want, but you trust he knows your moods and tastes well enough by this point to predict. (Oh, he does, and Len's not going to be making anything- they don't know all the special ingredients!)

The second he leaves, you decide to really cure your boredom by snooping around in earnest. Certainly this creep has something actually weird hidden in here, you just have to look in the right places.

You waste no time in sifting through his bookshelf (nerd shit), closet (nerd clothes, some dirty), a dresser (nerd clothes, mostly clean), under his bed (dirty clothes, nerd shit in boxes)- the door opens behind you.

“Wha-? Oh! Ah- Wh-what- what are you doing?”

You don’t even bother moving from your crouch, most of your upper body shoved under the bedstand while the rest of you... is not.

Adrian’s mouth is completely dry for several reasons.

“What’re you, blind? I’m snooping.”

Adrian slowly comes further into the room, hesitantly setting the serving tray on the low table. He can’t stop his voice from cracking as he stutters out,

“Uh- yeah, okay, yeah, but- um, would you maybe mind- um, not?”

You snicker, at least he has some manners. “Yeah, I do mind, actually. What’s the matter, mutt? Got something to hide?”

“N-no!”

The answer is so immediate, so fervent, that it has you pulling up just to give him an unimpressed look. He stares back at you, eyes wide and frenzied.

“Jesus you’re a bad liar.”

Looking at him now, you can see sweat glistening on his face and his hands clenching by his side. His eyes dart toward the dresser you haven't checked yet.

Bingo.

You jump up from your position and stride across the room with purpose. You only make it a few steps before Adrian seems to materialize in front of you, making you stop short and almost yelp from shock.

“S-sorry! I’m sorry, I just-" he's waving his hands wildly, head ducked as his gaze rapidly flicks between your face and the floor, "You-you can’t- please, please don’t-”

“Okay, creep, I get the gist.”

You shove past him, and he wishes he could relish the firm pressure of your hands on him.

He whirls around and watches in horror as you approach the dresser. He needs to do something, he needs to stop you, but what can he do? You’ve clearly made up your mind, it’s not like it's his place to try and change it...

All he can do is watch, a high ringing in his ears and his body filling with static, while you meticulously sift through every drawer until his clothes are strewn about the floor and you're panting with frustration.

He's about to let himself take a breath when you suddenly squat down and stick your arm into the shallow space underneath. He nearly swallows his tongue when you let out a disbelieving huff and awkwardly slide out a long lockbox.

You look up at him triumphantly, eyes sparkling with glee, and he almost mirrors your smile just for how captivating it is.

"Open it."

"N-no-"

You lean up toward him and cock your head, he has to stop himself from being drawn in by the magnetism of your narrowed eyes. “The fuck did you just say to me?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't- just, I can't-"

"Oh, I think you can. Or you're not gonna like what happens next."

That's where you're wrong, and it only really strengthens Adrian's extremely shaky resolve. He tries to keep the grin off his face as he habitually starts to picture the punishment you might give him; a cuff on the ears, a knee to the stomach, a punch in the face-

But you just roll your eyes and groan, no longer in the mood now that something more interesting has presented itself.

Instead, your gaze floats down to the flimsy looking combination lock on the box, then it fixes on some heavy-standed figurine you'd knocked off his bookshelf earlier.

Yeah, good enough.

Adrian barely has time to flinch before you're snatching it up and breaking the lock with a sound crack.

Then you're lifting the lid.

"No!"

He starts to lunge forward, but your sharply raised hand halts him dead in his tracks.

Fuck.

It's too late anyway, judging by your wide eyes and slightly slack jaw (god how he wishes he could focus on the glorious curve of your open lips, or the way your perfect teeth peek over them, or how it might feel to have those teeth sunk into his skin-)

"What. The. Fuck."

"I-I can explain- It's not-!"

"I literally do not believe that you can."

Adrian's throat goes dry, he feels tears welling in his eyes. "I'm sorry- I'm sorry! I never meant- it's not like-"

You tune Adrian out as you focus on the stacks and stacks of photos arranged in the box before you. There even seem to be books underneath those, thick ones despite the shallowness of the container. You’d say there’s easily hundreds of pictures in here.

But, more concerning than the amount of photos… is their content.

They’re all you.

Undeniable, from every angle and range and setting you could imagine, it’s all you. There’s you at your spot with your friends, sitting in class, in the cafeteria, running errands in town, sneaking off to that private spot nobody else is supposed to know about, asleep in your bed- in dozens and dozens of iterations, like you could probably make a flip book of every scene.

It’s offensively redundant, honestly, a gross waste of paper. Maybe equally as concerning.

(Adrian needs to keep physical copies, and hard drives, and backup hard drives, and another box further under the dresser... What if something happens to his phone? What if he lost all his treasured photos forever? He doesn’t know what he’d do.)

"You're a bigger creep than I gave you credit for." You murmur, mostly to yourself.

Adrian never thought he'd feel anything but sheer joy from hearing that word leave your mouth. "N-no! It's not- it's not like that! I'm not- I don't-"

While Adrian's still blustering and working himself into a tizzy, you're just... processing.

It's oddly unsurprising, once you consider all the other factors together. Looking at it now, of course Adrian had more perverted reasons for complying to your cruelty, what else could he have been getting out of it? You guess you kinda always knew, on some level, but you never thought it would be like this.

But, since it is, you can't help but wonder just how far this perversion has gone, how far it will go...

This night has been boring enough that you're entitled to a little fun, right?

And besides, looking at him now- all wide eyed and droopy eared, his tail pulled between his legs and clutched in his trembling hands- Adrian actually looks a little bit... cute? In a pathetic, dirty stray caught in the rain type of way, of course.

The only real difference is that you'd be much kinder to the stray.

"Alright, shut it, stalker."

Adrian's mouth snaps closed, his tail trying to tuck further at your dangerously low voice.

"Obviously, this severe-" you flap a stack of photos at him, causing him to duck his head and whimper, "-invasion of my privacy can't go unpunished."

Adrian's eyes become impossibly bigger as they flash up to watch you stand. His ears suddenly perk, his tail tugs against his grip as it tries to hesitantly wag.

Jesus, he's shameless.

This is gonna be fun.

But first, a plan. You don't want Adrian getting too bold, so what better way to keep him in his place than by tying him there? Looking around his room, you don't have much to work with, but you're resourceful; a lace from his sneakers should do just fine (who keeps shoes in their room? what a creep).

"Alright. Sit."

Adrian is falling to his knees before his brain can process the words. When it does, he isn't quick enough to bite down on the high keen that builds in his throat.

You scoff, mentally scorning yourself for ignoring his shit for so long, then go to pull a lace. Adrian watches in rapt attention as you test its strength, your hands flexing so tantalizingly as you pull the string harshly several times over.

He holds his breath on instinct when your scrutinizing glare scans the room again.

"Okay, bed. Back to the headboard. Now."

Adrian scrambles up immediately, pulling some of the sheets off in his hurry, eager to obey before you change your mind.

You follow right after, kneeling up and leaning over him to tie his hands to the headboard above him. His dry throat click as he gulps.

You're so close, your heavenly scent filling his lungs like a sweet paralyzing vapor, he can feel the heat radiating from your skin despite the clothes between you, he could probably taste you if he just stuck out his tongue...

He whines as you yank the shoelace tight with a grunt before tying it off. You tug on his hands once more, forcing the string deeper into his skin, and your hum of satisfaction is drowned out by Adrian's low groan.

What a wonderful feeling, the sharp sting of the lace grounding him down like he needs to be; he can't help twisting and pulling until the burn intensifies, imagining it's your firm hands holding him so tightly...

"Jesus, freak, you're already getting into it?"

Adrian just whimpers, barely registering the question past your condescending tone as he continues to squirm.

You suddenly grab the front of his shirt and pull him forward until he's partially hovering off the mattress, the combined pressure of your knuckles under his chin and the shoestring grating his tender wrists pulls a breathy moan along with.

You lean in close, practically growling as you say, "Don't do my job for me, mutt."

You press a relatively fresh bruise on his arm just to see him twitch and bite his lip (it’s actually from a week ago, that’s how good he is at maintaining your marks for you!). It is pretty gratifying.

Almost as gratifying as the bulge you spot between his wantonly spread legs.

A breathless laugh punches out of you. It's oddly jarring to see, and you would later deny that it's slightly impressive, but it's not an entirely unpleasant sight.

"God, you're fucking pathetic. But you know that, don't you, you little creep?"

If your words weren't enough to have Adrian shaking out of his skin, you lean closer and nip his ear; he jerks back instinctively at the pain, which only makes its sting so much sweeter when you sink your teeth in and pull back.

He doesn’t bother trying to keep himself quiet.

“This isn’t even a punishment for you, is it? Is it, you fucking perv?”

Adrian is so far beyond saving face, he’s mostly beyond communication of any kind, so he just shakes his head fervently and grunts and hopes it’s good enough.

“Use your words, mutt.”

He gasps as you yank his throbbing ear, pulling his face closer to yours- oh dear god he can feel your hot breath against his cheeks, every detail of your perfect face so confident and dangerous and ethereal, your sparkling eyes look positively deadly and Adrian is ready to submit himself to their perils-

“Answer me," your sharp words make his lashes flutter, but he keeps his eyes wide open to stare at your taunting smile hanging just inches from his face, "are you getting off on this?”

He nods, he’s starting to get dizzy with all this nodding but he doesn't feel capable of much else, then you tug his hair back with the most glorious burn-

“Ah-Yes! Yes, I love- I love it, please- give me- more- please, I need- I need-“

He cuts off with a choked sound as your fingers slide up his throat and tighten, all too happy to oblige.

"That what you want? You happy now?" You taunt, your breath against the shell of his ear raising goosebumps all over his body.

He tries to nod against your grip, causing you to smirk and push further.

Oh god yes please-

Garbled moans fight their way from his throat as his eyes roll back in ecstasy, his straddled legs pressing tightly together as he thrashes desperately against the headboard, his whole body trembling and pushing up and up in search of contact- but you keep pulling away, putting more pressure on his neck to support yourself, bringing out the most pitiful little whimpers.

"Use your words, puppy."

Puppy.

Adrian chokes for reasons entirely unrelated to your hand on his neck. His tail, which had been beating a rapid tempo since you sat him down, starts flailing into overdrive.

It takes considerably more effort, but Adrian needs to please you- maybe you’ll even reward him!- so he coughs and gasps until he can force out,

"Y-Yes,” a strained cough, “Tha-agh-thank- you-"

A smile curls your lips unbidden. Such initiative! You let your fingers stroke over his throat as your hand presses in harder.

"There, that's a good boy."

Adrian's vision whites out.

He’s not even aware of the stream of whines and moans that force their way from beneath your fingers, he doesn't notice how his body squirms against the pressure of you on top of him, he couldn't tell the frantic thumping of his tail from that of his heart- all he can focus on is the red hot ecstasy filling every inch of him to bursting, the transcendent bliss of being so thoroughly claimed, so completely controlled, so wholly owned by you.

He's still hiccupping moans and thumping his tail when you withdraw your hand for fear of suffocating him, these needy little noises escaping his already bruising throat.

His head lolls back and his mouth falls open as you remain suspended above him, taking in your handiwork.

He’s so vulnerable, his entire body open and happily exposed to you, every muscle trembling in the aftershocks. His chest heaves as sweat and tears drip down onto his shirt, but he seems to pay no mind as his vacant eyes flutter up at you. He struggles to keep them open as a dopey grin spreads across his bitten lips, and you have to bite your own to stop from returning it.

Then, your eyes travel down to the steadily shrinking tent of his pants, now adorned with a dark wet stain- just like you expected.

Hot.

"Pathetic."

You sit back on you heels, seemingly alerting Adrian to your absence as his hand flies up to grab his throat with a high whine- but you cut that shit off right away.

"Yeah, no, I'm not trying to catch a murder charge tonight, thanks. Besides," your eyes pointedly flick down between his spread legs, causing his face to heat up though he makes no move to close them, "it looks like you got more than your share- frankly, you should be grateful for anything I'm willing to give you."

Adrian's voice is hoarse when he tries to insist, "I am! I-" he cuts off with a heavy cough, which only has you wincing with guilt a little. "I'm- I'm grateful. I am!"

You don't doubt it, especially looking into those watery, red-rimmed puppydog eyes of his. However, you do like to be cruel, and you did just get a bunch of texts from some of your friends about this 'super crazy thing you don't wanna miss and you gotta get down here right now!', (and you're maybe feeling a little uncharacteristically giddy as you fully process your situation) so...

"Doesn't matter, I can't reward this insolence."

You untie the shoelace with a deft tug and slide off the bed without another word.

Adrian just barely stops himself from whining again, the sudden loss of the pressure around his wrists leaving him feeling untethered. He has to dig his nails into his hands as he watches you collect your things (the covered platter lay forgotten on the table, insult to injury), just to keep from reaching out for you.

He wants desperately to follow you, but he can't make his body move for how relaxed and heavy it feels, and he knows it would probably just upset you more anyway- and not in the good way.

“Oh, and Adrian?” You slap the doorframe as you hang off of it, and your use of his name has Adrian's groggy head springing up to face you instantly, ears high and eyes hopeful.

“Next time you want a picture of me, just ask. That way I can knock some sense into you right away.” You tap the frame again, a crooked grin fixing your lips before you push off.

“See ya tomorrow!”

Still too fuzzy to move, and in fresh shock from that almost-genuine smile, he can only listen forlornly as your steps grow fainter and fainter until the door shuts downstairs. Then, he's helpless to do anything beyond replay the events of the past ten minutes in obsessive detail in attempts to permanently document every single sensation you gave to him.

He only manages to move about a half hour later, when his phone buzzes with a text.

He slowly leans over the bed and lifts his phone from the floor, blinking blearily as he reads... your name. Attached to a ludicrously extravagant lunch order for tomorrow.

The phone drops from his fingers like lead.

How?

His heart starts racing as he wracks his brain to recall when you put his number in your phone- then, his tail starts up again as he wonders if he'll be punished for already having yours in his (not for anything weird! he just likes to type out walls of text complimenting every part of you and telling you exactly the ways he wants you to destroy him and then deleting them- but maybe he'll send the next one).

It must mean something good if you want to keep in close contact with him, right? That must mean you aren't really mad at him, right? That must mean you like him, right? You still think he’s a good boy, right?

Another text lights up his phone. He scrambles to grab it back, hands shaking as he holds the screen close to his face.

[ur gnna b my bitch 4evr now]

A shaky giggle escapes him.

Those are easily the most beautiful words he’s ever read.

thanks so much for reading! feel free to send a request <3

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#yandere x reader #yandere x you #soft yandere #sub yandere #hybrid yandere #puppy yandere #male yandere #bully reader #gn reader #dom reader #yandere oc #yandere imagine #yandere requests

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habibibasket · 5 days

Text

MY YANDERE SIMULATOR CONCEPT

Rivals

I came prepared and ready to spill my redesigns. I'll be elaborating on some setting and lore details in their character descriptions. I've done some reworks of their characters from personality and ESPECIALLY design. One of the pros of having an Americanized setting is allowing for more diversity in the cast so there will be more variability in their designs! Starting with...

Osana Najimi

Fairly brash and seemingly rude on first glace, Osana is an... acquired taste of person. Though she does seem to attract romantic attention. She's defensive and disorganized, but always sticks to her word and will stand by anyone she cares about without hesitation. She's reliable in conflict but not someone you'd really trust with your housekey.

Due to the more Americanized setting and trope line-up, I wanted to make her more of a bully character. Not a bully in the same way Musume and her crew is but is more of a bully in the way she doesn't think she's really a bully and is kind of an unintentional bully. The person she bullies the most is by far Taro/Taeko. She picks on him all the time and it doesn't really click with her that her snide comments and teasing remarks are actually hurting them. When she realizes this she's instantly guilty and upset with herself. (Narratively this acts as a virtue shield for Ayano/Ayato trying to eliminate her since she's causing tangible harm to Taro/Taeko.)

She and Taro/Taeko have feelings for one another but neither want to ruin their long-standing friendship. She's largely unchanged from her canon counterpart aside from her wildly different design.

Raibaru is also a present threat a lot of the time, but her reason for being around so often is an elimination in of itself, in fact being one of the most tame and passive elimination methods available.

Amai Odayaka

A timid chubby girl, vice president of the cooking club. She's incredibly overworked but extremely empathetic and kind. She can be quite timid but will away make sure everyone else is okay before doing anything else. She's honest to a fault and self-sacrificing.

She comes from a low income household, learning how to cook from basically nothing and becoming a prodigy quite quickly. Often wearing the same jeans for weeks at a time. The apron she actually took from her part-time job, on top of her bakery job after school. She takes any opportunity to cook and eat that she can at school since there isn't as much food home, even when she only has to share with her mother. They still run the bakery but get so few sales that it's starting to run down and the rats are really getting to everything. Amai only got the part-time job so that she and her mother can still pay for rent.

Her primary elimination method would involve helping the Dark Delights Bakery sabotage the bakery so bad she's forced to drop out of school and go into working full-time.

She is a genuine rival and she quickly develops feelings for Taro/Taeko upon meeting them for a first time at her bakery.

Kizana Sunobu

Kizana is quite the showy type. She has a strong ego on her shoulders but she knows her influence on many of the boys and girls at the school. Kizana is headstrong and takes no shit from anyone. She loves being photographed but only by the photography club or a higher quality camera, she will cover her face for any phone pictures of her as "a mere phone camera quality is not enough to capture my brilliance." She's the shortest of the rivals but by no accounts the most toned down.

She's got many many people wrapped around her finger, including Taro/Taeko. Kizana only sees them as a mere hallway crush but upon Kokona's insistence she plans to confess. She takes risky shots, flirting with Taro/Taeko on multiple occasions which leaves Taro/Taeko flustered. Their interest in her is only surface level but Ayano/Ayato still sees this as a threat.

Her primary elimination method would likely involve a botched performance with some catastrophic results, leading to either an injury or maybe worse.

Oka Ruto

Oka is just trying to get through the day, she's quiet and a little nervous but she's sweet and genuine all the same. She doesn't know a lot of people at school and is kind of ostracized as a result. Her being trans doesn't help either, although more accepting in the states than in Japan, it's not perfect. The bullies tend to pick on her a lot of the time, though normally Osana would defend her from the bullies. However, after Osana's elimination, she's either been too busy for her or just not there at all.

Oka and Taro/Taeko don't know each other very well. They both have a passing interest in one another, being acquainted, Oka never really take up too much space in the Taro/Taeko's mind. They share a class and Taro/Taeko sometimes tell some funny jokes and share notes but they're not really what most would consider friends. However, Oka finds him quite infatuating! To Ayano/Ayato however, she poses a big threat.

Her primary elimination methods would likely involve the bullies and as is tradition, the results may be drastic and violent. The morality issues are designed to become more intense as it goes on and far harder to deny your fault in everything.

Asu Rito

Asu is quite the energetic person. She seemingly is always bouncing off the walls. She's peppy and athletic, a quick runner and a strong person. She's also very funny. She constantly says if she wasn't so dependent on her sports successes, she'd try to be a comic in the big city.

She was away from school for a while as a means to train for the (legally distinct tournament based) Olympics! A big break that would've meant the world to her and her family! Unfortunately for her, she just slightly missed the mark to pass the first round. Her and her family lost a lot of money by going, having to spend almost every penny on getting tickets to go compete. They only got reimbursed for about 50% of the costs so now her family is struggling big time. However, she can't let down that smile! She's got people depending on her! She has to finish school and train harder for next year!

Her and Taro/Taeko don't know each other too well, with Asu just borrowing Taro/Taeko's notes over the month she was gone so that she wasn't falling too far behind. The two joke with one another on occasion but they're acquaintances at best. Ayano/Ayato however sees this as a breach and too far, thus trying to get her out of the picture.

Her primary elimination methods would likely have to do with getting her caught for cheating on a test or drowning her. Whether it be at least in the place she loves, a pool, or something less dignified like a toilet really depends.

Muja Kina

so here's where you'd expect that I started running into some issues. I started this process intending to just fix some of the more... gross... aspects of the game's design and this was the first place I wanted to start. However, I also wanted the theme of "you're trying to get rid of people you don't need to and you're descending into needless precautions/killings because hubris" and if they were just another set of cute girls that were completely like the rest of the cast then this wouldn't sell as well. Though upon reading on it further, Muja's was the one that needed to change the most in my eyes and I found a way to keep it with that theming. So...

Muja is a new student at Akademi. Actually, she was a very early graduate, graduating after her sophomore year of high school. She decided to have her school nurse training start at a school that was starting to have a... reputation. Everyone called her foolish and they were likely right.

Muja is bubbly and kind with an intense need to help others before herself, often bending over backwards to help others in a similar way to Amai. Muja is also quite clumsy and over apologetic. This was in no small part due to her difficult upbringing. The school nurses always helped her when there were troubles though, so she wanted to become one too so that kids like her could depend on her when they needed it most. The red bands signify her status as a nurse trainee.

Her and Taro/Taeko met after Taro/Taeko needed some rest. Ayano/Ayato, whilst stalking them, saw Muja trip and Taro/Taeko catch her. Muja was flustered for a bit and thanked them, but this did not sit with Ayano/Ayato. Muja and Taro/Taeko only spoke a few times after but never for long or about anything major. Needless to say, neither have any romantic interest in the other... but that doesn't matter... she's still a threat right?

Her primary elimination methods would probably involve poisoning, kidnapping, or getting her fired by slipping narcotics/contraband into her medical equipment. After her elimination, her trainee nurse position is replaced by a new girl, Kana Fujimoto.

Mida Rana

Mida is a new long-term substitute at Akademi when one of the teachers goes on vacation. She's chill and tries to connect with the students in a very chill way too. She gets along with the students quite well but never in a weird way. She always just wants to help.

Mida is calm and collected, and though she wants to help the students and have them open up more about their struggles, Mida herself is very closed off and secretive. She's also a little scatter-brained and a chronic multitasker. She can be a little stubborn too, hence why she has not replaced her 2 year old pantyhose since she got it, even though the knees are wearing down pretty heavily. She has a good heart though. Added plus that I changed from the original is that she's not a creep.

Taro/Taeko and Mida had a conversation not too long ago, Taro/Taeko confiding in her about feeling watched and how they're a little scared. Mida tries to reassure them but she also mentions how she also feels watched at that moment. The two never even make eye contact after that interaction, but Ayano/Ayato already started making plans.

Her primary elimination methods might involve her getting fired, getting the teacher to come back as soon as possible, or pushing her off the roof during her smoke break.

Osoro Shidesu

Osoro is quite the abrasive figure. She's tough and unforgiving, only having a soft spot for her gang of delinquents and a new trainee nurse she's had to visit after a handful of rough-ups. Osoro isn't someone you see out and about very often, though you can catch her at the gym quite frequently. She's intimidating and has the strength of a brick wall.

Osoro has a particular attachment to the new trainee nurse, Kana Fujimoto. Her gang of delinquents see this as strange and unexplainable but upon talking to Kana it becomes abundantly clear what the situation is. This however means nothing to Ayano/Ayato, as Osoro still remains a threat to them.

Osoro and Taro/Taeko met when Taro/Taeko was walking home when they were suddenly targeted by a robber and was held at knifepoint. Ayato/Ayano, stalking them home as usual, was ready to jump in, but Osoro, nearby on her way back from the gym, decided to step in instead. The robber cowers in fear at the sight of her strong figure and runs away, dropping his knife. Taro/Taeko thanks Osoro and the two exchange pleasantries for a bit before going to their respective homes. To Ayano/Ayato at this point, they obviously see this as a threat to be taken care of. (Depending on how violent of a route has been taken, Ayano/Ayato may or may not track down the robber and kill him)

Her primary elimination methods would involve matchmaking with Kana (somewhat of a mirror to Osana) or trying to get her expelled for her violent behavior, likely killing her anyway after getting her expelled.

Hanako Yamada

This is where I hit the next roadblock. Do I keep Hanako as Taro/Taeko's sister? Or do I avoid the weird connotations of that by making them unrelated but losing the means of a connection between the two characters? However, since the major theme of Ayano/Ayato's character up to this point has been a descent into killing anyone in close proximity to Taro/Taeko, their relation would provide an interesting escalation as well as an intense climax for the story, being either how Taro/Taeko finds out about Ayano/Ayato's escapades.

Hanako is a nerdy kid. She's energetic and cringy but she's a bright spot in Taro/Taeko's life amongst the growing unease. She's exactly what they needed at the time.

This is bad for Ayano/Ayato... right? This is a threat... right? This stupid 13 year old... is stealing his attention... right? This is justified right?

RIGHT?

...

She can be a little annoying but she's really just a super nerdy honors kid that's a part of Akademi's advanced middlers program. She's less clingy than her canon counterpart but they are around one another a lot, upon Taro/Taeko's request, their growing unease getting to them. They get the sense that they need to protect their little sister at this point. This frustrates Ayano/Ayato. She's stealing his attention, this must be her doing. right?

Her primary elimination methods would entirely depend on how bloody your track record has been, the situation is no longer in the player's hands. If you've been killing your rivals up to this point, you'll sneak into their house and try to kill Hanako. Routes and endings diverge from there. However, if your record has been bloodless, you can try and have Hanako arrested for petty theft at the convenience store. (A crime she didn't commit)

Megami Saikou

A member of the student council... why is she here? She's not interested in Taro/Taeko or anything... She's just the school council president.

She's trying to get in the way.

How so?

She's saying I'm stalking them!

Is that not what you're doing...?

She's a dirty liar. I'd never do something so...

But you--

I WOULDN'T

...

She's noticed your suspicious behavior around school and she's asking you if you're okay. You're okay as long as your beloved senpai is okay! Right?

Quite the mysterious one... I don't have a lot of info on her.

Whatever. It's fine.

I'll be taking care of it either way.

...

That should be it for the rivals! I'll expand more into it on the story section!

#habibibasket #yandere simulator #yansim #yandere simulator rewritten

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spider-sideblog · 7 months

Note

Hi, person who you said had “a bit of common sense” here again. Your logic is flawed, regardless of whether you believe it or not. I am sorry that you are receiving antisemitic hate, that is morally repugnant and I disavow any antisemite who shares my views on Israel. However, anti-Zionism and anti-Israeli beliefs do not automatically equate to antisemitism.

I have nothing but respect for Judaism, back in college I took several courses on it as part of my minor, and I am proud to say that I have Jewish friends who have wished for me to be inscribed in the Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah. I am also fervently anti-Israel, as I am against the ethnostates in general and apartheid in specific. Nothing in my anti-Israeli views is influenced by the religion of the country, and frankly I find it insulting that my desire for a singular, secular Palestinian state where Jews and Muslims can live together harmoniously causes me to be lumped in with antisemites.

Hey what's up!

So, you and I don't actually have differing views, at least not that much. It would absolutely be the dream to have Palestine be one state and for everyone to live in harmony huh?

But Jews got kicked out of Judea

They got kicked out of Spain (or forcibly converted)

They were kicked out of Russia

They were kicked out of Germany and Poland and France

They've historically been blamed for almost any travesty in a country where they resided

They are, without a doubt, unwanted

What would prevent them being kicked out of Palestine and massacred again at the slightest hint of trouble that can be blamed on them?

I don't typically support ethnostates, however, if you were kicked out of or killed in every country you resided in, you would also want to return to your homeland and make a small place for yourself to live in peacefully. You may even welcome like minded people to your home just because you know how hard it is.

I do not support the actions of the Israeli government, and I have lit a candle every day for all civilians affected by the Israel-Hamas war. I cannot condone just about anything that's been done to Palestinians, even from during the formation of Israel. It is a travesty that they were moved and given no support. It is a travesty that they continually are displaced because Israel wants them gone. I can't believe I have to say this but no, I do not support or defend the clear genocide happening. I assumed that would be obvious. I genuinely wish there was an option for both groups to exist peacefully near their homelands and their Holy Land. It's not guaranteed to stay peaceful, though

We don't actually have differing views on anything. I just take into account that, realistically, what I want isn't going to work. Antisemitism is on a steep rise again and the political climate in the states is very evocative of pre war Nazi Germany. Hamas is actively trying to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible- making it a war on Jews, not a war on Israel.

The issue is very nuanced, and I'm sorry so many people with your similar views are using this war to justify anti semitism. People with my similar views are using it to justify Islamophobia and genocide. Neither of us are being lumped well right now. I hope that if you have bullying in your inbox, it's not affecting your mental state. You actually seem very cool, and I'd be likely to follow you, anon

#israel hamas conflict #antisemitism #islamophobia #answered #i was very close actually to making this entirely a star trek blog again #you very well might be the last person I respond to before I turn off my asks and switch back to it because its getting gross in there

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ask-the-illager-obsessed-art1st · 1 year

Text

I'm not staying quiet about this anymore...

@lilium2034 is a user who made a post about me about a situation that I had NO part in and was the fault of my partner...I wasn't even aware of what happened either yet she decided to namedrop me in her post no matter how many times I have told her I. DIDN'T. HAVE. ANYTHING. TO. DO. WITH. IT! That got me a lot of hate messages and death threats...I am gonna come out about her and her behavior because I am so sick of people not believing the actual person she's caused a lot of pain to... She's NOT innocent...

She's had people who I was friends with to drop me because I got mad at her for accusing me of "making her deal with my issues" even though SHE came into my DMs asking me "What's wrong?" like if you didn't want me to tell you what was wrong then why the fuck did you bother to ask me and I wasn't "making" you deal with anything of mine neither so I don't know why the fuck you even said that! next, when another ex-friend who she told to stop talking to me was trying to make us have a civil discussion, she start to act like a mega brat saying " I don't need to apologize for the hate mob! You need to apologize to me but you aren't entitled to one from me." which not only pissed me off, that ex-friend took HER side in this! Lily, you caused me so much stress and pain and even had me consider suicide from all your fucking bullying and making people who I considered friends and fellow artists to hate me, and telling people to stop supporting me on Ko-Fi where I need the money to pay for my medication! I need my meds or I can't control my outbursts! She called me a "creep" because one of my ocs had a crush on someone's oc which I wasn't aware they didn't like because nobody bothered to drop me a dm and said I was a "danger" to others when I'm not. I may have a few mental disabilities but I'm not "dangerous". You also tried to fucking DEMAND I apologize to you?! YOU are the one who needs to apologize to me! for everything fucking thing you took away from me and put me through! You ruined my life and you keep lying about me to people, if anyone needs to be kicked out of the MC community, which may I add, that you and another user were so gleefully and happily saying should happen to me and how excited you were everyone was believing you and how happy you would be when I got my old account banned, it should be you... you are the "danger". you are the bully. you are the one in the fucking wrong. and for everyone who's taking her side in all this, congrats, you got played for an idiot. Lily can cry about how this post is " being mean to her" and "lying about her" but what I am saying is nothing but the truth...I'm tired of keeping silent about her and what she did to me for too damn long... I'm so fucking sick of being told I am lying or I need to fucking kill myself by her supporters...I'm tired of being seen as a horrible person... I just wish someone out there would at least listen to my side or believe me when I come out about this because Lily has gotten away with too much already... and No, Lily, this isn't me "slandering" or "harassing" you, this is me calling you out on your fucking bullshit and no longer going to be taking any more of your abuse/slander and harassment or hate mob.

#minecraft community #stay away from this user #beware of this user #mineblr #minecraft #I'm not staying silent anymore...#I'm tired of your harassment and your shit

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makeste · 3 years

Text

“but I thought about how I needed to say this”

a.k.a. yet another meta dissection of The Apology. I actually wrote most of this up on Friday night based on the original Japanese (@pikahlua has an excellent translation up here, and I also used @hanashimas’ translations as a reference as well), but I wanted to wait until the official release, though that turned out to be a mixed bag to say the least lol.

I would also recommend reading @pikahlua and @class1akids’ breakdowns of this scene (here and here, respectively), because they are excellent, and because if any scene deserves to have as many meta breakdowns written about it as possible, it’s this one.

anyway so here goes.

Caleb did a more accurate job with this than the fanscan, even if he did try his best to take us out of the seriousness of the moment by throwing in that swiss cheese line lol. anyway so there are two things I want to talk about here. the first is the line about Izuku not remembering, which I thought was a nice touch. of course he doesn’t remember what Kacchan said back then. he wasn’t exactly in the soundest emotional state after seeing one of the people he cares about most taking a near-fatal blow that was meant for him. I’d be shocked if he remembers anything about the aftermath (including the way he flew into a mindless rage afterwards) right up until the point when he entered the OFA Interstellar Party Void with Tomura. anyway, so I thought that was a nice callback.

and speaking of emotional states, the other thing I wanted to talk about is the part that Caleb got right which the fan scanlation didn’t. “but I had more to say.” in other words, “stop trying to win on your own” wasn’t just a one-liner; it was meant to be the beginning of a much longer speech. “there were other things that I needed to say.”

like, can we just stop and talk about that for a second. because basically what this means is that in that instant, when Kacchan pushed Deku out of the way and got impaled, his one and only thought was that he needed to apologize to Deku. his life was presumably flashing before his eyes, he had no idea if he was going to survive or not, and the only thing on his mind was how urgently he needed to make things right with his former childhood friend.

moving on!

so I have a confession to make, which is that I am relieved to see Katsuki describing this as the reason why he bullied Deku, as opposed to Horikoshi trying to retcon it into some sort of “secretly he was just trying to protect him and keep him out of harm’s way because he was worried” thing, which ngl would not have gelled very well with me. the thing is that I’m really not a fan of the whole “Kacchan Did Nothing Wrong” mentality that some fans seem to have. like, I have seen all sorts of convoluted attempts to find excuses for Katsuki’s shitty behavior, but in my view those attempts undermine what I love about his character in the first place. Katsuki is such a great character specifically because he is not perfect. his redemption arc is so compelling because he was such a giant asshole at the start. he was completely at fault, and he acknowledges this, and takes full responsibility for it. and that is fucking fantastic.

his arc is so great because it doesn’t rely on garnering sympathy by giving him a Tragic Past, or by trying to foist the blame for his behavior over on someone else. it’s an arc that acknowledges that redemption isn’t something you achieve by making people feel sorry for you; it’s something you have to earn by actively working to change and do better. and by forgoing the “misunderstood/tragic past” route, Horikoshi is making a statement that anyone can go down the wrong path, but that more importantly, anyone can also choose at any time to turn away from said path. there is only one requirement for doing so, and that is realizing that you’ve done wrong, and deciding that you want to change.

anyway, so in chapter 284 Kacchan of course had that whole speech about Deku not taking himself into account, and mentioned how that made him want to keep his distance. and a good chunk of fandom took this to mean that Katsuki’s bullying was actually a misguided response to Deku’s reckless tendencies -- sort of an “if I show him how weak and powerless he really is, I can get him to accept the reality that he’s quirkless, and that being a hero will just get him hurt or killed” type of thing. and I won’t lie, for a good while I was wondering myself if Horikoshi was really going to go down that route. and like I said, I am honestly relieved that he didn’t. not only for the reasons stated in the previous paragraph, but also because the message that would have sent -- that there are certain circumstances in which bullying can almost be excused because the bully had Good Intentions and was just trying to save the other person from themselves, and so it Wasn’t That Bad, Actually -- is all kinds of fucked up to say the least. so yeah, I’m glad we ended up steering well clear of that.

(ETA: this post was long enough already so I edited out the 3 additional paragraphs I originally wrote analyzing the dialogue from 284. but just to be clear, I’m not trying to imply that Kacchan worrying about Deku’s recklessness is a retconned thing that Horikoshi only threw into the story recently, because there are multiple instances throughout the story where he clearly is worried and in total denial of it. but I firmly believe those feelings are not what led to the bullying. they’re two separate things. Kacchan worrying about Deku is what prompts him to yell at him in chapter 1 when Deku comes to save him. but it’s not what incited him to burn his notebook and taunt him earlier in that same chapter. that action had a much meaner and more selfish motivation behind it, and I’m glad Horikoshi didn’t try to change it up last minute, because it wouldn’t have felt right.)

thankfully as of this chapter I think we can safely cross that out as a possibility, as we’re given the true explanation straight from Katsuki himself. and the truth is that he bullied Deku out of insecurity and jealousy and fear and intolerance. there was nothing noble about it. there were no good intentions concealed in his actions. there are no justifications given, no excuses offered, and no mitigating circumstances to be considered, other than the fact (which neither he nor Horikoshi bring up) that he was and is still a child, and that children make mistakes.

it’s an explanation that challenges many of fandom’s ideas on who is and isn’t eligible to be redeemed. there is no Ozai in Katsuki’s backstory. there’s no great tragedy that he spent a lifetime trying to rise above. the only villain in Katsuki’s story is Katsuki himself. the only darkness that he has to overcome is his own. and it’s challenging, because I think many people believe the only way someone can be redeemed for doing bad things is if bad things happen to them in return. but what Horikoshi is saying here is that that’s not the case. bad doesn’t erase bad. and the one and only way to truly earn redemption is by doing good.

and that’s what makes this such a phenomenal scene for me. by not shying away from Katsuki’s flaws and failings, and having him take full responsibility for them, Horikoshi keeps the apology from being self-serving, and underscores the true depth of Katsuki’s character development. the level of self-awareness he has here is something most people can only dream of. which is very fitting, as that’s perhaps the most important takeaway from his character arc -- that it’s only by acknowledging your own weaknesses and flaws that you can learn to overcome them and reach your full potential.

one last thing to point out here, which is that in the panel where Katsuki finally acknowledges his terrible treatment of Deku, Deku is not even visible. instead, Horikoshi drew the panel from a perspective that makes it appear that Katsuki is addressing this particular line not just to Deku, but to all of his classmates.

again, he shows him taking full responsibility and admitting his wrongdoings in front of the people whose opinions and approval he cares about most. and just to clarify in case there’s any confusion from Caleb’s translation, Kacchan’s wording makes it very clear that he wasn’t just “mean” to Deku, but that he full-on bullied him (he uses the same verb -- “ijimeru” (苛める) -- that he did back in chapter 284). there’s no attempt to downplay his actions here.

moving on now, this chapter also reaffirmed another thing about Deku and Kacchan’s relationship which I was glad to see revisited -- Kacchan’s unwavering belief in Deku’s ability. this is one of those paradoxical things about their relationship which I’ve always been fascinated by, but which is also kind of hard to explain, because I don’t want it to come off like I’m trying to put a positive spin on something which was unequivocally awful. like, please don’t think I’m trying to say that Katsuki’s bullying of Deku was in any way a good thing. but that being said, there’s also a strange irony at play here, which is that Katsuki’s jealousy and insecurity also betray the fact that even at his very worst, he never once underestimated Deku. he has always believed in Deku’s strength, even when that strength pissed him off and made him afraid and uneasy.

no one else -- not All Might, or even Deku’s own mom -- believed from the get-go that Deku could become a hero. but Katsuki never once counted him out, even when he was calling him a pebble in his shoe. he confesses here that even though he “tried to act superior by rejecting [Deku]”, in truth he was never able to shake the feeling that Deku was above him. long before he ever understood the concept of “win to save”, he knew instinctively that there was a strength in Deku’s heart that couldn’t be measured, and which had the potential to surpass even his own strength. and I’ve always felt that this was so important, because it’s the one aspect of their early relationship that hinted that on some level, however subconscious, Katsuki held the same type of faith in Deku that Deku always held in him. it was one of the few things that hinted at there being a possible path towards reconciliation one day. and it paved the way for the most important shift in their relationship to date, when Katsuki finally realized who Deku got his quirk from, and responded not with resentment or spite, but with acceptance.

moving on, I also really love the way we see them portrayed at the different stages of their childhood throughout this speech, and how it perfectly lines up with the dialogue. from small children (when Katsuki talks about his insecurities first manifesting), to middle schoolers (when he talks about the bullying), to high schoolers (when he talks about the past year and everything he’s learned at U.A.). Horikoshi really didn’t have to go that hard, but he did, and that’s why we love him.

and then we finally get to That Part.

where do I even start with this there are so many things omg.

the bow. this is the one and only time Katsuki has ever bowed to anyone of his own volition as far as I recall. and this absolutely is a bow, just to be clear, even though his form is straight-up garbage (very Kacchan-esque, with his feet and arms spaced apart because he’s still a punk after all). this is Kacchan showing more humility and respect than he’s ever shown to anyone else in his entire life.

regarding “Izuku”, I actually have mixed feelings about this to tell the truth. I think it was a good call here because it was incredibly effective in setting the tone and showing just how serious Kacchan is. however if he continues to use “Izuku” rather than “Deku” from here on out, that would give the impression in hindsight that all his past usage of “Deku” really was meant as an insult, which would undermine some of my favorite scenes. I would really like to believe that since DvK2 or thereabouts, Kacchan has (mostly) been using “Deku (affectionate)” rather than “Deku (useless loser)”, lol. but if he switches to the “nicer” name on a permanent basis following his apology, it implies that the previous nickname was indeed being used cruelly. and so honestly I hope this was just a one-time thing, because I do think that in Katsuki’s mind, the name “Deku” hasn’t been meant as a slight to him for a long time now.

“my truth/this is what I truly feel” -- the word Katsuki uses in Japanese is honne (本音), and if you’re familiar with the concept of honne/tatemae, that’s the same “honne” he’s talking about here. it means that he’s casting aside all of his walls and facades and expressing what he truly feels. and of course, one of the fascinating things about Katsuki’s character is that he’s the exact opposite of most people in that he chooses to put his meanness on full display to the public, and ironically it’s the kindest parts of himself which he tends to keep the most carefully guarded and hidden away. this also means that while his rage and anger are very often insincere and put on just for show, those relatively few occasions where he lets his humanity truly shine through are pretty much 100% genuine, as is the case with this one here.

and Deku’s face says it all when it comes to how powerful those moments can be as a result.

and this, right here, is why it wasn’t enough for Katsuki to atone solely through his actions, and why he needed to actually say the words as well. it’s not that the words are more important; obviously the actions are far and away the most important part, and carry far more meaning. but the reason why Katsuki needed to say the words as well is simply because Izuku needed to hear them. needed to, and deserved to, because this is one of the most important people in the world to him.

and so he deserves to know that the relationship isn’t just one-sided, and that he is just as important to Kacchan as Kacchan is to him. he deserves to know that Kacchan understands how horribly he treated him, and that he’s sorry for it. and he deserves to know that Kacchan, without any expectation of it changing their relationship -- meaning that he will continue to feel this way regardless of what Izuku says or does from here on out -- cares about him. now more than ever, with AFO out there doing everything in his power to make Izuku feel as alone as possible, this is something that he really, really needed to hear.

so this part has some interesting wordplay which neither Caleb’s translation nor the fan scanlation was really able to get across. basically, in the Japanese version, when Katsuki talks about “those ideals”, Horikoshi uses the kanji for “ideal”, but pronounces it as “All Might.” obviously the meaning of this isn’t too hard to decipher, as we all know how much both boys admire All Might. to them, he absolutely is synonymous with the Ideal. so this is a way of showing that respect they both have towards him, even as Katsuki goes on to point out the one fatal flaw that All Might was never able to overcome.

and speaking of interesting wording, as others have noted, at this point in his speech Katsuki switches from “temee” (which he was using earlier during the “your strengths and my weaknesses” part) to “omae” (“omae” being a less insulting word for “you”, though still very manly and tough-sounding), which is definitely a big deal. though fwiw this is not the first time he’s used “omae” for Deku (he switches to it briefly right after DvK2, when he tells Deku “you had the strongest guy lay the groundwork for you -- don’t lose”, and then later when they’re walking back to the dorms and he says he’ll learn and get stronger by watching everyone around him just like Deku did). it’s definitely a good choice on Horikoshi’s part though, as it makes this last part of the speech sound more earnest and sincere.

just a quick note, he does indeed use a plural pronoun here, as in “the obstacles that you can’t overcome, we will overcome.” but as @pikahlua pointed out, the “we” here is ambiguous -- it could either mean “we” as in class 1-A -- “we will overcome them for you” -- OR it could mean “we” as in all of them -- class 1-A and Deku. “we will overcome them together.” idk about you, but I know which one gets my vote.

anyway, and so this is the line that finally wins Deku over and allows him to let go of his fears, however briefly. what I love about this is Kacchan’s utter conviction. one thing that Caleb’s translation doesn’t quite get across is Kacchan’s use of the word morenaku -- “without exception” -- when he talks about how they’re going to save everyone and win. it echoes that same sentiment he showed back during the Joint Training arc -- that it’s not a perfect victory unless they save everyone. every last person. and he explicitly lists Deku among their number, just so there can be no doubt.

and Deku’s response to this (or at least his thoughts, since he’s not really able to get many words out) pretty much brings everything full circle here.

he acknowledges that everyone else has gotten ahead of him. which is especially meaningful given who he’s standing directly across from. because for most of the series, as we all well know, it’s been Kacchan who was woefully lagging behind Deku in the character growth department. but now Deku himself is acknowledging that not only has Kacchan finally caught up at last, but that he and the others have surpassed him. which is only temporary, I should add, as I have zero doubt that Deku will catch up again soon. but the fact remains that just as Deku’s rapid increase in strength and skill left Kacchan scrambling to keep up earlier in the series, Kacchan’s extraordinary character development has now left Deku in that same position. as All Might once put it, “when he’s starting at level one, and you’re already at level 50, it’s only natural that you’ll be growing at different rates.”

and what’s so wonderful about this though is that the two of them are finally approaching that point where they’ve both caught up to each other and are finally starting to level out. Deku is a full-on badass, and Kacchan is out here talk-no-jutsuing with the best of them. the two of them have been chasing and chasing after each other this entire time, and now they’re finally just about ready to meet in the middle at long last, with each of them fully embodying both of those two crucial aspects -- win, and save.

just about. because Deku still needs some help catching up. but seeing as help has already been offered -- and accepted -- I can’t imagine it will be very long now, and I can’t wait to see him finally overcoming those fears and doubts with his friends by his side. it’s going to be such a powerful moment.

and last but not least,

or, as I prefer,

you had one job, Caleb. flkjsdlk.

but at least this provides a good opportunity to note that unlike the “we’ll help you handle it” line earlier in the speech, here the phrasing is left up to interpretation, as he doesn’t use a pronoun. so it could be “we know”, or, as the fan scanlation put it, “I know.” or it could be both. regardless, it’s good stuff.

anyway, and so Deku passes out, and in the process Horikoshi gives us one last parting metaphor, just in case anyone still thinks Kacchan is all talk because they haven’t been paying attention for the past 322 chapters (more likely than you think). once again, Katsuki’s actions speak louder than his words (even his nice words) ever could: he is literally there to catch Deku when he falls.

so that’s it! my sincere thanks to anyone who actually read through all of my endless ramblings about this scene which I have been waiting for since day one. props to Horikoshi for taking on an impossibly difficult task, and pulling it off with all of the emotion and care and nuance that I’ve come to expect from his writing. imo he delivered on every single level with the exception of the aftermath, which I don’t consider to have actually happened yet. Deku’s part of this is definitely a “to be continued.” but yeah, as far as Kacchan’s part goes, 10/10. so fucking proud of this kid.

#bnha 322 #bakugou katsuki #midoriya izuku #bakudeku #bnha meta #bakugou meta #deku meta #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha

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down-in-devildom · 3 years

Text

MC being Used by Lesser Demons (Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and Belphegor)

Second part of this prompt: Part 1

CW: Violence, Torture, Manipulation, Murder, Cannibalisms ...general demonic behavior

Asmodeus

Asmo is always surrounded by all kinds of demons vying for his attention and he thinks it is absolutely adorable! He is someone that is just so magnetizing and mesmerizing that it is almost unsettling when people can resist him. Enter MC. Someone both equal parts strange, wonderful, and scary; They worth every ounce of love they can get! So he isn’t all that surprised when MC starts to develop their own little entourage of Lesser Demon fans.

Asmo lives for the attention and is happy to share the experience with MC. They go on little shopping sprees together and always have plenty of demons willing to carry their bags or buy them some gifts. The amount of times that Asmo and MC got in trouble with Lucifer for bringing home way too many gifts and taking up all the hallway closet space was starting to get ridiculous. It didn’t phase Asmo though. He is just happy to be able to steal the MC away, even if they are never truly alone.

Now, Asmo was rather observant and was quick to pick up some of his dedicated fans started to join up with the MC’s little group. He wasn’t jealous, per say, but it is odd when these demons that followed him all around the Devildom for centuries were now more interested in a human. He didn’t want these ugly internal thoughts to turn him ugly externally, so Asmo shoved the matter to the side for now.

When a particular Lesser Demon that he used to remember following him around rather faithfully gave the MC a gift, he was more curious about what they gave them than why they were not giving him items anymore. Whatever the Lesser Demon had handed to the MC had them practically gushing about it for most of dinner that day at HoL. Apparently, it was some sort of beautiful silk scarf and it looked absolutely amazing on them. MC had invited this particular Lesser Demon out to grab the newest latte at the DevilPop Shop as a thank you.

MC was so excited for the café date that Asmo didn’t have the heart to tell them that he already tried the newest latte and it does not photograph very well nor was it worth the calories. The day of the venture into town, Asmo sent the MC off with a gorgeous outfit that incorporated the new scarf, and a kiss on the cheek. Asmo had a makeup live stream to host so he wasn’t able to join them.

Asmo was still in the middle of filming when he heard the door to his room open. He could have sworn he told his brothers not to bother him for the next four hours and was kind of miffed. He turned his head briefly away from his camera and lights set up only to see MC dash by and flop themselves onto his bed. They yanked the scarf that they were given off of their neck and buried themselves in his covers. Asmo was quick to excuse himself and apologize for cutting the stream off so quickly before.

When Asmo made his way to the bed, he could hear the MC groaning and see them appear almost restless under the sheets. He gently pulled the covers off and gasped when he saw the MC with swollen, patchy welts all over their face, neck, and the beginning of their chest. He was now starting to become frantic because the irritated areas looked so painful and the MC looked like they were desperately trying to both hide their face and not cry at the same time.

When the MC explained how the date was going so well until their neck started to burn and the Lesser Demon they were with started to showcase such a cruel smile. The scarf must have either been hexed or treated with a fast acting poison that causes the MC to have an adverse reaction. The Lesser Demon had taken pictures of their pain-stricken face and threatened to post it all over Devilgram if they kept getting in the Lesser Demon’s way and taking too much of Asmo’s attention. This kind of behavior isn’t all that unheard of for some of his fans, but Asmo is generally very quick to put any wayward bullies in line. Maybe the Lesser Demon thought they could get away with it because MC was simply a human.

Asmo first treats MC’s welts with some of his skin care and makes sure that most of the pain is gone before having them drink some sleepy time tea to relax. When the MC inevitably goes to sleep after their harrowing ordeal, Asmo sneaks off and tracks that particular Lesser Demon down. It wasn’t hard finding their location after he used his various social media accounts to ask for their whereabouts. When he finally did find the demon, Asmo decided it would only be fair to give the Lesser Demon their own personal facial seeing who they felt so starved for his attention. He then proceeds to scrap the Lesser Demon’s face all across the brick and concrete grounds in the vicinity, painting the sidewalks red and really improving the other demon’s image, what with them not having a face anymore and all. Asmo is as sugary sweet to the MC the next day and continues to coo over them and their injuries. He also is sure to breezily mention that the Lesser Demon decided to disconnect from the media and social trends, whatever that may mean, and wouldn’t be around for quite a while.

Beelzebub

Beel was widely admired. He was a strong athlete and super sweet to most demons unless food denial was in play. He was also known for going on rampages when he was hungry and it was a big deterrent for many demons outside of his Fangol team and the Hell’s Kitchen chef. He didn’t really mind though. He has his brothers and now MC. Between him always having to worry about where his next meal would come from and how to keep his family together, Beel already had to take into account his environment and the threats that they held.

When more and more demons started to watch him during his Fangol practices, he was confused. Typically, only the MC would come to cheer him on or wait for him to finish before heading out to grab some cheeseburgers. It didn’t really matter though. He was still able to give his best on the field and no demon got in his way when he approached the MC to start leaving for the day. It was only when the MC paused in their tracks after talking about their day did Beel turn to look at them with some concern. He asks them what is wrong before they said that one of the Lesser Demons were a really big fan of his and wanted to hang out.

Now, Beel is a very laid back type of guy so he was more than ready to grab a bite to eat with more company. MC waved one of the demons in the distance down and soon enough, the three of them were on their way into town for some snacks to have before dinner. The market was full of all kinds of street vendors so it was the perfect place to try everything at once. The first stop was a crepe stall that was super generous with their fresh cream and strawberries. The Lesser Demon was kind enough to pay for the treat and handed it out to Beel and the MC.

Beel was content for the moment with his twenty-three assorted crepes and was munching away when the Lesser Demon went to hand the MC their crepe. Unfortunately, it looks like the Lesser Demon tripped and smeared the dessert all over the front of the MC’s RAD uniform. The Lesser Demon apologized and was saying how sorry they were that now the MC would have to go home to change, but MC said it wasn’t a problem and they don’t mind still hanging out even though they were wearing their food. The Lesser Demon was adamant that they would need to change but MC waved them off.

Beel was just glad he still had some crepes to work through and offered up one of his to MC. There was a bite out of it but MC accepted it gratefully anyways. Beel noticed that the Lesser Demon had a strange look on their face and was looking at the shared crepe and the MC with a furrowed brow and a frown. Maybe the Lesser Demon wanted another crepe too? Either way, the trio still made their way over to Hell’s Kitchen and talked along the way. Or, rather, the Lesser Demon talked the whole time while Beel and MC just listened. The other demon sure appeared to be passionate about Fangol because that was all they wanted to talk about. That and about Beel being the star player that RAD desperately needed.

When the journey was finally over, they sat together at the bar in Hell’s Kitchen. The Lesser Demon wanted to sit between MC and him but he did not mind that much. Beel was quick to order just about two of everything on the menu. When the food finally arrived, Beel was making quick work of his order while the Lesser Demon continued to fill the space with more of their Fangol play formation theories. The MC was having a good time enjoying the meal and the conversation when they finished their singular portion of food and waved down the wait staff to order something else.

MC looked so excited about the triple chocolate bat’s milk brownie sundae they ordered, Beel was almost inclined to order another helping of the dessert himself, they made it look so good. But before MC could scoop any into their mouth, their spoon was snatched from their hands. Beel and the MC looked at the Lesser Demon in shock and confusion on why they took away their utensil. The Lesser Demon then goes on to say that the MC already had enough to eat and it would go to better use to go to someone as active as Beel. The Lesser Demon then proceeds to take the plate from in front of the MC and add it to Beel’s dwindling food mountain.

Beel and the MC were frozen in place. Neither of them move but Beel could see past the Lesser Demon’s shoulder when the MC’s head hangs down briefly before they hurry to push away from the bar with an excuse that they have some business to take care of and leave the restaurant. The Lesser Demon looks...happy… that MC left and turns back to Beel and talks more about Fangol as if nothing happened. Beel felt in his gut the uncontrollable hunger that comes when he skips a meal take over him. The Lesser Demon is too busy yapping to see the shift in Beel’s eyes but they sure did stop talking when a growl from deep within Beel’s chest vibrated throughout his body and shook the ground itself.

Beel was famished and the only thing that satisfied his hunger was the demon that dared to deny his MC of something as important as food. Beel’s mouth opened impossibly wide as his jaw seemed to know no bounds and his fangs elongated. Before the Lesser Demon could get away, Beel’s mouth was at the other demon’s throat and the jugular was ripped clean out. The demon’s body fell to the floor in shock and Beel was quick to pounce and shred his meal apart, consuming the flesh and bones and leaving nothing left. Nobody in the restaurant stopped him. When Beel’s hunger subsided, he paid the bill and walked out to go find the MC. He just knows that they would love some macarons from Madam Scream just about now and he wasn’t about to deny them that.

Belphegor

Belphie typically struggled to find the motivation to do much of anything most days. Or rather, it isn’t much of a struggle if he had no intention of doing anything in the first place but the point remains. Today, he was actually able to summon the miniscule amount of energy required to go with the MC to the movies to see a documentary about human space exploration. Granted, he had almost every intent and purpose to just fall asleep the second the lights dimmed anyways, but he could at least be some form of company for MC during the show.

Belphie was told to meet MC outside of the theater’s entrance about fifteen minutes before the flick. The only reason they were not able to walk from HoL to the theater together was because MC had some resource material they had forgotten to return to RAD and needed to run by there real quick before it was overdue. Bephie didn’t mind though. It meant he could sleep in a bit more before having to head out. When he did arrive at the meet up point, there was a Lesser Demon practically glued to MC’s side and Belpie would just feel his limited energy reserves drain.

When the MC spots him, they are quick to pull him aside and explain that they ran into the Lesser Demon at RAD and asked to hang out with them. When MC went to reject the offer and explain that they already made plans with Belphie, the demon was even more insistent about spending time with them. The Lesser Demon wanted to get to know more demons with an interest in astronomy and was a bit too shy to approach Belphie by themselves. Now that they had gathered the courage, they would not be persuaded to do anything else but tag along. The other demon appeared very keen on not letting MC and Belphie out of their sights and walked over to join the conversation after a moment.

Belphie was not exactly happy about some stranger ruining his movie experience, but figured that it wouldn’t matter too much rather the other demon was there or not. He was still “seeing” a film with MC. When they all walked inside to get their tickets, the Lesser Demon would not shut up about how excited they were to finally get to talk to more astronomy fans. MC did not appear to mind though and was being fairly polite. They would answer as many questions as possible but it was becoming apparent that the Lesser Demon wasn’t exactly listening to the replies and would turn around and ask Belphie the same questions. He ignored the other demon though because they were being annoying.

Once they walked to their seats, the Lesser Demon tried to sit between both Belphie and the MC. He wasn’t in the mood to humor the other demon so Belphie plopped down in one of the seats and pulled MC down into the one next to him. Because of the arrangement of the seats and some random demons seating on Belphie’s other side, the Lesser Demon was made to sit on the other side of the MC. Belphie could tell they did not appear all that happy about the arrangement judging by the deep frown that etches into their face. Well, too bad. This was originally his movie date with MC, not the Lesser Demon.

When the lights finally went out and the curtains pulled back completely from the screen, Belphie got comfortable in his seat and laid his head on MC’s shoulder. He was planning on getting on top of his well deserved nap as soon as possible, but something in his gut was keeping him just on this side of wakefulness. Although his eyes were closed and his breathing was slow, Belphie was on alert. He was naturally a demon with a lot of suspicions about other’s motives, so he was a bit weary of the frown on the Lesser Demon’s face a few moments ago.

Belphie heard the Lesser Demon start to whisper in MC’s other ear and had to focus a bit to hear the conversation over the film’s loud music score. The other demon appeared to be continuing their earlier barrage of questions. The MC whispers to the other demon that they would like to watch the movie and could answer everything later. The questions continue anyway and start becoming more and more morbid and strangely personal. What were human funeral customs like? Could humans sense when their life is in danger like prey can? Do human hearts taste better when they are still beating or shortly after being stilled?

That last question gave both the MC and Belphie pause. The Lesser Demon continues though, slowly moving their hand up the MC’s arm and across the chest until their hand rested lightly against MC’s neck. “I always wondered what it was about you that drove the Seven Avatars to becoming shadows of their former selves. Even Belphegor, with his intense hatred of humans, is over there sleeping on your shoulder like a newborn kit. Maybe the brothers just need a reminder of how weak and helpless humans are in order to snap out of their feeble minded states and become real demons.”

Belphie just lets out a snort of a laugh at the ridiculous monologue the Lesser Demon felt the need to recite before materializing his tail. The other demon seemed to realize their mistake too late and their neck was snapped all too quickly. Beplhie finally opens his eyes to peak up at the MC. They were looking at the Lesser Demon’s body and the way their head was twisted to an unnatural degree. Ah, well, there goes his movie nap. Belphie was about to get up to leave the theater, thinking that MC would probably not be in the mood to watch the film anymore and would prefer to not be next to both him and a corpse, when he was tugged down into the seat instead this time. The MC quirks a brow as if to say the movie wasn’t over and goes back to watching the screen. Good thing too because Belphie was past the point of simple sleepiness and wanted his movie nap, for demon’s sake.

-----

Thank you for reading part 2 of this request. Sorry I didn’t include the original question in the post but I am too lazy. I talk a lot so please excuse the run-on sentences -Leo

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons #obey me requests #obey me belphegor #obey me beelzebub #obey me asmodeus #obey me mc #gn!mc #shall we date belphie #shall we date asmodeus #shall we date beelzebub #shall we date beel #cw murder #cw cannibalism #cw torture #cw manipulation #cw violence

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renaerys · 3 years

Note

22. for reds 🤡

This is 100% not what you asked for (yet...👀), but I give you part 1 of what we're calling the Weird King AU. I'm turning this into a proper multi-chapter High School fic because I love you and I'd jump on any bandwagon for you.

xxx

Like most young, conventionally attractive Supervillains, Brick had made a bit of a habit of failing upwards. It was pretty easy in a town full of simpering morons content to project their own narrative assumptions onto him, and who was he to crush their dreams when they made his life a little easier?

For example, dating.

“You can tell me, you know.” His cute date, Tracy, sipped her milkshake across from him.

“Tell you what?”

She softened and reached her hand across the table. “Your tragic backstory. I’ll listen without judgment, I promise.”

Brick tried to think of something tragic, but it all seemed pretty underwhelming as far as Supervillain origin stories went. “You mean like how I was born in a toilet?”

She made an oh shape with her lips. “We all have those days where we feel like we were born in a toilet, Brick.”

He’d dated Tracy for three months before she broke up with him out of the blue in tears: sorry she couldn’t fix his baggage, she just wasn’t strong enough to handle all that tortured darkness, but she wished him nothing but health and happiness. Brick deleted her number from his phone and spent twenty whole minutes staring at the toilet in his bathroom, wondering what the lesson here was.

But everything changed when Mojo got out of prison and moved Brick and his brothers back to Townsville, where he enrolled them in the local high school alongside their former arch nemeses, the Powerpuff Girls.

Suddenly, everything Brick did pre-supposed ill intent. These people remembered him as the pest who had graffitied their local monuments and blown up their cars and endangered their children. They held no love for him, and at best they feared him. This was not Citiesville, where he’d been a tall, cold glass of Voss water in a sea of recycled Dasani.

He found himself thinking about his birthing toilet again as he stepped into the cafeteria alone and the conversation quieted down as his new classmates watched him from the safety of their tables. His next moves here were critical. He was no longer at the top of the food chain, but fear and mystery surrounding his origins and character gave him a certain power over his peers.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of social suicide, I will fear no cringe,” he said to himself.

The jocks were out. Capable though he may be, Brick was not much of a team player unless there was a blood contract involved requiring his participation on pain of satanic torture. The drama kids were also a hard pass, not because he thought drama was lame, but because they had barely noticed him walk in, and Brick did not have the energy to deal with people more self-involved than himself. Some of the unaffiliated tables could be safe, but without a good understanding of the nuanced social dynamics in the high school, he could be heading toward irreversible doom, and that was a risk he was not willing to take.

He saw his salvation just ahead. It was the only option, all else being equal. In an environment where he couldn’t be certain of his baseline status and potential for upward mobility, there was greatness to be had only by association and certainty only in the devil he knew.

Brick helped himself to the empty seat directly across from Blossom Utonium to a chorus of gasps and staring.

Blossom did not startle like her table mates had. She watched him critically behind a head full of bangs as she balanced her soup spoon in her hand. “Really.”

Brick unwrapped the burrito he’d purchased in the lunch line and brandished it before him. “Really.”

He took a bite of the burrito. It was not hot enough. The two girls to Blossom’s left whispered to each other about that bad boy and he’s hot, though.

Blossom daintily spooned soup into her mouth without spilling a single drop as she continued to watch Brick for signs of his imminent dark side transformation.

The guy next to Brick was brave enough to ask him what his next class was. Brick had a mouth full of disappointing burrito, so he passed the guy the printout of his class schedule in lieu of answering.

“Wow, all APs, huh? Hey, we’re in U.S. History together next period, nice. I’m Mike Believe, by the way. Brick Jojo, right?”

Brick didn’t answer him immediately on account of the burrito currently occupying his mouth hole, and Mike took it the wrong way.

“Oh, yeah, we all know who you are. Blossom sort of filled us in.” He winced like he’d inadvertently revealed a terrible secret.

Brick swallowed his food and washed it down with a gulp of water. “Saves me some time.”

Mike looked super relieved. “For sure! Hey, I could lend you my notes if you want to catch up. Gershwin’s giving a quiz on the Progressive Era on Friday, and she’s a hard-ass who definitely won’t care that you just transferred…”

Brick chewed on his lunch as Mike continued to talk at him about classes and other vaguely helpful, albeit uninteresting, information. But Mike seemed normal enough, a little chatty but not in an overeager sort of way. Blossom was no longer clocking his every move and seemed to be absorbed in her friend’s latest swim team cheating scandal, until Brick reached for his water bottle and she suddenly laser-focused on his wandering hand.

Her keen attention to him was honestly flattering, if expected. It was in his nature to be noticed, and in this narrow respect she was no different from anyone else whose head he turned. If she chose to feed her interest with the flames of suspicion, then it was no difference to him.

But if she was anything like him—and on a chemical level she was probably the closest to him that a person could get—he suspected it took tremendous effort to hold her full and sustained attention. The world they inhabited was as vapid and mundane as the humans that surrounded them, and even the most gracious of gods grew bored of worship. Which explained all the smiting and fucking and generational curses upon entire households in everything from Greek mythology to the Old Testament.

Brick was pretty deep into a fantasy of Blossom going full Ixion and the Wheel on the swim team when Mike tapped his shoulder. “You ready to go?”

It took him a moment to realize the bell had rung and he had a class to get to—AP U.S. History with Mike, apparently. Brick gathered his tray and his bag and followed Mike. When he looked back at the table, Blossom was already gone.

xxx

That whole first week was painfully boring. No one bullied him, or pranked him, or picked a fight with him, of course. But no one really approached him, either. His brothers were more determined to make an effort. Boomer announced he was trying out for the soccer team because there was no rule saying a Super with extremely well documented ties to active criminals and the forces of Hell couldn’t kick a ball around a field. Butch had gotten himself invited to a midnight screening of Snakes on a Plane in some rich kid’s home movie theater, but only after that same kid had accidentally spilled milk on Butch and burst into tears in front of a cafeteria full of Juniors and Seniors. Brick declined the invitation Butch extended to him. He had that AP U.S. History exam to study for on Friday, anyway.

He shared all of his classes with Blossom. Even in the classes where her assigned seat was behind his and he couldn’t see her, he could feel her lobotomizing stare at the back of his head whenever she glanced up from her notebook. And while Mike’s notes were perfectly adequate and the friendly gesture counted for more than the content (a gesture Brick would not soon forget), there was a far more efficient way to accomplish his goal of murdering the class averages while also taking the edge off his loner doldrums.

“Can I borrow your class notes?”

Blossom rose from her seat and pulled her hair tie out to re-do her extremely long ponytail. She held the elastic between her teeth as she worked. Her teeth were very straight, he noticed. Some pretty nice girl-teeth, generally speaking.

“Which class?”

“All of them.”

He watched her wind the elastic around her hair with quick, adroit fingers. “That’s a lot of notes.”

“You’re the top of every class. No point in asking anyone else.”

She moved toward the hall. He followed her out. “Why would I help you?”

A legitimate question delivered without venom. Unlike her sister Buttercup, who’d “run into” Brick after school on Monday and told him to watch his back, Blossom didn’t have to do anything but maintain a general proximity to make her superiority complex known. Which was the kind of flex he could fuck with.

“Isn’t helping people sort of your mandate?”

They had arrived at her locker, which she opened with enough force to rattle the hinges. “I help the helpless. Are you helpless, Brick?”

Brick smiled at her baiting. Had she ever actually said his name at a normal volume before? It sounded good even in her baseline bitch timbre. “Critically helpless. I’m the new student who transferred in the middle of the semester, and you’re the only person who knows me.”

A couple other students clearly trying to get to the lockers Brick was blocking hovered just out of reach. They whispered to each other, but neither of them actually worked up the courage to ask Brick to move. He ignored them.

Blossom rummaged in her locker for the binder she would need for the next class. “Make friends.”

“Working on it.”

The locker door slammed and she faced him. There was something confrontational in the way she held herself before him that kicked him in the nuts back in time thirteen years to their more uncouth days when all he wanted to do was destroy her so he’d be the only one. Now they were older and wiser and he actually did need her notes to study, so destroying her was not high on his list of priorities.

“You want to be my friend.”

“We have so much in common.”

“So do lions and hyenas.”

“Both are apex predators, so.”

She took a step closer and peered up at him. Brick did not move, although he wondered what was so interesting about his face. She probably just thought he was hot. She was probably as bored as he was. She probably—

“You have lettuce in your teeth.”

Brick pulled back and covered his mouth on instinct. God fucking damnit.

Blossom was already walking away from him by the time he’d picked the food from his teeth. “I’ll expect my notes back in mint condition before first period tomorrow morning.”

Brick pressed a fist against the lockers and quietly fumed. “Dumbass…”

“Um, sorry, but do you mind…?”

The student who’d been waiting for her locker space to clear up had her palms up as if to assuage a feral stray. Brick pushed off the lockers, but his fist left a dent where he’d unleashed some of his impotent self-pity. He looked back at the girl, and she shook her head.

“It’s fine! It, uh, it happens sometimes.” She pointed a couple lockers down to Blossom’s, which was dinged up worse than the others.

Brick stared at Blossom’s locker, and then back at the girl. Her narrow, dark eyes were wide, but not out of fear. She was waiting for something, and like an idiot it took him a moment to catch up. “You’re trying to make me feel better about fucking up your locker.”

She laughed nervously. “I mean, it’s really fine! You just looked so miserable for a second there, and I just thought…”

Great, he was moping so hard he had an audience.

The five minute warning bell rang, and a flood of students rushed past them on their way to fourth period. Brick stepped aside so the girl could get to her locker.

“Hey, you’re the new guy, right?”

The new guy, yeah. How quaint. Except, she was waiting for a response, which wasn’t the absolute worst thing that had happened to him all week.

“Brick,” he said. But of course, she already knew that, and she was just being nice.

“I’m Kim. Kim Chan.”

“Okay.” He didn’t have anything else to say to her, so he decided to get his shit and get to his next class.

“Welcome back to Townsville, Brick.”

Brick shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked off. It didn’t occur to him until later that Kim was the first and only person who had properly welcomed him back home.

#powerpuff girls #powerpuff girls fanfic #blossick #ppg reds #ppg blossom #ppg brick #september fic prompts #weird king au #i have no idea what i will call this yet #but it'll make its way to AO3 and it'll be a Thing #i have to think of themes and shit now #i came here to shit post and here we are with another full on Reds fic

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rhaenyra-first-of-her-name · 3 years

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So what's your issue against Sansa since you like to reblog from antis who literally make up flaws about her and call her "evil" for literally being a CHILD in the first book. She made mistakes but one can't forget that she was young and naive and didn't understand what was going on with the Lannisters and what they were really like. But in later books she understands more and is growing and changing, but you guys still want to blame her from the first book and not give her a chance? really?

Right off the bat with the accusations.

With Sansa? Very little tbh. It's her stans. It's their blatant dishonesty that irks me.

I happen to like canon Sansa far more than her 'popular' fanon version. Canon Sansa is a complex, nuanced and interesting. Not the the most interesting but interesting.

I sympathize with her and her difficult circumstances.

But I didn't even say anything about Sansa as a character in the post that probably brought you here. But since you went through my blog and asked, let's roll with it.

I am afraid that I would need receipts and proofs of that bcoz I have never reblogged anything that made up Sansa 's flaws and called her 'evil'. I have neither personally done so nor my mutuals and the people I happen to follow. If you want a proof of anything I am saying, I would be glad to show you.

So are at least half of the characters in asoiaf. So are Dany, Arya, Jon and Bran.

But apparently only Sansa gets an excuse about being a child. Not Dany. Not Arya. I have heard what Sansa stans say about Dany and they don't seem to care that even Dany is very young and just 2 years older than Sansa. Arya is even 2 years younger than Sansa but nope.

Yes, she has made mistakes like the rest of the characters but her stans are the ones who try to whitewash everything so excuse me if I am mad about it as I rightly should be.

Sansa 's mistakes include bullying her younger sister. I am sorry but I condemn bullying even though I take her age into account. It also includes her general disregard for other people (Mycah, Arya, Jeyne, the Vale knight who died in the Hand 's tournament, Jeyne 's father, Jon) so excuse me that it bugs me. It should.

Betraying her family is there too. Not to forget, she's currently poisoning her cousin and a child- SweetRobin

Yes, she's growing and getting better but that doesn't miraculously vanish her past mistakes. This doesn't work like algebra for me. She is yet to acknowledge most of them.

Not knowing who the Lannisters were is on Sansa. Not just her age. Arya is younger and she knew. By the time Sansa betrayed Ned; the Trident incident had happened, Lady was killed on Cersei 's order, Joffrey swung a sword over her sister's head and Ned had been attacked by Jaime Lannister in the streets of King's Landing. Jaime killed three Northmen.

Even her father's arrest didn't break her bubble. They called her father, a traitor and she took their side. They killed her friend's father and she still believed them. If it took Joffrey killing Ned to break her bubble, she has no one but herself to blame for putting herself in that situation.

It's a fact that Sansa choose two people she hardly knew over her own father.

If there was anyone else at Sansa 's place, the fandom won't be so forgiving.

But tbh I have more of a problem with how this fandom doesn't want to acknowledge her mistakes and flaws rather than what Sansa did herself. It's very infuriating.

How do people expect her to grow if they don't even want to acknowledge her flaws and mistakes?

When apparently they're very capable of doing it, in case of Arya and Dany. To the point of exaggeration.

The double standards and hypocrisy of her stans is appalling.

A chance you say, Sansa had a chance for four more books now and I am yet to see her acknowledge her part in the downfall of her family. I understand her difficult circumstances and that's why I am not expecting something drastic from her in that situation. But a mere acknowledgement in her own mind would be deeply appreciated and that's the least of she can do.

As to why I or other people bring up the first book the most, it's for two reasons. 1) That's when she did her biggest mistakes and these are not something you can ignore. 2) that's also the book she has most agency in. When characters have agency is the time they're most judged for. People/ characters are judged more for what they do, than what they had to do.

The last thing I would say is this: understanding her flaws and actions, including her mistakes, is a wildly different concept from justifying them.

I hope this answer is enough. I might be up for further discussion if it's kept civil.

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littlemisslipbalm · 4 years

Text

“I am not going to join your band”

Summary: You’re longtime best friends with Mitch Rowland and you’re in love with him. When he starts working with Harry you tag along and watch as Mitch falls in love with Sarah. But Harry watches them too and you realize you have each other.

A/N: Why is this lowkey a Mitch fanfic at the beginning OMG - i didn’t mean for it to be like that but it kind of reads that way. I will definitely be doing a part 2 I just wanted to kind of set the stage for what is to come (likely another three part kind of thing). NOT (really) PROOFREAD AND FEEDBACK MUCH APPRECIATED (I love hearing from you)

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: mentions of anxiety, otherwise this is just HS1 Studio FLUFF

Part 2

---

All your life had been exceptionally boring. And you had no complaints. You were from a family with two parents, two siblings, and a pet. You went to public school and performed well, but never excelled in anything because you didn’t care to. You chose to go to college just an hour away from your hometown, a small liberal arts school. Your life was, by all accounts, average. You weren’t super popular and you weren’t bullied excessively around town. You just existed there.

The only thing, or person, rather, in your life that you really thought made it exceptional was Mitch. Mitch grew up next door to you when you were kids, he was a few years older but he didn’t mind hanging with you. You eventually became best friends and did everything together. Sneaking in through his window to play with his pet lizard when you were seven. Sneaking out with him to drive around in his car and drink stolen alcohol when you were sixteen. You did everything with Mitch. You thought he was your soulmate. While he was quiet with others and that sometimes freaked them out, you either enjoyed the silence or got to see his truly imaginative and beautiful personality.

Mitch was a musician all his life and you sat with him when he learned to play on his thrifted first ever guitar and attended every one of his high school rock band’s shows, even if that meant sneaking into a bar at fourteen.

Staying close to home wasn’t hard because that’s where Mitch was. Even if nothing ever had even remotely happened between you and Mitch, you held out hope. He had thought about it just once, if neither of you found anyone else it might be nice to have a family together, but he had dismissed it quickly. Mitch saw you as a little sister and loved having you as his best friend who he could tell anything to, but it was never going to be anything more for him.

So there you and Mitch were, living your little lives in Middle America, nothing to your names, but some average education, affordable apartments, and going-nowhere jobs. That is, until one day Mitch’s roommate called him up to ask if he could come play guitar for some musician’s album he was working on. The musician’s guitarist had called in sick and Mitch’s roommate had volunteered Mitch for the job. That’s when Mitch’s life changed, but what about yours?

It was heading into the second week of Mitch working on the musician’s album, who you had found out to be the famous Harry Styles. Mitch had come home after the first day and called you to come over. When you arrived, he told you how Harry and him had gotten along so well and Harry had invited him to keep coming back and playing on the album. You had never seen Mitch so excited and you were happy for him. You couldn’t help the twinge in your heart though when he kept bringing up someone named ‘Sarah’. She was apparently the drummer and had been very nice to Mitch, as well.

Now Mitch had this whole other life and you were sat there like what the hell am I supposed to do now? Then on that Saturday evening, after a long day in the studio for Mitch, he had come over to watch a movie and unwind with you, he asked if you wanted to tag along to the studio with him on Monday and see how it’s going. He was always telling you how cool everything was and you were quick to jump at the chance to both hang out with Mitch and see him doing what he loved.

On Monday, Mitch picked you up and drove you to the studio. When you got inside the building you were already amazed. The place was small, but so incredibly cool to you. You had never been to a real recording studio before and one of the things you and Mitch loved to do together was music - listening to it, playing it, buying it, so this was an unforgettable experience. Mitch walked through one of the bigger studios doors and the two of you entered the part of the studio that was where all the soundboards and tech was.

Harry, the man who had practically fallen in love with Mitch as well, was inside the room already. He turned to Mitch and beamed his large smile, his teeth a shiny white. You could tell why everyone in the world was in love with Harry just from that smile, it was truly an ‘award-winning smile’. “Mitch!” he exclaimed and gave him a tight hug. Mitch only smiled softly. When Harry pulled back his eyes flitted over to your figure standing just slightly behind Mitch. “You’ve brought a friend ‘round, that is so lovely!” he first said to Mitch and then turned back to you, “What is your name, love?” You extended your hand and said your name, Harry only glanced at your hand and then pulled you into a hug as well, a slightly less exuberant hug, but a hug nonetheless. You loved Mitch, but you didn’t understand how this bright and bubbly man had warmed up so quickly to Mitch’s quiet and solemn exterior.

Harry looked at Mitch with something in his eye you couldn’t quite place after the three of you chatted for awhile. “Well, you’re very lucky to have this man in your life, Y/N, he’s one of the best guitarists I’ve ever met, like, holy fuck, he is good.” You smiled at his praise for Mitch, and glanced adoringly at Mitch. Mitch only ducked his head at Harry’s enthusiastic praise. Whatever reasons Harry had for adoring Mitch, you were pretty sure it meant Mitch’s chance to get out of his old life, including you.

Then, it was time for them to get to work. Harry and Mitch had already written one song together, or at least Mitch had helped Harry to finish it. Today, Harry wanted the band to play it for the first time all together. Harry had told you to make yourself comfortable on the couch in the soundboard room. You watched as the band set up all of their equipment and you felt your ears burn when you saw Mitch talk to the woman you identified as Sarah. You didn’t want to be jealous, you hated feeling possessive over a man that you weren’t even with, but you just felt like you were watching Mitch slip from your life more and more as every moment passed.

The band started playing the opening chords of what Harry had called Woman when he said into his microphone, “Take 1...of many for Woman.” You smiled as you watched Mitch get into his guitar playing for the song, he sounded amazing. But as much as you liked to watch Mitch play, you couldn’t help but stare at Harry when he began to sing. He was talented, beyond talented, his voice sounded angelic to you. He grooved a bit to the instruments as he sang the lyrics. It was a beautiful song, you thought, wishing you could have someone write a song like that about you.

As the song reached over half way through, Mitch breaks into a rad guitar solo and for the first time since Harry began singing you looked back over to Mitch. That was kind of where the song ended, there was just a final time when Harry proclaims “Woman!” and it ends. You weren’t sure if it was normal to stand and applaud after a studio recording session, but you did anyway. You jumped up and down a little and clapped. The entire band smiled back at you and Harry leaned into the microphone, “Y/N, why don’t you come in here and join us?” You happily agreed and went into the adjoined room.

Harry told everyone to take a breather for about five, so the band was drinking water and chatting. When you got there you immediately belinned to Mitch and began to gush over how much you loved his solo and his playing throughout. Mitch talked in hushed tones back to you, saying where he thought he might speed up or slow down at parts. You didn’t notice Harry had walked up behind you and you jumped a bit at his voice. “Didn’t mean to give you a fright, love. How’d you think it sounded?” Harry inquired. You tilted your head to look up at him, while Mitch was perched on an amp, Harry stood tall beside you. “It was lovely, the lyrics were epic and I loved the beat of it. I was just telling Mitch how amazing his guitar solo was…” your cheeks brightening when you mentioned Mitch. Harry had some knowing smile again.

“You’ll have to thank Sarah for delivering that beat, however, Mitch and I wrote those lyrics,” Harry continued the conversation with you. You couldn’t believe how normal he was for being a world famous singer and boy band member - just a year ago. One Direction was a huge deal, yet here Harry was asking you how you’d liked the song and talking to you like you knew a thing or two about music. You and Harry talked about the song for a bit more, Mitch staying silent for almost the entirety of the conversation, you noticed his eyes wandered over to Sarah who was talking to Adam, the bassist. Then, it was time for Harry to listen to the song when the tech crew came back. When he did, he made notes for both the band and the tech crew and everyone got back to work. On the third go around of the song, you decided you were done giving them a round of applause.

They worked on Woman for half the day. When lunch time rolled around, Harry decided he was happy with how the song sounded, ‘good for now’ was all he said, obviously still not satisfied with how it sounded. During lunch you sat beside Mitch and across from Harry. The more you got to know Harry, the more you liked him. He was very playful and free spirited, but also took his passion very seriously and was endlessly grateful for the opportunities he had been given. As you warmed up to Harry, you noticed Mitch being a bit more animated. Had he been keeping his guard up because he wasn’t sure if you and Harry would get along?

There was still sometime before the break ended, but everyone had finished eating. You excused yourself to the bathroom, but when you came back, you saw Mitch occupied with Sarah. You looked helplessly on as he smiled and laughed with her. You felt left out as you really didn’t know anyone else but Mitch there. Sure you had gotten to know Harry a bit, but he was a rockstar and a guy you barely knew, you couldn’t just go up to him and ask to become your new best friend. Harry noticed you standing alone and walked up behind you, this time knowing to tap your shoulder to make you aware of his presence. You turned around at the touch you felt on your right shoulder, you were greeted with Harry’s bright eyes and soft smile. “Do you play any instruments?” Harry asked you. That’s random. “Eh, I can play some piano and guitar. I love piano, but I don’t keep up with it as much as I should.” “Well, you should keep coming here with Mitch. You could get some practice in, we’ve got a piano here somewhere,” Harry said as he raised his head and started to look dramatically around the room. “‘S right behind you,” you smiled at the man who had given Mitch a chance and now seemed to be giving you a chance, too. Harry whipped his head around, “Ahh…Well I’ll make sure it’s tuned for you for tomorrow.” You thanked him and the two of you began chatting about Harry’s visions for the album.

Three Weeks Later

“I am not joining your band, Harry, I’m not even that good of a piano player!” You threw your hands up. “Will you hush? You’re amazing, quit denying it,” Harry grinned as he pinned your arms down to your sides and flipped you around, “Now play exactly what you showed me earlier.” He marched you to the piano and plopped you into the accompanying stool. You huffed a sigh and placed your fingers on the keys. “You don’t even have piano on all-” “Ap, bahp, bahp! Plaayyy…” Harry cut you off and then added, “Please?” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Such a baby.

You had been coming with Mitch to the studio for almost a month now. After your first day, Harry had retuned the idle piano for you and you had messed around with it when they weren’t recording. You and Harry had become closer over the time, he realized you were almost the female version of Mitch, but slightly less shy and slightly more opinionated. And you had realized that Harry was the kindest man you knew, only after Mitch. Mitch and Sarah had also become closer in the past three weeks. As much as it pained you to watch, you could never look away. The band and you started to go out every night and every night Mitch and Sarah always ended up sitting apart from everyone else wrapped in their own world. It hurt your heart so much, but you pushed through, happy to be around all the amazing people you had gotten to know. As well, whenever you were left alone, Harry always seemed to pop up, chatting about what was next for the album and what you had been doing on the piano earlier in the day.

Today, you had sought out Harry, wanting to show him something you’d been playing with since yesterday. When he heard what you played he brought up something he had mentioned a couple weeks ago, that you had thought was a joke, he wanted you to join the band - to play keys. You laughed it off, but Harry persisted. Now he was having you play the little random piece you had made up for everyone: the band and the crew. Your stomach was doing flips and your heart was in your throat. This was one of the main reasons you didn’t think you could be in Harry’s band, anxiety. It was minor, but you definitely had some - if your nerves in your physical body and your thoughts in your brain were any indication.

Finally, you began to play. It was the tune of what would become Sweet Creature. When you finished the early sound of it, there was silence. Sarah was the first to clap and then everyone followed quickly after. You ducked your head down and then looked up again with a smile on your face. It widened when you looked over at Harry and Mitch right by your side. You had never had people saying something of yours was great. Harry and Mitch stayed in the studio room with you, excited at the new prospect of a song. The album had reached a roadblock a couple days ago. Harry wasn’t liking any of the songs they were making and he was struggling to write any new ones. This, your art, was a breakthrough. After you had played, Mitch picked up one of the acoustic guitars laying around and began to play the same tune on the strings. Harry began to hum along. They twiddled with your tune a bit, but eventually they had to let it go for the time being. Lunch had ended and they still had to keep working on the other unfinished songs.

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scuttling · 3 years

Text

Bully

Fandom: Criminal Minds Pairing: Aaron Hotchner/Latina OFC Sophie Cortes Word Count: 2,249 Tags: SFW, Pre-relationship, Supportive Aaron Summary: A case in Chicago means the team is introduced to someone from Sophie's past. Collection: Sophie Cortes timeline, 0-6 Months at the BAU (See Masterlist for reading order) Link to AO3 or read below! “Alright, we’ve got a case in Chicago,” JJ says as they gather in the briefing room on a Wednesday morning. “The detective there is… how do I put this? He’s a real asshole, but they need our help, so just prepare yourselves for one of those.” She passes out the case file, and Cortes tenses beside Hotch, a shift in demeanor he can almost feel, though they are sitting a foot apart.

“Please tell me, just to ease my mind, JJ—it’s not the 54th precinct, right?” She looks up with a grimace, and JJ nods.

“Sounds like you know the guy. Detective Jeffrey?”

“Fuck. Yes, I know him.” She puts an elbow on the table, leans her forehead into her hand, sighs. “He’s like the anti-Hotch: cruel, impulsive, hotheaded, blames his failures on his coworkers. This guy is going to give us grief the whole way, especially if I’m there.”

“Is there a reason for him to be aggressive toward you? Did you pass him up for promotions, accolades?” he asks, and she looks up at him, frowns.

“He’s a misogynist, and a racist, for starters. Wanted a spot on the tactical response team and didn’t get it because he can’t take orders, which had nothing to do with me, but you know how narcissists project.”

“Nothing is actually ever their fault,” Reid says, filling in the blanks.

“Exactly. I was the most convenient target for his anger. So, of course I want to do my part, I’m just letting you know there’s a lot of hostility there so you aren’t blindsided.” The team seems collectively a little more tense—no one messes with one of their own—and Hotch nods thoughtfully.

“You’re with me while we’re there, then. If he wants to give you a hard time, we won’t make it easy.”

“Okay. Thanks.” She exhales, turns back to the case file, and JJ continues with the briefing.

He takes her aside once they’re on the jet.

“Can we talk for a moment?” he asks, standing by the open seat next to hers, and she gestures to it.

“Sure. Is it about what I said earlier, about Jeffrey?”

“Yes and no. I trust your judgement; if this guy is going to be a pain in our ass, I want to have a game plan going in so things move as smoothly as possible.” She closes the folder in her lap, nods, gives him her full attention. “First and foremost, you can not let him get to you.” She leans back against the window, sighs.

“I know. It’s just hard, like going back to high school and facing your old bully.”

“I get it. From what you’ve told me, this guy is going to have all of us on edge, but you know the precinct, the area, some of the officers; the team is going to look to you a lot while we’re here. You need to be firm, authoritative, but not antagonistic. Most importantly, you need to be confident. Don’t second guess yourself because of this jerk we’re dealing with.”

“I know that giving in and getting mad is what he wants, so I’m going to try my damndest not to give it to him.” She laughs a little, like it’s easier said than done, and he maintains eye contact, wills her to see how much he really does trust her with this. “I really appreciate this, Hotch.”

“It’s what I’m here for.”

“I know. But you show your faith when it really matters, and not everyone in your position does that. You should know how much it means to us.” Her words warm his heart, and not just because it’s her who’s saying them. He knows he comes off like a drill sergeant sometimes, but it’s all for good reason. He just wants to take care of his team, keep them safe.

“Thank you. The job is tough; I try to support you guys anyway I can.”

“It shows. Thanks for having my back,” she says softly, tilting her head, and then she sighs and smiles, sits up in her seat. He’s known her long enough to be able to tell when things are getting a little too heavy for her, knows she’s looking for lightness, now. “If we have time for drinks after this case, we have to go to Tito’s, just putting it out there.” Morgan hears her, leans over from his seat across the aisle.

“Tito’s! I haven’t been there in years.”

“Neither have I. They have the best portobello tacos in Chicago. Drowning in chimichurri,” she says to Hotch, and he smiles a little at her excitement. “Give me a Corona and lime and a plate of tacos and I’ll forget all about Douglas fucking Jeffrey.”

“We’ll see what we can do,” he says, and he spends the rest of the trip sitting between the two of them as they reminisce about their favorite things about Chicago.

He actually really enjoys it.

When they arrive at the precinct, she is decidedly less jovial, and Hotch immediately understands why, when he introduces himself to Detective Jeffrey.

“Cortes, good to see you again,” he greets, while his expression tells a different story entirely. “Are you his... assistant?” He pretends to be confused, and JJ bristles beside them at the implication, but Sophie remains impassive, doesn’t even look tense. It’s possible his pep talk had more impact than he thought.

“She is no one’s assistant, she’s a supervisory special agent with the FBI just like me, and she will be taking point on this case. I expect you to defer to her expertise,” Hotch informs him with no room for misunderstanding in his tone. Again, if she’s surprised, she doesn’t show it, just continues reading over the case file provided.

“No offense, but this is a serial killer we’re talking about. It’s worlds away from chatting up a meth addict CI in a McDonald's parking lot.” She does close the file at that, and it appears to him that she can handle personal insults just fine, but that jabs at her work are where she gets defensive.

“You wouldn’t have closed half of your cases if it weren’t for my CIs, and you know it. But I’m not in Intelligence anymore, I’m a profiler, and I’m good at what I do.” She crosses her arms, exhales, and turns away from him, a clear dismissal. “Hotch, Prentiss, and I will go to the crime scene. Reid and Gideon will meet with the second victim’s wife, Morgan and JJ will work victimology, and we’ll reconvene here.”

“You got it, boss,” Morgan says, taking a seat, and in times like these he is really proud of his team. He knows as well as Sophie what it means to show Jeffrey that an alpha male like Morgan will take her orders, and Morgan took them and ran. He hides a smile.

They are unfortunately stuck with the detective when they are rerouted to a new crime scene as another body is found, but Hotch isn't worried. It will be a great place for her to show him what she can do.

“What do we know about the victim so far?” Sophie asks Jeffrey, her posture open.

“Sheila Lapinski, 27, hooker.” Prentiss rolls her eyes behind his back. “No one has reported her missing, no next of kin anywhere we can find. Coroner puts her time of death between 3 and 5 AM.”

“Does she have a record?”

“Osele’s pulling it now,” he says with a sigh, and she stops scanning the scene, looks to him with a cocked brow.

“Then how do you know she’s a prostitute?” He chuckles, puts out his hands like the answer is obvious.

“You know where we are. They’re like fleas around here, infesting, multiplying.” Cortes crouches down and lifts the sheet covering the victim, who is wearing a cardigan, pencil skirt, and flat shoes.

“She dressed like a prostitute to either of you?” she asks, looking up at Hotch and Prentiss, and he shakes his head, though he’s not sure why he’s surprised; the detective may actually be worse than she described him. Prentiss bends down, looks like she’s trying not to smile.

“No. She looks more like a school teacher, actually.”

“I’m telling you, they call this—pardon my French—” Sophie stands, crossing her arms, and cuts Jeffrey off.

“Pussy Alley. I know what guys like you call it. But you have no evidence this woman is a sex worker, and if she’s not, it’s extremely important that we find out how and why she was dumped here.” An older, bearded detective walks up to them, notebook open, and he smiles at her.

“Hey, Cortes. Nice to see you again, though not under the circumstances.”

“You too, Osele; these are Agents Hotchner and Prentiss. I worked with Osele in Intelligence way back when.” They all shake hands, and she nods to his notebook. “You have her record?"

“Yep, she’s squeaky clean. Not so much as a parking ticket.” Sophie shares a look with the both of them, and Jeffrey splutters.

“That’s—that’s not possible.”

“I think you’ll find that plenty is possible when you open your eyes, Detective,” Hotch can’t resist replying. Cortes crouches down again.

“There are no signs of a struggle. The bottoms of her shoes aren’t worn. Her clothes are clean, not cheap; hair done recently, not cheap.” Jeffrey puts his hands on his hips, all but rolls his eyes.

“Ah, there’s some hard hitting detective work.”

“You’re not even attempting to prove your theory that she’s a prostitute, so we’re disproving it for you,” Prentiss explains, pulling out her phone. “Easily. Garcia,” she begins, and she steps away from them to talk to the tech.

“What else do you see?” Hotch asks softly, meeting her on her level. “Anything that indicates occupation?” Her eyes are focused as she scans the victim, lifts her hand to examine her nails, her lip to examine her teeth.

“She has ink smudges on her hands, so she could be a teacher, but she could also be a receptionist, writer, accountant, secretary, bank teller… any type of administrative professional. She’s got a fresh manicure, teeth are in good health, so I’d bet she’s got insurance or has had it recently. No wedding ring, she’s too old to be on her parents’, so all signs point to a steady job.”

“Okay, there is no god damn way you can tell if she’s got health insurance just by looking at her.” She stands, and Hotch follows, covering the body with the sheet.

“No, you’re right, I can’t. It’s an educated guess based on analysis and not snap judgement. Do you have any insight into this case, aside from the fact that you think she’s a sex worker because of where she was found?”

“There’s not much to go on. Sometimes these cases go unsolved.” It’s then that Prentiss returns to them, and this time she is smiling.

“I had Garcia run our victim’s info, and it doesn’t look like she’s currently employed—no recent bank deposits, appears to be living off of her savings.”

“So not a teacher after all,” Jeffrey states, looking smug, and Hotch waits patiently, because he knows there’s more.

“Not right now, but she just moved to the area from a suburb called Evanston, and she was a third grade teacher there for two years. Private school, really nice place. Great insurance.” Sophie looks at her like something she said clicked, and she pulls out her phone.

“The ink on the heel of her hand could be from a newspaper; maybe she’s job hunting.”

“Wasn’t our first guy unemployed?” Prentiss recalls. “We should have Gideon and Reid ask his wife if he’s been job hunting. Could be a connection.”

“I’ll call Reid.” The fact that the victims were job hunting is what breaks the case. They work late into the evening, but they’re actually able to find the unsub—a man posing as a prospective employer only to people who are new to the area—relatively quickly once they put it all together.

The officers who remember Sophie from her time in Chicago are all clearly impressed with her and the team, and it makes him very, very proud.

Jeffrey clearly hates how quickly they solved the case, and he enjoys that, too.

That night, they do make it to Tito’s for drinks and Mexican food, and the team goes around the table and talks about their ‘Jeffreys’ in honor of Sophie showing up hers.

Morgan buys them all a round of Coronas in her honor as well, and later, Sophie offers to buy another; Hotch heads up the bar to help her carry.

“Since we’re here another night, is there anyone you’re going to try to see? Catch up with?” he asks while they wait for a few of the drinks. She smiles softly, tucks a hand under her chin thoughtfully.

“No, there’s nothing for me here anymore. Coming back, facing Jeffrey, was my last battle to fight, and you made that possible, so thank you.”

“It was my pleasure to see him knocked down a peg… and to watch you shine.” She reaches out, covers his hand with her own, which he did not expect, and nods back to the table with the rest of their coworkers, their friends.

“Come on. We’re going to have to rein them in soon. I could use a little back up.”

“Any time."

#aaron hotchner/original female character #aaron hotchner fanfic #aaron hotchner #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds #latina original female character

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writingtoforgetreality · 3 years

Text

Damage Is Done - Little Movie Star Chapter Three (Jensen Ackles x Daughter!Reader)

[Actors-Masterlist], [Little Movie Star-Masterlist]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summary: Jensen & Danneel were ready to break the news. Surprisingly, so were you. You should have known better than that. Good feelings disappeared more sooner than later. How stupid of you to think that things were going in the right direction.

Words: 1,761

Warnings: fluff, cyber bullying, panic attack, fake social media posts (picture credits go to their rightful owners)

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

~2016~

Things were going slow. And you could tell that the tension built itself whenever you distanced yourself more again. But you were trying, you really were. Jensen & Danneel could tell. They saw you struggling when you took part in their family activities. Your body language gave you away a lot of times. Neither of them commented on it, though. Communication was improving. More often, you spoke up when something happened you did not like & Jensen & Danneel did the same for you. Sometimes, it hurt a bit, when they told you that the way you acted was not appropriate. Sometimes, you stormed off to your room to cool down, only for you to come out a bit later to apologize for your behavior. Danneel was incredibly proud of the change you had been through so far. She could tell that Jensen & you shared a stronger bond but that was one thing Bill had warned them about. Whatever family you were put in, you usually connected faster with the fathers. In her head, she was already planning a girls day with you. Shopping & all that. Maybe that would help your bonding process.

You were eating breakfast when Jensen started a conversation that left you…unsure.

“So, we were thinking about breaking the news to the world. What do you say?” he eyed you carefully, waiting for some sort of reaction. You stopped eating for a second & looked down at your plate.

“For publicity?” the words were quiet but they could hear you crystal clear.

“Do you really think we need publicity?” Danneel joked & you were lucky that she eased the tension. Even a chuckle escaped you & finally, you looked up at them.

“What are you guys thinking? How do you wanna do this?” you asked, now starting to like the idea of them wanting you to be an official part of their family. It was fast but you thought if the world knew you were a part of the Ackles, then you might have an easier time accepting it yourself. They explained that they planned a simple Instagram post. Nothing more, nothing less. A picture with the six of you. The thought scared you but you agreed anyway which earned you two big smiles.

“Hey, Jensen?” walking over to where he was sitting, he turned his attention to you. “Could you help me with something, please?” you felt stupid to ask for help, especially because of something like that but you knew he had more experience than you.

“Sure thing. What is it?” he looked intrigued & then confused when you handed him your phone after sitting down next to him.

“Um… I don’t have any social media accounts but I’d like to get them started? I thought you might know what’s fitting & what isn’t.” Jensen seemed more than happy to help you out. It did not happen every day that you came & asked him something. So when you did, he appreciated it.

The two of you played around for a while. Jensen explained the basics. Even though you had to admit that he was not the pro you believed him to be. It was alright & in the end, you had a twitter & an Instagram account (@iam(Y/N)ackles). At first, you were against the handle. After all, your last name was not Ackles. But Jensen insisted that it was right for you to have these account names. He helped you setting everything up & you started following people you liked, starting with Jensen & Danneel, obviously. Followed by the rest of the Supernatural cast.

At the end of the day, after you took the picture Jensen & Danneel wanted to post, you were very nervous. The picture turned out to be incredibly cute. You were holding Zep in your arms, Arrow had been held by Danneel & JJ was sitting on Jensen’s lap. Immediately, you set this picture as your phone wallpaper, smiling wildly when you did so. All of a sudden, your phone was flooded with notifications. Both, on twitter & Instagram. Annoyed by the dinging sound, you turned them off completely. Jensen & Danneel tagged you in their posts & you were gaining hundred, thousands of followers in a very short time.

“(Y/N)? We posted the pic, just so you know.” but by the way you were looking at your phone, Jensen could tell you already knew this. He told you that it was probably better if you turned off the notifications but you brushed him off, saying you already did.

“Have you looked at it yet?” curiosity was written over his features. Shaking your head as an answer, he nudged you & told you to go on. Taking a deep breath, you opened Instagram & immediately were met with the picture on your timeline. The picture put a smile on your face again. You guys really looked cute. Like a cute little family. Then you went to read the caption.

Scrolling down, you saw Danneel’s post with the same caption & tears threatened to spill. You had not cried in front of other people in so long but right now, you could not hold back anymore. Gratitude was rushing over you & before you knew what was happening, Jensen wrapped his arms around you & pulled you into a hug. This time, you did not reject him, needing the comfort of another person. It felt good to be hugged, you had almost forgotten how much you actually loved it

“Thank you.” you mumbled into his chest. Jensen simply stroked his hands up & down your back. He could tell that this was a huge step. You were hugging, after all, & he was more than thankful to share this special moment with you. When you heard Danneel entering the room, you rushed over to her & gave her a hug, too. You could feel that your body was not reacting the same way when you were wrapping your arms around Jensen but it felt good nevertheless.

The rest of the day, conversation flowed easier. Dinner was filled with laughter & you guys chatted a lot. This act, of them posting you on their social media, showed you that they were not going away anytime soon. They were in for the long haul. Still, there was this awful voice in your head but tonight, it sounded a bit further in the distance, a bit more quiet than usual. That night, you decided to do a movie marathon. You had done them before but this one felt…different. It felt easier. You found yourself enjoying their company more & for a second, you had hope. Hope in the future. Hope in your new…family. Would you ever feel comfortable calling them your family? Maybe, if you kept going forward at this pace, then maybe you would.

Laying in bed, you wanted to check out the posts one more time. By now, you had thousands of followers even though you had zero posts on your account. Maybe you should repost the picture? Yeah, you could do that. Your thoughts were interrupted when you made the big mistake of going through the comment section under Jensen’s picture. Yes, there were a lot of positive responses, especially from his castmates, but when you kept scrolling, you found one hate comment after the other. They were awful to read through.

“really? she’s ugly as hell lmao”

“why would they choose her?”

“probably thinking she’s better than everyone lol”

“she should go back where she came from”

“wtf??? leave our ackles alone, bitch”

Tears were streaming down your face, this time because you were genuinely hurt by their words. One mistake followed the other & you were scrolling through your message requests. One was worse than the other. There were literal death threats people were sending you & you did not understand a thing. Nobody knew you & yet they were already building an opinion about you. Angry at yourself for reading through them & angry that you agreed on making a post for Instagram, you turned your phone off & threw it at the end of the bed. All good feelings had disappeared. Maybe they were right. You knew you were not pretty. You had asked yourself a billion times why they chose you out of everyone. You were sure they would send you back once they read through the comments. No matter how hard you tried to calm down, you could not catch your breath & started hyperventilating. Shit, you were about to have a panic attack. You had suffered from them ever since you were little but the last one had been ages ago. Usually, you would run to Bill & he would talk you through it. But he was hours away & he would most likely be asleep by now. Contemplating if you should go to Jensen & Danneel, you decided against it after the comments were repeating themselves in your head. So you just let the panic overcome you. It was better to let it out than to push it down further, you knew that. But having to go through such a period alone was everything but easy. Telling yourself you were fine & safe over & over again exhausted the shit out of you. It felt like hours but when you were finally at a point where your breaths evened out & your heartrate slowed down, you fell asleep almost immediately. Tomorrow, you had to talk to them, you knew it. Maybe they would be aware of the comments by then & would start the conversation. How were you supposed to start such a conversation anyway? Hi, your fans hate me & send me death threats. Come on, that sounded stupid. But the thing was that it did not feel stupid to you. Their words hurt you & Jensen & Danneel told you to come to them & be open with them if something bothered you. There was enough time for that in the morning, though. For now, sleep seemed like the best option & the best distraction. You just hoped that your dreams would be kinder to you than your family’s “fans”.

~to be continued~

Next Chapter

Published (04/03/2021) by Cathy

Tags: @vicmc624, @imaginationisgrowth, @stoneyggirl, @alyispunk, @thevelvetseries, @multifandomlover121, @samsgirl93, @supernatural3002, @diabetes-03, @prettyybubblesintheair, @originalsoulcollector, @vir-tual, @bellero, @sergantbuckybarnes (let me know if you wanna be tagged <3)

#Jensen Ackles #jensen ackles x reader #jensen ackles x daughter!reader #daughter reader #daughter!reader #reader insert #reader imagine #danneel ackles #fanfic #fanfiction #SPNFamily #father figure #mother figure #imagine #writing #Little Movie Star Chapter Three #panic #bullying #fluff

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lov3nerdstuff · 3 years

Text

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.36}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 3.4k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

______________________________

"And that is?" Robin raised her eyebrows at him in question and curiosity alike, immediately catching onto the spark of hope that came with the prospect of an advantage indeed.

"Me." He replied as simply as that, with an entirely, if not too straight face, and Robin couldn't help her snort in return

"How very humble of you…" She said smoothly, but with a smirk on her lips nonetheless. He was right though, they did stand two against one after all, and they always would. The thought, as always, served to calm Robin more than any piece of saving history or weapon could.

"I am entirely serious about it." Snape added however when Robin's humoured expression didn't cease even after a few seconds, and thus her smile vanished to make way for her utmost attention to his words again. "Since there have always been mutual affections between the Morgan and the Bennett heir up to this point, as well as going by the few accounts of various incarnations of the prophecy, it is safe to say that there has never before been such a disturbance. Both heirs have as of yet always opposed each other alone, because neither was free in their choice to seek out a different partner."

"And you think that whatever anomaly it was that made me not have any curse-inflicted positive or negative emotions for Morgan is the reason why the prophecy will end differently this time?"

"I believe you are the best chance to end the prophecy once and for all that the Bennett line has had in over five hundred years." He replied in open sincerity, and Robin's heart skipped a beat before it was captured by both hope and adoration. "And I can state the facts as they are: I was never meant to be part of this prophecy, nor am I part of it now. I am the anomaly in this scenario, and as we both know, anomalies tend to lead to a different outcome than the predicted one, even in any controlled environment."

"Did you just use potions logic to explain why we will win against Morgan?" Robin couldn't help the affectionate smile that took over her features once more; phrased like he had just now, it really did sound like she had a chance. She couldn't put into words how much she loved him for always cheering her up. For giving her hope, and every strength she could possibly need.

"It appears so." He mused in return, quirking an eyebrow up along with his words as he studied Robin in the flickering light of the flames. "Yet the fortunate preconditions will not change one of the core problems of the entire prophecy: in order for you to live, we will have to kill Morgan instead."

Robin's heart fell in an instant, as did her smile, and even her stomach picked up the all too familiar churning once again. For a few seconds she avoided Snape's eyes by staring into the flames, before at last her gaze returned to him in all the unfathomable sadness it brought along. "I can't kill him, Sev. I had every possibility and reason to today, and yet I… I can't."

"I know. And we will see to it that you won't have to." He replied quietly, then seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for a moment until he spoke on. "Though I admit I do not entirely understand how the prophecy treats the subject. From what I understand, Morgan will have to die at your hand and only yours, even though or especially because I am not part of the prophecy. Otherwise I would gladly have volunteered to end him myself in this very instant."

A huff, both bitterly humoured and indignant, escaped Robin's lips, and she found herself rolling her eyes at this stupid prophecy. Of course it had to be her… everything else just would've been too easy, wouldn't it? But then again… "I wouldn't have wanted you to do it either way." She said. "I will gladly spare your soul that torture at any cost."

"Morgan's death is inevitable if we want to keep you alive, you know that."

"Nothing is truly inevitable. It can't be." Robin shrugged with another sigh, then finally gathered her wits to speak up about another thought that had fostered in her mind ever since this afternoon. "You know, I looked at him while he was at my mercy today, and I realized something that only now makes sense to me. At last."

"Enlighten me."

"Do you remember what my boggart turned into, in my third year?"

"How could I forget… It was a deeply concerning and unsettling occurrence." Snape scoffed, but then sighed and motioned for her to continue.

"I think it was the prophecy that made the boggart change into that dark version of myself which we both saw. And it's also what turned my nightmares in my fourth year into such a horror show. Remember Morgan's words, at the ball: he sees in me the hollow darkness of inevitable death." Robin took a deep breath, then finally got to the point. "The boggart and my nightmares showed me precisely what will become of me if I kill Morgan like I am obviously meant to. It was my destiny in the prophecy that the boggart and the curse found in my being, not my deepest fear. Even though it might as well be one and the same thing at this point."

"That-..." Was his only reply for a few long seconds, until surprise was followed up by understanding in his expression. "I believe you might just be right about that."

"I don't want to become that thing we saw back then, Sev." Her voice took on an almost pleading tone, low and far too breathy for Robin's liking, but it was the price for keeping it from breaking entirely. "But I would, if I kill Morgan. Perhaps it's part of the curse… or perhaps it's just my own stupid weakness. But we both have seen what will become of me, and I don't want to be that person. I can't be. I can't kill him."

"Then we will find another way to end the prophecy. Without anyone dying."

"What other way could there possibly be? You said Morgan's death at my hands is inevitable, it's always gonna be either him or I. No third option. I kill him, or I die."

"Just as you said before, nothing is truly inevitable." He returned, as calmly serious as ever. "While I would not hesitate to end Morgan in a blink, I will also not hesitate to spare you from doing so yourself. We will find a different way, because we always do. Because we have to."

"Alright." And again, as always, Robin couldn't help believing him in the end. A half smile tugged on her lips as she looked up at him once again, in the knowledge that they would be alright somehow. "We will find a way, before it's too late."

"That we will." He sighed under his breath, then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and yet held onto her a little more tightly in return. They weren't optimists, no… but they had as of yet gotten out of even more impossible situations than this, every single time.

Robin's smile brightened ineffably as she allowed herself to be tugged closer against his chest, his head coming to rest on top of her own, and for a moment they simply enjoyed the silence of the night. It was terribly late, and there was no doubt that they both were beyond exhausted. Perhaps detention and almost dying weren't quite comparable in what they did to one's body and mind, but it was safe to say that this day ought to come to an end for both of them nevertheless. It had been too much… Hogsmeade, the room of hidden things, Morgan's office, dinner, their office, Morgan's rooms, the astronomy tower, and finally the entire struggle with the prophecy right here and now. Good gods, Robin's head felt like bursting with all the things she had just learned. They had uncovered so many horrible truths today… but they finally had gotten a step further in understanding the big picture. A step further to bringing it all to an end.

"Is there any more we can do now?" She asked after a while. "I feel like we forgot something crucial, but I can't grasp what that might be."

"We should rest, for now. Everything else can wait until tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be." He replied with a subtle sigh, and finally pulled away just enough to look at Robin once more. "Perhaps we should see the bright side of things, too, for once."

"And that would be?"

"I can keep you here with me all night without any remorse."

A loud snort escaped Robin as they both got up from the ground to get ready for bed at last, and she couldn't help the smirk that just then tugged at her lips. "As if you've ever felt any ounce of guilt over that before…"

"Officially, I have."

"Officially, I shouldn't even be here in the first place for you to feel guilty over."

"Good thing we make our own rules then."

"Indeed."

… … …

Falling asleep that night, surprisingly, turned out to be less troublesome than Robin had anticipated. Once they both were curled up under the soft covers, wrapped tightly into each other's arms in the fierce comfort of utmost protectiveness, they were both out like a light within seconds. While it still hadn't been often that they'd gotten to spend the night like this, it currently was the reassurance of each other's presence that made it possible to find sleep in the first place, and while Robin would've found more excitement in it under different circumstances, it was the calmness that gifted her a dreamless sleep for what was left of the night to rest.

The morning, however, was everything but calm in return. It was Sunday, sure, but when they woke up five minutes after breakfast had started, the world came crashing down on them rather abruptly. In all due haste, it took them only a few minutes to get ready and hide the box of parchments in one of the shelves before they quickly made their way towards the great hall. Together, for once, since Snape had absolutely refused to let Robin wander through the empty hallways alone, and Robin had given up her protests before she had even gotten properly started. When Snape had set his mind to something, there was little to nothing she could do about it. And honestly, she found herself rather glad about that.

As always, they did go separate ways once they reached the doors to the great hall though, and Robin didn't hesitate to make her way inside and towards the Slytherin table already, while trying to catch her breath after almost having to run to keep up with Snape. At some point, when there wasn't such a pressing reason to hurry, she would have to remind him that his legs were about double as long as hers, which made it nigh impossible to keep up sometimes. Or at least it felt like that; she would have to remember to bring it up at some point. Unfortunately, it was only when Robin spotted Gideon and Michael that she remembered something else, namely the thing she had forgotten about last night. Their challenge, which really hadn't been one in the first place. Oh bloody hell… she had forgotten to take a proper look into her memories to check the stupid order of the stupid items on Morgan's stupid desk. But seriously, there had been so much more urgent matters at hand! Bloody fucking hell though, for she still couldn't tell them that. She still had to put on a smile and joke as if there wasn't some ridiculous life changing prophecy at work. Great.

"Got up on the wrong foot, eh?" Gideon greeted her with a smirk right when Robin reached their little group in the middle of the long table. "You look like someone's turned your shower cold while you were still under it."

"Something like that, yeah." She sighed in return, then dropped down into the seat between Jorien and Simon that had been saved for her. "Anyway, good morning to you, too."

Granted, her friends did try to cheer her up during breakfast, and Robin found herself sighing inwardly more than once while she put on a fake smile and, sometimes, could even muster up a real one. Her occasional glances towards the head table were kindly ignored like always, her 'hmm's for an answer as well, and at last she almost believed that the boys had forgotten about the challenge for good when after twenty minutes still nobody had asked about it. But of course, fate or whatever entity was currently messing with her wasn't as kind as to let her off the hook that easily.

"So, when are we finally going to talk about yesterday's evening activities?" Cas asked with a beaming and giddy smile that made Robin want to strangle her in an instant. Honestly, she loved Cas, but the girl had the most awful timing known to human history.

"Oh yes, right!" Gideon jumped right onto the train of thought, and even dropped his toast while his gaze flew over to Robin. "Where's that proof you promised, huh?"

Under different circumstances, Robin would've straight up snarled at the boy's smug expression and quieted his every inquiry with a single glare. But she had more or less promised them proof, and she had most definitely promised herself to keep her friends out of this mess. So she had to live with the consequences now, even if they majorly annoyed her. Sighing inwardly, she tried to recall the details about Morgan's desk, what it had looked like, what items he kept on there… Perhaps a rough description would have to do. Or, perhaps indeed, it would only take one single detail, a detail that almost nobody could know of. Well, unless they had carefully searched through his desk like she had, of course. Yes, that certainly would do to serve as proof for the boys! Why on earth hadn't she thought of that before?! With a mostly feigned mischievous smile, Robin leaned onto her lower arms and over the table, closer to Gideon and Michael. Unsurprisingly, every single one of her friends followed suit and leaned in closer to her as well. The fact that they were already so used to her antics rendered her smile a little more real, and a little less bitter.

"Alright, but don't judge me before you've checked the facts yourself." She started, once she was sure that all five of her friends were listening. Even Jorien and Simon, who had shown absolutely no interest in the entire endeavour last night, were intently paying attention now. "In the locked drawer in his desk, Morgan keeps a book on beautifying spells 'for the modern gentleman'."

It took a second, but then Michael and Gideon burst into laughter, while Simon and the girls simply gaped at Robin as if she'd told them that a spaceship had crashed in Hogsmeade. Admittedly, both reactions amused Robin quite a bit in return, which served as a most welcome distraction from the morning's hasty gloom. The book had indeed been an amusing discovery, now that she thought of it. One that she had previously simply ignored in order to focus on the greater good, the bigger plan, the more important matters. Well, perhaps it did her some good now to remember that there were other things in life than the big problems. That Morgan was also just a human being, with flaws and secrets and weird mannerisms. It certainly made breathing a little easier for now.

"That is absolutely hilarious." Gideon snorted a moment later, after he had finally managed to catch his breath. "I honestly hope it's true."

"Of course it's true!" Cas snapped back at him, even though the fact still seemed to irritate her at the same time. "Robin doesn't lie…"

"Thank you." Robin gave the girl a half smile and a nod, then turned back towards the boys across from her. "I consider this inane challenge completed now, but you are of course free to verify my claim."

"I believe you." Michael shrugged with another humoured huff. "Would explain why the guy's always so…"

"Pretty?" Gideon suggested with raised eyebrows, and Michael nodded in agreement. "Pretty is a good way to describe it."

"Petty would be even more like it." Robin sighed under her breath, but her own thought made her snort a second later nonetheless. Arrogance wouldn't help her, but if she was stuck in a limbo between confidence and fear already, she might as well enjoy the highs for now before the lows came back to haunt her.

"Speaking of petty, you won't believe what that pillock Justin did last night!" Gideon said, and Michael just groaned in return before shoving his friend and rolling his eyes.

"Who the frick is Justin?" Jorien asked with an indignant frown in return, which almost made Robin snort again, for the girl, as so often, displayed a copycat version of Robin's own thoughts.

"Some guy in their house." Cas answered with a roll of her eyes, but more at the subject than because of her friend's question. "He should be in Robin's year, actually, but knowing her, she probably has no idea who he is either."

"Caught me. I still don't care about the people in my year." Robin shrugged with one shoulder and kept her eyes on her toast, but she didn't cease to listen curiously to the elaborations around her at the same time.

"Anyway, Justin was helping us with our charms essays last night. Or rather, he was supposed to help us, but ended up being a stupid pillock about it." Gideon went on to explain.

"Yeah, he is really good at charms." Michael continued in a sigh where Gideon had stopped. "But he didn't even try to help us! Properly, I mean. He could've just answered our bloody questions, or pointed us to books that would have helped, but no, he had to make it all even more difficult by giving us even more questions! Questions and problems and… ugh! He honestly just made it more difficult for us to get the bloody essay done."

"I bet he didn't even want to help us." Gideon made a face, and Micheal nodded once again in agreement. "He probably just wanted to make himself look clever in front of the girls in the common room. Honestly, next time we'll just do it by ourselves."

"Or ask Robin."

"Right."

Robin nodded; of course she would help them with their stupid essays if they asked, she always did, but that was entirely besides the point right now. Her thoughts were already drifting off into another direction entirely, to something they hadn't even said, and that yet their rambling had triggered in Robin's mind. A thought, an idea… a perspective! A rush of adrenaline started burning down her veins, and her eyes just as her thoughts inevitably moved away from her breakfast and her friends, towards the head table, then towards Snape. It took but a few more seconds for his eyes to meet hers, and another for his mind to reach out to her.

'That look on your face is not about the dunderhead gang, is it?' He asked, straight to the point, which Robin was as always grateful for.

'No. We need to talk. With words. Now.' Her reply was a mere staccato, phrased like that in order for her request to even come out clear over the mess her thoughts had become once more. Going by the look on his face, he had understood her nonetheless.

'Astronomy tower. In five minutes.'

______________________________

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lils-writes-stuff · 4 years

Text

Where it all started

Best years part one| part two

Spencer Reid x reader

Summary: while on a case, a little to close to home, reader and Spencer discover some feeling that they’ve developed for each other over time.

Warnings: normal criminal minds things, kinda slow build up ngl.

A/n: this takes place after the whole Doyle thing, so it’s the dream team all together.

“No I mean all I’m saying is if you are too play online scrabble you have to know that the other person is probably cheating.”

The laughter that rang from Emily’s mouth also made Y/N chuckle after the statement she made. The two sat in the bullpen, Emily in her swivel chair, Y/N perched on the end of her desk, ankles crossed and coffee mug in hand.

The sound of phones ringing and people chatting created a white noise scenario in Y/N’s ears. The sound was interrupted though by the clicking of heels from Penelope Garcia, as she came walking into the room. File in hand, ready to deliver it to Hotch.

“Ah- come on people, I had a weekend planned!” Emily said, slightly disappointed as she saw Garcia walk into Hotch’s office. Derek chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

“And what were those plans?” Derek asks the smug look on his face, telling those around that he was ready to crack a joke for any scenario that followed after her answer.

“Me, wine, and a hot tube,” Emily replied with a sigh as she leaned into the back of her chair. Derek just laughed as he turned back to his mug of fresh coffee sitting on Spencer’s desk.

“I hope we have a case, I didn’t have plans,” Spencer’s voice is monotone almost. He doesn’t even look up from his book while he speaks. At this, a slight giggle leaves Y/N’s lips.

“Me neither Spence, me neither.” Y/N says as she pushes herself off of Emily’s desk, tapping Spencer's shoulder on the way back to her own desk and sitting in her chair.

“This is 29-year-old Dillon Goodman, he was found in a ditch in the North Georgia region, stab wounds to the stomach and upper chest region,” Penelope spoke as the picture of the victim appeared on the screen. Pictures from the crime scene soon followed the driver’s license photo.

“He’s laid out like a burial, shows remorse.” Y/N spoke as she looked more closely at the pictures in her hand. The victim looked familiar to her, yet she couldn’t place it.

“North Georgia, Y/N isn’t that your stomping grounds?” Rossi spoke, looking at Y/N with furrowed brows.

“That it is,” she spoke, eyes still trained at the victim who she could still not place as to how she knew.

“Atlanta P.D. has this case because two days ago another body was found in Fulton county, same M.O., also laid out the same,” Hotch said as Penelope pulled another picture up of the first victim.

“Any I.D. on this one?” Derek asked. Penelope shook her head as a response.

“So this guy shows remorse for his dead victims but the overkill is extreme,” JJ spoke as she looked at the rest of the team.

“The burial like the placement of the bodies looks like those that Vikings did, they were known as Norse funerals, but they were placed in ships as their burial,” Spencer spoke, as he looked at the victim’s photos more.

“We’ll have more time to discuss this on the plane if he keeps up his two-day cycle, we only have that to catch him before he kills another, wheels up in 30,” Hotch said as he stood up, signaling everyone to get their go bags and depart.

————

The plane ride wasn’t long but it was enough to give the team time to discuss theories as to why someone with such overkill in the process of killing and so much remorse after.

Y/N looked intently at the license photo of the second victim Dillon. It was on the tip of her tongue as to how she knew him but she couldn’t figure it out.

“Y/N, the look on your face is hurting me, what’re you thinking?” Rossi asked as he broke her out of her stare.

Y/N looked up, a slight hum sound leaving her throat. “Sorry, it’s just-this victim, Dillon, he looks so familiar, and I can’t place it and it’s really bothering me.” She spoke, slight irritation evident in her voice.

“I might be able to answer that for you,” Garcia’s voice was heard through the speaker of the laptop placed on the table, everyone’s attention now focused there. “Dillon Goodman, born December 19, 1982, in Cleveland, Tennessee moved to Georgia when he was ten, and went to our beloved Y/N’s high school and were actually in the same graduating class together.”

“Oh my god, that’s right I remember him now!” Y/N said as the memory of the boy came to her mind.

“Does anything you remember help us with this case, any enemies, stuff like that?” Hotch asked looking at Y/N.

“No he was a good kid, didn’t make good grades, but he was nice. Didn’t have problems with anyone really, to my knowledge at least.”

“Garcia, is there any I.D. on the first victim yet?” Spencer asked.

“Yes, a 31-year-old Tyler Moore, also from the North Georgia region,” Garcia said as she continued to type on her computer. “Oh my- he also graduated from Y/N’s high school too.”

“Same class?” Emily asked.

“No, he graduated two years before Y/N and Dillon,” Garcia replied looking at the date in her screen

Everyone’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Well there’s the common denominator for all our victims, they all went to the same high school,” Emily said.

“So someone must’ve had a grudge against these two, maybe they were apart of a group our unsub wanted to be part of,” Derek said. “That would explain the remorse, he wanted to be apart of their lives.”

“Cliques would cause something like this, high school is when we develop who we are the most,” Spencer said looking at everyone. “If this unsub was rejected from this group, it probably formed some deep aggression in him that caused him to lash out.”

“So these probably weren’t his first victims,” JJ said.

“Probably,” Hotch agreed. “When we land, Rossi and Morgan go to the first crime scene, Y/N and Reid to the newest, the rest of us will set up point at the station.”

————

“So, did you know our first victim too?” Spencer asked Y/N as they drove to the latest crime scene. Y/N looked over for a second, glancing him before turning her attention back to the road.

While the rest of the team had been together for a while, she had only been there for a year. She joined a little while before Emily’s ‘death’, it hit her just as hard as the rest of the team. She was relatively new out of the Academy, but every unit wanted her. She had the scores, a good shot, and when she was given team experience she was a huge help. Strauss said to Hotch when she told him that Y/N was joining their team, it was the best decision she could make for them.

“I think so, I remember the name, he was a football player, wasn’t as good as a kid as Dillon though,” she said eyes trained in the road as she drove. “He got in trouble for bullying a lot.”

Spencer nodded, “Were you a part of any clubs or groups that had these guys in them?” He continued with his questions to her.

Spencer looked over, the side profile of Y/N’s face captivating him for a second before he looked away back at the file.

“I-I wasn’t really a club person, I played sports. And when I didn’t play sports, I was working,” Y/N spoke as she reminisced on her high school experience. Never the star, but her name was known. A good group of friends, slight teasing from guys for her looks, but nothing serious.

“Turn left, and we’ll be there,” Spencer’s instructions pulled her from her memories.

They pulled up to the sight of the crime scene. A ditch beside the lake that Y/N grew up swimming in. Local police were there waiting for the two as they exited the SUV.

“Detective Callaghan?” Y/N asked the man in front of her.

“Yes ma’am,” the detective responded.

“Hi, SSA Y/N Y/L/N,” she said shaking his hand then pointed next to her. “This is Dr. Spencer Reid.” Spencer stuck his hand up in a wave.

“Thanks for coming out, let me show you to the dumpsite.” The detective led the two of them over about 30 yards to where the body was discovered. “A couple of fishermen called it in early this morning.”

Spencer squatted down to look closer to the victim that was still on the ground. “The overkill is extreme,” he spoke inspecting the stab wounds of the victim.

The two talked to the detective some more and looked at the body trying to figure out some more ideas as to how this unsub thinks. The ME came and took the body away and Y/N and Spencer we’re back in the SUV on their way to the station.

“You know, I pegged you more of a mean girl in high school,” Spencer said as Y/N began to drive.

Y/N laughed as she looked at Spencer for a second who also had a smile on his face. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, you have a very dominant personality, and taking into account with how you are very pretty,” he said, blushing slightly at his statement before clearing his throat to finish his thought. “I just would have pegged you to be a mean girl.”

“I was definitely not a mean girl,” Y/N said, her head shaking at the statement. “I wasn’t always very assertive and pretty.” She stated matter-of-factly.

“Really?”

“Really! I was a follower. I played sports, but I was never a star. I was good, but I wasn’t the best.” She explained, “I wasn’t pretty either, well pretty for the standards of the boys around me.”

I would have thought you were beautiful, was Spencer’s thought.

“What were you like I’m high school?”

“I was twelve, so my name was known, but as the butt of the joke,” he spoke remembering his high school experience.

Y/N giggled, remembering how she was younger than all of her classmates since she skipped a grade.

————

Morgan, JJ, Spencer, and Y/N sat around a large conference table, coffee cups and food containers filling in the spaces that didn’t have open files. It had been a day since they arrived meaning the time they had left in the cool off period was coming to an end.

“Okay, so this unsub is killing those who we are assuming were apart of some group?” JJ asked as she took another sip from her coffee cup next to her.

“Well, actually I can confirm they were apart of a group. A clique if you will, one that went of for years and years after one group graduated,” Penelope said over Derek’s phone. “A group that called themselves the ‘wolves’. Were these boys, and an occasional girl, would go and harass older couples and vandalize their homes.”

“So these guys weren’t all that good of kids like Y/N said,” Derek spoke. Y/N leaned back, tracing her memory to think if she had ever heard them speak of this group before.

“This must have not been talked about a lot in front of me cause I do not remember this,” Y/N spoke as she looked at her tablet in front of her, an article of the group sent from Penelope on the screen.

She looked at the photo of the group of mostly boys, gazing over the stoic faces in the picture. One stuck out though, the boy in the photo couldn’t be older than 15, his eyes still and his face just seemed off to her.

“Penelope, what can you tell me about Alex Wright?” Y/N asked as she looked at the boy’s name in the bio below the photo.

“Alex Wright, 15 at the time the photo was taken, a Sophomore, he didn’t seem to do much, raised by his single mom, didn’t play sports, he was a loner,” She explained as she typed on her computer.

“He fits the profile you think it’s him Y/N?” JJ asked her as she looked at the boy in the photo also.

Y/N shook her head, “No, but I think he might be the key to finding out who is.” She explained her thoughts.

“Why do you say that?” Spencer asked her, a questioning look on his face as he looked at her.

“Look at his eyes in the photo,” she said pointing at him.

“He looks scared,” Derek said as he examined the boy in the photo.

“Almost like he’s there against his will,” Spencer said agreeing with what he was saying. “Guys, what if he is our unsub? What if he is getting back at all those in the group who made him do those things.”

“That would explain the overkill,” JJ said adding in her input into theory.

“And also the remorse, he probably considered them as friends,” Spencer continued on his theory. Everyone continued on the thought and soon came to the conclusion that Alex Wright was more than likely the unsub.

“Garcia-” Y/N started but was cut off.

“Addresses already sent,” she said knowing the answer to the upcoming question.

“You’re the best Baby Girl,” Derek said before hanging up.

They gathered with the rest of the team and told them their theory. Hotch got everyone together and they all loaded up into the cars. Vests on ready to go as they came to a halt at the front of the house.

“Rossi, JJ, and Morgan you guys go round back, the rest of us will take the front,” Hotch instructed and they all followed and got into position.

Spencer, Y/N, Hotch, and Emily all went up front and readied to open the door.

“Alex Wright, FBI,” Hotch said with a loud voice. A loud crash was heard and within seconds the door was open and the four of them moved in.

Alex stood, knife to the throat of his next victim who was tied to a table.

“Get back, leave!” He screamed at the four.

“We can’t do that Alex,” Y/N spoke, gun pointed ready to shoot.

“Y/N, it’s good to see you,” Alex spoke a small smirk on his face. Y/N turned her head to the side, questioning what he just spoke.

“I’m sorry, do I know you,” she said a puzzling tone in her voice.

Alex scoffed and stood up straight, pointing the knife in his hand at Y/N. “Of course you don’t, no one remembers me, the loner, the outcast. So stereotypical, if it wasn’t for me that school wouldn’t have been what it was. The wolves would have killed all of you, but I convinced them not to, of course, no one believed me when I told them though. Because all those boys were so good and loved. Well, news flash, they were rotten. So they all must pay.” He finished his speech, ready to stab his next victim, but he stopped and looked up at Y/N. “You know they always spoke highly of you like you were their queen or something so maybe I should just kill you,” and at that he launched himself at Y/N ready to stab her.

Gunshot.

The smoke from Spencer’s gun went off as he shot Alex in the arm before he got any closer to them. The other three looked at him, before going over and cuffing the man.

----------

The team sat together around a table wine glasses in front of them and plates of food smelling oh-so-delightful. Celebrating the win from this case, Rossi stated that Y/N take them to a restaurant she spoke of loving when she grew up, his treat of course. The team laughed as they discussed stories from their own high school experiences, telling of memorable moments and embarrassing stories.

“Y/N, do you know why Alex said they treated you like their queen?” Emily asked with a laugh at the statement that was made by the unsub.

“Oh-uh, well I think I figured it out, I looked at the photo again and I remember there was a boy in high school, that had a huge crush on me, he- I’m assuming- was the ring leader of this whole clique,” she said with a giggle. Everyone laughed at this and continued with a conversation about high school.

Y/N glanced across the table at Spencer, who also glanced at her. The eye contact made gave Spencer a slight blush on his face and made Y/N giggle slightly.

Grow a pair Y/N, she thought to herself, invite him to dinner or something this light flirting thing can’t last forever.

Emily nudged Derek beside her, everyone else distracted with a story Rossi was telling.

“When will those two realize that they are in love with each other?” Emily asked the man beside her.

He chuckled, “When Pretty Boy realizes that, she might as well be throwing herself at him.” The two giggled at the statement.

Y/N looked at Spencer once more, a small smile laid on her lips as she watched him laugh at the story that was being told. The little butterflies in her stomach erupted as she watched him. She looked away before he could notice and listened to the ongoing story.

As Y/N looked away, Spencer looked at her. He watched her smile and her eyes light up.

She’s beautiful

#spencer reid imagine #spencer reid #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds #aaron hotchner #derek morgan #derek morgan imagine #Emily Printiss

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imagineredwood · 4 years

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Good afternoon guys

Now that I’ve settled down a bit, I want to address a couple of things and speak more clearly because being so angry and hurt that I’m pushed to tears is not a headspace where I can voice my thoughts eloquently enough and there’s more I want to say that I didn’t get to say last night because of how worked up I was. It’s a new day, but I’m still upset. I’m still angry, hurt, frustrated, exhausted and disturbed. All of the emotions that come with you trying to rally for respect of yourself and your people and then having someone spit in your face.

There’s always been this unspoken vibe that POC weren’t actually a part of this fandom. It was here when I started in 2015 and it was only SOA, and it’s still here now. The addition of Mayans, in my mind, was going to be something that was going to open the door. It was going to make the struggles of being Latinx in this country rampant with racism and xenophobia a thing that people could see. A way for people to see that we’re just human beings, but we have to deal with things that other people don’t. At least that’s what I though. I thought that it was going to be positive, and boy was I wrong.

Since it’s premiere, it got dragged and called less than. That it was too political. That is was trying to divide. Funny how those with the privilege and power always think marginalized communities are trying to divide people when we ask to be treated like human beings and expose instances where we don’t receive that.

Mayans was a show that took latinx men and showed them strong, yet soft. Tough yet loving. Passionate yet grounded. A show that took our men and showed them as real life, multifaceted human beings. It didn’t play into stereotypes yet it touched on real-life issues within our communities. These men were given substance, they were given dynamic characters, they were hand crafted and for many of us in the Latinx community, they mirrored men that we knew and know in our own real lives. It gave us a place where we thought we could feel a little more included and safe in a fandom where we really weren’t.

Then came the fetishization.

The sexualization of our language, those subtle microaggressions and stereotypes that many people don’t even realize they’re feeding into. Some of y’all asked us as Latinas to teach you, and we did. To guide you, and we did. To proofread for you, and we did. We did everything that was asked of us, and then some, and this is what we got in return. Someone who ignored how we felt and did it again on purpose when we shared how it’s negatively impacting us and then when given the benefit of the doubt and gently corrected again, there’s still no accountability and we’re basically told to fuck off because we don’t make the rules.

Imagine that. Telling Latinas that we don’t get to make the rules when it comes to the Latinx community and our culture. Read that again, but slower.

We tried to be civil and helpful and patient and it just didn’t matter, and I couldn’t understand how someone can just brush off POC voicing their issues and yet praise themselves for being POC inclusive with their imagines. Is that not pandering? Is that not using our people for clout? To say that you want to welcome and support them on one hand and then when they try to correct something, you say that we “wanna start shit for no reason and act like they’re above everyone else.” That’s a direct quote by the way.

I couldn’t wrap my head around how someone would feel that that was ok. But then I saw that people had liked that response. People I had interacted with and felt I could trust. I saw people call her a friend. And it all made sense then. She felt that she could act that way because some of y’all enabled her and made her think it was ok. You let her say inappropriate things and you didn’t check her. You let her sexualize our language and culture and you didn’t check her. You let her exclude POC in her writing, and you didn’t check her. Regardless of the reason, whether it was fear of retribution, or wanting a place to belong or whatever, you didn’t check her when you should’ve. And people who go unchecked eventually show their true colors. That was what we saw last night. We don’t matter to her and neither do our feelings and struggles. Being drunk isn’t an excuse that I’m willing to accept. Not knowing when we’ve been talking about this more months isn’t an excuse that I’m willing to accept. Being in a negative headspace due to trauma isn’t an excuse that I’m willing to accept, especially when you're being dismissive of other people’s trauma in the process. None of it is an excuse because there is no excuse. There is no coming back from that.

For those of y’all who supported me when I started talking about this months ago, thank you. Those of you that have had my back when I opened up about things like this and the weight they carry, thank you. Those of you who made this blog feel like a safe space for latinx people to come and vent or be honest, thank you. Those that had my back along with @likedovesinthewnd @irrelevantwriter and @awildcur back’s while we tried to defend ourselves and our people, thank you. Black women who showed up to support us and have our back even when y’all didn’t need to especially despite some of our own not defend you like they should, I can’t thank you enough.

In closing, I don’t want anyone being bullied or threatened or sent nasty messages or anything like that. To do so would taint the principle. I just want people to listen. I want that as latinx people that we’re heard and valued. That we’re treated like we’re worth something. That we aren’t ridiculed or disregarded or poked fun at when we open up about something. To those hermanas who sent me asks talking about how their personal lives were being affected because their word of affection was being compromised, I’m so sorry you were treated this way, but you are valid and are always not only welcome but encouraged to come and vent whenever you need to. And please listen to us and take us seriously when we tell you something is inappropriate or hurts us. If you see someone doing it, say something even if it’s anon. And if you’re also Latinx, please don’t prioritize a friendship or clique over su gente. Don’t do us dirty like that. And when you use the #supportlatinxwriters please actually mean it.

This got super long but I wanted to get everything out that I could because there was a lot that I wanted to say that I forced myself to hold onto last night until now and I was more calm. Thank you again for supporting us in this.

I love you guys.

#support Latinx writers #support Latina writers #meta discussions

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ashesandhackles · 3 years

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Harry and Tom: Parents, Love and Death

Ever since I read re-read HBP earlier this month, I wanted to explore parental rejection/abandonment as concepts related to Voldemort and his subsequent relationship with death vs Harry's. It was also sparked off by Ralph Fiennes saying he wanted to play Voldemort as a very "human evil" with "rage against the world" as opposed to an idea of evil. Fiennes also noted that when his nephew took the role of young Voldemort, he sensed a "loneliness" about him and he wanted to be able to play that. So to tap into the humanity of Voldemort, I wanted to chart his idea of his parents vs Harry's.

Infancy

Voldemort's mother died an hour after she gave birth to him. His father obviously neither knew nor cared what happened to him. The child who is born is essentially abandoned and rejected by both his parents. In stark contrast, Harry spends a year fiercely loved not only by his parents who died for him, but their friends too. All of this affects your brain development.

At age 11

While Voldemort is conscious of his powers and has, for his age, immense control over them, Harry is usually on spot for accidental magic. Voldemort shows instincts for power, control, and uses his powers to bully and terrify other kids in orphanage. He has no trouble believing he is "special". Harry, on the other hand, is almost always using powers for self preservation and quite accidentally. Aunt Petunia gave him a bad haircut? Hair grows back. Aunt Petunia giving him a horrible jumper? It magically shrinks until it no longer fits him. Dudley chasing him? He is somehow on the school roof. Dudley elbows him aside in zoo? The glass vanishes and boa constrictor is free. In fact, I believe Harry's instinct for fighting his way out of tight corners, as Snape puts it, comes from here - a decade of escaping or hiding from his cousin, his uncle, and being quick to react to protect himself (because no one else will). Therefore, Voldemort's response to his environment is to seek wider control, while Harry's is for simple self preservation. Harry, of course, can't believe he is a wizard so quickly.

Belonging and Friends

Harry points out in DH that Voldemort would have seen having an account in Gringotts as a "symbol of belonging to wizarding world". This is something Voldemort covets.Him coveting trophies with magical histories and hiding them in places like this is a sign he understands desire. His own personal history is a vast disappointment, so he will create his own. Again, in contrast, Harry's sense of belonging is validated with the gold his parents left him. They both think of Hogwarts as home. Harry immediately makes friends, while Voldemort, a self hating bully, would attract people because of his immense power.

Fascination with parentage

Both Voldemort and Harry are fascinated with their parentage as teenagers. Harry's is, of course, fueled by the knowledge that his parents died protecting him whereas Voldemort has no idea about his father and believes his mother can't possibly be a witch because she died. Voldemort keeps his father's name, even though he dislikes it because it's too common, until he finds out that his father was a Muggle. This comes after a lot of painstaking search for his father in school records. After accepting that his father may not be the magical one, he finally looks into the ancestry of the woman he thought was weak - his mother. I think these are the beginnings of his relationship and understanding of death. As a child, I wonder if his mother's death constituted as rejection for him. I wonder if his fear of death and his painstaking steps for immortality is also a way to make himself different from his "weak" mother. Both of his parents disappointed him in different ways and Voldemort sought himself to make himself different from both : rejecting his father by shedding his name, playing up his mother's ancestry and rejecting his mother by attempting and "going further than anybody" for immortality.

This is, again, huge contrast to Harry who is repeatedly shown to have longing to meet his dead parents. Harry has the knowledge he is loved, and Voldemort doesn't and I wonder if it contributes to his inability to understand it. Harry expresses desire for Resurrection Stone and scared Hermione and Ron with his talk of living with dead people. He has a guilty desire in Book 3 to hear his parents voices and he has to really get a grip on himself to learn Patronuses. He visits Mirror of Erised until Dumbledore stops him. He and Luna were also among the few who could hear voices beyond the Veil in Book 5 - and I wonder if it means that Harry believes he will see the people he loved again, or believes in a certain kind of afterlife. It seems to be why he was comforted by Luna at end of Book 5 saying that "they were just hiding, lurking out of sight, you heard them". This is why, when Harry drops the Resurrection Stone in the forest - his biggest longing and temptation - it's a huge deal for his character who is haunted by the loss of people he loves. Harry is not only accepting his own death, but also of the people who died defending and loving him the most. Voldemort rejects and fears death. It is an unknown he cannot control.

The fathers

Both Harry and Voldemort looked to their fathers first, as young orphans looking for a masculine ideal to emulate in life. However, when Harry's ideal of his father is dashed, Harry , through his father's friends and his father's own death to protect him, is able to reconcile with the idea that his father is imperfect. Most of Harry's father and mentor figures are put off their pedestals and Harry learns to reconcile their humanity with his own projections of them. In short, he grows up.

Voldemort, on the other hand, learns more of his father from his uncle. And whatever version of the story his uncle told him, Voldemort seems to have believed. As he says to Harry in GOF - he believes his father abandoned his mother after he found out that she was a witch ("He doesn't like magic, my father"). Which, as we know, is not the true story. For Voldemort, however, coupled with his rage of being abandoned and rejected, his father essentially left him to rot in an orphanage. His Muggle ancestry is just one strike too many. He killed his father and his family, his source of rage and shame. He sheds his father's name, and becomes someone else, only known by his "special" magical lineage - cutting off that undesirable part of himself.

Harry, in contrast, finds his father "inside himself" through his Patronus. ("Prongs rode again last night" as Dumbledore eloquently put it). Tom sought inanimate objects and notorious titles in wizarding history in order to reject his "ordinary" self and magnify his self importance while Harry sought connections in friends, and created found families with his father's friends to connect with his own personal history and move forward.

There are many other subjects to explore with two of them - especially with how they deal with a sense of aloneness, trust and secrecy. But this is a big enough post for now.

#harry james potter #tom riddle #tom riddle jr #Voldemort #merope gaunt #tom riddle sr #tom marvolo riddle #harry potter #deathly hallows #master of death #james potter #lily potter #mirror of erised #resurrection stone #veil of death #patronus #prongs

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