#What Kind of Book the Code: Realize Guys Would Write

[unintentionalseductress]

Why does everyone portray Caleb to be 'dark romance, zade meadows' coded? :/

Yeah he's got yandere traits to wanna keep her forever and for himself but he never implies that he'll hurt mc- instead expressing a fierce desire to protect her, so why do ppl write ffs Abt him being manipulative? Making him have 'rough jealous s*x' in which he's spewing a bunch of hurtful things just to manipulate mc to his liking?

I guess it's because of the initial show of possessiveness in his trailer, but literally every love and deepspace guy is possessive so why portray him so darkly?

I like that you portray him more realistically to his character and not so ooc because that's what it feels like most of the time

Hello there anon! I'm glad you think my portrayal of Caleb feels more realistic than some other interpretations. I really don't know where this concept of comparing Caleb to Zade comes from since Zade literally r**es the MC in that book and I simply can't picture Caleb doing that?

This might be a much longer response than you'd expected and I'm sorry, but I've been taking little notes as I went through Caleb's memories, anecdotes, and myth. I feel like most of the people that are portraying him in this sadistic way simply didn't read all the material and just clicked through to get the diamonds.

So let me start by saying, all the other 4 LI's met MC quite recently, meaning they had no say in her life and weren't there when the Chronorift Catastrophe occurred. They met her as an adult, when she'd had time to put herself together and act like a rational grown woman.

Caleb met her at the worst time in their lives as a child until Josephine adopted them. They trauma bonded and after all they've been through together, they're extremely possessive of each other. Not just Caleb, but even the MC as well. She's just as paranoid and possessive about Caleb as well, and this is evidenced in their memories which I will delve into shortly.

But imagine being so close and growing up with this person that you think you know like the back of your own hand. She and Caleb appeared to be quite close up until the explosion. Now MC had to deal with the loss of her second family, and possibly the love of her life. Yes, I said it. The love of her life, because after going through the memories, there's nothing that can be said to change my mind that these two weren't in some kind of relationship before Caleb's death.

Now Caleb is back. MC is wary of him, she's scared to be possessive of him like she was because she knows what it's like to lose him. Caleb has no idea where he stands in her life, and inside it's because he knows he fucked up. He realizes he wants her back, the same woman who was just as obsessed and possessive of him like how he was with her and he has no idea how to fix it.

Caleb imo slides into the tip of the yandere iceberg because of that scene in the main story where he says he'll rebuild their house in Linkon and they can move in together etc. To me, that's the effect of the chip (more to be discussed about that below), and also him literally breaking down because MC said his worst fear to his face; she doesn't need him anymore. How do you recover from having the one person you've loved for most of your life look at you with so much hate and say they don't need you? (reminded me of Sylus a little bit when he's told MC is disgusted by him) For him to be truly yandere, he would have locked her up then and there but he doesn't. He backs off, allows her to get back to her life unharmed, and he keeps himself busy with work. That doesn't look like true yandere behavior to me.

NOW. MYTH EVIDENCE. The part with the chips. The chips seem to exacerbate certain feelings that already exist and take them to the extreme, hence why people who are chipped are very emotionless and almost have a robotic character to them, perhaps to avoid the pain of being emotional. In his myth, we find Caleb actively fights the chip, and it puts so much strain on his body that he falls unconscious or goes into fits. I think that 'yandere' scene is because the chip and his body are at odds with each other. Even MC when she chips herself, finds herself being manipulative of Caleb, trying to make him think of memories that were only half-truths. They're both obsessed with each other, and without the chip, it was fine, but with chip, things get crazy.

Also, I think it's safe to say, Caleb hasn't shown yandere tendencies towards MC in the past pre explosion, beyond telling her to be careful during missions or to let her know when she got hurt. He wasn't upset because she wasn't staying at home, he's upset because she's hiding things from him (like when she lied about getting scratched by a cat pre explosion).

NOW ONTO THE MEMORIES. Because omg, there's so much evidence in the memories that Caleb realizes his limitations in his ability to care for her. In their bond memory Rain's Embrace, when MC is asleep on his shoulder, Caleb literally says something along the lines of "I promise not to be so overprotective of you." He says something similar in Endless Summer and Exclusive Aftertaste, stating he knows his tendency to protect her isn't good for either of them.

And to show how possessive MC was of him. In the memory Longtime Yesterday, we find out Caleb was super popular in college and many girls tried to befriend him by giving him bento boxes. His friends teased him saying "Miss Apple" helped him avoid having to accept the bento boxes. MC literally sulks all the way back to the airport and when Caleb asks her what's wrong she goes, "You have a Miss Apple," like that was a perfectly plausible explanation. Miss Apple turns out to be a hairtie that Caleb took from MC that has apple shaped beads on it and he wears it (presumably on his wrist) all the time, which drove away unwanted attention from other girls. MC was so upset prior to hearing this, and Caleb reassures her that he doesn't want anyone else's attention but her's.

In Borrowed Promise, which occurs when MC is still in high school, Caleb is visiting from college and MC has a fight with a friend who is a girl (important). Caleb notices she's unhappy and takes her to a fair of sorts to cheer her up and she tells him she's worried someone may not like her anymore. Caleb tries to act nonchalant but you can tell he's thinking MC has a boyfriend or a crush and he goes "their loss but oh well you're not for everyone." It's at this point she tells Caleb it's a girl and he's dumbfounded but his relief is evident.

And my favorite, Stage Observer. MC is helping Caleb empty his dorm since he's about to graduate from college and she finds an envelope tucked away in one of his books with cutesy apples on the surface. She mistakenly thinks this is a love letter and then gives a very confused Caleb the cold shoulder for the rest of her visit. Then on his graduation day, she softens and helps fix his tie as he's about to give his valedictorian speech. During this time, she admits she's scared about him finding someone else and he says he worries about her meeting someone else too, but he's happy having just her and grandma in his life. In his speech, Caleb talks about how people go through their whole looking for meaningful connections with people but he's fortunate to have found the one person he knows he can count on. Afterwards, MC runs to him and gives him what I think is their first kiss. And why does she do this? She says, "I kissed you so you can't have a girlfriend now!" Caleb is confused and then she finally admits seeing the envelope. Well guess what? It turns out the envelope actually holds a good luck charm she had sent Caleb but the cover got ruined so Caleb replaced it with the apple envelope. He teases her but the ending implies they now know how they feel for each other and that was the start of a more romantic relationship between them.

So there. MC is just as possessive and obsessed with Caleb as he is with her. He knows that and it's because he's so in tune with these feelings that to him, his actions don't seem out of line, because that's how he expects her to be with him as well. I think like the other boys, his love is limitless, he literally says, "I love you more than you realize" in his myth. He's struggling with mental health and trauma and I think people just want to downplay him for various reasons without delving into the complexity of his character, or the incredible history he has with MC, not from a past life, but in this very real, present one. He was there with her during a time when she didn't know a Xavier, a Rafayel, or a Sylus (maybe Zayne since Caleb mentions him).

There. It feels good to get this out. I will end this by saying, sure, Caleb qualifies as a dark romance, maybe a mild yandere, but definitely, nothing along the lines of Zade because I genuinely don't think he'd want to hurt MC by doing something that could hurt her or violate her consent.

I'm open to more discussion on this. And a reminder about my usual policy; if you have nothing nice to say, scroll on by.

[forcemeanakin]

Hot with brains

•WARNINGS: SMUT.  Fingering (f receiving), oral fixation, dirty talk, praise kink and also degrading kink, corruption kink kinda??? Edging. Public space. The OC has a kink that attracts her to smart guys.

Pairing: ROTS!Anakin Skywalker x Female!reader.

Summary: Anakin falls for the librarian at the Jedi Temple, however, he soon realizes his adorable smile and golden curls won’t cut it with this one. No, she likes something different: brains. 

Word count: 4.7K. 

A/N: Pretty self-indulgent piece. I've been obsessed with Anakin's engineering brain ever since I got into Star Wars and this idea had be floating around for a whileeeee. Hope you all enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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You liked smart guys. 

It wasn’t a kink per sé. You just couldn’t see yourself hooking up with someone with no brains, let alone establishing a committed relationship with them. You were swoon by guys with deep thoughts and admirable speech skills. The type of man that would go for a whisky instead of a beer, or use real shoes instead of plain sneakers.

You being a snob might have to do with your upbringing, after all you were the daughter of two scholars and professors of one of the most prestigious universities of Coruscant. You were raised to be logical and love intellectual conversations. You wouldn’t- No. You couldn’t see yourself enjoying a space with someone with a low IQ.

That was the reasoning behind taking the internship in the Jedi Temple’s library as part of your college voluntary program. You had to volunteer a certain amount of hours in order to graduate from your Journalism degree with honors. 

You thought that even though this wasn’t exactly the area in which you were specializing, you would soak up some of the ancient knowledge of the Order, even make some great connections for the future. And so far it has been just that: A great experience. You got to read some really cool books and in the hours where no one would come, you got to finish some school work. The Jedi who would visit the library were nice and kind, always polite with a big smile. You even grew really fond of a young Togruta padawan that would spend her breaks in between training devouring books. 

It was calm and quiet. 

Until the storm broke through the door.

“Is this the one you’re looking for?” You yelled to Ahsoka as you climbed down the stairs with the title she asked for.

“Yes! Thank you, y/n!” She gave you a hug and ran to her table to start reading about the swamps in Dagobah.

You returned to your desk and kept registering the book’s codes into the control sheet when a loud sound made you look to the door, the one that was violently being thrown to open room for a tall, curly-haired man with dark robes.

You would recognize those robes anywhere. In reality, anyone from any point of the galaxy would recognize them.

Anakin Skywalker. 

One of the few exceptions of Jedi men who didn’t live up to the sophisticated standard of the Order’s image. And definitely someone you would prefer to stay away from. For some reason he was the favorite warrior of the people; the citizens would line up in front of the Temple to scream “Hero with no fear” to that pretentious douchebag.

He was fine. 

As what most people would call courageous, you would say careless. To others he was passionate, to you he was irrational. Not to mention how idiotic and unsubordinated he was; always talking back and doing things his way, ignoring what the guidelines said.

You didn’t like him. You didn’t like him at all. For that you were thankful that he never set foot into your sacred place. Until that doomed day.

“C’mon, Snips.” He shouted, approaching the desk where she sat. “We need to go. Council just called.”

“Can I have five more minutes? I’ve barely read anything about where we are going!” Ahsoka whined.

“You don’t need to read anything, we will find out anything that’s necessary there.” He huffed, finding his apprentice’s actions ridiculous. 

You quietly sighed and rolled my eyes. Of course.

“Fine… but y/n really took her time fetching it for me.” She exhaled annoyed and closed the book. 

Your eyes remained glued to your task at hand, not willing to look up and be involved in some type of pending argument.

“Who’s y/n?” Anakin scoffed rather loudly.

“Y/n! The volunteer?” Anakin frowned at the short explanation and shook his head in a negative motion. “You know, y/n! C’mon Skyguy, follow me.”

No, please no, you whispered to your insides.

“Hey, y/n!” You heard Ahsoka’s little footsteps running to where you were. 

“What can I do for you, Soka?” You answered, still pretending that you were too busy to move your head from its position.

“Skyguy hasn’t met you. Here, Anakin, y/n. She helps us out here in the library.”

“Ahsoka, we’re not supposed to be having social meetings, we need to go-” You finally gazed up and in that moment, Anakin and you made eye contact for the first time; it was intense. It felt like something clicked for him. “You must be Y/n.” Anakin shook his head lightly, hinting a little smirk as leaned over your table with fixed eyes. 

Hell, no.

“Yes, I am. How may I help you?” You were bitter, totally unbothered by his chiseled cheekbones, or his gorgeous hair, or his plumped lips. Not even the scar had any effect whatsoever. He was an ass and that was automatically a turn off for you. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t met you. You must be new.” He explained with dreamy eyes, subtly checking you out. You cursed the moment you decided to come in today with a blouse who had a bit of a cleavage. “I’m Anakin. Anakin Skywalker.”

“Actually, I’ve been here for almost two months now.” You suppressed the soul-eating need to roll your eyes.

“Oh, really? Sorry, I don’t come here much.” He leaned over even more, trying to keep eye contact even when you sat down. 

“Obviously.” You whispered on the low.

“Excuse me?” Anakin frowned, interrupting his beam to pout with confusion.

“Nothing.” You smiled widely with a fake grin. 

“Okay…” His frown deepened before a smirk broke out his lips. “Maybe I will make it a habit and visit more often.” He shrugged his shoulders, tilting his head to the side, deciphering the effects of his statement on you. 

“You should.” You looked at him and gave him a side-smile, making his eyes sparkle. “Books are good for you.” You returned to check the order of nabooian books on your computer. 

“Yeah, books are cool but there are other things I would much rather check out.” He smirked shamelessly at you, the back-handed comment flying way over his head.

You felt like gagging. Not the good kind.

Before you could come up with a clever response and shut him down for good, Ahsoka spoke from behind him.

“Ugh, gross! Let’s go!” The kid dragged him out by his clothes and before he disappeared through the glass door, he winked at you.

That was the first time you have seen him. First of many, many more. 

Since the day your paths crossed, he took every fleeting moment to come and “read”, when in reality it was just him eating, or drawing or doing anything but opening a book. Taking advantage of your breaks, or whenever you returned to your seat after doing rounds, he would come over and make conversation. About his battles, his accomplishments, his close-calls to death… or about random facts he collected from his missions and travels; Anything that would maybe impress you.

And when he wasn’t doing that? He would drown you in compliments, to see if in fact, you soften up to him. Anakin was already aware of your no-so-secret disgust towards him the day he caught one of your eye rolls.

Did he care? No. 

He was persistent: admiring your hair, loving the way you had styled it in a little bun (even though it was because the heat was eating you alive). He would ask about the tasks you were performing, sucking at pretending to be interested in hearing about organizing books in alphabetical order. 

And it would have maybe worked; his good looks combined to his natural charisma were enough to make any mortal melt at his sight. You almost combust when you saw him carrying some wood boards into the library, the primal part of you rejoicing at the sight of his strong muscles stretching. The man was eye candy, whether you like it or not.

But, boy, were you tough.

Anakin Skywalker was not your cup of tea to say the least. You wouldn’t collaborate in his attempts to get to know you. You were so uninterested in finding out more about him when you had already scanned him. Just a way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good guy who was lucky enough to be born as the Chosen One, because otherwise, he would have never made it in the Order. He was determined, you would give him that. 

His approaches were never creepy or invasive enough to make you uncomfortable, only to drive you wild. Even when he was the worst part of your day, you had to keep the polite but distant charade going on, in order to protect your job. Your disgust towards him, instead of hurting him, amused him. He liked challenges and you were freaking Mission Impossible. Although he also saw the flaws in you: a pretentious prick girl who had probably achieved everything in her life thanks to nepotism. But he could see past that.

Because, boy, were you hot. 

And he was sure you liked it nasty. 

Underneath your goodie-two-shoes clothes hid the true you: he knew you loved being treated like a filthy slut.

“Hello, y/n!” Ahsoka squealed in an excited voice. You two have grown to adore each other. 

“Hey, Soka!” You responded happily, finishing to put some encyclopedias on a shelf. When you turned around, you saw she wasn’t alone. “Oh… good afternoon, Anakin.”

“Nice to see you too, y/n.” Anakin huffed in a sarcastic voice before strolling to where you were, Ahsoka following close behind. “Is that a new shirt? It suits you.”

“No, it’s the same white button up shirt that I’ve always used.” You smiled and turned around to roll your eyes in peace. He was too busy devouring your bosom behind the fabric to ever notice the barrier between his eyes and your skin.

“Y/n, do you think you could grab me a book about loreeks? I’m doing a little presentation about them for my science class.” Ahsoka asked you with a sweet voice.

“Oh sure… just let me look oveeeer…” You walked, stretching the words as you searched in the countless sections. “...here. It must be on one of these shelves.” You announced when you entered the exotic animals aisle. 

Digitating the code on your scanner you found out it was in one of the tallest shelves, only reachable with a ladder. Right when you were about to move it, Anakin came in.

“Don’t worry, Y/n. I’ll get it.” And he used the Force to bring the book down. “Here you go Snips, study hard.” He nudged her head, annoying her.

“Yeah, I guess… but it’s Friday. Can I read after I hang out with the other padawans? Barris and Meelo are going skating!” She gave her best puppy eyes, to which Anakin agreed, after giving it little to no thought.

“You didn’t have to give her the book, I could have done it.” You waited for Ahsoka to leave before dropping the bomb. 

“Easy there, kitten. I was just helping out.” He furrowed his eyebrows. As if the unnecessary nickname wasn’t enough to drive you mad. Looking down, he saw the rest of your outfit and lingered his eyes more than necessary in your short, black skirt. “On second thought, I might have let you do it.” He smirked confidently.

“Just stay out of my way, okay?” You growled, walking away from him to your desk, not without bumping your shoulder with his on your way out.

“What the hell is your problem?” He asked with an incredulous face.

You were done. The build-up from the past month was beginning to choke down your sense of decency. Not to mention that your day was already going terrible before he appeared: the droid that would always help you out was broken, significantly delaying your work day. Also, it was laundry day and you had to use your uncomfortable lingerie.

“You know what, Skywalker?” You turned around with raised eyebrows. “You’re my problem.” He opened his eyes in bewilderment. “I don’t like you. I don’t appreciate you coming in, all macho-” You made a mocking manner. “-acting like a goddamn superhero, only after cleaning up the mess you created in the first place.” You crossed your arms in your chest. 

“I’m a general, kitten, and I can assure you the war it’s not my fault.” He scoffed, he used the nickname again, knowing it would press your buttons. 

“And how many times have you messed it up bigger than it was?” You squinted your eyes, only to see him run out of words. “That’s what I thought.” You came back to digitating codes. “It’s like you don’t think. You are just a machine run by adrenaline and praise.” You finally rolled your eyes in front of him without shame. You tried to run down the reports that C7, your assistant droid would do, only to fail and almost delete everything in your computer. “And I can assure you I have bigger problems than dealing with you!”

“Okay, back down-”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” You yelled, getting desperate and throwing a tantrum at the device. You had enough for the day. You could leave, given that no one would come over this late, but your sense of responsibility prevented you from going home before finishing your work load. “I fucking hate this system!”

“Let me see-”

“Don’t! Just don’t, okay?” You swatted his hand away. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Could you stop being so stuck-up and let me help you?” He raised his voice, stepping up close to tower you. His eyes were on fire and you could sense that your previous comments did get to him, but for some reason outside of your understanding, he was still willing to help.

“Fine.” You chewed the words in your mouth, stepping down as you glared at him, giving him space to analyze the situation.

Instead of leaning down the computer, he went directly to C7, who lingered weakly on the side of your desk. He picked him up and put it on the table, moving him around his hands to examine the droid. He hummed after a couple of minutes, putting the mechanical body at eye level. “I see.”

“See what? What is it?” You pressed, trying to pick a glance from over his shoulder.

“I’m going to need my tools.” He murmured, dropping the droid back again.

“Wh-”

“I’ll be right back.” He exclaimed, before heading to the door in a rush.

“Wait! What?” You shouted, the shadow of his body the only thing visible.

You stayed alone for about fifteen minutes. You even got to thinking that he was pulling a prank on you, after yelling at him. But you stayed there, because well… what else would you do? You were beginning to fall asleep as you played with paper clips, when you heard the door being opened again.

“Finally! I thought you had left!” You sighed in relief, pushing your body off your desk. 

“I was getting my tools, I told you.” He frowned, lifting the heavy, dark red box to the white marble. “Now let’s bring this one back to life.” He smiled, before busting the carcass open. 

It took Anakin less than what you waited for him to get C7 up and running again. He flipped panels, snapped cables and pressed buttons, at an order that seemed random to you, until C7’s mechanical eyes opened again.

“Oh my God!” You laughed in disbelief. “He’s functioning again!”

Anakin smiled down at the table, as he finished up adjusting some screws. C7 sat up, analyzing his surroundings before getting up and going straight back to work. 

“I-I-” You were speechless. How did he do that? So fast? “I can’t believe you just did that.” You mumbled, still looking at C7 like it was a ghost. “Thank you, Anakin.” You turned around with apologizing eyes, twitching an embarrassed smile. 

“No problem. His transmitter was disconnected from the main system. I had to fix his-” The next couple of things that he mentioned sounded like pure gibberish to you, but he was very firm, so it must be true. Right? Sensing your bafflement, he spilled facts slower and quieter until he stopped talking, finalizing with a dry smile. “Yeah, it was nothing.”

He was starting to pack everything in his toolbox again and you had a pending need to say something. However, you didn’t know if you should kick off with a real apology or-

“How did you know all that?” So a pop quiz it was. In your defense, you were genuinely curious about the abilities he had just demonstrated. Mindblown, to be more specific. 

“About what?” He furrowed his brows, closing the box but leaving on the table. 

“About the transmitter, and the restraining bolt, and- and-” You were running out of technical terms. 

“Mechanics are second nature to me at this point.” He shrugged his shoulders, picking up the box. “I know everything about the topic, so, it was an easy fix. I’d have rearranged his central system if I had the missing part, but it’s very specific. What I did will do for now, though.” 

He was about to leave when he noticed the way you were leaning on the table, head on top of your fist to pay close attention to him. You were murmuring almost unhearable “uh-huh”s, totally lost in his words. 

“Sooo, you know mechanics.” You were such a hypocrite, you couldn’t stand the man fifteen minutes ago and now you were drooling over the sight of him explaining complicated shit to you. Snob. “You often fix things?” You tried to investigate, see if the throbbing happening between your legs was worth pursuing. 

“Sometimes… I often go to the hangar and repair the damaged ships or flip them.” He grinned without teeth. “The techs often ask for me. They say I have an eye for these things. Been working on droids since I was a kid, so.” Anakin wasn’t trying to brag, but his ample knowledge in mechanics was something that he prided himself on. 

“That seems like a lot of work.” You continued the small talk, slowly losing yourself over this spontaneous crush. 

“It can get tricky.” He dismissed, beginning to notice the glint on your eyes. He recognized the way your irises had darkened: He got those fuck-me eyes wherever he went. “Still haven’t found something I can’t fix.”

But it was involuntary. The fact that he was an expert on a matter as hard as mechanics scratched a part of your brain; It flipped a switch inside of you. Anakin was a different man under your eyes now. He was smart, hella smart. 

“Gosh, that’s so impressive.” You giggled like the girls that would flirt at him. Pathetic. But you quickly regained control, not before sucking up some courage and getting closer to him, posing more seductively this time. “That brain of yours sure hides lots of secrets.”

He hadn’t quite figured out why the change of heart, so it took him a moment to replay your evening together. It lasted a bit more than he liked to admit, but it hit him. Of course. An arrogant smile cracked his face. Of course you would be attracted to someone who was a master of something you consider relevant. After all, you liked to consider yourself an “intellectual”. Just to test his theory, he consciously started to brag about something else… something that would have your panties in a bunch if his hypothesis was correct.

“Wanna know another one?” He cocked an eyebrow, resting his elbow on the table to stand inches away from your face.

Your face shined with a slight pink blush, but it was the way you bit your lip that drove him crazy. That and your enthusiastic nod. “Yeah.”

“There’s a reason behind why I’m the best pilot of the fleet. And it’s not just because of my background as a pod racer or the Force.” He whispered, snickering at how soft your eyes had grown. “It’s actually because… I use physics.”

“Physics?” You almost moaned. 

“Yeah, physics.” He repeated, moistening his lips, a thing your eyes followed. “Self-taught, just like with mechanics.”

That ripped a subtle whimper out of you. Well, not subtle to him. 

“You-you understand math?” If it wasn’t because you were visibly squeezing your thighs at the newly acquired information, he would be completely offended that you thought he was dumb as fuck. 

“Love em.” He muttered, his intense stare glued to you, as his fingers put a string of hair behind your ear.

Like thunder, you were rushing to capture his lips and show him just how hot you thought he was now. Anakin freezed at first, taking aback by your sudden demonstration of affection, but when he understood that you were willingly -and enthusiastically- giving yourself to him, he wasted no time to embrace you back. 

Wet kisses splashed everywhere; it was fucking mess. You hung onto his shoulders while he groped all of your body, starting with your sweet hips, fondling your ass like it was his personal stress ball and finally landing on your waist. You pressed against him shamelessly, but in reality, how much shame could you still have when the man’s tongue was down your throat? The only thing you knew with certainty was that the sucking sounds and moans you both dropped were intensifying the already sex-filled atmosphere.

“Anakin.” You tried to sound normal, but your voice was failing just like your knees were. “W-why haven’t you gone to a proper school? Maybe get a degree?”

Was that seriously so important to you? The opinion of others? Anakin questioned in his own head.

Anakin was the kind of person that wasn’t susceptible to the opinion of others, especially regarding his own image. He was sure of the shit he knew and didn’t need anyone validating that for him. No expensive universities, no uptight professors; Obi-Wan was more than enough. Nonetheless, he had found a shortcut to get inside your pants and God as his witness, he was gonna use it. 

“Y/n.” He snickered right in your face, drinking in the power. “I don’t care about any of that. I'm a certified engineer, that’s how I got to build this myself.” Removing the leather, he revealed his mechanical limb to you, wiggling his fingers.

It was fancier than you ever thought a mechanical hand could be. Black with touches of gold; it was elegant and sophisticated, way more advanced than any technology you had ever seen in the orthopedics research field. And you knew it well, your mom was an orthopedic surgeon. 

It was no surprise to him that after spilling that last fact you were now shamelessly grinding on his half-hard. The fact that he was an engineering mastermind was such an aphrodisiac. And as much as he wanted to have another taste of your full, pink lips, the ones he often imagined enveloped around his dick while you scolded him, Anakin wasn’t willing to make the first move.

You were going to have to beg for it. 

“Anakin?” Your hands flattened on his pecs, back arching when he cupped your cheek with the cool durasteel prosthetic, kneading against it with soft eyes. He must have noticed how captivated you were by his invention. 

“Yeah, baby?” He continued the soft ministrations up and down your cheek, redirecting your gaze to his face whenever your eyes would deviate to his artificial limb. 

“You- Uhm, you built it from scratch?” You gulped when his thumb inched closer to your mouth, rubbing your bottom lip and pulling it open. 

Little obedient you put no resistance, and instead, stuck out your wet tongue to happily receive his digit into your warmness. But this time it was his index, the one you were bobbing your head into, eye contact not faltering even when you were practically giving oral to his hand. Anakin smiled pleased at your enthusiasm for pleasuring him and added another finger for you to lubricate. 

“From scratch.” He nodded, lustful irises boring into you. “Designed it too.”

You moaned around him, feeling content with being sandwiched between his firm torso and your desk, and with your mouth being fucked by his fingers. Saliva smeared all over your chin, you whined pitifully when your lips were no longer stuffed. On the contrary of leaving you all hot and bothered, Anakin lowered those same fingers to your leaky cunt, pushing your underwear aside for easy access. 

He groaned when he first inserted a finger, your gasping a sign for him to slow down. “Baby, you’re tight.” He seemed to love that about you. 

After adjusting to the size of his strong index finger, Anakin breached in with his middle one, repeating the process of you getting used to the coldness and girth all over. 

“A-Anakin.” You closed your eyes, involuntarily standing on your tippy toes. 

“That’s right, you’re doing so well. Taking my fingers like a true champ.” He bit down a condescending smile. “Atta girl.”

The initial discomfort was just a milestone you had to overcome to succumb to the pleasure that it was being fucked by Anakin Skywalker’s metal hand. His frigid thumb came to roll over your bundle of nerves, helping you relax into him and enjoy the sensation of fully riding his hand. 

“That’s it. Fuck my hand just like that, kitten.” He chuckled, finding a spot on your neck to latch on, leave a little souvenir of your encounter, and hide his pitiful laugh. 

Kisses were peppered along your exposed throat, your clavicle and jaw, his long eyelashes tickling you and making you clench around his metal hand tighter. Whilst you worried about not whining too loud for anyone to enter the library, Anakin was pumping his fingers at such an unholy pace to complicate your task.

“Shhh, baby. You need to be quiet. Wouldn’t like for anyone to come in. You could lose your job.” He mocked with a side smile and you had to gripped his bicep to keep your balance. “Could you imagine? Getting caught having sex at work? With a Jedi?”

You could perceive that the trespassing of the pseudo-celibacy Jedi code was turning him to no end, the mischievous glimmer in his eyes getting stronger when he said the last sentence. 

“W-We’re not having sex.” You corrected him, like it mattered. Like having him knuckles deep into you was somehow less frowned-upon than to have actual coitus.

That made him laugh and you wiggled underneath him, fighting to not let your tears fall. 

“You just wait.” His lips ghosted over yours, his breath fanning over your heated face. The increase of the movements of his hand was a sign that he had noticed the contractions around his digits, fully aware that you were close. “Ready to come, baby? Gonna gush all over me?”

You nodded, biting your swollen lip, losing the battle against your tear duct. Anakin used his other thumb, the one that was not torturing your clit, to liberate your abused lip. His mouth lowered to capture yours in a hot kiss, this tongue sliding on your inside until it hit your throat. So deep into you that you would never forget his taste; so deep you will never be able to deny him. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” You whimpered against his smile when you reached your peak, dissolving into this meaningless mass between his arms. “Anakin…” You rode out your climax, still rocking your hips to prolong the pleasure.

Anakin waited until you regained some composure to help you fix your clothes, putting back your underwear as he found it and lowering your skirt. His actions had you frowning: Weren’t you two gonna fuck? You were already mentally prepared to welcome his enormous cock in your tiny canal. 

He grinned at your puppy eyes and adorable pout, your flustered state funnier than it should be. It was almost enough to break him. But someone had to give you a lesson. 

 “At the end of the day, I’m just a soldier, Y/n. An incompetent one, according to you.” 

Before you could protest that, he was tilting his head in an accusatory manner. Like saying: Don’t even try it. And before leaving with his head high, he spat: 

“My apologies if that’s not fancy enough for you, ma’am.”

[akikohanasaki]

hiii!! could you write some headcanons for the eltingville guys having a s/o that can draw? fem would be appreciated but ofc it’s alright either way! thank u<33

I like this ideaaa. Here ya go ;3

---

Yandere!Eltingville Club x fem!reader who likes to draw

---

Yandere!Jerry x Artist!Reader

Jerry is the most quietly obsessed. The kind of yandere who hides behind politeness, who offers to carry your portfolio, compliments your drawings softly, and never really stops looking at you. He’s completely enchanted by how your mind works when you draw — especially if it’s fantasy-themed.

He fantasizes about you drawing him as a heroic knight or an elven prince — someone powerful and beautiful, everything he’s never felt like in real life. It becomes his escape.

He would never force you to draw him, but he’ll definitely hint at it. If you ever do draw him — even casually — he will treasure it like it’s a religious relic. It’ll be pinned to his wall, hidden under his bed, scanned, printed... He keeps extras in his bag.

Jerry can get uncomfortably clingy under the guise of being helpful. He’ll offer to carry your sketchbooks, get you new pens, “protect” you from Bill’s scepticism. But it’s all to stay close.

When others mock or touch your art, he quietly starts holding grudges. If Bill tears a doodle or Josh mocks your anatomy, Jerry’s the type to wait and quietly sabotage them — breaking a collectible, hiding a prized issue, or spreading rumors online under a pseudonym.

His obsessive fantasies get darker over time. In them, you’re isolated with him in a fantasy world — and everyone else is dead or banished. You live happily ever after, and he’s your muse. Your knight in shining armour.

---

Yandere!Bill x Artist!Reader

Bill is the worst kind of yandere — jealous, gatekeep-y, angry, and aggressively possessive. The moment you mention art, he immediately wants to know if you draw real stuff — like comic books, superheroes, or Frank Miller-inspired noir.

If you like manga or softer art styles, he mocks you for it... but then keeps every doodle you leave lying around. He says it’s “anime crap” but he has one taped in his locker and another folded in his wallet.

The second he realizes someone else likes your art (or you draw for another guy)? He loses it. Screaming, throwing things, maybe even trashing that person’s stuff. He says it’s about "respect for fandom" or “fake fans” — but really, he’s seething with envy that someone else has your attention.

He’ll start trying to “correct” your style, pushing you to draw hyper-violent comics or edgy pin-ups. It’s his way of controlling what you create — shaping your imagination into something that revolves around him.

He’d say messed-up stuff like, “If you really cared about me, you’d draw me killing Josh with a chainsaw,” and mean it. And if you laugh it off? He’s secretly disappointed.

Bill doesn’t hide his obsession — he yells it. He’ll tell the club you’re “his girl,” even if you’re not dating. Anyone who denies it? Expect an all-out brawl.

---

Yandere!Josh x Artist!Reader

Josh gets obsessed with you in the way he obsesses over Dune or Star Trek. It’s fanatical. He wants to memorize your art style like it’s a sacred code. He starts scanning through your sketchbooks when you’re not looking, studying how you shade eyes, how you draw hands.

He’ll not-so-subtly demand that you draw sci-fi scenes — space stations, androids, him as a captain in a dystopian empire. If you indulge him? He’ll never let go. “Can you make me taller?” “Make my arms bigger.” “Give me a laser sword.”

He overanalyzes everything you draw. “What do these symbols mean? Is this me?” He’ll invent entire headcanons around a doodle, thinking you’re leaving secret messages for him.

Josh is territorial. He’ll hover over your shoulder while you draw, yell at anyone who dares distract you, and get extremely aggressive if another guy asks for a commission.

He starts showing up at your house with “gifts” — Dune art books, custom sketch pads, even rare inks — but if you reject him or just seem ungrateful, he spirals into passive-aggressive rants about how artists don’t appreciate “real fans.”

He’ll fantasize about owning all your art. Literally hoarding it. If he could lock you in a basement with nothing but paper and pens to draw for him forever, he’d do it... and convince himself it’s romantic.

---

Yandere!Pete x Artist!Reader

Pete fixates on your art with the same intensity he has for horror and gore. He’s fascinated if you draw dark or violent themes — monsters, slashers, death scenes. If your art is cutesy, he thinks it’s lame... at first. Then he gets weirdly obsessed with how your soft art contrasts his brutal tastes.

He starts demanding that you draw horror scenes — but with you and him as the characters. “Make us the final girl and the killer. You’re running from me, but you kinda like it, right?” He’s dead serious.

Pete’s the kind of yandere who steals your sketchbook and keeps it under his mattress. He pretends to hate it when you confront him, acts like you’re annoying, but the moment you leave? He’s sniffing the pages and mumbling about how beautiful your hands must be when they move.

If your parents or teachers discourage your art, Pete flies into a rage. He sees himself as your protector, the one person who “gets it.” If he ever finds someone tearing up your drawings, he’ll get physical without hesitation.

Pete is paranoid and angry. If he sees you talking to another guy while doodling, he assumes it’s romantic and will immediately try to pick a fight — calling them a poser or accusing them of “using you for free art.”

In his ideal world, you two make horror comics together, and everyone else is either dead or too scared to come near. And if you ever say you want space? He might threaten to hurt himself, guilt-tripping you into staying.

---

Zip zip 👽

[deliciousangelfestival]

Nothing Has Changed - 9

Summary: Returning home for peace, you're faced with your tormentor, Bucky Barnes, who is now involved in your family's business.

Character: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Warning: Angst, Tragedy.

Nothing Has Changed - Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist || support: Ko-fi

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more. 💖💖💖

“This town looks peaceful to an outsider, a perfect place for a pensioner to spend their free time,” Steve commented, his gaze sweeping over the quiet streets.

“I guess the Bronze Lodge is their only destination,” you replied, noting the town’s well-known resort.

He nodded. “It's a great place and helps the economy. Most locals work there.”

You glanced around, recognizing a few faces from your past. “Hmm. I see some familiar people.”

“So, you've met the homecoming queen,” Steve said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“My number one hater,” you responded dryly.

“She will hate you even more after seeing how successful you've become,” Steve chuckled.

You nodded, and the ice between you began to melt as the conversation continued. The years apart seemed to fade as you shared updates and memories.

“Don’t you realize you're talking behind her back? Isn’t she your close friend?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steve shrugged. “Not anymore. After graduation, all of us went our separate ways. Bucky went abroad to study business, Natasha pursued her modeling career, and others moved to different states.”

He sighed, reflecting on how time had changed their once-close group. As everyone grew older, they followed their own paths. But in the end, almost all of them returned to this town.

“What made me curious is Jake. I thought he would be the one to make it big since he won multiple competitions related to computers,” you said, recalling the prodigious talent he once displayed.

“Ah, Jake. He wanted to be popular so badly back then. Ironically, he got it in the worst way possible,” Steve replied with a hint of regret.

“What happened to him?” You leaned forward, intrigued by the unfolding story.

“Well… Jake got out of control with his IT skills and hacked the department of defense and he made a crypto scam.”

You gasped. “Really?” Would a guy like Jake do something like that?

“The government banned Jake from anything related to coding for a few years,” Steve explained, shaking his head.

“How did you know all of this?” you asked, impressed by his knowledge of the local gossip.

“His mother told her friend, and her friend told her hairdresser, and the hairdresser told everyone at the church,” Steve said with a wry smile.

Gossip travels fast. You almost spilled your hot jasmine tea, laughing at the absurdity. Steve quickly handed you a tissue, and you gratefully accepted it.

“Then… what do you think about Mayor Martin?” you asked, curious about the town's leadership.

Steve's expression turned serious. “I don’t trust him.”

A shiver ran down your spine at his words. Something was wrong if even someone as reserved as Steve didn’t trust the mayor.

⚰️

You went home, Steve's words still lingering in your mind. You needed answers, so you decided to ask your dad about what had happened in the town since you left.

Tom sat in his favorite armchair, engrossed in a thick book. Without looking up, he replied, “There haven't been any significant changes, except for the new resort owned by the Barnes.”

“But,” he continued, his tone growing more somber, “I have noticed an increase in the number of funerals I've conducted for a single travelers.”

'Single travelers?' A cold shiver ran down your spine at his words. "Who paid for the funerals?" you asked, your voice tinged with unease.

“The town mayor, Martin, has been kind enough to pay for the funerals,” Tom added, finally lifting his gaze from the book to look at you.

Your instincts screamed that Martin’s kindness had a hidden agenda. “Don’t you ever wonder why so many tourists die in this town?” you asked, your voice tinged with suspicion.

Tom chuckled, dismissing your concerns with a wave of his hand. “Are you saying there’s a serial killer in this town? That’s impossible. The police have deemed all the deaths accidents.” He closed his book and patted your shoulder gently. “You should go to sleep. You've been working too much.”

As Tom headed to his room, you remained in the living room, deep in thought. Your father, accustomed to dealing with death, seemed numb to its frequency. But not you. The increasing number of deaths didn’t sit well with you, and the mayor’s supposed generosity felt more sinister than charitable.

Should you and your dad leave this town? The question gnawed at you as you pondered your next steps. Once a familiar haven, the town now felt shrouded in mystery and danger.

👠

The next day, you returned to the hotel feeling renewed determination. As you walked into your office, you stopped abruptly. Once cluttered with documents and black binders, the table was completely empty. A wave of panic surged through you. Had someone stolen everything? The scene eerily reminded you of when the FBI raided your office and confiscated all your belongings.

You bolted out of the room and hurried to Bucky's office. As you approached, you heard raised voices from behind the closed door.

“You’re doubting me?” a woman exclaimed.

“At first, but now I have the evidence. Numbers don’t lie,” Bucky responded firmly.

“Hmph. I still can’t believe it. She’s only been here for a few days, and you trust her over your own mother?”

You couldn't take it anymore. You pushed the door open, making both Bucky and the woman flinch. “Are you doubting my skills?” you demanded, crossing your arms and standing confidently.

The woman turned to face you. She was Lydia Barnes, Bucky’s mother. At fifty years old, she exuded elegance and grandeur, her rich lifestyle evident in her designer clothing and impeccable grooming. She looked you up and down, her eyes narrowing.

Lydia remembered you. You used to be a shy girl who never met anyone's gaze. But now, you stood before her with unshakeable confidence. Your eyes, so full of determination, reminded her of someone she detested—your mother.

Lydia’s face hardened. “I see you've returned,” she said, her tone dripping with disdain.

“I have,” you replied, meeting her gaze steadily. “And I found discrepancies in the financial records. Someone has been embezzling money from this resort.”

Lydia's eyes flashed with anger. “How dare you accuse me?”

You maintained your calm demeanor, but your eyes locked onto hers with a sharp intensity. “I didn't accuse you, Mrs. Barnes. But why are you so defensive?” You let the question hang in the air, trying to bait her into revealing more. “It’s impossible for a business owner to steal from their own business, isn’t it?”

Lydia's face went pale for a moment before she recovered, her expression turning icy. She was momentarily stunned, clearly taken aback by your insinuation.

Bucky stepped in, his tone exasperated but calm. “Mom, we’ll discuss this later. Right now, we need to focus on the numbers and figure out what’s really going on.”

You took a step back, observing Lydia carefully. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, and her eyes were narrow slits of fury. She was clearly not used to being questioned, especially not in her own domain.

Lydia straightened up, regaining some of her composure. “Very well,” she said coolly. “But don’t think for a moment that I’ll let this go.”

As she turned to leave, you caught a glimpse of vulnerability in her eyes—a fleeting moment of fear that she quickly masked. It was enough to confirm your suspicions that there was more to this story than she was letting on.

Bucky let out a heavy sigh once she was gone, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry about that. She’s...complicated.”

You nodded, taking in the tension that still lingered in the air. Lydia was an odd woman, and you couldn't shake the feeling that she harbored a deep-seated dislike for you. The first time you saw her was at her husband’s funeral—Bucky's dad.

Even then, her eyes had fixed on you like a tiger eyeing its prey. You always wondered what you had done to her.

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Author Note: Hey friends,

If you've been enjoying the content, I've set up a Ko-fi account.

Your support through tips would mean the world and help me keep creating.

Only if you feel like it!

Here's the link: Ko-fi

Thanks a bunch for being fabulous followers!

[pollka1]

You don't gotta die today

Summary — Josh spends his last day alive at the bar

Genre — Angst

⚠️ Warnings — Talks of suicide ⚠️

Characters — Dr. Hill, Josh Washington, random stranger i came up with

Character speech is NOT colour coded for this fic

Josh Washington was going to die tonight.

He’d picked the date like some people pick wedding days—specific, symbolic. A closing of the circle. It had been a year, more or less, since the mountain swallowed him and never gave him back. His body made it out. Everything else stayed buried.

This bar wasn’t part of the plan. But he’d walked past it on the way home and something inside had whispered, Why not one last drink?

So here he was, slouched on a cracked leather stool that squeaked every time he moved, nursing a glass of whiskey with no intention of finishing it.

The air smelled like old cigars and cheap cologne. The kind of place people came to forget things they couldn't fix.

Josh had nothing to say, and that was fine. No one asked.

Until someone did.

“Mind if I sit here?”

The man was older, worn around the edges like an old photograph. Corduroy jacket, salt-and-pepper beard, eyes like he’d seen too much and stopped being surprised by any of it. Josh didn’t answer, just gave a vague shrug. The man took it as permission.

They sat in silence for a while. The old man sipped from his glass—a dark drink, neat. No ice.

"You look like someone who's made up their mind," the stranger said softly, not unkindly.

Josh didn’t respond.

The man kept going, his voice low and steady. “I’ve seen that look before. Wore it myself once. It's the look of someone trying to convince themselves there’s nothing left.”

Josh’s hand twitched around the glass. He hadn’t told anyone. He didn’t plan to tell anyone. How did this guy know?

The man gestured vaguely toward the bartender. “Places like this…they draw broken people like porch lights draw moths. Quiet, dusty corners where no one asks who you were before the sadness settled in.”

Still, Josh said nothing.

“I don’t know what you’ve been through,” the man added, “and I’m not gonna pretend to. But I know pain is loud in your head and quiet on your face. That’s how it fools everyone—including yourself.”

Josh swallowed hard.

The man didn’t look at him. He just kept talking.

“Some people say suicide is selfish. I don’t. I think it’s desperation wearing a mask. I think it’s people just wanting the ache to stop. But here’s the thing, kid—pain is like a storm in winter. It tells you it’ll never end. But the season always changes.”

Josh finally spoke. Barely a whisper. “What if it doesn’t?”

The old man turned his eyes to him—sharp, clear. “Then you make it change. You find something small—a book, a person, a song, a damn cup of coffee—and you hang onto it like it’s a life raft. Because one day, without realizing it, the weight will shift. You won’t be light again, maybe. But you won’t drown either.”

Josh looked down at his hands, then at the drink he no longer wanted.

“You don’t have to want tomorrow,” the man said as he stood. “You just have to get there.”

Josh didn’t watch him leave. The door clicked shut behind him like the punctuation at the end of a sentence Josh hadn’t finished writing.

He sat there for a long time.

Then, for no reason he could name, he reached for his phone. Not to delete the note. Not yet.

...

Josh left the bar without saying a word. No one noticed—why would they? He was just another shadow passing through a place built to hold them.

Outside, the cold hit his face like a warning.

He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and walked without purpose, not home, not anywhere in particular. Just moving. Breathing. Existing for one more moment than he meant to.

The streetlamps flickered like they were trying to decide whether or not to stay lit. He related.

His phone buzzed. One notification. No one important. A news alert, probably. He unlocked it anyway, thumbing through his notes until he found it—the one.

The plan.

Simple. Clean. Quiet.

No mess. No attention. No apologies.

He stared at the screen. And then, for reasons he couldn’t explain, he tapped the “edit” button. The blinking cursor appeared at the bottom like it was waiting on him.

He wrote:

Some guy at the bar talked about storms. Said seasons change. Not sure I believe him. But I didn’t think anyone would notice tonight, and he did. So maybe I’m wrong about other things, too.

He saved it. Didn’t delete the plan. But didn’t follow it either.

That felt like something.

...

He got home. Shoes off, lights off, jacket still on. Sat on the edge of his bed like a ghost haunting himself.

His room looked exactly the same and entirely foreign. Bed. Desk. A chair with a hoodie slung over it from days ago. It had been months since Hannah and Beth's disappearance, but he still felt like he was waiting for someone to tell him what to do next.

He pulled the hoodie over his head and crawled into bed.

He didn’t cry. Didn’t shake. Didn’t feel much at all.

But he didn’t go through with it.

That mattered.

...

Months pass, and Josh was in Dr. Hill's office.

Dr. Hill looked at him over the rim of his glasses. “You mentioned someone at a bar.”

Josh gave a slight nod. “Yeah. Just some guy. Don’t know his name.”

“And what did he say to you that stuck?”

Josh leaned back in the chair, arms folded, fingers twitching.

“He said I didn’t have to want tomorrow,” Josh said slowly, “just get there.”

Dr. Hill smiled, small and proud. “And you did.”

Josh didn’t smile back. But his voice was steadier than it had been in weeks.

“Yeah. I did.”

[day-dreamsinthedark]

If you write x Reader, may I request some head cannons for Demetri Alexopoulos x reader where the reader is Sam's older sibling?

Hi! So I am not very great with head-canons, nor am I comfortable with writing in the 2nd perspective, but I really enjoy this idea so I thought I would try? My sincerest apologies if this is not what you wanted, but if you'd like to request anything else, I'd love to try it! Also, so sorry for the wait!

ALSO. There are a few curse words, I am SO SORRY if you aren't comfortable with them. Please let me know!

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Demetri seems like the type of guy to fall in love with any girl that is even remotely nice to him, so imagine his surprise when LaRusso!Reader is the first person he meets when he starts at West Valley High School's coding club. As Samantha's older sister, or her Irish twin, as their parents love to tell everyone, you had always been a little self-conscious.

The eldest sister. A title once loved, now something more like a curse. Unachievable and utterly unbearable. You have always been entirely uncoordinated and just uncomfortable in your own skin, so karate has always been just out of your reach. Not that Daniel has ever minded– Kata has always been a comfort. Something to do in private, calming and kind.

This meant that LaRusso!Reader has never been very comfortable in the karate scene, but also around the family in general. It was easy to get lost in your own little world– books, games, television, and all things that made you unlike your sister.

-

He'd known you for over a year before he figured it out. He assumed that you were just the hot nerdy junior that none of the other guys could really appreciate, knowing absolutely nothing but your first name before Miguel kicked the social skills into him. And as someone who was equally as shy, you felt absolutely fine ignoring everyone and getting your work done.

I imagine that in this scenario, where there's a pretty girl who occasionally exchanges smiles and pleasantries, Demetri doesn't even really notice Yasmine (or her friend who looks suspiciously like LaRusso!Reader)

He's so caught up in his crush on Reader that Eli's got to consistently remind him that being nice is not the same thing as having feelings, even if you always went out of your way to compliment whatever fandom-related memorabilia or clothing he brought to school. Like that time you complimented his Doctor Who shirt (and then wore your favorite GOT shirt the next day– to which he did not compliment, because he was so stupidly starstruck.)

Still, there wasn't much interaction between the two of you for the first year and a half that you had known each other. 

-

It wasn't until you finally gave in and decided to train with Sam and Robby that everything had changed. You'd only agreed to the basics, some Kata and maybe a bit of sparring. Robby was kind and made Sam a lot happier than you'd expected her to be, so what possible harm could there be in trying?

So there you were, minding your business in your dojo's yard. Eyes closed as you stretched– a backbend, a stretch that Sam was never able to get, and likely the only athletic thing you’d ever been able to do– ignoring your sister’s conversation with her "not" boyfriend and your father. 

“It’s time we be patient.” Your dad said, “Let those who need us find us. Alright?”

At this, you thought it might be an important time to join the conversation, preparing yourself for the hard part: flipping back over. You hadn’t quite mastered that yet, but it wasn’t… impossible. 

Then, a familiar voice. One that you hadn't heard in months because he and Eli had quit the team without a word. Not that you had spoken much anyway, but still it hurt. 

“Excuse me? Uh, it was unclear if the gate was the front–” He stopped abruptly, missing a porch step and managing to call out your name in confusion just as he hit the floor. You, on the other hand, fell over on your arms just as the realization set in.

“Ow. Jesus.” “Fuck’s sake.” The two of you spoke at the same time.

Neither of you had stood yet, but you craned your neck at him as Demetri called your name out again– from his spot on the ground.

 “Are you… what are you– you know karate?”

Instead of responding, you groaned out in pain. “Mhm. Little.”

You’d fallen quite awkwardly, hurting your shoulder in the process, so by the time you had fixed yourself, you opted to stay on the floor. It was infuriating. Instead of actually trying to help either of you, everyone in the yard simply passed looks. From you, to Demetri, and then to each other. Sam and Robby’s eyebrows lifted so high you were shocked they managed to stay on their faces. Your father seemed mostly confused, but Sam chewed on her bottom lip in an attempt to swallow the shit-eating grin that was pushing its way out. 

“Thanks,” You said, shooting a glare at the two people beside you. “I appreciate the absolute lack of worry on everyone’s faces right now.”

“I’m” –Demetri started, voice frantic and cracking as he moved forward slowly. It was odd. You couldn’t recall the two of you ever having spoken more than a few words to each other at once. –“You’re… you were in the Coding Club.”

“Correction. I am in the Coding Club.” You smiled at him, patting your knees clean as you stood up. You leaned forward ever so slightly, “You’re the one that quit.”

His eyes go wide and his face runs red. And that is precisely where your story would start. 

–

Demetri seems pretty obsessive in general, so the two of you would be attached by the hip, regardless of whether or not either of you were aware of each others interest. Mr. LaRusso would probably lose his mind at the idea that he started a dojo just for his male students to be infatuated with his daughters. The arguments would probably start with a lot of, “I’m running a dojo, not a fucking dating show!”

Demetri x OlderLaRusso!Reader would also be incredible bc it would have such an intense change on the dojo wars!!! Demetri would be so caught up in trying to spend time with you that he wouldn’t give so much attention to Hawk’s shenanigans. The mall fight would probably change a ton. Demetri still would have submitted that Yelp review, but the mall scene would’ve gone a little differently because instead of third wheeling Sam and Robby, he’d be following you around like a lost puppy. 

I also love the idea that Hawk– who very likely also had a small crush on you at some point– is fucking flabbergasted when he sees the two of you together at the mall. Maybe the two of you are laughing over some ridiculous comic, or he finds you just as your hands graze. At this point in his journey, he definitely wouldn’t care, but I think he’d resent the idea that Demetri is allowed to have any sort of romantic interest as a nerd. If Hawk wasn’t good enough, then Demetri shouldn’t be either. 

Ugh, I love the little emotional journey those boys go through. 

ANYWHO. 

Even if Hawk is fully infatuated with Moon at this point, seeing you with Demetri would fuel his rage. I'm also fairly certain that seeing you would trigger some sort of response from the Eli that knew you.

You would be a reminder of who he used to be, but especially who the three of you were together. Oh he definitely would have also been into you, because why wouldn't he be? Those boys did everything together. It was probably this sort of "We can both like her because she'd never date either of us" rule. Like a celebrity crush lol

Not only did you fucking like Demetri, but you were incredible at karate. How? Who taught you?

Imagine Hawk’s shock at getting his ass handed to him by the shy girl who led half of the Coding Club meetings? The realization that you're not only better than him at karate, but very obviously into Demetri, who has done absolutely nothing to be worthy of having positive attention would drive him insane. The fact that you did all this while still being entirely unashamed of your "nerd" title would not help.

Demetri’s shock, I think, would go something like this:

“I thought you said you weren’t good at karate?” He’d say as he hides behind a rack of sunglasses. You’d run towards him, grabbing his hand and pulling him back towards where Sam and Robby should be. 

“I’m not. You’re just…”

“Okay! I get it!” He’d interrupt, face red and horrified. 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

You can probably tell that I'm not used to writing in head-canon style lol I think I am more comfortable with little scenes? I also ran out of ideas bc it's been a while since I've seen the show, but I'm planning on a rewatch soon. SO if you enjoyed this at all and want anything specific pls let me know! I'm not very comfortable with x Reader but I would like to be!

Thank you for the req, and again-- so sorry for the wait!

[princepotatosack]

What If Choices' Race-customizable LIs Had Surnames Reflective Of Their Ethnicity?: An Experiment Just For FUn (Part 1/3)

As we're probably all aware, Choices has been going ham on their formula of "one LI whose appearance is choosable" for the past few years (ever since they started drawing criticism for narratively favoring white male LIs, i.e., when the Ramsey bubble finally burst; draw your own conclusions), and these LIs almost always have canon names or default names associated with white Anglo Americans. This is one of several reasons these LIs are described by players as "white-coded", or written as if they are white men with any changes reduced to a one-line afterthought, which kind of nullifies the point of romancing an LI of color.

Getaway Girls impressed me with branching that gave two of the six Jordan appearance options (the ones described in the asset files as "Indian") the surname Paudwal, as opposed to the other options that had the surname Parker. And then they NEVER DID IT AGAIN (ingnoring Kiss of Death cause it was a weird case I don't know how to categorize)!!

So here's me assigning surnames to race-custom LIs of other books because it's fun for me:

DISCLAIMER: The Choices single LI formula has for the most part consisted of a white LI, a Black LI, and one or occasionally two other option(s) of varying races. Framing it as white, Black, and "wildcard" raises a lot of questions about racial dynamics and percieved binaries in the United States which are NOT the point of this post but I didn't want to not address it. Also have to address that I will not be assigning new surnames to the Black LI options since most of them are American and a lot of Black Americans have Anglo surnames due to the community's history with enslavement and enslavers, and Choices has simply not given us enough lore to determine if each of the custom race LI Black options are African (or another background) and which languages are a part of their heritages. Would really appreciate if they started writing more African LIs though. Also, similar reasoning applies to face options described as "Native American" in the files re: American colonization.

ALPHA

Channing Luna

These face options are described in the files as "Hispanic". Luna was a Spanish-language surname sound match for Lowe, and plus it also means "moon"!! Yippee werewolf theme!!!!!

Channing Liu

These face options are described in the files as "Asian". The Chinese surname Liu was just the closest sound match to "Lowe" tbh.

BABY BUMP

Clint Kao

This face option is described in the asset files as "Asian". He reminds me a little of the Taiwanese actor Godfrey Gao (rip) so in my head he's Taiwanese like meeee!!! Which sucks cause I didn't like this LI that much lmao. Anyway Kao is the Taiwanese spelling of the surname that is Anglicized as Gao in Chinese Pinyin so I gave it to him cause he reminds me of Godfrey Gao (rip). Not a spelling match but then again there aren't any Chinese surnames that start with the same letter and sound as Covington (e.g., Chang and Cai both start with the letter C but start with the sounds "ch" and "ts" respectively.).

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS

Charles Quiñones / Charlotte Quiñones

These face options are described in the asset files as "Hispanic". Went with sound matches since there aren't many (any?) Spanish-language surnames that start with K like King.

Charles Kim / Charlotte Kim

These face options are described in the asset files as "Asian". I thought Kim was a pretty good sound and spelling match for King. But it did make me realize that although Kim is the most common surname in Korea by a lot, a Choices Wiki search revealed to me that there's only one character in the entire Choicesverse with that surname and it's the FBI guy from Veil of Secrets?

DISTANT SHORES

Edward Mao

This face option is described in the asset files as "Asian". I originally chose the Japanese surname Morishima because it was an initial spelling match, multisyllabic, and had the ending "ma/mer" sound, but I wanted to honor the great Ming Dynasty Chinese tradition of piracy and its far-reaching legacy. So I went with the Chinese Mao.

Also I know he's canonically from like England which would explain why he's an 18th-century Asian man with an English first name but just for fun if he was from China I think he would be called Mao Aiwei. Or Morishima Eiji if he was from Japan.

Edward Montoya

This face option is described in the asset files as "Hispanic". Montoya was a relatively close Spanish-language sound match.

And if he had a Spanish first name too he would be Eduardo Montoya ovb.

THE DUCHESS AFFAIR

Nathaniel Pandit / Natalie Pandit

These face options are described in the asset files as "Indian". Not a lot of sound matches for Pippin but the Sanskrit surname Pandit has the intial "P" and the ending "i" sound, plus it means "scholar" and fun fact, this word is also the origin of the English term "pundit".

Also since in my research I learned that the vast majority of Indian immigrants to England in this time period adopted English language aliases for use in English society, I came up with some potential real names for these face options: Nathuram for Nathaniel and Nalini for Natalie.

FIRST COMES LOVE

Blake Mai

These face options are described in the asset files as "Asian". I decided on Mai since it could be Vietnamese or broadly Sinophone.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Blaine Juárez

These face options are described in the asset files as "Hispanic". Not any Spanish-language surnames that start with the letters "Ha" as far as I know so I went with a sound match.

GUARDED

Ash Harada

These face options are described in the asset files as "Asian". The Japanese surname Harada is a sound and spelling match and also one of the most common surnames in Japan! EASAYY!!! Though headcanoning them as Japanese brings the total number of Choicesverse Japanese-Americans Named Ash to three. Laugh out loud.......

Part 2

Part 3

[writerwithnofreetime]

Try Again

Pairing: Law x black!fem reader 

College! au 

You and Law were both willing participants in a summer fling that turned sour. You make it your life's mission (for three months) to make him regret tossing you to the wayside so carelessly. It all comes to a head at this party. 

wc: 4.025k

cw: mentions of alcohol, inebriation, smoking (weed and cigs), i say vape smoke like once, shit gets angsty at the end, crying 

a/n: this one is for my college girls :). I was planning on writing an Ace x reader, but I found a random draft and the spirit of Law took over me lol. I got way too into this, so I plan on turning it into a series (hopefully max 5-6 parts). Please please pleasee! Feel free to give me feedback and let me know how you feel about certain writing choices/ plot points. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Part 1- The idgaf War

He was not expecting to see you here. 

You knew it. You were counting on it. Law most likely remembers you as the super introverted girl who’d much rather stay inside with a glass of wine and a good book than go out partying with friends. You knew he viewed you as a fledgling of a woman, too naïve to be taken seriously.

It should also be known that all the heaviness in the atmosphere that contained you and Mr. Trafalgar (is what you called him in your head, using his first name feels far too intimate than he deserves) was mainly his doing. You always knew he existed. He was a friend of a friend of a friend, and you would see him out now and then, but there was no reason to speak to one another. The two of you officially met at a train station during the summer. After a week of sharing the frustration that train delays brought, he came up with the idea to exchange numbers. To- you know, let each other know about the status of the train. After a week of turning texts like ‘trains five minutes late’ into conversations about anything from tastes to relationship statuses, he suggested you guys catch dinner together.

Thus began a summer whirlwind romance, which swiftly swirled its way into a tornado as the fall semester's start was approaching. Law, who was interning at a hospital seemed increasingly busy at times he had previously allotted for you. He canceled plans he made. Phone calls went from once a day at lunch to twice a week- if you were lucky- at odd hours. You had no idea what to make of the situation, other than look at the optics and realize that you would be left in the cold if things went on this way. You made the call to end things, and to your dismay, he agreed. Although your fear had played a pivotal hand in the way fate fell, it could have been sated if the asshole had offered a sliver of reassurance at that moment. The two of you agreed to stay friends, but neither of you meant it. 

Staying friends was code for ‘let’s still follow each other on social media and kind of act like nothing happened, though we’ve seen each other's bare asses.’ It would be much easier to play it cool than to explain to any of your mutual friends why the two of you might not want to be around each other. 

The recluse version of you had played the front for 90 days so this plan would be most fruitful. To social media- and by proxy, Law- you were busy attending class, working, and studying. When you would post a selfie (semi-rare), Law would like it but never felt compelled enough to text you. Maybe the reminder of how gorgeous you were wasn’t enough for him. 

There was the possibility the two of you would run into each other, yet you accounted for this. It pained you, but you avoided the quaint cafe you introduced him to that quickly became your guys’ spot. The cafe (Puddings’) was not your favorite- you were smarter than that- but a former safe space. You also passed up on several parties and random outings Nami or any other of your friends invited you to if you so much as got an inkling he would show up.

Only you knew that those 90 days you went unseen were preparation for this month. You planned for this night to be the season finale of the fiasco that was you and Law’s (situational) relationship, and you would go out with a bang. For 90 days, you planned, scrapped, replanned outfits, and worked out ferociously. You salivated at the thought of this night. Your objective was simple- you would pop out looking like a knockout and the realization that he fucked up would hit Mr. Trafalgar so hard he would spontaneously combust. 

D-day was a party your buddy Luffy was throwing. Nami, one of your closest college friends was adamant that you made an appearance tonight, complaining about how long it’d been since everyone was together. You didn’t object. Luffy was known for throwing the best parties in the area, especially after winning a big boxing match. You knew of Luffy through Nami (his manager) who told you Law had recently become a part of Luffys medical crew for the biggest fight of his career thus far- against some guy named Doflamingo. He would be present for this party, even if only to stand on a random wall with his arms folded like Nami described on one of your Facetime calls a while back. 

Since you were here, like this, Law knew that it only meant one thing: A declaration of war. The scales were already tipped in your favor. Your armor of choice tonight was the tightest little black dress in your closet and a pair of black Converse. The dress had a square neckline and showed just enough of your chest, and if anyone got close enough, they'd see the frills from the lacy white bra you wore underneath. Your hair was piled on top of your head in a perfectly picked puff, with face-framing coils on either side of your face, right in front of your ears. Your lips were glossed clear and your makeup simple- the embodiment of cute and casual. To others, it always appeared like you were effortlessly beautiful. Mr. Trafalgar probably thought you didn’t know how to wield your beauty like a sword, to make him kneel at your feet with an offhanded glance. But he was going to learn very soon.

The smell of weed, vape smoke, and booze slapped you in the face as you made your way into the function. The two Buzzballs you pre-gamed with hit you halfway into your Uber trip, so the flush of party wind was disorienting. You pushed- well shimmied, it was pretty packed- on. Clung to your left shoulder was a small black purse with your necessities- lipgloss, debit card, ID, and some dum dums (real bad bitches keep candy in their purse). In your right hand is the unopened bottle of Bacardi Tropical you promised Nami and Vivi to bring. 

It didn’t take long to find them in the kitchen area of the party, with the usual crew- Luffy, whom you heard before you saw, solo cup raised with his signature smile. Sanji has a cigarette in his mouth, a blunt behind his ear (you would question him about that later), and a pretty brunette under his arm you hadn’t seen before (typical). Zoro is leaning against the counter closest to Luffy chatting with…. Law? Well, you couldn’t see the dickheads face, but you knew damn well that was the back of Law's head you were looking at. You smiled devilishly to yourself. This was just the situation you were expecting. You stride over and greet your friends. 

“Y/n!” Luffy exclaimed as soon as you set the bottle on the counter by the other ones. “I’m glad you could make it!” He put an arm around you and smiled even wider. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages!” You giggled. Luffy is always great vibes when you’re around him. 

“Yeah, I guess I have been a bit mia…” You trail off with a playful smile. Nami yanks Luffy’s arm, chastising him for almost spilling whatever was in his cup on you. Vivi laughs and greets you with a hug. Sanji introduces you to the girl you know for a fact he met no longer than a week ago as the ‘love of his life”. Her name is Viola and she has your blond-haired friend wrapped around her finger. Someone taps your shoulder, and as you turn to see who, your eyes transiently focus on Mr.Traflagar’s visage. It was hard to tell if he was looking at you, the brim of his hat was pulled pretty low tonight. His face was facing yours. It was pretty dark, but you noticed his lip twitch into a scowl as he took the joint from Zoro’s hand. Law clearly senses the bloodlust in your demeanor. You quickly adjust your gaze to the person who requested your attention.

“If I knew you were bringing more liquor, I would’ve texted you. We ran out of sake about thirty minutes into the party,” Zoro says, peering at you with an easy grin. You roll your eyes and display a cheeky smile of your own.

“Oh, please. You’ll drink anything you get your hands on so shut up, and let's take some shots.” You turn to face the counter full of liquor and grab a cup. Zoro moves past you and fills his cup with the Bacardi you just brought. Nami forces him to pour a shot for the girls before he makes off with the rest. The four of you cheer, then lean your heads back to take sips (in Zoros' case, gulps) of the vodka. 

The burn produces heat in your throat, forcing you to part your lips and exhale. However, it seemed the side of your head would catch fire long before your windpipe. Maybe the incoming tipsiness had you imagining things, but you swear you could feel his eyes on you, dancing across your body and soaking up your frame. Still, you refused to acknowledge his presence. 

No one has noticed that the area y’all are conjugating in had suddenly become a war zone, let alone the blaze emanating from Law’s stare. Your target was now to your immediate right since you and Zoro had traded places. Zoro and Luffy are going shot for shot, entertaining Nami and Vivi. Sanji and his new lover had quietly disappeared after you all took a shot together. 

“Y/n.” He said it loud enough for you to hear it over the music, but it wasn’t like he was raising his voice. His tone was firm and even, and clearly laced with the influence of weed. It seemed to ring in your ears and vibrate in your brain.

You faced him and scanned his countenance with your eyes. He looked… okay. Fine, more than okay. He looked the fuck good. He wore a black hoodie with a white top underneath, his favorite pair of jeans, and black Jordans. There was a decent amount of space between the two of you, but you were close enough to see that he was, in fact checking you out, with his eyes trained on your ass in particular. Shit, it was poking in this dress, which was the defining factor in you choosing it tonight.

You quickly downed the rest of your cup.

“Trafalgar,” you replied cooly, not faltering under his punitive gaze. Seriously. Law looked genuinely bothered by your presence. He was squinting at you, almost as if you were some mirage. The look in his eye made your chest burn with feelings you were actively trying to suppress. Still, he would not win this battle of wills. Not when you knew that simply being here was enough to ruin his night. You craned your head to the side and gave him an easy smile. A smile that you know for certain would weaken his composure. 

It strikes him, you’re sure—his right eye twitches.

“I…..” he trails off, scanning your figure again. You clear your throat and turn to face him. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here tonight.” 

The statement stunned you because it was exactly what you wanted. It also seemed- dangerously honest?  Law was never this forthcoming in the past. He’s the liar-by-omission, roundabout truth-telling type. What is he playing at? You glance at him, brows furrowed.

“Why wouldn’t I be here? Luffy and I are good friends.”

“You weren’t at the match.”

“I couldn’t make it. Besides, I’m here now, having a great time with my friends.” The two of you hold a gaze. Law parted his lips but quickly decided against whatever he was going to say. A chuckle escapes you. “Aren’t we friends, Mr. Trafalgar?”

He raises a brow at the use of his surname. 

“No,” He says after a ten-second pause. He takes one step toward you, and you have half a mind to help him bridge the gap. “I’m not your friend y/n.” His tone is resolute and his eyes, though half-lidded, reflect the same. 

The closeness of his voice resurfaces dangerous memories. Heat rose in your cheeks and the pit of your stomach, but you would not let that control you. You steadied yourself, remembering why you were in this position in the first place. How easy it was for Law to distance himself from you after the night the two of you almost crossed the line. How he responded to your rant at Zepplins with ‘ if that’s what you think is best for you’ then immediately left when you told him you wanted to end things. The text he sent you after saying the two of you would always ‘be cool’. He didn’t fight for you then, so he doesn’t get to make you horny now.  You smile sweetly, but the sentiment turns sour by the time it reaches your eyes. He recoils at the look. 

“Good,” you say warmly. There was more you could say, more you wanted to say, but you knew it would sting more if you kept it short. You spin around, not wanting to spend another moment looking into the asshole's eyes. You rejoin your friends' conversation as if you have never been missing. 

Zoro pours too much tequila into your cup, and you can’t even be bothered to scold him for it. You immediately down half and chase it with a Gatorade, hoping that the electrolytes will be enough to save you from a hangover in the morning. Zoro glances at you, one brow raised.

“You okay there?” Your moss-haired friend has always been extremely perceptive. You press your lips together and nod your head.

“I’m great. I just want to make the most of tonight.” He looks at you again, straight-faced. Zoro’s not buying your shit, but he won't pry any further. Not tonight at least. His eyes focus just past you, then back on you again. “What?”

He raises his cups to his lips to hide his smirk as he nods in Law’s direction. You feel your cheeks burn and a finger at your shoulder, followed by the side of Law’s head. You refuse to move anything but your eyes. Zoro turns around to give the two of you as much privacy as possible. 

“Y/n,” Law starts. His breath is heavy in your ears and his voice reaches every part of you. “I get the feeling if I don’t ask you to speak to me now, I’ll never hear from you again. Please, talk to me.” You lift your chin and pout in frustration. Law wasn’t playing fair. He straightens himself as you turn to face him, arms folded.

“You want to do this right now?” 

“Not here.” You squint. “On the porch.” He adds. You shrug at him and Law visibly relaxes. Two gulps emptied the contents of your cup. You grab a water bottle and previously opened Gatorade and make your way out of the party. Nami and Vivi catch you on your way out. You tell them you were going to get some air. They ask if you want company, but you shake your head and stride out of the party into the night air. Not once do you look back to see if Law is following behind you, though you hear his footsteps once under the plywood of the porch. 

Luckily for you two, there was no one outside- at least anyone who would care to listen in on this conversation. You move to the ledge and wait for Law to join you. You soak in the ambiance around you as you take sips of water. It was pretty, the audio blend of the bass and drums from the party mixed in with the night sounds. There was a light breeze you let wash over you as you closed your eyes. Law clears his throat, but you remain as is. 

“Hey, you alright?” 

“I’m fine.” You were not fucking fine. You’re racking your brain for a strategy, or any indication of how he would play it. This was a shocking turn of events. The Law you accounted for would never draw you out of a party to talk, where several eyes could witness. You played with the cap of the bottles you placed on the ledge. 

“Is it too much to ask you to look at me?” 

“Yes.” Law sighs. You place your hand on your chin and glance at him. He takes his hat off and runs his fingers through his messy waves before pinching the bridge of his nose. He looks up and his grey orbs widen, shocked that yours are staring back at his. 

Fuck it, you thought. I’ll just do whatever I want tonight and pretend it never happened later. 

You bit the inside of your cheek as the silence pressed against the two of you. The tension was so palpable you could see the air currents moving between you. You wish you could grasp it and throw it across the street.

“Y/n….” He straightens up and leans against a support beam. 

You followed his movement with your eyes. “How many times are you going to say my name?” 

He chuckles and looks up from the brim of his hat in his hands directly to you. The sincerity in his eyes softens your heart. 

“I know what I’m about to say might be too late, but please. I need to tell you this.” His words made you straighten up and turn to face him, fingers awkwardly drumming at your sides. The both of you were clearly out of your element here. Law clears his throat and continues, his eyes never leaving yours. “I tried to push you away back then. I’m sorry. After that night when we almost-”

“You don’t have to say it”

He rubs his shoulder with this free hand. “Yeah, sorry. Listen y/n, it wasn’t your fault. I panicked. I don’t know. I knew then that I liked you way more than I felt I should have, and I didn’t want to. I don’t know why- maybe fear- I don’t know. I just,” he exhales. “I thought that if I let you any closer, it would devastate me if I lost you. I didn’t account for losing you when I was icing you out. I wasn’t thinking about how my actions would affect you, only about saving myself. Leaving without talking about it was a big mistake, and I knew it as soon as I got up. But I couldn’t let you in back then. I was…. terrified.” 

The heaviness of the indignation boiled and anviled inside your bosom. Your hands were balled into fists at your sides. Tears prickled at your eyes, but you refused to let any fall. You refuse to hide your pain either.

“Law, I-” you started, unconsciously stepping towards him. “ I don’t believe you. This doesn’t make sense to me.” He raised his arms slightly as if to grab you, but lowered them again as his face studied yours.

“I- I know.”

“No, you don’t know.” you took another step. “Why didn’t you tell me this when I told you how I felt that day? Or any moment after that? You-” Your fist was raised, and two tears fell down one side of your face. “How dare you come and tell me you let me go because you were terrified! You? I thought you didn’t care about me. I thought you discarded me because we didn’t-” You were holding back sobs at this point, and your fists weakly hit Law's shoulders with every sentence. “You made me- I- I felt.” 

He pulls you into his arms and you collapse—everything you held inside escapes you in the form of silent tears against his hoodie. The faint smell of his cologne and weed fills your nose. You were too overwhelmed by the release to be ashamed of yourself for crying in his arms like this. Law presses you tightly as he whispers a slew of apologies into your ear. You honestly don’t know if you believe him. Right now, it didn’t matter. 

Laws hold felt like a steady anchor in the new waters that was the vulnerability between the two of you. He presses his lips to your forehead and you pull away slightly to look up at him. He grimaces and pulls away a little more, using his hoodie to dab at your eyes. 

“Fuck, y/n. I-” He pauses. “I don’t want to keep apologizing. I know it doesn’t do much for you. But it’s tearing me apart inside that I made you feel like this. I fucked up.” You inhale sharply.

“Yeah,” you whisper. Law lifts your chin to his gaze. You could see that a few tears had escaped him as well. You lifted your hand to his jaw, which clenched slightly at your touch. 

“I missed you so much, y/n.” You sniffled as you looked at his lips, suddenly wanting to watch his mouth formulate every word. You were soaking in this new side of Law, not caring about its potential expiration date. You ran your thumb over the outer corner of his eye, wiping away the wetness that gathered there. 

The sound of police alarms pierced through the night and the tender moment. You jump away from each other as Lieutenant Garp slams his car door and walks up the porch. 

“Evening, L/n.” He looks to Law and furrows his brows a bit. “Trafalgar.” His eyes train back on you, a bit of surprise mixed in them.

“Uh-”

“I suggest the two of you get ahead of the crowd that’s about to disperse and call for your rides now. This party is over.”

“Uh, okay.” Garp walks away from the two of you and into the party of unsuspecting youth. You chuckle and shake your head, wishing you could be inside to witness the conversation Luffy and his grandfather would have. You’re sure Nami will tell you the next day. You turn back to Law, who had jumped back a respectable distance at the sight of Garp. His hat was already back on his head and he tapped at his phone screen awhile before looking at you”

“I’ll call you an Uber home.”

“You don’t have to-”

“Correction,” he interrupts. “I’ve already called you an Uber home. It’s ten minutes out.” Your body temperature went up five degrees. 

“Well, thanks.” He shrugs and looks off to the side, his jaw clenched again. Another five degrees. You pull at your dress and play with a pebble under your foot.

“Y/n,” Law starts, commanding your gaze back to his. “I know I don’t deserve it, but please, let me make it up to you. I want to try again. I want to do it right this time.” 

“Law…” He shook his head.

“You don’t have to give me an answer now. Text me when you get home safe. Goodnight.” He plants a quick peck on your forehead. Before you can respond, you hear Vivi call out your name from the doorway as the crew approaches you. When you look back in Law's direction you find his spot vacant. He disappeared in the growing crowd. You pull your phone out of your purse and two notifications stand out.

The first is the Uber details.

The other- is a text from Law’s Number. You deleted his contact in anger in August, but that combination of digits is burned into your memory. 

hey, it’s law.  sorry for stealing a kiss. couldnt help myself. brunch on me at Puddings tomorrow to make up for it. text me when you get home. please 

[starryriize]

assign your moots with their bias & a trope!! tell us why too 👀

| oh this made me giggle i love being cupid fr!! i’m not sure if these are tropes, but i hope you enjoy them <33 mwah mwah i love you (i also only did these for the mutuals that i talk to the most so to my other mutuals, i don't know you well enough to have a good judge of character)

@chiiyuuvv | anton & stolen glances !!

first up, YUVIE! ik you're super friendly BUT you're also quiet and reserved. so, i think having stolen glances with anton makes a lot of sense! you're both cute introverts 😭🥹 i could see anton being nervous to approach you, but you're also stealing glances at him and then both of you blushing when you look at each other at the same time

@kehnarii | fuma & love at first sight !!

heheehe my bae <33 i think you'd be so cute with fuma especially love at first sight!! idk i could see fuma literally speechless bc of your kind personality and the fact that you could pass as a model is an added bonus for him 🥹🤭 it's so cute bc you fall for him at first sight too :( arghhh you guys would be an adorable couple fr

@hyvelxve | seeun & christmas love !!

Ahh hyve!! my child :(( i could seeun seeing you in the falling snow and being all wide-eyed and like "woah...." 😭 idk what gave me this idea but falling in love at Christmas seems to fit you so well?? (i could be wrong tho 🥹) BUT idk seeun gives off cliche-holiday romance vibes like buying the same ornaments and he finds it cute that you like silly ornaments like him

@rizzkisworld | maki & return to hometown !!

i feel like you and maki were the childhood besties who separated to chase your own dreams. 😭 and you travel back home to see that maki has also come back to his roots !! very hometown love coded with all the grandmas asking you both, "when are you gonna confess" lmao 😭 it's very spur-of-the-moment confession in a little record store or smth (PLS THIS IS SO CUTE 🥹 y'all are the duo of the century in that town)

@yuniniverse | zhang hao & love letters !!

yuni! my first impression of you was that you're so fun to be around oh em gee😭 maybe it's bc of valentines but i just know that hao is a romantic (fight me on this i swear) it's like putting notes in your books when you're not looking 🤭 and you open it and you're kicking your feet giggling bc he sounds cheesy. you eventually write back notes and stick them in his books for him to find. 😭 ARGH this is tew tew cute

@cherrycolaberry | jaehyun & long train rides !!

maybe it was my first impression, but you have such a sweet and introverted personality 😌 (which i think jaehyun needs bc that man is energetic as hell)!! anyways, i could see him falling for you as you both are seated next to each other on the train! you realize that you have stuff in common and you would exchange numbers🤭 and that's how your relationship starts (stop i should write smth about this fr)

@cupidseok | eunseok & roommates to lovers !!

argh the loml! i feel like you fit the roommates-to-lovers trope so well 🤭 bear with me bc i can see you and eunseok being roommates under the circumstances that you both need places to stay bc apartments are expensive.😭 he thinks you're cute when you wake up needing coffee :( and then he brings home flowers home one day with a gift and tells you that he's liked you since you became his roommate 😭🥹

@lunicho | taesan & friends to lovers !!

bunny! the taesan to my leehan🧚🏼‍♀️!! anyways, i feel like you and taesan would instantly click 🤭 you're a really fun and relatable person so i could see taesan being your friend, best friend, to lover!! idk if it's me but i could see you guys meeting as strangers because you both took a walk at the same time 😭 instant BFFs me thinks, but then you guys go on dates and say things that friends don't say...which leads to you guys dating and being the cutest couple fr🥹

@leejeongz | jeonghyeon & falling first but he falls harder !!

eeeek maybe it's your vibes but i feel like jeonghyeon would fall for your cool, nonchalant vibes!! i could be wrong but i also think you guys have similar personalities...you fall first (bc who wouldn't 😭) and he slowly begins thinking about you more and more...leading to him falling for you harder 🥹🤭 he goes home kicking his feet and giggling in bed lmao

[brunettemarionette]

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 @eurydiceauxenfers

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫! (aged up – grad school/young adult era)

Peter’s not just sweet — he’s earnest. He cares deeply, is unapologetically nerdy, and will absolutely help you carry books, bring you food during finals, and patch you up if you're injured on a call. He’d worship the ground you walk on, but also admire your strength and independence. He’s also awkward, rambly, and socially offbeat at times. You two would 100% get each other’s obsessive spirals and info dumps. You're emotionally expressive and deal with some self-consciousness. Peter’s a soft place to land kind of partner. He’s empathetic, and he’d get how much pressure you put on yourself — because he does the same thing.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝘁

It was in an organic chemistry class you were absolutely acing while Peter had missed the first week thanks to a Spider-Man emergency. He asked to borrow your notes. You sent him a full annotated PDF, complete with color-coded diagrams and a polite “lmk if you need anything else :)”. Peter fell in love before he even finished page two.

Later he found out you were a volunteer EMT and helped take down a guy robbing a bodega. That might’ve been the moment you realized he was kinda hot under that awkwardness.

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀

Date Night: Study Group Edition – Most of your dates are impromptu study sessions, helping each other with schoolwork while debating which superhero would win in a battle of brains. He’s so competitive, though, especially when you start cracking chemistry jokes and he can’t keep up.

Cuddling After Crisis – After Peter saves the day in his Spider-Man suit (usually with a lot of collateral damage), he always comes back to you. You patch him up while he tells you about the latest adventure. You both end up curled up on your couch, watching movies, exhausted but happy.

Acts of Service: His Thing – Peter is constantly trying to help you out, from fixing your broken fridge to bringing you coffee when you’re studying late. You never have to ask. He just shows up, all superhero energy.

Crisis Buddy – You two are completely unstoppable in a crisis. Whether it’s school-related, or Peter needs someone to help him with webbing issues (again), you’re the person he trusts with his life—and vice versa.

Talking for Hours – Peter’s the kind of person you can talk to for hours and not get bored. You both talk about everything—school, your future, superheroes, and your dreams. The connection feels like home.

𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀

You, rambling passionately about folklore for 20 minutes. Peter, nodding solemnly: “I have no idea what you just said, but you looked really cute saying it.”

You: “Is that blood?!” Peter: “It’s… it’s not mine?” You: “That’s not comforting.”

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗣

Stephen Strange — He’s brilliant, but too emotionally unavailable and prideful for you. You’d hate the condescension, and he wouldn’t handle your emotional expressiveness well. Disaster.

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀

Innocent Confessions – When Peter gets overwhelmed and finally admits he’s in love with you—awkwardly, but totally earnestly—your heart just melts.

Crisis Bonding – You two bond through an unexpected crisis (a big project at school, a health scare, etc.), and you both realize how much you can depend on each other.

Lover and Protector – Peter’s Spider-Man side comes out, and he’s so protective of you, even though you can handle things yourself. You like to remind him that you’ve got it, but he insists on "helping" in his own ways.

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀

Secret Identity Reveal + betrayal angst (you guessed it, he’s Spider-Man)

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲

Acts of Service — but also Words of Affirmation. He’s so earnest it hurts. He’ll build something for you and write you a little note about why he loves you.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂

Peter loves how genuinely compassionate you are. You’re the kind of person who cares about the world and the people in it, even when things feel impossible. He admires your intelligence, your passion, and the way you keep him grounded.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿

Neurochemical Empathy – you can “read” others’ emotional states through biochemical changes (cortisol, adrenaline, etc.) and even gently nudge them (calming someone mid-crisis, etc). Combine that with your pre-med skills? You’re a walking emotional defibrillator.

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐤 𝐋𝐞𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫! (Magneto — post-First Class, redemptive arc version)

You’d push him to be better, and he’d want to be better for you — not because he thinks you expect it, but because your belief in him would matter that much. Between your sensory processing challenges, chronic insomnia, and burnout from helping others — Erik would be a calm, grounding, protective force in your life. He’d make sure you ate, slept, and slowed down. He’d learn your love languages. His whole arc is about learning to connect with others instead of just carrying the weight alone. I can see him awkwardly trying to learn gift giving (he’d go overboard) and he'd get surprisingly good at physical touch.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝘁

You first met Erik when you stumbled upon him at a history museum, where you were taking a break between college classes. You were both drawn to the same exhibit and its impact on mutantkind. The conversation started off casually, but you quickly found yourselves deep in philosophical discussions about power, history, and the ethical choices of leadership. Erik didn’t know what to make of your bluntness at first, but he was intrigued. You stood firm on your values without backing down, and that’s what caught his attention. He admired your intellect and your moral clarity. As time went on, those talks turned into quiet dinners, and quiet dinners turned into something more.

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀

Stubborn Disagreements – You two argue, but it’s never mean-spirited. Your stubbornness comes out in full force, but there’s always respect between you two. It’s the kind of argument where you both know you’re right, and it’s kind of endearing.

Slow Burn Intimacy – Erik is reserved in showing affection, but little acts like making sure you’re safe and letting his walls fall around you when you're alone speak volumes. It takes time for him to let you fully in, but once he does, you’re everything to him.

Sharing Quiet Moments – Despite his intense exterior, Erik enjoys long silences with you—just sitting together, reading, or watching the world pass by. It’s a rare kind of peace he never thought he’d find.

Emotional Push and Pull – You’re constantly tugging him back toward the light while he drags you into the darker, more complex questions. It’s a delicate dance of vulnerability and trust.

Power Couple Energy – You two are a force to be reckoned with, combining intellect, power, and determination. You’d challenge each other endlessly, but in the best ways possible. Together, you can change the world.

𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀

Erik: “I would burn the world for you.” You: “Let’s maybe... not do that.” Erik: “Just hypothetically.”

You: “I think I’m having an existential crisis.” Erik: “It’s Thursday. That tracks.”

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗣

Logan (Wolverine) — He's got good qualities, but the hotheadedness + avoidance of emotions would clash hard with your emotional expressiveness and need for growth. Would fight in the parking lot over differing communication styles.

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀

Protective Instincts – Erik’s super protective of you, even though he tries to hide it behind his cold demeanour. You can tell he’s constantly looking out for you, even when he’s far away.

I’m Scared of Losing You – Erik has trouble with vulnerability, and he’d rather keep you at a distance than risk seeing you hurt. But, when it really matters, he’ll let down his guard.

Ruthless Loyalty – Once you gain Erik’s trust and love, you have it for life. He’s fiercely loyal and would never betray you.

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀

He Leaves to Protect You. You Go After Him.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲

Quality Time, closely followed by Physical Touch. He doesn’t say “I love you” a lot, but the way he exists near you with full presence says it for him.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂

Erik loves your unshakable moral compass and your ability to see the good in people—even him. He sees a kindred spirit in your intellect and your strength of character.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Cognitive Resonance — You can “attune” to someone’s thought patterns and emotional state to synchronize with their mind. Perfect for de-escalation, empathy, and even leading strategic teams. You can pull people out of panicked shutdowns, sense lies, or amplify mental clarity. But you feel everything, which takes a toll — something Erik would be deeply protective about.

[separatist-apologist]

i see so much praise for haunting adeline in the dark romance space, but honestly i couldn't make it past a grown 6ft+ man hiding in a woman's wardrobe so idk if it was good or not.

If you like this book, I need you to look away because oh my god how I have been WAITING for someone to ask me about it. I wasn't going to bring it up, and I'm not going to talk about it by myself, but I WILL if someone ELSE asks me to.

First of all, HA and it's sequel are QAnon fanfiction. That should be enough to give people pause but it's not CLEARLY because everyone goes on and on about how good this book is. So lets set aside the blatant, in your face unavoidable anti-semitism for just a moment to discuss all my other problems with it (And do not come here and tell me the author changed the evil bad guys name, like congrats you made your coding a little more subtle).

First of all: the writing is so atrocious that even for trash, I question how people are reading it. And my only conclusion is that people HAVE to be skimming it, which explains how so much of the plot escapes people and they miss the aforementioned problems. Like quality-wise, the book is horrible and I don't think an editor with time could really fix it.

Secondly: I genuinely feel like a lot of dark romance authors forget that dark romance still requires ROMANCE to be part of their novels. A dark haired serial killer breaking into your house and saying, "no I want you so you're mine" is actually not romance. Do people know this? I feel insane sometimes looking at "dark romance" recs because there is 0 romance to it. There is no falling in love, there is no kindness, no emotional building, just an endless stream of crimes committed against the FMC until she agrees she likes being treated badly and sex becomes the stand in for emotional intimacy

Which of course takes me to point three: the smut is SO BAD I literally LOSE IT when people are like, oh the smut is SO GOOD LMAO STOP IT. Stop it right now, I skipped ahead once I realized I was never going to get there organically and like. I feel like I might get accused of being a prude, my issue isn't what's happening, it is HOW IT IS WRITTEN. The scenes are so dry, so uninspired, trying to be shocking for the sake of shock value rather than creating something that would be interesting and sexy. Words actually matter when you're writing, do some of the authors know that?

Anyway I loathe these books more than any other fast fiction KU book. I think I could come up with more positive things to say about Zodiac Academy than I can with the Haunting Adeline series. I am it's #1 hater

[daisyjonesgf]

Honeybee writing 'Good Luck, Babe!' about Daisy...

And then performing it when she's an opener for the band...

So there's that line from the song: "With her arms out like an angel through the car sunroof"

and it just invokes that imagery of performers wearing those flow-y dresses with the sleeves and they're perfectly backlit by a stagelight

See here:

(Upon looking at images of dresses and outfits like that, I'm figuring that one would solve abt half of my problems) (also, that Daisy picture is exactly what made my brain make that connection that her and Honeybee are "GLB" coded)

So, I've only read the book so far (hurray!!! It made me cry!!! But now the personas and lore makes more sense to me), but the stint of time that Daisy was married to that one "prince" guy is definitely the bridge:

"When you wake up next to him in the middle of the night/With your head in your hands, you're nothing more than his wife/And when you think about me, all of those years ago/You're standing face to face with *I told you so*"

I feel like the song would come about when Honeybee is getting a bit miffed with the back and forth between her and Daisy and their usual "where is this relationship going?" conversation... ESPECIALLY IF IT’S AFTER SHE IMPULSIVELY MARRIED THAT GUY!!!

~~~

On the other hand, if Honeybee isn't feeling scathing and slightly wronged, I think she would've written "ivy" about Daisy(as im writing this, thinking about the line "i once was poison ivy, but now i'm your daisy" from Don’t Blame Me... hmm)

I, personally, have always seen "ivy" in a sapphic lense. I dunno why. It just... maybe it's because it was included in the show about Emily Dickinson! I don’t know!

And maybe it's more in line with Honeybee writing from the perspective of Daisy. Or, fuck, we can even flip it and say this is something Daisy wrote for Honeybee during a moment of sobriety or just realizing how much she genuinely does love her.

"I wish to know/The fatal flaw that makes you long to be/Magnificently cursed/He's in the room/Your opal eyes are all I wish to see/He wants what's only yours"

And

"How's one to know?/I'd live and die for moments that we stole/On begged and borrowed time/So tell me to run/Or dare to sit and watch what we'll become/And drink my husband's wine"

I dunno... I just can't wait to flesh out Honeybee a bit more

honeybee actually wrote so many chappel roan songs guys, she's just that girl I fear 😭

you literally brought the receipts and I love that, like yes, that's exactly what she would be referencing on top of all the times I think daisy would do that exact same thing when driving in the car

I do think though that honeybee would start gaining popularity as a pop singer before djats was on the scene, during the period billy was in rehab, and so the band would hate her based off of pop music but I think daisy appreciates all kinds of music and before they even met would have her songs stuck in her head

the book is literally my favorite book, I love it sm, welcome to the club ✨️ but yeah before daisy dissappears for her impromptu trip her and honeybee are fighting about how daisy could have her and chooses to put up with the billy bs instead, and daisy and honeybee are just a situationship and it's infuriating, but then daisy comes back with a husband after not long at all and honeybee is seething bc wtf

and anytime it plays on the radio when her husband is around daisy is changing that station so fast and just saying she doesn't get along with that singer

I like daisy writing ivy when she misses honeybee bc even if they see each other they're not on speaking terms after she gets married bc honeybee is obviously so pressed at the time, a song she would write and ppl would think it's ab billy but it's ab honeybee and karen KNOWS she can just tell

but the girlies do meet up at some point and agree to just be "friends" except that's def not what happens I fear 🤭

[aristocraticelegance]

Reading for February 2024. This was a Tanith Lee heavy month, because as I try to make my way through my backlog of books purchased at secondhand book stores I have been forced to confront the fact that I own far more Tanith Lee than I've actually read. This is because I don't come across her books that often, so when I do I buy them all and hoard them.

The Secret Books of Paradys I & II, Tanith Lee, 1988. I started reading this several years ago, because the first half is 2 novellas, so I would read one and then go do other things, and then come back. The second part is a novel, but it is organized in such a way that it reads similarly to a collection of novellas, but more clearly interconnected. The thing about Tanith Lee's writing is that she presents you with any number of fantastic, horrible, or fantastically horrble things and doesn't blink once. In one story a character is buried alive and then comes back a different gender. Another one starts off with sexual assault AND THEN SOMEHOW GETS WORSE. There were regularly parts throughout this collection where I had no idea where it was going next, but it was great. If a collection of horror-fantasy stories set between ancient Roman and 1920's pseudo-Paris sound like a good time to you, it's worth reading.

Cordelia's Honor, Lois McMaster Bujold, 1986-1996. Technically this is two books, Shards of Honor and Barrayar, but I had already read the first one and while I thought it was fine, I wasn't really interested in reading more. However, I've heard enough good things about the rest of the series that I decided to read the second half, and I'm glad I did. Technically sci-fi, but set on a planet that's late 18-early 1900s coded, it's an interesting look at pregnancy and motherhood through that specific lens. There's not a lot of pregnancy in sci-fi; you'd kind of think there'd be more by now. Still not my favorite of McMaster Bujold's (the Chalion books are great), but I feel motivated to read more of this series now.

3. The White Serpent, Tanith Lee, 1988. I have no idea how she published all of this in one year. I assume it was not all written in one go. Anyways, in a bold move I chose to read the third book of a trilogy without having read the previous two books. This is because I found this one at Half Price books, saw it was by Tanith Lee, and thought the cover looked cool. This wasn't a huge issue, because this seems to be a series of stories set in different generations in the same world, so events from the previous books are mentioned as historical details. I really liked this one; Lee is great at telling big, sweeping stories in a relatively small space. I also like her approach to rendering deeply sexist societies, simultaneously blunt in the way the characters are confronted with the reality of their situation and nuanced in how they manage to navigate it. Also? She can describe a sunset like no one's business. This is what's wrong with fantasy today: no one describes the sunsets or the trees. I want to know about the trees!! (Also weather plays a weirdly important part in this book. Like a major plot point hinges on some really bad weather). I realize I've said nothing about the plot, and that's because it A. doesn't matter and B. is impossible to summarize. At the core of it is a guy who is a gladiator in a kind of fantasy Rome-type city, but a lot happens before and after that. There are also some white people (literally white) who might be aliens. I'll probably go back and read the first two books, since this one was pretty weird. Modern readers might take issue with the way race is handled (see above RE: bluntness and nuance) but I can't really say much on that front.

4. Black God's Kiss, C. L. Moore, 1930s. A collection of the Jirel of Joiry stort stories from the 30s, which I only learned existed about a month ago. There was a lady protagonist in sword and sorcery! Written by a woman! Amazing. I did generally like these; the titular story was great (except for the very end, which I did not like, but the sequel story kind of made it better). I've seen these stories described as female Conan meets Alice in Wonderland, but the wonderland bits reminded me more of Arthur Machen's work. Some great descriptions overall, even if some parts felt dated in an annoying way. Also, this particular cover is ridiculous, but she is described as running around in a chain mail shirt with her thighs out, for some reason. Presumably because sword & sorcery abhors a pair of pants.

Link to January's books

[irish-urn]

You said you wanted to get asked a question about Dasey, so here I am to answer the call! They're all about my fave work of yours, "Take Off Your Shoes"

I'm not as well read as you - what is the importance of the book The Cardturner that Derek is reading and how does that fit into the flow of the work? He's caught reading it far too much in the fic for it to be a mere throwaway.

The L.M. Montgomery quote to end the fic was so perfectly sourced and placed. It's almost like that quote inspired the whole of the fic. All of the quotes that started each new scene was spectacular - did you have them all planned out before writing or did they come to you while outlining/writing?

How far back did Derek plan his innocent date/not-dating/are-they-dates seduction of Casey, and what prompted him to do so, in your mind?

Yay!! My call is answered!! Y'all are being so nice to me this evening!!

hahahahahahahahahahaah. Okay, first of all, I HIGHLY recommend this book. it's about ghosts and bridge. I'm not kidding. I honestly chose that book for him because I think Derek would LOVE Holes, both the book and the film (which is one of the few films that are as good as the book). I think Derek would relate a lot to Stanley and Zero from Holes -- two good, well-meaning kids that get overlooked and abused by the system. That being said, The Cardturner is about a kid who starts playing bridge for his grand... uncle? I think? Ugh, I need to re-read this, BUT basically his great(uncle?) used to play Bridge with this woman, and they were rivals and teammates and... now that I think about it, I think their relationship was kind of Daseyish... It's about two very competitive people who wanna play with each other and beat everyone else so badly that they make their descendants play for them after they're dead. And if that's not Dasey, I don't know what is.

I decided to bring in the quotes once I realized this story was going to be a BEAST and needed to space it out somehow. I needed to give Dasey and the readers a chance to breathe. So I googled quotes about August, and kept getting Taylor Swift's song and got very very annoyed by that. I love that song, but it was the TOTALLY wrong vibe. I spent a long time tracking down the right quotes. It took as much effort as writing most of the fic, no lie. Once I found the L.M. Montgomery quote -- and Derek and Casey are so Gilbert and Anne coded it isn't FUNNY -- I knew I had found my ending. And the ending of the fic came with it.

OH. Okay. So, once upon a time I was actually going to write the prequel to this fic, but it's not going to happen, but BASICALLY, Derek alludes to it a little in the smutty sequel, but BASICALLY, Derek sees that both he and Casey are single for the first time in years, that she hasn't really been dating, and sees how exhausted she is when they're at Genora's for Canada Day. He takes a few weeks to figure out a plan, and then he executes it. There's... a LOT more to it than that though. There's an ex that he used to date in Queen's (that I'm reusing for the marriage-pact fic, so stay tuned) that finally gets her happy ending with the guys she's been pining for, there's Faith (that I'm also reusing for the marriage-pact fic) that really teaches Derek that he doesn't want to settle, and there's Tony (...who's also getting reused...) who almost took Casey away. There were a lot of elements that led Derek to deciding to try this for real with Casey.

THE THING IS (same answer, sorry), that Derek was planning on slowly wooing Casey. But then she lost power in her apartment, and Derek's protectiveness kicked into high gear and he gave her that fantastic day and told her to stay at his place, and Casey, our poor girl who really just wants to be loved, just fell head over heels. She really just needed to reason to fall, and he made her feel safe enough to do so. And so... By accident, his plan worked wayyyyy better than it was supposed to!

I'm always so pleased and surprised when people say this is their favourite. It was so much fun to write, and taught me so much about Dasey. thank you??? for your questions???

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

Well then… :)

Re: In My Life - I think it makes a lot of sense that the song is a parent talking to a child - recounting their memories and also “when I think of love as something new” (could be referencing parental love?). But while I think it’s possible that John would write a song for a child despite being a distant parent, I am also not sure if that reading of this particular song is not too gracious (as in I’m not sure John would put parental love above love for his soulmate coded companion - in reference to “in my life I love you more” [than anybody else]). But songwriting does not have to be that literal, I guess.

The songs I did not know about are:

- Remember (listening to it, I don’t feel strongly about it either way - it’s about some sort of a disillusionment and betrayal, interesting Guy Fawkes reference - could be about The Beatles given the context, ig).

- Who Can See It (yeah, no objection)

- I was aware of No Words and Denny Laine credit and... what an interesting coincidence, huh. 🤨

- Crippled Inside (hmmm, a good one. Just by looking at it - I think the first verse applies to Paul better than John, the second one has an interesting reference to Instant Karma, verse 3 seems generalized - but yeah, if it’s in some way about Paul or John, it’s pretty heavy)

- Some People Never Know I knew about, but I always felt like John might be only referenced (he’s “some people” lol, maybe “only fools” if we are willing to open our minds), but otherwise it’s addressed to Linda.

- Another Day how???

Could you tell me more about Day Tripper? Or post a link if you talked about it before? I can kind of see where your interpretation is coming from but I want to know!

Oh I hear you re: In My Life and John's take on the "levels" of love. I do think the song is interesting because, while it's placing the person on a pedestal it's specifcally not outright dismissing the past. And yeah, reading the song from the perspective of a parent does generate my probably favourite reading of "When I think of love as something new". I'll say, I think he may have only adopted that soulmate attitude after meeting Yoko. Like, clearly Yoko shifted how he approached relationships, so it's possible he had a less all-or-nothing attitude before he realized that was an option. I'd even say the way he described meeting Yoko as "teaching him" that someone could be everything to him would even indicate that.

WELCOME TO THE NO WORDS CIRCLE! lol

Nice catch with the Instant Karma! parallel. That's another song I forgot to mention actually. I feel I'd place it in the "I like to think it's about Paul but I'm not sure" category.

No yeah, that's what I meant with Some People Never Know. If John is anyone he's the person who "never knows" (which, if it IS about John is actually kind of harsh lol… though also apt for Mister Divorce Prediction)

Huh, did I mention Another Day?? (outside talking about the line in (Just Like) Starting Over?)

Re: Day Tripper

the source for the highlighted quote is David Sheff's book (so the full Playboy interview).

Basically, given the period when this song was written, I don't see how the fact Paul had recently outright refused to drop acid with him wouldn't be at the forefront of his mind when writing a song about this concept. Paul would have epitomized the subject matter at the time of writing. I sort of think of it as Paul up until now having been fine trying out drugs with John (prellies, weed) but suddenly backing out. That's how I read the "one way ticket" lines and "she took me half the way there".

Also, and I have no clue how much they discussed what this song was about, but the way they trade off the vocals is delicious lmao.

[spider4webs]

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder review (so SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!)

I guess this part isn’t really a review but is my reaction towards some parts throughout the story(also I tried to label which chapter but I got lazy, sorryy)

andie’s dad using past tense??

pippa impersonating Chloe 💀 lowkey would’ve done the same if I had to

WHO THE FUCK WAS WATCHING THEM WHILE WHY WERE CAMPING?!

THE NOTE?!

SECRECT OLDER GUY?

“that’s why her hair is so big it’s full of secrets” that’s literally andie

naomi is a little sus

I thought andie didn’t have a connection w mr ward why would she be calling him an asshole? maybe dress coded her or smth?

what if Elliot Ward is the secret older guy 😨😨

The note nat put in andie’s locker??? she’s def a new suspect

why are adults messing around w Highschooler andie 🤨😨

noo sals Interview kinda makes him look sus 🙁

hippo pippo 💀

jason bell is so ew

yooo are are andie and max so close? 🤨

drink spiking? hmm suspicious

not andie cheating on Sal 😔

why does max have that photo of andie 😨

Ravi staring howie down and lowkey funny and cute at the same time

RAVI BEING PROTECTIVE OF PIP AWHH

NOT ANDIE SELLING DRUGS

Pip and Ravi breaking and entering 💀

ANDIE BEING AT THE INN A FEW WEEKS AGO?!?!

nevermjnd false alarm

chap 24 - MAX KNOWS HOWIE?! BRO GETS MORE AND MORE SUSPICIOUS AND ITS HIS 2nd TIME LYING

THE PHOTO?

SAL IS INNOCENT SAL IS INNOCENT SAL IS INNOCENT!!!

AWHHH RAVI’S REACTION

THE NOTE ON PIPPA’S LAPTOP?!

I CANT BELIEVE IN SAYING THIS BUT WHAT IF IT WAS HER MOM OR DAD

BARNEY NOOO BARNEY

AWHHH PIP I FEEL SO BAD

I FEEL SO BAD FOR RAVI TOO

YAYY RAVI CAME BACK

PARTNERS IN CRIME ARE BACK IN BUSINESS

ANDIE WRITING DOWN NAOMI’S SPARE SIM PHONE NUMBER?! It’s a clue but also kind of useless

the beginning of chapter 39 was a literal jump scare 💀

Cara did it, it was her she likes Butterfinger that’s all the evidence you need

MR WARDS PHONE NUMBER?! BROOO

MR WARD.

pip you’re so smart i aspire to be you

Omg if andie is still alive that would be so much worse

pips going to the house rn so anxious

mr ward finally got arrested

but the girl upstairs didn’t andie so what happened to andie? did she go back home and die there or smth? fucking max I knew he was suspicious

WSIT SO DID BECCA KILL ANDIE?

BECCA OMG GIRL

SO IT WAD HER WHO WENT TO THE INN?

aint no way she drugged pip

SHIT UP IS PIP GONNA DIE

well obviously not because the series has 2 more books 😭💀

why is page 377 so beautifully written

I KINDA FEEL BAD FOR BECCA

“And don’t tell them the only reason you started this project was because you fancied me. You know, think of a more noble reason.” omg ravi 😭😭

”I’m ravishing. Get it? Ravi-shing. Ravi singh.” that was lowkey kinda smooth though

okay review time

Once I got this book in my hands and started reading it I swear, it was one of the best wild roller coaster experiences I've ever had. Still unsteady, blubbering without nails, baffled, and lightheaded, but yet smiling and thrilled!

FANTASTIC CHARACTERIZATION, FAST AND HEART THROBBING PACING, GREAT-SATISFYING ENDING, GREAT STORY TELLING, AND ATTENTION-TAKING PLOT!

While reading, I had too many questions rushing through my mind.

Who actually murdered Andie? Or is Andie truly dead? Did she earn her fate? For the reason that as soon as we find out more about her, we realize that she is a bully, drama queen, drug dealer, and blackmailer! I wanted to punch her for all of her wonderful traits(sarcasm if you couldn’t tell).

Who allocated Sal the blame? Or did Sal actually do it? He is a picture of a kind, modest, and heavenly man. We think he has been hiding something, though. His friends refused to serve as his alibis and changed their testimonies regarding his whereabouts and when he left from their location. Where hence was he when the murder happened?

Who was threatening Pippa with texts to prevent her digging?

Well, I read the book quickly, and my spider senses didnt work properly until the last few pages, I was unable to identify the murderer or murderers. always being five steps behind the author

It was moving, enjoyable, nail biter, mind bending, surprisingly exciting, satisfying read. I enjoyed every page, every clue, every thrilling moments of this book. I highly recommend it!