#i wouldn't be surprised if there are more i don't know about

[kedreeva]

Every day I get a kick out of people who get chickens, urban people who get like 5 chickens, who will get up onto a high horse (it's not THEIR high horse) and talk about how they want to be more self sufficient. They don't want to be reliant on Big Ag(tm) to supply their food, so they got chickens for eggs (almost never meat)

Except.

They're not growing the staple food to feed the chickens. They're not grinding it, they're not pelletizing it. They're not growing and processing the bedding used in the coops. They're not making the cartons. They're not making the treats they give, like mealworms or scratch grains. They're not making the medicine they have to use to treat the inevitable parasites or illnesses these birds pick up from being poorly bred. Most of them aren't even getting the chickens from local sources/individual breeders, they're turning to large scale hatcheries to ship them mass-produced garbage chickens. And then they're surprised when they get roosters in the mix, and want to find "pet" homes for all the roosters, don't want to eat them themselves but don't want anyone else eating them too. The people getting meat birds from Big Ag hatcheries often act like the birds are making them self sufficient because they "grew their own" meat....

none of what they're doing is subsistence farming, and it's not even actually self-reliance like they think. Instead of paying for the egg, they're paying for all the other stuff and thinking they get the eggs "free." Maybe some of them realize it's not actually free, and I see some people talk about how they didn't do it for self reliance but so that they know what goes into their food and know the hens are getting humane care. But a LOT of new folks barge in the door talking about self reliance and related things, and I'm sorry but a few chickens in your backyard is not it.

It's not a BAD THING to want to grow SOME of your own food, if you can. It's not a bad thing to want to have a little bit of homegrown food for your family. Having a garden, keeping chickens, keeping quail, even raising smaller meat animals like rabbits (because there's no way you're humanely keeping even small hoofstock like goats on pasture less than an acre- penned goats on bale feed, sure, but not pastured), having a few fruit trees, keeping a beehive... that's good that people want to be hands on with where their food comes from. But I think the point is to be realistic about what you're actually doing, and what it means, and how it doesn't remove reliance but merely changes it.

But here's the thing: society was pretty much invented so we wouldn't have to rely on only our own skills and luck. We made society so that we could rely on each other, and not have to do Every Single Thing by ourselves to survive. We made society to help each other, and to make things easier for ourselves.

It's actually perfectly okay to rely on other people. We're humans, it's kind of our thing. Relying on one another isn't the problem, and subsistence farming/total self-reliance isn't a feasible solution for the world we're in.

HALT!✋😐

did you remember to express gratitude for not having to subsistence farm today?

[kaivenom]

I found your recently and love your work. So can you write an imagine about op man (mostly the straw hats) dealing with a much much weaker significant other that's on their crew. No matter the trouble they get themselves in they never get hurt or die and it's every single time. Please If you can.

The monster trio dealing with a weak s/o

Characters: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji

Masterlist

Luffy

He couldn't possibly care less.

You are on his crew, what he wanted from the moment he saw you and you are with him, which is even better.

It doesn't matter if you can't take down an army if you just are ready to hug him at the end of the day.

Also, the thing he was really surprised is your luck.

He is happy that somehow you manage to survive everytime, he even jokes about it sometimes.

Everytime something like this happens, you have a heart attack, but he is there with an smile and a hug, ready to make you feel calm again.

Zoro

He is not going to lie if you ask him, sometimes he feels like it is a burden.

Mostly cause he believes in the use of power and training.

But because you are his partner, he is ready to help you improve and try to be stronger.

He is a not so good coach, but he still tries and you appreciate it.

He always has an eye on you during battle and more than once he jumped between you and the danger without thinking.

Something he may reproach you later but he would do it again everytime cause he is ready to sacrifice himself for you.

But he is also really grateful to destiny or the forces of nature for letting you get out of battle alive everytime.

Sanji

He is somehow happy, cause most of the time woman are stronger than him.

This makes possible for him to be your knight on shining armor.

Of course he would try and help you be stronger, but also wouldn't care if you don't do it and start relaying on him everytime.

Also, that doesn't stop him from having a heart attack everytime you both went to battle.

He doesn't know how you do it but he is more than grateful when everything passes by and you both reunite with a smile an a kiss.

He always cooks you some of your favourite foods when you both have a nearly death experience.

[pleasantlycrazyworld]

Wrapped in pink

This idea came from this post thank you so much @askii-your-girly for letting me write this idea <3

A/N: gif isn't mine and this was written on my phone in the app so it might be messy 😅

Superman's weakness was Kryptonite but Clark’s weakness was always you.

You could always, somehow, get that man to say yes no matter what the situation was. That's how his Sundays ended up being scheduled as self-care days with headbands and face masks and takeout and a week's worth of ranting/gossiping being thrown at him. It's how he ended up watching movies like A Walk to Remember and The Fault in Our Stars, which he could totally handle, and totally not cry during, but its also how he agreed to watch The Exorcist and Halloween...movies he could totally not handle.

So really...it shouldn't be a surprise when he agreed to a pink bow being tied around him. Granted he was, and still is, confused by why it's tied around him.

"Babyyyy" you practically sang as you twirled the ribbon between your fingers. "I need your help with something my love." He was there in seconds. "How may I help darling?" If you werent so focused on the task at hand you would've teased him for saying may, noting the lack of teasing he knew this must've been serious.

"So there's this trend... It's so simple you don't even have to do a thing!" You presented the pink ribbon to him, "Let me tie this around you?" You ask a bit more timidly suddenly feeling silly about the whole thing. Clark nodded but then tilted his head like a lost puppy, "Wait isn't that a bit small? That won't go around me babydoll."

"But it will go around this..." you trailed off as you wrapped it around his bicep. "Oh." He mumbled before blushing, "Oh! Um...why? Why are we tying my bicep up?" He asked bright red as he watched you tie the neatest bow with the pink velvet fabric.

"Well it's a trend. People are showing off their big strong boyfriends and I don't know...it's cute." You shrugged, "its like my mark on you."

Clark felt his heart skip a beat at the thought of having your mark on him. Gosh your mark...on him...

"I'll never take it off." He says it completely seriously, making you laugh. "You can take it off after I take a few pictures Super I don't mind." Your assurance is met with a stern disagreement. "No way! You marked me darling this isn't coming off until you take it off."

However, his heart ached at the idea of you taking this silly little bow off of him. He let you take your pictures but then the house phone rang and he went off to answer it. Hours went by before you noticed the pink ribbon still wrapped around your boyfriend.

"Clark! Seriously you never took it off?" He shook his head, "I told you I wouldn't...But I honestly forgot it was there." His confession made you look at him in disbelief. "You're telling me...you were flying around in your suit and a pink ribbon all night? You-you fought that weird creature thing with that still on?" There was a bit of silence before he eventually said..."Well yeah."

You always knew you could get Clark to agree to almost anything but this...this really solidified the fact that Clark Kent, Superman, would do whatever you asked him to do.

Tagging:

@nomajdetective

@disillusioniary

@poltergeistsidekick

[desuwings]

Welcome to the Show

Pairing: Azriel x Reader

Summary: After spending your entire life as the secret sibling to a High Lord and harboring deep resentment for his Inner Circle, you struggle to find your own place in society as a free person. When a member of that same Inner Circle discovers your identity, you know it's only a matter of time before the new life you built comes crashing down.

Word Count: 3.9k

Notes: I was just watching a Nuzlocke and this popped out

MDNI

Lively chatter filled large open room, dim orbs of light were scattered about. The music had lulled to a stop, the musicians needing a brief pause to rest. The high lady of the Night Court was by my side within seconds with a glass of water. "Oh, you didn't have to-" I started as Feyre's forcing the glass into my hands.

"You're even better than I remember," she cut in, sipping from her own glass.

"I almost didn't accept the offer. Thought someone might've been trying to impersonate you," I admitted, swirling the water around in the glass.

"Well, I'm glad I ran into you at Rita's then." Feyre gently clanked her glass against mine. "Drink up."

The high lady shuffled me around the room, introducing me to Lords and strangers I have no business being around. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be here. But he has a way of convincing me to do things that I know I shouldn't. A place like this is dangerous for me, but Feyre insisted on having me perform tonight - and what his high lady says, goes.

I felt his smothering gaze from across the room. He kept his distance, as he usually does when others around, but I could feel his eyes following my every move, sense the shadows reaching for every corner. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to glance in his direction. Everything went silent, chatter fading into nothing. Though his mouth didn't move, his voice rang clear in my head. You're beautiful.

"You're a pain in my ass," I muttered. Feyre whipped her head back in my direction, surprise and confusion displayed all over. "Not you, my lady," I rapidly apologized, bowing my head. Azriel's snicker echoed throughout my mind. I ignored his further attempts to reach me, closing the bridge between us. "It's these shoes. I should've broken them in before today."

Feyre laughed off my mistake and turned to introduce me to some fae whose name I couldn't be bothered to memorize. I shot a glare into Azriel's direction, but he was gone. I could still feel him nearby. His scent overwhelmed my senses and when I looked back at the female that was parading me around the gala, his tall figure loomed over us.

"My lady," Azriel started, his tone almost impercetibly mocking me, "don't you think you should allow our performer to rest her voice for a bit?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Feyre giggled, the liquor relaxing the high lady I had always perceived as untouchable. "I didn't intend to keep you to myself this whole time." She draped an arm over my shoulder, the fine beading on her sleeve scratched at my exposed shoulder.

Azreil stepped forward and gently removed the high lady's arm from around my shoulder. He made a some sort of gesture to the high lord from across the room, a signal for him to check on his wife, no doubt.

I made my exit from the crowed swiftly. His steps stayed steady behind me. "Through the doors on the left," he muttered. I couldn't help but obey, despite all the alarms ringing through my mind.

I followed his directions until we found ourselves alone in a dimly lit room, far from the party goers. Each step angered and excited me. I hated that a male had so much power over me. His arms snaked gently around my waist, his lips connected swiftly to my neck before I could even protest. I was weak to his touch. I craved it as much as I hated it. "Azriel." My warning sounded like more of a plea. Even my voice was betraying me.

He hummed, planting kisses along my neck and shoulders. I felt as though my legs might give out. I needed to escape. "Don't," he pleaded, like he could read my mind. "It would be unbearable to be without you for one moment longer."

Like mouse caught in a trap, I stayed put despite willing my body to move. His fingers tickled as they traced along my sides, prodding gently at my breast. "I don't have much time left." The words came out in a whisper. An unconvincing excuse. My breasts ached as he rubbed circles around my nipples, the fabric of my dress quickly becoming an unwelcome guest.

"Are you doubting me?" he challenged, his voice low. His fingers clamped around my nipples and tugged gently, soliciting an involuntary moan from my lips.

"Azriel," I said with as much force as I could muster. "We can't. Not now."

The male pressed a few more kisses along my jaw line before carefully releasing me. As if he knew I would crumble the moment his hands left my body. I instictively reached for him, missing his warmth immediately.

"I hate you," I professed. This time my arms were the ones trapping him there. I pressed my head against his chest, inhaling his scent and trying to memorize every note. He held me as if he feared I might disappear.

"I know." His response was flat, though his touch conveyed what his voice couldn't. Liar.

"I can't keep doing this."

Azriel stiffened as the words came out. I couldn't tell if the hurt I felt was mine alone. I reached for him with my mind. I'm tired of hiding.

"I know," he answered aloud.

The air was so heavy, suffocating even. We lingered in it. There was no point in having this conversation again.

My entire life until recently had been spent in the shadows. Keir did everything in his power to keep my identity a secret, especially once my powers began to show. I think he had hoped to use me as a bargaining chip, but things never worked out in his favor. Our former high lord was too proud to acknowledge a daughter born from a female that wasn't his mate.

For centuries, I allowed Keir's hatred to infect me. I trained in secret, existed in secret - became the weapon that Keir wanted me to be. I was behind every scheme he put into place, but it was never enough for him. Rhysand would always appear and make a fool out of Keir - something that equally delighted and angered me.

After Rhysand revealed Velaris, I knew I needed to go, to step out of the watchful eye of my relative. My hatred for my brother only grew as I discovered the little slice of paradise he kept hidden from the rest of us. I resented how he cared for this city, but neglected the rest of the court.

Velaris was the kind of place I thought only existed in dreams. As time went by, I found myself believing I could get used to living in a place like this. Meeting Azriel changed that. I knew from that moment that my time in the Night Court would be limited.

"Remember the night you first found me at Rita's?" I asked after a prolonged silence. He sighed in response. "You tried to kill me."

"But-" he started, only for me to silence him.

"If they knew, they would do the same. This bond…" I paused, mustering the courage to look in his eyes, "It's not enough to overlook all the things I've done."

"That's not true-"

"You only feel this way because the Mother is forcing you to, Azriel. Maybe it's for the best that we let it go." I forced myself to back away from him, to remove myself from the warmth of his embrace. I can't forget about how Rhysand and his inner circle were the cause of so much misery in my life, regardless of whether they were aware of what they were doing or not. And I know Azriel can't forget about all the times he caught me trying to carry out one of Keir's schemes. It's why he's kept me hidden from everyone he cares about.

Azriel's jaw clenched, and I felt the shadows breeze past me as they swarmed around the room. You know I'm right. This can never work. I backed away slowly, afraid to meet the male's eyes. A simple gaze would be enough to soften me to his influence again. "I have to go," I whispered and rushed from the room.

Back in the main room of the gala, the band was getting ready for the rest of the performance. I just needed to get through this and I would be free. I avoided the stares of the wealthiest members of Prythian. I was just some new shiny thing for them to gawk at.

The room quieted quickly as the first few keys of the piano rang through the air. In the back of the room, like a wounded animal, was Azriel's sulking figure - hiding behind his shadows. I cleared my throat and held my head high, reinforcing the barriers in my mind. His sadness felt as though it could strangle me.

"I want to thank our special hosts for having us all here tonight," I started as the pianist began building anticipation, "Our beautiful High Lady, Feyre-" I paused. The gentle strumming of the bass picked up behind me, suspense filling the air. "And her adoring mate, Rhysand..." Laughter filled the room at the seemingly innocent jab at out High Lord. I watched as my brother cracked a smile, gazing down at his mate with adoration I would never dare to dream of. Anger boiled in my veins at the sight, at what I knew could never be mine. "Without them, none of this would have been possible."

Cheers erupted as I forced the same old familiar smile. The smile that I resented. The sax echoed through the room, excitement taking over every soul but two. As the band began to play in sync, I readied myself for my final performance. The pianist shouted out, "I wanna see those bodies moving!"

And the performer in me took over, hips swaying to the rhythm. I wouldn't hold back. My voice spread over the crowd in sync with the surrounding music. His presence lingered no matter how much I tried to ignore it, shove it away. He refused to let go as much as he refused to fight for it. And that was what made this so unbearable.

I could feel my professionalism waning with each song though. The longer he tugged at threads of our bond, the more my heart and mind were being tugged in two different directions. That suffocating feeling wouldn't go away unless I truly put an end to it.

I struggled through the final song, though either no one noticed or they were too drunk to care. And as soon as the applause died down, I rushed off the stage, needing to get out of that room before it killed me. I nearly tripped over dark cobalt fabric of my dress, but managed to duck unnoticed. Unnoticed by everyone but him.

I burst through a door after door until I finally made my way through this maze of a house and to the outside. The moon was high in the sky, stars blinking as though they were trying to warn me of something. I looked back just as Azriel appeared through the door. "No." The sentence was filled with as much force and loathing as I could muster.

"It doesn't have to be like this. I can fix this," he pleaded.

"I will not give my life to someone so ashamed of me. What is there to fix?" I yelled, my frustration boiling over. "I have never, never, been allowed to exist as I am. With you, it would be no different."

The words struck him in the chest, the desperation in his eyes evident. "It could be. It will be. We just need to ease them into it. We just-"

"No!" Darkness began to swirl around us. "I'm sick of playing pretend."

With each step Azriel took towards me, I took two back. Until my back was pressed against the stone railing that overlooked the garden. As he approached, I reached out with my mind. Stop. He ignored me. I'm warning you. Stop. Ignored again. I hardened my gaze, though the tears in my eyes spoke the truth I couldn't. I tightened my grip on his mind, another waning, and he sank to his knees in pain. I don't want to hurt you, Az. Just let me leave. Break this bond, so we can both be happy.

"I won't," he sputtered, every part of his body tensing. I had expected him to put his walls back up, to kick me out. I knew he was capable of it. But instead he left himself exposed. I took a step forward, trying to strengthen my resolve.

My lip trembled, heart breaking as I strengthed my grip on his mind again. Not enough to truly damage him, but hopefully enough to scare him.

It was in that moment that a dagger zipped by my face, leaving a shallow cut on my face. Blood spilled over, dotting the dress I spent a fortune on for this stupid event. It distracted me enough to let go of Azriel. I broke from the males gaze to see Rhysand and Feyre forcing their way through the darkness I conjured around us. Nesta was already at Azriel's side, and she looked pissed.

"I should've aimed lower," she spat. Before I could blink, Cassian was behind me, holding a knife to my throat and binding my arms behind my back,

Just as swiftly, Azriel at Cassian's side, holding Truthteller up to his brother's throat. "Get your hands off her," he snarled.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment, no one sure what to do next. Everyone was on guard; weapons drawn and ready to strike the moment I drew too deep of a breath.

"I said," Azriel started, his blade pressing into Cassian's skin, "take your hands off my mate." His voice sounded deadly, intimidating. Cassian instantly backed away, and though he didn't show it, I could smell the fear eminating from him.

Azriel positioned himself between me and his family, dagger in hand, stanced like he was ready to fight.

"Why are you protecting her?" Rhysand demanded. His voice was like nails on a chalkboard. I felt Rhysand trying to enter my mind, but despite all his faults, Keir raised me better than that. Our eyes locked, and for a moment I feared he might sense the familial bond between us that I spent my entire life trying to hide. But if the high lord knew anything, he didn't let is show.

This was the closest I had ever been to my half-brother. Keir always wanted to keep me far away, for fear of our cover being blown. Azriel side stepped to break our line of sight. Silence still lingered.

"Azriel, move," Rhysand demanded once more, with more force than before.

"No."

"She was going to kill you!" Feyre barked, raising her fists.

"Then I would deserve to die at her hand," Azriel retorted.

"That's enough, Az," I croaked, tears mixing with blood.

Cassian glared at me. "Don't talk like you know him." His words were laced with hatred.

"Az," I pleaded. My voice strained over the lump in my throat. "Just let me be free."

Azriel looked at me, concern and perhaps even fear in his eyes. "I love you." The confession was barely a whisper. The first time those words left his lips. A stricken match. A knife in the back.

I shook my head. "You don't mean that."

Azriel reached for me but I swatted his hand away. The sudden movement set Rhysand and Cassian into motion, but before they could reach me, Azriel's fist connecte with Cassian's jaw, sending the male to the floor. Rhysand froze in place once more.

"I love you," Azriel repeated. I couldn't stop the sob from spilling out this time. His hands gently caressed my face, wiping the tears with his thumbs.

"You're confused," I sobbed. "You don't even like me. I have been your enemy since before you knew I existed."

"Don't talk like that," he whispered, lowering his lips to mine. My body felt like it was fire, like I would melt into his touch any moment now.

"We would have killed each other that night-" I insisted, but he silenced me by pulling me deeper into the kiss. I wobbled beneath him, and he snaked an arm around my waist to hold me up.

The spread of his Azriel's wings was a familiar sound to me. I instinctively gripped onto him as tightly as I could, and when he finally broke our kiss, we were in the air. Away from our treatening audience. They didn't follow.

-

I waited for Azriel to speak.

And I didn't have to wait long.

"I will make them understand," he pledged, his eyes the most sincere I had ever seen them. But I couldn't bring myself to trust it. "You will get the life you deserve if it's the last thing I do."

"You shouldn't say things you don't mean." I couldn't help the bitter laugh that followed.

"The biggest regret of my entire life if making you feel like I was ashamed of you."

I couldn't meet his eyes. Empty promises, I pushed the thought into his mind, as if to convince him it was true. His gaze sharpened.

"I will never let you feel like that again." He said it with such confidence.

Azriel reached for me, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. His fingers gripped my chin authoritatively, forcing me to look into his eyes. I love you. The words made my heart flutter, desire dripping from his voice.

I was tired. And I wanted nothing more than to believe him. My heart was yearning for him, but still, I hesistated.

He tilted my head, eyes travelling to my lips. He traced his thumb over my lips, slowly closing the gap between us. When his lips brushed teasingly against mine, my entire body seemed to react. I tangled my fingers into his soft, black hair and pressed my body against his.

Azriel's fingers trailed down along my jawline, and landed gently on my neck. With his other hand, he began to massage my breast, eliciting a soft moan out of me. I felt him grin against my lips, knew he was celebrating that as a win.

I couldn't help but squirm under his touch. With each second, I could feel my wetness starting to pool. He was always so quick to turn me on. With both hands now, he squeezed my breasts, thumbing over my erect nipples. Our kisses grew sloppier by the second, and I released another moan into his mouth.

"Let me show you what the rest our life would be like," he whispered, pulling his lips away from mine. He reached behind me and unzipped my dress at a torturingly slow pace. It fell to the floor, leaving my aching breasts exposed to the crisp air of the mountain. Azriel knelt before me, leaving kisses along my stomach before pulling me onto his lap.

The moment his lips latched onto my nipple, I knew I was done for. I was putty in his hands. He licked and nibbled and pulled, knowing exactly what I need to be pleased. Azriel's free hand drifted to the area between my thighs. Teasingly, his fingers traced around my folds.

My need was growing to an unbearble point. "Don't do this to me," I whined, grinding my hips into his palm. He chuckled and shifted his attention to my other nipple, still refusing to touch me where I most needed.

Azriel took his sweet time spreading my folds, his fingers instantly slick at the movement. I groaned in frustration as he continued to tease me. I took a tight hold of his hair and pulled his head back, forcing him to look at me. "Touch me, Az."

"I am, sweetheart," he smirked.

I gave his hair another tug. A silent demand. This time, he obeyed. He grinned as his fingers danced around my clit. "Is this what you wanted?" he asked, his voice teasing.

I hummed, pressing my forehead to his. "More," I whispered.

Azriel, eager to please, picked up his pace, creating the perfect amount of friction against my clit. But it wasn't enough. Never had I so strongly craved the feeling of Azriel inside me. My fingers clumsily fumbled with the buttons on his pants, trying to be rid of the fabric denying me what I wanted most in the moment.

We worked together to free his erection, and I wasted no time positioning myself above it. Once I felt his tip poking at my entrance, I carefully lowered myself onto his cock. The sensation felt brand new to me everytime. An overwhelming feeling of pleasure kept building within me. Each thrust of our hips sent jolts throughout my entire body.

Our lips collided messily and his hand found its way to my neck again. Azriel knew the exact right amount of pressure to apply to send me over the edge. My legs began to shake, losing the strength to keep moving on my own, but Azriel more than made for it with each thrust upwards.

Drool pooled out of my mouth, his grip still tight on my neck. I dug my fingers into his shoulders as I felt my orgasm hit, my eyes rolling back as I trembled around his cock.

"Oh sweetheart, you finished so quickly," he hummed, slowly releasing my neck as I came down from the orgasm. He gently flipped us over, pressing my back into the cool grass. He wasted no time - thrusting hips as deep as possible. His pace was brutal, yet euphoric. Azriel's grip on my waist was so tight, keeping me in place as he fucked me.

There wasn't enough time for my body to recover from the first orgasm. I couldn't control myself as screams of pleasure escaped from my lips. Azriel's rough hands gripped my jaw, forcing my mouth to remain open. He spat into my mouth then shoved a few fingers in, ordering me to suck as he pounded into me.

I felt his cock begin to twitch inside me, and I knew he was close. I rocked my hips in sync with his. His cock reached all the right spots, bringing me back to the brink once again. "You gonna cum again for me, sweetheart?" he moaned.

I whimpered in response and he pulled his fingers out of my mouth, placing them around my clit instead. He rubbed and thrusted until I lost complete control of my body, convulsing as pleasure took over my senses.

Azriel's cum spilled into me and he roared with pleasure. His trusts continued a moment longer, riding out our highs together. He crashed his lips onto mine once again and I felt I could devour him in that moment.

"I love you," he panted out as he pulled away from my lips. "I love you and nothing will change that."

"I love you too," I breathed out, not a hint of hesistation to be seen. Though I was afraid, I was choosing to trust him. To take him at his word.

"Come home with me." I shook my head at Azriel's request.

"Tonight, I want it to just be you and me," I answered. His eyes let me know he understood.

We lay in the grass a while longer, feeling safe in each other's arms for the first time, knowing tomorrow is when the real battle will begin.

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

Absolutely, Shockingly Brilliant - Lando Norris

<word count - 1135>

This was officially going to be the worst interview of your entire life. There was five of you, all sat waiting for the interviewer to come in. It was you, Lando, Carlos, Kimi and George. But, the catch was that you and Carlos were dreading this a lot more than everyone else was.

Someone, somewhere, thought that it was going to be a great idea to attach electricity shockers on some of you that were remote controlled. Did you think that it infringed on your human rights? Yes, yes you did. Yet, you did it anyway. 

The game was that someone behind the camera would be controlling them, and you had to get through the interview without the others knowing. You and Carlos had opted to sit on opposite sides to each other on the ends of the row, hoping that it wouldn't attract as much attention than if you were sat in the middle. 

As the interview started, you and Carlos were on edge. You were both tested with a tiny control shock, just to let you know what it was going to feel like and to see how you both took it. Carlos leant back and just looked at you while you both absolutely shat yourselves.

It was safe to say that you were both regretting it. Heavily. You were given a few moments of respite as the interviewer asked about your opinions of your seasons so far, and you and Carlos were quick to answer before the person could think to turn them on. 

"Shit!" Carlos exclaimed, jumping out of his chair while everyone just turned to look at him. George, who was sat next to him, couldn't help but laugh and ask what was wrong. "Sorry... just a mosquito," he mumbled, knowing that it was only going to get worse from here. 

You were waiting for it to be your turn, and when it happened, all you could do was bite your lip and tense up. Lando was sat next to you with Kimi in the middle, and he noticed the sudden tension in your muscles. "You alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned that something was wrong. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," you nodded, trying to relax but knowing that you were going to get shocked again. Lando didn't really buy it, but he would take your word for it for now. 

"Y/N, you recently made a pretty big cameo in the MCU, what is it like being on a movie set when this is what you're used to?" you were asked. You had been in Fantastic Four for a grand total of 45 seconds with a single line, and you had played a bartender. 

"It was really cool, especially getting to be around something as cool as a Marvel set," you started, and you felt the shock bolt through your body as you made some sort of squeak of surprise. "Sorry, it's just really exciting." you tried to cover up. 

"Are you sure you're OK? You're being all... tense," Lando said, leaning in again. 

"Yeah, just period cramps," you lied, and Lando didn't have any reason to believe that you were lying to him. For all he knew, you could've been dealing with really bad cramps that were hitting you like a freight train. Carlos didn't have that excuse when he kept jumping out of his seat and making surprised squeals. 

Getting to about halfway through, both of you were struggling. You were finding it easier to keep quiet than Carlos, but it was wearing on both of you. "God..." you mumbled under your breath as you felt another, but it sounded more like a moan than it did a complaint. 

Everyone's heads turned to you, and there was nothing that you could think of to say. "I don't feel like I should be here..." Kimi said, looking to George like he was his dad watching a movie that he was too young for. 

"I'm fine, I'm fine," 

"You sound a hell of a lot more than fine," George quipped, earning some chuckles from everyone apart from you and Carlos.

"I didn't think period cramps were meant to be pleasurable," Lando teased, catching you in the lie. 

"They're not..." you mumbled, and you and Carlos made eye contact. You didn't have to say anything to each other, but you knew what you were thinking. Screw the game, just tell them and save yourselves any further embarrassment. 

"Right, we-" he started, before the operator of the machines caught on to what you were doing and turned them up to the full whack. "Fuck!" you exclaimed, arching your back as if that would get you away from the borderline painful sensations that you were feeling.

Carlos was up and out of his seat in a flash, jumping around while whining. "I feel like I'm either on the set of Fifty Shades or When Harry Met Sally," George laughed, looking at the two of you. What was supposed to be a whine of discomfort from you sounded borderline pornographic as the operator shocked both of you again. 

Carlos was practically running around screaming and jumping like a giddy child, but in reality was a few seconds away from bursting into tears. "We're done! We are done!" he exclaimed, looking at all of the camera crew to see who had the remotes in their hands. 

"I quit, we can't do this anymore!" you whinged, and the operator finally stepped forward and handed you the remotes so that they couldn't shock you anymore. 

"What the hell are those?" Lando asked, looking between you, Carlos and the remotes in your hands. 

"They're for these," you sighed, turning around and lifting up your shirt to show off the nodes that were attached to your back. Carlos did the same. "They've been shocking us and we were meant to stay calm and hope that you don't notice, but this is literal torture and we're done," you explained, watching as Carlos took the batteries out of his remote and sitting back down with a sigh. 

"That's brutal," Kimi commented, glad that it wasn't him on the receiving end of the electricity. 

"You enjoyed that far too much..." Lando whispered in your ear, grabbing the remote out of your hand before you could protest. "Shhh... " he said, pocketing the remote just as you were going to tell him off. "I'm not going to do anything, I'm just... reminding myself of something we're going to try," he smirked, and you could only imagine of what he was going to do. 

You were morbidly curious, though, if you were being honest. You didn't want to think of whatever mischief that Lando was cooking up, but you still wanted to find out. And you would in due time. It was just going to take a bit of patience. 

A/N - You can probably sniff what the part 2 is from a mile away, but it'll be fun anyway... requests are open! Love y'all 💖

|masterlist|

[paramythas]

𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐈𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐄𝐑, 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒, 𝐈𝐅 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 it a point to note that the whole thing was caused by 'magic' in a world that had lost access to most of it? Or would that just make things more complicated? In the end, economy of action makes the decision for her- it would take too much time to 'write' it all out without expanding on strange terminology he might not understand. And while she wouldn't mind having the 'talk', she doubts reading all of that while eating is anything either of them really wants to deal with.

(She could make the Cat explain again, but honestly she might snap its neck in plain sight and she'd definitely get some looks for that, illusion or no.)

He's right in assuming she doesn't really know the ins and outs of how it all worked though. In the end, she'd been collateral damage for a situation she hadn't orchestrated. Her... punishment, maybe, for being so dead-set on murder had been to be tossed to her apparent death like trash.

...honestly, maybe she should have gone back, just to kick Cinder's ass.

Chewing on a takoyaki, she's about to interject and say that she can figure it out herself if it's too much to explain but Chuuya... Chuuya is already talking. Head cocking, her eyes blink, swap colors in her surprise as Chuuya goes into it at length. He explains the concept easily enough, shows her what he means, goes on a tangent about the different ways in which they've been interpreted and she feels her lips twitch as she leans her chin on her hand, pulling some of her noodles to her mouth as she listens.

Some of the things he shows her make her think of fucked up Grimm, which she doesn't mention, but keeps in mind to bring up later. Instead, when he finishes, she gives him an amused little squint of the eyes and asks:

And you thought me talking about being from another world was strange?

They have an entire genre in this universe, apparently, about just that- though not in the same way. Neo slurps up her noodles, and then flicks her tongue out at him a little after she swallows.

You're such a hypocrite, Chuuya.

Not that she has a leg to stand on, given some of her own idiosyncrasies, but she thinks this is genuinely funny. Especially with the detail he's gone into explaining it to her. It's nice, actually; he sounds kind of into it- or at least being able to be a know-it-all about it- and his voice is nice to listen to. Still, regardless of how cute he sounds trying to act like a professor, Neo can't help but give him a little grief- after all, she's made a few explosives in her time, even if some of them used Dust rather than chemicals. Didn't mean she didn't know what they did.

I've never been big on science, but I do know what methane is, thanks. That said, are you into aliens, or is it more space? Or maybe just weird things that you wouldn't know how to explain? Huh. Kind of explains why you're so curious about me, doesn't it?

Neo scoops up more noodles, blowing on them lightly before gulping down a mouthful that would make her etiquette teachers die of mortification.

Either way, thanks. We don't really... have that kind of thing on Remnant. Mostly just fairy tales. Though all things considered, I don't think going into space would have been something we'd consider. I mean... what if there were even weirder, more fucked up Grimm up there? They're bad enough on the planet.

Making sure to swallow her noodles again before she 'laughs', Neo shakes her head, pausing to take a drink. She has to give Chuuya credit- this is the best time she's had in ages- and she genuinely can't remember the last time someone made her actually want to laugh like this.

Or maybe we were just too dumb to realize that was the only way to escape them.

The silent contemplation just gives him time to enjoy his food, even if he's still subtly watching her just a bit. Not enough to be obnoxious about it, but enough to measure that she's weighing what she wants to say and how to say it.

All valid, really, considering he imagines falling between worlds isn't exactly some common, simple thing. At least, he doubts it is. There's probably some kind of complexity to it.

At the very least, there is plenty and plenty of of theorem on the concept of alternate worlds or other habitable planets, so on that front, his mind is open to many explanations.

Even if, on a standpoint of experience, most things can still be explained from a framework of Abilities.

Most things, except the one thing that comes closest to maybe, possibly, being a genuine alien. Not unless Dazai was wrong about there being no exceptions to his Ability.

Pocket dimensions, he can accept as real. He'd seen that ex-spy Randou create one in front of his very eyes, much as he'd prefer not to think about that. He'd been stuck for a while inside the space-time contradiction that was Guivre's body, for a time, and by all rights he never should have managed to escape alive if not for Adam. There was also that girl formerly from the Guild who was able to make an alternate dimension to trap people in that the Boss had gathered intelligence on personally.

So some kind of pocket void dimension? Okay, he can kind of accept that without too much trouble, even if there's still clearly pieces missing, though he's not completely sure if its for omission's sake or if Neo doesn't completely understand it either.

He chews on Neo's words a moment along with a prawn from his seafood noodles, trying to conceptualize all that she's telling him in his head.

The bit about being betrayed is... admittedly something he can sympathize with, if for entirely different reasons, and he recalls her hinting at something of that nature before.

"Yeah, I can understand that much."

At her question, he gives her a glance before sitting back a moment, and slips a phone from his pocket.

"Nah, it's not stupid. I figure there has to be some differences. An alien is like... basically anything not from this planet. Most pop fiction makes them out to be like little green men with big-ass bug eyes and even bigger heads that travel around outer space in flying discs. People usually call 'em UFOs... Unidentified Flying Objects."

He showed her pictures, some of the little green men, and some monsters of truly nightmarish imagination.

"At least that's how it started out, but you can find all kinds of interpretations of aliens now. They're a real popular subject. Octopi are a pretty popular base to model off of."

Considering that THING he met, he'd started to wonder since then if there wasn't actually something to that.

"Mostly it all just exists in the realm of science-fiction. No one's really proven that anything like them exists... not for certain anyway. From what we know, space is mostly just a lot of giant floating rocks and balls of burning gas," he points up at the sun. "Not much of anything in the way of life out there except maybe microorganisms and other simple life, and theorists say some of it probably isn't even on other planets, but on moons orbiting them, like there are some planets in our solar system further out that have moons they think are frozen on the surface but might have an ecosystem of liquid methane oceans underneath-- ...ah, methane is a flammable chemical gas that occurs naturally from the decay or burning of organic bio-mass, everything from bacteria to plants to animals... and it can be refined into usable gas for things like stove-tops, but it can also be dangerous and cause explosions if mishandled, like if you don't know there's a gas leak and set off a match, since methane is colorless and odorless."

He might be over-explaining... or not explaining enough. He's not sure which, really, but he's at least trying to make sure everything he says makes sense.

"Suffice to say, we don't really know exactly what sort of creatures would live in liquid methane but... considering just how weird shit gets at the bottom of the ocean around here, wouldn't be surprised if it was freaky as shit."

[lyneysnumber1glazer]

Would They Confess First?

Characters: DILUC, ITTO, KAEYA, LYNEY, HEIZOU

Prompt: Would they confess to you first? Why/why not and how?

Warnings: None

A/n: I was going to include drabbles for each but instead I think I'm going to make separate oneshots for each since I'd like them to be longer and more in-depth. Also please send in an ask for an idea if you have one!

~~~

DILUC

Yes, however it may take a while. He would hesitate to confess in worry that he may ruin whatever friendship the two of you have. He'd have to be sure that the feeling was mutual before indulging in the idea of confessing. In addition, he would need time in order to be comfortable letting you into his life, being hesitant to after the death of his father.

However when he is ready, he would plan out in detail how he'd want to confess to you. He would prepare your favorite meals and dishes himself and invite you over for dinner. He also may change the decor in the dining hall ever so slightly to fit your tastes. After dinner he would invite you on an evening walk where he would confess with a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

ITTO

Absolutely, and he would make it a huge event. To be honest, you would probably know about it along with the whole city before he even confessed. He would talk about you nonstop to the Arataki Gang and they would all plan out how he would confess to you.

He would decorate a whole island with Onikabuto, roasted lavender melons, and flowers (probably picked out of peoples gardens) He'd also put on a grand performance and practically yell out his love for you, the Arataki Gang cheering him on off to the side. Don't be surprised if he starts singing.

KAEYA

Surprisingly no. Firstly, you would need to know about his past and show that you love him regardless. Even if he knew that you loved him he still wouldn't confess. He would feel like you deserve someone better than him, someone who didn't feel the need to hide things about themselves from you. Of course he would never tell you this. Thus you would need to confess to him first and reassure him that he is the one you want, secrets and all.

After you confess to him, he would need some time to think about his emotions. He would struggle accepting that you genuinely loved him and not the charismatic charm he uses. However after some time he would hesitantly accept your confession.

LYNEY

Yes, and he would be sure to make it extra romantic. However he would need to trust you and be close to you beforehand, Lynette would also need to approve of you. He would try to hide it but he would be extremely nervous. Would also probably ask Lynette for advice, she would also need to help calm him down prior.

He would meet up with you after one of his magic performances at the Fountain of Lucine with a bouquet of rainbow roses. Even though he would put on a smile, you could tell he was nervous by the way he gripped the bouquet and the way his face starts to turn pale. While telling you about how he feels about you, he would stumble over his words. He would also plan what to say to you beforehand but when it actually comes to confessing, he blanks, and his confession would end up sounding more like a marriage proposal. After accepting his confession, he would let out a sigh of relief and visibly relax despite his excitement. (I could see Lynette hiding in the bushes with a Kamera)

HEIZOU

Yes, and he would know if you liked him. With him being a detective he would be able to read peoples emotions scarily well. So he would almost instantly know if you liked him by the way your demeanor slightly changes around him and with the help of his intuition.

At first he would consider taking you to an escape room, however he would decide against it. Instead he would take you somewhere with beautiful scenery and set up a picnic for the two of you. There he would confess his love as the sun was setting with your hands in his. After you accept his confession, he would feel slightly relieved even though he knew you would accept.

[thegrimwritercookie]

Got an idea...beasts and ancients x a ticklish reader fic? Could be cute!

BOOM I'M BACK!!!

Thank you for the ask! Pardon the random hiatus I've been busy but also somehow lazy this month.

Beasts x ticklish reader

Can be read as platonic or romantic

Warnings: You get tickled, fluff, idk, pretty chill honestly

Shadow milk🃏: This guy is definitely going to be tickling you the most out of all of the beasts. No matter what you do you won't be immune to his surprise tickle attacks, I imagine him playing a game of hide and seek and tickling you when you're found.

Mystic flour📜: Doing a full 180 here from shadow milk because she almost NEVER tickles you, she probably just assumes you wouldn't like it which is quite thoughtful. However if you ask her directly she wouldn't be opposed, just don't expect her to be super enthusiastic about it.

Burning spice🌶️: Now we're venturing into some pretty neutral ground here, I don't see him doing it all too often but more specifically when you two are play fighting/sparing just so he can defeat you (as if he couldn't already lol). However if you two are just laying around in the castle and not doing much he may just start tickling you for the fun of it.

Eternal sugar☁️: Of course she's gonna tickle you! Only if you enjoy it though, she doesn't want to make you unhappy. Anytime she happens to spot you lying around on a cloud she floats down and begins to tickle you gently, don't be afraid to tickle her back as she tends to enjoy it especially from you.

This was a bit shorter than normal but if you like it let me know!<3

[unlovablelover]

Can u maybe do a fic with tomura and a super shy fem reader, like a lot of crying, praise, and fluffy stuff even though it’s smut. Tomura praises the heck out of reader.

speak up

Tomura x ShyFem!Reader

i) ⚠️ mentions of overstimulation

ii) reader is a crybaby

ii) ⚠️ not proofread

> skip to ♥︎! for the smut

you caught his eye from the very start, back when you first joined the league of villains. you were searching for a cause to live for, one that wouldn't judge you for the way you were: socially anxious, shy enough to make yourself invisible to others. and yet, when he questioned you, wanting to see if you were worthy - you couldn't even bring yourself to speak in full sentences. you stuttered, voice barely above a squeak, your hands clutched tightly to your chest. at that point, he was ready to turn you away, barely noticing the tears welling in your eyes.

"you're not cut out for this. get out."

but you didn't budge. no, not a single step from where you stood. you mouthed something but he couldn't hear it at all - by now, he was already annoyed, itching to get rid of you if you weren't going to listen.

"you're gonna have to speak louder than that."

"i'm...trying..."

"if you don't have anything else to say, leave now. don't waste my time."

with a burst of strength, you stepped closer to him and gripped fistfuls of his shirt - desperate, scared, but most importantly determined. you've had enough of this treatment, and you weren't going to let this chance slip away. if this group of misfits weren't going to accept you too, then what else would?

he was on high alert, hands already raised and ready to attack if it weren't for the way you sobbed into him, body trembling with all the emotions you'd bottled up from years without anyone to listen to your small voice. a small area of his shirt grew damp from your tears, seeping through the fabric and onto his skin - and it all took him by surprise.

"i'm trying. i s-swear i'm trying. just, just give me a chance to, hnn, prove myself - i know i can grow. i want people to hear me. if only- if only- someone would just listen before giving up on me-" you pulled back slightly, finally giving him the personal space he needed. he expected to be disgusted by your tears, the pathetic choked sobs you tried to hold in, as if that would change what he thought about you, especially after that stunt you pulled-

but no.

for some reason, his heart ached in awe at the sight of the glistening tears trickling down your cheeks, your voice shaking like a broken record, messy and melodic all at once.

and your words hit something in him, one he didn't know was still alive.

it made him pity you. sympathize. things he never knew he was capable of.

so he took you in.

and true to your words, your voice wasn't as small now.

♥︎!

"ngaah! ahnn, tomura!"

you mewled with every brutal press of the vibrator against your clit, back arched like a bow off the bed as he watches over you with half lidded eyes, memories of the past still lingering. he raised the intensity, strained gasps tearing from your throat. the sound spilling from you were music to his ears, and he craved to hear more of it.

"aah, ahh, ahh! tomura, t-too much! it's too much!"

he leaned down to press kisses over your ribs, still holding the vibrator in place. with a dark chuckle, he moves to take your nipple into his mouth, sucking as his eyes meet your teary ones. oh, how he loved the sight. he loved it then, and he definitely loves it now when you're looking at him with a lust-filled gaze.

"so pretty." he released your nipple with a pop, continuing his descent downwards. your squeals and moans echoed in the air, accompanying the sound of torture on your clit. occasionally, a few sobs threatened to leave your lips - but he always silenced you before they could, instead making you gasp as he nips at your skin.

"you sound so pretty when you're screaming for me." you finally received the break you'd been begging for once he reached your pussy, watching as your thighs trembled, overwhelmed by the prolonged sensations he blessed you with. he throws the vibrator away, uncaring of where it landed.

you could only respond with hics, wiping away the tears in your eyes. with a sniffle, you finally calmed down enough to reply.

"i can't help it..." your lips turned into a pout, face hidden against a pillow.

he snorts, focusing on the feast awaiting him. his tongue darts out for a taste, licking a long stripe over your pussy as an appreciative hum rumbled from his throat at the sweetness only you could provide.

"nah, i like you like this."

"no longer afraid to speak up."

"still miss the little sighs you used to make, though." he circles your clit with the tip of his tongue slowly, flicking it to coax a reaction out of you. and he succeeded, your cheeks tinged with red as a shy mewl escapes you.

"what? thought i wouldn't notice?"

"...i'd prefer if you pretended you didn't." he lets out a small laugh, crimson eyes glimmering under the dim lighting.

"you know i can't pretend to save my ass." his flicks grew faster, making your toes curl and your hands tightening their grip on the sheets. your breathing grew ragged, already nearing the brink of another orgasm.

but not yet.

"get ready," was all he said before aligning his cock to your cunt, but he didn't slide right in. instead, he chose to torture you with waiting - giving your clit teasing rubs with the head of his cock.

embarassed but impatient, you tried your hardest to move your hips, hoping to catch his tip and slip it inside your dripping cunt - but he noticed your plan before you could even do it, chuckling under his breath.

"actions don't speak louder than words right now." he uses one hand to hold your wrists together above your head, the other pressing down on your lower belly to keep you down. "if you want it that bad, you gotta use your words."

"tomura - just put it in already..."

"what was that? don't hear a thing, pretty."

"i said just put it in..."

"mhm? can you repeat that?"

"i said-"

"-JUST PLEASE PUT IT IN ALREADY!" you practically shouted, high pitched and needy. surprised, he just stares down at you, eyes wide and dumbfounded. your face burned with shame, tears starting to well up in your eyes once more. realizing just how far he went, he immediately released your wrist and belly to cup your face in his hands.

"shit, no, don't cry." he presses kisses over your eyes, wiping away the salty tears before they could fall. "you know that's the sound i hate the most from you."

not wanting to make you wait any longer, he thrusts into you, sheathing himself fully inside your tight wet heat. this time, he was the one to let out noises - sighs and grunts falling from his lips and into your ears.

"fuck, here. here's your reward for putting up with me. you're so tight, so good for me even when i'm mean to you." he gasps out, fucking you with wild abandon - just how you like it. your pretty noises harmonized with his deep ones and he was sure he wasn't going to last long.

"gaah, fuck - sorry, but i gotta cheat this time."

"you feel too fucking good."

the last few words were spoken with gritted teeth, his fingers found your clit and he begins rubbing it in time with his thrusts, determined to make you cum (again) before he did. "sorry for being unfair, okay? now c'mon, cum for me. let me hear those pretty sounds when you finally let go-"

and you did. you came with a scream, body convulsing as he traps you beneath him, keeping you in place so he could cum too - granting your overstimulated cunt one final thrust before he explodes. hot spunk filled you up and leaked out your pussy, around his cock. he keeps rubbing your clit to prolong both your orgasm and his, craving more of that delicious squeeze of your walls around his softening cock.

when the high died down, he looks down at you with nothing but love and admiration in his gaze. his arms wrapped around your back, bringing you up so he could hold you against him, still connected together. he brings his lips to your ear, whispering sweet nothings before saying-

"let's see if you can get even louder in the next round."

a/n: this is the longest i've ever written. and it's yuck. anyway

taglist: @addicted2tomura @allfortomura

[atomicrebelfire]

Hi I saw your post about not wanting oliver to have to shoot an intimate scene with ryan, based on the fact that the fight scene in 8x17 had some improvised elements.

i think the problem is more with the director, who had the idea that eddie should be aggressive. the director was the one who said the "don't you want to punch him?" and ryan was the one who had to talk him down and tone down the scene. and in the end, it was a shoulder grab and a finger point.

i kind of agree with you in the sense that i think because directors would know that ryan and oliver have worked together for 7 years now and have built up a level of trust (as oliver said) and friendship, directors might be inclined to take risks and push for improvised moments, trusting that ryan and oliver's chemistry and ease with each other will make it work.

according to what everyone says about ryan, wouldn't he be the one who'd have a bigger problem with intimate scenes that aren't fully discussed and carefully choreographed beforehand? oliver seems to be fine with "energetic" intimate scenes with his previous love interests (taylor in the bar bathroom, buck's hook up with tommy etc.)

or what do you think about bucktommy's hook up in 8x11? was it all carefully discussed and choreographed beforehand? or was there improv involved?

Thanks you for sharing this and yeah, I see where you’re coming from. Apologies in advance, it’s a bit of a long reply — but I wanted to share where my head’s at and clarify a few things on my end, and please feel free to share your take on it as well.

We do know that before Buck and Tommy’s first kiss (in 7x04), Lou and Oliver spoke on the phone the night before to talk it through. There was trust, open communication, and mutual clarity — and you can see that care reflected in how the scene plays out.

Same with the 8x11 hookup. People have slowed it down, and you can actually spot subtle nods and physical cues mid-scene, like they’re guiding each other in real time. That suggests, even if it wasn’t fully choreographed, but there was prior conversation, mutual agreement, trust and expectations of scene already in place.

Because here’s the thing: improv isn’t the problem — lack of consent is. Whether it’s a kiss or a shove, if you’re going to breach someone’s personal space in an emotionally or physically charged moment, your scene partner deserves to know what to expect. That’s not just professional courtesy — it’s basic respect.

That’s what went wrong in 8x17. The director should’ve tipped off Oliver. But so should Ryan — especially as the one initiating the physicality. Both were at fault Even Oliver said he was caught off guard, and that his gut instinct in the moment was basically, “get off me.” He didn’t react because he trusted Ryan and they’ve worked together for years. But that trust shouldn’t have been tested like that, not without communication.

Working together for a long time doesn’t mean you can skip boundaries. If anything, it means those boundaries matter more. Familiarity is never a substitute for consent.

So when people ask, “Why not pair Oliver and Ryan for something romantic or intimate?” — this is why. When a prior scene already showed a breakdown in communication, different reading of the scenes, that’s not a pairing we should be pushing toward scenes that demand even more vulnerability or breach of personal space.

We’ve seen it across the industry: even “small” moments can leave lasting discomfort when they aren’t talked through. It’s not about how aggressive or tender the scene looks, it’s about whether both actors agreed to it.

Even in the fast-paced bathroom hookup with Taylor Kelly, it never felt like a surprise. I'm sure if the actress discuss now, she knew the tone going in, and that makes all the difference.

And one of the best examples in recent memory? Red, White & Royal Blue. Director López said that even though Nick and Taylor clicked instantly and became fast friends, he still encouraged them to build emotional trust before filming intimate scenes. He had them spend time together off set — walking, talking, rehearsing numerous times — so that when improv did happen (they did left camera rolling for many scenes), it was built on a foundation of clarity, set expectations and trust. And it showed.

We already know, from 7x04, that Lou and Oliver value those kinds of conversations. They made time for it. They showed up for each other. That’s the standard. So whether Tommy returns or Buck gets a new love interest, that same level of care will apply as expected.

What happened in 8x17, unfortunately, showed us that Ryan didn’t meet that bar. That’s why people (myself included) feel protective of Oliver. Not because we’re attacking anyone, but because past behavior informs future boundaries.

This isn’t about blame. It’s not about shipping. or personal view of actors. or OS can handle himself or not. It’s about recognizing what didn’t go right, and making sure the next time, we do better. Sorry for rambling. xoxo 💜

[bibibbon]

As much as I love people talking about us finally getting new original nice content in the PV's, I am kind of surprised that no one has brought up that we see E-soul and Ghostblade fighting in this PV as well.

From the looks of it, this seems to be a fight between yang cheng and ghostblade, most likely due rock sending yang cheng to see and ensure that the job is complete since he most likely lost trust in ghostblade who seems to show some defiance against him (rather unintentional on ghostblades part until this moment) Ghostblade was most likely tasked with the job to kill the johnnies and fully finish the job which does make me wonder was sheng supposed to be his only victim that day? Was he really only tasked with the death of sheng, and it's suspicious that sheng seemed to know that ghostblade was after more than just him, so was the only reason that ghostblade didn't kill the johnnies due to and anonymous text he received that told him to not do anything uncessary?

However, what's even more confusing is what rock says to ghostblade in episode 19 trailer: "Don't let tragedy happen again." What could rock be referring to? Is it the tragedy of the plane crash that indirectly happened due to sheng's death, which led to Big johhnies outburst and vortex getting injured, losing trust value, and later on dying in that incident? Or is this a tragedy from a businessman perspective where Rock talks about the heroes and capital he has lost because of this? I am under the belief that Vortex is an MG hero as well since he seems to ask Sheng for help.

I do think that there is a huge possibility that rock is losing trust in ghostblade and that he feels him slipping from his grasp and slowly becoming defiant and we see hints of this in the loli arc when rock becomes agitated that ghostblade is on the phone to someone else even though he can't speak. I do think that after this incident, that rock is most likely going to deem ghostblade as unreliable and start relying more on E-soul to go ahead with the killings which would explain why E-soul was the one to kill moon and not ghostblade who we would expect since he is the assassin here. However, with rock relying more on E-soul, I think he still views ghostblade as a valuable pawn and utilises him, but he is trying to strengthen control over him and E-soul most likely is his back up.

Ghostblade and E-soul (yang cheng) have similar ideologies of not questioning and simply doing as their told, believing that it serves society for the better and that its a good thing. Ghostblade seems to be slowly learning that this isn't the case, and I do believe that he most likely will confront his own hypocrisy in season 1 as he starts to rebel against rock especially when it comes to not killing the johnnies. However, E-soul will most likely be stuck with his ideology until season 2.

It would be funny if this is all wrong and actually it's the other way round with yang cheng fighting ghostblade to stop the murder but I honestly doubt that's the case and plus it makes more narrative sense for it to be the first theory overall! That to say I still think there's a possibility that Yang cheng wasn't the one to kill moon in year 41 (although i do fully believe that he did kill her) and if that theory is true it would serve as an interesting parallel between ghostblade and yang cheng who both became toughened by the job of killing, slowly rebelling and having rock lose his grip on them but for that to work we would need content of yang cheng actually slowly realising and rebelling like ghostblade which we would have to get in s2 through flashbacks or the idea wouldn't go through.

[chilling-seavey]

George Russell Masterlist

♡ It was about time I created a solo masterlist for George and all the works of mine that he so kindly inspired x ♡ Most if not all of these contain NSFW content. Read at your own discretion. ♡ Comments and asks are always welcomed and appreciated!

Main F1 Masterlist

One Shots - AUs

Don't Worry Darling ↳ Married and thriving in an idealised community based on routine, gender roles, and arguable paradise, you and George seem to be just as perfect together as the utopia you live within - but not everything is as it seems on the surface.

In The Middle - feat. Pierre Gasly ↳ The summer of 1985 had your time filled with two handsome men who, with each, you had a non-exclusive friends-with-benefits relationship. They were completely unaware of the other’s existence in your life but that’s what added to the thrill. Once you faced a few close calls where they almost discovered your cheeky little secret, you decided to lay all your cards on the table and see if you could have the best of both worlds on the same night.

Fantasy Island ↳ A tropical paradise where your greatest fantasies come to life, no strings attached. Upon your arrival to the sunny weathered beaches, in the cloud like king size bed, you find your greatest fantasy waiting for you.

The Silver Arrows - feat. Nico Rosberg {AO3 Link} ↳ Abu Dhabi 2016 ends with the high of Nico's World Championship win. Out of everyone in the world, only George knows that Nico plans to retire now that he's won the title. On their last night as teammates, they decide to celebrate the end of an era properly.

It's Strange but It's True - feat. Roger Taylor ↳ George and Roger had grown up in the same small town in England and had been friends for years. Now, in their late twenties, it was about time that lines became blurred, leading to an unintended night of pent up feelings spilling over. All it took was some eyeliner and a fucking ridiculous blonde wig.

One Shots - Standard

Enchanté ↳ On a brief business trip to Paris, you find yourself enamoured with this handsome stranger and the fleeting promises he offers in the city of love Desiderio ↳ It's been a year since Paris. A year since you've seen George. In the middle of the storm of a century, in another foreign city, fate sometimes works in mysterious ways.

Blue Moon Motel ↳ George has decided that his affair with you needs to end but he takes you out for one last night before saying goodbye.

Little Bit of Luck ↳ You fly to Bahrain to surprise George before the first race of the season, giving him a bit of good luck in his driver's room before lights out.

Silence of the Mountains ↳ George decides to rent a motorhome for the Austrian Grand Prix weekend like some of the other drivers do; he's sure it'll make everything so much more convenient. Sharing the space with his trainer might be beneficial for work but certainly not when it comes to taming your insatiable appetite.

The Patriarchy ↳ Of course George is a feminist; but who is he to deny you when sometimes you just want him to treat you like his property.

What He Deserves ↳ George just won in Monaco and there's only one way he wants to celebrate. You wouldn't dream of saying no to his request; not when he deserved the world, and more.

She Never Did ↳ George is only missing one thing in his relationship. That one thing is what only you can give to him.

The Sunshine State ↳ George is in Florida for the Miami Grand Prix and brings you along with him for a bit of a vacation for yourself, but even in the excitement of the Sunshine State, mornings always prove the hardest to face without some sort of motive.

Sundress Season ↳ As the weather warms, a springtime picnic is in order. A picturesque view from the flower fields of Southern France lays before you, but George only has eyes for you and that short little sundress that doesn’t seem to do his imagination any favours.

Longform Fics & Series

Love Thy Neighbour PART ONE PART TWO ↳ It’s the end of summer 1984 and you and your perfect little family move into a quaint suburban neighbourhood to escape the hustle and bustle of the Manhattan lifestyle. Your next door neighbours are a picture-perfect family of their own - or so it seems from the outside. But, as you spend more and more time with the handsome husband, the cracks in your own marriage start to come to light.

Confessional ↳ George is the golden boy of the congregation and can do no wrong as the pastor’s son and purest of heart, body, and soul. You find yourself fantasizing about ruining each other's purity more than anything, although little do you know, after an unexpected fess up in the confessional booth, he’s not as innocent as meets the eye

Disillusionment (Medieval AU) ↳ George had spent his entire life as a peasant farmer in the quiet fields of Norfolk, sheltered from much of the unrest that had gripped late 14th-century England. Choosing to leave behind the stable, modest life he was born into, he sets out for London in hopes of forging his own path among the city’s guilds. His apprenticeship master is a kind and just man—but it is the master’s eldest daughter, a fair and intelligent maiden, who begins to stir something deeper within him. Though everything seems promising at first, the lingering unrest in the wake of the Peasants’ Revolt still hangs heavy in London’s streets, and George soon discovers that life beyond the fields is far more complex—and far less kind—than he ever imagined.

Lessons in Love and Other Ilicit Desires ↳ Sensible, wise, and a hopeless dreamer, Rosaline was used to men not giving her a second glance. She soon discovered it was merely those mundane college boys who were nothing more than simply intimidated by her intellect. What she needed was a man — someone who could impart knowledge beyond the Classics and guide her in discovering her own confidence as a woman. The thrill of sneaking around with the ever-so-charmingly handsome Professor Russell was certainly a bonus.

The Way It Goes (Slice of Life Blurbs) ↳ A collection of stand-alone blurbs centered around George and his growing little family in which I can use their world to purge my domestic George thoughts and daydreams.

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[wildestaugust]

Daylight — Conrad Fisher

Warnings: angst, lots of agnst, slow burn.

Word count: 6.7k.

A/N: First time writing for 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'. I have an idea for a follow up, but I'd love to know what you guys think of this. Thanks!

Stanford parties were not that frequent. In fact, it was finals week so it was out of the blue that one of the fraternities organized one, exactly in the middle of such week.

She was dragged by one of her friends to attend. As much as she was into having some fun, she was extremely tired.

For almost two full months, her junior year documentary presentation had taken a toll on her day-to-day schedule as she would work on it at unspoken hours, at a point where even her friend would beg her to take a break.

"Come on! We should celebrate that this semester is practically over." Alessia, her closest friend, said enthusiastically. "You, specially you, deserve a break."

"I know." She said as she put on some lipstick. "To be honest, if I had another friend that wasn't as convincing as you, I'd bail on you even when i'm ready."

"And that's why you've got me." She replied cheekily. "Who knows, maybe we meet people we've never met."

"That's what meeting people means." She replied chuckling. "Let's go before I regret this."

"Well... I wouldn't let it happen, Miss Little Boring." Alessia mentioned laughing.

Stanford had been the dream ever since she first touched a camera. Growing up in New York meant chaos—subways at midnight, sirens blending into lullabies, her parents' lives scheduled down to the second. Palo Alto, by contrast, felt like breathing for the first time. The calm suited her. After her freshman year, her dad surprised her with a small place of her own—not far from campus, but far enough to feel like it belonged to her, not the school. It was quiet, a little sun-drenched studio where she could edit all night and nobody would knock on her door.

As she drove around the frat house, they quickly realized there was more people than they thought at first.

"Do people not want to study or did they just give up entirely for their finals?" She joked as she turned off the engine.

"I guess they gave up." Alessia replied.

As they walked into the house, she thought she was underdressed as she saw some girls in heels and mini dresses.

Alessia noticed her looking at her clothes. She wore a midi crème skirt that went a few inches below the knee, paired with a green cashmere sweater.

"You look fine. Don't worry." She assured.

They went straight to the table where various bottles of alcohol stood. She poured a cup of whiskey for herself, while Alessia opted for some vodka.

Barely minutes after, they saw Agnes. Agnes was Alessia's cousin who happened to be in pre-med at Stanford as well.

Agnes immediately introduced them to some of her friends, most of whom were in the same program as hers.

"There's another one of my friends who you guys haven't met, but it's likely that he bailed for the night." She chuckled. "But anyways, how's it going?"

"It's alright. Definitely not as anxiety-inducing as your program for sure."

"Speak for yourself. I'm fully drained from this semester." she replied. "Agnes, I don't know how you're pulling it off with the med stuff."

"If you give up sleeping, you're set." She joked. "Are you still editing your documentary?"

"Until the day we do the presentation, yes." She said. "I just follow most of feedback my teacher gives me."

"You see why I had to drag her? She'd have stayed home long enough to edit it all from scratch." Alessia said chuckling as the girls laughed.

They were talking about different things, until they mentioned the upcoming summer break.

"Hey, what are you guys up to for these months?" She asked. "My parents still don't know where we'll go."

"I was thinking on going to Big Sur." Agnes replied. "But I might come back earlier to take an extra credit."

"Oh. Well, I'm staying in Boston but I could join you there too." Alessia suggested. "Hey, don't your parents have a house in Cape Cod? Aren't you gonna be there?"

"Cape Cod? Isn't that where Taylor Swift once cosplayed being a Kennedy?" Agnes added.

Most of her summers were spent in their Cape Cod residency which had been a wedding gift from her paternal grandmother to her parents. For the last year, her father chose to renovate it although it had been taking more time than expected to be done.

"Yes. And yes... but they're renovating it, so we can't use it for the summer, unfortunately." She explained. "I'll probably stay here for a few weeks before going back to New York."

They kept talking and drinking. It had been such a long semester that she hadn't had time to properly met some of Agnes's friends. They were mostly med students too, and really fun to be around.

At one point, the music started to wear her down a bit. It wasn't exactly due to the loudness —though it was quite loud— but because her head was still half-stuck in other things. She hadn't mentioned to Alessia, but a few weeks back she found out her Dad's leukemia diagnosis.

It was something that she kept to herself and, through her documentary work, she managed to dissociate a bit from the reality they faced.

She hadn't thought about what was happening back home until she was too comfortable at the party. Maybe it was the guilt of feeling like she should be there, even though she had to attend college no matter what.

She slipped away from the circle of girls without making a big deal, whispering something about having to go to the bathroom, although she didn't go looking for one.

She walked up the stairs instead.

Once on the second floor, everything felt much quieter, as if the music had simply faded. The first door she opened led to a dimly lit room, empty except for a record player in the corner that wasn't playing anything and a window cracked just enough to let the night air in. It smelled like someone had been there earlier—cologne lingering in the fabric of a jacket tossed over the arm of the couch.

She walked in and closed the door just behind her. She needed that second to breathe properly, to get her chest back to normal.

"Are you also exhausted of pretending to have fun too?" a voice said, quiet and warm.

She turned —confused but not alarmed. A brunette boy saw in the corner of the room, half-shadowed, with one leg stretched out and a cup resting on his knee. His expression wasn't smug or performative; it was casual, like he'd been here a while and wasn't surprised to find someone else needing the same kind of escape.

She didn't recognize him, which led her to think he wasn't a film student. Stanford had a small acceptance rate, yet she obviously didn't know everyone. He looked her age—maybe a little older. Soft brown hair, sleepy eyes, and something hard to read in his face. He wasn't trying to flirt, which could've annoyed her. No, he was kind of an observant. At a point where it felt as if he was taking a break from something heavier than the party as well.

"I wouldn't say I'm pretending," she replied walking away from the door, getting close to where he sat. "But I figure I did sneak up here like an idiot."

"That makes two of us." He nodded slightly. "I bailed mid-beer pong. I've been burning my head with notes and bullet points, for god knows how many quizzes, that I didn't have enough energy anymore."

She chuckled. "So instead of leaving, you came up to sneak in someone else's room?"

"I think it's the room of this friend of Agnes. She's a friend." he said. "I think the guy already left for the summer. The record player doesn't work, by the way. I tried."

There was a big silence. Not precisely awkward, but rather filled with an interesting calmness.

"I'm friends with her cousin! Are you in pre-med too?"

He grinned faintly, not looking at her as he took another sip. "Unfortunately. I'm Conrad."

She raised a brow. "Ah. You're the one who she thought had bailed on her earlier" She added, "I'm Eloise."

"Guilty." He chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Eloise." He added with a small smirk. "I got through the kitchen because I hadn't been to one of these parties in so long that I almost got lost."

It caught her attention how soft-spoken he was. As a few thoughts lingered on her mind, she stood there, unsure if her presence was interrupting the peacefulness he was seeking. "Well... if you want me to leave your moody little hideout, just tell me."

He shook his head. "You're not annoying me."

She paused to think for a bit longer than before, with the room being in complete silence. If it hadn't been for the way they'd have been speaking to each other in those few minutes, it would've been extremely awkward.

She ended up sitting near him. "It's weirdly pleasant in here. I kind of forgot what silence feels like."

"Silence is underrated" he added.

She looked at him again, detailing him for half a second too long. "Are you always this cryptic?"

He smiled suppressing a short laugh, not entirely looking at her eyes. "No. Just tonight, I guess."

His voice hinted at something that was holding him back. Perhaps, difficult enough that he'd rather leave it at that. Either way, she knew better than to ask about it.

She looked at him while leaning her back against the wall. A respectable distance between both. "I won't ask you, don't worry. It is... none of my business."

Conrad looked back at her then, like he hadn't expected that. He once was made out to be egotistical for thinking about his feelings without being too vocal about it, but in that moment he just felt peace.

"Thanks." There was another pause. Longer, but quieter.

She looked up at the ceiling. "You ever think about how exhausting it is to always be fine? I mean, no one is ever truly happy."

He turned his head slowly, eyes meeting hers now—really meeting them. He looked into her light brown eyes for what felt like a lifetime. For the first time, something cracked open in his expression. Simple recognition.

"Yeah. A lot." he said. "I won't ask details but, is there something on your mind that's not letting you be at peace?"

She didn't smile. She gave him a light nod in understanding. She sat with it. And that—somehow—felt much more intimate than anything either of them had said or done.

The air between them felt still. For a moment, neither was a student, or someone trying to forget something, or someone trying to prove anything. They were just... there.

A knock took both of them out that silence they were enjoying.

The door cracked open, spilling light and laughter into the room.

"There you are" Alessia peeked in, eyes flicking between them. "I've been looking all over for you. Are you...? oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

Conrad blinked like someone waking up. The quiet bubble popped.

"It's okay," she said quickly, standing. "I needed air and I got in the first room I found. I'll come down in a sec."

Alessia nodded, eyeing the boy in the corner just long enough to make a mental note.

"Alright. Don't disappear on me" she said cheekily before closing the door again.

She turned back at him. For a second, it felt like they might say something else —maybe say goodbye properly, maybe not—.

But he just gave her a quiet look. Not cold. Not warm. Just something that would sit in her mind for days.

"I should go," she said.

He nodded once. "See you around."

She left without asking his number.

And she didn't think she'd see him again. Not when she stayed for another hour and he was yet to come down. Certainly, this boy she had no idea about, made her feel like she wanted to know a bit more. Out of the curiosity to see past that mystery look that hung over him.

"You didn't tell me you were seeing someone." Alessia said as they pulled up inside the parking garage at Eloise's apartment building.

"Well, because I'm not seeing anyone. I told you, I was trying to go somewhere quiet and when I went into that room, that guy was there." She explained turning off the engine. "He was kind of dissociating as well so he let me

stay. He's a friend of Agnes."

"Oh, I see. What's his name?" She asked.

"Conrad. I don't know his last name, but he was nice." She added.

"Well, at least you didn't have a bad night." She said, vaguely referring to some of the boys they'd encounter in previous parties. Most of the time they'd deal with disrespectful guys.

"Yeah. But anyways, I need to get some sleep." She said while they walked to Alessia's car, which was parked right in Eloise's 2nd parking spot. "Let me know when you get to the dorm. I'll be waiting."

"I know! See you tomorrow." she said as they hugged.

Once she saw her turn on the car, she walked inside the elevator. She was tired, but at least it had been a nice evening, specially when she managed to get her mind off of so many things.

She thought about Conrad for a bit, knowing his face would be hard to not think about when she went to bed.

It was finally the last day of school, which meant she was about to do the presentation of her documentary —based on the history of California— in front of her entire class.

She sat next to her teacher as some of classmates —and other people— settled into chairs. She tried not to look at the crowd, at least not directly. But then the door creaked open near the back.

Agnes walked in, whispering something to the guy beside her. He nodded quietly, sliding into the seat next to Alessia.

She froze.

It was him.

The boy from the room.

Same soft brown hair, same withdrawn calm, but it was different now. In public, he looked less like a stranger and more like a person who had unknowingly anchored something in her. Conrad. His name came back to her like a skipped beat.

He wore a white shirt under a blue crewneck sweater with some jeans while his hair was slightly messy, falling just above his eyebrows like he'd run a hand through it on his way in. It gave him the look of someone too focused to care and too effortlessly attractive for it to matter.

He didn't notice her at first since Agnes was talking to him about some internship. And then, right before the lights dimmed and the documentary began to play, his eyes met hers across the room.

She had turned back to see everyone that was already sitting, when she met his greenish-blue eyes. It felt as if time no longer mattered as the game of longing stares seemed to began.

He didn't smile, but he didn't look away either. She was flustered as she turned her head back to the screen, not realizing he had a small smile on his lips as he looked.

It took him by surprise how natural it came off, moving on his seat hoping Agnes hadn't noticed, otherwise he'd be subjected to her teasing questions on what was he smiling about.

It had been almost two years since he felt something for someone. After all, he had been in love just once and that was Belly.

Although the memory of that relationship no longer pained him —and Jeremiah's comments about her when they'd speak on the phone didn't bother him—, he drifted away from pursuing any romantic relationship.

Through therapy, he learned how to work out his feelings without pushing them in his mind and accumulating them. Still, he felt weird about doing the whole dating thing all over again.

As the credits rolled in, applaudes broke out. Not loud, but genuine. Some of her classmates turned towards her, offering small praises about the documentary that some deemed as a 'love letter to California'. Her teacher hugged.

"It was beautiful" she whispered. "Congratulations, Ms. Parker."

She nodded, her heart still pounding, but with the relief that all the effort had been worth it. All the anxiety, all the hours in Premiere Pro, everything had paid off.

As another student prepared to screen his documentary, her teacher told her she was done so she could leave. After gathering her stuff, she walked towards the exit, looking for her friends.

She didn't see neither Agnes nor Alessia, so she walked out hoping they would be outside.

Outside the auditorium, she turned to one of the benches, spotting him. He was standing as if he was waiting for something or someone.

She walked over slowly, part of her unsure if this counted as brave or foolish.

"Hey," she said, voice low.

"Hey" he replied. The same quiet tone from the night of the party.

"I didn't know you'd be here." She smiled. "Did you enjoy it?"

He shrugged slightly. "Well, Agnes said there was free coffee." They both laughed. "It was really nice, congrats."

She laughed before smiling. "Thank you, it meant a lot to me that everyone loved it."

Silence came between them once again, but not the uncomfortable type of silence. It was the one where neither wanted to be the first to move.

Finally, she asked, "So... how have you been?"

He looked at her—really looked at her. No smile, no empty compliment. Just something careful in his eyes, like he was afraid to say too much and mean all of it.

"Drowning in homework. Thankfully it's all over now, so I get the entire summer to do nothing around here." He said chuckling. "You?"

"Working on this and worrying about some other stuff. Thank god we don't come back until September." She said laughing.

Before he could respond to what she said, Alessia appeared at her side with a glowing grin.

"Oh my god, you killed it." she said "I think you will be the best director ever, please don't forget about me when you win an Oscar."

Agnes joined thems smiling. "You should've heard Alessia gasp like she was in a theater," she said to Conrad, bumping her shoulder lightly into his.

He smiled faintly, more to himself than anyone else.

"Thanks for coming," she told them both. She meant it. She hadn't expected it to matter, but it did. Maybe more than it should have.

Agnes looked between her and Conrad, perceptive in a casual way. "We were gonna grab something to eat before I have to run. You guys coming?"

Alessia nodded eagerly. "Yes, please. I'm starving."

Conrad glanced at Agnes, then back at her. "You guys go ahead. I have to go back to my apartment in a bit.

Agnes arched a brow at him but didn't argue. "Fine. Eloise?"

"Yeah... I have to do some other stuff so I'll have lunch at home." She explained. "See you guys."

Alessia mouthed something vaguely teasing as she was dragged away by Agnes —who tried not to laugh as she picked up on whatever that was going on between both of them—, but Eloise pretended not to notice.

Now it was just them again.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, eyes flicking to the floor for a second before lifting again. "You're kind of mysterious, you know."

Conrad looked like he might deny it, but then changed his mind. "I'm kind of figuring things out."

She nodded slowly. "Me too."

A few students brushed past them on the way out, but the space between them didn't shift.

After a beat, she tilted her head. "Want to walk with me for a bit?"

He didn't smile, but something in his expression softened. "Yeah. I do."

They walked out into the bright California sun. Not touching, not speaking for a moment, just walking. Slowly. Like maybe neither of them was in a rush to get to wherever they were supposed to be next.

The campus paths were nearly empty now, just a few scattered students trailing in the distance or perched on benches in post-presentation haze. The sun cast long shadows, and the breeze pulled at the edges of her jacket.

"You're from here?" She asked.

"No, I'm from Boston." He said. "I was at Brown for a bit and then transferred here."

"Oh. Is there a particular reason why you transferred?"

"Leaving Massachusetts was a good catch." She chuckled as he spoke. "With a family like mine, you'd be saying the same. How about you?"

"I was born and raised in New York." She replied. "I almost joined Columbia, but Stanford was my dream for as long as I've wanted to study film."

"That's nice." He said softly.

They walked side by side, their footsteps in sync without meaning to be. Not talking, not needing to.

She could feel the silence again—not the kind from the party, heavy and reflective—but something easier now. The silence of two people who didn't mind just existing near each other.

At one point, she glanced over. "By the way, do you always do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, his tone still soft but confused.

"Disappear into rooms at parties. Then show up again at people's screenings out of nowhere." She explained cheekily. "I'm not mad, I just find it odd."

He looked at her sideways, and for the first time, something close to a smirk curved his mouth. "Only when I'm trying to keep the mystery alive."

She smiled at that. Not a big one. Just enough for him to notice.

They stopped at a corner of the quad, where the path forked toward different buildings.

She pulled out her phone without thinking. "In case you want to keep the act going..."

He raised a brow.

"You know," she added, trying to sound casual. "Disappear again, then randomly text me something cryptic at 2 a.m."

Conrad reached into his back pocket, pulling out his own phone. "I can work with that."

They exchanged numbers with no ceremony. No awkward hovering.

Before she could say anything else, he pocketed his phone and looked at her. Not intensely, not dramatically, just long enough for her to feel like he saw her again. Still.

"Are you doing anything this summer?" he asked. "I might stay here, so I'm preparing for a bunch of nothingness."

She chuckled. "Well, I'll go back to New York in August. I'll be spending the entire month here, maybe we can hang out before boredom tries to strike us."

"I think so too." He replied. "Well, I gotta go but it was great seeing you."

"Likewise." She replied.

And just like that, he was walking away.

Not fast. Not slow. Just enough to make her wonder when the next time would be.

The next couple of days went by in a flash. She went out occasionally to the movies or to do grocery shopping, but overall she stayed home doing practically nothing.

"Honey, is nice to see you." Said Mark, her father, as she was on FaceTime with her parents. "How's the summer going?"

"Great. I can't wait to see you guys next month." She smiled.

Her father looked healthy, even when she knew that the illness was inside of him and it was hard to tackle. She wondered how he had the energy to still smile at her like that, while she tried to pretend that none of it was real and, somehow, things would go back to normal.

"I know!" Her mom said smiling. "You know, we were thinking on going to The Hamptons while you're here."

"Yeah, what do you think, Hon? I made sure to get your room repainted since it still had the princess wallpaper." Mark added with an enthusiastic smile.

"Oh... I like the idea. But are the doctors fine with you not being nearer?" She questioned.

"Yeah. They have people over there as well, so I'll still get my treatment there." He explained. "We'll be fine. I'll be fine." Her father had a way of making her believe him, even when he knew he wasn't being entirely honest.

"Fine. I guess I'll pack my bathing suits." She smiled. 

She spoke with them for over an hour before settling in her bedroom as she began playing a rom-com on the TV.

One could she chose to do nothing, as Agnes and Alessia ended going to the Big Sur trip, but she ended up not going just in case she had to leave earlier for New York.

The downside of being on her own, was that she'd check her phone from time to time waiting to see a text.

She hadn't heard from him since the day of the presentation. Not even on the day she dropped the girls at the airport, when Agnes swiftly mentioned that he was "probably driving up the coast with a podcast and a protein bar." It was okay, she said to herself. It was just a party, just a documentary, just a shared silence in a borrowed room.

Still, she checked her phone more often than she liked to admit. It made her feel pathetic.

As the night settled in, and the credits began rolling —she had seen The Holiday for the millionth time—, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth as she had eaten a bit too much of caramel popcorns.

Her phone was face-down as she went to grab it. It buzzed once.

She flipped it, half expecting it to be Alessia or her dad asking what else she wanted in her bedroom for when she came back,

Instead, it was an unknown number calling her.

"Hello?" She spoke.

"Hey. How are you?" That voice.  Her heart stopped for a second—just enough to feel it—and then started again. She knew who it was.

"Oh, hi!" She replied. "I'm fine. I thought you'd chicken out."

"Me? A chicken? I wasn't born that day." He teased. "What are you up to tonight?"

"Why? Are we crashing a party to borrow another room?" She replied with a bit of banter.

"I guess you'd enjoy that." He said. "I ordered some food, I'll be watching one of my Mom's favorite films."

"Oh. Well, I spent the last two hours watching The Holiday and I'll do a little something for dinner." She mentioned. "What was your Mom's favorite film?"

"It Happened One Night." He sweetly mentioned, reminiscing on the many summers where she'd watch it as soon as they'd arrive at their Cousins house. "She had this tradition with her best friend Laurel, who's kind of an aunt to me, to watch it on the first day they arrived to our summer house."

She could feel both the melancholy and the endearing warmth with which he spoke about his mom's tradition. She could tell by the weight of those words just how much his mom meant to him.

"That's sweet. And that's objectively a very nice film." She added. "You guys have a summer house?"

"Yeah. It's this house in Cousins that my maternal grandfather left to my mom and my aunt when he passed away, but my brother and I got it after she passed." He explained, without elaborating on the heavier details like the tension with his Dad or the fact that he had his first love in that house.

"I've never been there." She said. "Well, my parents have a Hamptons house, but where I've spent many summers is in our Cape Cod house, which my grandma gave them when they got married." She sweetly remembered her childhood running around that house.

"Nice. Are you going there this summer?"

"We're going to The Hamptons. With college, it's been a while since I went, so it's a bit exciting to go back." She smiled. "By the way, I had no idea you had a brother!"

He softly laughed. Talking about Jeremiah was bittersweet at first, but he could enjoy that, in the last few months, they were in a much better place and what happened surrounding Belly was way past them.

"Yes. I've got a younger brother, his name is Jeremiah." He explained. "He goes to Finch with his girlfriend, who's the daughter of my mom's best friend."

He immediately regretted mentioning that. What would she think of him, if he told her that he used to date the same girl?

"That's interesting." She found it endearing. "Would you say they always liked each other? considering you're saying her Mom was very close to yours, so I guess she was around a lot."

Conrad had two options; either he spilled all that happened, or he keeps it simple to avoid saying something weird.

Understandably, admitting Jere and Belly were always meant for each other felt weird, but the truth was that they probably were. He no longer felt that romantic attraction towards, he barely saw her —although she'd occasionally text on his birthday or to send him pictures with Jere— and he learned to let go of the past in a healthy way.

"Yes. I think they've had that complicity since they were kids." He suggested.

"How cute. Well, I'm an only child." She said. "I did ask for a sibling during one Christmas, but it never came."

"I figured. You have the energy of an only child." He said. "In a good way."

"I get that a lot. Don't worry." She assured.

"Well, my delivery is almost here." He began. "But I wonder if you had any plans for tomorrow. If you're free, what do you say about going to my favorite coffee shop?"

It was no brainer.

"I'd be delighted. Let's go in the afternoon, unless you're a morning person." She smiled.

"Afternoon sounds perfect." He replied. "Well. I hope you have a great night."

"Likewise. Goodnight, Conrad." She sweetly said before he hung up.

Conrad sighed softly as he put his hands on his face. He couldn't believe he was actually going on a date, his first one in god knows how long.

The next morning went by smoothly. He woke up to run around for an hour, he grabbed something to eat at local shop, and got to his place to shower and get ready for the rest of day.

He had another date before seeing Eloise, maybe partly being the reason why he even had the guts to ask her out.

"Conrad Fisher?" He looked up, seeing a middle aged woman holding up a clipboard. "Dr. Morris is ready to see you."

"Thanks." He spoke as he got up.

For the last year, he had been seeing his therapist twice a month. It had been Laurel who helped him find one through one of her colleagues, whose wife happened to be one.

"Hello, Conrad." The woman said grinning as he sat in front of her. "How have you been?"

Dr. Caroline Morris had met him while he still struggled to open up about his mother's death. It was a great feeling for her that he had progressed positively since their very first appointment.

"It's been great. I'm finally done with this semester too." He said.

"Nice. Last time we spoke you were talking about maybe reaching out more often to your family. Did you?" She asked.

"Well, I've been texting Jere from time to time." He admitted. "And Laurel is apparently coming next week on her book tour, so I promised I'd take her for dinner."

"Oh that's nice. I really loved her book." She mentioned. Conrad had gifted her a signed copy that Laurel had sent. "I'd gladly attend if she ends up coming."

"Yeah, it'll probably be at The Underline." He said, referring to a small bookstore that wasn't that far from the medical center they were at the moment.

"Nice." She smiled. "And what about girls? Or am I still your only constant date?" He laughed at her joke before shaking his head.

"Well, I'm actually going on a date after our session." He said. "She's really pretty."

"Oh! that's wonderful, Conrad." She said with a lot of happiness. "Tell me all about it."

"I met her a few weeks ago at this party. I was actually drifting a bit from everyone and she walked into the same room I was." He began. "I think we were both trying to get somewhere quiet, and we just talked for a bit before she left, and then when I saw her again I asked for her number."

"Oh. That's interesting. I suppose you're getting to know her."

"Yes. But... I have this weird feeling because I'm attracted to her, but I don't want to get too close or else I'll get hurt."

"Con... We've been through this before." She warned. "You can't control nor hold back your feelings due to past experiences... How much time has it been since you and..."

"Belly." He said, finishing the sentence. "Almost four years since we left things for good. And I think I've seen her about five... six times since that." He sighed before continuing "I no longer have feelings for her, but that experience... I don't know If I could handle another disappointment."

"Well, you can." She replied. "We are all capable, within our own boundaries, to manage our emotions. And you definitely have shown that you're capable of it."

He wasn't speaking. It was rather his face the one who spoke for him.

"I tell you what. Why don't you talk me through how you'd want things to go with this girl? Give me everything that you've thought about." She suggested an exercise.

"Okay... We go on our date tomorrow and it goes fine. We talk and talk, and we keep hanging out until she leaves to visit her parents in New York." He began. "And we just keep in touch, and hopefully we date on our last college year."

"Well, don't be afraid in getting to know her." She smiled. "I want you to not be afraid to live life on your own terms due to a bad experience a few years ago."

He was out of the clinic about half an hour later. He drove around town —as he waited until it was time for the date— while he kept thinking on what they talked about during therapy.

As his mind wandered about her, his phone began buzzing.

"Hey!" She spoke. "How are you?"

"Hi. I'm great!" He replied.

"Nice. Hey, could you send me the location to where we are meeting up? I kind of forgot to ask last night." She explained.

"Sure. Do you need me to pick you up?"

"No, don't worry! I'll see you there." She assured.

As soon as she hung up, he sent her the location. Thankfully for him, she mentioned she didn't live that far so they were about five minutes away from each other.

While Conrad drove thinking intensely about her, Eloise could barely think as she approached the coffee place. It had been long since she had a date, and although she kept telling herself everything was casual, something about Conrad felt a bit more special.

She parked in front of the place and, as she got out of the car, she spotted him getting out of the car as well.

He saw her as well and smiled before speeding up to greet her.

"Hi." She said as they hugged.

She felt the warmth of him on that hug. it was the kind of hug that would last a long time, one of those hugs that wraps around you like a warm blanket.

As they walked inside the place, Conrad was kind enough to pull a chair for her while he sat right in front. Their table was at the back of the place, so they were at a much quieter area in comparison to the other tables.

They talked, a little. About nothing.

How finals went. How weird it was that campus had emptied out so quickly. A brief tangent about Agnes' obsession with black-and-white films. She mentioned her excitement to go back to New York.

"That place still feel like home?" he asked.

She glanced over at him, surprised by the question. He, of course, was oblivious to why she wanted to go back there.

"Sometimes," she said. "But mostly it just feels like going back to my childhood and all the beautiful memories I still hold from that time. And I don't want to take things for granted that, perhaps, I'll regret in the future."

Conrad nodded once, but didn't say anything at first.

"I understand. I used to live with that regret." He admitted, before swiftly changing the topic of conversation. "By the way, I didn't want to forget saying how nice you look."

A short smile formed on his lips as she looked a bit flustered from such unexpected compliment.

"...Thanks." She smiled. "You look nice too. I like the hair."

A few minutes later, the waiter walked towards them to bring their order. Conrad was having a green juice with a bagel, while Eloise preferred an avocado sandwich with coke zero.

They had a bite of each other's food while they spoke about what they liked the most about California, given it had become their home away from home.

"I love everything. Walking by the beach, driving around with no traffic... is everything I've wanted." She said. "And I think my dream is moving into one of those west atheton houses, having that nice garden and maybe kids running around." She explained. "I grew up in a New York townhouse and believe me, It was a bit isolating being on my own."

He smiled as she spoke. His mother came into his mind as she spoke about wanting a family in the future. Susannah would always go on about wanting him to marry someone who treated family like he did.

"I must say I grew up differently." He began. "Jeremiah and I not only had each other, but the kids of my mom's best friend became our best friends since we were born." He thought about Steven and Belly. How long was it since he spoke to Steven? "Steven is my childhood best friend, and then there's Belly..."

"...Jeremiah's girlfriend." She said. "How nice it is that you all grew up together."

"Yes. Until you go to college and then calls become a little less constant." He admitted. "Either way, I guess i'm grateful I had other kids to annoy my mom. Did you annoy yours?"

"Well, my Dad is just a couple of years older than my mom. When she got pregnant, he says he was really excited because he had assumed at that point that he wouldn't have children." She started. "And so when I was born, you can only imagine how easy I'd have it to get whatever I wanted." She laughed.

She remembered the many silly arguments between her parents. Her mom would argue with her dad that he couldn't get her whatever she wanted just because she cried.

"So... Actually, my mom would get annoyed with me because she was the one building character for me, while my Dad told her he didn't bring a daughter into the world to not give her whatever she wanted."

"I mean, your father wasn't wrong." He replied grinning softly. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at her.

"Yes. That's why he's the best." She said.

They spoke for a little while before deciding to leave, not before Conrad took the tab —much to her insistence on paying—. They settled on seeing each other again the following week, mainly Eloise's idea.

"So... see you around." She said.

While they hugged, he held a bit longer onto her. Just as they separated, his eyes fixated on her lips. Soft, pink.

Time suddenly turned into slow motion when he, gently, brushed her cheek with his thumb as he pulled her in for a kiss.

She was taken aback by his action, however, she softly ran her fingers through his thick brunette hair as her other hand gripped onto his arm.

It lasted for a few seconds, but Conrad swore he had felt heaven as he touched her lips. They were soft like velvet, and the way she caressed his hair made him almost melt.

As they broke off the kiss, his smiled at her, clearly, flustered face.

"I wanted to do that for as long as I've been getting to know you." He spoke. "I'm sorry if..."

"Don't apologize. I liked it." She replied with a smile. "...I must go, but I loved today. I really enjoy spending time with you, Conrad."

She kissed him once more before leaving him standing next to his car, completely head over heels for her.

After parting ways and getting to his apartment, he sat on the floor in his room for a while. Just thinking. Not even sure what about.

At some point, he pulled out his phone.

No unread messages. No missed calls. Not that he was expecting any.

He hovered over her name. He didn't text her.

But he thought about the way she made him feel less like a problem to solve and more like a person again.

She was getting under his skin.

Not fast. Not loud. Just enough.

And for the first time in a long time, he wasn't sure he wanted to stop her.

[holysmokesblog]

I don´t care about money

Remus Lupin x reader

Summary: The fear of losing a job and losing each other. An honest confession and a tender moment are enough to show that their love is their best shield against any storm

wc: 1.1k

Masterlist

A quick note: I wrote this inspired by the song: No me importa el dinero - Los autenticos decadentes. And it goes without saying that I'm pretty weak at English, so I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I hope you enjoy it! Reblogs and likes are greatly appreciated <3

You looked out the window for the umpteenth time. The streetlights outside were already starting to turn on and the shops were closing, but there was no sign of who you were looking for. You sat back down in one of the dining room chairs, anxious. 

It wasn't the first time Remus had taken this attitude; he'd leave early in the morning for work and not return until almost nightfall. He always had a perfect excuse: chatting with his boss, working overtime, walking back to avoid spending money on the bus, etc. 

At first, you'd taken it in stride. You both urgently needed that money; the bills kept piling up in the mailbox, and your salary alone wouldn't cover all the expenses. Not to mention how difficult it had been for your husband to get and keep a regular job because he was a werewolf. 

But the situation kept repeating itself, day after day, and you began to wonder if there really wasn't something more to it. 

The ringing of the phone yanked you from your thoughts, and you rushed to answer the call. 

“HELLO?! HELLO?! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!” The shouts on the other end of the line nearly pierced your eardrum, but the voice was easily identifiable. 

“I can hear you, James,” you said, moving the tube away from your ear. “No need to shout.” 

“Oh, sorry, I'm still learning how to use this thing.” He lowered his voice a little, though it was still loud. “Can you put me through to Moony?” 

“He's not home yet,” you replied, somewhat annoyed. “How's little Harry?” 

“That bastard! When he gets home, tell him to call me. Harry's fine. He misses his aunt and uncle.” 

“Oh, my little one. We'll go visit them as soon as possible.” 

You heard James fiddling with the phone and the muffled sound of Lily's voice in the background. “Oh… Uh, yeah, and I wanted to let you know if you need help with anything… Anything… Don't hesitate to ask, that's what friends are for.” You remained silent for a few seconds. 

“What do you mean?” you managed to mumble, confused. 

“Yeah… You know…” James's voice sounded uncomfortable, and you could tell he was pacing, stretching out the phone cord. “You understand…” 

“No, I don't understand.” 

“Money…” He finally revealed. “If you need help with that, you can count on us.” 

You couldn't help but let out a small laugh. It wasn't the first time your husband's best friend had offered his help. It was sweet, but with your job and Remus's new income, you were sure it wouldn't take long to stabilize financially. 

"That's very kind, James," you replied. "But we'll be fine." 

"That's good to hear." He laughed too. "So Moony already got another job? That was quick." 

"Another job?" 

"...Shit," Lily's voice bellowed in the background, probably insulting her husband. "I... I thought you already knew," he said finally. 

You remained silent, trying to process the information. The front door creaked as usual, admitting a very tired Remus. "Bye, James. Give Harry a kiss for me," you said, and without waiting for a reply, you hung up. 

You watched your husband drop his bag and hang his old coat on the rack. When he saw you, he approached slowly before placing a small kiss on your lips. His slouched gait and the heavy bags under his eyes betrayed that something was wrong. 

You placed one of your hands on his cheek, bringing him back to your lips. He, somewhat surprised, followed your instructions. 

"Did you miss me?" he said, barely separating you a few inches. 

"A lot." You wrapped your arms around his waist, burying your face against his chest. Remus's scent was intoxicating; it was a kind of men's cologne mixed with the chocolate he always carried in his pockets. His arms carefully wrapped around you, and he rested his chin on your head with a sigh. 

“I'm sorry I'm late, today…” 

“Don't try to hide it anymore,” you interrupted. “I knew something was wrong.” 

His breath hitched, and he let go of your waist in an attempt to distance himself, but you only tightened your grip. He didn't put up any further resistance and buried his face in your hair again. “I didn't want to worry you,” he said softly. 

“You didn't want me to know you were out of work again.” You both fell silent. Gently, you loosened your grip. He lifted his head so you were face to face. “Why? We’re a team,” you said, feeling a lump form in your throat. 

“I… I was afraid you’d leave,” he admitted. “It was a good job, a good opportunity… We needed that money.” A single tear slid down your husband’s cheek. You hurried to wipe it away carefully, but more soon escaped his bright eyes. 

“A cold wind can’t knock me down.” You took hold of both of his cheeks, forcing him to look into your eyes. “If I have you near me, I’m not afraid of what might happen.” 

“I’m sorry…” 

“I don’t care about money. I have what I love most by my side,” you assured him. “I am your faithful companion.” 

“You are my shield against fear, and even if the sky collapses, I will always be there.” Remus’s voice was broken, he carefully brought his hands to your face, also wiping away the tears that you hadn’t even noticed were running non-stop. “How could I have imagined that you would think of leaving me? We've been through more than one storm together." 

"Neither the good nor the bad times have been able to separate us, because our love has always been stronger." You crashed your lips onto his again.

Your husband was trembling slightly, but he soon wrapped his arms tightly around your body. He gently pushed your body to walk backward. You obeyed gladly, unable to let go of his lips, until the back of your knees hit the armrest of the chair. You both sank down, landing on the old chair. 

You couldn't help but laugh at his startled face when the piece of furniture made a strange noise from the sudden weight of both of you. After a few seconds, Remus quickly settled on top of you, careful not to crush you completely. 

"I admit... I was afraid it was another woman," you confessed timidly. 

"Another who...?" 

You felt the heat settle on your cheeks. It seemed stupid now, but the thought of Remus having an affair had crossed your mind from time to time. 

“Impossible," he declared. "I am also your faithful companion." 

"You will never be alone. I will always be."

[journey-of-daydreams]

anon ask: "what would happen if you tried to “sacrifice” yourself and take on miles’ punishment? would rewrite even let you do that, or would he make the punishment worse for miles?"

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

Alternate route for "Do My Words Reach You?"

Option 2: You swap your basket with Miles' before Rewrite counts them.

Type: Oneshot Genre: Horror Content Warnings: Direct Threats, Psychological Abuse, Murder, Rewrite being very angry with the Reader Stage: Post 2 Rings

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

"Time's up!" Rewrite calls out from in front of you. You notice Miles and Ekiduna are on either side of you, baskets also in hand.

You immediately look down at your basket and eye the other two's, trying to judge how many eggs you have in comparison. Miles, the poor thing, his basket is barely full... Meanwhile, Ekiduna definitely has way more than both of you.

You can't help but turn your attention back to Miles. The poor thing, you notice him shivering as his eyes dart from his basket to Rewrite in fear.

You wince, feeling terrible... Especially since you're the reason he dropped his eggs in the first place.

"Welcome back, my distinguished players!" You hear Rewrite greeting everyone enthusiastically.

A sense of urgency fills you. You can do something about this, before Miles gets hurt again. You quickly turn away from Rewrite, trying to act as quickly as possible before they start counting.

"Now, let's see how-"

As Rewrite speaks, you wordlessly place your basket in front of Miles and take his out of his hands. He makes no attempts to resist, but his eyes widen in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Miles whispers softly to you. Before you can respond, another voice interrupts you.

"何それ？" Rewrite calls out, their tone flat. You turn to them, and see that they're standing motionlessly and staring directly at you. Your heart drops. You were hoping they wouldn't say anything. "何だって？What are you doing? The game is over."

"I- Yes, I just... I'm forfeiting my eggs to him." You stammer uneasily, your voice shaking more than you want. 

"No you're not." Rewrite corrects you. "You can't do that. That's not how this works."

"You... You haven't counted the eggs y-" You try to argue your case. But Rewrite starts taking several large steps towards you, practically floating towards you.

"The timer ran out, Miles already lost." They declare as they make their way towards you. "You know that. I know that. Miles knows that." At the mention of Miles' name, you steal a glance at him; For some reason, he's still staring at you, his ears pinned back as he shakes in fear.

"You're cheating my game." They accuse as they stop in front of you, too close for comfort. You lean backwards, feeling the aggression radiating off of them. A grin remains plastered on their face, but their movement is stiff and tense.

"I-I didn't mean to!" You insist. "I-I just didn't want you to hurt Miles again," You stutter out to try to explain yourself. They threateningly take another step forward, forcing you to meekly step back.

Rewrite emits an odd, warped noise you don't understand as their head tilts to the side. Their pupils widen and stretch, forming oddly realistic, human-shaped eyes, and their model becomes darker. Their limbs quake, as if barely restraining their rage.

You just reached your final warning.

"You took the soul I needed, and now you're trying to take my fun away from me?" Their tone is flat and robotic. The soul? Do they mean- But you don't have time to think. Their prowl towards you isn't stopping anymore. Every step they take towards you, you're forced to step away. A droning, staticy sound begins to fill your ears. "Are you stupid? 死にたいの？"

You end up stumbling and falling on your back, being forced to scramble away as quickly as possible on your hands and feet to avoid whatever it is they're about to do to you. Out of the corner of your eyes, you barely comprehend Ekiduna and Miles, both simply watching you, as if waiting for something terrible to happen. Rewrite doesn't stop marching towards you with a hunched over, distorted gait.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I don't-" You stumble on your words, unable to find anything to save yourself. Your back hits a tree and you lean as far back into it as you can, as if you could disappear into it. You hear your heart pounding in your ears.

Their body floats closer to loom over you, knowing they have you cornered. Their limbs tremble.

"お前を殺したい気持ちを抑えるのが、もう限界だ。" They chant smoothly, yet emotionlessly, to themself. Their words fall worthlessly on you, you can't even understand them. But you have a terrible feeling, they're saying something important that you can't understand.

They stare down at you, and you can do nothing but stare back as you wait for the inevitable.

All you can focus on are their eyes that stare through you.

It feels like an eternity.

And then...

Their voice rings out.

"Remember this mercy."

A basket manifests in their grasp. They place it onto your lap.

And slowly, with slight hesitation, they turn, and walk away.

...

With confusion and horror, you look into the basket.

It's your egg basket. The one you had before you gave it to Miles.

A sign that they have not let you lose their game. They have graciously spared you yet again.

Yet the cutting sound of a scream and sickening crunching makes you flinch. You look up, and see, Rewrite ripping something out of Miles- His heart.

You see Ekiduna making a run for it.

Without second thought, you do too.

[miss0atae]

So many things have been said about ITMBC, but you know what caught my attention (beside Nut being fabulous) it's that it's going to give me something I love: brothers' rivalry!

It just came at the right time when I'm going to no more have Reset and the rivalry between Thada and Thiwthit, ITMBC is giving me another one to analyze every week.

I haven't read the comic, so I'm watching the series with no more knowledge about the characters than what the series is giving me. On one hand, we have Kosol, the king's older brother who doesn't have a title again and who is plotting against his brother to take over the throne. On the other hand, we have Chaiyachet, the younger brother who is the king. Their relationship is strained, yet, it seems like Chaiyachet is trying to reconnect.

Apparently, Kosol doesn't really believe what his brother says and so I guess there are two reasons why Chaiyachet is trying to get closer again to him: first, he indeed is missing his brother and he is trying (in a very clumsy way) to spend time with him, second, he is only pretending to get closer to him because he knows Kosol is plotting against him. It's the strategy of "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer".

In my opinion, it's a bit of both. We still haven't seen the "cunning" side of Chaiyachet and I believe he is young, so that's why he has a mix of nativity and ingenuity in him. There is probably a part of him that misses Kosol, but he isn't stupid and he knows his brother believes he should be the one on the throne. We still don't get exactly what happened, how was their relationship before Kosol ended up in prison and all the ins and outs between them. So for now, it's mostly guesses that I can make.

Chaiyachet appears to be young to me because the way he acted and these questions about "Why is Kosol hungry-power" or "Would he kill him" show some vulnerability. Obviously, it could be a very deceptive way of trying to strike a chord and make Kosol renounce his project. In fact, I believe Kosol doesn't really hate him because he told Prince/Woradet that he didn't want to kill him (which frankly isn't a great idea too because letting your "enemy" be alive is never a great idea. If Chaiyachet is the real "enemy" of Kosol)

As for Chaiyachet he let him out of the prison and if he really hated his brother, why not killing him? It's not exactly a wise idea to release someone who would like to take your throne or who doesn't like you. Even if you take back his title, he can still be a thorn and be pretty dangerous. You never know when he will go after you again. If he did it once, he can do it twice. There must be other people who would like to help him.

In a way, we could also have someone else that is putting the two brothers against one another to truly hold the power. As it seems like Chaiyachet is a young king who has a lot of enemies, it wouldn't surprise me that someone else was taking advantages of the brothers' rivalry.

Oh! I can't wait to know more.