#idk about being a rake tho

[girlatmirror]

the viscount who loved me | jjk

It was your sister’s season, and she was the diamond, while your season was still a year away. Though suitors could seek your hand already, it doesn’t excuse you for secretly pining after the viscount who courted her.

viscount!jungkook x reader

warnings: (kinda??) morally gray yn and jk, sexism (c’mon it’s the 18th century what did u expect), sex (bye minors), it’s not sex centered tho, longing and yearning (bring real romance back), cheating (is it tho, idk u be the judge), u might get mad at the main characters, enemies to lovers, heavily inspired (or stolen) by my loves anthony and kate 😍😍, yn is the younger sister and has yet to enter her season, but she is in her twenties!! (not specified in the text, but i was thinking jk is like 27, yn’s sis is 24 and yn is like 22, just to clarify) is idk what else. ENJOY!

_

The fresh, sunny air of London on that day called you to leave the mansion and ride your horse, Cinnamon, into the forest, just as you did every morning that was suitable for a nice ride. It was not entirely proper to do so in that society, but they did not need to know about it. You always felt safe; you rode at a time of day when you were sure nobody would see you. You had a set time of 20 minutes; after that, you returned home, wearing a cloak with a hat that covered half your face. If someone were to catch you, you could merely lower the hat, and they would not know who you were. The last thing you wanted was to bring shame on your family, especially not in a society as cruel as that one.

You rode to your familiar place and felt the breeze of the wind in your hair; you felt free. It continued to be the beautiful, calm ride you were used to—until you heard the sounds of a man, seemingly talking to you.

"Miss?" the voice from afar called. "Miss, are you in trouble?" To your dismay, the voice came closer so quickly that you did not know where to go or what to do. If you were to ride deeper into the forest, you would get lost, and if you rode straight ahead, the man would see you either way. It seemed even this baggy cloak could not conceal your femininity as you had thought it would.

The man came nearer, and you turned your head so he would not recognize you.

"Miss, if there is a problem, I shall help you," his deep voice stated. "It is not suited for a young lady to be out here unchaperoned."

You did not say a word, your face still turned in the opposite direction. You did not think it through, and he turned his horse to face you, ducking his head to see you. You had never felt this silly in your life. You took off the hat hesitantly, revealing long curls and innocent, almost pleading eyes.

Before you sat the infamous Viscount Jeon on his horse, a most important figure of the ton. The gossip columns described him as a ‘rake through and through,’ yet he was as captivating as a summer’s night and as wealthy as the stars were numerous. Indeed, there was not a mother in the ton who did not dream of him marrying her daughter.

You were sure he recognized you as well; with your sister being the diamond of the season, there was not a single gentleman in London who did not know the family he wished to marry into.

"I know you," he revealed. "You are the daughter of Baron Ln. Miss, you should not be here alone. It is dangerous."

"I am not here alone, my lord; I am here with Cinnamon... and you are here, also," you stammered, hesitantly and nervously.

The viscount did not hide his amusement, chuckling while shaking his head. He found the entire sentence you had just said to be hilarious.

"You do not need to be scared; I shall not tell a soul about this encounter," he reassured you, still chuckling. "But I believe you should head home now, for your folks should get worried."

You listened to him, still flushed and slightly embarrassed, and headed home.

The Viscount Jeon certainly was gentler than what the columns wrote about him.

___

"Mother, I was unable to breathe in this corset. It was utterly ridiculous, and it elevated my bosoms up to the sky," you said, exaggerating, while your maid tied up the corset—who was, at that moment, your rival.

The last ball you attended had been the first of the season at the palace, where your beautiful sister, Nadia, had been chosen as the season’s diamond by the queen herself. You had been proud beyond measure; your sister was the eldest of your household and often played a secondary motherly role. She deserved to have the finest suitors begging for just a pinch of her attention.

"I did not have such a problem, sister, and my corset was just as tight, if not tighter, than yours," Nadia declared, looking down at her much flatter body.

"I cannot help but wonder why..." sarcasm left your mouth.

Since the queen’s announcement, your mother had not stopped rushing, running errands, investing in your jewelry collections, and buying dresses from the finest modistes in the city. Your mother had always been insatiable and prideful, yet you had never seen this side of her before.

"My dear Yn, your sister is the diamond of the season; she is destined to wed a most extraordinary gentleman, one who must possess both fortune and lands in locales of which we have never even heard, and court her heart with poetry. Such is the very least that the daughter of a most noble man is entitled to receive. She is the jewel of her season, which ensures that all eyes shall be upon her—and upon us. We shall create a most splendid impression at tonight's ball at Danbury House. We simply must," Lady Ln proclaimed, her pride evident as she gazed at herself and her two eldest daughters in the mirror. "Moreover, Yn, what is this lamentation regarding your bosoms? Such femininity is precisely what captivates a gentleman and stirs envy among the young ladies of the ton. You shall also find your match. Both of my daughters are undeniably the most beautiful women of the ton, nay, of the entire world!"

You and Nadia glanced at each other, trying not to laugh at your mother’s boasting. She had been excited to get her daughters married since they were born, always saying that marrying off a son was not as exciting and beautiful as marrying off a daughter. Your two older brothers had both gotten married in the last few years.

You did not like to admit it, but you had been dreaming of your prince charming since you were just a little girl, waiting to get married. Not because of the couples you knew, but because of the books you read that spoke of longing, making you feel as if you were living the character’s life.

"Lena, get the ladies ready; I shall attend to the little ones. They are out in the gardens, engaged in activities unknown to me," your mother commanded the maid, exiting the chamber with graceful haste to see what her mischievous twins were up to.

"Is it not amusing how mama calls Hana and Idris little ones despite their approaching age of sixteen?" Nadia shook her head, smiling. She admired herself in the mirror and told Lena to fix up her hair. "I must look perfect."

Nadia was a perfectionist through and through, the eldest daughter of a baron and his insatiable wife—a combination that could only produce a girl whose expectations for herself were high, too high for anyone to reach.

"You do look perfect. You are the diamond, Nadia; not a single soul in that ballroom shall utter an ill word about you—and if they do, it is out of pure envy," you said adoringly. "I must say, I cannot wait to meet my new brother; I bet he is a most handsome gentleman who shall ask you to dance, and in the morning, he shall call on you, saying how he cannot stop thinking about you and that you are as beautiful as a blooming flower."

Your teasing was accompanied by you dancing around playfully and blinking your eyes at a fast rate, which irritated your maid, who, of course, wouldn’t say a word to you beyond measure as she adjusted your dress. Nadia shoved your shoulder in a joking manner, smiling to herself.

"I shall find myself a love match, much like Baba and Mama—I desire a love like theirs; that is my only goal," her eyes communicated her feelings of yearn, while you nodded.

"You shall. You are your mother’s daughter, after all; you shall always get what it is you desire," you kissed her cheeks encouragingly, and she looked at you with thankfulness.

"Ladies! The carriages have arrived. Make haste!" Your mother’s demanding voice called from downstairs, resulting in you immediately strutting down the stairs.

___

The Jeon family had a reputation to uphold. They were known for their generosity, their welcoming spirits, their lavish homes, and their riches. The viscountess was nothing short of the perfect viscountess, continuing to be so, even after her husband’s tragic death a mere couple of years ago.

She intended to find herself a replacement that season, desperately wanting to marry off her eldest, the viscount. Her desperation did not come from a place of fear of undesirability; it was quite the opposite.

The viscountess feared her son might be looking for a wife for the wrong reasons. What she and her late husband shared was a love she wished for all of her children; yet her son seemed to see the world differently. He wanted a wife only to fulfill his duties and produce an heir.

"Jungkook, the search for happiness and love is not shameful. It is indeed the bravest thing a man can do—to listen to his heart and let it guide him," the viscountess tried to woo her son, who did not look up from his estate’s accounts ledgers. "You cannot hold interviews for eligible young ladies to find a suitable one; you shall know she is the one when you gaze upon her and converse with her for the very first time."

"When will you realize that what you and father had is the exception, not the rule? I am the viscount; I hold many responsibilities, and one of them is to wed a girl of good noble breeding to replace you as viscountess and produce an heir who shall lead this family when I am gone," Jungkook responded calmly. "I have indeed let my heart guide me; we are in agreement. I shall not continue with the interviews, as I have already found my future bride in Miss Nadia, the daughter of Baron Ln."

His mother was shocked at the revelation, looking at him with a glimpse of hope and wonder. "The diamond? Oh, how delightful! She must have great promise to have caught the eyes of the viscount."

She recalled the last ball when the queen announced Nadia as the diamond. Her son had not had a chance to talk to her that night, as the girl was occupied with many overbearing suitors and mothers.

"Yes, indeed, Mother. She is accomplished in literature, she plays many instruments, dances quite beautifully, and she comes from a most respectable family. She shall be my viscountess," he explained further. "We shall attend the ball at Danbury House tonight, united as one. Miss Nadia shall be there as well; we might find a suitable gentleman for Yoona if that is what she wishes." Jungkook was referring to his younger sister as he spoke.

"Wonderful," his mother’s eyes sparkled with joy.

___

The Jeon family arrived quite late, but in style. The viscount dressed in fitted trousers and a crisp white shirt that accentuated his strong arms and broad shoulders, his brothers dressed similarly, and his sisters in beautiful, rich silk gowns.

Jungkook was already on the lookout for a certain diamond who had caught the attention of the entire ton. He was not worried she would reject his advances; after all, he was the viscount, and there was not a single gentleman in London who could claim to be more eligible than him.

"Excuse me," he gracefully pushed through the people standing before the diamond, all waiting for a turn to speak with her. "I wish to dance with you, Miss Nadia."

As the voice of the viscount was heard, the stares of the ton overwhelmed Nadia, everybody in utter shock; the viscount, who mothers had been trying to get to look at their daughters for years, wished to dance with a girl in her first season out? How very surprising and envy-inducing.

Nadia nodded shyly, letting go of her very proud mother’s hand and accepting the viscount’s. She wondered where her sister was until she saw her at the drink stand fetching herself a lemonade.

"You are an excellent dancer, my lady," Jeongguk expressed, his hand in hers as they attracted all the eyes of the crowd.

"That is all your doing, my lord," she shyly answered, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "You are quite a natural."

Their conversation continued for the next few minutes. They discussed very trivial matters, but Jeongguk made sure to let her know that she had caught his eye.

Eventually, Nadia moved on to another gentleman, and the viscount disappeared out of sight.

After a while of proudly watching your sister dance beautifully with potential suitors, you decided to step outside for a while to catch a breath of fresh air.

You were not particularly in the mood for dancing that night.

"Do not tell me the Viscount Jeon is looking for a love match this season; what happened to the viscount who visited his courtesan at least once a day and enjoyed a good brothel show?"

As you walked into the garden of the grand Danbury House, you heard a conversation that sparked your interest. A group of men, including the viscount who had just danced with your sister, and a few others you did not recognize, were talking. Letting your curiosity wander, you remained silent and listened to their talk unfold.

"I assure you, I am not out to find a love match; I am simply fulfilling my duties. Is it so impossible to find a suitable wife for a viscount, one who has hips meant for birthing, the ability to woo me with her intellect, and does not require love? It is simply a struggle," Jeongguk complained.

"Not a lady in London lives up to the standards of the viscount, I presume," the other man standing laughed. "I have seen you dance and converse with the diamond of this season; tell me, Viscount Jeon, does the diamond live up to your standards?"

"She is a respectable young woman who I plan on getting to know better, but I must not judge yet, for I fear I do not know what I might find out," the viscount answered the man’s question with honesty.

By then, you were sure your face was red with anger. How dare that man, that filthy rake, talk about your sister or any woman that way? And to think that Nadia was completely smitten with him already, you could not believe this audacious behavior.

They continued talking about useless things.

"We shall go back inside, my lord; are you coming with us?" one of them asked.

"No, you go. I shall join you later," he said, wanting to stay in the fresh air.

He started moving in your direction, and you quickly tried to get away, but your foot caught something, making a loud noise. "Who is there?"

You knew you were as good as caught, so you revealed yourself. "It is you. Were you eavesdropping?"

It seemed his audacity continued.

There was a spark in his eyes as he looked you up and down, as if he suddenly remembered the encounter you had in the woods or as if he really enjoyed what he saw.

"I was not! Also, one cannot eavesdrop in a public space…" you defended yourself. "The words you spoke were filthy and jarring, my lord; I cannot help but believe it is best if you do not let your interest in my sister unfold."

He visibly became uncomfortable, the evidence in his face demonstrating that he knew he had said things that did not particularly present him well.

"Those words were not meant for your ears, Miss Yn," he said, attempting to maintain his composure.

"I heard them regardless. If this is you with all your guards down, if these are your true feelings, you are not a suitable match for my sister," you emphasized defiantly.

The viscount lifted his eyebrows at you, letting his eyes linger on your body until he gazed into your face again. "You do realize there is not a lady in London who does not seek the kind of marriage I offer? That is, besides the privileges of becoming the viscountess."

"Oh, is that true? You assume the ladies of London are so easily charmed by a pleasing smile and nothing more?" you questioned him, causing him to grin.

"You find my smile pleasing?" he smirked down at you.

"I find your opinion of yourself entirely too high. And I stand by what I said; you do not suit my sister," you spoke, crossing your arms.

He skimmed your body, an amusing expression forming on his face. "Miss Yn, I remember the morning in the park very well. It seems to me that you do not care much for the rules of this society; that is why you spoke to your viscount in that manner."

"My apologies, my lord. I simply feel defensive over my sister," you apologized, feeling blood rush to your face.

"That is quite all right; I know what it is like to have siblings one cares for," his smile was warm, which surprised you.

After a few awkwardly intense looks between you two, you decided to bow respectfully and leave the scene.

You left Jeongguk standing for a while, the smile on his face visible even from a long distance; your jasmine scent lingered, and your words never left his mind.

___

Ever since the announcement, suitors from all over London had come to visit the Ln house to spend time with the diamond.

You quickly got used to seeing gentlemen in your house every morning, conversing with your older sister while you pretended to be occupied with something else, secretly listening to their conversations.

That day was no different. It was exciting, to say the least, not only because you were happy for your sister, who was receiving all these presents and love, but also because it broadened your understanding of courtships; your sister was paving the path for you in the future.

Oh, how excited you were for your future marriage.

As you walked downstairs after waking up from a long night of carefree sleep, you could already hear the distant sounds of a suitor.

You smiled to yourself, walking into the spacious living room, where you found your mother and father sitting on one couch with smiles that spoke volumes.

As you entered the room completely and saw who your sister was talking to, your face began to drop.

It was him. The viscount.

The man whom you could not escape from, for some reason.

While they finished their conversation, your mother noticed you standing there. "Good morning, Yn! Look who came to visit your sister first thing in the morning! Greet the Viscount Jeon."

You bowed respectfully and begrudgingly spoke, "Good morning, my lord."

He simply smirked, reciprocating the greeting.

It was as if he was provoking you with his handsome face and effortless demeanor.

"I shall head home now," he announced, standing up from his seat. "Breaking my fast here was very lovely indeed, Lord and Lady Ln; I must thank you dearly."

They exchanged pleasantries and enthusiastic goodbyes, of course, not without the viscount promising to come back tomorrow around the same time.

As he stepped outside, you followed him, pretending to go on a garden stroll.

"My lord!" you called after him, making him turn around to you.

"Yes, Miss Yn?" he spoke with a tinge of teasing, which seemed to always be present when he spoke with you.

His coachman was patiently waiting, watching you two standing face to face.

"Why have you called on my sister?" you asked; you were always known for your bluntness, which was something you tried to work on.

The viscount sent you a questioning but amusing look before replying, "Am I not allowed to?"

You shook your head, trying to put your thoughts into words.

"You are allowed," you answered hesitantly. "But what I said to you at Danbury House, I meant. I do not believe you are the right man for my sister."

There was a short exchange of glances between you; you hoping he understood your concerns and him wondering how you gathered the audacity to speak to a viscount that way.

It was not that he was angry about it; he was merely surprised. He had never had a person talk to him that way.

"Miss Yn," he started, his voice low. "I believe your sister can make her own decisions, can she not? And I must say, she did not seem to have a problem with my presence at all… quite the contrary."

You knew he was right, but there was something in your intuition telling you that this would not work out; you looked at him and did not see your sister’s future husband.

Yes, he was wealthy, and he was quite handsome, but still… he was not the man your sister was looking for.

"I believe I know my sister better than you do, my lord," you insisted, as stubborn as you always were.

He simply chuckled. "I do not doubt it," before hopping into the carriage and waving goodbye to you.

You could not comprehend how severely irksome he was.

___

In the following weeks, Jungkook tried his hardest to impress your sister; calling on her, giving her extravagant gifts, attending events and balls seemingly only for her.

It felt like he could propose to her at any moment, and you did not like it.

Your sister, on the other hand, seemed to be very happy with the viscount’s affection for her.

Who would not be?

One day, your mother hosted a gathering in the diamond’s name—an opportunity for suitors to see your sister and make themselves known to her.

The Jeon family was invited and set to attend, but the invitation for the viscount was lost in the mail.

Jungkook was very busy that day; meetings and managing accounts and staff took up a great deal of his time.

He did not have time to prepare himself for the crucial task ahead.

After asking his brother, Namjoon, for help with the poetry he intended to read out loud at the Ln house, he read over the piece of paper and could not control his scoffs; he thought poetry might be the most deceptive tool of all.

Such pretty, empty words.

He ordered a carriage, hastily moving to make it to the party that he was so conveniently not invited to, and hoped for the best.

The doorman immediately let him in, obviously knowing who the Viscount Jeon was—a familiar face to all of London indeed. Marching in as if he owned the place, he found a huge gathering of gentlemen performing their talents—or lack thereof—to impress Nadia.

You and Nadia were sitting next to each other on the sofa; you wore a judging yet amused face, and Nadia looked very grateful for the time they took for her.

He dreaded that his eyes lingered on you for far longer than they did on your sister; you were wearing an accentuating, expensive gown and a classic updo, your expressive eyes drew him in.

"Please excuse my tardiness," Jungkook took his chance right when someone finished his performance, making a loud announcement that turned everybody’s head. "I shall read a poem I wrote for Miss Nadia.”

Your expression was hard to read; though you were certainly annoyed by his sudden appearance, there was something gleaming in your eyes that he could not overlook. Your eyes locked in a room full of people, something that seemed to happen quite frequently between the two of you. Your effect on him made him nervous to perform; for some reason, he cared for your opinion quite a bit.

Naturally, everybody respected the viscount and his wishes, giving him their full attention. Nadia’s smile was beaming; your mother was more than happy to see the viscount show further interest in her daughter, and the rest were in awe of the viscount, whose shell was very hard to penetrate to make such an effort for the diamond.

"What is it to truly admire a woman?" he read from a small piece of paper in his hand, and your heart began to beat faster than it should have. "To look at her and feel inspiration, to delight in her beauty, so much that all— all your defenses—"

Suddenly, he stopped; everybody in the room quieted as they attentively listened to his beautiful words. His sudden silence caught some off guard, including you, who sat there looking at him with longing eyes, and Nadia, whose smile slowly vanished. Whispers began to break out.

"My apologies, I cannot do this," the viscount stated, resulting in Nadia frowning slightly. "Truth be told, I am not a man of poetry; those words are someone else’s entirely."

A few quiet gasps could be heard around the crowd of people, but Jungkook did not shy away from speaking the truth.

"Miss Nadia... I cannot offer you pretty words and rhymes, but I assure you, when it comes to action and duty; I shall never be found lacking."

Your breath hitched in your throat, as if his words were hitting you in your chest.

There was a part of you that was grateful for his honesty; the probability that your sister would not want to continue a courtship based on a false perception.

But there was another part that hated his honesty; why did the man you were supposed to hate repeatedly find his way into your heart by revealing sides of him you felt drawn to?

You knew the viscount did not want a love match.

And you loathed him.

So why did your chest burn with every word he spoke?

You could tell your sister was lost for words, watching the viscount with curious eyes.

"Nadia..." your voice came out smaller than you expected. "If you wish for him to leave, I—"

But your sister’s response shocked you. She stood up and clapped her hands, a sign of approval for the viscount’s words.

Others started joining her, but you stayed put in your place.

Jungkook’s growing smile beamed, feeling relieved that Nadia didn’t seem to mind his lack of verbal affection.

"Nadia," you murmured to your sister. "Did you not hear what he said? He cannot offer you the love that you long for."

Nadia let out an understanding "I know," before explaining herself, "I have come to accept that. I do not need a love match that can turn into an incompatible marriage in the future; I now merely desire a stable, harmonious marriage, and I believe the viscount can offer that to me."

You did not know what to do besides sigh and nod. "I just want you to be happy, Nini."

Your sister took your hand and lovingly squeezed it before giggling. "I do hope you and the viscount can find common ground throughout our marriage."

You simply awkwardly smiled at her to mask the storm brewing inside you.

She got up to confront the viscount, while you sat on the couch, staring into nothingness while contemplating the confusing feelings that were so foreign to you.

___

With every passing day and night, Jungkook found himself consumed by thoughts of you.

You appeared in his dreams, haunting him like a beautiful ghost, the face behind his sleepless nights.

He was aware of the problematic nature of the situation—courting one sister while dreaming of the other was not something a gentleman did.

But your beauty resembled summer nights and hidden love letters, while your resistant character was consuming and complex; yet he saw kindness in your eyes.

To be truthful, he could not stop his thoughts surrounding you since that morning in the park—the first time you two talked, the first time he heard your beautiful voice.

While you swore you would not admit it to a living soul, you felt similarly.

The viscount refused to leave your mind, appearing in your dreams unannounced and causing havoc inside your heart with every moment you stayed in or out of his presence.

You could not bear it.

Not only did the viscount consume you, but shame accompanied him.

But you promised yourself it was a fleeting moment, and he told himself to suppress his feelings.

___

"My dears, we have received an invitation from Jeon House, inviting us for a week to their country residence in order to continue the courtship away from the ton’s attention; is that not lovely?" your mother spoke, excitement evident in her voice. She was sat beside your father, who was paying more attention to the pie.

"Ah, yes, I’m afraid I cannot join you for that trip; I have business to attend to here in the city," your father spoke, placing a reassuring hand over your mother’s. "But I am certain you will handle it yourself, dear."

Your mother simply nodded and smiled, still in a very happy state about where her daughter’s courtship was headed. Nadia was sat next to you with a similar shy smile on her face.

You, on the other hand, could not help but feel a strange sensation; it was so foreign and something you could not describe. You loved seeing your sister happy, yet there was always a selfish voice in your head.

What if the viscount were to propose?

You began to imagine that scenario in your mind, and you did not like the thought of it at all.

But you feared it wasn’t because of your ‘hatred’ for the viscount, but because of something that was quite the opposite.

___

After packing, organizing carriages, and your mother stressing the entire day, you finally made your journey to the countryside.

It was only your mother, your sister, and you, as your mother thought your younger siblings were better off at home with the housekeeper.

You felt beautiful, dressed in the finest clothes, the most beautiful cosmetics put on your already lovely face. But you were in an undeniable state of distress.

Just as you stepped out of the carriage after four long hours, you were met with the friendly faces of the Jeon family.

Your eyes immediately met the viscount’s, who always seemed to have a certain look of yearning and some sort of pain when he saw you. You locked eyes with his deep brown ones, which somehow spoke a thousand words. His nostrils flared slightly, and it was as if you were both in a trance, unable to take your eyes off each other.

You shared a moment swimming in his eyes before he slowly diverted his gaze elsewhere.

Somehow, he looked even more handsome than the last time you had seen him.

You rued those feelings, the tingle you felt near him, the desperate need to be in his strong arms, to be the only one he knew to love—those feelings you had only read about in books, the tingling in body parts you were taught not to speak of.

But more than that, you cursed yourself for feeling them; how dare you think about your sister’s intended that way?

Were you a girl of no upbringing? Were you not a lady intended for marriage in just less than a year? It was breaking not only your soul but your perception of yourself to be plagued by these feelings; but you knew it would break you more to betray your sister, so you knew you had to stay quiet.

Amidst your overwhelming thoughts, a graceful young lady who was about the age of your older sister and bore a great resemblance to the viscount approached you, right after greeting your mother. She stood next to the viscount, and unbeknownst to you, noticed the shared glances of longing between the viscount and you, surprised to see her usually earnest brother so taken by a girl.

"You must be Miss Nadia," she spoke with a gentle smile. "I am Miss Yoona, the viscount’s younger sister. I have heard very much about you. You are even more beautiful than he described."

You bowed respectfully, yet you did not have the words to express that you were not who she thought you were.

Jungkook stepped in, embarrassment slightly evident on his face as he coughed a little. "Yoona, that is not Miss Nadia; that is her little sister—Miss Yn."

He then pointed to your sister, who was greeting the viscountess. You saw a look of confusion on Yoona’s face.

After everybody greeted each other, you settled into the rooms assigned to you and made yourselves at home.

The rooms were spacious, clean, and very elegantly decorated.

The Jeons were indeed a very generous family.

You suppressed the thought of how lovely it would be to marry into the family, as it was just a thought for you, but the reality for your sister.

And you did not want to hurt your sister or yourself.

___

Despite the comfortable beds and the expensive silk fabric of the sheets, you could not sleep.

Not only because you were not used to sleeping on foreign beds in foreign houses, but because, if your mind could not rest, you could not.

Nadia, on the other hand, had fallen fast asleep on the bed next to yours.

You needed something to distract you from the chaos in your head; a glass of cold water or a breath of fresh air would do.

As silently as you could, you got out of bed and started wandering the halls of the grand Jeon house with a lamp in your hand.

It was magnificent.

You breathed in the warmth, smiling to yourself; it was as if the house knew what a loving family owned it.

While walking towards nothing specific, you stumbled into a large room, empty of people and full of books.

You entered it with a calm heart, grabbing one book after another, taking in the beauty of the written words.

Your calmness was short-lived as you heard the huge door open. You gasped loudly and held up the lamp to see who it was.

Before you stood the viscount in a nightshirt that modestly exposed his muscular arms. He looked handsome, even at nighttime.

"Are you not able to sleep, Miss Yn?" he asked while fully entering the room.

You shyly turned your whole body toward him, feeling exposed in your silky nightgown that clung to your every curve.

Feeling his eyes flicker over you, a sense of timidity washed over you. "No... I cannot seem to fall asleep. I do apologize for roaming around without permission, my lord; I simply could not resist these many books."

Jungkook chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly.

"You do not need to apologize," he assured you, now standing in front of you. "This is...was my father’s library. He read and collected books from all over the world. He was a very well-read man."

"May his soul rest easy," you softly sighed, pouting slightly at the mention of his deceased father. "He sounds like an extraordinary man."

Jungkook nodded in agreement. "He was. I would not be the man and the viscount that I am today if it were not for him."

You did not answer, simply making space for a short moment of beautiful silence between you. Your eyes were intertwined with his deep ones; you felt as if you could dive into them.

"Can I ask you a question?" he suddenly asked; you simply nodded. "Why is it that you are so opposed to the idea of me marrying your sister? Do you truly hate me so?"

You broke the eye contact for a second, trying to gather your answer, while your heartbeat undeniably quickened. "I do not hate you, my lord. I simply worry for my sister. I want the very best for her."

The viscount came closer to you, chuckling again, exposing his barely visible dimples. "And you believe that I cannot offer her the best?"

Your arms were now touching, sending electricity through your body.

"I simply cannot forget what I overheard in the gardens at Danbury House," you answered his question as confidently as you could.

Jungkook’s eyes slightly darkened at your words. "Those words were not for your ears, Miss Yn."

You started to become defensive, letting out a "But I did hear them regardless."

He poked his cheek with his tongue, his nostrils flaring up with mild anger, stepping closer to you until there was hardly any space left between you. "You do not know how much you aggravate me, Yn Ln."

You now felt his fresh breath against your face, causing dizziness.

"And you," you uttered quietly in response, your eyelids becoming heavier. "You believe you do not vex me? I have only grown to accept your presence for my sister’s sake, but only God knows how long I will last in this... this lie."

Jungkook tucked your hair behind your ear, leaning in to whisper into it. "This lie that you insist upon, what is it exactly? That you and I vex each other... or that we cannot seem to get away from one another?"

His voice was low and thick, tinged with a hint of teasing. You slightly backed away, but only to meet his dark eyes, which seemed to challenge you.

He leaned in until his lips were almost brushing against yours.

"My lord," you spoke in a soft whisper. "I—"

The sound of the door opening interrupted you.

Before you could get away from each other, a shocked Yoona witnessed the scene; as quickly as she entered, she left again, closing the door after saying a rushed "I am so sorry.”

You separated from Jungkook immediately after, running out in embarrassment and shame, leaving Jungkook standing in the middle of the library.

You could not believe what you had done.

___

Dinner with the Jeons was incredibly amusing; they were a big, loving family who were not afraid to share jokes and stories, even in front of guests.

To say you enjoyed yourself at dinner would have been an understatement.

In a moment of beautiful chaos, everybody laughed while simultaneously discussing intellectual topics. Jungkook raised his glass and stood up to make an announcement.

He was seated at the head of the table.

"I would very much like to start my toast by thanking our dear guests for taking their time to visit us at our country house. We are very delighted by your presence here with us," he started his tasteful speech. "Miss Nadia, it has been a delight to get to know you further. It is safe to say the Baron and Baroness Ln deserve praise for raising such an upstanding, demure woman... I would like to ask you a question, Miss Nadia."

While he spoke, the entire room fell silent, everybody attentively listening. His words added suspense to the atmosphere, making everyone wonder what he wanted to ask her.

It was obvious what everybody immediately thought of—for he was most likely going to ask for her hand in marriage.

Your mother and Nadia exchanged excited looks while you felt a thick lump form in your throat. The Jeons were all looking at Jungkook with an air of anticipation, waiting for him to finally speak the words.

Yoona tried her best not to gaze upon her brother with a frown of disapproval after she experienced whatever it was that happened between him and you the other night.

Jungkook began to awkwardly cough and put on somewhat of a feigned smile. "I wanted to ask you if you were ready for a game of pall-mall with this family or if you’d rather spare yourself the mayhem."

The whole table broke out in laughter—partially because they genuinely laughed and partially to cover up the awkwardness of the situation.

But you did not laugh, and neither did your sister.

"I would be... honored to play a game of pall-mall with you and your family, my lord," your sister tried to mask her sadness playfully.

During the rest of the dinner, your hand was placed on your sister’s back, soothingly running it up and down her spine.

___

Hours after the dinner, it was nighttime when you were supposed to be asleep, but you and Nadia found yourselves sitting on the bed—her head on your lap and your hand in her hair.

You always comforted each other in non-ideal situations, but this time felt different; it was the first time you felt you had wronged your sister, being the reason for her despair.

"Perhaps the viscount does not wish to propose because of you," your sister suggested, looking up and trying to gauge your reaction.

Your breath slightly hitched as you felt your cheeks warm.

"Uh—whatever do you mean, sister?" you carefully asked.

Nadia gave you a knowing look, presumably confused as to how you did not understand what she meant.

"The two of you loathe one another!" she exclaimed, her words making you sigh in relief. "He is probably under the impression that you would not approve."

You chuckled lightly at the irony. "Nini, he does not care what I think! I am your younger sister, not Baba or even Mama. Even if I do not approve, I do not make the decisions for this family; Baba does."

Your sister nodded but elaborated further, "I know, but there is something in my heart telling me that you are the reason he is so... reluctant."

Your heart skipped a beat, hoping she would not come to the right conclusions, wondering how you could steer her away from thoughts that could possibly lead to the destruction of your sisterly relationship.

"It is not as if I am desperate to marry him, but I believe it would make Mama and Baba unbelievably happy if I were to marry the viscount," she continued, sighing as she absentmindedly played with her hair. "He is wealthy, and he comes from a great family... I do not want to disappoint them."

"If the viscount does not wish to propose to you, it is not because you are lacking, Nini. You shall find wealthy suitors in every city you visit," you stated your opinion. "But I shall talk to him about it if that is what you wish."

Nadia jumped up from your lap, now facing you.

"I should very much like that, Yn," she admitted.

You gave her a gentle smile before getting up to pay the viscount’s office a visit.

His office was on the other side of the mansion—a long way to walk—but with your thoughts running wild, you did not feel the length of the walk.

You knocked on his door hesitantly and entered after he called out, "Come in."

He was seated at his paper-covered desk, staring down with intensity before looking up and seeing you.

"Miss Yn," he addressed you with a trace of surprise in his voice. "Is everything quite all right?"

You did not feel like wasting time, so you jumped right to your point.

"You have been set on courting my sister despite my every objection, and now you plan to cast her aside?" you accused, your tone defensive. "What has she done to deserve this?"

His eyes darkened; he momentarily forgot about the paperwork, getting up from his chair to walk up to you.

"It is not her," he raised his voice. "It is you."

His honest words felt like a gentle hit in your face; your intuition knew what he meant.

"But I am to marry next season!" you exclaimed reactively.

"You believe that is what I desire you to do?" he shouted, his jaw clenched. "There is not a thing you can do—not a corner on this earth that you can travel to—that will free me from this torment."

He continued, "I am a gentleman; my father raised me to act with honor, but that honor hangs by a thread that grows more precarious with every moment I spend in your presence."

"You are the bane of my existence... and the object of all my desires," the viscount added, almost in agony, coming closer to you, whispering in your ear. "Night and day, I dream of you. And when I—do you even know all the ways a lady can be seduced? The things I could teach you..."

Your breath hitched; your tight dress accentuated your breasts as your breath quickened with every word he spoke with every step he took closer to you.

"I did not ask for this," you finally got the chance to talk, facing him directly, barely an inch away. "To be plagued by these feelings... being distracted every time you enter the room, hiding those feelings from my sister... I did not ask for any of it."

"If I were to wed your sister, that would bind me to you for eternity," he stated, stepping away from you. "And I would spend my whole marriage dreaming of you, wanting you, longing for you... until the last thread of my honor snaps. Is that the future you want for us? For your sister?"

You shook your head, unable to say anything.

"Then I shall not go forward with this courtship," he declared, his eyes burning into your skin. "If that is what you wish."

You slightly shook your head—not out of disagreement, but as a signal to yourself to stop the urge to melt into him, a dizzying feeling taking over you.

"It is very much what I wish, my lord," you admitted in a whisper. "I could not bear it..."

He stepped closer again, now breathing your air. "What could you not bear?"

Your fingers grazed his and it felt like a fire ignited inside you.

"I could not," you whispered into his ear, fingers tapping gently against his thick arms. "I could not bear the sight of you with her."

Jungkook leaned into your touch, his eyes closing from the overwhelming urge to embrace your whole body.

"Yn..." he softly breathed into your ear. "All I find myself thinking about—all I find myself being able to breathe for—is you. Do you think I want to be in this position? Contending with these thoughts of wanting to be nowhere except with you. Wanting to run away with you. Acting on the most impure, forbidden desires, no matter... how much I must remind myself I am a gentleman and you are a lady."

Your breath hitched, and you felt a sensation between your legs, pressing them together. He continued, "It is maddening how much you consume my every being."

You grazed your hand further down his arms, eyes locked and bodies almost pressing against each other; if anyone were to catch you, it would be scandalous.

"No," you protested in a whisper. "It is you— you who has thrown my world off its axis, you who has made me question my sanity, you who consumes my every thought, so do not dare to blame me... do not blame me."

Your lips brushed against each other, his breath hitting your lips and your breath hitting his, before they finally collided and became one in a passionate kiss. His hands wandered down to your defined waist, grabbing onto you as if you would fly away.

Your hearts were racing; he cupped your face with one hand and fiddled with your dress with the other; you melted into one.

"Tell me you want this," Jungkook insisted in a breathy, aroused voice.

"I want this, my lord," you purred against him, before gently biting into his lower lip. "Teach me everything you know."

Jungkook had no self-control in that moment, feeling like an animal in the wilderness.

He loosened the ties of your dress with an urgent hand, and you felt the cool air caress your skin as the fabric fell open. Your breasts, heavy and full, spilled out of the dress, begging for his attention. Jungkook's eyes locked onto them, his pupils dilated with desire.

His hands wandered down to your hips, gripping the curve of your bottom through the thin fabric of your undergarment. Your skin prickled with goosebumps as he pulled you closer, his mouth still devouring yours. You could feel the heat emanating from him, the tension in his body a testament to the passion that burned between you.

"Are you certain?" he asked once again, his hands working to remove your undergarments.

You simply nodded, too dizzy and aroused to form a sentence.

Your hands wandered over his shirt, playing with the buttons before tugging on it, urging him to take it off, which he did, revealing his strong arms and chest. You kept your hands glued to them while he took off your bodice, revealing your full breasts to him.

Lifting you up and sitting you down on his desk, he immediately massaged your breasts and took one in his mouth, licking and sucking on it, making you moan in pleasure. "I have dreamt of this very moment for so long, Yn."

You ‘hmm’ed in response, grinding your hips against his in search of friction. You felt a big bulge in his pants, moving your own up and down on it, resulting in quiet groans from Jungkook.

"I..." you tried your best to formulate a thought. "I am so... sticky between my legs, my lord; is that normal?"

Jungkook chuckled amidst his arousal, leaning in to plant a short kiss on your lips. "Yes, my love; that is quite a good sign. Do not worry."

You felt comfortable with him; you admitted, "I have the same feeling quite often when I think of you," without realizing the implications.

Jungkook threw his head back in desire, unable to contain his urges to take you right there.

He took your hand in his and led it to his pants.

"Feel it," he urged, his voice simmering with lust as you began to grab his hardness and gently rubbing it. "That is what you do to me, Yn."

You tugged at his pants, and he quickly took them off, first revealing his drawers, which he removed as well.

He could not waste any more time.

As he revealed his large penis, you gasped.

"Do not be afraid, my love," he assured. "I will be very gentle.”

You were seated on the desk, and he was standing before you, his naked parts touching, with gasps and moans filling the entire room.

He positioned himself in front of you, looking into your eyes to ensure you were ready, only to be met with your awaiting gaze.

"What are you going to do now?" you hesitantly asked, hands on his bare arms.

His hands were placed lovingly on your soft waist, soothing you to ensure you were comfortable. "I will enter you now."

You nodded, not fully understanding the idea.

You blamed the mamas who were too ashamed to speak of essential things like that one.

Slowly entering the tip inside you, you gasped from the pain. "It hurts, my lord."

Jungkook stopped for a moment to cup your face, planting a kiss on your lips. "It will take time, but soon enough, you shall find pleasure in it, I promise."

You gazed at him, immediately believing his words, but wondering, "Does it hurt you as well?"

Jungkook laughed at that, slowly starting to thrust gently into you. "No, not at all. It is a very pleasant feeling for me."

His words came out as grunts, which you found incredibly attractive.

"Well, that is certainly unfair," you pouted, but gradually adjusted to the new feeling.

Jungkook agreed with you, saying, "I know," while chuckling.

As you began to get used to his thrusts, you leaned in even closer, urging him to fully enter you and thrust harder.

"You are simply the most beautiful woman I have laid eyes upon," he praised with hushed grunts, to which you cooed.

The fact that your families were outside the four walls of his office, peacefully sleeping, was something long forgotten by both of you, alongside the idea that he was the man who was supposed to be courting your sister.

You chose to forget about the one thing that was printed in your mind for the past months, even if only for a few minutes.

His thrusts began to become stronger, eliciting seductive sounds from both of you. His strategy to make less noise was kissing you almost the entire time.

His big hands roamed your entire body, and your legs wrapped around his hips; you were surprised at your ease—being with him felt not only beautiful but also effortless.

After a few final thrusts, his hips began to stutter, and a foreign sensation started to form in your stomach, causing you to look at him with a helpless expression, to which he answered, "I know, I know, my love; just allow it to happen."

You hesitantly let go, your head tilting back as you felt yourself reach a pinnacle—a feeling of pure bliss.

Jungkook could barely speak understandably, closing his eyes as he savored the last few thrusts before he reached his orgasm, pulling out and coming on a piece of cloth before he could release inside you.

"You did beautifully," he smiled and kissed your forehead lovingly.

You simply smiled back, the shame slowly returning as you put on your dress again.

He engulfed you in a gentle embrace before whispering into your ear, "Go rest now, my love; we shall see what we do tomorrow. Do not worry about anything; I will take care of it. That is a promise."

Somehow, you did not feel comforted by his words, but you reluctantly obliged, ignoring the slight pain in your legs as you walked through the halls of the mansion back to the room you had to temporarily share with your sister, who was already asleep.

You could not sleep that night, too consumed by wondering how and when you became that bad of a person.

___

The following day, you avoided Jungkook as much as you could. You felt ashamed, dirty; you felt like a bad person.

Your uncommonly quiet behavior did not go unnoticed by your mother and your sister; they kept pestering you about it.

But you did not know what to say to them.

Throughout the entire game of pall-mall, you acted out of the ordinary, not playing as well as you normally could.

Nadia and you were playing with Jungkook and four of his siblings, who were all much better players than the two of you.

"It seems you have forgotten the game, sister," Nadia giggled, watching you struggle with the mallet.

You kicked the ball hard in the wrong direction and almost tripped over; if it had not been for the strong hand that held your waist up.

"Be careful," the viscount’s deep voice rang in your ears.

Although you could stand on your own, he continued to hold onto your waist, his lips almost touching your ear. He forgot his surroundings, and so did you, as you locked eyes and shut out everything that was not each other.

It was a sight of pure chemistry, pure love; a blind man could see the feelings sparking between the two of you.

Visions of the prior night swirled in your mind as you leaned into his muscular body, completely in tune with him even in sheer silence.

Until Yoona interrupted you two with a cough, causing you to separate as quickly as possible from each other with more than embarrassed faces.

Jungkook’s siblings awkwardly laughed, and Nadia’s eyes, which you were avoiding, were boring into you penetratingly.

After the game, you went back to your rooms to prepare for lunch.

Strategically dodging your sister as much as possible, you pretended like nothing had happened between the viscount and you, while your insides brewed with fire.

But Nadia was the confrontational type.

"I see the way you look at each other, Yn," she admitted to you, hurt evident in her voice. "I have seen it for a long time, but I thought... you hated him. Had I known you did not, I would have ended the courtship."

"Nini..." you whispered. "I did not want to hurt you. I do not know how I could have been so selfish. You do not know how much I hate myself right now. I did not tell you because I was ashamed of myself... I did not want you to think that I purposely wanted to steal the man you love."

"I am not in love with him!" Nadia exclaimed in response, "I love you! You are my sister, Yn. If you would have told me from the beginning, I would not have been angry with you."

"I am so deeply sorry, Nadia," your face was a tearful mess at that point. "I did not know what to do; I thought... I was sure this would be just a passing infatuation, but... please forgive me, sister."

Your sister’s gentle hands found their way to your tear-stained cheeks. "I understand..."

"Please, I beg of you, do not let this ruin our sisterhood," you sounded pathetic, but you did not care.

You loved a man you were not supposed to love; you did things you were never supposed to do.

"You are my little sister, Yn," even in anger, her voice was soft and assuring. "You always will be... but do give me time to process this."

You nodded, immediately pulling her into a warm, strong embrace, whispering "I love you" to her.

___

You traveled back to London in complete silence, your sister still unsure how to talk to you and your mother, disappointed in the lack of proposals, but still happy with the time spent together.

For a couple of weeks, you did not hear anything from the viscount or his family. You tried to distract yourself with books and art, but nothing filled the emptiness in your heart.

You knew you gave the viscount the impression that you did not wish to speak with him, but you longed to hear or read his words.

One day, your mother entered your room with a pensive look. "Mama, what is it?"

"Yn... I have news, very important ones," she sat down at the edge of your spacious bed and took your hand in hers. "The viscount... he asked for your hand this morning. Your Baba approves, and Nadia does too, my love."

Your heart jumped outside your body for a moment, completely in shock.

You were happy, but you were not at the same time; perhaps the viscount only proposed because he was the gentleman he claimed to be and was merely fulfilling his duty?

"The viscount does not love me, Mama; I know it..." you sniveled, sadness washing over you. "He is simply fulfilling his duties because we..."

Your mother cut you off with an understanding look.

"Yn..." she spoke softly. "It is well; you do not need to tell me what happened between you and the viscount."

You sent a grateful gaze at her.

She always knew the right words to say when you were in distress.

"But, my dear," your mother expressed in an almost hesitant tone. "Whether the viscount wishes to marry you out of duty or out of love... I believe we should accept his proposal."

You were not angry at her idea because you wanted to marry him more than anything else in the world, but you feared he felt forced into proposing.

It was as if your heart had declared war on your mind.

Reluctantly, you nodded.

"I understand," you softly whispered. "Tell Baba to accept his proposal, but I wish to speak with the viscount beforehand."

Immediately after what you said, your mother ordered the maid to send an invitation for tea to the Jeon house.

___

The next day, Jungkook arrived with his mother by his side and an expensive bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"These are for you," he handed them to you, smiling shyly.

You silently thanked him, feeling the awkwardness brew; thankfully, your mother took the viscountess aside and left you and Jungkook enough room for a private conversation.

"I have not heard back about the proposal yet," Jungkook carefully started.

You nodded. "I have my Mama’s and Baba’s approval... Nadia’s too."

Jungkook watched you with attentive eyes, trying to gather what was holding you back from taking him as your husband.

"But I am afraid you are only proposing because of what happened at the country house," you confessed to him, looking down at your lap. "I do not want a marriage that is based solely on duties, Jungkook."

Jungkook looked frustrated, shaking his head.

"Listen to me, Yn," he grabbed your chin gently, locking his eyes with yours. "I love you. I have loved you from the moment we raced each other in that park. I have loved you at every dance, on every walk, every time we've been together, and every time we have been apart. You do not have to accept it, embrace it, or even allow it. Knowing you, you probably will not. But you must know it in your heart. You must feel it because I do. I love you."

You looked away for a second, tears of joy and longing filling your eyes.

While you gathered your words, he continued, "I know I am imperfect, but I will humble myself before you because I cannot imagine my life without you, and that is why I wish to marry you."

At that point, your face was tear-stained all over, returning your gaze to him as you smiled delicately.

"I love you, Jungkook, and I will marry you," you declared. "But do not think there will come a day where you do not vex me."

He now wore a big smile on his face, leaning in to engulf your full lips in a gentle kiss.

"Is that a promise, Yn Ln?" he breathed against your lips.

___

hiiii, i’m back!! i hope u all get my vision of jungkook as the viscount bridgerton because i do. btw, i’m sorry i’m not rlly active on here but i am a college student okay, i am very busy i cannot help it😭😭 i try to write as much as possible but a girl’s gotta have priorities. anyway, i hope everybody who reads this has a nice day💋 (btw, i love ur feedback, ur comments, etc. so pls don’t be shy)

[honeypiehotchner]

The Gambit (Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- part thirty-two

Hello again 😏😏

Warnings: 18+ mdni we know the drill!, but before that: oh no these two are arguing again (it's sleepy/silly arguing tho!), our usual angst with the case, GASP only one bed, massage turns inappropriate, fingering, idk how to tag this stuff anymore, he puts you to sleep with his fingers idk!

The team sets up shop in one of the interrogation rooms at the precinct. It’s small, but necessary, especially after what you asked Garcia to look into. Regardless, though, Hotch tells everyone that he wants this kept quiet for now, especially given the location.

It’s strange, you’ll admit, being in your hometown. You can’t say that you’re surprised things ended up here. You figured the unsub would lead the BAU here, especially if your suspicions about it being the same man were correct. And you think it’s safe to say with absolute certainty now that this is the same man and he had to have been friends with your father in some capacity. Somehow. 

“Garcia is looking into all of the officers currently working here, and those that were here twenty years ago,” Hotch explains quietly. The door is closed, but the walls aren’t soundproof, and everyone needs to be as careful as they can. 

“Do you think it could be one of the officers here?” Reid asks.

“I don’t know,” you reply. “But I know that growing up here, a lot of the time, the police would turn a blind eye if you were friends. That’s just how it is here.”

“They’ll cover up anything,” Morgan comments with a small scoff. “Even murder.”

“Maybe,” you murmur. “I have no idea, but until then— Do we have the letter and bracelet?”

“Yeah, it’s here,” JJ says, sliding both across the table. “They found some prints on the letter, but they’re a direct match to Richard’s.”

“Figured,” you mutter, ignoring the letter to slide the bracelet closer instead. You pick it up, thumbing over the charms through the bag. A heart, an initial — not an L, like you’d assume if it was for Lila — instead it’s…the first letter of your middle name. “Huh,” your eyebrows furrow as you study the letter.

From beside you, Hotch softly asks, “What is it?”

You show him the charm. “The initial. If it was for Lila, it would be an L.”

“Right.”

“But instead it’s—”

“Your middle initial.” Hotch straightens up. Neither of you notice the way the rest of the team give such wild looks in Hotch’s direction because he knew your middle name with zero hesitation. “Do any of the other charms mean anything to you?”

You shake your head. “I mean, not really, the heart is too generic, the—” You pause on the flower. The same flowers that used to grow in the front yard of your childhood home. And then another charm to represent a hobby you had as a kid. “You don’t think this was…meant for me?”

“It’s his gambit,” Hotch says. “Instead of a note, he’s left this.”

You drop it onto the table, hand shaking. “Okay. Okay, so it’s definitely the same person because these are—” You look up at the wide eyes of your team members. “These are all charms that meant something to me as a kid. My dad called me by my middle name all the time, especially— Fuck.”

“What?” Aaron leans down, trying to meet your eyes. “What is it?”

“Especially when I did something he didn’t like,” you explain weakly, rubbing your forehead. “He’d— He’d have friends over for a bonfire and if I was too loud or didn’t get him a beer quick enough, he’d call me by my middle name to get my attention.”

You hear Hotch take in a tense breath, stepping away from you for a moment. You look up and see him raking a hand down his face — he’s angry.

“I-I don’t remember who was at those bonfires,” you blurt, feeling the need to explain yourself. You meet everyone else’s eyes, everyone else who will look at you. “It changed every time, I think, maybe, I don’t—”

“Slow down,” Derek’s voice cuts through your panic. “Sit down, come on, and breathe, you’re fine.”

Aaron pulls a chair out for you, the only indication that he actually cares in this moment. You sit and stare at the bracelet, at the letter, at these clues that make no sense and almost seem useless.

Rossi glances at his watch. “I’ll go grab breakfast. We’ll need the fuel. Any takers?”

“I’ll join,” Emily nods.

As the two of them leave, you tear your eyes away from the evidence and look at the floor. “What time does the sun rise?”

“Six thirty-four,” Reid replies automatically. “So in thirty minutes.”

“Okay.” You look around for your cup of coffee, finding it when Hotch hands it to you. “Thanks.”

He nods in acknowledgement, but he doesn’t sit. Instead, without a word, he leaves the room.

When the door shuts, you sigh, propping your arm on the table to rest your head in your hand. 

“Hey,” Morgan says.

“What?” you mutter.

“We’re going to get this guy.”

“Before he gets me?” you let out a dark laugh, opening your eyes when Derek doesn’t join in. “Sorry.”

“Hey, listen to me,” he rests a hand on your shoulder. “No one is getting you, okay? Not on my watch, not on any of our watches. Alright?”

You nod. “Okay.” But it’s like chasing a ghost. You don’t know who this guy is, but he knows you, and he knows your every move, somehow. 

The door opens again but you don’t move.

“Here,” Aaron’s voice is as soft as his hand when he rests it on your shoulder. The other hand places a banana and granola bar down in front of you. 

You look at the food and then at Aaron, surprise written all over your face. You thought he left because he was frustrated or angry with you and this case — not because he was getting food for you.

“But Dave and Emily are getting food,” you respond dumbly as he takes a seat next to you.

“And you’re shaking right now, so you need to eat,” Aaron replies, so matter-of-fact, and begins opening the granola bar for you. 

“Oh. Thanks.” You take it and bite into it, immediately realizing how much you needed something sugary and substantial on your stomach — something other than shitty coffee. 

Derek’s phone starts ringing through the silence and he picks up with a sigh, “Give me some good news, babygirl.”

“Good news, and bad news,” Garcia’s sweet voice comes through the speaker, the volume turned low so you’re all huddling around Derek’s cell. “None of the current officers were there when dear old Dad was getting up to his crimes.”

“Figures,” you shrug.

“However,” she continues, “quite a few of them were born and raised in that little town.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” you reply. “Loads of people never leave here.”

“I’ll send their names to your devices,” Garcia says. “Heads up, though, it is all but…two officers.”

“All but two? Baby, that’s the whole damn department,” Morgan groans. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“Oh, I know,” you can hear Garcia’s smile. “I’ll keep digging for anything suspicious. PG out.”

“Okay, everyone pick an officer and start reading. Reid, we can’t print anything, I don’t want to risk any of the officers here seeing that we’re investigating them now,” Hotch speaks quietly. “Keep yourselves alert.” He pauses, eyeing you for a second. “As alert as you can.”

You refrain from asking what the hell was that look for? as you take out your tablet to start reading.

+++

Once Rossi and Prentiss return with breakfast, everyone digs in and goes silent as the team reads. Hotch leaves for a moment to speak with the other officers, likely to keep them “in the loop” and away from questioning the team on what exactly they’re doing.

It isn’t long before you see the sunrise through the windows, though, and you start to get restless.

When Hotch returns the second time and settles down next to you, you elbow him in the arm to get his attention. He raises an eyebrow.

“When are we going to the dump site?” 

Everyone’s heads lift at your question.

Hotch glances briefly at the team before back at you. “We can go when you’re ready.”

You share a look of pure shock with the rest of your team. “Really?” you ask, and at the same time Derek says, “Seriously?”

Hotch pushes back from the table. “Sooner the better. Everyone else, uh, keep reading. Call me with any updates you have.” He nods to Rossi who gives one nod back.

Which, in turn, gives you nothing.

But you don’t question it. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and all. If you try to argue about why he’s letting you go to the scene this easily, it might turn into him not letting you go at all. So you keep quiet.

You follow Hotch out to the car in silence. He pauses briefly to tell the officers that the two of you are heading to the scene, but that’s all.

You keep giving him sideways glances while he drives. The fact that he put up zero fight is unnerving you.

He parks outside the schools and you climb out, not wanting to waste a single moment, just in case he decides to flip on you.

No one is around, save for the crime scene tape, so you and Aaron have full rein of where you can go. Hotch, still in his eerily quiet mood, lets you take the lead and walk wherever you want.

Richard’s body has since been moved to the morgue, but there are markers where he was. You go there first, studying the area in the growing sunlight.

Just as you worried, he was laid right next to the small opening in the woods where you used to walk with your dad. A path that has since grown up, but you can still see where it used to be. You wonder if that is part of the message. If that’s a testament to how close the unsub was with your father.

“My dad walked me home from school a couple of times,” you say, not really to Hotch, even though he is just behind you. You wrap your arms around your torso, the air still slightly chilly before the sun fully rises. “It was through these woods.” You point to the small clearing where the path was. “I thought it was so cool, my dad picking me up and we got to walk home. Through the trees,” you chuckle. “When you’re a kid, you think your dad is the coolest person ever, you know? Or at least I did.”

Hotch’s footsteps sound softly on the grass as he moves to stand beside you. “Did your dad ever have a friend walk you home?”

You shake your head. “No,” you exhale. “But he usually did have friends over when he’d pick me up. It was never weird, though, not like what you’re probably thinking.”

“What am I thinking?”

You cut your eyes at him. “Pedophilia. Grooming.”

His face gives nothing away, which tells you that’s exactly what he was thinking. “I’ve worried about it.”

“Me too.” You don’t look at him as you admit it.

He’s quiet for a long moment. “Did you want to see anything else?”

You look around at the trees before you, all the markers of where his body was. The crime scene tape. The playground not far off.

“No,” you finally say. You don’t know what you were expecting to feel or gain from coming back here, but you’ve gotten nothing. You turn your head to look at him. “Can we make a detour? I want to see if my old house is still there.”

He nods, his arm reaching out to guide you as you walk back to the car. “Sure.”

+++

The house isn’t there anymore.

The street is, but most of the houses you remember have been torn down and three have gone up in their place. Everything is so crowded that it makes you cringe.

“That’s so…sad,” you sigh, sinking down in your seat. “It’s been so long, though. I don’t know why I didn’t expect it to change.”

“It’s okay,” Aaron says softly, hand reaching out to find yours where it rests on your thigh. “It’s hard.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, tipping your head back. “It’s fine. We can head back now.”

He squeezes your hand and turns back onto the main road. You shut your eyes for just a moment, pulling his hand closer to you.

You feel yourself slipping into sleep, so you jolt yourself awake, blinking at your surroundings, focusing on his driving. You realize where you are with some relief; still about fifteen minutes to the precinct.

Until Aaron makes a left turn when he should’ve gone straight to head back to the police station. You clock it immediately.

“Where are we going?”

“To the hotel.”

“What? Why?”

“So you can take a nap.”

“What?” you turn your entire body toward him. “I don’t have time for a nap!” You don’t care that you almost fell asleep a few minutes ago and that he definitely noticed — there’s no time.

“I’m making you take the time,” he says firmly. “Because if you don’t, your body will, and I don’t need you passing out at the precinct or in the field.”

“Hotch—”

“I’m not arguing about this.”

“I’m not even sure I’ll be able to fully fall asleep,” you mutter, slumping back into your seat. You jolted yourself awake a second ago. You’ll likely do it out of sheer panic if you try to nap right now.

“Then we’ll just sit in silence.”

“We?”

“Well I’m not leaving you at the hotel,” he scoffs.

“What, so you’re just going to watch me sleep? That’s creepy, Aaron.”

“No, I brought my tablet, I’m going to read,” he explains calmly, but with just enough bite in his words that you can tell he’s getting irritated with you.

“Why do you get to read?” you snap. “You’ve had the same amount of sleep as I’ve had.” Maybe even less, you want to throw in, but you don’t.

“I’m fine,” he says.

But you’re not letting him get by that easily. “Nuh-uh, Hotchner. If I’m being forced to nap, then you are too.”

“Am I, now?”

You nod. “Yep.”

He chuckles. “Okay.”

The hotel he pulls up to is a nicer one, definitely built after you and your mom left town. You only remember there being motels around here, and not very nice ones.

You don’t really pay attention as Hotch checks in, too busy being pissed off that he grabbed your go-bag and called ahead for an early check-in, all under your nose. Is that why he was leaving the room so often, while the rest of you were going through files? And is that why he seemed so nonchalant about letting you come to the crime scene?

You’re silently fuming the entire elevator ride, even more so because he doesn’t say a damn word to you.

He unlocks the room and holds the door open for you, and somehow that adds to the irritation, so you barely wait for him to be a few steps in behind you before you spin around, ready to lay into him.

He only sighs and sets the room keys down on the counter of the kitchenette next to the two of you. “What now?”

“What now?” you mimic. “You’re joking, right?”

“Does it look like I’m joking?” he deadpans. He points behind you. “Go get some rest.”

“No.”

“Are you serious?” His voice is too calm. “Are you starting a fight about this?”

“No,” you protest, but it’s your weakest one yet. “I just don’t get why everyone else gets to work while I’m being forced to take a nap.”

“Because everyone else got more sleep than we did and looks more awake than you do, that’s why.”

“That shouldn’t matter,” you snap, but it makes no sense, not even to you. “I’m just—”

“You’re just going to lay down and take a nap,” he says again, pointing behind you. “Now.”

You roll your eyes, turning around to just get the hell away from him, except—

There’s one bed.

You freeze. 

Aaron looms right behind you, his voice gentle in your ear. “I can go to a different room tonight. I only grabbed this one because it really was my intention to read at the desk while you get some sleep.”

You nod slowly. You’re still halfway pissed with him, and now halfway pissed with yourself because you don’t want him to go to a different room tonight. You want him here. In this bed.

But you can’t ask that of him.

You silently rifle through your bag to find a t-shirt and shorts to change into, at least so you don’t wrinkle your work clothes beyond recognition. You head into the bathroom to change.

By the time you come back out, Hotch is sitting at the desk facing the wall, his tablet out and briefcase open with other files. He smiles softly when he sees you, but tucks his head back down.

You hang your work clothes up and then slip under the covers, wondering if you can fake sleep for an hour and call it a day. Something tells you he will be able to tell you’re faking it, though.

So, instead, you toss and you turn. And Aaron, frustratingly, does nothing about it. He keeps his fucking head down and nose in the files. He doesn’t utter a word.

You turn again, this time fully onto your stomach, pressing your face into the pillow. It has that hotel detergent smell that is both soothing and nausea-inducing at the same time.

You don’t even hear Aaron move, which is why you nearly jump out of your skin when suddenly his voice is right by your ear. “Are you trying to suffocate yourself?”

“Are you trying to scare the shit out of me so I never sleep again?” you retort, turning your head to the side. He’s crouching beside you, one hand coming to rest on your back between your shoulder blades. He’s looking at you all soft again, so all you can think to say is “What?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing. You’re cute when you’re fighting sleep.”

You glare at him. “I am not fighting sleep.”

He starts rubbing circles on your back. “What can I do to help?”

“Not make me sleep,” you mutter. “I’m restless because there’s too much to do.”

“You’re restless because you’re exhausted from having a panic attack on barely four hours’ sleep, but sure,” he replies casually. “There’s too much to do.”

You glare at him again. You hate when he’s right and you especially hate when he reads you like an open book.

“What do you normally do?” he asks. “Listen to white noise?”

You feign thought even though you know the real answer. Because the real answer is masturbate. The real answer is give yourself an orgasm (or two or three) so that by the end of it, you’re floaty and sleepy enough to knock out within minutes.

But you can’t do that when he’s right here. Obviously.

“What are you thinking?” he asks.

“Nothing,” you say quickly — definitely too quickly. You turn and bury your face into the pillow again. “Just let me suffocate, if I pass out then I’ll be asleep.” You turn your head toward him and crack a small smile. “Go back to reading. Stop staring at me.”

His hand keeps rubbing circles, but this time it moves to the small of your back. “Can I propose something?” 

There’s a heat brewing behind his eyes, the same that you saw last night. You nod slowly against the pillow, whispering, “What?”

“What about a massage?”

You smirk, turning your head. “A massage? Seriously?”

“Or I can just do this,” he shrugs, still rubbing your back gently. “You’re tense.”

“Thin ice, Hotchner.”

He rolls his eyes. “Just shut up and lay there.”

Something wild burns in the pit of your stomach that you barely manage to contain. You bury your face into the pillow and hope he won’t mention it.

He doesn’t.

He shifts so he’s sitting next to you on the bed, and it isn’t long before you feel the pads of his fingers digging into your shoulders. You are tense, and you hadn’t even realized. Another moment of him reading you like a book.

You push your face further into the pillow, if only to muffle the groans that nearly escape your mouth.

“Stay still,” he chides softly when you squirm, trying to escape his fingers and escape the noises he’s drawing out of you.

You’re too late, though. One particularly harsh dig into the muscles of your shoulder has a moan escaping your lips before you can stop it.

Aaron freezes. You freeze.

“Fuck” is all you hear him say before he starts up again.

And you have all of two seconds before you’re moaning again, your back arching.

“You can’t make those noises,” he says, and for some reason, he sounds out of breath.

“I can’t help it,” you snap — or maybe you whine; you don’t know the difference at this point. “Jesus Christ,” you groan, eyes squeezing shut. “Aaron—”

“Don’t.”

The next noise you make is incoherent and the closest to a whine after another rough dig. “You’re doing that on purpose.”

He hesitates. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” you exhale deeply. “Feels good.”

“Yeah?” he murmurs.

You nod. “Yeah.”

“Did it feel good last night?”

Your breath hitches. “What?” The question is muffled by the pillow, so you don’t expect a reply.

But he does. “Last night,” he starts. His hands soften, just ghosting along your spine. “I heard you. After we went to bed.”

Mortified doesn’t even begin to cover how you feel. His fingers dip, toying with the hem of your shirt, with the idea of his hands slipping under the fabric.

“Did that help you fall asleep?”

You nod slowly.

“Can I?”

He’s barely through asking when you answer. “Please.”

You start to roll onto your back, but his hand splays across your spine, gently pressing you into place. 

“Just stay there for me,” he whispers. “But let’s get these off.”

You lift your hips to help him tug your shorts and panties down. Something about the soft timbre of his voice already has you feeling floaty, but it could be the lack of sleep. And the anticipation. All of it.

You feel the bed shift again as he maneuvers around you, kneeling at the end, his palms spreading your thighs gently, reverently. 

You’re not entirely sure how this angle is going to work, but clearly you don’t need to worry about it. Aaron’s fingers are skilled as they dance across your folds, finding your clit with ease and applying pressure that has you moaning all over again. 

He plays your body easily, as if he’s always known it and known how to make you sing. One hand keeps your legs spread, a gentle pressure on the inside of your thigh, while the other slowly inserts a finger inside you. 

He doesn’t keep you wanting for long, one finger becoming two. You’ve always admired his hands, stared at his fingers for maybe a little too long, but it’s something else entirely to finally have them inside you, stretching you like this with only two. He works slowly, expertly building your pleasure before he curls his fingers, nailing that spot inside you with precision.

“Oh fuck,” you hiss, your muscles tensing.

“You’re supposed to be relaxing,” he scolds softly, his hand moving from your thigh to press down between your shoulder blades.

You mutter a string of noises that somewhat resemble words, breaking off into a loud moan when he adds a third finger, the new stretch igniting something molten inside of you. “Aaron,” you gasp.

He shushes you. “Don’t fight it.”

His fingers speed up but lose none of their precision. You must be a sight, squirming and flailing on the bed as he keeps you pinned down easily, with only one hand. The show of easy strength pisses you off as much as it makes you burn hotter, your orgasm approaching with startling quickness.

You have almost no warning before your body implodes, the shocks of your climax sending shivers all over you. Aaron eases you through it, fingers slowing as the high subsides.

You melt into the mattress, sighing deeply. He takes his fingers from you and goes quiet.

“Go to sleep,” he says gently, pulling the covers back over your body. “At least an hour.”

You murmur something into the pillow, you think, but you’re too exhausted to remember.

[dontrllycaretbh]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

Title: Mine to Know (pt.2.2)

Pairing: Paige bueckers x Azzi Fudd

Warnings: explicit sapphic content (18+), dom!Azzi, sub!Paige, Stalking, Obsession, Dubious Consent, Psychological Manipulation, Possessive Behavior, Mutual degradation / humiliation kink, Invasive Monitoring, Voyeurism, Emotional Coercion, Explicit Sexual Language, Sexual Tension with Power Imbalance, Mild Violence/Threats, Boundary Violations, Toxic Dynamics, Masturbation, Dark Romance Themes, Azzi Likes It

Summary: Azzi just wanted to be left alone.

But Paige—her obsessive, unashamed stalker—won’t stop. She calls Azzi at 4 a.m. just to get off on being insulted. her taunting, half-dressed selfies all day. She knows exactly what she’s doing: pushing Azzi’s buttons until Azzi snaps.

Notes: part 3 will be coming out soon, i’m planning on making it hella dirty idk how tho? send me some ideas on how they should start, and who.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

Azzi glares at her phone like it’s personally offended her.

“Paige,” she says flatly. “You are so fucking embarrassing.”

On the other end, Paige lets out a breathy little whimper. “God, that tone…”

Azzi scoffs. “You get off on being humiliated? That’s your thing? You’re that pathetic?”

“I mean,” Paige gasps out, “you sound like you like doing it.”

“I sound like I want to block you.”

“But you haven’t.” Paige’s voice shivers with heat. “You’re still here. Still listening. Still talking.”

Azzi clenches her jaw. “Out of morbid curiosity.”

“You’re lying.”

Azzi sits up in bed, one hand raking through her hair, her pulse hammering.

“I don’t owe you anything. I could hang up right now.”

“But you won’t,” Paige pants. “Because you want to hear this. You want to hear what I think about when I touch myself to you.”

Azzi says nothing, just silently curses the way her stomach flips at those words.

Paige keeps going, breath coming faster now, desperate and hot and shame-free.

“You want to know how many times? How bad it gets? How I’ve memorized the exact way you breathe when you’re pissed?”

“You’re a fucking creep,” Azzi spits.

“I know,” Paige gasps. “And you still haven’t hung up.”

“Because I’m making sure you don’t choke and die or something.”

Paige laughs, low and shaky. “You’d miss me.”

“I’d throw a party.”

“Bet you’d wear something black. Something tight. Something I’d fantasize about even in death.”

Azzi groans. “You’re seriously the worst person I’ve ever met.”

“That’s not what your voice says.”

Azzi slams her pillow over her face and screams into it. Then pulls it away and snaps:

“Okay, fine! Tell me. You really want me to hear it? You want me to be sickened? Go ahead, stalker freak. Describe it.”

And Paige does.

Her voice dips lower, filthier, steadier now. She tells her how it starts—how it always starts—seeing Azzi at practice, sweat-darkened jersey clinging to her back, the cut of her jawline when she’s irritated, the roll of her eyes when someone annoys her. How Paige takes that image home. How she keeps it. How she pulls up the blurry photo she snapped that one day in the locker room mirror reflection, Azzi too fast to notice.

Azzi groans. “Jesus Christ, there’s pictures?”

“Only like… six.”

“SIX?”.

“Only the good ones. The ones that make me crazy. Like you looking at yourself sideways, hair in your hands, pissed off about something stupid.”

“That’s so specific. Why is that hot to you?”

“I don’t know. Because it’s you. Because you’re so much. All the time. I can’t look away.”

Azzi mutters under her breath, face burning. “You’re seriously doing it right now?”

“I have to,” Paige moans. “You talking to me like this? I’m shaking. I’m—fuck—I’m close.”

Azzi’s stomach twists. Disgust and something darker mixing.

“Well hurry up, then. I’m not your fucking pillow princess, I’m not gonna whisper sweet nothings till you finish.”

Paige whimpers. “Say that again.”

Azzi huffs. “What, that you’re a freak who jerks off to my attitude?”

Paige makes a sound that’s barely even human. “Yes.”

Azzi’s voice drops to a hiss. “You’re pathetic. Filthy. Nobody talks to me like this. Nobody would dare.”

Another ragged moan.

“You’re so far beneath me. I should be reporting you.”

“But you’re not,” Paige sobs out. “You’re still talking. Still with me.”

Azzi’s voice trembles—not with fear, not with anger, but something dangerous.

“I should be horrified.”

“You’re turned on,” Paige gasps.

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

Azzi closes her eyes, teeth gritted.

And then—silence.

No words. Just the sound of Paige’s sharp inhale, the stutter of her breath, the little broken noise that slips out when she finally unravels.

Azzi stares at the ceiling.

No reaction. None.

Just the sound of her own heart, pounding.

Then Paige, voice ruined, soft, spent:

“…Still there?”

Azzi rolls onto her side, clutching the pillow. She sighs. “You’re disgusting.”

“I know.”

Azzi stares into the dark. Then finally—

“I hope you washed your hands.”

Paige laughs, cracked and breathless. “I will. For you.”

Azzi groans again. “Don’t say for me like I asked for that. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

A pause.

Then Paige, barely audible, with a weird softness:

“I know. But I think you needed it anyway.”

Azzi doesn’t respond.

Not for a long time.

But she doesn’t hang up either.

⸻

Paige purrs, voice husky and raw. “You’re so hot when you’re mad.”

Azzi slams the pillow over her face again and screams. “Stop saying shit like that.”

Paige is breathless. “Say it again.”

Azzi lifts the pillow just enough to snarl. “What?”

“Tell me I’m gross. Tell me I’m pathetic.”

Azzi’s lip curls. “You are pathetic. You’re a fucking loser who gets off listening to me insult you over the phone at four in the morning.”

Paige actually moans. “God. That. That right there does it for me.”

Azzi sits up so fast her blanket falls. “Are you literally getting turned on again? for the third time?”

Paige pants, quiet but audibly excited. “Can’t help it. C’mon. This is the first time you’ve actually talked to me. Like really talked.”

Azzi’s voice cracks in disbelief. “We’re not talking. You’re making me your audio porn.”

Paige sighs. “Same difference. You’re here. I can hear you breathing. I can hear you cursing me out. It’s perfect.”

Azzi squints at the ceiling like she’s praying for strength. “You’re gonna make me throw up.”

Paige chuckles weakly. “Promise you’ll call me tomorrow so I can do it again?”

Azzi groans. “Absolutely not.”

Paige just laughs, warm and satisfied. “That’s okay. I know you’ll answer if I call.”

Azzi bites her lip so hard she nearly draws blood, glaring at nothing, fighting the truth of that so hard it hurts.

Silence.

Paige’s voice goes soft. Honest. A little raw.

“…Thanks for not hanging up.”

Azzi swallows. Looks away.

“Whatever,” she mutters. “Wash your fucking hands.”

Paige’s sleepy laugh is the last thing Azzi hears before she finally hangs up.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

It’s morning now, Azzi’s exhausted.

She didn’t sleep much after hanging up. Kept thinking about that weirdly vulnerable thanks for not hanging up, the way Paige’s voice got all small.

Annoying.

Disgusting.

…Kind of not what she expected.

Now it’s late morning and Azzi’s in the back of English class, hood up, headphones in, one knee bouncing restlessly. She’s staring at her phone on her desk, lit up with the notifications she’s been trying to ignore.

📱 Messages

10:45 AM

Unknown

UNKNOWN: good morning princess

UNKNOWN: or should i say coach? you sure coached me last night

UNKNOWN: (image attached)

Azzi’s brow furrows. She thumbs the screen before she can stop herself.

It’s Paige.

In a mirror selfie.

Her hair’s messy like she just rolled out of bed. Tank top. No bra. Big stupid grin.

Azzi actually makes a sound in the back of her throat—sort of a gasp, sort of a growl—and locks her phone instantly.

She glances around. No one noticed.

Good.

She unlocks it again.

Another text hits immediately:

📱 Messages

10:46 AM

Unknown

UNKNOWN: you looking yet?

UNKNOWN: did you save it?

UNKNOWN: (another image attached)

This one’s worse.

Lower angle. More of her torso. The tank riding up a little. Her thumb hooked in the waistband of her shorts, suggestive without being explicit.

Azzi stares.

Azzi hates that she stares.

Azzi’s thumb hovers over Block.

Instead she types:

📱 Messages

10:49 AM

Unknown

AZZI: Do you EVER stop

UNKNOWN: not when it comes to you

AZZI: God you’re actually disgusting

UNKNOWN: you’re actually enjoying this

Azzi scowls so hard her face hurts.

She types slower this time.

📱 Messages

10:51 AM

Unknown

AZZI: Stop sending me this shit. I’m in class.

UNKNOWN: should i wait until lunch?

UNKNOWN: bathroom break?

UNKNOWN: i’ll keep going all day until you tell me to stop

AZZI: STOP.

Silence.

Her phone is quiet for a minute.

She starts to put it away.

It vibrates again.

📱 Messages

11:01 AM

Unknown

UNKNOWN: (image attached)

Azzi closes her eyes. Breathes in. Out.

She opens it.

Paige is biting her lip this time, hand in her hair, tank top almost off one shoulder, a single eyebrow raised at the mirror like she’s challenging Azzi to come do something about it.

Azzi feels heat explode across her cheeks, rage and embarrassment and something else all knotted up in her gut.

She types with shaking fingers:

📱 Messages

11:05 AM

Unknown

AZZI: Paige I’m literally going to kill you.

UNKNOWN: call me. do it. i want to hear it.

Azzi slams her phone face-down on the desk and groans.

The teacher clears his throat.

She sits up, glaring at the board but seeing nothing.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

Lunchtime.

Azzi’s at her locker.

She’s ignoring her buzzing phone.

Her friend tries to talk to her. Azzi just nods distractedly.

The phone vibrates again.

📱 Messages

12:25 PM

Unknown

UNKNOWN: miss me?

UNKNOWN: (image attached)

Azzi actually yelps when she opens it.

Paige is lying on her stomach on what looks like her bed, legs wide open, underwear damp, hair spread over the pillow, cheeks flushed.

UNKNOWN: thinking of you

Azzi’s ears burn so bad it feels like a medical emergency.

She types furiously:

AZZI: You’re insane.

UNKNOWN: tell me to stop

AZZI: STOP.

UNKNOWN: No, fuck you

Azzi sucks in a sharp breath.

She deletes her entire reply before she can send anything else.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

After school.

She’s on the bus.

Staring out the window.

Her phone buzzes one last time.

📱 Messages

4:35 PM

Unknown

UNKNOWN: you looked at them all didn’t you

UNKNOWN: told you. you can’t help it, you love this.

UNKNOWN: if you just stop fighting it, i can show you how good i can be.

Azzi can’t even deny it.

She just types:

AZZI: You’re out of your mind.

UNKNOWN: about you? obviously.

[ivys-garden]

Hivy, I'm Ivy, and it's time for..

Life Series Alliance Analysis Session Recap:

Scars Snail cam is the best thing to happen this season.

Yes, another week means another session of Wild Life and damn did this one live up to the name. This session's Wild Card was the Infamous immortal snail, an idea originating from a meme that asked if you would press a button to get one million dollars if it meant an unkillable Snail would Chase you and if it ever touched you, you'd die.

This session's snails were far more dangerous though, resulting in far more carnage and downright Junji Ito-Esk descriptions of the incredibly ominous snails. On session 3 there are already 3 reds on the server and, had Grian not called end of session early, we would have had a first player out. So much happened and yet no progress was made, let's see what the teams were up to.

Also, 34 DEATHS WHAT THE FU

The Fast And The Furious (Gem & Joel)

I'm not calling them the family. That name is already taken. And is also lame.

The dynamic duo start the session by immediately forgetting they're supposed to be trying to shake their Villainous reputation by vowing to convince everyone to kill Pearl & Impulse, an incredibly stupid plot for many reasons:

1.Everyone they convince sucks at they're job

2. By gems own admission, Impulse barely did anything to her

3.joel literally forgot about this, since it wasn't important

4. Pearl literally did nothing to her, she was just they're as Impulse was having a rake in there chest (no the poisoning doesn't count, Pearl would do that to anyone)

5. If Pearl is to be punished for just being in the area, then why aren't Cleo & Scott also punished?

6. Gem and Impulse have no interactions this session

7. Pearl and Impulse STILL don't realise Gem hates them

8. Gem repeatedly calls what she's doing “Social Deduction”... no.

Gem actually has a lot in common with Impulse, they're both being extremely ruthless for no reason (if these two become thr final two and there isn't an AMV of there journey through teh season set to Ruthlessness from Epic I will literally eat snow.)

How will this saga end? Idk but it's very funny. keep it up.

Apart from that Gem built a wall, befriended her Snail and neither died. Well done!

(Sidenote about the Gem-Impulse beef, people forget this since he hasn't mentioned it yet but Joel makes it his mission to kill Scott every season. These teams would still be against each other regardless of what Impulse did, which is also very funny)

The Final Girls - (Pearl, Scott, Cleo, Impulse & Bigb)

Oh Deer. That's a lot of deaths very early for the faverouites to win

So to start, Impulse’s Creeper farm is a bust and likely will never be seen again. Whoopsie.

The team also decided to move a smidge closer to everyone else. Due to the snails no substantial progress could be made on this endeavour from most of the team tho, luckily Pearl (after dying to her snail, immediately proving herself as the teams crash test dummy again) was able to get a grip on her snail and get the build started, unfortunately as Pearl is building it is almost certainly going to become a tower…. Oh Pearl also died again building it. What's up with her this season?

Moving on to the perpetual drama that I'd this team’s dynamic, where once again we see the contrast between how Tumblr acts like this team is and how they actually are, with everyone just having a grand old chill time joking around and petting dogs. Crazy to think that a team made of these 5 goober would actually ENJOY when they're teammates cause chaos, Hmm?

A lot of this team's session is actually spent apart, meaning that there isn't much to talk about with them. But Pearl is on Yellow now, meaning she is definitely killing someone next session (an action the whole team is one board with btw). Once again proving herself as the attack dog of the life Series, she asks the team who to hurt. Impulse tries to convince her to attack Ren for killing him, but Pearl shoots this down, once again proving that she is NOT ruthless like impulse. Remember everyone, Pearl might be a little chaos gremlin but she does need a reason to kill or she won't do it. She isn't actually just a murder machine like in double life

That's the funny thing about double life actually. Pearl has moved in from the tower, its everyone else who is stuck in it.

Anyway, grian has a big ol target on his back, we'll see how that Pan's out next week.

Oh also SNAIL RACE HELL YEAH MOTHER FU

The Bam-Boozelers (Scar, Lizzie & Jimmy)

Lizzie thinks snails are arthropods.

Remember when I said Jimmy was the only confident one on this team? Well I guess he didn't have the confidence brain cell this week because he died. He died so much. The entire session for these guys is pretty much just trying to save Jimmy.

This doesn't go very well at all. Jimmy is able to get one life back through a deal with Ren, but all other attempts to intentionally kill someone fall flatter than Scar in session one. At least he does take initiative and blow up Joel's Hidious-Horrible-No-Good-Mobile. Great work big man!

Aslo, Jimmy admitted to being the harvester of the end! The canary curse isn't dying g first it's dying RIGHT before the Finale! That's Canon! I was right! VINDICATION!

The Tuff Guys (Bdubs, Etho & Tango)

Word of advice, if you need to constantly say your tough, your not.

Somehow despite making literally negative progress, this team still managed to do a lot. Bdubs immediately starts the episode with some light gaslighting on account of being bdubs. After this it is decided he must “do something tuff” and so he is sent to go mess with the Bam-Boozelers.

Keeping up with tuff guy tradition, bdubs doesn't do anything. Instead he enlists the Bam Gang to help him make up a story about how totally bad and evil he is. Bdubs is also allowed to come stay with them when the tuff guys inevitably fall apart. An offer bdubs is willing to accept even after Jimmy & Scar get him killed.

In other tuff news, Etho is desperate to prove that he is super tuff and shows up to kill the Bam-Boozelers cows…while they're away meaning he did not have to display any tuffness. He literally just needed to be in and out before they got back. He also takes a second shot at the final girls at gem's request again, and like the first time it goes horribly. The first time he gets distracted by the snail dance party (who wouldn't) and when he remembers what he actually set out to do, the most tuff then he can think of is empty threats and mild littering. C- for effort.

And then there's poor unfortunate Tango, not only does he go to red this session but he also loses his house after being blamed for the cow deaths etho caused. Oh but don't worry he got revenge on scar… in a way that was easily repairable and did no actual damage apart from massively lowering his own reputation.

That is the great tuffness of the tuff guys everybody! They're failing at everything and getting overly stressed about shelled gastropods!

The Spanners (Grian, Mumbo & Skizz)

Grian seemed to think this card would be easy, and I geuss it is if you k ow what to expect and have one of your mates Snail watching you all episode.

Now, Skizz, majestic failure that he is, went yellow super quickly and so the entire session is spent trying to save his but in a multitude of ways, all of which skizz manages to fail at spectacularly. Grian does manage to save Ren from Yellow for about ten minutes and at the cost of any chance he had of Impulse not killing him.

Eventually skizz gave up on all the compilated plots and just wacked Lizzie until she died.

He then immediately got killed again God damn it skizz.

OK so skizz massively lowered they're reputation with the Bam-Boozelers for nothing AND Impulse's revenge meter is full and his team won't hold him back anymore AND I think Martyn might still be peeved at the Enchanter situation AND Tango probably still wants to kill them AND despite what grian says Gem and Joel don't seem to care about them beyond nudging them to kill Impulse so yeah these 3 are super dead, I give them like a session until one of them drops.

P.S Mumbo calls the Snail meme a “thought experment” and I found that very funny and I think you should too.

Also apparently Jimmy and Grian debate what to do about the snail all the time??

Renwood (Martyn & Ren)

There will be a live Snail reaction meme over yaoi of these two I just now it.

Fallowing they're arc of being nice this season, Renwood goes on a great friend finding journey, allying with Gem & Joel on the condition of totally being super mean to Impulse promise and forming a friends to the end Pack with Jimmy at the cost of a spare life.

Ren probably regrets that particular pact as, while trying to perform a great horse search, he loses a life. And another. And so he must kill, allying temporarily with the Spanners to get a kill on Impulse, something that he immediately regrets, proving he is less of a Rottwiler and More of a Labby. Luckily for ren he avoids Impulse's revenge list for now on account of apologising, getting instant Karma for it and the other final girls desperately holding Impulse back.

Martyn on the other hand has a far better time, gallivanting I'm the Nether with etho for potions (he died doing that but shhh), organising the great Snail dance party and joining up with fellow Chaos Gremlins Pearl and Impulse to have some fun with snails and tnt.

With potions in hand the Renwood duo and Etho got up to all sorts of mischief, turning ren invisible and making Scar's Snail invisible, resulting in him almost dying twice and being out of the series…oopsie.

Also Martyn sucks at explaining the Snail meme and thinks the all spice guy and kool aid man are the same person.

Predictions?

With more information comes the first Predictions from me.

●Someone goes out and soon. Probably Skizz or Scar. Jimmy will survive tho, after all the canary curse means he's the harbinger of the end of the series… though with how it's going, next session very well could be the end of the series.

●Grian Is getting murked next session, probably by Pearl.

● The tuff guys will fall apart. Bdubs will buy with the Bam-Boozelers, Etho with Gem and Joel and Tango will be left scrabbling for someone to team up with.

● Joel will try to get revenge on Jim for blowing up the car and will fail

● Etho will continue to look like a total loser

● One of the people yet to die loses a life next session.

So uh yeah. I'm gonna go lie down for until next week.

Until then I've been Ivy, and this has been… whatever this was.

[har-rison-s]

fear or endearment | coryo snow x fem!reader

a/n: hello people of tumblr. yes, i'm getting on the train of writing for coryolanus snow (save me). he's just so writeable before the 10th games, i feel. after that i lose any touch with him, honestly, idk. bad man. welp! enjoy this little short blurb i thought of while i was at work yesterday (no connection, tho, just day dreaming). happy reading <3

warnings: none except snow's manipulative, calculating personality; this is pre-10th games snow btw

word count: 1,894

gif credit goes to owner <3

“you only like me because i bring you free stuff,” she says, her lips wearing a smile that holds the sadness of the half-joke she just made. it’s only an ironic way of saying the truth, and she thinks him a fool not to admit it. her hands get busy with carefully emptying the messenger bag full of food leftovers and pastries that the kitchen in her house deemed as unworthy for her family.

“not true,” coryolanus says with a gentle shake of his too-perfect head, eyes looking at her instead of raking over the gifts she’s brought. they’ll keep him and his family away from hunger for a week at least, if they plan carefully, “i like you regardless of that.”

she shakes her head with more conviction. it’s one thing to lie to himself about it, it’s another to tell the lie to her face. her face that has seen the brutal truth in people, her eyes that can see through any facade. it’s the reason she doesn’t watch television unless she absolutely necessarily has to – the facade built up around the ugly truth makes her sick to her stomach. “oh, yes, and my dream is to become a peacekeeper.” her sharp tongue responds.

coryolanus considers her words and the sarcastic look on her face, the faint grin she wears. he doesn’t like being confused, and yet she makes him feel that way very often. sarcasm is her companion in every conversation, and coryolanus suspects he might be one of the only people in the world she shows her bare soul and heart to, and even then she shows very little. her rebellious nature, though, is what makes him worried for her. sometimes he thinks he ought to follow her in her ways, even though it wouldn’t be easy. it would also be going against everything he’s fought so hard to have, and would continue to fight for.

coryolanus shakes his head in confusion, his cheeks blushing just the faintest tone of pink and curls trembling along with his head movements. she laughs fruitfully at knowing she made him confused, her head hanging back for a moment. she closes her bag, its contents emptied on coryo’s kitchen table, and looks down on them. “i know you wonder why i say things like that,” she looks up at him again, and coryo nods, his lips bit back in a faint smile, “can’t help it. must be some security mechanism in me, to joke or draw irony in serious matters.” she shuffles herself onto the table’s surface, now getting the view of coryo in front of her instead of having to wring her neck around every time to just look at him standing beside her. coryo nods again and smiles wider. “sometimes i want to shut up, but i just can’t seem to. and that tends to get me in trouble quite a lot. you know that well.” 

ah, yes, her rebellious nature that gets in the way of her education and reputation up-keeping. he might just be her only friend at school, because no one wants to associate themselves with such a rebellious girl as her. sejanus has been nice to her, but coryo guesses he lacks the courage to talk to her. coryo makes a grin and takes a step closer to her. her genuine eyes find his again and she searches them for some bit of truth. it’s hard for most people to guess what he’s thinking, but not for her. “i like you for that,” coryolanus tells her, and she furrows her eyebrows because by looking into is eyes she knows it’s the truth that he’s telling.

“hmm,” she just hums in surprise, “i know it upsets you, too. and that you worry about me, and that’s why you get me out of trouble, even if you don’t have to. you and your perfect attendance and grades, perfect attitude.” she counts off, and it almost sounds like she despises him for all these things. coryo shakes his head, eyelids fluttering while looking at her still.

“you of all people know how imperfect i am,” he says, “look where i have to live,” he gestures around the kitchen. but her smile drops, “it’s almost nothing compared to your place.” 

“where we live doesn’t say much about us,” she responds, “so many people at school think i’m this spoiled princess of the capitol living in my great mansion with mother and father.” she rolls her eyes. “only thing perfect about me are my grades, and even they are being pulled down because of my attitude.” she sighs. coryo nods, understanding, and stays close to her. “i’m really a rebellious child whose parents hardly have patience for. it’s not like i try to get into trouble, it just so happens that my opinions don’t go well with everyone else’s. i know i’m not the only one, but i might be the only one with guts to say those opinions.” she shrugs. “you know that associating with me can get you into trouble, too.”

coryo nods. “but it hasn’t this far,” he responds with a kind smile as the two of them look at each other. she wishes she could respond with a smile half as true as his current one, but her character has been beaten down. her eyelids flutter and she looks down at her hands. 

“why do you get me out of trouble, then? why do you worry about me?” she asks quietly. “we both know you shouldn’t.” 

“you don’t believe me when i say it,” coryo says, reminding her of the beginning of their conversation. she looks up at him again, chin raised. he’s wounded by her disbelief. 

“what?” she asks in half a whisper. coryo tilts his head, his facial expression saying that his answer should be obvious. his hand hesitantly reaches out to hers in her lap, gently coating her intertwined palms. she’s almost forgot how to breathe. he’s never touched her hands before. it’s always a hand at the small of her back, on her shoulder, arms around her. never the hands. it almost seems like he was saving them for... something.

“i like you,” coryo says just as quietly, hand over hers and eyes looking at her, this intense emotion suddenly between them in the air, “not just for the free stuff. it’s the depth of your heart and kindness,” one i know i’ll never have, “and your courageous nature.”

she smiles. “you have courage, too, coryo,” she tells him quietly, and finds herself lost in him now that he’s so close to her. his ice-cold heart warms at her using the nickname for him. she intertwines their fingers now, raising the formed knot higher between them, so that it would enter their line of vision. coryo looks at it, and his heart lurches in his chest, making him feel nearly on the point of fainting, “you do,” she says again, “you just need to... channel it in the right direction.” she utters in a the quietest of whispers. 

coryolanus doesn’t dare a make a noise even though his throat is dry and he needs to clear it, but he fears anything louder than a whisper might ruin everything, even his heart feels like it’s hammering too loud in his chest, “like this?” he asks in a faint voice, and she furrows her eyebrows at the weird question, but doesn’t get to doubt it because coryo is pressing his lips to hers, adding even more value to their moment together. 

for a person who is always able to calculate things to come, she is surprised because this she didn’t calculate at any point. but she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t waited for him to do this, to take a next step, for at least a few weeks now. her courage faded away any chance she had to do the same, to be the one who takes the first step. 

she grips his hand between them even harder, and her other hand goes to cradle the side of his face, but after the first few kisses their hands untie and she uses both of hers to hold his face, while coryo is too shy to touch her. she pulls away, both of them out of breath, and they look at each other. stunned. thrilled. without words to say about what they just did. 

“yeah, like that,” she finally breathes in response, always having something cheeky up her sleeve, “only...” she takes both of his hands in hers and places them on her waist, where they fit nearly like a magnet. coryo breathes a quiet sigh of relief, it was where he thought of embracing her, but somehow lacked the guts to do so. looking at each other, she nods at him and coryo makes a small smile. “i know you like me now,” she says quietly, and coryo even chuckles, “you wouldn’t be so nervous about me otherwise.” 

he nods, succumbing to the defeat of her cracking him, and stands between her legs that dangle off the side of the table. his hands on her fit right in place, both of them feeling that they’re always meant to be there. “sometimes, uh...” coryo shakes his head, a little nervous to say what he wants to, but she urges him on with her hand on his cheek serving a comforting touch, and he blushes when he looks at her, “sometimes i don’t know if i like you or i’m scared of you.” he admits.

it makes her laugh out loud, as if it was the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard someone say. her head hangs low, and then rests against his chest once her laughter has started to subside. coryo feels embarrassed that he admitted that now, but he wraps his arms around her nonetheless. he knows she means no harm. 

she looks up at him, hands on his chest, and gets real close to his face again, “you better figure it out real soon, coryo,” she tells him, “i don’t want to be with someone who’s scared of me. i want them to be with me because they like me.” she says truthfully and coryo nods. he’s never really been around a girl or woman who’s made him feel like she has. it’s hard to explain, but her rebellious nature, her unpredictability are what scare him, but also what endear her to him. make him like her so much. makes his heart jump out of his chest when she speaks against a professor or simply flees a classroom. 

“i like you,” coryo assures her, “and i’m glad you want to be with me, too.” he says and they smile at each other. she nods at him and leans into his chest into a long embrace neither of them really want to get out of. 

coryolanus is scared of the consequences of her actions, scared for where it will make him end up. but life with her has colour. he doesn’t exactly want to give that up because he might get in trouble. he finds a way out of it with his wit and charm, anyhow. whatever problems she could get him into by being herself he can easily get out of, so maybe taking risks isn’t that deadly of a thing. not for her.

permanent tag-list: @gabiatthedisco​​​​​​ @v0idbella​​​​​​ @works-of-fanfiction​​​​​​ @ur-gunna-h8-ths​​​​​​ @betweenloveandfire​ @but-legendsneverdie​​​​​​ @deardeacy​​​​​​ @thewinchesterchronicles​ @mavieesttriste16​​​​​​ @intrrverted​​​​​​ @the-freak-cassie-131​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​ @xoxobabydolls​ @corallyink​ @rottenstyx​

let me know if you want to be tagged in the future !!!

part 2

[syrupwrit]

Shadowheart fic ideas

-

General ideas.

Rescue attempt after evil!PC gives Shadowheart over to the Sharrans at the House of Grief.

Post-game. Rescue attempt after Shadowheart is kidnapped by Sharrans.

Post-game. In a parents-and-cottage Selunite ending, characters seeing that Shadowheart and her dad are exhausted and cracking from taking care of her mom and coordinating 24/10 elder care support from unlikely members of the community. (This is pure wish fulfillment and also against my IRL politics, as I don't believe in mutual aid as a solution to care needs. Nonetheless!)

-

Shadowheart/Minthara.

Minthara thinks Dark Justiciar Shadowheart is too needy because she wants to cuddle after sex. And she's right. :(

Idk, this is one of those ships where I'd happily view 100 beautiful fancy art pieces of them fucking, but I'd need to read 100k of -- okay, no, actually it would only take ~10k of them as messy FWBs navigating political intrigue for me to romantically ship them.

-

Shadowheart/Karlach.

They're too compatible for me to ship them right now.

Or. Sigh. Okay. Post-game, parents-cottage ending and Karlach's heart got fixed. Karlach comes to stay with Shadowheart and her parents for a bit. They're mutually pining but reticent to acknowledge it. Shadowheart is like, She'll get bored, also I can't ask her to take on this burden, and Karlach is like lol what if we got married tho.

-

Shadowheart/Wyll.

Post-game. Parents-cottage and Blade of Avernus endings. Wyll, back in Baldur's Gate after Karlach's heart got fixed, needs a date to a political function; Shadowheart needs to get out of the house. They probably foil a ducal assassination attempt as a side quest.

Post-game. Selunite moonmotes ending for Shadowheart, any ending for Wyll. The PC is a CAD and a RAKE and runs off on a pregnant, engaged Shadowheart for nefarious reasons! A sympathetic and chivalrous Wyll subsequently becomes stepfather to multiple werewolf cubs.

-

Shadowheart/Lae'zel.

I don't not ship Shadowheart/Lae'zel; I just haven't found a hook for them. Tbh part of it is that, like, I find Lae'zel endearing and funny, and I enjoy romanticizing her purity of heart, but she's not sexy to me -- yet.

Potentially I could test that by writing something where she gets really beaten up and risks it all for the party's common good -- not even Shadowheart's personal good, she's verbally rude to Shadowheart and not kind in how she treats her nonverbally/action-wise -- and for some reason that makes Shadowheart be like, Wait a minute... Lae'zel? And then she notices that she's just as strong as Karlach, she's more vulnerable than she acts, they're more aligned on some party decisions than she realized, and whoops she has a thing for Lae'zel.

Aftermath of Lae'zel getting rescued from Orin.

Post-game. Orpheus rebellion ending. Somehow Shadowheart gets swept into the rebels' attempts to unite with the githzerai and ends up being really good at negotiating with them -- much to Lae'zel's and her own consternation, given her -1 in Charisma.

Post-game. Shadowheart finally shows Lae'zel how she braids her hair. It could be called "mischief with hairpins."

-

Shadowheart/Gale.

Post-game. Professor Gale and Dark Justiciar Shadowheart act like they have a mindfucky, antagonistic frenemies-with-benefits situation, but really it's more that Gale does whatever she wants and they're both about five seconds from mutually confessing their love at any point while they're together. He hopes she'll renounce Shar, but knows she won't; she pretends to be playing a long game to, idk, corrupt him or something, but secretly is absolutely desperate for his affection. If there's any resolution, rather than just a sketch of how things are, her cloister rebels against her and he has to rescue her.

-

Shadowheart/Astarion.

I'm a little crazy about this ship atm sorry lol.

Post-game. They broke up. Now Sharrans have kidnapped Shadowheart, and Astarion is trying to rescue her, potentially with Nocturne's help. He's reluctant about it, a little annoyed that he agreed to bail out his ex, and then he gets there and sees her being hurt and freaks the fuck out.

Post-game, parents-and-cottage Selunite ending. They broke up because Astarion felt like he didn't fit in her life. He sabotaged the relationship and got her to dump him instead of articulating this. Now he's back in town for, idk, Wyll's wedding, and he notices this elvish woman with elaborate braids that he thinks might signify being married (they don't), but he only sees her from behind, and when she turns around he's like omg it's Shadowheart. And then they have it out and get back together.

Same as the last idea, but in this one, she's also pregnant with someone else's kid. Probably it's Halsin's kid. She just wanted a child, and Halsin obliged her. Astarion is the most jealous that anyone has ever been in their lives about this, and Shadowheart is like ??? It's not your business? Keep that to yourself?? Ultimately they work things out and get back together, but the way there is a mess.

??? Idk. Other stuff too!

[genericpuff]

in reference to the have you read LO poll by god have I tried but god. God...

A vicious cycle. I go okay I really do need to plow through more of it if I'm gonna hang around the ULO reddit, and then I step on the comically placed rake. I can't do a complete skip thing bc I'll be too disorientated on where I'm at in the plot but my brain only tolerates it up until she declares she's missing her dick appointment and like, girl. Please. You committed mass murder (if not genocide) and this is a slap on the wrist considering, let alone that your moms got the worse end of the deal.

Why it's that specific moment idk but the bottom just drops out for me and it's soooo fucking stupid because like, she couldn't have just... bitched about being stuck with hard labor? That's the bitchy shit I'd sort of expect from a privileged nepo baby and even barring the twue wuv story going on it's her actual biggest issue going on right then. What she's presently living out. But yeah no, horny, we gotta establish that she's horny. Okay.

Sorry about the borderline vent over it there's just enough really interesting thoughts mixed up in the pile of flaming garbage to make one go rabid if they stew on it, and you clearly get that given the rewrite. Have a good day.

omg i've had that exact sort of thing happen with me before too tho, not in quite the exact same sense of like, "wanting to take part in a community but struggling to get through the source material it's based on", but there are like, so many webtoons and manga and stories I've tried to read - after being urged to by pals and people who read them - that I've dropped after multiple attempts of trying to read them. And they're not necessarily dumpster fires like LO (though some of them definitely aren't great) it's more like I'm sitting there wondering "when's this gonna get good? when's this gonna be worth all the hype?" Tower of God is the biggest one that comes to mind, I have tried to read that webtoon on SEVERAL occasions and I just can't justify trudging through all those early episodes for it to maybe "get good". And that's not even me saying it's bad, it's just not interesting to me in the slightest. No hate to anyone who likes ToG, I think I've also sorta drifted away from shonen over the years so that's definitely not helping, but I just can't be bothered to try and read that webtoon anymore, I've given it so many attempts and I'm doing lmao Kudos to the creator though because it's a LOT of work to make a webtoon of that length and they should be proud of that.

Back on the topic of LO though, yeah, I was following the comic when that episode was still brand new and it really made us all go 🤨 because of how out-of-pocket it was. And then like an episode (or two?) later she bullied a former classmate of hers from 10 years ago at his job. That was the precedent for Persephone's character that was set for the third season of LO and it's just gotten worse as it's gone on.

Either way, if I'm being honest, you're really not missing much by skipping over the majority of S3 (like, if you made it to the dick appointment episode before giving up then you're already pretty close to the current point in the story). Like I'm not gonna lie, you could easily skip up to the midseason cutoff point because everything leading up to that is just a bunch of nothing. Hades and Persephone get married and it's the most underwhelming scene ever despite it being the moment people had been waiting years for, also they 'adopt' Dionysus but he's barely in the comic except for when Rachel remembers he's a character so you could also get by on minimal details. Oh yeah, and it turns out Demeter had a kid during the 10 year time skip who we see in like two episodes and then proceeds to get fridged forever.

So yeah, as much as I'd recommend people read LO as a sort of "entry ticket" into the crit community surrounding it, S3 is a lot of nothing and you would frankly not miss out on a thing if you skimmed it or skipped the middle portion of it entirely lmao

[enniewritesathing]

so, I'm just gonna answer some of these questions because they're p interesting and I need a distraction from working on memory management (or at least I need to warm up.)

Do either of them get physical?

Once.

There was something a while back, years ago (but it's deep in the archive), that John and Brian got into an argument. The argument was that John was pushing himself way too hard getting ready at one point he passed out (Brian found him); Brian wanted him to give it a rest, John was combative. Words were said.

Brian slapped John. The suddeness of it, the shock of it, made them both stop immediately.

That was it. Brian was horrified at what he'd done and immediately left the room. It was about two days that they spoke again (John slept on the couch without a word and they barely talked to each other.). Brian apologized first for slapping; John apologized for being stubborn and putting his health in danger and his general behavior.

Who is the busiest?

Brian, hands down. He is a ER nurse (his specialty is Trauma) so schedules can get really bonkers for him. He has expressed getting certified in other areas too, so this also means going back to school at some point. He won't repeat the mistake of going for Honors again and burn himself out.

Who rakes in the highest income?

John -- he's also a pro Muay Thai boxer; depending on how much the purses are. They're modest amounts; then there's International and World Championships (those run between 500k-700k depending on who's sponsoring it.)

Who stresses the most?

Brian. It got to a point where John was making sure he'd take his days off to rest (and I do mean rest) and take care of himself.

Who snores?

Brian. It's a normal volume even if he's super tired.

If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart?

Not that far apart but they end with cozing up. In the winter time, it's cozying time.

Who wakes up with bed hair?

Both. John's more prone to it if he doesn't tie up his hair (not that that really helps because the cat will mess with it.)

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children? If so, how many children do your muses want/have?

Well! They do (eventually) have kids. 3 in all. Alicia you may have seen her a while back. The other two are twins (boys, I think.) that happen down the line -- even though they were expecting just one. (Idk their names yet! it's so far down the line.)

Who goes to parent teacher interviews?

They both do but Brian's the more personable one; he does the talking.

Who changes the diapers?

They both do, though it kills John a little bit being a werewolf and all and y'know, heightened sense of smell. He's a champ tho.

Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby?

They took turns for Alicia, and with the twins they did together.

Who worries the most?

John. It's mostly from them being potentially werewolves (spoiler: they are) and trying to navigate that whole field (another spoiler: he does great), but he worries. He takes after his dad on that.

Who likes to cuddle?

Brian's a big cuddler. Don't let it be Winter; he's a heat vampire then, lol. John doesn't mind at all.

 What is their favourite non-sexual activity?

Something I'd call "skin time." It's a mostly naked thing but they just hang out with a fair bit of contact and doing something else.

Not always in combination but Brian would also brush John's hair and braid it.

Who is more likely to playfully grope the other? 

Brian. You know he has come up from behind John and squeeze his tiddies. John always complains his hands are cold. ("Duh. That's why I'm warming them up.")

honk honk

Who is on top? Who is on the bottom?

Y'know what, they're both switches but Brian's more situational when he does it. (John is like "oh word? this is a treat 👀")

Any kinks?

John's got like a grocery list and his is a lot more accidental (Brian accidentally pulled his hair once and it did Something) but Brian's pretty accommodating in exploring them and even he has some discoveries as well. A firm believer of try (most) things once and see where it goes.

Brian's kinks. Well. He's got a list too but he's liable to ask Were!John since he's more physical than John. (Pinning, hide-and-seek but when he is found, he's gonna get railed right there.)

Who’s dominant in bed?

Were!John, lol. However! Brian is way more commanding with him. 🤔

Is head ever in the equation? If so, who is better at performing it?

Oh, you know it. Brian's better. Not that John isn't but he just needs to practice -- Brian told him that he looks very pretty sucking him off but he needs to go deeper.

Who moans the most?

🤔. I'm not sure? Who's more likely to moan is John (but Were!John is obvs more prone to growl/grunt but he moans too. it's somehow funny when he does it.) Brian tells him it is an absolute delight hearing him moan.

Brian has to be made to moan a bit (usually John will dirty talk a smidge and be like "c'mon baby, let me hear you.")

Who leaves the most marks?

John. Brian's very prone to hickeys and love marks... but John's got some scratch marks on his back.

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’?

It depends. They're more liable to fuck if it's Were!John (god forbid if he's in heat) or if Brian's like 'i need you to fuck the stress out of me, just exorcise it!!'

Rough or soft?

Both. Soft is kind of the 'default', so when it's rough they listen to each other. It's a request. They have a scale on 1-10 and probably a chart. There's some negotiation, some safe words.

Either way, the aftercare game is on point.

Does it ever get boring?

Nope. :)

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex? 

The hospital. Brian was an on-call nurse and had to stay at the designated room. John brought him some food over and one thing led to another... it was a top 10.

Is money a problem?

It's been tight a few times (specifically during the college years and the 2 years after graduating), but never an issue.

Do they enjoy their surroundings?

Yes. (I moved them back to that one 40x30 lot in Willow Creek. The one that's in the upper right of the map.)

Who’s terrified of bugs?

John. Spiders really. They have too many legs for his liking. Wait until he finds out about millipedes and centipedes.

Who kills the spiders around the house?

In a plot twist, the cat does. Brian trained her to be the bug killer. If it's a fly or some flying insect, he assists her like this:

Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner?

John. It's usually coupled with a shopping spree. (and there's always dessert in the form of a chocolate cake slice.)

Who wanders around in their underwear?

Brian, but he's starting to go naked a bit. John wanders around naked as a jaybird as default.

[prettyboykatsuki-moved]

hi my lovely fang!! ramadan kareem! also happy belated isagi day!! loll i’m tipsy doing my skincare and watching formula 1 + premier league football (<-being delusional abt my teams winning. i’m no better than a m*n) but my mind ran on you so i said lemme go blab in your askbox <33

not day drinking or anything dw. just came back in from a bday dinner and then we ended up at a nightclub ?? for some reason ?? the music was really good and it felt good to be out with friends. idk, the old me wouldnt have even entertained the idea of going out so i hope ur proud of me for socializing even when i got drained like an hour into the whole thing.

hope the spring's been good to you so far. (i for one am salty since this weather still feels treacherously winterlike to me.) and remember to pace yourself for school.

life has been so interesting lately: moved out of a toxic household and decided to establish boundaries with family (got villainised for it), trying to learn an instrument as a hobby, became a deku fan (‼️♥️☹️‼️) and an arthur morgan enthusiast (⁉️), my kitchen sink randomly flooded and my landlord was an ass abt it, finally watched howl’s moving castle,

always always still thinking of oliver tho. atp i mentally chant his name like my own personal litany against going apeshit in law school. i think u were talking abt songs that remind u of him and i would like to add for ur consideration: that tyler song w/ pharell? called “ifhy”. also DONT LAUGH but i cannot hear anything off the wiped out album without some association to him. some russ songs too. idk what it is abt that bastard but i enjoy putting him in mental aus he has no business being in: like we both know he’d be a regency AU scoundrel or like a rake or smth and yet i’ll be on the subway crafting it in my mind palace LMAO

back in the day i used to depression-watch the encore westerns channel so those scruffy ruffians u have been read dead posting abt are making my ears perk up a little (a lot).

if i was actually writing you as a legit penpal i would decorate your letter and use different coloured ink and stickers and send u a polaroid and stuff. i am so fond of you like whoa. hugging and squeezing and pulling you 🫂🫂🫂🫂 like taffy!! have a great day and an even greater eid !!

-resident oliver gremlin xoxo

RAMADAN KAREEM EVEN THO I AM ANSWERING POST EID AS SOME KIND OF FOUL BEAST!!!! and happy belated isagi day to u twin i hope it was wonderful

i actually heard alot about the f1 stuff from beloved mutuals posting and general internet circulation!!! lots of . stuff going on in that place from what i can tell . i hope ur special sports guys won i love u !!

also glad ur not drinking too much. a birthday dinner and nightclub feel like a random combo sdjhsdkfj but sometimes u just dont want the night to end so i really get it. im not a club girl either it is so overstimulation for me in a way i have a hard time with so im SO proud of you

i feel u abt spring it is so midwest core how cold it fawking is rn fdkjkhdjfkg. but its fine we ball

ALSO SO PROUD OF U!!!!! setting boundaries w fam is sooo dogshit but u did right by yourself and thats all that matters. iA it becomes easier. also instrument, deku fan, and arthur....... ohhh anon it has been a busy and fun life i see.

I MISS OLIVER SOOO FREAKING MUCH IM HAPPY U BRING HIM UP. i agree ifhy by tyler suits him so much im going to throw my guts up fkgjdffgklsd. also no he is very russ song actually.... best on earth ft him and bia.... i will eat glass. im glad his horrible and annoying ass can support the bad beautiful shorty u are thru law school... the most he is capable of im afraid. ALSO WAIT REGENCY AU KIND OF EATS...... WILL BE SIMMERING ON THAT ..... i think him being a sleazy powerful noble who's been enaged a billion times and broken up with even more chasing u a mean noble girl who hates him ohhh .. ohhhhh

ALSO IM GLAD U LIKE MY RDR POSTING. i am. completely out of my mind about them forreal its actually notfunny anymore JKFDJLKS. but thats alright.

I WOULD LOVE GLITTER PEN. mine would have so many stickers. SO FOND OF U TOO ANON... WE ARE KISSING AND HOLDING HANDS... EID MUBARAK AND MANY BLESSINGS

[golbrocklovely]

Hi, so the thing about the volunteer mods on xplrclub kind of rubs me the wrong way. They absolutely have made millions in their career, I mean their channel has been blowing up steadily for years. Their channel on top of merch sales, tours, xplrclub, they're living rather comfortably. One of the other anon's said colby has admitted to spending 10k a month on just clothing?? 10k is what I make in 5 months of working full time, dropping that on clothing in one year is insane let alone one month. Plus they have 2 mansions and not just rent but own. I'm the same age as them and I'm still living at home because despite having an MA and working full-time, my job doesn't pay me a wage that would allow me to live on my own without going completely broke and ending up in even more crippling debt.

I do like snc, as people I think they're probably really nice guys, but I think they've been in the influencer sphere for too long and no longer have any grasp on the real world. We're in a cost of living crisis right now, so asking anyone to essentially work for free is a bit tone deaf. I know they're not asking for crazy work, but they're still asking someone to give up their free time to put in labor for something they pay snc to be able to access. It's just a bit icky to me. Either don't charge them the monthly subscription if they're going to mod for you, or pay them. It just kind of strikes me as snc think their fans should be grateful to them for allowing them this opportunity to mod for them, that money shouldn't even be a factor. Idk, maybe I'm being a bit too harsh, but in the economy we're currently in, asking people for free labor while you are raking in hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars a year is gross.

Sorry for this long post, I just felt like I wanted to get it all out, haha.

you're totally fine to vent. i agree with a lot of what you're saying. i think it's ridiculous that snc would think mods should be volunteers and not paid employees.

but to defend snc just a small amount….

snc haven't stated what the "perks" will be of being a mod. so it's possible it's negotiable to ask for a free membership as a mod, if not possibly more. on top of that, now that it has been a day and i'm not as upset as i was, i think the reason snc think this volunteer system is okay is bc when they did a livestream on wednesday, they mentioned getting mods and ppl in the comments started asking to be a mod.

not to mention the amount of ppl that have already applied to be mods. i mean the last time i checked the post (and this was yesterday mind you), there was 50+ comments, and only three of them were critical about this whole thing and one of them was me. so a lot of ppl are fine with being mods without being paid.

that, tied with ppl being on twitch and streamers pick randos from their fandom to be mods, i bet snc think this is the best case scenario and way to go about things.

i would like to believe that it's mostly this, tied with a little bit of snc being cheap lol

and look, personally idc how snc spend their money. they made it, they can do what they want with it. even if i think it's outrageous to spend 10k on clothes in a month. reality is, we're just in a different tax bracket than them. i don't relate to them on that level. and i wouldn't want them to act poor, so to speak. so….. it is what it is.

that being said, they should pay for mods. mods should be ppl not in the fandom. bc even tho snc also stated in the post that there is no amount of time you have to be online and moderating, i know there are some fans that if they do it, will be on 24/7 and will neglect their lives just to be in snc's good graces assumingly. and i think that's where an extra layer of problems lie. the lack of money is an issue, the trusting of fans is an issue, the possible future problems is another, and so on.

it would be better to get rid of chat, impo. but they ain't gonna listen to me lol

[instantpansies]

well. alright then.

thoughts on episode one:

holy fuck that was long. hour and 28 minutes and for no reason whatsoever

so, it's tropey. especially the characters i'm just gonna go through everyone:

dot: dorothy's daughter, alright. pretty standard Sweet Girl Protagonist, honestly just a very dorothy-ish characterization, fairly caring but determined and driven. not a lot to say. likeable tho!

neddie: dorothy's son. The Child. emotional, needs comfort and protection, empathetic to animals and 'outcast' people, caring and sweet and naïve and helpless. whatever honestly he could be much worse - i'm hoping we see more complexity moving forward is all.

frank: wizard's son. Serious Nerd/Tech Whiz. ehhh, honestly. he's focused, no-nonsense, and knowledgeable, but we do see a more casual or caring side, so i guess that lends him a bit more nuance?? i like that his name is frank (homage to baum!)

scarecrow: i think it's pretty obvious whose kid he is. if frank is the Serious Nerd, junior is the Comic Relief Nerd. a literal punching bag but it's not played too far, which i appreciate. makes jokes, isn't just the butt of them. smart, and the show makes it clear, but his intelligence isn't really utilized. if anything we could call him the Useless Nerd, even. idk, i like him okay. i hope he doesn't get flanderized into a true punching bag bc there is some potential here

tin boy: yes, he's called tin boy. i know, im disappointed too. yes girl give us nothing!!! i know nothing about him and he had the fewest lines of all the gang this episode :( very unfortunate this is definitely a strike for the show :(

jack pumpkinhead's son: i don't. i don't know his name. sorry. it's probably jack. he doesn't have much more characterization than the tin boy (chill runs down my spine every time i write that), but he gets some points bc he stood up to a couple of the approximately one thousand villains of this episode. so. the scrappy one, i guess?

boris: lion's son. The Coward/Afraid Of Everything. that's his whole entire thing. every other line is "that's scary!". it's not even the 1939 lion thing where he puts on a brave face but is still terrified (because remember? the lion was courageous all along. king of doing it scared tbh), it's just he's scared. okay.

bella: lion's daughter (they're twins). wowza. the Girl Who Can Fight. she punches, she yells, she can do anything. slay, honestly, but it's a boring tropey character. her whole thing is making fun of her brother for being scared, but not in an interesting way like she's secretly also scared and just isn't showing it. at the end this is briefly subverted and she's shown to feel similarly to her brother despite all the contradiction, but it feels kinda shallow. if they'd introduced this earlier, i'd still think it was a boring direction, but it would've worked better.

andrea: is she?? glinda's kid? or the wicked witch of the west?? or ozma???? i don't know. it was never established. she's the Mean Girl Who Just Wants To Be Included, she can do magic, it's whatever. has a good bit of potential - this trope is kind of irritating to me (idk this type of character i just don't enjoy watching. they're being irritating and unhelpful in a boring way on purpose and i just get tired of it so fast). is she supposed to be dot's rival? idk she was just kinda thrown into the middle of things. anyways, gets a Redemption Arc but is still A Little Mean, you know the drill, even down to the fingers crossed promise. like. okay.

okay that's the kids. rick (rake?) is the Down-On-His-Luck Lovable Old Man, gets 'saved' from his unfortunate circumstances by people from a utopia. very narnia cabby driver core. he does have some decent dry jokes tho, which is fun occasionally. anyways, this show is. it's nothing special. the humor is okay, i've already mentioned it, they're trying. voice acting is very hit or miss and the timing is terrible throughout, so no jokes land and banter feels flat and intense moments are reduced to 'my seventh grade youth group putting on a campfire skit' levels. also what is it with oz adaptations and sound design? the music is very repetitive and doesn't suit the tone of individual situations at times. feels really awkward.

the plot was so convoluted i can't even believe. they made a whole feature-length episode based on the premise 'andrea is mean and magics toto to new york city so now they have to save him". this did not need to be an hour and a half. there were so many sidequests and random micro setbacks and. like i said before it feels like getting blocked in an improv, which is one of my least favorite feelings. it got hard to watch after a while - i just want things to keep happening, ideally in a forward direction, but it just kept stalling and doing little spins in the middle of the road or going off to the side to look at a flower but not pick it. i can excuse filler for a while but THIS WAS A FEATURE LENGTH EPISODE ABOUT RESCUING TOTO FROM UNFAMILIAR PLACE. 90 MINUTES OF THIS IS TOO MUCH. so that was the biggest thing

some nice references to the books! the ork, like i said. andrea's circlet/headdress (which is why i thought she was ozma). the scarecrow taking falls to be a landing pad for someone else. the deadly desert.

also some just. weird shit. there were two Mean Teens (who the show and i have been calling 'the goons' who initially steal toto for money and then have a complete change of heart and just. help everyone? they're not the Two Halves Of A Whole Idiot trope, not quite, but more like a stand-in for that sort of dynamic? idk it's weird. also they just threw some crabs in here for some reason. just a bunch of crabs. your guess is as good as mine

sooo, overall, i'd rate this episode a 1:29:43 out of ten - way longer than necessary or enjoyable, forgettable characters, convoluted and unsympathetic plotline. it wasn't very good. i realize i'm biased, since this show is based around a concept i fundamentally dislike (yes i've written descendants fanfiction what's your point), but i've tried to look at it from a lens of actual analysis of presentation, not believability per se or my own headcanons. it's not very good. i'm gonna probably do this for the other episodes, but definitely in a separate thread bc this is longgggg

wahoo

against my better judgement. i'm gonna watch oz kids

ughghg

i hate kid fics/next gen aus (nothing against them per se, i just personally don't enjoy them at all)

apparently the dorothy chara is like. the daughter of dorothy and zeb???????? they are cousins!!! ?? (i could be wrong about this but that's what i've heard) and listen i am starving for zeb representation too but NOT LIKE THAT

a few minutes in and it's very awkwardly paced with too much silence and the dialogue is hard to hear and there's no subtitles. this is going to be so hard to watch

why am i doing this? bc im desperate that's why. leave me alone

also like. how many extra characters are they gonna have to introduce?? who is the mother of scarecrow's kid?? scraps???????? but i know that's not happening

[infitsovermisfits]

idk if you’re taking requests rn but if they are could you write an eddie imagine where the reader plays bass in another band is outwardly really intimidating but once he somehow gets to know them they’re really soft and enjoy nerdy things, idk but hopefully you can figure something out lol

Hi! So sorry this took me so long to do anon ;-;

info: this was my first request ever?? fun! I had fun writing this sorry it took me about a week :p working on other things and I'm a little unmotivated but i like this... kinda. It went through a few idorations at one point i deleted all 2000 words because it was just really shit. switched perspectives and made it better ;P. it's.... it's okay :) thank u for the request tho anon!

WARNINGS: gender neutral reader, jason being an asshole and bullying reader,, Eddie being sweet- maybe ooc i really don't know, nerdy stuff. enjoy ? ;P

MASTERLIST

With a sigh, Eddie walked through the all too familiar, empty halls of Hawkins High, eyes flicking over the bright murals on the wall. There was a box in his hands, containing things he had to bring home so he could finish his most elaborate DnD campaign yet. He'd even committed to cancelling a few pick-ups after school so he could do as much work as possible, though he never got around to finishing. He needed this done in time for tomorrow evening. He hummed to himself quietly as he walked towards the exit, that hook from the Welfare song looping again in his head again as he turned the corner. He walked forward, then stopped with a slight frown. This wasn't the right way... How had he missed his usual turn? He'd stayed in this school an extra two years and still somehow got confused with the layout. If there was anyone to see him, he'd likely be embarrassed- but something else caught his attention.

There was music, not in his head, but playing gently through the hall. Through the music notes on the walls around him, he deciphered this was the music corridor, and that the school band was playing... But there was no brass- just the faint sounds of drums, a bass and a guitar. That piqued his interest. Slowly, he walked towards the sounds, mentally raking through the catalogue of songs and cords he had stored to try and figure out what was playing. He found himself outside one of the new practice rooms. He stood on his tip-toes to see through the window at the group inside.

He'd seen you around a few times- he'd said hello and gotten nods or small 'hi's' back from you occasionally, considering you were an outcast too, but he didn't know you could play bass. As if transfixed, he tilted his head, focusing on you. Your nose was scrunched in concentration, but you were beaming to yourself as you played along, shaking your head to the beat of the song. When a particularly challenging solo came up for you, you set all your focus on your slender, practised fingers plucking at the strings expertly and grinning. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. 

His hand lingered over the door handle to the room but didn't touch the cool metal beneath his fingertips. He allowed himself to stay there for a few more moments, before deciding he was being entirely too creepy watching you like this. With a resigned sigh, he moved to stand next to the door, appreciating the music from outside and leaning against a wall. He'd tell you after practice how well you did, and hope his natural charm would help him along to asking you out on a date. 

As the song came to a finish he turned to look at the door expectantly, only to hear chattering and laughter inside. He smiled to himself; he couldn't make out what anyone was saying, and he tried his best to try to match which muffled voice was yours. As the door opened he straightened, the voices coming in clearly,

"-and I'm telling you if you play like that tomorrow, we're bound to win," The drummer said excitedly, turning to you as you were pulling a jacket over your shoulders, 

"Yeah- if we're even allowed to compete- George's an asshole for not coming to practice today," The sound of your voice made him smile, and he could faintly see you from where he stood. The three band members hadn't noticed him yet, "Shit- what the fuck?" You muttered, shaking your arm. You appeared stuck in the jacket and the wires to some headphones around your neck. The bass you had been playing was sitting, propped up on a stand within the room- you weren't taking it home? "How did I even-"

"Look, we're gonna run," The other guitarist piped up, moving past you and the drummer, "See you tomorrow!" They said as they rushed out of the room, their voices fading away as they left. Eddie glanced at them, blinking to himself. They hadn't seen him- he'd never felt so sneaky in his life. He moved forward, watching you as you groaned, a string of curses leaving your lips as you removed the headphones, setting them on a chair and attempting to untangle them, then proceeding to try to wiggle out of the jacket's arms,

"I can help you if you need!" He spoke up. You winced at the suddenness of his voice and he grimaced, not intending to scare you, "Sorry, I was walking by and-"

"I got it," You said sharply, sighing as you unplugged the walkman hooked to your hip and quickly untangled yourself. You did give him a slight reassuring smile, before quickly putting on your jacket. You disappeared into the room, snatching up the headphones and putting them around your head to rest on your neck,

"Oh. Right..." He said awkwardly, moving to stand in the doorway so he could see you better. You grabbed keys from a nearby surface, hair and loose clothing swinging with your quick movements, "So I was walking by the rooms and I heard you guys practising and I thought-"

"Cool! That's nice," You said, giving him a tight smile as you quickly moved towards him. He moved out of the way, watching you lock the door quickly, 

"You haven't even heard what I had to say," He said with a small laugh. He quickly followed after you as you started walking quickly,

"I'm really sorry," You said, turning your head to look at him following you, "I've got a ride to catch- I really need to get home," You gave him an apologetic look, and he nodded, 

"That's alright! We can walk and talk," He assured you, managing to keep up with you almost jogging through the halls by taking large strides, "I heard you playing; you're really good," He said,

"Thanks. But we just practice-"

"No, no. I meant you," He said and grinned at the breathless 'thanks' that left our lips, "I mean, your band was great but you really-" You were at the exit already. You almost stumbled into the door, your bag falling from your shoulder and hitting the glass,

"Shit did they lock it?" You hissed, struggling with the door for a moment,

"It's-" He watched you struggle for a moment, seemingly not hearing him, "Hey- it's-"

"What?" You asked sharply, in a meaner tone than intended, turning to cast him a slight glare, 

"It's a pull door, not a push," He said, pointing a finger at the sticker. You quickly pushed it and grimaced,

"Fucking... Of course, it is," You huffed, "Sorry for yelling," You said sharply, adjusting your bag and quickly running through the door and down the stairs, "I'll see you around!" You yelled, and he watched you curiously as you yelled apologies to a black van that had begun driving off. As you approached, it violently stopped, and you pulled the side door open and disappeared inside.

"Damn..." He hissed to himself, frowning softly. He hadn't asked you your name before you left. He'd have to ask you next time... Or whenever he saw you next. One thing he did know was that you'd affected him somehow. Maybe you cast some magic spell because he hadn't felt his heart race like that for another person in a while. And so his quest to earn your affections began...

He realised he was being awfully quiet this lunch period, watching you across the room. The band members from the other day weren't there with you, and his mind fumbled for reasons why you were sitting alone at the corner of a table, picking at the lunch in your tray with a plastic fork. You were bopping your head to some music- your hair covered the headphones well. Subconsciously, he kept a wary lookout for any teachers coming to take them from you,

"Helloooo," He snapped back to his table, "Earth to Eddie?" Dustin said, looking at the older student quizzically, "What the hell are you looking at?" His newest recruit asked, and his friend Mike looked over in the direction he had just been. With an annoyed grumble, Eddie picked at the food in front of him,

"You've been quiet all lunch," Gareth asked, "What's happening, dude?" His friend asked. Eddie grimaced, before smiling at them and putting his hands together,

"Gentlemen," He addressed, "I may have just spotted us a new recruit," He said, raising his brows, "See they-"

"You speak like that to your mother, Carver!?" The yelling made him forget the words on the tip of his tongue as he looked back at you, now standing and furious. In the absence of his watchful gaze, you had been surrounded by the basketball team and were glaring furiously at Jason, 

"Don't bring my mother into this," He shot back, standing from where he had taken a seat next to you. The whole cafeteria was now watching you intently, whispering amongst themselves,

"Aww, or what?" You taunted, "You gonna go cry to your mommy?" You pouted, smirking devilishly and cackling as his face grew red. Before you knew it, the tray you had was grabbed and thrown at you, and you yelped, the cafeteria erupting with noise and yelling. 

The last time Eddie had moved that fast was last Saturday when he thought the cops were gonna bust him for selling to whatever buyer had heard of his business. He thought he'd die, tripping over multiple tree roots as he raced back towards his trailer and hopped through his window. He was a coward- and even though pissing off Jason was just part of the job now, he'd always bail whenever he'd get challenged to a fight. So why now, when he knew he'd gain nothing, was he weaving through the crowd to come to your aid. 

How foolish he was to think you needed anything. He saw it before he heard it- your hand quickly moving through the air and connecting with his cheek in a powerful snap that sent Jason reeling to the side. As the crowd now surrounding the spectacle burst into cheers and chants, urging you to fight, he managed to slip past them and grab your arm, pulling you away to safety and losing you in the mass of students, faintly hearing Jason yelling threats at the two of you. 

Your hand was warm in his. It was soft. It fit in his perfectly. If he wasn't so focused on taking you to safety, he'd kiss your knuckles and introduce himself like the gentleman he was. Once you were safely out of the crowd and in the far less busy hallways, he felt your hand getting yanked from his. He turned sharply, seeing you frowning as you pulled at the scraps of food lingering in your hair and sticking to your clothes,

"Ugh, Jesus," You muttered, "Gross..." You hissed, 

"Hey," He said, "I can take you to the bathroom and give you my jacket," He offered, already preparing to slide it off his shoulders,

"No," He was frankly stunned by the short reply. Your voice had dropped slightly, and you were clearly distressed, shoulders shaking, "I... Just leave me alone, okay?" Your tone was soft with him again, and as you looked up at him from under the hair that had fallen over your eyes, he looked sympathetic, 

"Alright," He held up his hands apologetically, "But just so you know uh... That slap was really badass," He said, smiling at you, "I mean wow I'm sure everyone in Hawkins High heard that," He added, smiling wider at the weak laugh you gave,

"I'm pretty sure there'll be a witch hunt if they find me. They won't stop till they have my head on a stick and all," You sniffled, eyes shimmering with tears,

"Right... Well, I know a cosy little spot out in the forest that I could take you to?" He offered, watching you, "Hey," He coaxed gently as he saw you looking off. And when your eyes met his, he felt his heart melt in his chest, "C'mon. I don't bite," He added, and you laughed again, fixing the strap of your bag and walking closer to him. 

You were quite the whole walk across the soccer field and kept looking around fearfully. Eddie couldn't help but feel sorry for you- he'd like to know why you were sitting alone today. Why Jason had chosen you as a target. If this usually happened... Why you were this quiet...

"Right here," He said, motioning with his hands to a stray picnic table in the centre of a clearing. Looking back down at you, he saw you pushing your hair out of your eyes to see better. There were tear tracks going down your face, and your eyes were wide as they looked around the area,

"Cozy..." You confirmed, nodding your head. As you turned to look at him, he smiled, motioning for you to walk forward. As your eyes left his, he allowed himself to frown worriedly, watching as you warily approached one side of the bench. You set your bag on the bench and pulled your legs over the wood, sitting down and putting your head on your arms. He walked closer, shrugging his jacket off his shoulders and looking at the thick leather one in his arms. He moved closer to you and gently tapped your arm. Your head shot up to look at him, and he motioned with the jacket,

"For you," He said, placing it carefully over your shoulders, making sure his rings wouldn't get caught in your hair. He patted the shoulders gently, before circling around the bench, "Where's the rest of your band?" He asked curiously, turning his back to you as he walked slowly, not sitting down at first. He walked further into the clearing, glancing at the orange leaves that fall brought along, "I noticed you sitting by yourself and uh... I was gonna come over and invite you to sit with us," He smiled, turning to look at you. Your eyes were still wet and you were looking off into the distance with a misty, far away gaze, "Uhm... Your music! I was supposed to ask you yesterday but you were in a rush," He said, smiling as he began to slowly pace, "I thought you were really great- you played phenomenally up there," He beamed. Your face didn't change at the compliment, "Where'd you learn how to play like that? Did you get lessons or teach yourself?" He walked back over to the bench, "I tried to teach myself how to play at first but I needed more practical lessons-"

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Your voice was raspy slightly as you spoke up. He blinked, freezing where he stood, one leg over the seat on the bench and his lips parted. His eyes fell to the headphones in your hands, which you pulled off of your head. Right... He gave you a smile and sat down across from you, tapping his hands on the wood,

"Yeah, just uh... Hi, my name is Eddie Munson," He said, reaching a hand out across the table. You set your headphones around your neck, moving a hand to pause the track playing through the device. He could hear it- the same solo he heard you play yesterday. Your hand slid into his and squeezed as he shook your hand,

"Hi Eddie," You greeted, letting his hand go and dropping it to your lap. Your gaze fell to the numerous scratches and crude drawings that marked the wood as you told him your name. He nodded, saying hello back, 

"Thought you should know the name of your saviour," He joked, but it didn't seem to land with you as you nodded your head and avoided his gaze. He shifted so both his hands were on the table, one outstretched and the other bent so he could rest his chin in his hand and gaze at you. He felt a warm sensation fill his blood at the sight of you transfixed by the rings on his fingers. Wiggling them, he spoke up, earning your attention again, "You can come here whenever you want," He assured, "Almost no one knows this is here so your safe from the hunting party," He smiled at you reassuringly, watching you nod along.

 He still watched you curiously, head tilted to the side as you sat in silence. From the ground shaking by his foot and the way your left arm was moving, he guessed you were tapping your leg anxiously. With a small sigh, he glanced around, looking at your bag and looking over the pins on it,

"So," He spoke up, "You were playing bass yesterday, right?" He asked, and you nodded, "I wanted to tell you you did amazing," Your eyes lit up at that, and a small smile ghosted your lips. There it is, he thought,

"You did?" You asked in a small voice, and he found his heart beat a little faster. He nodded his head with a small hum 

"Yeah- I mean, you're basically like Geezer dude,"

"You listen to Black Sabbath?" You asked eagerly, your eyes shining with excitement,

"Are you kidding?" He grinned, "Of course, I listen to Black Sabbath, they're the greatest band ever. I was asking you before if you're self-taught or did you get lessons?" He asked, leaning forward curiously, "Or are you uh... Naturally gifted?" He asked, and you laughed softly,

"I see, I see," You nodded, moving your hands to pull his jacket over your shoulders more "You trying to steal my secrets, Munson?" You asked playfully. His brain stops functioning momentarily and all he can do is let out a small chuckle until the words can form in his mouth. He has to shake his head and collect himself, and when he does, he finds the smile on his face won't leave,

"Ahah- yeah, I... I'm always looking for tips on how to play better myself," He said, smiling, and you nod along,

"Right, right," You said. You begin with a small sigh, "Well, I've always enjoyed music. Listening, playing, singing. It's cause my family's super musical. My mom was in choir and band and my dad had his own band years ago. He's who gave me my sick taste in music," You said playfully, "Mom doesn't mind it but it's 'not her favourite'," You made air quotes, "She's still super supportive and encouraging of me though. We always had this huge piano at home and she'd play it occasionally. Apparently, when I was a baby, hearing music was the only way to get me to sleep," You smiled at him, "When I grew up, she'd let me sit with her and eventually taught me how to play that. Then my dad gave me his old bass and he's been teaching me," You explained

"Woah- so you're still fairly new?" He asked, curiously,

"Well, I wouldn't say fairly new. I never entirely got the hang of guitars because my hands are too small and dainty," You said playfully, moving your hands out in front of you to show him, before wiggling your fingers. Your nails had bits of black nail polish chipping off of them, and there were exactly three rings on your hands- two on your right, one on your left. One was on your thumb, the other on your middle finger; one was on your other middle finger. He wouldn't let his mind wander to how skilled they must be if they can play the piano and bass. He sucked in a small breath and glanced back at your face when you snatched them back, "So my dad thought I'd play better on bass. Once I got the basics down, I'd just practise whenever I had the time. Sometimes I'd... I'd put on the radio and try to play along to any song- even if they didn't have a bassline," You said, before glancing away, "It sounds lame but it's fun-"

"I don't think it's lame at all. It's cool" He said quickly, "It's your way of learning, and helping you get better," He said,

"Yeah?" You smiled, reaching a hand into your bag. He watched your movements for a moment, before speaking up again,

"Yeah, defiantly," He spoke, "You know, I play the guitar too," You looked up at him again, and he held your gaze. In his peripheral vision, he could see your hand moving in the bag, blindly searching,

"Hah- I play bass, not guitar, there's a difference," You said with a sly grin, and he laughed,

"Of course, yes, I'm sorry for offending you- oops," your bag falls over the end of the table, contents spilling on the brown leaves. He instantly bends to help pick up your fallen things,

"Hey, it's fine I've got it," You assured, setting the bag on the table and moving away from the seat to pick things up, 

"I'll help," He assured, glancing at you and nodding. You let out a small sigh, but he could see your smile return,

"Thank you so much," You said gently, your hand brushing against his rings as you picked up your books,

"Yeah, no problem..." He straightened, looking over the book you had taken out from the library and plucking a leaf that had come between the pages, "I didn't realise you liked Tolkien," He commented, giving you a look as he held up the copy of 'Lord of the Rings',

"This? Oh yeah- my little brother got it from school and told me to read it to him as a bedtime story but he got bored of it so he returned it before I could read the rest. Think I made it about thirty pages and he was out," You laughed, grabbing the book from him, "I kinda got hooked. Now I just wanna finish it by myself,"

"Haha- right. I get that. It is long, but the details-" He gushed,

"Right?" You grinned, fixing the placements of your school books inside the bag, "All the details he puts in- it's so vivid. It's like he went to Middle Earth himself!" You smiled. He nodded. It was already great enough that you shared a similar music taste, and were in a band, but now that he knew you had an interest in fantasy? He must've done something to appease the big man above because God, you were perfect. The conversation shifted between your shared interests, band, music and fantasy, and that's when he found out you were interested in DnD,

"Hold on, hold on- Dungeons and Dragons?" He asked,

"Yes! Played it at summer camp once and I loved it and- oh my God you just jogged my memory!! Can't believe I forgot about that game," You sighed, "I wonder if anyone still plays it," He stared at you with wide eyes momentarily, "What?" You asked with a grin, "What??" You repeated as he said nothing. He had only brought it up because he felt a strange object beneath his shoe, and when he'd picked it up, it'd been a red and black D20. You had it between your fingers, picking at the mud with your fingernails. He then spread his arms, leaning back and gesturing to his shirt. For a moment you stared confused, eyes flicking down to his chest, "Oh my God!!" You exclaimed as it clicked,

"Yeah," He laughed,

"What the hell- how have we never met before??" You grinned excitedly shifting forward, closer to him,

"I mean I tried yesterday-"

"Shit, I'm so sorry," You gasped, "I-"

"It's alright, you needed a ride, I get it," He smiled, watching you,

"Hold on- what's the time?" You asked worriedly, glancing at the watch on his wrist,

"Mmm, four twenty-eight," He said with a surprised infliction in his voice. He was late to the Hellfire meet up,"

"Fuck!!" You exclaimed, "I have- my band- ugh," You stumbled as you quickly got up, "Shit, shit," You hissed, and he quickly stood too, 

"Hey, it's fine," He said quickly, "I c-"

"No! It's not-" You sighed, "Sorry for yelling again, it's just that I have- we have 'Battle of the Bands' tonight and we were all supposed to go and now they're probably gone without me-" You rambled, dropping your bag on the ground and groaning as you picked it back up,

"I'll drive you," He said quickly. Eddie had two priorities in life: listen to good music and don't get caught by the cops. Well, maybe he had more but at this moment, seeing you so nervous made him determined to get you there,

"Wha...?" You questioned, stopping to push hair out of your eyes, "You don't even-"

"Where're you playing?" He asked, taking out his keys and twirling them slightly, the many keychains rattling in his fingers, "Come on- tell me on the way," He said, leading you quickly out of the clearing and to the almost empty parking lot.

 Your band members, although angry at your lateness, had calmed when you arrived with Eddie no less. He stayed in the crowd while you played, and you kept making eye contact with each other throughout the show and grinning like idiots. Somewhere in his heart, he knew he'd be bound to you forever. He was willing to drive you to any show you wanted if it meant seeing you so happy and free, playing like you did tonight. And it was a good thing he kept the dice you'd dropped in his pocket so he had the chance to give it to you when you next saw each other. Then again with one of your rings, then again with a necklace, then with various guitar picks. And so forth until you playfully relented and agreed to date him. 

Then he didn't need a reason to steal from you anymore. He only did it to piss you off. 

[saeyoungs-angel]

hi idk if you do “___ reacting to” stuff but if you do could you possibly do mha characters (any of them) reacting to the reader being a toy collector (dolls, plushies, etc) they’re not an age regressor or anything they just like collecting them

no pressure if you’re not comfortable tho!!

⨳​ odd habits — mha

starring. bakugou, denki, todoroki, mina, & you (separate)

plot. you have a hobby of collecting toys, but it’s not until your s/o visits your dorm for the first time that they find out.

genre. fluff, crack(?not really)

cw. swearing

notes. im back! this was a request i never managed to finish and im so sorry but i hope you see this and enjoy it! <3

likes, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated! <3

𓆩☆𓆪

when bakugou takes his first step into your dorm room, his immediate reaction is to ridicule you. he’ll spout things like, ‘the fuck is with the toys?’ or ‘what are you, a child?’ but in reality he’s attempting to conceal the faint blush on his face. he’ll never admit it to anyone, but he finds it oddly adorable. the neat way they’re all set up, the time he asks if they have names and you reply with a nod—he may tease you for it all, but he’s swooning on the inside.

when denki arrives at your door, you invite him in without much thought. the moment his eyes rake around your dorm, his smile is widening ever-so-slightly, eyes shining in wonder. he’s attempting to contain himself on the outside, but truly he’d like to jump around your room and study each item. he’s so genuinely interested that now you’re both admiring each other discreetly.

when todoroki expressed that he was curious of how your room was adorned, you had no issue with appeasing his inquisitiveness. the only reaction you receive is his eyes widening slightly—he’s surprised, but not alarmed. his reaction had you feeling a bit judged, so you mentioned your concerns to him only to have him say ‘don’t worry, it doesn’t bother me. if anything, it adds uniqueness to your dorm.’ it’s safe to say that he doesn’t really mind either way.

mina is absolutely ecstatic at the new information. in all honesty, she’s jealous—her girlfriend is a toy collector? how fucking cool is that! she questions you constantly about where you found a certain toy, or if she can borrow and maybe have one, simply to remind her of you when you’re not around. if you do happen to let her borrow a plushie, she’ll sleep with it for as long as she can and longer if she manages to convince you.

𓆩☆𓆪

feedback is extremely meaningful!

[supercantaloupe]

no one asked but here are my thoughts on the new met don giovanni from today. tl;dr: a couple of weird choices made but overall Quite good i liked it

elaine douvas jumpscare at the top lol

federica lombardi and ben bliss as anna and ottavio were the standouts to me. lombardi came out the gate STRONG with fuggi crudele and she keeps it up. and kudos to bliss as ottavio; i often find that he can be a pretty uninteresting character if not played carefully and bliss did a really great job making ottavio Interesting. face journey of the year award goes to his dalla sua pace (il mio tesoro honorable mention).

peter mattei sounds great obviously but is it just me or is he starting to get a leetle bit old for the role. not vocally but physically. like him next to ying fang is like. sure man yeah

alfred walker in the same camp honestly. like he did a great job singing masetto but i'll always laugh when like. giovinette che fate all'amore kicks up and they're like "here's the happy young couple :)" and the bass is obviously in his late forties at the youngest lmao

anyone else think adam plachetka looks. kind of like ted cruz. hello?

anyway i liked plachetka a lot largely because he seemed to actually remember that don giovanni is nominally a dramma giocoso and a lot of his little acting choices brought back some of the humor that i thought was a bit lacking in the production as a whole. also christ they bowl that fucking man across the stage a few times don't they

ying fang did a great job too. the lingering terror in her expression during la ci darem so juicy. also that bit in act ii when they're threatening leporello and she balls his shirt up in her fist even though he's like a foot taller than her. love her so much. also woman pretty

i liked stutzmann's conducting for the most part although nothing much Stood Out to me about it. except like two or three tempi i disagreed with and a couple of spots here or there that felt like the orchestra and singers weren't 100% together right away. but idk i'm not a conductor i assume doing a debut performance at the met with a new opera you haven't conducted before is A Challenge so.

a few scenes felt...strangely placid energy wise to me. notably the opening scene but a few other places too including elvira's arias for some reason? in some cases it's like i think more just could've been done with the blocking while nothing much else was going on but in other places there Was plenty of movement it just felt...low energy. idk. where's the hustle i thought this was life or death here

cool use of the fog rising out of the floor of the stage's incline

although the steep rake to the stage led to a few unintentionally awkward/funny (to me.) camera angles. like they were obviously shooting from stage level and it would normally be a straight medium/wide shot but because of the rake it ends up being a slightly weird low angle (especially funny to me when in terms of cinematography language this kind of undercuts the vibe of the character that's being shown onstage at the moment lol but what can ya do. i'm being very nitpicky anyway)

actually the set design in general surprised me. mostly because for like 90% of the show i'm like "it looks kind of interesting i guess but Why So Brutalist And Plain" although i like that having multiple levels lets there be some creative use of vertical space in the blocking. i was so ready to write it off as disappointing/underutilized to me until the very last chorus of the show they actually Do Something with it and it totally surprised me and i really liked it. made me wait for it! surprised me! credit where credit is due i liked that a lot in the end.

i do wonder though if this production would be completely undone with a little more color in it tho. like i Get what they were going for with all the grey and i do appreciate the roses and blood but i feel like you can still do More with a broader but still limited color palette without compromising the vision. at least you could be more creative with the lighting i feel like the met pretty consistently disappoints me with its lighting (which is usually "serviceable" to "attractive" but not really creative or adding all that much to the scene. sorry but musicals are still beating you at this particular game)

although what was with the ball scene. with the mannequins and random period dress for ottavio anna and elvira but no one else. i liked the costumes but what was the point

also that said re: lighting. a cenar teco FINALLY did something interesting with the lighting and projections. cool and i liked it. except for the fact that the projection was up for too long and you couldn't fucking see what was happening on the stage and don giovanni effectively just Disappeared. i realize this was intentional but either make the disappearance much more sudden/short or show me what happens to that little freak otherwise it just feels lazy

great cello in batti batti o bel masetto. liked.

FANTASTIC orchestra in la ci darem and especially its preceding recit. the combo of the theorbo + cello + harpsichord was so atmospheric, somehow adding both to the romantic atmosphere AND the "psychological horror" thing going on in that scene. which i love honestly that scene SHOULD look gorgeous and feel like a lead weight in your stomach and i love that they went there with it.

also sorry but the champagne aria could be blocked way more interestingly. try harder

mixed feelings on the blocking of the ball scene. i thought the choice to have the whole chorus there but be so still and stiff when dancing was interesting, it definitely conveyed the sort of control through fear that the don has on everybody, but at the same time the scene felt like it was missing life. as well as missing some of the chaotic energy i think is necessary to build up over the course of the scene to lead into the climax. plus what is that act finale? kind of a cop out imo not actually showing us a clever escape of any kind. i will give them points however for having the onstage musicians because i am a sucker for that. i could see one of those oboists onstage was playing a cocobolo instrument...preddy.

okay what the fuck was up with gia la mensa e preparata. i get that it can be a weird/tricky scene to block if you're doing a more Serious And Grounded (and/or Edgy) production (and this production i do think leans more towards that and further away from the comedy potential throughout, with some exception here or there) but dude the tonal whiplash. they go like full on farce for like a solid six minutes there it's kind of bizarre. like it's funny yeah but it feels like it comes out of nowhere and doesn't totally fit...like peter mattei didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food. although it was funny when he accidentally beaned plachetka in the face with a dinner roll. literally once elvira shows up the rest of the scene is Fine and i actually really like the way it's blocked and acted from that point on but What Was Up With That

also this is going to sound so weird both coming from me and speaking about this opera in particular but. it felt. weirdly not horny enough? also weird to say cause there was an above average amount of people lying on top of each other on the floor going on too but. like. idk. vedrai carino...a lot of elvira's acting...even some of mattei's i felt like there could've been More done in this respect without it pushing into the realm of excessive or distasteful. they really play up the He's A Sexual Predator angle of the character here but with more emphasis on the predator part and less on the sexual part i think. but idk maybe part of this has to do with me thinking walker and mattei look a little bit old and/or me not being generally as into men. ah well

anyway not to be really annoying all the time but if you liked this production (especially a lot of its aesthetic choices) i am once again recommending the 2017 aix production it's on youtube and it's soooo good. and has a Lot of similarities with this one stylistically. and also i love it

[lamborghinitoothpull]

How many shots I’d take to sleep with the jackass/cky crew (2000s edition)

Johnny:

-2 shots

-he’s way too hot for me

Bam:

-5 shots

-TOO annoying

-I feel like it would be so awkward lol but he’s so gorg I can’t lie

Dave:

-6 shots

-not really my type

-I can’t even tell if I’m attracted to Dave like that tbh bc sometimes I’m like “haiiii :3” and other times I’m like “you scare me.”

Rake:

-5 shots

-again not my type

Ryan:

-SOBER AS FUCK

-so so so sexy omg

-though I’d force him to take a shower before we do anything

Weeman:

-3 shots

-it’s not that he’s not attractive, it’s just his height

-I feel like with our height difference (I’m 5’9”), we wouldn’t be able to do that much lol

-he’s a very cool guy tho

Raab:

-sober

-baby boy baby boy baby boy baby boy baby boy <333

Preston:

-I’m sorry but no I just can’t

Steve o:

-1 shot

-just to calm my nerves down

-I’d also force him to shower before we do anything

Ehren:

-NOT A SINGLE DROP OF ALCOHOL

-HES SO GIRLFRIEND I WANT HIM SO BADDDD LIKE I WOULD GIVE HIM THE BEST NIGHT OF HIS LIFE YOU DONT UNDERSTAND!!!

-I’ve got a feeling he’s packing too if yk what I mean…

Chris:

-10 shots

-for confidence btw!!!!

-just thinking about him alone makes me incredibly flustered

Dico:

-sober

-that man is sex on legs

-he’s absolutely insane and I’d let him do anything to me idc

BONUS

Jeff:

-sober

-he’s an absolute dilf like who wouldn’t??

Stephanie:

-SOBER NO ALCOHOL COMPLETELY LUCID

-she’s literally my wife

-so gorg

-my queennnn I would do anything for her

Spike:

-3 shots

-idk not my type lol

Frantz:

-5 shots

-intimidating as hell

Lance:

-sober

-DONT JUDGE ME I JUST THINK HES CUTE OK???

Novak:

-I have no idea tbh

-I can see myself being blackout drunk or straight up sober but whatever happens happens

-he would teach me a lot about sex, it would be life changing

-HOWEVER, if he has long hair then I’m S.O.B.E.R.

Jess:

-so fucking sober

-marry me challenge

Vito:

-I’d rather kill myself.

[moriartyluver]

alright now that I’ve been reassured that rambling here is okay, ur not gonna hear the end of me hehe

back to fl being the embodiment of ‘the man’, im gonna do a silly little lyric analysis.

“they’d say I played the field before I found someone to commit to” - i feel like fl would feel very trapped and stuff bc of marriage and how everyone criticised her high standards, even her parents who love her a lot. (also kinda basing some of these in the og version I found on quotev yesterday) and how she got so pissed that she burnt her parents letter about marriage.

“every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you”- HER WPRRY BEING THAT THE MORIARTY TEAM MUGHT NOT SEE HER AS KMPORTANT AS LIAM EVEN THO SHES JUST AS SMART IF NOT SMARTER. i can imagine moran or something not obeying a command and she just yells at him that she is his superior just as much as William is and everyone’s kinda surprised bc she lost her temper.

“When everyone believes ya What's that like? I'm so sick of running as fast as I can Wondering if I'd get there quicker If I was a man”- her whole little rivalry with William kinda being rooted in the fact that nobody views her accomplishments as big as his. in the og, she got that award or something but nobody cares as much as they did abt Liam’s award. i think she mainly hates him b cause to her, he represents how men are seen as superior in Victorian society

“They'd say I hustled Put in the work They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve What I was wearing If I was rude Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves?“- again with the whole worry thing. Also the third line makes me think of the old male nobles gossiping abt fl and saying she probably only got a degree through bad stuff (I can totally see a rumour that she slept with a professor or something for good grades even tho the only Professor she’d ever sleep with would be William-) I feel like they might also make fun of her cultural clothes or slutshame her even if she were being modest bc the nobles are all jealous cows

“What's it like to brag about Raking in dollars And getting bitches and models And it's all good if you're bad And it's okay if you're mad If I was out flashing my dollars I'd be a bitch, not a baller They paint me out to be bad So it's okay that I'm mad”- she’s really rich but if she tried to flaunt but not actually flaunt her wealth. If she were a man, she’d be a successful businessman but she gets treated like a spoiled princess type instead.

honestly fl is giving me medea vibes but less cruel

-🦢

BRO I LOVE MEDEA SM. SUCH A GIRL BOSS ARGH. ALSO THIS ANALYSIS IS SO GOOD 😭 TRHNK U FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DO THIS

Her getting mad and losing her temper because of her insecurities or being disrespected is soo real. I might just steal that idea idk.

Forgot to delete the og of quotev bc I’ve not checked quotev in agessss but I might just leave it up until I can be bothered to rework it. I hated the original tho cus the pacing was all messed up and alot of the backstory that I was anger to add kept getting missed out so I’m trying to make the rework better now lol

Tbh I don’t think they’d directly make fun of her bc from what I understand is that in Victorian society, wealth still meant a lot and if fl was the daughter of a grand duke and had literal ties to the Queen, they wouldn’t dare say anything to her face and if a rumour like that got found out, they’d probably find a scapegoat to blame the rumour on (probably a fallen noble or something) I can see them being a bit xenophobic to her too because people of colour, although they were in high society, they never were as recognised and treated as well as white British nobles.