faiirytalcs

[faiirytalcs]

"I'm sure you don't think so, but you can't lie to me." Pacifica pointed out. At this point, it was close to impossible for either of them to get away with lying to the other, she knew she was just as guilty as him. "I knew it. And don't even try to say maybe." She knew how seriously he took Bill as a threat, she knew firsthand how horrible he could be so Pacifica could never blame Dipper for being paranoid or worried. It was terrifying what Bill could do. But at some point, he had to go to sleep. There were so many horrible side effects to sleep deprivation. Did she know what those were? No, but she knew they existed. Her heart ached hearing him talk about his nightmares, her hand lifting to brush some hair out of his face, the strands that had fallen out of the loose bun on the top of his head. "It's Bill, Dipper. What else could he possibly be doing here other than trying to cause havoc?" As far as she knew, that was all the demon was good for. "You...have looked better. And to be fair, now I'm worried the plans I had for after work might have to wait until you've slept or else I'll feel bad."

" i am NOT an awful liar !! " dipper huffed , yet , he knew he was . sure , he was good at hiding things , , , but lying outright always proved itself to be a challenge . he wasn't attempting to appear humble whenever he said he wasn't good with words . he truly wasn't . dipper drags his thumb up and down the side of her clothed hip , lips turning down into a scowl . " okay , so , maybe i haven't been sleeping , " he dismisses the severity of his lack-of-rest with a limp shrug of his shoulder , muttering the confession under stubborn breath .

then , his eyes flitter back towards hers , almost hesitant to hold pacifica's gaze . " i know you keep watch . i also know you can take care of yourself . you have more than proven that , and i trust you , of course i do , , , but , , , i had this nightmare . right before i disappeared . i can't , , , " he shook his head , pulling her as close as physically possible in their current position . " i won't let him get in my head again , pacifica . i refuse to even put myself in a position where he has access to me . my thoughts . not until i figure out what he's doing here . " not until i get the other two journals back . dipper looks down at his papers , setting down the water so he can fan them out further with his palm . then , with a sheepish laugh ; " shit , do i really look that bad ?? "

[faiirytalcs]

"Oh, wow. Wow, that was ... bad but good at the same time?" The sweet spot of puns in Harry's opinion. Lifting his own piece of yarn, the man looked between it and the woman's face as though he was currently about to make the most important choice in his life. A decision that would change both of their futures. "You know, why the hell not. I've always been a huge fan of love at first sight." Even though Harry was pretty sure they would both already know if that were the case since, they'd seen each other but he could play along. The whole thing was supposed to be fun after all, why not lean in? "Now, do you want me to get on one knee or should we just skip right ahead to tying the string for each other."

a solemn nod , followed by the dramatic blowing of a lock of strawberry blonde out of her face ; " me too . " she gives him a clear and less than discrete once over , almost sizing him up to see if the open bar was worth handing herself away so easily , coming to find that he seemed suitable . his voice was nice and he smelt good . like a warm meal mixed with notes of whatever cologne he was wearing . a playful smile as she prods her lower lip with her straw , wagging the red thread . " i do , " she mused , an amused laugh sounding . huh , marriage puns were far easier to come by than she'd ever considered . not that she had spent much time considering them .

" well ?? what do you say , stranger ?? " bloom leans in , lowering her voice to a whisper , offering a cock of her head ; " i mean , , , who knows , maybe this could be love at first sight . "

[faiirytalcs]

Harry didn't often get a night off from the tavern, not because they were short-staffed or anything, but because he genuinely liked working there. However, he'd heard about this blind date, speed date event and it had sounded intriguing. Plus, he was completely unattached as of this moment and might have been on the lookout for someone new to...get to know. "You too?" Harry asked with jovial exasperation, as though they were the only two people left in this whole bar without a fake engagement. "It does seem a bit unfair, doesn't it? A little backwards considering those of us without a match are the ones who most likely need those free drinks the most." He teased, laughing warmly as he settled down onto the stool beside hers. "You know what this means, don't you?"

𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 : @faiirytalcs !! 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : some blind date event at poor unfortunate soul

bloom shifts awkwardly in her bar stool , crossing then uncrossing her legs as she tugs down the hem of her baby blue dress , its glittering fabric catching the light that swung from a thin questionable wire above her head . she then lifts her fingers to gingerly stir her vodka soda before resuming her aggressive poking at the lime she had muddled to a pulp at the bottom . the rules of the event were simple ; attendees were instructed to mingle with one another , and when they found ' the one ' , they had to ' tie the knot ' . AKA ; tie the flimsy red thread provided by the event's host onto one another's ring fingers so everyone knew you were ' off the market . ' the play on words had almost been enough to send bloom out the door .

when a man came to occupy the stool next to her , bloom turned her head , straightening her spine as she offered a tired and almost desperate smile in his direction . he was handsome , and she was desperate , and upon seeing he too wielded a rogue thread , she leaned in . " can you believe only couples get access to the open bar , " she lamented , playing into the events vernacular , picking up her red thread and waving it as if it were a white flag . " i'm going to wrack up quite the tab if i don't get hitched soon . "

[faiirytalcs]

"Yeah, I've seen a fuckin' syringe before." Luis retorted, scoffing as he looked at the makeshift weapon. "But I usually go for a different kind of thing for a weapon. That shit can be flimsy as shit." It might not have made the most sense, but it made sense to him and that was all that mattered. As she gave the limp body a kick, it rolled over and Luis tilted his head to get a better look at the guy. "Oh wait. Shit, I do actually know that guy." It was some grunt who worked for Carter, didn't surprise Luis at all that he'd managed to get himself taken out with a fucking syringe. "So, you plannin' to do something with him or just leave him there? I do gotta say someone might find him and connect whatever you gave him back to you, guessin' you're the only one with access to whatever that shit is."

immune to his impish sense of amusement , saal finally collected her breath and sunk her weight back into the brick behind her . she could feel the gravel embedded in her skin , feel the sting of a dozen little lacerations from the asphalts bite . " yes , , , why ?? have you never seen a syringe before ?? " though there are no notes of sarcasm present on her tongue . it's a serious question .

saal scrunches her brows , looking quizzically between luis and the perp at her feet . she gives the limp body a harder kick so he is rolled onto his back , half-lidded eyes facing the inky black sky and its peppering of winking stars . the nameless assailants jaw is slack , tongue practically lolling out of his mouth . " well , i thought you were familiar with all the ' pieces of shit ' in this town , " another earnest statement , mirroring his vocabulary . she'd cleaned luis up enough times to believe that was a fair assumption to make . " i had left something at work , he was trying to follow me into the shop . "

[faiirytalcs]

Light push. Okay, sure, she was all about light - a much different kind of light that was far more literal and lamp like, but still. There had to be some transference there, right? "Alright, a light push. I got it." She nodded in understanding, keeping her arms out and only shaking slightly when he let her go and moved a few feet back. Taking a deep breath, Bea pushed off of right skate, determination on her face as she started sliding in his direction. Not too quickly and not too solidly but it got the job done.

his brow lifts , amusement painted over his expression as he offers a light chuckle in response . " i mean , i don't mind standing and staring but , , , " he shakes his head , then averts his gaze to the ceiling ( as if asking the fluorescents to grant him strength ) .

kristoff moves a bit closer , gliding effortlessly on the blades of his own skates , humming in contemplative thought before shrugging his shoulders . " guess you're right . alrighty then , i'm gonna let go , , , you're gonna use the toe of your right skate and gently , gently , push yourself forwards towards me . " kristoff then , as promised , lifts his hold and slides back a few feet . he wiggles his fingers , encouraging her to move . " light push , bea . or i'll turn into a human crash pad . "

[faiirytalcs]

By most people's measure of safety, walking into an alley where you could hear a commotion happening would rate pretty low. A bad idea. There was no doubt about it. But considering this was Luis and the alley in question was right next to the pharmacy, well, his curiosity got the better of him. And he was glad it did. His lips curled into a familiar mischievous yet dangerous smirk, his footsteps slowing as he came upon the crumpled body and a cowering Saal holding onto "- is that a syringe?" He paused, still far more amused at the sight before him than he had any right to be. "He looks like a piece of shit. Why, should I recognize him?"

𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 : @faiirytalcs !! 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : outside the pharmacy

saal scrambled back , fingers and palms scraping concrete as she moved to press her spine against brick . her chest was heaving , scarlet bubbling at the cut that had been made across her brow , gasping for breath . the world blurred , the corners of her vision fogged by a thick vignette , and she couldn't take her eyes off of the heap in front of her . noticing movement , she quickly looked up , picking up the empty needle that had been discarded beside her and holding its point up as some kind of makeshift weapon .

however , upon seeing who it was ; " luis , " she exhaled , though not necessarily in relief . a look to the collapsed stranger at her feet , a poke of their limp form with her toe . then , spoken in a matter of fact manner ( still attempting to collect her breath ) ; " he attacked me . " then , holding up the needle . " he'll be out for , , , at least a few hours . do you recognize him ?? "

[faiirytalcs]

Pacifica nodded slowly, knowing that he was right as far as she could remember. To be fair, she didn't often want to remember when her own father had offered to work for him and instead - well, that wasn't something she liked to dwell on even if it had felt like a victory at the time. But the point still stood. Bill wasn't the type to have an equal partner and the idea of someone like that existing was a terrifying one. "Okay, maybe...maybe he found someone but if that were the case, wouldn't more horrible things be happening already?" She really didn't want to think about that possibility.

"You're an awful liar." The blonde pointed out, shaking her head though she was a little amused and more than swayed by that smile on his lips. "You need to sleep, I told you, I can keep watch. But you can't stay awake forever." Even she would run out of distractions and ways to keep him up. Eventually exhaustion would win out. "It's the same as it always is, no one fucks with me here." Pacifica pointed out with a knowing look, brows lifting as she glanced around before her eyes landed back on him. "I see you trying to change the subject, by the way, you're going to have to try harder than that if you think I'm going to forget that you look like you're two seconds away from being unconscious."

dipper's jaw twitches at her words , brows pinching together as he curls his fingers against the page he's referring to — crumpling it slightly . " no , , , no , it's just — bill doesn't have partners . he has puppets . people , things , he CONTROLS . this has to be someone who willingly works alongside him . someone he doesn't have direct power over but , , , acts of their own free will . like an equal . " a terrifying thought — bill having an equal . his voice suddenly felt hoarse , releasing the furled paper to pick up the water she had brought him .

mid sip , however , he nearly chokes . thrown off by her question , he looks back up at her . dipper blinks , slowly at first , before offering her a languid smile . the amiable curve of his lips loose and , despite his efforts to mask it , exhausted . " i'm fine , paz . really . i've never been much of a sleeper — you know this . i just , , , " the expression falters further , and his gaze sweeps the diner . diverting the subject , almost desperately , now avoiding her eyes as he tightens his hold on her ; " h-hows work today ?? people bein' good to you ?? "

[faiirytalcs]

It was almost impressive how much Dipper had already covered the table with things. Honestly, she should have been more used to it by now but sometimes it still took Pacifica by surprise just how much was going on inside his brain that poured out onto paper. A lot of it she didn't understand completely, but she felt like she was starting to. Her smile remained on her face as he wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning her hip against him as her hand came to rest on the back of the booth, her entire focus ( for the time being ) landing on the pages he was pointing to. "I mean this in the nicest way possible, and I know you're a genius and all that, but is this really the first time you've ever thought he had a partner?" To be fair, Bill hadn't needed any help at all when he'd been in Gravity Falls but considering he'd been one of the missing people...it seemed like there was a chance Bill either wasn't alone or maybe he wasn't involved at all. But Pacifica would never float that idea, not yet anyway. Her eyes lifted to land on Dipper's only seeing how sallow his skin looked and how red his eyes were. "Have you slept??"

dipper presses his palms into the smorgasbord of papers , notes , charts , graphs , and mindless doodles that now littered the booth's table. he blows a rogue strand of hair ( fallen from the tangled bun knotted atop his head ) out of his face , his eyes teeming on wild . he hadn't slept in two days , not for more than thirty minutes , and he was on the brink of lunacy , , , if he hadn't already breeched the threshold of it , that is .

" i've always taken that into an account , " he points out , stealing a look up at her face as a hoodie-clad arm sneaks out to wrap around her waist , pulling her into his side so he can bring his voice to a low whisper . dipper then uses his free hand to point to a page where he had manically scrawled a one-eyed triangle ; " i know bill's gotta be the one behind it . he has to be . kinda like with the weirdmageddon shit back in gravity falls but , , , but the problem is , i've been thinkin' he'd done it all on his own , " a hopeful glance in pacifica's direction . " now i'm considering , , , what if he had to have a partner ?? no shot that isosceles freak pulled that shit off on his own . i mean , how could he fake his OWN disappearance ?! "

[faiirytalcs]

Deepika Padukone

[faiirytalcs]

[faiirytalcs]

[faiirytalcs]

MEGAN SURI as kat in companion (2025)

[faiirytalcs]

"Hey," Paz smiled. She paused only for a second as he pressed a kiss to her temple before moving onto one of her tables to refill their drinks and check to see if anything was needed. It was an off hour for the diner, thankfully, which meant no one was going to bother her if she took a break for a few minutes to see what Dipper was working on. When wasn't he working on something? Especially these days. Pacifica didn't blame him, and against all odds, she actually didn't mind when he threw theory after theory in her direction. Sometimes she even had a few of her own. Walking back over with some water, because she could bet that he was dehydrated as fuck after researching all day, the blonde hovered next to him at the edge of the booth. "Really? What's different this time? Did you finally take into account how gorgeous I am and now all those calculations make sense?"

𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 : @faiirytalcs !! 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: the jukebox diner

" hey baby , " dipper greeted , pressing a swift kiss to pacifica's temple before dropping into ' HIS ' booth with a bit more pep in his step than usual . in a matter of seconds , the table was covered ; notebooks , writing utensils , his headphones , one his uncle's journal very discretely disguised with a paper bag tapped atop its cover , , , there was a determined look gleaming in his eyes , one that almost teemed on wild . determined .

" i think i'm finally on the right track about what happened to me . about what happened to this town . i'm so close this time , i can feel it . " which clearly meant this time had to be different after the fifty theories he had already ran by her had been abandoned .

[faiirytalcs]

"Never say never to a fight scene in a romance, it could happen." Especially if he decided to go the route of a love triangle, but honestly Kit wasn't sure how popular those were anymore. Most readers these days were into the she-fell-first-he-fell-harder trope these days and those worked with a triangle for about two seconds before people were over it. "What about this, are there any romance things you really hate? I know it's not your thing but it's good to see what I should be avoiding from all perspectives." Plus, if she hated something and hated the genre, that might lead to something he should absolutely use. Win-win.

Brystol shrugged at the compliment, if it could really even be considered that. There was a reason why most of her hobbies and forms of entertainment involved video games and not books or tv. “Well if you’re trying to write a romance book then I’m probably the last person you want to get any advice from.” She told him. "Need some advice on some fight scenes though? I'm your gal." Not that she did too much fighting anymore but she still remembered vividly what it was like. Being a superhero. She instantly regretted saying anything as now she felt the familiar dull ache in her chest.

[faiirytalcs]

Bea still wasn't sure what on earth had convinced her to agree to learning how to ice skate considering she had only really just got ahold of the idea of being a real person, but here she was and now that she was capable of standing on the ice in skates, she didn't want to give up just yet. The urge to reach her hands back out towards him to hold on was strong, but Bea fought it, holding her arms out to the sides to keep her balance. "I - would it be bad to stand here and stare?" She asked, completely serious even if her words ended with a soft laugh. "I suppose this doesn't entirely count as learning to skate if I never move though, does it?"

𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 : @faiirytalcs !! 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: the ice skating rink ( after hours )

" there you go , nice and easy , " kristoff encouraged gently , palms hovering beneath each of her biceps as he coaxed her to extend her arms out to keep her balance .

" see ?? not so hard to balance on knife shoes if you take a moment to center yourself . think you can move forward or do you wanna just , , , " a cock of his head , a glimmer of mirth in his eyes ; " — stand here and stare at each other for a while ?? "

[faiirytalcs]

For the past who knows how many months, Luis had lost track, the half man had been convinced that he would never see his sister again. They might not have been blood, but their bond was one that ran deeper than most family did, and he certainly cared about her more than almost anyone else he'd ever met. It had taken a lot out of him when Shona disappeared, and it was only recently that he'd been able to establish some kind of new normal between missing her and taking care of Rei and fitting Barrett in somewhere in between. Tonight was one of the rare ones when he wasn't working or at Rei's place, stewing away in silence while his mind was filled with a cacophony that he was never able to quiet when he heard a knock at the door. At first, he thought he had imagined it but thankfully he rose to check anyway and froze for a moment when he saw her there. "Fuck," he mumbled, brain moving much slower than his body as he moved forward to pull her in close, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I don't even care if this ain't real, I never thought I'd see you again."

@faiirytalcs - luis

Shona didn't like to pit the boys against each other, unless of course there was money involved, but something about her connection with Luis felt deeper. Like her older brother could almost read her thoughts, back her up without saying a word, protect her without her needing to ask. It was that sense of safety she'd come to miss so strongly, the reassurance she so desperately needed that everything was alright, and to see him and know he was okay. Shona reluctantly tapped on the door with near frozen knuckles, maybe it was a bad idea to come here but she couldn't bare another evening of wondering about Luis & Barrett.

Waiting for the door to open she bobbed back and forth on her heels in anticipation, every second was agonizingly painful as she clenched her fists to stop herself from bolting. When the door opened her expression crumbled, revealing the terrified, emotional, vulnerable and exhausted woman only he was allowed to know. "I uh.. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important. --I had to see with my own eyes."

[faiirytalcs]

Megan Suri for Companion (2025) press