#I know you get deja vu;; queue

[skyofstorms-hiatus]

In Tragedy’s Wake | heroesofbr00klyn

@heroesofbr00klyn [continued from here]

Chris caught the younger male with ease, giving a sigh. "It's okay, Stiles. I'm right here." He assured. The moment felt like deja vu, he'd been standing here after Allison's death, devastated by the loss of the best thing in his life. Allison had kept him going when he had wanted to give up, but his living now was honoring her actions, her final sacrifice. Stiles and the Hales had helped him through the loss, and now it was time to return the favor. Raising a hand, he ran his fingers through Stiles' hair. "Do you need me to get anything from the house for you?"

[avatarl0v3r]

NeteyamxFem!HumanReader Reincarnated part 1

Requested: Yes

Index: The readers parents were killed in the war between the sky people and the Na'vi they fought with the Na'vi the reader was trained to fight and survive by Jake she ended getting close to the Sully kids years later both her and the Sully family had to leave and find someone to stay to protect the clan from the next threat. Warnings: Character death, lots of angst, and cussing

"Go!" You say sternly turning to face Lo'ak, and Neteyam they both jumped into the water you following after shortly while being shot at.

As you come up for air you feel a sharp pain throughout your whole body mainly your chest Lo'ak and Neteyam are on the ilu Tisreya hanging on "You both are idiots you know that" You say your voice strained Tisreya looks at you her eyes widening at the sight "Y/n" Shock lasing her words.

Neteyam looks over "Shit" He pushed Lo'ak off the ilu and swam to you and grabbed you with Tisreyas help lifting you onto the ilu with him he rode away to a rock where he seen his dad.

"Dad, Dad its Y/n shes been shot," He helped lift you up with his dads help "watch her head" He kept repeating.

When you were laid down on the rock he jumped out the water and came and sat by your side holding your hand Jake lifted you a bit to see how deep the wound was "Fuck" He said laying you back down everyone was now next to you he grabbed Neteyams hands "Pressure! apply pressure" Neteyam put pressure on your wound you hissed in pain.

Neytiri showed up and seen you on the ground she jogged over and got on her knees worried about losing you.

"We're losing her!" You reach and grab Neteyams hand "Neteyam," you struggle to get air into your lungs as you try to finish your sentence "i-" Your gripped loosened completely Neytiri started to scream and cry uncontrollably Neteyam started to cry begging for you to come back.

Jake tried calming them down "Our work here isn't done, i need you back" He said as he grabbed Neytiri's face he then looked at Neteyam "Where are your sisters," he only looked at him "i said where are your sisters" He looked at the ship "On the ship" Jake and Neytiri went to go find their daughters leaving Neteyam with you.

Back at the village that night

Neteyam was swimming next to your body as it lay in a large leaf he watched as you body floated to the bottom of the sea "Mother always said all energy was borrowed and one day must be returned I guess this is what she meant"

Neteyam didn't have any reaction as he watched your body be swallowed by the sea later that night Tisreya took him to the tree of life he attached his queue and closed his eyes.

Neteyam opened his eyes to see you standing there where the two of you always sparred Neteyam ran to you and hugged you tightly not letting go "Neteyam you can not longer see me at the tree of life again" He looked at you confused by your words "I wish I could join you, but this will have to be enough" He grabbed your hand looking into your eyes "What do you mean? Cant I just see you again?".

You shook your head in response "Maybe in another life we'll meet again" Neteyam shook his head "And what if we don't" You smiled "We've met before, and we'll meet again in another life."

The present

10 year old you sits up in your bed sweating and crying the "nightmare" didn't scare you it never has it feels more like deja vu as if that had really happen you turned and laid back in your bed covering up.

The next morning you seen your friend Rebecca "Becca, i had that dream again the one about the blue aliens and humans at war" Rebecca looks at you interest in her eyes "Ouu was that boy in it again" You rolled your eyes and laughed at her "We both want to be in the military so who knows maybe those blue alien things are real and maybe one day we'll get to go to Pandora" you smiling at the end.

I love this request and there will be parts to this story and time skips.

Everyone that commented on this i will tag in the next part it’ll be posted at 1 am EST

THESE ARE THE OUTFITS SHE WEARS

i own non of these photos

HUMAN: AVATAR:

[thatjadedhotmess]

can't get enough of you.

pairings/characters: dottore x gn!reader, arlecchino x gn!reader

warnings⚠️: none that I know of but please let me know if I should add anything ! :)

synopsis: why they literally refuse to leave you

wc: 0.8k++

note: pure brainrot for arlecchino I'm such a simp for her arghh <333 likes and reblogs are always greatly appreciated

dottore (多托雷)

☁︎︎ dottore simply cannot get enough of you because you let him study you (humanely).

☁︎︎ he's never had someone willingly offer themselves to him because of how they view him. But then you come into his life

☁︎︎ you guys met at the Akademia as students. There were already rumours spreading around campus about his unethical experiments but you pretty much just ignored them and continued hanging out with him.

☁︎︎ when he got expelled from the Akademia, you ended up leaving with him for obvious reasons. But now that he didn't have the resources he used to have at his disposal when he was at the Akademia, he couldn't conduct his experiments. Thus you ended up volunteering to be his subject zero.

☁︎︎ he's very appreciative of the fact that you've allowed him a chance to study you and takes extra precautions around you. Asking if you're ok, giving you pain medicine if you were in any sort of pain after his experiments, making something light for you to eat after to make sure you're healthy

☁︎︎ he just has a soft spot for you:(( like even after joining the Fatui, he absolutely adores you and usually lets you experiment on… test subjects with him instead of him experimenting on you. (it rarely happens anymore and you guys just laugh about it when either of you guys get a deja vu)

☁︎︎ other Fatui members are usually afraid of him because they’ve seen what he’s done and always end up going through you because you're so much nicer than him.

☁︎︎ he does get possessive of you though. He doesn't like the fact that you aren't spending all of your time with him but understands because he knows that you are out taking notes for him since he doesn't want to socialise

☁︎︎ he can't deny the fact that every time he sees you his heart races and a small smile will stretch across his face (even the thought of you has him all giggly)

☁︎︎ bonus point: only you have the power to scold him and it terrifies the others when they see it because are you actually that powerful and have enough power to scold the second most powerful Fatui harbinger? Yes, yes you are.

arlecchino (阿蕾奇诺)

☁︎︎ your basically the light to her existence and she always looks forward to seeing you because you bring light to her dark world.

☁︎︎ you and her met when you had gone to work at her orphanage and something clicked within her when she laid eyes on you, almost as if she knew you were meant to be hers.

☁︎︎ you don't work there anymore because you quite literally have a harbinger worshipping you and there's no need for working (:ehe:) but you do occasionally go back to the orphanage to play with the children there.

☁︎︎ cue arlecchino blushing really hard whenever she sees you surrounded by children because the sight is so wholesome and pure and she's about to have a nosebleed-

☁︎︎ you've got her to play with the little children whenever you go with her to visit the children and she swears the children get intimidated by her when really they're just curious but too shy to approach her.

☁︎︎ there was an occasion when the both of you played with the little ones for (practically) an entire day and then putting them to bed because theyre spent and you just fell asleep beside one of the kids and arlecchino saw it and brought a blanket over for you; she fell asleep by your side shortly after.

☁︎︎ little does she know though that you can't get enough of her either.

☁︎︎ you're pretty sure she doesn't realise this but she’s so affectionate; everywhere. Like, you'll get little head pats at the most random timings (there was once when she did it in front of the children at the orphanage and they all saw it and started to queue up in front of her because they wanted some too but she was so confused because she was just doing some work beside you as you played with the kids and petted your head subconsciously)

☁︎︎ and imagine having icy cold hands because of the snezhnayan weather and she just goes “your hands are cold, let me hold them” like super smoothly like it’s a normal thing (she’s oblivious) and of course you say yes but now your cheeks are pink because does she actually not realise how flustered you are??

☁︎︎ and when she's asleep?? Throughout the night, she will slowly gravitate towards you until you (or her) wakes up in the morning to find your limbs all tangled up and she's bear hugging you as she sleeps soundly.

[ramblers-lets-get-ramblin]

I’ve seen so many of these and have been wanting to do one myself. It’s a great way to keep up with what I’ve read and to let you all know what I’ve written, and what I have coming up.

So I’ll be keeping track of everything during the week and I will post these on Sundays (evening for me)

What I Read:

Me and My Husband Chapter 1- by @beskarandblasters - A take on Mando that I haven’t seen before- Din feels the cultural pressure to settle down and marry after the retaking of Mandalore. Then he meets you working the front desk of an inn while pursuing a bounty. I’ve had the pleasure of beta reading this and I PROMISE YOU, this will not disappoint

Paranoid Heart Chapter 5- by @goodwithcheese. Oh, Javi. A good ol’ fashioned make out sesh is just what I needed this week! Hopefully he finds his way to that clinic soon!

Real Gods Require Blood- by @proxima-writes. Cult leader!Joel Miller. This is so GOOD! Joel is just the right mix of creepy and sexy. The way I would join this cult immediately, no hesitation.

Sunnyside Cemetery- by @hellishjoel. This is chapter 4 of Kylee’s Table For Two series. Reader and Frankie get up to some cemetery shenanigans. This made me feel my feelings and I’m still not over it.

Blessed Be The Fruit Chapter 4- by @romana-after-dark. Joel Miller Handmaid’s Tale AU. He’s a commander and you’re his handmaid. But there is definitely more to him than meets the eye.

Deja Vu Chapter 3- by @ilovepedro. The conclusion to this mini-series. You and Javi P are best friends and FWB. Idiots in love might just be my favorite trope. This series is hot and cute!

Love Me Back Chapter 10- by @chloeangelic. Another conclusion for me this week. I’m so sad to see this series go. It’s hard to even believe that it’s been ten weeks! Couldn’t have asked for a better ending to this story!

Three’s A Crowd- by @walkintotheriveranddisappear. Another installment of Emma’s I Can Be Your Pretty Girl series. And its a surprise Double Feature. Two deliciously filthy tales fro the price of one. And speaking of two-for-one, Tommy makes an appearance in the first part, and so does a pool table!

Trick or Treat?- by @morallyinept. Jett’s first foray into dark! territory was an absolute slam dunk! Dark!Frankie, Dark!Joel, and Dark!Dave!!!! YUM!

Blue Dream- by @amanitacowboy. First installment of Lindsey’s stoner!husband!Frankie series, Flying High, and I could not be more excited! She teased this to me a while ago and I have been waiting for frankie and his gray sweatpants to grace my eyeballs!

I also had one reread this week:

Chapters 1-4 of Psychomanteum by @whatsnewalycat. I’m obsessed with this story and I got some Dieter inspired tattoos this week so I decided a reread was due to celebrate!

What I Wrote:

I finally finished my dark!Frankie fic, This Charming Man. It’s in the queue for tomorrow at 7 pm CST tomorrow! I really hope you all like it, I worked super hard on it!!!

The Clink- The first chapter of a new miniseries, Excuse Me, Mister Officer. This was supposed to be a PWP one shot in which Javi P gets a job at the county jail where you are incarcerated. But I got quite a few requests for more and another two installments popped into my head!

Upcoming:

Chapter 2 of Excuse Me, Mister Officer is already in the works and should be done this week!

A sequel to a request I received for my 500 follower event! In Blackout, you take a naked dip in your pool while the power is out. Tommy Miller catches you in the act. Nice Night for a Dip takes place during the next scheduled blackout. A certain older Miller brother may or may not make an appearance.

There also are some thots thotting regarding expanding my Javi P jerk fic, Pent Up, into a collection of P-Boys, tentatively titled Solo Sessions.

See ya next week, Besties! 💚

[serialee]

Ateez Reactions: Dressed Up

Edited pictures belong to (aykdzip)

genre: sfw - fluff [693 wc]

pairing: ot8 x gf.reader

warning: none

○ 'NEVERLAND MASTERLIST' || 'NAVIGATION' |

◆ PARK SEONGHWA & JUNG YUNHO ◆

compliments, lots of them. Full on fanboying, love filled eyes.

When you blurted out loud one day that you felt like going shopping to cure your boredom, he didn't hesitate to pick up the car keys and accompany you shopping. However, if they could be a bit blunt, you were somewhat taking very long in the mall. You laughed when you heard them whine from outside as you were finally trying on clothes. The moment you stepped out in your first outfit, he felt like his breath was taken away. He wordless-ly stepped closer to you, reaching his hands out to wrap them around your waist, wanting to pull you closer.

"Oh sweet heavens, look at you my baby look at you!! Wow ... just...wow"

"hahaha aren't you embarrassed people are looking at us?"

"Wow you look absolutely gorgeous i think I'm falling in love all over again"

◆ SONG MINGI & CHOI JONGHO ◆

surprised and suggests photoshoots, maybe couple dress ups.

Busy, busy, busy. Everyone in Ateez is busy preparing for their biggest comeback yet with Deja Vu. Your boyfriend was no exception even though he is already dressed because he was brainstorming poses. A little frustrated with himself, you came by a whirlwind of a surprise as you strutted in matching Deja Vu goddess dress making the crews' jaw drop and the members clapping at the confidence you were showing. He turned around to see you and swore he entered heaven because how was he so blessed with such divine presence such as yourself? He could not take his eyes off of you or your dress but certainly not shy of compliment, matching your confidence and pulls you against him on set. The photographer played along and tens of minutes later, you just had your first photoshoot with your boyfriend.

"Thank your being my pose inspiration, gorgeous"

◆ KANG YEOSANG & CHOI SAN ◆

In love, prepares for a spontaneous dinner date. no time is to be lost!

When his head turned to face the door, he saw you walk in with rows of bags on both arms. It looked like you were ready to fall due to unbalance, so he got up and rushed to take some of the weight off. He laughed at you, asking "what did you buy so much?” 

“I promise you I didn’t mean to…” he knew there was more to that, “it’s just just there was a mega sale going on …”. That seriously got him into fits of laughter. He is laughing at your body language, head down and swaying your legs like a child getting caught. You shooed your boyfriend out so you could do a try on haul without being disturbed. You only went out to show him when you wore your favourite purchase, that immediately became his too! 

“Ohh my god, you look gorgeous. Gimme 10 minutes baby, you wait here! Oh, I’m going to dine-date you so good tonight!” That was the start of a rather silly dinner date, buying you flowers in front of you. You didn’t mind because honestly, it was just so cute!

◆ KIM HONGJOONG & JUNG WOOYOUNG ◆

And queue the love noises. Get ready to be shown off like a model; his model. 

“God, tell me how lucky was I to get such a hot girlfriend like you??” you heard your boyfriend yell from the other side of the room as you changed into your most favourite outfit. His sudden outburst turned the entire photoshoot crew into laughter. You could hear some of the staff jokingly play around as they called out to you on how jealous they were that you had a boyfriend so in love with you. You hollered back at them, letting them know how it really felt if they were in your shoes. Not a minute later and the floor sounded like an alpha wolf was present, the whistles and howls he made to hype you up. Rotating the camera in a dramatic way actually gave some awesome shots, surprisingly. 

“No no, it’s all in the model, it's all you baby...all you”

↬ Let me know if you’d like to be added into // taken off tags.

↬ My other stories will be listed under ’neverland’. | ’Navigation’ |

[heykoonsy]

Word Count:  3k+

Pairing: OC x Jake, OC x Danny

Summary: Charlotte’s stay at the Somerset Sapiens Farm was short-lived, her intelligence quickly astounding the owner; Henry Somerset himself. Hoping to become a client, Charlotte is gifted to an eccentric vampire known for supplying the wealthy elite with high quality humans for their gatherings. Charlotte, however, intends to use this vampire’s power and connections another way.

Content Warnings: 18+ for mature themes

Chapter 7: Cut the Thread

Charlotte looked out the car’s window, to where Julio’s driver was coming to a halt. The first thing Charlotte saw was a large building, the windows beaming their yellow light onto the concrete below them. She looked at the stairs, at the magnificent home she’d been invited to–as a guest. Charlotte looked back at Julio, who was typing away on a laptop he’d brought with them as they dropped her off. She remembered the conversation she’d had with Danny clearly. 

“You want me to go?” Charlotte asked, eyes wide and curious. 

“My parents are making me go, so I figured I’d extend the invitation. Wanna be my plus-one?”

Charlotte looked a little uncomfortable. She’d gone to hundreds of parties like the one Danny described. She knew what to wear, what to say, how to act. But that was when she was working. There was a clear difference between being a zoo-animal for the vampires to ogle at and being a genuine guest. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond. But, seeing his pleading eyes, she reluctantly accepted. 

Now that she sat in a queue of limousines, she wondered if she should have agreed at all. Charlotte took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves.

“Want me to walk you in?”

She looked over at Julio, who had paused his work for a moment to get a read on her. Charlotte shook her head, but as soon as the driver announced their arrival, she immediately changed her tune. 

“Yes, please.”

Julio placed his laptop between them on the seat and got out of the car. Before Charlotte knew what was happening, he opened her door for her. He gave her a moment to reach for his hand, and effortlessly pulled her out of the seat. Julio let her set the pace as her heels clacked up the stairs towards the entrance. She got a sense of deja vu for a moment, remembering her time with Josh. 

Julio took her up to the door, leading her forward with his hand on the small of her back. He made eye contact with the doorman, who asked for their names.

“She is here with Daniel Wagner,” Julio barked at him. “Charlotte.”

The doorman took his attitude like a champion, clearly not bothered by his rough exterior. Charlotte wondered just how used he was to that demeanor. Before Charlotte could apologize on Julio’s behalf, he was beckoning them inside the door. 

Charlotte looked around at the yellow light of the home. Their foyer was spectacular. She looked at the paintings along the walls, and the flowers in decorative vases. She noted the smell of food lingering in the air. This, Charlotte thought to herself, this was completely different than working at a party.

Before Charlotte got lost in the architecture of the staircase, she swept the crowd and spotted Danny. Her eyes lit up, seeing him done up in a black tuxedo, with his hair free at his shoulders.

Charlotte looked back at Julio, who was taking off her coat.

“I’ll have the car pick you up at three, be outside.” Julio said, checking his watch. 

“You look stunning,” Danny said, but was interrupted by Julio pressing Charlotte’s coat against his chest.

“Have her outside at three, my driver is prompt.”

Danny gave him a tight smile, nonplussed by his attitude this evening.

“He’s been like that all week,” Charlotte said. “You should have seen the look he gave the doorman.”

Danny smiled and grabbed Charlotte’s hand to lead her down to the coat closet.

On their way back, Charlotte spotted someone standing off to the side of a large group. They were all laughing together, champagne glasses swirling with light liquid.

“Mr. Bradley?” Charlotte tapped him on the shoulder. 

His eyes flashed over to hers. He looked her up and down, smiling widely. “Charlotte, my goodness, don’t you look gorgeous!”

Charlotte beamed. It was nice to see another familiar face here. In fact, the more time she spent at the party, the more she recognized the other guests invited. She’d seen a lot of them at the parties she’d been employed at. Unbeknownst to her, Danny stepped closer. 

“That’s what I said,” Danny placed a hand on her back. 

Mr. Bradley spun his finger around in a circle, and Charlotte looked embarrassed, but complied. She stepped away from the two of them and twirled her dress. She watched as the red tool glittered in the light of the room as it swayed clockwise. Once she was done, she brought her hands up to the sweetheart neckline nervously. 

“My dear, what you have, they don’t have words for,” Mr. Bradley said. “I did not realize you’d become so enamored, Daniel.” His eyes went over to Danny, assessing him quickly. 

For a moment, Danny seemed genuinely embarrassed, hiding behind a shy smile. “My thoughts exactly.”

Charlotte felt her cheeks redden. “It was great seeing you,” she said, finding her smile again.

“Join me for a dance, later, eh?” Mr. Bradley raised his glass at her before Danny led them away.

As they walked away, Charlotte could still feel the warmth on her cheeks, the beating of her heart. There was a small moment where she had forgotten about him. Her loneliness was lifted off her shoulders for a second–the weight no longer threatening to crush her into nothing. But–she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was wrong.

Charlotte stopped, her eyes finding Danny’s back as he faltered. He looked over his shoulder at her, turning to face her slowly.

“Danny…” Charlotte paused, unable to find the words. 

Like he knew exactly what she was thinking, Danny gave her a chuckle. “You don’t have to say anything, I get it.”

Charlotte wondered if that was true–if he was really okay with things as they were now. “But,” she trailed off.

Danny stood in front of her–the realization at just how tall he was when he wasn’t slouching for her comfort finally hitting her. He looked down at her through his long eyelashes and dipped low into her face. She could feel his breath against her cheek and her skin prickled at the sensation.

“Just for tonight,” Danny said, “choose me.”

Charlotte watched as he stepped back, giving her the choice of bridging the gap if she wanted to. Charlotte thought of Jake–his ever-present absence. He had known about her for weeks now–bordering months. And yet, where was he? When Charlotte mustered up the courage to ask the boys, they couldn’t give her an answer–because not even they knew. She felt the emotions well in her chest, and raised her hand. 

But then she saw Danny–looked into his warm, inviting eyes. 

If she were going to choose him for tonight, it was not going to be in anger. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She thought back to their negotiation in the cellar–that one single moment spinning her world off its axis. She remembered their talk at the stream–how he’d let her go on and on about her family because she needed it. She couldn’t remember when it had happened–maybe when they’d met again at his father’s celebration–but she knew her feelings for Danny were more than a simple friendship.

Charlotte felt a smile creep onto her face because she knew that she needed to reach for Danny’s hand not in anger–but in gratitude. She realized that she couldn’t love him, not in the way he deserved, and Danny knew it too. But that didn’t mean that she could not admire him. Bask in his glow. Feel his love. The moment she reached for him, she wanted him to know that in this moment his feelings were accepted despite not being reciprocated.

Danny smiled as Charlotte’s hand fell into his. At that exact moment, Charlotte heard a variety of string instruments begin playing. The two of them looked across the room, where several women in their gowns were being swept away to the floor. Charlotte felt Danny’s hand tug on hers and she looked up at him. 

His eyes spoke to her and in seconds, her smile gave him a reply. Danny led her towards the other dancers, his back turned to them–eyes trained on Charlotte. When they began, Charlotte felt Danny’s hand on her left shoulder blade, the other gently holding her palm in his. Then, she felt Danny pull her close to him, his eyes finding hers. She felt the electricity pass between them and her heart leaped in response. 

Charlotte felt him pushing her backwards, initiating their dance. She followed suit, surprising Danny. 

“When did this happen?”

Charlotte looked up at him. “I learned through work,” she said as Danny dipped backwards to the right and led her forward. “Velasquez wanted to make sure all of us were ready if the opportunity arose. I haven’t gotten to dance in a while, though.”

“You’re very good,” Danny said. “My sister always steps on my toes.”

“You sure it’s not on purpose?” Charlotte asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Danny chuckled, “it very well could be.”

Danny did not take his eyes off her, and his smile did not drop for a second. Charlotte dipped her head slightly and breathed Danny’s scent. The cologne he wore was light and fresh, or maybe that was just the clean scent of his suit? Regardless, Charlotte took her time to enjoy this moment. She let herself be swept away underneath the yellow glow of the lights. She closed her eyes, enjoying the subtle string instruments playing all around them. She took care to memorize the sensation of Danny’s hands on her, the feeling of his breath leaving his chest slowly as they spun around in unison with other dancers. 

In the next few moments, Charlotte heard the music swell. She watched as Danny pulled her close one final time and whispered something in her ear. 

“I love you.”

Charlotte heard the music stop, but she couldn’t tell over the beating of her heart. Her eyes flicked over to each of his as if to answer him, a small smile spreading across her lips.

Thank you.

“Ahem,” a voice called from beside them.

Charlotte and Danny both looked over and saw Mr. Bradley standing there expectantly. “I believe I asked for a dance earlier,” he said. 

Charlotte chuckled, looking back at Danny.

“I’ll find us some drinks, then,” Danny said as he left the floor.

Julio looked past James as his driver parked at the address Jake Kiszka gave him. He took a look at the exterior of the building they were to meet inside. It was just your run-of-the-mill office building, a dime a dozen. Despite how regular everything was around them–he understood that this was a very important meeting he was asked to. And he was going in virtually blind. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Julio said, deciding that he’d had enough of a look at the place. 

James followed him through the parking lot and into the doors of the office. It was barely lit, tipping Julio off that this meeting they were having was unofficial–if not off the books entirely. He looked over at James, who was getting the same feeling. 

“The conference room is this way,” James said, taking the lead as he walked down the hallway and deeper into the building. James was just here, so of course he’d know his way around. The memory of the phone call came rushing back, and Julio’s head swam with dread.

Julio followed closely behind James, keeping an eye out for Jake. The closer they got to the conference room, the easier it was to hear strings of conversation. When they got to the designated meeting area, Julio heard all voices stop. The two of them heard footsteps coming closer and then watched the doorknob twist.

When the door opened, Julio was met with a white haired gentleman dressed in a gray suit. He gestured towards the conference room. “Gentleman, it’s good to see you. Come in.”

Julio went in first, taking in the room quickly. He saw a large white table in the center of the room–four chairs pushed in. His eyes immediately went to the only other person in the room–Jake Kiszka. Julio narrowed his eyes at him, a lot of feelings welling up in him at once. However, there was only one that really came to the surface. Anger.

“I’m Gary Alleman,” the man in the gray suit said, gesturing towards the chairs. “Please have a seat.”

James took his seat first, giving an awkward nod to Jake from across the room. Julio sat next to him, eyes trained on Jake–threatening him. Jake did not seem bothered by this in the slightest. 

“Give us the room?” Jake asked Gary politely. 

Jake gave him a few seconds to leave, and even then waited longer–until he was out of earshot. Jake took his time to cross the room and sit down across from both James and Julio. Without bothering with introductions, or an explanation on why they were all here, Jake proceeded to dig out a manilla folder from a pile of paperwork on the table.

Julio watched as Jake slid over some documents to their side of the table. Julio didn’t bother reaching for it. James hesitated in his chair. 

“You were trying to get your hands on this, weren’t you?” Jake asked simply, directing the question towards James.

James nodded and took the pages in his hands. He looked through them quickly, eagerly searching for what he knew was there. He looked up at Jake–and then at Julio.

“I had my team look into your bank statements, I knew something was off when you had next to nothing to your name.” James said, looking back at the documents. “Seven jobs in five years–and this is where you were keeping all of it.”

Jake looked at him, impressed with his work. “You sure did your research.”

“I just knew it,” James said, his eyes locking onto Jake. “It was no coincidence that you worked for Unified Bank and Trust. Over five thousand locations in the country–and three hundred overseas.”

Jake nodded. “I was able to create a numbered account with them, with some help.” He gestured towards the door that Gary left out of. 

James felt a smile tug on his cheeks. “It’s exactly what I would have done.”

“Okay, so we know where your savings account is,” Julio said, staring directly at Jake. “Why do you have it?”

Jake’s eyes flickered over to Julio, his mouth forming into a tight line. “Right to the point,” Jake said partially under his breath. “I need your help.”

Julio chuckled, but it was not a hearty chuckle–instead it was full of venom. “Go on,” he said, leaning into the table. 

Jake looked at him, and interlaced his fingers together on his lap. “I have things to do, and you have the means to get them done.”

Julio cocked his head to the side, “and you would know that how?”

Jake brought his hands to the table, sitting up and looking Julio directly in the eyes. “Because I’ve looked into you as much as you’ve looked into me. You’ve got connections.” 

Jake took a moment to watch Julio before he slid a manilla folder towards the center of the table. Julio looked in his eyes before grabbing the folder and paging through it quietly. After a few minutes, he handed the folder off to James. 

“Look familiar?” Julio asked James, not taking his eyes away from Jake. 

James paged through the documents as quick as lightning. When he was done, he sat them back down and gave Julio a nod. Julio crossed his arms abruptly. 

Julio shook his head. “I think you’ve overlooked something in this plan of yours.” 

Jake looked at him quizzically. “What are you talking about? I’ve thought of everything. Finances, legal documentation, transportation. I didn’t just cook this plan up in a night. I had years to think it through.”

Julio looked down at the table. “I’m sure you thought it through plenty. The problem is, I have too. All of this,” Julio picked up the folder again, “I could have acted on this at any time in the last two years. But I didn’t. Do you know why?”

Jake stood up from his seat at the table angrily. “Because of your own selfishness!”

Julio stood as well, his chair thrown backwards behind him. “Because there would be no point!”

James stood, placing his arm between them as they glared at each other..

“What do I need to do?” Jake asked earnestly. “Please.”

Julio settled back onto his heels. He sighed. “Cut the thread.”

Jake leaned back as well, his mind racing to figure out what Julio meant. Upon the realization, Jake shook his head bitterly. Julio watched as he understood the gravity of his situation. He didn’t mind being right when it came to hunches about embezzled funds or the mistresses his potential clients kept–but being right about this? Julio would have traded everything he owned to be wrong. 

“I’ll do it,” Jake said after some time. “In exchange, I will work for you–until the day I die.”

Julio narrowed his eyes at Jake, and James dropped his arm.

“Is that something you can promise?”

Jake nodded. “It is.”

Julio collected himself for a moment. “I take it this was the plan all along?”

“I researched you well enough to know you don’t do anything for free.” Jake said. “My life is the only thing I have to give.”

Julio made a noise in the back of his throat. “Then we have a deal,” Julio said as he outstretched his hand to Jake. 

Jake held it firmly in his own, his eyes not wavering for a moment.

James watched in disbelief as the deal was made right in front of him. He couldn’t interject, couldn’t fathom going against Julio during such an important meeting. As the two of them made their way back to the car, James stopped in the middle of the parking lot. 

“Sir,” James said, not quite sure what to say, but knowing that something was deeply wrong. 

“What?” Julio asked plainly.

James struggled to go on, his head swimming with the conversation he’d been a part of today. 

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s wrong.” Julio said, sensing that he was not going to be getting much input out of James. “Trust me.”

James looked into Julio’s eyes for any note of deception. When he found only the eyes of his friend, he took a deep breath. 

“I trust you.”

[unscrupulousartist]

hellerby fic, part 7/10

20 May 1929

The lull in business lasted longer than anyone would've liked, but there was little else to be expected. But, by rote or will, nearly half the usual crowd were present come Monday's celebrations. Dragged, arm-in-arm with Mitzi, Mordecai glared at the balloons and streamers that decorated the bar.

"I put your name on a necklace," said Mitzi. She tugged him toward the same cluster of chairs and tables where they had played cards and—everyone else, at least—imbibed mushroom tea, currently empty.

"l already bought a gift.”

"I know, sugar, but lvy doesn't need another gun," she sat him down in the middle of a couch, then stepped away. There was something overly familiar about the motion, and a sense of deja vu washed over him.

“I feel fine,” he whined, feet faltering.

“I know, sugar,” Mitzi soothed. She rubbed his arms as she guided him into an improvised seat at the bottom of a staircase. “But no one needs you throwing up again. Now—”

"Now, wait here and try not to scare anyone."

Blinking, he smoothed down his dress jacket and fumbled with his pocket watch. "No promises."

Scoffing, she left him alone.

The band had started an early set, some easy listening for a group of gentlemen who had sequestered a corner of the bar to themselves. There were a few dancers already, but the crowd was thin enough that Mordecai could easily spy them all. The atmosphere was somewhat dim, since the chandeliers had yet to be replaced, but Mitzi made up for it by lighting candles on every table. An idle queue lined up at the bar, the service moving somewhat slower without Viktor to assist with beer. On stage, Rocky danced while he played, extra rambunctious in his efforts to make the rest of the band laugh and mess up their parts. To their credit, they recovered each falter with a new improvisation.

Across the room, the main doors opened. Giggling with a handful of her friends, Ivy took a few steps then paused to point out the bar and the dance floor. Before the small group could disperse—she’d brought along four girls, all whom Mordecai recognized from Ivy’s school days—Mitzi rounded them up. The Matron called something to the staff at the bar then looped her arm through Ivy’s to guide her along, much as she had for Mordecai.

“Here we are,” Mitzi sat Ivy at the head of the table, alone in an armchair, and her friends started settling into the nearest seats. One of them slipped into the spot next to Mordecai, offering a small smile—and then flinched into the armrest when he narrowed his eyes at her. Mitzi continued: “We’re just waiting on a couple more people. You girls chat, I’ll be right back.”

Ivy shimmied to the front of her seat as Mitzi left. “Mordecai! Have you seen Freckle?”

Holding in a sigh as all the young ladies looked at him, Mordecai leveled a stare at Ivy. “I assumed Mr McMurray would be coming with you.”

Looking past him, she perked. “Nevermind! I see him—” and she launched out of her seat.

The group left behind shifted awkwardly, and this time Mordecai did sigh. Following suit, he stood. “I’ll get some drinks,” he managed not to grind his teeth as he stepped away from the ladies. When his back was to them, he heard them lean close and start to mutter and laugh. Ears flattening, he ignored them.

Forgoing the queue, he slipped behind the bar and found a bottle of champaign. Guessing from the number of available seats, he took his time hanging a selection of glass flutes from his fingers. While loitering, he watched as Ivy introduced a shy Freckle to her friends, then scanned the bar again. Mitzi was standing with the group of gentlemen in the corner, laughing as she angled away—no doubt trapped in the conversation. Rolling his eyes, Mordecai caught another look of Rocky and the band; the violinist was backing off stage.

Managing to draw out his return, Mordecai lost his spot on the couch to Freckle and Ivy. Freckle was shrunken into a corner as Ivy giggled with her friends.

“Are we having a usual celebration?” Mordecai asked as he carefully set the champagne and flutes on the low table between everyone.

“Yes!” Ivy vibrated.

“I suppose Mr McMurray is getting the first dance?”

“Ah?” Freckle looked up, pupils narrowing as he squirmed.

“Nuh uh,” Ivy laughed and pointed at Mordecai. “Don’t think you can get out of dancing, just because I’m going steady! Nope, you’re up first, Mordecai.”

“Joy,” he drawled.

Then he stumbled as a weight collided against his back. Fur standing on end, he ducked to slip away from the arm that slung around his shoulder. Pivoting, he moved to wrack his claws against his wouldbe-attacker’s face, only to realize who it was just in time to freeze.

“Sorry, sorry,” Rocky laughed, hands raised to placate as he shuffled back a step. “I forgot, Mr Serious likes his personal space.”

Tail twitching low, Mordecai tugged his vest straight and held back a hiss. “I suppose it’s no surprise you’ve yet to learn any lessons, Mr Rickaby.”

“Ooo—” Rocky wagged his brows. “Are we being extra formal today? What d’you think, Miss Pepper—” he turned, bracing against the couch opposite where Ivy sat. “—how should we shuck the boundaries of expectations? I think I saw—no, I KNOW I saw some buckets of paint backstage. We could paint the town blue?"

A couple of the girls snickered, and Ivy rolled her eyes, grinning. "Wrong colour, Rocky."

"Yellow then."

“Don’t be absurd,” said Mordecai. “That paint is for repairs, as you would do well to know.”

“Ah, but how does one do well?” Rocky glanced at him with the question, then turned to soliloquy at Ivy’s friends. “I’m feeling well, does that mean I’m doing well? Or should we be spreading wellness, like jam across toast. Or is well not viscous enough to spread? Should I—”

“Enough,” Mordecai rubbed at his suddenly tense brow. “You cannot spread ideological ideas like condiments.” 

“Mordecai,” Ivy laughed. “Don’t encourage him.”

“Too late—” Rocky started. Still braced against the couch, Rocky gave Mordecai a lingering look. His attention seemed to catch on the couple bits of metal that adorned Mordecai’s clothes: the blackstone cufflinks, the gold chain of the pocket watch, the arch of glasses.

Biting his lip, Rocky’s eyes hooded half-closed as he leaned a little closer. He still loomed over Mordecai, balanced on an elbow as the opposite hand traced over the pattern of Mordecai’s brows. 

Something pleasant and warm vibrated deep in Mordecai’s chest, a slow drip of dopamine that scribbled past the linework of reality to recontextualize his sensate awareness. The world behind Rocky seemed to shimmer and sparkle in Mordecai’s periphery, a distraction from the musician’s blue blue eyes. 

“—I am encouraged,” Rocky’s grin twitched. He rearranged the line of his body, a subtle shift missed by the entirety of the seated party, and lifted a hand to press to his chest. “I do entreat your grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold. Nor how it may concern my modesty, in such a presence here, to plead my thoughts.”

Frowning, Mordecai tried to parse the change of tone alongside the rhythm of the words.

“Rocky!” Ivy hissed over the giggling chorus of her friends. Rocky winked at her.

Beside her, Freckle tilted his head. “If he’s the Duke—” Freckle gestured at Mordecai, but spoke to his cousin. “—who are you supposed to be flirting with?”

Heat burst across Mordecai’s face as all Ivy’s friends laughed, and his hands clenched. 

“Flirting?” Rocky managed to stumble as he stood upright, facing his cousin. “Who’s flirting? You mistake an availability and inclination towards prose with any sense of premeditation, dear cousin. Sometimes, one must abstract the words from their context to express something—uh—” eyes flashing, he glanced at Mordecai for a moment. “—impactful.”

Never able to contain himself from philosophical nonsense, Mordecai pushed up his glasses. “Your suppositions contradict themselves. Without premeditation it’s difficult, if not impossible, to create impact. For instance, a boxer must plant their feet and follow through to knock out their opponent.”

“You know a lot about boxing?”

“Enough not to get knocked out.”

Low where no one else could see, Rocky’s tail wavered. His brows quirked, grin growing to show off his back teeth as he exhaled with a puff of a laugh. Inhaling, his whole body rose up to join the debate.

Only to be interrupted by a returning Mitzi. "Boys!" She called as she approached, alongside Viktor. Carrying an album, she had one dainty hand tucked into his elbow as he managed an armful of presents. "I trust we have been behaving?"

Flailing, Rocky turned toward her. "Always, Ms M!"

"It would depend on your definition of behaving," said Mordecai. For a moment he kept his attention on Rocky, watching the way the musician reset his stance and leaned toward Mitzi.

"Sweetheart," Mitzi sighed. She came to a stop between Rocky and Mordecai, letting Viktor continue on to deposit the presents alongside the champagne. Propping her hands on her hips, she looked between them. "Usually I'd define it as getting along."

"Me and Mr Serious get along great!" Rocky boasted. A swaying step put him in range to swing an arm up around Mordecai's shoulders. 

Which Mordecai dodged. "The verdict is still out."

"Ahuh," Mitzi raised a brow at him, then shook her head and looked at the musician. "Rocky, sugar, I hate to ask—"

A brief frown disappeared beneath a thousand watt smile. "Ask anything, Ms May, and I'll move the moon to bring it to you."

Something sour curled Mordecai's tongue, and he grit his teeth to keep his composure. In need of distraction, he pulled out his pocket watch. Behind them, the girls had sobered as Ivy gushed at Viktor. There was a pop as someone—Freckle—opened the champagne to fill the flutes, and Horatio crept up to join the party.

None of it phased Mitzi, who pressed her freehand to Rocky’s shoulder. "Someone was asking about you."

One of Mordecai's ears twitched.

"Oh?" Rocky tilted his head, expression flickering between surprise and confusion before settling on amusement. "Not another trainhopper, I hope? Might be easier just to lie and say I'm dead."

"That is… an unexpected turn in conversation," Mitzi's lips pursed. "But no. It's one of the new gentlemen patrons—" and she angled to point at the group in the corner, several of whom were glancing at the celebrating party. Mordecai narrowed his eyes at them. "—the one with the blue handkerchief? He wanted to talk about your playing. Said something about, ah—paninis?"

"Paganini," Rocky corrected. Rocking on his heels, he followed her gesture. Then, gaze skimming past Mordecai, he looked at Ivy and her friends. "I may have played a few motifs."

"Sure thing, sugar," Mitzi nodded, pretending to understand. "It never hurts to play nice with money, but I understand if—"

"No no," pulling his jacket straight, Rocky grinned at her. "I can play nice. Give me two minutes with the guy."

Mitzi winced, and Mordecai tempered back a growl. "You may need more than two minutes," and she reached up to fluff his fringe and neaten his tie. "I got the impression he wanted to talk."

"Yes?" Rocky frowned at her ministrations, even as his tail wagged at the attention. "You said that."

"Yes, but I mean…" she raised her brows and leaned forward, tone dripping low. "...talk."

"Ah?" Rocky scratched the back of his neck, one finger probing beneath his collar. 

"Flirting, sugar."

"Ah." Rocky’s shoulders dropped as Mordecai tensed. He looked again at the group of gentlemen in the corner. "Are you sure?"

"Well, he was understandably cagey about the whole proposal," Mitzi admitted, stepping aside. "But I recognized the look in his eyes, and he was very insistent."

"This is a bad idea," said Mordecai. 

Both Rocky and Mitzi turned to him, Rocky with a small grin and Mitzi with a puzzled frown. Then Rocky laughed, pivoting as he moved so he still addressed the both of them. "The bad ideas are usually the best ones."

"No they aren't!" Mordecai called as Rocky stepped out of a comfortable conversing range.

"Where's Rocky going?" Ivy asked, drawing Mitzi and Mordecai's attention.

The matron continued on to the group, rearranging the album she carried to hold in front of her. "Just a little bit of shmoozing, dear. Are you ready to get started?"

"Yes!" Squirming, Ivy jumped up. She giggled at her friends, commanding them to stay as she kissed Freckle's cheek and rounded out of the center of the group. At speed, she grabbed Mordecai's arm to drag him toward the dance floor.

"Must we?" Mordecai sighed, the air of annoyance coming easier as he spied Rocky sitting on the arm of a gentleman's chair. "Could I bribe you to change your mind?"

"No," Ivy laughed.

Someone in the band must have noticed their arrival on the dancefloor, for the music came to an improvised end before Zib started up a quick number. There were a handful of other dancers to maneuver between, and then they were in the middle of the meager crowd. Then, just as Ivy arranged herself into a starting position—she gave Mordecai's arms a reprimanding tug, as if to remind him to take the activity seriously—he caught a glimpse of Rocky speaking into a gentleman's ear.

Whiskers tickled the side of his face as a nose nuzzled into his ear. "Heads up, buttercup—" Rocky sang. "Your friends are headed this way."

"No funny business!" Ivy warned, prompting him to blink and look at her pouting face. She took his hands in a loose hold. "I'm not one of those ladies you're trying to get rid of, so dance properly!"

"Naturally," he ground out. Then he loosened his limbs to lead, pulling a laughing Ivy into a series of quick steps and spins. Not with the same level of talent or flair of some of the other Lackadaisy residents—Zib was the self proclaimed virtuoso, but Viktor always managed a surprising amount of poise—but proficient enough to keep the birthday girl happy and occupied.

On stage, Zib and Sy steadily increased the rhythm until Mordecai felt flushed and had to fight against panting. Glaring over Ivy’s shoulder, he caught them and the rest of the band grinning and snickering around their instruments. Unfortunately, he could see no real harm in their antics; it had been years since they were last able to torture Mordecai through one of his least favourite activities. Though, truth be told, with Ivy it was bearable. 

Eventually, the music tapered to an end. 

“Thank you!” Ivy closed the space between them to wrap him up in a hug.

Expecting it, Mordecai placed one awkward hand on her shoulder blade and the other on her head. Petting her hair, he relaxed to the tune of her purring and thought, briefly, of his sisters back in New York. Then he made the mistake of looking up, his attention drifting to Rocky without his conscious permission.

Still seated on the arm of the gentleman’s chair, Rocky stared back. Mouth agape, his eyes were wide; at least, they were until the gentleman asked for his attention again. Then the musician turned back to his charge, grin in place around whatever flowery words he spouted.

Mordecai tensed. “I trust this was enough?” he asked.

Pulling back to look up at him, Ivy squinted and pursed her lips as if to contemplate.

Mordecai rolled his eyes and raised his brows at her as the next song started.

“Fiiine,” Ivy relented with a smile. “I release you.”

Scoffing, Mordecai led her back towards her party of friends. “Mitzi put my name on a necklace for you,” he told her. “But your real present is up in the office.”

Vibrating, she bounced closer. “Is it—?”

He interrupted. “The rifle you wanted? Yes.”

[celestial-citrus]

19, 21, 23, 29, 30

19. three songs that are your guilty pleasure

eh idk if i have guilty pleasure songs ?

21. three songs of your childhood

23. three songs that never fail to get you pumped up

29. three songs that influenced you most (some songs change or save lives)

30. three songs you really want your followers to know (for reasons other than all those above)

how did you love - shinedown

at the winds will - poor man's poison

[cthulhubert]

I posted 28,458 times in 2022

That's 2,097 more posts than 2021!

78 posts created (0%)

28,380 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@argumate

@ernilthur

@sweetest-garlic

@bdigfreakingwooper

@preggo-my-eggo-meggo

I tagged 18,154 of my posts in 2022

Only 36% of my posts had no tags

#what can i queue - 13,722 posts

#words - 503 posts

#long post - 428 posts

#deja vu - 352 posts

#rationality - 240 posts

#endorsed - 213 posts

#frog - 206 posts

#goal body - 163 posts

#homestuck - 130 posts

#lemon text - 123 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#a wizard appretice has such bad ocd he discovers a conspiracy to rule the world and has to get a princess and her pet gremlin to save his li

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

The worst thing about Blasphemous is that they never added Achievements for any of the expansions (fyi: all included in the price of the game now).

Stir of Dawn added New Game+ with three choices of “Penitence” that make the game harder (you can only do one per run, and each gives you a unique bead on the next NG+), a series of five new bosses, and a gold sink donation box that gives you a bunch of bonuses, including a unique skin when you max it out.

Strife and Ruin added a Boss Rush mode, a series of five platforming challenges (that are part of a crossover with Bloodstained), and new prayers and beads.

And Wounds of Eventide added two new bosses that you have to beat to get a new Heart which adds a second phase to the second to last and final boss fights which gives you the True ending.

I’ve done all of these now because they were fun but I crave external validation of the matter!

12 notes - Posted May 6, 2022

#4

Bought a gallon capacity (four liters, actually) insulated water jug, mostly on a whim. It’s not bad but it doesn’t really offer much over my old stand by 40oz bottle beyond mild physical comedy. Every time I use it I legit feel like this:

12 notes - Posted June 23, 2022

#3

Blasphemous, a 2D retro styled action platformer is on sale for 75% off (6.24$) on Steam, on GoG, AND on Nintendo’s store for the Switch (those are all links). Steam’s, at least, ends April 4th.

There’s a sequel announced for 2023 and that’s an instant buy for me now.

I started out kind of lukewarm on this game but by the time I beat the first boss, I was kind of in love? The platforming stuff gave me some big old school Prince of Persia vibes (maybe it’s the instant death spikes); and the combat is fun. Some of those exploration/metroidvania elements. It’s “Souls-like”, though the difficulty isn’t really turned up to 11, it’s just got the whole “parrying, death means you need to go reclaim something, health flasks that refill, story is mostly in item descriptions or hidden away” kinda thing. I know it’s been done before but I really loved the whole “Evil(er) Fantasy Catholicism” aesthetic.

CW: Lots of blood and gore and some pixelated bits and bobs, if you dislike that. And obviously some, uh, look at the name.

16 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

#2

"#arknights #I honestly enjoy the bafflement everything I see about this game (it's a game right?) induces" - look, it's simple: you play as a mesothelioma charity that inexplicably keeps getting involved in catgirl civil wars

I am now enlightened.

18 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Had another dream featuring tumblr mutuals and follows.

It was a fairly sprawling dream, and had something almost like an adventure narrative except it was really chill. Basically I went from place to place via various methods, accomplishing tasks. A lot of it blurred out of memory, but near the end I was at some kind of... distribution center? A giant blocky gray building full of offices and warehouses. I seem to recall it was a government service. I was definitely there with somebody else to pick up a large package. But I walked into one waiting room, possibly looking for water, and a bunch of trans and non-binary people from tumblr where there (I remember @beste-glatisant and @transgenderer, maybe @natalieironside?) and we shot the shit for a minute, and I mentioned how I’d run into TRAINS (I think but can’t be sure that this was something that actually happened in the dream, but I forgot except for the part where I referenced it later, during the same dream); which was... some kind of organization, except you always refer to its members/representatives as being the organization itself? The name is an acronym (and I think the T was for Trans). And all of you were excited and amazed and talked about how rare it is to run into them “organically”.

I was so caught up in pondering the implications, and the odd grammar, that I woke myself up.

42 notes - Posted February 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[jimmythejiver]

Warning to anyone following me

Starting June 1st, I have the blog queue set up that goes all the way to November about U.S. Politics and Election 2024 and the importance of voting. I've been collecting these posts for some time for this year and declining to post many of them sooner for many reasons.

Our government has been doing fucked up shit overseas. I know to ask anyone on this website who don't live here or have relatives abroad to read the callousness on which we must pick which evil leader gets to pass the bomb and missile fundings is insensitive and anti-human. I know that my comfortability in living in this still ableist, transphobic, anti body autonomy system doesn't ultimately matter when people outside of the United States are being slaughtered and people within our borders have been stripped of their rights longer than I've been alive. I know that almost 300 years we haven't solved racism, colonialism, Imperialism or any of the ills this country's been found on and that a bloody revolution is supposed to solve this until opportunists and traitors squash that too.

My point and rambling aside is that as my good friend reminded me when I was going off the deep end in room scrolling and doom posting, "we're all suffering." I'd add still some suffer more than others abd that must be acknowledged if we're to dwell on these topics, but it is a weaponized a silencing tactic too.

In a better world I'd solve more if these problems with direct action and keep posting pleasant shit and leave the politics off this site. I'd prefer it. What I'm seeing instead is the deja vu of 2016 and viral misinformation and false facts that are used to keep us in a despair fugue of "fuck it it, nothing matters." I lived through how that turned out.

So once again I'm no one's daddy and I can't tell you what to do and you can stay home or spite vote for the candidate I hate more or go third party. I just hope you (the leftist american voter who is registered and able to vote) is informed of your decision. The rest of you where this does not apply, have a guilt free day.

For anyone who does not want to see this content on your dash, I implore you to blacklist tags like: Politics, Election, Election 2024, Voting.

Otherwise I'll keep trying to reblog art, writers things, animals and other things I find neat and interesting because we all need joy and a breather in these times.

If I ever move into a place where I can get my scanner out and have space for creative outlets, I hope I can get to posting some my art and pick up full time fanfiction writing again.

[fff777]

watched dream sketch #7 in london, paris, and berlin

Renjun doing a ballet spin and Haechan stretching. Renhyuck ballet AU.

Whatever Jaemren are doing.

Dream practices are always just cuddlefests

Look at this brat, Chenle acts tough and talks big but he's the biggest princess ever

Just a million things going on while Renjun takes cam control

Jaemin, in Korean: How do you say "get it together" in English Mark, in English: I love you

Jisung hyping up DJ Renjun even though he is not DJ-ing right now

Whatever's going on here

I'd seen a gif of this before watching this video and y'all must know I lost my shit. Jaemrenists we are so back.

Renjun just permanently at 180 degrees while practising

Oh wow they performed at Wembley. I only know that name because of soccer lol.

Mark explaining how "guys" refers to men but is also now used as a catchall term for everyone.

They're always just chatting amongst each other in huddles in the breaks between practice <3

Mark's already got his pretty hair done

Yeah okay Nohyuck

Renjun: I'm feelin it are you feelin it Chenle: No

I want to highlight the fact that I am only 3 minutes into this half hour video. There is always so much going on with these dudes.

Saturday Drip rehearsal (y)

Haechan is a sun but suns are also stars

Nomin

Game time! They all look so pretty

It's cool that Hrvy met them backstage :P Hrvy remembers all the details hehe.

Hrvy @ Jisung: You got a lot taller and your voice got a lot deeper ToT I know dude ToT I wasn't even there for it but he's all growed up.

Jisung prepared a little something in English :3 That's my son <3

I wonder why Chenle spoke in Korean (since he's pretty good at English ^^;;)

Kyuu pose strikes again

Deja vu's been growing on me. It's a pretty hype song eh.

My little guys. Also I'm so mean but every time Renjun wears that outfit I think of McLovin.

Low angle Chenji

Jeno flip!!!!!!

Jaemin: Don't skip a meal He's so malewife coded and yet not

Kissu

Picking up and playing with the toys that the fans throw on to the stage

樂樂又在撒嬌啦

Aigo with 350% energy by Haechan

Group huddle. Also Jisung looming over Renjun.

Renjun continues to be horizontal

Their rehearsal space in Paris is pretty small ^^;;

Chenle just promoting Starbs' iced vanilla latte for free and with his homemade slogan.

Mark sliding to the food and Chenle finding him adorable

My little guys again

Princess x Princess (I originally had so many screenshots for this part but I had to delete on account of the Tumblr pictures per post limit hmph)

Headlock of love

Whatever they were doing

They were all just having an insane dance party while Mark watched

Chenle and Renjun having a high pitched siren voice competition

Haechan believing in the power of Ratatouille inside his beanie

Getting hyped while practising Trigger the fever. It does hit different doesn't it.

Jaemin practising French :3 He likes Paris a lot :3

I took sooo many screenshots during this video but Tumblr only allows 30 so I keep having to delete some ToT

Anyway here's more Jaemren

And Markmin

Oh wow the standing spaces are REALLY close to the stage

Aw Haechan picked up a Crayon Shin-chan plush :3 And Chenle picked up a Daegal pillow X3

Lil cuties

Wait omg who gave Renjun and Jisung PSG jerseys??

Now onto Berlin

Mark taking a video of German pigeons

Did Haechan back his ass up into the huddle to get spanked

Jaemin's sweater said "GO HOME SOCIETY" which I assume is some form of introvert social club

Creation of Jeno?

They're such energetic performers. Watching them in concert must be so much fun~

Jeno helping Mark fix the back of his shirt?

Quite a few of them prepared something in German :3

Haechan tummy

Nomin again

Chenle wearing sunglasses during boom

Oh man this video was soooo much fun. I would have included so many more screenshots but alas, Tumblr said no. (I know I could technically reblog this post to add more photos but I am queueing this so I'll forgo the hassle and just cut down on number of photos).

[dragonncat]

mutuals i am so sorry if u see my reblogs a week after i like ur post. or u see my reblog from another mutual and u get deja vu bc didn't i see that two weeks ago? you did. my queue is just at 131. so expect my replies in 5-10 business days. i don't know how this happened.

[kotonoba]

Daybreak (Madara/Fem!Reader) Ch. 5

ISTG, it's not that I have writer's block or something, I'm just lazy right now.

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Concern lit up in your eyes when you flicked your gaze from your brother’s to Madara’s, the smirk he had concerned you. When he noticed you looking at him, he smiled. You couldn’t put your tongue on it, but something in you lit up; instead, it felt like deja vu or pure concern. You didn’t have the heart to think about it, especially when your brother came upon the spot after looking over Madara and Hashirama’s profiles, “you’re both hired!” 

“Pardon?” You snapped your attention straight onto your brother, who seemed happy about literally everything. You moved over to sit beside him, “you don’t have that much money, brother.” sure, you thought he was joking when he said he was going to hire two people for your bodyguards – as much as your brother loves you, you knew he didn’t have that much money to support two bodyguards. One is okay, and two are a little tricky. 

“I’m sure…” he glances at Madara, you follow his gaze, “he might be willing to do it for free,” you tilt your head a little, almost as if on queue with your brother’s gaze, yours snapped towards Madara who seemed to have caught on to you two talking about money, “just do as I say, Y/N.” It doesn’t sound like a good idea, but you nodded anyways. He always had his way with words. “So, Madara, we’ve been friends since Elementary school. I’d say we’re–” you watched your brother cross his fingers together, “best friends, if not best, then close friends, yeah?” 

“I’m not doing this for free, Miyake, you know that,” it seemed as if his actions betrayed him when he ruffled the back of his hair. You could tell that Madara was already quaking at whatever trick Seiya had up his sleeves. “It’s still a full-time job, being someone–” Madara looked you in the eye a little, “ –being Y/N’s bodyguard, it’s expensive,” your eyes refocused on your brother, who smiled at you a nod. 

You turned your attention to Madara, a playful pout on your innocent features. You glanced up at him like a wounded puppy, “I… enjoyed your presence, but nothing gold can stay. Money is important. It was nice knowing you, I–” 

“Why are you acting like I wouldn’t be working for you?” Madara’s obsidian hues narrowed in your direction. 

“Stay strong, brother,” you eyed Izuna a little as he whispered for Madara to stay strong. It seemed like the two younger siblings of both firms caught on to the game you and your brother were leading on.

“Well, we don’t have the funds to pay for you to work for us, my brother – since you guys are no longer on a first-name basis – would have to find another way to keep himself safe and myself. Plus, with my need to get medication and feed our pets…” you feigned a dramatic tear wiping before offering Madara a look, he didn’t appreciate it, but you can tell he was wavering at your act, “we simply don’t have enough.” 

There was a long pause before Madara broke his stoic side and nodded a little, “I’ll do it for free,” he shook his head as his brother gave him a slightly disgusted look. “I–”

He was cut off when you grinned and gave your brother a high five, mission complete, “great! I’m going shopping tomorrow to put you in a more blendable fashion. Bring your wallet,” you grinned a little, getting up out of your seat, and waved him goodbye, then at your brother, “I’m going to bed first, gotta’ be up early.” 

He nodded and dismissed you. Before you had gotten up to your room, you heard Madara speak, “you sure know how to manipulate people,” to your brother, which you supposed was true. 

Humming a little, as you entered your dark bedroom to turn the light on, a scene from your nightmares seemed to be so surreal you could see it; your voice caught in your throat before you fell and did your best to cower to the corner furthest from the scene of nightmares before your voice decided to fill your lungs and room.

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I am leaving the vivid details and feelings to Madara’s POV.

Cloudy's AO3

[nincompoopydoo]

PAIRING, BAGELS, REPEAT

— US AGAINST THE WORLD ; PART 4 / ?

( credits to @animusrox for this gif )

PAIRING: Bruce Wayne x reader

WORD COUNT: 2247 hot diggy dog

SUMMARY: You have a heart-to-heart conversation with one of your students before the play and you're hit with the realization that your love for Bruce may be more than meets the eye. hence, you’re starting to wonder if it was a mistake you can never fix.

A/N: This one’s long and kinda depressing. I’m in an angsty mood now whoops. Nevertheless, thank you for reading this series, the bagels will make its appearance and enjoy this one folks.

WARNINGS: Anxiety, depressing thoughts.

MASTERLIST ; MASTERPOST

The night of the show arrived quicker than you anticipated. The flurry of theatre kids rushing about backstage is quite the sight, feeling the incredible sense of pride of a mother for her children. Yet in prayer, you ask Mrs. Wilson for the gift of strength and ability to manage a bunch of highly-strung teenagers. It’s only Shakespeare after all but you knew that wasn’t the genuine nature behind their stage jitters. With all tickets sold out within a week, it has easily become the biggest event of the year aside from homecoming. It may be a little pretentious for a high school production of an over-performed Shakspeare play to emerge as the highlight of the year, but you know it will help with some of the students’ portfolios for acting school.

The clock ticks—thirty minutes before showtime and panic starts to creep.

Your fingertips dance along the selvage of the extensive drapery of the stage as lighting queues are being run through for the last time. The urge of curiosity lets you crack open the curtain as you peeked at the rest of the theatre. The bustling crowd made up of mostly teenagers with seats rapidly being filled, it’s certainly a sight for sore eyes. Amongst the settling audience, you spot Bruce, seated between Mr. Walken, the principal, and Mr. Huckleberry, the vice-principal, likely being shamelessly asked for donations. He looks engaged, but his posture and the gaze of his eyes tell a very different story—Bruce is barely listening to a word they’re saying.

He then turns in the direction of your hiding spot and despite the distance, he catches your eye, immediately recognizing it’s you spying from behind the curtains. You watch the curve of his lips turn up into more of a smirk, swiftly sending a wink your way. You instantly disappear behind the curtains, cheeks burning.

You sometimes find it hard to believe you’re sleeping with the man with no strings attached because you’re incredibly attracted to him.

Someday, you’ll burst out into an exaggerated love confession, and you know it’s going to be ugly. It’s a reality check and right now, it’s the last thing you want. Running away from your problems is more of a habit than a choice as you would rather live in the world your mind has created, where miracles are made and defects cease to exist. Anyone would trade the cruelties of reality for a perfect one yet getting too caught up in a daydream will eventually evolve into toxicity. Bruce orbits the very core of your problems and daydreams. You want to run away from him and allow yourself to be engulfed by his presence at the same time.

You just need...to breathe. Hence, the second dressing room has a weird stench to it. It’s a mess but it’s empty. Yet, it seems you aren’t the only one in need of space, away from everyone else. Shaniqua is seated at the far corner of the room on a crooked metal chair, dressed in a somewhat modernized version of an Elizabethan era dress. Very elaborate and theatrical. Despite her introverted character, she was constantly bright-eyed and keen during your classes. She had a drive like no other. Hell, she miraculously memorized all her lines in two days.

You’ve never seen a furrow of the girl’s brows, until now, and it worries you. Even her glitter-covered eyes could not conceal the dismay they portray with prominence. Gingerly, you made your way to her as she stared at her fidgeting hands. It was only when you settled on the opposite dusty old chair when she finally noticed your presence.

“Stage fright, huh?” you casually asked, resting your arm on the dressing table. She mirrors your posture, heaving a deep sigh, and shakes her head. “No, it’s just,” A pause, her gaze finds yours. You nod, flashing her a smile. It’s a simple gesture that you’re here to listen. “It’s about Oscar...” You catch a hint of a smile as she trailed off and in an instant, your brow raises with curiosity. Oh? Another beat of silence, her eyes dart around the room. You sit quietly with patience because you knew she had more to say.

“It’s just that doing this play has got me thinking a lot about my feelings. I mean, if Romeo and Juliet could be lovers, despite their feuding families, then it must be easy enough for me to admit that I like Oscar.”

“You have a point.” You chuckle, eyes crinkling with amusement. Sometimes she thinks too much for her own good. She reminds you of Bruce. Shaniqua flashes you a faint smile, lips pressed with doubt. “But why am I finding it so hard to just tell him that?”

You stayed silent for a moment or two, mind deep in thought. The chair creaks as you shift in your seat. “Well, could it be that you aren’t sure if he likes you back?”

A hum in response, shrugging coyly as she mumbled a ‘maybe’. Although it was clear as day to you that Oscar liked her back, you wondered if her doubts emerged due to their differences in character. The familiarity of the situation is beginning to feel a lot like deja vu.

“How do you know that someone is the one?” Her sudden question catches you off guard because, in all honesty, you aren’t confident if you knew the answer. A straightforward question, commonly seen in the pages of teenage magazines, written for innocent eyes. You knew its true nature and it terrifies you. The image of Bruce charges through your thoughts like rushing water, memories of times when the two of you were younger clouding your mind. You forcefully push back your university days, buried back deep into your conscience.

“I don’t exactly know the answer to that but in my opinion, it’s—it’s the feeling of completeness when you love them and know they love you. They may be different from you, but it doesn’t make you love them any less. There’s no conflict or strife; it’s just the two of you against the world.”

Those words were raw and genuine, carefully crafted directly from the heart. You weren’t surprised by your words because you’ve thought about it a lot, especially on nights you slept on Bruce’s bed. Maybe, you do love him, and that's a huge ass problem. It’s amazing how unexpected situations tend to encourage apprehension on large issues you never knew existed in the first place. Perhaps it was your astonishing lack of discernment when it came to matters that could potentially alter your life.

Tonight, a sixteen-year-old girl did just that.

Amid your growing anxiety, you manage to catch sight of the wall clock, hung on the other side of the room. It’s now eight minutes until showtime. Your eyes are now wide as you sprung up from your seat in the sudden realization that everyone should be at their respective positions two minutes ago. “Oh God, we’re running late. Shaniqua, word of advice—don’t end up regretting something you didn’t do,” You shoot her a pointed look, index finger stretching towards her. “Now, you really need to go, or we’ll have to delay and you know Mr. Walken hates waiting.”

-

It’s a quarter to nine, and the theatre is empty. Outside, the foyer and the hallways are buzzing with the remaining audience, lingering and sharing inane conversations as others wait for a car to take them home. You had only just finished rearranging the costumes in the wardrobe of the dressing room. You tried to sweep the scatter of glitter all over the floor but it deemed a task as impossible; you’ll deal with it next week.

You’re sitting in the seat at the front row, nearest to the aisle with a large box filled with props on your lap. Alone in transcendental silence, feeling as empty as the theatre itself. It was partly the conversation you had with Shaniqua that hit you with the reminder of all the mistakes you made that have led you to this unchanging world of a blur that takes the blame for the wretched feeling in your chest. Yet, as the show progressed, hearing the words of affection from two lovers had sent your mind reeling. You were desperate to head home, crawl into bed and potentially cry yourself to sleep but the growing anxiety forbids it, you don’t even think you could drive home.

So, you stillness of the theatre reminds you of Edward Hopper’s painting, Solitary Figure in a Theater. With eyes shut, you pretend you are the figure in the painting, sheathed in black, sitting alone in the cavernous dark.

You hear the door of the theatre squeak, swinging open followed by the shuffling of feet. You don’t look at first, too tired anyway. You’d assume someone had either forgotten something or it was the janitor that you’re sure is going to be upset over the glitter massacre in the dressing room. It looked like a crime scene, except it was the murder of a literal unicorn. You made a mental note to send an apology sandwich of some sorts next week.

It was the familiarity in the whiff of cologne that made you snap your eyes wide open, looking over your shoulder to meet with the sight of Bruce, ambling down the aisle towards you. He smiles, and you mirror him, shifting in your seat and nearly toppling the box to the ground. “What are you still doing here?” He smiles, and you mirror him, shifting in your seat and nearly toppling the box to the ground. “I could ask you the same question.” He settles in the seat next to you, elbow brushing against yours. Your head tilts, gesturing to the box. Bruce merely hums and nods thoughtfully.

“So, how was the play? Does it get a Wayne seal of approval?” There’s a hint of teasing in the curve of your lips as his eyes drift to the stage. “I liked it. The kids have talent.” Your eyes glint with amusement, your smile growing wider. “I never knew you were a fan of romance.” His laugh comes out more like a huff of air, crinkled eyes meeting yours, and nudges you lightly. “Well, now you know.”

He recognizes the way your smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes and the way you’re fussing with the edges of the box on your lap. Something is bothering you and he knows it. He nudges you once more. “Penny for your thoughts?”

You blink once. Then twice, face wincing instinctively. You keep forgetting how well Bruce can read people, especially you. You exhale slowly as he watches you struggle to pick the right words.

“It’s really nothing. It’s just-” you say after a long minute, cutting yourself short. Then, you turn to Bruce. “I’m growing older, and I’ve spent my entire life in a fog with so much fear for reality, I’m afraid it’s too late to fix all my mistakes and regrets.” Your voice dwindles with every word that escaped your lips. You were young, naïve with the notion that time was extensive to make decisions without thinking it through. To know that you could never take back the things you did. Saturn’s rising, it’s a wake-up call now that you’re older and the fear that you would never change creeps onto you with every passing birthday.

Bruce defines the epitome of the sinking feeling in your chest whenever you lay in bed at night and let your mind reel about your existence. Yet, it isn’t as simple as you want it to be. The boy you met at university has grown into a far more complex and entangled mess of the grief of his parents, the responsibility he held over this city and the drive to just...keep moving on. For the longest time, it was him against the world, and a part of you wants to believe that it doesn’t have to be that way. That maybe, you could be enough for him.

He glanced away from you, trying to hide the despondency in his eyes. He holds back a sigh as he speaks, “Do you regret us doing this?” As vague as his question is, you know what he exactly means. He remembers the time the two of you used to exchange senseless conversations and laughter so vividly that it scares him. Juvenile friends, lacking the knowledge to know what love really was. Hence, the agreement—it was just two friends, messing around. Nothing could go wrong. Now, the hole has been dug in too deep, with no way of getting out.

“I don’t,” you reply and with just two simple words, his chest feels like fire. It was the way you had said it, with so much confidence and assurance, despite the intricacy of this relationship. For the first time in a long time, you were extremely sure about an answer. You could never regret Bruce. Never.

It’s almost hesitant in the way his hand finds yours, but it represents his care for you, even if you may not know it. The warmth of his hand feels like fire. Hell, your chest feels like it’s on fire, heart burning for the man beside you. “I’ll drive you home,” he whispers with a squeeze of your hand. You flash him a grateful smile as the two of you drift into a comfortable silence. Silence so eloquent that you don’t feel so empty anymore. No longer a solitary figure trapped in a painting but now two, hand in hand, against the world.

TAGLIST

@raineeace

[kosmo-mckogane]

Okay but hear me out, klance au where they still go to space and all that but this time kl were pen pals as kids 😭😭😭 extra points if they don’t realize until they’re way into the whole voltron thing

yoo this is such a good concept...

maybe keith wasn't too into the idea at the time, when every child at his new foster home was assigned a penpal. maybe he thought it was a waste of time. maybe he thought it was a joke that someone as closed off and disagreeable as himself got partnered with a penpal who was just so annoyingly sunny, who wrote all his letters in glittery blue gel ink and added little funny doodles in the corners, whose stories were long and detailed and never sounded dull.

but, maybe, keith was also drawn in by the boy's energy, by the stories he told. maybe he was reluctant to dim that happy, optimistic attitude. and so, he wrote back, every time. and maybe, just maybe, he begins to grow fond of his penpal.

and that's why, when keith leaves that home, he keeps writing letters. well, for a few foster homes, at least. but through all the moving around, especially once he meets shiro, it becomes kind of hard for him to keep track, and eventually, he loses touch with him. his penpal doesn't have keith's new address, and keith doesn't even know if his penpal's address is the same anymore.

he still thinks about him sometimes, though. and keith doesn't know it, but his penpal - lance - still thinks of him, too. he keeps all his letters in a shoe box on a shelf, and every so often he'll read over them and think, what happened? where did you go?

and when voltron happens, when they're in space together, there are a few moments where it almost clicks. like when they see each other’s handwriting for the first time - maybe while making the voltron paladin handbook - and they both get this vague deja vu. but they brush it off, bc they’ve probably seen each other’s handwriting at some point at the garrison, right?

but then, one day keith, lance, hunk, and pidge are in the lounge, and lance and hunk are reminiscing about their lives back on earth, with pidge chipping in every so often as she tinkers with her computer and Keith mostly just listening. 

and at some point, hunk says, "oh, hey lance, remember that one guy you used to write love letters to all the time?"

at first, keith doesn't think much of it, just rolling his eyes with a scoff as lance protests, "uh, excuse me, they weren't love letters, we were penpals! that's like a whole different thing >:("

but - penpals - that sparks keith's memory. as hunk and pidge continue to tease lance, keith finds himself remembering his own penpal that he'd had as a kid. he remembers sparkly blue ink, messy little doodles and obviously exaggerated stories. how his friend would talk and talk about his family, his interests, and his life, but how he'd never push too hard for many details on Keith's own life, offering a welcome escape from some of the annoying stuff keith had to deal with in foster homes.

keith wonders where he is now, and how he's doing. he hopes he's okay.

"what was his name?" pidge's voice brings keith back to the conversation. "your boyfriend, i mean."

"for the last time, he was not my boyfriend!" lance cries, spreading his arms dramatically, pidge and hunk only snickering in response. "and, actually, i never knew his real name. i always just called him space cadet."

and keith's stomach drops.

"what?"

keith hadn't meant to blurt that out so loudly or so suddenly - in all honesty he didn't mean to speak at all - but now all eyes are on him.

"uh." lance raises an eyebrow. "i said i called him space cadet? you know, like a nickname? to use instead of his real name? i'm actually really good at coming up with those! you know, i was the one who gave hunk here his nickname ..."

keith lets the conversation drift from himself again, keeping his expression carefully blank.

"oh, right," he mutters, praying that his tone sounds as careless as he hopes. he glances away, folding his arms and leaning back on the couch, feigning disinterest.

he sees hunk tilt his head in confusion, but then pidge butts in to make fun of lance for giving his penpal such a dorky nickname, and keith's blunder is soon forgotten.

okay, keith tries to reason with himself, just because lance happened to give his penpal the same nickname as keith's penpal gave him, doesn't mean they're the same person. it could just be a weird coincidence.

but the more keith hears lance talk about his penpal, the more apparent it becomes that it is not, in fact a coincidence, and that lance is, in fact, keith's old penpal.

queue keith having a gay panic for 34234 years wondering how to tell lance that his self proclaimed rival and his beloved childhood penpal are actually the same person