#and now you are suspectable to breaking and going off script

[sorryitsmyfirstdayonearth]

A den of arms and a waste of time

(Dean Winchester x female reader)

Summary Dean comes to you in the night, and you always know what he needs. CWs Needy Dean. No smut, but sexual content. Unconventional relationships. Love. 18+. 2k words.

Dean Winchester masterlist ⏐ SPN masterlist

Dean comes to you in the night, and you turn yourself into an instrument for his comfort.

You can’t pinpoint the exact moment it started, became what it is now, because there’s so many different phases you’ve gone through.

At the beginning, it’s just sex. Good sex, no, great sex, between friends. On paper, you were and still are nothing but colleagues, acquaintances, but on paper doesn’t account for the way you open up to each other, the way you’re pretty sure Dean hasn’t to a lot of people, and you know you haven’t. Late night talks, until the birds start singing outside, both of you bleary-eyed and tired, but your souls lighter.

When you start sleeping with each other, you’re sure that connection is going to break – you’ve long suspected Dean can’t fuck a woman and love her at the same time. And for a while, he pulls back, draws back into himself, and while you love the way your bodies work together, you grieve for your friend.

It’s not that sex with Dean isn’t fun – he’s an attentive lover, but it also feels like he’s going through the motions. A long studied script that is sure to get you off, but sometimes, sometimes, it feels like he’s not even really there. Like he’s performing, but he knows the play so well, he doesn’t need to pay attention to his lines anymore.

It’s doesn't creep you out, exactly, but it makes you unenthusiastic to continue. You can take care of yourself, and you’d rather have Dean back as your friend, where you actually feel like you are special, mean something to him. You tell him, and it confuses the hell out of him. He’s not used to being rejected – not with that face, those shoulders, that swagger. The ass. You’re a strong woman, you think to yourself. But it actually works, and after a few weeks of reacquainting yourselves with each other, you have your confidant back.

Dean still flirts with you sometimes. Oh boy, does he. You’re pretty sure he can’t help himself. It’s more a compulsion than anything else. You smile, but gently reject him.

It’s when you already live in the bunker that you start finding Dean up at night. Sometimes you hear him move deep in the bowels of the old Men of Letters construct. He’s quiet, but your hunter skills are attuned enough to hear him. Almost like a mother who can pick out her baby’s cries among a crowd of them. You push that thought away. It’s weird. But it is also true.

When you find him in those nights, he acts like he’s fine. But there’s always something weighing on him. He takes on the weight of the world like it’s nothing, like he’s used to it at this point, but you see how it tenses his jaw, how he holds himself, how often his hands are balled into fists.

It’s on one of those nights that you’re sitting next to him, talking, and your fingers land on his neck, press against the knotted muscle there. He flinches, then jokes, but something about the feeling of his skin makes you continue, and Dean doesn’t tell you to stop.

For a moment, when it starts feeling good, he looks terrified and you’re sure he’ll ask you to quit touching him in a second. But then his eyes fall closed. Goosebumps raise on his arms, you see, and you keep going, don’t talk. His breathing’s shallow.

After a few minutes of this, you get up. He blinks his eyes open, thanks you bashfully, ready to deliver another joke, but then you move behind him, lay both hands on his neck.

“You don’t have to—” he starts, but then you are pressing your fingers against him again. He goes quiet. You can’t see his face, but you keep going, and after a few more minutes, you realize his breathing is slower, deeper. You keep touching that soft skin of his when suddenly his shoulders are shaking. You run your hand over the back of his head, through that soft hair.

“Dean?” you say quietly and lean forward. His eyes are closed. His expression is…

You can’t describe it. It hangs somewhere between pain and lust. And there’s tears running down his cheeks.

He wakes from it a second later. Runs the back of his hand over his face as horror sets in, horror at his perceived weakness. He stands up, nearly sends his chair and you flying. The way he looks at you is as if you’ve just walked in on him naked, seen everything, when all this time he’s been trying to convince you that he doesn’t have skin.

Weeks of avoidance follow. Dean doesn’t look at you. He’s short with you, barely friendly, but that’s it. You try to talk to him, but he blocks you. You almost give up on it when he comes to you.

It’s a normal night, or what you would consider a normal night. You’ll never know what in that day made him change his mind. Maybe it was just time amassing, like drops in a puddle. It doesn’t matter.

The knock on your door is so gentle but it wakes you immediately. Habit of the trade.

“Yes?” you say into the dark. The door opens, a strip of light falling in. He doesn’t turn on the light. He doesn’t want you to see him.

“Dean, are you okay?” you ask quietly, but he doesn’t answer. There’s a moment where you wonder if something terrible is about to happen, or already has happened, and he’s going to tell you about it. He closes the door behind him and you hear him move towards you, towards your bed. Then he sits at the edge of it. He’s quiet for a while.

“Can you do it again?” he asks and you are lost for a moment, and then you understand. The thing that has caused this chasm between you.

“Come here,” you say, and tug on his arm. He doesn’t budge for a moment, but then you say: “Dean, I’m tired, I want to lay down.” He follows you down onto the bed.

He lies next to you, and your hands find his neck, start massaging. He makes a noise in his throat. It’s difficult from this angle, though, and you really are tired, made infinitely more tired by the big, warm body beside you, so you change to running your hand over his back, up and down and up and down. You sling one leg over him simply because it’s more comfortable. Dean sighs, a sigh so heavy it breaks your heart.

When he eventually moves, you’re sure he’ll leave. But he doesn’t. He rolls over you, kisses you, uncoordinated. Plump lips on your cheek and chin before they find your lips. He pulls at your clothes, and at his own, becomes almost frantic. When he finally pushes into you his breath stutters. He comes within a few thrusts, whimpers like a hurt animal. You can’t see him in the dark, but as he moves to pull out, move away, you wrap your arms around him, pull him close. He lets you. You lie like that for a long time.

So that’s how you get here, to your little ritual. You never know when Dean will show up. It’s made your sleep light, and you wake up many times throughout the night, sure that you’ve heard him. It’s fine, you tell yourself. He’s your best friend, one of the people you love the most in this world. It’s fine.

During the days, you’re joking, laughing together. Fight sometimes, but rarely. Work. Things are good, but sometimes you miss those talks you used to have. They have been exchanged for Dean’s nighttime visits.

He comes into your room and lies down next to you. Over time, the way you do things has changed a little. At some point, Dean fucked you as soon as he came to your room, but it was just that same performance as it used to be. It’s not what you want, and it’s not really what he wants, so you’ve made sure he understands not to do it. It also strangely feels like some sort of payment, and you don’t like that.

So he comes in, lies next to you, like a dog waiting to be petted. You begin running your hands over him. He’s tense as a balled fist at first. It’s half the stress of the day, but the other half you think is the fear that this is the night you’ll reject him. You rub it out of him until his shoulders go down, his breathing slows. Until he hums, content and rich, and your heart flutters so hard it makes you dizzy.

Then you take off his clothes. Let your hands run over all that warm skin, impossibly soft, which surprises you over and over again, a map of the world speckled with scars. He should feel like touching metal, you think, considering how hard he's made himself to the outside. Sometimes you massage him and sometimes you just stroke him and sometimes you just wrap him up in your arms. You’ve learned to read the signs of what he needs each night so well.

And sometimes, but not always, you make love. It’s what you call it, but you’re not sure if it’s the least accurate or most accurate name for it. The point is that Dean’s there, he’s present, with you. When he pushes his face against your neck, he’s pushing it against your neck. When he kisses your lips, he kisses your lips. When you get on top and ride him and have him gasping and nearly sobbing under you, because he’s being touched by someone who loves him after years and years and years of only being touched by strangers, and he reaches his hands up to hold your face in them, he’s holding your face.

When you drop down next to each other, you hold him again. He presses against you like an unloved pet or a child begging for forgiveness. He tells you he loves you, and you believe him, even though with no amount of time and words could you ever describe what kind of love it is.

He’s always gone in the morning. You don’t wake up when he goes, and you’re not sure if that’s because Dean can be even quieter than you were aware of, or because your brain is being kind to you by not waking you when he leaves. It hurts, at first, and sometimes it still hurts after you’ve already been doing this for a long time. You don’t know if it’s because it actually disappoints you, or because you’ve been taught to expect love to come in a certain shape.

Sometimes you ask yourself if this whole arrangement makes you happy. It does. Touching Dean like that and being there for him, being his haven, is a pleasure the height of which you didn’t know existed. It’s intimacy on a level that’s dizzying if you look at it for too long. It also makes it impossible for anyone to ever get close to you, or him, for that matter. You occupy each other, like a reservation at a restaurant where someone does and doesn't sit at the same time. 

You chuckle to yourself, run your hands over your face. You need to stop thinking like that. Why does it need a name? Why does it need a shape? Why can’t it just be love?

You’re distracted from your thoughts by the sound of your bedroom door opening. You see his outline for a second, and then the room is swept into darkness again. Shuffling, rustling, and when you open your arms, he’s in them a second later. Strong and warm and solid, but really, you are the solid one. Dean’s the ocean crashing against your shore, and when his head lands on your chest and you hear that content hum, you hope that this is all you’ll ever need.

[ckret2]

Chapter 91 of Bill Cipher, still in drag as a Normal Human, getting an unusual amount of unsupervised time outside of the Mystery Shack: Agent Powers very seriously pursues the truth behind what happened last summer.

Meanwhile, the other agents very goofily pursue the truth behind what happened last summer.

Lookit'em go.

Meanwhile meanwhile, Bill faces down the metaphorical specter of his own dying legacy.

####

Ford paced across the ritual chamber, reading and re-reading the script Bill had handed him, stroking his chin in concentration.

Bill watched him from the Blind Eye's favorite brainwashing chair, one ankle hooked over the other knee in a figure 4, hands laced behind his head. "I know the script's a little hammy, but you saw those recordings! This is genuinely how these guys talk, I promise!"

"No no," Ford said. "The script's fine. It's just—I've never played a villain before. I need to get in character."

"Oh, you nerd!" Bill rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "This is a big DD & More D session to you, isn't it!"

"Of course not. DD & More D's RPG system is far better suited to swords & sorcery than cloak & dagger."

"You know what I mean."

Ford was fighting to prevent a giddy smile from breaking out across his face. "I assure you, I'm taking this completely seriously."

"Ha! Sure. You're lucky you're behind the camera, that face would ruin the performance," Bill said. "At least it's an improvement over that scowl you always give me." Slightly deflated, he said, "Yeah, that scowl."

"We shouldn't waste time. Should we...?" Ford gestured to the wrist straps on the chair.

"Ha! I don't trust you that much." Bill held his hands behind his back, wrists crossed. "Just pretend I'm tied up, it's fine."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"What's that supposed to mean."

"I'm not an actor. You're a liar but you're not an actor either. We're missing the chanting chorus the cult leader usually has when he does this. We need every tool we can get to make this look convincing."

"Pfff!" Bill waved off Ford's worries. "Re-lax, he won't suspect a thing. Guarantee it."

"Are you sure he's dumb enough to buy this?"

####

Powers sat on the floor, staring into space, as he reevaluated everything he knew about this town.

####

"It's like that goat can teleport," Trigger grunted, trying to get between a couple of trees. "How did it get all the way—?" He tripped over a fallen tree hidden beneath a blanket of ferns and crashed to the ground with a yelp.

Dale leaped over the log, offered Trigger a hand, and said, "Maybe the trees are messing with the radar?"

Trigger brushed some leaves out of his hair. "Where's it say it is now?"

"About twenty feet..." Dale pointed. "That way."

They looked.

Gompers was stood staring over a thick bush at them. Tauntingly.

"Ah-ha!" Trigger ran for him; Dale followed close behind, looking at his tablet. "Now we've got you!" Trigger fought through the bush forming a barrier between him and the goat. "Stay right there, you—"

He yelped as he stepped on air and lost his balance. Dale managed to stop just in time, the tips of his shoes over the edge, only for Trigger to grab his wrist and drag him down—straight into a ten foot deep crevasse that the bush had been hiding.

Gompers stood on the other side of the crevasse, looking down at them curiously.

Dale and Trigger were tangled at the bottom, stuck in a mud puddle that had been left over from the past weekend's rains. Dale groaned at the goat, "How'd you get over there?"

Trigger attempted to climb up the steep side, dislodged a sheet of dirt, and slid back down on top of Dale. "How do we get over there?"

Gompers bleated at them and took off deeper into the woods again.

####

While the agent was busy having what was no doubt a very exciting look into Gravity Falls' secret unauthorized mental health charity service, Bill decided to make a visit to that curtained-off wing of the museum he'd seen last night—the one with all the warnings against bringing a camera into the area.

It was a lot less exciting than Bill had expected. Just a display of a bunch of local Native art—hide clothes with elaborate quillwork and beadwork, jewelry made of shells and claws, stone carvings, baskets... Most of it was the kind of stuff that had been made in this area only long after the locals he'd befriended had so callously betrayed and banished him several thousand years back; only a couple of objects looked like things the people he'd known might have made, primarily the stone things. But even though most of the stuff in the room was "modern," he thought it looked too modern, not like the centuries-old works he'd expected.

The room was familiar—distantly, fuzzily familiar. As though he'd seen it in a dream.

A glance at a plaque on the wall explained why everything looked so new: most of the displayed items were replicas. This was a collection of objects that the Northwest family had stolen from tribes in the area over a hundred years ago. When the Northwest Manor had been sold to one Fiddleford H. McGucket, all objects left behind in it had conveyed, stolen artwork and crafts included—and an oil painting of the sleazy-looking Northwest who'd done a majority of the stealing, which was now hanging in the museum with a list of his known and suspected crimes and injustices displayed next to the painting. It was, Bill had to grudgingly admit, pretty funny. Kudos to whichever museum employee had thought that up.

According to the plaque, Fiddleford had contacted the nearest tribes to ask them whether they recognized anything in the Northwests' collection and to offer to return the pieces—which surprised Bill. He'd never seen Specs as the kind of guy to be particularly interested in repatriation. Most of the ill-gotten art had been gladly taken; anything that nobody had wanted, Fiddleford put in the museum; and a few artisans had even offered modern replicas of some of the items Fiddleford had returned, for public display with the artists credited.

He didn't see why this room was behind heavy curtains with half a dozen "no photography" warnings. It wasn't like these were priceless antiques at risk of degrading under flash photography; aside from the oil painting—which he doubted anyone was too precious about—everything in this room was under a decade old. So why...?

He had seen this little exhibit in a dream, he was sure of it. He tried to find the point of view he'd seen the room from. The room wasn't a perfect rectangle. It turned, L-shaped, into a little alcove. Bill wandered into the alcove—and froze when he saw his own face.

He was eyes-to-eye with the apocalyptic tapestry through which he'd watched the Northwest Manor's great hall for decades: black sky, red inferno, dead trees, dead humans, dying survivors, and above it all Bill's eye shining blood red like the sun hidden behind wildfire smoke. Another: the odd spaceship-shaped gap in the mountains around the town, and Bill—bright yellow against a deep red sky—framed by the gap as though his eye were the setting sun. And another—a pattern consisting of nothing but triangles with eyes, the geometry unusual for art in this region—and another—Bill surrounded by blue lightning, probably a distorted remembering of the unsuccessful redwood portal—and another, another...

Six tapestries in all, of varying sizes. These weren't replicas. Each showed varying degrees of age—broken quills, frayed edges, fading dye, the grime of an article centuries old that had been poorly cared for—but they were all centuries old. The tributes to him made during his long absence: the echoes of a millennia-old generational trauma memory.

The tapestries weren't all that was contained in this little alcove. He forced himself to break eye contact with himself to look at the other items on display. Photographs of several cave paintings—the zodiac, the ritual to summon Bill, the prophecy of his defeat. A few small carvings of his face in stone and wood. Spear tips with his face carved in them, broken due to the way a hollowed-out eye compromised the structural integrity of the stone. And—one of Mabel's blankets, sitting innocently behind a glass case. He stared at it in amazement. Who would have imagined that he'd find a little shrine to himself, right in the middle of the Gravity Falls Museum nearly a year after his death?

On the blanket, his eye had been crossed out with an X of black electrical tape. Bill's blood ran cold.

He forced himself to look at the tapestries again. Some of the quills were broken with age, yes; but someone had also taken a sharp knife and sliced two neat, clean lines across his eye in each of the tapestries, almost invisible except for a few of the broken quills that now bent out of place. The geometric pattern of triangles had been so criss-crossed with slashes that it was amazing it hadn't disintegrated.

His eyes darted over the rest of the objects, studying them more closely. The stone and wood depictions of his face—all freshly re-carved into, X'es covering the eyes. Where he'd first assumed the spear tips had broken with age, he could now see how they'd all been snapped neatly, precisely in half. In the photographs from the cave, he could see his eyes had each been covered by a red spray-painted X. The summoning ritual had also been defaced: apparently not content with painting over it, someone had fully scraped the ritual off of the cave wall, leaving behind only a few missed marks.

None of these items had been defaced before. Bill had made sure that the people in the area passed on a "superstition" against damaging any images of the One-Eyed Beast. (Translation: after they'd figured out that Bill was bad news and decided to cut ties to him, he'd contacted them in their dreams—"If any of you humans even try to take out my eyes, I'll haunt you all so hard. I'll be in your nightmares, I'll be in your kids' nightmares, I'll be in your grandkids' grandkids' nightmares, do not test me!" That had been about the time the shaman locked Bill out of the valley and ensured he couldn't make good on his threat—but the superstition lingered.) He knew for a fact that some of these eyes had even been working as recently as last summer: he'd watched the Northwests' every move through those tapestries. All this damage had been done after his death.

The only item that hadn't been defaced was the blanket. The plaque: "Artist: Mabel Pines, great-niece of town heroes Stanley and Stanford Pines, age 13. Acrylic yarn, 2012. Recreation of a ritual symbol designed to defeat the Beast with One Eye. Donated by Fiddleford McGucket." He suspected this blanket got electrical tape instead of a brutal slashing as a courtesy not to the artwork's subject, but to its artist.

He read the informational plaque accompanying this anti-shrine.

These were the only items in this wing that weren't replicas—because no tribe with ancestry around Gravity Falls Valley wanted them back. (So Fiddleford had offered to return art in Northwest Manor, had he? Begged was more likely.) The plaque explained that neighboring tribes considered depictions of "the Beast with One Eye" to be cursed. "Cursed" wasn't quite the correct term, Bill knew well; but the plaque didn't leave room to expand. It kept its description as terse as possible. (After all, anybody in Gravity Falls already knew exactly why these particular items were cursed; and tourists didn't need to know.) The plaque ended, firmly, "They say they would rather forget about the Beast with One Eye."

Somebody else had scrawled underneath in red marker, "AND SO WOULD WE!"

Underneath the marker scrawl , someone had written in smaller, neat, black pen, "יִמַּח שְׁמוֹ". Yimakh shemo. May his name be erased. A death threat would have hurt less.

There were under ten humans in Gravity Falls that Bill knew had studied Hebrew. He forced himself to wrench his eyes away before he could be sure he recognized the cursive handwriting.

Behold: the legacy of the great, the godly, the All-Knowing and All-Seeing Bill Cipher. Relegated to old history, shoved disdainfully in the corner of a stupid hick town's stupid local museum, with people fighting over who has to put up with the last remnants of him. For thousands of years, the locals had been driven to preserve his memory, but it hadn't been preserved out of reverence; and from now on, it wouldn't even be preserved out of fear.

Without Bill around to pull the strings, the superstitions would fade, the myths would be forgotten, and humans would get bored with the All-Seeing Eye symbol and stop using it. Eventually, humanity's influence would wane, and another species whose culture he'd never influenced would take over; and within a few short millennia, his face would be forgotten on Earth. His face would be forgotten everywhere.

How could this have happened to him?

He glowered at the array of blind eyes staring at him from the walls.

Bill's pocket vibrated. He pulled out his phone. Ah, right, Powers. He'd almost forgotten about him completely. Ha.

Powers had texted to ask him to come downstairs. He said there was something Bill needed to see. Yeah, he bet there was.

It was certainly better than this.

####

"Hey there," Dale said, crouched on the sidewalk, voice high and soothing, "come on, this way."

Gompers stared at him distrustfully from just within the protective boundary of the forest's treeline.

Dale was holding out a slice of Greasy's cherry pie on a paper plate. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "We want to help you. You've got a little piece of plastic inside you that we need to get out... it'll probably be good for your health..."

Slowly, Gompers crept out of the forest, watching the agents warily as he approached the plate of pie.

Standing a safe distance behind Dale with his arms crossed, supervising, Trigger said, "You have quite a way with animals."

"I've always found that animals have a calming effect on me, so I've tried to cultivate a calming air in return." He looked up at Trigger. "You see, the key is respect. Mutual respect. From man to animal and from animal to man. One time I was meditating with this Tibetan monk in a dream, and—"

He turned back toward the goat. The pie was gone. Along with half the paper plate, and a chunk of his suit's sleeve.

Gompers was hightailing it down the street.

"Oh."

Trigger said, "I don't think he reciprocates your respect."

####

One of the files Powers had found was in code—he'd have to ask Goldie to take a look at it—but the other file, the one on the Memory Gun, was all in plain English; and for the past few minutes, he'd been reading through a list of adverse side-effects the Blind Eye had discovered from using the gun. Victims who had forgotten how to drive, forgotten their children, forgotten their own names... The aim of the document seemed to be to determine how to refine their wording when they programmed the gun in order to more accurately select their desired memories. 

But whoever had written it seemed more concerned with the victims who remembered more than they should have.

Powers was startled by a knock on the door. He slapped the file shut. "Hello?"

"It's me." That was Goldie's voice.

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Come in, it's safe."

There was a moment of silence. "It's stuck."

"What?"

"The door. It, ah—must be... heavy?"

Huh. He crossed the room to help open it. It was a pretty heavy door, but it didn't seem stuck to him; but Goldie just swept past him with a muttered thanks. "What's this room?"

"It's—memories, I think," Powers said. "As outrageous as it sounds, it appears that a secret society stores stolen memories in this room. I've only watched a few, so far I can't figure out the pattern to who's being targeted or why, but..."

He trailed off. Goldie had drifted past the piles of memory canisters with only quick glances, drawn to the odd-looking TV-like screen at the back of the room, as if mesmerized by its glow all the way from the door. He sighed quietly. "There's... something I think you should see."

He couldn't look at Goldie while the recording played. Instead, he watched it again, staring at the past Goldie's terror and rage.

When it was over, all she said was, "Wow." Her voice was strangely flat. It was another couple of seconds before she added, "That's—pretty bad, huh."

Her reaction was underwhelming. Powers turned to look at her, puzzled.

Her expression was terrifyingly blank. There was something hard and heavy and distant in her eyes. Exhausted. Like she was just holding it together under some sort of heartbreak. She was always so animated; the change was almost scary.

He said, "I'm sorry, I should have warned you. It must be a terrible shock." He'd been too shocked to think of warning her.

The comment seemed to shake her out of some sort of trance. "It's—fine. Just gimme a sec, I..." She rubbed her eyelids with one hand. "Wow! Okay. I can handle this. It's just..." She gestured vaguely at the screen. "It's a lot to process."

He could only imagine. "Do you remember this happening at all?"

She took a long moment to answer, fingers still pressing her eyes shut. "No," she finally said. "I think I remember being here before. The room looks familiar." That explained how she'd navigated it so confidently. "But—not that. I don't know when that happened. When did that happen?"

"I think it must have been last summer."

Powers explained everything he'd found so far—the contents of the other canisters, the blueprints for the Memory Gun. Goldie had to sit on a nearby table as she processed this—elbows on her knees, knuckles pressed against each other, index fingers tapping together as she listened.

"It looks as though this 'Society of the Blind Eye' has been erasing the memories of people in town—and people who know too much about them. But I don't know why they're here or why they're doing this," Powers said. "In one of the memories, Preston Northwest mentioned a secret town founder. It might be irrelevant to whatever's happening here, but it does sound like the most important thing on any of the recordings I watched. Aside from—yours."

He sat beside Goldie. "I suspect you were a part of the bureau." It was horrifying to think—that they might have worked together and both forgotten—but...

"Yeah. It's possible," Goldie said. 

"Do you remember anything that might have suggested you were part of the bureau? Something we could look up and verify?" Powers asked. "Somewhere you lived in Washington, or maybe part of your training...?"

She winced and broke eye contact with him. "Uh... no. I—I don't."

How much had she lost? Far more than just the details of the investigation she'd come to town for. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders reassuringly. She tensed, then relaxed, then leaned against him—but hardly seemed to notice he was there.

"I think something's coming back," she said, gaze faraway. "Now that I'm here... I remember being in the museum. I think I was caught by somebody wearing a hooded robe."

(Powers glanced at the carving of a robed man in front of the altar.)

"They were angry that I'd taken... some kind of map? It was square, looked really old..."

"A map!" Powers jumped up to grab the file on the Memory Gun and pulled out an odd paper he'd found sticking out of it. "Is this it?"

"That's it!" Goldie favored him with a smile, her first since he'd shown her that memory.

"It looks like gibberish, though," Powers said. "There's several partial images, but nothing clear. I don't know what to make of it."

Goldie glanced over it. "Have you tried folding it?"

He gave her a quizzical look. "Folding it how?"

She raised her hands in a shrug. "It's got creases on it. Looks like somebody's folded it before."

He'd assumed that someone had just folded it to stuff in their pocket at some point—but the creases formed an odd, precise geometric pattern of triangles and diagonal squares. Now that she mentioned it, it didn't look the way anyone would normally fold a paper. He studied the directions of the creases, folded the four corners in to meet in the middle—and a drawing of a pointing hand emerged from what had once been unintelligible lines and curves on the corners of the page. Look at that.

But now the four new corners of the image were covered in inscrutable lines of their own; maybe...? He turned the map over and repeated the process, folding the four corners into the center; and there was a new image, but it looked like a couple of different images jumbled together. "Hmm..." He stroked his chin, staring perplexed at the image.

(Next to him, Bill pressed his lips flat together to keep himself from telling Powers to unfold two opposite flaps and see what happened, come on, do a little experimenting, man. Schoolchildren made these things when they were bored in class and pretended to tell each other's fortune with them, this wasn't that complicated. But no, be patient, it was fine, it was fine, Bill had shown more tolerance for denser humans solving simpler problems than this. What kind of a muse and mentor would he be if he couldn't show a little patience with ignorant mortals? Heck, it was a tribute to Bill's personal patience and strength of character that he hadn't spontaneously combusted the entire Nightmare Realm in the process of trying to get a portal built.)

Eventually, Powers figured it out himself, unfolding the top and bottom flaps to reveal a hidden diagram: a crude graveyard with a tunnel weaving underneath, the tunnel marked with arrows pointing at it. Closing the top and bottom flaps and unfolding the left and right flaps revealed another diagram: it looked like a building floor plan, with a dotted line that led to an equilateral triangle pointed downward. He recognized the floor plan. Aside from the triangle, he'd seen the same map upstairs less than an hour ago. "This is the museum."

"Looks like it. Think it's something important?" Goldie smiled wanly. "You don't typically think of important things being left to rot in some dusty corner of a small-town museum."

"Don't you? If a small town has a museum, I'd think that's where they'd preserve the most important objects they have."

Goldie processed that silently. "Yeah," she said, voice hollow. "Maybe."

"At any rate, it was important enough to erase your mind over. Let's go."

At the door to the pneumatic tube room, Powers said, "I'll follow this map; you watch the exits and alert me if anyone's coming. We don't know who at the museum might be working for..." He turned to look at Goldie, and found she was no longer at his side. "Goldie?" He turned around.

She was storming back across the room, finger pointed like the tip of a saber at the wooden cultist sculpture. "You think you can erase me?! You think you can make the whole world forget I ever existed?!" She clawed at the wooden hood like she was trying to get her fingers into the fabric and strangle the placid-looking figure. "I bet you think you're such a hero! Defending your precious little town from the big scary monster who came here to help you! But you'll never destroy me! I'll make your skin into shower curtains! I'll—let go of me—I'll flip your electrons into positrons, I'll—"

Powers managed to get an arm around Goldie's shoulder and lead her back to the door. She spat in its blinded eye as she left.

####

While Goldie stared at a display on the town's lumber industry (Powers suspected she wasn't actually reading it), he followed the map to find a painting—an odd inclusion in a history museum. It took him a few minutes to realize it should be turned upside-down to match the shape in the map, snapped a picture, and turned his phone over to find an image of an angel.

He didn't know what to make of that; and when he asked Goldie if she could see any sort of codes or disguised messages in it, she said she couldn't. The angel appeared to be a dead end; their only other lead was the town graveyard drawn on the map.

Goldie was uncharacteristically forlorn as they returned to Powers's car and he opened the passenger door for her. As they got on the road, Powers asked, "Are... you alright?" Stupid question. "If there's anything you need..."

"Promise you'll never forget me." He could feel her eyes blazing against the side of his face, staring at him, commandingly.

He nodded. "I promise." Traffic was light; he took one hand off the steering wheel to offer to her.

She seized it firmly, like they were sealing a pact.

####

Gompers ran across the roofs of the businesses lining Main Street, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and bleating in fear as he was chased. And Trigger chased after him, just a building behind Gompers.

But Main Street wasn't very long. Gompers scrabbled over the sloped shingles of a small salon, jumped down to the flat roof of the rival barber shop next door, and found himself out of buildings. He turned around to nervously watch his pursuer.

"I've got you cornered now," Trigger said. "Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be. Just come along quietly, and..." The roof creaked under him. "Uh oh." It collapsed under him.

He landed flat on his back in the middle of a salon. A couple of hairdressers and their customers stared at him. He sat up, looked around at them sheepishly, and said, "Afternoon, ladies."

####

The angel statue was visible through the trees even before the rest of Gravity Falls Cemetery. When they were close enough to inspect it, it was clear the angel's left hand matched the hand drawn on the map; as Powers was inspecting the hand, he accidentally bent its index finger, and the ground opened up.

Goldie elected to stand guard near the entrance, sitting on the steps, as Powers explored deeper; which was just as well, because the tunnel was apparently boobytrapped. (What in the world was the Blind Eye's budget? Hidden subterranean chambers in the museum, hidden underground tunnel in the cemetery, a memory-erasing ray gun, a poison dart trap...)

At the bottom of a steep incline, the tunnel opened up into a chamber. He expected maybe money, or stolen and forged property deeds, or even bootleg maple syrup... you never knew in this town. He didn't expect piles upon piles of crates and files with the Official United States Government Cover-Up Seal—the seal of the Bureau of Covert Investigations' parent department.

He didn't like this.

He steeled himself and began exploring the room.

####

Goldie lifted her head as she saw Powers coming up the tunnel. "Hey!" She held up one of the files they'd taken from the Blind Eye's filing cabinet. "I decoded that ciphered document you found. It wasn't even a good cipher. I think we've got the Blind Eye's address book! Names, addresses, officer titles—say, what do you think a 'secretary' does in a society that tries to erase memories? He's probably not recording meeting notes..."

She fell silent as Powers flung down a file on the step beside her. "What's that?" She picked it up. The file was titled "THE NORTHWEST COVER-UP" and stamped TOP SECRET. The cover-up seal took up most of the cover; beneath it was an X'ed out eye and the typewritten letters, "in collaboration with the Society of the Blind Eye".

"Everything about this town is a lie," Powers said. 

"Everything? What do you mean?" Goldie flipped open the file, skimmed it, and frowned. "Who founded the town?"

"President. Sir. Quentin Trembley. The third. Esquire." Powers pronounced each title separately. He sat down next to Goldie; his hands were trembling. "He was a secret United States president. When he was evicted from office—he wasn't even impeached, they just kicked him out!—he fled across the country and founded This. Town." He shook his head in disbelief. If he hadn't read it himself... "This—this Trembley was an utter madman. He declared war against pancakes, appointed infants to the Supreme Court, banned pants, raved publicly about giant spiders... I'm not surprised he was ousted, he sounds like a complete lunatic."

As he spoke, Goldie's expression darkened. "Huh." But she didn't say anything else. She just stared at the cover-up file.

"Somebody decided to erase his entire existence from history. Nathaniel Northwest was named the founder of Gravity Falls in his place. He sounds like he was just as mad as Trembley was, but—he was just the village idiot, I suppose he must have been easier to control than this Trembley." Powers shook his head.

"So... what does all this have to do with the Blind Eye?" Goldie asked.

"In one of the memory canisters, I saw them discussing this cover-up with Preston Northwest—Nathaniel's descendant. He knew about the cover-up—of course he would, his family's fortune rests upon it!—but... they erased Preston's knowledge of it, too. Not only is this town the center of a cover-up to hide the fact that we once had a lunatic for a president, but also the government set up an entire secret cult to erase the memories of anyone who finds out about it... or, by the looks of things, about anything else happening in Gravity Falls that the government doesn't want civilians looking at too closely."

Powers took a shaky breath. "And that's not the worst of it."

"Oh-oh." Goldie closed the cover-up file and looked at him warily. "What's the worst?"

Powers held out a business card—bent, dusty, worn around the edges from age—that he'd found sitting next to the projector. It was his own business card. "The worst part is, I already knew about it."

####

Dale waited outside the salon, hands in his pockets. He checked his watch, then rocked back on his heels.

Trigger stepped out of the salon with frosted tips. Dale stared at him. Awkwardly, Trigger said, "Well?"

Dale nodded. "Yeah, you look nice, it's nice."

"Thanks. I've always wanted to try the look but never had an excuse," Trigger said. "Anyway—what do we do about the goat."

They started walking back to where they'd parked their car. Dale said, "In my opinion, it's time we call in the big guns."

"You mean...?"

"That's right. Animal control," Dale said. "We can set up a perimeter around town, then slowly close in. We'll tighten the net around it, and—"

Trigger clapped a hand on Dale's shoulder. He pointed down the alley they were passing.

Gompers was eating out of a spilled trash can. He looked up like a kid who'd just been caught shoplifting by two cops.

The agents exchanged a look, then lunged at Gompers.

####

When Bill got back to the shack, he owed the Pines a round of congratulations. Stan for stealing back the file on the Northwest cover-up from the police department, and for planting the papers from the case file and the threatening letter in Powers's motel room without getting caught; Mabel for the terrific forgery work on the fake map, the modifications to the cover-up file's cover, and the threatening letter itself; Ford for—well, he hadn't done a lot, but he'd been a decent actor—but on the other hand that yimakh shemo had burned up nearly all the goodwill Ford had earned last night, maybe Bill would skip thanking him; and Dipper had barely done anything, he'd just helped plant the file and the old business card in the chamber beneath the graveyard, Bill could skip thanking him too. Maybe he'd make a point of praising Soos for his chauffeuring just to rub in the fact that he was leaving Ford and Dipper out in the cold.

Thinking over his plans gave Bill something to entertain himself with while Powers clung to Bill's hand and reevaluated his entire life and career.

"I just don't... What else did I forget?" Powers asked. "I apparently forgot about the first time I learned all this... I must have forgotten you..."

"Hold on. Did we know each other before?" asked Bill, as if he hadn't planted all the clues to ensure Powers would come to that exact conclusion.

"We must have," Powers said. "You were investigating in this town, and yet I don't know you; the letter I received threatened that I might lose 'another' team member; and in your stolen memory, the Blind Eye told you that your team wouldn't remember you. I don't have a cryptologist on my team, and you're a cryptology expert. It all fits together."

Bill nodded encouragingly—yes, that was exactly what he'd wanted him to conclude.

"And there's all the other little clues that fit into place. The way you were so interested in this investigation, right from the outset. It makes sense if it was subconsciously familiar. And you think you're a visitor to town but the people here talk about you like you're a resident. They even seem to know you by two different genders... and when you told me to buy a car, you said to say that a 'Mr. Locke' sent me. You must have been communicating with people in town under two identities."

Hold on. That was dangerously close to information Powers shouldn't have. How had he found that out?

"And you know my first name," Powers went on. "Most of the BCI's field agents use code names even in the office. I've been working with Trigger since he joined, and he still doesn't know my first name. If you do..."

Bill was relieved they were back on track. He'd planted that clue on purpose. "Then we must have been close. No wonder I can't keep away from you."

Powers glanced away bashfully. (Ha! Too easy.) "And yet... I don't even know your name."

Alarm shot up Bill's spine. "What?"

"I thought 'Goldie Locke was an improbable name the first time I heard it. But, it's the exact kind of name the bureau would give a field agent. It has to be a code name."

Bill mentally kicked himself for the hundredth time for not choosing a subtler fake name. At least Powers had drawn the wrong conclusion. "Oh. Well. When you put it that way."

"Do you remember your real name?"

He hadn't prepared a backup fake name. He scrambled for another name that wasn't too masculine, too exotic, or even more fake sounding, and came up blank. "Uhhh, yyy—no."

"I wish I could help you remember it," Powers grumbled. "How much do you remember about your life?"

Bill had been deciding that since Powers asked at the museum if he remembered any verifiable biographical details (a question he should have anticipated sooner). He didn't want to say nothing, that might look too suspicious; but he didn't want to give any leads Powers could follow up on. "Not much. Faces without names, flashes of different cities I must've visited... I thought I just... had some kind of amnesia. The people in town have been nice enough to let me bum around here while I figure things out."

"At the Mystery Shack?" Powers asked. "You've been working with Stanford Pines."

Bill flinched. "I—yeah. I have." Sheesh, how did he know that?

"You didn't mention you were staying there," Powers said wryly.

Bill laughed. It came out more nervous than he'd have liked. "Yeah, well. I'm gonna come clean with you: I didn't want you to find out when I was trying to charm you into charming me out of my dress." (He was gratified to see Powers flush pink and turn away to loudly clear his throat. Bill had lost control of this conversation so fast, it was nice to know humans were still predictable in some ways.) "I mean, who wants to tell the handsome federal agent in the nice suit that you're a brain damaged bum couch-surfing in Oregon's most rickety tourist trap?"

"With all due respect, the brain damage wasn't as well-hidden as you think."

"Wh—hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Your trouble with your eyes. Issues with binocular vision are a common consequence of brain damage." (For the first time that day, Bill was suddenly hyperconscious of the way one of his overtaxed eyes was twitching as he struggled not to let it squint shut.) "And I skimmed the file on the Memory Gun. It mentioned cases of victims forgetting how to safely cross a street, how to ride a bike, how to throw a ball... I figure forgetting how to open doors falls under the same umbrella."

A chill settled over Bill. "Oh," he croaked. "Noticed that, did you. You've... been paying pretty close attention to me." Not to mention talking to someone about him.

"Of course. You're a mysterious woman. I want to learn more about you," Powers said. "We spent all day talking yesterday, and I don't think I learned anything about you except that you've been in town for a month, you have an uncanny knack for cracking ciphers, and you make very interesting culinary choices. You kept the conversation off yourself." 

Bill hadn't realized he'd noticed that. Powers wasn't supposed to have noticed any of this. This was what Bill got for trying to dupe a professional investigator. Thank goodness he'd gotten him set him up on this wild goose chase before he'd really dug up too much about Bill's history. Sometimes it was easy to forget that some of this planet's idiots were smart. "Well," he said awkwardly, "now you know why. At the moment, I don't have much I can tell you about myself."

Powers gave Bill a wan, sad smile. "It'll be alright," he said, sliding a reassuring arm around Bill's shoulders, and Bill realized more of his panic must be showing on his face than he'd wanted. "We'll fill in the gaps."

That was just what he was afraid of.

For the first time, the arm around Bill's shoulder felt less like a piece of a puzzle slotted into the proper place—all according to plan—and more like the kill bar of a mousetrap that hadn't yet realized a rodent was standing on the trigger.

Powers's phone rang. He picked it up, and Bill quietly sighed in relief. "Hello?"

"Sir!" That was Dale's excited voice on the line. "We got it! We've captured, extracted, and sterilized the flash drive!"

"Didn't you say it was in a goat? How did you get it out?"

"The, uhh... old fashioned way. Apparently cherry pie didn't agree with his digestive tract."

His voice a little more distant, Trigger emphasized, "Thoroughly sterilized."

"Excellent work," Powers said. "Where are you now?"

"En route to the motel."

"Very well. We'll meet you there."

Perfect, thought Bill. The sooner he finished this, the sooner he'd never have to worry about the agents learning too much again.

####

(Post-TBOB edits! Had to change the age of the items on display in the museum, since TBOB changed Bill's interactions with the shaman from being about 1000 years ago to about 4000 years ago; and since a tapestry like we saw in the Northwest Manor is unlikely to have lasted 4000 years and is made in an art style that seems to be about 1500 years old, had to make up an excuse for it to exist; in the tapestry description, added in the tapestry in Pacifica's room mentioned on TINAWDC; and I think that's it? Just minor details.

And now y'all know why a few chapters ago I had to very clearly establish the distance between Powers's team and the guys who actually know about Trembley lol.

Anyway we are MOST OF THE WAY through the exciting action! Looking forward to hearing y'all's thoughts on this week's chapter! And I mentioned it on my blog but for those of y'all that only show up for the chapters: we're switching to every other week posts for a while because working on another flashback arc ate up more of my chapter buffer than I'd like. In between weeks with new chapters, I'll be editing and posting old chapters to AO3.)

[wifewithoutahusband]

Shifting isn’t about trying, it’s about letting go

🌊

A few mistakes I’ve seen a ton in the shifting community and in my personal experience are about stressing on doing it right, switching methods every night, spending WAY too much time scripting and reading your scripts like homework, even trying to solve your way into a new reality.

But your mind knows how to shift, it’s as natural as taking a breath. All you have to do is let it happen. Here are a few tips that I found have helped me a lot on my shifting journey. Sorry if this is poorly written or not fully elaborated, I decided I’d make a post at 2 am before I lose my philosophical train of thought :)

🐚 | stop chasing shifting period. It’s yours hun, all you have to do is accept it. Think of it as getting a gift from your bestfriend. Are you going to question why they got you the gift, suspect them, or simply enjoy the gift, because it’s yours? So live like you have it, because you do. Trust yourself. If you’re constantly obsessing about results, saying “tonight I’m going to try to shift” you’ve already told yourself you don’t know how to shift. In fact, just remove “attempt” from your vocabulary. All it does is reaffirm the fact that you’re not in your DR- which basically destroys the entire point of even shifting.

🌸 | don’t wait for perfect conditions. Life is distracting, but you shouldn’t let it disturb you from finding your peace and going where you want to be. This used to be my case, where I wouldn’t even try to shift because I wasn’t done with my script yet, or hadn’t found the right face claim. And honestly, that hindered my progress for a while, and led me to take a break from shifting, because what’s the point of shifting if you’re writing self insert fanfics and working on getting your story right instead of experiencing those stories in real life? You could be fighting villains alongside the Avengers, relaxing on a beach somewhere, or spending time with your S/O. Why should you let something so insignificant stop you from experiencing your dreams? Your mind and the universe knows what you want- so don’t worry about getting a tiny detail absolutely right. Don’t worry about having to re read through all your script every time you shift, your mind knows what you want already.

🌺 | stop comparing yourself to others. This is probably one of the hardest things shifters experience, especially on social media. I was introduced to shifting by shiftok around 2023 or so, and I was convinced that shifting took like a couple years or months to master because of all the posts I read about how it took so long, or how hard it was. And when I failed my shifting attempts, I’d read about people who mastered it their first try and compare my journey to them, focusing on shifting methods rather than just focusing on what worked for me. I even went so far as to envy the easiness of how they reached the void state, or lucid dreaming, and getting pissed that I couldn’t get it so easily. so stop counting attempts, stop comparing your experiences to others. I promise you, comparison is not going to get you to shift faster, it’s going to most likely do the opposite. Believe in yourself, you are the driver here, not the passenger in someone else’s bus. It’s your journey, no one else’s.

Thats all my thoughts for now, but these little things have changed my ideas on how I manifest and accept shifting- and it’s helped me manifest and experience success in my journey. I hope these little tips will help you in your journey, and don’t hesitate to DM me or send a question in my asks if you have a question or just want to yap to someone about shifting :)

Signing off,

Kami

🦢

[yuurayuura]

kiss me again (part 1)

🎬 kim sunwoo is not a professional actor, yet somehow he's making it very hard not to fall for his performance.

PAIRING 🎬 sunwoo x fem!reader TAGS 🎬 actors au, fluff, suggestive (smut in the next part) WORD COUNT 🎬 4.8k WARNINGS 🎬 nope! AUTHOR’S NOTE 🎬 i'm obviously not an actor so i don't know how any of this really works :p

"Time doesn't stop... Doesn't stand still... Ah, fuck. Line?"

Sunwoo breaks into a disbelieving grin for the third time that evening, shaking his head and feeling like a complete amateur. Y/n smiles in that subtle way she does when he fucks up his lines, flipping through the script and making the room echo with page noise. That smile has become too familiar to him now. She smiles like you would when a child says something unintentionally funny, but you don't want to make them feel stupid by openly laughing. It's that vibe. He needs to get it together.

It's so quiet and warm, almost humid, in the little meeting room they have table readings in nowadays, and he can feel the heat from his palms resting on his thighs. The little oscillating fan in the corner doesn't help in the slightest.

"It's okay," the director comments, scribbling something in the margins of the script that Y/n hands her. "We might change it. But as it is, the line is 'time never stops for anyone. It certainly hasn't for me, even if I wished it would. Many times.'"

"Right, sorry," Sunwoo says, pulling his collar in an attempt to let some cooler air in.

"Why don't we take a break?" The lead actress suggests, stretching her arms out. "We've been at it for hours."

Sunwoo keeps forgetting her name, but that's because they don't have any scenes together. In fact, most of the scenes he has are with Y/n, his on-screen love interest, and both of your roles are quite small. He suspects that much of it will be cut in the end, it's just a short film after all. He's only doing it because it's fun.

Y/n meets him by the water cooler, and hands him a copy of the script that sits warm in his hands, feeling like it's fresh off the printer.

"Thought you could use it," she says, with a twinkle in her eye like she's teasing him, but being nice about it. Maybe too nice? He's sure he deserves a lot more after his dismal display lately. It seems that's just the way she is, carefully teasing, maybe because they haven't known each other for that long. She's probably holding back, sticking to polite banter.

"I could, yeah," he mumbles through a smile, sipping his little paper cup of water. "I spilled coffee on mine earlier, that's why I didn't have one. Ugh. I feel like I'm just annoying everyone in there. I don't know what's up with my brain today."

Y/n shakes her head. "Nah, everyone has those days, I think. It's just your turn."

That makes him look up at her, and she meets his eyes with another gentle smile.

"I'm glad you're the one I'm paired with," she says, too casually, for that kind of statement. "I think it'll come out great."

"Ditto," Sunwoo says, more airy than he means to. "I mean. Yeah. I agree."

He wants to say that he's glad too, and we have good chemistry, don't you think?

He doesn't say that, though, that might be pushing it. They only met a couple of days ago. Although, from what he's read ahead in the script, they're going to need as much chemistry as possible to do the upcoming scenes. Their story is a tragic romance after all, with a lot of tension, eye contact, and desperate kissing.

He can't think about that now. It's not like either of them are professional actors, and that should lighten the pressure, but it doesn't, not really.

There's something about her that makes him want to be great, fantastic, so maybe she'll see him in a good light afterwards.

"Oh, duty calls," she smirks, and his heart does a little maneuver that he doesn't anticipate when she touches his arm to make him follow.

Y/n's POV:

Sunwoo is a good actor. Too good to do crap like this, you think, thoughts drifting in the parts of the table read that don't involve your character. He has this aura surrounding him that makes him so believable, even when he goes off script—or maybe especially then. 

When the casting director introduced them, you thought there had been some sort of mix up, because what in the world were you doing next to someone like that. Someone who commanded the room like he did, not to mention how good-looking he was. You saw his audition, and expected him to be the lead, or at least a major role. Not doing some tiny side story with you.

Your obvious bewilderment had made him chuckle, seemingly not understanding the confusion. Just like that, something you just did for extra credit in college became the highlight of your summer.

"Y/n," the writer hums, clicking her pen. "That's your cue."

"Shit, sorry," you mumble, and you don't miss the happy little twitch on Sunwoo's lips. He's probably glad he's not the only one who's messing up.

"So," Sunwoo says, when you're done for the day, and you try not to openly look at his lips when he's talking, but it's an impossible situation. They're very nice lips. "I had an idea, and tell me if I'm out of line, but I thought maybe we should do our own read, just us. I'm just not getting this middle part to stick, and Lord knows the scenes coming up aren't going to be easier."

"No, I was thinking the same thing," You nod, chewing the back end of your pencil. "I think that's a smart move for us. Then we can show up on Monday and dazzle the hell out of everyone at the reading with our amazing acting slash memory."

You smirk and Sunwoo chuckles, looking over at you for a second. His eyes are also very nice eyes. It's almost too much for just one person.

"Okay, then," he says, raising his eyebrows. "Who lives closer? I'm about fifteen minutes from here."

"Oh, then I win, my place is ten," You grin.

"Make yourself at home," you yell, disappearing to the bathroom to tidy up, just a little bit. "I'm sorry it's not sparkling here, I'm barely home lately."

You can hear Sunwoo's quiet chuckle from the living room, toeing off his shoes before he enters.

"Don't worry, I'm blind as a bat without my glasses anyway," he assures. "Won't be seeing anything tonight."

"Good," you joke, getting the light on your way back.

You make tea for yourself and instant coffee for Sunwoo, it's all you have to offer but he doesn't seem to mind, sipping it blissfully.

"This is somehow better than the coffee at the studio," he mumbles, making you grin.

"Damn. My condolences."

He laughs, and you flip the scripts to the right pages, settling in comfortably on the sofa. Sunwoo has put on his round reading glasses, and it might be the late hour and the tiredness speaking, but he looks so unfairly beautiful. Especially when the glasses slide down on the bridge of his nose a little, and he uses the back of his hand to push them back up.

He gives you a half timid look over the glasses. "Ready?"

"Yup, I can read us in, since you start."

You clear your throat, preparing to use your best narrator voice. "June's apartment, night time. June is sat by the window, looking out at the city. Minsoo enters, cold from the blizzard."

"I got the job," Sunwoo says, in character, looking at you with what feels like genuine excitement. "I finally got it."

You smile down at the script, getting into character as well. "That's really great. Congratulations."

You go through the scene several times, giving each other pointers and trying to make it fit as well as you can.

"This, wow," Sunwoo mumbles, running a hand through his hair. "Are we nailing this? I might just be tired, but I think we are."

His smile is so infectious, your cheeks are hurting from reciprocating it all night.

"Dude, I think we are," you agree, and Sunwoo snickers. "We could move on to the next one? But I feel like we should be standing if we do."

"Yeah, you're right."

You stand up and move to approximate positions in the small living room. It's a bit ridiculous at first, but it feels more real when you actually have to look at each other over some distance, and move across the room.

"Minsoo's apartment, night time," you say.

"June..." Sunwoo says, and it's crazy how good he is at doing that, flipping the switch from Sunwoo to the character instantly. His brows furrow when he looks at you, and you can feel it, how his body language is so in tune with what he's trying to say, the longing and the pain in his voice.

"We can't," you say, as June. "You know we can't."

You're pretty good at crying on command so you think, what the hell, might as well pull out all the stops tonight, feeling tears form in your eyes as you look over at Sunwoo.

He seems surprised for a second that you're crying, and you don't know if it's acting or not. Which really says it all about his skills.

"Please don't cry," he mumbles, starting to close the distance between you, but stopping halfway, holding himself back, and letting his arm fall from the outstretched position where he was reaching after you. "Please."

You blink and let a few tears escape, and the room is so silent you can hear them hit the floor beneath you. You follow the script and get down on your knees, vision blurring from the tears.

"Let's not end like this," Sunwoo pleads, closing in with gentle steps, stopping to lower himself to your level on the floor. "June. I love you so much, I don't want to make you cry."

He takes your hands in his, squeezing them, and then lets them go in favor of wiping tears from your cheeks with such tenderness, it's hypnotizing.

"Don't leave me, Min," You say, voice quivering in the quiet room. "I don't know what I'll do, when... When..."

You trail off and Sunwoo tilts your head up to meet his eyes, sending shivers down your spine.

"Shh," he breathes, his thumb wiping the edge of your lower lip, catching a tear.

You look into each other's eyes for five long seconds, trying to really convey the inner battle going on in your characters. You know he's counting, just like you are, and then Sunwoo pulls you in for the kiss.

You knew it was coming, of course you knew, you read it about a thousand times just to make sure. But it still makes your whole body light up. Your mind goes completely blank, forgetting any and every line you just rehearsed. All you can process is the feeling of Sunwoo's soft lips on yours, the longing in it, the collapse of his restrain. Minsoo's restrain, but, you know.

Sunwoo cups your face and you stand up on your knees, closer, but not close enough. You never want it to end but have to keep reminding yourself to be professional. Not let it slip how much you're enjoying this. He's a good kisser, not too forceful, but sweet and just desperate enough for this scene. You can't help the way your hand lifts and runs through the hair at the back of his neck, making him sigh into your mouth.

When you break it off, you're both a little out of breath, and you don't want to, but remember the script.

You push him away, almost making him lose his balance.

"We can't," you repeat, whispering. "I... I can't do this."

"June," Sunwoo pleads, watching you like a kicked dog as you get up and leave him there.

"Aaand, scene," You mumble, wiping the tears with your sleeve, chuckling. Not really ready to meet his eyes.

"Holy shit," Sunwoo breathes, now on his feet in front of you. "I didn't expect you to actually cry. That was impressive."

You laugh in disbelief. "That was impressive? You could be on TV, or like. Huge stages. I'm speechless, honestly. I don't know how you do it."

"Thank you," he mumbles, his ears pink. "I hope I didn't overdo it, with the... Um. With the kiss," he says, scratching his neck, and you want to pull him in for another one then and there.

"No, uh. It was excellent. Very believable."

"Back at you," Sunwoo smiles.

There isn't enough air in the room for this.

"Actually I thought I might try something, if it's alright," Sunwoo says, as you sit down on the couch again. "Regarding the kiss."

You can tell he's trying not to make it awkward. Which is cute.

"Sure, shoot," You reply, very hard at work to not seem so affected by this.

"I'm thinking, you know. Minsoo needs to show her what she means to him, how much he wishes he could stay... So I'll try to put some more emotion behind it. Maybe we can "choreograph" some moves into it. I'll show you what I mean."

You look at him and he looks almost shy, running a hand through his hair.

"If that's okay, of course."

"More emotion," You reply, a little breathier than intended. "Alright. Show me. You want me to cry? Set the mood?"

Sunwoo laughs, airy and wonderful. "No, that's alright. I'll pretend."

You shift a little, so you're on your knees on the couch, facing him. "Okay. I'm on the floor, Minsoo approaches. Go."

"Let's not end like this," Sunwoo says, his voice soft as he looks into your eyes, pleading. He knows the lines now, the script is abandoned on the floor where he left it. "June..."

He takes your hands, and his own are warm and gentle. "I love you so much, I don't want to make you cry."

He does what he did last time, except now you aren't crying, so when he touches your face it's just that—a touch. Very careful caresses across your cheeks. You try to focus, try not to let yourself get lost in his eyes.

"Don't leave me, Min," you whisper, and somehow it feels so much more intimate now, sitting like this. "I don't know what I'll do when... When..."

You lower your gaze and Sunwoo tilts your head back up, like he's supposed to. His eyes are so emotive, it's incredibly impressive to see the nuances he's able to work into a simple look. It makes you want to do better too. Try to even it out.

"Shh," he breathes, and this time it's barely audible at all.

He looks into your eyes and you can feel the thump thump thump of your heart, like a clock running too fast. You forget to count the seconds, but maybe that's good, maybe the sharp, surprised inhale that slips past your lips will make it more believable. Sunwoo's lips move against yours with purpose, but also a tender compassion that has you melting into his touch, wanting more. He pulls at your bottom lip when he sits back, just barely moving away, speaking against your mouth.

"Maybe," he breathes, breaking character, forehead against yours. "Maybe I could do something like this."

He wipes slowly at the imaginary tears, then presses a careful kiss under your left eye, then the right, before he captures your lips and takes your breath away once more.

"Or, maybe," he continues, still against your lips, voice so delightfully hushed and low, "I can move my hands?"

His left hand brushes through your hair at the side of your head, before coming to rest and holding you in place. The right hand slides over your shoulder and stops at the collarbone, thumb dipping into the groove there, and you can't help the slight sound that escapes you.

Sunwoo quickly looks at you to see if he's done something wrong, but you just blink quickly and nod.

"Yes, um. That's. Very good."

"Good," he breathes, smiling, and, fuck. Fuck. Jesus.

"I'm a worse actor than I thought," You confess, biting your lip in a smile.

"No, but, isn't it good if you actually... like it?" Sunwoo smiles, tentatively, still holding you. "Then you won't have to pretend as much?"

You can't argue with that logic.

When you kiss again, for the third-ish time that night, you know it's coming. But it doesn't help, it doesn't stop being mind-blowing for that reason. Sunwoo tries a few different spots to touch you, all very PG but still a lot. At one point, you decide to do that as well—why not—work in your character's desperateness a bit more acutely.

You touch his neck and put a hand on his chest, pulling his shirt a little, and he gasps, making you pull back in worry.

"No, no, do it again," he mumbles, looking flushed.

It's good to know he's also a little flustered. That boosts your confidence enough to pull him a little closer when you continue where they left off, change the angle a little, move a little over to offense rather than the defensive, slightly passive, and timid stance you've taken thus far.

He doesn't seem like he expected that, inhaling through his nose when your tongue experimentally touches his lower lip and your hand slides over the side of his neck again. You can feel his pulse knocking hard and steady under your fingertips, and it's difficult to say if it's the same tempo as your own. They sort of melt together into one, erratic beat.

"God," Sunwoo mumbles, and he smiles against your lips, making you break into a smile as well.

"Maybe that was a little too... Forward," you grin.

Sunwoo laughs again, and it's such a lovely sound.

"I don't know, I liked it," he says, looking bashful once more, sitting back on the couch.

You know that you'll get plenty of takes for this, and probably a lot of directions. These aren't decisions that are entirely up to you two, there's no real need to practice this much.

But you won't say that out loud. you know he must be aware of it too, he's more experienced, he knows how it works. Why would you bring this to an end, if he doesn't?

"You're a good kisser," you comment, unusually bold, looking at the table. Shooting him a quick grin.

"So are you," Sunwoo smiles, fiddling with your copy of the script that was on the couch.

"They won't see this coming."

"No, they won't," you laugh.

You nudge his leg, and you don't want the night to end yet, but you can barely keep your eyes open.

"The couch is yours for the night, if you want it. I think I have to go to bed now."

"Thanks," he smiles, nudging you back. "I was hoping you would suggest that. Was really dreading the walk home."

"Of course, silly," you mumble. Still smiling stupidly.

You take turns brushing your teeth (you actually had a spare toothbrush, pretty incredible), and when it's all done, you come out to say goodnight. Sunwoo sits on the couch, stifling a yawn, and you walk over to give him a pillow.

"You know," you start, voice raspy and tired. You sit down on the opposite end. "I had a friend, an actor friend, who told me that after doing pretend-kisses for jobs, regular kissing never held up anymore. That it changed, somehow, and real kissing didn't have the same spark."

Sunwoo looks at you in the low light, brows furrowed.

"I guess I could understand that. Since there's a lot of suspense and build up that maybe there isn't in real life, a lot of the time."

"Yeah," You breathe. His eyes are so warm.

"But at the same time... Nothing beats the real thing, in my opinion. It's not the same when it's planned out."

He cocks his head to the side a little. "Are you worried?"

"I wasn't when she said that, way back," you admit, hands twisting. "But... I don't know. That was pretty amazing, back there."

Sunwoo blinks, feigning innocence. "Our kiss?"

"Yeah," you mumble, blushing. "So now, I. Well. I don't know. Maybe she was on to something."

"No way," Sunwoo says, grinning, scooting a little closer. "There's nothing like that rush of uncertainty and just pure... realness that comes from a true kiss. You'll see, next time you do it. I'm sure of it. Don't worry."

You smile, and give a little shrug. "Okay. If you say so."

"And if not, well, I can't help it if I'm such a good kisser that no one else will compare."

Sunwoo giggles when you swing the pillow at him, eliciting a yelp.

"Should've known that would boost your ego too much."

"It's an excellent pickup line, though," he grins, hugging the pillow so you can't assault him with it. "Like, after kissing you, I'm not sure real kisses will do it for me... You should save that for future co-stars that you want to woo."

"I'm not trying to pick up or woo anyone, I was honestly worried!" You protest, glad that the lighting is low so he can't see your blushing cheeks as you get up.

"No, I know," he says quickly, "I'm not making fun, it was just... cute."

"Cheeky," You grin. "Goodnight, Sunwoo. Don't let the monsters and evil spirits drawn to big egos get ya."

Sunwoo chuckles. "I won't. I'm monster repelling. Goodnight, Y/n."

"Cut!" The director yells, and you turn your head, looking back and Sunwoo with a grin. He's already smiling at you, and it widens when your eyes meet.

You'd been right, the practice session did blow everyone away at the reading, and it helped even more now when they're actually filming.

"Love the energy," the director comments, flipping through the script. "But I'm thinking, maybe we could get even more passion in here? Heat it up a little?"

The writer scribbles notes and Sunwoo nods quickly, getting back to the starting position. You swallow thickly. More heat, eh? Great idea.

"Sunwoo if you can grab her more, like, intensely, that'd be great. And Y/n, really lean into it, like the character is giving in a little more. Show how much they want each other."

Splendid.

"Action!"

You do the scene as usual up until the kiss, and Sunwoo does like he's told, he ups the ante. Grabs you by the small of your back and molds you together until you don't know where you end and he starts. He bites your lip and you gasp, trace his jaw, his neck, and feel your pulse beating in wild protest. This is not good for your heart at all.

Pro actors are probably able to separate realities and not become so affected. But, like Sunwoo said, isn't it better if you like it and won't have to act so much?

"Cut! Wonderful, guys—let's do one more where we barely keep within the rating. Just to see."

Sunwoo eyes you, almost a little concerned, drinking his water.

"I just need a drink, I'll be quick," you yell, jogging to the water cooler.

Sunwoo's there when you turn around, looking that way again, like he's almost shy.

"Is there anything that's... off limits?" he asks, timidly fiddling with his cup. "I really don't want to overstep, but since we're going off script, I just. Yeah. Tell me and I won't do it."

You smile, swirling the leftover water in the cup. It's very attractive that he asks.

"I mean, no, I don't think there is... I don't know what you could do that would be crossing the line, really? Obviously, I'm not going to undress or anything. But other than that... I think... touching is okay."

Sunwoo guffaws and you laugh a little, obvious tension in the air.

"Okay, uh. Good," Sunwoo breathes. "Then. Let's go, I guess."

You get back into your positions, and you shoot him a thumbs up before it starts. Even though this—this is dangerous for sure.

"Aaand, action!"

This kiss feels different, maybe because this is something you haven't rehearsed for, in the same sense. You're both unprepared. You're not sure what Sunwoo has acted in before, but you can't imagine it's been quite this heated.

Sunwoo kisses you like it's his last hour or something, and you try to keep up, let yourself be swept away. Normally, you're very aware of your surroundings and the numerous people filming, watching and moving around in the room. Now, strangely, your mind blanks. It's a power Sunwoo has that scares you a little bit, making you forget everything.

The two of you push it. Sunwoo bites your lip again and makes you blush, pulling your hair a little. You let your hands roam properly, feeling his chest rise and fall and tracing the lean muscles on his abdomen. When you rest your hands on his hips, you boldly push one of them under the hem of his t-shirt, making contact with warm and soft skin, and Sunwoo full on moans into your mouth.

To say that it's affecting you would be an understatement.

Sunwoo traces the outline of your bra over the shirt you're wearing until he's fully cupping your breast, and wow. Wow.

It isn't until you finds yourself wanting to undo his pants, that the acute realization of the setting and people surrounding you dawns on you once more.

"Cut!"

There's scattered applause in the room, and you fall away from Sunwoo, panting, blushing, and sort of embarrassed that you let it go that far. But it was what you were supposed to do, so after a few seconds of catching your breath you get up, brush dust off your knees again, and look into Sunwoo's eyes almost defiantly, as if to prove to everyone that you're no wuss. This was nothing, you're no worse than a real actor.

And Sunwoo looks back up at you like a deer in the headlights, shuffling awkwardly on the floor while he waves off your outstretched hand.

"Um. Just. Give me a minute," he breathes, grinning sheepishly at the ground, face pink, and you could die when you realize why he can't get up yet.

"Oh, oh. Sorry—" you blurt, apologizing for some reason, and Sunwoo bites his lip, still grinning, his hand balled in a helpless fist next to him.

When you meet again, it's sundown, and you stand outside next to the food truck, watching beads of condensation roll leisurely down the closed hatch. Sunwoo stops next to you, hair wet from the shower, and leans on the truck, not realizing it's all slippery from the humidity.

He slips a little and bites his lip again like he wants to laugh, but thinks better of it. You watch him amused, eyebrow raised.

"Hey, uh," he starts, scratching his neck. "I just wanted to check that we're good, or that—well. Check if I need to apologize for... Before. Because I will, if you were... Um. If I made you uncomfortable. That was not my intent."

He meets your eyes, blush rising stubbornly on his face, and you aren't the slightest bit surprised by the urge to kiss him now. You can feel it in your fingers how they long to pull him in by the collar of his shirt and kiss away any awkwardness between you.

"Don't worry," you smile, and watch his shoulders relax a little more. "In my book, that was just superb acting."

Sunwoo finally lets out a breathy laugh that trills through the air as if it's been caged in. As if he was genuinely nervous that you were cross with him, which is ridiculous but endearing.

"Good," he mumbles, and you notice the tips of his ears are red now as well. "Good, um. Yeah. Final day of filming tomorrow, huh?"

You grin at the subject change and put your hands in your pockets, following Sunwoo on reflex as he turns slow, and starts walking to where his car is parked.

"Time flies," you agree, a twinge of something sad in your stomach. "It felt like it would last longer."

"Yeah," Sunwoo mumbles, stopping, clicking his keys. "It did."

You watch the car unlock and Sunwoo makes no move to get in, just stands there, looking at his keys jingling in his hand.

"Hey, you need a ride?" he says then, and you don't know if it's wishful thinking, or if he actually sounds hopeful. If he wants to drag this out for as long as possible, like you do.

"Yeah!" you say, a little too enthusiastically, even though you don't need a ride and you both know it.

Sunwoo's grin is wider than it's been all day.

Follow for part 2! It won't be very long, I'm working on it and it's about to get steamy🌞

[kyu-piddy]

Messy love triangles….

Leona x reader x riddle mayhaps⁉️

Ranking a singular twst love triangle on how messy it is

An: The more I write for Leona the more I find this man hilarious. Who knew petty men were this funny to write about?

Gn reader x Riddle, Leona

Trigger warnings: Swearing

900 words

Riddle vs Leona

There’s people that you wonder how they have beef. They’re not opposites, they’re not too similar, but there’s something that doesn’t quite click with them.

In the case of Riddle and Leona, their beef is over you.

Riddle is a fool I tell you. He might be a great student, he might be Mr perfect in anything and everything pertaining to stuff your parents would be proud of, but he is indeed a fool.

He will, very loudly and stupidly, call you his good friend to the Heartslabyul dorm while blushing up a storm as soon as you’re less than 10 feet away from him.

You were commenting in passing to Ace and Deuce how the history of magic assignment is really hard? There comes Riddle in the next morning carrying back breaking books on the topic, with sticky notes color coded to how important he thought that information was.

Did you complain about not being able to sleep properly? Riddle has brewed you a potion that is said to help sleep and prepared a brochure with every habit of yours that is making sleep evade you.

And yet he is not using the evidence to reach a sound verdict. He is instead looking pretty stupid and/or overbearing to everyone around him.

Trey and Cater are laughing their asses off at the interactions between you both.

If it was someone else it could be heavily considered that they were faking it, but it’s Riddle after all.

Mr. Lionman is, like always, emotionally constipated as hell.

Leona might be lazy as balls, but he is no idiot. He’s actually rather brilliant and also not blind, so the moment he sees Riddle interact with you, it’s on sight.

Verbally that is. Leona isn’t that trigger happy with people that he could snap like a twig.

He probably already suspected Riddle's crush on you just by hearing you talk, which he did in fact make an effort to stay awake for, but actually seeing the red short stack turn into a human prawn would piss him off sooooo bad.

This man is incredibly petty. He has never once actually tried in his classes, but seeing as that would make Riddle mad, he’s showing up at 8:00 am on the dot to every class and scoring 100 after 100 in every test he can.

Meanwhile Riddle’s jaw is glued to the floor.

He doesn’t really understand why Leona is rubbing his successes in his face, which does piss him off, but what pisses him off the most is how Leona is showing it off to you too??? How dare he!

Riddle should be the one that comes to you with his perfect tests, offering help all gentleman style.

Treys sweets are another weapon in Riddle's arsenal, but Leona is indeed a cheeky bastard that practices the age old “all is fair in love and war”.

Ruggie is going to be very busy making sure those sweets taste awful, and also trying to feed you with stuff “Leona” made.

Speaking of Trey, he’s going to have to make a decorated cake saying “You like ____” for his housewarden. Otherwise man will stay in the dark.

It is shocking news to Riddle once he figures it out, while everyone else sort of just… nods their heads and pretend it is such riveting new information.

“Trey, I have delved deep into my psyche and have reached the conclusion that my feelings for ___ aren’t exclusively platonic.”

“Oh, really now, Riddle?”

oH reALly NoW RiDdLe

Leona is also a contender for the most obvious crush on campus to those that know him.

Ruggie and Jack probably have a bet going on when Leona will confess. (Jack thinks it will be when the sun explodes. Ruggie is more akin to the hypothesis of the heat death of the universe coming first.)

Riddle is the one most likely to confess.

He believes in doing things the proper way so confessing is the way to go.

Man is redder than his hair and holding a script he wrote.

It’s really sweet actually. Riddle isn't some romantic bard of legend, but he writes down his feelings in the best way he can: with legal jargon.

Leona’s sixth sense is activating and he is running to match his rival.

Once again, metaphorically. He can’t be bothered to actually run.

He is putting his head on your shoulder, whispering into your ear…

“I know you like me, herbivore.”

Hell no! This man did not spend the time he did around you and planning how to get your attention to turn back around and say it’s you who is in love with him! Step on his tail or knee him on the groin cuz he deserves it.

For a Leona love triangle, this one isn’t that bad. I’d give it an A.

Any love triangle with two overblot boys tends to be really messed up, even after said overblot, but Leona and Riddle don’t have that much prior beef that turns the love triangle into a biohazard.

Leona will have his good ol inferiority complex to keep him company if rejected, but he doesn’t feel like he is in that much direct competition with Riddle, which spares him some of the heartache that a love triangle with Vil or Malleus would give.

Riddle will be haunted by his perfectionism and romantic stupidity if rejected, but he’s one of the more stable post overblot boys, so you don’t have much to fear. Probably.

[amalythea]

「 actor kazuha 」

⤷ info: kazuha x gn!reader || fluff, with a little comfort? || wc: 1879

⤷ warnings: modern au, reader and kazuha have to hide their relationship, near 2k words of me rambling tbh

⤷ extra: this is a little different than my usual formatting (and it's longer) because it was originally a gift for @milk-violet so everyone better thank her for convincing me to post this here

The entertainment industry is a world of glitz, glamour, and unrelenting scrutiny. You knew this the moment you stepped into it, but nothing quite prepared you for the secret-keeping. Or, more specifically, the secret you and Kazuha had been guarding for almost two years now.

Dating a co-star—especially one as universally adored as Kazuha—was a perilous game. The whispers of fans, the prying eyes of paparazzi, and the ironclad contracts that forbade any public display of affection were all things you had to navigate carefully. But no amount of restrictions could dim the warmth of Kazuha’s love, the way his eyes would soften when he looked at you or the quiet moments you stole together in between filming.

You were good at pretending. Both of you were. It was practically a requirement for your jobs. But when the announcement came that you and Kazuha had been cast as the leads in a new romantic drama, your heart nearly stopped.

“It’ll be fine,” Kazuha had said when you told him your concerns. The two of you were curled up on his couch, a rare evening off spent hidden away in his apartment. His hand rested on yours, fingers drawing lazy patterns on your skin. “We’re professionals. No one will suspect a thing.”

“You mean no one will suspect a thing if you stop looking at me like that during rehearsals,” you retorted, though the playful lilt in your voice couldn’t hide your nervousness.

He smiled, that soft, lopsided smile that always made your heart flutter. “I’ll do my best,” he teased.

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t help smiling back.

---

The first few weeks of filming went smoothly… mostly. The script was a classic love story with all the hallmarks of a hit: misunderstandings, longing glances, and a climactic confession scene that promised to leave audiences breathless. It was the kind of story that could make or break careers.

But for you, every take felt like walking a tightrope. Playing opposite Kazuha was both exhilarating and terrifying. When the cameras rolled, his every touch, every look, felt so achingly real that you had to remind yourself to stay in character. Worse still, the cast and crew were beginning to notice.

“You two have such natural chemistry,” the director said one day, after a particularly intense scene. “It’s like you’re not even acting.”

Kazuha’s hand brushed yours under the table during the script meeting that followed, a silent reassurance that he’d felt it too. The line between reality and fiction was blurring, and neither of you was doing a great job of hiding it.

It wasn’t just the director who was noticing, either. The makeup artist teased you about how easily Kazuha could make you laugh, while the wardrobe team joked about how effortlessly you complemented each other’s looks. Even the lighting crew started setting up shots with an unspoken understanding that the two of you simply fit.

“You know,” your co-star remarked one afternoon, a knowing glint in their eye, “if I didn’t know better, I’d think there was something going on between you two.”

You’d laughed it off, feigning confusion with a well-practiced air of innocence. Kazuha, ever the picture of calm, had simply smiled and quipped, “That’s just the magic of a good script.”

But behind closed doors, the pressure was mounting. Each whispered comment or lingering glance felt like a thread unraveling the careful tapestry you’d both woven to keep your relationship hidden. Still, the fleeting moments of stolen intimacy—when his hand would linger just a second too long on yours as he passed you a coffee, or when he’d quietly slip you a note during a break—were worth every risk.

It was a game of balancing acts, a performance within a performance. And as the days turned into weeks, you began to wonder how long you could keep the act going without the truth slipping through the cracks.

---

And then came the confession scene. The one the entire drama hinged on.

It was a quiet, tender moment set under a canopy of stars. Your character, heartbroken and hesitant, would finally admit their feelings. Kazuha’s character would take your hand, look into your eyes, and deliver a monologue so heartfelt it would make anyone believe in love.

You’d rehearsed the lines a hundred times, but as you stood there on set, with Kazuha’s eyes locked on yours, the words felt impossibly heavy.

“Action!” the director called.

Your character hesitated, voice trembling as you spoke. “I can’t keep this to myself anymore. I… I love you.”

Kazuha’s response was immediate, his voice rich with emotion. “And I… I’ve loved you all along.”

His hand cupped your cheek, thumb brushing against your skin with a tenderness that made your breath hitch. The kiss that followed was supposed to be carefully choreographed, a perfect balance of passion and restraint. But the moment his lips met yours, everything else faded away. The cameras, the crew, the carefully constructed facade—none of it mattered. It was just you and Kazuha, your emotions spilling over in a kiss that was as real as the love you shared.

When the director called “cut,” the set was silent. Then came the applause.

“That was incredible!” someone exclaimed. “You’d think they were really in love or something.”

You tried to ignore the knowing looks the crew exchanged as you and Kazuha stepped apart, faces flushed.

The applause and laughter carried on around you, but your heart pounded so loudly it drowned out the noise. Kazuha’s hand lingered on your arm for just a second longer than necessary, his thumb brushing against your sleeve as if silently grounding you. His expression was calm, unreadable to anyone else, but you caught the flicker of something more in his eyes—a mixture of pride and affection that sent a shiver through you.

“You two absolutely nailed that,” the director said, beaming as he walked over. “It’s the kind of chemistry you can’t fake. Keep it up.”

You forced a laugh, nodding in agreement as Kazuha gave a humble shrug. “We’re just following your direction,” he said smoothly, his voice steady and professional. The perfect answer.

Still, the knowing glances didn’t stop. The cast whispered, the crew exchanged smirks, and you could feel the invisible thread tightening around the secret you and Kazuha had worked so hard to protect. Every interaction was now under the microscope, every laugh, every glance, every moment that felt too genuine for comfort.

Later, as you retreated to the quiet sanctuary of your dressing room, Kazuha slipped in after you. He closed the door softly behind him, leaning against it with a small smile that melted some of the tension in your chest.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice low, meant just for you.

You nodded, though your hands were still trembling slightly. “I think we might’ve been a little too convincing.”

Kazuha chuckled, stepping closer to take your hands in his. “Good,” he murmured, his thumbs brushing soothing circles on your skin. “That just means we’re doing our jobs.”

You gave him a half-hearted glare. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Maybe,” he admitted, his voice dipping into something softer, more intimate. “But it’s worth it. As long as you’re by my side.”

The words, simple and earnest, made your heart ache in the best way. For a moment, the walls around your secret didn’t feel like a cage, but a shared refuge. And even if the world came dangerously close to uncovering the truth, you knew that, with Kazuha, you could face whatever came next.

---

You could not face what came next.

The weeks that followed were a whirlwind of filming and speculation. Fans dissected every trailer, every behind-the-scenes clip, noting the undeniable chemistry between you and Kazuha. Gossip columns ran headlines like “Are They or Aren’t They?” and “On-Screen Lovers or Something More?”

Through it all, you and Kazuha maintained your careful act, deflecting questions with practiced ease. But behind closed doors, you laughed about the irony of it all.

“We’re not very good at this, are we?” you said one night, as the two of you reviewed the latest batch of fan theories.

“On the contrary,” Kazuha replied, pulling you into his arms. “I think we’re doing exactly what we set out to do.”

You looked up at him, confused.

“Convincing the world we’re madly in love,” he explained, a playful glint in his eyes. “Because we are.”

You laughed, burying your face in his chest. It was a secret you’d keep as long as you had to, but in moments like this, you didn’t mind.

But the world had a way of testing your resolve.

The tension reached a breaking point during a promotional event for the drama. The room was buzzing with energy, a sea of cameras flashing and reporters clamoring for the best soundbite. You and Kazuha sat side by side on the panel, answering questions with the kind of polished charm that came from months of media training.

“I have to ask,” one reporter began, her tone light but her intent razor-sharp, “the chemistry between you two is… extraordinary. It’s not often we see something this authentic. What’s your secret?”

The question hung in the air like a challenge. You felt your pulse quicken, a bead of sweat forming at your temple. Kazuha, ever the master of composure, leaned forward with a small smile.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together, both on and off set,” he said smoothly. “Getting to know each other’s quirks and nuances is key to creating that kind of connection on screen.”

It was a perfect answer, one that drew a chorus of approving murmurs from the room. But you weren’t sure how much longer you could keep this up.

Later, as the event wound down, you slipped away to catch a moment of peace. You found yourself on the balcony, the cool evening air a welcome reprieve from the stifling heat of the spotlight.

“I thought I’d find you here,” Kazuha’s voice came from behind you.

You turned to see him leaning casually against the doorway, his expression soft but laced with concern.

“I’m fine,” you said quickly, though the tremor in your voice betrayed you.

Kazuha stepped closer, his presence steady and reassuring. “You don’t have to be,” he murmured, reaching for your hand. “Not with me.”

His words broke through the wall you’d been holding up all night. The weight of the charade, the constant scrutiny, the fear of being exposed—it all came rushing to the surface.

“Kazuha,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “What if they find out? What if this all falls apart?”

He cupped your face gently, his eyes locking with yours in that way that always made the world feel like it was spinning just a little slower.

“Then we’ll face it together,” he said, his voice a quiet promise. “No matter what happens, I’m not letting go of us.”

The resolve in his gaze, the steadiness of his touch, was enough to anchor you. In that moment, the world and its prying eyes didn’t matter. It was just you and Kazuha, holding on to the truth you shared, ready to weather whatever storm came your way.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

@amalythea 2025. | do not re-upload, copy, translate, etc. my works on any form of media.

[oishitea]

Jack and Joker: The Bank Scene

Happy Monday my friends, we finally are getting our gay heist show! YinWar truly have outdone themselves with the level of quality they've put into it and I couldn't be more excited or more grateful.

I wanted to break down the scene where Joke robs the bank because, given my experience in banking, it's was scripted very purposefully in favor of suspending our belief. Admittedly, my experience is in the US, and not all financial institutions operate the same, but for safety and security measures they're pretty standard across the board.

I was really appreciative of the disclaimer given ahead of time. It speaks to the research that was done for the sake of how much they could accurately portray the events, and when that seemed impossible and they couldn't let go of the scene, they said fuck it - gay story over realism it is. This break down is certainly not to dig at the writing; it's more to buff my knowledge than anything.

We love you YinWar, thanks for having respect for bank employees. Now let's get to the employees I don't respect, and the non-employee that I do.

For the most part, security officers don't need to do more than greet customers, and if there is any suspicion he shouldn't immediately interrogate someone. He's there for when things get escalated, or if there are any faces he should be looking out for (anyone banned from a branch for any reason), then he can confront them. If Joke had made an attempt at another location and that one tipped off others, then he would have a reason to suspect him.

Joke's mistake here: Being seen. He is so identifiable throughout. The show didn't bother checking any CCTVs, but he makes no attempt to hide from them. Instant jail. Sorry my guy. He also chooses a very unusual method and time of day to strike.

Since the officer did confront him, Joke gives an excuse.

This was a good call. If someone from another location or office, or a third party contracted service is coming, the employees would be notified beforehand of whom they should be and during which times. And even if the person is easily recognizable physically, they will have company identification on them, and if the security measures are extra strict, a form of government ID would also need to be shown.

LOUD WRONG ANSWER BUZZER

So what Joke is going to look for is someone who appears less competent. He looks at the older woman who likely has years under her belt and knows he has no chances there. But the girl to her left....

TARGET ACQUIRED

And she's already in trouble.

Oh hon.

That's never a situation I'd want to be in. Calling customers to inform them that there's been a mistake made on their account is never fun and it often is hard to reach them. There are ways of simply correcting the error and informing the person after it's been done just so they know what to expect when they look at the activity on their statement. Whatever the case, she's new, inexperienced, and having a bad day.

The balls he has to say this. Bestie. Have you ever touched banking software.

He's just getting her out of the way. If she had received any proper training and meant to apply it at all, this would've been a red flag. She is trusting the judgement of the security officer. Joke hasn't introduced himself by name and if he meant to help fix the mistake he wouldn't make her leave. It would be her responsibility and a good training opportunity. Instead, this happens....

She's risking so many things! Security within the immediate premises, security of the bank's information, confidentiality of the customers' information (which is literally their government ID, home address, other contact info, ALL of their accounts and activity). Absolutely a bad move.

GIRRRLLLL. That is on you. I saw her hesitate, but in the end just knew it was bad. At least where I've been, that possibly means fines and/or jail time for her as well, depending on the severity (most likely fines though). This poor girl is gonna have the worst confidence about her ability on the job after learning she helped a guy embezzle money. Where's her story?

Joke sends the security guard away, gets behind the desk with Carbon's ID and is likely planning to simply empty his account and leave. Then who should show up but Jack! (Next time please direct him to wait in a queue, your "manager" is supposedly still fixing your little check blunder, remember?)

And even Joke is nervous for a moment because he definitely didn't want to get the cute bartender involved.

Nevertheless, he humors Jack and listens to the bittersweet story of his childhood and his dream of opening a school. I love Jack, I really hope that he is able to open that school someday too.

So this part of the loan process is called the interview. It's where the employee will get an idea of the customer's needs and see if the bank's service is what they're looking for or if there is any particular offers they can make at this time. It's an important process when dealing in person because it will hopefully help the customer know which steps they can take depending upon approval. It's also where documentation is asked to verify what can be approved.

For the most part, Joke's charisma would be fantastic for a banking career because he seems natural at facilitating a conversation that requires someone to open up about their financial needs. He loses marks for not checking actual information, not filing any copies of the information he has been given, not explaining any details about paying the loan down or how having an account works, not starting the account opening process, and the numbers they talk about are vague so we don't even know how much money is in question here (which is probably a writing choice and I'm fine with it).

Instead Joke pulls a Picard and decides to make it so. And flirts at the same time. There's no signage around the branch to speak of this program and he doesn't go into any details, he simply grabs the stamp and seals their fates together.

I do think it's a sweet little change of mind he has. He was simply going to inconvenience Carbon, but what better way to do it (in his mind) than to give the money to the guy who got snubbed because of him?

The office being truly empty does crack me up. Who is supposed to be there and why are they gone? Also, for a bank, that vault is incredibly small. That is a home safe, that is not for securing the assets of the public. Also, most places have updated their protocol to use two people when opening the vault because having two people present also ensures less opportunity for employee theft.

His ass is not wearing gloves!

And, in a final un-bankerly move, he does not count out even the bundles.

FLIRT

I also love that he goes by Joker, but is constantly pulling a Batman exit on Jack.

I feel bad for knowing that I would have absolutely apprehended this man by asking the simplest questions. But I no longer work in that capacity and couldn't give a fuck! Let him do what he wants!

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

ok so ive been rewatching psychoville and saw on the wikipedia that there were a bunch of websites made for the series (they were all written by reece and steve btw) which i've been looking through cos they are genuinely SO fucking funny & also just amazingly creative lol!

anyway i know people in the fandom probs already know about this (since the show came out literally 15 years ago pfft) but i thought i'd share some of my fav bits (but honestly would just recommend just checking them out if you haven't i have been crying with laughter for literally hours lol)

i will say that a lot of the media (videos, games, etc) no longer work on the archived sites rip but i'm sure people have uploaded some of the stuff (vids especially) to yt or other places lol

so a) i love that we get some background stuff on jelly and 2) 'captain CRACKERS' bernie clifton's dressing room reference question mark ??????? (ofc bcdr was AFTER this but i know love the idea that mr jelly trained under len pfft)

what that red raw stump do though 👀 (sorry pfffft)

mr jolly's website wasn't that interesting soz tho i did like him comparing being a doctor to being a clown lol

the comment about fag bears did make me wheeze i'm afraid lol i also loved the blurry photos of lomax's commodities lol (kinda reminded me of the bit in tlog w/ that terrible old photographer guy lol)

when i tell you i DIED with laughter at the 'now known as hull' bit like u just know reece wrote that bit pfft

not really a funny thing but this poem written by david honestly kinda breaks my heart lol... i think it also a lot of additional context to david's guilt when he thought he'd killed his father(faver) because perhaps he felt guilty about NOT feeling guilty you get me? like, it felt to me that when maureen told david it was SHE who killed her husband, it didn't feel like he was mad at her for doing it, but more that she kept the fact from him. it's about... the mutual oedipus-coded obsession with one another that couldn't even be destroyed in death and in this essay i will....

ghoul_lass23 is just like me but about tumblr lol fr

nothing feels more cursed than the phrases 'the river minge has burst its banks', 'crying creamy tears' and 'fleshy rapunzel' (which i've just noticed they misspelt lol... don't think that was intentional lol?) so if i had to read this so do you <3

the way that i kinda wish this actually existed tho pfft... also, it does kinda remind me of that video where jenny nicholson talked about that insane reality show 'opposite worlds' lol

'cross between seven and glee' is honestly sending me pfft

also on this part there was a script from stinkfinger (which is a show mentioned on the show) which sounded suspiciously like a reference to tlc lol

the less said about swastknickers the better

(will say i did nearly piss myself laughing at the nazi section of the hoity toity website lol which wasn't a sentence i thought i'd type today lol)

i just love these kinds of jokes pfft

also the whole biography sections of each of the pantomime cast are fab lol tho i AM kinda pissed they made debbie from yeovil and yet didn't give her a west country accent lol!!! (i guess they thought it'd be a bit much w/ joy being bristolian but i'm still mad about it lol)

also i know people have probably already pointed this out but i do find it funny that brian in the in9 episode last night of the proms is a closeted gay guy who likes watching drag was probably a reference to brian in this show that was a drag queen like... is anything these guys do NOT a reference??? u know those gaylor fans who obsessively look for clues in her songs about her apparent secret sexuality? all i'm saying is that i think they'd really like the extended reece shearsmith & steve pemberton universe pfft

all three of these made me cry with laughter lol

ohh this is interesting lol so obviously they suspected that some people might be all 'um why didn't the sprinklers go off during the fire at ravenhill? plot hole much!' so they wrote this into one of the websites so they could be like SEE! WE'RE ONE STEP AHEAD OF YOU DUMBASSES lol

both the jeremy kyle reference (remember when that was a thing? yikes... my mum used to watch his show CONSTANTLY...) and nurse kenshington's thoughts on david and maureen are interesting lol.. also there's a reference to the serial killer top trumps in this bit lol! (do people still play top trumps?? man i LOVED top trumps lol...)

the entire sunnyvale care home section is so fucking funny (both the website AND in the show lol mrs wren/mrs ladybird face is unironically probably my favourite character on the entire show) these were just some of my fav gags lol...

ok but why is this the SECOND reference to a guy punching a child who was apparently looking at his dick lol!??!! did this happen to one of you ??!!?!? reece did you punch a child ??!???!?!??

&&&& that's it lol

there were a few websites i didn't spend long on or generally weren't that interesting (coughmidgetgemscough) but honestly? i was really captivated with just how funny and well put together all these sites were! you can tell they had a lot of fun making it and i'm sure fans at the time LOVED being able to have this semi-interactive element of the show lol

there was just something so wonderfully late 00's about these websites lol i genuinely don't think i've laughed this much at anything in literal months and all of this is just solidifies that psychoville is a criminally under-appreciated masterpiece lol

[danieyells]

hey danie idk if anyone has asked this but is it possible for you to post all the chibi chatter, if it’s not too much work? thank you!!!

It shouldn't be too much work! I was planning on it after I'd gotten some rest lol

Comment conditions are based on my observations and may not be accurate.

From my observation, only finding items, entering, and leaving rooms are guaranteed to be commented on.

Aside from the campus screen, the Galaxy Express, the Library(Story) screen, and the Characters tab also have chibis, and some comments may be easier to see on them You can swap out chibis in these locations by restarting the game, except for Galaxy Express which cycles through the characters in your first squad.

I don't know what time Towa starts talking so I had to guess where his actual word dialogue goes since nothing is labeled in the scripts I can see. Once I figure it out I'll probably go in and edit the post.

With that out of the way!

Jin Kamurai

Found an item:

"Pick that up."

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Pain in the ass..."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"I'm going home."

???:

"Not too bad."

Reading animation:

"Waste of time."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Ha." "What?" "So noisy..." "Tsk..." "Damn it..."

Character idle animation:

"Time for a smoke."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Leave."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"You want brownie points?"

Tohma Ishibashi

Found an item:

"Well, would you look at that..."

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Excuse me."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"I should get back to my work."

???:

"Most interesting."

Reading animation:

"I see..."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"What's next...?" "Fascinating..." "Ha ha ha..." "Your dedication is much appreciated." "As I suspected."

Character idle animation:

"Honestly..."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Well, well."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Impressive progress."

Lucas Errant

Found an item:

"Who left this here?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Excuse me."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Time to train."

???:

"What's this?"

Reading animation:

"Very educational."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"I see." "Ha!" "Ha ha." "That's odd." "I understand now!"

Character idle animation:

"Time for a break."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"All right, let's go."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Your hard work paid off."

Kaito Fuji

Found an item:

"Must be my lucky day!"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Crap, I'm late..."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Make-up classes again..."

???:

"Whoa, check this out!"

Reading animation:

"Huh, you don't say."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Gross..." "Gotta read the latest Q&G." "Heh heh heh..." "What's going on?" "Just keep walking..."

Character idle animation:

"No way..."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Maybe I'll stop by the campus store."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Whoa, nice!"

Alan Mido

Found an item:

"What's this?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Time to get started."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"...Guess I'll head back."

???:

"...Where am I?"

Reading animation:

"...Oh."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"I'll stop by the Pit." "Gotta wash the cars later." "..." "...I should go for a run." "...Be careful."

Character idle animation:

"What?"

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"...Time to go."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Good job."

Leo Kurosagi

Found an item:

"Lucky me."

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"This is dumb..."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Okay done!"

???:

"What? That's hilarious."

Reading animation:

"Hmm..."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"So loud..." "Huh..." "You're all so basic." "Ah ha ha." "Ooh, let me take a vid."

Character idle animation:

"You're all so easy to please."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"My bad!"

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Damn. Let me see!"

Shohei Haizono

Found an item:

"The hell's this?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Hey."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Seeya."

???:

"What is that..?"

Reading animation:

"Right, I get it now."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Pfft..." "Can't keep my eyes open..." "Yeah, yeah." "Hey, got an order." "Maybe I'll go for a jog."

Character idle animation:

"This is a real drag..."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Guess I should start prep."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Nice."

Haru Sagara

Found an item:

"What's this!?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"All right, let's do this!"

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Time to get back to work!"

???:

"Wow, take a look at that!"

Reading animation:

"You don't say!"

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"All right!" "Energy drink time!" "Gahaha!" "Here, take a flier!" "Hey there!"

Character idle animation:

"Drink up, fella!"

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Let's go, Peekaboo!"

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Smashed it!"

Towa Otonashi

*note about Towa, I don't know the timeframe in which he begins to actually speak. For the home screen he starts at 4pm but that doesn't appear to be the same for the chibis. As such I'm guessing on what words go where atm. I might try again later at night to see if I can figure it out.

Found an item:

"~~~~!" "What's this?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"~~~~♪" "Hmm...?"

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"~~♪~~!" "Let's go!"

???:

"~~! ~~!"

Reading animation:

"~~~~?" "This is fun!"

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"...♪" "...♪~~♪" "~~? ...♪" "...? ...!" "...?" "I can do it!" "I'll help you!"

Character idle animation:

"...! ...!" "Heh heh ♪"

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"~~♪~~♪"

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"~~! ~~♪"

Ren Shiranami

Found an item:

"What is this...?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"This sucks..."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Gonna go home and watch a movie."

???:

"What's this?"

Reading animation:

"Not you again..."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Ugh, another GPS..." "Why me...?" "This is the worst..." "Diner shift tomorrow... " "Shit..."

Character idle animation:

"Pfft... That's hilarious."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Ugh, I'm exhausted..."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Wish I could live here instead..."

Taiga Hoshibami

Found an item:

"Hey, lucky me."

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"What is this place?"

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Ciao!"

???:

"This is mine."

Reading animation:

"...What?"

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Whatever!" "Screw this! I'm going home!" "Guess I'll go play a few rounds." "Huh?" "I could eat a horse..."

Character idle animation:

"Gyahaha!"

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Guess it's killing time."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Want a prize?"

Romeo Scorpius Lucci

Found an item:

"What's this?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Get out of my way."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"This is a waste of time."

???:

"Looks cheap."

Reading animation:

"...Hmph."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Tch..." "Excuse me!?" "He's calling me again?" "You're in the way!" "TGA..."

Character idle animation:

"This works a charm."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Found you..."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Not bad, for you."

Ritsu Shinjo

Found an item:

"What's this?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"I am well prepared."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Time to switch locations."

???:

"I'll record this just in case."

Reading animation:

"I need to commit this to memory."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Ha." "Nothing seems out of the ordinary." "Start of recording." "Ahem." "Insufficient cause for suspicion..."

Character idle animation:

"End of recording."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Just as planned."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Have you submitted the paperwork?"

Subaru Kagami

Found an item:

"What's this?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Please excuse me..."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"I'm going to head out now..."

???:

"Wow... This is amazing...!"

Reading animation:

"I see..."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"It's very crowded..." "That's troubling..." "I'm sorry..." "Ha ha." "What time did we agree to meet?"

Character idle animation:

"I've got an idea for my next plot..."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Everyone is so impressive."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Hard work pays off."

Haku Kusanagi

Found an item:

"Oh, I found something."

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Coming in."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Phew, done."

???:

"Well, would you look at that..."

Reading animation:

"All right, gotcha."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Hmm...?" "Time for some tea." "Ha ha..." "All right, what's next?" "Huh..."

Character idle animation:

"Break time."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Better get to work..."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Hey, nice work."

Zenji Kotodama

Found an item:

"What's this...!?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Are you awestruck?"

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"To my oasis..."

???:

"Gorgeous..."

Reading animation:

"Ah, excellent!"

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Copacetic!" "Ha ha." "I've been struck by inspiration!" "Hmm..." "Oh!"

Character idle animation:

"It's biwa time."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Come, my little sheep."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"I applaud you!"

Edward Hart

Found an item:

"Here, I found this."

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"I suppose I ought to get started."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Time for a brief respite."

???:

"Not bad."

Reading animation:

"Ah, this brings back memories."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Ah ha ha ha." "(cough cough)" "Such peaceful days." "Why, hello there." "My, my."

Character idle animation:

"Well, look at you."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Ah, to be young."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Impressive."

Rui Mizuki

Found an item:

"Finders keepers!"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Let's do this!"

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Seeya!"

???:

"Yo did you see this?"

Reading animation:

"Ha ha, you got that right!"

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Guess I'll just chill." "Oops, gotta buy detergent." "For sure!" "Heh heh." "Someone's in my DMs!"

Character idle animation:

"Whoa!?"

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Come on over!"

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Whoa, that's wild!"

Lyca Colt

Found an item:

"I smell treasure..."

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Just watch me."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"C'mon, let's go."

???:

"Whoa..."

Reading animation:

"I don't get it."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"What's with this place?" "Hmph!" "Tch..." "Ngh..." "Huh."

Character idle animation:

"You wanna go?!"

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Quit looking at me."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"That's so cool!"

Yuri Isami

Found an item:

"I found this! Me!"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"I'm making my rounds."

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"We're going!"

???:

"Are there new subjects here?"

Reading animation:

"This is good data."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"Oh?" "Hmph." "Ahem." "You're all parasites..." "Hmm hmm hmm hmm..."

Character idle animation:

"Ha ha... Ah ha ha!"

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"An inevitable result."

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Acceptable, I suppose."

Jiro Kirisaki

Found an item:

"Oh, this?"

Entering a room, approaching the boundaries of a decoration:

"Here?"

Having had stepped off the boundaries of the room or decoration:

"Bye then."

???:

"I see, so that's how it's structured."

Reading animation:

"Makes sense."

'Interacting' with the room or decoration, doing work, changing pathing, deciding to leave a room, idle etc:

"This is annoying." "Take care." "Sorry?" "I'm going to harvest some things." "Nearly time."

Character idle animation:

"Hurk...! Urgh..."

Standing idle(Galaxy Express and Library only that I've seen?):

"Is that a new patient?"

???(new building/decoration? level up??):

"Has something changed?"

[divine-valley]

Safe at Last

The person whose name is written in this note shall die.

Fox reads the sentence a few times over. When he encountered the note it had landed on his head while on patrol. Someone must have thrown it out a window instead of disposing it properly. He had intended on dumping it in the closet garbage bin when the cover had caught his attention.

Death Note.

Written in a strange script, it wasn’t a novel just a simple blank notebook. It’d be a waste to dispose of something he could use so he retuned to base where he could inspect it further. That was when he found the rules written on the front page.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

Oh how thoughtful to think of those who share a name. He can’t help but roll his eyes and continue to read.

If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.

That fast huh? Quick and efficient.

Was this a joke of some kind? A prank some kids made and were caught with?

If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

Fox shook his head and reached for a pen and closed his eyes.

The Chancellor’s warm smiling face fills his head. His voice calling out to him. It makes him sick.

Sheev Palpatine

If anyone’s name belonged in a book of death it would be his. Leaning back he watched the digital clock in the far corner of his office. The second go by and then a minute.

Nothing.

Well, he wasn’t sure what he expected. Tossing the pen aside he grabbed the book to put it away when his comm started to go off. He isn’t able to get a word in when Thire’s voice breaks the silence.

“Fox, the chancellor’s just collapsed in his office.“

___

The Chancellor is dead.

Heart attack. Thats the report that comes back. No foul play is suspected. He was an older man after all, he worked so very hard. Never a moment’s rest, those are the words whispered.

No poison nor drug is found in his system. Just an elderly man who passed from a heart attack.

The people weep, Coruscant enters a period of mourning and the guard is now busy preparing security for the funeral.

Fox is unable to focus on anything. He is locked in his office with the note in his hands simply staring down at it.

He killed him.

He killed the chancellor.

Him with just the stroke of his pen he ended that monster’s miserable life.

Or was it coincidence?

Could it be the old bastard’s heart had actually given out? But the timing it was too perfect.

Should…should he try again? Another name?

___

“Did you hear?”

“Yes, how awful…”

“Apparently he just slipped and fell…”

“In his shower of all places!”

Senator Gorling’s tragic and accidental death. A simple slip in the shower, life is so fragile and delicate.

What a shame.

Senator Halor Gorling dies getting out of the shower. He slips on the wet floor and snaps his neck in the process.

Exactly as written.

Fox is thankful for his helmet to hide the grin on his face a sick kind of smile that would have anyone question his sanity.

Senator Gorling have sent good honest men to their deaths for nothing. For a vendetta against clones. For a clone daring to fall in love with his precious natborn daughter.

An eye for an eye as they say.

He doesn’t say much. Doesn’t contribute to the gossip among his own ranks. It’s such a small death as compared to the chancellor’s.

It was all he needed to truly confirm that the Death Note worked. That in his hands is an untraceable weapon of Mass Destruction. Something no man should possess yet here it was in his hands.

His capable hands…

With this…he could protect the Guard and not just them but all clones.

He can keep them all safe at last.

___

Been watching a lot of Death Note again so of course I wondered...what would happen if Fox had stumbled across it himself?

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Wednesday Fandom :) It's crazy we are over ten eps in s5 already. Just means we're closer to this premiere yay. (it's 34 btw...) I adore this episode. I think it’s highly underrated because it’s the episode before 5x12. There are so many reasons to love this one. Flirty times, Return of Genny and Lucy, We get a taste of them as parents in this one and Lucy is a Grade A BAMF. Let us get started.

5x11 The Naked and The Dead

We start out with Tim being perplexed by the new coffee machine. Asking what was wrong with the old one? Being her grumpy old man about it. Nolan and Lucy start listing off reasons. Like led levels and Lucy mentions a mice infestation. Eww lol The growth in this scene is pretty cute though. It's how he easily steps aside to let her do it for him. No fight in him about it whatsoever. Just lets wifey do her thing.

How far we’ve come. She shows him how to do it and he is impressed with her. What else is new? heh But he's extra impressed cause she is girl now hehe Lucy tells him she learned from a clip talk tutorial on how to do it. John asks what they got up to last night? Tim on the instant defensive. Says ‘Nothing.’ way too quickly.

My god Timothy it’s a good thing it’s Nolan and not Nyla. Captain clueless over here doesn’t suspect a thing thankfully. Lucy of course is far more prepared than her boyfriend is. Because well it’s Lucy. I adore her being so smooth about it. Doesn't miss a beat. Hands her man his coffee as she easily delivers her cover story. Honestly if anyone was going to blow their cover it was Tim LOL

John dips out and thanks Lucy for the bar and the recommendation. Minute he’s gone Lucy gives him such crap for his terrible answer. Saying he had all morning to come up with a cover story and that was it? Tim defending himself saying Nolan bought it. Yeah cause it’s Nolan... Had it been anyone else in their orbit they would’ve been caught. Lucy is judging him so hard for this. I love it so much. Such a wifey moment right here.

Tim challenges her and asks what Nolan has follow up questions? Lucy confidently telling him she read the catalog cover to cover. Of course she did. I expect nothing less tbh. Neither should you Tim ha His reaction is the best. Like if you weren’t my girlfriend be calling you a nerd right now. But we all know he loves his nerd and her brain. Her intelligence/intense drive is one of the reasons he fell for her. God they cute.

Tim mentions she has citizens academy today. Lucy says yes and asks for any tips? Per usual he warns her about screenwriters haha That she shouldn't give out her card or she will be up to her eye balls in scripts. Lucy then segues into their plans for tonight. Flirty af as she does. Asking what he’s doing tonight? So much behind her question. Looking so very excited to ask him it. Radiating happiness as she does.

They could not be more flirty if they tried in this scene and I love it. I remember squeeing because this was the place we we're in now. Tim flirting right back ‘Nothing. I hope.’ *heart clutch* Lucy shooting tons of heart eyes his way. Letting him know that ‘Nothing sounds perfect.' Who would've thought the word 'Nothing.' could sound so romantic? Yet these two did it. The smirk on his face as she walks away from him is everything.

Oh my lord this man is a goner for her. Never seen this man smile more this entire series than he has since he started dating Lucy. They are giving off teenagers sneaking around and in love vibe here. Their secret dating era is just a primo as their longing/pining one. I love this season so much. Could they be anymore adorable flirting in the break room? Talking about cover stories and doing ‘Nothing.’ Gah I love it so much. It's all so new and exciting and it's coming off them in waves. I'm soaking it up like a sponge of shippy happiness.

This next portion is adorable. I love Aaron literally running to Lucy to tell her about Tim coaching little league. He is so excited to share this with her haha I am a fan of trio not gonna lie. Tim rolling his eyes when she says ‘Nolan.’ I mean it is a very John Nolan thing to do let’s be honest… Aaron calling him ‘Sergeant Friendly’ and not being pummeled by Tim just shows what a good place he’s in with Lucy.

Lucy saying ‘Can she watch?’ doing things to me. Sounded way flirtier than I’m sure she meant it to. Or maybe she did mean it that way heh Like girl we know you wanna watch him for quite a few reasons...Also you know she’s proud of him for being the good uncle and stepping up. The heart eyes are infinite at the end from her. She is proud of him for doing this. If it was possible he became even more attractive to her because of this.

Lucy shows up to practice and see’s Tim in coach mode. She is looking so very amused. Especially with how soft he is being. Watching her boyfriend who she knows can be a hard ass be soft af with these kids. Also if they think Genny doesn’t know they’re out of their damn minds. It’s all over her face as they banter with each other. Platonic co-workers don’t show up to their co worker's nephews practice and 'bicker'.

Married vibes x 1000 here and Genny is picking up what they’re throwing down. Tim is so excited to see her when she shows up. No way his sister doesn’t see a shift in his demeanor. Lucy couldn’t have a bigger smile on her face as she teases him. Tim being the exasperated husband per usual. Saying they’re just kids it's supposed to be fun. Her teasing is extra smitten like I have to say. Showing all your cards today you two. Right in front of Genny LOL

The sister in law bonding continues as Tim walks away. Which I absolutely adore btw. Lucy asking 'This is weird right?' Genny regaling her of how their dad taught his team as a kid. Tim having literal scars from it. It’s then it all comes together for Lucy. Tying back to that moment in 4x09. ‘You’re nothing like him.’ Lucy immediately getting why he’s acting this way.

He will do anything not to be like his father. I could not relate to that more if I tried. I see you Tim and I so understand. Lucy instantly softens and says this back to Genny. Knowing exactly what’s bringing on this soft streak of his. We watch as the kids continue to suck lol. Tim doing a thumbs up and I’m dying of laughter. Lucy sees why he’s doing this but says he is also over correcting in this approach.

This scene is a look into them as parents and it's making me very happy. The control freak in Lucy can’t stand back any longer. I love this part so much. She takes control and provides the kids with some knowledge and structure. Also like to call this the scene where Tim falls even more in love with her. He couldn’t be more proud as she takes control. Not only that but is knowledgeable about the game he loves. Win win.

He is looking at her like yep that’s the future mother of my kids. I love her walking up and the kids just follow. Her leadership is on fire right now. Tim asks her what she’s doing? Lucy saying yeah they can have fun but they also need structure. She’s not wrong… Totally going to be them as parents. Lucy being the stricter one with structure. Where Tim will be the softie wanting their kids just to have fun.

So cute how bemused Tim looks when she calls herself his ‘friend.’ Knowing they are far more than that now. Gah love Eric and his expressions. I’m a sucker for them. Lucy breaks down what they’re going to be doing. Not only that but the confidence she exudes while doing that has Tim beaming at her. Like look at his girl taking control and being knowledgeable about baseball. Seriously it's like he is falling even deeper in love with her based on this alone. How could he not?

Don’t tell me that man wasn’t turned on by this whole display either. Heart eyes galore but a little hot under the collar as well. You know he loves when she’s assertive. It’s a huge turn on for him. He’s basically scoping her out in front of those kids haha It’s this mixture of pride and being so immensely attracted to her. The man is in awe of this woman standing next to him.

The way he looks at her I’m just a damn puddle. If that man looked at me that way I would melt. Instantly. Lucy does melt a little when she catches his eye in the first gif above. You can see her crack a smile when their eyes connect. It's so cute. Once again I ask have we ever seen this man this damn happy before? No. Not till Lucy. I love him telling them when she’s done. ‘You heard her.’ Like you heard my wife get going. haha

The teasing is the cutest. It’s like we’re getting on screen fanfic levels of fluff in this episode. I'm so here for it. Just beaming heart eyes at each before he teases her with the ball. Her ‘Oh.’ When he takes the ball out of her reach. I cannot. I’m dying with the how adorable this whole thing is. My god they’re basically screaming their relationship to Genny in this moment.

I must also note my god Tim looks good. Doing what he does best. Takes a simple outfit like shirt and ball cap makes it sinfully delicious. Sweet lord he looks SOOOO good in outfit. Mmmm break me off a piece. My fav color too so that definitely adds to it for me. *fans self*

We catch up with them post practice. Genny comments they should co-coach together. They both make little jokes about it basically flirting in front of her. Do they see themselves and their looks? No? Ok... Genny redirecting their attention to how well they work together. Tim stumbling over his words instantly. Thinking they're being caught.

Lucy swoops in to save his ass like she did with Nolan ha Now her reply is shaky as well but better than Tim’s LOL They’re so bad at hiding this it’s hilarious. Tim following up with a ‘Mmhmm….’ As transparent as glass you two. A blind man could see how in love you are. Sweet lord.

Just being idiots in love in front of his sister ain’t no thing….Fairly certain Genny knows but is just testing the waters with her comments. No way she doesn’t see a difference in her own brother. Sure she sensed something in 4x08/4x09. This entire interaction only heightened it. Tim being the least subtle person on the planet in this moment. I love him so much. He sure is trying. lol

Lucy gets a call from the shelter so she steps away. Her domestic she got in is causing problems. She goes back to Tim and lets him know something going on with it. He is the worried boyfriend and asks if she wants him to come with? Which I adore. He know she can handle herself but wants to offer it anyways.

Just wanting to be near her at all times right now which is adorable. Also that instinct inside him to want accompany her incase she needs him. Being the supportive lovely boyfriend he is. Lucy declines and he respects her wanting to handle it on her own. Because he knows she can. Gah I love them. It’s the little things.

We rejoin them at the baseball game and I’m dying how cute they are. Lucy is losing her mind over the game and it's hysterical to watch unfold. Tim tells her to be encouraging haha How far we’ve come from Grey telling Tim to do as such back in 4x02. Love seeing that translate into this. Lucy tries to correct herself but doesn't convince Tim very well on it. His reply of 'We're gonna work on that...' I'm rollin. This is so adorable.

Lucy’s competitive side coming out and he has to have her take down just a notch. LOL The biggest trip is Tim being the kind encouraging one where Lucy is being the more competitive intense one ha. The dynamic shift here is unreal. I just love how involved she gets into this. This is something he loves and she is right there with him on it. I just love that he now has someone to do this stuff with. Happily too.

Not only that but Lucy is very into it at this point. I adore him leaning in to hear her. Tim has to calm her down though. haha I love her telling him she’s excited and he says ‘I know.’ Just letting Lucy be herself 100 percent. He loves her for who she is and vice versa and I'm a puddle. I am also excited Lucy has someone she can be herself fully around. Each found their person and it shows.

Lucy is losing her mind over this game and he gets it. Gah I love them so much everyone. This was such a cute mini moment. He is loving her competitive energy but is trying to tamp it down a little as well LOL Just a husband trying to calm down his overly competitive wife. It’s so cute I’m dying.

The cuteness continues on as they try and hype up one of the kids. I love them cheering Blake on together. Serious married baseball parents vibes. Just being proud parents clapping together. Wearing matching outfits having the same cute energy. This is them as parent's I am convinced. We are looking into the future people.

I also don't hate seeing Tim's biceps in action in these shots Mmm. Yum. I saw someone make a comment that they felt Dad Eric vibes in this scene. I can see it. The way he posts like a proud papa about his kids this is totally in line with that. It's pretty adorable to watch.

The high five turning into a hand hold is adorable and subtle af guys. I did see a BTS post awhile back on here about this. Eric said he and Melissa had a bet. Something about who would have that piece of paper in their end by end of the ep. Something like that. So that’s all I see now when I see the high five and hand hold. LOL Such goobers and I love them for it.

Either way they are disgustingly cute to end this episode. Lucy being the overly competitive mom. Tim has to keep her from scaring the kids is gold. This episode was tons of cuteness and flirty times. Was the perfect episode to follow 5x10 and pre-cursor to 5x12. They got to just be them and have time outside the station together. Just to be a couple and hang out. I loved it sfm.

~~~

Side notes-non Chenford

I will forever adore how Lucy handled that whole Domestic solo. I made a post after this ep premiered about how proud I was of her. How deeply she has grown as a cop and a person. How she doesn't let that abusive asshat rattle her cage in the least. The way she flashes her badge at him and says they're not done talking yet when he is trying to pull her from Lucy. Hot damn. My girl crush is back LMAO

Not only that but take his ass down later. Solo. Has the matter in hand by the time the cavalry arrives. How far she’s come from that moment in the sewers with Nyla back in S2. How proud Harper would be of her. She already is with her UC work but she commands this entire situation. From Start to finish. Takes down a guy twice her size by herself. Just so proud of her growth. The confident BAMF she’s come gah I love it sfm.

Don't usually do gifs in side notes but there were some good side note gifs. LOL Eric at it again with expressions and I'm laughing so hard. If you wanted to see what Tim thinks of Nolan in a moment it's that expression above. Lucy calling John a bad ass and Tim isn't so sure he agrees with her LMFAO. I'm with you babe idk I do either...

The sole purpose of this gif is just to drool and gawk at how damn good Tim looks in the field in this scene. I could care less about the SL LOL It's the tight red shirt, the jeans with his cuffs in the back, the vest with his badge showing, those delicious fit biceps of his, that shot of his forearm as he opens the door and the way he climbs into that trailer flexing said sexy biceps phew lord. Field Tim does so many things to me. How Lucy waited as long as she did to have that man Idk LOL Imma go get some ice water....

Thank you as always to those who read, like, comment on these reviews you make my whole day every time I see one pop up. I shall see you all in 5x12 :)

[tenebriskukris]

Oshi No Ko Chapter 165 - My Thoughts/Analysis

Last chapter before the end. Let’s get this over with.

The first panel immediately undercuts Aqua’s sacrifice by having Nino squeal. Incredible. 

One could say that this entire sequence of events was caused by Hikaru’s death but that feels too much like giving the manga credit for presenting this slideshow of events without giving everything time to breathe. Even if Hikaru wasn’t suspected of being a part of this murder scheme it wouldn’t be difficult for Aqua and company to hire a bodyguard to protect her from any murder attempts since Hikaru mainly kills through proxies. Perhaps hire a private investigator to catch him in the act. Or, you know. Just kill Hikaru through indirect means. Break into his apartment and poison his food and water. 

And now we see Hikaru’s chain of murders. Can we finally bang that in people’s heads that this fucker is a murderer? Because people of all stripes seem to think otherwise despite the narrative spelling it out for them more times than I can count. As much as I dislike how the narrative has handled Hikaru’s character, trying to deny the facts presented front and center is worse than this slop being churned out. One can critique the way Hikaru was handled before these past few chapters in any number of ways—but to deny that Hikaru isn’t a murderer at this point is just laughable.

It’s now time for our weekly slideshow presentation with Akane as a narrator! You know, she’s already eclipsed Crow Girl in terms of infodumping. Why not? Why the fuck not just lay it all out to the audience instead of telling these important plot events organically. Surely this is a good decision to make after a series of already bad decisions. 

Aqua didn’t even write a fucking letter to everyone he left behind. Incredible. It would be simple enough to give them to a proxy to deliver them to the people he cared about but of course he didn’t think of that. I don’t even think the authors even thought about it. 

It’s the funeral. I can’t help but feel for Miyako here, having to bury both Aqua and Ai. And then we fucking see Aqua’s body. Ho boy. Dashes any hopes that he’s actually alive, huh. I’d say that this entire scene is sad but that's a lie. Aqua’s death didn’t have the narrative strength, the thematic connection, the sheer setup for this to be a sad scene. It did not earn the right to claim that sort of emotion when everything here and in the last few chapters felt like someone reading off a script of an infomine rather than a series of events happening in a manga.

Oh my god Kana you fucking idiot. And thank you Miyako! Good on you to not fucking allow her bad behavior to stand. And Kana’s mental breakdown at Aqua is—again, I don’t really care. It’s supposed to be sad and all but she didn’t even understand Aqua to the end. She never saw Aqua for who he truly was or his revenge plot. She didn’t even know that he killed Hikaru and then himself. Even if she loved Aqua, she loved the mask that he wore rather than the person underneath it.

People screaming about character assassination and how the author ruined Kana’s character in this chapter really don’t grasp one of the biggest flaws with Kana as a person—that is, she lacks the self awareness that her actions can cause other people to react—and react badly.

We see this in her sharp tongue and scathing remarks. We see this in her harsh words to Ruby during the movie arc. Hell, we see this best illustrated in the Scandal arc where she tried to pursue ShimaD and caused everyone involved a great deal of heartache. While she may have had good and even understandable feelings, that doesn’t make her any less of a piece of shit when she does them. I’d be glad that the narrative is finally giving her some goddamn consequences but at this point even the idea of Kana reaping said consequences doesn’t stir up any emotion in me. If you’ve left even the people who heavily dislike a character going “can we just get this over with” when said character gets their just deserts and suffers because of her own actions then you’ve REALLY done something wrong.

And everyone else is just a slideshow. We don’t get to see how they react or their feelings in exchange for a Kana temper tantrum. Thanks for that. I’m sure that Taiki’s feelings about his half-brother dying aren’t relevant. Or Mem’s. Or Miyako’s. God, what a fucking travesty.

Looks like we don’t be seeing Ruby this chapter if one of those panels is to go by. I would not be surprised if she followed Aqua to death at this point. There’s been nothing to indicate that she wouldn’t, after all. The girl who recklessly ran to kill Hikaru has had her most important person die on her AGAIN. What has she to live for now?

Oh, it’s Gotanda and Kaburagi. In all the bullshit I’d forgotten about the movie. It feels so much like an afterthought that it’s laughable. All that buildup and we don’t even get to see it. 

The movie was a large hit. I heard it was the sixth most viewed movie this year. That’s so funny. Even after everything it couldn’t even reach the top of the charts. I’d say that it’s thematic but giving this series credit is like giving credit to a toddler for managing to open a jar. Sure, you could do it once, but I doubt you’d be able to do it again without making a mess of everything.

Akane narrating that Ruby hasn’t even left the house. And then her with dual black stars…and then undercut again by the white star. Are you fucking kidding me. Are you fucking kidding me. The narrative is giving us NOTHING to signify this change in her behavior. After she lost Goro the first time Ruby fucking collapsed into her own revenge plot and it was only Aqua that saved her from it. And now you’re telling us that she managed to hold herself up here after his death without any outside interference? I’ve met flat earthers that could parrot off more persuasive arguments.

If Ruby was given any time in the spotlight to flesh out her character more this MAY have been more palpable but as it stands it’s just…I don’t even want to rip it apart because it really is just deplorable. It doesn’t even feel satisfying to do so anymore. Often when I critique a series for its flaws it makes me appreciate all its other GOOD aspects but for these recent batch of chapters I’m even struggling to find things that are decent about it. 

There’s no use analyzing a pile of shit in an attempt to make it look worse or better than it actually is. It’s a pile of shit. And so is this manga.

Next chapter is the last one. There is absolutely no way that we’re going to get a palpable ending to this clusterfuck and I’m very much reminded why I don’t usually get into media that are still ongoing. What an utter travesty.

[babynicholas1992]

Bad toons pt2

🎥 BAD TOONS – A Twisted IceDevil Horrorcore Cartoon Nightmare 🩸🎭

Welcome to the dimension where ink bleeds and laughter kills.

This isn’t Saturday morning—it’s your last broadcast.

BAD TOONS is a full-blown sonic meltdown inspired by the haunting bounce of Inner Circle’s "Bad Boys", but twisted through the mind of the IceDevil into something far more lethal.

Imagine the old-school cartoon world you grew up on—but every frame is warped by vengeance, trauma, and bloodlust.

Bonkers the Bobcat? Yeah, he's here—but this time he’s off his leash and foaming at the mouth.

Mickey’s gone missing. Bugs is in pieces.

And IceDevil is the new toon overlord—broadcasting straight from the shadow dimension.

🎤 This is horrorcore with ink-stained hands. This is legacy through lunacy. This is BAD TOONS.

bad toons written and performed by TheIceDevil92 lyrics

[Police Radio – static crackle]

“Attention all units… we’ve got a Code 99 in Toon Town.

Suspects: The Collector and The Mad Hatter — repeat, high-risk anomalies.

Officers Ice Devil and Bonkers on scene… bringing cartoon law and order.”

[Ice Devil Voice – deep & cold, under sirens]

“This is Ice Devil. We ain't takin' prisoners.

If you draw chaos, I'm redrawin' your fate.

Stay safe, stay sharp — or end up erased.”

[Hook – Sung like original, reggae harmonized]

Bad toons, bad toons

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when we come for you?

Bad toons, bad toons

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when we come for you?

[Verse 1 – Ice Devil]

When I was eight I was breakin’ frames

Flippin’ the code, never played no games

Now I’m the law in a toon disguise

Puttin’ boot to tail on them who lie

I got a badge, but it’s stitched in sin

Bonkers got the cuffs, and I bring the end

You do the crime, I draw your fate—

In this cartoon world, I dominate

[Hook – Repeat, with sirens & echo FX]

Bad toons, bad toons

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when we come for you?

Bad toons, bad toons

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when we bounce on you?

[Verse 2 – Bonkers the Bobcat (zany, chaotic delivery)]

You chuck it on your mother, you blame the mayor

You chuck it on the TV, the news, the player

But I seen the tapes, and I saw you skip—

So I dropped a pie bomb in your script

Toon justice ain’t slow, it’s strange

We rearrange your DNA range

Call me nuts, but I know what’s right—

Keep the kids safe through the toonest night

[Skrrt Break – Ice Devil Interlude]

"This is Ice Devil.

Collector and Hatter — if you’re listening — this is your final warning.

Come quiet or get canceled. Over."

[Verse 3 – Ice Devil (Positive Message)]

Hey youngblood — yeah, I’m talkin’ to you

Stay in school, stay off that brew

Don't let ‘em trick you into actin’ a fool

Your mind’s your weapon, knowledge rules

Enjoy your life, make it loud and bright

Graduate clean, keep your goals in sight

I ain’t perfect — yeah, I vape —

But I still enforce your great escape

[Bridge – Inspired by original “no break” section, full harmonized]

Nobody gon' give you no break

Not the mayor or the silver snake

Not the judge or the priest you meet

Just Ice Devil and Bonkers, keepin’ peace

Toon Town cries when the cuffs go click—

But crime in color gets cleaned up quick

[Final Hook – with ad-libs and fade-out echo FX]

Bad toons, bad toons

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when the cuffs hit you?

Bad toons, bad toons

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when the Devil comes through?

[Ad-libs:]

“Get on the ground, you sketchy bastard!”

“Bonkers, lock that lunatic up.”

“Keep laughin’ — but keep learnin’.”

[Outro – Police Radio Echo, closing the case]

“Suspects in custody. Toon Town secure.

Another sketch erased. Stay in school. Stay toon’d.”

and Watch out you might be next If you don't listen to me Kiddos. I'm Ice Devil and I proved this message

Hashtags for War-Level Promo

#BadToons

#IceDevilLegacy

#HorrorcoreCartoon

#InkAndInsanity

#BonkersTheBobcat

#AnimatedApocalypse

#TwistedAnimation

#CartoonCarnage

#DemonicBroadcast

#UndergroundRapOpera

#HauntedToonTown

#InnerCircleFlip

#WhatchaGonnaScream

#IceIceDeified

#DigitalDeity

#IceDevil #HorrorRap #VoiceForTheVoiceless #DigitalPhantom #DarkOpera #UndergroundLegend #TheCurtainNeverCloses #MythBornInFire #IndustrialGoth #OperaOfTheDamned #MusicOfTheMadness

#HighFunctioningAutisticPride

#VoiceForTheVoiceless

#IceDevilLegacy

#IceDevil92Unchained

#SilentNoMore

#RebelWithACause

#BreakTheSilence

#ThisIsMyVoice

#UnmaskTheTruth

#Neurodivergent Pride

#NeurodivergentAndProud

#ADHDWarrior

#AutisticRevolution

#NeurodivergentVoices

#DifferentNotBroken

#IceDevilRising

#LegacyInBlood

#OutlawMindset

#MyPainMyPower

#IAmTheVoice

#AutisticlivesMatter

#HorrorRap

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#ADHDBeastMode

#NuclearArt

#DifferentIsPower

#MaskedAndUnstoppable

#NeurodivergentKing

#GlitchInTheSystem

#IceDevilLegacy

#VoiceForTheVoiceless

[shallowseeker]

ishim envied cas’s military career, sure

“angel’s angel”

“survived Hell…chosen”

but a significant amount of that simmering rage is that ishim recognizes in dean and cas something he feels was denied to him…lily’s romantic love

they have it

ishim says he’s “curing” cas of human weakness, but it’s mostly grounded in bitterness and jealousy

“that’s what i thought (you love each other)”

///

ishim couldn’t stand it

from the minute dean cheekily plops himself in cas’s booth, ishim starts ripping sugar packets and utterly seething about it because he can see it between them

ishim says it’s about hating humans and being above them, but underneath all that fluff, he’s still envious of cas

(even when cas fails spectacularly, he still gets everything ishim ever wanted)

///

ishim wasn’t “curing” himself when he killed May—he was gleefully hurting Lily because she angered him

He spared Lily out of cruelty AND selfishness for his own “feelings” for her, because if he really wanted to “cure” himself Naomi-style, he’d have killed Lily, too

///

Likewise, killing Dean isn’t about “curing” Cas

It’s about hurting him

Because he’s insanely jealous

Some script stuff I found interesting:

“this is PERSONAL.”

///

“I’m going to break yours.”

(This is rage.)

///

Ishim has Cas’s phone, which means he can see Dean calling over and over… 📱I’d imagine after Dean scooting into Cas’s lap and mouthing off, Ishim strongly suspects Dean harbors some kind of feelings for Cas at this point.

///

Ah, a JUDGMENTAL smirk. 😏 He’s clocked them.

Dean has just rushed over to Cas, showing care. Ishim doesn’t like that they interact as equals, and he doesn’t like that they’re (from his perspective) appear to be in romantic love.

///

Ishim starts to go for Dean first. ‼️ He’s menacing!

///

Jealousy, then, but for the past AND the present.

///

A perverse parallel to “Hello, Dean.”

///

Ishim uses telekinesis primarily and backhands Sam, but there’s an alarming amount of scripted hands-on violence meted out for Cas…and for Dean.

Here, he lifts Dean by the throat.

Aside: Dean being tossed like a “rag doll” is a callback to Ishim’s earlier kill (May), who held a doll and went limp as she died. (It’s implied he slit her throat).

///

Whoa. That’s way cooler with them eye-to-eye as Cas kills him, I must admit.

///

“Dean goes quiet.”

Dean has been stressing out over Cas being safe, and now he’s walking towards death-as-penance once more. And Dean cannot stop him. He can’t ever seem to stop him. 💔

///

Anyway, Ishim clocked Dean’s feelings for Cas. It triggered his rage and jealousy.

(All scripts here.)

[jedimaesteryoda]

It is the anniversary of Mrs. Doubtfire. It is my opinion the best family fun discussing the topic of divorce. We follow divorcing Daniel Hillard as he puts on a fat suit to be a housekeeper and be able to spend time with his kids outside of the court order. Alongside some good comedy we have a take on divorce that still stands.

The cast is great. Robin Williams is great allowing himself to maximize his acting and comedic talents in this film. When I originally saw the film, I originally thought Mrs. Doubtfire was an actress they hired. It was because Robin managed to convincingly play the role and good makeup from the team made her feel like her own character. His character's posing as Mrs. Doubtfire without his family suspecting can be believable. Sally Field also holds her own as Miranda encompassing businesswoman, disciplinarian and long-suffering wife.

From the start we are shown the married couple who divorces. Daniel is introduced as a voice actor quitting his job over issues with the script while Miranda is introduced as an executive having her business meeting interrupted over a call from a neighbor complaining about Daniel throwing a party. Lydia's assumption that "You mean you got fired" when Daniel said he got off work early reveals that this actually isn't the first time. So despite Daniel being quite a talented voice actor, he isn't as established in his career as Miranda due to his carefree, unserious attitude leading to a lack of commitment to a job. While to Miranda, Daniel was the Manic Pixie Dream Boy when they started, the part that initially attracted her to him also proved to be the reason she divorces him.

In the first interactions we see with his kids, Daniel is shown to clearly be a fun, loving and affectionate father whose kids are his world. The feeling is mutual, as seen in the way. Daniel reveals he planned a birthday party for their son Chris. Lydia points out that Miranda prohibited Chris from having a birthday party due to his poor academic performance, to which Daniel says she won't be home for another four hours.

Now, it's okay for Daniel to disagree with his wife's decision to discipline their son by not allowing him a birthday party, but it's not okay for him to go behind her back and undermine her. He could have brought it up to her, and perhaps offered a different solution to their son's academic performance, but he instead undermined her parenting which is a big no-no as when disciplining children the parents need to form a united front. It proves to be the straw that breaks the camel's back for Miranda.

Miranda arrives to find a cop there, the house is a mess and even the neighbors complained. Daniel is dancing on the dining room table, and in a show of lacking self-awareness, is completely oblivious to the look on his wife's face who is understandably pissed. This establishes the dynamic between the two. Daniel is the Disney Dad and Miranda is the more strict parent. It is shown that she needs to be given the position Daniel often puts her in, not leaving her any room to be more relaxed. Miranda puts an end to the party and it leads to an argument.

During their argument, Miranda finally comes to admit that she isn't in love with Daniel anymore and wants a divorce. Daniel suggests a marriage therapist, which would have been a good suggestion a long time ago, but by this point it's too late. Daniel moves out, and the court grants temporary full custody to Miranda with Daniel getting to see them once a week.

Miranda is never portrayed as the bad guy in this situation. You see exactly where she's coming from, and she is not wrong in her reasons to divorce Daniel. Daniel not getting full custody is simply his carefree habit coming back to bite him. The judge doesn't grant him the custody given he doesn't have a steady job and his home being a mess.

Daniel puts on a fatsuit to be a housekeeper Miranda hired to be able to see his kids everyday. Daniel's issue is that in some ways he is still pretty much a kid himself, and by taking on the role of Mrs. Doubtfire, he is forced to mature. To fit the role of the character he is playing, he allows himself to be more strict like making the kids do their homework, and disciplining with chores for refusing. He also cooks and cleans the home rather than leaving it a mess when Miranda comes home. He allows Miranda to be less strict as a parent as well. He's also able to be a friend to Miranda who she can confide in. Through Mrs. Doubtfire, he manages to be the parent and partner he should have been. Mrs. Doubtfire also actually gets him a stable job where he excels at.

It is by being Mrs. Doubtfire that he is able to listen to Miranda when she mentions the issues she was going through in their marriage. She was always working late not just because of wanting to get ahead of her career, but because Daniel was usually unemployed, making her the sole breadwinner. She ended up having to clean after his messes coming home, and Miranda admitted she didn't like the parent she was when married to Daniel, but now she was able to be more relaxed in her parenting and be a better parent to her kids. Daniel finally realizes just how much he had been hurting Miranda throughout their marriage, and he refused to even want to talk about problems, because it made him uncomfortable. Yet, it ended up coming at the cost to Miranda.

While Daniel is still holding onto the desperate hope of him and Miranda getting back together, Miranda moves on with a new boyfriend, Stewart. The original script had him be a jerk who wants to send the kids off to boarding school. Thankfully, they didn't go that cliched route, and Stewart is instead portrayed as a decent guy who is always good to her and her kids, and while not originally wanting kids, actually likes Miranda's three children and is open to being a stepdad. If anything, Stewart isn't the asshole, Daniel is. Daniel engages in actions towards Stewart out of jealousy like taking the hood ornament off the car, throwing a fruit at his head, makes passive aggressive comments and even puts pepper in his food, nearly killing him. He also tries drive them apart with lies to Stewart and telling Miranda she should be celibate. In another film, this would have been portrayed as funny antics with the audience rooting Daniel on, but in this case, while throwing a fruit and taking off the hood ornament are funny, Daniel's actions are clearly shown to be childish and petty. In putting pepper in the Stewart's food, he nearly choked the man and ruined Miranda's birthday.

The film originally had a typical plot for a divorcees like The Parent Trap where the divorced couple gets back together. However, the leads Robin Williams and Sally Field both told Chris Columbus they opposed the ending, pointing out all three of them were divorced. They also said it gave kids false hope and was the wrong message to send on divorce.

The ending they went with shows that Daniel and Miranda are still divorced and never getting back together, but it's portrayed as a happy ending. They have a better relationship now, but as friends rather than spouses. They talk things out and decide to do what's best for their kids. They are also shown to be doing better separated than together as parents and as people. Daniel finally gets the arrangement he wanted at the beginning of the film where he gets to take care of the kids after school now that he has proven himself capable, and it helps Miranda out too.

As a child of divorce this final monologue from Mrs. Doubtfire is beautiful. It drives home the message that while divorce can be tough, it's not necessarily a bad thing and it can even be good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrwtsc__3HY

[alienoutsiderxeno]

BUG ME WITH UR INFODUMP OF UR OCS!!!!💥💥💥💥💥

U can write it here or in dms i dont mind!! Whatever u feel comfortable to do!! I'd love to hear about them and also i'll be seeing stanley parable again to refresh memories and bcse one of ur ocs is inspired in the game. I remember it was good >:]

SHSJSJSNSJSJSJJSJSJSNSJSJSJN I'M GOING TO NUKE YOU WITH OC LORE!

I'm honestly glad you liked my Narrator sona. I honestly got inspired from thinking a Alice in Wonderland scenario to make Damien human before spicing him as a half centipede and half man. But completely omnipotent to run his parable.

Okay now I'll ramble with my TSP of lore.

Player:

• Player is what control Stanley and is the response to create the choices throughout the parable. Player goes She/They/It. They're curious yet a bit rebellious towards Damien from being expected to follow the script.

• Often has the mischief mindset to screw the Narrator over. Even if they had tried to break the game.

• Capable to appear in a silhouette to be disguised as Stanley's shadow, but over time Narrator became aware of their existence from the aftermath of one the endings. Now having to permanently reveal themselves to Damien. Being the reason why Stanley grew more rebellious through each Parable.

• Player is emotionally vulnerable at times to let Damien take over in certain routes. Surely they simply shrugged whatever insult tossed to them specifically at their choices. Even they spoke up for Stanley most of the times.

Stanley:

• Stanley was previously a quiet man who doesn't stand up to himself. Often listen to whatever instructions he has but order to follow. Rarely socialize to anyone before the office became empty. Mostly introverted to not bother himself with socializing. But with Player, he grew to become more vocal and bolder by the passing playthrough. Developing not just a bond, but his character growing throughout each experience.

• Stanley doesn't see Narrator eye to eye much when Player because involved. Being blamed on choices that weren't his control to begin with. He wasn't happy on the Apartment ending that he never had a wife or a relationship at all. Even if it was a harmless joke from Damien, it just rubbed him the wrong way for not having a potential and meaningful relationship.

• Stanley nationality is Welsh. His accent being more clear that people mistaken him as American. His most comedically phases would be "Mate, when did I piss in your bloody cereal?" Or "You sure this isn't the time for you being a twat, Damien?"

Damien/Narrator:

• Damien can manipulate his size to shrink and grow. He only grows in size to display his authority over anyone. But he does shrink whenever he is scared or caught off guard.

• His antennae does flutter whenever he's happy or having a moment of praise. He does have yellow arrows tattooed on his upper body, but it's covered by his blouse. Regardless of his size, he is extremely fast to catch up due to his centipede legs. Capable to rush over like a bullet train even if he struggled a little during tight turns. Damien does change his appearance from his usual omnipotence form to humanoid or pure centipede.

• Often been bullied by Player since he does slander Stanley for his own amusement. But it has been a harmless gag within the three.

• He actually enjoys playing Minecraft and Portal during his free time. Damien often play Minecraft in Peaceful mode to enjoy the experience. Has experienced since the Beta Era of Minecraft.

• Lonely yet is actually desperate for company to keep Stanley. Although knowing Player would log off from the game, leaving the Narrator having the chance to talk with him. The Narrator honestly doesn't like to admit that he can be a little clingy towards Stanley.

Their Dynamic:

• Surely they're not the most functional trio, but it's only through each playthrough or route that shed their moments little by little. Player not often trusting Damien to suspect it's just a trick to focus on the main route countless times. Stanley having to expose himself to trust Player's judgement on their choices, even if it resulted his death or worse. Damien needed to understand the Player's purpose to explore and uncover new routes to proceed the game. Each has their own flaws, only time will tell on who is willing to reveal their vulnerable side first.

Mini doodle to show my appreciation for your kind words, Dino.