#i can out out the full ranked list too if anyone wants to take a gander

[nialltlynch]

kk 2022 reading roundup

total books read this year: 41!! (which is a lot. to me)

my goal, as it has been the past couple years, is at least two books per month. and. dear reader, in the interest of being truthful and fair, I did not meet my goal. july wasnt a great month for both for interpersonal reasons and also because I was coming down the high of having read the gideon the ninth and harrow the ninth. so like. everything kinda tasted like dirt yknow what I mean? I read ZERO books that month. other than that, I did read a bit more than I did last year so it's a win all around

overall I do feel like this was a bit weaker. the majority of the books were fine. interesting enough to finish but not really memorable once closed. not as many of them hit quite very hard BUT the ones that did were INSANEEEEEEEE which! fine! okay! not all books are going to be mind blowers but I think it made reading this year feel a little bit more like a slog than previous. blah. you win some you lose some.

that being said, im only counting books that ive finished but I did start far more books that I ended up not finishing. I mayyyyy come back to some because I might not have been in the right place but idk. im still a very picky reader I think.

random observations:

i overwhelmingly read women writers. this is not by design. kinda neat i guess

i purposely try to read a variety of authors instead of delving into one author's bibliography (except shirley jackson, who has my heart). maybe next year I'll try to read more deeply into author's I enjoy??? we shall see

im surprised that apparently my top genre for the year is horror? i think the bulk of that is because shirley jackson is labeled horror which i suppose i have to agree with though i never considered myself a horror enjoyer. I think id like to delve more into the genre next year but ummmm im squeamish and I get scared and start shaking all over very easy ((:

i should read longer books. ill admit seeing an ebook with 300+ pages and preemptively mentally checking out....... this habit will probably follow me into the new year unfortunately )):

anyway. here are my rambling nothing thoughts on my top 10 reads this year!

top 10:

Harrow the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir | easily one of the most succulent, juicy, mind searingly delicious things I've consumed in..... I don't even know how long. possibly ever. all my thoughts can be summed up as: ooga booga

Hangsaman - Shirley Jackson | ive read a lot of shirley jackson this year and I think ive read all her novels excepts one (the road through the wall). anyway. this fucking book. no one understands the tragedy of being a young woman quite like shirley jackson.

Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield | this is one of those rare books where a confluence of things I love all come together AND it actually works out. just off the top of my head this book has (and executes WELL): floaty yet vivid prose. sea monsters. a healthy fear of the ocean. lesbians. mundane yet sublime body horror. unanswered mysteries. it's just!!! one of those things you hear about and you're like. there's no way this is actually that good right??? and true it has issues but I personally find the blemishes forgivable. I think my biggest problem is that it feels a bit drawn out but the vibes were so pitch perfect i can barely fault it for that. anyway. absolutely had a wonderful time reading this book. I went into it with relatively high expectations (especially for me) and left delighted and fed.

The Bird's Nest - Shirley Jackson | i went back and forth a lot about which jackson book was my favorite this year and it was really difficult because 1) they're all insanely good and exactly to my tastes and 2) this was the year i read the locked tomb so...... dsjkdsjkfd decisions man. ANYWAY the vibes in this book are off the charts

The Sundial - Shirley Jackson | ms jackson does it again!!! you would think that a book about a house that becomes a prison that symbolizes some form of control inhabited by a collection of delusional rich assholes would rank a lot higher since its so so so painfully quintessentially made for kk. it's also funny! I laughed out loud a few times and it was all in good fun. let me tell you. the only times I was laughing during her other books - say, idk, hill house - was at the absurdity of it all. the sundial was legitimately good fun.

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir | DO NOT get it twisted. just because this is number 5 does NOT mean this book didnt make me absolutely insane feral. the difference between gtn and htn as far as my love is thin. razor silk spider web fucking thin. but theyre also completely different books so ughfdhfdjh okay. im not going to get into comparisons because who knows how we'll be at it. tamsyn muir is insane (affectionate with a twinge of awe.) i, a guy who sidestepped getting into A Certain Webcomic, have had a tab open for months now with fanfic for previously mentioned Webcomic (that i know next to nothing about) because im just so hungry for more tamsyn. gimme hands waaaarabslkdsb

Salt Slow - Julia Armfield | i read this before our wives under the sea and let me tell you... it set such high expectations. i obviously like her better when she's exploring subdued terror that slowly grows and grows and grows over time but she's very good at the fanciful and the deranged. she's contemplatively imaginative and the fact that she seems to also have a love for the ocean is just gravy for me. she wrote a fun little piece called the ocean is a lesbian. it was nice.

The Last House on Needless Street - Catriona Ward | this book is like one of those old timey anatomy diagrams to me in that i feel that really sums up the overall mood of the book AND also my feelings AND also conveniently describes how i read this book. this is an S-class concept with A-class writing which is delicious and delightful because it's both wonderful as a reader AND a writer. i was unnerved from the very first page and it was equally fun to luxuriate in that slow panic as a reader and to also unravel it through scrutiny as a writer. do you get what im trying to say? (i do feel presumptious referring to myself as a writer but this book really did make me remember why i love writing. so fuck it. I am a guy who writes aka writer)

Calling a Wolf a Wolf - Kaveh Akbar | im still very wet behind the ears insofar as my poetry knowledge goes and ill admit to not really. hmm. well, "getting it" sometimes. im learning! however. that being said. this collection. ooooof. i didn't feel like i had to stretch to grasp the concept. it ate my brain though thats for sure.

Devil House - John Darnielle | this book came to me at a very opportune time because I've been putting a lot of thought into the whole. true crime thing. still chewing tbh (got caught up in other stuff) but it definitely had a lasting effect

[queenie-avenue]

Terms and Conditions Apply.

💌 ⤻ THE CEO, ADRIAN HOUDE

—> you're the sweet little intern, and he's the big bad wolf who wants to eat you up.

⤻ reader is written as a female, yandere male, age gap, power dynamic, toxic obsession, slightly suggestive, slight financial abuse, set in london, this is a drabble but full fics of him will be made in the future

🦋 ⤻ archives.

TOP TEN BACHELORS NEAR YOU!

1. Adrian Houde.

Tall, Handsome, Rich, Successful, Ambitious. Ask anyone with more than half a braincell and they will immediately tell you that all these traits are what Adrian Houde has! Born from the rich Houde Family known for their luxury fashion products, he had risen the ranks as CEO of his family's company a few years back.

And boy oh boy, has he made himself known. From various (fake) scandals of him dating various women, to his success in the market in revolutionising his family's industry in fast fashion but still remaining loyal to his grandmother's routes as a custom tailor who first gained traction in France.

Perhaps Mister Houde's only flaw is that he has been on this bachelor list for far too long! He's already in his mid-30s, can you believe this guy has been single for so long?

So, to the lady who catches his eye, good luck surviving all the jealous women who are going to come after you, sweetheart!

✧ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ✧

Adrian Houde is a proud man. I mean, who wouldn't be, right? He was successful, and rich, and practically everyone — regardless of gender or age — wanted to be with him or be like him. He was the pinnacle of a great man, just like his father had said he would be.

So why was it that when you entered the office, looking like a lost little puppy dog, that you captured his interest immediately. Perhaps it was the coffee stains on your skirt and the way your eyes sparkled with desire for greatness. He had seen that spark many times before. In his own eyes, actually. From the moment he saw himself in the mirror as a teen who became aware of the legacy on his shoulders, he knew he was bound for greatness. And you, a simple woman, of all people, carried that same determination and ambition within those cute eyes of yours.

You couldn't blame him for being intrigued by you.

Especially when you looked at him with so much fear in your eyes he couldn't help but laugh.

"I am so sorry, sir- I had no idea anyone was in the meeting room this early." You apologised frantically, holding a bunch of papers and a small, slightly shabby notebook.

"No, no." Adrian voice was smooth and sweet, a mixture of his French accent and his London boy accent he had gotten from the years of being raised in London. "Don't apologise. I was a bit too early to the meeting room, it seems." He said, taking his hands out of the pockets of his suits, raising out his hand towards you.

"Adrian Houde." He introduced out of courtesy.

Hurriedly, you rushed to take his hand, firmly shaking it like you had been taught.

You touch sent shivers down his spine. Was it because your hands were cold or was it something else about you?

Either way, he liked it.

"[y/n] [l/n], sir. It's a pleasure to meet you." You smiled at him, that glow from your eyes never fading.

"[y/n] [l/n]," he repeated, allowing the syllables to roll down his tongue like something falling down the stairs, bouncing. "A pretty name, for a pretty girl." He chuckled cooly as he pulled his hand away.

"I've never seen you before, Miss [y/n]. Are you new?" He inquired.

"Ah, I'm an intern. I just- uh, got posted here recently." You smiled. "I'm a fashion design major."

He couldn't help but be a bit disappointed by that. You were a fashion design major, which meant that you and him would probably not see each other often unless he kept paying visits to the fashion department.

"Wonderful. It's nice to see such wonderful young minds in my company." The older man said as he adjusted the cuffs of his suit with a relaxed grin. "I just know you'll do great in this company."

That blush on your cheeks after he complimented you drove him crazy.

That was how your first meeting concluded.

✧ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ✧

You were so intriguing that Adrian just couldn't keep his mind off you. The moment he returned to his office, he called up his secretary and immediately requested for your file.

When he got it, he couldn't help but obsess over it. Your portfolio was so perfect. From all your university extracurriculars to all your little quirks that the intreviewers had noted down, they were all there for him to overanalyse and understand. Your designs, he had to say, surpassed his grandmother's when she first started out the business.

His fingers traced past all the small details of the sketches of the dresses and suits you made and he wondered what you would look like as a model. Sure, you were the artist, but what if you were a muse?

He couldn't help but imagine you draped in fabrics, nothing else underneath.

He shook his head out of it.

Where was all this coming from? He was a gentleman, his grandmother had taught him to be one.

Brushing those thoughts aside, he went back to admiring your work with a smile.

Indeed, you were an asset he couldn't lose.

✧ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ✧

Afterwards, he invested a lot of time into you. He would always drop by to the studio to talk to the head fashion designers then he would come find you, especially during your break where no one else would see you.

He disliked seeing you with others, terrified that someone else might steal his skilled intern away. No, he couldn't let any business rivals take you away from him.

Or at least, that was his justification.

Adrian would always watch you sketch your dresses behind you till you noticed and promptly let out a yelp. He enjoyed that fear in your eyes but what he enjoyed even more was the constant ambition sparkling in your pupils.

Right, you were his intern and his future designer. It was normal for him to be so invested in your growth.

After all, he was a gentleman. His grandmother had emphasised him to be in all his teachings, so this wasn't wrong. He wasn't preying on the cute intern because he wanted her. No, no, he was being a good boss by observing your actions and your growth.

Another defense as to why he began to nick your drawing pens away.

He would always replace them by gifting you more expensive pen though, a gift for you "allowing" him to have a close-up of the materials you use.

Plus, his future designer deserved the best.

You were his, after all.

"You lost another pen? No worries, I can gift you this one. Hm? Don't worry about it. Think of this as... an investment on your career."

[theyscreamjade]

Hello Jade! I was wondering if you could do some head cannons with the main trio as villains who meet the pro hero reader after crashing a hero gala or important event and take one look at the reader and think “They’re mine, no matter what”. Thank You!

I’ve Got My Eyes On You~

「 Yeah, I’m alive ya’ll. Baby, it’s been hard as hell to write lately, I apologize for the in and outness. However, I’m taking a break from school so I’m sure I’ll update more! ෆ」

⊰ 18+! (Anyone who’s underaged will be blocked!)ও

↬ word count: 1.1kෆ

↬ Disclaimer: Cursing, Kidnapping, Stalking.

⧽ You were always on his radar since you were announced to the world for saving someone. 

⧽ Mister Deku couldn’t get you out of his head, he was hooked. 

⧽ From your style, personality, and much more. He could make a list of reasons why he liked you and desired to have you.

⧽ Unlike how most imagine, he and Shiggy are practically alike…and tend to whine to get what they desire. 

⧽ (They whine to Kurogiri, mostly)

⧽ So, this is the night you’ve been waiting for! You’ve ranked up and found your way towards the rankings. 

⧽ You’re one of the top twenty fan-favorite heroes, which boosted your ranking and confidence by a thousand.

⧽ You nearly lost your mind when you were given the news and tonight’s the night. 

⧽ You sat at your table with a few of your friends, dressed to the best and ready to hear your name and rank you were to be at. 

⧽ You deserved this.

⧽ You desired this. 

⧽ “Y/N!” Present Mic announced to a crowd with a missing you. 

⧽ Everyone paused and looked around in confusion, unsure as to how and what the fuck happened and how you even were fuckin lost. 

⧽ You were right there! 

⧽ Yeah, so, Izuku disgusted himself as a waiter. He taped your shoulder and lied to get you towards the back since..you know, your name was going to be called. 

⧽ You followed Izuku’s instructions, following the server just to be knocked out with a mist.

⧽ You fell right into his arms, and he smiled happily. 

⧽ “Look at them…they look so adorable like this..” he complimented before handing Shigaraki his empty tray. 

⧽ “Collect as much food as you think we’d need...I’ve got what I want.” He ordered while walking out the back door. 

⧽ “They’re all mine now. All mine.”

⧽ There’s something about Villian Bakugou that concerns me. 

⧽ He doesn’t fall in love normally, he falls for someone who can keep up, or think ahead of him. 

⧽ That’s how he fell for you, every other villain couldn’t keep up or couldn’t think like him. 

⧽ You? 

⧽ You knew his every move and were able to do something that no one could ever do. 

⧽ You captured him for the first time and stole his heart in the process. 

⧽ After that, he was obsessed with you. He watched every new piece about you. 

⧽ Any magazine that had your face, he had it. He wanted to know every last and single detail about you. 

⧽ His stalker vibes were coming out full swing and some of the inmates were kind of concerned and confused as to why. 

⧽ So, when he received the news that you were now one of the top ten heroes and were to receive an award at the Heroes Gala. 

⧽ He knew he had to be there to give you a celebratory congratulations.

⧽ While you were getting all glammed and prepared, he was broken out of prison and heading straight towards the city. 

⧽ All the heroes would either be too damn busy to worry about a villain breaking out of the highly protected prison system ever so…he didn’t waste time.

⧽ You sat with family and friends, your significant other was there too. 

⧽ The second you heard your name, you stood on your feet while everyone clapped around you. 

⧽ You felt your accomplishments and hard work within the reach of your fingertips, each step towards the stage you took. 

⧽ Until a loud explosion blasted through the ceiling, Bakugou’s signature sonic Boom which creates a terrible after-effect. 

⧽ Your ears ring and affect your balance, so in seconds. You were in Bakugou’s arms while holding your head in agony. 

⧽ He flew with you in his arm, the other held the end of the ladder. The sound of the chopper didn’t help the pain in your ears. 

⧽ You tried to focus and use your quirk, but you can’t when your ears are ringing this badly. 

⧽ “Don’t even fight it, baby bear. I’ve been waiting for you~” he whispered, looking at you as though you were in agony.

⧽ “You’re all mine, mine.” He growled in a possessive tone, landing with you at his new secret lair. 

⧽ Shoto didn’t have a great mentor (Dabi.) 

⧽ Basically, his brother told him if there’s something you want, “Go and Get it.”

⧽ Touya fucked up when he told him that shit, why? 

⧽ Because the person he wants is you, the fuckin number one hero of the ENTIRE agency! You overtook their father and kept the city safe in your own way. 

⧽ The only reason why Shoto even likes you is because how you overtook their father, talked shit about them then kept yourself up there. 

⧽ The man was mesmerized by someone who wanted the top and got their way to it. 

⧽ Which brings us here, you walking into the Heroes Gala. You dawn your best, sparkling your way into the luxurious building. Cameras flashed, and reporters asked thousands and thousands of questions. 

⧽ They wanted to know, they desired to know about you..though Shoto knew everything about you. 

⧽ He’s a stalker with some knowledge for and about you, he’s basically Nardwuar for your ass. He knows where you were even conceived. 

⧽ You’re one of a kind and he couldn’t just kidnap you normally.

⧽ He had to take you in the best and safest way possible….and he kind of discovered your fears too. 

⧽ You sat with your friends and family, hearing the paparazzi outside. You were laughing happily at a joke at one of your friends told you.

⧽ Then the room became silent, randomly and completely unexpectedly. You opened your eyes, seeing everyone knocked out around you.

⧽ Heads in either food or water while the rest were on a table or the floor. You stood up and immediately got into position for a battle. 

⧽ You needed to investigate and find out, you needed to know. 

⧽ You walked towards the back, checking and investing everyone around you..trying to understand what was even happening. 

⧽ How did everyone else get knocked out..but you’re fine? 

⧽ You stepped onto a drop door, instantly disappearing into the floor.

⧽ A loud splash echoed through the empty room, your body was submerged in your worst fear. Water. 

⧽ You kicked, flayed, and tried to swim to the top before cold over took your body. Suddenly, you were frozen solid. 

⧽ The light flickered on and your eyes met his mix-matched ones. 

⧽ “You look absolutely breathtaking….too bad no one else will ever see you again. I’m never going to let you go. You’re mine.” He told you, snapping his fingers as your body was rolled into a large frozen meat truck. 

⧽ “Mine only.” These were the last words you heard before the doors of the truck were closed and you were taken away from the building. 

[ghostofskywalker]

just a little something i wrote after watching tbb 2x03. commander cody x fem!reader. it doesn't include spoilers per se, but i wouldn't read it unless you've seen the episode and i'll tag it to be safe. i might be interested in continuing this, but i'm not really sure yet.

But Not Lost

words: 1,221

summary: Your new life wasn't glamorous by any means, but it was better than serving the Empire. You just didn't expect such a potent reminder of the past to come waltzing through the doors of the cantina you worked at.

clone troopers masterlist

The Outer Rim had always been home to those that wanted to disappear but could never truly make it in Wild Space. It was where criminals and fugitives ran from those who wanted to create a more “civilized” galaxy, and it was where the seeds of the rebellion were just starting to settle.

You were no exception to the rule, a former GAR official who never wanted to be part of anything but the Republic, who saw the dark shadow of the Empire start to grow and managed to get out before it was too late. You knew your name was probably on a list somewhere, and you couldn’t exactly walk through Coruscant in broad daylight or knock on the door of a Senator, but you were unimportant enough that you could get by as a waitress in a cantina with a new name and a prepared story for anyone who asked where you were from.

Only one person from your old life knew where you were and how to contact you, and he was constantly traveling. You had worked closely with Captain Rex during your time in the GAR, and it had been a complete fluke that you ran into him again after you both began your new lives. You didn’t contact each other often, but it was still nice to know that if you ever did need anything, you had someone who could help.

The door to the cantina opened and you saw someone step inside, but you hadn’t really gotten a good look at them. “I’ll be with you in a moment!” you called, wiping up a spill from before.

“Take your time,” the man said, and you could recognize that voice anywhere. You looked up to see the back of a clone trooper’s head as he took in the surroundings. His armor was mostly white with gray accents, but it lacked all the personal touches that the gray of the 104th battalion had on their armor. No, this was an imperial clone, likely one of higher rank due to the fact that he had any accents on his armor, rather than just the simple and stark white that the rest of the clone army had been forced to adopt.

Your entire body stiffened. Why was this man here? If he was here to take you in, why was he being so polite about it? What had you done here that put you on the Empire’s radar?

Trying not to seem like you were guilty of anything (if on the off chance he was not here to take you in you did not want to give him a reason to), you put the smile back on your face. “What can I help you with today?” you asked, and he turned around to face you.

“Can I get some water?” the clone asked, and you nodded.

So far it didn’t seem like this was any kind of hostile visit. As much as you disliked the Empire, you were not one to deny a tired soldier a drink, so you nodded and grabbed a glass from behind the bar. It was as you leaned down that you caught sight of a recognizable scar around the man’s eye, and you tried to keep yourself calm as you handed the full glass of water to him, along with a small container of snacks that you usually put out on the tables.

You had only worked with the 212th a handful of times, but you could recognize Commander Cody anywhere. The men of the 501st used to tease you about your little crush on the marshal commander, something they were not wrong about. But instead of positive feelings and a tearful reunion, worry took hold of your body at the sight of him. You had always been content to imagine that Cody got out just as Rex did, that he was somewhere living in the shadows like you, but this just disproved it in the worst way. You looked closely at his armor, and you could even see what you thought was some of the outlines that he used to have, and it broke your heart that the individuality you loved so much had been stripped away from him.

It didn’t seem like he had recognized you, so you took that as a blessing and continued to work around the cantina, stacking plates, preparing for the midday rush, and telling yourself to stop sneaking glances at Cody sitting at the bar. “Is the rest of your company here too?” you asked politely, hoping to get some more information out of him.

“No, it’s just me,” he said.

“You’re not lost, are you?”

He shook his head, the ghost of a smile crossing over his face. “I used to be, but not so much anymore. I could use directions to the nearest inn though.”

You nodded and directed him to the building three doors down, and he thanked you for the suggestion and asked for another glass of water. A coworker of yours had just arrived for work, so you just nodded and quickly filled the cup in front of him, still desperately hoping that he didn't recognize you. Now that you weren’t alone in the cantina, you quickly ducked into the back room and pulled out your comlink, immediately putting in Rex’s frequency.

When the holo-image of your friend appeared, he had a worried expression on his face. “Is everything okay?”

“Cody is here,” you said, head still reeling from the shock of it all.

Rex’s eyes widened. “Did he recognize you?”

You shook your head. “So far I don’t think so,” you said. “I asked if his entire company was here as well, and he said that he was alone, but not lost. It doesn’t seem like he’s here to take me in, but it almost seems like too crazy to be a coincidence.”

Rex paused before responding. “Is he still here?”

“Yes, and he asked me for directions to an inn, so I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”

“I’m barely two systems away, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you still work in the same place?” You nodded, and Rex continued to speak. “From what you said he doesn’t seem hostile, and I wouldn’t have put it past him to desert. Once the truth about the Empire comes out, I wouldn’t have expected him to stay.”

“But what about the chip?” you asked.

“I don’t know,” Rex responded. “That’s why I’m on my way, I don’t want to put you in any more danger than you are already.”

The comm cut out not long after, and you once again stepped into the main room of the cantina. Cody was still there, and you just watched him out of the corner of your eye as you attended to other things. The next time you looked over, he was gone, and you walked over to find a few credits on the table, along with a scribbled note on a spare napkin.

Thank you for your help.

It wasn’t signed, and it didn’t have your name on it, but you knew what it meant, and all you could do was hope that you would be able to see him again, in a situation where a more friendly reunion was on the table.

- the end - 

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

divider credit to djarrex

[ech0schamber]

I am STARVED for akutagawa angst. I am begging!! I need a fic, where reader and aku know each other through the port mafia. Right? They get close 🤭 BOOM?! One day she leaves like dazaii?!!! 🤯 (omg) he is obviously betrayed. BUT THEN (drumroll) CONFRONTATION. He finds her again. How will it end up? Could he ever forgive her?? 🤔

ahhh, i really hope that you don't mind that i'm sticking to the bulleted headcanon list like my other posts! i'm really bad at writing drabbles (is that what it's called?)

☆you had worked for the port mafia for quite some time, slowly working yourself up the ranks

☆during that process, you had become close friends with this emo cat. akutagawa had actually started to admire you after a while. it seemed like no matter how hard the job, or how injured you got, you always got right back up with a cheery smile on your face

☆he would eventually become fascinated by you, but who wouldn't? you seemed too nice to be a part of the port mafia, a little too happy as well. it's like nothing in the world could actually get you down

☆let's pretend that was all a façade tho! it's exhausting to work for mori, especially since it doesn't seem like he cares about the members of the port mafia unless they are a higher up

☆you never let it show, but it was really starting to wear you down. each scar you got was just another reminder of what hell you were put through everyday

☆i'd like to think that even akutagawa never noticed this. the two of you had become really close friends, he'd even fight to keep you safe if you got too badly injured during a mission, something he doesn't do for anyone (besides gin)

☆it was kinda obvious to everyone else that aku liked you. but you were an oblivious fuck /affecationate

☆it got to the point that people started to take bets on who would ask out who first, when you guys would actually get together, or if you guys would get together at all

☆don't judge them, it can boring at work sometimes

☆but of course, some stories don't get a happy ending :]

☆you had grown too exhausted from the work you had to endure everyday, tired of the scars that litter your body, and just tired of dealing with mori. you had run away, left everything behind. you wanted a new life for yourself

☆of course, you wanted to explain to akutagawa first. you had debating telling him for a full week before you decided against it. it was going to hurt, but you had to leave. akutagawa would for sure try to keep you in the port mafia, he saw no point in leaving this life style

☆so instead, you had packed the bare necessities and ran away like a dog running away from a scolding. you didn't have too much money, so you couldn't leave yokohama. you didn't think too much of it, yokohama is pretty big right? there's no way that the port mafia has power over all of it

☆and your plan had worked. you actually managed to get away from the port mafia, you had settled down and found a job at a small shop near your place. it wasn't the best work in the world, but it made you happy. you had finally found peace through the raging storm

☆it had actually been a couple of years before you ran into any members of the port mafia. you had probably changed the way you look now, but not drastic enough that no one would recognize you

☆and of course, it was akutagawa that you ran into :]

☆the port mafia had been informed that someone who looked like you was working for the same small shop. of course someone was gonna rat you out, you don't exactly get to just leave the mafia without some conflict!

☆mori had decided to send akutagawa for this as he'd be more likely to recognize it it was actually you or not

☆so there he was, casually strolling into the shop you worked at. he immediately recognized you, and was filled with a bad mix of emotions. fury, betrayal, sadness. he almost started a fight with you before you even noticed that he was there

☆thankfully you had noticed before and shooed him out of the shop before the owner started to question things. he oh so casually threatened you, stating that you better explain everything before he used roshomon on you

☆while you didn't explain all of it, you did tell him that you were tired of the life style that came with being part of the port mafia. you had grown tired of the constant fighting, of constantly worrying about your life, tired of the scars, just tired of it all. you were shaking by the time you were finished speaking, you added that you just wanted to move on and make something good out of your life. you only life once, yeah?

☆you also told him that you wanted to tell him. you didn't want to leave him in the dark like that, but it wasn't safe to do that. if someone had found out that he knew where you were, they would torture him until he finally let up. you were too scared to tell him, and it still hurt like hell that you had to do that to him

☆little did you know that aku had finally managed to gather his feelings up, and was about to ask you out before you left :,]

☆he didn't speak much during this confrontation. it hurt to find this out, it hurt to see you again. all those emotions he managed to bury came flooding back, except for the love he once carried for you.

☆you had finally managed to ask if he would forgive you. you were met with a simple "no"

☆it hurt, but you could understand why. you were more shocked when he talked again.

"But I won't tell the boss where you are."

☆he, of course, didn't let you respond to this before he turned and walked away. you couldn't help but smile at that. maybe some stories have a bittersweet ending

☆and he kept true to his word, he reported back that it was just a misunderstanding, that it was simply just someone that looked like you

☆but now you two avoid each other in public, not wanting to stir those emotions back up. let's hope that mori never sees you. im pretty sure he will kill you if he does

-------

i hope this is angsty enough :']

[dangermousie]

I really loved the first six episodes of AJTL. It feels adult in a way too few cdramas do nowadays. The protagonists are (sometimes sociopathic, weird) adults and the narrative is adult and the humor and darkness are both adult. Now, I don't mean this is some sort of meditation on the human condition like Royal Nirvana or NiF or Three Kingdoms, but the situations and characters are of a nature you wouldn't usually see in youth-oriented stuff nowadays - whether it's the fact that our FL just wants to ML for stud so she can have a baby with good genetics and no family ties or the fact that literally every politician in this is a complete scumbag.

I actually love that our FL isn't just the most terrifying mofo in the narrative full of killers but that she is a bona fide borderline sociopath who has no understanding of boundaries or proper behavior or consent or even any sort of flirtation let alone a deeper feeling. She's been a killer since childhood; what normal does she have? The fact that she's managed to have any sort of emotions left is a miracle.

So her deciding she needs a child because her benefactor told her she should as a dying wish and picking a sperm donor in our ML because he's suitable, all with about as much understanding of relationships as an alien - she doesn't want ML because she fancies him, she doesn't want a child to love. It's basically a weird duty thing. It all makes sense.

It's a wonderful gender reversal, with FL the goal-oriented, robotic psycho and ML going "but wait a minute, feelings, also no way, no how." His realization as to how crazy she is, is something else.

Look how she explains it, as if it's the most logical business transaction - your genetic material is great, you are not married so nobody will be hurt, if you die on this mission you will have someone to carry on your lineage, you are scheming so if a kid takes after you and is scheming, it's good. None of it will seduce a man in the least, let alone anything further. But I think in a way it's a weird mark of respect where she's not trying to lie but put all her cards on the table. But also - it shows how far from normal she is that she doesn't even realize how insane it sounds to anyone. He may be a spy but his life has been pretty different than hers; he's got friends and he had family - he is a fairly functional dude. She doesn't have any relationship, and the closest she had was weird stubs...

Like - she is acting like an alien...

Yeah, I don't think psychotic rose through the ranks assassins are big on consent.

She's bona fide nuts and I love that for once we have an unhinged FL. But one of the things I love so is that you slowly see her melt a little around the edges, if barely, because he keeps treating her as a proper lady however murdery and crazy she gets - she was an assassin and then she was a spy-whore, she's basically never been treated as a proper person instead of a tool, except possibly by the dowager and that was a long time ago. No wonder she gets drawn in - like she did by his decency in that rooftop speech scene. It's such a great reversal!

Like she genuinely doesn't get why he doesn't jump at the offer.

I really do love the ML who'd be the unhinged one in any other drama but here he's the sane one. And also his angry decency is mmmm.

I don't usually have fantasy casts for characters; there are very few exceptions - CGY and LYX for the mains of 2ha, Chen Kun for the ML of Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir, SZE for Prisoner of Beauty (alas), but LYN is on that short list - he's 100% my fan cast for Yuwu's Mo Xi and stuff like this gives me mad MX vibes:

I mean...

Anyway, this drama is awesome!

PS also the way secrets don't get dragged out. ML knows her true identity and we are long moving on to other stuff, hooray!

[remythologise]

please rank your gay ships based on how bad thekr first time havifn sex would be thank you

a short selection of SOME gay ships from western live action on a RELATIVE score ranking because we don’t have time or space for all the rest: charles/erik: charles is literally a telepath. their first time having sex is 15/10 even if both of them cry and erik gives himself an injury it doesn’t take away from how out of this world the sex is

hannibal/will: 13/10 for the 13 people that died right before it happened. I am so sorry to tell you this but they are BOTH so into it and there is so much blood.

alexander/hephaistion: over two millennia of people saying alexander was cuntstruck by hephaistion’s thighs so I guess that first messy 12/10 handjob was astronomically good for alexander.

tos kirk/spock: kirk is very kind and gentle with spock here even though spock’s losing his goddamn mind about it. kirk, in fairness, ALSO loses his goddamn mind about it a bit. not for nothing are they based on the above two historical figures. 11/10 lewd handholding

xena/gabrielle: including women on this list as a comparison point. it’s so 10/10 good and they are so normal and communicative about their needs, wants and feelings

post-15.18 destiel: might be sort of normal actually. a bit awkward at first, but given cas is an angel and blows out some lights along with dean’s back I’ll give it a solid 9/10 that can only get better from here.

flint/silver: 8/10 sadly they’re both so in love with each other and work so well together it overrides all of the gaslight gatekeep girlboss manipulations and mindgames that have or will go on, even if they’ll never admit that!

steve/tony: picking one universe and saying ultimates, ults steve is homophobically trembling the whole time and ults tony is bitter and jaded and laughs derisively at the situation after steve comes. 3/10 objectively but a 9/10 experience for steve (previously had not had gay sex) and a 7/10 experience for tony (he’s a masochist)

holmes/watson: holmes is too in his head about it and watson doesn’t know if he likes gay sex yet. 6/10 love that dare not speak its name is still very sexy for all involved

house/wilson: they know way too much about anatomy for this to be bad, BUT never underestimate the power of them derailing the experience by arguing with each other and bringing up death before anyone even gets off. 5/10

kim/harry: oh this is ABSOLUTELY what you’d expect (harry full on losing it not even halfway in and sobbing violently) but it is saved by the fact harry can near-read kim’s mind even if he doesn’t know what kim’s mind means half the time. 4/10, +0.5 modifier (kim really trusts you)

nandor/guillermo: also 4/10, neither of them communicates about their kinks. guil makes a secret action plan of how the next time can be better, except nandor then immediately goes off and hooks up with some other love of his life

merlin/arthur: 5/10 sloppy blowjob by merlin that gets a downgrade to 3/10 because somehow in sucking arthur off he also managed to doom magic, all other gay people and the entire working class

geralt/jaskier: 2/10 geralt is thinking about yennefer’s breasts the whole time. sorry he can’t help it blame the djinn probably

aos kirk/spock (or any pre-movies version of tos): somehow kirk spends the whole time convincing himself it’s just a casual thing for a literal vulcan. spock spends the whole time trying not to kill kirk and then thinks he’s gravely injured him AND disgusted him with the scale of his aggressive desire. 1/10 they both get off but it’s physically painful and both are miserable about it

endverse destiel: dean is SOOOO angry and revolted with both himself and castiel. absolute 0/10 that never happens again.

dishonourable mentions for the hell of it:

aziraphale/crowley: whatever neil gaiman said about them never having sex because they’re beyond that or whatever. -10/10 they don’t qualify

[dailyoyo]

GGs ranked by how quickly they would resort to murdering their friends if they were stuck in a timeloop (Real edition)

my sincerest fucking apologies to pseud for what ive done to their blog.

THAT SAID: on account of this being very long and very grim to the point that most of it is too grimdark to even be funny anymore i am putting it under a readmore. This is a half-joke half-serious post about the ggs getting stuck in a time loop and murdering each other so like. you get what you click on.

also these are all specifically based aroudn our interps/jet set radio paradox obviously so bear that in mind lol

RULES TO MINIMIZE VARIABLES: only one of them knows they're in a time loop, each is a separate scenario where the listed character is the one who knows and remembers. they do not know why the loop is happening and they do not know how to stop it. the span of time the loop happens is relatively normal, though dangerous enough events happen (maybe just normal jsr stuff) that people may accidentally die during it depending on the exempt character's actions. everyone who dies during a loop is alive again when the date rolls back over. everything is back to square one. no consequences. 14. Pots pots is a dog, even if a highly intelligent one. assuming he can even grasp the idea of a time loop (unlikely) i believe it is even further unlikely that he would recognize it as a bad thing. very possible he just stays in the time loop contentedly forever 13. Soda it takes like a week (or until the first "someone dies and comes back") for him to even notice he's in a timeloop (general apathy/depression?). but when he does notice he's pretty together about it. obviously he wants out but he's literally got all the time in the world, he doesn't need to do stupid traumatic shit just to see what happens. he's got this.

12. Jazz WHY WOULD MURDER EVEN BE PART OF THIS EQUATION WHAT THE FUCK? shes not gonna kill anybody and would think its super fucked to even raise the idea. how is that supposed to help. That said. she does keep repeatedly explaining she's in a time loop almost every loop and it is getting to the point that she kiiiiinda wants to strangle someone or two as stress relief because by god is she stressed. she Won't, she's got more sense than that, but. But…

11. Boogie i think she never really goes full murdermode or anything and the very idea of that happening would shock and disturb her, but surprisingly early on she gives into the impulse to push one of the other ggs into traffic (it doesn't matter anyway, right?) and watches them get ran over. and she's like O_O oh jesus fuck that was horrible. and she never kills anyone again during the loops but it HAUNTS her and makes her nervous abt the idea that she COULD do it again.

10. Gum she's mostly level headed, i think, so she wouldn't be quick to resort to madness. but give her enough time and she starts feeling desperate and does some scary shit in the hopes that maybe somehow they'll at least remember next time. like more than anything i think it's the isolation of it that gets to her. maybe she doesn't progress to outright intentional murder, maybe she only tries it once or twice to see if it fixes anything (it doesn't). while she doesn't go full-blown axe-crazy she DOES become incredibly dangerous and desperate to just not be the only one who remembers.

9. Garam while his nerves end up aaaabsolutely shot and he loses all his patience to see the same day happening over and over, i think it would honestly take a while for him to become a danger to the ggs. he'd rather take out his stress on Literally Anything Else. that said he'd reach a point where he accidentally kills someone for real (whether a gg or an unrelated party) and it fucks him up reallll bad, but whether it fucks him up in a "fine whatever i can kill people who cares" way or a "I NEED TO BE CAREFUL THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN HOLY FUCK" way depends on the circumstances.

8. Beat honestly? unless something in particular causes him to suspect one of the ggs is responsible for the loop, it takes a while for it to even occur to him that killing his friends is an option. like maybe he might end up killing the GGs' enemies and maybe even rivals, but if you brought up the idea of killing his FRIENDS to him he'd be like "wait huh??? but why even????" that said, though, keep him in there long enough and he might develop a severe god complex and start doing it purely to power trip.

7. Combo putting him in a time loop i think would really be the last straw in his miserable life. maybe he deserves the right to kill someone at this point really. while he focuses intently on trying to find a way to break the loop, as it all begins to grate on him he really just stops giving a shit about much of anything. the murder isn't a constant thing, more like one or two good ol' kill em all style breakdowns, and obviously it only makes him feel sick to his stomach when the date rolls over, but what can he even do about it?

6. Clutch he tries to play it cool at first and not think about it too hard but it isnt long before a sort of prey animal panic is invoked in him and hes like. I gotta get outta here. I gotta get out of here. Oh my god i gotta get the hell out of here. and it doesn't help that hes really not close with these guys yknow. and any concern from the ggs he reacts to with escalating violence until he reaches the point he's killing them multiple times in hopes that gives him a way out. eventually he just gives up

5. Corn at first the thought of killing his friends doesnt even cross his mind but he becomes increasingly desperate to understand what's happening and soon enough it's a last resort. it's all very methodical testing the limits of the loop and himself, not explaining anything to anyone else because they'll forget anyway and becoming increasingly hostile and isolationist. he doesn't want to but He's out of options. He has to FIGURE IT OUT.

4. Roboy what bothers him more than anything else is the feeling of helplessness over the whole thing and even if the others COULD help him he's not going to try to get their help. he kills the other ggs to feel less powerless, like he has any sort of control over the situation, and all it does is make him feel worse and worse and worse. maybe eventually reaches a point where he starts deleting his memories of the resets in the hopes this breaks the vicious feedback loop but all it does is ensure the cycle never ends.

3. Yoyo If you put yoyo in a situation where nothing he does matters and none of his actions have consequences he will do increasingly crazy dumb shit because it's not like it matters anyway. and he will undergo EXTREMELY RAPID psychological decay that DOES end in him killing members of the ggs just to see what effect it has both on the loop and on others' psyches. and he will just assume that the loop is forever and ever with no way to ever break it.

2. Cube cube upon realizing she and she alone is in a timeloop will rapidly come to the conclusion that she is in actual literal hell. everything wrong with her will come to the surface at once. she will suffer a severe psychological break SO fast and the streets will run red. maybe she's enjoying it. maybe she isn't. but she is convinced this HAS to happen. and that she deserves it. 1. Mew As soon as Mew finds out that deaths don't stick she's going to massacre all of the GGs just to see how it feels. just once. to try it. it's fine. it doesn't matter. Where did she get that higurashi cleaver

bonus: with the way i joke about zero beat maybe he doesnt even notice hes in a time loop until After hes maimed someone to death. i dont know man. im lying. who fucking give a shit

[teamfreewill56-blog]

Hi! I I love your blog and I’ve scoured it like crazy for Rengoku family content! but there’s one other thing I love about it and it’s how much you hate Kagaya, I’m not sure if this is something you may have talked about before but I recently reread the Rengoku one shot, it’s Kyo’s first mission but he has been sent to fight a demon that had already killed NINE SLAYERS - what is Kagaya doing?

And I have a terrible suspicion why, Giyuu is one year older than Kyojuro, we know everyone survived Giyuu’s final selection except Sabito, I can’t help but feel there may have been an excess of not very strong (even for lower rank standards) kids in the corp at the time and Kagaya just wanted rid of them, and he was testing if Kyojuro was any good due to his family name

Much love

- 🫧🫧

Hello anon! Thank you for asking in and I'm so glad that you love my blog that means the world to me! I do hate him a ton lolol. I haven't talked about his leadership decisions in Kyojuro's one-shot yet, I try to be careful and not overshare my hatred of characters, especially in analysis because it's a dangerous place for me but I'm fine with discussing it in asks as long as it doesn't become too long I hope you will understand.

Kagaya doesn't know what he's doing, and honestly, he's really not doing anything. He can't physically fight? Ok fine, but he also doesn't have any leadership skills and Kyojuro's one-shot is another great example because as you point out: he sends Kyojuro---who's fresh out of Final Selection---after a demon who's killed at least nine slayers.

I can't even go into all the issues because there are so many of them, but one of the most important ones is Kagaya and his family created this problem themselves and there's not really anyone else to blame. You can't train kids for a couple years--isolated--then throw them into a mountainside full of starving demons and only a select few can use full-style breathing styles and then expect them to survive there for a week or really any interaction they have with a demon afterward.

This "organization" is anything but organized. I mean my hell ya'll saw how many people went into Tanjiro's final selection, and only FOUR came out! There were AT LEAST twenty people there when Tanjiro arrived, maybe if you and your stupid family got rid of Final Selection and created teams under the Hashira and didn't just throw them straight into the demons' mouths maybe they'd be alive and you'd have enough people to wipe out demons!

I can almost guarantee you that the slayers killed by that flute demon were probably very low on the ranking list if not a first level like Kyojuro was.

It's shown at the end of the series that when Slayers work together even if they don't have breathing techniques they can make a huge impact, so why are they never trained together besides our main trio? Why are they not organizing them so that they make a stronger force together? It was made so painfully clear, very quickly that Tanjiro and Inosuke survived Spider Father's attack because they worked together. If they hadn't they definitely would have died. And all those Slayers the Spider Family slaughtered probably died because they couldn't figure out how to work together and weren't used to trying to.

In regards to Kyojuro's one-shot, Kagaya most likely sent him BECAUSE Kyojuro is a Rengoku, they do have a legacy and so Kagaya most likely just assumed Kyojuro would be able to be successful, but even then Kyojuro had to injure himself to win and not in a small way. He could have been completely deaf after that and just got very lucky.

I'm not sure if I agree that he sent them all just to get rid of them, I believe it is more that he doesn't know shit about what it takes to kill a demon or work as a team so he may have just thought throwing a ton of numbers at Flute Demon would be enough. And then it wasn't so he decided to try the Rengoku kid who had very little chance of failing.

Part of the reason I don't quite agree is because that kind of behavior is not a one-and-done-thing, if that is how he gets rid of "useless" slayers then there would be other instances of him doing similar methods and the only other time we see something like that happen is the Spider Family Arc. To me it's just he's so tactless that the only thing he could come up with is "oh one or two slayers wasn't enough, maybe if I add more it will fix the problem!" Which obviously it didn't, because things like this require more brain cells than Kagaya possesses, like I'm amazed this guy made it to twenty-three.

Thanks for dropping in!

-Much love

Also guys I'm finally back, for as long as my...issues will permit anyway. Thanks to everyone who is new to my blog, for all the favorites and the reblogs and the asks.

[dearweirdme]

Full disclaimer but this is gonna be a whole ass rant because I'm tired of the fact that even in the year 2024, people are still trying to shut us up when we call out HYBE and/or 0T7 fandom fuckery towards Taehyung.

Geffen, whose main fuckin usefulness is promotion, didn't even post for TWO whole fuckin days after Layover's release. HYBE had two months notice of estimated pre-order numbers from VBar and still managed to 'run out of stock' and couldn't fulfil the order that would legitimise him breaking and exceeding the record---then they tried to shift the blame to VBar, Taehyung's biggest fanbase and main solo support 😏, to the point where she had to show her receipts proving they had advanced notice of sale numbers with plenty of time to fulfil them.

Did we not all see those petty ass moments, even in the past, where staff bought ice creams for every member besides Taehyung so Namjoon had to share his own with him so he wouldn't be left out?

Or how about the fact that when a member's name is missed out in listings and promotional ads, most of the time it's Tae's? (With Jin also being treated in a similar fashion because I know some MF gonna pull the same old whataboutism on that)

Or how about the fact that the biggest group fanbases feel so comfortable with his mistreatment that they do it themselves openly, like posting BTS GROUP photos where he isn't even there, or posting BTS solo album photos where Layover isn't even there or even openly gloating about the fact that they screwed with his merch counts?

They make their derision so blatant and despise hin so clearly but 0t7 'fans' still wanna roll out in droves to defend their asses when they stay making 'mistakes' and those 'mistakes' coincidentally stay fucking Tae over

Who do y'all think these losers are taking their lead from?

Maybe it's the same company that in one of the festas gave all of the members fortune slips and only Taehyung's was used to shit on him; warning him that if that if didn't beat to HYBE's drum terrible things would happen to his career and his future would be dire?

Yes, all members have moments of shitty treatment from fans and the company but there is a CLEAR double standard on the fandom when it comes to Taehyung. The big '0T7' accounts do not move for Tae the same way they do for others and way too many are actively working against him and they get away with it because that's the line that has been normalised by HYBE.

Go look at any comment praising Taehyung specifically and damn near guaranteed that you'll find @0T7Becky underneath it talking about how we gotta praise all the guys all at once---at a rate that doesn't happen when it's the other guys getting singular praise.

Maybe we can even take a look at official content like Run eps where editors run a consistent 'joke' of Taehyung being dumb or selfish or how about the way they tooks shots at him through Tata or in one of their shitty games?

This shit is there to see and it speaks for itself but people still want to play dumb make their false equivalence and use whataboutism to shut down any discussion of it.

Anyone who says they're active on Twitter or in these fandoms, especially those who have been fans for a while, and doesn't see or remember the difference in how Tae is treated by the company and the fans is straight up lying. 400+ antis were exposed forming a group chat to hate on Taehyung and the 0T7 fandom was 🙈🙉🙊 Its not just a couple of haters talking shit; it's actual campaigns against him; ignored, enabled and even helped by the accounts that are supposed to be representing the fandom and sharing info.

One of the other members wear a hat with braids and the fandom wants to close ranks and protect them. Taehyung wears a durag and all of a sudden we're taking a 'let's spotlight that shit and correct his behavior' stance?

Like, yeah, maybe we should be letting the guys know what's up but there's no damn consistency and the collective only want a call to action if it means shitting on Taehyung.

How many times does Taehyung have to make his 'fuck you' policy towards the company clear before we actually listen to him? Not long ago, he pretty much told us that the only reason he re-signed was for the guys. It was outta his own mouth that he implied that HYBE was an 'aint shit' company.

Something in the water is obviously not clean when it comes to Taehyung's relationship with HYBE and it hasn't been for a while.

There's a reason he has so many solo stans and it's because these people have been pointing out the weird behavior towards him for a while and they've been shut down and shut up with any mention of HYBEs passive aggressive behavior towards him for years and the fact that the 0T7 fandom suddenly take a collective leave of absence when it comes to defending him, promoting him or hyping him.

So I'm not here for any motherfuckin complaints or comparisons when this fandom has operated for YEARS on a policy that Taehyung needs to be punished, held back and deserves to eat shit because at one point he was, according to them, getting too much attention, making too many famous friends (yeah, this shit really took off after Hwarang. They didn't like that Tae was being 'singled out' for acting roles) and they 'had to make it fair'

I'm sure there'll be some wanting to play delusional in response to thise but if you look for it you can find whole ass complications of how shitty HYBE has been towards Taehyung in particular and Jin. Their mistreatment towards Jin has been dismissive and disregarding. With Tae its headed towards pettiness and spite (coincidently the two members known for being the most stubborn and assertive with the company seem to be treated worse. Funny, right? but people still wanna say there's no smoke or no fire 😏)

The difference being that it's not only HYBE who treat Taehyung like shit.

You can find screenshot after screenshot of '0t7' accounts repeatedly 'apologising' and getting passes for making the same 'mistake' 20 fuckin times over and it's always about Taehyung.

Hi anon!

You put quite some time and effort and heart into this, so that’s why I’m posting this.. and also because I do agree with parts of your ask. I’m gonna cut the conversation short after this though, because from experience I know my asks are gonna be vile and messy 😑.

[mayorwhiskers-ii]

Sims 4 Townie upgrade SAVE FILES V1 & V2

I have two save files to share for anyone sick of starting new saves with the warped and poorly put together townies we all know and *cough* love. 

What am I offering? Two versions of a Vanilla CC FREE save file. One for townie makeovers and one for those same makeovers plus world changes. 

Packs Used (though I tried to balance game packs and stuff packs where if you don’t have a few listed only a few clothing pieces would need replaced in game and tried not to use kits on townies at all): ALL EXPANSIONS up to high school. GAME PACKS: outdoor retreat, Spa day, Dine out, vampires, parenthood, Strangerville, Realm of Magic, Dream home decorator, Werewolves. STUFF PACKS: Movie hangout, romantic garden, kids room, backyard stuff, vintage glamour, toddler stuff, laundry day, Moschino, Tiny living, paranormal stuff. 

V1: Townie appearances are updated and clothing updated/used across packs  (see below for more details and download)

V2: Everything in V1, but also with updates to townie homes as well as a few community lots (Thank you to a whole slew of different creators big and small on the gallery- save a build to your library to view original creators and visit their profiles please!) And a rehaul of the Clubs system from Get together that now includes perks for sims across worlds to want to join them if they can. Sims also have more relationships and every sim has a character bio. 

Again, these are only the most basic changes made to start new plays or worlds in, the point is to change them. grow them, shape them from here in any way you want. If you want to change a few things cool, if you want to change everything cool. I just got tired of making the same changes and having a world full of sims I needed to tweak so I made this for me and decided to share. 

V1: DOWNLOAD HERE -SFS- Townie appearances are updated (see below for more details) and clothing updated across packs

I do love the townies so what I did for myself originally is go through and remake all of them CC FREE to give everyone a little glow-up. I slightly corrected (darkened) many skin tones, made faces and bodies a little more balanced and believable (lowered chests, thickened thighs and waists, etc), I updated their styles to include cold and hot weather wear (and corrected outfits that made no sense). I adjusted a few walk styles, and I even restyled a few households to better suit my preferences because it’s my base save file. For example, Roomies are now styled after Golden Girls rather than The New Girl -residing in oasis springs. Baby Ariel is now Billie Eilish. The game now also includes the Broke and Smith households from S2 and the Pleasant Family includes the parents. 

The only changes to the world are a few of my own community builds tossed down but easy to remove or replace them if preferred. 

This version is purely townie aesthetics 

V2: DOWNLOAD HERE -sfs- Everything mentioned above but now with clubs that range across the worlds rather than just in Windenburg. After becoming a 3 star celebrity join the ranks of Judith Ward to gain boosts to your career and even more social acclaim. As a vampire, join Vlad’s clan for skill boosts around your vampire powers, but be warned that the spellcaster coven takes issue with your clan. Maybe you just want to join Summer Holiday’s Yoga group- that’s fine too! Plus, houses are updated from the gallery for lived on lots- though you’re welcome to change them however you wish. Relationships are updated, so finally, Zest knows the Landgraabs. 

Also, this is completely optional, but if you wish to have your sims look even better with almost no CC, I use and recommend this default skin HERE (tumblr) by @plumbheadsims​ and default eyes -heliantheas super bland comic eyes default HERE (Mod the sims). 

[pandorafallz]

Some things were never meant to leave Earth…. or be known about. Let alone being introduced to a whole new world, new life and a species called the Na'vi that probably didn't understand that there were worst things that came from Earth than Humans with technology. - Jake knows the Earth was a harsh place, well aware of the dangers it had and the monsters it had as well. No one cared, nothing would matter and….so what. If they thought of him of nothing, then why not take himself, his avatar and his friend and fuck off into the wilderness of pandora. If he can screw over the RDA and its resident parasites, then bonus points. Grace isn't thrilled.

Chapter 24 snippet

“I’ve got Mansk currently acting as Head of the base until I decide who runs the base. Walker is his head of security until then as well. I’ve got a few men in places but… We’ll need a lot more to fill out the ranks.” He wasn’t thrilled given he wanted Mansk back with his team here but...he was making do.

Selfridge exhaled deeply, rolling his head back. “How many more?”

“A hundred or so more.”

“A hundred!” Selfridge exclaimed, “That…too many! And I’ve seen the number count, you don’t need that many people.”

“I will. Once arrests have been made.”

“Arrests?”

“Next page,” Quaritch nodded to the report Selfridge was slacking on. He waited a few moments, as the guy skim-read through, tapping to the next page then pulled a face.

“You gotta be kidding me…”

“All evidence that we could get shows that…Mercer created the TAP program about seventeen years ago with Cortez. It became actuality a year later. Kidnapping Na’vi children and committing full-out genocide of a Na’vi clan and chemically contaminating the area with toxins to destroy the bodies and evidence. They wiped the TAP-1 Facility but we couldn’t find the back-up saves; someone got to it hours before we did. Someone did leave us enough to work with. Now, I’m not here to preach to the Na’vi and you know that normally, I couldn’t care less given how far away from me they are” Quaritch started, “but…the Frontier West SecOps committed war crimes, an uncalled for genocide attack and poses a huge threat to the safety of those bases. I’ll round up anyone alive that was part of the slaughter. That’s twenty-seven men and women still alive out of the fifty that were listed, six returned back to earth over the last few years, and the rest were killed by animals, wildlife and stupidity.”

[worftism]

*wanders up to the playground with two toddlers as confused as I am* hey is this the star trek OCs playdate

anyway yeah hi :) I have some pals to introduce

Anna (they/she)

Denobulan-human mixed species

Entomologist (bug science :D)

So so autism

I like making up things about alien beings that canon doesn’t necessarily contradict, so her Denobulan physiology means that the number of times she’s gone hey cool bug :D and got bitten/scratched/stung means she’s become immune to many toxins

has loved Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea ever since they were little (their human mum showed it to them, probably on a computer screen to keep them entertained, but they kept wanting to watch it again and again) (could probably recite the whole script)

The name Anna was chosen as it’s fairly similar to Denobulan name sounds so easier for their family to pronounce

Regards Anna as their full name (Denobulans don't have surnames)

However being listed in files as Anna [surname, probably Baker or Bryant or something] and as both an English and Denobulan language of some sort native speaker, she gets addressed as [title/rank] [surname] more often than [title/rank] Anna, which would be correct

I couldn’t remember why I liked the idea of a Human-Denobulan mixed character so much but then I remembered the thing that inspired this is the whole sleep thing

(If you don’t know, Denobulans hibernate for a week or so once a year and do not sleep outside that. Humans sleep every 24 hours.)

This ends up meaning this character doesn’t sleep as often as a normal human, but when they do, they are Fast Asleep

So they’re awake for maybe 5 days or so, then simply collapse for a few hours and can function again

I can’t believe I forgot to include this until now, this is such an integral part of this character to me it just feels obvious

They always have their hair in a buzz cut and have done ever since they were old enough to express that their hair being too long caused them discomfort because Bad Sensory. this is 100% because at the time I was first coming up with them my hair was getting too long (it’s usually short but long enough to be curly) and itching my skin and I kept thinking mmmmmm want to cut it all off

I actually renamed her since writing this draft!! they're called Esk now (yes after the Discworld character, long story short her human mum loves Discworld)

Another interest of theirs is baking! Will elaborate on that another time as well

You Love Her. You Have To.

Unnamed (she/her)

Klingon traditional weaponsmith!

Whole Backstory Stuff around how she inherited this

I need to look into both Klingon family stuff and history to find out exactly how this would work but a loose timeline is

Weapon making traditionally not a women’s job (I don’t know if this is accurate to Klingon culture, it genuinely just felt like a good conflict to add)

However smol [unnamed] really wanted to learn from her uncle, so begged and nagged at him until he gave in and taught her stuff

Both verbally bothering him and just constantly being around the workshop, walking there every day, doing the cleaning jobs just to show up and show she was determined

Also necessary to this story is traditional weapon-making methods are dying out, but are preserved in something around a high- or moderately-high-status warrior having their Own Blade, rather than a copy (replicated) or a hand-me-down (unless it’s a very famous one with a great history, though still that might be presumptuous to think you’d live up to that legacy)

This has been her family’s (House’s) traditional job since anyone can remember, but only one lineage had still preserved it

Uncle is training his son to take over, but at some point when [unnamed] has been learning for a little while, this son dies in some sort of battle, leaving her as the only heir to the family’s tradition

From the little I’ve read on Memory Alpha, women couldn’t inherit a House’s title except under special circumstances, so I think she and her uncle will have to fight for her right to inherit the name and lineage

Would probably regard herself as aroace if she had the vocabulary for that, however restoring a dying craft in a remote part of a planet doesn’t leave much time for such questions

Still knows what she wants, has no intention to marry or have children, but to keep the craft being inherited she will adopt someone as a full member of her House who she believes is worthy of carrying on the tradition

This is actually a really interesting point as it shows how she regards the respect and dedication to the craft as making somebody more a part of her House than blood does

There’s a whole loosely defined thing about how she has some distant relatives who want to claim that house’s title despite having been fully prepared to let go of their house’s craftspeople’s legacy

Is actually quite short for a Klingon, maybe 5’4? and also fat and muscular, so she’s still quite a presence

I have got to do more research

(wrote this ages ago and did not post it. also haven't done research. but I want to post my Characters! so here you are :) these are works in progress and I'll keep adding to them but it's nice to get out what I have for now)

[jenyifer]

Crimes against Nick

I’m hopeful Boston won’t fuck up again. My ex says I just forgive Boston too easily but that’s not true.(I’ll probably do one for Nick on Boston crimes next just to spite her so haha)

So in honor of me rewatching all the BostonNick bits here are some of the worst mental damages Boston has inflicted on Nick in my opinion.

1. The worst one in my opinion is the phone isle confirmation. Name a worse love confession. Boston completely rejecting Nick awful psychic damage.

2. Controversial pick probably but next I’d put the Halloween party. Nick really thought he could talk to Boston again it’d been some time since their breakup (for convenience let’s call it that). But Boston questions why Nick would think he’d have any place in Boston’s life. Then Boston ignores him and goes off with Atom. Nick is so devastated he gives up on Boston coming back. He also seems to have lasting effects of this conversation in episode 9 10 and 11. It haunts him because Nick wonders what he could have done better Boston frames it like that and it effectively slices Nick up into a million pieces.

3. Boston sleeping with Top. Also something I often forget Nick got to hear about MewRay before this. He got the full car convo. So everything is super fucked. Yes the audio does Immense damage on Nick. BUT I don’t have it higher because Nick can still justify being with Boston. He isn’t delulu he knows their relationship wasn’t closed. It just hurts Nick he’s not the one Boston wants. Nick can’t be top. Also the depths Boston will go to get his goal.

4. Boston rejecting Nick’s comfort after Mews bday party. It’s a little thing but Nick could see his lies chasing him and Nick needed comfort as well. But he reached out to Boston and was denied. I feel like to Nick this cemented him back in a reality where he’s just a prop in Bostons life and not a person. (To be fair to Boston he didn’t mean to hurt Nick here He did want Nick at his side it was just he was so hurt upset with himself he couldn’t take nicks love and didn’t know Nick himself was tortured by the nights events)

5. Boston calling Gap disgusting for filming him. Does make Nick feel awful idk whether to put this one on or not. Because Boston does except Nick’s comfort which is good. BUT I THINK THIS SCENE HAUNTED NICK FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES SO MUCH FORESHADOWING. Might write about it might not it was ep6

Honorable mentions: Boston calling Nick his friend at Mews bday party. Nick seeing Boston and random guy at the bar when he’s on a date with Dan.

Questionable mentions: Boston denying taking a photo with nick (he did take a photo). Boston calling Nick his customer(Bostons first ever apology in the show is to Nick here). Boston not answering if Nick could have extra men too at the pool date(Boston dodged this by talking about how he kind of wants to be with just nick).

Non Boston related injuries:

1. Sand revealing the audio. If that was to rank in this list I’d put it above the actual recording of Top and Boston. Nick really loves Sand genuinely. I think this hurt him

2. Top making Nick feel less than during Nick’s stay away from Boston speech.

3. Mew saying Boston couldn’t love anyone and Nick was a victim after BosotnNick Breakup. I think the manipulation tactics would hurt Nick extra hard while he was still in the shock hurt stage of breakup. And once Nick calmed down I bet he regretted what he did.

4. Ray being a dick either time. I don’t think Nick takes what Ray says too seriously. Yes Nick knows Ray is Bostons best friend so from that POV it does hurt but Nick knows Ray was already hurt not because of Nick what Ray said may or may not be true. Nick barely knows him. I doubt either time stuck.

[cecexwrites]

any thoughts on new crossovers or on the crossover list I did the other day? 👀🥺

Okay!!

So many thoughts This is going to be long

Ace Quinn Quinn Quinn Quinn Quinn - Okay we know how this is going. It's a whole vibe and I love them so fucking much Ismene (the whole Long Live The Queen squad & Ismene pls) - Okay so we've discussed the whole her trusting him eventually thing but also like- Him helping her with her guilt around sex. because of it I feel like cnc and pain would be good for her sooooo Aleks - Yes. Absolutely. I feel like it's a touch begrudging at first, but they grow to be really good friends Cedrick - Yes, I think they'd work either as friends or as hook ups, the boi is bi

Elise Aleks - I feel like these two would get along really well in a friend way. Aleks thinks her brother is an idiot and is amazed he's made it to the age he did Cedrick - They'd be hot together, send tweet

Cian Ismene - I feel like he caught her doing a job for her father once, they stared at each other, understood that neither of them would ever mention it again and as a result they just kind of started hanging out. If one of them came to Ursula's restaurant and saw the other, they'd sit together. No one ever really mentioned starting up a friendship it just happened Quinn - She admires his ability to not care because she feels like she cares too much. Winter - Yes! Okay yes. So Winter definitely ends up working with Cian and Violet because he's team anyone who wants to murder Adam Cedrick - These two create the most chill friendship on the Isle. They don't go out starting problems, Cedrick helps Galston and Quinn with their antics, but these two? Just- chill as fuck Scarlett - They totally vibe as fellow outsiders

Evander Ismene - We kind of talked about it, It takes a while for her to not question his motives but accepts his help when she needs it Quinn - Little. Sister. Energy. Quinn loves to bother her big brother. She's a pain in his ass very proudly. Also when she has problems, she doesn't go to their mother, she goes straight to Evander. Also if anyone spoke ill of Evander, she'd rip out their spleen Cedrick - He definitely had a crush on Evander. That fucking smile Scarlett - Okay okay okay, hear me out- during the full moon she'd hurt herself trying to avoid getting caught out in the woods (plus the general aches and pains that come with the full moon) and he notices and helps her- because she doesn't want to go to the nurse who might start to notice and question why this happens right around the full moon every month

Finley & Fitz Quinn (& her gang) - The gang will happily adopt them into their trouble making ranks. Scarlett - Yes, absolutely, I just see them all working really well together

Hannah Ismene - They can totally bond over having shitty dads Aleks - We talked about this one a bit too. Cousins as fuck. He accepts her far faster than the rest of the family because he's Aleks and that's what Aleks does. He also lies for her when magical shit starts happening because the Westergaards suck. Scarlett - Scarlett will protect Hannah with her life. I can't put my finger on why, but I think these two just would work so fucking well together. They're lab partners, friends, more than friends, idk they are everything

Cosette & Quinn - Bestie they'd never leave the bedroom. Which isn't a complaint, just a fact. Cosette & Aleks - we have talked about this and yes, just yes Ada & Winter - Talked about this a little too and absolutely. Winter would happily sidle up to her for, first her influence then just becuase *her* Honey & Lawson & Cedrick - People definitely think that Lawson and Cedrick should have beef and they totally don't. Then when Honey joins the mix, Cedrick would be a little hesitant but she'd totally grow on him Beatrice & Aleks - More of him protecting good magic users at all cost. Aleks would definitely be a friend to Beatrice and anyone who tried to mess with her (Even Adam) would have to go through him Myra & Aleks - Yessss again, he doesn't understand her brother, but he protects Myra and definitely wants to throttle Frollo Myra & Ismene (no I don’t know how this would work) - I'm thinking like- Frollo does what he does to Cinderella, and that gets him sent to the Isle where he knocks up Ismene's mother. Myra, meanwhile is taken between the Isle and Auradon? Mayhaps? Eliane & Aleks - Besties for lyfe Enola & Gal - I'm so sorry, I look at the Enola tag and there is nothing there- but I'm sure she and Gal would work All the Pan ocs with Winnie, Isadora, Nerissa, and Niamh - Yes. Just yes. One big Neverland crew. Darling is a little... difficult because she actually lives in the regular world and kind of... falls into Auradon but yes Isabelle & Aleks - Okay so Aleks and the Westergaards being like- the kings (and queens) guard and He's the one who guards her? Like? Yes? Isabelle & Winter - Long live the rightful queen Keto & Quinn (and the crew) - Quinn says Keto is hot as fuck thank you Lovetta & Scarlett - Wolf girls Unite! Lucette & Gal - No, okay, yes this- yes. One of Gal's lines in her remix of the Gaston song is to give Lefou shit for never learning to spell Gaston even though it's been years and I feel like these two would just fucking vibe Maisie & Ismene - Esmeralda is absolutely sure that any day now, Frollo is going to come for her. Of this I am sure. And Ismene just 'accidentally' fucks it up every time she or Maisie is on the list because she knows in her heart they are innocent. Natalia & Tristan & Sugar - Yessssss they grew up together. She is closer to them than to anyone. Anyone who hurts them, she hexes them. Trina Tremaine & Quinn (and the crew) Quinn definitely promises to keep an eye on Dizzy when Trina goes to Auradon and nearly takes off Harry's hand when he tries to take all of Dizzy's money. I feel like Quinn (and by extension Galston and Cedrick) just kind of like and respect Trina a lot Noelle & Aleks - Yessss Okay so I feel like the Arandelle relationship with the Westergaards is strained, so the first day of school, Little Aleks walks straight up to Noelle like 'hi! My name is Aleks!' Chessy & Aleks - He totally helps her with trying to find out who her parents are Rini & Quinn (and the crew) - She's the fourth member of the crew, no question Saoirse & Gal’s crew - Quinn has to learn to hold her tongue about Harry when Saoirse is around but she is the one subject the two of them agree on. And Saoirse is perfect and should be protected at all cost Savina & Quinn (and the crew) - Quinn definitely thinks Savina is hot as fuck (Because I do)

Wow- that was a lot. But I stand by all of them dammit

[epilogue-and-prologue]

A Heavy Bargain (Say My Name)

Fandom: North and South (BBC Series)

Ship: Modern!Thornton x F!Reader

Trope: (Business)Enemies to lovers - Angst with a fluffy ending.

Word counts: 5 921

Note: @sorisooyaa I did it again x).

Warnings: Betrayal, SMUT, insults and bad words, incorrect mentions of what being an architect means.

Tag-list: @heilith @asgardianhobbit98 @middleearthpixie @glassgulls @evenstaredits @fizzyxcustard @sotwk

Getting the almighty holier than though Mister Thornton all riled up was fun.

His face was becoming a stern, emotionless mask when he was seeing his opponent beat him at his own game. In which case, you were the opponent. And you were crushing his hopes with a devilish grin.

“As you can see, once the factory is restored, the margins will increase by twenty per cent. And of course, it is without counting the profit made from the museum which will be added at the same time, as well as the branded products we will sell there.”

This project was yours, it was given at this point. Victory tasted awfully good when winning against him. After working for the same firm together for the past six years, the friendly competition you had entertained in the beginning had swiftly turned into a full-blown rivalry. If you were honest with yourself, it had turned you on more than once, seeing him do his absolute best to get the upper hand. Especially, when you knew the cards to be in your favour.

“Thank you for your time, that will be all for now.”

Architecture was a male-dominated field and being the only woman in the office was a feat, day in and day out. Every day you had to fight for a seat at the table and he did not make it easy on you. Not that you’d want him to.

After the meeting, Thornton approached you, ever so leisurely, to give himself a sense of control. It suited him. The confidence radiating from him. A pristine shirt he had to have bought a size too small, his three-piece suit a work of art along the lines of his shoulders, his pants taunt against his thighs. And that was just the front.

“Good work today.”

You stopped gathering your computer and portfolios. Was he joking ? You arched a brow, your arms instinctively crossed over your chest.

“What do you want Thornton? Snarl at me, like you usually do?”

He chuckled, leaning his hips against the table, looking at you intently. You could see him eying you from head to toe, ranking up your legs, stopping at your hips, then your chest - accentuated cleavage in your fitted white shirt, before meeting your eyes.

“No. I want to invite you to dinner. -Pardon? -You heard me.”

What game was he playing? That man always had a motive.

“I fear our little games have to come to an end. Only fitting to have a dinner to celebrate. I have been offered a promotion. Associate.”

You felt your mouth open, but no words came to you. You bit the inside of your cheek. Of course, he had come to gloat and run that tongue of his. What you wanted to do to that man could not be expressed in enough words. He was good at his job, yes, but not good enough to earn the promotion you had been fighting for, for months. Of course, the goddamn CEO’s son had to have it.

“So that’s why you were not trying to jeopardize my presentation today? Fuck, I should have known… You’re never that kind to anyone. Have a good dinner on your own, Thornton. And above all, go fuck yourself.”

His wide hand grabbed your wrist before you could leave. Your breath itched in your throat.

“You did not hear me. I have been offered a promotion. In another firm. -What do you mean?”

He let go of your arm, feeling as if you were less likely to leave now that he had your attention. Thornton’s lips perked in what could be treated as a smile.

“I mean that I am leaving. My sister and I are creating a new firm.”

Oh. Oh. His firm. This situation was taking unexpected turns.

“And what that has to do with me?”

He inhaled slowly, calming down his nerves.

“My sister, Fanny, thought it good to have you with us.”

Your laugh echoed in the empty office. He could not be serious.

“Are you joking? -I wish I were. She can be… very convincing at times.”

Saying those words, he recalled the week Fanny had called him asking about the prodigy he was working with. Not that he would tell you that. Your rivalry was the only thing keeping you in his life. And, even if he would never admit it aloud, the challenge you presented him with was exhilarating. He felt stimulated and pushed to always be on his best game with you around. Probably why Fanny wanted you in the first place. You kept him and his ego in check.

“Listen, you don’t have to make a decision now. Come to dinner with me, we’ll talk about the details then.”

Narrowing your eyes, you shook his extended hand.

“No promises. And give my thanks to your sister. She seems to be a brave woman to handle you every day.”

You smiled at your joke before leaving. In a fleeting dazed thought he wondered what else you could do with that mouth. Shaking his head, he went ahead and called his sister to tell her the news.

- After arranging a place and a date, the worst part of the ordeal was waiting. Wait for the week to be over. Wait for the evening to come. Wait for you to arrive. You had agreed it would be better for you to meet in a neutral place, where people would not recognize you. Sharks were everywhere and if they caught wind of you and him leaving the firm, it would stir more shit than you could handle. The French restaurant he had picked was on a side street, hidden from view by a beautifully decorated garden. You presented yourself and were guided to a table in a corner. He was already waiting for you, even going as far as pulling the chair out for you. You did not know how but this suit was even more enticing than the one he had on a few days before. He was wearing a dark shirt, sleeves rolled at his elbows, and no tie. He almost seemed relaxed, if not for the way his forearms were flexing against the cloth of his clothes.

“Wine?”

You nodded, the waiter pouring a glass for him and then for you. The menu was already on the table. As usual, yours did not have the prices written on them.

“Thornton? -Yes? -Could you pass me your menu, please?”

You reached for it before he could answer. To your surprise, he chuckled at your behaviour.

“What? -Nothing. You… You have a habit of taking what you want. I like that.”

The darkness surrounding you did little to cool the flush of your cheeks. He smiled wider. Then, the waiter came back. After having ordered, you put your credit card on the table, telling him you were the one to pay for tonight’s dinner and that next time his managers should do a better job at hiding their misogyny. The whole time, Thornton did not say anything, looking at you intently, focused like you thought you had never seen him before.

“Now that this is settled, first question: why is your sister not here with us? Second question: what makes you think I’ll join your firm after the hell on earth you put me through? -Simple. My sister is on vacation with her sons. You do know it’s Easter this week?”

He could not give a price to the face you made at that. “And I seem to recall, you gave me the same treatment.” He sipped on his wine, moving carefully, hoping you would not run. It was always the same dance with you. Him chasing you, in the hopes you would give him the light of day. Not always successful, but always worth it.

“Despite what you may think, I value your intellect and your sense of business. You are one of the only architects I know who makes a point of following the project from conception to finish, including regarding the contracts for the workers and the conditions in which they work. Going as far as talking with the unions and siding with them if need be. -Uh, duh? That’s my job. If the workers are unhappy the work is badly done and we lose money, that’s pretty simple math. -I know.”

He leaned over to you, pouring himself some water, spreading the smell of his cologne in your space. The wine must have been a tad too much because you clenched your thighs when he did. Deep into the night, you talked about the future of the firm, what projects you were willing to work on, what percentage you would be getting and who you would be working with. You wanted your work to be as ethical as possible, even in a world where you could lose it all in a heartbeat. The gentleman in him flared when you hailed a cab. He insisted on driving you home. You couldn’t say no to those eyes, pleading with you, an amused “I won’t bite. Unless you ask nicely.” Escaping him, making him blush just as much as you did. Upon arriving, he opened the door for you, walking you up to the door of your building.

“Well, Thornton, for someone who always had a thing against me, you do know how to wine and dine a girl alright.”

He chuckled.

“I do hope it worked at least.”

You stared at him through hooded eyelids. Maybe it was the alcohol in your system, the soft buzz leaving you to fend for yourself against your instincts. Or maybe it was him. The cologne in the air, his fingers brushing against your thigh in the car, the comfortable silence and quick wits exchanged during dinner. You did not know. And, honestly, you did not care.

“It worked like a charm.”

You leaned up, bravery overcoming you, and kissed his cheek. His breath hitched as he gritted his teeth, fighting against himself. Your hand had settled on his shoulder, and he did not stop himself from putting his on your waist. He sensed the shift in the air then. You pulled away before opening the door behind you. In a last attempt at seeing him break - the effect you had on him was visible, rendering his pants, even more, taunt against his ass (it was a sight to see) - you asked:

“So… You are coming or what?”

He followed you in without hesitation.

When you entered your apartment, you barely had the time to take off your coat and light up the room the door behind you was slammed shut and his hands were on you. Your back against his chest, his palms over your breasts, toying with your nipples through your top, no other place on Earth could compete with the one you were in now.

“Do you know what you’re doing to me?” he grunted in your ear, biting down softly on your earlobe, “those dresses stretched over your ass I could barely hide the hard-on under the table… Would have to touch myself in the bathroom thinking of you…”

Breathless, you whimpered “As if your suits were not a size too small just to turn me on… Buttons-up ready to burst…” You could hear the pride in his smirk, his hands pulling your jacket off, pulling your shirt off as well as his own. When he finally turned you around, underwear was the only thing left between you. You lunged forward, meeting him halfway in a hungry embrace, never quite kissing but leaving a trail down his throat of hickeys he’d have a hard time hiding. Once on your knees, he tried stopping you.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, I…”

Your mouth watered at the sight of his cock, once freed of his boxers. Without so much as an afterthought, your mouth was at the tip, then deeper down your mouth, taking more and more of him with each back and forth, the salty taste of precum rapidly coating your tongue, your hands finding a steady place to rest on his hips. His whimpers were sinful. Reaching your ears and eliciting a wetness you never knew yourself capable of before that moment. Your fingers found their way down, between your thighs, toying with yourself. In a desperate attempt not to come, he pulled away from you before forcing you up. You frowned, visibly disappointed.

“Why…”

He stopped you, slipping a finger in your mouth for you to suck on. His eyes had gone dark, he seemed animated by lust only. Not that you would mind. When you complied, he inhaled sharply through his nose, smirking again.

“Bend.”

The order was simple. And you were not one to say no. You found yourself bending over on the table, ass up in the air, waiting for him to move. The warmth of his hands on your hips spread through you like wildfire, a desperate moan cutting through the silence. His fingers were impatient with your underwear, tearing the seams as if they were nothing. Without another moment of hesitation, he pulled a condom out of his discarded coat, put it on and… nothing came. Well, more accurately, you could feel the tip of his cock against your clit, moving in slow motion. In other words: torture. You went to get back up, pissed, when his hand blocked you down, the palm over the expanse of your back, firm, not even straining in his strength.

“Oh, growing impatient are we?”

The smug bastard. He was pushing in you excruciatingly slow until he was completely up in you. Losing control, you clenched around him, your whole body a string ready to snap, your back arching, as you were mouthing a silent plea for him to move. He stayed there, pulling mewls out of you, while he pulled you to him, your back against his chest, leaving breathless mouth-opened kisses down the side of your throat, caressing your shoulders and your back in sinful patience. You were a mess, almost in tears, the temptation too strong when he put you back down, slamming into you with such force, his hips were to leave bruises. Where his cries of pleasure had been enticing, yours were only driving him insane, your warm tongue on him still on his mind. His thrusts quickly became erratic, and his end was met before yours, grunting into your ear. The emptiness he left behind made you whine. He left to drop the condom in your bin. He was heaving and was flushed. You pulled yourself up, coming back to your senses. He looked at the commotion, clearly not done with you. Not even nearly. His hands stopped you, their familiar heat on your hips. Face to face, you could see his eyes on you, ready to devour every parcel of your body. He sucked at the tender skin of your throat, earning a gasp, your hands going around his shoulders. Soon, his hands slipped under your ass, hoisting you up against him.

“Good girl.”

The sweetness in his tone erased every thought out of you. Your hands were pulling on his hair, his nose against your pulse as you stumbled into your bedroom. No words were exchanged as he all but threw you on the bed, knocking the air out of your lungs. He smirked, the effect he had on you glistening down your thighs. He was enjoying seeing you this willing to give him control, all of it for the mere pleasure of having him. It boosted his ego. And you enjoyed greatly as he kept his eyes on you, before kneeling between your thighs, his breath fanning over you, a heated reminder of where his mouth could be. Again, he took his time, pressing his mouth, tongue and teeth against your inner thighs, leaving bruises and deep-coloured stains under your skin.

“You really want this, don’t you?”

The words were hanging in the air between the two of you. He licked his lips, diving in. He went feral. All you could do was helplessly try not to be too loud, but it was damn near impossible. Thornton’s hands were not only good at keeping you down but also at keeping you open and pleased, teasing you in ways only he knew. The knot in your abdomen was gradually coming to a rupture point when he stopped altogether. A deep whine echoed through your chest, fist clenching into the bedding. He climbed his way back up your body, leaving marks on his way there. He murmured against your jaw, leaving traces there too.

“How much do you want this?”

You did not want to give him the satisfaction, yet, the ghost of his fingertips was hovering over your clit, sensitive and ready. He pressed on, his thumb running lazy circles around it now. You bit your lip.

“Please… -Please who? -Please, John, I’ll…”

He grabbed your chin, a frown settling on his face. You had never called him by his name. Well, his last name, all the time and the occasional insult but never his first name. Gradually, he lowered his mouth to yours, stealing your breath away yet again. This felt more sinful and intimate than what you were doing so far. He deepened the kiss, your hands meeting in his hair, nails against his scalp. A deep grunt resonated through you, while he looked at you with marvel in his eyes. He pulled you with him to the side, one of your legs above his hip, the tip of his cock against your entrance, teasing even in these moments. It felt right, being there with him. As if something had been fulfilled inside of you. You felt the stretch of him, his hips meeting yours, while his hand was drawing you in, your lips finding yet again the soft spot beneath his ear. He rocked against you in slow motion, taking his time. The moment you let out his name felt pivotal, a shift had occurred in him when you did and you wanted to know why. The first instants were harsh and to the point. This was tender and careful, almost loving. When his fingers found your clit again, you were at his mercy, nestled against him. He was cradling your face, kissing you still. You never wanted this to stop. Never wanted to stop the fullness he provided you, the care, the utter devotion. The coil in your belly was growing stronger with each passing moment until you could not bear it anymore, your orgasm washing through you like a tidal wave. He pulled out right after, spilling himself over your stomach, his forehead against your collarbone. You pulled the covers over the both of you, silence all-encompassing, neither of you moving basking in the embrace the other was providing.

When you woke up, he was gone. It wasn’t late. Yet, he was gone. Nothing left behind. No note. No text. Nothing. While you showered, doubts started plaguing you. With good reason, you thought. The man was ruthless in business. Here you thought you had the upper hand, knowing him for so long. What if you had been wrong? Was he going to use this night against you? Was the deal he offered you even real? It was a low blow, but you would not put it past him. His intentions were never clear, especially not with you. The pain in your chest would not decline, still. The betrayal you felt was real and you could do nothing about it. Work would have to do as a distraction. The television was playing orchestral music in front of you, while you were lounging on your sofa. It helped soothe your mind. You were studying yet another case of wrongful termination by one of your contractors. It was the fifth this year. The man was starting to get a reputation for not honouring his contracts. Somehow, he was one of the most preeminent manufacturers your firm worked with. It felt odd to keep employing him when he was discharging his employees just because he wanted to and despite your firm’s demands. You were so engrossed in your computer screen, scanning numbers, and taking notes that the door softly opening and closing behind you went unnoticed. Not even the soft chuckle or the coat being hung up startled you. Thornton’s palms on your shoulders, on the other hand, elicited a scream. He laughed. The bastard laughed at you. You turned around in your seat. He was wearing different clothes. Professional ones this time. Not that you’d pay any mind whether he was wearing clothes or not.

“What are you doing here?”

The sharpness in your voice startled him. He gestured to a bag on your kitchen aisle.

“I brought breakfast.”

Oh. Fuck. Realization dawned on him. You bit your lip, anxiety unraveling in you.

“You thought… -Yes. I thought you had left. For good.”

John sighed. Even in your mind, it felt strange to call him that. His jaw clenched, as he exhaled sharply. He joined you on the sofa, sitting next to you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what conclusion to come to, you left without a word, nothing… -I did. -No, you didn’t.”

He pointed at your fridge. A small piece of blue paper tucked under one of the magnets with his handwriting on it.

“Oh.”

He could not stay mad at you when you were looking like this. Nothing out of the ordinary. There laid the issue though. Fluid pants, meant to be worn at home, no bra that he could see and a cotton shirt clinging to your skin. Embarrassment making you bite your lip. He could not bring himself to be angry with you. Really, he had no good reason to. Thornton knew of his reputation. He knew you knew about it too. The math would have been the same if he had been in your shoes. He went to get the groceries he had brought with him. Your eyes went back to your screen, his mocking smirk still on your mind. There was no real hurt, but your ego did not like it. You closed your computer before turning towards him. He had started cooking something, pulling his sleeves up his arms the jacket of his suit laid behind you. Your eyes wandered. Down his shoulder to the tip of his fingers. Up his back and to his shoulder blades. His ass, but that was a given. You were losing yourself in him. It scared you and enticed you all the same.

“Are you going to stare or are you going to help?”

Malice appeared in his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. God, you had never seen him smile so much. Not in all the years you had known him, not in the last months you had known him even. It was a sight, the dimples in his cheeks prominent, eyes shining with something new, the crinkles there lined up perfectly. You were indeed losing yourself in him. He chuckled, startling you into getting up. For once, you were the one without words. You, who always had something to say, opinionated and strong-headed. He saw your hands shaking while peeling apples, trying not to meet his gaze and breathing through your nose to keep a straight face. He found you endearing to no end. He had for a long time. You were a skilled liar and an even better architect, yet he could see, sometimes, the mask crack. Especially when it was him taking a jab at it. He never did it to anger you, per se. He did it because he adored seeing this other side of you. Your commanding posture was one he was used to, what he wanted to chase. What he wanted to stay for though, was this. Your natural state of affairs, no lies put up to hide behind. While he was cooking the eggs and pancakes, he could feel your eyes burning, tracing his shape all over. Once done, he turned around to find that you were still peeling the same apple you had been ten minutes before. You felt his hand pull the fruit away from your palms. They were sticky with the apple’s water and sugar. He opened your hand, prying the knife away from you before bringing your fingers to his mouth. Slowly sucking on your fingers drawing each into his mouth, one after the other, moaning around your skin. The bastard. That handsome bastard. Your thighs clenched, while you were trying to stay upward. It proved very difficult. You whimpered, before stepping out of his reach completely as he was sucking on his fingertips, never leaving you out of sight. The look in his eyes was nothing short of sinful.

“No. No, no, no, no. I need to get work done…”

His arms pulled you up, settling you on the counter, eyes boring into yours, his hands toying with the hem of your shirt, slipping under it. God, he was driving you insane. Your hands found their way against his chest, in a motion that could have been treated as resistance, had you not been so weak in the attempt to stop him. He smiled, studying your face. You found yourself smiling too. The rational part of your brain was going to burst. You still had several calls to make and plans to discuss with him - preferably with his clothes on, even more so if his sister was present. Your body was hearing none of it.

“John, please…” you pleaded.

That was a mistake. As soon as his name left your mouth, he made you look at him with a firm hand on your jaw.

“Say it again.”

His lips were right there. Just suspended in front of you, like a forbidden fruit. He was good at this. So, so, so, good.

“I really have to… -Say it again.”

Your hooded eyelids and heavy breathing were only bringing him closer and closer to you, incapable of resisting the pull you had on him. It felt right, to stand between your open thighs, morning light barely shining through the windows, as you were there, breathless and needy at his mercy.

“John…”

Greedily, he claimed your lips for himself, as if to taste them around the letters of his name. He felt the warmth of your hands slip around his neck, burying themselves in the depth of his hair. Your hips were trying to meet his, arching your back more and more into him. He pulled away for some needed air, his forehead resting against yours. Your fingers were digging into his shirt by now, praying to tear it apart.

“What was that for?”

Your breath was soft against his cheekbone, your voice somewhat proud and cheeky.

“No reason. -Come on, John.”

The insistence on his name murmured against the shell of his ear…You knew. You knew and you were doing it on purpose. That new knowledge ingrained itself in his brain and it took everything in him not to ravish you, here and there.

“My name… in your mouth… It sounds like…It sounds like I am yours”

The cheekiness was gone, replaced by a spreading wildfire inside of you. The warmth of it all taking you over by pure force. You pulled away from him, in awe. A few hours prior you could have sworn he was going to leave you hanging, and now he was telling you these sinful things in such a serious tone. He was going to wreck you. And you were going to let him. Your core clenched, empty, waiting to be filled by him. You pulled your shirt over your head, breasts bare before him. Soon after, his lips found their way to them, the nipples getting teased between his lips, warm hands heating your body up. What an exquisite way to start the day.

*

Somehow, the tension between you had not vaporized. It had gotten thicker. You could not keep your hands off of each other, often working in between intimate encounters rather than keeping said encounters in between hours of work. Although, you did manage to visit new offices, meet his sister - she was a riot of outlandish manners and quick wits - and keep your newly developing relationship a secret from the firm’s employees. After a few weeks and then months like this, you felt that you were getting into a stall. Your relationship was not new anymore, yet whenever you mentioned going public he’d recoil and diverge onto an another subject of conversation. At first, it had been fun. Now, it was getting tiresome. Yet, you could not bring yourself to break it to him. The frustration in you was growing restless.

“Good evening. -Good evening… Oh, you brought food! Thank God, I’m starving! -I figured.”

He rose a brow and smirked knowingly as he passed through your door. You heard the lock click and he joined you in the kitchen, while you were setting the table. Slowly his usual business posture fell. He now had a strange look on his face. Not quite worried. Just so serious. It had you stopping in your tracks.

“John, what’s wrong?”

His breath was altered, and you watched him slowly take off his jacket and put it away. His eyes were driven to look at the floor, finding patterns in the wood more interesting than your face maybe. A dullness settled on your heart, muffling its cries. Something was off, you could see it.

“I have something to tell you.”

Before he could say anything, you sat down preparing yourself for the worst. He did not move.

“Remember when you told me about that contractor who was firing employees and giving bad results for the firm? -Yes, but… -I know who it is. I’ve known the entire time.”

You almost laughed.

“I’ve told you the name of the company, of course you know who the chief is… -No. I mean, I know who signed off on those deals each time. -What? I’ve been tracking that information… -For months, I know…”

You felt him approach and stop in his tracks, his hand settling on the table next to you, fearing he might make you even more angry than you already were. In truth, you were not even angry at him. Disappointed, frustrated, sad because of him? Yes. Angry? That was for yourself. You should have known he was hiding something. Of course, you had been blinded by the sweet words and soft touches and tender times.

“Who?”

The sharpness there was unmistakably strangled. Tears on the verge of collapse. John inhaled slowly, lips pinched.

“My father.”

Finally, you met his gaze. You didn’t even know his father still worked for the firm and wasn’t on a Bahamas coast with luxurious size debts. This was news to you.

“Please, say something. -I… I don’t know what to say… What do you want me to say, huh?… What do you expect me to say? You’ve been protecting your father all this time and I cannot find it in myself to blame you for it… That doesn’t mean that I’m forgiving you for lying to me… Here I thought we were…”

You struggled for a minute, trying to keep the tears at bay, feeling your emotion well up and ready to implode.

“-We were partners. -We were ? -Yes. We were. -Can you not understand why I did this? -Why? You kept the truth from me. His actions could have cost us both our careers, without mentioning the damages he’s done to the workers and the staff on site. How could you keep allowing this to happen?”

His jaw clenched, keeping himself from saying things he did not want to mean but was feeling deeply right now.

“Keep allowing? You really think I would have left my own father to sign those contracts if I had been aware he was still making them? You really think me this careless? -I don’t know.”

The hurt on his face was discreet. The effects limited to his eyes. Steeled and broken.

“What does that even mean?”

Your heart was breaking. You should have known not to trust him. Nor to have faith in him. He had been so dodgy before why stop now that you were fucking, right? A little voice in your head told you it wasn’t true. You didn’t listen.

“It means that even beyond the fact that you did not tell me you father was still working for the company or that he had a soft spot for an idiot without morals, I don’t know what kind of choice you’d make about the people you do care about. I would not know because you do not make them. Or you don’t tell me about them. -What are you talking about? -Why do you not want to share what we are to one another? You keep avoiding the question or diverting my attention to something else. Why do you not want to say that we are together, in a relationship, in a couple, John! Are you that ashamed of me? Or do you care so much about what other people have to say that you won’t be seen with me?”

This time, he did not stop himself from reaching you, his whole body shaping itself around you. You could not stop the tears anymore as he wrapped his arms around you, not a breath separating you two.

“ I am sorry. I have been nothing but a fool. I was scared you would not want me to. I was scared that you were the one who would be ashamed of me. -How could you think that?”

You met his eyes, watery pupils and all.

“I’m in love with you, John. I could never, ever, be ashamed of you.”

A deep smile crept its way onto his face, illuminating an otherwise gloomy evening. He cradled your face in his hands, almost drowning you in his presence with the gesture.

“I love you, too. Please forgive me. -I already did.”

You felt his lips smooth down a path from your temple to your lips, pressing feathered kisses along the way. You both stayed there then, foreheads together, swaying in each other’s arms, to a melody neither of you knew.

“Why did you tell me about your father?”

Without interrupting the moment, he sighed deeply.

“I had him fired today. For malpractice. -What? -He was not very pleased with me.”

The attempt at lightening up the mood went to waste. You put your palm against his cheek, your thumb moving in slow circles against his skin, trying to calm him down.

“You did the right thing. For what it’s worth, I am very sorry that you had to do it. Also, I am glad you did. You would not be yourself without that righteous streak of yours.”

A chuckle passed his lips, finally. He pressed a kiss to your lips, growing stronger with each of your hearts beating. Once thoroughly breathless, he let you go. That night, you agreed never to keep a secret from each other again. Or to hide things from one another. Both parties involved made sacrifices regarding their futures together. As usual, John drove a heavy bargain, with brand new negotiations skills, bribes and promises. You met him at every turn. And he let you, for he had surrendered to you that day and all the days after, wholeheartedly.