#i found these pictures in god knows which site

[indireneedoftherapy]

I now have just recently discovered about this hond book called Frollo meets his match, and the fact that it's official makes it even better, I mean—

LOOK AT HIM.

So the book is about Frollo just being appointed as the new Minister of Justice and being a killjoy, he later gets tricked by Marcel (the current leader of the gypsies) believing that he'll lead him to the court of miracles but NOPE, Frollo gets arrested TWICE, the second arrest was literally by one of his men and he gets humiliated in most part of the book.

Also,

Young Clopin!

[zosanbrainrot]

part 06!! and the end of Act 1

01 02 03 04 05 06

OK SO THAT'S THAT

I don't have anything else storyboarded right now, I have the dialogues for Act 3 written down, but for the 2nd Act I'm gonna have to rewatch parts of WCI. I'm also thinking of a different approach, more like a series of illustrations not a comic, but idk yet, I'll have to rewatch and see!

It's not like I'm actually using a 3 Act structure as in 'a method of writing a story', I don't know how to and I haven't tried learning that (YET). I just think its neat and reflects how I divided my artistic process. I've always seen this story in my head as 3 parts.

And before I delve into part 06, I can't stop myself from saying that....... part 05 really needed another closeup on Sanji's face. If I ever try and repost it to another site then maybe I'll add it (between the panels of Ichiji & Zoro and the closeup on the spear, it would help the rythym but also strengthen the emotional connection, before Sanji shuts himself off)

Anyhow part 06

Most panels were a breeze, but the last two, my god, I just couldn't get them right for the longest time. In the end my favourite panels are the closeups of Luffy and Nami, I should really draw them more.

Here's how this panel in particular went:

I did like how the pose was looking in my first rough pass, the face is scrunched, the shoulders are high with tension, the direction is consistent

Couldn't execute it though... I think in the first rough sketch the camera is looking at Luffy slightly from above? Like he's leaning into it. That's why the shoulders can be so high up, but I didn't realize what it was when trying to clean it. So when cleaning the sketch I drew the head on the same level as the camera which made the whole pose look flat, also in this weird angle, like it's not fully 3/4, but it's not facing forwards either.

I didn't know what wasn't working, so I doubled down and tried with the lineart, but it didn't magically help. It just looks like he's slouching.

4. so I tried to rethink the pose and commit to a 3/4 view. I like that more of the neck is visible now, you can feel that he's leaning forward with the scream, but I think I could have pushed it a bit more still

5. with linework I made some small changes, like a bit shorter hair, smaller nose and the eyes pushed back a bit. I also added the scratches and filled in the black parts

6. added flat colors & shading!

Last panel with Sanji was even harder to draw hehe

so I thought this would be easy bcs I wanted to basically redraw the panel from the anime

that's why my rough sketch was extremely rough, I didn't think about it much

and then I had so much trouble with it lmao You'd think that it would be easier when you're covering the character's face, but I was in this undecided space of on one hand wanting to show the pain on Sanji's face and staying truthful to the anime scene on the other. I also found it super diffucult to show the emotions without the eyes

4. The pose in 3. also wasn't working so I tried to make him more slouched, like he's curling in on himself more, it was definitely a better direction. I tried going into lineart from here but I didn't like how the fingers were turning out

5. So I decided to get a new ref and took a picture of how I'd make this gesture myself. With this pose I also changed the position and angle of the face slightly, bcs it would have created a very small space between the hand and the nose and I wanted the two shapes to connect

6. I really liked the hand, but was having trouble with the hair, it felt too short, still couldn't get the face right either

7. so I elongated the hair and worked on the face some more and was finally happy with what I had!

8. added colors! At first I had it colored like the other panels, color just on Sanji then gradient on the bottom helping it fade to black, but it wasn't sitting well with me. Maybe because the space above his head was too big and I didn't want to have a background here and also wasn't adding the little floating pieces to the carriage scene (these were reserved for the grass battlefield)

9. SO! I made Sanji's figure darker and also added a darker shade to the whole scene and I think it ended up working really nice. Like he's drowning in the darkness, the only element piercing through it are Luffy's words. It also just fills up the space better lmao, feels less empty visually

Its gonna be A WHILE, before I have updates for this, I'm gonna have to start with the rewatch anyway. Right now I'm gonna have to focus on finishing my extra pieces for the @rdtriozine !! If any of you read this far you may as well check it out lmao I have a full illustration spread there and gonna have spots for a fic too ❤️ I just need to draw them!!! AGHHHH

[itsbenedict]

mutual 1: conventional morality is nowhere near cringe enough to be based. you agree.

mutual 2: i'm going to liveblog my attempt at solving this obscure statistics conundrum you've definitely never heard of

mutual 3, reblogging mutual 2: oh, yeah, the Obscure Statistics Conundrum, we've all seen it. i have strong opinions on the obvious easy and simple way it should be solved, somehow

mutual 4: i need. to fuck that old man.

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 6: [twenty-post long reblog chain arguing about politics with a stranger in stubborn defiance of the obvious fact that the stranger is not reading a single word they're saying]

mutual 7: here's my take on the latest chapter of the current Wildbow serial that you're going to have to blur your eyes and skip past because you haven't found time to read all five million words of this cool thing you don't want to be spoiled on

mutual 8: what if [the most deranged shit you've ever heard in your life]- and we were both girls?

mutual 4: don't forget i need to fuck that. old man. please.

mutual 9: [automatically generated link to a post on some ideologically extreme underground social media site with ten users that they use instead]

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 5: god every single thing about my life situation sucks so fucking much i want to cry and now you do too

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 10: reblogging that last picture of a bird

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 4: that old man. you know. what i need.

mutual 11: here's today's doodle :) [outlandishly beautiful piece of original art which gets seven notes]

mutual 12: only posted eighteen spicy takes about gender today, so here's a new one i just came up with. is this anything

mutual 13: hey, wanna look at this pornography that somehow hasn't gotten taken down by Tumblr yet?

mutual 14: [a pun so bad she gets put in the fucking Hague]

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 5: picture of a bird

mutual 15: [21st reblog on the politics reblog chain where everyone is talking past each other and has zero intention of persuading anyone]

mutual 4: i need to FUCK that old man. what do you mean he's dead

mutual 8: what if i fucked that old man. and we were both girls.

[byproducts-of-my-imagination]

Everyone Hates Todo Except You

The best part about Todo is that you don’t have to put yandere in front of him because his normal behavior already screams delusional and obsessive.   You cannot convince me that he doesn’t sniff all your things as soon as you’re not looking.  He’s just so intense.  I love this man, need to catch up on jjk.

~1k words. Thank you to whoever requested this and I hope you enjoy!

At the Kyoto branch, nobody really bothers sticking their nose in Todo’s business.  But when there’s an enormous mound of trash bags outside his room that just keeps getting bigger, concerning glances and eyebrow raises no longer cut it.  Normally his antics earn a side eye or two, but lately it’s been a little much, even for him.  At the breakfast table the next day, the girls decide to draw straws to see who has to tell him to move his shit.

“It’s not fair!  Why do I have to do it?”  Miwa groans, cursing her bad luck for the thousandth time.  

“It is fair, you just happened to draw the short straw now go deal with it!  We'll back you up.”  Mai grins, knowing full well she rigged it.

Kasumi Miwa would rather be doing literally anything else at this moment.  She timidly knocks on the door, and says, “Todo?  Could you move all this stuff please?  You’re starting to block the hallway.”

“Yeah I’ll get to it whenever I get the rest of this junk cleaned up.  Don’t worry there’s no food waste so there shouldn’t be any smell.”

“B-but Todo…. It's been almost a week now…”  The only response was the muted sound of shuffling.

Miwa looks back in defeat at her so-called “back up” as they peek from behind the corner.  Their best bet now is to get one of the boys to convince him.  And if they fail it’s straight to Utahime-sensei.  

Todo looks at his room, emptier than it’s ever been.  He knew this was the likeliest outcome.  Takada-chan was a beloved idol, and even if she liked him back (which he thought she might have at some point) there was no way she could be with him.  He knew, but it doesn't mean it hurt any less.  There were years of carefully collected merch, thousands of dollars being stuffed into trash bags to be thrown away.  But instead of the despair he carefully denied for years, he didn’t feel any loss throwing away all the autographed posters and pictures.  No, he had something much better now, someone who could actually be with him in this wretched, boring world.  He had his wonderful, gorgeous, beautiful, perfect in every way girlfriend.  And while you weren’t aware that you were destined to be with him yet, he would make sure you’d know soon.  As soon as he finished purging his space of Takada-chan (it wouldn’t do to have pictures of an old flame) he’d confess.  

A few days later he was tying up the last trash bag, ready to enact his plan.  He asked you to meet him under the largest tree in the forest on the edge of the training field.  Several hypothetical scenarios floated through his mind, and he focused on the one where you’d enthusiastically said you loved him back and then he married you and had many children.  As he neared the confession site, Todo felt yet another arrow go through his heart as you came into view.  I’ll never get tired of seeing her.

“Todo, is everything okay?  What’s up?”  A shiver ran down Todo’s spine, goosebumps rising.  God, even your voice was perfect.

“I love you.  Promise me, y/n.  That we’ll spend the rest of our lives together.”  He got down on one knee like a proposal, looking up at you like a devout follower.

“Todo… I don’t know about the rest of our lives but why don’t we start with a date?  I like you too.”  While you were a bit taken aback by his forwardness, you brush it off as Todo being Todo.  You never disliked his honesty and unabashedness.

“My girlfriend!! I knew you felt the same!”  A single tear ran down Todo’s face.   

Back to the dorms, it wasn’t long before everyone found out and congregated at your room to badger you with questions.  

“Ugh that gorilla?  You guys are dating now?”  Nishimiya asked, firmly believing Todo to be an improper and inadequate boyfriend.  

“I thought he only had eyes for that idol Takado or whatever,” Miwa chimes.

“It’s Takada,” Mai corrects, not able to make eye contact with Nishimiya’s suspicious glance in her direction. 

“We’re dating now!  He just asked me out, and he’s really good to me.” you reply, thinking of how Todo insisted on carrying you back to the dorms, gently setting you down before running off saying he needed to ‘prepare’.  

“You can do way better than Todo, trust us.” The girls all nod in agreement.  However, Todo is outside your room balancing a tray of perfectly cooked lunch and a cold pitcher of water.  

“What are you guys talking about?”  he knows already, but wants to hear them say it to his face.  

“How y/n is too good for the likes of you.”  Mai minces no words for Todo.  With the uncomfortable tension rising, the Kyoto girls hastily make an exit.  

“My love, I made lunch for us.  I know I am not handsome, or come from wealth and a good sorcerer family like some of our classmates.  But I will be devoted.  I will never stray from you, I’d die if you asked me to.”  he says, as he sets the meal on your small desk, pulling out utensils and napkins.  His normal confidence seems to waver a bit, and it seems that not even Todo is immune to worrying about what other people think of him.  

“Todo, don’t worry about what they say and please don’t say you’ll die for me.  I like you a lot, I wouldn’t have accepted your confession if I didn’t.  I also think you’re quite handsome.”  

“You love me back?”  he whispers, kneeling at the edge of your bed, looking up at you.  While it’s a bit too early to tell, Todo’s hopeful, reverent look has you obliging him. 

“I do love you back.”  He embraces you, and you can hear his heartbeat in his bare chest.  It feels good to be loved so wholeheartedly, and you’ll give him all the love you have to repay him.  

[iluvapplesxh]

⧽⧽puppy love⧼⧼

❀ pair: billie eilish x fem!reader

✰ summary: Your soul felt heavy with guilt every time you had to leave the not so little son of your girlfriend and how could she say no to the request of another member of your family to keep him company?

✯ warnings: uhm, none?? yay?

✒ a/n: help, I still can't write fluff 😭

The pad of your thumb pressed onto your phone screen, the brightness of it burning your eyes the slightest bit even in the daylight that’s coming in through the living room windows. Your free hand rested on the furry grey head resting on your lap, occasionally going down to rub at the pitbulls short-fur covered tummy, the dog’s breathing even and relaxed and his eyes closed as he seemingly basked in your presence. 

Your phone’s display was showing a web site of some kind, and you were scrolling down on it with pursed lips and furrowed brows. The focused expression directed at the pictures on the website, specifically the fury balls of joy displayed in them.

The door of the house slamming closed echoed loudly and your gaze rose, focus broken and your ears picked up on the sound of footsteps approaching the living room you were in, sitting on the grey L shaped couch in the middle.

“Baby? I’m home” 

You heard your girlfriend call out, a smile immediately growing on your face and soon she was in front of you with a big smile.

“Hey” She chuckled and looked down at Shark in your lap, reaching out to give his belly a rub before leaning forward. Your faces suddenly close to each other, breaths mingling. “I missed ya, pretty” Her voice was like honey as she spoke and you barely could process what she was saying before her lips found yours in a quick and sweet kiss.

When she pulled back, she dropped down next to you on the sofa, her right arm immediately wrapping around your shoulders while the ankle of one of her legs rested on the knee of the other. Her free hand took off her cap and tossed it onto Shark’s head -which obviously wasn’t enough to wake him-. 

“I missed you, too” You finally spoke up, your hand which was not resting on the pitbull dropping your phone and instead moving on Billie’s leg.

She grinned widely and a small giggle came from her. “I bet” She hummed softly and looked down at your discarded phone now slotted between the two of you’s squished thighs. Her left hand picks it up, flipping it swiftly when she realised it was upside-down. Her perfect eyebrows raised the slightest bit as her eyes took in the content of the screen, the bright white colour of the website making her blue eyes brighter.

“What’s this?” She asked curiously, tearing her gaze away from the device to turn her head and look at you.

Your bottom lip was tucked between your teeth for a moment before you smacked your lips and began speaking. “Well… I was just looking at something” Shoulders shrugging nonchalantly, you slowly took off Billie’s hat from Shark’s head, placing it on the sofa on your other side.

Billie’s eyes sparkled with amusement at your short excuse of an explanation and her hand squeezed your shoulder lightly. “Just ‘looking at something’? Come on, baby.” She laughs softly.

You breathe in deeply before exhaling. “Fine” You mumbled and rolled your eyes a little. “I thought… Shark could have some company when we’re not home. So I started looking for some…” Your lips pursed and you shrugged again, suddenly finding your actions ridiculous.

There was a beat of silence before Billie’s melody-like laugh filled the air. “Aw, oh my God, baby that’s so cute” Her arm pulled away from around your shoulders and her hand cupped your jaw gently, the metal of her rings cold on your skin. “You don’t want Shark to be lonely?” She fake pouted at you and a frown took place on your face, embarrassed as you pushed her hand away,

“Shut up. You’re so annoying” You muttered, arms folding over your chest.

Billie laughed again and shook her head. “Come on, you know I was just teasing” She said after her laughter died down, although there was still a hint of amusement in her voice. When you didn’t reply and only continued to frown with a glare she sighed and wrapped her arm around you again, this time around your waist and she pulled you close. 

Her lips became pouty once more and she leaned her face close to yours. “Pleaseee” She muttered, pressing on the last sound of the word. And you had to stifle a grin when her voice shifted from her normal one to her baby voice. “I’m sorry” Her breath was warm against your cheek as she spoke, once more dragging out the end of the word. Then her plump lips pressed onto your cheek. “I think it’s a great idea” Her normal voice was back now and she kissed your cheek once more before her left hand reached out and turned your head to look at her.

Her lips were still pouty when your eyes met and you bit back a smile. “Yeah? Are you sure?” 

Billie’s blue eyes shone with affection and she nodded. “Absolutely, I would love nothing more, babygirl” She grinned, left hand falling onto the small space of your thigh Shark wasn’t lying on. 

Your lips curled into a smile and your head moved up and down. “Fantastic.” You soon grew excited and your hands scrambled to pick up your phone again. “I was looking at the vet’s website, you know, the one like a block away…” You stated, tapping on your phone’s screen.

“M’yeah?”  Billie murmured, eyes on your focused face. Her heart filled with love for you and she couldn't wipe the smitten grin off her face. 

“Mhm!” You nodded eagerly, scrolling on the site again.

“Anyone ya like?” She asked, painfully tearing her eyes away from your face and looking down at your phone in your hands. 

“Yeah! Actually” You nodded with a big smile. “I really like this little one” You tapped the puppy’s picture, then tilted the device more towards Billie. A smile rose to her face and your eyes flickered to her dimpled cheeks for a moment, your heart skipping a beat at the sight before you looked back down at your screen. 

“Ahw, she looks cute” Billie coos gently, eyes scanning over the black fur baby.  Your smile grew at her expression and you nodded.

–

A couple weeks later and you were jumping out of Billie’s car as soon as she parked in the driveway, excitedly opening the backdoors and laughing when the thick furred puppy just as excitedly jumped out from the seats, her tail wagging fast and her head turning all around in every direction so fast you’re worried she might give herself whiplash of something.

Billie walks up to you and grins down at the small dog. “Oreo” She says excitedly, bending a little and reaching a hand out. She giggled when the Newfoundland puppy licked the tips of her fingers then let out a small bark. 

Your brows raised in surprise and amusement at Billie’s sudden naming. “Oreo?” You held a hand to your mouth as you tried to hold back a laugh. Her head lifted, a big smile still on her face. 

“Yeah!” She nodded and straightened up again, giggling when Oreo jumped around her before she stepped closer to you. “What, you don’t like it?” Her hands reach out and take your hips in them, eyes on yours. Your heart melts at the soft adorable expression on her face and your own hands reached up, resting on her cheeks tenderly.

“No, no, I do” You giggled softly. “It’s very… you” Your thumbs rubbed at the skin on her cheeks and her eyes sparkled brightly. A soft hum came from her then she leaned forward, lips meeting yours tenderly and sweetly. Her hands pulled you close by your hips, she hummed into the kiss and both your hearts beat faster. 

Then her hands let go of your hips and her arms wrapped around your back, palms spread flat on the small of it as your own arms slipped around her neck, the both of you getting lost in the kiss, in the feeling of the other’s body pressed against theirs, the subtle change in mood between you.

Then the moment was broken as Oreo jumped up, the first pair of her legs steadying her small body on one of yours and one of Billie’s legs. A surprisingly loud bark came from her and you both pulled back with a breathless laugh, foreheads pressed against each other. Billie’s lips found yours again in a quick peck before she pulled away completely and looked down at the black dog. 

“What’s up, girl? You wanna meet your brother? Yeah? “ She asked her with a small grin and when the dog barked excitedly your own face brightened with a smile. Billie’s hand took yours in hers and she began walking up to the front door, watching with a laugh slipping past her plump lips as Oreo got ahead of you two, sitting down by the doors. 

A minute later, the doors opened and not even 20 seconds went by before Shark’s running towards you guys is heard. Billie shut the door behind you and took off her jacket, putting it on the hanger before taking yours and doing the same.

Then the pitbull was in front of Oreo, the both of them having a silent stare down and after a couple moments Shark took a step closer to the other dog. Oreo also seemed reluctant and cautious as Shark approached her. But when he bumped the side of her head with his own, she grew confidence and nudged back playfully. The older pup barks loudly and marches.

As the two dogs began to play around, both you and Billie watched with smiles and occasional giggles escaping you. Billie’s arm snaked around your waist and she pulled you closer. Your right arm circled her torso and the other her front. She hummed softly, pressing her lips against the side of your head gently. Warmth and affection flooded both your bodies and in that very moment everything felt so happy, so easy.

And that’s how life with Billie always had been, always will be. And now with your new little family member it might be just the tiniest bit more chaotic, but you liked it that way. This was your life, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

✒ a/n: I feel like I say that I hate don't like my writings too often but it's trueee. Anyway enjoy this! as much as it can be at least <3

REQUESTS OPEN ♡

[selineram3421]

Hey? I just found your account and absolutely love it!

When you write with Alastor I always get this vibe from him:

And absolutely love for it 😭🥰

Oh my god.

Matched Search History

Prologue

Alastor X Writer Reader

Warnings⚠

⚠ Human AU, serial killer stuff so expect murder or mentions of it, oh and blood/gore, cussing, all caps for screeching/yelling, italics=thoughts, mentions of death, slight introvert reader ⚠

It wasn't your idea but your friend's.

There was a website that matched you with someone that had similar search history.

Currently, both of you were in the cafe with coffee and snacks, sitting at a two person table and having the usual friend hangout until she brought it up.

"Isn't that...a breach of privacy? How is this allowed?", you asked concerned.

"They only get what you give them! Like a questionnaire thing. You put down what you search and they set you up with someone!", she says and shows you the site on her phone.

"This is shady as fuck.", you say.

"Ok, maybe a little bit but you put what you want shared!", she smiles. "I mean you can meet another writer or someone who is super hot!"

Honestly you didn't know what to think of it, but maybe you could give it a shot.

I mean what's the worse that could happen? Haha..

"Ok..", you sighed and gave her the go to for making your account.

"Yay!", she squealed and started up a new profile. "Ok, so name, age, occupation..", she started typing furiously.

Once the basics were set up, she passed the phone to you to fill out the questionnaire.

At Matched Search History we only share what you give us! Any information you put into the system will be coded to find your Search History Partner, any other information you add in will also be added but stored away privately.

Please be aware that if any home address is added in the BIO or in MESSAGES it will be made public.

Yup. Shady shit right here. You thought and kept reading.

What do you search the most?

Answer: _______

You snort and type out murder techniques and first aid.

I'm definitely on the FBI list. You smile.

After taking care of the first one, you put down recipes, art and art history, science, little things like radio technology and other in depth research. You also make sure to put down cats.

"Here.", you hand the phone back.

"Wow that's a lot.", your friend scrolls down your list.

"What did you expect? I do a lot of searching on my laptop for the littlest things.", you shrug.

"Yeah, should have expected that.", she nods and looks through her photo album in her phone.

Leaning on the table, you look as she scrolls for the perfect photo.

"Which one are you gonna pick?", you ask and take a sip of your coffee.

"That cute one where you're hugging a cat.", your friend replies.

"Nah. Put the Halloween one."

She stops scrolling to look you dead in the eye, only to see your smug grin.

"No."

"Aw what? Come on!", you whine. "It'll be funny!"

"No! You're covered in fake blood!", she rejects the idea.

"But think of it! It would be fucking hilarious.", you nudge her arm.

"No and that's final! I'm putting this one!", she says and adds a photo without looking.

.

You honestly forgot about the account you both made until you got a bunch of emails about the website finding your match. You ignored most of them as they didn't go over 70%, that was until you saw the one you got today.

"What?", you asked with a mouth stuffed with noodles, being in the middle of eating lunch.

Picking up your phone, you check the email and feel your eyes widen.

You immediately called your friend.

"DUDE!"

"What?", she asks.

"THERE'S A HOT GUY WHO MATCHED 98% WITH ME!! WHAT DO I DO!?!?"

"Send me his pic! Duh!", she replies.

You take a screenshot of his profile picture and send it over.

"HOLY SHIT! I KNOW WHO THAT IS!!!"

"Who is it?", you ask.

"Don't you listen to his podcasts!?", your friend screeches. "He's the hot voice talking about murder mysteries and other creepy shit! You always listen to him while writing!"

"Huh, so this is him?", you ask. "How do you know? You hate hearing creepy stuff."

"I got bored one day.", she says.

Understandable. You thought. "Ok but back onto the topic. WHAT DO I DO!?"

"Send that love message to meet up!", she replied.

You deadpanned.

I have to go outside? I mean it wouldn't be bad if we went to a cafe or library. Maybe a bookstore... You thought.

"Fine. Since we already know his face he won't be able to run far if anything happens.", you said, making up your decision.

"Geez, don't talk like you're about to die.", your friend groaned.

"What? It's true.", you say. "Statistically, women are more likely to get killed on a date. Which doesn't rule out males but it does happen."

"UGH! Send me pics of what you're going to wear already!", she demanded.

.

You sat on a bench near a bus stop, messaging your friend. It was the best location for you to wait, there were multiple people around and restaurants with cameras.

Not gonna find out my address~ You sang in your head as you messaged your "match" that you had arrived.

You messaged him a brief description of your features and what you were wearing, so that way he wouldn't go around like a headless chicken trying to look for you.

Just in case things went south, you had a back up outfit to change into.

As you waited, a sudden thought came up.

Why was he on the dating site MSH? You wondered. Maybe his friend also pressured him to make a profile or someone else.

Then another thought.

What if it isn't him and someone just used a random photo they found to put up? You frowned at that. I hope that's not the case. That would be very annoying to deal with.

"Now, I hope that I'm not the reason my date is wearing a frown."

Turning your head to see who had decided to approach you, you saw a familiar face and warm reddish copper eyes. He was dressed very nicely, white button up long sleeve, dark red knit sweater vest, black pants, and black looking dress shoes.

"I'm Alastor.", he smiled. "And you are my date for this evening, yes?"

Damn it. You thought, trying to keep a straight face. He looks like a bookish nerd and that is definitely my type.

You stood up from the bench and gave a smile back.

"Nice to meet you.", you greeted and then introduced yourself.

Thank you for bringing this to me. I have read this post but forgot about it until you brought it back.

~Seline, the person.

Taglist@

@c4rved-pumpk1n @scary-noodlesblog @stolas-thebirb @naelys-the-aster @biromanticboba @lbcreations-blog @ducky-died-inside @kiraisastay @pooplyface1423 @line-viper @117s-girl @spiderlegsling @alastorsgoldie @kcsketches @lofasofabread @kotaleee @im-coolrat @superzombiewho @speckle-meow-meow @jammcookie @dilucragnvindr-my-beloved @trashbin-nie @koioli @fatherlesschild2 @mmik3yy @just-here-reading @nealeart @hudiexiaoying @crystal-multiplefandomlover @glowinggoldfish0 @tiredgamerhere @fluffy-koalala @valenfawkes @willowshadenox @aria-tempest @alastor-simp @nonetheartist @gallantys @i-3at-kidz @luxky-aish @ceafighter @xalygatorx @xangel-8 @big-brother-problems @mistpurpl3 @chewbrry @willowbrookhoot @briethekitsune @alastorthirsty @sir-aadiboii @fuzzyturtlepaws @+?

ML II for Alastor🎙

[vivwritesfics]

Landoscar HC's

I started this when we got a McLaren Double Podium. That was a week ago. Here we are.

Lando x reader x Oscar

Masterlist

At first, nobody was sure what to do

Y/N was dating Lando, but then this Oscar guy came along

Both of them were in awe

The Australian was just so cute

They couldn't get enough

But, from there, it was just awkward

Lando and Y/N stumbling over themselves

Oscar laughing at them

Lando and Y/N stumbling over themselves some more because oh my god that laugh

How did they get together, I hear you asking?

It was a drunken night

None of them could remember what happened

Even when they woke up in the same bed, they still couldn't remember

But they weren't complaining

But cue more awkwardness

They couldn't talk about it, not for a good while

When they did, it was Y/N having to break the ice

She invited Oscar over, made dinner and served drinks

"We have to get this sorted," she said after they'd all sat down for dinner

Sort it out they did

They sorted it out with light touches and uncomfortable kisses

Doing this sober was a lot different to doing it drunk

It came with time

They had to keep things quiet for that time

Secret touches in dark corners

Slow kisses in hotel rooms with the doors locked

It was a weird situation they found themselves in

Y/N and Lando were able to walk around, holding hands and being photographed together

In some photographs they even had Oscar walking behind them

A lot of fans called Y/N and Lando Oscars parents

That was a haunting day

The world found out about them after five months of dating

Five months of hiding their relationship

Y/N and Lando had Oscar over to stay in their apartment in Monaco several times since the beginning of their relationship

They didn't feel they could go out to dinner, so they had a lot of takeout on the sofa, with candles lit and the television on

The day the world found out was after Lando, Oscar and Y/N had been at the club with some of the other drivers and their girlfriends

The drinks had been flowing

Maybe all of them had too much

The next day the pictures were on all of the F1 gossip sites and instagram pages

Y/N between Oscar and Lando, Lando's hips pressed against her backside as she made out with Oscar

And then all three of them were pressed together, with Lando and Oscar kissing with Y/N in between them

There were millions of these pictures, all of them following the same theme

Y/N, Oscar and Lando doing things they usually kept behind closed doors

But now their relationship was out in the public

All three of them were posting statements the next day

And then they were free, they could show their relationship to the public

It didn't come without prejudice; they were stopped on the street and berated like it was nothing

But they were in love, and that's all that mattered, right?

Sometimes it was too much and they put things back behind closed doors

Y/N kissed both boys when they got on the podium, but the PDA didn't spread beyond that

They kept things quiet

Kept it to their hotel rooms

Kisses, any kind of touches had to be hidden away

For their year anniversary, Lando and Oscar booked out an entire restaurant

It was the first time they were able to go out to dinner together in months

The boys were in suits (which Y/N loved because neeecks) and she was in a dress

McLaren media days were suddenly awkward

The boys were able to keep it together, but the McLaren staff didn't know how to act

"We're not about to start snogging," Lando had to say to them at one point

It took the people at McLaren a while to get used to their relationship, but once they did, things were perfect

The team was working at their best once everything was out in the air

They were together for three years, had three anniversaries like this before Lando finally popped the question to the both of them

[inklessletter]

Congratulations, first of all, for reaching the milestone 💐💐💐 you deserve every single follower, and then some. Your art is always so pretty and I love how you bring us along during your process.

Secondly, would you like to make art based on this fic of mine? I'm thinking right at the beginning, when Eddie falls to his knees on stage and he and Steve have their "moment".

Thank you for hosting this fanart party ❤️

Steve tilts his head, and Eddie prepares for a kiss. He gets no lips, only tongue; Steve licks his mouth, from one corner to the other.

🎸🎸🎸

@2btheanswertothequestion

This one was SO MUCH FUN TO DO. I had trouble finding good references for the ambiance, but I love the result. Please, go read the fic, it's so good.

I know that I don't know many of the users that sent me requests a few weeks ago, but I've got a tiny story to tell about this one (I'm getting to know you little by little and I'm falling for every single one of you, you talented fuckers). They are the reason I am in Tumblr. It happens that I created an account many months ago, and didn't know how to use this, I just clicked "follow" to the tags and the blogs ST/Steddie related that posted fics and arts, and on my way to work, in the bus, I read the first chapter of a fanfic that made lose my stop (literally, I got late to the office that day).

Sad thing is the next time I opened the app, the fic was gone. I just remembered a few things and god knows that the search bar in this site works... well, works. Sometimes. I couldn't find it. I made it my personal goal to actually find this fic again, and this user, whose name I didn't catch because, again, I didn't know how to use Tumblr. This user pulled a full Cinderella on me, reading with intent every fic until the shoe fit. And I found it by mere coincidence, because they posted the third part, and I was like "WAIT IS THIS IT?". And it was it.

In the meanwhile, I actually completed my account, like you know, trying not to make it look like a bot (that I learned that it was a bad thing that could get me blocked), I put a profile picture, I made it decent, I learned how to use Tumblr (a bit). So, you see. This user, my beloved @2btheanswertothequestion is the one to blame that I actually stuck in this place. If you're wondering which one was the fic that got me so hooked up it was November Paramedic. (Here the AO3 link). Go read it, you're gonna love it.

(I'm kinda mad that they didn't asked me to draw the actual picture of the calendar, though. I have some ideas, I might draw it the future, because when I say that I hold this fic very close to my heart, I mean it.)

I really, really hope you like it, I worked hard on it and I did this with every bit of love stored in my heart ❤️❤️❤️

[bunny-lily]

Tether Me - Chapter 1

Pairing(s): Geto/Gojo/Reader

Summary: “Jesus!” You shrieked and jumped with all the elegance of a newborn fawn, spinning on your heel to find a head of blindingly white hair and pearly canines equally as eye-burning greeting you through a wide grin. Though you couldn’t see the man's eyes behind those curiously round shades of his, you could picture how his cheeks crinkled his hidden hues at the corners.

If any of the Greek or Roman gods were real, he’d outshine every one of them without breaking a sweat. 

“Not quite,” the unfairly gorgeous stranger replied with a snicker from where he leaned against the fence, “but I’m flattered.” CW: No y/n | polyamory | slow burn | slice of life | alt au - no curses | fluff | light angst | eventual smut | forgive me, there's internal monologues | I like using big words... | Gojo & Geto are whipped for you | emotionally constipated reader | (most of the tags have been condensed, you can find the full list on my ao3 here)

AN: no particular additional warnings for this chapter. I'll add new warnings for any chapters that might require them (for example, nsfw)

Ch: Prologue | Ch: 1 | Ch: 2 | Ch: 3 | Ch: 4 | Ch: 5 - 1 | Ch: 5 - 2

WC: 15.3k

Seeing your new…home in the unforgiving glare of daytime made you realize that the realtor spent more time photoshopping the box of danger to make it appear appealing than actually selling it. Gave it to the first poor buyer that bit the bait and dashed off.

Said poor buyer was you. Apparently.

A rickety bamboo fence, chipped and scratched by god knows what, wrapped loosely around your property, the pathetic poles clinging to life by threads about as strong as spider silk. Quite the sad barrier. Honestly, you had no idea how it managed to remain upright this long at all. 

The description on the site you found it on was very, very vague with anything regarding the building. Even with your prodding, the most you generally got was “well, nobody died in it, and it’s still standing.”

Good enough for you, clearly, considering you slapped the Sold! sign on the damn listing yourself maybe 30 minutes and a glass of wine (or three) after finding the soggy, depressing shack.

Granny was right. This thing was a damn mess. It should have been condemned ages ago.

You couldn’t decide if it was bigger or smaller than you expected. Somewhat disproportionate was the best way you could put it. The terrain surrounding it was much more expansive than the photos showed, the boundaries only sort of marked out by the aforementioned sad barrier. It was considerably isolated, which you weren’t really complaining about, but you noted way too late that taking care of all that overgrown grass was going to be a nightmare on your back. Arms, too. Every part of your body, honestly.

The building itself had certainly seen better days, such as the day it was built, and perhaps the day after, if you were being generous. The agent was very shifty about exact details, but in his defense, this place was basically in the Bumfuck Middle of Nowhere, Japan, in likely one of the smallest countryside villages there was in the whole country.

You were also substantially intoxicated and ready to put down your life savings on anything.

Thankfully, you didn’t have to go that far, but you truly underestimated the scope of this ‘project’. The entire plot needed a fresh splash of paint at minimum. Ideally, you needed to shear the lawn of all those super pretty weeds that you were very tempted to just leave as is because they were so pretty, mhm, would be an absolute shame to get rid of them.

You’d need to clear out the stone path leading from the fence gate to your front door that you quite literally stumbled over last night. Or just toss the stones altogether, because fuck those things and whoever put them there.

The outer walls needed a good scrubbing, and another, and one more for good measure. Quite a few shingles on the roof showed signs of being ready to split your skull open with only a wayward breeze needed to push them off the edge. The hinges creaked horribly on every part of the building, enough so that you were certain the entire village would’ve been awoken by you tripping over yourself to get into the house had you not been a decent 10 or so minute walk from the closest cottage.

And all of this was just what was outside. 

That fence, ugly little shit that it was, was either going to become your worst nightmare, or a begrudging friend. 

You noted with mild interest that your house resembled western abodes more than Japanese ones.

Maybe if you kept the place rundown, people wouldn’t think to stop by your place unannounced. Ah, what a delight that would be. If you were lucky, nobody knew the property had been sold yet. If you were extra lucky, you could get your shopping done (plus whatever other errands you couldn’t do from home) by keeping your head down, and none would be the wiser to your existence.

Aside from Granny, of course. Kinda hard to hide from that woman now that she’d given you food off her own back. You needed to do something in return, but you set that on the back burner for now.

The interior required basically everything to be fixed up, that was non-negotiable. You refused to sleep on crusty wood floors and old tatami that had long since been glued to the surface beneath with gods know what. At the very least, you needed to somehow clean the floor. Preferably, mend the walls, plug any holes, get the pipes functioning if they weren’t already, and a whole other fuckin’ list of soul crushing deeds that needed completion.

Furniture, while questionably not a necessity for survival, was definitely a need for you. If only so you had something to sleep on other than the basically flat, nylon bag laid out in the corner of the room you gracelessly snored within.

But how?

You planted your hands on your hips and exhaled through your nose. “I wonder if Amazon ships to this place…”

A pipe dream, certainly; but, gods, would it make your life so much easier.

You could try to build your own furniture, but you trusted running with scissors more than you trusted your own potential handiwork. Which meant repairing the house itself on your own was likely a very bad idea.

“Ah, fuck,” you hissed as you realized the other shit you’d need to do aside from creating an actual proper space to live. “I’ll have to learn how to sew and garden and fucking carpent and everything…”

You groaned as you pictured every task that awaited you, and subsequently buried your face in your hands. Maybe you should have just torn the whole fucking thing down, bought a plastic shed from the nearest city, dragged it over, set it up, and called it home sweet home. You didn’t need that much space anyway, right?

“No, can’t regret this now, too late to regret this, you chose this,” your voice was muffled and grit out through clenched teeth. “Made your bed, now sleep in it, idiot.”

“Yeah, kinda dumb choice, if you ask me.”

An unexpected voice originated from behind you, startling the living daylights out of you and shooting your heart straight out of your body. 

“Jesus!” You shrieked and jumped with all the elegance of a newborn fawn, spinning on your heel to find a head of blindingly white hair and pearly canines equally as eye-burning greeting you via a wide grin. Though you couldn’t see the man's eyes behind those curiously round shades of his, you could picture how his cheeks crinkled his hidden hues at the corners.

If any of the Greek or Roman gods were real, he’d outshine every one of them without breaking a sweat. 

The warming late-spring wind grazed through the fluffy locks of his hair like the delicate touch of a lover’s hands, weaving through the fine strands and carrying his scent to you.

Mixed with the heat of the approaching humid season, you caught faint hints of sweetness, with an underlying minty tone and something you couldn't name. He was too far away for you to pinpoint the exact fragrance, but you had no intention of just skipping right over and shoving your nose against the junction of his neck to get a better whiff.

Or maybe his chest? The way he was slouching made it difficult to gauge his height, but you had a feeling he was a great deal taller than you, and the stout slope you stood on would do you virtually no favors.

The shiver that went up your spine at the thought was promptly ignored.

“Not quite,” the unfairly gorgeous stranger replied with a snicker from where he leaned against the fence, arms slotted between the bamboo sticks. How it held him up without crumbling into dust was a miracle in itself. “But I’m flattered.”

Your pulse pounded in your ears as you placed your hand against your chest, trying to will the wretched thing to calm down. Handling adrenaline was not your forte, much less from a scare like this. With your eyes narrowed, and only partially because of the accursed brilliance that was coming summer, you glared at the man. He was far too relaxed and cocky for your liking, still sporting that goofy grin that had you feeling things you didn’t want to address now.

Or ever.

“Who are you?” You queried.

“I should be asking you that, pretty girl.”

Your nose wrinkled incredulously. “Pretty girl?”

He chose to overlook your objection, instead nodding towards your house. “Never thought I’d get to witness this shithole get bought by anyone, let alone someone like you. Thought it’d get torn down sooner than have a hundred yen tossed towards it.”

Your eyes rolled. Hard. He wasn’t wrong, it was a shithole, but now it was your shithole. The less reminders about its miserable state of existence you had, the better. “Gee, thanks.”

“No problem.”

Completely against your will, you snorted. He was going to be a wonderful source of entertainment, or he was going to be a thorn in your side, just like the sickly sticks under his arms. The jury was still out on it.

You stared at one another for a few seconds that dragged on too long before you raised a brow. “Weeeell…?” You drew out the word.

His head cocked to the side. “Well?”

“Your name. You never told me who you are.” You knew it was polite to introduce yourself first, but fuck that, he scared the hell out of you. The responsibility was on him.

“Oh, right,” he straightened up, then bent forward with one hand to his chest and the other outstretched sideways in an extravagant bow. “Gojo Satoru, the very one and only. What about you, sweetheart?”

Pet names aside, there was a debate in your mind, an argument between whether you should give the admittedly attractive stranger your real name, or create one on the spot. You had done the latter in your later months of running all over your home country like a chicken without a head under the stupid belief that it'd further separate you from the anxieties clinging to your shins. 

You were paranoid. That was easy enough to decipher.

Your conscience had spawned this nerve wracking idea that those you ghosted – from scorned lovers who scarcely got further than kissing you, to the jobs and employers you abandoned suddenly – were after you. 

It left you constantly scanning your 6 from over your shoulder with the fear that they’d come chasing you down, eager to dig their claws into your paper-kite flesh and permanently force you down. You could visualize them tearing through your wings, winding layers of rope around your throat and knotting the dangling strings so tightly that not even the sharpest blade could break through the binds, much less let you breathe. So, you frequently lied about your identity as much as you could.

You inhaled slowly through your teeth, not enough to whistle, but enough to ground you. You were on the complete other side of the world, far away from those who would care to snarl and bare their fangs at your heels as they ran faster than you could – if there were any who desired to at all. You were somewhere new, somewhere unfamiliar, a place where nobody knew you, or could possibly know you by any means.

You told not a soul about where you’d gone. You never did. Like ash in the wind, you disappeared faster than anyone could blink, any memory of smoldering embers long forgotten.

Maybe…maybe you were safe to at least slip forth some truth about yourself.

Like most things you did nowadays, you told him your real name on a whim, and hoped it wouldn’t come back to bite you in the ass.

He hummed as he repeated it to you, as if testing it on his tongue, dipping in for a small taste. Then, that stunning grin returned, and your heart fluttered behind your ribs.

You stubbornly stamped your heel down onto it. You didn’t know why it decided to start acting up, but you were not going to entertain it.

“Pretty name for a pretty girl,” he cooed. “What brought you here of all places? So rich you’re bored? Fell for a scam? One of those girly things?”

You scoffed.

“Or maybe you’re running from something.”

The blood in your veins froze over in an instant, your body going rigid as you stared at him. He…he couldn’t have known, right? The way he stated it, rather than asked – like he knew – had you struggling to swallow, to so much as twitch your fingers. There was no way. You– you were nobody, a blank slate, an outsider–

His head cocked to the side playfully, and the spell he had cast on you withered away as quickly as it came.

Finally able to breathe again, you vented out the air you unknowingly held and turned your face slightly away, hoping he didn’t catch your slip-up. “One of those girly things,” you settled, to which he nodded eagerly, as if you just confirmed the existence of a theory of his that ‘girly things’ were real.

Not that he was wholly wrong, technically, as you did have ‘one of those girly things’ urges from time to time. The desire to cut or dye your hair, pick up a new name, rearrange your room, or hop on a plane to the furthest fucking location you could imagine.

“Why’d you choose this…thing then?” Gojo jerked his chin towards the shabby hut.

“It was cheap,” you answered simply. 

He bobbed his head in acknowledgement. “Where are you staying?”

Your eyelashes fluttered as you blinked at him, your brow knitting. “...Here?”

“...Here.”

“Here.”

There was a brief pause, then he burst into laughter, his arms hugging his stomach. “Oh, god,” he wheezed. Personally, you couldn’t find what was so funny about the situation. “You serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

His finger slipped under the right lens of his glasses, presumably to wipe a tear away as he worked on calming himself down. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Fire flared in your veins as opposed to ice this time. “Hey!”

“I mean, seriously, who in their right mind would stay inside that thing?”

Your lip curled over your teeth in a snarl. “Oi–”

He bulldozed right along, completely ignoring you. “There’s gotta be, like, ghosts in there. Or a shit ton of spiders. Lots of spiders, actually.”

That got your attention. A shudder shot up your back and you squealed in fright, shaking off your hands to rid yourself of the phantom feeling of creepy crawlies on your skin. “Spiders?”

The milky-headed male nodded staidly. “Tons. And, y’know, the other obvious health hazards. I bet there’s asbestos in those walls.”

You opened your mouth to argue that your house had only been abandoned for 20 years, and that asbestos had been cut out of usage some 40 odd years ago, until you remembered that 1) asbestos didn’t immediately go out of use when the dangers were revealed, and 2) you house was abandoned 20 years ago, not built 20 years ago. Who knows how old it actually was? 

Given its appearance…

He must’ve seen the panic on your face, because he gave you a piercing smile, an expression you very swiftly understood was one of scheming. “You should come stay with me.”

The world halted around you for the seconds it took your mind to process what he said. “...Hah?”

“I said, you should come stay with me,” Satoru shrugged nonchalantly. “I have spare guest rooms.”

“I– you– stay with– what?” 

The grimace he gave your house could only be described as ‘execrating’. “I mean, come on, you’re not really thinking of staying there, are you? You’ll be sending yourself to an early grave like that, you’re too cute to die so soon. Just come stay at my place.”

Was he a murderer?

Your brain finally caught up with a click and you scowled. “Oh, yeah, that’s super safe,” you responded sardonically. “New girl in a new town full of total strangers with who-knows-what motives, lemme just go stay with the first guy that invites me to his home.”

“Come onnnn, you can trust me,” he whined, pouting.

“I literally just met you.”

The ease with which he gave up gave you whiplash, having expected him to keep pushing. “Suit yourself,” he shrugged. “Hey, did you know that your backdoor doesn’t have a lock?”

You paled.

Definitely something a murderer would say.

Your head whipped to gawp at your dwelling with wide eyes, a full on war raging through your head now.

On one hand, yes, he was a complete and total stranger. A hot one, but still an unknown entity who could just be buttering you up. Maybe the reason the house had been abandoned for so long was because anytime a new owner came in, they got snatched up by the handsome boy who invited them just like he invited you, never to be seen again.

He could have been lying about the lock – though it honestly didn’t matter, someone could probably just break through a wall if they pushed hard enough on it.

On the other hand, if he was telling the truth (how did he know that? Why?), he was the only person you knew even a little in this itty bitty isolated village (Granny doesn’t count). Anyone could go through that door at night and there you would be, wrapped up in your shitty, thin sleeping bag, prime kidnapping material. You basically did all the hard work by tying your own limbs right up yourself, easiest catch of the century.

At the very least, you knew Gojo’s name and face. Granted, the first item there was debatable, but he didn’t seem like the type to lie about his name – boast about it, more like. You’d be already acquainted with your would-be assailant, so it’d be nice to know the face of your kidnapper-slash-torturer-slash-killer, if only so you could punch a picture of it over and over in your afterlife, wherever death may take you.

You shifted your gaze to him and crossed an apprehensive arm over your chest, propping your elbow up on it while you pinched your chin in consideration.

There he was, the sly rat, wearing that dumb (cute) (no) grin of his as always, patiently awaiting your answer as if he already knew it. Nothing about him seemed inherently dangerous on the surface, but don’t they say serial killers are charming and charismatic people? He was a bit energetic for a murderer, though.

You weighed your options carefully. You could spend another horrid night in your house with the knowledge that there were likely insects everywhere, and possibly even asbestos in the walls, and who knows what else. You’d have to brush your teeth by using your water tumbler again, and…oh, fuck, you hadn’t even thought about the bathroom yet. How were you going to shower? Wash your face? Do your business? 

Then there was your poor excuse of a bed, more plastic than anything even remotely comfy. Same with the pillow, you might as well have been sleeping on the bare ass floor. Your neck ached at the thought. Then there was your food issue, your clothes, your devices…

You sighed.

“What’s the catch?” You questioned reluctantly.

He merely raised his hands in a shrug. “No catch.”

That was way too easy, but the prospect of an actual bed and a tidy (hopefully) homestead was too good to pass up, serial killer owner be damned.

Future you was just getting more and more tasks thrown at her, such as your new objective being to find an inn to live in while you figured out your home issues. And getting a job to afford said inn. But that was for way later, when you weren’t losing your goddamned mind.

“...Fine,” you surrendered. Like a pussy. Weak.

“Yippee!” Satoru cheered, somehow smiling wider. “Good girl, knew ya had a brain somewhere up there.”

Your stomach flip-flopped at the simultaneous praise and insult, confusing your head with emotions (and hormones) that you did not want to unpack. Cheeks reddening rapidly, you hissed at him through a tight jaw, shooing away the kindling something that pooled in your tummy. “You–”

“C’mon,” he interrupted you before you could even start, already turning to leave as he waved his hand over his shoulder, “I’ll show ya the way. Ain’t far from here.”

Flustered, you stuttered indignantly, watching him walk away. You shook your head in defeat and jogged to catch up to him, needing to speed walk to match his ridiculously long strides. “Oi, slow down! You’re too damn tall!”

“You’re just short,” he argued, his hands interlocking as they rested against the back of his head. “Pipsqueak.”

You gasped in offense as if you weren’t at tiddy-sucking height. “I am not a pipsqueak!”

“You totally are,” he purred, treating you like you were some sort of adorable pet. “I bet I could pick you up and throw you if I wanted.”

An unwitting laugh bubbled out of you, and for some reason, you decided to play this frivolous game of his. “I’d like to see you try.”

You immediately regretted it as he reached out for you with a shit-eating expression of absolute delight, making you yelp and race off ahead of him, screeching as he chased right after you.

“Wait, no, don’t!” Your voice rang clear, fright mixed with childlike thrill spreading to your limbs as you scurried down the open road. “I was kidding!”

“Get back here!”

The wind blew past your ears, tangled into your hair, followed the curves of your body as you darted about alongside it. You let it guide you, toy with the fabric of your shirt, cup your face with cool hands. You breathed deeply, and you flew, untethered and free and so overwhelmed.

Somewhere above, beyond the boundless and endless cerulean, a star flickered.

You screamed when you felt his hands pinch your waist, catching Satoru’s devilish gleam as he passed you, and suddenly, you were the one chasing him. He cackled as you tried to catch up to him, taunting you all the way. 

Curse his long legs. 

You wondered how he managed to keep talking so cleanly and easily while you were struggling to maintain your breath and gait.

All those years of metaphorical running, sadly, did not translate into actual, physical running. Air stung your throat, and you only faintly recognized that you were running after him through the village, more focused on keeping that head of ivory tresses in sight.

Yet, somehow, contrary to how concentrated you were on that task, he managed to slip from your view when he turned a sharp corner and seemingly passed through an invisible barrier of some kind. He had to, because when you turned that same corner just seconds later, he was nowhere to be found.

Slowing your sprint into a trot, then stopping altogether, you bowed over and planted one hand on your knee while the other clutched your side.

“Oh, god,” you groaned, your body aching in several places, both internal and external. “I almost regret skipping gym in school.”

Peeking up through your hair to check around, every part of the street you were on seemed innocuous, normal, without any obvious hiding spots Satoru might have jumped into. 

The vertically dominant fucker.

Cautiously, you marched forward, breathing heavily as you took slow steps. The game of cat and mouse had turned into hide-and-seek, and the sucker chose not to warn you. Granted, you would have done the exact same thing, but it was within your right to bitch about it, you were at several disadvantages.

The first alley was clear of anything, even objects. Nothing more than a small gap between two buildings, you doubted he would’ve managed to squeeze in there given how giant he was. Plus, where would he have gone even if he did wiggle into it? 

The next alley was the same story. There was more space, but very little within said space, only a couple crates that were too small to hide him. Again, giant.

Everything, you belatedly realized, was completely uncharted territory to you. You should have listened to Granny and explored the village first. But, if you had, maybe you wouldn’t have a real bed to sleep in tonight. Presumably. You were putting too much faith into Gojo being genuine about the bed – and not being a serial killer – otherwise you were sleeping outside.

“Bastard.” The pain in your hip subsided and you righted yourself, inspecting every direction for any indication of white hair. It would be significantly difficult to hide that feature in an area like this, where pretty much everything had a neutral-dark colored theme, and most people had black or brunette hair.

You wondered why he was towheaded. A question for another day.

He was a magician, or trickster, you ruled, rather than acknowledging the fact that he knew this town far better than you did and likely would for a while to come. 

Grumbles passed through your lips as you stood akimbo, squinting at everything skeptically. “Where the hell–”

“Boo!”

You swear your soul ascended. You could picture the trail it left behind as it rose into the heavens, pulling with it a choked croak of terror from you. The sound could hardly be considered a shout, you resembled a frog more than you did a goat in the screaming department.

Demented cackling erupted behind you as you leapt forward and clutched your chest, swinging around to glower at the boy in utter disbelief. Twice now he had done this. Twice! Beside yourself, you rushed over towards him and smacked his arm repeatedly, which only fueled his laughter. “Dick!”

“Fuck!” Satoru heaved, reaching his whistle register. “Priceless! Oh, my god, you should have seen your face.”

“I’m gonna kill you!” The threat was far less menacing than you wanted when your own voice was as squeaky as his. 

By the time he calmed down, you were both panting – you out of chagrin (and for the sake of your poor heart), and him to get precious oxygen back to his smooth brain. 

“I’m serious about that, by the way,” you pouted at him. “I’m gonna kill you for scaring me. Again.”

He beamed at you and reached to pat your head, but was intercepted by your hand, only to dodge around it and manage to get a few head pats in anyway. “Sure you will, sweets.”

You growled and stomped a few steps away, stopped, then whirled back around when you remembered you had no idea where you were going. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and scrutinized you with that stupid, supercilious visage.

“Go on,” he encouraged eagerly. “Ask.”

The inside of your cheek was going to be sore from how much you were chewing it. You were at an impasse; let him win, or try to find his place on your own. With no idea what it looked like. Or what direction to even go.

You imagined you’d have better luck wearing a blindfold if you tried the latter option. Either way, he was going to win, you could acknowledge that. Conceding and requesting his continued guidance meant handing over his victory on a silver platter, or he’d get some decent entertainment out of watching you try to figure out where the hell he lived.

Gods, you were regretting moving here already.

“Show me how to get to your house,” you mumbled.

The tall freak fake-cooed at you. “Aww, come on, you can do better than that.”

If glouting could kill, you would be slow-roasting him over a grill. In the meekest voice you could manage, you muttered, “please.”

“Hmmm?” He canted closer towards you. “Didn’t quite catch that.”

You could feel your sanity draining like sand in an hourglass. Just to get it over with, you spoke properly. “Please show me how to get to your house.”

The jubilant grin he gave you had you reconsidering that blindfold idea you had. “Better! Good girl, come along, now.”

Oh, your insides could just melt.

No, you argued with yourself as you trailed behind him, reluctantly obedient. You are not getting horny over that, you sad sack of potatoes. You’re just pent up. A pretty boy calls you a good girl and you’re a sobbing mess under your pants.

Pathetic.

He whistled a sharp tune as he lazily led you, weaving around the architecture in such a way that you knew you never would have found the damn place on your own – or find your way back, for that matter. He was doing this on purpose to get you confused just to fuck with you, you knew it. 

You were placing a lot of stock in him not being a murderer.

“Keep up, shortie,” he waved his fingers over his shoulder. “We’re almost there.”

Taking a (albeit mild) hike up a road traveling up the mountainside was not something you expected nor planned for. Now you were lamenting skipping gym. Not that participating more in exercise over a decade ago would help you currently, but at least you’d be able to believe you were stronger than this.

Satoru watched you with no small amount of amusement as you finally caught up to his still figure, lips curved. “Man, you suck at this.”

“I didn’t exactly study hiking in school,” you grumbled, closing your eyes and breathing deep.

“I’d hardly call a walk ‘hiking’,” he commented, and you wimpishly smacked his arm. “We gotta work on your stamina.”

You could hear the smirk and underlying innuendo without needing to see his stupid, handsome face.

“In your dreams, pretty boy,” you muttered.

“How do you know what I dream about?”

Your eyes popped open to glare at the man as he fluttered his lashes and pressed his fingers to his chest. “You’re a menace,” you scowled, ignoring his faux ‘innocence’ in favor of looking ahead.

And getting the wind utterly knocked out of you.

This grandiose mansion was where he lived?

Balking, you stared up at his house from beneath the arch of the moon gate in front of it, taking in the sheer magnitude and extravagance of it, even from just the outside. A variety of leafy trees, well trimmed bushes, and aromatic flowers decorated it in precise symmetry, each individual blade of grass nipped to preeminence. 

There was a garden off to the left, freshly tended to and beautiful with a pond in the center. You couldn’t see what was in it, but you wouldn’t be surprised if koi fish were there as well.

A partially shaded gazebo stood on the other side, right next to a gentle creek that trickled leisurely. A stone table sat in the center, and you could imagine drinking tea in the early morning there, when the sun would hit it at the right angle to warm you up.

The aesthetic was prizewinning; a wonderful, skillful mix between traditional and modern, all incorporated into a house you thought could only exist in one of those style magazines.

How long had it been here? How had it been built so extravagantly? How much did it cost?

All these painfully curious questions, yet, the first thing you thought to say when you opened your mouth…

“You said it was nearby,” you pouted. “This is the other side of town.”

“Eh?” He glanced down at you. “Doesn’t seem that far to me.”

Your index finger flicked the outside of his thigh. “That’s because you’re a walking tree.”

Gojo slapped his thigh in the same spot, beaming at you. “These are good for a lot of things.”

“I’m sure,” the unamused deadpan you gave him had him snickering.

That shit-eating grin was back and he waggled his brows. “I could show you.”

“Pass,” you rolled your eyes, addressing his house instead. “Why is your house so far away from the village? Up the whole ass mountain and everything.”

He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Dunno. It was built here a long time ago. Obviously upgraded over the years, duh, but if I had to guess, it’s because of the hot spring. The rest of the village just built lower down the path for convenience, or they were intimidated by the Gojo name.”

“Hot spring?” You furrowed your brow. 

Nonchalant as always, he nodded. “Yeah, there’s a natural hot spring in the backyard.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say you have a hot spring in your backyard?”

Being the rich boy that he was, he cocked his head to the side and spared you an inquisitive peek, as if to say ‘you don’t have one?’ “Yeah? You wanna see?”

“Uh, yes?” You gawked shamelessly.

Satoru grinned and beckoned for you to follow, and you skipped right along behind him, barely managing to remind yourself to hurriedly take off your shoes at the door. You had to force yourself to be careful and line them up neatly. You also used this chance to eye the obviously rich-people footwear. You wouldn’t hesitate to bet that one pair alone was worth more than one of your kidneys.

All worries of him being a potential monster dashed out the window as you let him lead you through the winding halls to a shoji door near the back of his house – you had to guess, you were not paying attention at all. You were too focused on the expensive decor and feeling way out of place.

The scenery that greeted you as soon as the door slid open had you stopping dead in your tracks in shere awe.

He hadn’t been lying, there really was a hot spring in his backyard. You couldn’t find it in yourself to care about his smug expression, mindlessly allowing him to gently push you forward with a hand to the small of your back.

“Close your mouth, you’ll start drooling,” he teased.

Your jaw clicked shut and you shot him a half-hearted glare before your attention returned to the pool of steaming water ahead of you.

The entire area was gorgeous, honestly. Round stone circles created a path along gravel from the engawa to the basin, which was surrounded mostly by rocks with plants growing between cracks and around the base here and there. Massive pines encompassed the entire area, giving you the sensation of safety and protection.

A trail on the side led somewhere else, winding between mounds of perfectly maintained green terra, though that was of insignificant interest to you at the moment.

An instruction was murmured against the shell of your ear, and you wordlessly and thoughtlessly obeyed. “Look up.”

“...Oh.”

High above, between the gaps in the trees, you had a prime view of the sky, spanning across the ring the forest created, deep and wondrous and so…clear. The brightest blue you had ever seen. If the moon got caught just right, exactly in the middle, you believed magic would happen.

The towering pines kept the area shaded and pleasantly cool, and you were swept away by the urge to sink into the hot spring and let everything else fade away. 

When you lowered your chin to look at him, you found he was already gazing at you, his grin softened to a small upturn of his lips at the corners. He was just so…divine. Moonflower hair framed his face, cottony and fluffy, and though you couldn’t see his eyes clearly through the indigo tint of his shades, you could feel them. They were piercing, capable of seeing right through your skin and witnessing your heart beating as it stuttered and struggled to regain its footing. 

The way he studied you felt so familiar.

An intense watch, pinned directly on you, making the hairs on your nape stand.

You yearned to see his hues without the barrier his dark, round glasses provided, and you wondered if they could rival those of the sky, or the gods’. 

“Whatcha think?” He asked silkenly as he leaned forward and tilted his head to be closer to you.

“It’s beautiful,” you murmured in response without really thinking, the words flowing out of you without your conscious action. “It’s like a dream.”

You weren’t sure if you meant the eden you were brought to, or the heavenly being beside you. Either way, he smiled radiantly at you and nudged your shoulder lightly with his own.

“Wanna touch it?”

Your lashes fluttered as you tried to come back to yourself and not let your mind wander to places you could not reach. “The hot spring?”

“Mhmm.”

It took a considerable amount of effort to tear your eyes off of him and set them back on the cirque of water hidden beneath mist. Like a siren’s song, you slipped on the outdoor slippers nearby and stepped off the engawa, pacing along the stone path. It was smoother, flush with the terrain, unlike the haphazardous placements of the ones you had at your own home.

The pool was milky, tinted with a rich, capri shade, reminding you instantly of a lagoon, or a salt flat mirroring the zion above that went on as far as the eye could see. A miniscule waterfall trickled placidly from the highest outcropping, following the narrow and shallow path it had carved for itself over countless years.

You resisted the urge to cup it in your hands and drink it like sacred nectar.

At the edge, you knelt down and skimmed the tips of your fingers across the water’s surface. Goosebumps broke out across your arm and you shuddered inadvertently. Heat spread over your palm as steam coiled around you, surrounding you partially in a cocoon of warmth. The temperature bordered on the line between too hot and not enough finely, urging you to crawl beneath the water’s cusp and embrace the cradle of coziness.

“Good, isn’t it?” Gojo startled you as he spoke from where he knelt down next to you. He seemed to be proficient at scaring the shit out of you. This close, you could detect his attar clearly, and the last part of his unique fragrance finally fell into place.

Lemon.

He smelled like sweet lemons and mint.

“Yeah–” you squeaked, and cleared your throat to try again. “Yeah, it’s really nice. Like…perfect, actually.”

He snickered and dipped his hand into the diaphanous liquid, bringing it back up to splash it onto your arm. With a cry of mock offense, you splashed him right back, cracking up as you managed to get a decent scoop into his mouth. 

You didn’t know what it was about him. Rightfully, you’d only been aware of each other for less than two hours, but it felt like you’d known him your whole life. The banter flowed easily, the games you hadn’t played since you were so young that you could only vaguely remember, the way he spoke to you, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

No heavy feelings sat on your chest, creaking the brittle bars of your ribcage, filling you with an innate sense of dread and desire to flee and never stop for a second. Nothing of the sort crossed your mind. No rock weighed in the pit of your stomach, no widow’s voice murmured in your ear.

It was just you and him, in a bubble of time where nothing and everything mattered all at once. Every breath you took was meaningless, yet held the weight of the world. Every twitch of his fingers could rest even the weariest souls, or rend the sky apart should he ever care to. 

But he didn’t, and neither did you. 

This pocket-sized domain of serenity you found yourself in brought forth dormant feelings of ease and comfort. 

They didn’t feel like a mask painted on to cover the blooming, spreading bruises under your skin and behind your solar plexus. They didn’t feel like a temporary setup to sate your mind until the panic overwhelmed you all over again.

Rather, they composed a nest of the finest blankets you’d ever touched, let alone slept within. You wanted to crawl in and close your eyes and hibernate, sleep as life passed you by. You wanted to live in this moment forever.

The shoulder of his shirt grew damp where he rubbed his curled lips against it. “Kitty’s got claws, huh?”

“Fangs, too,” your nose scrunched up as you gave him a sly, Cheshire cat smile. “I’ll let you kill me if you let me use your hot spring first.”

“Deal.”

You snorted. “Not even gonna dispute it, huh?”

“I’m assuming the ‘kill’ part is optional here.”

“I won’t push my luck then,” you accepted as you stood up, shaking any excess moisture off your hand. Upon remembering Granny, you pulled out your phone from your purse, tsking at the 47% charge level in the top right corner, then glanced at the time. Midday.

Satoru peeped over your shoulder after he rose up. “Whatcha lookin’ at?”

“Time,” you replied, shooing him away to stop him from being nosy. Not that you really had anything worth hiding. 

Most of the pictures on your phone were photos you’d taken of the outside world during your trips, random things that meant something at the time you snapped the pic, but meant absolutely zip now, or blurry images of animals that refused to stay still for you.

“Granny wanted me to explore the town to get more familiar with it, then stop by for lunch,” your phone locked with a click as you stuffed it back in your bag and continued your explanation.

He whistled. “Adopted by Granny, and on your first day, too? That’s impressive, means you’re special.”

“Eh?” Your brows furrowed in confusion. “Why? She seems like she’d be a nice person to everyone.”

He chuckled as you both headed back into his house. “Granny’s a prickly lady. Don’t get me wrong, she cares about everyone in the village,” he reassured you as he let you step in first and slid the door shut behind him, “but mostly in a ‘I-will-throw-my-shoe-at-you’ kind of way.”

“Huh,” that didn’t sound too far off from Granny, given what you knew, but you had also only met her that morning. “She gave me free food and told me she’ll have a list of handymen when I go back today.”

“Wow. She won’t even let me steal a candy bar from her store, and I’ve known her my whole life. Must mean you’re really special.”

“There’s a difference between buying and stealing, Gojo,” pausing in your steps, you frowned as contemplation came over you. “...Do you think she thinks I’m incompetent?”

“Probably.”

“Gojo!” You hissed at his lackadaisical response.

His hands raised in surrender. “Kidding, kidding! I think it just means she likes you. C’mon, I’ll show you around town.”

Following his actions, you tugged your shoes on while you thought aloud. “I didn’t even do anything. Walked around her store like an idiot and nearly ran into her.”

You stepped out of the house behind him, waiting for his response. You had expected him to laugh and indeed confirm that you were an idiot (which would be twice that day, if you were keeping proper track), or come up with another quip to taunt you with, but he was quiet, pondering something.

“You have this…aura about you,” he eventually responded. “You’re different.”

“In what way?” You approached the topic carefully, wondering if that was a good or bad thing.

His shoulders lifted and dropped. “Dunno, I’m not good with words. You’re just different. You’re easy to like.”

The incline down from his house back to the village was easier than going up it, a slow slope that followed a mild curve. The road was smooth, free of cars. Those you had seen were parked along the streets below, and not often used from what you could tell. The walk gave you time to consider his words.

You’d heard them before, but nobody ever clarified how you differed from others. He said you were likable, so you chose to believe he meant it in a good way. You’d try to pry more information out of him at some point to sate your cautious curiosity.

“How long have you been here?” You asked instead to change the topic, then winced, remembering that he mentioned his family had been here for a long time.

“Eh,” he tilted his hand side to side a few times. “Maybe 15 or so years, including my baby years.”

Oh. Turns out you were…wrong?

“You weren’t born here?”

“No, I was,” he corrected. Ah, so you were. “I just spent a few school years in Tokyo before returning not too long ago.” Sort of.

“Oh, I see,” mindlessly, you took his hand when he offered it to help you step over a gap at the bottom of the hill. His palm radiated warmth, one you missed when he pulled away and continued leading you along. “Why’d you come back?”

“Missed home.” Your gaze met his when he shot you a glance from over his shoulder. “What about you, sweets? Where'd ya come from?” Upon your answer, he nodded. “Came a long way to get here, huh?”

It’s probably best if I don’t tell him why I came here. Not yet. Not ever. “You could say that,” you responded, stopping when he did. You were grateful that he didn’t push the topic.

He pointed towards something, and you angled forward to see around his body, listening carefully as he explained what was where as he guided you through the winding streets.

“Doctor lives there,” you raised a brow at the full body shudder he experienced. “She can get scary when she’s mad. Otherwise, chill person.”

“Noted.”

While you were curious about the doctor of this village, you had no intention of meeting her by ending up in her clinic after doing something moronic, like tripping on those stupid stones outside your front door. Or walking in purely to introduce yourself. That’d be weird.

As he pointed out various family homes, stores, and miscellaneous locations, he listed off names you definitely weren't going to remember anytime soon. You found it endearing that he knew everyone and shared some tidbits of gossip with you – “Auntie Furiko lives there and she totally has a grudge against Mirio-san for stealing her man.” – and he even imparted some knowledge about a few historical places and things in the village, such as the bridge over the river having been built some 400-odd years ago. 

“It was originally built as a passage that only allowed humans through,” he explained. “Back then, cursed spirits were a common thing, so the founders here created a path that had a sort of invisible wall that cursed spirits and objects couldn't get through. Like a curtain.”

“Huh,” you responded plainly as you examined the bridge. “Couldn't the spirits just go through the river?”

His candytuft hair fluffed as he shook his head. “The veil goes around the entire village, the bridge was just there for convenience's sake,” he cocked his head towards you. “But those are just legends and stories. There's plenty of tales about jujutsu sorcerers that could see the cursed spirits and eradicate them. Some people still believe cursed spirits and sorcerers are a thing, and blame disasters, like earthquakes and tsunamis, on them.”

You raised a curious expression. “Do you believe in that?”

Satoru shrugged. “To me, it’s like believing in ghosts or demons. Even if they are real, there's no way they'd beat me,” of course, he said that last bit with full-bodied, unadulterated confidence. “I'm the best.”

A fond snort escaped you. An egomaniac as a new friend(?), that seemed exactly like the kind of trouble you'd get yourself into.

Your eyes shifted over to peer at the Wayo Kenchiko edifice situated higher up, reminding you of the wonder you felt when you first saw it.

You turned fully towards it and tugged on Gojo’s shirt to draw his attention to it as well, your interest taking precedence as you regarded it. “Hey, what’s that?”

“Hm?” He followed your line of sight. “The temple?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s technically a shrine,” he clarified. “It was built when the settlers first got here, dedicated to the wolves of the mountains.”

You squinted at him. “Wolves?”

He nodded eagerly. You never would have guessed him to be somewhat of a history buff. “Yep. Wolves are like…guardian dogs. They’re long gone now, but way back then, it's said they hunted alongside the settlers. Wolves are seen as messengers for mountain gods, so people would pray to them for safety, good hunts, and good harvests.”

You nodded as you followed along. “So you guys primarily farm here, then?”

“More or less. Though we do get a lot of imported stuff from the neighboring city, like the things in Granny’s store. We do mostly exports there. It’s where a lot of the people in this village work.”

“Really?” You frowned slightly. “Isn’t that city, like…an hour or so from here?”

He acceded and tilted his head to the side. “Yeah, why?”

“Just seems like a far way to go for work.”

Gojo shrugged as he started walking again, leading you further into town. “Keeps our village alive and well. We gotta keep up with the times, ya know?”

“Suppose so,” you acquiesced. “What do you guys farm here?”

“Ehh, rice and soya, I think,” the teasing twist of his lips had you preemptively rolling your eyes. “Surprised you didn’t know that, girlie; moving to a new place you know nothing about seems risky.”

“I didn’t exactly spend my time digging into the dirt of every single person here, y’know.”

He snickered. “I have dirt on everyone. You want some gossip?”

You huffed. “I’d rather meet someone first before you air their dirty laundry to me. I wanna have an unbiased palate.”

“Oh, so you want to meet the people in this lil’ valley of ours?”

“No,” you replied automatically, then pressed your lips tightly together at your minor flub. “I meant– it’s not– I’m just not–”

His boisterous laughter cut you off, simultaneously making your eye twitch and relief flood you.

“Relax, pretty girl,” he patted your head and you scowled. “I’m just teasin’ ya.”

“I’m seriously going to kill you.”

“Cute,” he crooned, and you groaned.

By the time you two walked up to your kind-of-not-really-grandmother’s shop, you were starting to become familiar with this particular section of road. From here, you knew how to get ‘home’, something you were dreading a touch. You weren’t looking forward to seeing the catastrophe that awaited you.

“And this is where I leave you for now,” he stopped with you in front of the store.

You frowned minutely, an uncomfortable pang of disappointment settling in your chest. “You’re not coming in?”

“Nah,” Gojo shook his head. “Got stuff I need to do. I’ll have someone pick you up from your house later, once you get your stuff. Gimme your phone for a sec.”

Your brows knitted together as you pulled out your phone and unlocked it for him. His fingers grazed yours as you passed the device, causing you to shiver at the temperature difference. They were so warm – or maybe your hands were cold. The touch lingered on your skin, your mind clinging to the tiny wisp of sensation.

The screen of your phone coming back into your line of sight brought you back from mildly zoning out. Almost uncertain, you took it back from him and peered at the screen to see what he did.

You snorted.

He set up his own contact in your address book, making it extra flashy and everything, too. ✨❤️Satoru❤️✨ graced your sight, and you couldn’t help but feel like that wasn’t the first time he had done this, the flamboyant clown.

“There,” he grinned. “Text me when you’ve got your stuff from your place.”

Stuffing the device back into your purse, your moue returned. “You want me to bring my shit to your house?”

His brow raised in response. “Uh, yeah? Were you just gonna leave it in that drab hut?”

“Well, I just thought I’d get a room at an inn or something tomorrow, so I don’t have to bother you.”

The usually bright expression on Satoru’s face fell somewhat, his voice taking a earnest tone when he said your name. The back of your neck tingled at the chime of your name passing through his lips. “You’re not a bother. Seriously, I have more space than I know what to do with. You can stay at my place as long as you need, I insist.”

His change in demeanor threw you for a loop. There was something lying under the surface of his countenance, hidden under layers of a façade wrapped too tightly around his inner being for you to ever hope to see what was beneath. The switch from goofy to sincere struck you as odd, and while you could have jumped back on the ‘he’s a psycho’ train of thought, his insistence didn’t resemble that of a hunter panicking about losing his prey.

Rather, it stemmed from a genuine offer made out of concern for your wellbeing. Sure, he could have been hiding some intentions (he definitely was), but he did show you the path to his house, convoluted as it was, at least some of its interior, and even the hot spring carved behind it. When you mentioned Granny, he seemed amused, rather than worried, and showed you around these confusing and interesting backwoods.

Thinking about the whole mess you had gotten yourself into, what with buying a house in a province you knew nothing about, and your limited funds, an uneasy heaviness sat in your gut. If he was suggesting an option of solace and shelter while you figured your shit out, you had very few reasons to decline.

A bit too readily, perhaps, you set aside any preconceived notions you had about him being suspicious and nodded. “Alright. Thank you, Gojo.”

“Just Satoru is fine,” that smug visage returned, all earlier signs of sobriety fading as quickly as they came. He turned back towards the way you came from, waving over his shoulder lazily. “See ya later, sweets.”

You spied on him for a while, until he disappeared around a bend, and sighed. Considering everything that happened so far, you surmised you were in way over your head.

The doorbell to Granny’s store pinged a sweet tune as you stepped in, finding the familiar scene nearly untouched from before. The air inside was pleasantly cool compared to outside, encouraging you to relax.

“Granny?” You called out as you stepped further in, glancing down the first aisle. “Are you here?”

“Ah!” The woman you were searching for called out from a separate room, appearing through a door you hadn’t noticed at the back of the store before, carrying a bento box. “Perfect timing, I finished that list for you.”

She beckoned you towards her as she rounded the counter, setting the bento box down on top of it and digging around for something under the tabletop before straightening and holding out a sheet of paper for you to take. Your fingers closed around the yellow notebook sheet and you peered down at the writing. 

You silently thanked her for having a neat hand, as you were a tad rusty on your hiragana.

A row of names spanned down the paper, along with numbers next to each one. She had also included their specific occupations, making your life that much easier. 

“Those are some folks in this village that can help you out. Unfortunately, most of them work in the city, so I fear you might not be able to fix up your house so soon,” Granny noted solemnly as began untying the beautifully designed furoshiki wrapped around, presumably, your food. “Let me call up a friend to find you a place to stay for the time being.”

“Oh, n-no, it’s fine, Granny!” You raised your hands in front of you. “I actually found somewhere to stay.”

She raised a brow at you. “With whom?”

The nervous laugh you let out was meek and not very reassuring. “I, uh…ran into Gojo Satoru, and he offered to house me. I was gonna find an inn, but…’

A perturbed expression morphed her stern features. “Really? Little Satoru offered to house you?”

Little was a gnarly stretch on her part, considering Satoru easily dwarfed both of you. “Is that bad?”

Granny sighed and shook her head as she finished undoing the cloth. “Not necessarily. He’s a troublemaker, that one, but…well, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him invite someone who isn’t one of his close friends to stay with him before.”

“Huh,” Your lips curled downwards. Were you actually so unique that he treated you differently than others? “He’s a bit…” You fumbled with your words, trying to find the right description. “Dramatic, for lack of a better word, but he showed me around and said he’ll have someone pick me up later.”

Her movements had slowed as she kept her eyes on you while popping open the box, studying you. She grabbed the pair of chopsticks in the lid and held the food towards you, which you took without fuss and with a quick ‘thank you’. The length of silence was beginning to unsettle you, so you tried to cover it by taking a bite of the katsu she prepared for you.

And maybe groaning tacitly because, fuck, was it good. Astounding, otherworldly, you would bet easy money that no 5-star restaurant could compare to Granny’s cooking.

Eventually, she spoke again, albeit puzzling you. “It’s no wonder you caught their attention. You are a beautiful, bright young woman.”

Your chopsticks hovered mid-bite. “‘Their’?”

“Mhmm,” the older lady nodded and tsked fondly as she grabbed a hand towel and wiped down a portion of the already spotless surface under her hands. “There’s two of them.”

A pin could drop in the room and it’d be deafening with the silence created by your shock. “There’s two Gojo’s?” 

Her amusement turned into full blown laughter. “No, but there might as well be.” she corrected herself. “Those two are stick at the hip–”

The jingle of the bell over the door and the call of someone cut her off. You turned to watch as an attractive woman with mid-length brunette hair stepped into the room, carrying a box in her arms. Were all the people in this town contemptuously stunning? “Granny, I got the–” she stopped promptly upon seeing you. “You’re new.”

You nodded and your pseudo-grandmother introduced you. 

“I see,” the brown-haired girl said with a nod. “Well, nice to meet you. I’m Ieiri Shoko, your local doctor and mortician. Just call me Shoko.”

So, this was the doc– wait, what?

Your eyes widened. “...Mortician?”

“Correct,” Shoko grunted as she dropped the hefty box on the floor with a grunt. “Which means you shouldn’t do something stupid or piss me off unless you want to end up in my morgue.”

Now you had two reasons to fear her, counting Satoru’s warning. “Duly noted.”

Your gaze followed her as she reposed against the nearby wall, crossing her arms over her chest. “When’d you get in?”

“Last night.”

“Helluva place to settle,” she commented. “What brought you here of all options?”

Settle.

I’m not so sure about that.

You chewed another piece of katsu and swallowed before answering. “Population. I’m not a very big people-person.”

A smile lifted her lips and she exhaled through her nose. “You and me both, girl. If you wanna be as far away from mass civilization as possible, this is the best place to be. Second only to going nomad and living in a forest alone like a witch.”

She sighed wistfully, and you had the sneaking suspicion that part of her yearned for that kind of lifestyle. “Looks like you’ve thought about it before.”

“I have, but this town is full of idiots that need me, or they would have died a long time ago.”

“Shoko, be nice,” Granny scolded half-heartedly, though you could spot the amusement in her eyes.

“What? I’m not wrong,” Shoko averred as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. 

Just as she went to open it, Granny swatted her hands and gave her a scathing glare. “Not inside, Shoko. Really, go outside, at least.”

The doctor/mortician grumbled as she stuffed the box back where it came from, giving Granny a weak stink eye. “Anyways, welcome to this miniature province of ours, girl.”

“Thanks.”

“Mm,” she acknowledged, then began a lecture. “Avoid the west trail that goes past the village boundary and up the mountain. Nothing bad there, just has this weird smell to it. Probably haunted by some shit,” Shoko informed you. “Also muddy half the year. Grandma Ai can and will talk your ear off if you stop for more than a second. Good luck getting away from her if she ever catches you.”

You munched slowly as you listened to her advice intently. In any of the cities you stopped by, there weren’t really any communities – not like this, anyway – so you were fascinated by the dynamics these people displayed.

Yes, you were wary, sure, but learning about the town’s intricately interwoven families and neighbors didn’t mean you were getting close to anyone. If anything, it meant you could avoid attachments.

…Right?

Yes. Right.

“–Wednesday is trash collection day, but you might have to bring your trash closer into town if you’re too far out. Oh, and don’t go to the park on Thursday nights–”

You blinked yourself back into full awareness. Your safe haven the park was off limits now? “Wait, why?”

She humbled you with a deadpan that had you straightening your back, imploring you to obey. “Aoi and her boyfriend like to fuck there on Thursday nights.”

“Tch,” Granny clicked her tongue, glaring at Shoko. “Don’t be so crass. We have a guest.”

“Ah, don’t worry,” you waved off her concern. “I don’t mind. I appreciate the forewarning. Besides,” your lips curled into a playful smirk aimed towards Shoko, “I like when people are straightforward.”

She returned the grin with a sly one of her own. “You and I are gonna get along well.”

Similarly to Satoru, speaking to Shoko was easy. It felt like you were reconnecting with old friends – friends you knew when you were unfledged and barely remember anything about, but the link was there.

She nodded as your conversation concluded and pushed herself off the wall, evidently needing to return to where she came from. “Well, if you need me, you know where to– ah, wait, you don’t.”

Shoko patted down her body, presumably in search of her phone or a notepad, but you reassured her hastily. “No, it’s fine! I do, Gojo showed me around earlier.”

Her head whipped up so quickly, you worried she might have snapped it when you heard it crack. “Oh, god, you already met that idiot?”

The short laugh you let out was undignified. “Yep. He’s very noticeable.”

“You can say that again,” she grumbled. “Please don’t tell me he did something dumb and embarrassed himself, or weirded you out. Don’t pay attention to him, he’s just like that.”

“Well, he said I could stay at his place since the house I got is in…less than favorable condition.”

She stilled on the spot, her brows slowly coming together in a visage of utter confusion. “...What? He said you could stay with him?”

“Is he a murderer?” You questioned, only half joking. “I knew it.”

“No, no, he’s not, he’s just…” She turned her gaze to Granny. “Did you know about this?”

“I’m as surprised as you are,” Granny responded.

Your tummy shifted uneasily. “Is…that a bad thing?” You knew Granny said it wasn’t earlier, but you had to ask again.

“No, not really…” Shoko was not easing your nerves whatsoever. “Just unusual.”

“How come?”

She pulled her lips to the side in consideration. “Gojo Satoru is someone who…likes to hide things.”

“Oh, so he is a murderer.”

She demurred at your conclusion. “Last I checked, no. Regardless, he can be kind of a dick sometimes, so don’t take any of his more outlandish shit to heart, yeah?”

You bobbed your head loosely, your mind already off creating heinous conspiracy theories about your benefactor. “Yeah. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Mm, it’s no problem,” she approached you and held out her hand. “Gimme your phone, I’ll give you my number. You can text me if he tries to pull some shit with you.”

Getting a strong sense of déjà vu, you handed her your phone and watched as she punched in her number, then called her phone to get your number as well. Yours was back in your hands in record time, contact set to just her name.

“There. I gotta head off for now, it was nice to meet you, girl,” Shoko waved to you and Granny as she disappeared through the door.

Soft huffing from behind you had you peek at the woman. “What?”

“It’s nothing,” Granny appeased. “Just seems you’ve had an eventful first day here, no?”

“No kidding,” you mumbled, pouting when you saw that you had finished your food. She took the empty box from you, pleased by it being practically licked spotless. “Thank you, it was really delicious.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed your meal,” she nodded. She must have put a lot of effort into it.

A thought occurred to you then. “Granny, do you know where I could possibly get a job?”

She raised a brow at you. “You want to work?”

“Well, yeah,” you scratched your cheek. “I’d try to find a job online, or the city, but I don’t really know what kind of work I can get with the first option, and I don’t have a car or anything for the second one.”

Her fingers cupped her chin in consideration. “How about you work here?”

“In your store?”

“Yes,” Wait, that easily? “I could always use more hands here. I’m getting up there in age, and my hands ache often. You’d be helping me a lot.”

“Are you sure…?” You gave her a concerned mien, subconsciously flicking your eyes down to her hands. “I don’t wanna take from you more than I already have.”

Granny merely brushed away your worries. “Nonsense. I could use the company, too.”

Okay, now you were starting to get suspicious. Things were lining up too well.

Well, you weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, but considered keeping your guard up.

“Alright,” you agreed, if somewhat hesitant. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Granny’s expression was heartwarming. “Wonderful! How about you take a week or so to settle in, then you can come start when you’re ready?”

“Well, I can start sooner. If you need the help anyway.”

“How about a few days?”

Stubborn old lady, you loved her already. “Fine, a few days,” you conceded, soughing. “Thanks again for the food, Granny. And for the job. I should probably get my stuff from my place and bring it to Gojo’s. You’ll be okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, dear,” she shooed you away with her fingers. “Go on, now. I’ll see you soon.”

The warm air raised goosebumps up your arms as it swept over you upon leaving. It smelled distinctly sweet, a natural fragrance you quickly became fond of, enjoying it wholly during your walk back home. It had been shorter this time, the transition from defined road to coarse, packed dirt closer to town than you remembered it being.

What you were not fond of was your house, however. Your spite towards those stepping stones leading to the door growing worse as you avoided tripping over them again. The stench upon opening the front door also blew you back, making your entire face scrunch up.

“Why did I do this to myself,” you grumbled as you cynically walked in. Daylight made your perception so much worse. Every flaw was practically highlighted in bright, blaring white.

You mulled over convincing Satoru to just let you live with him and forget this damn thing ever existed to begin with. 

Discovering your luggage where you left it, you cringed. It just kept getting worse. The floor was sticky everywhere. With what? Who knows. Did you want to know? Abso-fucking-lutely not. It took you less than a fraction of a second to decide to abandon your sleeping bag where it was. 

Like hell were you going to peel it off the tacky wood, let alone use it again. Not like you needed to if you had somewhere to stay anyway, right?

Since when did you become such a wastrel?

Ugh.

With a shake of your head, you rescued your suitcase and luggage bag, letting them feel the same fresh air you could. It was the little things in life that made you so grateful for this pristine oxygen. And the bigger things in life that made you extra grateful, like Gojo Satoru and his stupidly large house. 

Bless him for giving you the opportunity to sleep in an actual bed, rather than suffering in the outdoors. Him being a sneaky skunk notwithstanding.

Welp, here goes nothing. You tapped his contact, then the bubble under it. You were just going to assume he knew who was texting him.

This is the start of your conversation with ✨❤️Satoru❤️✨.

You, 16:24

Yo

Got my stuff

Alright, now you just wai–

✨❤️Satoru❤️✨, 16:24

(＾▽＾)

give it 10

The fuck.

Emoticon aside, the instant reply caught you off guard. Didn’t he say he had things to do? The day was just full of wonders, huh?

Ten minutes went by fast when you pulled up some random bad fanfiction to scroll through mindlessly. Your attention was drawn away from the half-written mess when a black sedan rolled up in front of your property, and you whistled low. 

Why the hell was a rich boy like Satoru living in the sticks and not in some penthouse in the middle of Tokyo?

A spindly figure climbed out and bowed at you politely, hands clasped together in front of him. His voice was wispy, light and reserved. “Pleasure to meet you, miss. My name is Ijichi Kiyotaka, Gojo-san requested I bring you to his residence.”

Ah, he seemed so nervous. Poor guy.

You nodded, choosing not to comment on it. You were intimate with the feeling and didn’t like others pointing it out, you figured he wouldn’t, either. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

He shook his head as he popped the trunk and helped you tuck away your luggage. “It’s no trouble at all. Though, admittedly, it is nice to not have to drive far out this time.”

“Oh?” You questioned as he opened the back door for you and oh, my, were those leather seats? The car was lavish both inside and out, and probably cost more than you and your shoddy lil’ shack combined. You waited until he got into the driver’s seat, taking the extra few seconds to admire the car that you definitely should not have been in as it was clearly too high class for you, before continuing. “Do you usually have to drive to the city?”

“Yes,” Ijichi confirmed, starting up the car with a smooth purr that you barely heard. Leave it to the wealthy to find the best of the best in any category, uncaring of prices. “I’m normally just a chauffeur for the Gojo household.”

You bobbed your head in understanding, peering out of the tinted window to watch everything move by. The traditional architecture was beautiful, something you admired. It made your house stick out a bit like a sore thumb, considering the more western design; you pondered why it was built like that.

The twisting road leading up the mountainside began and ended all too soon, the whole trip lasting less than 5 minutes total, your destination completed with Ijichi parking outside of the mansion.

Ever the gentleman (though, he might have been resolute in helping you with your belongings directly due to fear of some kind of punishment looming over his head), he took your things and led you into the house. “This way, please. I’ve already set up your room for you.”

“Oh, thank you,” you murmured, taking this chance to gawk at everything more properly. Frankly, it smelled rich inside, you didn’t want to think about how expensive even just the vase on the coffee table was.

The sliding of a door signaled your journey’s end. Ijichi bowed and ushered you inside first, though you kind of wished he went in before you, because you were positively floored and most definitely seemed like an idiot with your jaw hanging open. What the fuck? Satoru said this was a spare room? You were expecting maybe, oh, I don’t know, normal guest room things?

Not the epitome of a deluxe hotel for fuck’s sake. The room was at least twice the size of the one you slept in yesterday, the bed was glamorous (queen size, too, Christ), the bedding laid so nicely that you debated sleeping on the ground a second time, just to avoid messing it up. Especially because the fluffy rug at the foot of the frame was so downy, you wanted to drown in it. 

There’s no way this was real. Someone had to have been playing a joke on you. You spun to watch Ijichi as he carefully set your suitcase and bag against the wall by the door, waiting for him to rip the proverbial, and likely not fluffy, rug from under your feet.

Instead, he bowed once more, eyes closed. “Should you need anything, you may call for me. The restroom and bathroom are on the right when you exit. Please, feel free to bathe, if you wish. Make yourself at home. Gojo-san is out right now, but will be back by evening.”

You barely stuttered out a semi-coherent thank-you as he left, sliding the door shut behind him and leaving you in this splendor.

Surely this was a joke. You dreaded the inevitable turn, expected the door to open to a cackling Gojo Satoru as he wheezed his lungs out and pulled some ‘I can’t believe you fell for it!’ bullshit.

But it didn’t happen. 

For however long you stood there, staring holes through the closed entrance, nobody came to reveal this was all an elaborate joke, with you playing the unsuspecting and dumb victim. You laggardly let out the breath you had been holding and poked around the room with cautious hope. It really was spectacular, but you truly wondered how long Gojo would let you stay here.

By the gods, you were tired of thinking, though, and a shower would be heavenly. You could worry about everything after you were scrubbed dirt-free.

…Assuming you wouldn’t get jumped in the shower instead of the bedroom.

“You’re being paranoid,” you scolded yourself under your breath as you opened your suitcase to grab a change of clothes. But, really, could anyone blame you? You were sure someone else would have felt the exact same way you did.

Unless they were a professional freeloader or something.

Your soap and tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner were so sad compared to everything else around you. You should have checked if Granny’s store had any bath products.

The bathroom was just as luxurious and fully stocked as everything else in this damn estate. Dark, rich wood encompassed the room; a sink was to your left with a sparkling mirror above it, an open shower to your right towards the back, and the chef-d’œuvre of it all: the sunken bathtub at the end. A frosted glass window was situated behind it, shades partially lowered to allow natural light in through the bottom.

Fuck, you were so out of your depth.

But were you going to deny enjoying such riches at least once in your life? Hell no.

You turned to set your stuff down on the counter space by the sink, glancing towards the row of very expensive bottles of different types of cleansers lined up against the wall, and the note in front of them. 

Grasping it, you saw it had your name on it, written by hand. You flipped it over to see the short message left behind.

These are yours, use them as you please

~Satoru ♥

Ohoho, fancy products you could only ever scowl at forlornly at the store whenever you saw them, fantasizing about using them, though ultimately being shunned by the price tag? Fuck feeling apprehensive, you were damn well going to use those and indulge in feeling and smelling like a queen.

You’d never stripped faster in your life. You barely had half a mind to fold your clothes somewhat neatly and set them on the counter, rather than scattering them all across the floor as you stumbled out of your socks and hopped to the shower on one foot. 

Even the millions of knobs and stall-less design couldn’t deter your avidity, each one subjected to random twisting until you figured it out.

As soon as the bottles were on the recessed shelf under the showerhead, you loped under the hot water and groaned, planting your forehead against the cool wall whilst it poured down your back. You practically turned into putty, all your sore and tense muscles unwinding noticeably. The shower pointed out exactly how sleeping on the floor in your own house jacked up every part of your body, because ow. 

You honestly believed you could stand there forever, reluctant to leave, but that bathtub was calling to you.

So you grabbed the body wash first and flipped it over to read the label.

Oatmeal and almonds. Mmmh sweet fuck, you could dissolve into a puddle. It smelled heavenly, and you were giddy out of your skin knowing you were about to smell like that, too. It felt so silky-smooth on your palm, the perfume automatically coating you as you rubbed it in and savored the sensation. You didn’t think you’d ever be able to go back to normal, poor-person soap without lamenting the loss of this.

You can’t miss what you don’t know, and boy were you going to miss this if you had to leave it behind. Satoru did say it was yours to use and keep, though, didn’t he? Maybe you could yoink them when your place was all fixed up and you had to leave.

Suds coated your body in a thick layer of iridescent, white bubbles, flowing down the planes and curves of your figure with the water, rinsing every bit of your body to superb asepsis. Your hair had never known such extravagance when your fingers glided right through your locks, leaving them soft and addicting to touch. You understood now how Satoru’s was that fluffy.

You wanted to touch his hair, too.

Shaking your head to shoo away any very wholesome thoughts, you squeezed the excess water from your hair and turned off the shower, shivering at the sudden chill now that the perpetually toasty mist wasn’t surrounding you anymore.

Careful to avoid slipping, you tip-toed over to the tub and knelt down beside it, reaching for the handles. Hot water burst forth from the tap, rushing to fill the basin, and you noted how deep it was, contemplating if your knees would peek out from the surface if you sat with them bent. You had to be extra vigilant to prevent falling asleep in it and drowning.

You could drown after you got to take a dip in the hot spring in the backyard. Of course, you’d prefer not having to drown at all, but if you had to choose, you’d opt for the hot spring.

Daydreams of swimming in it played behind your eyes as you sank into the tub with a delighted sigh. What tranquility, lucking out like this. You didn’t know what god to thank, if any, but you’d happily grovel on your hands and knees to show your immense gratitude. Just getting a chance to live (well, bathe) in splendor for a single day was enough to fulfill some innate, deep desire you had inside.

Now that you had a moment away from the hectic day, you let yourself recount everything that happened, and question how the hell you got here.

Not 24 hours ago, you had arrived, a poor fool that nearly kicked the bucket on your own front porch, and since then, you were sort of adopted by a grandmother that fed you instead of throwing her shoe at you, met an eccentric, wealthy man who took after a deity ripped straight from mythos, and landed yourself not only a place to stay, but a place with said deity.

“What the hell…” You mumbled to yourself as you lowered yourself until only your eyes remained above the water, blowing bubbles. 

How did you get here?

Was this some sort of punishment? Give you a taste of the blest, then wrench it away from you? Karmic cruel and unusual castigation?

You grumbled underwater and lifted your head back up to breathe. Of course, you couldn’t help being paranoid, all of this was way too good to be true. Like some sort of game show–

Oh, god–

You sat up pin-straight and covered your chest, scanning the bathroom ceiling and walls for any hidden cameras. You scoured every surface, squinting extra hard to spot potential blinking lights or unusually-reflective circles.

Nada.

You went boneless, lounging against the back of the tub as you exhaled heavily.

You had probably been in the bath too long. Your fingers were starting to get pruny, and your brain all jumbled up with anxiety and skepticism.

Sluggishly, you pulled yourself out and dried off while the tub drained, pulling on your clean clothes with a relieved hum. You couldn’t remember the last time you treated yourself like this, if ever. 

You heard someone speaking from beyond the hallway, so after dropping off your old clothes in your room, you ventured out through the living room, where you found none other than your savior, chatting away with someone on the phone. He turned to you and instantly lit up.

“Ha-hey!” Satoru grinned and waved you over after quickly ending his call, laughing through his greeting. “You got here safe?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, moving to sit beside him at the kitchen island. “Ijichi-san is good at his job.”

The towheaded boy snickered. “Good, or else I would have flicked his forehead.”

“So, you’re the reason he looks so anxious all the time,” you scolded him, then apologized. “Sorry, by the way. I didn’t mean to drag you out of your conversation.”

“Bah,” he brushed it off. “No big deal, wasn’t anything important. So, settling in okay? Seems you already got familiar with the soaps ‘n’ stuff I got you, yeah?”

You nodded eagerly, lifting your arm to sniff at your wrist. “They smell so good, where did you get them?”

He planted his chin on his palm. “Nowhere you can afford.”

Your eyes narrowed into a sharp, unamused glare. “Wow, thanks.”

His cheeks crinkled his hues, and you realized he was still wearing his shades indoors. The glare of the sun no longer turned them into mirrors, allowing you to partially see through them, but the deep ocean hue of the lenses prevented you from deciphering the exact color of his irises.

What an abnormal choice of glasses. You knew people wore circular shades – they made them for a reason – but all the people you’d seen wearing them could never pull off the style.

Satoru was different, though. They suited him flawlessly; refined and dignified, yet boyish at the same time, just like the bearer.

“Let me know when you run out,” he said. “I’ll get you more.”

You jolted in surprise. “Oh! No, no, it’s fine! I’d feel bad using them all up, I don’t want to imagine the price tag…”

He pouted at you. “Why? You saw the note I left you, didn’t you? They’re yours, I got them specifically so you could use them.”

You worried your bottom lip. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t do anything I’m not sure of.”

Well, that’s all you needed to concede. “Alright. Thank you, I like them a lot.”

His moue instantly turned into a brilliant, cheek-aching smile. “I’m glad! Had me worried I picked the wrong stuff.”

His giddiness was contagious, making you giggle. “No! Not at all, I’m just– I’ve never seen the brand before.” It being a Japanese brand notwithstanding.

“Well, duh,” he rolled his eyes as he hopped off his stool and sauntered over to the fridge. “They don’t sell this kind of stuff in normal stores.”

“Where’d you get them from, then?”

“Made Ijichi fetch ‘em.”

You sighed heavily. “Poor guy. You work him to the bone, don’t you?”

He humphed as he withdrew something from the fridge – bento boxes, you recognized. He placed one down in front of you, and took his spot at the island back. “He’s fine. Gets paid well. It’s not like I make him go to the city for every little whim I have.”

You huffed as you pulled off the lid to your box, your mouth instantly salivating at the food within. You barely had the conscious thought left to clap your hands and murmur ‘itadakimasu’, as well as mentally slap yourself when you recalled that you had forgotten to do the same with Granny. 

You were able to restrain the moan of delight this time, unlike in front of the old lady, but damn was it hard to.

“Fuck…”

Gojo cackled beside you. “It’s good, I know.”

“Who made this?” You questioned, hand covering your mouth as you chewed. Ijichi must have been a good chef, too.

The man gave you a cocky smirk. “I did.”

…Hah?

You regarded him flatly, disbelieving. “Funny.”

“I’m serious!” He glowered.  “Is it so hard to believe I can cook?”

“A little,” you confessed around a bite of sausage. “Rich boys don’t usually know how to cook.”

His gaze pierced directly through you, brooding as he stuffed his mouth. “I’m never gonna cook for you again, just for that.”

Oh, so he was gonna do that? 

Hm, might as well play along.

You set down your chopsticks and turned to face him, slapping your hands together as you lowered your head to beseech his mercy. “Please, O’ Honored One, Gojo Satoru-sama! Forgive this witch her foolish words!”

He lifted his chin, judging you through his round shades with the pretense of a king adjudicating his subject’s worth. A few seconds passed before he nodded in approval. “Better. You’re forgiven.”

“Yay,” you laughed, immediately going back to eating. “It is really good though, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” he responded, virtually inhaling his serving – not that you were any better.

“Where’d you learn how to cook?”

He swallowed and paused, speaking a fraction softer. “My mom taught me.”

Maybe a touchy subject. You noted it as something to not approach, instead choosing to compliment them both. “She taught you well.”

The boxes were empty in the blink of an eye, and you were both saying ‘gochisousama’ with a satisfying puff.

He grabbed the chopsticks and both boxes, placing them in the sink and filling them with water. “So you did research Japan a bit, eh? Knowing our customs.”

“I believe it comes with the territory of learning the language, yes,” you hopped off the stool, reclining against the counter. You winced minutely when your spine popped.

“How long have you been speaking Japanese?”

“Ehh,” you tilted your hand diagonally a few times. “I learned it a while back. I was studying abroad at the time. Didn’t really know it’d come in handy now, though.”

He dried off his hands with the hand towel nearby and cocked his head to the side. “Oh? You weren’t planning to move here?”

“Not…really,” you shrugged and rubbed the back of your neck. You had to tip-toe this line of conversation carefully.

He grinned, leaning forward to meet your gaze head-on as if he had just hit some sort of jackpot. “So you are running from something after all.” Fuck. “Well? What is it? Mafia?” No. “Loan sharks?” No. “Robbed somethin’ big?” No. “Exes?”

…Sort of.

“Let’s go with exes.”

“You’re quite the mysterious woman,” he chuckled low, voice taking on an evil little rasp. “Makes me wanna open you up.”

You batted your eyes, your brain lagging as your cheeks heated up because what the fuck, real men weren’t supposed to be this hot, and you were not supposed to be this asthenic in the knees just because he had a handsome face and an absurdly attractive voice that decided to say the most deviant shit.

“And you’re a terrible, terrible man, Gojo Satoru,” you admonished to cover your nonplussed emotions. 

“Mhm, mhm,” he nodded in complete agreement. “I’m a terrible, terrible man that decided to take you in out of the goodness of my heart.”

You sighed. “You’re going to use that against me, aren’t you.”

“Absolutely, I’m never letting you live this down.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, earning yourself a smirk hidden poorly behind an offended scoff. An oddly domestic sentiment perched in your center, just beneath your breastbone. A decent meal and the slow end to an intense day had you yawning behind the back of your hand. 

He yawned after you, the action infectious, and moped like a kid that wasn’t ready to go to bed.

The emotional weight of everything was coming down on you, and you craved for nothing more than to pass the fuck out under those incredibly plush and cozy looking blankets.

“Think that’s our cue,” you grumbled and rubbed the corner of your eye with your knuckle. “Or mine, anyway. I’m ready to conk out and sleep for, like, a century.”

He chuckled lazily, the noise husky and low. It wasn’t particularly late, no, but you felt like you’d been struck with a bus filled with mental and physical tax collected over a great deal of time. He waved you off, turning to strut down the hall opposite of the one you came through, and left you with a still cheery farewell.

Finally.

You well-nigh sprinted back to your room to nab your toiletries and sped through your simple nightly routine, impatient and antsy to dive into that queen-sized mattress. It’s not that you disliked Gojo’s company, quite the opposite, actually, but you were tired.

Usually, you tried to put off sleep until your body gave out in the early hours before morning, uncaring for the dreams that inevitably spawned, no matter how little or how much sleep you got.

But now?

Those sheets were hailing you.

You couldn’t brush your teeth quick enough. Your face was practically still damp with your moisturizer as you dived under the duvet and keened. You’d never known such opulence in your life.

Your legs kicked with glee as you snuggled in, squeaking and curling on your side and clutching the fabric of the blanket tightly in your hands to ensure it went nowhere while you pranced around in dreamland. Heaven. Pure and simple. Heaven with the fragrance of new pin laundry and your body wash, that held your head on the coziest lap, that hugged your form and incontinently coaxed you under the waves of hypnotic slumbering.

Comfort surrounded you. The mattress underneath you was the ideal level of firmness, the blankets were warm without being overbearingly hot, and being in such a neat environment swiftly lulled you into a far easier and more satisfying sleep than you’ve had in a long time.

banner by cafekitsune ♥

[yonemurishiroku]

Yeah I was having too much free time and the realization has descended upon me about how much unbelievable sense it makes if Luke were to replace Nico in HOO.

Knowing about Camp Jupiter? - Yeah Idk ab you but like. Alabaster Torrington, former Lieutenant of the Titan Army, is literally out there wielding an Imperial Gold sword. Also Saturn's throne was attacked by the legionnaire. Surely there are many pieces missing but I mean the picture is there.

But how come Luke can become the Ambassador like Nico did? - You guys call Luke a manipulator all the time. He has the tongue he has the skills he has the charm. He'd be fineeeee

Also I reckon Luke vs Octavian might bring a fun dynamic to the stage idk. Former villain vs New Villain. Both with a diplomatic tongue and blonde hair and blue eyes--- Percy's gonna have an aneurysm.

Treading the Tartarus looking for the Doors of Death? - Luke's basically a (godly) federal criminal. He could have been banished to Tartarus. And who knows maybe he could have found his old shoes floating across the hell site that somehow helped him survive for all that time---

Nemesis helped Nico? Well, Nemesis is Ethan's mother and Ethan once sided with Luke back in the day, I wonder how she'd have reacted----

"The Twins wouldn't want Luke" - Well well welll. What if they did intend to take Nico but Luke somehow switched their places/ replaced him bc he refused to let the kid be a prisoner? What then?

Percy making Nico promise to lead them to the House of Hades? - Double angst bc now it's Luke - who led many demigods astray once. Would Percy have the heart to trust him? Would a promise be enough against all those times they had stood on two sides of the war?

Leading the way to the House of Hades? - Think about it. Luke's basically dead. He's a ghost. His father is also the god of traveling. Surely he can have some kind of instincts that guide him through the halls of the dead.

Transporting the Athena Parthenos? - Again. Son of Hermes, god of travel. Look me in the eye and tell me there's no plausible way Luke Castellan could have some sort of teleportation spell that magically blips them a thousand miles away.

And the best thing in all of this, is that Luke actually has the personal motive to fight Gaea.

For Nico, it's more like kindness, the "If I don't do this, those I love will die" - which is sweet, alright, but also quite universal. Luke has more than that. Luke has actually a personal reason which is he has committed the same mistake once. He brought Kronos upon them and only managed to kill him by killing himself. He sacrificed so much for the demigods' sake and now Octavian wants to raise Gaea to doom all of them? He was the one who allied himself with the monsters only to receive the bitter ending, and now Octavian intends to repeat the same mistake?

Try telling me Luke wouldn't want to rip the guy to shreds and blast Geae into pieces. I dare you.

Also obviously the hype of getting a friend-turned-foe turn ally again. How would Percy and Annabeth react? How's Thalia gonna react when Luke comes across the Amazons + Hunters when on his way transporting the Pathernos? Dammit I'd eat that shit up as if I've been starving since the day I was born.

[reidbae]

Lose Control

summary: Spencer has liked you for a long time, but has always been too shy to say anything. When he excuses himself from the room to touch himself to you, you finally confront him.

pairing: sub!spencer reid x dom!fem!reader

warnings/mentions: mention of crime scene/murder, afab!reader, oral sex (m receiving), vaginal sex, masturbation (m insinuating), breeding kink, mommy kink, use of y/n before smut but use of mommy, miss, and ma’am during smut, degradation (m receiving), praise (m receiving), crying from pleasure, hair pulling, choking, roughish sex, office sex

a/n: needed to get this out of for prince charming reid lol, hope you enjoy <3

wc: 2.1k

¡cred to garvezs for the gif!

You were in the BAU’s round table room, flipping through the file of the case that you and the team were currently working on. Derek was standing, discussing the latest crime scene.

“He’s getting bolder. Look at these pictures. Coroner report says this victim was killed in the alley that they were found in,” said Derek, pointing at a photo from the latest crime scene.

You nodded absentmindedly, trying hard to pay close attention to what Derek was saying. However, your gaze continued to drift to a certain brunette genius across the room, who’s gaze was lingering on you, too.

Spencer was sitting on a chair across the table from you, hands in his lap as he attempted to listen to Derek, too. Yet, out of the corner of your eye, you felt him staring at you, and it wasn’t tiny, innocent glances. The man was looking at you with a much more intimate look.

“It’s not just a dump site anymore. He’s devolving,” Emily pointed out simply, sighing as she looked over some of the pictures in the case file. “He knows we’re on to him.”

“Maybe it’ll push him to make a mistake,” you chimed in, looking over at Emily as Spencer’s gaze continued to linger on you.

Derek and Emily continued to talk about the case as Spencer’s eyes continued to pierce through you, his gaze becoming harder and harder to resist returning. Eventually, no longer able to handle the staring, you looked up at him, to which he immediately blushed.

You weren’t afraid to maintain eye contact for as long as you could, spending the next few minutes practically eye fucking him as he grew redder and you grew more curious.

The team had constantly teased the two of you about getting together or about Spencer’s alleged crush on you (Particularly Derek). However, the both of you had always deflected these comments. Up to this point, you hadn’t thought much of how many times his eyes had drifted to yours, or how he blushed the second you walked into the room. Now, you weren’t so sure that was the best idea.

“You guys okay?” asked Hotch suddenly, breaking you out of the trance the two of you seemed to be in. Spencer suddenly stood up and took a breath.

“I’ll be back,” he muttered, before hurriedly rushing from the room.

The rest of your team members turned to you with confused expressions, and you shrugged. Hotch then spoke up, suggesting, “You should go check on him, Y/N.”

You stood up from your chair and agreed, then, too, walked out of the room.

It had taken you a whole of ten minutes to finally find Spencer. You had looked all around, and finally came to a vacant office down a hallway to the left of the BAU’s elevators. You opened the door, and your eyes widened at what you saw when you did.

Spencer was standing behind a desk in the office, pumping his hand up and down his cock, red in the face and breathing heavily. When you opened the door, he looked up at you, immediately looking embarrassed.

“Y- Y/N?” Spencer stammered out, blushing even further, which you didn’t think could even be possible.

You immediately closed the door behind you, locking it and cocking an eyebrow at Spencer, looking him up and down. “Is this what those stares were about?” you teased.

“I- I,” he tried, but sentences were failing the poor boy. You chuckled, stepping closer and looking down at his throbbing, red cock. God, is this really what you did to him?

“Answer me,” you demanded, walking around the desk so you were directly in front of him now. You may have been shorter, you noticed as you looked up at him, but you still knew exactly how to assert your dominance.

“Yes,” he breathed out, looking at you apprehensively.

You smirked up at him, then suddenly wrapped your hand around his cock, moving your hand slowly. He moaned out, biting his lip. At this reaction, you immediately stopped, and he whimpered.

“All those times you run off with no warning. Is this what you went to do?” you curiously questioned him. He didn’t answer and looked away from you, and when he did, you grabbed his face, turning him to face you. “Tell me, Spencer. Is this what you went to do?” you repeated.

He shyly nodded, and you smiled, speaking up again. “You’re always so tense around me. Why didn’t you didn’t come to me about this before?”

“I didn’t know what you would say,” he admitted in an honest yet shy tone.

“And you thought that working it out like this would, what, make it go away?” you teased him further, trying to understand where he was coming from.

He shrugged. “Maybe,” he whispered.

You pulled him in again, this time more gently, your faces inches apart. You could see that it was taking everything in him not to lean in and kiss you. You wanted to help him along.

“You’re smart, Spencer. You know things like this don’t just go away. Let down that guard of yours for me, huh? Just lose control, sweetheart,” you cooed, and that was it for him. After gaining the confidence, he kissed you hard, cupping your cheek with his hand. You leaned into it happily, running your fingers through his hair.

After a few minutes, you realized that, below, his shaft was still out, and an idea immediately crossed your mind. You pulled away from Spencer, smirking up at him, then looking at the office chair that was behind him.

“Sit down,” you instructed. Spencer immediately complied, sitting down and waiting for you to speak. You sat on the desk and crossed your legs, no doubt making it so that Spencer could see up the revealing skirt you were wearing.

“So obedient,” you whispered, smirking. “And so needy,” you continued, reaching down and touching his cock for a second, which was already slick with precum, then retracting your hand. He groaned at the contact. “Touch yourself for me, sweetheart. When I tell you to stop, stop, and if you don’t, I’m walking directly out of this room. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he panted out, face flushed.

“Go on, then. Do what I told you to,” you demanded. Spencer eagerly listened, beginning to jerk himself off again. You couldn’t help but admire the view, feeling your own wetness build up between your legs as he whimpered and moaned below you. His hair was a mess, his cheeks were painted red, and his mouth was open, pants falling from it. He closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

You didn’t approve of this and shook your head. “None of that, sweetheart. Look at me,” you instructed. He obeyed and opened his eyes, staring directly up at you again.

After a few minutes of Spencer continuing to touch himself, you finally told him, “Stop.”

At first, you thought he wouldn’t, but he proved you wrong and moved his hand away, waiting for your next instruction. You smiled down at him, then got off of the desk, standing in front of him and cupping his chin.

“Good boy,” you praised, smoothing your thumb softly over his chin as he smiled up at you. You slowly sank to your knees in front of him, putting your hands in his lap. Spencer let out a small gasp at this.

He said your name when you did this, like he needed to process who was doing this to him, but you shook your head.

“Mommy,” you instantly corrected, and he went red. Testing the waters for any sign of a mommy kink from Spencer was risky, in your opinion, but, to your rapture (and immense pleasure), he breathed the word back out to you, then huskily asked, “What are you doing?”

“Giving you what you want,” you said, pumping him up and down a few times before wrapping your mouth around his cock, moving your head up and down as he panted out above you.

“Fuck,” he moaned out, covering his mouth to stop himself from moaning too loudly. You pushed your head further down his cock, gagging around him. He was finding it more and more difficult as you worked around his cock, groaning and whining.

You used your hands at the base of his cock as your tongue worked with his tip, slowly but surely lapping up the precum that was there. You used spit to moisten his cock, then lowered your head back down and continued to blow him.

You made eye contact with him as his veiny hands gripped the arms of the office chair he was in. He was a whimpering mess above you, your sultry eye contact only allowing this face to endure.

“M- mommy,” he stammered out. “I’m close.”

You smirked, removing your mouth from him as you continued to move your hand up and down his shaft, staring up at him with an erotic expression. “Yeah?” you breathed out.

He nodded, looking down at you with a pleading expression, as if he wanted to ask you something.

“What’s on your mind, sweet boy?” you cooed.

“C- Can I- Can I finish inside of you?” he shyly asked in between breaths. “Please?”

You smirked at his question, then stood up and yanked your panties down and pulled your skirt up. Normally, you’d make him beg a bit more, but you had to admit that you were incredibly aroused, too, and you needed this as much as he did.

You straddled him in the office chair, then lowered yourself onto him, groaning out at the feeling of his large cock inside of you. You began to slowly ride him, relishing in the feeling as you let out moans of your own.

You began to quicken your pace as needy whimpers fell from Spencer’s mouth. “You feel so good, miss,” he whispered, red in the face. “So, so good.”

You smirked, then leaned in and began to kiss his neck, sucking gently and leaving marks behind. You yanked his hair back as you rode him, biting his neck all at once. Spencer groaned out as your teeth sank into him, hands instinctively roaming to your waist.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Let me hear you,” you encouraged him in between kisses, continuing to suck fervently on his neck. He easily obeyed, continuing to moan and mewl underneath you.

When you pulled away, you chuckled at the view underneath you. Spencer, who already looked a mess, had tears streaking down his face from the amount of pleasure you were ensuing on him. You gripped his neck, choking him roughly as you continued your movements.

“Crying for me, huh? What a slut,” you spat out, holding him in place and forcing him to look at you. He whimpered at your degrading word choice, but you knew he absolutely loved it.

You used your free hand to wipe his tears away, stroking his face. Your gentle behavior only lasted for a moment. You moved your hand away from Spencer’s neck and into his hair as you moaned out, your climax approaching. You tugged firmly, biting your lip.

He looked gorgeous underneath you, his lips red and plump as wrecked moans of your name fell from his mouth.

“Louder. Want the whole fucking precinct to hear how much of a whore you are for me,” you prompted. He let out a whimper as you continued to ride him, the both of you chasing your highs.

“M- mommy, can I please come?” he begged you desperately. Only because you were close, too, did you agree.

“Come, baby, come,” you allowed, releasing just as he did. He filled you to the brim with his cum, moaning loudly and gripping your waist as he did. You reached your own high as waves of pleasure rolled over you, yanking Spencer towards you by his hair and capturing him in a heated kiss.

You pulled away from him, panting loudly and smiling.

“That was…” you breathed out, giggling. He was still buried deep inside of you, but you refused to move.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, smiling back at you and planting a sweet kiss on your lips, holding you close to him.

“I don’t have to ask if you like me back, then?” he joked.

“I think you already know the answer to that.”

—

requests are accepted :)

—

[incorrect-hs-quotes]

tunglestucj

tentacleTherapist: Conventional morality is nowhere near cringe enough to be based. You agree.

centaursTesticle: I am going to liveblog my attempt at solving this obscure statisti% conundrum you have definitely never heard of

twinArmageddons: oh yeah, the Ob2cure 2tatii2tiic2 Conundrum, weve all 2een iit. ii have 2trong opiiniion2 on the obviiou2 ea2y and 2iimple way iit 2hould be 2olved, 2omehow

tipsyGnostalgic: i need. 2 fuck that old man.

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

cuttlefishCuller: [Twenty-post long reblog c)(ain arguing about politics wit)( a stranger in stubborn defiance of t)(e obvious fact t)(at t)(e stranger is not reading a single word s)(e’s saying]

carcinoGeneticist: HERE’S MY TAKE ON THE LATEST CHAPTER OF THE CURRENT WILDBLOW SERIAL THAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO BLUR YOUR EUES AND SKIP PAST BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T FOUND TIME TO READ ALL FIVE MILLION WORDS OF THIS COOL THING YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED ON.

gallowsCalibrator: WH4T 1F [TH3 MOST D3R4NG3D SH1T YOUV3 3V3R H34RD 1N YOUR L1F3] 4ND W3 W3R3 BOTH G1RLS?

tipsyGnostalgic: dnt forget i need to fuck that. old man. please

caligulasAquarium: [automatically generated link to a post on some ideologically extreme underground social media site wwith ten users that he uses instead]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

turntechGodhead: god every single thing about my life situation sucks so fucking much i want to cry and now you do too

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

adiosToreador: [rEBLOGGING THAT LAST PICTURE OF A BIRD,]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

tipsyGnostalgic: that old man. u know. what i need.

gardenGnostic: heres today’s doodle :) [outlandishly beautiful piece of original art which gets seven notes]

ectoBiologist: only posted eighteen spicy takes about gender today, so here’s a new one i just came up with. is this anything.

timaeusTestified: Hey, wanna look at this pornography that somehow hasn’t gotten taken down by Tumblr yet?

arsenicCatnip: :33 < [a pun so bad she gets put in the fucking troll hague]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

turntechGodhead: [picture of a bird]

arachnidsGrip: [21st re8log on the politics re8log chain where everyone is talking past each other and has zero intention of persuading anyone]

tipsyGnostalgic: i need to FUCK that old man. wht do you mean hes dead

gallowsCalibrator: WH4T 1F 1 FUCK3D TH4T OLD M4N. 4ND W3 W3R3 BOTH G1RLS.

[rhiezus]

“ you… don’t like me very much, do you? ” // woori x taehun pera ai mandei errado mas vale duas tb !

of all the people in the world to be on a date with, woori never imagined she would end up with taehun. she was eager to meet him ever since she knew she could and she planned the words on her mind a few times, a casual encounter like one they both never knew that could happen. instead it was a little bit orchestrated by her and his very own ex. but it definitely wasn't suppose to go like that, none of it was, this had to be the worst first date ever. she was already embarrassed enough about it, did he even had to call it out loud? woori didn't knew if he gained points for reading her mind or if he lost it for the very same reason, regardless she wanted to go home and yell at nicky on the phone for ever convincing this was a good idea in the first place.

it all started when nicky and woori met at 1night a few months ago, the connection was instant. woori always dreamed of making nicky her friend because she really admired her ever since she saw her on television for the first time, she started following her on instagram and then just waited for the perfect opportunity to introduce herself, turns out that wasn't even needed because apparently nicky also followed her so it was destined to be. she might already be drunk when she mentioned how much she loved her relationship with taehun, they laughed a lot that day and she doesn't even remember why. the important thing to notice it's that the conversation didn't stop there, they continued to talk and meet often for drinks, gossip and shopping. they even got clicked having lunch which made people question if woori was gay, to which both of them a laugh. but that very same rumor was the one that set woori on the path that she founds herself now. after nicky questioned why she wasn't dating anyone to which woori replayed that it was hard to find someone like taehun just laying around, making her friend say something like "well, then have the only taehun that exists.".

conversation comes and goes now she is here, fumbling her first date ever. like ever. not only with taehun. she didn't want to sound like a loser by saying that through a text so she never said at all, worst come to it she just thought they might met for sex and that's it. but no, he actually wanted to get to know her and that came as a surprise, so much so that she started acting weird which might have gave him the impression that she wasn't attracted to him. how could she even let that happen? she once dreamed about his shirtless scene on the tv show he met nicky. now they were walking back to his car on silence, she kept looking through the bushes and buildings, thinking someone might capture a picture of them even though they were walking a bit apart from each other. still, that was enough to make an article about how she was a homewrecker, going after her friend ex's. was that was she was worried about? well, she was twenty, famous and never had a boyfriend, she was worried about many things.

"look... let's get back into your car." she avoided the question for a few minutes, until they finally crawled into his car. thankfully he was parked in a private place so there was not the possibility of undesirable viewers in sight. now finally sited, woori took a chance to look at taehun behind the wheel. that's when her anxious mind started racing, as soon as he came to pick her up, looking incredibly dashing driving his fancy sports car. making her doubt if she was ever enough to his standards. now, thinking about it, she didn't know how could she be so stupid in the first place. she was way more famous than him and way hotter, she had the upper hand from the start. the very thought made woori laugh, hard and loud. well, to him if she wasn't weird enough before now she was not only weird but also crazy. "oh my god! i don't know why i'm laughing. i'm an idiot and i'm sorry." she fumbled through her words, looking at his worried face made her want to act. when she finally controlled her laugh, her body half jumped from her seat and her head found his, close enough now to taste his breath with a smile still on her face. "i do like you." then her lips met his in quick peck, she didn't want to open her eyes again so she kissed him again, for real this time. the kiss a little rushed but it was a damn good one, he was just great at it was she imagined he would be and afterwards they were both hot and messy. "do you believe me now?"

[queen0fm0nsterz]

I was thinking about the old LN1 character bios and remembered the line about the Twins being "born to be chefs". Assuming their not native to Nowhere, this would mean they had some violent tendencies before becoming residents, like it was their destiny.

This then made think about the end of tson ep 3 where Otto says the something like "Our world isn't the only world, let alone the predominant one".

All this made me realize that the worlds other than Nowhere may have been created by it (The Nowhere is implied to be sentient in it's own right) specifically to create concepts and injustices that could be used to warp and traumatize children, turning them into visitors and then into residents.

Thoughts?

Alright so this is a great question that I think leads to a much larger discussion about how the Nowhere operates. I would like to hear what other peeps think as well.

So, starting from the Chefs. Personally I always assumed that they are part of that group of characters who are from the Nowhere because of the way their description is worded (and also their baby pictures... this one is so cute lowkey...)

--- But following your train of thought: considering what we know of the Nowhere, it seems to amplify certain characteristics of a person, usually the bad ones. Two kids who are a bit propense to get into fights in the waking world may very well become blood thirsty maniacs in the Nowhere.

Interestingly, the modification of traits does not only apply to personality but also the body -- and usually, the physical changes are in relation back to said traits. For example, the Teacher - someone who is known to be controlling - can extend her neck infinitely to look everywhere and have the ability to blink removed to make sure she's always watching. The Doctor, a perfectionist with tons of authority, is always looking down on people while also growing enormous to match his ego. So on and so forth, you can follow this reasoning for a large number of the Residents we meet.

I think other timelines derivating from the Nowhere is definitely a possibility, as we don't know much of how the universes work there.

The general theory of a multiverse irl is that no timeline has any specific weight or importance over others; they are all parallel no matter how different, with no timeline being "the real one". This is if we view the Nowhere under the lens of it being a separate dimension. In TSON, the Nowhere is kind of implied to be sucking the people most vulnerable to it right in, so perhaps the idea Otto has of it the predominant world stems from the fact that he can't explain his fascination with it... or from a real, genuine desire to somehow "return" to the original land, if that's where the other timelines originated from.

HOWEVER, I would like to offer an alternative perspective on this --- based on what I found out during my research on the Ladies. Yup we're going there again

Rather than the characters themselves, this time I'm going to refer to a symbolism that is very prominent in their lore: Buddhism. More specifically the references to the six planes of existance, and how those can be tied back to Little Nights in a loose way. As stated in this site:

" The six realms of rebirth are a schema in which beings are reborn according to the kind of life they lived. [...] The animal realm, in which inhabitants are driven by basic needs, is one of the three “lower” realms. The other two are the hell realm, a place of constant suffering and torment, and the realm of the hungry ghosts, grasping beings who are never satisfied. The three “higher” realms are the human realm [...] the demigod realm [...] and the god realm, where beings enjoy a life of pleasure. It’s important to note that some Buddhists view the realms as literally real, while others interpret them psychologically as metaphors for the emotional states of the human condition. "

(Click on the link to read the whole thing; I only highlighted the parts I think are relevant to this conversation :] )

What I believe specifically relates back to the Nowhere are the three lower realms, from which the place itself may be loosely inspired by because of how its inhabitants are described.

All of these are things we see in Little Nights from various Residents, depending on the social class and place. It is important to note that while these realms are placed in different hierarchies due to quality of life, they all cohexist together without necessarily being more important than each other as they all have the same purpose in the end.

If the worlds of Little Nights operate in a similar way, then what we're looking at is not really a case of dimension hopping, but rather a passage from a plane of existance to the next. A forced one at that, at least in the case of Noone.

Now, considering Otto's assumption, the idea of the Nowhere being a predominant realm only popped up because he was trying to wrap his head around it and how Noone felt, but to tell you the truth, it is a rather baseless assumption considering he's never been there and is only experiencing it in a very limited way. However... considering how many children from different places in time and space have experienced the Nowhere, sometimes even simultaneously, I wouldn't say that it's completely wrong to assume that the place might be the "original plane of existance".

Now. Reflecting on what you said at the very end, I would like to ask a question back: do you think the Nowhere is, hypothetically, only capable of bringing out the worst in people inherently? Or is it only acting this way because humanity itself is more easily conditioned to fall victim to their bad traits?

I've been recently thinking about it because of the Maw. The writer of Little Nightmares, Mr. Mervik, has stated multiple times over the years that the place has not always been the way that it is; at the same time, he also said that it was not man made, but rather created by collective hunger/desire to be fed. These two things don't make sense together unless you assume the Maw was not originally born for the Guests and the whole cannibal business, but rather from a desire of shelter. A need to be fed. Which is not inherently a bad thing -- and it would explain why the structure itself is so largely built to house so many people, and why children still feel relatively safe in it to this day.

So I find myself thinking that perhaps, the Maw degenerated overtime because the people inside of it (cough its leaders cough) did. And if this is the case for the Maw, who's to say it's not the same for other places? The Nest, for example? The School, the Hospital... etc. But. It is also true that the creatures who inhabit the Nowhere (the Ferryman, the North Wind, the Flesh...) all seem to have their own interests and destructive amusement more at heart than anything. If these creatures are what move the large of the Nowhere (which I guess they are considering the eye symbol is all over the goddman place), then the human will can't really do much.

That being said, I am wondering currently if it could be possible for the Nowhere to bring out something good from a person in the right situation. At the same time, the hopes are incredibly slim. Nonexistent, actually, but it's nice to think about hypothetics.

[cherrylng]

Memory of Muse 2000-2004 [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

From the first visit to Japan to the 2004 Japan tour. How did Muse grow up after seeing them up close? We look back at how Matthew, Dom, and Chris were at that time, with some interesting episodes.

Conversation◎Yoshika Horita & Kaoru Abe pix Yoshika Horita

Yoshika Horita and Kaoru Abe, who had close encounters with Muse while working for Avex as their official photographer and interviewer, respectively. We asked them about their most memorable episodes, not only during their visits to Japan, but also during the many times they interacted with the members during on-site interviews. Please enjoy their memorable talks, which convey the individual personalities of the members, as well as their nostalgic memories.

[2000/First visit to Japan] Horita: I first met the three of them at ON AIR WEST. They were like three dark and friendly guys from the countryside, whispering in hushed tones about everything. They have very thick accents to begin with, so you can't hear them very well when they talk like that. Dom is the type who consciously tries to speak properly, so his English pronunciation is clear. Matthew is like a muffled machine gun and speaks very fast.

Abe: He wasn't so nervous at that time. He was being interviewed while lying on a gorgeous couch at Avex (laughs). Basically, [to them] it was like "I'm on a field trip!" and it was so pure.

Horita: At that time, they were accompanied by a manager who found them and was like a father figure.

Abe: Yes, it was like they were a local family. The show itself was very good, and they already had a certain style, but their usual behavior was not up to the level of their ability at all. Even in Tokyo, if they were to walk around Harajuku or Shibuya, they would look a bit out of place (laughs).

Horita: The way he dressed (laughs). I liked Matthew's cyber look at the time, but his shoes looked like something an old man would wear, and his denim was cut off at the hem! The uniqueness of Matthew's fashion came out at that time. But Dom is a bit of a fashionista. He was choosing what was appropriate for his height and weight. Chris doesn't care at all.

Abe: He (Matthew) talked a lot in the interview. He talked a lot about how they started the band because there was nothing to do in the countryside...... He talked a lot about things like that. But he would get bored in the middle of the interview (laughs). Then the three of them would get together again and start whispering in hushed tones. They didn't really have anything profound to say.

Horita: At that time, we even went to a music store to look at effectors.

Abe: It was their first time in Japan. 

Horita: Dom is Matthew's personal interpreter. Whenever Matthew needed something, he would call Dom and be like “Dom-Dom, Dom-Dom, you know....“ He always says “Dom-Dom” twice in succession (laughs). There was also a classmate of theirs named Tom (Kirk), and the four of them were originally best friends, but Tom went off to college and didn't play in the band. But they continued to be good friends, and eventually became like an external coordinator for Muse. You see, the world is closed, so they need that kind of existence (laughs).

Abe: Matthew is a little bit different. He is rather shy, so it would be difficult without Tom. Well, he's about as shy as I am. ...... So shy people interview each other and get interviewed by each other....... It's the worst (laughs).

Picture: Matthew cools off with a mini fan given to him by a fan. He said, “Back then, I would have gladly used any gift from my fans.”

[2000/Summer Sonic 2000] Horita: When Matthew had blue hair. Chris got a tattoo in Japan after his son Alfie was born. I went with him to Harajuku, and we went into a store owned by a very seedy foreigner, and he got it done by a female assistant who said she had just started working there (laughs). I was like, “Oh my God, are you sure this is a good place to get a tattoo?" She showed me a font sample book, and I just put the letters exactly as they were in the book. I wrote “Alfie” as “Zaibu Ryo” (在父良/Father-in-law) in big letters at ....... But he looks so happy!

Abe: That doesn't exist, does it? (laughs)

Horita: Matthew seemed to be very interested in it. I think that's why he let Chris try it out (laughs).

Abe: I didn't do any interviews at that time. I did see Summer Sonic, though. I remember they were already playing “Plug in Baby” at that time. It was the first show of the morning, and it was on a grand scale. It was so hot that I almost collapsed, but I heard that Matthew almost collapsed too.

Horita: Speaking of Summer Sonic, Coldplay['s Chris Martin] and Matthew were talking backstage at the Osaka show. Then one of the tour managers at the time asked me to take a picture of them. I was like, “Hey, let's take a picture now!“ And I thought to myself, “Well, Coldplay is in a higher position than Muse.“ They didn't really know each other that well, but Matthew, who was shy, talked a lot. Matthew is a very cunning guy (laughs), and he will go for anyone who benefits him or interests him. He is a surprisingly calculating man (laughs). Also, maybe it has something to do with the fact that his grandmother is a medium, but he seems to have a divine power or something out of the ordinary. There is a little bit of evil spirituality in him (laughs). It's great because that kind of thing is sublimated into the music!

Picture: At Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, where we stopped by during the Osaka performance. These two are always a set.

[2001/London coverage] Abe: At that time, they did two days at the Brixton Academy and it was a great success. I think I went to see both days.

Horita: The first day was just the day I arrived or something, so I just went to see the show without any equipment. Matthew backstage was very funny. I think there was a tax accountant or someone in a suit there, and he was talking seriously about something like, “From now on, I'll take care of the money!“ As I said earlier, Matthew is very calculating and businessman-like. Their previous manager was someone who looked like someone from the industry, so I guess he thought he would be taken advantage of if things continued like this.

Abe: With all the money they had, they also bought a house to share among the three of them [Note: Presumably they're talking about Matt, Dom, and Tom's time of living together]. So, because of the formalities involved, we arrived very late to the hotel where the interview took place (laughs). During the interview, Matthew and Dom talked about the house all the time.

Horita: It was around this time that they suddenly became aware of themselves as members of society...... A tax accountant and a house! The next time I interviewed them in London, they had already moved to a different house (laughs).

Abe: Oh yes, it was a house with a studio. On the second day in Brixton, they had 2ManyDJs [aka Soulwax] in the afterparty, and it was Matthew's birthday party. 2ManyDJs at a live venue were still cute back then (laughs).

Picture: Matthew is not much of a drinker, but these two are the type that drink until morning. Chris in particular is the type that is easy to get along with.

[2001/performance in Japan] Horita: This was the time when the dark side of Muse was in full bloom. They were selling out at once, they had money coming in, and they had more than enough talent, especially Matthew (laughs). The number of groupies increased to the point where I wondered, “How many groupies are there nowadays?“ (laughs).

Abe: Chris was a serious guy and never played around...he lost his wedding ring at a show in 2004 and turned blue.

Horita: Oh yes, once Chris got very drunk and lightly kissed someone. The next day he was depressed and said, “What have I done? I'll never get drunk again!“ (laughs) It was painful to watch, but he was so cute.

Abe: Yes, he was. He really cherished his wife. Did he have his fifth child this year?

Horita: Yes, yes. His wife is a very plain, ordinary person. She is very different from Matthew, who is now a celebrity (laughs). Dom is a mystery! Even if he cheats on me, I feel like I'll never find out.  On the other hand, I don't think he is clean for sure.

Abe: Come to think of it, Dom is always clean [i.e. hygienic]. Chris is always clean, too. But Matthew never takes a shower even when he is sweaty at a show. (Laughs) Even when they play until morning.

Horita: Matthew's eccentricities are many. They were staying at the Nikko Hotel at the time, and when we were in the cafe on the first floor, he came down from his room in his hotel gown and slippers. When the hotel staff was upset with him, he told them that he was “dressed in African formal wear“, and they forgave him (laughs).

Abe: He had a look on his face that said, “If I say this, they will never be angry with me.“

Horita: He was once scolded for suddenly playing the transparent grand piano displayed at Kawai Omotesando without permission (laughs).

Abe: Well, even if he did that, it still looks good, in Matthew's case.

Horita: The thing about Matthew is that he is easily drawn to things like “white pianos” and “transparent pianos.” It's simple and cute in that way.

Abe: He likes to play the piano as soon as there is one. He must think “I'm so cool!” playing it more than the guitar (laughs).

Horita: On the piano, he can play Chopin and other pieces right away, but he's not actually that good at it. But on the guitar, even though he is so good, his movements are unique.

Abe: Speaking of Matthew, he always went back to the hotel after rehearsal. Dom and Chris stayed at the venue. I don't know what it is like now.

Horita: Yes, and that sometimes caused him to come back to the venue about 10 minutes before the show started, which made the people around him nervous. I don't know what he’s doing, but I really want to go back!

Abe: Is it some kind of ritual to concentrate?

Horita: Some kind of ritual to bring down the god of live performance? After all, he is a spiritual person (laughs).

Abe: Maybe he’s preparing confetti to be taken out of his pockets during the show (laughs).

Picture: The pass from the 2001 Brixton Academy show in London, which was attached to Abe-san's press notebook.

[2003/Reporting in London] Abe: Before [the release of] “Absolution,” we were in London again for an interview. At that time, they had a confident but calm impression. They took a long break before making the album, and all three of them had that good feeling. I would say that all three of them had grown up while still maintaining an aura of being rock stars. They also set up our own studio. It was just a renovated flat.

Horita: Yes, there were computers and office desks in one room, and a huge pile of equipment in the next room. There was a grand piano, so it was not small, but there was no table or anything like that, so it was just a place for recording as a hobby.

Abe: But he said he went there three to four times a week.

Horita: What surprised me was Matthew's new car. It was a very nice [Toyota] Solara, the kind of car that only [Japanese] yankees drive nowadays, and it was a white convertible (laughs)! It had a tachometer that looks like something you would never expect to see on a car like this (laughs).

Abe: But I was convinced. No matter how you try, only Matthew could drive a car like that!

Horita: It's the same as the idea of the white piano (laughs). Dom drove a maroon BMW or something, so he was totally normal. After the interview, they both said, “Goodbye,” and went home.

Abe: It was a bit of an inconvenient location, and we were at a loss because we couldn't get a cab. Dom said, “I'll wait with you until the car comes,” and bought us a drink at the pub next door! Really, Chris is like a good father and he is very kind.

[2004/performance in Japan] Horita: Before the Bay NK Hall show, I caught up with the guitar tech at the venue when the band members were not there, and he let me take pictures of the equipment. Matthew was just passing by and said, “You can film anything you want! There's no secrets.” When I first came to the show [back in 2000], he was very reluctant to have his effects equipment photographed, but I could see that he was gaining confidence. Matthew was wearing a weird “Matrix”-style coat and sunglasses, and there was a big fuss about “Take a picture! Take a picture!“ Matthew may be a dorky guy, but his personality and sense of aesthetics remain consistent. But that is out of tune with the world's sense of beauty (laughs).

Abe: He always likes things that are futuristic. He likes to wear a ring with a cybernetic design that was given to him by a Japanese fan. He was wearing it during the photo shoot, but I guess it wasn't fanservice, he really liked it.

[Thereafter.....] Abe: After they moved to Warner, we stopped doing interviews with this trio. They had a worldwide breakthrough and became an unreachable band.

Horita: They were five years after their debut... a country bumpkin who succeeds, falls to the dark side, and realizes who he really is... It was like the “Star Wars Trilogy” (laughs).

Abe: By making a good album, you grow as a person. That must have been how Matthew was able to make such a big leap forward.

Horita: I think Dom, Chris, and Tom were instrumental in that. If it had been just Matthew, he would have destroyed himself by not being able to use his abundant talent. Also, it was good that he didn't have any impatience like, “I want to sell [out] in America! I want to be big!“ Even though Coldplay had achieved success, they [Muse] were not in a hurry, and they worked slowly and deliberately, and finally achieved success. But he might have had a desire to play in a big venue and hypnotize everyone in the room......

Abe: Yes, he just needed a place to present his sense of aesthetics.

Horita: That hasn't changed. I haven't met him (Matthew) yet, so I can't tell you more about him. I met Chris and Tom when they came to Japan in January, and I was happy to see that they had not changed at all.

Abe: Well, I think I was very lucky to catch a glimpse of Muse, who have now become such a great band, on their way to the top, and I have really good memories of them. I would like to continue to support them from behind to see where they are headed.

Translator's Notes: This is actually one of my favourite and unique Muse interviews I encountered so far in the STYLE magazine, because it's an interview/conversation in the point of view of those who actually interviewed and photographed the band themselves and witnessed their growth over time in 5 years, and gives interesting insight of stuff that they picked up, such as:

-Matt calling for Dom's attention by going all "Dom-Dom, Dom-Dom!" and he does it twice in succession!

-Matt's sense of fashion in the past was just that... eccentric/bad enough that nobody could ignore it LOL

-Not even his choice of car was spared from Abe and Horita's low-key savage mocking LMAO

-The journalist and photographer are like "Yeah, Matthew is a weird dork, but that's what makes him so cute!" LMAO

-Matt's preference for white or transparent pianos were actually noticed since 2001.

-The true story behind Chris' first tattoo and the absolute horror by Horita at the choice of tattoo shop and being forced to pick the kanji letters that sound the closest to what 'Alfie' would be pronounced as.

-Matt actually enjoys receiving gifts from fans and would use/wear them.

-Their observation that Matt and Dom always stick together as a set. My heart...

-The imagery of the boys' first trip to Japan being like "I'm on a field trip!" to them shall live in my head rent free.

[antiquatedplumbobs]

Spring 1916

The automobile, once a rare curiosity on the streets of Brindleton, had become a much more commonplace site of late. The increasing affordability meant that more and more tourists motored to the seaside and some of the more-well-to-do citizens of Brindleton had even purchased their own. Joe was busier than ever with automotive requests, and was heavily relying on Will's help. While he might have been a little stretched thin between this and the dairy, Will would never say a word; the joy he found repairing a car was unmatched. 

"Joe!" Will called as he entered the smithy, the warmth of the forge a welcome respite on his hands after the chill of the barn. "It was the fuel line! Can't believe you missed that!" He was smiling, the satisfaction at diagnosing and fixing the problem buoying him. 

Joe laughed, "I thought I checked that, but I must have missed it. Thank god you got it fixed, Mr. Hoyt's been on my tail about it for a few days, and I told him he could either drive it over to Britechester and pay a pretty penny, or wait until you could come down to take a look." He looked at the window, "God, that didn't even take you an hour, did it?" He said with a laugh. Will smiled, choosing not to note it had only taken him thirty minutes.

"Say Will," Joe said slowly, with uncharacteristic seriousness. "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." Will, who had been cleaning his hands with a rag, paused, looking up at Joe. 

"I've been thinking about turning this place into one of those mechanic shops, like you'd see over in Britechester. I've always preferred working with the cars, though I don't have half your talent for it," he cast Will a conspiratorial look, and Will grinned at the praise. 

"Truth be told, I just kept up with the smithy for Pa, and now that he's passed, I don't have any real reason to keep at it. There's other blacksmiths around, but no one closer than Britechester is doing anything with autos. I think Brindleton could really use something like that. I hear about these type of shops popping up all over the place these days and doing real well for themselves." He paused. 

"The thing is, everyone knows you're the real talent behind what we do here, I have to tell 'em to wait for you often enough." He said with a chuckle, "but what would you say? Would you want to come work here full time? If I made the switch and did as well as I know we can, I'd be able to pay you a real good wage, Will." 

Will had not expected this. True, he enjoyed working here almost more than anything else, but he'd always viewed it as kind of an odd job, with the dairy coming first. But Joe's words had painted a picture; one which was deeply enticing to Will. He'd always assumed he would take over the farm for his father, but at some point, without him really realizing; the thought of that had become less of a dream and more of an unwelcome duty. 

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