#i just get like “something big is coming” vibes

[darlingshane]

hot to go

Michael Berzatto x F!Reader

Summary: You get some playtime in a hot tub with Michael.

CW: 18+, explicit, smut, heavy petting, making out, smoking weed, crack, pwp.

Word Count: 1.9k

— Links: AO3 // Michael Masterlist.

There’s certainly something lingering in the air making you shift on your seat. It's not the mild summer breeze. Or the grey clouds scattered across the stark dark sky threatening to break into a storm. Or the romantic vibe of the fairy lights adorning the patio. It’s the man sitting across from you that's stirring something warm and wet between your legs. It's hard to tell because most of your body is submerged in a bubbling hot tub. It could be the effervescent water but no. It's the fact that both of you stripped down to your underwear to get in the tub to get away from the crowd in the cabin.

The music was getting loud, everyone was drinking and having a great time. But it was giving you a headache. So you went outside to the patio and couldn’t resist taking your clothes off and getting into the warm bubbling water.

Michael followed shortly after and asked your permission before removing his clothes and sitting across from you.

No one in the party got the heads-up about the jacuzzi so, here you are soaking wet in your underwear with him. It'd be intimidating if you didn't know him already. He's a friend of a friend you've hung out with a handful of times but never got to talk to him just one on one. You're doing pretty good so far. He's pretty easy to converse with and get a good laugh if you need to.

It’s glaring obvious by the way his eyes have been glued to you the whole night that he’s after something more than talking and doesn’t shy away from showing you. And to be honest, you don’t mind it at all.

You haven’t had much luck lately when it comes to dating so getting someone like Michael’s attention without having to go through the pains of fucking dating apps and shit feels amazing.

Though he doesn’t have the best reputation, you’re not looking for a nice guy right now or something profoundly deep.

Fun is the key word here, and he seems to be right on the same wavelength as you.

One of his hands hangs over the edge of the tub, safeguarding his fingers that are holding a joint to keep it safe from the bubbles.

“Can I get a hit of that?” You rarely ever smoke, but you want to touch the same filter his lips have touched.

“There you go, sweetheart.” He holds it up to you as you dry your hand on the towel you left beside the jacuzzi before picking it from his fingers.

“Thanks,” you bring it slowly to your slips to take a drag, trying to keep your cool and not choke on the smoke you inhale.

When you take a second puff, the smoke goes down the wrong pipe, and you start coughing.

So much for keeping it cool.

“Sorry,” you say, handing it back. “I haven’t smoked in a while.”

He waves you off with his free hand as he takes a long drag from his other.

Leaning your head back on the edge of the tub, you watch his hair curling from the humidity as you wave your arms inside the steaming water.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” he says as a cloud of smoke exits his mouth.

“What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever done it?”

“Wow, we’re jumping from weed to sex? That’s a pretty big leap.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don't wanna. I was just making conversation.”

“No, I wanna. I just didn’t see that coming. Let me think…” he pauses, and puts off the joint in the ashtray perched on the corner of the tub. “The weirdest place I’ve ever had sex in was the back of a hearse.”

“The back of a hearse? That’s pretty morbid. Please tell me the other person was alive.”

He chuckles, smoothing a palm over his opposite bicep.

“Of course she was. There was no coffin or anything. It was just us.”

“How did that happen? If you don’t mind me asking”

“I used to work at this body shop when I was younger. One night it got late, and I was left alone fixing this bike. My girlfriend at the time came over to have dinner and thought it’d be funny to make out in the hearse that we got in the garage. What was yours?”

“My weirdest place? An airport bathroom. Just two horny idiots not being able to wait till they got home.”

“It’s not as odd as mine, but it’s close. Is it my turn now to ask?” He extends his arms along the edge of the tub, showcasing his toned muscles.

“Yeah, go for it.”

“Is there a place you never had sex in that you’d like to try?”

“Hm.” You pause to gather an answer, going over a list of places that you always wanted to try but never dared to. But the right answer is right beneath your butt.

“I’ve never had sex in a jacuzzi. I always thought it'd be kind of icky, but I guess some play would be nice. What do you think?”

“Yeah, I think that’d be great,” biting his lip, his eyes cast a darker shadow than the sky as he pegs you with a most certain gaze, conveying what you knew, that he truly is down to get down with you tonight.

“Would you…?” You swallow nervously, moving your foot to caress his calf underwater, “would you like to play right now?”

Nodding his head once, his hands dive into the tub to find your foot. He props your heel on his thigh and softly massages your sole with his thumbs.

“You sure that’s wh––?”

“Yo, Cousin! Where are you?” a loud voice interrupts, and you look back to see Richie emerging behind one of the corners of the cabin to the back patio where the tub sits.

“Shit,” he mumbles as his friend comes closer.

You straighten your posture, but Michael keeps your foot in his grip.

“Where the fuck did you go? Thought we were playing poker. The table is ready, man. Come inside.”

“I have better things to do right now, as you can see,” he gives him a look with a brow raised, but Richie doesn’t take the hint.

“What are you? A fucking fish? C’mon, let’s rob these fools.”

“Richie… I need you to look around, read the room and go back inside. You’re a big boy. Play on your own.”

Richie’s blue eyes dart back and forth between you and Michael until it dawns on him.

“Oh… OH… Okay. Well, have a good time I guess. Just remember you owe me one.” As he walks away he points at Michael with a firm finger.

“Owe you, my ass,” he scoffs, making you chuckle. “Okay, sorry for that. Where were we, sweetheart?”

“Thought you were going to ask me if I was sure of this.”

“Right. Are you sure you wanna do this?”

“Hm, yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

Smiling at each other for a second, he releases your foot, and moves to your side of the tub pulling you onto his lap with one shift motion.

His lips curve up as you settle on top of him, placing your hands on his broad shoulders.

“You’re so damn beautiful, you know that?” He uses a finger to trace the shape of your neck as he takes a good look at you up close.

“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” You glance down to his toned torso, letting your hands slide over his pecs.

“C’mere, sweetheart,” his finger touches your chin, pulling it closer so he can get a taste of your lips.

His puckered mouth bounces softly against yours a couple of times. When his lips part wider, you follow his cue and do the same. Your head leans to the side, letting your tongue explore and figure out the rhythm of his kiss.

It's sweet and steamy. Gradually bubbling hotter than the hot tub’s water as the hunger of your lips quickly becomes more urgent.

Your arms curl around his neck as his palms land on your ass to pull you flush against his hips. He's not fully hard yet, but you can tell he's big when you start grinding against him. Your ass feels weightless underwater when you rock your hips back and forth, but his tight grip helps you stay close to him as he grows harder.

When he runs out of air, he breaks the kiss to get a taste of your sweet skin. His teeth draw the curve of your neck until they reach the strap of your bra. He bites it and tugs to the side to pull it off your shoulder and uncover your chest partially.

His pointer finger finds the strap and slides it further down, peeling one of the cups to fully expose your boob.

Leaving a trail of kisses all over your chest, he cups your tit and lifts it slightly as his head dips so he can draw the shape of your pebbled nipple with the tip of his playful tongue. It makes your core squirm and beg desperately for more when his lips close around the peak to give it a good suck. You almost moan at the sensation, but you press your teeth hard on your bottom lip to keep yourself from screaming.

Bending your arm back, you fumble to unclasp your bra, and slip it off completely as Michael’s mouth travels to the other side of your chest. This time he uses his teeth to tease your nipple for a little longer before viciously sucking it between his eager lips. Your skin buzzes and you have to keep marking your lip to tame the sounds that threaten to come out of your throat.

You don't stop rolling against his dick that has fully swollen into a hard-rock perfection pole for you to rub yourself on as fast as you can to aid the aching between your legs.

When he returns to your mouth, your skin feels like melting into the hot mass of water, as the temperature between your bodies rises.

You can feel he's close by the way his hands clutch to your flesh, coaxing your ass to move even faster. It feels like a time bomb about to go off, and you don't even wanna stop it. You let him devour you with burning passion until his orgasm breaks through the barrier.

You feel his bulge twitch against your clit, and his whole body shakes beneath you. His breath catches in your mouth as he buries a grunt deep inside his throat.

Aware that you haven't gotten your release yet, he keeps one hand anchored to your ass while the other slides between your legs. His fingers sneak under the elastic of your panties to rub your clit without any layers.

“Come for me, sweetheart,” he whispers in your ear as you close your eyes to focus on the maddening circling of his touch.

You hold your hands tight to his neck as he wildly drives you to the final line. You moan under your breath when a tide of pleasure runs warmly all over your body making your toes curl and your head spin.

“There you go,” he purrs, cradling your head, placing it down on his chest.

“Thank you,” you say, breathless, still riding the high of your impromptu affair.

“Likewise, sweetheart.” You gaze at him so see him sweetly drawing a smile.

“Do you… Would you like to go up to my room and play some more?”

“Sure.”

Michael doesn't even think twice before getting out of the hot tub and moving the private party upstairs.

[dol-dee]

So... you imagine DoL set in the early 2000s? ME TOO. Tell me more about that!

aaaaaaa yes I do!!!! (Sorry for the late reply haha. I kept forgetting to come back to this ask) I think I started to feel that way pretty early on, since there's hardly any electronics around in game.

You don't have access to a phone yourself (which, admittedly makes sense as an orphan) but electronics get barely mentioned in general. (I'm guessing the true reason for it, is that it would be too much of a hassle to implement electronics as a mechanic in game. bc arguably you should easily be able to buy a phone or w/e later on, if dol actually took place in our time) Named npcs often have phones to record you with (which I kinda forgot about tbh lmao) but unless in that context, phones don't get brought up at all iirc. None of the named npcs ever ask you for your phone number and Social media isn't really a topic of conversation either.

The only Computers that I remember mentioned in game are Leightons, Mickey's, Kylars and the one you can check in the police station. (I don't remember if Bailey even has one or not.) They are far and few between. They also all read as desktop computers to me and not laptops. Hell, the only gaming Console to ever be a topic of interest, is Robins. I don't think we hear of/see any handheld conosles at all. Even TV's rarely get mentioned.

Pop Culture, like manga, anime and games doesn't seem to be a big thing yet either.

All of that gives me the impression that most electronic is still pretty sparse and hard to come around and kinda reminds me of my childhood when those interests where still conisdered niche/nerdy and weird. The few characters that have desktop pc's seem to be ones that had/have enough money (like Kylar, maybe Bailey?) to foot the bill, are either in a high enough position of power to own one (like leighton) or they're involved enough in shady business that they might have the resources to have their own equipment (Mickey).

tbf a lot of my reasoning can be argued against or easily explained away, but I think dol is infinitely more interesting as a game/story when it's set during the early/mid 2000s, where most electronics were still hard to come by.

Oh and last but not least: it simply makes for easier story telling haha. I think there would be way more ""plot holes"" you'd have trouble explaining away if it was set during modern times. considering how much digital surveilance we have nowadays.

Aside from all the examples I just brought up, dol just has that 2000s grime to me. It's so grungy and dank in it's vibes that it always reminds me of that timeframe. Just has that kinda clunky/kitschy charm to it. (a more eclectic personal explanation is that the seasons in game still feel the way I remember them for my childhood. nowadays everything feels really out of wack thanks to global warming. Although I'm sure that people who are older than me would say the same haha)

to keep this already long post short(er lmao) I'm gonna go into some headcanons under the cut; Basically which Characters have electronics and why:

Avery: has an expensive af and extremely clunky looking (by todays standards) work laptop, that she sometimes lugs around. Also owned one of the first mobile phones. Those really big and blocky ones. Maybe even had one of those phones that were built into cars. However, I think shed be kinda annoyed by mobile phones*, even if she's extremely diligent in answering her calls. (the grind never stops) *based on this comic from 1919 about pocketphones: Mostly because she strikes me as someone who doesn't care to be overly accessible and also hates it when whatever shes doing at the moment gets disrupted by something else.

Alex: Canonically has a phone in game. To me it's a landline phone. They don't own much electronics beside it. They have no desktop pc and no mobile phone. (canonically the own a tv and I feel like they'd have a radio, maybe even an old record player) Bailey: It would make sense for them to have a desktop computer but I can't remember if they canonically (and with that I mean in game) do have one or not. I could see it either way tbh. As they strike me as a stubborn hard ass whos paranoid about electronics and quickly gets annoyed by it) They only own burner phones aside from the official landline phone thats designated for "over the counter" orphanage business. Eden: Has an old ass radio and an extremely dusty burner phone that bailey gave them once. They don't own anything else

Harper: has a mobile phone they got from Remy, it's purely for business. I don't think they have one for personal business. They own a pager though bc of the hospital. They probably have a desktop pc too if only for hospital stuff.

Kylar: Has a Desktop pc, their parents footed the bill for that many screened monstrosity (tbf i dont know enough to remember if old pcs are even able to have several monitors connected to them or not). Probably had a mobile phone once. Whitney stole it. They own a few consoles but they prefer pc gaming (pc master race /j) Some 2000s era games (with no consideration for an exact timeframe) that I think Kylar would be into are : Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines American McGee's Alice Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 / Persona 3 Portable The Urbz: Sims in the City The Sims 2 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Robin: No mobile phone, the only electronics they keep around (until they inevitably need to sell them for emergency money) are an old tv and a gaming console. I have no concrete headcanons regarding the exact console and games unfortunately. (They seem to like superhero related stuff and I don't remember enough games that I associate with that direction of the top of my head)

Sydney: Has access to a landline phone but thats it. they don't have a mobile phone. Maybe they got to look at/ try out a pc at Kylars house once upon a time, but I don't think Sirris has one themself. I might be off with this but I could see Sirris being the one who bought a few early nintendo consoles like the SNES and Game Cube. Maybe even a gameboy.

Whitney: I don't think Whitney or their family is particularly wealthy so all of the access to electronics that they got, is either through wealthier friends, bullying or stealing. They have a smartphone and probably a few handheld consoles they nabbed off their victims (in secret).

[livingthedragonlife]

i make good playlists too sometimes. listen to it maybe?

explanations for why i chose the songs under the cut because i miss 8tracks. BIG HUGE SPOILER WARNING if you haven’t read/finished the manga!!!

Pure Love by Mother Mother — I always liked this song as a comforting presence but you could also read it as a sinister one. Definitely leaning into the sinister version here. I was also thinking of the innocent beginnings of the Winged Lion, just a little speck granting tiny desires before it was drawn "like a moth to a flame" to bigger ones. And the rest is history.

Remain Nameless by Florence + the Machine —

But know I'll always be around This can remain the same

Call me when you need me Call me anything you want Darling, believe me Nothing I haven't done before

The King by Anjimile — This one just gives me the vibes of how the power of being a dungeon lord drives everyone insane.

The Cage by Vera Sola — Deeply Mithrun

Under A Dome by Of Monsters and Men —

I'm taking over my own throne I’m holding my heart and it's overgrown I'm kicking out and I’m full of life So why should I cry over northern lights? And it's over now and I'm falling

It Will Come Back by Hozier — This WHOLLEE song is just. The Winged Lion in a nutshell. It's the entire premise.

Thousand Eyes by Of Monsters and Men — The dungeon lords can see through all their monster servants. A thousand of them even

Everybody Wants to Rule The World by Lorde — "uh oh shit is getting real"

Moderation by Florence + the Machine — The Winged Lion having absolutely no chill

Never Pleased by Portugal. The Man —

No I'm not Jesus but I'm more than a man I'll never grow old or lonely or sad Still I'm never pleased I'm never pleased

From the corners until I wake up walking as careful can be Careful to miss out on all that I see I'm never pleased

Tethered to the Dark by Anya Marina — The way the Winged Lion can manipulate you in fucked up ways you didn't even know were possible

Dangerous by Son Lux —

Are you dangerous? Carved right into my bed Quick lobotomy Then left me for dead

Mr. Lonely (feat. Fat Lip) by Portugal. The Man — Ultimately, being a dungeon lord leaves you alone and obsessed and with ultimate power that you don't even have full control over.

Forever by Mother Mother — Marcille's motivation but also the Winged Lion's? Marcille essentially never wants to see anyone her loves die ever again, and the Winged Lion wants to feast on desires forever. Unfortunately, entropy.

Guilty Filthy Soul by AWOLNATION — The Winged Lion doing some more crazy manipulation.

Propaganda by Muse — Obviously the dungeon lords are taken in by the Winged Lion's "propaganda," it "eats souls," it "toys with the truth." BUT!! Mortal desire is also something the Winged Lion "can't refuse." It's convinced by its own lies. Did I just blow your mind

Carnivorous by Band of Skulls — Eating yummy desires om nomnomnom

Little Monster by Royal Blood — The Winged Lion wants to eat Laios sooooo bad and this is a song about that.

Animals by Muse — LAIOS IS GONNA ENSURE HIS OWN SURVIVAL!!!!!!!!

Leave My Body by Florence + the Machine — The Winged Lion leaves its own body to steal Laios', for "one grand moment." Laios leaves his own body to be become a monster. But the Winged Lion loses a lot more than its mind in that arrangement! I feel like the "Your history keeps pulling me, pulling me down" part can be interpreted in this context as like... the history of life. Of survival. Finite resources, something the Winged Lion will never understand. Florence Welch did not intend for this to be what her song was about but I don't care it's blorbo time

[thelampisaflashlight]

A silly, self indulgent thought for y'all tonight: The ren faire au nobody asked for edition. Let's go.

-All of the ghouls have cast roles, albeit not major ones, those are reserved for Copia, Sister Imperator, and the rest of the big players/a select group of siblings of sin who are all actors and so forth as their main gigs.

The faire grounds are basically decked out to look like a fantasy village, with a mix of practical effects and real magic making the whole place come to life/really sell the vibes.

-The abbey is still there, and, of course, the band is still a thing, but the faire is, like, a side hustle. It brings in revenue/provides work for the siblings that comes across as more legitimate on paper than "senior blood magic spellcaster".

Also Copia likes the idea of playing dress-up in his off season, keeps his acting chops fresh, ya know? ...Also he just likes getting to look all flouncy.

-So what are the ghouls' roles? Well, sometimes it's just "peasant 1" or "shopkeeper 3", but a few of them have named roles, like Rain, who's playing a knight/warrior, and Cumulus who's the owner of a tavern/a spy for whichever group is playing the "bad guys" that night.

Dew landed the role of rat catcher one year, and he's kept it ever since, because he's a damned good rat catcher, but also because everyone kind of dismissed the role until Aurora very excitedly became his understudy and thus became the rat catcher's assistant.

She gets to hold the rat sack.

She's very proud of herself.

-There's a lot of funny dynamics that develop from the ghouls having to interact with each other while in character, because sometimes they have to tell the other something important, but can't break kayfabe, so guests will just see filthy, mud covered rat catcher Dew sidle up to the shiny, pretty boy knight Rain and go, "Good morn, Sir Knight, might this lowly one borrow your ear a moment?"

And then whisper him something along the lines of, "Bitch, I saw a man deepthroat a corndog, I don't know how or why he did it, but I've gotta get outta here."

-Swiss flip flops between playing a knight, and playing a jester... who mocks the knights.

Likes the jingly hat.

Likes tormenting Rain even more.

And lastly;

-Aeon landed the role of prince his first year topside and everyone, EVERYONE, was like, "That guy? Him??" but he's proven to be a very good prince!

...Shame he's doomed by the narrative due to the faire's usual plotline.

[zivazivc]

im too scared to ask because of the answer but is Hed and Les relationship ok?

(you should be scared)

They love each other unconditionally and are closer than most siblings, and I want to answer with a definite yes, but it’s more of a soft yes.

They’d die for each other and would never want to cause each other any harm, but they both hold very deep-rooted and painful resentment toward each other. This anger, while valid on its own, feels unjustifiable and selfish to both brothers, and is why they have a hard time addressing it. It only starts to get resolved later (for now I’m aiming at the time frame after Floyd leaves the band and before Les runs into him again, which is Hed’s late twenties and Les’s early thirties) when Les finally opens up to Hed about things that happened during their early childhood in the Rock Kingdom, which Hed was too young to comprehend or remember, and this revelation puts a lot of things into perspective for Hed and is extremely cathartic for both of them.

Like I’ve mentioned, Les didn’t talk to Hed about his trauma, (they are four years apart which is a big gap when you’re a kid), and Hed could never fully understand why Les had taken him with him to the Funk Kingdom. It’s a question he never receives an honest answer to, and it’s something he (although unwillingly/with doubt) resents him for since he had a difficult childhood in Vibe City as the only tiny Rock Troll who always got othered and excluded, even bullied.

There is also the related issue where Hed doesn’t understand why his brother is so troubled and disconnected, because he’s under the impression that they’ve more or less been in the same boat all their lives. That it’s always been them against the world. He even thinks Les had it better than him since he is half Funk and sticks out less like a sore thumb among a Funk society than Hed does…

I realize I’ve never addressed this directly, even though I figure some of you probably assume it already, but Les is a deeply depressed character and has been like this since he was very young (similar to Branch, although it’s expressed differently), and he has occasional episodes where he spirals and even becomes suicidal. The first time it happened and he tried to go through with it, Hed was only 8-10 years old, and the fact that his big brother was willing to end it all and leave him alone shook Hed’s entire world. The incident filled him with such intense fear and hurt that he cannot find it in him to forgive his brother for it no matter how much he wants to. He also developed anxiety surrounding Les’s mental state and is terrified of letting him out of his sight for longer periods for fear of losing him.

Les’s resentment towards Hed stems mostly from jealousy and not knowing where to direct his own hurt, and he hates himself for these feelings because none of it is Hed’s fault. — Hed is/was both of their dads’ favorite son, and as far as Les is convinced, he was their mom’s favorite too. He dodged all the worst abuse Les experienced under Butch, Butch even flaunted Hed as his son just to put Les down, and as a little kid Les pretty much hated his baby brother for it. Hed was always seen as the “better” brother even though Hed was a loud brat compared to Les. But it didn’t take long for him to grow on Ish and his roommates while there was always tension between Les and his dad (due to Les already being deeply messed up by the time they got to Ish). Hed in general is a charismatic social butterfly who knows how to get on trolls’ good side. He vibes with both Rock and Funk Trolls, and clicks with most music and trolls in general, while Les struggles with social interactions that aren’t work related and often comes off awkward, especially as a teenager, he’s more casual in his twenties and onward, though still very much closed off.

Hed is also very smart (academically, in regards to reading the room he is a dumbass), he always kept up with school, which he was allowed to attend without question, there was even early talk about uni, while Les never even got to finish elementary school because of his poor performance and him getting expelled over an incident, and was forced to start working early.

Hed also (because of his small size) was often let off the hook when he’d get into trouble/do something stupid. He was babied (word used loosely) by Ish and their uncles a lot in general. If Hed broke something, he’d get yelled at while Les would have to fix it or pay for it out of his pocket. 

They lived under two completely different sets of rules all their lives and Les festered a lot of hurt from the unfairness of it.

Les’s resentment wanes over time. Floyd is the one who helps him find release for a lot of his bottled up pain during their time together. Floyd is basically the first person Les confides in about nearly everything he was put through, and he encourages Les to talk to Hed about it. Which he does after a few years, and Hed learning about what his brother was put through as a little kid is what allows him to finally understand and forgive his brother…

[mjj-nostalgia]

I love this photo set, dearly, but my asthma could never LOL

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Whooooo could have predicted this?

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[static-scribblez]

“Man this edible weak asf I ain’t feeling shiiii……”

[enhanced-operatives-division]

Junicrane/Starstruck Ramble

I will not be brief, all under the cut

To clear some things right off the bat:

No corpse, no proof with Juniper. Obligatory this is set in a canon where he's alive and adjacent to the agency in some way.

Reggie & Juniper are just gay to me, but I don't mind any interpretation of their sexuality

The games are set in 1967/68 to me (based on a couple bits in game) which is before it was legal to be gay in America at least (1971), which is relevant to how I interpret canon as being somewhat grounded in reality, despite unrealistic elements.

This is just an insane amount of headcanons/elements of and AU all culminated into one post. I will talk about some headcanons like they're just facts because they are established in my head, and it saves me over explaining literally everything, however I will explain some parts a little bit for clarity.

Alright. Actual beginning of the ramble:

Juniper is a character to me who had gotten so lost in his job as an actor and a social presence that in the end his whole life revolved around that 'role'. Because of this, by the time he's put into the situation where he's around the Agency, he basically knows nothing about himself, though he doesn't realise at first. Furthermore, what little identity he had has changed in so many ways. He's no longer a beloved famous actor in the prominence of public light, he's legally dead and he tarnished his career just before he was supposed to die, with the bonus of that making him lose the majority of his estate. From that, he also has horrific facial scarring from the electrical burns from literally having his face fried. I believe a friend of mine made a post about this a while ago (I also think they were the first to think it up also), but, to me, Juniper has a permanent trimmer in his right arm (aka his dominant hand) from the electrical current and it is messing with his nervous system.

All in all, he's not doing great, but he's too proud to admit that he's not doing great, because if anything, what's left of his ego is all he has as a defense since he's deep in unfamiliar water.

Before ending up around the agency (I have multiple interpretations of this, so I'm just going to bring it up generally), he'd never actually seen Reggie, and his only impression of him is a single voicemail, which was his only reference he had to later impersonate him. Juniper probably has very little feelings other than the ones he projects onto him because of Phoenix and that, at the very least, he's physically attracted to Reggie to some degree (that's like the beginning of how everything else would tumble into place in this sort of interpretation at least).

And on Crane's side? His feelings towards Juniper are probably very intense and muddled. On the one hand, he adores musical theatre, and that's his now ex-favourite actor. The thought of just casually being around him blows the bit of fanboy in him away at first because THAT'S the GUY, plus the inklings of a celebrity crush which still poke at him. And then there's the rational side of him, which knows Juniper has committed absolute atrocities on the side of Zoraxis, and hates him for that. Then there's how much Juniper comes off as an asshole at first because he refuses to cooperate with anything the Agency tried to put in place. He finds Juniper endlessly frustrating, and yet he's stuck working with him since, afterall, he's the one who knows the Agency's history with Juniper the best. I imagine him acting a lot like how he does IEYTD 1 around Juniper.

At this point, I'm just describing the pitch for a romcom.

I think the start of their relationship with one another largely started with Juniper trying to wind Crane up. It was a way of getting his attention, and I don't think Juniper knows why he's so dead set on that at first, because I don't think he realises he has a crush on 'this grump' at first. (I think that's actually the fun part about these two, because it's almost like a role reversal of the celebrity crush dynamic. This ex-big name actor has a TERRIBLE crush on an average joe and it is KILLING HIM.) But of course the Agency keeps them together because Juniper is at least conversing with Crane, so it's a start.

Through one way or another, they actually get talking casually, at least mildly at first. It takes Juniper a long time to fully deconstruct the wall he's built, and the thing is, Crane isn't the one trying to deconstruct it, at least at first, because yeah, Juniper realises if he wants Reggie to actually like him in any way, he can't keep winding him up. So they talk. Small talk at first, something rhythmic and almost easy to keep to a script. And over time that turns into actual conversations. Genuine ones in which Reggie rips out the occasional one of his jokes which Juniper is endlessly endeared about. The way he smiles just before he makes them, like he wants to chuckle at what he's about to say before he says it. That's probably when Juniper realised that he does have some vague crush on him, and that it wasn't going away.

This is what kickstarts John I can't-buy-you-things-to-impress-you-so-acts-of-service-it-is Juniper to do little things for him. It mostly starts off as him trying to make Reggie his tea how he likes it. However, the nerve damage in his arm makes that hard, as the weight of the kettle and trying to pour is hard all of a sudden. And he refuses to accept that, so he tries for a very long while. Long enough that Crane would go to investigate what was going on. And when he does see Juniper leaning over a cup with the kettle as he uneasily tries to pour it, and when Crane asks Juniper responds so matter-of-fact that his intention is nothing but genuine. And it catches Reggie off guard because Juniper hadn't done anything like that up to that point, and his very apparent vulnerability is so clearly on show.

It shifts something between them.

From that point on, conversations are longer, more familiar. Both of their attitudes soften, and Reggie makes more jokes. Juniper learns how to better use his left hand while strengthening his right back to a point where it could be used again. Slowly, they're both spending time with one another not because they have to, but just because they can. Little bits at first, not too far outside what they already were doing, but those little bits turned into long bits to a point where the other person's company was genuinely desirable.

As time passes, Juniper probably realises that he doesn't genuinely know much about himself or what hobbies he's into, because he never really had the time when he got big, and his home life in his youth wasn't bad, but it wasn't picturesque. I think Reggie would pick up on it, and absolutely try to introduce him to some things he's into. Some things stick, other things don't (corn husking very much stays Reggie's passion, and John will go with him sometimes because it's him, but it's not something he strongly cares for). Crane introduces him to a lot of music, and it's something that becomes a staple between them, with tracks they listen to more than others (tragically, I know relatively little about 60s music so I couldn't really say what). Occasionally they dance, never anything intense, think slow dancing, but the closeness is nice.

Through all of it, Juniper is battling the worst crush of his life, and he can't stand it, because I think he struggles to read people since he doesn't have anything like a script or a director to refer back to, so he has no idea if Reggie likes him back or if he's just desperate for that to be true. I think because of that any sort of confession between them would be incredibly raw, not only because of the time they live in making it hard for them to be truthful about how they love, but because it's a complete show of Juniper who's worked to be this better person. I don't exactly know how that would go, mainly because I don't have one set version of their dynamic, this post is just a generalisation of main consistent points.

Reggie does like him back, because he's gotten used to Juniper being just this guy, not a figure in the public eye, not a Zoraxis lackey, and not any sort of Agency operative (despite being under their care to some degree). He's someone he genuinely cares for, because they've given one another the time of day to learn one another, and I think because Reggie was a field agent, he was a lot better at reading Juniper than Juniper was at reading him. Eventually Juniper's company becomes something he could see around him for the rest of his life, and I think he accepts that he likes Juniper a lot more gracefully.

I think any affection directed at Juniper would at first be met with him feeling a little muddled. Reggie was a very physically affectionate person when he could be, and sure the initial flirting with one another came with the occasional little touches, but everything now was so deeply intentional. I also don't think Juniper would almost ever get over the novelty of being able to kiss him, or many other gestures, because it made the fact that they were together so very real, and it was great. I do think it comes easier to Reggie, and it's a big way of showing how much he cares, so it's important for Juniper to try and show it back because he knows how much it means to the other.

I like the idea of them eventually living with one another, too. I think Juniper would have always had a quiet little daydream of sorts where he does just live a domestic quiet life, and he can with Reggie (well, as close as they can get between the Agency and Zoraxis always being at odds), and he loves that, and he loves him, and it's immense.

I think they cook for one another a lot, it helps Juniper work on his dexterity in a controlled environment, which means a lot because it's a huge point of insecurity (that and his scars). He does improve, and Crane is proud of that and shows it and it's great. I also think they'd probably cook together too, because they can deal with being in the kitchen together and they work well with one another. It's probably a good way for them to unwind because over time they can do it in relative silence.

As I said before, I also think music is a staple in their household, and that Reggie listens to things on vinyl almost all of the time because he likes the background noise. Sometimes Juniper will catch him chuntering along to the music which he finds endlessly endearing. I wouldn't put it past his dramatic ass to also join in to fluster Reggie, but I also don't think Reggie would mind that terribly because Juniper has listened to the music enough to know the lyrics, and that's huge to him.

I don't think they are without rough patches, no relationship is, but I think the good part about them is that they're willing to talk about it (... eventually). They're used to long conversations, and while they're often less fun conversations, they're needed and they know that, and it works out.

Alright. I think I'm done for now. I haven't mentioned everything, but this definitely got the worst of it out of my system. If you ever want to hear any specific thoughts my ask box is open but other than that, behold my general dynamic for these two which has been festering in my head for years. I think they're great

[skrunksthatwunk]

why the fuck did i write about birds this fucking sucks. i just found out birds only sleep for a few minutes at a time, hundreds of times a day. do you know what this is going to do to my structure? the logistics of their road trip? this is already like three days late and i've been fighting for my life to get A Plot Like Any Plot That Makes Sense out and now the birds fucking sleep for 5 minutes at a time.

[darabeatha]

/ I've noticed that at this point I'm not even writing on any blog anymore, I just come and yell about some blorbo and leave. Rinse and repeat my lieges

[sammy8d257]

Something something

the difference between Purple and King becoming friends/found family when Purple is portrayed as a teenager versus when Purple is portrayed as an adult

something something

Purple being an adult having experienced their entire childhood/teenage years already and learning their life isn't dictated by those years

something something

King seeing an adult Purple as an equal instead of as a parent and going from acquaintances to friends to family

something something

Found Family made up of Adults who had their own lives beforehand and are now learning to navigate around the past while still building a future together

something something

[finexbright]

cannot believe this is even a topic of discourse when it really, really shouldn't be. not everything is twisted and plotted. the simple honest truth is that louis acknowledged publicly how only the brave has taken over a completely different meaning by fans and is now a queer anthem played everywhere and THAT is something we should be proud of, for us and for him. that means that he sees the seas of rainbows, the colourful lights and fans adorned in rainbow colours and knows, and relates, and empathises with that feeling of belongingness and community and we should all be proud of what we, him and us, created together ✨🌈

[tstain-is-an-idiot]

I'm an iceberg and this ship crashed into me like the Titanic

[rmbunnie]

I'm certain that i've seen it said before but I want to say it again because i just keep seeing it, there is SUCH a funny overlap in the way Adventuretime and Homestuck portray expressions. Bodies and limbs too, they both have the same noodle-limb-tube-body-sphere-head formula and I'm sure that's part of the reason behind it but both of them consistently produce faces that just SEND me in a very specific way

[bepisconsumer]

I feel like an archaeologist unearthing ancient relics when actually I am just rediscovering late '00s-early '10s Lady Gaga songs