#i mean everyone else too but damn those two were the most interesting and the most sidelined for no reason

[lovecolibri]

What really sucks about Alex going missing this season is that it should have been an upgrade over the s2 stuff. Instead, regardless of what Michael (and anyone else) does in the next 2 eps, Alex essentially had to save himself. For 5 eps, there was zero indication that anyone was even remotely getting worried about him being MIA and no indication of that ever changing. It's not like people were already starting to get antsy when Liz figured out who was haunting M*ria. S2 Michael had a whole ass girlfriend and still picked up on something being wrong based on a thrown away napkin. Granted, Alex still had to ultimately escape from his kidnappers by himself, but at least, Michael wasn't gaslit into leaving him by everyone who supposedly loves them both. I didn't think RNM could sink lower than Kyle's near death experience after which he was chastised for being irresponsible of all things and basically had to take back rightfully calling out Liz on her bullshit and his kidnapping being a nonevent no one was allowed to so much as mention, but everyone knowing a disabled person is literally buried underground with no means of escape and just sitting around talking about how they totally will rescue him in some nebulous time in the future might be it.

"at least, Michael wasn't gaslit into leaving him by everyone who supposedly loves them both" okay but given their reactions when they found out Michael had left, and how they treated him when he came back (after...not actually rescuing Alex), if he had talked to any of them first, they would absolutely have pulled this same shit.

I’m also eternally angry at how they decided the way to have Kyle miss an episode or two was to put him in a coma, but they didn’t actually want to accidently allow him to have a plotline where everyone cared about HIM so they used it for some cheap drama at the start and then didn’t even HALF-ass more like 1/8th-assed the rest of that and then promptly forgot it ever happened. As evidenced by Rosa being all buddy-buddy with Heath, the man who put Kyle into the coma in the first place!

But yeah, for sure this is worse. Which is...quite a feat to accomplish.

[lordsukunas]

never make him love me

tldr: you’re determined to confess to teen!gojo, but your chances of success are literally 0.

cw: angst/no comfort... sorry? reader is a bit very delusional n kinda weird, gojo may be a bit ooc, no curse au, gender neutral (i think) but reader is wearing a skirt, and im p sure this is not very accurate to the actual japanese school system. not beta read btw

a/n: this has been in my drafts for too long... whoops! trying a different divider but i don’t rlly like it. also does reader count as a girl/boyfailure here or not? they kinda strange tbh :/ idk lol, hope yall enjoy getting rejected by gojo n can yall guess who hes already in love w

you’re in love with gojo satoru.

which, to be fair, a lot of people are. he’s a pretty face: soft, snow-white hair with bright cerulean eyes that draws anyone and everyone in. a big, gorgeous smile, and long, muscular limbs that you just know would feel so good wrapped around you.

plenty of people have confessed to him, and all of them have been rejected. that should be enough to put you off, to make you face the reality that gojo may not be madly in love with you, but it just makes you more determined. he’s just rejecting everyone else because he’s waiting for you!

that has to be it, right?

definitely, you think as you skip to gojo’s classroom. you can feel the weird stares from students (and even a teacher or two), but they don’t matter. you’re going to confess to gojo satoru, damn it, and nothing’s getting in the way.

it’s lunch period, thankfully, which means he’ll be with geto and ieiri. that’s good — his best friends will be there to watch him declare his reciprocated love for you.

you slide the door open, love letter and two packs of kasugai gummies in one hand. a few students in the room glance up at you, including gojo!

the two of you lock eyes — well, you think you do. it’s a bit difficult to tell, but his head is facing your direction, so he’s totally looking at you. he’s noticing you!!!

you bite your lip to stifle the giggle bubbling up in your chest and walk up to the perfect trio (hopefully, soon to be quadruple). “hi, gojo,” you say, a nervous yet giddy smile on your face.

“... hey?” he exchanges looks with geto before focusing back on you. “do i know you?”

okay, ouch. you literally sat behind him in chemistry, but, whatever. don’t focus on the little things!

“um, probably not, but!” you hold out the envelope with a heart sticker as the seal. “i have something to tell you.”

“uh... okay.” gojo scratches the back of his neck, then takes the letter. he slides his finger under the seal, tearing it open, and pulls the letter out. he unfolds it, and both geto and ieiri lean in to also read it.

a frown tugs at the corners of your lips. the words were meant for just gojo, not those two. although... does it really matter? you’re just proving that you’re a good fit for their best friend.

after a drawn out moment of silence, gojo chuckles, albeit awkwardly. “wow, uh... this is a lot.”

you nod. “yeah!” you also hand him the packs of gummies, which he takes a bit more eagerly than the letter and sets them on his desk. “so, um...”

your heart has been hammering in your chest this entire time, but now it feels like it’s trying to escape. sweat accumulates on your palms, and you resist the urge to wipe them on your skirt.

this is the big moment.

you hope and pray and plead to whatever being that’s out there for gojo to accept and reciprocate your feelings. with all the manifesting and ‘love spells’ you’ve done, it should work. gojo satoru is most definitely in love with–

“this is nice, but, uh, i’m not interested.”

...

what?

you blink down at him, and now you’re the one chuckling nervously. “i’m sorry?”

maybe you misheard. that had to be it, right? there’s no way he isn’t in love with you. you bought him gummies, you wrote him a letter, you spent countless hours researching and trying different manifestation methods, you prayed at the shrine, you learned his schedule so that you could pass by him on the way to class, you did everything for him.

he scratches the back of his neck again before refolding the letter and putting it back into the envelope. “i’m not really interested in a relationship right now. you’re probably really cool and stuff, so don’t take it personally.”

no, no, no, no. this isn't how this was supposed to go! he was supposed to say yes! what happened? what did you do wrong?

now you’ve embarrassed yourself in front of his friends. his best friends. how are you supposed to come back from this? thank god no one else in the room is paying attention right now.

heat creeps up the back of your neck and spreads to your face. sweat is drenching your palms, blood is roaring in your ears, and you really want to melt into the ground never to be seen again. you’re pretty sure your heart just shattered into a trillion pieces and a shard pierced your lungs, because you cannot breathe.

you then feel a hand on your forearm, and you jolt. it’s ieiri. “hey, are you–”

“i’m fine!” you blurt, and a few heads turn in your direction. you take the envelope back from gojo, spin on your heel, and rush out of the classroom.

damn it.

you’re pushing past people to get to the restroom, and you slam the stall door shut before locking it.

you’re so stupid. how could the gojo satoru be in love with you?

the tears finally spill from your eyes, running down your cheeks, and you let your face fall into your hands as you sob.

idiot, idiot, idiot.

you should’ve known you wouldn’t be any different. he wasn’t waiting for you. he’ll never be waiting for you. you never had a chance, and in your defense, no one did.

gojo’s heart has already been claimed by someone else, and if you were a little smarter, you’d know exactly who it is.

[greatstormcat]

TF 141 Hybrid AU

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x f!oc

Part 4 - Hands On

Master List

TW: MNDI 18+

“Two weeks alone together? They’re gonna kill each other,” Soap mumbled, shaking his head. He and Gaz were lounging in the rec room discussing the mission that Ghost and Lara were prepping for. Price had briefed them all that morning, Soap and Gaz were to be on standby in case anything went wrong so needed to be familiar with the details. Throughout the briefing Ghost had been sat stiffly beside the Hybrid, arms tightly crossed across his chest as though fearful of touching her. Gaz had watched them both carefully though, and noticed that they were both in the habit of glancing at the other. Lara’s tail, whilst rarely ever still, brushed almost constantly against Ghost's ankle, and Gaz had a feeling he knew what that meant.

“Nah, that’s not what’ll happen,” Gaz replied quietly, scrolling through his phone with his feet up on the arm of the sofa.

“What’d’ya mean? They’re gonna be at eachothers throats the whole time!” Soap exclaimed, raising his eyebrows. Gaz smiled but didn’t look up from his phone, until Soap thumped his arm, and he swung his feet to the ground and faced Soap. “Explain yersel’,” Soap pressed him.

“Look, by the time they’ve been in the field together for that long they’ll be doing something, but not killing each other,” he said with a widening grin.

“Ya mean…?” Soap looked incredulous and made a thrusting motion with his hips in a mime of having sex with someone. Gaz simply winked, and Soap shook his head in disbelief.

“I don’t think Ghost even does that kinda thing. I’ve nae even seen him hook up in a bar with anyone, man, woman or otherwise,” he said thinking hard about the times they’d gone out drinking as a team. Ghost had always kept back while Gaz and Soap had flirted and made out with various bar denizens over the years. He’d even seen Ghost actively tell people to piss off if they got too close or too chatty.

“I bet you anything, those two will be screwing each other’s brains out before a month is out, “ Gaz insisted. “That’s what all the tension and arguing is about, he’s finally found someone he’s interested in and he’s working out what to do about it. You have to admit it makes sense he’d end up with someone that could potentially rip him to pieces if he pissed her off.”

Soap chewed the inside of his mouth as he thought about what Gaz had said. “I think yer right,” he finally agreed with a nod. “Price won’t like it if he finds out though. We need to make sure they keep it quiet if they do, which means we gotta help ‘em.”

Gaz slapped Soap on the shoulder with a laugh. “Anything for the Lt, yeah?”

“Damn right, he’s saved my arse more times than I can count. I owe him. We owe him,” he replied with emphasis on the ‘we’.

“Most importantly we can’t let the Lt fuck this up,” Gaz said.

“Fine,” Soap agreed, “but I am not havin’ the birds and the bee’s talk with him.”

The training hall stank of floor polish, sweat and rubber matting, making Lara wrinkle her sensitive nose slightly. Ghost and Gaz were in the middle of the large blue crash mat, working through a hand to hand drill, sweat beading all over Gaz’s skin as Ghost pushed him to the limit using his size and strength to his advantage. Gaz gave his all, blocking Ghost’s attempts to grapple him repeatedly, refusing to give in.

“That’s it Gaz, you’ve got it,” Soap called encouragingly from where he was slumped on the mat already. He’s gone through the drill dozens of times before Ghost was satisfied, once with Gaz and then with himself. It was only a few more minutes of grabs, counters and tackles before Gaz was pinned to the mat under Ghost’s solid mass.

“Right then, let’s see how much of that you picked up, Lara,” Ghost demanded, releasing Gaz from under him. He stood and gestured Soap and Lara forward together, there was no way he was going to put himself up against her, not in a public space. He didn’t need to risk making a fool of himself in front of everyone else by getting a hard on in this kind of setting, despite wearing combat trousers rather than shorts as others did, it would still be hard to hide.

Lara stepped lightly onto the crash mat and stood opposite Soap who had finished catching his breath. There was a small rip in the neck of the t-shirt he wore where it had been pulled earlier.

“Soap’s gonna make a lunge at you, and you counter the way I’ve shown and try to get him off his feet,” Ghost instructed her, using the excuse of checking her stance to admire the muscles of her thighs under her shorts. He noticed she was barefoot, and that her feet and ankles were shaped differently, they were thicker, her toes clawed more like paws. He heard Lara clear her throat and realised he was staring, snapping his eyes up to her guiltily. She cocked her head to one side as she he,d his gaze with a thoughtful expressin, one ear flicking slightly with interest but she didn’t say anything.

“When you’re ready,” Ghost continued with a nod at Soap whose face was unnaturally composed. The mowhawked Sergeant took a small step to the left and then lunged forward to grab at Lara, who deflected his arms with speed, twisted his arm and knocked him back stumbling. Ghost watched impassively.

“Johnny, what was that? I’ve seen you put more effort into opening a bag of crisps,” Ghost chided. “Get on with it Sergeant.”

“Alright, alright,” Soap mumbled positioning himself in front of Lara again. She grinned at him and crouched slightly, tail low to the ground.

“Come on, Soap,” she coaxed him, “show me what you’ve got.” She watched as he tensed, clearly going to put effort into his attack this time. As he moved this time she deflected his out stretched arm with force and used the power of her momentum to spin him and kicked his legs from under him.

Soap hit the mat with force after the world stopped tilting around him, the force of the impact knocking the air from his lungs in a loud grunt. He looked up when his vision stopped swimming and saw Lara half crouched, concern etched on her face.

“You okay?” She asked with genuine concern, and he raised an arm and gave her a thumbs up, not sure he could actually draw enough breath to speak yet. He looked over at Gaz, catching his team mates eye, and raised his eyebrow and glanced at Ghost.

“Not bad,” Ghost rumbled, smirking behind his balaclava.

“Hey Lt, let’s see how you fare against our Panther,” Gaz called out. Ghost froze, his eyes darting to Gaz with an intensity that should have caused the Sergeant to burst into flames. Instead he saw the slightest hint of smile on the man’s face, almost a dare for him to find an excuse not to carry out the drill with all members of his team. He knew if he refused now, she’d see it as a slight and he really didn’t want to piss her off again. He was fucking trapped.

“Okay then,” he ground out, rolling his shoulders to dispel the sudden tension in him, and he turned to face Lara who stood waiting.

Lara looked up at Ghost’s broad frame as he planted his feet squarely before her. A tiny tingle of something passed along spine, prickling the fur on her skin as she saw the look in his eyes. There was a determination and also a hint of hunger there she had noticed before, and it made her heart rate increase.

He moved suddenly, far quicker than she expected for someone of his size, huge hands reaching for her. She twisted out of his immediate grasp, but he adjusted instantly and caught her bicep in a hard grip and jerked her toward him. Ghost made to kick the back of her leg while she rebalanced, but didn’t account for the counter action of her tail giving her stability, so she righted quicker than he expected. With a grunt, he brought his weight to bear and crushed her against him, forcing her to the ground under him.

Ghost looked down at her red and flustered face, stunned for a moment as he pinned her to the mat. That’s when he felt her body shifting, her muscles bunched and her face altered and sharpened. He wasn’t quick enough to react as her feet caught against his hips with clawed toes, and she kicked using all the strength in her haunches. Ghost was lifted into the air and sent backwards, followed closely by Lara who leapt after him, not bothering to complete her shift and now somewhere between her two forms.

Lara landed heavily on her haunches on the Lieutenant’s chest, winding him further and grabbed his throat. “You’re dead,” she declared with a smile showing her sharp canines, tail held high above aiding her balance as she perched ontop of him.

“Holy fucking fuck,” Gaz wheezed, hands braced on his knees. Soap’s jaw hung slack, unable to articulate his thoughts at the scene before his. “What do we do?”

“Nothing,” Soap whispered.

Lara stepped off Ghost’s chest slowly and held out a hand to help him up, which he accepted and got back up off the floor. There was a tense moment as he stood close to her silently, eyes focused on her face with that same hungry look she saw before. His breath was huffing through the fabric of his balaclava and gently wafting over her skin, and the hand that he had used to take hers moved slowly up her arm.

“If you say the words ‘not bad’ I may put you on the floor again, Lieutenant,” she whispered so the two Sergeants wouldn’t hear.

“I’ll keep that in mind for the next time I want you to do that then,” he replied equally softly, the edge to his voice making it a promise. “Good work,” he said more loudly, “that’ll do for today.”

Lara felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she headed to the showers, there was definitely something going on under the surface with Ghost, she was certain of it. Perhaps what she had perceived as hostility was something else entirely.

After she had showered and returned to her quarters Lara found herself replaying that moment the Lieutenant had pinned her to the mat, the feel of his weight and heat pressing down on her had been startling. But the more she thought about it, though, she had to admit it wasn’t unpleasant. The more she dwelt on the thought, the more she found herself reimagining it, the setting changed from the training hall to her room, the context no longer sparring but something far more intimate.

It was only minutes before she was gently rubbing her clit through her shorts, fantasizing about a masked head between her thighs and and his tongue doing the work of her own digits. Her eyes drifted closed as she imagined the scene, a soft purr rattling in her chest as she chased her pleasure. This was interrupted by a knock on the door.

She guiltily leapt from the bed, trying to ignore the orgasm she was about to reach and opened the door with a flushed face. Ghost stood beyond the doorway and her ears flattened against her head in horror as she was faced by the man she had just been fantasizing about.

“Sorry if I’m interrupting anything,” he said, confused by the expression on her face. Lara swallowed nervously, ears still back and eyes wide as she felt the hot wetness in her underwear keenly.

“No it’s fine, I just got out the shower,” she lied, and stepped back letting him in, her heart racing. As he brushed past her there was a hint of something in his scent that caught her attention, she wouldn’t have noticed it if he wasn’t so close. She closed the door and watched him move over to the desk, leaning his hip against the corner trailing that intriguing scent behind him, it was almost hypnotic and she found her feet automatically moving her closer to him.

“Ah… is everything okay?” Ghost asked as Lara moved closer to him, breathing in through her nose.

“Yeah it’s just… something smells… smells good…” she muttered between breaths, only half concentrating on what he was saying. She tilted her head as she got closer to Ghost, parting her lips slightly to better scent the air. “It’s you!” She exclaimed and grabbed at the front of his hoodie to smell the fabric.

Ghost froze as she crowded against him, she was so close he could feel the heat radiating from her body and smell the shampoo in her hair. He didn’t know whether he should shove her away, or give him and pull her close the way he really wanted to. Grappling with her during sparring drills had nearly pushed him over the edge, especially when she had pinned him to the floor.

“Lara, what are you talking about?” he croaked through his tight throat, holding his hands up and out of temptations way, as though he was being held at gunpoint.

She nuzzled her face into the fabric of his hoodie, the scent delicious and enticing. When she noticed his body language she stepped back quickly, feeling suddenly ashamed, but her body still tingled with the mixture of her earlier fantasies and the smell that was emanating from Ghost.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” she stammered, “I just caught a scent on you that… well never mind. What can I do for you?” She sat on the edge of the bed, thighs clamped tightly together to contain the arousal pooling there.

Ghost cleared his throat and lowered his hands, brows knitted together in confusion, and covered his crotch to hide his growing erection.

“I just wanted to let you know about the final briefing tomorrow morning,” he explained, watching the rise and fall of Lara’s chest as she breathed heavily. What was going on, he wondered to himself, she was acting like a cat in heat.

“Oh yeah, Price text me about that earlier,” she answered and squirmed slightly, trying to get more pressure to her aching clit. The sight and smell of Ghost was only making it worse, she kept thinking about his head being between her legs, lapping at her with his…..

“Oh, did he?” Ghost interrupted her daydream. “Well, that’s okay then.” His tenuous excuse for being in her room now redundant, he scrambled mentally for another line of conversation. He found himself wishing he had the comfortable skill that Soap and Gaz had with making small talk at bars, he’d watched them so many times and envied how easily they could express what they wanted. The silence stretched, becoming heavy and awkward.

“You’re not having second thoughts about including me on this one are you?” Lara asked the question with a touch of concern. The thought had nagged at her that Ghost might change his mind and drop her at any time. Ghost moved away from the desk and stood closer to her, feeling comfortable now the conversation was back on familiar ground.

“Of course not,” he said, “from what I’ve read and heard this is the kind of op where you shine. I can’t wait to see you in your element, especially after earlier…” His voice dropped as he recalled the sparring drill, and saw her large eyes darken as she did too. He felt he could reach out and touch her, he was so close now.

Lara was hit with a fresh wave of the delicious scent coming off of Ghost, her pulse racing once again and she nervously ran her tongue over her bottom lip. She saw Ghost’s eyes flash down to the movement, and the motion of his throat under his balaclava as he swallowed. Driven by instinct alone she stood up from the bed placing a hand gently against his chest.

“Well, I’m glad to have finally earned your attention,” she said softly. He leant his head down to hear her, his heart pounding under her touch and hands itching to touch her.

“You’ve got my attention alright,” he murmured back. Silently he cursed himself and how awkward he felt right now. With a mental push, he raised one gloved hand and gently cupped the side of her face. He was rewarded by her breath audibly hitching in a gasp, followed by a rumbling purr that ignited his very soul as she nuzzled into his hand.

Her piercing blue eyes bored into his, pupils dilated and she purred, the vibrations palpable in Ghost’s chest due to her closeness. The palm on his chest slid upwards until her fingertips teased the hem of his balaclava, sending his heart rate racing. The tension between them grew thicker by the second.

“Ghost,” she began in a soft whisper but the harsh ringing of his phone tore through the air.

“Fucking hell,” he growled, and for a moment he considered ignoring it. With a wince he pulled the phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen, it was Price. He stepped back and answered the phone, regretfully taking his hand away from Lara’s face but being pleased that she didn’t break eye contact.

Lara watched as he spoke to the Captain, the moment that had been building between them now lost. He moved to the door, and with one last look back, left the room closing the door behind him. Lara fell onto the bed face down, plunging her hand into her shorts to finish what she had started, moaning into the pillow.

Outside the door, Ghost half listened to Price as he heard the muffled moans through the closed door. He quickly moved away with a satisfied smirk under his mask, hearing her pleasured groans. What was odd to him though, were the little bits of dried leaf like substance that came out of his pocket with his phone…

———————————————————————————————————————

Comment below for taglist

@amygaster004 @catkatchuck @vellicora @dreamybarbie

[heartfullofleeches]

I am politely asking for you to write about Erin cross dressing please

(Going off an old request I vaguely remember with Erin overhearing you like feminine guys)

"They're so cute- Hey, Y/n what do you like in a partner?"

Erin leans back in his seat away from the commotion at his table to eavesdrop on yours. You were surrounded by friends flapping their gums over someone one of them was interested in - put on the spot for not giving your two cents.

"Uh, I don't know- someone pretty I guess."

"You mean like those people you follow who wear nice makeup and skirts?"

Your coughing fit is enough of an answer for everyone listening in on the conversation. Erin returns to his group, subconsciously groping his features. He had some softer details thanks to his mother, but was he what others would call pretty? The tingle in his chest combated the nausea from eating school food at the thought of you praising his looks. He picks up a tater tot and chucks it at a girl across the table; it being the only way to get her attention otherwise.

She picks it out of her fruit cup. "What the hell, Erin?!"

"Shut up and give me your lip gloss, Bea."

"Why in the fuck would I do that?"

"I'll tell coach you're the one who stole her flask and replaced it with bleach for giving the lead spot in the parade to someone else."

Beatrix angrily shifts through her bag. "Here."

"Thank you." He tosses her his unopened cup as he gets up from the table and heads to the bathroom. He stops by the janitor's closet and jimmies the broken lock until it pops open, grabbing the out of order sign. He wants for everyone to come out of the restroom and sets the sign up as he enters.

Erin reevaluates himself in the mirror. His long hair did confuse the older crowd when they saw him from a distance. He tucks it all into a high ponytail using a spare bracket as a band. Next, he pulls out the cheerleader's makeup. This isn't his first time with the stuff. Both his mom and older sibling dressed him up in the past whenever he asked about their clothes and was interested in trying them. He let his mother put eye shadow on him whenever they went out as a family.

Erin dispenses some of the gloss on his finger, puckering his lips as he cakes them in the foundation. He smacks them together to even the coat out and looks at the results in the mirror.

It's a start. The gloss is barely noticeable outside bright light, but it adds a little more volume to his lips. He goes back in to work on other parts of himself, but the bell cuts his session short.

"Shit!"

Erin hurries out of the bathroom and down to the cafeteria; forgetting about the sign in his haste. The dining area is nearly empty by the time he gets back, and you didn't have the next period together. He looks back to see if you've already gone, the next person to walk by bumping straight into him.

"Sorry- Oh, hey Erin."

"Sup."

You look him up and down. Erin's teeth pick at his lips in anticipation.

"Not much. You look good. See you next period."

The light force of you walking by almost knocks Erin off his feet. You said something nice about him. He didn't think he'd get this far. Maybe a passing glance, but you completely acknowledge him. You thought he looked good. It was a high he never wanted to fall from. One he craved more of with only one possible solution.

-

Erin hisses in pain as the teeth of his skirt's zipper lodge into his skin. "Fucking damn it-"

He pulls the fabric away from his hip and zips it up; kicking an empty shipping box under his bed. It sticks out of the corner due to the other packages overcrowding the space, but he was too excited to take care of them now or throughout the week they all had arrived. The skirt was the final piece of his outfit which also took the most time to arrive. Erin hooks mini pearl earrings in his ears and pulls his shirt from inside the shirt before looking at himself in the full body mirror by his closet.

The outfit consisted of an off the shoulder light pink top and a black skirt that went down to his thighs. The rest of his legs were covered by white stockings and his ginger hair was yet again pulled back. He wore a more noticeable shade of gloss on his lips and his long eyelashes were extended with the use of a wand. His regular choker was switched with a red one with a heart shaped dog tag. He had muscle, but the skirt hugged his body in a way that showed off his curves. Staring at himself, Erin felt pretty. Time for the next phase.

Erin snaps a photo of him at the mirror. He then gets in his bed with his back against the headboard. He grabs a pillow and hugs it to his chest, tugging his shirt down a bit more as he gets into position. He makes sure that his stocking clad thighs are in frame as he takes another pic and pulls up his contact. He knew your number by heart from the various acquaintances he hustled it off of and when you gave it to himself yourself for a project, but what good boyfriend doesn't have their partner in their phone without a cute title?

Erin sends you the pictures without saying a word. He waits about five minutes to pick up his phone again, both happy and disappointed you haven't opened his text.

"Sorry for the pics. Lost a bet and sent them to the wrong number."

His heart leaps out of his chest as his phone chimes.

"No worries. Hope this is okay for me to say, but you look pretty."

It's more than okay. Erin stares at his phone for ages; eyes rolling over the message countless times yet his brain fails to retain it to memory. He'd probably explode if it did. He experiences a moment of clarity in wondering what your expression was when you saw him. Did you see him as desirable. Did you crave him as badly?

Luck worked in Erin's favor that night - for he may soon have an answer.

"Hey- actually, do you want to come over? I'm bored and thought we could hang out or something."

[ghostkinnie]

Ichigo has been described as having a scary face if you don’t know him, so how do you think he’d deal with meeting someone who treats him normally, he develops a crush over the next month, he purposely puts on the tough guy act throughout Bleach, so he is not seen as soft or embarrassed easily, so how do you think he’d deal with hearing his crush say right in front of him to somebody else, “I’ve always thought he’s sweet and funny” and the person questions “We’re talking about Ichigo Kurosaki. that Ichigo”. ”Yea he’s rough around the edges, but really nice”?

a/n: first sorry for the delay my tumblr started to delete requests ಥ_ಥ and second i loved what you asked because several bleach characters fit that so i took the liberty of doing other than ichigo

BLEACH BOYS X READER WHO DIDN'T FIND THEM INTIMIDATING

➜ characters: Ichigo, Kenpachi, Grimmjow, Renji and Ulquiorra

➜warnings: none just fluff

ICHIGO

Ichigo is certainly a bad boy look but on the inside he is cute and kind

Having someone who from the beginning saw him for who he truly is made something warm inside of him

And seeing you saying it in front of others or "protecting" him in words makes him want to keep you even closer

He may be a little rough but all he loves most are his friends and family. And now you've joined this list

He will be so tender and gentle with you, as if you were a flower.

"You don't have to protect me, damn you're so cute I can't take it!"

RENJI

Another bad boy look that's just cute on the inside

It's very easy to see people intimidated by his explosive form and when you didn't, Renji became interested and confused

Seeing you treating him with respect and being kind made his heart soften even more

He wants to keep you close at all times and see you being affectionate more and more often

And when you protect him with words saying how cool he truly is, he will decide that you are the love of his life

"Hey Y/N, don't speak well of me let them think these things, i'm only nice for you, bunny."

GRIMMJOW

I mean this man is such a brat, everyone is always intimidated or scared by his threats and manner and he knows. He likes it.

And when you first arrive and treat him like he's someone nice, his mind stops working for a few minutes

But honestly he likes different things and you got this man's attention and interest. Get ready this brat won't let you go anytime soon

He'll tease you all the time but that's just his weird way of showing that he's totally attracted to you. Even though he's trying to deny these feelings

There will come a time when he will just decide that you are his and that's that

"Oe, stop saying those things you idiot!" He's definitely going to swear while he's blushing

ULQUIORRA

This poor man is going to be so confused, give him patience

He is not used to feelings and expects everyone to find him intimidating. So why are you being so affectionate? He doesn't understand

And that's exactly why he'll be so intrigued and curious about you

And when Ulquiorra least expects it, the feeling of curiosity over you will have become a passion

He won't understand what he is feeling but he'll just know that he wants you and protect you above all else

"I am the one who must protect you, woman. Why are you doing this for me?"

KENPACHI

Look at this man. Anyone is afraid and intimidated by him and he loves it

Zaraki has a good heart and you've known it since you saw him and Yachiru. And when you treated him differently than everyone else he was immediately intrigued about you

He will keep you around with an excuse that you are weak but honestly he loves being around you because he feels welcomed

It's like you two become a family, the two of you and little Yachiru as the daughter. And he'll like it, he'll like the feeling of having someone to love him

He is so used to hate and fear that having you to take care of him even with words is something that makes him fall to his knees for you

"What are you talking about me, little thing? You're too good for them."

[princess-of-the-corner]

Sorry, just discovered your public knowledge au, its hilarious. I think 'realistically' I like the Only Miraculous wielders & whoever they tell knows version as it could feel a bit less cracky though it'd still beg why they don't bring other heroes in to collectively stomp Gabriel as they know his location. Though that just has me imagining him palming it off on his various rich friends like a hot potato. Anyway two main thoughts:

`1: For the just Holders know AU, Gabriel owns up to his motives right away & almost convinces the kids. Except Fu shows up & reveals that its basically a monkeys paw and more people will die if he makes is wish. Gabriel insists he s smart enough to work around that (He also just doesn't care) but Tikki & Plagg are like, "Literally we have no control over this, it goes to shit every single time, sorry."

In essence, its his ego and control freak nature that mean Gabriel refuses to give up even when he and everyone else know he should quit. Its probably kind of a sad/rough start for Adrien especially, but also leads to very quick positive vibes with Marinette & more direct mentorship.

2: Rogercop be like

Chloe: Well, seeing as you won't do your damn job, how about our classes two super heroes show you up? Adrien: I am one hundred percent down for that except I can't find Plagg! Marinette: Ya know I've wanted to try this anyway, Luck Charm! (Gets a Plagg doll with his head snuck in the bracelet) Well that answers that.

Later

Tikki: How did you even get stuck we can phase through soli matter.., Oh this is interesting and maybe concerning. Chloe: What can it do magic, is it a Miraculous? Plagg: Well its tied to a Miraculous, where'd you find this?

Chloe: Back of my mothers cupboard? Andre: You aren't meant to have that (Tries to snatch) Chloe: Why, what is it!? Can it do magic?

Andre: If by magic you mean mind control you- don't break it you'll explode! Chloe: Why do you own a mind controlling bracelet that only works on me and kills me if it breaks and why was it in a fucking dust covered pile of half forgotten trash!? Andre: ... Its your mot- Gabriel's fault, blame him, now I have a meeting to get to bye! (Runs away)

Butterflies appear Adrien: Dad, glad you could... Make it. Gabriel: Well I am here now, also the Amok's treatment is very much 'not' my fault, it is like that because your parents don't love you.

Adrien: DAD! Gabriel: I am a magical empath son, I know it to be true, your mother and I were much more careful with your Amok & sealed it away so it could never be used against you or damaged. Those two tossed it in a cupboard once they realized it couldn't just rewrite a babies personality, or any personality, to not need things like food or affection, if they hadn't already made the announcement they'd have probably smashed it or given it away. Gabriel: By it I mean Chloe.

Chloe: Oh... (Uses the Amok to turn herself 'off' IE pass out) Gabriel: Dammit, I was hoping the truth would cause her to explode in a rage never before seen and become my most powerful Akuma! I can't even use this self destructive self loathing, she's too depressed to even transform! (Leaves)

Honestly this started out kind of funny then I made myself sad.

Gabriel: I wonder if I should mention the sister they had made as a replacement. That one didn't turn out how they wanted either but they did skip the baby phase.

GOD the chaos there.

But also yeah the AU is mostly crack because tbh I can't see an identity reveal happening that doens't immediately lead to an ending one way or another.

But also OOF.

[norcumii]

Fic title: Non-compliant Weapon (Rexobi, Murderbot AU)

(regarding this fic title meme prompt)

Ok, there’s two ways this could go. One, the slightly more predictable path of some flavor of reincarnation AU where the Jedi Organization (some kind of meddling well-intentioned doctors-without-borders type group) has gotten neck deep into several volatile disputes and need help, so they’ve gotten a generous donation of sec-units from, I dunno, Palpatine Industries (Insidious Industries is more fun, but a little too on the nose). Of course, these sec-units come with pre-programmed sabotage routines up to and including Order 66, and of course sec-unit Rex manages to wriggle around those.

The more interesting idea I had was a bit...messier.

The plunnie starts with the notion that for a full three hot seconds, some megacorp in the galaxy decided that clones were the next big thing and just mass-produced a whole bunch of them. There was enough outcry that the project was scrapped, the company went broke, and the clones were shoved in cryostorage to become someone else’s problem when all the lawsuits were done. Shortly thereafter, sec-units became a thing because that skirted some all the nasty ethical issues.

Decades if not centuries later (...I have no idea when the Murderbot books are supposed to be other than The Future), whatever megacorp bought up various assets discovers they have a bunch of illegal product sitting around frozen in a warehouse. It turns out that the cheapest method of disposal is actually to thaw them and toss them a small agro planet to colonize (the potential fallout if they just space the clones or keep them in a basement somewhere is just too high for profit margins, much to the relief of everyone else).

And that’s how Rex and his brothers end up thawed, with some nice genetic repair work, on a brand new planet all their own, and no idea wtf to do now since they aren’t expected to just fight something. Since Rex is one of the more restless clones, he ends up doing resource management, taking surplus out for trade and scrounging interesting stuff to bring back. And one day he walks into some space!army surplus store to discover in the back there’s an old sec-unit and its cubicle. Rex starts off feeling weird but wildly sympathetic to this deactivated fighting unit, only to become REALLY creeped out when he asks in passing about it – and learns its being kept around for eventual spare parts.

Rex is not okay with this. He dithers a bit, but ends up purchasing the whole unit and brings it home.

Cody gives him a bit of hell, but he gets where Rex was coming from, so he sort of resignedly welcomes their new sec-unit: [some clever punning/l337 speak version of Obi-Wan Kenobi].

So it turns out that this sec-unit is defective. It’s good at fighting, but it doesn’t like to fight. It talks. It talks a LOT. It’s astonishingly good at negotiating.

It also flirts with everyone except for Rex, which Rex is absolutely not put out about in the least. Really. He’s not irked. It’s a good thing. This damn thing comes out of the box flirting, that’s disconcerting so it’s kinda nice that Rex doesn’t have to put up with that – especially since it’s quickly decided that since the sec-unit does talk anything in circles, it’s most useful going with him to help him barter. And hopefully keep him out of trouble, though Cody is the only one to say that, the bastard.

Since this is a Murderbot AU, that means it turns out that there’s actually something Very Valuable on the clones’ new homeplanet, and at some point they’re actively defending themselves and/or having to diplomat with hostile bodies who are Not Impressed that a sec-unit is one of the main negotiators.

(It helps when things go pear-shaped, of course, since said main negotiator can dish out and take some extreme damage. So that's not too different from canon.)

Things finally settle down, Rex and Obi-Wan return to venturing out on the regular, until one day – probably after some spectacularly vicious flirtation with someone trying to kill them – Rex just blurts out, “I have never been able to figure it out. You will flirt with anyone and anything, the more hostile the better.”

“It’s a wonderful distraction tactic.”

“Oh, I’m aware. You specifically pick out pet names to enrage people.”

“It’s hardly my fault the Duchess didn’t like to be addressed as ‘my dear’!”

“It kind of is, but…” Rex hesitates, then shrugs, still not looking at Kenobi. “You have never once flirted with me.”

Silence. Rex sneaks a few glances, and Obi-Wan is refusing to look back at him. Finally, when it’s clear Rex will play the waiting game, Obi-Wan just shrugs right back. “I don’t know how to do it sincerely. Flirt for real with someone I like.”

Rex goes through several stages of oh with embarrassing speed. He twists around to stare. “What – but – even from the very beginning?”

Obi-Wan continues to not look at him. “I might have been...less unaware than my prior owner believed.”

Rex blanches, well recalling his own long time in stasis – a cold, mostly dreamless state of unconsciousness. The notion of being even somewhat lucid across those long decades is nightmare fuel even before considering the indifferent way the guy at the store had talked about spare parts in a box.

Then there are super-awkward cuddles, eventually leading to some kind of queer platonic aro and/or ace ship happily ever after. ^_^

Thank you, this was a fun challenge!

[lavendertales]

Sweet lies: Chapter 4

pairing: Frankie Morales x f!reader

summary: you’re dead set on talking to Frankie at the upcoming dinner, but when he arrives with his fiancé, things get a bit messy.

word count: 4.7k

A/N: this is ANGSTY (but I will make it up to y’all from next chapter onwards 🤭)

Comments & reblogs are forever appreciated 💕

gif: @uuuhshiny​ 

series masterlist | AO3 

Your first two weeks on the new job could easily be deemed as successful.

You got the hang of it pretty quickly, making yourself right at home in that big office that you were given, getting to read and write exciting stories that, you hoped, would make a difference to the world. Sure you indulged into the occasional less-than-important topics, such as celebrities and whatnot, but it was only human nature after all.

And you knew a lot about being the talk of the people already, without even being famous.

You knew your friends were talking about you when you were there and when you weren’t. It was the kind of thing that was inevitable, almost impossible not to do. After all, it was a huge deal to have you back into their lives, seeing you at least once a week again instead of once per year, if lucky. And now, with things being ice cold between you and Frankie, rumors and conversations about you two were even a must for the others.

You haven’t asked for any information about Frankie—and you think he’s not asking about you. If he is, he shouldn’t. His sole focus should be his upcoming nuptials, not someone he used to go to high school with.

But unfortunately, you cannot seem to turn off your damn brain, or rather the part where all of your memories are contained. Feels like opening the box of Pandora, afraid of what might spill out against your will.

What you dread the most, however, is the moment that you will get invited to the wedding. Because you know that moment will come. It’s just a matter of when. You just need to control your emotions instead of allowing them to control you and politely decline with a decent excuse that won’t make you look like a bitch.

But then, another thought crosses randomly through your mind: maybe you won’t get invited at all.

That, of course, would be the ideal case. Never having to witness the man you’ve unconsciously given your heart to express eternal love to someone else is the best you can hope for under these circumstances. But, with everyone else being there, family, close friends and all, not even receiving an invitation also seems cruel. Like you were never that important to him.

After all, nothing ever happened between the two of you. All of your friends claimed that there was “definitely something there”, and yet, neither had voiced any potential interest. You were only good friends, waiting, yearning, begging for the other to say something, do something that would end all of that inner turmoil.

Nothing ever happened. Hence why you remain convinced, to this day, that it was a classic case of unrequited love. Just you and your silly little unrequited feelings, still craving, still waiting, even after all those years.

You wonder if it will ever stop.

You wonder if this is the reason why you haven’t actually gotten yourself involved more seriously with anyone else.

You wonder if, even on your deathbed someday, your mind will still wander to Frankie.

It’s too much. It has been so for most of your twenties, and now that you are back home, back to the place where it all began, maybe it’s a chance to get some closure instead. Nothing more, nothing less. Just closure.

“Hey, are you free this Thursday?” Santi’s voice coos through the other end of the line.

“As far as I know, yes. Why, what’s going on Thursday?”

“Just another dinner with the gang.”

“Okay. Count me in.”

“Uh—by the way—“

You sigh, slightly annoyed with the way everyone is walking on eggshells around you. You can’t stand this being the standard in your friendship.

“I do realize this means Frankie is coming, Santiago,” you almost scold him. “And that’s fine.”

“Just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“And I appreciate it, but I don’t want you or anyone else walking around on eggshells around me with this whole Frankie situation. I want us to be normal again, okay?”

“Okay.”

There’s a pause. “Do you think we can do normal?” he asks out of the blue.

“I sure hope so. I can’t spend the rest of my life like this, in doubt and watching what I say or what I do.”

“A lot would be fixed if you and Fish would just talk.”

Another pause, which you use to gather your composure. He is not wrong, and you’ve come to the same conclusion. It might be uncomfortable, but you need some sort of finalization.

“You’re right,” you tell him. “And that’s exactly what I want to do.”

You could practically hear Santiago frown over the phone. “Really?”

“Yes. For my sanity and for the sake of the group, Frankie and I have to sort out this mess and address the elephant in the room. We’ve waited long enough. It’s time.”

Over on the other line, Santiago gulps, half impressed with your determination and half fearing the way you sound so definitive, so dead set on that idea.

“Let me guess, you’re gonna do this on Thursday?” he checks.

“Not in front of everyone. But yes, I will want to talk to him.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?”

“You just said—“

“I know what I said, but I meant… is it a good idea to do this over dinner, with plenty of people around? It’s a very private conversation to be had, probably emotional as hell, and you might not feel so good afterwards.”

You ponder over Santiago’s words, appreciating his care nonetheless. He’s been very supportive of you over the years, and even after Frankie ghosted you completely, Santiago made sure to let you know—and his best friend as well—that the whole thing was a dumb idea and that he had your back.

Seems it’s no different now.

He knows damn well the hurt you’ve gone through, and how much you cared about Frankie. And again, he isn’t wrong. Having the big conversation over at dinner with friends, in a crowded restaurant, might not be beneficial.

“Fine, so maybe it’s not the brightest idea,” you concede. “But I’ll let him know that I do want to have the conversation and that we should meet over the weekend or something and finally clear the air.”

Santiago doesn’t reply. He’s not sure there is anything he could tell you to make you feel any better, so he resorts to simply listening to you.

“I’m sure that will go over well,” he jokes.

“You said it yourself, we gotta do normal. I gotta at least try to get closure. End it, one way or the other.”

Santiago takes a deep breath in, and you mimic the gesture, your thoughts racing as much as your heart.

“Thursday, seven p.m.,” he tells you with finality. “Antonio’s.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll swing by, pick you up.”

“Thanks.”

Considering he was Frankie’s best friend in the whole wide world, Santiago sure was spending a lot of his free time with you and making sure you were okay. You never gave it a second thought, and certainly not after Rose had confessed she still liked him.

Which reminds you…

“Is it okay if I invite Rose too?” you ask. “You remember her.”

Santiago’s breaths come in glitches, and you can hear it too. You suppress a giggle, curious as to how he’ll play this one out.

“Of course I remember her,” he replies a little too enthusiastically. “We’ve kept in touch over the years. Not as much as we did in high school, but you get it.”

“Oh, I get it.”

“Why are you saying it like that?”

“No reason.”

“Anyway, bring her along. It’ll be great. I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“I’m sure she’ll be excited to see you too.”

You smile as you hang up the phone, relishing into the one thing that makes you feel good about the upcoming dinner.

But come Thursday, and you’re dreading the dinner. The sentiment of déjà vu won’t leave you; the only exception is that this time, you know Frankie will be there, and you do intend to talk to him, even if it’s momentary.

Nervous as you are, you do your best to make sure you look great. You’re wearing a black shirt with a sweetheart neckline, and a pair of dress pants. Your makeup is in place, and so is your jewelry. Nothing too fancy, yet not too comfortable. You certainly don’t want to stand out.

“Wow!” Santiago exclaims when you open the door, his eyes radiant, beaming with admiration.

“My eyes are up here, Garcia.”

“I wasn’t—“

“I’m just messin’ with ya.”

Santiago chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sooo where’s Rose? Is she meeting us at the restaurant?”

“Unfortunately she can’t come. She has a big presentation due Monday, so her weekend is pretty much booked.”

When you look him over, you see the disappointed look on his face and you can’t help but smile surprised.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” you say.

“I’m not disappointed. I mean, I can see her whenever I want, I got her number.”

“Really? So then, why don’t you ask her out?”

Santiago falters, the smug smile on his face slowly vanishing, whereas yours grows wider.

“Because… I don’t want to,” he finishes.

“Is that so? You don’t want to ask a gorgeous woman out?”

“Hey, I’m not asking you out right now. I know what I’m doing.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, let’s just go to dinner.”

All you think about during the car ride is the speech you’re gonna give to Frankie. You must choose your words carefully, so that you won’t endanger his engagement or have your intentions be misinterpreted.

“You okay?” Santiago asks as he’s making a sharp turn to the left.

“Yeah. Just… thinking.”

“You’re always in your head.”

“Force of habit.”

You both chuckle, the atmosphere becoming a little less tense.

“Figured out what you’re gonna say to Frankie?”

You huff. “I’m just gonna say, ‘hey, I think we should probably address everything. Can we meet this weekend, talk through it and just end things one way or the other?’ and that’s that.”

“That’s good, straight to the point.”

“Yep.”

“You know, Fish is my best friend. We’ve been there for each there since we were in middle school, and I love him like my own brother. But I think letting you go was the stupidest decision of his life. Pendejo.”

You flash a faint smile, oddly touched by Santiago’s confession.

“You do?” you ask.

“Absolutely. Told him that for years and years. He’s never fought me on it, though. Never really told me why he made that choice, but I made sure to give him some hell once in a while so he knows he was a dick. I think he knows.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

He caresses your arm for a brief second, and then the next he’s helping you out of the car and opens the door for you to walk into the restaurant. The Millers are already there, and so are Mia and Emily. You and Santiago hug everyone briefly, and then he pulls the chair for you, right under the girls’ studious eyes.

“Are you sure there’s nothing going on with you two?” Emily teases.

“Let me answer this before you pull out your plethora of rejection, lady. Nothing’s going on,” Santiago quickly clears out the air, much to everyone’s amusement.

You laugh, checking the menu. It can’t be more than ten seconds later when Will’s eyes shoot to the entrance and then he leans in towards you. “Heads up, Morales at six o’clock.”

Because you’re seated with your back against the entrance, you turn swiftly, only to be met with Frankie’s figure entering the restaurant. He’s dressed sharply, not in his usual comfortable attire; he has dress pants on and a white shirt, and you have to admit, it is awfully distracting.

You take a deep breath in, trying to soothe your nerves. Santiago side-eyes you and nods, thus encouraging you to go on about your plan.

And you do exactly that: you stand up, walking towards the entrance and fully unaware of the fact that you are holding your breath. You don’t mean to do that, not even one bit, but it comes involuntarily. Like that would somehow conceal or prevent your nervousness from slipping.

Frankie’s face seems to lighten, displaying utter surprise when he sees you walking in his direction. He sees the determination on your face, albeit some anxiety in the mix, and he braces himself.

“Hi,” you say.

“Hi. You look—“

You put your hand up, almost touching his face. “No. We’re not doing that.”

“Sorry.”

God, why do you still desperately want to hear the end of that sentence? Why the hell do you feel the urge to tell him how handsome and dashing he looks?

You know better than that. You have more common sense than that.

“Listen, I’ve been thinking about it, and I think… we should talk about… everything,” you tell him, your voice seeping with nerves.

“Okay, sure. But listen—“

“Not now, obviously.”

“Obviously, yeah, but—“

“Maybe this weekend?”

Frankie opens his mouth to say something, for something to leave his mouth as a warning of some sort, yet, by the time you realize what he’s about to say, you see it with your own eyes.

“Took forever to check in those coats, I’m sorry, babe. Oh, hi!”

You stare at the woman, taking in her features. She’s about Frankie’s height, her hair brown with hints of caramel in it, her eyes emerald green and fairly big, and a very fit body. You don’t need an introduction; even though she’s a stranger at this very second, you feel like you’ve known her for a while.

“Hi!” you reply with a flustered smile on your face, hoping your surprise wasn’t noticed.

“I’m Andrea, nice to meet you.”

“Hi, Andrea. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“You too. You look even more amazing than what the guys described.”

Your smile widens, more in discomfort rather than in flattery. You watch her press a light kiss on Frankie’s cheek, and he looks at you in an apologetic way.

“Did I hear someone say something about weekend plans?” Andrea asks.

“Uh, yeah, that would be me,” you reply. “I was just…”

Then it hits you. You can’t make any plans for the weekend, and certainly not with Frankie.

“I forgot it’s the 14th,” you seemly apologize. “My bad.”

“Oh, I think the guys have something planned for Valentine’s Day, don’t they?”

She’s asking Frankie. He turns to look at her and smile a little, nodding along. You notice he avoids looking at you altogether, but then again, you think this is for the best.

“Hey, look who’s here!” Benny is the first one to exclaim—and potentially distract— and to stand up to hug Andrea. The others follow his example, leaving you and Frankie alone.

“So. That’s Andrea,” you awkwardly say.

“Yeah.”

“She seems incredible.”

“She is.”

The regret on his face after saying that is unmistakable, but all it does is confuse you. But even so, you don’t address it. You don’t think you’d want to know either way. You’re not sure you could handle it.

“So… how about this weekend? Us, talking?” he asks.

You scoff. “It’s Valentine’s Day. We can’t make any plans.”

“Are you guys joining us or what?” Benny shouts at you two.

With robotic motions, you get to the table, Santiago on your right and Frankie—and Andrea, respectively—on your left. You’ve never felt more constricted, in more need of air. The urge becomes unbearable, your clothes almost strangling you.

But you breathe through. You take deep breaths in and out, subtly, while Santiago’s keen eyes are watching you.

“Everyone in then?” Benny asks, and you’re quick to realize you missed about half the conversation.

“In for what?” you ask.

“We’re throwing sort of a party for Valentine’s this weekend,” Will explains, his voice soothing. “A get together, so we can all celebrate. All friends welcome.”

“You could bring Rose by too if you want,” Santiago tells you.

You frown at his not-at-all subtlety, making a face at him.

“What? He just said ‘all friends welcome’,” he continues defensively. “Rose is a friend, isn’t she?”

“Maybe more to some of us.”

“Best save your energy and desire to drink for Saturday night,” Will warns.

“Guys, I’m gonna sit this one out,” Andrea announces. “I’m headed for a medical conference this weekend, won’t be back till Sunday late.”

“That’s too bad,” Mia says.

“That’s right, you’re a doctor,” you remember.

Andrea flashes a smile down your way, her cheeks slightly reddened. Damn, that’s attractive even to you, and there is no denying that.

“Dermatologist,” she explains.

“Hey, that’s still medical school.”

She giggles, the adorable sound pleasantly tickling your ears. “What about you, what are you doing back here?”

“Editor. I get to judge and write, so two for two.”

Everyone at the table laughs, including Andrea.

“You’re so funny. And so cool,” she tells you.

Dang it. That’s hard to hate.

“So are you, I mean… hello, doctor?” you actually laugh.

“I smell a friendship forming here,” Benny giggles to Emily.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Will whispers to them. “Now quit your high school giggles.”

“I’m not gonna let you talk to my girlfriend like that, big bro.”

“I was talking to you, you bonehead.”

Emily chuckles, caressing his arm in reconciliation.

“Alright, so Saturday, five p.m., our place,” Will concludes.

“I hope you guys have a great time,” Andrea pouts, leaning a little onto Frankie’s figure.

The more you talk to Andrea, the more you listen to her life story, the fonder you’re growing of her. She is indeed remarkable: studied medicine at Johns Hopkins, bartending to pay her college debt, often worked at a shelter for homeless people during the holiday season and was generally bubbly and fun. On top of that, she was very beautiful, and she and Frankie did make a great pair.

He looked happy. Whenever he returned Andrea’s gaze, he just looked so comfortable and happy, and you loved that sight so much, you saw no point in even having that conversation with him anymore.

The sudden callout of your name snaps you back with your feet on the ground. You look around the table, seeing Mia addressing you.

“Are you coming tomorrow or not?” she repeats.

You realize you didn’t give any answer, and for some reason that startles you—especially with everyone’s glare on you.

“Uh—I don’t think I should, I mean… it’s Valentine’s Day. A day for lovers. The official holiday of sex and romance.”

“Don’t think this is some sort of orgy, cause it’s not,” Benny says.

“Well now they might,” Emily shushes him sweetly.

“We said all friends are welcome,” Will reminds you. “It’s not about couples. It’s about being together with the ones we care about.”

“Oh, rub it in, why won’t you!”

Everyone laughs at Andrea’s joke, including you.

“I do promise to make it up to you when I get back though,” she coos over to Frankie, but unfortunately, you hear it too, and it makes your stomach squeeze itself to the size of a peanut.

“I don’t expect anything less,” he replies just as cheekily.

“Oh, by the way!”

Andrea peeks from behind Frankie, calling out your name.

“Almost forgot. Since you’re such an integral part of this group’s life and because they all care about you so much, we’d love it if you’d come to our wedding. It’s on 10th of June.”

There you have it. The moment you have both been anticipating and dreading.

And now that you hear it, it causes your heart to sink into the hole that your stomach left when it squeezed itself shut. Out of the corner of your eye, you see that Frankie’s not even looking at you. Being literally in between you and Andrea, hearing the exchange between you two, it’s a little overwhelming, and unlike you, he’s not afraid to show it.

Even if Andrea doesn’t know half of the truth.

And neither do you.

“Oh, thank you… so much for the invitation,” you finally reply with a massive knot in your throat. “I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Andrea smiles.

“I just—well, I can’t make it. I’ve been planning a month long trip in June, and—“

“Oh no. I mean, that sounds amazing, but that’s too bad.”

“Yeah. Thank you so much for inviting me. But I just can’t be there.”

Your eyes pierce right through Frankie as you offer your reply, but Andrea notices nothing of the sort. It’s only then that Frankie gazes back at you, his eyes filled with unspoken regret and all the apologies of the world, each of them contained within those two brown, soft orbs.

Afterwards, you don’t even remark the concerned glares that the group exchanges between themselves. You barely hear any of the talk. You smile politely through most of it, downing your drink as if the liquid would offer some sort of salvation from the waves of sadness that overcome you.

Deep down, you know that invitation came from Andrea and not from Frankie. You’re both glad and sad, and even more so when you look around at the table, seeing Will and Mia, Benny and Emily, Andrea and Frankie and you and Santiago, together and yet apart. The concoction of emotions eats at you from inside out, ready to spit out the remains of your power at any given moment, even though you fight with every muscle in your body to keep a friendly face and not reveal any of that.

That is, until you turn to your side to see Andrea and Frankie nose to nose, whispering sweet nothings to each other in utter bliss. It’s in that moment that you feel happiness and pain marching together as one, both sharp in your chest.

“Okay guys, we don’t want to have all the fun tonight,” you excuse yourself, standing up. “So I guess I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“Yay, you’re coming!” Emily exclaims.

“A party’s a party, right?”

“Can’t you stay a bit longer?”

Frankie’s question leaves you truly dumbfounded. More so because it brings back painful memories of the last night you’ve spent together in person.

“It’s getting late,” you said at the time, barely making any effort in removing yourself from near his broad frame, sitting next to each other on that bench. “I should get going.”

“Oh, come on, it’s only ten.”

“I have a full weekend ahead of me, you know that.��

“I do. But you also know that I like spending time with you.”

“I do.”

“So you realize I’d do anything to keep you here just a little while longer.”

“It’s not easy for me either, Francisco.”

“Can’t you just… can’t you stay a bit longer?”

“I really should go, I—“

“I just want…”

“What? c’mon, just tell me. What do you want, Francisco?”

You never found out the answer. Eventually, Frankie only smiled at you and hugged you so tight you could’ve sworn you became one and the same, wished you a good night, and that was the last time you’ve seen him.

You’ve kept in touch afterwards, writing and calling, but never facetiming. And a few months down the road, he was completely gone.

“I really should get going,” you finally found the strength to reply, almost choking. “I gotta get to the office a little earlier tomorrow anyway.”

“It was so great meeting you,” Andrea smiles and hugs you. “And I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Frankie locks eyes with Santiago, and the latter’s eyes are adamant, nearly cruel in the wrong lighting.

“I’ll give you a ride,” Santiago offers.

“That’s fine, I’ll take a cab.”

You don’t know what else to do to get out of there faster, so you almost sprint towards the coat room and outside into the cold again.

When the crisp air hits your face, you close your eyes and nearly combust. It all feels too much at the same time, way too many sensations running rampant through your body. All you can possibly want now is to get home, jump in your bed and read something with a glass of wine in hand. Alone, unjudged.

But then, you feel a shadow behind you. A light grab of your wrist spins you around, and you nearly gasp.

“Are you okay?” Frankie asks.

It’s so silly that it’s almost laughable. Borderline pathetic.

You don’t know where the reaction comes from, but it’s catatonic. Suddenly you start to laugh, hot tears invading your eyes and threatening to run down your reddened cheeks at any given point.

“Am I okay?” you mock his words. “Do you even understand what this is like for me? Do you even have a shred of understanding as to how this might feel for me?”

Frankie coos your name so gently, it acts like a trigger for your tears to break free from your eyes, slowly pouring down your face.

“I came back here, to my so-called hometown, after all the hard work, all the studies and everything else in between… and I have never felt more like an outsider. In my own home, with my own chosen family. I’m a stranger here, I’m… it’s like I was never here!”

Frankie listens to you, heart aching in his chest, blood boiling in his veins, not daring interrupt you.

“And you just—just sitting there, just talking to you hurts, Francisco,” you continue. “It hurts thinking of us, of how we were and what we might’ve had, the things we’ve shared, the things we’ve said and didn’t say… it’s too fucking much.”

“So… what? This is it? You’re gonna disappear again?”

Maybe his question carries no ill intention, but it still stings you.

“I did not disappear,” you clarify on an angered tone. “I left for my studies, for a better life. Do not dare throw that against me.”

“I’m not—throwing it against you. It’s just—I know it’s too much. Seeing you again, like this—“

You frown. “Like what? I’m still me.”

He falters, his heart skipping several beats that might’ve otherwise killed him. But looking at you so hurt, in so much pain, it keeps him alive. It keeps him alive to know he has wronged you, and to know that he has to make it up to you somehow.

“You’re—“he begins, searching for his words. “I mean, leaving the country definitely worked in your best interest. You’re… gorgeous.”

You close your eyes again, anger rising within. “Don’t. Don’t do that, don’t be all nice and cheesy. Stop it. Please.”

There is finality in your voice, your throated plea a heartbreaking reminder to Frankie that all you’ve been through is on him. The guilt that kept him up at night, will continue to do so.

“We’re gonna have to see each other since we share friends, but… you and I both know things aren’t the way they used to be. And they never will be again.”

Frankie nods continuously, arriving at the same realization as you. “Okay,” he agrees. “So we put on a polite, fake smile and… that’s it.”

“That is it. That’s the bare minimum. I got nothing else to offer. You made sure of that.”

Later in the evening, when you’re barely paying attention to the pages of your book and the wine has long settled in your veins, you wonder how the hell people can go from strangers to friends, hoping for more, then back to strangers.

Like all the love they felt was never there to begin with.

previous | next

[fatuismooches]

Fontaine Archon Quest Act 1 + 2 Spoilers beneath the cut!!! 👾 anon and 🎺 anon i responded to you here :) (Also lots of talking about Arlie because I LOVE HER)

I've also gone through Lyney and Lynette's character stories/voice lines regarding Arlecchino (and a rough translation of Freminet's) and I completely agree! To be completely honest she seems more nicer than I thought she'd be. Of course, she's still strict and evil but she still has standards and seems to care for the siblings to some extent. One of the lines I found most interesting was "Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Lyney's Founding Day magic show was its ability to have even "Father" lay down her heavy burden and enjoy a brief moment of familial love." I didn't expect her to have such a close connection with the siblings. Plus, when she denied giving Lyney a Delusion and also allowed Lynette to keep a box of cats? Loved that. She can be cruel and mean but she does have some sort of heart left. Not to mention Arlie's confirmed to be from Fontaine. I hope we learn her real name soon! Totally with you there with her being soft only for reader ❤️ She has the ability to be kind but expresses it in perhaps an unconventional way. Even when she's being soft she doesn't know exactly how to act. Really looking forward to her in-game appearance!!

HELP I WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE😭😭 Saved for months with absolutely no regrets. Currently saving for Arlie as well! I wish you luck on your primogem saving ❤️❤️

FR I LOVE THE SIBLINGS SOOO MUCH 😭💖💖 (Freminet was robbed of screentime though) AND YES ARLECCHINO I LOVE HER 😭 Ugh I can totally imagine that <3 Arlie shows her kindness in a stern and strict way but you're the complete opposite. You can't fathom being cold to these little cuties! You're the affectionate one and while Arlie does scold you a bit about spoiling them too much she can't get too mad because at least you can handle all the mushy stuff which she cannot do very well. I'm now brainrotting about the kids seeing you and Arlie argue and becoming scared for your relationship and trying to get the two of you to reconcile 😭 I'm literally bouncing in excitement for 4.1 i want to see her so bad!!

Moving on to me just talking about the quests. Did anyone else feel a bit upset at Traveler for how they treated Lyney and Lynette at the end?? I did considering everything the twins went through. I understand the Traveler not trusting the Fatui but they were literally holding onto Childe's Vision in that moment?😭 Besides that little piece, these two Archon quests were really solid and lots of fun. Was also surprised how many serious topics were put into it too. Usually they leave the dark stuff for side/world quests.

Navia. Definitely an amazing character i loved her in the quests. Really beautiful, great personality, and i love her two bodyguards. Her voice while yelling at Neuvillette was really raw 🥺 Also loving Furina a lot. I didn't expect her to be insecure of herself. Seems like her confidence is just a facade for her people's sake. Y'all already know how I feel about Neuvillette haha i didn't expect him to be so emotional but I'm loving him so much! (I love everyone lemme just stop repeating myself 😭)

But damn being dissolved into water is so grim 😭 Imagine just being Fontanian and all of a sudden you learn you could simply dissolve and no one would ever know. I'd literally be so scared that i could die at any time 😭

EDIT: I CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO TALK ABOUT CHILDE IM SO DONE. IM SO SORRY CHILDE LOVERS I GOT TOO SWEPT BY ARLIE. Anyway. Childe was so freaking cute. He is the kind of guy who would tell you every little detail no matter how minuscule it is about his siblings. Teucer told him about something that happened to him? Okay now you're getting the same story but more drawn about and longer because Childe can't help babbling about his family.

I know people are clowning on Childe for getting beat by Neuvillette but give my man some credit 😭 He managed to scratch A DRAGON THATS IMPRESSIVE OKAY.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

❤️ the fazcule XD

❤️ (Red heart) for a romantic ship

For those that don't know, this is the ship that mostly involves Freddy, Bonnie and Monty in a polycule together.

I think it's really funny that no matter what the relationship between Freddy and Bonnie starts off as, they both individually look at the giant goofball with zero braincells that is Montgomery Gator and fall head over heels for him. If I were to use my versions of the characters, the relationship would probably either start with Freddy and Bonnie or Freddy and Monty, but it would be really interesting to see it start with Monty and Bonnie and them both stood there with a wall covered in pages and red string like a conspiracy board trying to plot out the perfect way to ask him out. Actually that's the more fun way to do this, that's exactly what's happening.

New Fazcule plot where Roxy, Chica and Foxy manage to get the two idiots of Bonnie and Monty to admit they're in love and start going out and then the pair of them desperately asking them how to ask Freddy out too.

Roxy: Have you considered, I dunno... asking him out? Monty: NO Bonnie: ARE YOU CRAZY?! Chica: I mean... it could work... Foxy: Freddy's a simple lad! It'd work! Monty: YOU'RE ALL INSANE Bonnie: I COULD NEVER

Honestly, the three of them could third wheel literally every single person in the plex at once. Oh everyone's in DJ Music Man's club together? The three lovestruck clowns are singing, dancing and being insanely sappy in the middle of the dance floor and everyone else has migrated to the corner to give them space.

I think Bonnie would be the one with the huge gestures of affection. Like hijacking a show to sing them a love song with fireworks and lightshows and shit. Monty is the one that fluctuates a lot. Sometimes it's grand gestures, sometimes it's something little, it's just whatever he thinks will be fun and it's a curveball every single damn time. He just comes up with the wildest or most bizarre things and when he can't think of anything exciting he goes and asks Roxy and Chica because the three of them share a braincell and with their powers combined they can do anything. Meanwhile, Freddy gives them both friendship bracelets and they both implode on the spot. He really focuses on all the little things, like remembering their favourite colours and the one little thing they mentioned they wanted like four months ago. He made one big grand gesture ever and it wiped him out for like a week he was stressing so much over it but Bonnie and Monty have never recovered emotionally from it.

This ship also has a shit ton of angst potential! Bonnie's dead in canon right? The grief of his two beloved husbands, trying and struggling to support each other through the hardest of times... and then if Freddy leaves with Gregory after SB? Monty has never felt so alone, forced to once again take the place of his lover...

It's a fun ship for sure!

[toa-ahkmou]

OOC: I think we're actually done this time.

Hello, everyone. I am @toaarcan, the writer behind both this blog, and @ghost-of-destiny. If you were a reader of either of these blogs, then you've probably noticed that everything has been very quiet for a while now.

I know some people are still enjoying what we did, because every day I get likes on some of the threads we did. And, unfortunately, I doubt there will be any more.

There's been a general decline in interest from all parties, in fact, I was one of the last ones consistently posting, as most other people just weren't around anymore. For some, Life Stuff just became too much of an obstacle. For others, the overall story was shifting in a different direction to what they'd been interested in. For some, it was just the sheer difficulty of being caught up on a story spread across a dozen blogs on a website that's actively hostile to searches.

That last one's pretty ironic considering that we were writing fanfic for a series that died because its story got too convoluted and hard to follow.

There's also another thing.

There was a D&D game. It went badly.

Actually, that's an oversimplification, but what happened was that a bunch of the most active and plot-critical players in what we referred to as "Tumblrverse" banded together to play D&D. We mostly used D&D-ified versions of our Bionicle characters and played by post on Discord. I will not be naming any names here besides my own, because I don't want this to feel like I'm airing other people's dirty laundry... but given that I have to make this disclaimer, you can probably tell that things went sideways.

At first, it worked really well! But we made one mistake right from the off: The chat was always running. It was always online. 24/7 D&D. If the DM wasn't around to make the bad guys do things, we were still active in there, chatting, shooting the breeze, and arguing. And for most of us, it took pretty much all of our creative juices.

The game, Ruins and Rahi, ran for about two years, of constant play, and things fell apart majorly toward the end, and a lot of those cracks first formed early on.

Fitting for a D&D game played by Tumblr people, there was a very "Yes, and" approach to things, and that translated to "Any player can introduce lore and suggest plot twists for their character, and everyone else just has to roll with it." We also made the critical mistake of not having a Session 0, and not establishing safety tools, so if one of these elements was an issue for someone else in the group... well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest.

Very early on, I basically introduced voluntary PvP into the game, as one of my characters had a freak-out and turned into a villain. I wanted to redeem this character, and I wanted it to be a slow, painful thing where she had to come to turns with her own morality and maybe backslide a few times. This did not work out. It mainly didn't work out because... well, I did kill another player character.

Now, this death was something the player chose to do, and was approved by the DM, and only then was it actually pitched to me. In terms of the chain of responsibility for that one, I was a solid third place of three people. Buuuut that didn't mean that it didn't become basically My Fault for the rest of the game.

This resulted in a lot of arguments, that ran for hours on end, and that's a problem in D&D because of character bleed.

In any D&D game, the player's personality and morality will bleed into their character. You've got to be real damn good to avoid it. This is why almost none of my evil characters stay evil. I just can't do it for long periods of time. And this means that, if you start having arguments in-character about the actions those characters took, eventually... you're just yelling at your friends. Often for things that either weren't entirely their fault, or weren't their fault at all.

By the time the game staggered to a close, everyone was kinda mad at each other, and there was no way to save it. The bad choices we'd all made without really talking to each other about it in advance finally became too heavy to ignore. Three of us dipped in quick succession and it collapsed in on itself.

And when you've spent several months wallowing in bitterness and half-sniping at each other, another collaborative writing project is somewhat hard to jump back into. Especially when you then make the collective decision to partake in a dedicated Discord channel for... oversharing and it immediately devolves into more sniping, this time without any veneer of roleplaying as someone else.

This is, in part, an open apology for the things I said and did during those few months, because I don't like the version of myself I became during that time. We were having fun with it until suddenly we weren't and it went too far. And it's left a bunch of us with irreconcilable differences and a few scars that mean that some of us just can't or won't talk to each other anymore. Like there are those among our number that literally can't be in the same space as each other anymore, and I've had to talk about R&R with my therapist, because as much as I'm still attached to some of the characters and some of the narrative, the way things fell apart is something that I dread a repeat of, both on my end, and on others'.

We made a few more attempts to get things rolling again on here after that. In fact, the False Flag megathread was entirely post-R&R, if I'm remembering right. But the life had gone out of it. False Flag was basically the only thread happening, and it slowed and slowed and slowed until it wasn't updating anymore either. I suggested maybe retooling the ending to turn it into more of a conclusion, but nothing more was done.

The Discord channel we used to use to plan stuff has been dead since May. We weren't talking about new threads, but about why the whole thing fell apart and what we could do to replace it. No suggestions for the latter stuck.

I think we're done. Not just me, but everyone else too.

ToaArcan, player of Ahkmou and Matoro, signing off.

[olimpiacroy]

when did you join ? what made you join ? what do you remember from the plotlines that were current at the time ? where were you in life when you joined and where are you now ?

i joined in maybe spring of 2018 ? i stayed for a month or something, lost muse and returned a month or two later if i remember correctly. the best decision ever <3 i honestly cannot remember much about the plots. the portugal vs spain thing was big and i want to say the andorra plotline was starting??? i was just working off jobs and trying to figure out what i wanted to do next. now i'm trying to get my master's but work keeps me busy and it's hard to find the motivation when i feel like i don't even need the damn paper lmao

which characters have you written over the years ?

olimpia, thore, oksana, mirjam, philippa, saskia !

what is your favourite plotline that you've been part of ?

olimbiel made me stay so i think i should definitely mention it right off the bat ! i had so much fun writing them and their struggles kept me entertained ! butttt zoey and olimpia's friendship's the most important to me. i don't even remember plotting a close friendship for them with evy but then at some point we all could agree that olimpia and zoey were bffs. i love my girls so much!!!! i think i also have to mention early jelimpia too. i don't wanna sound too ship crazy but their bickering was so entertaining and it gave me so much muse !!!!!! if i remember correctly, i had been steadily losing muse and then j swooped in and the issue was gone ! the croÿs mean the world to me as well. i don't know if hshq would have been even half as fun without the dysfunctional family. i think i'll force hails and isa to give me one more thread as well. especially because i cannot bear the idea of their last thread being a sad one :(

what about other people's plotlines ?

when i ask myself which stories i couldn't get enough of, i think of gimi, the english major plot, nat growing up, and alexei's struggles.

if you could relive a plotline, which would it be ?

probably mid-olimbiel. i was v active back then and i had so much energy ! everyone did ! i also enjoyed silpia's big fight ?? it was so interesting to see them have issues skgbdsjgbs

is there a plotline that you'd edit now if you could ?

not a thing !

what's a plotline you wish you would have been able to finish before closing or just write more of ?

more olimpia and the croÿs. more olimpia and zoey. i'm sad that our last thread was so short :( i don't think my plots got left unfinished but i feel like i didn't write an ending either. maybe the task058 will change things for me <3

what is your favourite ooc memory ?

GNSDKGNSDKGN i was upset over one thing and i was screaming about it in evy's ims and she just encouraged me to be even more toxic ksgbkdsjgbsjgkd it was a very good way to let off steam and honestly her comments made me laugh

where can others find you if they want to get in touch ?

;)

what else would you like to say ?

i feel very sad to close this chapter. letting hshq end means letting go of funny honesty hours, those late nights of writing, the early mornings of waking up to new replies... i loved killing time here. i loved refreshing the dash and seeing what you had written. i loved that on my morning commute i could open the app and read the dash as it was the morning paper. a lot of you have said that you've written all that there was to write. and i echo that sentiment. it still doesn't really comfort me aksfdbjgsb thank you everyone for being so amazing and making these six years so damn great !!!!!

[dantemisan]

See ya later! ; )

Pairing: Bratt Hand x Sister!Reader.

Genre: Fluff.

Warning: None.

Word count: 1,2k

You walked through the corridors, with each corridor the renovation in the building was more minimalistic, I mean, white walls, no paintings, the carpet did not lead you to that door that you were bursting through.

ㅤ

You walked through many corridors almost every day to find your little brother Brett. It was pretty hard to get into his room day after day, not only because your parents signed you up for all kinds of horse riding olympiads, but also because it was damn hidden from prying eyes, I mean, only your parents and you knew the exact route to his room, (maybe the parents are trying to forget him, lol). To get there you had to go through 5 fucking corridors, they were damn long and boring, but you kept going to him because he was the cutest of all your brothers and one almost bitch sister.

ㅤ

Suddenly you are pulled out of your thoughts by a sudden pain in your head, while you were thinking about all this you crashed into his door. You rubbed your sore forehead, frowning a little. Suddenly the door slowly opens, from the door you can see the light strands of your brother, his expression is restless at first, but when he sees that it's just you, he smiles broadly at you. "(Y/N)! Why didn't you come the last two days? You couldn't because of those horse riding competitions?" Brett quickly fell into your arms, asking questions that probably made him a little worried about you. "Too many questions, isn't it, Brettie?" You replied as his cheeks flushed, awww, so cute, he's still not used to your nickname you gave him. He was always such a sweetheart, that was one of the reasons why you tried so hard to cherish him all the time, he was much nicer than everyone in the family, so why in public do your parents say that this is not their child?..

"Will you come to me?.." Brett asked softly, pulling you out of your thoughts, he clung to you like a kitten. His hugs were really very comforting, even if you were a little taller than him. "Of course, Brett!". When Brett stopped hugging you, you got up from the floor, brushed off any possible dirt from your dress and went into your brother's apartment.

ㅤ

It was quite typical here, many thanks to the parents that they decided to redecorate this room, otherwise it would have been terrible. anyway, Brett had a pretty minimalist room for his age, but you've also been to his treehouse, so you just know he's got great imagination and good taste, you're still a little scared of his treehouse dolls, which he did surprisingly well, I mean, he is 10 years old, and his skill is the envy of a seamstress: Detailed clothes, neatly sewn parts of the body of the doll, this was the coolest thing you seen then.

ㅤ

Remembering his talent, you decided to chat about it: You knew perfectly well that Brett had a kink for praise, and you don’t mind giving him a compliment once again, he really deserves it, because you knew that your shitty parents never could would accept it, because in their interests only a reputation that needs to be maintained day by day.

ㅤ

"So, Brett, you told me this week that you want to make something else, what is it?" You ask while you sit on his bed while he sits on a chair at the study table. "Oh, it's kind of like a gift for someone important." Brett was a little nervous in his seat, he turned to you, holding the back of the chair with his hands. Your eyebrows raised and a smirk adorned your lips, you snickered in response, realizing that this was most likely a gift to you: The fact is that your birthday is coming soon, so that explains a lot. "Oooh, I understand." You said it proudly, turning as far away from Brett as you could so that he wouldn't see your proud smile to the fact that your little brother most likely knows how to make the best gifts with his golden hands.

ㅤ

"But I'm still not comfortable with the words of mom and dad.." Brett admitted with sadness in his voice, his brows furrowed a little, and his eyes were now staring at the floor. "Oh, are you really upset by their bullshit?" You abruptly got out of bed and walked towards him, "A little.." Brett replied as his hands slowly let go of his lap. You were already there, kneeling in front of him, you are trying to cheer him up so that he no longer listens to his parents. "They're just old suckers, their brains stopped working closer to 40, disgraceful. Brett, please don't be discouraged because of their words, it's your life and you decide what to do in it!" You raised your voice a little because you were a little annoyed that because of his parents, Brett may lose his talent for craftsmanship. You quickly hugged him, stroking his back and after a couple of seconds his arms were wrapped around your body too, it was so cute to cuddle with him, he was so cute!

ㅤ

After a glorious moment, you guys stopped hugging, and just sat on the bed and giggled at the stupid deeds of your older brother. "And then she said that she was not going to date him because of his ugly face!" You were telling another story about how your brother was rejected many times by different girls with whom he fell in love, Brett giggled and you really felt better, that you were able to make him forget the words of his parents. "Do you remember that Halloween incident?" Brett asked, trying to contain his laughter with his hand. "WAT!? Don't say you remembered it! I told you to forget that ridiculous incident! don't say it, I don't want to remember!" You screamed when you kind of knew what the act was about, so you decided to shut up Brett before it's too late.. you grabbed a pillow so Brett knew it was going to be a pillow fight, he quickly grabbed another one and was able to block your attack, grinning a bit at this he quickly backed away from you, not wanting to get hit by your attacks anymore

ㅤ

You two didn't really notice how fast the time went by, so at the end of the battle you just fell back on your pillows, trying to get some rest: A little uneven heartbeat, deep breaths and a tomato red face did not bother you guys for long, so after 30 seconds of inactivity you werre ok.

ㅤ

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, you and Brett looked at each other when the door slowly opened and it turned out to be the butler. "Oh, hello!.." You said, quickly getting up from the floor and trying to put yourself in order: you lay your hands on your hair, shaggy from the battle, shake off non-existent dirty from your dress and jacket. The butler, of course, understood that you were messing with Brett, but did not pay much attention to it, he does not see the need to scold you about this. "So.. miss (Y/N), I think you need to be cleaned up before anyone sees you." The butler said politely as he opened the doors wide to let you quietly exit your brother's apartment. "Oh, sure.." You replied as you first looked at Brett, then at the butler, and then back at Brett. You quickly walked over to him for a big hug before you quickly pull away and leave with the butler.

ㅤ

"Doodbye, Brettie, see ya later."

[katzkinder]

Graphite

Shorter than usual this time, but that's because there's a special illustration at the end ;3 Yes it's supposed to be that messy lol

Something Mahiru had noticed over the years was that Kuro… Was actually pretty talented. Lazy as his Servamp seemed to be, he had skills up his sleeves that constantly surprised those around them, including the other Servamps. Usually, though, those were the more modern things, the things Kuro had only gotten the time and energy to learn because he was in such a better place now (and it always made Mahiru’s heart swell with pride when he remembered that little fact).

Still… It truly was incredible. Not just for Kuro, either. For all of them, each Servamp seemed to have an almost inexhaustible list of professions they could go into, specialties they latched onto and continued to develop even in the present day. But, well… Of course he was the most interested in what his partner could do, right? Right!

His favorite, though, was unquestionably the fact Kuro was just… A good artist.

Finding it out was a complete accident, really. A study date at the library between himself and his friends, prepping for yearly final exams (had it already been almost three years since he’d met Sakuya and two since he picked up Kuro?) and trying not to crack under the stress, which meant that while the four of them huddled over their books and passed notes and guides back and forth, Kuro remained all by his lonesome at the end of their table. A pair of headphones and a handheld gaming system kept him occupied, something Mahiru was grateful for, but at some point, Kuro’s interest had started to wane, and, well. They had so many supplies strewn about, a notebook and a pencil weren’t going to be missed. He certainly hadn’t noticed Kuro snagging them to amuse himself, and if he had, well, he simply would have assumed it was to write.

Writing was something he had learned Kuro could do last year. Not because his Servamp had done it in front of him, oh, of course not. He learned because the British Museum decided it was the perfect time to digitize some of the historical records of a certain mysterious family that just so happened to be composed of seven siblings, and a certain werewolf had given them a call to warn them that certain journals were now publicly available, and wow he had never seen the blood drain as fast from Kuro’s face as he did the day his partner had been made aware that the fiction he had written in the past as a means to pass the time had not, in fact, been lost to the ages, but was now up for anyone and everyone to read in all its glory.

Suffice to say, Kuro had not been happy.

Mahiru had also not been happy, but only because he couldn’t read a damn word, what with it being written in not just English, but old English. Still, what Youtarou had kindly translated for him had been, well… Beautiful. Even if Kuro was embarrassed by his old hobby, there was no denying that his writing was good. It made him wonder what else was in those journals, not that he went prying. He got the distinct feeling there were lots of things written there that he didn’t want to know about… After all, Lawless’s past words were immortalized, too. Trying to make sense of that would make his brain leak out of his ears, he was sure of it.

Just like trying to make sense of the math material was doing to Ryuusei, although Sakuya was making a valiant, if not altogether unsuccessful effort, to prevent such brain leakage.

“What’s the equivalent of becoming a stripper for dudes…?”

“You’re still a stripper. The decision comes with whether you wanna strip for girls or not. The problem is, if you strip for girls, their boyfriends might try to beat you up.”

“I can take ‘em.”

“In that tiny little thong? No you cannot.”

“Guys…! We need to focus!”

“Oi,” Mahiru suddenly spoke up, catching the attention of all three. Koyuki, bless his heart, looked grateful for the distraction. Ryuusei just looked like he was on the brink of killing himself. Or Sakuya. Whichever was easiest, probably. “Why don’t we break for lunch?”

“God, please,” Ryuusei groaned, flopping dramatically across his workbook. A few of Koyuki’s colorful gel pens went rolling across the table with the disturbance, much to their owner’s annoyance. “Spare me from this torture…”

“If you had studied more this wouldn’t be a problem.” Sakuya’s scolding only earned another series of whines, Ryuusei bemoaning his preemptively ruined winter break.

“He’s right, you know…” Koyuki’s mumble went unheeded, which seemed to suit him just fine, since his attention was soon grabbed by where his school supplies had ended up. Namely, coming to a harmless stop against the edge of the notebook Kuro had claimed for himself. A notebook which had an entire page covered with a hazy sketch Mahiru couldn’t quite make out from his position across from the other. “Guys, look.”

With the new and sudden scrutiny being paid to him by four people, Kuro summarily shrunk. “... What.” To most people he would have sounded irritated, but Mahiru knew he was only self conscious. He couldn’t really blame him. Kuro still felt awkward tagging along as a person at the best of times, but this had been the vampire’s idea to begin with, so until he was given some kind of signal that Kuro was all tapped out on social interaction and needed a reprieve, dealing with his rowdy friends was still on the table.

“Did you draw that?” Sakuya asked dumbly, voicing the question they all had the answer to but nonetheless wanted to ask. A blink, the other looking down at the paper, head tilting as if Kuro wasn’t entirely sure how the lines on the pages had gotten there. His lips pressed together, brow furrowing as Kuro worked his jaw, no doubt trying to come up with some snappy comeback. Briefly Mahiru thought about how sarcasm and teasing were part of Kuro’s love language, and how unappreciative Sakuya could be when those came from people he didn’t already like. He needed to work on that with them…

Ultimately, Kuro gave up on being witty, and instead opted for being petulant. “No.”

“Liar?!”

“Don’t ask dumb questions if you don’t want dumb answers… Can’t deal…”

“Okay listen here ya damn cat…” Sakuya stepped forward and Kuro hunkered down, covering the pages and preventing any of them from getting a better look. An offended noise. “I’m not going to try and take it?”

“Shhh, you’re being too loud… Um… Excuse me…” Koyuki flashed Kuro a hesitant smile before plucking up his wayward pen, setting about cleaning up their space while trying not to be too obvious about how interested he was in the Servamp’s work. Mahiru only shook his head and followed suit, but not before giving Kuro a pat, and Sakuya a pointed poke in the side that made him jerk.

“No fighting.”

“I-I wasn’t!”

“No. Fighting,” he repeated, and, satisfied with the sulky nod he received, allowed Kuro to withdraw into himself while they all packed up. “Where do you guys wanna eat, anyhow?”

Gratitude filtered back to him through their link, and Mahiru smiled. Even if it was selfish, he kind of enjoyed knowing that he was the only one who Kuro truly felt… At ease around. Still. He couldn’t help but let more of his curiosity about what the other had been doing get back to him than he should have, because in the next moment, their link closed off, shut up like floodgates while Kuro possessively dragged the notebook closer to himself.

“Sorry,” he murmured, shouldering his bag, “You don’t have to show me.”

“... Later,” Kuro promised, and that was enough to make him happy.

***

Mahiru never did get that notebook or pencil back. Which was fine by him because, in their place, he got treated to little doodles and comics, silly drawings left for him to find around the apartment, and Kuro accompanying him more often on outings as a human being. He supposed it was because it allowed the vampire to redirect his nervous energy into action, rather than just mindlessly slapping buttons, and that was good enough reason to encourage Kuro to take up a hobby he’d long put to rest once more.

(A selfish part of him reveled in being the only one of the Eves to know about it, and the only person, period, Kuro willingly showed what he had done to)

A simple notebook, and a simple pencil, could do so much. Including show him exactly how he appeared through his Servamp’s eyes.

[jmagnabo92]

CBS Ghosts - Pilot - Haunting is Hard Part 2

Haunting is Hard part 2 - Two ghosts down, two ghosts to go.  

Okay.  This is interesting - Isaac never agreed to show off his power so it’s surprising that he ends up doing this. 

It’s especially interesting that he DOESN’T want to do it, but Pete has to encourage him to do it.  

This is interesting because Pete is like a pseudo leader in some sense of the word given that he leads their “club days” as we saw in “Baby Ghost” & because he is the peacemaker (as we hear about in Jay’s Sister) - to the point that even Isaac listens to him.

I love the visual of this.

I love that Jay seems to immediately think that it’s possible that Sam could’ve produced the smell - not just because he apparently knows that Sam’s farts smell extra bad when she’s on a juice cleanse.  

Aw, it’s cute, that Isaac while looking like he’s died a second time - I mean he took it a lot harder than Sass or Thor - is still so focused on the mission.  He’s like “We have to see this haunting through” and those directs Trevor to do his job.  

On the note of Isaac being bent over like he just died again - do we think this has something to do with it relating to his power?  

It would make sense given A) Sass & Thor seem to brush off their walk throughs  fairly quickly and B) that everyone’s else power takes a lot out of them - well, except Alberta.  

Plus, we learn later that Flower’s power is also from being walked through (and it appears to hurt her more, as well).  Meanwhile, everyone else brushes off being walked through quickly.  But their powers are a struggle.  

If that’s right - and the reason that it hurts Isaac so much - that bites.  

Also, it’s interesting that Alberta has no issues with her power - I have a theory that it’s because she was the one that uses her power the most because she’s always singing.  

I just love the back and forth between the married couple just arguing over farting and Trevor immediately trying to knock over the vase.

Also, love Jay’s six Nos.  

This is so great - Sam’s having none of it.

I totally love Flower & Hetty acting like Cheerleaders here.  It’s adorable.

I really wish we had seen them realizing that it was neither of them and they were arguing over a ghost :)

Love this tidbit from Jay/Sam - they have things for butts.

Awwwww, Trevor’s having a hard time.  He’s hurting so much from trying knock over the vase - poor guy.  He’s like weak at the knees and I bet he feels like he let everyone down - especially since he was the one that came up with the idea.

But I love that Hetty and Flower are both looking at him like - awwww.

Four ghosts attempted to haunt - four ghosts failed.  

Damn that sucks - such a good plan foiled by old wiring, radios working and apparently a couple that farts a lot.  It’s interesting that 3 of the 4 were properly foiled, while the fourth wasn’t foiled, but instead, doesn’t work because of a ghost error (Trevor wasn’t able to do it in the time before Sam/Jay left the scene).  What’s also interesting about this piece of information is that Trevor (as I said above) came up with the idea so likely felt like it was his fault since his power the one power that’s difficult to come up with a “normal” reason.

We see it in the scene:

Thor’s power - old wiring, Alberta’s power - the radio at the right time (or wind), Isaac’s power - someone farting, but Trevor’s power can’t be blown off.  That’s why he HAS to struggle.  That’s why his power is the only one NOT to work in this scene.  

It’s very interesting - ANYWAY, Isaac is still struggling (as was Trevor) (Thor appears bent over in the back too), Alberta and Sass are chilling and Pete’s like “well, haunting is hard.”  DUDE.

AND THEN, despite the fact that he was the one to encourage Isaac to be walked through and stink up the place makes a point to say it stinks.  Damn, Pete.  

Still, this was a fun scene.

[dmwrites]

There were good and bad days in this world they called Double Life Land. Some days were full of violence and bloodshed and yelling. But most days were quiet, as soulmates nursed their wounds or built their houses or plotted or just took a day off. Those were the good days. This was one of them.

“No, no, I’m telling you, it’s so much simpler to do ten repeaters attached to the back of the chests.”

“Bdubs.” Impulse took the pillow from over his eyes to look at his soulmate lying next to him. “I adore you, I really do, but if you keep trying to tell me that that is a better way of making a storage system, I will kill us both.”

“Aww, you love me too much to do that.” Bdubs chuckled. Impulse smacked him with the pillow.

It was a good day to spend far too long in bed, which they did. The sun was shining under the cracks in the door, all warm and buttery looking. Bdubs sketched out a vague blueprint for the back of their house, and then drew a portrait of Impulse when he got bored of that. Impulse read out loud to him, a book called “The Adventures of the Soup Squad”, which was his favorite fictional book series.

After a long while, Bdubs got up. “Think I’m gonna go to the coco bar. You wanna come with?”

“Nah. I think I better get to sharpening our swords.” Impulse replied, getting out of bed too. “Have fun. Don’t die. You know the drill.”

Bdubs put on his clothes- he and Impulse had tried to fix his raggedy shirt, but neither one of them knew how to sew, so it ended up looking like a patchwork quilt that had a run-in with a shredder (Bdubs adored it)- and kissed Impulse on the cheek before heading out to the coco bar.

Ah, the coco bar. Imagine a common watering hole in a town full of hostile beings. That was this place. It served a number of drinks, mainly hot coco, as it was easy to make with the jungle and it’s coco beans nearby. It was kind of interesting, honestly, to sit down next to the person who almost killed you yesterday and order a beer for the both of you. It was a slapped-together establishment, made of mismatched planks of wood and barstools carved from hand whenever anyone felt down to carve something. An absolute delight of a place; Bdubs loved it.

It was only Grian inside at this hour, making himself some tea.

“Hey Gri.” Bdubs grinned and sat down on one of the stools. “You got any tea to spare?”

“You two lovebirds have a lie-in today?” Grian asked, sliding him a chipped mug half-filled with tea and raising his eyebrows. “Didn’t see you out and about. Scar was going on and on about what you two might be getting up to.”

“Yeah we were straight chillin’.” Bdubs answered. “Good day for it. How’s good ol’ Scarry boy anyhow? Are you living the dream?”

“Oh my god, I can’t even begin to explain what being tied to Scar- and this time I mean it on a soul level- is like!” Grian rolled his eyes.

“Oooo, do tell, do tell!” Bdubs patted the barstool next to him.

Grian must have really needed to vent, because he slumped onto the chair and started talking. “Oh my god. Bdubs, I- it’s been so much. I never knew how much damage that man takes on a day to day- no, a minute to minute basis. We have gotten down to half a heart at least four times in the past few days. And the cats! Oh my god the cats! I have seen that man fixate on builds for a week straight, but this is nothing compared to those damn cats. He’s not at home half the time because he’s in the ‘cat corner’ as he calls it, playing with them. He’d sleep in there if I’d let him. He doesn’t even care that we’re soulmates! He keeps telling me he doesn’t need no Grian and wanders off to study everyone else’s builds. Not to mention!” At this point, Grian had his forehead on the bar, and Bdubs was patting him on the back. “He will piss anyone off. Anyone! He can’t seem to keep his mouth shut, much less stop from meddling in everything we see.”

“Sounds like you.” Bdubs said. He had a huge grin on his face, which Grian, still face-down, couldn’t see.

“It does, and now I get why everyone was so willing to smack the pesky bird down from the sky with a baseball bat.”

Bdubs sighed in pure and unbridled satisfaction. “Well, sounds like you got what you deserved. Karma might take its sweet time, but it got there in the end. That’s what you get for last season! Ha!” Bdubs stood up and walked out of the bar. “Oh, and Gri?” Grian turned around in his seat, looking furiously at Bdubs. “Thanks for the tea.” He winked and walked off.

He went back to his and Impulse’s house. Impulse was outside, gardening.

“Welcome back! I missed you, and I’m so glad to see you didn’t take any damage! I’m so proud!” Impulse opened his arms and Bdubs came in for the hug.

“Oh I just got talking to Grian at the coco bar. He was going on and on about Scar and his Scar-isms, you know how they are.” Bdubs said, head on Impulse’s shoulder.

“Divorced and married and divorced and married. Annoying. Oh yeah, I know them well. Nothing like us though. We’re kind of flawless human beans.” Impulse chuckled at his own joke.

“Oh yes indeed. Everyone is totally jealous of us, I can just tell.” Bdubs pulled back and headed inside the house. Impulse followed, and they spent the rest of the evening chatting (arguing) about redstone and making their wheat into bread.

It was a good day.