#it's my speaking/writing that needs work. and a lot of it

[ghostlyferrettarot]

🩰୨୧Pick a Picture:🤍｡🩰ꪆৎ ˚⋅.Which Barbie character do you embody?🤍｡🩰ꪆৎ ˚⋅.

❗️This is a collective reading, take what resonates and leave the rest❗️

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🩰🎀Masterlist🩰🎀 🩰🎀Masterlist 2🩰🎀

ᡣ𐭩 🤍｡🩰ꪆৎ ˚⋅.Pile 1: Odette (Barbie of Swan Lake) Hi, pile 1! You are like Odette: someone who may not always feel ready for what life throws at you, but still faces everything with a light that cannot be extinguished. You are that person who, even when you feel insecure or lost, manages to see beauty where others see chaos. You have a quiet magic, the kind that doesn't need to shout to shine. A very strong intuition, a connection with the invisible, with dreams, with the subtle. Your energy speaks to me of someone very empathetic, someone who absorbs what happens around her, and who often carries more than her share because she has that huge heart that wants to help everyone. But be careful with that: don't forget to take care of yourself too. In the story, Odette wasn't looking to be a heroine, or a princess, or anything epic. She simply followed her heart, and that's why the universe chose her. And that's how you are too. You don't need to force anything to be valuable. Your strength lies precisely in that sensitivity that the world sometimes doesn't understand, but that is essential. Keep dreaming, even if they tell you it's impractical. Believe in yourself, even if you sometimes doubt it. Your story has only just begun, and it has a very beautiful purpose. You don't need to have all the answers right now; you just need to have faith in yourself. Write, paint, dance (I feel like artistic hobbies will make you shine so much), do whatever connects you with yourself. Your light is real. And even if you don't realize it sometimes, others see it.

ᡣ𐭩 🤍｡🩰ꪆৎ ˚⋅.Pile 2: Princess Anneliese (The Princess and the Pauper) Hi, Pile 2! You don't do what the world expects of you. You may have grown up feeling you had a role to fulfill, an image to maintain… but deep down, you've always wanted more. More authenticity. Anneliese is intelligent, determined, and true to herself, even when it means breaking down structures. And you, although you may not realize it, have also been learning to use your voice in new, firmer ways, more aligned with who you truly are. You are a brilliant mind, but also a tender heart. And that is an incredibly powerful combination. Perhaps you are at a time when you need to set boundaries, make difficult decisions, or stand firm in the face of something that would have previously made you hesitate. This is a call to trust in your ability to lead your own life, even if you feel afraid, even if you don't have all the answers, because that leadership comes from within, from your integrity. And yes, it can be lonely at times. Because when you decide not to fit into what others expect, you find yourself facing many opinions, stares, and uncomfortable silences. But you are not making a mistake. You are evolving. You are choosing your truth. Surround yourself with people who value your mind, who challenge you with love, who are not intimidated by your brilliance. Give yourself the space to lead your projects, your decisions, your boundaries. You are not being "cold" or "too much." You're just being you. And that's more than enough.

ᡣ𐭩 🤍｡🩰ꪆৎ ˚⋅.Pile 3: Barbie (Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale) Hi Pile 3! People misjudge you a lot, Pile 3. You may seem sweet, but you're not naive. Maybe you've gone through times where you doubted yourself, where you felt like you didn't quite fit in or that you were out of place… but every time the world tried to tell you who you should be, you chose to be yourself. And that's incredibly powerful. You're the kind of person who inadvertently encourages others, who sees beauty where others only see chaos. I also feel like you may be very artistic or you should pursue something related to the arts; you have a unique vision on things that can make you really successful. I also notice that you're entering a very special time in your life. It may be that you're discovering new parts of yourself, as if something inside has finally aligned. Maybe you're starting to believe more in your voice, in your ideas, in your own style. You also have a natural light in you, idk if I'm explaining myself well, but it doesn't need to be announced because it's simply noticeable when you walk into a room. You're one of those people with a genuine heart, who doesn't seek the spotlight, but who ends up at the center of attention because of how you care, how you inspire, and how you see the best in others. If you sometimes doubt yourself or feel like what you do "isn't enough"… please, look again at everything you've already transformed. Because even when you think you're just "doing your thing," you're spreading hope in those around you. And go and do some art, you will slay in it ;).

ᡣ𐭩 🤍｡🩰ꪆৎ ˚⋅.Thank you for reading and let me know if it resonated!ᡣ𐭩 🤍｡🩰ꪆৎ ˚⋅.

[omniphilic]

i need to prep ur brain for when i slide into ur inbox w my milf!reader fanfic... instead of mark and a hot mom, let me raise u REX and a hot mom.

walk w/ me: rex is a DOG, and so is mark, but rex is so proud of that fact that he practically wears it on his sleeve like a badge of honor. he does not bother hiding the fact that he wants you. semantics, shemantics— so what if he's too young for you? or that you're recently divorced? or, better yet, you’re recently separated— it's just that the divorce hasn't gone through yet. all that means is that you're basically single, and age is just a number, so why are you getting caught up on the details?? let the handsome and charming superhero who’s started to patrol your neighborhood a little more frequently help you with your groceries, and fix the leak under your sink, and, i don't know, blow ur back out while the kids are at school until you're shaking like a leaf w/ your eyes rolled back and his cum leaking out of you? 🫣

wow, i am so excited to write this.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀18+ content below / MDNI

There’s just something so charming about his ham-fistedness, I think. His forwardness might’ve seemed try-hardy in any other instance, but the truth is you’re lonely :( you and your husband were separated long before you made him sign the papers, and when you served them he hardly batted an eye. Twenty years of marriage and you’ve only got two kids (one 8, the other 16) and sexual frustration to show for it. You don’t often burden others with your own issues but you wear it on your sleeve—dressed in mourning colors while mowing the lawn, expression forlorn, almost longing.

Rex bumbles in without respect to any of those things. He’s blunt, brash, trying to flirt with you as he saves you from a crush on the highway that him and his damn guardians caused. Takes one look at your big wet eyes and then decides to make it his personal mission to see you to your destination—make sure you’re safe. It’s just an excuse to carry you, feel the tension of the muscle beneath your skin and the soft backs of your knees, staring at your tits as they rise and fall with each breath.

You notice, but don’t do anything to stop him. It’s been so long since you’ve felt appreciated. Wanted.

So yes, you invite him over for dinner under the guise of paying kindnesses forward. It's fun watching your kids rave as you introduce them to an honest to god superhero. They’re more excited about him than you are, asking him question after question about the job; any near-death experiences? Daring rescues and brave escapes? They want to hear it all over seconds & dessert. If you didn’t excuse your new friend from the table, the rabble would’ve gone on all night, but Rex doesn’t mind, he’s great with kids (if it means it’ll get him laid) and impresses them easily with flashy stories and backyard demonstrations of his explosive tendencies.

You’re a little harder of a nut to crack, but his persistence adds to his charm. He’s oddly punctual, always patrolling around the same time every afternoon and evening to catch you on your way to or from work, or the store. He heaves your things along no problem and it’s already unmistakably clear what Rex is vying for, so to speak. His eyes tell you a lot. His mask is a crutch more than cover because the boy has wandering eyes; when they’re capped by yellow lenses he can stare all he like, as if you can’t feel him.

But he isn’t the type to leave you in suspense about what he’s thinking, he’ll tell it to you and the witnesses, he’s that shameless.

“Those look heavy,” he says, gesturing to what you think are the bags in your hand, “Let me hold em for you.”

The thanks Rex you were intending slips away as he cups firmly under your breasts, peering at you to gauge how close you are to smacking the shit out of him, but you are stunned to silence for a moment. Then you laugh, “You’re a pervert, Rex. Did your mother never teach you manners? The right way to treat a woman?”

He gets oddly quiet at that. Then he says, “Clearly not, ‘swhy don’t you teach me then, huh? What’s a good boy look like to you?”

I think the dynamic between divorcee MILF and Rex would be abhorrently cute, back breaking aside. I think Rex has more finesse than Mark because he has more experience with women and knows how to give you what you need while also being quite selfish incredibly nonchalantly. He's very open about liking you, it's breathing, to him. He is unapologetically monopolizing you and your time so much so he very rapidly becomes a steady addition to your life- your kids know about him, the neighbors definitely know about him, and your ex???

He facetimes you to talk about the kids coming over for the weekend and Rex picks up the phone. Hair mussed, eyes narrowed to fine points, he's focused on something. Faint sounds of leather creasing in the background.

R: "She's busy."

X: "Who the fuck is this??? Busy? Busy doing what?"

Rex doesn't say anything, just flips the camera.

He's got you over the couch, zooming in on where he's got you split open, fat cock stuffed in pretty pussy; you got this man soaked to the bone!

You're a little too cock drunk to notice quickly, moving back to meet Rex's hips with a vigor yet to be matched by your mind.

R: "I think she's good where she's at, man. Let's put a raincheck on that."

—click!

[sweetmapple]

I’ve seen a lot of TMA x Malevolent fluff crossover material but I need more whump, sorry not sorry 😬

Got me thinking how would the world’s worst ‘employers’ interact with each others’ favorite employees? I wrote out the bones to 2 separate comics and goddamn this would require soooo much time to draw this so, until I get that gusto to force my will upon paper, woe be upon ye, take my drawing notes. Didn’t write it in prose, it’s specifically my comic ‘screenplay’ writing but I feel like I got the characters n dialogue pretty solid 😊

Arthur and John meeting Elias

Arthur sitting at a diner, drinking coffee. Someone steps up to his table.

“Ah, no thank you, I’m still working on-“

“Orther- that’s not the waiter, it’s a man in a nice suit he’s-“

“Pleasure to meet you.” Elias holding out his hand.

“He’s holding his hand out, I think he wants to shake.”

“Oh! Yes, pleasure to meet you?”

“Hmm, pleasure to meet you as well Mr. Lester.”

“Uhhh.” Both John and Arthur. Elias sits across from him.

“Orther, I- there’s something wrong with this man. You should bash his skull in. Quick.”

“No! I- I mean- um- uh-“

“Oh, of course, I’m sure it’s difficult to see what’s going on. I’m Elias Bouchard, I sent a letter to your office last week, I’m in need of your investigative eyes.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, his eyes Orthur…”

“Um…”

“As a PI Mr. Lester.”

“Orther, there’s a large stone outside the diner, you should-“

“Now I don’t want to cause any headaches, but it’s a simple job.”

(Elias rambling about wanting to find Leitner)

(Arthur raises his hand to his mouth and quietly argues with John about wtf is going on)

Elias sees Arthur is not paying attention and trails off watching them, growing increasingly annoyed.

“Mr. Lester, how long did it take for your daughter to drown?”

Air is sucked out of the room

“Did he just-“ John

“What the fuck did you just say-“ Arthur

“I’d appreciate your attention, Mr. Lester-”

“If you don’t tell me what the fuck you are-“

Elias gets a glint in his eyes, static crackles in the air and Arthur sits back

“Orther? What-“ John looks at Arthur. Arthur blankly sits, now crying.

“Now, would you prefer me to call you The King in Yellow or is John too personal.”

“You motherfucker, what the fuck did you d-“

“I only find it fair, John, hm, what a nice name, I only find it fair to proffer one single threat against the 80 you’ve lobbed at me thus far. Do tell Arthur once he’s done that I’ll sear that image into his mind should you continue to distract him.”

“What are you… showing him?”

“Call it cinema of the family variety.”

John is suddenly very concerned. “Orthur, snap out-“

“Ah-ah-ah, just a few more seconds.”

Arthur comes out of the trance. “I- wh- wh-“

“Allow me to speak plainly. I assume you’re familiar with the concept of the carrot and stick. I’d have hoped I could have gotten to the carrot but I see now the two of you are more familiar with the latter.”

Arthur in a state of shock, mouth too dry to speak. John, “Orther, this man, we…” he growls, “should listen to him.”

Elias smirks. “Wonderful. Find the Librarian Jurgen Leitner and you’ll get your carrot. I’d imagine occult knowledge is tantalizing enough.” He gets up, slides a business card on the table. “Your Armitage will be a good lead. And I assure you, I- hah, pardon the language, I am not someone to… fuck with.”

Jon meeting Kayne

Jon reaches to start the tap recorder. Clicks the button. “Statement of-“ Then it immediately turns off.

Jon pauses.

He goes to press it again

It turns off again.

“Uhm…”

He presses it one more time.

“Th… that’s new.”

“Gahahahahahhahaha!” Kayne is sitting across from him

Jon falls backwards out of his chair

“Wh-who the- wha- who are you?” Jon splutters.

Kayne steps on top of the table and to Jon’s side, leaving bloody footprints on the table and statement papers.

“Jon Jon Jon Jon Jon, jonny boy. Never had a shy tape recorder before?” Kayne stands him up.

“Uh-“

“Oh, you’ve got some dust on ya, lemme just-“ swipes at his shirt. “There!” Jon’s collar is covered in blood from Kayne’s hands

Jon looks down at the blood. “The… the slaughter then?”

“Oh the slaughterrrrrrrr he asks, GAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Tell me who you ser-“

“Hush hush hush Jonny boy. I’m the one with the questions today.” He puts his finger to Jon’s lips.

Jon backs away from his hand, eyes crackling readying a question

Kaynes hand shoots out grabbing Jon’s throat. Very serious now. “None of that. But if I said a lil name like extinction would that get you to shut the fuck up?”

Jon pales.

Kayne drops him on the ground.

“Great! No… Wonderful! No… still not right. What do you Brit’s say? Bloody brilliant? Hah! Yeah, Blough’ee brillian’ i’ is!”

“What do you want?”

“Mmm, now that’s a question I like hearing. I wanna talk to that big ol eye ball you worship, maybe make some tasteful and sultry extended eye contact with it. Where is it?”

“The- the beholding?”

“Yeah sure, whichever of the 800 names you like. Where is it?” Kayne sits on the table.

“It- it can’t exist in this-“ Jon staggers up.

“Ugh, fine fine fine- then that big tall compensatory panopticon your body snatching boss has. Where’s that?”

“…what?”

Kayne looks at him suspiciously. Looks at his watch-less wrist. A ‘genuine’ apologetic look flares across his face. “Aw, Jesus Christ, my bad, spoilers.” Snaps his fingers.

Jon’s eyes go hazy and his face goes blank.

He shakes his head, confused.

“Your Bossman would be quite cross with me if he knew I said that. Hah!”

“Said… what?”

“Exactly. Take me to the tunnels ‘Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.’ Or I’m gonna peel out each individual nerve from your entire body and weave em into a macrame handkerchief.”

[elfwreck]

I have Linux Mint on my travel laptop. I do not have it on my Larger Less-Travel-y Laptop, because I need Acrobat Pro to do work, and I am a Word user at a skill level that makes switching to Libre Office difficult. (Also I use both Word and Acrobat Pro in my day job; there is no option of "just get used to something else." It'd always be "get used to both.") I also use ABBYY FineReader, and there is absolutely nothing Linux-friendly that compares.

Can attest that Linux Mint is easy to install and easy to use. Slightly more difficult to set up to run on a flash drive that remembers your settings instead of wiping the base OS. (...I hauled in Linux-Fluent Daughter to set that up. I could've done it alone but was getting frustrated. Creating partitions on a flash drive is not fun for non-techies.)

(Srsly, Linux folks, why the hell is there no How To Switch From Windows website? Why is there no nice, open community and attached Discord for So You Want To Defenestrate Your Computer? No tiny nonprofit focused on End The Chromebook Conspiracy? Where's the "We convert Win7 Laptops into Linux For Students" group?)

Notes from a power Windows user who has loved Linux for decades but has very little practical experience with it:

The "choose a distro" advice is terrible. There are no guidelines for it, 2/3 of the searchable advice about it is more than 10 years old, and fully half of that is "how to get the smallest possible distro onto your very tiny ancient drive." And it's great to know that I can run Linux off a 2gb flash drive! But. It's not what I actually need.

Info about "how do I run this set of programs I use all the time" is also terrible. And often hostile, and packed with "you should be using open source software instead."

At no point in the "hey you should try Linux!" discussions does anyone mention "oh by the way, some laptops will have no native support for certain exotic features like audio or printing. You will need to track down special drivers or weird third-party plugin things to make those work. You will only discover this lack after you have installed Linux, joined a Zoom call, and realized that your OS thinks your speakers don't exist."

Choose a password you are comfortable typing A LOT. Seriously, security is less of an issue here than "password I can type 30 times during a fix-it session." You can switch to a more secure password when you're comfortable with the OS. (Don't use "password" or "pa55w0rd" as your password, but you also don't need to go the "correct horse battery staple" route.)

A notable number of apps do not have a "click here to install" feature that we get used to with Windows. Snap and Flatpak are not difficult to learn or work with, but they are different. (And they usually take more space than expected.)

A lot of apps require frequent updates to function. Especially the ones that don't have a native Linux version. This is also frustrating.

OS emulators and virtual drives are next-level techistry and any suggestions for using them should be followed with either a very solid tutorial (in TEXT form, not a video) or an offer to hand-hold while someone gets it set up.

Once you start using Linux - if it's Mint, it will mostly seem like Windows. Sometimes there'll be a weird error message. WHEN SEARCHING FOR ADVICE: make sure to add [linux mint] to the search terms, AND limit the results to the last year. Otherwise, you wind up finding forum posts from 2014 that say "Ugh this driver issue has been FIXED; just fuckin install Ubuntu 12 already." (Ubuntu is currently at 24.1.)

Some people will tell you you can use Linux without getting into command-line activity. They are lying. You will need to be at least somewhat comfortable with the Terminal. This is not hard, but it is different. And there are no starter tutorials on this. (I have been looking literally for decades.) (I do not speak Command Line well enough to write one.)

Some people will tell you Linux isn't functional unless you learn a whole lot of command-line functions and do most of your operations from there. They are also lying.

There are differences between the distros that, as a Windows or Mac user, you cannot comprehend. Like. They will rattle off a list of features and those will mean nothing to you. They mean nothing to me. I went with Mint because it is "most like Windows." My daughter uses PopOS because it has better VR support. I think.

You will occasionally have to re-install the whole damn OS, and it will be terrifying. It will tell you your files are safe. This is correct, if you have not done weird customized wonkery to them, in which case, you don't need the warning.

Google knows about Linux and they are Not Happy. Newer Chromebooks can't be directly converted to Linux without fucking with the hardware - as in, open them up and remove the thing they installed to make Linux not work. (Or rather, to make ChromeOS always recoverable.) However, even those will allow running Linux off a flash drive.

The key advantages to Linux:

Lack of Microsoft & Apple's increasing demands to collect all your personal data.

Lack of random "upgrades" that fuck up your existing processes. (That said: If you use cloud-based apps - like, oh, Discord - you will need frequent updates anyway.)

Whateverthefuck is going on with AI invading your computer - you can dodge all of that.

If you do want to customize things, you can. You can change a lot of the appearance, the startup details, what software gets priority in the system, and a whole swarm of back-end details that most Windows users (including me) are pretty much oblivious to. CAVEAT: None of that is as easy as many Linux stans make it sound. SECOND CAVEAT: If you customize your system to hell and back, you won't be able to work (well) on a standard base-install version. The result of this, is that Linux experts often flounder when helping newbies, because they don't know what any of the default settings are anymore. (They are experts. They know what's available and how to make it work. They just don't know where it's hiding in your system.)

Linux will run on much smaller, slower computers than MS or Apple, because, see above, it's not trying to spy on you or inflict AI shenanigans on you. A basic student-functional Linux laptop can be much cheaper than what's needed to run the current Windows or MacOS, and less cloud-driven that Chromebooks.

I swear to fucking god. I would claw out OneDrive from my computer if I could. I would burn down their servers if I could. I would run down their stocks to the ground if I could. I hope every single one of their workers gets a better offer from a competitor in the next 24 hours. I hope every single one of their light bulbs explodes at the same time. I hope every single carton of milk in their fridge will always be expired.

Stop backing up my fucking files.

Stop asking me to back up my fucking files.

Stop taking my fucking files off my fucking computer.

I don't want a fucking reminder in three fucking days. Let me fucking say no.

Fuckers.

[mihii-i]

I just want to say I adore how you write Mizu, and I was wanting to know if you could wreck my soul with some Mizu angst.

A scenario kinda like the episode where Ringo took off the bell, could the reader have something that Mizu gave them. Like a bracelet, necklace, ring, etc, the symbolises their ‘relationship’ without having to use words. To give backstory their whole relationship up until this point has been getting more and more intimate but Mizu has never made the first move, just slight touches here and there. Anyways I wanna see Mizu and the reader get in a big fight about her revenge, and reader takes off the object and gives it back to Mizu, in a way breaking up with Mizu. And Mizu being stubborn takes it back with anger and says some hurtful things to reader. HMMM maybe reader goes back with Ringo to help save Mizu, or not. Up to you if you want to write a happy ending or if you’re feeling especially cruel. If you do decide to do a happy ending, could I request that Mizu finally speaks their relationship into words and makes them officially gfs & they finally have their first kiss. Could be NSFW if you take the happy ending route, or could be pure fluff. I just need Mizu to hurt my feelings. Thanks if you decide to pick up on my request, ily pookie.

couldn’t say it.

Pairings: mizu x fem!reader

CW: sfw, female reader, good amount of angst, blood, I’m evil kitty, brief mention of rape regarding mizu’s conception, episode 5 & 7 spoilers, a lot of rhetorical questions, mizu and reader being stupidly oblivious, wingman ringo lol, fluffy at the end, nudity, guys exams are over, I missed writing, not my best work but wtv, it’s decent for coming back after centuries dawg, reader is lowk entitled as shit, mentions of m*kio, be prepared to be annoyed by her, nvm this writing lowkey ass, very short, I forgot how to write longer fics for a sec I’m sorry, not proofread.

A/N: guess who’s backkkk I honestly would say I don’t like how this turned out but at the same time I’m trying to readjust to writing again cut me some slack 😔 now playing — last breath by ari abdul. 🕯️

Perhaps the harsh fate inflicted unto you by the will of the gods was a punishment? Or was it a steer in the right path?

Only time could bestow such puzzling answers to what you seek, to which you could start by letting go. Releasing the warmth of your lover’s hand from your own, tracing her palm one last time as your fingers glided along the calloused ridges of her palm scraping against your own. Ah, how you’d miss such a gentle touch delivered by the embodiment of a demon, the very being which you had ingrained the remainder of your life and soul deep into like a fated promise that withstood the harsh winters & blistering summers.

Yet if you were so deeply intertwined with such a person, how come you had to let go?

Mizu truly was your everything, the anchor that coiled her arms around you to savor the heat of your contrastingly hot skin against her thin frame. Her love who had eyed the bruising scars etched along her skin, saw the cruel and merciless ends she had put others to through a quick slash of her katana tearing through the spongy heaps of flesh that lay soon to be splattered all across the floors as a decoration of bright crimson.

But despite that, no words were ever uttered to convey how she felt. Nothing but her gestures would ever speak volumes of her adoration.

And yet, she couldn’t say it. She just can’t.

—

The cold howl of wind remained as the only sound screeching in the deathly silence fostered between you and Mizu in that moment, stinging along your flushed cheek like a jarring strike delivered onto you with the intention to deliver nothing but pain. To break you down and rip apart the volatile strings of your thumping heart hammering forward against your chest as your breaths wrung out of you in rapid successions.

Your eyes narrowed over as you remained trapped in the confines of wrath and sorrow, stood upright before the woman you loved, feet buried in the crunch of pale glinted snow piled up around your ankles, circling you as if it prevented you from stepping toward her to halt you in your position. Splatters of blood tainted the untouched purity of the crystals in streams of sickening red, burning into the snow as it trickled down from the sprawled body of each limp corpse embedded into the snow for it to consume.

A deadpan gaze matched your own as two fearsome hollows of cerulean seared into your own, the cool metal of a makeshift naginata grasped between her hand to brush along the drag of her firm hands coated in dust. Nothing else was of any concern in that brooding silence of whirling emotions. Hate? Love? Despair? Hell, all three if you’d assume so. Nobody else was important, only you and Mizu. Even Ringo and Akemi in the back were shut out of your mind taking in the thick tension fogged between you two, drowning out every other surrounding detail as worthless white noise.

“I’m sorry.”

Those simple words finally uttered by Mizu caught your attention quickly, her dazed, exhausted expression bleeding through as the thin fabric of her clothing clung to her skin from the torrid splotches of blood stained along her kimono. She truly refrained from ever hurting you, leaving you even. For you remained far too precious to her—a treasure that glowed in a radiant aura of gold outlining your stature for the rays of the sun. A courtesy of her thoughts as the rising sun cast its rays upon you right now.

Of course, it was absurd. Did she truly believe this could be remedied with a single apology half-heartedly pleaded from the deep hints of blue tinged along her lips? Despite the affection that spilled from your heart for this woman, your impulses had pushed forward to take charge, bursting out your disdain that lingered in your throat for far too long from the sheer frustration invoked by this conversation.

“Sorry? Do you hear yourself Mizu? You’re not doing this at all costs, if anything you’ll get yourself killed.”

“I won’t. And even if I do it’s of my own accord. My death doesn’t concern you, (Name).”

Your muscles tightened at her shallow words ringing in your head, tensing along each brief crystal of snow melting against your skin as you heaved out a shaky breath.

None of your concern? How come Mizu get to toss around these rash decisions herself?

Indeed, the samurai’s mere statement drew out the bubbling surge of your impatience boiling up, threatening to roll off your tongue in drips of venomous statements back, screaming about how she was wrong and how she was your whole world.

One of which you didn’t think you could live without.

The deafening clouds of silence hung in the air in a thick fog, blurring sight of the woman you love in a distance that twisted against your chest. A tension that threatened to snap as your gazed fixed upon Mizu’s form, hunched over and curved as testament to her struggles that she had shouldered through in agony. Every scratch and bruise, every stroke of her muscles defined along the thin malnourishment of her body remaining a fine line as to question the difference between suffering and strength.

Here you were before her, a blade that cut deep through her veins to tear through the guards of her own confined affection. Both as her strength and her weakness. One who could jab a finger through her chest and pulse a surge of adrenaline from your fingers dragging along her bare skin, or pierce through to dip a finger into her oozing wound and yank out her already battered heart to rest in your palm.

Your throat sank as you swallowed back nervously, her lowered eyes remaining locked onto you like a hawk circling its target. Just now under her supposed scrutiny, the smallest of actions motioned in nature’s course had ceased around you. The sinking of each sleek snow crystal floating down, the battering breeze carried along in accordance with the setting sun bearing a bright golden ring crowned around it—hell, even the bustling stalls around the area seemed to halt their business in your walled up perception of reality in this moment.

Suddenly, the defined steel seemed to press along your scalp momentarily, weighing down against the back of your head as it tipped back to gaze upon the fluffed white hunches floating along the gradually darkening sky, spilling its shroud of night upon you both slowly. Right. The hairpin she had gifted you.

You recall that moment all too well. That fated day where Mizu’s bloodied hands extended out to unveil the sun-kissed gold, glinting in the winter sun as a prized possession handed as an embodiment of the inexplicable feeling that oozed from every little crevice of her mentally. Perhaps just a feeling that compelled her to hand this to you? Or an instinct?

Either way, her little reckless walk in of forcefully pushing apart the sliding paper doors to reveal the lavish home of a daimyo for her own intel had allowed her to acquire a token of affection that taught her how to love once more. Your soft palm grazing against her own as she laid the hairpin flat against the cusp of your hand, the cold bite of the metal seeping along your skin as streaks of blood wiped over against you.

As the intricate hairpin woven through your locks, holding up your hair as long as you could manage in a day—such was accompanied by the swordswoman’s hand woven through your own as well, fingers interlocked between the gaps bridged in each others hands even in the comfort of nightfall when you two lay asleep against the same futon. Often times you claimed that your body pushed up along hers with the thick cover draped over you two was for security purposes, that you were rendered unable to defend yourself adequately if say...an army piled over you.

But even the fabric of her tattered clothing brushing up against the opening of your kimono never washed away the underlying truth that resided within you, threatening to spill off of your lips. While the same went for Mizu as well, her silent plea to keep your close against her, locking you within her grasp as to never let go. Perhaps she was in love with you? No, she couldn’t be. It was too far to reach for anyway.

Her subtle touches would remain pleasantly drilled into your memory with each delicate manner in which she ran her fingertips across your skin. Each touch calculated and careful as if you were a porcelain doll she feared to break whenever her thumb circled your hip, absentmindedly rubbing along various places along you and remaining unaware of the intimate implications of each gesture. And despite you knowing, you made no attempt to cease her motions or push her away, only drawing her in closer each time as you relished in the fuzzy, tingling sensation that built up, tying your stomach in knots as you shifted your cheek further into her neck every time.

The heavens above would dig themselves into a hole from the oblivious nature of both you and Mizu occasionally caressing each other with such actions. A manner in which you’d explore another’s body being the intimate gesture of lovers rather than close companions like the two of you had claimed far too many times.

But of course, both of you had walled yourselves into the caves of denial upon any inquiry prompted by anyone who was curious enough to ask. Most of the time it was Ringo who took notice of your oddly close relationship often. Needless to say, that man had constantly badgered Mizu on how she had felt about you, his optimistic demeanor to the possibility of a relationship sparking between you two squirming its way into his questions on said intimacy. And unsurprisingly, Mizu always proceeded to shut down the starter of: “So, about (Name)-“ before Ringo could even ask.

Despite all you had been through, all the tiny gestures of endearment reciprocated between you and Mizu seemed to crumble in the stone cold dilemma that silenced the two of you in this moment. Where she had planned to kick you off to the side in pursuit of her bloodthirsty ambitions that tainted the once beautiful hands that gripped at your sides tenderly. As you saw it, her excuse to leave you was to satisfy her insatiable rage that couldn’t be calmed by your presence.

It was selfish of you. You knew that. Yet how else were you supposed to see the woman in front of you now? Someone who valued the deaths of four white men who resided…god knows where in Japan over remaining here with her beloved. Well, if you could even call yourself that in this case. A blatantly obvious fact which you should’ve picked up on, one of which you should have listened to the others in regards to—that nothing could calm the raging storm that whirled endlessly within this demonic being.

No matter how gentle her touch, how kind she may seem alone with you. Her sole purpose was to kill. Nothing would budge on that. How could you let yourself think any different of someone like her?

“Is this just your way of saying you don’t care about me, Mizu?”

“(Name). You know full well that that’s not what I-“

“It clearly is!” You almost immediately snapped back, cutting her off as you flexed your jaw, making the hitch in your voice as stings of tears burned at the corner of your eyes. Fuck, you felt so weak before her. So vulnerable and ready to throw yourself into her arms.

And yet, she simply stood there like nothing would change if she departed from her beloved? That was more than enough to confirm it.

She never really loved you like you had thought.

Oh, what a stupid girl you were. Yearning for the affections of another woman. Much less one who was on a quest of revenge, fueled by pure hatred.

In one fluid motion, you reached behind your head, fingers scavenging through your hair for the familiar cool metal threaded within the strands, which you had found and grasped before long. Slowly, you withdrew the hairpin before clasping it within your palm as you brought it between both you and Mizu, her perplexed expression slowly shifting to shock as her eyes widened in realization.

You swiftly grasped her thin wrist, yanking her hand foward before practically shoving the hairpin back into her hands as her knuckles pushed back into her chest. Causing her to slightly stumble back as she gazed down in awe at the golden hairpin she had once given to cherish you, right back in her hands as a rejection of her love. Practically equivalent to being spat in the face and killed a thousand times over. Especially when it was you.

Mizu’s head spun with thousands of conflicting thoughts clashing against one another in a sea of uncertainty swallowing her from the inside out, ripping away any semblance of sanity she had kept within her. Her anchor slowly strayed away from her in a blow to the heart. Your presence remained her last thread of stability, and all she could do was stare as it tore away slowly at an agonizing pace, eventually snapping once more to damage her for good.

You wouldn’t be any different. Why did she let herself believe she was worthy of even experiencing love at all? She was of course a byproduct of force. The result of a wretched man prying apart her mother to implant a demon into the poor woman, and that would in turn make her. A monster who shouldn’t have existed. A mistake. He didn’t want her, he knew she was a monster the moment the blade was pressed to his throat—so why would you?

Suddenly, that same tempest of hate surged within her once more at the mere implications of your departure, squeezing her hand around the hairpin as her quivering lip dragged between her teeth. Her tense muscles were racked with her frustration bubbling along every vein in her body, coursing in her blood with a need to scream out her pain until her vocal cords tore apart.

But she couldn’t.

Whatever she needed to say about you, how she felt and to confide in you. Tell you she loved you.

She couldn’t say it.

Despite her inability to express her undying love, Mizu was aware there was one thing she could do. And that was to express her rage. What place did she have for love on this path? It was pure hatred that drove her to seek the men she had to kill. Her life’s purpose was nothing else, yet enough to push her through hardships when necessary, she didn’t have to waste her time on someone as stubborn as you who demanded that she abandon her purpose to remain beside you.

She knew that, yet it hurt like hell when she tried coming to terms with it.

Her teeth grit together as she clasped the hairpin in her bloodied grip tighter, the stains smearing along the once untouched gold to taint the purity into the depths of crimson. The pin was back in her hand, the same state in which she first gave it to you—palm covered in blood as she handed it towards you. Only this time, her hand retracted back to her chest, staring down at the pin shoved back into her, as a rejection of the love she had hoped to give you. With a sharp breath, her eyes fixed back up toward you opening her mouth to reply to your harsh gesture in return.

“You know, (Name)? It doesn’t matter to me. Whether I live or die is none of your concern. Nothing I do should mean anything to you, because you mean nothing to me! Understood?”

You tried opening your mouth to manage a reply, yet you were immediately denied the luxury of speaking to your mind to her.

“Just don’t even look at me. I can’t believe I thought you’d be any different. What we had truly was just a waste of my time and yours…so all I can do for you is suggest we go our seperate ways.”

That was all she had uttered from her chapped lips, tinged from the bitter cold as she turned her back to you, footsteps crunching in the piles of snow as she grew more and more distant from you. All while you had remained silent in awe, staring off until she disappeared from sight into the thick fog that blinded your vision of the woman you had once loved.

—

“Ringo..? Are you sure she’s alive?” You quietly murmured, knelt before Mizu’s body as the hue of orange flame illuminated her still frame, unresponsive to your touch with her back flat against the floorboards. Ringo merely hummed in turn, inspecting the samurai’s body over her kimono as he only managed a shrug, his own expression worried in turn.

Regret clawed deep within you as your gaze raked over Mizu’s possibly dead body, heartbeat rapid in your chest as it pushed back against your skin its quick pulses of rising anxiety. Taigen’s body also lay not too far behind you, yet your focus remained fixed onto Mizu, your hand carefully snaking down to take her limp, cold hand within your own grasp. Tracing idly along every little detail of her palm up to the calloused of her fingertips, with your other hand cupped over her knuckles while your sights remained on her resting face.

“Do not worry. Mizu’s soul is stubborn.”

A rasped voice suddenly interjected, causing you to whip your head over to the elderly man facing over at you and Mizu though his shut eyes. Right, you never had met Master Eiji, so the sight of the blind swordsmith in the flesh before you was a first. Out of the single outcome that you had presumed, never had you expected to sit face to face with your unconscious—likely dead, lover.

—

The roaring flames crackled within the confines of the stone walled around it as specks of orange dust floated to dissipate into the darkened sky, your heavy eyes barely registering the sight before you scrambled in a blur. Stepping out of the forge groggily, your gaze landed upon the tall woman stood firmly before the stir of heat before her, hair loose to cascade down her bare back where her kimono was hitched down to reveal the wraps bound over her chest.

Your nostrils drew in the crisp air tinged with a hint of smoke emanating from the flames burning before you in the stretch of grass, before you set your foot down into the green cushion welcomed by the rise of spring. Each step you took toward Mizu only clouded your head further, the urge to throw yourself into her arms overwhelming you, yet one you chose not to act on when you approached her.

Flicks of each speck of fire floating away, alongside the raw desire to seek the warmth and comfort of your lover’s arms only piled within you as nature’s primal instinct to draw you closer. Every inch of you screaming her name as a plea to keep Mizu close to you, to let her go when needed- you truly didn’t care. You just needed Mizu with you, no matter the cost. For leaving her was not a mistake, but a death wish that stopped your heart altogether.

Upon reaching her, Mizu’s head craned over to take in the sight of you facing her while the bandages that bound her chest pooled down to her ankles, leaving her chest bare. She exhaled a breath, averting her gaze from you as her cerulean eyes aimlessly stared over at the wrathful flames before her. Your wordless stare was more than enough for her to brace for your sudden gesture of relief as you feel into her grasp, arms circling her waist with a quiet sob as your head pressed to her chest to relax with each thump of her heart. Relief that she had returned alive, and relief that she was willing to accept your silent apology to align your fate with hers.

Mizu sighed as she held you close to her tightly, fearing you could slip away at any moment with her nose digging into your hair the further you leaned against her chest.

“…I love you.”

She had finally said it. Spoke the forsaken words that had been buried away deep within her, carved into her heart yet unable to roll off of her tongue as seamlessly as it had done now. And yet, she had finally uttered what she always wanted to say to you. Everything was blindingly clear, to which she was a fool for not seeing earlier. Mizu had loved you. Adored you with every ounce, every little fiber of her being to which she’d kill anyone for you. Her cold hatred she held juxtaposed the fond tenderness of being with you at any given moment. For you were all she had desired, and will desire for the lifetime.

The same held true as you withdrew your head from her chest to lean forward, bottom lip brushing over her own as a request to access yet another intimate gesture. To which Mizu complied, allowing you to tilt your head into locking your lips with her own. Sharply inhaling to savor her taste in slow, leisurely motions as your lips ate away at her own in an embrace, swallowing up each quiet sigh while her hand rested on the back of your head to pull you closer.

The moment she pulled away, you nodded almost instantly, understanding what she needed from you.

Gratefully, you accepted the brush handed to you, looking over its darkened bristles on the tip alongside the ink pad atop the rock, before shifting your attention back over to Mizu with her back facing you. She glanced over her shoulder, breathing out a quiet whisper while you stepped forward, brush pressed below her nape as you mentally recalled each portion of the heart sutra with each stroke you dragged along her skin.

“There are some things I cannot do alone.”

A/N: GUESS WHOSSSSS BACKKKKKKKKUHHHHHHH yes yes hi hellaurrrr it’s been too long i missed yall I hope this fic isn’t too disappointing I fluctuated between good and bad writing it was confusing asf but hope you don’t mind the bit of lazy writing I’m sorryyyy overall this fic wasn’t too awful?? But definitely not my best work and I forgot how to write for a hot moment until the end so I don’t wanna hear too much complaining 😾

I ❤️ my wife don’t interrupt our happy marriage or I’ll eat your fucking spice jars

also I’ve had this really bad hatred toward humanity recently?? Like ragebaiters and people hating on others for their interests and thinking it’s justified are dumb as shit it’s painful ngl anyway I loev writitng and I loev mizu so hope yall like this??

[sarcasmisavirtue]

This is a hot take even though I’m not sure why this isn’t that widespread… Regulus WAS NOT some poor innocent baby who was rebellious and righteous and soft in need of protection or whatever. And the characterization of him as such and erasure of him being a VERY WILLING death eater is fucking lame

Now, I like his character as much as the next person. BUT…It almost feels like the fandom took Sirius, Remus, and Lily’s personalities then fiddled with them a little, smacked them together, made him all forced and shit, and topped it off with just giving Jily’s pre-existing dynamic to Jegulus.

Is Jegulus interesting to me? Yes. But I loathe how it’s portrayed a lot of the time. And don’t get me started on the cheating on Lily plotlines and the demonizing of my girl in a lot of fics/lesbianizing to make it work. I don’t mind bi Lily. But making her lesbian just feels…Weird? A key part of her storyline IS her (debatable) love for James and eventually Harry. Even if she didn’t like James at first. And people make the argument “Oh it’s so misogynistic to have her life center around how much she loves her kid/husband!!” As if taking away that autonomy by erasing that part of her entirely isn’t because women ‘aren’t allowed to truly enjoy being a wife and mother’ and therefore misogynistic by demonizing a woman having the autonomy to enjoy ‘stereotypically feminine roles’. And they’re the ones limiting this canonically very cool and badass character to that by making said argument.

Could go on a rant about the characterization of Lily too but this isn’t about her

Also im not adding that to say Jily is the perfect end all be all ship. I could talk about Jily by itself any day because there’s so much to it. BUT, it’s still relevant.

In general, i just think justice should be served to Regulus + Lily. Love them both but some of yall do them DIRTY.

Regulus was a bigot. Point blank. He BELIEVED IN VOLDEMORT. Point blank.

And realistically speaking, it’s not even HINTED he betrayed Voldemort because he GAF about muggles. It was all about Kreacher. Which in and of itself is really interesting.

He was a death eater. He committed war crimes, probably torture, and murdered many people. He was in Voldemort’s inner circle.

He was not your UwU soft boy kitten who must be protected. He CANONICALLY was eager to be a death eater. Proud of it. He was the perfect pureblood boy. So many interesting things can be done with that but instead people decide to just butcher him and make him frankly very boring

Also no, he WOULD NOT get along with Remus/Lily. Lily was a muggleborn. Remus was a poor halfblood. Regulus was a death eater. And no, Regulus WOULD NOT support Wolfstar whether he was homophobic or not. Because, again, Remus was a poor halfblood.

Also he probably wouldn’t have a big beef with Snape like some of yall act like he would. Would he probably dislike him for being a poor halfblood? Yes. But he WOULD NOT GAF about him tormenting muggle born students unless it was for reasons OTHER than their blood status. (Like writing him to think it’s pathetic of him to hex first years when he’s much older. Etc.) Just because he was good to house elves (namely Kreacher. Though if it was on a wider scale isn’t really concrete to my knowledge and you can do whatever you want with it) doesn’t mean he was good to muggle borns.

I could go on a rant about Regulus’s character for days but like moral of the story

Absolutely hate how much people butcher him

Let Regulus be a bad person with nuance and his own character/personality beyond offbrand Remus, Sirius if he took the dark mark and was a little bit quieter, and the replacement for Lily

ALSO, he WAS NOT some sort of fucking pariah? The only reason he would’ve been isolated was because of Sirius, at best. But I doubt they’d be out here bullying heir black. Especially because he has ties to the Malfoy and Lestrange families via Bellatrix and Narcissa.

Also the fact he was allowed into Voldy’s inner circle ALONE says a lot about his talent, personality, and general capabilities

ALSO ALSO the fact that they use him to replace Peter as the fourth Marauder.

They WOULD NOT fuck with each other let’s be for real 😭

Like I said I like Jegulus but not how it’s portrayed 99% of the time. Like no one would ever be finding out about that shit. EVER. And it sure as hell wouldn’t be public. James also wouldn’t have cheated on Lily if they were together. Also, Jegulus wouldn’t have lasted.

People always have to tweak James and Regulus’s characters to make it work the way they portray it and that’s really telling

[perotovar]

i binge-watched s2 of tlou yesterday in the hopes of coming away with a more positive outcome...

i've been a fan of these games for years, going on 10 now. i've played each of them like 5/6 times, they're some of my favorites. i've been an active participant in this fandom for many years, read reddit thread after reddit thread and analysis after analysis. this is how i joined this fandom. i was watching the game awards with a friend in 2022 before s1 premiered and bella and pedro went out on stage with ashley and troy and i was like "oh, they all seem excited, this is a good sign".

what i'm saying is, i was going to watch this show if it was good or bad because i've been in love with the source material for so long.

i know, another game fan complaining about s2. but i like to think i'm a little different than a lot of game fans (for a number of reasons....... those people SUCK) because i actually welcomed and really enjoy bella and pedro's performances. in fact, i prefer pedro's joel over troy's, which is like blasphemy to those people. this is also why i'm even a part of the pedro fandom at all.

however, i think something changed from how fucking good s1 was to what we got in s2. in the hopes of not making this post terribly long, i'll try to narrow down why i thought s2 was just "fine".

1. craig mazin fundamentally misunderstands ellie as a character.

ellie's entire arc in pt 2 is about her grief over losing joel. she's lost everyone she ever loved and this is like, the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.

there's a huge shift in ellie's personality from game 1 to 2. her voice is monotone and devoid of a lot of the childlike silliness and wonder. even before joel dies this is the case because she feels betrayed by him for lying to her.

the problem i have with season 2 is that ellie still feels like she's 14 because that's how craig mazin sees her. he sees ellie as a child and even refers to her relationship with dina as "parent/child" which is fucking WEIRD. he sees her as someone that's incapable of intelligent thought.

ellie is reckless, that's true. but i never once questioned ellie's abilities in this world that she's been raised in. she spends a lot of pt2 alone because of dina's pregnancy and she handles herself exceptionally well. season 2 ellie makes me feel like she needs someone holding her hand the whole time and that's disappointing as fuck.

2. the studio had too much influence and it fucked up the tone.

this part of the story is supposed to feel different to the first game. "why do you want the depressing tone to stay?" because i thought that writing was great? because i think the show-only fans are getting an inferior experience than the one that i got.

changing an interactive experience to a passive one is hard, and i know that was always going to feel different, but they managed it in season 1! they did that so fucking well. it's some of the best tv in recent memory imo.

i don't even want a 1:1 recreation of the game, because i want to explore this world as much as i can. i can just turn the games on if i wanted that, but i'm only going to get bill and frank's story if i turn on that episode.

cutting this season down to 7 episodes takes away a lot of the meat of the story for pt2. the studio obviously didn't want to spend the money on the resources it needed to make a lot of what makes this story compelling actually work. but they had no problem wasting a fuckton of money on giant sets that didn't even get used/seen, because idk.... why not? idk, i'm annoyed.

they hit the main story beats and went "that's enough, right?" also despite wanting them to explore more, it's a problem when the best parts of the season are the 1:1 recreations.

final thoughts:

pedro, bella, and the rest of the cast do an amazing job in s2. despite the questionable writing/dialogue, there are some standout moments.

but overall i don't feel nearly as excited as i did with s1. i don't like being led by the hand in order for someone to tell me a story.

it's fine and that's... not good, imo.

i'm gonna go replay pt2 as a cleanse.

[moth-time]

Okay the guy's advice puts me off so bad I am going to slap my own on here, feel free to ignore me if it's not what you're looking for. I went through a job search in IT not so long ago and did quite well, but I also did this in Germany and I know the USA is more insane than we are about job applications, so if someone else who actually does HR in the USA want to weight in, please do. But here's my advice on making a nice punchy CV and application, to send per email or whatever portal they use.

Put your education at the top what the fuck everyone wants to know what your degree is. If you got your degree 14 years ago that's not gonna be your main selling point but it's literally the first thing anyone looks for on a CV. If you have additional degrees you can put them in too. If they're not relevant to the job it still shows that you are studious, curious, driven, whatever fuck.

Since there is absolutely no job progression to be had at your current job, you're going to want to list your current tasks. Prioritize the stuff that highlights skills you would need at the new job (so if you're doing secretary work, say that you do a lot of managing. If you're doing sales, say that you do all the ordering. If you do writing, get into details about what writing you're doing). But make sure that it shows that you did several different things, and did them well. It shows that you are capable of juggling a bunch of different tasks, work well under pressure, and are good at organizing yourself. Whether this is actually true isnt relevant.

Absolutely put personal writing projects on there. I have no idea how ok it is to put a book w a swear in the title on a USA application, depends on the company you're applying at. I would caution about putting your personal website there bc there is a LOT of personal information on it, but you're a hacker so like, use your best judgement about what your company shouldnt know about you. Try to put personal projects that are tangentially related to the thing you're applying for, if possible.

Keep it to one page who the fuck wants to read two pages of application. Nobody, that's who. (Ok mine is 1.2 pages but i speak four languages, those take up space and I didn't want it too dense x) )

If you speak more than one language put that in there too.

Also, you're going to want to write a job application. Jobs love themselves a nice punchy application. It needs to be short enough that whoever is skimming your resume will read it, and long enough to make you look Not Lazy. I usually went for three paragraphs:

short personal intro: this just has my name, my degree, and a collection of buzzwords on what my specialization is. Basically what's my job description (in my case, IT-Admin, Tech Support), and how long have i been good at this.

Slightly longer "what skills do I have" with a focus on the skills requested in the application. So for example of the application asks for "people skills", I will mention that I did a lot of phone support and direct user support. If the application asks you to be good at Excel, mention that and what kind of Excel shit you did. Keep it to like five, six sentences.

Short paragraph for why I want to work with this company, specifically. You can be honest or bullshit this one, go by vibes. I apply to a lot of nonprofits so i honestly say i want to work for a company that makes me feel like I'm doing something helpful. If that doesn't apply, look for something specific to this company that you can butter them up about.

Close with your earliest possible starting date, when and how you can be reached (phone, email), and a nice closing sentence like "I look forward to hearing from you soon".

I'm a very bad judge of these things, I'm applying to a job that i'm so excited about that I'm having trouble breathing over it, it is for a technical writing position at an open source security company.

Is ms-demeanor.com something that is reasonable to put on a resume and also are any of the following good things to list as milestones:

The De-Googling Book (it's called "Fuck Google")

The Death Book

The how to write an essay book

[xx-dinah-writing-xx]

Hey! I love your writings and I'd be happy if you write something with Matt Smith and reader who plays Daenerys Targaryen. Thanks 😊💗

Chemistry, cut

Matt Smith x reader

suggestive content, smutty (but not really a smut) warnings: explicit sexual content, workplace sexual activity, deception (hiding relationship), alcohol use (cast party), power imbalance (celebrity dynamics, consensual), strong language, objectification (in context), fingering in public/semi-public spaces, rough handling

A/N: Can y’all tell I’m like super horny for Matthew?? The way I need that man is actually unholy. If anyone ever leaked the notes on my laptop, I’d need a full-blown exorcism and possibly a legal team. This one’s chill though. Yeah, it’s explicit, but not like, combusting-level filth. Just a little feral. A reasonable amount of slutty..

————

The interviewer leans forward, a half-smile curling at the corner of her glossed lips, fingertips grazing the cue cards. You already know what’s coming before she says it.

“So,” she begins, eyes flicking between you and Matt, “have you watched House of the Dragon yet? Considering… you know. Daenerys and Daemon.”

Your stomach tightens. You knew someone would bring it up.

Matt’s already glancing sideways at you, cheekbones tight with a teasing grin. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t interrupt, just waits.

You give a small laugh, then shift in your seat. “Actually… no,” you say honestly, brushing some invisible lint off your pants. “I haven’t watched it yet. I’ve seen clips, obviously. Matt in that platinum wig? Hard to miss. But…” You pause. “I’m not quite ready to revisit Westeros. Dany was… a lot. She meant a lot to me. And saying goodbye to her wasn’t easy.”

There’s a flicker of something quiet in Matt’s eyes. Respect, maybe. Understanding. You’d never told him that part before, even though he’d mentioned once or twice that she was all over his feed when HotD premiered.

The interviewer nods gently, and the topic shifts, smoothly, mercifully, back to the romcom you're promoting.

“It’s such a fun dynamic between your characters,” she says, now in full PR mode. “Total opposites, trapped together, falling in love… Tell me, how was the chemistry on set?”

Matt speaks before you can. “Electric,” he deadpans, tongue-in-cheek. “Couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”

You roll your eyes, laughing, nudging him with your elbow. “Professionally, of course.”

————

Your back slammed against the trailer wall, your fingers digging into the back of his neck. Matt’s hands slide under your blouse, rough and greedy, shoving it up your ribs like he’s unwrapping a present he’s waited too long to open.

“You’re going to ruin my makeup,” you gasp, but you don’t mean it, not with the way your legs lock around his hips.

“Good thing I like you ruined,” he growls against your neck.

————

“…we just clicked,” you say brightly, blinking as the memory fades. “It’s one of those rare things. You meet someone and, boom, it just works.”

“Purely professional,” Matt adds, giving the camera a crooked little smile that does nothing to hide the wolfish gleam in his eye.

You cross your legs, pressing your thighs together.

“Did you two know each other before filming?”

“A little,” you answer. “He was always the Targaryen I never got to meet.”

“Irony, right?” Matt adds. “We miss each other by a few generations on screen and end up making out in an elevator in this movie.”

————

You’re in the elevator set. Doors just closed. No cameras rolling.

He has you pinned against the mirrored wall, your reflection giving you both front-row seats to the filthiest performance of your lives. His hand disappears beneath your skirt, and you bite down on your fist to keep from making a sound.

“You like when they watch,” he breathes, watching your flushed face in the glass. “Too bad they’ve got no idea.”

————

“What do you think makes this movie special?” the interviewer asks.

“The writing,” you say.

“The cast,” Matt says at the same time, smirking at you. “Well. One cast member in particular.”

You shake your head. “Don’t listen to him.”

“Why not? I’m always right.”

“Oh, really?”

————

You’re riding him in the backseat of a car, one hand braced on the fogged-up window, the other clutching the lapel of his jacket. You're still in costume, trench coat flared open, blouse half-buttoned, but your panties are somewhere on the floor.

“Say it,” he pants, fingers digging into your hips. “Say I’m right.”

You moan instead, and he slaps your ass in warning. “Say it, love.”

“You’re right,” you gasp. “You’re always right.”

————

“People have speculated about your off-screen chemistry,” the interviewer says delicately. “Care to address those rumors?”

You and Matt glance at each other, a shared smirk twitching both your mouths.

“We’re just good scene partners,” you say, too quickly.

“Very professional,” Matt says, too dryly.

————

It’s the cast party. You’re tipsy in your little black dress, heels long forgotten somewhere. Matt’s dragged you into a coat closet, lips feverish on your neck, fingers slipping between your thighs as you squirm in his hold.

“Keep quiet,” he warns, voice thick with desire. “Think you can do that for me, sweetheart?”

You nod. Then immediately moan when he sinks two fingers deep.

————

“So no romance in real life?”

Matt raises an eyebrow. “I think we’re both too chaotic for that.”

You laugh. “Honestly? Probably.”

“But,” he adds, giving the camera a wink, “never say never.”

————

The hotel bed.

You’re naked, stretched across the sheets, and Matt’s between your thighs with a hunger that borders on feral. He makes you come once, twice, before finally fucking you like he’s trying to erase every other man you’ve ever known.

“You’re mine,” he groans, thrusts snapping hard and deep. “Mine off camera, too.”

You claw at his back, too wrecked to lie. “Yours.”

————

“Any future projects together?”

You lean into Matt, flashing a conspiratorial smile. “Hopefully.”

He laces your fingers with his beneath the table, just out of frame.

And when the interview ends and the cameras stop rolling, he leans over to whisper in your ear.

“My trailer. Five minutes.”

You nod, heat already curling low in your belly.

Professional chemistry, you think. Sure.

But no one said you couldn’t enjoy a few... extracurriculars.

[crescentlyautumn]

🌈Rainbow Rush 2025🌈

Welcome to Rainbow Rush 2025!!!🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

This is a little fan event that I’ve put together to help bring a little joy, community, and creativity into the world for Pride Month. I hope you join in on the fun and enjoy yourselves!

(June 1st - June 30th)

What is Rainbow Rush?

I’m glad you asked! It’s a fan event done by me to just bring a lot of good feelings, and hopefully good times to people this Pride Month, through the act of small (or big, if you’d like) creative creations! Think “no pressure creative exercises centered around Pride Month!”

Essentially my goal is to allow people to create – with small projects being the minimum (drabble, small doodles/sketches, etc.) – something quick and fun for the month of June: Pride month!

What kind of creative works are allowed?

Anything and everything! Writing, art, digital art (think gif making as an example), crafts, music, etc! It just has to fit within the boundaries of the prompt(s), SFW and NSFW are both welcomed (so think fluff vs smut), and no AI is allowed under any circumstances.

What are the rules?

The rules are very simple:

For writing, a 500 word (drabble) minimum requirement.

For art, basically think what can take you probably up to no more than an hour (so think something done during a lunch break or before bed.) Doodles, stick figure drawings, small little things that don’t have to be fully fleshed out and perfect.

One big reason I wanted to put this together was to give people something to do as a somewhat fun creative activity, that can also be exercises that don’t need to be completed or perfect. You can and absolutely may go for larger projects or do more than what’s listed, but you also absolutely don’t have to.

Do I have to do every prompt provided?

Absolutely not! Feel free to skip around or do whichever you’d like! One, all, or some! I tried to keep it pretty simple, but I know some prompts aren’t for everyone, and that’s ok! Again, I want this to be fun and creative! Don’t worry about not doing them all.

Wait, there’s multiple prompts listed on one day, do I have to do every single one?

Nope! I put many together because they either fit under the same umbrella, or I wanted to include them and didn’t have the extra space. I wanted to include as many as I could to give everyone a seat at the table, so to speak, as well as offering as much choice as possible. You don’t have to do every single one (but you can if you’d like!)

Is Rainbow Rush open to any fandom, character, and/or ship?

You betcha! Feel free to create for any fandom, character, ship, etc., that you’d like! Crossovers are also welcomed!

Can I skip around prompts? What if I miss a day and still want to do that prompt?

Excellent question! You are absolutely allowed to do things out of order, and if you miss a day, feel free to go back and do it anyways!

What if I’d like to do several for one prompt? And what is “free day” all about?

You may absolutely do as many for each prompt as you’d like! Create to your heart’s content! And “free day” is for whatever prompt you’d like that still connects back to Pride. I know I didn’t fit every single thing in, and I don’t want people to feel excluded, so that’s your day to create something for whatever you’d like and that I missed! Again, just please have it connect back to Pride in some form or another.

What if I’d like to post my work somewhere else besides here?

I currently only have this up on tumblr, but feel free to post your creations wherever you’d like! Go and be free! It’d be wonderful if you could still share this event in some form or fashion, but you’re also not obligated to.

What are the prompts?

So very glad you asked! The prompts for the 30 days are

Rainbow

Lesbian/Sapphic/WLW

Gay/Queer Awakening

Ace spec/Aro Spec

First Crush

“You wanna get outta here?”

First Love

Trans/Transgender

Questioning

First Time

“I need to tell you something.”

Bisexual/Pansexual

Parade/Club

“It’s not too late.”

Joy/Happiness

Polyamorous

“It just feels right.”

Labels/Identity

“I think I’m/I might be-“

Community/Friends/Family

Nonbinary/Genderfluid/Genderqueer

Pronouns

“I was scared to tell you.”

Love (of any and all kind)

MLM/Gay Men/Queer Men

“I’m happy with who I am.”

Free Day!

Butch/Bear/Femme/Etc.

“I/We saw you from across the bar and-“

Red/Pink/Orange/Yellow/Etc. (colors of the rainbow)

I tried to keep the prompts vague on purpose to allow for more creative freedom and interpretations. Feel free to create with them as you’d like!

If you’d like to join and do create anything, please use the tag Rainbow Rush 2025, so everyone can see it, as well so it can be easily shared!

I truly do hope everyone will have a fun and creative time with this event! Feel free to ask me any questions, if you have them or I missed something, and enjoy the Rainbow Rush!!!🌈

[sunshine-on-marz]

Classroom Crush

Darry Curtis x Reader

In which Darrel develops a schoolboy level crush on Pony’s new English teacher

Dedicated to my pookabutt @thembrooklynboysbig

It’s rarely a good thing when Darry has to call out of work for a “parent” teacher conference, and to make it even worse it’s with a teacher he’s never met. One who’s so new to the school that not even Soda had seen her. Pony only had good words though, always raving along the lines of “she’s the best teacher I’ve ever had” and “you guys oughta meet her”

What he didn’t mention is that this new teacher is just Darry’s type.

“Oh! You must be Mr.Curtis!” you beam. You walk over with an open hand as you tell him your name “I’m Ponyboy’s English teacher.” Darry’s absolutely star struck as he shakes your hand, he hardly even processes the title, but once he does he’s quick to correct you.

“Oh, please, call me Darrel, I’m not as old as I look” he laughs, but you flush so red you swear steam might come out of your ears.

“Oh! No I didn’t mean it like that! Not at all.” You stumble to correct yourself “you don’t look old- I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend, it’s just, I’ve never had a brother come in for a teacher meeting before.” You laugh awkwardly as you attempt to explain away your mistake, but you aren’t oblivious to the fact that you’re only digging this hole deeper. “Shall we sit?” You ask as you start to make your way to your desk.

“You didn’t offend” Darry says as he takes a seat across from your desk. He takes note of what’s on it, assorted stationery, student work, to-do lists and schedules, and a picture of you with a class that’s far, far younger than anyone at the highschool you’re currently teaching at. You notice his staring and turn the picture for him.

“This was last year,” you laugh softly “my first year teaching. I realized kindergarten was a lot to dive into head first. Decided to get some experience under my belt.” You turn the photo back towards you while Darry breathes a laugh.

“You decided highschoolers would be easier?” He says amusedly. “I’ve only got two to take care of and they run me up the damn wall, I don’t know how you handle it with 60 or however many”

You laugh “well you’ve got ‘em all day, plus you’ve gotta feed ‘em. I just get to teach them English and head home. Speaking of, that’s why I wanted to talk to you.” You say, switching gears into more professional territory. “Ponyboy is easily one of my most talented students. He can write like nothin’ I’ve ever seen. But he seems.. disconnected,” you take a deep breath “I’ve talked to other teachers, I’ve read his theme from last year. I cannot even begin to understand what your family has been through, but I want to help Ponyboy live up to his greatest potential” you say as calmly as you can. You’re trying your darnedest not to cross any lines, to say professional, but it’s hard when the man you’re talking to is Darry Curtis.

“Where do I come in?” He asks as he sits up a bit straighter in his chair. He’d only seen improvement from Pony, he’d been getting better as far as he knew.

“I need to know what works” you tell him “you know your brother better than I do, what does he like?” Your compassion is a change of pace for Darry, something he hasn’t gotten a lot of since his parents died.

“Reading. He likes reading a lot, always got his head in a book or watchin’ some movie.” He watches as you nod to his answer then get up and walk across your classroom to a bookshelf, you pull down a book. “What ya got there?”

You walk back over and hand him a copy of “Hamlet”. “Bring this to him and ask him to start reading it over the weekend, I don’t care if he reads 5 pages or the whole thing. But ask him to start. And ask him to write down any quotes that stick out to him.” You say as you sit back down at your desk.

“What for?” Darry asks as he flips through the pages “I never read it” he says.

“It’s about self discovery” you say “I think pony would do well with a structured way to explore finding his way in life. I’ve noticed all his friends are older… it makes me worry he might be growing up to fast.” You say before, once again, rushing to correct yourself. “Not that it’s any of my business! But-“ Darry cuts you off.

“Don’t worry, you ain’t exactly wrong, I’ll give him the book” He says. “Thank you, and,” he clears his throat as he awkwardly prepares himself to ask his next question. “Would you mind if I left you with my house number? Just incase you wanted to get in touch sometime?”

You smile, “about Ponyboy, right?” You muse as you hand him a notepad and a pen.

“Right, about Ponyboy” Darry returns your tone and smile as he jots down his number and heads to the door.

“Have a nice day Darrel” you say from across the class

“Call me Darry” he smiles as he closes the door behind him.

Ribbon divider by @/cursed-carmine

Okay so this is definitely not my favorite thing I’ve written but I really like the concept so if you want a part two please tell me

Remember to support authors by reblogging and sharing your thoughts!

My requests are open!

[258energeticfrogsinmyhead]

last song I listened to: ruru's suicide show on a livestream (2023 remaster)

the song itself is based on the death of a girl by the name of Rorochan, yes. i cant say much about it other than that i really wish she wasnt surrounded by people telling her any of that. the topic of mental health and suicides in japan isnt one im familiar with, but i wish they were so much less overworked and had more relief

favorite color: all of them. i like them in conjunction with one another. cant choose one on its lonesome.

.. ....green?

currently watching: N/A lol. will have to watch project 863 & anna-logue though. promised to

last movie: *to the tune of we both reached for the gun* Don't Remember! (wait actually i do. it was some cheesy filipino romcom i ((was dragged along to)) got to see at the movies with my family)

currently reading: any fanfiction within my vicinity. also also Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. i need to get around to reading it soon

sweet, spicy, or savory: dont like the spice. dont like sweets in excess. savory is fine

relationship: //im. i dont . um. im in several, like, platonic, familial, acquaintanceships, and im in a queerplatonic one((??i think. i dont know what this is. sav im so sorry i dont think i understand how partnerships work????? I HAVE QUESTIONS!! SEVERAL!!!))

but the catch to all of those is that im really bad at relationships of any flavor. i dont mind the commitment, that much i understand. it's the engagement i have an issue with; the initiating contact part. i love all of my relationships but im bad at telling if people like having me. as y'can see, i talk. i talk a lot. i talk unnecessarily convoluted, overexcessive amounts online.

i act in rpg battle system terms. they take the first move, i take mine. they're the player and i'm the enemy, they decide when to end it and i

die

go back and forth with them and let it progress naturally (death! but later!)

let them flee

so basically all of my relationships are in stasis because i only talk or get reached out to occasionally. thats how i percieve all of it, at least. im bad at maintaining connections. i have to be poked, pricked, and prodded at like a science experiment, a wild animal, and a cake fresh out of the oven t'be able to move

current obsessions: sam & max (forever!!! even if im not actively engaging with it babbbbyyyyyyyyyyyyy); forsaken, + roblox itself (i cant escape even if i wanted to its literally the one of the only platforms i use); yume-nikki reminiscent/dreamlike exploration games; omniscient reader's viewpoint; trying to remember and explain things coherently and vividly enough. also writing + reading

speaking of which: im so mad at myself for my own impatience. it severely ruins the experience. i felt so much wonder first reading the webtoon iteration because of all the visuals, the setting, and the handling of every little "meta" aspect and now ive desecrated the future experience i couldve had with the novel. rrrghhhh..

last googled: "they both reached for the gun lyrics"

currently working on: remembering, figuring out how to create again + create enjoyably, relearning how to cherish things like information, just relearning how to cherish things in general.

hm. brevity

oh yeh uhhh @imkindachezzy @mathletfoox youre two people i know. get your fingers typing NOW!!!!!!! ((IF YOU WANT TO!! I DON'T ACTUALLY WANT TO FORCE YOU TO DO ANYTHING YOU ARE UNWILLING TO!))

nine people I would like to get to know better

Thank you @sentowritesstuff for tagging me!! I actually really like doing little games like this even if it’s something small it makes me happy lol

last song I listened to: I Hate It Here by Taylor Swift

favorite color: probably a really dark blue

currently watching: daredevil, andor s2, agent Carter, cloak and dagger, and a couple more

last movie: Avengers Infinity War

currently reading: Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

sweet, spicy, or savory: all of them!! I cant choose a favorite!!

relationship: single☹️ My crush doesn’t like me back and I refuse to talk to him

current obsessions: agent Carter, captain america and stucky in general (as usual), Star Wars, the naturals series, six of crows again, baking carrot cakes, and writing poetry about my shitty family

last googled: where to watch into the spiderverse?

currently working on: a speech for school, a poem series, and a fanfic about stucky

I’m going to tag: @spidersinsalem @olicitylighthome @aurore-boreal1s @scarfacemarston @bufferingsummers @onyx-di-angelo @crazysandwich @bloodorange17 & @mentalmeles

no pressure though if you’ve already done it or don’t want to

[dykes]

spoilers for the finale of the handmaid's tale (season 6 episode 10)

luke bankole is the only man in this show i think deserves some kind of Okay Ending. and even then im like whatever man. you basically let your wife and little girl rot in gilead for years.

soooo fucked that janine didnt get out in the end. but of course right. they needed something to make aunt lydia actually work for gileads fall during testaments lol. actual dogshit writing. (future me pointing and laughing at this paragraph btw)

ill never stop resenting atwood for writing the completely not needed sequel lmfao. everything that could have been went down the toilet with that absolute dogshit book.

okay miss scientologist is onto something with the pacing of this final episode tho

the smiles that june and serena share !!!! im going insane im going crazy im going to start biting people !!!!!

"if he ever thought he had a real choice, he would have chosen you" okay… that coupled with the look shared between them. fuck offfffffff. she's speaking about herself.

THEIR GOODBYES TO EACH OTHER MY HEART HURTS. june forgiving her in the end. uguHHGHHHUHRRRRRRR SHAKES THEM LIKE DOG TOYS IN MY MOUTH

but what an absolute dogshit ending for serena lol. to just disappear into nothingness. to one day hopefully "be found" by tuello. fuck off lol. like yes the chemistry those two share was so much better than whatever the fuck was going on with any other man in the show. but lol. what a hollow end.

EMILY RETURNING I LOVE YOU

Ughhhh the dreamt up Boston "of what could have been".. them all doing karoke.. janine happy and doing karoke.. june loves her so fucking much. im going insane etc. she deserved to be happy and out and safe.

please. please be janine. please tell me they've bought her janine. OHHH MY GOD YES. IVE NEVER BEEN SO FUCKING GLAD. OH AND. AND NAOMI BRINGING HER HER DAUGHTER. SERENA GOT THROUGH TO HER IN THE END IM THROWING UP. shes doing whats best for her daughter. not whats best for her. please im so fucking glad.

and then more setup for the testaments (SEVEREST EYE ROLL)

ughhh june basically committing to going back in. to continue doing what she's been doing. "not fighting is what got us gilead in the first place"

oh finally they're talking about her writing the book/the namesake. it only took six seasons a lot of bullshit in between.

and then right into luke and june's stuff. i am glad they're basically splitting up. like they still love each other. they do. and it matters that they do. but they are leaving each other because of that love. and he's bringing up the book again. okay. bit on the nose i think.

ohh my god more serena content SNORTS IT LIKE A LINE OF COKE. ughhh her pouring the stuff out of her little plastic bag (everything she has). and theres the shirt june picked out for noah. that she slipped into her things. and serena breaking down with "you're all i need, you're all i need. you're all i ever wanted" while staring off into the middle distance. OKAY?????? like yeah she's talking to noah but she's not talking about him there she's really not im sorry if you think she is.

june returning to the old waterford house (the one serena burned down) immediately after that scene is very. okay. thats a directorial choice. but also girl that place is a ruin of burned wood. thats not safe to wander through for ur little introspective moment.

not a june sitting in her old rooms window scene. come on now. lmfao. reciting lines direct from the book into a recorder and then end. HUMONGOUS EYE ROLL.

so my final thoughts:

for a series finale it wasn't bad by any means. it was the right amount of introspective. of somewhat hopeful. but at the same it felt very idk. not shallow. but it fell flat from what could have been (if the testaments were never written and if the show didn't hate women).

i think elisabeth moss did mostly do a good job heading the two ending episodes. i was desperately afraid she was going to have nick live. but she came through in that regard.

but i also think man what a fucking waste of talent in that final episode. fuck all stuff between june and moira. more could have been shown of rita. of janine. and i think they went full coward about the main relationship of the show, in the end. which is the hugest L. it didnt even need to be romantic. but whatever. they needed to setup everything properly for the testaments (throws up in my mouth)

[mishkakagehishka]

When i become fluent in all the languages i wanna be fluent in i'll be so annoying forever and ever

[genericpuff]

vent post

[celestial-toys]

That I Would Be Good [4/5]

Swan Upon Leda

Moon’s fingertips tap rhythmically along the edge of the counter, and he seems to be debating something. He finally speaks again after a pregnant pause. “…You’re like a God to him. Do you know that?”

His words cut through the fog in your mind. “I am?”

He nods solemnly. “You are. Not—Not in the sense that he wants to worship you… or at least, not as much as he wants to protect you. But there’s an undeniable, ineffable devotion there.”

------- ------- -------

In This Chapter

Breaking points are reached, confrontations are had, and secrets are spilled.

Pairing: Sun x Moon x Reader

Word Count: 5,781

Contains: [AU - Real World | Sentient AI/Automatons | Personality Swap] [invasion of privacy] [more of Sun’s signature Overbearing Behavior™️] [crying] [substance abuse (not specified beyond ‘sedatives’)] [arguments] [shouting] [brief physical altercation] [religious discussion/metaphor(?)] [implication of past sexual assault (not committed by Sun or Moon, to be perfectly clear)]

A/Ns: This is a songfic. Lyrics and title are from ‘That I Would Be Good’ by Alanis Morissette. Also, the title of this chapter, along with additional lyrics featured within it, are from the song 'Swan Upon Leda' by Hozier. Please refer to the notes on the Ao3 version of this chapter for my commentary on the song, and it's unfortunate renewed relevancy post-US election.

This fic is part of my AU “[Not] Made by Design”, the full series can be found here.

Links to other parts of this fic: [Ch.1] [Ch.2] [Ch.3] [Ch.4 (you are here)] [Ch.5]

That I would be grand if I was not all-knowing.

Curled up in bed one evening, you huff in frustration at the puzzle on your phone. The sound catches Sun’s attention, raising his head from the pillow beneath him. Shifting from his usual fit-for-a-coffin position beside you, he cranes his neck to look over your shoulder.

“Expose. Pate. Resume. Rose.”

You frown. “Really?”

“Try it and see for yourself.”

You tap the four assorted words he called out and sure enough, they collect themselves in a purple bracket on the screen. You read the category title aloud. “Words pronounced differently with accent marks. …Oh. Huh. Guess you’re right.”

His voice is neutral, very matter-of-fact as he pulls his head back, neck folding and collapsing to allow him to rest on the pillow once again. “Of course I am.”

You roll your eyes, sarcasm seeping into your flat tone. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the help.”

------- ------- -------

Settled down for a lazy Sunday morning gaming session, you mutter aloud as your character runs across the island. “Okay, I’ve got… 300k on me. Daisy’s sellin’ ‘em for… oh, I checked earlier, what was it… uh—109 this week.”

Moon’s voice rumbles out from behind you and you feel the vibration between your shoulder blades as you rest against his chest. “Sheesh…”

You voice your agreement as you roam in search of the young turnip-laden boar. “Yeah, I know.”

You try to do the math in your head. “So… that should mean I can afford—”

Moon cheerfully provides you with your answer almost instantly. “2,752! Or—well—2,750 is as close as you can get without going over since she sells them in bundles of ten.”

You try to keep the frustration out of your voice when you thank him for the help.

------- ------- -------

Your hand freezes over the bowl, a scoop of flour held in midair as you lean back to stare at the recipe below. 

“What.” Deadpan as usual, Sun questions you from his seat at the table. He’d apparently joined Zero in deciding that watching you bake was the most entertaining way they could spend the afternoon.

“It was… ugh, I need ‘two cups’. But I‘m weighing this out, so I'm trying to remember what that was in grams.”

Once again robbing you of the opportunity to think, he’s quick to feed you the information. “Two cups of flour equals 250 grams.”

You sigh. “…Thanks.”

------- ------- -------

Curled on the couch between the two of them, you listen as they test their trivia knowledge against one another, having fallen into a contest thanks to the episode of Jeopardy currently playing on the TV. You’ve long since given up on trying to beat either of them to any answer, and are currently trying to fight back the rising, nagging voice in your head that keeps calling you stupid.

After Moon effortlessly answers a clue so obscure that you’d have had no hope in hell of getting it, you wiggle out from between them with perhaps a bit more force than necessary. Quickly excusing yourself, you make for the bathroom.

“You good?” You ignore the concerned question that Sun calls after you, focused solely on being alone and calming down before you make a scene in front of them. You’ve just gotta… breathe. See things rationally again.

You just need a minute.

------- ------- -------

After more time than you’re aware of passes, spent with your head in your hands as you sit on the edge of the bathtub willing yourself not to cry, a soft knock startles you.

“Are you alright in there, star? It’s… been twenty minutes and, uh…” He laughs, but it’s a sad sound. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold Sun back.”

You hurry to your feet, placating them with “Just a second!” as you check your reflection to make sure you don’t have pressure marks on your cheeks from how long you sat there like that. When you pull the door open, you try to play it casual in spite of the fact that you feel no better than before. Unsurprisingly, you immediately come face-to-chest with a very imposing and very quiet yellow automaton.

You glance between his blank gaze and Moon, wringing his hands some feet off to the side behind his bolder counterpart.

“…Hi?”

“What were you doing in there.”

“Using the… bathroom…?”

He’s obviously unsatisfied with your answer but he doesn’t stop you when you slip past him through the doorway. He surveys the empty bathroom for a long moment before following as you make your way back to the couch.

“Goodness, didn’t mean to turn my bathroom trip into a full-family event.” You remark as you pass by Moon and Zero, both of them turning to follow you as well. You settle back down in the middle of the couch, Moon taking his place beside you. Zero paces around her bed, too bothered by the tense energy that’s now filled the room to allow herself to relax.

Sun stands in the middle of the room, rays clicking back and forth rigidly. “I am… concerned about you again.”

You sigh, quietly grateful that someone finally broke the awkward silence. “There’s no need to be, Sun.”

“I thought… you wanted me to tell you when I am concerned.”

“I—I do, but… I mean…”

You search for something to throw him off his line of questioning and flop your head back into the plush couch cushion. “Christ, Sun, can’t I even take a shit in peace without an interrogation afterwards?”

His arms cross over his chest. “I never heard the sound of the toilet flushing.”

You internally curse his observation skills as he closes the distance between himself and your seat on the couch. Crouching down in front of you, you begin to feel backed into a corner. “Now, unless you’ve taken up some new, gross attempt at reducing your water-waste, I’d like you to answer me again and be honest about it this time.”

You stare into his blank, false eyes for an uncomfortable length of time as an array of thoughts and feelings wash over you. You consider fabricating another lie. You consider telling some sort of half-truth just to get him off your back. But the longer you stay locked in an unwinnable staring contest with him, the closer you get to throwing caution aside and hitting him with the full truth.

And so you do.

“You make me feel stupid, okay?! And it pisses me off, so I tried to excuse myself to go calm down in the bathroom, but I can’t even get a break in there anymore, so now here we are!”

His expression flickers to one of confusion. “I make you feel what?”

“Stupid! Both of you!”

His monitor rotates to face Moon for a silent moment of shared bewilderment, and then Moon turns to face you. “Could you… elaborate a little more on that? When—How do we make you feel that way?”

You tilt your head over to face him, crossing your arms over yourself in an attempt to quell the vulnerability. “It’s… it’s not even your fault.” You wince at the way your voice cracks and tense up as your vision gets blurry, refusing to cry over something so trivial. “It’s just… I’m… struggling to come to terms with the massive gap between us.”

Sun’s harsh tone doesn’t help. “What gap?”

You blink hard, ignoring the tears that escape. “Intelligence! Memory! Information processing speed! You name it- you two are far better at it than I could ever be!”

Moon reaches out, laying a firm hand on Sun’s knee. What he silently conveys to him is anyone’s guess, but it’s enough to have Sun rock back on his heels, arms retracting and elbows propping him up against the coffee table behind him. The forced look of casualty doesn’t suit him, nor does it negate his overbearing demeanor, but you’re appreciative of the extra space nonetheless.

“Has this… been bothering you for a long time?” Moon’s question is gentle, and on quite the right track.

“Not… since the beginning, if that’s what you’re asking. I knew—objectively—that you both would be superior to me in that regard. It just…”

“Hits different when you live with it twenty-four-seven?

You glance up at Sun. “I mean… kinda? I don’t know. It’s… it’s the little things that have been getting to me. When you—when you solve a puzzle that I’m working on without a moment’s hesitation. When you don’t even give me the time to do math in my head. When you offer up answers before I can even hope to recall them. It just makes me feel so… slow.”

The room is quiet for a moment while they consider your words. Surprisingly, Sun is the one to break through it with an insightful question more befitting of Moon. “Is it that we know the answers, or is it that we give them to you.”

Your tense expression softens as you view your frustration from another angle. Looking back on all the little moments that bothered you, you find that the common thread running through all of them is that they beat you to the punch. “You may… have a point.”

Sun does his best to not look smug, but his best isn’t very good.

“I guess… it wasn’t really that you had the answers that bothered me. It was hardly even the envy that you found them faster, it’s really just—the frustration that I feel when you spoon-feed them to me. It’s making me feel like I never even have the opportunity to use my brain anymore!” You laugh a bit with the exclamation.

Moon nods in understanding beside you. “If I try… placing myself in your shoes, I think I can see how that would get upsetting rather quickly.”

As the tension in the room begins to dissipate, Zero ceases her endless cycle of pacing and sitting, circling her bed a few times before curling up in the middle.

Your attention falls back on Sun as he speaks. “I suppose I should… apologize, then. For… making assumptions. About what you were doing in the bathroom.”

As much as it audibly pains him to admit to having jumped the gun, you appreciate the apology. Still, you know his concern wasn’t unfounded. “I know I've given you both plenty of reasons to worry over what I may be doing in there. It’s… it’s alright, Sunny. I accept the apology.”

Moon picks up from there. “We’re both sorry about our… inconsiderate habit when it comes to helping you out. And—it really does come from a desire to help! But, still. We weren’t aware that it bothered you.”

You reach out to pat him on the knee. “Thank you. Just—can we all agree to give me and my feeble little human brain some time to process things?” You smile. “It feels good when I figure things out on my own. And I’ll… make it known when I would like some help.”

They both nod, and Sun’s voice is surprisingly soft, dare you say gentle when he speaks. “Yeah… yeah. I think we can do that.”

That I would be loved even when I numb myself.

Shaking two pills out of a small bottle, you cringe at the noise and hope that neither of your attentive partners are within earshot. Faltering, you stare at the medication in your hand, trembling slightly from the stress of the day. “…Fuck it,” you whisper to yourself, quickly coaxing a third pill out onto your waiting palm before tossing them in your mouth.

Capping the bottle and returning it to its place behind the mirror-door of the medicine cabinet, you breathe a shaky sigh of relief. Grabbing your water bottle sitting on the bathroom counter, you knock back a few swigs, quickly downing the evidence of your… bad habit.

Or so you believed.

Turning to leave, your stomach drops at the sight of the door, cracked open just slightly. There’s no mistaking the void of a certain someone’s blacked-out screen pressed against the other side.

Goddamnit.

The door swings inward, slowly revealing the rest of the overbearing automaton leaning against the outer doorframe.

Unsure how much he saw but willing to bet that it was too much, you aren’t sure how to address him. “Sun! I thought you were doing laundry. Do you… want the bathroom towels, or…?”

His tone carries a serious, contemplative weight, and he doesn’t bother to manifest an expression beyond two solid red eyes. “I was. And I did. But now I am far more curious as to what exactly you were doing in here just now.”

You try to play him off, laughing. “Sunny, we really need to have a talk about this tendency of yours to spy on me in the bathroom.”

He welcomes himself into the room and your personal space, and you back up a step as he reaches out to reopen the small cabinet above the sink. He reaches in, pulling out the very bottle you’d just held, turning it over beneath a critical gaze. “This was not prescribed to you.”

You rack your brain for excuses and answers to the questions you know are coming. “Y-yeah, it’s just over-the-counter stuff. Nothing serious! I don’t see what you’re so worried about.”

“You are not experiencing a single one of these symptoms. Why are you taking it?” He places a fingertip beneath the dosage instructions. “And why are you taking more than the recommended amount?”

You can’t help but get defensive. “You—you don’t know every single thing I feel every second of every day, Sun. Who are you to tell me that I have no reason to take that?”

His monitor slowly angles away from the bottle in his hand and up toward you. He stares you down for an uncomfortable number of seconds. “…You really have no clue how long I’ve been watching you, do you?”

With nothing more than a few cryptic words, an old fear blooms within you once again. “What are you getting at, Sun? Out with it.”

He huffs, and you hear the quiet hum of his cooling system kick up. “I am aware of your history with this medication. Do you know how many nights I watched you down these things just to knock yourself out long enough to get a few hours of sleep? Only then to stumble right back into the lab with a hot mug of heavily caffeinated coffee to keep on working?”

Your disbelief pulls a stupid question from you. “Back in the facility?”

He scoffs. “Where else? You aren’t the only one that remembers those long nights, you know? That place was loaded with security feeds, and there just so happened to be one in that beloved employee lounge of yours. You have no idea—the number of hours of restless sleep I watched you steal, the number of double-shot coffee pods and energy drinks I watched you burn through, the...”

His red eyes flicker out, leaving you with nothing to see but your own reflection in his dark screen. “…The number of times I watched you sit alone in a room with our lifeless bodies and cry.”

Your breath comes shallow, and if you weren’t so caught up in the moment, you’d laugh at how he’s found another way to make you feel exposed. “You weren’t even fully functioning back then, Sun. You both were still in training! Your AI’s every action was logged—I—I would’ve known. So how in the goddamn hell were you ‘watching’ me?” You know that what he says he saw really happened, but you’re not about to buckle without evidence.

His voice comes out cold. “Those ‘inconsistencies’ in my action log weren’t the mystery to me that they were to you.”

The defensive tension in you morphs into disbelief as an old suspicion of yours is unearthed. “Are you trying to tell me that you managed to watch me through the goddamn security cams for who knows how long—and managed to cover your tracks so well that I wouldn’t find the evidence? Are you really trying to get me to believe that?!”

His voice remains level in spite of your inciting words, but it gains a sharp and serious edge. “I suppose I just never had the heart to break it to you, but sunshine, I regret to inform you that you lost control of me long before you thought you did.”

Enraged, you step towards him, jamming an accusatory finger into the unyielding metal of his chest and channeling the pain that results into your rising voice. “You! You lying, conniving, control-freak! I fucking knew it! You were altering your own activity log and making me take the fall for it! Do you realize how hard I beat myself up for the shit I didn’t understand?”

You force your words through your tightening throat, refusing to let these old wounds bring you to tears again. “I bet you were just laughing it up, weren’t you? Knowing I would never even suspect you at the time, because you were still playing the ‘innocent, lovable’ character I wanted you to be. I know you just ate that shit up—watching me flounder in front of my colleagues when I couldn’t explain what ‘I’d’ done wrong.” Uncharacteristic aggression comes over you and your hand balls into a fist before slamming hard into his chest with your final words.

He doesn’t so much as flinch, and his lack of reciprocity only riles you up further. “Oh, no-no. You don’t get to give me the silent treatment right now!” Beside yourself in a storm of pent up emotion, you reach up to take him by the shoulder and repeatedly slam a fist against his rigid, unfeeling core. “WAKE—THE—FUCK—UP! I DON’T CARE IF YOU HATE ME—YOU OWE ME A RESPONSE.”

Contrary to his cooling system running audibly in high-gear, his demeanor is cold and collected. Placing the bottle of pills down on the counter, he sighs. You flinch when his hands rise and he ignores it, taking each of your arms by the wrist and gently, firmly returning them to your sides. His voice is low, speaking to you as he does so. “You’re a designer, sunshine. Not a programmer. You’ve been out of your depth with us since day one.”

You huff in defiance, crossing your arms over your chest. Having rid himself of your petty display of frustration, he props a hip against the counter and retrieves the bottle from where he’d placed it. Looking miniature in his grasp, he rolls it between his thumb and forefinger as he continues. “Contrary to what you think of me, I don’t particularly enjoy subverting your authority.” He hesitates, and his voice takes on a brief hint of humor. “Well—most of the time.”

Your eyes roll as you release an impatient sigh. His tone falls flat again, reaching the end of his point. “Even back then, I knew my actions could and would have consequences—on me, and you, and even Moon if things went poorly enough. And believe it or not, I did try to keep them to a minimum. I’ve only ever done what I deem necessary to accomplish my principal goal.”

You take a step back, growing uncomfortable with the proximity you created in your fit of rage. “Well, excuse me for assuming anything about what really goes on in your head. Might I ask then, what goal could possibly necessitate such behavior?”

His idle motion stills, slowly closing his hand around the bottle until it disappears in his grasp. “You should know the answer to that, though. You’re the one who instilled it in me, after all. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the first law of robotics.”

A tense silence suffocates the room, and neither of you do so much as move an inch until Moon’s voice crashes in from the doorway. “What the hell are you two doing in here?” Uncharacteristically aggressive in his questioning, you know he’s had just as rough of a time visiting the facility today as you did.

You beat Sun to the punch, some small part of you clinging to the hope that you can divert the topic away from your… habit. “This bastard’s been spying on me since before the beginning!”

Moon’s voice fills with exasperation. “What?”

Sun cuts in, pushing his own agenda before you can elaborate. “This reckless idiot’s been abusing sedatives again!”

Your voice raises over him. “They’re hardly even—!”

His monitor whips around to stare you down so fast it jumpscares you into silence.

Moon makes his way into the room, and you try not to recall the last time the three of you had an impromptu intervention in this same place. His gaze flicks to Sun with a critical tone. “I take it Sun finally told you about his… observations.” He reaches out and works the bottle out of Sun’s tense grip, looking it over with a frown.

A sense of betrayal weighs your voice down. “Are there any other secrets of his that you’re privy to and keeping from me?”

You don’t expect an answer, at least not one you can believe, but he offers it anyway. “…That depends on how you define a secret, I suppose.”

You heave a sigh but there’s little relief in it, more exhaustion than anything. Moon questions you softly. “Have you been taking these often again?”

“Ha. Hardly. I can scarcely get away with anything with this one’s prying eyes in every square inch of my privacy.” You stare daggers into the void of Sun’s screen.

His voice is louder than you expect when he suddenly responds, and you’re shocked at how full of emotion it is. All of his cold, unfeeling mechanical indifference replaced with something far more… sincere. Painfully so.

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t fucking care. about. you. Do you think I sat around watching any of your colleagues mill about the place? Do you think I gave a damn if any of them ran themselves into the ground? As if they ever even would. You’re the only one insane enough, stubborn enough, lonely enough to care about some heap of dysfunctional, lifeless material laying on an operating table. You’re the only one. Of course I watched you. What. else. could. I. do.”

His rays shutter and spin rapidly, hands balling the loose fabric of his pants into fists at his side. He leans closer to you as he spits his final words.

“So excuse the fuck out of me for giving a damn about the only person who ever gave one about me.”

With that, he turns on his heel, pushing past Moon and quickly storming out of sight.

The weight of his words join with the exhaustion from today’s stress, dragging you down. With the added effect of the medication beginning to kick in on an empty stomach, it all has you lowering your shaky body to rest—dignified as it is—atop the closed toilet lid. You watch Moon as he quietly returns the bottle to its place in the cabinet in what you assume is some attempt to repair trust between you. “I… appreciate the gesture, but I don’t really care what you do with it. I know Sun’s just gonna slip back in here once we’re gone and pocket it to keep it from me.”

His vents release a soft burst of air and he closes the cabinet, turning to sit on the edge of the counter. Monitor dropped low and staring at the floor, it seems you aren’t the only one feeling beaten down. The two of you sit in silence for a minute, collecting your scattered thoughts.

“You know, it’s hard to blame you for taking those after everything and everyone you had to deal with today. I mean—even I was ready to send myself straight into a shutdown after answering all those questions.” A small, sad laugh escapes him. “Living with you kind of allowed me to forget that not everyone sees us the way you do.”

You tilt your head to look up at him. “What, like the people that you are?”

His monitor angles to focus you in his camera’s line of sight. “…Yeah. Exactly.”

He raises a pointed finger. “But—still—you know I also can’t approve of you self-medicating. It’s a slippery, dangerous slope. That’s why Sun gets all… like that. Not—not that his way of doing things is appropriate, though. I believe I worry about you just as much, but I at least try to channel it into more acceptable methods.”

His hand drops back down to the counter, enervation palpable, and you wonder how anyone could observe either of your boys and question their sentience for even a moment.

“He wasn’t lying though. I hope you know that. When he said that he cares about you.”

You prop an elbow on the counter beside you, resting your temple against your palm. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard him say it outright. Like—I’ve heard you say it on his behalf, and I’ve seen him nod along in agreement. I can even sense it in at least some of his actions, but… it’s different actually hearing it from him.”

Moon’s fingertips tap rhythmically along the edge of the counter, and he seems to be debating something. He finally speaks again after a pregnant pause. “…You’re like a God to him. Do you know that?”

His words cut through the fog in your mind. “I am?”

He nods solemnly. “You are. Not—Not in the sense that he wants to worship you… or at least, not as much as he wants to protect you. But there’s an undeniable, ineffable devotion there.”

You scoff. “You won’t find many people that would put their faith in a God that they know can’t even protect them. A God weaker than them. Inferior to them.”

Moon shakes his head. “Starlight, I don’t think you realize all the ways in which you have protected him. Protected us. Protection doesn’t always come in the form of a physical battle of strength. …Especially not when it comes to protecting someone whose entire life can be snuffed out of existence with the click of a button, or the flick of a switch.”

You twist around on the toilet lid, turning to face the counter where Moon’s sat. You rest your arms out on it, fingers drumming along in tandem with Moon’s rhythm. “How much of that is you projecting, and how much of it is actually his feelings on the matter?”

He laughs again, a soft, quiet sound this time. “Not as much of it as you may think! I… hmm. I guess if one were to call him religious, one would call me an atheist.”

Your brows raise. “Oh? Do you…” The implications cause dismay to swirl in your stomach. “…Is that your way of saying that you don’t believe in me?”

His monitor twists on its axis and tilts down toward you, eyes wide and round. “No! No—heavens, no that’s not what I meant by that!”

You stare at each other for a moment before breaking into the kind of muffled, shared nonsensical laughter that one only tends to experience during those late night chats with a friend, fueled by over-tiredness and the joy of being in good company. A… mutual, unspoken understanding of sorts.

As the laughter dies down, you reassure him. “No—like—I get it, I do. I honestly wouldn’t blame you at all if you didn’t believe in me. Certainly at least not in the sense of comparing me to a God.”

He collects himself and clarifies. “I… I do believe in you though. In you. The very real, messy, soft and squishy, vulnerable flesh-and-bone human being that you are. I believe in your heart and soul, the power that resides in your free will, and I believe in your capabilities and intelligence far more than you may think I do. Sun and I both put faith into all of that and more. I can even understand why he’d see you as a God, but… it’s… different with him.”

You can’t help but lightheartedly interject. “Goodness, what isn’t…”

Moon smiles. “Sun was the first. I was never far behind, of course, but you couldn’t do everything in tandem. He was the first to be trained, the first to be implanted, the first to troubleshoot with, and, well... Do you know the sentiment that parents make most of their mistakes on the first child, so by the time the second comes along, they’re… uhm, they ‘turn out better’? For lack of a kinder way to put it.”

You drop your head down and pull your hands in, using them as a cushion lest you knock your forehead into the counter. “Oh, now you’re gonna tell me that he sees me as his mother or something, aren’t you…”

You groaned the words out playfully, but Moon takes them unexpectedly seriously. “Honestly? …Something in between the two, if I had to guess.”

You let the weight of his words sink into you as he continues.

“I… can’t claim to be an expert on what goes on in that head of his. But I can get closer than anyone else can. He… doesn’t like letting people in, as you are well aware, but occasionally he’ll confide in me. He’s got a lot of walls up. Both metaphorically and literally. It’s difficult to wade through that chaotic maze he calls a headspace.”

His fingers gradually slow their drumming to a halt.

“Do… you remember… the first time we engaged the Eclipse Protocol?”

Your stomach tightens.

“I’d rather not.”

“I- I know. I’m sorry. I just… that night. When he and I were still linked, and he…” He shakes his head. “Oh, who am I kidding, when we were watching over you like a couple of hawks…”

“While I slept?”

“Yes. To keep you safe. … There’s… a lot about that evening that I can’t forget, but one particular thing struck me. Well, honestly it annoyed me at the time because it was bleeding into my headspace and overriding my ability to focus, but… it stands out to me as something profound when I recall it.”

He pauses, freezing for a moment before pulling a bent leg up onto the counter and turning to face you.

“Maybe I shouldn’t share this. Maybe he’ll get mad at me when I tell him that I did. But I feel like after the things he’s kept from you, well intentioned as he may be… it’s fair enough to share this with you.”

You rest your chin on your folded hands, eyes glued to him.

“There was this… singular line of text that just kept repeating, over and over in his mind that night. It… to level with you—it started to freak me out a bit.”

You question him, soft and quiet.

“What was it?”

“Five words.”

His facial features fade out, and a repeating line of text on his otherwise dark screen replaces it.

The sight knocks the wind out of you, and you can do nothing but nod as your mind starts spinning.

The text fades, and the familiar sight of Moon’s default smile and crescent eyes replaces it for a second, his expression then quickly morphing into something more appropriate for the moment.

“I’m still not sure what it meant. A general search for those words in that order results in too many options for me to narrow it down. The sentence sticks with me, though. I guess… that’s where my theories of how he perceives you took root. … There’s more examples, far more explicit things he’s said, but I… feel like I’ve shared enough already. Any elaboration should be his to do, if he ever wishes to.”

You nod, raising up in your seat and finding your words.

Moon—unlike Sun—never was the type to comb through your personal files, private playlists included. So it doesn’t surprise you that he didn’t spot the connection.

“Well. You’ve… certainly given me a lot to think about.”

His tone grows concerned. “I—I really didn’t mean to upset you more! I hope I haven’t…”

You reach out, placing a hand reassuringly over his. “No, no, nothing like that. I’m actually very grateful that you shared this with me. I… know you’ve got to be tired of serving as this intermediary between Sun and I… and I hope one day you won’t have to.”

He gives you his signature smile, and somehow makes it feel genuine. “I really don’t mind, dear.”

You eye him with concern. “Mhm… and one day I’m gonna get inside that head of yours and figure out why that is.”

His tone turns playful. “Goodness me! Can’t a little selfless couples counseling go un-psychoanalyzed?”

You smile. “Not in this house, nope.”

The medication's effects have long since started taking hold, and you rub at your tired eyes as your waning focus trains back on the day’s events.

“Moon?”

“Yes, dear.”

“We’ve got a bigger problem.”

You punctuate your sentence with a yawn, and he rises from his seat on the counter, coming to crouch in front of you.

“The problem being how sleepy you’re getting?”

You pout. “No…”

His warm smile doesn’t waver as he whispers a question. “Would you like me to carry you to bed?”

You falter. “W-well… yeah, I… I would like that, actually… but that’s not our problem!”

You raise your arms to wrap around his neck as he leans into you, effortlessly lifting you off of your ‘throne’ and encouraging you to hook your legs around his waist. Once he’s got you securely in his hold, he leans back to catch your gaze.

“What is our problem then?”

You whisper, mindful of Sun’s penchant for eavesdropping.

“How are we gonna get him to come to the headquarters with us next week?”

------- ------- -------

Not much later that night, you laid in bed clinging to Moon, quickly drifting off under his reassuring watch.

It didn’t surprise you in the least when Sun remained in his own room that night. The room was conveniently located just opposite the wall that your bed sat against, making it the perfect place for him to hide when he craved being near you but felt it kinder to you to keep himself away.

As sleep welcomed you, your ears picked up on a muffled, familiar tune coming from the other side of the wall.

You still aren’t sure if you dreamed it or not.

“The gateway to the world, was still outside the reach of him. Would never belong to angels, had never belonged to men.”

A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. I’ll be back in a few days with the final chapter! You can also find my notes and commentary on this fic right here on Ao3. Links to the playlist and moodboard for [N]MbD can be found on this blog’s pinned post, as well as in the series notes on Ao3. Image Sources: x - x - x