#mushroom is there so you know what people were gossiping!!!

[ludcake]

hello my psionic warriors i was looking through fire and blood because internet arguments fuel my day and i was staring at how alicent started being "jaehaerys' constant companion" at age 13 and how there were rumors of indecent behavior and everything we know about jaehaerys and how he mistook her for his daughters and.

let me tell you anyone who thinks that evil stepmother is a fun characterization should be hit with hammers the jaehaerys nightmare ride train keeps going you just KNOW that alicent got deeply fucked by that. and then marrying jaehaerys' grandson?? who is way older than you? god i dont even care the depiction of alicent's deep psychological makeup is canon to me whether book or show. can you imagine. otto puts his daughter to read to king jaeherys at bed. he knows what jaehaerys is like. hes worked with him for years. what the fuck

this isnt a show only thing this is canon to me

alicent's final thoughts being about jaehaerys too. her last thing she says in the book is that she wants to read for him again. can you imagine that. she mentions helaena. she mentions her sons. and she mentions JAEHAERYS. motherfucker. piece of shit. im kicking screaming what the fuck

jaehaerys my #1 enemy ill be your hater forever i want an actual PoV written look into what the fuck you were up to I want to pick your brain with knives i want to see you wither and age and destroy your family

[gay-dorito-dust]

Can you please do some headcanons of Stanley being fake married to Fords’ assistant. They had to put up this charade for 30 years to convince people he was Stanford and “Mr. And Mrs. Mystery would bring in way more business!” Dipper and Mabel see her as a mother figure and Mabel likes to plan out their dates because she firmly believes they don’t go on ENOUGH of them. While they’re both on one of these said dates they realize “wait…do I actually like you??” (Slow burn is indeed 30 years slowwwww)

This is so fucking long oh my fucking god-I’m actually going to have to make a part two or something. This is just too long.

Part two here

When you and Ford first arrived at Gravity Falls a lot of people were under the impression that you were a married couple, where they got that preposterous idea form neither of you had single clue but as hard as you and Ford tried to disprove their claims, insisting they you were just platonic partners and nothing more.

It only seemed to give them more reason to assume that there was something more going on between you both. So in the end you both elected to ignore it as Gravity Falls was a small unknown, sleepy town that wasn’t on any recorded map that you chalked it down to them needing something to gossip about to spare them of how boring their lives were. But you and Ford knew others wise and saw Gravity Falls as a treasure trove of information regarding the mysterious and the unknown, it was the main reasons you started this partnership to begin with after all.

But things were quick to fall apart just as it seemed you were getting closer to what you knew was the truth as Ford made a deal with a triangular demon known as Bill, easily swayed by his tricks and even more so by his constant repetition that Ford should ‘trust no one’ not even you, his assistant. Naturally it caused a rift between the two of you as you were sick and tired of having to try and reassure Ford- who was slowly succumbing to paranoia- that you weren’t in any way shape or threat to his research. Even bringing up how you both spend hours on end documenting mushrooms, fungi and others of a similar vein when you both first moved to Gravity Falls.

However this tactic didn’t work in your favour unfortunately as one thing lead to another and you were left helpless as you watched Ford get pulled into the portal that his brother -Stanley- had accidentally pushed him into during their squabble, watching as it seemingly closed forever.

You wanted to be mad at Stanley, you really did but the man had just lost his brother, his twin brother seemingly forever due to his own actions. So instead you eased off of him and offered to help him with reopening the portal in order to get Ford back, while also giving a triangle demon a piece of your mind for taking advantage of your overachiever of a friend. Ford being lost seeing forever hurt you just as badly as it hurt Stanley and you would do anything and everything if it meant seeing your friend again.

That and probably scold him for ever thinking that a deal with demon would ever go down well without some sort of hidden agenda, for if a deal sounds too good to be true then it might as well be. Something you’ve learned from Stan, whom you leaned was an expert conman who conned people for a living in order to get by. You didn’t necessarily saw it as a good thing to do, living off of the nativity of people and their gullible natures, but you didn’t have much of a choice when Stan assumed the identity of his twin and even has the audacity to lean into the town’s assumptions of you and Ford being married.

‘But we’re not married!’ You spat, letting go of Stan’s hand when you got home after a trip into town, all that effort you and Ford tried in order for people to stop assuming your relationship was ruined in one fell swoop, was this town really that desperate that they’d deeply get involved in someone’s life like?

(Yes the answer was yes)

‘I know that and you know that, but they don’t have to know that. Think about all the money we could make off of this! They’d be eating out of the palm of our hands!’ Stan replied with a smile while you could only scoff, not understanding how this was Ford’s twin brother when the two were only alike in the physical sense rather then anything else.

‘Is that all you see this as? An opportunity to capitalise on their naivety? Their gullibility and for what? A quick buck?’ You argued back as you sat yourself down at the table in the kitchen and rested your head in your hands. ‘They’ll catch on eventually.’ You added sombrely as Stan could only watch you and feel a slight pan in his chest at seeing you upset and at a loss, completely the opposite of the person you were when standing next to Ford.

‘Listen toots, I know this isn’t how you expected things to go-‘

‘You think?’ You shot back, glaring at him as he held up his hands.

‘-but there’s no other option for us other then to keep the charade up until we can reopen that stupid portal and get my brother back.’ Stan then tested the waters by planing his hand atop of your own, felling you flinch slightly at the contact before relaxing when you felt his thumb rub your knuckles comfortingly. ‘But until then we’ve got to see this through until the end and hey maybe you’ll come to like me one day!’ He then adds with a smile but you couldn’t help but scoff.

‘Yeah right, the day I come to enjoy your company Stanley Pines is the day I enter an early grave.’ You replied but there was no malice in your voice like there was before and in that moment it felt like things were okay, even if it was brief but it was enough for you to want to take Stanley up on his word and see it through to the end.

Flash forward 30 years and you and Stanley were still going strong with the whole ‘fake marriage’ thing and to Stan’s credit a business ran by a married couple did work wonders on the paying public, most of whom would find more intrigue about how you two met more so then about the fake attractions that Stan tried to have them believe as things that once existed.

‘A unicorn made out of corn? Really Stan?’ You’d whisper to him as you forced a smile while clinging onto his arm while the dumb tourists took their pictures of the supposed unicorn made out of corn. ‘That has to be your worst one yet.’

‘Trust the process sweetheart, trust the process and watch as these idiots throw their money at the first ‘weird’ thing they see. They never stop to question its credibility and that’s what we bank on most.’ Stan replied before pressing a kiss to your forehead, something he always did to keep the facade alive and fresh, along with pulling you into his side by your waist and gloating about you and all your academic achievements to anyone with ears.

You hated how much he seemingly remembered about you that almost had you rethinking everything you know about this man. But then you stop to constantly reminded yourself that Stan only remembered these parts about you because he needed material to keep your story consistent and without any falling potholes, the man knew how to cover his bases that was for sure, and yet that didn’t stop you from feeling seen whenever Stan bragged about how smart his spouse was.

That’s the one thing that you mentally thanked him for. He didn’t make you play into stereotypes or change anything remotely about yourself to fit his narrative, he let you be the smart and intelligent spouse while he played the man who was happy to snag you before anyone else could and had been riding the high ever since. It was…sweet in a way that you couldn’t describe.

When Mabel and Dipper came to Gravity Falls they were naturally skeptical on whether they should stay with you and Stan, but soon enough did they warm up to you when you could match Dipper in terms of intelligence and treated Mabel with nothing but kindness and encouragement of her creativity. That and the fact that you could sway Stan into letting them do whatever by placing your hand on his bicep and bating your eyes at him.

‘Let the kids have fun, you were quite the troublemaker when you were their age.’ You told him as you played devils advocate for the kids going to the movies and Stan sighed before reluctantly agreeing to your terms.

‘Fine, fine.’ He says before pointing at you. ‘You owe me for this though honey.’

You smiled as you kissed his cheek. ‘And how can I do that?’ You asked.

‘How about you both go on a date!’ Mabel exclaimed from across the table as she pulls out a blindingly glittery and sparkly binder that had written across the front: Mabel’s date plans for Grunkle Stan and great aunt/Grunkle/ y/n.

‘How long have you had that sweetheart?’ You asked her, a little frightened to know the answer as you knew Mabel was emotionally intelligent when it came to these sorts of things.

‘Since I’ve noticed that you and Grunkle Stan don’t go on dates.’ She replies as her brows furrowed while she flicked through the pages of her binder for the perfect date for the pair of you.

‘We’re married honey, we don’t need to go on dates. Being together 24/7 is like a date all in itself.’ Stanley replied as he could feel your hand gripping his bicep tighten, wanting nothing more than to soothe that overworked mind of yours as he placed his hand over the top of yours and squeezed, shooing you a reassuring smile.

‘Not good enough!’ Mabel cried as she pointed at the pair of you. ‘I can see the love in your eyes, that love is so hard to come by nowadays and just because you’re married doesn’t mean you stop going on dates!’

‘When was the last time you did go on a date?’ Dipper asked this time as his eyes darted from you to his Grunkle as you both mentally swore to yourselves. You and Stan have never been on a date, sure you’ve both been through town together but you never actually went anywhere that would be considered a date. After all your marriage was just for show and tell and not the real thing, despite how much you’ve grown to like how he held you at night or looked at you as though you hung the stars in the sky.

‘A long time kiddo.’ Stan told him. ‘And it was the date where I realised that I wanted to be with them for the rest of my life.’ He adds, his eyes softening when the looked at you, making you smile in response as you moved your hand to squeezed his.

‘Awwww!’ Mabel cooed as she watched you and her Grunkle look at each other so tenderly. it was obvious to her that you meant a lot to her Grunkle Stan and he meant a lot to you too that she couldn’t help but hope to find a love like yours one day herself. ‘Which is why I think you should both go on a date tonight! Right Dipper?’

Mabel punches dipper in the shoulder. ‘Yeah you both defiantly should go on a date.’ He agrees as he rubs his shoulder.

You and Stan looked at one another and knew that there was no getting out of this one, but you were both kind of excited for it at the same time, after all what was going to happen? You both actually realise you like each other after all this time? Preposterous.

[1-800-kami]

R U MINE? feat gojo satoru (II)

gojo satoru has got to be the picture definition of a stereotypical college frat boy. he’s cocky, loaded with his daddy’s money, and dangerously handsome. it seems like common sense to stay away from him since you’ll never get more than a one-night stand out of it. 

that’s why you choose to turn a blind eye once you’ve come to the horrific realization: you’re in love with him. and you’re just itching to ask…

“are you mine tomorrow? or just mine tonight?”

IMPORTANT: this is part TWO (and the final part) of the r u mine? mini series. make sure to read part one of this fic before proceeding! :)

content: 5.4k words, afab!reader, rich college frat boy gojo, SMUT (fingering & unprotected sex.. wrap it before u tap it kids!) ANGST, (i listened to deftones while writing the breakup era LMAOO i was in my feels 😔) gojo "everything reminds me of her" satoru is really going thru it, idk how to feel about the ending tbh, cheating implications, kinda proofread ig, more emo gojo (u luv to see it)

author's note: guys. where do i even start?? first of all, thank u for all the support on the first part of this mini series!! we also hit 100 followers on this blog so tysm for supporting me n my writing <3 here's the long awaited part two (n also the finale) as i promised that i would get it out over the weekend! just a quick announcement that i may be a little bit more inactive from here on out.. mainly because classes r starting again nd im starting to get busier. i do have more fic plans though, (and a geto smut in my drafts? 👀) so i'll make time to write when i can! happy reading and thank u for all the support on this silly little series :)

tags: @soley613 @feariteriu @bear-likes-mushrooms @96jnie @keilaq1 @whydohumansss @luftyluft @fatbootymuncher (bold = i'm unable to tag u)

reblog and interact for a kiss ;)

everything’s been hazy.

you don’t really remember how you got home– you either waved down a cab or walked until you somehow found your house. either way, the alcohol is worsening the pounding in your ears. the straps of your dress are clinging terribly against your skin–you want to take it off, you want to wear something more comfortable, you want to just go to sleep, preferably forever… but you can’t bring yourself to.

you can’t even bring yourself to move.

so the rumors really were true? but why did gojo pursue so far just for you? why did gojo say those words to you when you spent the night together? why did gojo try so hard to convince you that night that he wanted to have sex with you because he loved you–and not solely because he wanted to have sex?

why did gojo lie to you?

another series of pings sound throughout the room, and you finally move to silence your phone. the noise is all so overwhelming. why the hell is your phone blowing up?

you check your notifications–mostly dms from people you don’t know, either asking if you and satoru were dating, or questioning you about what the hell happened at the party. you know that you’re gonna be the subject of gossip once you’re back at campus, and you hate it.

you were surprised at the numbers once you scrolled down your notification list a little further. ten missed calls from satoru, accompanied by a series of fifteen panicked messages. you open it, and you stare sadly at his contact photo and name, remembering the fond memory behind it. once you two actually started dating, you were merciful enough to add a heart next to his name, and even updated it to “toru”. he was elated at that.

you think you can barely even call him gojo now.

the most recent message was barely sent a minute ago. like it was on cue, you see the bright headlights pull up outside of your door. you wanted to sink into your couch and never resurface ever again.

you hear suguru’s car door open and close, and then frantic knocking outside. you walk to the door while sniffling, looking through the peephole just to confirm your suspicions. it was satoru.

“i can hear you crying through the door, y/n. i know you’re there.” he takes a deep inhale, and the tears start rolling down your cheeks again once you hear the complete and utter vulnerability in his voice. you just don’t know what to believe anymore. “shit, i’m crying too. well, i’m gonna explain myself even if you don’t care enough to listen to me. uhm, believe it or not, what happened at the party wasn’t my doing… at all. when you went to use the bathroom, this girl went up to me and started flirting with me, like she was waiting for you to leave or somethin’. i was g’na tell her to go fuck off but she pushed herself on my lap and before i could do anything about it you walked in and it was just all horrible timing and- god. i know it sounds unbelievable, right? you must think i’m terrible right now.”

“you don’t have to believe me. if i were in your shoes i wouldn’t know what to think either. i’m just… explaining what happened.”

there’s a long period of silence between you and satoru, aside from the occasional sniffling on both ends. you don’t know what to say. you want to believe him. you want to do nothing more than to open the door and let him hold you in his arms again, but you just don’t know what to think anymore. you poured your entire heart out to a man who you knew you shouldn’t be messing with, and now you don’t know who or what to believe. you feel like a fool, and you’re just tired. so damn tired. the silence feels asphyxiating, like it's tearing your relationship with satoru further and further apart the longer it draws on.

satoru is the first one to break the silence. “i’m guessing from the silent treatment that you don’t believe me. it’s okay, y/n. i’ll wait an eternity for you to forgive me because i’ll always choose you- fuck… over anything, and i hope you know that.”

your mind is a mess, and satoru’s words make it even messier.

i’ll wait an eternity for you

i’ll always choose you over anything

you put your head in your hands and sob. it hurts.

a minute passes–gojo hears you get up from where you’re sitting behind the door, and his heart fills with hope.

“i just… i just don’t know how to believe you, gojo.”

his heart breaks when he hears the door–presumably to your bedroom–open and close, leaving him alone with his shattered heart. his heart breaks when he takes in your voice, noticing how weak and exhausted you sounded. he wonders how much you’ve cried just from this past hour alone. his heart breaks once he realizes that he’s alone with his thoughts again, alone with the voice in his head that was berating him for not being able to prevent all of this if he hadn’t frozen up and just pushed her away the second that girl started flirting with him. finally, his heart breaks once it registers that you called him gojo–the last name that he shares with his corrupt and money-crazy family… the family he tries so hard to get away from. it was also the name you called him during the days that you barely trusted him.

now, he’s back to square one, and he has none of your trust again. this time, satoru swears that he’ll do anything in his power to get it back once more.

you didn’t come to school today.

there’s been nothing but radio silence on your end. gojo has sent you countless messages over the weekend asking how you’ve been, with the occasional desperate voicemail where he tells you that he loves and misses you. you’ve turned off your read receipts, so gojo doesn’t even know if you’ve seen his texts or listened to his voicemails. he’s concerned for you, even though he knows that he’s the reason behind all of this. he was hoping to talk things out with you today.. but you weren’t even here.

one thing gojo knew about you is that you cared deeply about your academics, and you wouldn’t miss attendance even if you were sick. it pains him to know that he was the reason that you weren’t here today. you were avoiding him, and he felt helpless.

he’s talked to geto—and the best advice that his best friend could offer was to “find proof that you didn’t cheat on her.” he’s right, though. the last thing you had said to gojo was that you don’t know how to believe if he’s telling the truth or not. gojo has absolutely no idea how to prove his fidelity to you, since words clearly weren’t enough. it frustrates him to no end.

gojo now knows that he feels absolutely lost. all when he’s not with you.

it feels nerve-wracking to walk the halls. 

he remembers telling you the night that you slept together that he’d learned over time to drown out the rumors about him. he learned not to care about what other people thought about him, and he eventually became unaffected by the school’s gossip. 

however, this time was different.

this time, he finds it difficult to drown out the rumors when he hears your name in them. he flinches every time someone whispers your name and his as he walks the halls, feeling that all eyes are on him. “i heard y/n and gojo broke up…” “they were dating?!” “yeah.. i didn’t believe it at first, either! apparently he…”

he doesn’t want to hear it, so he walks a little faster. it hasn’t felt this suffocating to be on campus in a while.

maybe that’s partially why you didn’t show up. rumors are hard to ignore if you don’t know how to shun them out. 

gojo lets out a sigh. he decides that he’s going to ditch the rest of class. you weren’t here, he couldn’t talk to you, and he felt he was gonna go mad if he heard your name spoken by someone again, so he turns to leave, but flinches as he feels a hand lightly tap his shoulder.

“gojo-san?”

he turns around, with a girl that he’s never seen before standing in front of him… not that he pays attention to them in the first place, though. he raises his eyebrow in question, and the girl looks so nervous she might pass out. “i have to tell you something-“

“if it’s a love confession or whatever, i don’t want to hear it-“

“-no!” she flushes a deep shade of red, and he fights the urge to roll his eyes. she coughs awkwardly at his expression. “um, no.. it’s not that. please, just give me two minutes in the library. i have something to tell you.”

he decides to entertain this girl for a bit. he’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t curious about what she had to talk to him for. gojo sighs and says, “two minutes. that’s all you’re getting.”

“this is about the party last friday, no?” he says while taking a seat near one of the tables. he feels sick just being here. he’d never gone to the library before meeting you–as he had no reason to go here at all. then, he started accompanying you everywhere as he tried to win your heart. “study dates” were frequent here, and he even remembers forcefully changing his contact name and number on your phone during one of your dates.

gosh, everything literally reminds him of you. he can barely live like this.

she takes a seat across from him, and she shamefully nods at his words. “i went to the party on friday, and i just want to say i’m sorry-”

gojo gets up to leave. he can’t do this. he doesn’t need anyone’s pity. pity can’t change the fact that you still won’t talk to him. she panics as gojo is about to walk away. “wait!”

the librarian tells her to quiet down, and she mutters an apology. still, she persists. “please, just wait for two minutes… i need two minutes to explain myself. you promised you’d give me that.”

she stares at gojo, who hasn’t left yet, and takes that as her opportunity to speak. “i was a friend of… her,” he doesn’t need an explanation to know who she was talking about. “the reason why she came up to you was because of a dare i told her to do. she’s had a crush on you for a while now, so of course she was willing to flirt with you.”

“um, that was the dare, by the way. my friend told me to record it, because we were all drunk, and we thought it would be funny. just another memory to laugh at in the future, right? we didn’t know you were dating the girl you were with at the party. sorry but, we assumed she was just a fling… or something… we didn’t know she was your girlfriend.”

“yeah, i was dating the girl at the party.” gojo scoffs, and he feels his anger bubbling up again. “then your friend had to do that stupid dare, and she won’t fuckin’ talk to me now.”

“i’m sorry-”

“i don’t need your apologies. is that why you came up to me? to apologize so you don’t feel guilty about what happened anymore?” gojo sneers. he was right, though. guilt is ridden all over her face, and she can’t even meet his eyes. he’s about to leave, thinking that this entire conversation was useless, but gojo thinks back on what she said earlier.

“...my friend told me to record it…”

he turns back to look at her, which surprises her, to say the least. “hey, you said you recorded the dare, right?”

“uhm, yes.”

“so you still have the video?”

“it should be in my camera roll somewhere-”

“if you came here to apologize to me, then you should send me that video.” she looked a little horrified at his words, and gojo could almost laugh. “what? i’m not gonna do anything bad with it, god.”

she thinks about what gojo’s intentions could be with that video, and her eyes light up in recognition as she connects the dots from what he said beforehand. i was dating the girl at the party… then your friend had to do that stupid dare… and she won’t fuckin’ talk to me now.

she nods in understanding. this is the least she could do for him. she pulls out her phone, looking for the video, and says, “i hope you two make up soon, gojo-san.”

gojo satoru walks- no, runs out of that library with determination. determination as he finally has the video evidence of what happened at the party–his saving grace so he could finally get you to forgive him.

you miss him.

you miss him like hell, actually, and you blink at the messages he just sent you in complete disbelief.

you didn’t show up to class today because you were afraid. you were afraid to see satoru again, yes, but you were also afraid of what everyone else would say about you. the party was one thing, but the after-effects and the rumors were something completely different. you didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with that, unlike satoru, so you stayed home. all because you were afraid of what would happen on campus.

you just wish things would go back to how they were before… all of this happened. you didn’t want to admit it, but you’ve read all of satoru’s messages, and you’ve listened to all of his voicemails. you’ve cried to them. and it hurts because you’re still torn apart in the midst of your own feelings. and now, satoru wants to talk to you, because he’s been wanting to do nothing but fix everything between the two of you.

the doorbell rings, and you almost jump out of your skin. 

you didn’t even know if you would open the door or not. despite that, you felt your body moving on its own, like you were relying on your own instincts. you washed your face to get rid of the dried tears on your cheeks, brushed the tangles out of your hair, and dressed into something more presentable. the next thing you know, you’re leaning against the wall next to the front entrance. your shadow is visible underneath the door, so satoru knows that you’re here.

“hi, y/n..” he sounded so nervous that you almost laughed, but you felt equally as terrified as him. “i have something to show you… uh, on my phone. if you don’t want to see me, it’s fine, i’ll just send it to you, but i’d really prefer if you open the door and we’ll talk about this inside-”

your hand is already reaching the door knob before you can even think about it. it’s such an impulse decision that you look at him in surprise once you open the door. it’s the first time you’ve seen him ever since you were at the party. it’s only been three days, but you can’t help but notice how his eyebags are more prominent, his eyes are a little redder, and he looks nothing short of exhausted.

“hey,” he manages to breathe out, his eyes meeting yours. “can i come in? please?”

you nod, too stunned to say anything, and he exhales in relief as he walks in. the two of you sit on the couch, and gojo notices how you’re keeping your distance from him. it breaks his heart a little.

he looks for the video on his phone and gets ready to show it to you. this is it. his last ditch effort for your forgiveness. he’s really fuckin’ hoping that this works. “i got this video from a girl who came to the party. it’s a recording of, um, what happened.”

he hands the phone over to you, and you take it skeptically, still choosing to keep silent. you press play, and you watch the recording. a shaky hand holds the camera, and the person behind it says, “holy shit, she’s actually doing it!” they're presumably talking to their friend, and the camera focuses on a girl walking over to gojo. your heart is pounding, eyes widening in recognition as you stare at her... the one who caused all of this in the first place.

the all too familiar girl comes up to him, saying something out of earshot. when gojo looks at her, completely uninterested, she pulls that move. the scene you saw at the party before you ran out. tears fill your eyes again, and you almost want to stop the video, but your interest is piqued at the next part.

..this… this part was something that you didn’t see. gojo angrily reacts at the girl’s move, with her falling on the floor as she looks at him, stunned at how furious he looks. the person behind the camera gasps, continuing to record out of shock as a crowd of people turn to stare at the two. geto eventually comes into the frame and takes gojo away from all the chaos. the video ends there, and you grip gojo’s phone shakily.

holy shit.

tears roll down your face, but this time, they’re tears of relief. you waste no time in hugging satoru, crying your heart out as you bury your face in his neck. you’re happy. you’re so fucking happy, and so relieved knowing that he didn’t lie to you. of course he didn’t.

“m’sorry-” you sniffle into his shoulder. gojo is so shocked at what was happening that it takes him a second to hug you back, but when he does, he starts crying. “m’so fucking sorry i didn’t believe you-”

“shh, it’s okay, it’s okay…” he says, and you only hug him tighter. “m’so tired, you know that? these past three days fucking sucked. i’m just so glad you’re in my arms again, fuck-”

“-i love you, i love you, i love you so fucking much, toru.” you repeat, laughing as you kiss him all over his face. it’s been a while since you said that to someone. you wipe his never-ending tears away, still in disbelief, and whisper, “you’re real. right? you’re actually here with me right now ‘nd i’m not dreaming, right?

“i’m very much real, baby.” he says, putting his forehead against yours as you take in his features again. “god, i missed that pretty face so much.”

he finally closes the gap between you two, pulling you into a much needed kiss. it’s a kiss filled with so many emotions–desperation, happiness, relief. satoru thinks his heart is finally whole again. he’s missed you. he’s missed you so fucking much, and you’ve missed him too. 

you’re like an anchor to satoru. the light of his life that keeps him grounded. and god, he’s been apart from you for too long. 

you reposition yourself as you’re deepening the kiss. you’re on his lap now, and you wrap your arms around his neck, tugging on his hair in desperation. “oh yeah? ‘y gonna do anything about it?"

“of course i am,” he says, hands roaming underneath your shirt as he caresses your bare waist. fuck. he needs you. right now. especially after thinking that he was about to lose you forever–for something that he didn’t even do. “i’m gonna show you just how much i missed you, baby.”

gojo can’t let you go.

you’re in your bedroom, and both of you waste no time undressing each other. he takes you in–all of you, in awe of every crevice of your body as he trails his hands further down your waist.

god, you’re so beautiful. “i can’t believe i almost lost you.”

his words are shaky, like he’s still uncertain that you’re real and you’re in his arms again. he can’t seem to break himself away from you, almost like you’ll disappear if he lets you go. “but i’m here now, toru.”

“i’m here to stay, and i’ll never let you go again… ‘m yours,” you whisper, and your words set a fire in him, fueling his body with nothing but desperation. desperation to have you right here, and right now. 

he wastes no time in plunging two of his fingers in your cunt, and he groans at just how wet you are. “satoru-”

“fuck, you’re so wet… and it’s all for me,” he mutters, spreading your legs effortlessly when you try to close them, thighs shaking in pure pleasure. he adds another finger, and you already feel stretched to the brim, and you haven’t even taken him in yet. the thought of his cock inside of you makes you even wetter than you already are, and you look up at satoru with eyes full of lust and desire. “missed you so much, baby. missed you and your pretty little cunny,”

his fingers are long, and you whine at how full you feel right now. you’re so loud, and you don’t even care. right now, it’s just you and satoru finally feeling each other again. it’s only been three days, but it feels like you’ve been apart for years.

everything about this was filthy. from your erotic moans and the way your cunt squelched against his fingers… not to mention the vice grip you had on them- fuck, satoru thinks he can cum untouched just from watching you like this.

“haa-” you whimper when his fingers curl and hit that spot in your cunt that you can barely seem to reach on your own. it’s exhilarating, and only fuels the growing heat in your stomach. “toru- don’t stop- please, i’m close-”

“really?” he taunts, and it feels so fucking good–your head is numb, and the only thoughts filling your head are thoughts of satoru. the pleasure is too much, and you try to get away from him, but he keeps you in place, curling his fingers faster as punishment. “don’t run away from me, baby… be a good girl and just take it, yeah?”

“toru- fuck- i’m gonna cum, please-” you’re on the brink of release, but suddenly, he stops, ruining your orgasm. “no- wait-”

he pulls his fingers out, and you whine at the loss of stimulation. you were so close–why did he take that away from you? you try and swat at his hands, but he just takes his fingers and puts them in his mouth, locking his eyes with yours with a sly smile. “you taste so sweet, i can’t help it,”

“aww, is my baby mad ‘cause she didn’t get to cum?” he coos sarcastically, caging you in between his arms as he tilts your face up with his finger. “too bad… the only thing you’re cumming on tonight is on my cock.”

and with that, he eases his painfully hard member into your walls. your insides hugged him perfectly–it was like you were made just for him. you gasp once he’s fully sheathed himself inside of you. his fingers were already a lot to take in, but his cock was something completely different. he moans your name, barely keeping his cool. “fuck- you’re squeezing me so tight,”

“missed everything about you, baby. i need to hold you, please,” he pleads desperately, clasping your small hands against his. the size difference alone between the two of you almost makes him cum, but he holds himself back, choosing to bask in this intimate moment. he’s missed every part about this. “you ready f’me?-”

“-just fuck me, satoru, please-” he doesn’t need another confirmation from you.

he can’t bring himself to hold back. next thing you know, he’s fucking you into the mattress, and you feel the headboard shake at how fast satoru is going. fuck–you feel every part of him, every part of his cock as it slams against your tight hole. he’s so big, you feel yourself gasping for breath, and you moan out loud as you notice the prominent bulge forming in your stomach. it’s him, it’s all him, and it’s driving you mad.

satoru follows your eyes in the midst of all of this, and he watches everything in fascination. he decides to be a little mean, and presses his free hand against your stomach–it feels so good, you could almost scream at the pleasure. “you feel that, baby? that’s all me inside of you, hmm?”

“please-” the onset of pleasure feels so overwhelming, and tears fill your eyes. you feel an oncoming orgasm coming, and you know your release will hit you like a tidal wave. your heart is pounding, but satoru only grips your hand tighter and fucks you even harder. “oh, fuck!”

“m close, baby. are you g’na cum too?” he manages to say between pants, and you somehow nod, mind hazy and your release only coming closer. you feel your eyes rolling to the back of your head. “cum inside of me, toru- please- i need to feel you-”

gojo groans at your words, and you both cum together. you ride out your high, screaming as you spasm around his cock, the pleasure overfilling your senses until you’re trembling from it. he fills you up, staying inside of you as the two of you catch your breath. everything’s hazy, and you’re barely aware of your surroundings… it takes you a few minutes to recover. 

“angel, are you with me?”

“yeah, fuck, just… give me a second.” you say, and gojo thinks that he would gladly give you all the time in the world if you needed it. he pulls out of you with a hiss, and his warm seed drips out of your cunny. it makes his cock twitch, but he knows that you’re probably not considering a round two right now.

when you come to your senses, you notice satoru–who put his clothes back on already, wiping your legs down with a rag. his touch is so soft, like he’s afraid to break you, unlike how he handled you just a moment ago. you look down and notice the bruises starting to form on your legs and waist. satoru looks guilty as he stares. “i didn’t go too rough with you, did i?”

“not at all,” you reassure him, and you see him soften up a little. “it felt really good, actually… thank you, toru.”

“s nothing. you know my girl only gets the best,” he teases, and you laugh. “i’m gonna go get you some new clothes and some water… i’ll be back, okay?”

you nod, closing your eyes again as satoru leaves the room. he’s back in two minutes, and he’s gently changing you into new clothes that he found in your drawer. you’re so tired that you can hardly move, so you let satoru do all the work. he caresses all of your bruises, apologizing again even if you already said that it was okay. he’s so gentle, a swift juxtaposition to what just happened beforehand, and so soft with you. once you’re clothed again, he brings a glass of water against your lips, and you greedily gulp it down as he keeps a hand on your back. he places it on the nightstand once you’re finished, and you grab his wrist after, tugging him back to the bed. “lay with me for a bit, toru.”

satoru doesn’t hesitate, laying down next to you on the bed and placing your head against his chest. your breathing is back to normal, and you feel his heart thumping against your ear. you wrap your arms around him, and satoru thinks that this moment is so domestic that he can’t help but daydream. he looks at your face, memorizing every feature about you with a lovesick look in his eyes. you’re so beautiful, so perfect, and he’s just so fucking glad that he didn’t lose you. 

satoru thinks he could wake up to this everyday.

“you’re starin.” you say with an amused look on your face. gojo doesn’t even try to play it off. “what’s on your mind?”

“nothing. i just… love you so much, y/n.” he says, pulling you closer and kissing your forehead. satoru would trade anything if it meant that this moment wouldn’t end. “m so glad you chose me.”

“i think it’s the other way around,” you tease. “you chose me. ever since you saw me at the party, you’ve done nothing but try to win my heart.”

“how could i not? there was just something different about you compared to everyone else.” he reminisces about that night at the party, and how far he’s come with his relationship with you. he remembers that night like it just happened yesterday.

you sigh, almost like you were thinking about that night too. you pull him into a kiss, finally finding the courage within you to say a proper “i love you.” to the man who meant the world to you.

“i love you too, angel.” he says, and you snuggle into him tighter. “you know i’ll always choose you…”

“..from this life and into the next. i’m so glad you gave me a chance, y/n. i’ll forever be grateful to now be called your husband. i’m the luckiest man ever knowing that you let me into your life, and i’m the one who gets to read these vows to marry you. i cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you. i love you so much, y/n gojo.” he’s crying. gojo satoru is crying, and he’s hardly ever cried before. though, that changed after he met you.

the last time he cried was during pre-k, and now he’s done it time and time again… all because of you. he cried once during your first argument with him, another during the night he thought he’d lost you forever, and then another when he finally had you in his arms again once he proved his innocence… and now, during his wedding, when he finally gets to call you his wife.

and when you share your kiss at the end of the ceremony to symbolize your togetherness, you hear all your friends cheering. mainly shoko, utahime, and geto. if you showed this very scene to shoko during your university years, she’d call you crazy, saying this would never happen. gojo satoru was once a man who’d never willingly committed in a relationship before, but you came into his life and you changed everything about him. it was like magic.

you pull away from the kiss, wiping his tears away and whispering against his lips, drowning out the crowd, “thank you.”

for memorizing all my favorite foods so you could buy them for me. for walking me to class every day. for making me fall in love with you that one day at the park. for waiting for me to slowly love you even when i was scared to love. for waiting for me even if i didn’t trust you. for loving me. for proving those rumors wrong. for proving that satoru gojo is actually capable of falling in love and pouring his heart out to the one he loves the most.

for everything that you have done to love me.

it was like gojo could hear all of your unspoken words. he smiles, letting one more tear roll down his cheek, and says, “it’s all worth it if it’s for you.”

thanks for reading <3 -kami.

[cherry-pop-elf]

Flowers For You

‘Poof’ Periwinkle Fairywinkle-Cosma x Reader

Authors note: @clownsgirlghost You asked, Gimmie yo life force/jk

Sum: You’ve always been utterly obsessed with folklore. Fae, Crypteds, what have you. You respected them, the traditions, even when people made fun of you for it. You didn’t care. You loved them, and it seem’s like the gesture has been returned.

Warnings: Bullying, religious metaphor’s, paganism, assholes to witches, my attempt at accurate folk lore, and a shitty attempt because I only know so much from a show I don’t have access to

“There goes that weirdo again. Stay away, might get cursed.” You would listen to them gossip. Never seeming to actually try and keep it subtle. You didn’t care, you were living your life. Well, trying to. It eats at you after a while. No matter how strong you were.

You would just sigh, as you just wanted to return home already. Had been such a long day. Shopping was a pain, and you just wanted to go to bed. Buying dumb adult things like food and toiletries. Also some things to leave as offerings. You saw a beautiful bundle of periwinkle flowers.

A fairy circle had appeared in your backyard, and you wanted to show your respect to the Fae that use them. You kept your distance, and respected the ring of mushrooms. Even put rocks around it, to try and help protect it. It’s a small gesture, but you hope they know your intent. They should, unlike your neighbors.

Swore they could hear the jingling of your keys, as they were quick to look over their fences to face you. Trying hard to not be seen, as they knew what they were doing was wrong. Actually it was because they genuinely thought you were a weirdo that might throw mud at them.

“Just ignore them. Just ignore them. The richer the man, the dumber the man.” You would plead to yourself, wishing you never inherited this old house. Right in a Richie rich neighborhood. Hey, a free house is a free house. Especially in his economy. Not like you’ll ever be in a position to move.

You would sort out your groceries, and be back in your zen. Feeling calm with yourself. Taking out the flowers, gently trimming off the dead parts, just fluffing it up really. Wanting it to look its best, as if offering it to a physical person. Gave you calm, and comfort.

With the flowers made you would go out to your backyard. Right to the fairy ring. Rocks all around it, as to try and keep it safe when you mowed the lawn. To give it respect, and honor, with letting it have its own space. Even as far as to gently toss the flowers into the middle, as to not break its barrier.

“Witchcraft I tell you. Keep your animals inside. Might be used for some kind of satanic sacrifice.” You would over hear, as the rattle of collars echoed from behind the fence. Made your heart ache. You weren’t doing anything wrong, this was your practice. What makes it different from what they do?

You tried to fight your tears, as you turned your back to the ring. Just as you did, however, you heard a strange noise. You swore it sounded as if a rattle of chimes went off, while hitting a pillow case. It was such an other worldly sound, you just had to turn to look at it.

“Really? You really jumped into the nearest fairy circle you could?” “I WANTED TO GO TO FAIRY WORLD-!” “YOU COULD HAVE ENDED UP AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE!” “I CAN SWIM-!” On and on the shouting went between your neighbor Dev Dimmadome, and a strange floating man. Left you in shock, as they argued. Not quite aware of your existence. Left you to study them.

“And further more-! Hey! Move your sneakers-!” The bright, purply man, shouted. Fluttering wings were quick to zoom down, and scoop up the flowers. Dusting them off from the trampling, and seeming to make them bloom back to life. As if they were never harmed.

“Look at that! Periwinkles! I love these flowers! Yes I’m bias, because they are my colors, but still! I remember back when I was just a little basketball. Back when me and Timmy…..” The man seemed to trail off, as those glittering eyes seemed to sparkle for other reasons.

“Uh, Peri…..You can cry about your brother later, we got company-“ Dev would tug at the floating man’s pant leg, drawing his attention to you. Those pure eyes just seeming to stare through your soul, and through your heart. Taking in every mortal detail you offered, and seeming to be taken aback. As if watching a sunset for the first time.

Didn’t last long, before he seemed to panic. The flowers tossed high in the air, leaving Dev to try and catch them off. Seemed like Dev can care for other living creatures. Who knew! As if you could focus on that, as a massive purple book appeared. With the worlds ‘Da Rulz’ on the cover.

“WHAT DO I DO?! FAIRES CANT BE SEEN LIKE THIS! OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO-“ The poor, floating, man was in a panic. Not knowing what to do, while Dev would just casually walk up to you. Bundle of flowers still in hand, as he lower his shades a bit. Not all the way, but enough for you two to share eye contact.

You were one of the few people that ever gave a shit about him, and actually had human interaction with him. Not just his robot baby sitters, or just smoozed on him for his money. You didn’t have much, but you gave him something no one else did. Time. Time for him.

“Hey Witchy-“ A nickname he gave you, but like many friends it was a term of endearment and mockery at everyone else compared to actually an insult to you. Just a kid being a kid, and it was nice to have. Someone to just talk to you.

“So ya know how you always talked about fairies and folk lore and like Bigfoot and stuff? Yeah. That’s a fairy. Neat, huh?” He seemed to try and brag to you, as the poor fairy in question was still a panic mess. Just wanting to try and find an answer to his worries.

“Promise not to tell anyone?” He asked, as you slowly nodded. “Peri! Chill! Witchy is cool! Probs left the flowers even. You left the flowers, right? Course you did.” He more so said to himself.

That seemed to calm the fairy down, and make the book vanish. Ever so gently he would flutter over to you, as Dev returned the flowers to him. The bundle brought to his pointed nose, as he inhaled them. Lost in a memory, from childhood days. Days when he was with him.

“For me? Really? Like really really?” He asked, as his face was a brilliant pink. Was accompanied by intense fluttering of his wings. Much like how a person would wave their hands around when over stimulated, but in the positive way.

“I mean….Yeah. Yeah actually.” You nodded, as that was the intent. Never in your wildest dreams did you think something like this would happen. To very literally give flowers to a fairy, and to have the gesture enjoyed. Must be some kind of divine intervention.

“….Guess you would follow under a magical being identification, so I don’t need to worry…” Sounded more like he was trying to convince himself more than anything, but at least he was calming down.

“Um….Do you two want to come inside?” You offered. Probably a bad idea to invite a fae inside, and definitely a good idea that Dev used your nickname then your real name. The number one rule is to never offer a fae your real name. But…..Never have you seen a fae design like him in stories. Maybe things were a little different. Especially since he seemed to be in some kind of connection with Dev.

“Hell yeah. I do NOT want to be around my old man right now. Come on Peri-!” And Dev ran inside, leaving you two alone. For him to keep fluttering those pale purple lashes, as he was just adoring the flowers you had bought. Just stuffing his face in them. Lost in the textures and smells.

“Thank you…..I….They remind me of my childhood. Miss those days…So I uh. Thanks, Witchy.” He smiled to you, as you blushed all the same. Not as intense as him, because you were a human, but it was returned.

“You don’t have anything good in here! Peri! I wish that Witchy’s house was full of food! The good kind! You know what I’m talking about!” You heard Dev shout. Ever the blunt one.

Before you could make a remark, you saw Peri raise the strange cane of his. That same magical sound went off, and it seemed to blow out of your open door way. This bloom of smoke, that vanished as quickly as it arrived.

You would hurry inside, more so to see if Dev was ok, to be met with your home filled with food. Cabinets full and organized. Fridge open with sodas and juices. Pantry with chips and canned goods. It was like you suddenly were a grocery store with the levels of goods.

“There we go-!” Dev said, as he sat on the counter. Just munching away on a bag of cookies. Just left you speechless. What do you even say to something like this? Such pure, literal, magic.

“Guess that’s one way to say thanks for the flowers.” Peri would snort, as he giggled into his flowers. As if just a bashful school girl. Left Dev eye rolling, but was contented to be anywhere but his place. A mansion doesn’t bring the warmth your home did.

“Told you Witchy was cool. Didn’t do that weird back breaking dance, no screaming, no kidnapping. Witchy is so mellow. That’s what I like.” Dev would use you to brag to this fairy companion. Had you worry a moment.

“Are you like, owned by Dev? Did he kidnap YOU? Are you trapped?” You worried, given what Dev said. Along with just how true the statements are. To steal them for power, and wishes. Which was just what Dev did.

“Yeah. I mean-! Not like that-! Like-Oh uh. I’ll start from the top-“ He was blushing even more now, somehow. Suppose your genuine worry touched him. Along with the fact that even though he literally stuffed your home with food you were worried about him. Not a single drop of green in your tongue.

“I’m a Fairy God Parent. We are, basically, step in parents for kids who are….Well….” He gave a nudge at you, as Dev didn’t seem to be paying attention much. Messing with his phone. Most likely to plan some kind of tech aligned experiment for his future mischief.

“I get it-“ You nodded, as it was clear now. A parental figure, that can help kids be kids. With wishes to their hearts, and rules in place to keep both parties safe. Made you understand the situation alot more. You were wondering why Dev seemed alot happier lately. And a lot less of an asshole. Something you marked up as out bursts from his troubled home, which you couldn’t blame him for lashing out about.

“Guess since you are definitely classified as a magical being, I’ll be seeing you a lot more now. Dev hates being at home. Yeah it’s got all the things money can buy, but if it filled the damn void I wouldn’t be here. Huh?” He snorted, as you nodded as well. Along with a laugh, as it was certainly an experience to hear a fairy swear.

“Will you two stop flirting and get over here? Hazel sent me a text. Something about burritos? Violent mood swings?” Dev more so muttered, as Peri seemed red alert now.

“WE CAN NO HAVE ANOTHER BABY! I swear if Dad is pregnant, again-“ That had you both staring at him, before Dev’s phone dinged. “Never mind, it was just gas.”

Peri gave a sigh of relief, but you both were gawking at him still. That’s when he snapped his fingers, before trying to fix his hair. Get himself back in fairy order, instead of being a blushing mess of anxiety and nerves.

“It’s….Oh it’s a long story-“ Peri huffed, as his cane seemed to turn into a hand mirror of sorts. Floating in the air, so he could properly fix his large curl. Along with sneak a few flowers into it.

“I’ve got time…..” You offered, as you grabbed a drink from the fridge. Just finally able to enjoy some time now. Just chilling with people, and not so worried about food right now. Able to actually savor it all.

“Well….It all started with a wish. Before you ask, that’s gonna be a massive staple to most of my insane stories I have-“ Peri warned, as even Dev seemed interested now. Chaos from wishes? Don’t mind if he do! Even held the carton of cookies to you, as you were both ready for the gossip now.

It honestly seemed to make Peri happy, and do that flutter of his eyelashes again. Those flowers back to being snuggled into his face, and his cane turning into a photograph. A picture with a green haired fairy, a pinker haired one, a bundle of purple cloth in their hands, and a little kid. With buck teeth, and a pink hat.

“It all started, with an average kid, who made a wish for my parents to have a baby…”

[exilethegame]

What's the go-to topic for the RO's if you want to get them talking for the next 4 hours straight? In other words, what kind of things are they most interested in/passionate about?

Hmm...

Vethna: Politics in Vygrand, the ethics of blood magic, the history of magic in general... they are very much an academic at heart and like trying to find the balance between a "perfect world" and reality. Plus they've never spoken about these things to someone who takes them seriously, so having a place to do just that would have Vethna blabbering for hours.

Nikke: Weapons, daggers, specifically. He collects them as he finds them which may be grim to other people (considering he usually takes them from the bodies of the people he kills), but hey... it's still a cool collection, okay? He also loves talking about all his adventures and sharing stupid stories about cool places he's visited. Also fighting techniques. He's genuinely super into that. Goes for Jost + Nikke that they both have A LOT to say about the Taipan gang in Vrithka as well. Like a lot a lot. (None of them are good things)

Jost: Jost is a listener, not a talker. But in the rare, rare occasion you have her going on about something, it's usually because she's upset and somehow, you became the one person she trusts enough to vent things to. It's not necessarily upset as in sad, per se, but she's in a place emotionally where needs someone to bounce ideas and thoughts off of. (However, passion-wise, she's super into the arts, so you could probably pull some words out from her re. arts from the Old Worlds, museums, that sort of thing). 

Amilia: Amilia does not stop talking. Amilia will go for hours talking about a cute mushroom on the side of the road, no not underestimate her. And you know what? Yes, she's doing it to annoy who she's with, but part of her really is interested in that mushroom you know. On a more serious note, she's really into music and getting to know people. Amilia's one of those people that makes others open up pretty easily, and it's something she genuinely enjoys since she likes learning the "lore" of individuals. (... is that just gossip?)

Sabir: Astrology, the gods of the Old World, the Old World in general, really. Interestingly enough, Sabir does not enjoy talking about politics. Like you can rile him up if you try hard and enough, but he sincerely tries to avoid getting too far into it because it's such a glib subject. That, and he's already talking about politics all day given his position. Sabir isn't a ramble talker though-- he won't just chatter for hours on end about something. He's into the art of conversation, you see. The back-and-forth is what's fun for him, so he'd rather talk about nothing at all and fill the conversation with shallow banter than passionately talk about his map collection.

Syfyn: Just remind her of the time someone vaguely pissed her off one time and you got about an hour of entertainment off that incident alone. (One time a person cut her in line at the mess hall, one time she stubbed her toe because someone moved a box, one time--) Syfyn also likes talking about combat and training, but Nikke's more like "genuine excitement and tips and tricks" and Syfyn's more like "lmfao I kicked your ASS you're a loser" or "did you see how hard I punched that thing lemme remind you"

Freedom: Hmm... this only works if one is super-super close with Freedom, but they'll be very genuine and skip the word-games when it comes to talking about the Old World, the time when the other gods were alive, their past and people they've met/known. That's the one thing Freedom could speak about for hours and be upfront about AND be genuinely invested in the conversation. They enjoy sharing relics of history with people who are actually willing to listen, and the fact anyone might want to really know about them on an individual level would be very flattering.

[mhsdatgo]

Hotd writers choosing to adapt Mushroom's records out of everything they had in hand is the worst decision they could've ever come up with btw.

It's been stated time and time again that while F&B is purely built on records and gossip and morphed retelling of events out of bias and propaganda, Mushroom is the LEAST reliable of all the sources. He's a fool at Rhaenyra's court, his job is make people gasp and laugh, not retell historical events.

We're talking about the same guy who said that he had a penis large enough to match the size of his head, mind you. Also, he's obsessed with little girls giving BJs to Targaryen men somewhere in Flea Bottom. It's happened twice according to him.

The writers' reasoning for this choice is basically that F&B was written by Maesters and Septons, who were all greedy men, apart from being Green supporters. So anything they say is false, anything they say is written with sexist intent. Writer's intention was to do the exact opposite.

Then tell me, for the love of God, tell me, why is every woman apart from Rhaenyra, who is clearly whitewashed and I can go into heavy detail about that, basically shunned?

The Maesters claim Alicent left Viserys' body to rot and swell for days preparing and LEADING Rhaenyra's usurpation. She's the leader of the Greens, she and she alone. Not Otto. The Green Council answers only to her orders, they are loyal to HER.

I've seen people argue that since Alicent is what Maesters view as an "ideal" woman, then they would try anything to paint her in the best light possible. While I agree that this may be true, I don't think this is the case. In history books, even in real life, women are rarely painted as leaders or important figures.

For Queen Alicent to be written as THE face of the Greens, you know this mama wasn't playing around.

Now, how is this:

In ANY WAY, even comparable to THIS?:

At the end of ep.8 and quite literally the entirety of ep.9, Alicent is shown as a lost woman who doesn't even seem to know what she's doing, pushed by Viserys' last words about prophecy rather than SHEER DESIRE to get her hands dirty for her children's safety (which by the way will always be superior imo). The Green Council conspires behind her back, and on top of it all, she's yelled at by one of her own men and is made to take it like a beaten dog.

Moreover, we had Helaena's ROAST (yes it was a roast, my Queen inherited cunty lines from her cunty mother) against Aegon and her coronation, the latter being addressed as something quite wholesome, if you ask me. Alicent places her own crown upon her daughter's head and calls her "my Queen" after kissing her cheeks and kneeling. Afterwards, her and Alicent are literally written to be the only ones who could get through Aegon II's thick skull when he wanted to start the war right then and there as a result of Rhaenyra crowning herself on Dragonstone.

You hear me??? Aegon sat down and fucking listened to the two women in his life. Not the Council, them. These two were dogwalking him, the KING, on the daily, how is that sexist writing on the Maesters' part????

Yet these things are nowhere to be seen in Ryan Condal and Sara Hess' "progressive" show. We got beaten dog Alicent and Helaena being nothing but a walking spoiler machine other than yet another instrument to paint Aegon as the big bad wolf and usurper. Not a single scene of them counseling Aegon.

Baela and Rhaena have nearly no lines or scenes that don't show them in the presence of the Strongs. They are seemingly okay with anything Rhae throws their way because it's Rhae. The one and only scene about Baela openly speaking to her grandma about her wish to fight for Rhaenyra was deleted.

Meanwhile, Rhaenyra is stripped of her rage and thirst for vengeance, and instead made to negotiate for peace while in the books she was the one pushing to go to war first.

Can you tell me, again, how the fanfiction that is Hotd supposed to prove that they want to be "progressive" in contrast to the Maesters' "sexist" work, when literally all they do is whitewash Rhaenyra and sideline any woman who isn't her?

[enmi-land]

#OO2. DOWN WITH THE DEMOCRACY !

𝓘. ──── . . . 𝑀𝗂𝗅𝖺 𝖽𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗏𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗒𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗆 𝗌𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗌.

🥚 𝓲-LAND EPiSODE 2 𓈀 4.8k ꗃ ❛ KOR, ENG, JP, CHi ❜ ✖ NO WARNiNGS! `⎚⩊⎚´ NEXT::PREV

shall we go 𝓲NTO THE NEW WORLD ?

Mila’s first impression of I-Land is that it has a pretty unique concept—and by that, she means it’s pretty frigging weird.

The place itself is actually quite impressive as it reminds her a lot of those mansions in Kdramas where the main male leads typically live, so that’s five stars for accommodation. But she has to take away two-and-a-half stars because the elevator lift in the lobby is a literal egg.

It seems like a pretty random choice of decor at first, and could easily be brushed off as a nouveau riche’s poor attempt at avant-gardism. But Mila makes a very detailed analysis of it, like the certified Overthinker that she is, and starts to see a morbid symbolism in the creative direction of the entire show.

The whole theme of I-Land centres around the egg—and what do people do to eggs?

They break them.

Mila doesn’t want to be an egg! Even thinking about possibly becoming the next Humpty Dumpty—who, mind you, couldn’t be put back together again—would make her arm hairs stand on attention if she had any. (The strongly recommended ‘Idol Package’ at the BigHit-endorsed beauty salon robbed her of any and all body hair.) She does get a whole lot of goosebumps—but those are more so because someone just said that there’s a graveyard a few kilometres away from here.

Shiitake mushrooms.

“Stop thinking so hard and eat.” Kiara’s voice brings Mila back to Earth.

The older female is currently piling her plate with food from the platters that were laid out in a totally non-suspicious manner on the island bench when the I-Land trainees first walked into the kitchen. Mila looks down at her own hands and finds herself holding a plate that she doesn’t even remember grabbing. Weird. But she doesn’t think much about it—mainly because she’s too hungry to—and chomps on a chicken strip as she looks around her.

The other trainees are chowing down like this is a schoolyard potluck, and that would be a pretty wholesome sight aside from a few things: Firstly, most of them are teenage boys who don’t know how to use utensils. Secondly, four of the currently nineteen trainees in the room will be evicted from I-Land in a few hours.

Mila doesn’t really know who thought it was a good idea to let the trainees vote for who gets eliminated, when most of them aren’t even old enough to vote in the presidential elections and this decision seems just as life-changing. But whoever it was, they must not know teenagers that well. Most of the people here are more likely to vote for people they don’t really like, rather than people who don’t have skills.

That’s probably why Seon keeps hovering so much—but hey, no one heard it from Mila.

Mila has nothing against Seon. Everyone is doing what they must in order to survive; she can’t fault him for wanting to get on people’s good sides. The thing is, he has a pretty obvious bias towards Kiara—which is fair, considering she’s one of the strongest in this competition so far, but it forces Mila to awkwardly third-wheel in what was once her conversation with her friend. It gets to the point where Mila decides to just let the adults talk, and wanders around the place aimlessly like a child waiting for her mother to finish gossiping with their neighbours.

And just like a child, she manages to get lost.

Oop—

“Mila-noona!”

The sound of her name being called from behind her and approaching footsteps is the only warning Mila gets before she is attacked by the sight of Yang Jungwon’s lethally cute dimples.

“Ah, you scared me!” she says before she can really think, only to then beam in excitement when the initial shock fades. “Oh—Jungwonie! It’s good to see you!”

Jungwon smiles, fiddling with the hem of his sweatshirt. She notices that he always does it when talking to her—a nervous tick, perhaps? How adorable.

Mila gives two thumbs up. “You did a really good job today with your performance!”

“Thank you,” he replies, “Noona also did a good job.”

Mila giggles bashfully. “Thanks! Anyway, I’m glad I ran into you. We didn’t get to talk much earlier— Ah, but are you heading anywhere in particular?”

Jungwon shakes his head, his fluffy hair following his movement. “I was just walking around. What about you?”

“Same here.” Mila scratches the back of her earlobe bashfully and tilts her head. Her eyes avoid Jungwon’s and land on a random spot on the wall next to her out of embarrassment of her admission: “But then I got lost.”

Jungwon blinks and Mila laughs awkwardly. They don’t get to say anything because they’re interrupted by the sound of voices down the hall which get increasingly rowdy. Mila easily recognises it as the sound of teenage boys egging each other on. It seems like something is going down…

Hm, curiouser and curiouser.

“Some of the Hyungs said they wanted to check out the gym,” Jungwon explains. “That must be them.”

“Oh, really? Did Jay-oppa and Sunghoonie-oppa say they would be there, too?” Mila asks. When Jungwon confirms her assumption (it makes sense that those two would be in the gym), she makes up her mind. “Ah, in that case, I’ll go find one of them to bother. Thanks, Jungwonie! I’ll let you go now.”

She’d hate to pester Jungwon when he’s her dongsaeng—and not a particularly close one, at that. Every time they’ve come across each other, she seems to always be the one chatting his ear off, so she thought he might be glad to see her go. That must not be the case, though, since Jungwon frowns and volunteers to escort Mila to the gym himself.

Mila is surprised, to say the least—but in a good way. It’s a relief he doesn’t secretly hate her guts or something.

The two walk in a comfortable silence that’s eventually broken as they arrive at the gym. Mila isn’t surprised to see Jay and Sunghoon participating in some sort of fitness competition with the other male trainees, however she now feels a bit nervous because she realises she doesn’t know any of them. She may be a social butterfly, but that’s only in settings where everyone is equally as unacquainted as she is, or when she isn’t the only owner of a double-X chromosome in the room. Thankfully, she isn’t alone and Jungwon is right next to her—

Nevermind, he’s walking away…

Mila contemplates leaving and just trying her luck with her nonexistent sense of direction, when Jungwon looks over his shoulder and blinks in confusion after realising she’s not following him. “Noona, aren’t you coming?”

Even though Mila knows that he isn’t trying to put her on the spot, he still kinda does. Everyone in the room hears his voice, so they all turn to face Jungwon and greet him—which causes them to notice her at the door. There is a brief silence where they all just stare at her like she’s the cow that jumped over the moon. But then Jay—thank goodness—pokes his head out from the centre of the boy’s club gathering and locks eyes with her.

Mila blurts out a relieved, “Oppa!”

“Mimi-yah?” She’s never been so glad to hear that nickname before. “Did you come to take a look at the gym?”

Jay walks over to her and she immediately feels better now that she has someone to hide behind. She can still feel some of the looks from the other trainees, so she shuffles closer to Jay. Mila briefly catches sight of Sunghoon in the background, putting a pair of dumbbells down, before she focuses back on Jay’s face.

“Not really—I was just looking for you and Sunghoonie-oppa,” Mila responds to his earlier question. 

“What for?” Sunghoon asks, appearing behind Jay. He stands shoulder to shoulder with his partner, and while it might seem intimidating to anyone else, she’s honestly comforted having them both so close. Not that she’ll admit that—least of all to Sunghoon. “I thought you said you wanted to meet new people.”

Sheesh. Is that pettiness Mila hears? 

…He’s not wrong, though.

Mila pouts. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I just wanted to see what you were up to—I was going to leave, anyway.”

And then she does her best impression of a puppy being left out in the rain—wide eyes, quivering bottom lip, and all—before turning on her heels to leave. Or tries to, anyway.

There’s a slight tug on her ponytail that has her stopping in her tracks. She turns to face Sunghoon with questioning eyes. He has a little smirk on his face, looking way too pleased with himself—like a cat that caught the cream. He totally has her figured out.

“Where are you going? You’ll just get lost.”

Again, he’s not wrong.

“Come on,” Jay says with a smile, before Mila can retort to Sunghoon’s taunt and they start bickering like they always do when they’re around each other. He places a gentle palm on her head. “We’ll introduce you to the others.”

The figurative rain clouds clear from above Mila’s head and she happily latches onto his free arm, earning a chuckle. Sunghoon, not one to be left out, snatches her other wrist and tugs it towards him. She lets him, savouring the warmth of his larger hand as it circles around her smaller one. (She does, however, make a show of keeping her hand in a fist she can’t hold his hand in return—not that he particularly cares.)

It's funny to think about how comfortable she is around them now, compared to when they first met two years ago. At that time, she had always been just a bit more hesitant to get to know the two of them, simply because she was intimidated. But they are softies underneath their tough guy exteriors—a pair of human teddy bears, really. It just took Sunghoon winning a penguin plushie for her at an arcade and Jay walking her to school one day for her to see that.

When they turn to face the other trainees, they all put on their best show of pretending they weren’t peeking at the three of them like curious housewives just moments ago. Jungwon looks the most curious of all of them, though Mila spots some concern—probably because of how she retreated into her shell like a hermit crab not long ago—which makes her want to ‘awww’. But he looks assured enough when she shoots him a genuine smile.

With Jay and Sunghoon acting as her moral support, Mila feels a lot more at ease and introduces herself confidently. The other trainees do the same and the small talk starts from there. It’s obvious that they’re being courteous of her since she’s the only girl in the room right now, as they aren't nearly as rowdy as they were when Mila heard them from down the hall earlier—but honestly, it’s kinda sweet. They’re all kinda sweet, actually.

It doesn’t even take her five minutes to warm up to them, and she finds herself demonstrating a pistol squat to officially inaugurate herself into their group of gym junkees. (It’s a good ego boost when she realises that most of them can’t actually do a pistol squat.)

Mila barely notices the two-hour waiting period pass her by. There’s only five minutes left when Mila finds her way back to Kiara. This time, the older female is with Heeseung and the Crown unit consisting of Hwayoung, Sunoo and Jaeyun. She doesn’t know how to feel about that, though, since Jaeyun hasn’t managed to get any less attractive in the past few hours. And, yeah, that’s a problem.

How long did it take her before she got used to Sunghoon’s visuals again? Ah, right…

She’s so screwed.

“Oppa!” Mila calls as she takes a seat next to Heeseung. “I was looking for you, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

She spent around half an hour in the gym with Sunghoon and Jay before she decided to embark on a journey of Finding Heeseung™, only to find everyone except for him. No, really. She managed to bump into literally every other trainee in the place before she finally saw him—and only because she was looking for Kiara, who happened to be with him.

Well, at least she knows her way around I-Land pretty well now.

“Ah, really? Sorry.” Heeseung softly strokes her hair—it’s basically a reflex for him by now—and she relaxes in her chair. “Did you need me for something?”

Mila shakes her head, before resting her cheek on his shoulder. “Not really. I just didn’t get to talk to you earlier…”

(She pointedly makes sure she doesn’t say, ‘I missed you,’ because contrary to popular opinion, she isn’t clingy, thank you very much.)

Heeseung smiles at this and his eyes do that thing that they do, where they look like honey is dripping from them. Before she can say anything, he playfully pinches her cheek. “Cute.”

The Crown unit across from Mila looks a little taken aback by the causal display of affection—which is fair enough. She was the same way at first, too.

When Heeseung first did it, Mila thought that he was possessed by the spirit of someone’s late aunt and almost doused him with a salt shower. But after two years of knowing him, she’s gotten used to the cheek pinches, head pats and his altogether treatment of her like she’s a particularly cute and small animal that he wants to put in his pocket and carry everywhere with him—even if she’s not particularly cute or small. 

Mila just learnt to accept Heeseung’s doting. It definitely has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a lonely, touch-starved only child with parental issues, and soaks up all forms of affection that she receives like a desperate sponge. No siree.

Kiara passes Mila a pillow, which she takes gratefully. She rests her chin on it, her cheek still on Heeseung's shoulder, while her eyes start gazing into the distance. She can smell Heeseung’s cologne really well from here—which isn’t at all a weird thing to say about her guy friend—and it feels oddly comforting. (And, again, not weird at all.)

Sunoo suddenly taps Mila’s foot with his own. “You shouldn’t fall asleep,” he teases with a smile, causing her to giggle.

“Not like I could if I wanted to,” she replies. “I’m still not sure about what I’ll do with the vote.”

“Ah, don’t remind me!” Jaeyun aggressively runs a hand through his hair, and tilts his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I’m nervous!”

“Don’t be, you guys did good,” Heeseung assures kindly.

“Right.” Kiara takes a seat on one of the beds, as the seats are currently occupied by the Mila, Heeseung and the Crown unit. “For people that didn’t have much training or even know each other for long, your performance and chemistry as a group was really solid.”

Sunoo covers his mouth with his hands, eyes crinkling with delight. “Really?” 

Mila nodded vigorously. “Even if anyone votes you out, it will be because they’re threatened by you, or just don’t want to vote out their friends. You all deserve a spot in I-Land as much as anyone else in here!”

Jaeyun tilts his head and looks at Mila like he’s in thought. She ignores him in favour of Hwayoung, who musters a smile, visibly less shaken than before. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

Sunoo puckers his lips and nods. “I guess I won’t feel too bad then if I get voted out.”

Mila doesn’t get the chance to say anything in return. The alarms blare, much like they did for the Entrance Test, and the announcement is made for Niki—who Mila remembers from the SuperM unit—to enter the voting room. Alone.

Well, then…

If the anxiety of the elimination itself wasn’t already stifling enough, the anticipation of waiting for their turn to vote is enough to figuratively choke someone out. By the time it’s Mila’s turn, she can’t even bring herself to have both her eyes open as she presses the screen. Someone would think she murdered someone when she finally walks out of the voting room with a face that screams ‘Guilty, your honour!’ and Kiara even jokingly asks whether she left any evidence behind.

Mila considers making the older girl carry her to the lobby—where the trainees must gather for the announcement of eliminees—since Kiara is so Unbothered by the whole thing. But then Mila remembers that she’s too tall to be carried by her significantly shorter unnie (“You’re only five centimetres taller, you brat!”), and unfortunately has to drag herself there.

Mila finds a random place to sit herself down and resists the urge to cover her eyes and ears like she’s watching a horror movie and awaiting a jumpscare. She’s not sure whether or not she will be the one to leave, or one of her friends; she just hopes it’s neither.

She jinxes it.

The first eliminee is announced. It’s Kim Sunoo.

Mila hasn’t known him for long, but she feels slighted on his behalf. He definitely doesn’t deserve to leave—and not as the trainee with the most votes against him. She already knew that some bias would be present in the voting, but it doesn’t alleviate the disappointment she feels to see him go. Mila actually brings Sunoo into a hug when she says her goodbyes, which is something she doesn’t do much with people she just met—men especially—yet feels oddly comfortable initiating with the boy. He seems to appreciate it, too, and even rubs her back a bit in a comforting manner.

As if Mila is the one who needs it right now.

“Come back again, okay?” Mila says as they separate. “You’re my only 03-liner friend, remember? I’ll be lonely without you.”

“Ay, you’ll probably meet more here anyway.” Sunoo laughs when she protests with the fact that he’s her first, which holds significant importance. And Mila is just grateful that he can be so bright in a situation like this. “Okay. I’ll make sure to come back just for you.”

Mila can’t help but smile. (Her cheeks feel a little warmer, too, but that’s not the point.) He’s awfully bold to be saying stuff like that to a girl he met not long ago, although she supposes she’s no better in the department of shamelessness.

She steps aside to let the Crown unit walk him to The Egg while she says her well-wishes to Taki, EJ, and Sunghchul. Then they’re on their way.

Ground, huh? Mila hopes it treats them well.

As for her, she’s left in the I-Land lobby with the remaining fifteen trainees, who celebrate their newly gained status as the top dogs in this food chain. But then the events of the day eventually catch up to them and night time doesn’t come soon enough.

Mila unfortunately can’t sleep well in unfamiliar environments (when she first moved to Seoul, it took her a few months to adjust to the BigHit dorms) and ends up tossing and turning until she decides to stumble around in the dark to sneak into Kiara’s bed. Not her idea of a good night's sleep. It doesn’t help when the reason she wakes up the next morning is the buzz of activity that comes from the other rooms down the hall because of everyone who is already up and about.

Mila is hoping this won’t be a regular thing, but knowing her luck, it probably will. And that’s crazy to her—because who on earth wakes up this early in the morning anyway?

Oh— Wait. Is that the time?

Nevermind then, Mila just woke up really late.

“Hey there sleepyhead,” Yumeko—one of the four only female trainees in I-Land—greets as she walks into their shared room. (The girls ended up together since everyone agreed it would be too awkward to share rooms with the opposite sex so early on—which kinda implies it will happen eventually, but that’s a future problem.) “How did you sleep?”

Mila hums, rubbing her eyes. “Not long enough.”

Yumeko laughs.

Mila knew of the older girl (a 00-liner, making her the eldest female in the competition) because, aside from being a fellow BigHit trainee, she also happened to always be the top of the girls’ rankings in dance—a title that Mila always missed out on by one rank in the past. She just never got to meet her properly until yesterday.

Mila wants to consider the Japanese female a rival, but she’s never been particularly competitive (it’s a wonder she did competitive cheerleading, or that she’s even on this show at all) and it’s not really her style. Besides, Yumeko is just that good; Mila knows she probably won’t stand any chance, anyway. Her cover of NCT U’s Cherry Bomb during the Entrance Test yesterday blew any delusions of stealing that number one rank from her out of the water.

“Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, then,” Yumeko teases. She throws on a hoodie over the tank top she is wearing and Mila can’t help but notice she’s really toned. Damn. “The bathroom should be free if you want to wash your face and brush your teeth.”

Mila nods, feeling as gross she must seem, and also throws a hoodie over her head. She slept with a bra last night because she remembered the cameras in all the bedrooms (which would be pretty weird in any other setting—not that it isn’t still weird, anyway), so she isn’t worried about accidentally flashing anyone. But her hair is probably a bird’s nest right now, so the hood is there to cover her head as she pads towards the bathroom.

Yumeko is right about it being free, thankfully, so she doesn’t worry about taking her time to fix her appearance. She is just leaving when Geonu walks in, and she immediately beams. “Good morning!”

Geonu jolts in surprise. It’s kinda understandable, since Mila did just appear like a wild Pokémon jumping out of a bush. To his credit, though, he doesn’t scream or anything embarrassing like that and returns her greeting rather calmly. “Did you sleep well?”

Mila makes a seesaw motion with her hand. “So-so. I’m not really a morning person, though. And Oppa?”

“Same here,” he replies. “But you’re really energetic for someone who isn’t a morning person.”

Mila tilts her head and scrunches her nose. “Really? I guess that’s just how I am…”

Geonu, for some reason, laughs. It lacks any mockery in it, but has something there that makes Mila wonder if she said something funny. “Has anyone told you that you remind them of a bunny?”

Mila blinks. Because yes, actually, people do. “How did you know?”

Geonu shakes his head with an amused huff. “Just a feeling.”

Mila doesn’t really know what to say to that, so she shrugs instead. Oh well—as long as it’s nothing bad. “Well, I’ll let you wash up in peace. See you around!”

Geonu hums and bids her farewell.

Mila skips towards the kitchen, feeling much better now that she doesn’t look like she came off the set of Train to Busan. She’s in the middle of pouring herself a bowl of cereal when those alarms from hell start blaring and she flinches so strongly that cereal ends up flying out of the box in her hand and onto the floor.

Krabby patties.

Mila curses, bending down behind the counter to pick some of the flakes off the floor. Then a group of trainees bulldoze through the kitchen like a mob of fangirls when they spot their idols, and she decides that she’s not moving fast enough. She unlocks her inner janitor and sweeps up the remaining cereal—or as much as she can, anyway—and tosses them in the bin in record time.

She decides to wisely uses the ten minutes she’s given until she needs to be at the lobby to shovel as many spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth (she doesn’t know what she’s in for or how it will take, so stocking up energy is a priority) and take a quick toilet break. Then she’s going full Naruto ninja-speed and zooms towards the lobby, completely forgetting that she’s wearing slippers—a huge mistake, really, since she stubs her toe on a step. Ouch. But at least she isn’t late for the announcement of the show’s next stage.

The Signal Song Test begins in earnest with the reveal of the show’s theme song, Into the I-Land. Once again, it’s up to the trainees to make the big decisions—including who gets which part.

Well, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if the number of lines were equal for all parts. But it looks like the producers of the show are aiming to make this whole survival show experience as accurate to the life of a real idol as possible, as there’s a huge disproportionality in the line distribution.

Mila doesn’t have any ambitions of getting the first part, so she naturally agrees with Sunghoon to throw Heeseung’s hat in the ring for it instead. As for the rest of the parts, they will be allocated by—surprise, surprise—a vote.

Mila does some mental gymnastics to come up with a strategy to bag the part she wants, and finally settles with the tried and true approach of Just Do It™. It seems to work pretty well, actually. She manages to get a part that appears in the centre twice, so she has some decent ‘look at me!’ time compared to the other parts.

The same can’t be said for others.

Jay has been rejected for every part so far, and seems like he’s ready to give up, but raises his hand again for the next part—and the part after that, and the part after that…

There’s now only one part left that has more than one line, and Mila knows if he doesn’t get it, it might do some serious damage to his confidence. It’s already taking a toll on him, as he has his head lowered so the bill of his cap covers his expression from her place across from him. And honestly, it hurts her heart to see it.

Jay has always been the epitome of tenacity, and he’s proven it already with his ability to keep raising his hand. Mila would have given up after the second rejection—maybe even the first. She just wishes she could do something to lift his spirits a little, even if it’s just enough so he can raise his head.

Mila ponders it for a moment, before she feels a lightbulb switch on inside her head. She raises her hand just as Heeseung prepares to move onto the auditions for the next part. “Oppa, I have a question!”

“Hm?” Heeseung immediately looks up from his tablet at the sound of her voice. “What is it?”

“I was just thinking…” Heeseung nods encouragingly at Mila. “Even if we give out the parts now, it's only based on vocals. What do we do if we get to dance practice and realise that someone can’t keep up with the choreography for their part?”

There are some nods from the other trainees, so Mila knows she’s not being completely outlandish.

“You’re right,” Heeseung agrees. “That’s why should consider every skill when we’re voting—dance and vocals are equally important. It’s better to vote for someone who you think can do both well.”

Mila nods sagely, pretending to think deeply about Heeseung’s words. “Ah, okay… So, if there's two people and they’re both pretty equal in vocals, but one happens to be much better at dancing, we should vote for that person?”

“Right.”

Mila smiles, satisfied with the answer and it’s intended result, as she notices Jay’s shoulders straighten a bit. “Okay, I get it now! Thanks.”

Everyone knows Jay is one of the best dancers in I-Land at this point, and Mila is more than confident that he’ll be able to sing the next part fairly well. There’s no reason for him not to have the part. It’s just that Mila gave everyone a little bit of a nudge in his direction by reminding them to keep an open mind.

It works like a charm.

“Okay,” Heeseung says after counting the votes, “this part is Jay’s.”

If Mila cheers a little too loudly at the announcement, that’s her business alone. But also, not really. From the smile that Jay sends her before mouthing, “Thank you,” she knows that he figured out her little trick. She can’t seem to feel guilty about it though—well, not right now at least.

But of course, in a survival show like I-Land, nothing good ever lasts forever.

taglist⠀( OPEN ! ) ⦂ @em1ejiee @menichoi @dracoslovergirl @rosas-in-the-garden @blossominghunnie @lovelypham @cornenhapovs @nee-issaire @jwnstars @tommina @queenriki7

© ENMI-LAND, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT COPY, TRANSLATE, REPOST

[pnutbutter-n-j-elyy]

Chan x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of Suicide, Death, Grief, Slight Age Gap, Life after loss, Cursing, Angst, Blood, Brother's Friend, Manic Behavior, Depression, Panic Attacks

If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal ideation or thoughts of harming themselves, please reach out for help. You never know when someone's last day will be; no one ever does. But if you can help - even just a tiny bit, sometimes a word, text, or even a call can be a catalyst for positive change.

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pt3 Part Four

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You’d spent nearly two months now as a trainee, a time marked by endless hours of vocal lessons, dance practice, and media training. Days blurred into nights; and the rhythm of your life was dictated by the pulse of the company’s expectations.

While it wasn't as harsh for you, considering you had three former idols and a well-known manager acting as your safeguards, it still was relentless. You barely had time to even think. Which in a sense was a relief, but in another sense, it made your life seamless; but not in a good way, in a way that was unhuman- but still more human than how you had been living the previous months.

Christmas had passed in a whirlwind of obligations- no time to linger in the nostalgia of it, no time to feel anything at all, really. You had called your parents, who were doing better. You called them almost daily; they had settled down a few miles away from where your house had been previously, but your mom already had talks of coming closer to you. Even though you encouraged her to stay a bit longer.

You were constantly moving, constantly working. Maybe that was the point. Maybe if you stayed busy enough, there would be no room for the grief to catch up to you. And with your parents being in the same area as you; grief would be given those magical little mushrooms and almost immediately reach you.

Not that you consciously realized that since you didn’t like to think about it too much; but it was hard not to notice how often you threw yourself into the work, into every last detail of your routine. As if you were using everything as a distraction; and gaslit yourself into believing it wasn't. So, you worked and worked. As if you let yourself stop, even for a second, you would realize that you were burying things instead of working on them.

Your days were packed with duties. Currently, you were prepping for your first real appearance on a variety show, the kind Hajun had always talked about- the kind he’d been on countless times with his group. It should have felt like an exciting milestone, but instead, it was another thing to check off the list; and it was a source of anxiety. You weren't sure if you were ready for this. So soon after you had begun this journey.

But it wasn't like you had much of a choice.

Someone random person had leaked a photo of you and Haru grabbing lunch after practice last week, which sparked someone else to release images of you, Haru and Jiho at a park. And now the public was convinced you were dating Haru and did everything in their power to find your identity. Which wasn't inherently hard for true fans.

You could hear the whispers in the hallways whenever you passed by other trainees or staff, the gossip trailing behind you. How foreigners had no place in the industry if they could get into scandals so easily; how your brother must have been disappointed. How it was "disgusting" how you had gotten with your brother's best friend once he passed away. Haru corrected them, but you didn't bother correcting them. It's not like they believed what people told them when they were so deluded themselves. Besides, it was easier that way, to let people believe what they wanted. It kept the real truth at bay- the truth you were avoiding, the truth that came with Hajun's name attached to it.

The bustling energy of the building felt like a comfort today, the perfect kind of chaos to drown out the noise in your own head. This particular studio was enormous, multiple sets filling the space, the air buzzing with activity. Haru was by your side as always, quietly protective as the two of you made your way to the set where your interview would take place.

His presence reminded you of that feeling when the sun breaks through a cloudy sky- not all at once, but in small, soft rays that slowly warm your skin. It wasn’t the overwhelming comfort that came from loud reassurances, but rather the steady heartbeat of someone who knew what it meant to stay by your side without asking for anything in return.

He was now your spring, still warm and alive, even as the flowers of the past had wilted.

Although, neither of you had dived into your feelings about Hajun's suicide, it was visibly upsetting to both of you. You wished you had the courage to ask Haru how he was.

Did his hurt hurt the same as yours?

But avoidance was how you coped. And it seemed that's how Haru coped as well.

Which is why you found yourself here to begin with.

You reached the set and found yourself seated in front of a large, blinding array of lights, the cameras rolling as soon as you were in position.

The interviewer was lively and animated, going through the usual questions- your training experience, your upcoming plans, the challenges you faced. You answered with a practiced calm, each word carefully chosen, each answer rehearsed.

You made sure that your previously bright personality was showing. It had much since dimmed, but you had to act for the camera. You had always been quite similar to your brother when it came to kindness and empathy, but while Hajun was like a little butterfly, flitting around and impacting hundreds of people's lives, your love came out in much quieter ways to those you decided to be around.

Which wasn't many, considering you were somewhat of a loner in school, and didn't have much time outside of work and other activities to make those friends.

But regardless, you faked as if you had a million friends. As if you were him.

And you weren't you.

All was going well until the interviewer shifted into murkier waters, tilting their head with a curious smile before leaning in slightly.

"So, you’re Hajun’s little sister. We've established this- but everyone’s been saying you don’t really look like him. Are you sure you’re related?" The interviewer chuckled, and so you gave out a nervous laugh before your breath nearly stopped all together in an instant.

The question hit you like a punch to the gut. Someone else saying his name triggered a response that you didn't know what to feel about. When you really thought about, how many time had you spoken his name out loud? You heard the boys metnion it frequently, but did you ever here a stranger?

Yourself?

"Well, I’m adopted, so we don’t share any physical resemblance," your reply was hesitant albeit your voice steady and mind reeling.

The interviewer laughed awkwardly, clearly oblivious to the weight of their words. "Oh! Right, of course. Well, it must be tough, stepping into the same industry where he was such a star. Do you feel any pressure to live up to his legacy?"

Your heart pounded in your chest, the familiar ache creeping up from the back of your mind. You hadn’t let yourself think about Hajun in weeks, not in any real, tangible way. And now here it was, being brought up so casually, like it was just another topic to toss around. You swallowed hard, the corners of your mouth tightening as you searched for the right words.

You could see Haru shifting in the wings, his gaze flickering toward the interviewer, and you could feel his unease. "Of course there’s some pressure," you said finally, your voice softer. "But I'm doing it for him so I have to overlook that..."

The interviewer nodded, seemingly satisfied with your answer, but the tension in the air remained thick. You focused on getting through the rest of the interview, your responses becoming more automatic and your now seemingly eternal sullen demeanor poking through as you went along.

When it finally ended, you felt like you could breathe again. You stood up, stretching your stiff limbs as you walked towards Haru, the later moving closer, giving you a reassuring nod. "You handled that well."

"Did I? I'm pretty sure I just went on auto pilot..." you replied with a soft laugh, more out of exhaustion than humor. You rubbed the back of your neck, feeling the weight of the day start to settle on your shoulders.

As the two of you exited the set, you couldn’t help but glance around the building. The energy had shifted since you arrived, and now it felt like the whole place was 10x more alive with activity. Haru was talking quietly to one of the staff members as you continued down the hallway, your mind still swirling from the interview.

You'll have to get used to this. People will ask all the time.

You passed by another set, not paying much attention at first, but something of a sixth sense tugged at your awareness. A familiar figure stood near the entrance, casually chatting with a few people around him. It took a second for it to click, but when it did, your heart skipped a beat.

It was Chris. You almost didn’t recognize him at first- his hair was slightly different, and an effortless confident aura was surrounding him, although something about him screamed at deep seeded insecurity and doubt.

He was short. Much shorter than you had expected. And he was wearing an outfit that was appealing to the toned muscles in his arms. He was smiling widely and laughing; his noticeably large nose scrunching up in a way you couldn't find yourself describing in any other way other than adorable. You had never seen him in person, but it was definitely him, and suddenly, everything around you felt like it had slowed down.

He hadn’t seen you yet, still focused on his conversation, but you couldn’t tear your eyes away. You hadn’t spoken in weeks, and you’d convinced yourself it was because you were busy with your training and he was busy with his comeback.

Not the fact that deep down you felt like a burden, and that you'd strangely rather burden Hajun's group members rather than someone who continued with a different type of liveliness and life than you and the rest of the people in your had. You had told yourself it didn’t matter, that you were both just wrapped up in your own lives and that it wouldn't hurt not texting him.

You had even taken that as a means of stowing those letters away. Not even looking at them; trying to forget about their existence in the whole.

But seeing him now, right in front of you, made you realize how much you had missed the interactions with him.

And sparked a want to open up another one of those letters.

But it also made you slightly angry.

How could he be smiling so effortlessly? Why couldn't he feel the pain I feel when I try to smile that effortlessly?

"Hey, are you okay?" Haru’s voice broke through your thoughts, and you blinked, pulling your gaze away from Chris.

"Yeah," you said, forcing a smile. "I’m fine."

But as you took a deep breath and prepared to walk away, something told you that this encounter wasn’t over yet.

Do I ... want it to be over?

Haru noticed the subtle shift in your demeanor almost immediately and hesitance in continuing to where you were going. He wasn’t the type to miss anything, when it came to you - and especially now that Juju was gone. His eyes narrowed slightly, following your gaze to the man you were staring at. "What is it...did you see someone you know?" His voice was soft, but there was a hint of confusion, maybe even concern. You didn't blame him it wasn't like you should really know anyone. Maybe just in passing; but even then, it should be people in your company.

You blinked again, shaking yourself from your trance. "Oh, um, yeah, kinda...Chris," you muttered, barely loud enough for him to hear. Your heart was still racing from the unexpected sight of him, the weight of everything unsaid between you suddenly pressing down on your chest.

"Chris... whose Chris- wait like… Bang Chan? That Chris?" Haru’s confusion deepened as he looked from you to where Bangchan was standing and back again.

He’d heard the name before, of course. Everyone knew Stray Kids, and Haru had worked in the industry long enough to cross paths with them a few times. But you’d never mentioned that you knew him- let alone well enough for this kind of reaction.

You nodded, your voice a little shaky. "Yeah… we haven’t spoken in a while." Your words were hesitant, unsure of how much to reveal to Haru. Even though he was your protector, your confidant, this was a part of your life that felt different. Personal in a way that even he couldn’t touch.

"You've met him in person?"

"No, no...Hajun..." You took a breath and told Haru what you had yet to tell him. "Hajun left a box of letters...I found a polaroid with Chris's number..." You expected Haru to freak out; ask more questions.

You could tell he wanted to ask more- there was no way he didn't. He would want closer for his best friend's suicide. But instead he nodded, not showing much reaction at all an glanced back at Chris, who still in conversation with his groupmates, completely unaware of your presence.

"Do you want to talk to him?" he asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Did you? Part of you wanted to run in the opposite direction, to avoid the awkwardness of a meeting you weren’t sure you were ready for. But another part of you- one you didn’t want to admit to- longed to interact with him again, to close the distance that had grown between you in the weeks of silence; and start a new kind of friendship, where you could rely on him; on he made you promise to have once you had arrived. A promise you had somewhat long since broken.

"I don’t know," you finally admitted. "I wasn’t expecting to see him..." Seeing Chris had stirred up emotions you’d buried, much like the way you’d tried to push down thoughts of Hajun. But now, both were threatening to surface at once.

And those emotions… they were indescribable. Emotions that were strange and strong and seemed to take root somewhere deep within, stirring something that felt unfamiliar, yet undeniable. It was as if a part of you recognized something before your mind could catch up, like a memory you couldn’t place or a name on the tip of your tongue. It made your breath hitch, your pulse quicken- not from fear, but from something else entirely. Something you didn’t know how to understand, not yet, and maybe not ever. You weren’t sure if you wanted to.

Haru gave you a thoughtful look, as if trying to read your mind. "You don’t have to do anything," he said gently. “We can leave if you want.”

You chewed your bottom lip, torn. "Maybe… let’s just wait a bit," you replied, unsure of how to explain what you were working through. It was like your feet were glued to the floor, unable to move, as if something in the universe was telling you that you couldn’t walk away from this moment. Not yet.

Haru crossed his arms, looking like he wanted to say something more, but then he just nodded. "Alright." He stayed by your side, a quiet pillar of support, even though you could feel his confusion. Haru wasn’t used to seeing you like this- so indecisive, so unsure. He’d always been the steady one. But now, you could sense his curiosity, his unease, his need to understand what was going on.

You glanced back at Chris, taking in the sight of him. He was laughing at something one of his members said, the sound of it hitting you once more in a way you hadn’t anticipated. The laugh brought a warmth to your chest, like a reminder of something familiar, something you couldn’t quite forget.

As if sensing your stare, Chris glanced around, his eyes scanning the area before they landed on you. Time seemed to slow as his gaze locked with yours. His smile faltered, recognition dawned on his face, and for a moment, it felt like the entire room disappeared, leaving just the two of you standing in the middle of it.

His eyes widened slightly; surprise written all over his features. He opened his mouth to say something, but whatever words he had seemed to vanish as quickly as they came.

You could feel Haru watching you, still confused but more attuned to your feelings than you wanted to admit. "Do you want me to go?" he whispered, sensing the change in the air. His question was gentle, but you could hear the underlying tone of protectiveness. He was ready to stay or leave, depending on what you needed.

You shook your head, eyes still fixed on Chris. "No, stay," you murmured, not fully trusting yourself to handle this alone. You didn't know why. Within minutes of talking to Chris on the phone you had already handed your trust over to him.

Maybe you just wanted that grounding presence with you. Needed it.

The air between you and Chris seemed to thicken as the reality of your first in-person encounter sank in. You could feel the silent anchor beside, but the weight of the moment pulled your attention fully to the man across the room. And without even noticing it you stepped towards him.

Chris's eyes were locked on yours, his expression shifting from surprise to something softer, almost like recognition mingled with disbelief. It was as if he was trying to connect the dots in his mind, piecing together the familiarity from your text exchanges with the image of you standing in front of him for the first time.

His group members that were standing with him- Han, Felix, and Seungmin- seemed to notice the change in Chris's demeanor, glancing in your direction with curious looks. Han leaned closer to Chris, whispering something that made Chris shake his head slightly, as if telling him to wait. Felix, who had been mid-conversation, raised an eyebrow but didn’t press, though his eyes flickered toward you with interest.

You shifted uncomfortably under the collective gaze, feeling the pressure of the moment weighing down on your shoulders. Haru’s voice cut through the tension, low and steady. "It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything right now, Hime." The Japanese flowed quickly ff his tongue and you hmmed in response. His words were meant to reassure, but the knot in your stomach tightened.

Chris took a tentative step forward, his gaze still locked on yours, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. His members exchanged glances, sensing the unspoken tension between you two but keeping their distance, clearly curious about what was unfolding. Seungmin was the first to break away, giving a small nod to Han and Felix before stepping aside, giving Chris space. Han followed Seungmin next, but Felix stayed by his Hyung's side.

"Y/N?" Chris’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant, but still happy, as if he wasn’t entirely sure it was really you standing there. His accent, thicker in person, wrapped around your name in a way that sent a shiver down your spine. It was a sound you’d only ever heard through phone calls, and now it felt different- more real, more personal.

He had seen pictures of you for the first time floating around after you arrived; they were never that good of quality, but he gauged what you looked like from- but seeing you in person was different. The first thought coming to mind being-

She's beautiful.

You took a breath.

Haru, sensing your hesitation, subtly stepped back to give you space. He glanced at Chris, then at Felix, his protective instincts clearly on alert for some strange reason but trusting you to navigate this moment.

Chris, for his part, seemed just as unsure. His eyes flickered with recognition and something else- maybe relief?- as if he’d been wondering when or if this day would ever come; or as if he had been anxious without your texts. As if those texts were a fulfillment to his late friend

"I didn’t… I didn’t know you were going to be here," he said, a small, almost awkward smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at Haru and the others who were now coming to stand nearby; Jiho and Sunwoo returning from their own meeting with some segemtn hosts; Sunwoo in the middle of masticating an entire donut in one go. Then back at you.

"Are you, um… here for the variety show?" He rubbed at the back of his neck.

You nodded, finally finding your voice. "Yeah… just- just filming something. What about you?" The question was simple, but the weight of everything unspoken between you hung heavy in the air.

Chris let out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Same. We’re doing a bit for a show too. I didn’t expect… well, I didn’t expect to see you here. I thought it would be a bit longer before you were appearing on shows..."

The rest of his members had shown up to members to linger nearby, and you could feel their eyes on you, though they kept a respectful distance. Han, who had been standing closest to Chris earlier came back and gave him a gentle nudge, a playful smirk on his face. “You know her, Hyung?” His tone was light, but there was curiosity in his eyes. "Hello, Noona."

"I'm actually younger than all of you..." You said sheepishly, Han's face turning a delicate pink. And Jeongin's eyes widening.

"AH Hyung-ah!!! Is this the girl you were talking to on the phone that one night?!" The rest of the members turn to Jeongin then turn to Chris, mischevious smiles creeping up on some of their faces.

"Before any of you say anything it's not like that but yes we’ve been in touch.” He locked eyes with you. "She's Hajun's little sister. The maknae of Eclips3..."

The members looked at you and fell silent, their smiles falling slightly as well.

Felix, standing shot you rueful smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. Chris has talked about you to me quite a lot."

You felt your face heat up at the mention, causing a smile to erupt from Felix while glancing at Chris, who looked equally flustered. He cleared his throat, avoiding your gaze for a moment. "Yeah, well… you know… it’s-" He stumbled over his words, clearly not expecting to be called out in front of you.

"It's okay. It'd make sense that you'd bring up Hajun's sister in the midst of Hajun's death." Haru stepped forward closer to you once more, his body heat instantly connecting with yours.

Chris’s expression shifted, softening at the mention of Hajun. He nodded slowly, his eyes meeting yours again. "I know. I…I’m sorry, Y/N. I don't think I ever got the chance to say that. At least not truly." His voice was quieter now, more serious, and the sincerity in his words hit you in a way that made your chest tighten.

For a moment, the noise of the bustling set faded into the background, and it was just you, Chris, and the shared understanding of loss hanging between you.

An understanding that you were sure of hit less hard than it did for you- but an understanding that hit all of you.

"It's fine. We all lost him." You hated the presence of annoyance in your voice. But you just wanted to forget. At this point you didn't want to mention him.

Why was that...?

You could feel the tension in the air change, though it wasn’t something easily identifiable. And with the shift in change Haru’s hand came to rest lightly on the small of your back, his stance just a little too close, as if to remind you that he could guide you out of this building, you guys could leave at any time you wanted just to say the word.

Felix’s curiosity sparked once more though, his gaze flicking between you, Haru, and Chris with a thoughtful expression. He shifted his weight, leaning slightly closer to Chris. "Did you know Hajun well? You mentioned him before but I never heard much." His question was casual, but with underlying note of intrigue; but you could feel the other members wince at how flippantly he spoke of the dead. But deep down you didn't blame him the mystery of how Chris fit into your world, would have been a point of questioning for you as well.

Chris’s face had mixture of nostalgia and sadness flicker across it, then he smiled.

Smiled.

"Yeah… Hajun and I were best friends during our trainee days. We went through a lot together before he switched companies." He looked up in the sky, a smile still on his face as he thought of the memories. "We kept in touch even after that- he debuted but found time to visit - even visited in Australia once or twice- but then came my turn and we were both too busy... I didn't get to see him much in the last few years, just at a few celebrations, but he was so popular I couldn't even say hello without getting stampeded. I loved him like a brother. And did all thew way up until his death. And I will forever. Life just… got in the way..."

There was a familiarity in the way Chris spoke about Hajun, something deeper than just passing acquaintances. The sudden reminder of how intertwined their lives had been before their paths diverged pulled at the grief you had tried so hard to bury. The loss was not just yours; it stretched far beyond the confines of your family, touching people like Chris who had shared formative years with your brother.

Haru, ever perceptive, shifted slightly beside you. His expression remained neutral - but not after a small crack in his mask- as if the pain and past Chris was sharing could relate to him; and how he felt. The way his arm seemed to hover protectively near you didn’t go unnoticed by Chris though. The subtle tension between them grew palpable, and you could see Chris’s eyes flicker between the two of you, a shadow of uncertainty crossing his features.

Haru stared him down as well, and you didn't notice it- not that you would have understood why even if you did.

Felix, ever the one to break the silence, raised an eyebrow and threw a playful look at Han, though his question was pointed. "So, Haru, you’ve been looking out for Y/N a lot, huh?" His tone was teasing, but there was a knowing glint in his eye. The rumors of you and Haru dating hadn’t gone unnoticed, especially among the gossip-loving industry insiders.

Haru’s response was immediate, his voice firm but not defensive. "She’s family to us. Hajun’s little sister." His gaze was steady, but the emphasis on the word ‘family’ was hard to miss, even though his body language suggested something more. His fingers brushed lightly against your arm, a touch meant to comfort but that also deepened the protective stance he had taken since you stepped into the building.

You could feel Chris’s eyes on Haru, now noticing the subtle calculation in his gaze as he tried to piece together what was going on. The rumors of you and Haru were now a constant murmur in the background ever since you’d appeared alongside the remaining members of Eclips3. Though you hadn’t paid them much attention, you could sense that they affected how others perceived your relationships- particularly with Haru.

Chris knew in the back of his mind that rumors usually had no substance, but for some reason this one- the thought of you being with Haru tugged at him in an odd manner.

Weird.

Chris cleared his throat, clearly processing the situation in front of him. "I’ve heard a lot about you, Haru. Hajun used to talk about the bond you guys had as a group before you guys even debuted. I’m glad Y/N has someone like you around. And you guys as well." He motioned to his seonbaes, Jiho and Sunwoo giving polite nods. His words were polite, but with a subtle edge to them, as if he was probing for more information, trying to figure out what exactly your relationship with Haru was.

Haru met Chris’s gaze evenly, not backing down, but the tension between the two of them was now more than palpable to you. Almost like you could breathe it. It was a strange, unspoken battle- one not of words but of intentions. You could feel it in the way Haru stood just a little taller, his hand lingering at the small of your back, and in the way Chris’s eyes flickered between the two of you, trying to read the room.

Feeling the shift in the atmosphere, Han chimed in, his lighthearted tone trying to diffuse the situation. "Well, it’s clear Y/N has plenty of people looking out for her. That’s a good thing, right?" He shot Chris a quick grin, then turned his attention to you. "It must be overwhelming, though, right? Jumping into the industry like this with everything going on. So, we can be supports for you as well! 7 new ones!"

You managed a small smile, grateful for Han’s attempt to change the subject, and his almost immediate support, but the weight of the conversation lingered. "Yeah, it’s been… a lot. But I have Haru, Jiho, and Sunwoo to help me through it." You glanced at Chris, the tension between him and Haru still lingering in the air. “And…I have people like you." You turned to Han's and Felix's expectant eyes. "And you guys."

"What about me?" Hyunjin and Jeongin whined at the exact same time. You felt a chuckle escape and acknowledged them as well.

Chris smiled faintly at that, the tension easing slightly but not disappearing entirely. "Yeah. I’ll always be here." His words felt heavier than they should have, laced with meaning that hung between you, unspoken, undeniable, and at the time unknown.

The tension between Haru and Chris remained though, subtle but present, a protective energy from both sides. Chris, though seemingly trying to respect the situation, couldn’t hide the curiosity in his eyes as he glanced between you and Haru once more, wondering how deep that connection went.

Haru’s protectiveness felt comforting, familiar, but now you could sense that it might be giving others- Chris especially -a different impression.

"Well, no matter what, it's really great to have you here," Felix said, offering you a kind smile. "It must be tough, but you're doing amazing." His words were genuine, and you could feel the sincerity behind them. Despite the awkward tension, Felix’s warmth was a welcome contrast, something that reminded you that not everyone was scrutinizing your every move.

Sunwoo, who had been quiet throughout the exchange, finally spoke up, his voice breaking through the tension with a bit more gravity than usual. "It's hard for all of us. Everything’s changed since Hajun… well, since he left us." His words were gentle, but they carried the weight of everything left unsaid.

Chris’s expression softened, his own grief surfacing for just a moment. "Yeah," he murmured. "When I heard… it felt unreal." He glanced at you, his eyes searching yours as if trying to gauge how you were holding up. "I've seen it happen time and time again but it never hur-"

"It’s okay. I get it. We can drop it," you said, your voice quieter now. "Everything’s been… complicated for everyone but it doesn't mean we have to continue to bring it up."

Haru, sensing your unease, shifted his stance slightly, his hand dropping from your back but still hovering close, as if ready to step in at any moment. He was your anchor in this moment, grounding you amidst the swirling emotions and the still-lingering tension between him and Chris.

But then Chris spoke up again, this time more cautiously, changin the subject. “I didn’t know you were doing so well in training,” he said, his eyes lingering on you and a smile in his voice. "I heard rumors that you might be a monster rookie. The Kids and I have to watch out before you take all of our awards." There was something in his tone, something softer and happier, that made you feel like he was seeing you- not as Hajun’s little sister, but as your own person, standing in front of him.

It felt...nice?

"I...really?" you asked, your voice slightly shaky as you looked at him with an exited anticipation.

A look passed between Chris and Haru, but it was fleeting, Chris looking away first.

"Of course...I'm sure you'll have...a lot of fans." He said smiling and rubbing his neck in habit.

Felix grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fan boys since you're pretty too!" it was said so innocently, no awkwardness but Jiho huffed.

"Nope. Not letting our Y/N get involved with anyone." Jiho said ruffling your hair, pushing Haru out of the way.

"Hey I don't have a dating ban I can if I want-"

"Nope, not allowing it!" Both Sunwoo and Haru said. That spark Chris' interest and he opened his mouth to say something.

But before the conversation could continue, there was a sudden call from across the room- a staff member gesturing for you to move to the next set. Haru stepped closer to you as the others began to disperse, his hand gently resting on your arm, a subtle signal that he was still watching over you.

Just as you turned to follow Haru toward your assigned set, you caught a glimpse of Chris, his eyes lingering on you for just a second longer than necessary. There was something in his gaze- something unfinished; unsaid.

But before you could process it, the moment was gone, and you were being pulled forward into the next part of your day, Haru guiding you toward the unfamiliar world you were slowly becoming a part of. The strange familiarity of it all- the familiarity you only grew through Hajun's lense- the training, the filming, the media attention- was almost unsettling. Even though this was Hajun’s world, it was becoming yours now, too.

It wasn’t until later, when the lights dimmed and the cameras were finally off, that you realized how much had changed in such a short amount of time. You had stepped into the spotlight, just like Hajun had once done, but it was a path you hadn’t expected to take. And yet, here you were.

The same path he had taken, yet you hoped to change the ending.

As you exited the set, the faint sound of familiar voices reached your ears. You turned, and there, across the room, was Chris. He hadn’t left yet, still chatting with a member from another guy group, but his eyes found yours the moment you glanced his way.

It was as if time slowed for a moment, the world shrinking down to just the two of you across the busy set. He gave you a smile- one that seemed to say more than words could. One that you couldn’t help but feel peace looking at. Even if it was a momentary peace. You found yourself smiling back, a flicker of warmth igniting in your chest.

But as that warmth blossomed, so did a sudden, painful realization: the last person who had ever made you feel that same kind of warmth, that deep comfort, had been Hajun. And now, he was gone.

Only, this warmth was…different.

Hajun’s warmth had always been like a fire- steady, burning bright even in the darkest of times. His presence was electric, like the hum of energy in the air that always made you feel alive. It was the kind of warmth that wrapped around you like a safety net, grounding you when the world felt like it was spinning too fast. Hajun had been a constant, his love for you as sure as the sun rising each day. There had never been a question in your mind about it.

But this—this flicker of warmth that came from Chris- it felt softer, gentler. Less like the steady heat of a fire and more like the slow, creeping warmth of sunlight on a winter morning. It wasn’t the same.

It couldn’t be the same.

But it wasn’t unwelcome, either. It was a different kind of comfort, one that you didn’t fully understand yet. There was something about it that felt more intimate, more tender- something that stirred an unfamiliar feeling deep within you.

Still, the ache of loss lingered, a bittersweet reminder that no one, not even Chris, could replace Hajun. The warmth Chris offered was something else entirely. Not better or worse, just different.

Something you hadn’t felt before.

You swallowed hard, the weight of your grief settling into your chest like a stone. Hajun’s absence was still too raw, too present. No matter how much you denied it. The thought of him not being here, not standing beside you like he always had, was almost unbearable. You missed the steady, unbreakable bond you’d had with him, the way he could make everything feel okay, no matter how bad things got.

But for just a moment, looking at Chris, you felt a strange flicker of hope. It was subtle, so subtle you almost missed it, but it was there. A quiet promise in the warmth of his smile, a sense that maybe- just maybe- there was something more to be found in the space Hajun had left behind.

He had left behind those letters. You should open them right? You were led to Chris...maybe those letters could lead to something else as well?

Maybe there was a reason Hajun wanted you to find comfort in Chris. But you didn't want to think about it.

You glanced away at the sight of Chris's smile falling slightly, the weight of it all pressing down on you, and yet, that quiet warmth remained.

You wanted to put it out. That small flicker of warmth- you wanted to ignore it, snuff it out before it could grow into something larger. It scared you, the thought of accepting it. Because if you let it in, if you allowed yourself to feel that comfort, what would happen when it eventually disappeared?

The fear that it could fade, just like Hajun’s had, was a vicious thought. You’d lost warmth before- the kind that once seemed eternal- and the thought of losing it again, of finding solace in someone only for it to vanish, felt like a death wish.

There was a part of you that wanted to turn away from it, to reject that small ember entirely before it had a chance to take root. Because if Chris’s warmth died down too...? If you allowed yourself to feel something, only to lose it all over again? You weren’t sure you could survive that kind of emptiness twice.

So, as much as it tempted you, you hesitated. You weren’t ready to accept something that could one day be taken away. Not again. Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

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If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal ideation or thoughts of harming themselves, please reach out for help. You never know when someone's last day will be; no one ever does. But if you can help - even just a tiny bit, sometimes a word, text, or even a call can be a catalyst for positive change.

988 - USA Suicide Prevention Hotline | 24 Hours 111 - Helpline UK | 24 hours 1393 - Suicide Hotline Korea | 24 hours

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[dotster001]

Hey! How's it going? Jade playing hard to get and Floyd being your wingman to get his brother and mc together.

Slippery Eel

A/N: I'm low-key pissed off at Jade rn because his dorm uniform keeps showing up instead of the SSR in the banner. This has happened to me three times. But enjoy this anyway 😂

You had joined the mountain lovers club to spend more time with him. But now you couldn't find him anywhere.

It had started randomly one day, when you'd arrived at the club meeting area and the only other member just…didn't show up. From that day on, it was like Jade Leech never existed at all. There were a couple times you swore you saw him out of the corner of your eye, but upon further inspection there was no trace of him.

The only way you were certain he existed at all was….

"Guess who?" An excited voice exclaimed as it covered your eyes from behind.

"Oh, Floyd! Perfect, I wanted to ask you about something!"

Floyd uncovered your eyes with a giggle, then playfully punched your shoulder.

"Ooh, a question for me? Go for it, Shrimpy."

"Do you know where Jade is? I haven't seen him in…well…a long time."

"Oh, the question has nothing to do with me," he sighed with mock sadness. "Well, Jade is hunting."

"Hunting what?"

The only response you got was a laugh.

"Okay, second question, when will he be back?"

"When he's done hunting."

They always say hindsight is 20-20. And you really should have known Floyd wouldn't answer your questions. 

"Alright," you sighed, "if you hear from him, tell him…"

Floyd raised an eyebrow, but you realized you didn't know what exactly you wanted him to tell Jade.

"Nevermind."

Suddenly, Floyd's smile turned mildly sinister.

"That so? Well, I'll tell him you said 'nevermind' in the meantime," an arm was wrapped very tightly around your shoulders now, "Let's gossip about him behind his back. What of his qualities is your favorite? Mine is that he allows me to do whatever I want as long as I don't touch his mushrooms."

On "mushrooms",  Floyd gagged quite loudly.

"Kay, your turn."

"Oh, well," your first thought was to tell Floyd that gossip was typically when you talk negatively about someone, but then you realized it would just be easier to play along. 

"Uh, I really appreciate his patience, and how he's so collected even under pressure. And how he can be so sweet and thoughtful, like he knows what I want before I even know I want it, and…"

You trailed off as you started to feel your cheeks heat up.

"And?" 

Why did Floyd sound so smug?

"That's it," you squeaked out.

"No, there's something else. I can tell, Shrimpy."

"Nope," you said, popping the p, and attempting to wriggle away from Floyd.

"Hmm… okay, you'll tell me someday."

  ….

For most people, that would mean that they were dropping the conversation until the person was ready to talk. For Floyd, that meant drop it, until the next time you see that person.

"So, what was that last thing you liked about Jade?"

"Hey Shrimpy, it's not nice to keep secrets."

"You're hurting my feelings. Tell me what you think of my brother!"

Floyd Leech. An ever living nightmare to both his friends and his enemies.

Two weeks into this, and still no sign of Jade, though other people had told you he was still going to classes and working at the lounge. Meanwhile, Floyd was at your side pushing for that last thing at all hours of the day. 

You would have to add another thing to your list of traits you appreciated in Jade. He would have already known what you were trying to hide from him. Yes, he'd give you hell for it, but…

Wait.

"Shrimpy, what…."

"New game, Floyd!" You said a little too loudly.

Even he seemed startled, but you had to test your theory.

"We're gonna talk about what we hate about Jade."

Floyd's eyes widened.

"Wait…"

"I hate that  he has to suck up to Azul. I mean talk about a weak man. Without Azul backing him up he's nothing."

Floyd turned a little pale, and whispered, "Shrimpy, I wouldn't…."

"Oh, and then there's the fact that he never says what he's thinking. Talk about pretentious."

"And-"

You were cut off by a hand covering your mouth from behind, and the conflicting scents of the sea and crisp mountain air.

"You are very clever, my precious pearl. How long did you know?" Jade's voice whispered in your ear.

You could lie. You could say you knew he was watching you the entire time you couldn't find him. You could say you knew Floyd was trying to push you in his direction.

But he'd know you were lying. So what was the point? So when he removed his hand from your mouth, you turned your head over your shoulder to meet his piercing gaze, and said,

"I just figured it out. Well played, though."

He hummed in acknowledgement, before turning to Floyd.

"You can go now, thank you for your help."

Apparently, the only thing that could scare Floyd was Jade. Because he practically ran.

"Now, please tell me that last thing you wouldn't tell Floyd."

"I don't think you deserve it. It wasn't very nice of you to disappear on me. Besides, you already know what I was going to say, I'm sure of it."

"Hmm," he hummed, before tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I believe I do, but I need you to say it to be sure."

Your cheeks warmed again, and you stubbornly turned away. 

"I see," he hummed. You could practically feel his smile piercing into your back.

"Well then, I suppose it's time for me to disappear again."

You quickly grabbed his wrist.

"I think you are so beautiful," you said quickly, knowing full well that he would follow through on his threat.

He tilted his head to the side, as though telling you to continue.

"And, and, when I'm with you I have butterflies in my stomach, and you make me feel so loved and seen, and I've been so sad since I haven't been able to talk to you these last couple weeks, and you've caught me, you don't need to keep hunting, so please come back to me."

Your words were a rush, but he must have caught all of it because his smile turned soft, and a gloved hand came to caress your cheek.

"My precious pearl," he whispered. "No one has ever dared to feel that way about me."

"Well, I'm a big kid. I'm not scared of you," you said, slightly defensive. 

His eyes flashed and his smile became a grin.

"I know, that's what I love about you."

"Just kiss me, you smooth talker," you muttered.

Luckily for you, Jade specializes in giving people what they want.

....

Tag list-@shytastemakerthing @leonia0 @eccedentesiast-sapphic

[echo-goes-mmm]

Kitty Elliot AU #5

Masterpost

Previous

Next

Warnings: none

Elliot silently watched Ambrose prep for dinner, his tail tucked between his legs. 

“Do you like mushrooms?” Ambrose asked conversationally. 

Elliot said nothing, which seemed to be his default. Maybe he couldn’t, and wasn’t that a disturbing thought.

“I’m making oxtails,” he continued. “It takes a while to cook, but braised oxtail and mushrooms are one of my favorites.”

He glanced over at Elliot, who was still anxiously pressed against the lower cabinets. Poor thing.

Ambrose got the cast iron pot from storage. It was a large pot, one he used for stews.

“I like to use as much of an animal as I can,” he said, scraping the mushrooms into the pot with the back of his knife. “It’s more respectful, I think.”

He added the onions, garlic, and ground pepper. 

“Little Wood is a farming community, and they work so hard. I don’t want to waste their efforts, you know?”

___________________

Master was talking at him.

Elliot couldn’t really be bothered to pay attention, not with a knife in Master’s hands.

There were few things more dangerous than a Master’s hands. They hurt and grabbed and took things.

Besides, it didn’t matter that Master was chatting. Elliot had no permission- or want- to speak back, and the inane talk of ‘favorite food’ and ‘wastefulness’ meant nothing. They weren’t commands.

Elliot didn’t have a favorite anyway; he only ate what was given. 

The consequences of stealing weren’t worth it.

He watched as Master tore up herbs and ground up spices. It smelled good, and it made his mouth water.

Elliot swallowed his longing and carefully edged around Master and darted out the doorway.

And ran straight into James.

“Move, cat,” James huffed, shoving him aside and into the wood of the bar. It dug into his bruises, sending pains both sharp and dull through his body. Elliot bit back a yelp, and James passed by without a second glance. 

It was his fault for being in the way. 

He pulled himself away from the bar, wincing. Pets should be quiet and not underfoot. 

He made his way further into the dining room. It was empty for now, and the birds still sang. Sunlight came through the windows and looked so warm and inviting-

He hopped on the nearest window ledge, opting to sprawl out in the sun. He cushioned his head on his arms, and lay listening to the birds.

___________________

Elliot didn’t mean to doze off, but the sudden sound of a bell had him jolting awake.

The front door opened and closed with a ring of metal and his heart pounded.

But it was only a villager, come for dinner, no doubt. 

The air smelled strongly of tender beef and fresh bread, and he knew he wasn’t wanted here. Or at least, he didn’t want so many eyes on him.

He scrambled off the windowsill and slipped upstairs.

___________________

“Evening, Micheal.” Ambrose nodded at Mr. Tallow as he sat at the bar. “Dinner?”

“Please.”

Ambrose loaded a plate with beef, gravy, veggies, and a biscuit. He poured an ale, and slid the two across the bar.

“I saw a catfolk in the window.”

“He’s a guest.” He poured a few beers, handing it off to James to serve to a table.

“Little far from home, isn’t he?” Michael asked, taking a sip of ale. 

Ambrose shrugged, stacking empty glasses. “He hasn’t said.” He hasn’t said anything. At all. “How’s the wheat coming along?”

“Changing the subject, hm?” Micheal shook his head, teasing.

Ambrose shrugged, wiping down the bar. “I’d rather not gossip about my guests.”

“With that attitude, you’re just going to make people more curious. Is he staying long?”

Ambrose didn’t have many friends in town. Mostly just acquaintances; people who respected him but didn’t really know him.

Micheal was one of them. Maybe he could trust him to keep things discrete.

“Look, it’s really no one’s business. Elliot is shy, and scared, and he can stay as long as he wants.”

“Scared?” Micheal repeated, his brow furrowed.

“Just do me a favor and make sure it isn’t a big deal, yeah?”

Micheal nodded, taking another sip of ale. “You got it.”

___________________

Elliot curled up on the bed, waiting.

There must be at least a dozen people downstairs, talking and chatting and eating.

The smells were almost overwhelming, and the noise was palpable. He was sure he’d get used to it eventually, but it almost made him wish for the muffled quiet of the box.

Just the quiet. Not the box.

After hours of waiting, the people began to leave. Slowly but surely, the inn sounded empty, and Elliot’s stomach was once again wanting.

He poked his head out the door and listened. Nothing but Master and the sound of softly clinking dishes. Perfect.

Elliot quietly padded down the stairs and into the kitchen. No doubt Master would be clearing the plates, and if he were lucky, the scraps would be his dinner.

He knelt by the counter and waited for his owner.

___________________

Ambrose nearly dropped the stack of dishes he was carrying when he saw the cat boy on the floor.

His eyes were trained on the ground, but his twitching tail betrayed nervousness.

“Uh, hey,” he said, setting the dishes by the sink. “Did you come down for some dinner?”

Elliot looked up at him, whining. His hands came up to his chest, the picture of begging. His eyes glanced at the dirty plates on the counter, lingering on the scraps of food.

Definitely not. 

“Wait right here,” he said, turning to grab a clean plate. Elliot whimpered behind him, and Ambrose’s heart panged. 

“I’m not going to feed you bones and crumbs, sweetheart. You need more than that,” he reassured him, filling up the plate.

He glanced over at Elliot, who’s wide eyes were trained on the food in his hands.

“I don’t suppose you feel like sitting at a table this time?”

Elliot didn’t seem to hear him, too distracted.

Well, baby steps.

He put the plate on the floor in front of him, and Elliot eagerly looked up.

“Go ahead, it’s fine.”

Elliot used his hands at least, tearing apart the biscuits and sopping up the gravy with the bread.

Ambrose turned back to the sink, and started on the dishes.

taglist: @cupcakes-and-pain @secretwhumplair @paintedpigeon1 @whump-blog @whump-em

@thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @starfields08000 @littlespacecastle @mylovelyme @whump-cravings

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[kekaki-cupcakes]

Heeey

Hope u're doing well

Please can I request a connor stoll x reader one shot where the mom (the reader) is going out with friends after all the pregnancy period, and it is the first time Connor is taking care of the baby all by himself for the evening

Have a good day

Can't believe that this was the request that brought me out of my writing slump lol. I have so many requests that I'm trying to write for right now and I figured people would rather have a short blurb than nothing at all, so this is only like 0.8k words. Sorry babes, hope you enjoy. Xx

pizza night--- Connor Stoll x reader [parent fic]

»»————-　★　————-««

-First of all Connor would be literally the best dad ever.

-I mean, like, obviously your baby would grow up knowing far too many swear words and probably ties people's shoes together when they're not looking, but no ones actually surprised.

-You would be able to take the cutest photos of your baby asleep on his chest in front of the tv or dancing in the kitchen while dinner cooked [you know when little kids stand on your feet and you hold their hands to dance? He would do that]. 

-He’d also for the first time not steal from a lolly shop when he takes the baby and lets them pick out the lollies from the pick and mix tubs. He’d hold the baby up like Simba at the start of The Lion King. You know the scene. 

-But that’s after the baby stops crying every night and can wear shoes that totally have little wings drawn on them. 

-When you’re laying on the couch eating ice cream with sprinkles and Connor is cleaning up baby vomit or something and your friends start spamming the group chat to get your attention, you’d just ignore it to begin with.

-Who wants to go out when there’s a screaming two week old baby at home and you’ve got cramps absolutely everywhere? To go and talk about babies when you literally never want to explain why you chose the name you did and why the baby is wearing a Lightning McQueen onesie [Cecil].

-But Connor hears the pings of your phone and [after turning it off so as to not wake the baby] he decides that you're going to have a great night out with your friends who would have to promise no baby talk or strenuous exercise. 

-So you’re all dressed up in comfortable clothing and flat shoes [no post pregnant person is walking around in stilettos, and you might be amazing, but you’re not that amazing], ready to go out for a night of gossip and drinks, or pizza and relaxing, depending on your mood, when you realize that this would be the first time Connor is on baby duty without you pottering around the house somewhere or napping. 

-He promises that everything will be fine and if the baby doesn’t go to bed he’ll just call Clovis over. 

-He then had to promise that he will not in fact put a spell on the newborn and will be very responsible and baby you don’t have to worry he’s been watching youtube tutorials on this stuff for eight months and seven days. 

-On a completely unrelated note, you found out you were pregnant about eight months and seven days ago.

-So you’re pushed out the door into your friend's car and Connor realizes he should probably take advantage of the fact the baby is sleeping in the other room to prepare for what would hopefully be an uneventful night.

-He mixes together the milf formula and leaves it in the fridge before ordering pizza. Take out or baked goods that his siblings dropped off while they zoomed around the city going to and from whatever it was they were doing had become the go to for meals since baby duty became the main concern and most food burnt on the stove in minutes. 

-Connor always orders meatlovers, but picks the sausage bits off and puts mushrooms on top. 

-It’s the best.

-Unfortunately babies can’t eat the greatest pizza ever, so after doing the washing and tidying up the utter chaos of your three bedroom house [one for you and Connor, one for your kid, and the spare room for Travis. Connor had one at Travis’s apartment too], ringing the hospital to book in that check up appointment for a few days away, paying the pizza delivery girl, and sitting down for approximately four minutes until the baby began crying, he took the milk out of the fridge and went to the living room. 

-Connor held the baby with one arm, wiping drool off the tiny onesie, and turned on the TV. Luckily for him, your baby loved watching the colors move and make noise. 

-You were adamant about not raising an Ipad KidTM, but he figured Netflix was an exception. 

-He looked down for the baby's reaction when pausing on each movie.

-A bored gurgle at Lightning McQueen [Cecil would riot], a blank stare at Taylor Swift’s new movie, and then a screaming fit when he played the trailer for The Hunger Games [probably not a good idea to begin with] and he moved onto better half of his favorite movies. 

-He pressed play on an all time classic.

-Connor’s child needed to have impeccable taste, or he just might ignore them until they tried to take over the world.

-Too soon?

“Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you just might miss it.”

»»————-　★　————-««

[a-really-mediocre-writer]

angel of small death, chapter two

Daryl x OC Slowburn

Summary for entire work: Piper, a 19 year old girl, alongside her 16 year old sister, Dina, are thrust into a dead-infested wasteland of the world they once knew. Having had a difficult home life before turn, will this new world be a sweet release?

<< T W O >>

Around two hours of work around the camp went by, with Lori suspiciously avoiding eye contact and having hushed conversations with Shane, him glaring at me. I keep staring over in their direction, observing, and trying to figure out what has happened.

“…What’s that about?” Amy asks, making me jump.

“Jesus! You scared me…” I reply, “I’m not too sure… I asked him about his shift last night and he got cagey…”

“Weird…”

“Very…” I keep watching them both until I notice Shane walking away out of sight and Lori approaching us, me and Amy pretending we hadn’t been watching them.

“I’m gonna head out and try get some…mushrooms…” She picks up a red bucket from near Amy and we both nod, mumbling out okays as she walks off alone into the woods. Amy and I look between ourselves and then to the woods, pulling confused looks to each other, continuing to gossip amongst ourselves as we keep sorting through food for everyone tonight.

An hour later, meal prep had been finished and we decide to have a much-needed break, walking over towards the slope leading to the water, but we stop in our tracks when the radio starts echoing a strange man’s voice.

“Hello? Hello? Can anybody hear my voice?” Amy takes off towards the sound and tries to communicate with the stranger as everyone in the camp gathers around, with Shane and Lori coming out of the woods together.

“I tried to warn him, he couldn’t hear me.” Amy stresses to Dale as he approaches.

“Come on son you know best how to work these things.” Dale calls Shane over to the radio. He tries to speak and fails to connect. “He’s gone.”

“There are others…It’s not just us…” Lori says, holding Carl near to her, “I’ve been saying we should put up signs on the roads to warn people away from the city.” Everyone’s attention is on her, as she gulps and stares at Shane. The tension between the pair could be cut with a knife.

“We knew that, right? It’s why we left the CB on? We don’t have the time to go out and help others.”

The two continue to argue until Lori storms off, clearly pissed at Shane, and he follows her towards her tent in the camp. Amy and I share a glance and I raise an eyebrow, both of us giggling. We both end up going to the water, putting our feet in and chatting for a while until almost two hours have passed and Dina disturbs us to say that everyone is looking for us to start cooking dinner for the camp. Huffing, we both grab our shoes and make our way back with Dina, them both walking ahead of me joking and laughing with each other as I look out onto the water. It is so relaxing. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, soaking up the view, until my brain break is interrupted by the radio going off again at the camp, T-Dog’s voice rattling through the camp.

“Yo, this is T-Dog- Anybody out there hear me?” I rush up to the camp and see the worried looks on everyone’s faces while Dale asks him to repeat himself.

“W- Tra-ed- Depart- -ore” He tries to get through us as the radio breaks up.

“Trapped?” I repeat, looking around for reassurance from the camp that they heard what I did, locking eyes with Lori, who responds that she heard him say they were in the department store.

“I heard it too” multiple people around the camp agree and chat amongst themselves, everyone looking to Shane for an answer.

“We need to send help-“ Amy pleads to the officer, who shakes his head at her, “She volunteered to go- to help the rest of us!” She continues to try to reason with him but he isn’t listening.

“So she knew the risks, right? See if she’s trapped, she’s gone.” He coldly says staring into her eyes with a frustrated look.

“She is my sister, you son of a bitch.” She runs off upset, Lori shouting after her and following her to try and comfort her while everyone else scatters. You glare at Shane. He is supposed to be our leader, yet he wants to leave half of our group stranded in the middle of the city? He is so willing to let go of people it just doesn’t make sense- he puts himself and his family first when he should be protecting ALL of us.

“What? Got sumn you wanna say?” He asks me, breaking me out of my trance. I pull an irritated face at him, “Yeah actually, I do.” He scoffs at me and walks off, but I follow him, “Who gave you the right to lead us? You are supposed to be keeping everyone safe, but you don’t care that half of our manpower are stranded and in danger!” I rant at him and he suddenly stops in the middle of the tents, turning around to face me and clearly frustrated with me.

“Who else would you have lead us? Huh? You? You ain’t got the first clue on how to lead, so you best stop putting your nose where it ain’t belong.”

“You threatening me again, Walsh?” You stand your ground this time, earning another scoff from him. We both stare each other down until he gets sick of it and walks away, muttering that he has real work to do.

Not too long after the argument, a siren bounces across the mountains towards the camp. Dale looks out towards it, saying it was a stolen car, followed by a bright red car with race stripes speeding round the corner and parking up at the entrance of the camp. Everyone is shouting asking questions as Glenn gets out the car holding his hands up.

“Pop the damn- POP THE DAMNED HOOD!” Shane repeats, getting louder every time he orders.

“Where is she? Why isn’t she with you?” The worry is coloured over Amy’s face as the siren stops and Glenn catches his breath.

“She’s fine- Everyone’s fine!” He looks around as if waiting for someone else to come up behind him, “Well…Merle not so much…”

Shane and Dale continue arguing about how it was dangerous to drive the car to the camp, as it could have drawn walkers to us, but Amy and I are just silently appreciating that everyone made it out of the city.

Not too long after this, a large truck parks up behind Glenn’s car and everyone is reunited with their family and friends. Seeing the heartfelt reunions, my sister grabs my hand and we just smile at each other, and I lean my head on hers.

Out of nowhere, a new guy dressed in a sheriff’s uniform steps out from the cars and Lori and Carl run to him screaming “DAD!”. The man, Rick, begins sobbing and holds them both close, making everyone smile.

The reactions of Lori and Shane, however, were ones of guilt and shock, and even some resentment from Shane. He catches me watching him and snaps out of his trance, contorting his face into a fake smile with eyes glaring daggers into the back of Rick’s head and then at me. I look away from him but keep him in my peripheral.

As everyone made their way back into the camp to get back to business as usual, I get grabbed by my arm and roughly dragged behind the RV out of the view of everyone else and slammed against the vehicle with a hand over my mouth by none other than Shane Walsh. Heavy breathing from shock and anger, he keeps the hand over my mouth for a while longer pulling a serious face and lifting a finger to his mouth to tell me to stay quiet. Glaring at him I nod; he slowly removes the hand from my mouth and glares right back at me.

“You’re gonna listen to me an’ listen good,” He traps me in place with his arm leaning against the RV next to my head, “Whatever you have against me, Ima need ya to keep that mouth of yours shut. If you don’t, people will believe me when I tell them you got bit or tried to kill me. I know how to get rid of you without people finding out.” My eyes go wide and confused. What the fuck is he talking about? Were me and Amy right about him and Lori? Does he really think I would spoil her husband and child’s family reunion based on a hunch…? This is worse than I thought…

“You understand, darlin’?”

“What’s in it for me? Your word you won’t kill me?” Squinting at him I cock my head while he continues glaring a hole into my skull. We keep staring at each other intensely until we both jump at the sound of Dale asking what’s going on and saying that he needs to talk to me. Without missing a beat, Shane is now forehead to forehead with me, “I meant what I said, girl.” He whispers into my face as he caresses my cheek. “All yers, Dale.” He shouts to him and walks away without looking back at us.

I look up at the elderly man and ask what’s up, embarrassed, only to be asked if I have any tissue paper or wrapping paper, explaining that it’s Amy’s birthday in a few days and that Andrea has a gift to give her. “I’ll have a look round mine and Dina’s stuff for you.” I say with a fake smile and leave. What am I gonna do about this? If Shane is that worried about me spilling his secret, then surely he will try to get rid of me regardless of if I keep it or not…

That night we all are listening to Rick’s crazy story of survival before the subject of Merle Dixon comes back up. I feel some guilt towards him, I mean I told him that he should get lost out there…I put that out there, people heard it, now I feel awful- yes he deserved to not come back to the camp, but not chained and stuck to the roof of a building in the middle of the city full of the dead.

“…That’s on all of us.” T-Dog finishes telling everyone about his guilt as well and walks away from the fire after a long day.

“I’m gonna turn in.” I say quietly to Dina to which she nods, and I say goodnight getting up and walking away, falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

What a long day.

I awaken by the sun shining through the thin tent material and hitting my face. Dina is still sound asleep, so I quietly get dressed and slip out to start my chores for the day. Glancing around, I see that there are only a few other people awake and up. I go down to the water in the quarry and seeing that it is void of other people, I get out of my socks and shoes and dip my feet in the water, sitting just out of it to wake myself up and reading a novel that Glenn got me from his run into the city.

Walking up after time to myself I see that everyone is up and around the camp, and see that Glenn is desperately pleading his case and trying to stop Dale and Jim from stripping his new car, only to fail miserably, earning a pitiful pat on the back from me as he complains about it.

“You never know, you might find a better one next time.”

“It’s the coolest car I’ve ever driven…” he mutters to himself as they start to take it apart, “Look at them…vultures…Yeah, go on, strip it clean!” suddenly Rick appears behind us both. “Maybe we will get to steal another one someday.”

I leave them both to it and go about helping Amy, Andrea and Lori with putting wet clothes out to dry and folding others. Lori and Rick end up getting into a conversation about Merle and he says that he wants to go back and save him, only to get cut off by the children of the camp screaming for their mothers. Immediately everyone drops everything and sprints towards the wound into the woods, Lori and Jaqui holding them close as the rest of us run towards where they were coming from. There was a walker feasting on a deer with arrows in its body. Standing back from the action with Amy and  Andrea, we watch as Dale beheads the walker.

Rustling from the bushes startles everyone.

“Son of a bitch- That’s mah deer!”

“Easy son…”

“Whaddaya know abo’ it old man? Take that stupid hat and go back to On Golden Pond!” Everyone is silent as none other than Daryl Dixon rants on, kicking whatever undead life was left in the walker out of it and shooting the reincarnated head with an arrow.

“Gotta be the brain, ain’t yall know nothin?” He collects his arrows and glances up at us, glaring in disbelief at everyone’s stupidity, until locking eyes with me for a second but then immediately putting his head back down.

“Yo Merle! Get yo ugly ass out here! Got us some squirrel” Everyone in the camp tenses, waiting for the inevitable argument to ensue. Which it does. Between himself and Rick Grimes.

“Lemme process this- You sayin’ ya handcuffed mah brother to a roof- an’ you left him there?!”

“Yeah.”

Then, Daryl lunges at the officer with a knife, getting taken down and held in a chokehold by Shane. I watch in disbelief as he continues holding the distressed man on the ground, shaking my head and covering my mouth. Daryl looks around at everyone watching the violence and his eyes seem to avoid me, face flushing and closing his eyes.

Once everyone has calmed down, he lets him go and a small group of men build a rescue team for Merle and a mystery bag of guns and a radio. Watching him sharpening his knife, my mind winds back to the squirrel left outside of my tent, and I want to ask him about it but it doesn’t feel like the right time, so I sit alone with my own thoughts, hearing everyone argue and volunteer for the rescue team.

I wonder if everyone would send out a search party for me life this when Shane gets rid of me.

---

A/N its been a few days since an update, so this chapter is extra long- not too much daryl content yet but i promise there will be soon guys

taglist:

@azanoni

[kaeyachi]

Random Kaeya HCs I have:

- he can knit and crochet. The grannies taught him that. His favorite work so far was a tiny bucket hat for Klee that she sometimes put on top of Dodoco

- he also gossips with the grannies. Kaeya lives for it. The people around his age don't know where he get his information on them.

- he is a very good artist. He usually draws for Klee's survival guide and making treasure maps

- speaking of treasure maps, I bet he saw random treasure chests as a child while going around with his biological father. His childhood imagination treated it like pirate treasure

- he actually can't wink, but no one could tell because he has always worn an eyepatch (he told Diluc when they were younger. Diluc wonders why Kaeya told him, and Kaeya explains that no one would believe him. Diluc despairs)

- he's a picky eater. The food has to taste right or else he wouldn't like it

- you can tell if he likes to eat something based on how slow he eats it

- that kinda led him to not finish his food on multiple occasions when on a rush at work unfortunately

- yes Diluc has scolded him about that before, especially back when Diluc was cavalry captain (now, Diluc would sometimes place a plate of mushroom skewers when Kaeya is looking a bit too fatigued at the bar)

- He can run well with heels on (he figured that if he had to do an infiltration it would be smart to be able to run no matter what disguise he uses) and has once made men under his command run laps with them on, to the amusement of many, especially the female knights who were being bullied at the time

- like Jean, he has his own fair share of children who would like to be like him one day. He doesn't like talking nor thinking about it. He definitely doesn't want them to end up like him

- thanks to all the time in his youth playing with a slingshot, he actually ended up being great with a bow and arrow as well

- he chose to continue using a sword because to him, it is more thrilling to get close to his opponent

- in his teens, he actually had a fleeting idea of studying at the akademiya just to get to Sumeru, but eventually decided against it because he now wanted to stay with the Ragnvindrs

- he thought about it again when Diluc left, but he wanted to get Eroch and the other corrupt officials out of their positions more

I'm ending it here for now. I'll make more next time!

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

taking away mc ships, what are you shipping in the our life cinematic universe?

okay so mcs are all off the table damn

hhhHHHHNNNNGHHH i had to think about this one for a minute

quick tldr:

lee/ren

derek/ren

baxter/liz

cove/baxter

opal/cliff

vianca/liz

serenity/tamarack

cove/tamarack

derek/tamarack

derek/qiu

okay so my first one might be a hear me out-er butー lee and ren. our sweet cousin lee and ren murray. LIKE CAN Y'ALL SEE MY VISION??? they would be the cutest girlfriends. like, lee is bright and forward but she's gentle and patient enough that ren's shyness wouldn't be something that grates her? and she'd gently coax ren out of her shell

lee doesn't give 'outdoorsy' girl, but she would definitely try out camping and hiking for ren because lee's the type to go out of her way like that. so yeah, definitely ship lee and ren for sure

another compatible person for ren that i can see is derek? like omg that would so fucking cute to me! both of them are sportsy, derek is literally a golden retriever in the shape of a person. he's very considerate and he takes that into account if ren comes over to hang out with his family, knowing when she needs her space

but if derek is putting too much pressure on himself, ren is there to tell him just that. she doesn't say it unkindly though. she just wants her bf to not be his biggest critic. and they love doing any outdoor activity together. when they get their families together, its suarezs versus murrays and afterwards they go to a family restaurant and talk the night away

ironically enough, even though baxter had a canonical crush on qiu when they were kids i don't see it moving past that. it's a crush fond to baxter's heart and he keeps it at that, a fond memory. definitely would never tell them ever. but if i was gonna ship him with anybody in the expansive universe of ol...

hear me out but i feel like liz and baxter would be surprisingly compatible. like, she doesn't take any bs and would get the guy to talk and open up. but if someone comes for him, she is right there in his corner ready to bat for her man. they'd have some good banter as well i think?

i think cove and baxter could also work if it's their step 4 selves. baxter is finally done running away from things and being more genuine and vulnerable and while cove is slow to warm up to people, he would see baxter is trying and slowly but surely their "we only hangout if our mutual friends invite us to the same space" turns into texting each of their own accord and eventually that becomes hanging out of their own accord

then the next thing you know, baxter is asking cove out on a date

oooh yes, i see it more clearly. cove and baxter would be a delicious slowburn for sure, it's drinking and leaving no molecules

i ship opal and yusuf together and i'm really hoping something comes from that when we get the full game however comma.... opal and cliff? i kinda see it and it kinda eats

outside of vianca's canonical gf, vianca and liz give power couple vibes. i don't think i need to expand on that, we all know i'm right and we all know it would eat

if i can't be with my autumn queen tamarack, i would want her to date serenity? they just seem like they would be the cutest cottage core gf/goth gf combination and the two friends in the group that everyone goes to for advice/drama. they gossip about it over tea and still they're the most wholesome couple you know

cove and tamarack also just seem like they'd be very cute together? summer boyfriend meets autumn girlfriend. in a childhood neighbors to friends to lovers type beat, i know they wouldn't get along as their step 1 selves. cove would be pretty put off by how loud and wild tam was at first. plus, neither of them would really like the same activities as the other

tamarack finds the beach boring and stagnant because she's a forest girlie and it isn't like cove is one to just be in the forest and forage mushrooms all day. but during one night when cove tries running away, strangely enough it's the loud girl he doesn't normally enjoy being with sticking with him the whole time and a friendship is birthed from that

step 2, cove is so there for tamarack when she is dealing with everything with her parents. and by step 3, he's telling tamarack he's been in love with with her since they were teens

chef's kiss, cove/tamarack hits different

step 1 derek sees this:

and immediately falls in love, i don't think i need to expand further on that. y'all know how derek is and i feel like everything i said about cove comforting tam can be applied here as well. he'd try to shoot his shot with making a marriage promise with tam too i see it very clearly

and, don't get mad at me for repeating myself but

step 1 derek sees this:

and immediately falls in love. but since qiu is a popular kid, good luck, my guy. at least derek can rest assured knowing that qiu's his good buddy and slightly more special than the rest. i think with qiu he might feel too nervous to do the marriage promise thing since qiu is a popular kid and who knows if he's already received a ton of those

in a scenario where they aren't close as step 1 folk though or qiu pushes derek away during their step 2 phase, derek is hurt but he still tries putting in the effort to rebuild that bridge, letting qiu know he's there regardless of what they're going through until finally... qiu reaches back

they had their ups and their downs but qiu appreciates derek not giving up on them and sticking with them through the hard times

by the time qiu is back to their normal rizzler self, derek's busy with sports and it is hard for them to meet up with each other but they stay in contact. but step 4 would be when they get together because derek let's it drop he had a crush on qiu when they were kids "haha definitely over it NOW though" (he is not)

qiu gains a crush on derek between steps 2 and 3 but never said anything because they kinda felt after being such a jerk to derek during a good chunk of high school, he doesn't deserve to pursue him but after hearing derek had a crush on him qiu decides they're gonna shoot their shot (happy ending ofc though)

i'm leaving terry and randy out of this though, they're too fucking cute for me to separate

[underthetree845]

ADA Members as High School Students- Headcannons

All the characters are of high school age, except for Fukuzawa who is a teacher.

I might do the older ADA members as teachers eventually, but I wanted to focus on them all as students for now.

Includes: Dazai Osamu, Kunikida Doppo, Ranpo Edogawa, Atsushi Nakajima, Kyoka Izumi, Miyazawa Kenji, Yosano Akiko, Fukuzawa Yukichi

Cws: mentions of suicide (because it's dazai), mentions of school fights, school life, mentions of bullying, school counseling

Dazai Osamu:

Would mess with the underclassmen by sending them on a wild goose chase for the nonexistent school elevator or something like that. 

Takes advantage of his friends and always gets them to do his assignments for him (that habit obviously carried into adulthood). 

Proudly holds the record for the most unexcused tardies in one school year. 

The teacher keeps trying to call on him to answer a question when he seems like he’s slacking off but Dazai always answers correctly, that devilish little unapologetic grin on his face. 

Literally never studies. 

The teachers can’t tell if he cheats or is just really intelligent, but if he were cheating, they wouldn’t be able to catch him. 

(He doesn’t cheat by the way, but he never explicitly denies it). 

Has been confessed to at least three times, (he scared them away when he asked if they’d be willing to commit double suicide with him). 

The guidance counselors keep trying to schedule a meeting with him to talk about his “suicidal tendencies,” but then he just shows up on mushrooms or something and they’re like “Nevermind.” 

Drama queen. 

Used to be part of this questionable after school club (Mori was the faculty advisor) that got disbanded. 

Pulls pranks on the faculty and other students (mostly Chuuya), particularly ones he has some reason to hold spite against.

Never gets caught. 

Smooth liar. 

Completely up with the gossip too. 

Those career path quizzes never know what to do with him, he gets a jumble of results. 

The underclassmen have no idea who Oda is, but they know you should never bring him up around Dazai.

Lots of rumors circulating as to why he wears his bandages. 

Probably hides Kunikida’s glasses so he can’t see the board. 

Surprisingly good at writing, language arts is his best subject.

Kunikida Doppo: 

Constantly threatening to snitch on Dazai but never does. 

This audio. 

The kid that asks for clarification on assignments and ends up reminding the teacher that they meant to give homework. Doesn’t see the problem with it. 

Does. not. condone. bullying. He’ll push up his glasses and emotionally destroy the perpetrators before filing a fancy report to the faculty advisor. 

Keeps a planner notebook. Very meticulous and organized, he’s proud of it. 

Probably class rep. 

Takes way too many things way too seriously. 

Has never missed a deadline. Ever. 

Every single one of his pencils is somehow always sharpened and perfect. 

Strongly believes that wooden pencils are superior to mechanical ones. 

Good at math, but also art. He sees the canvas as a kind of graph, does particularly well with landscapes. 

Very serious about getting proper nutrients from what he eats and drinks throughout the day, he plans his lunches for the week ahead of time.

Does very well in debate class too.

Always perfectly in uniform, scolds Dazai when he has his tie loose or didn’t button up his blazer or something like that. 

Ranpo Edogawa: 

Does favors for people when it gets close to Valentine’s Day to make sure he’ll get some chocolates. 

Do I even need to say it- ALWAYS snacking in class. 

Coerces as much free food out of other students as possible. 

Eventually they pick up on his game and stop feeding him. 

Snitches on people flawlessly in the middle of class, the culprit fuming, the teacher dumbfounded. Maybe he can get away with snacks once in a while. 

When people ask him to help them study he usually just redirects them to Atsushi. 

That kid that’s always leaning his chair back way too far but never falls.

The faculty has basically given up on punishing him. After school detention?- more sleeping time. Extra homework?- doesn’t even break a sweat.

Knows exactly who is cheating on the test, gets offered bribes from both the students cheating so he doesn’t tell on them and the teachers who want to know who it is.

That one kid that just shoves looseleaf crumpled paper into their backpack, seems like they’ve never used a binder in their life. Somehow turns everything in just fine. 

Says he doesn’t have gum on him when he’s literally chewing a piece. 

Always goes and visits/annoys Fukuzawa when he can. Fukuzawa actually doesn’t mind and Ranpo enjoys getting to talk to his favorite teacher. 

Doesn’t even check the board when tests results come out, he already knows what he got, and can easily guess the others’ scores too. 

Most people couldn’t actually tell you what his eye color is. 

Fukuzawa is the only teacher Ranpo will actually take a lecture from seriously, the other administrators have to call him over when they need to scold the boy.

Atsushi Nakajima: 

The only one who did their part in the group project. 

Always offering to help the teachers, tutors other students, etc. etc.

An angel, really. Akutagawa is the only one able to make him upset. 

Extremely apologetic, would probably help the janitor clean up if he ever accidentally made a mess. 

Probably tried out for a part in a school production at least once. 

Turning heads from around the room when he reveals that he plays piano. 

So shy about it though, he probably didn’t even mean to say it. 

Dazai gave him a pep talk before his first performance. 

After that, he starts to come out of his shell in music class, does well in music theory too. 

Would literally die if he ever received a love letter or anything of the sort. 

Doesn’t like to share who his favorite teachers are out of fear of hurting their feelings. 

Definitely has a bond with at least one facilitator, is probably friends with the janitor and cafeteria cooks. 

Wouldn’t hesitate to give his umbrella to someone if it were raining after school.

Found a blue-eyed kitten on his walk home once. It’s his now, he kept it, and Dazai absolutely adores it. 

Always has index cards or post-it notes on him to quickly write something down or give someone a piece of information. 

Makes specific playlists for studying different subjects. 

Kyoka Izumi: 

When she entered school, there was a lot of talk about her past; it ranged from what happened to her parents to saying she’d kill you if you even looked at her. Became a social outcast. :(

As soon as Atsushi caught wind of the rumors, he immediately shut them down, jumping to her defense whenever he could.

Now she’ll death glare at anyone being mean to him. 

Doesn’t understand the concept of a school dance, she only went because the others seemed excited about it. 

Actually ended up having a great time, replaying the fond memories in her head the next day. 

A sucker for bunny keychains. She has the one on her phone, yes, but also a few on her backpack and maybe pencil pouch.

Atsushi gave one of them to her for her birthday, she doesn’t even know how he found out when her birthday is.

She refuses to allow her phone to be confiscated (for obvious reasons).

Doesn’t use it in class or when she’s not supposed to or anything like that, but if a teacher is having a particularly bad day and decides to try to take it from her, her grip is unassailable.

Fukuzawa knows what happened to her, so he usually steps in to diffuse the situation and get the teacher to let it go.

She finds watercolor time in art class pleasantly therapeutic. 

The only one who helps Atsushi with the group assignment. 

Fukuzawa’s favorite student. They get each other. 

Kenji Miyazawa: 

Literally every teacher wishes they had him in their class. 

His only issue is that he keeps forgetting you have to wear close-toed shoes to school, he can never remember to change them.

So many athletic teams want him to join them, but he remains loyal to the garden club. 

Has impressed the school nurse with his home remedies. 

Has (unknowingly) talked down a few fights. 

Smiles so brightly in his school photo every year. 

Does well in the environmental/botanical portion of science class. 

Incapable of holding a grudge. 

Really dislikes doing dissections. 

The meals he brings from home are the BEST- everyone always wants to try a bite. Kunikida has to shoo the others away so Kenji doesn’t give away his entire meal. 

One time at a school soccer match, Kenji was watching from the sidelines with some friends and one of the players kicked the ball his way. He got hit smack in the face and fell over, everyone thought he was out cold and was ready to call an ambulance, but he just stood up and brushed it off like it was nothing. His nose bled a little, but he assured everyone that he felt fine.

They had him checked out by the school nurse that day just to be sure. Yosano had a look at him too. 

Returns every single pen and pencil he borrows. 

Had never seen mechanical pencils before coming to Yokohama, was absolutely fascinated. 

Yosano Akiko: 

No one actually knows what the inside of her bag or locker looks like.

“When you first meet her and wonder why she’s single and now you’re three months into the relationship and you know why.” (No Yosano hate, I just feel like this has happened to people who thought she looked approachable at first glance). 

Keeps a hairbrush and bobby pins in her bag.

Checks every box, the prime example of that friend everyone needs. She’ll stick up for you, provide you with things you need, is really nice to talk to, gives AMAZING advice.

Some people are afraid of her, which is kind of fair. 

Hands-on learning experiments in science class are her favorite. 

Actually enjoys dissections. 

The butterfly clip is OFF LIMITS. Absolutely no one is allowed to touch it. 

Hardly ever has to use a calculator, she excels at quick mental math and long division problems. 

Completely prepared to perform CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, etc. at all times. 

I feel like she would keep houseplants on a shelf somewhere. Simple ones, dark leaves and pretty blossoms. 

Professor Mori, the psychology and human behavior teacher, is the only person in the entire school who can give her the chills. 

Has known she wants to be a doctor since the beginning of her school life. 

The teachers have tried to encourage her to at least consider creating a plan B, but she refuses. 

Probably critiques the school nurse and their methods so hard. “No, the gauze needs to be tighter than that if you actually want to stop the bleeding.” “Apply heat if you want the muscles to relax, not cold!” “Do you even know how to use an epi-pen?!”

I feel like Yosano can sing, she would probably do well in choir.

Could be persuaded to sing onstage for a school production if provided a good enough reason. I’m just saying it’s not completely off the table for her. 

Fukuzawa Yukichi:

The only student that knows his complete backstory is Ranpo, and he won’t tell anyone else because Fukuzawa pays him off with snacks in exchange. 

I could only really see him as a literary teacher.

One time he accidentally mentioned that he has a cat in class. Every student erupted into a series of exclamations and demanded pictures.

Now they get him cat-themed gifts on holidays and for his birthday, the man could not be happier. 

Naomi likes to come talk to him about random thoughts she has, things her brother does, she treats him like another one of her friends. 

Has the scariest serious voice, it’ll make any student shut their mouth. 

Likes to eat his lunches outside. 

Kyoka is his favorite student. Ranpo too, of course, but Fukuzawa and Kyoka hold a special kinship.

A handful of students can sense the mutual war between Fukuzawa and Mori, the psychology professor across the hall. (I considered anatomy or something like that for Mori, I just feel like psyche would be more fitting for him to actually teach). 

Fukuzawa and Mori are the faculty members that have been at the school the longest.

One time Atsushi brought Fukuzawa a warm turvis of his favorite tea because he “just looked a little tired yesterday” and that’s when he knew that he would be keeping his job for a long time. 

Always cooks his own meals and brings them for lunch, would rather die than have to survive off of instant ramen or something like that. 

His class is the only one ever completely behaved during the fire drills. 

[maaarshieee]

⎯⎯ ୨ Budding Love ୧ ⎯⎯

ੈ♡˳ Tighnari x Gn!Reader *ೃ༄

ੈ♡˳ 1.9k words ┊ Fluff *ೃ༄

ੈ♡˳ Masterlist *ೃ༄

author's note ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

the one i got for my secret santa is @aquatik for the @2022gisecretsanta event! Merry christmas, i hope you like this fic i wrote for you !! have a good day/night! ^^ its not Christmas themed or anything, just general fluff eheh I HOPE THIS IS GOOD ENOUGH DKCHDIHDD ❤❤❤

One of the more respectable merchants that has something to do with the forest Tighnari ever came across was a fellow botanist with a small stall in the Grand Bazaar in Sumeru City.

Collei was the one who told him about this particular stall, and the person who ran it, so he gave it a visit since she urged him to do so. He doesn't understand as to why she's so persistent, but he begrudgingly gave it a chance in his free time. He does love plants, so what's the harm of it?

Your business is quite slow, often overshadowed by other bigger stalls but it did very little to deter your passion for becoming a great florist as Collei described. What made you so different in Tighnari's eyes once he got to know you? It was definitely the genuine care for every plant you get your hands on, admiration of the structural composition of each flora, each mushroom, and the ever-growing love you have for the beautiful nature each nation could offer. Every time your delicate hands start arranging flora in a bouquet, caressing the charming hues of each petal, each leaf, there was a spark in your eyes and the way the corners of your lips would crinkle in delight when you pull it close to your nose, inhaling the pungent smell each plant gives.

Tighnari doesn't understand why, but when he first saw you at the Grand Bazaar, his tail grew confusingly restless behind him, watching the plants seemingly lean close to your form, basking into your presence that's easily comparable to the healthy rays of the sun, rejoicing for the love and care you abundantly provide.

He had seen you before, back when he still studied in the Akademiya, though he was never close to you. In fact, he was sure that you didn't even know who he was. Tighnari can't recall why exactly, but perhaps you were quite the hectic senior; from actively criticizing the Akademiya for what it has become, fancying plants more than other people, and your sharp tongue when it comes to the Grand Sages. Having enough of the Akademiya's nonsense halfway into Tighnari's first year, you dropped out, not without unpleasantries leaving your mouth and a couple other scholars following behind your trail. That year, the Akademiya suffered great losses of unique and intelligent individuals and additionally inspired a young budding fox, who's now the 'leader' of the Forest Watchers.

It appears that not everyone in the Akademiya was foolish, seeing how you've consistently done anything in your power to change the school to no avail. Tighnari never would've thought he'd meet you ever again since he heard gossip that you'd fled to a different nation, far away from Sumeru to achieve whatever dream you once had in the Akademiya. Still, now it seems like they've mellowed down over the years. Cold and calculating eyes now soft, and warm, a face that was once fierce now purely friendly and all gentle smiles. Well, whenever you were working with plants, that is. He supposes, that one of the reasons you attracted few customers was your aloof personality.

So imagine his surprise when you gave him a smile and a small wave, walking toward the counter to greet him. "My my, it's been such a long time, hasn't it?" You started, crossing your arms. Tighnari paused, giving you a blink before a confused frown tugged on his lips. But before he could speak, you asked once again; "Your name is Tighnari, right?" He raised his brows in shock, taken aback that you'd remember his name. "Yes yes, I remember you! And of course, I've heard quite a lot of you, especially around Gandharva Ville." You said with a knowing smirk on your lips, tilting your head to the side. Sumeru is not a stranger to multiple rumors and gossip, so of course, you've heard about the famous 'Forest Watcher' that is Tighnari. He shouldn't be surprised, that's for sure, but he didn't think you'd have an interest in Sumeru's affairs other than what happens in the merchant industry, let alone his accomplishments.

"Though I think the most memorable one was when you corrected that one researcher at a conference—" Tighnari flushed at that, turning away and mumbling a quiet 'that's enough' under his breath, which made you chuckle in turn. He didn't even know you were there when he had gotten his Vision, probably because you hadn't started a ruckus. Then you'd invite him into your stall, to behold his eyes with various flora, most he had never seen before due to never being outside of Sumeru. He has read about them, sure, but he never thought he'd ever see them in person, let alone touch them.

As it turns out, the real reason why you have such a small stall is that you barely visit it. You focus more on interior or exterior design that includes plants, decorating for festivals or occasions, and fixing up personal gardens. Tighnari thought it was rather ambitious, especially when you told him you'd travel all over Teyvat to do your work if you ever receive a letter from someone across the nation that required your assistance.

He spent the whole day talking to you about plants, marveling at the assortment of flora and mushrooms he's yet to grow and study, listening to you ramble about design and scientific facts, and you'd listen eagerly in return to what he has to say, informing you what he knows about certain things. It was honestly refreshing talking to someone who was as passionate as he is in the biology of nature, sharing deep respect when it comes to the earth they live and breathe on. It was as if he was back at Sumeru, reciting knowledge he has and each other would correct and remind him what they'd gotten wrong or forgotten. You'd often visit him to further discuss various things, but also volunteer as a Forest Ranger. Tighnari was hesitant at first since you've never done ranger duties before, but to his surprise once again? You handled it just fine, giving clumsy, irresponsible adventurers the same level of lectures as he does. Now people who mindlessly waltz in Avidya Forest have to worry about encountering troubles to get a lecture from either one or both of you. And it always brings a big smile to his face that he has to hide with his hand. Though it didn't go unnoticed to you, since his tail never fails to reveal his true emotions, silently giggling at his reddening cheeks.

"Underestimating your own senior, General Watchleader?" You teased as you tucked away your bow, watching his surprised face flash to brief embarrassment, then morphed into a displeased expression. "Please don't call me that." Tighnari huffed, crossing his arm as he watched you slide down on a tree trunk, landing right in front of him with a basket full of fruits. You merely laughed at his reactions, shaking your head. "Oh? Everyone seems so keen to do so! Why is it that when I do, you start getting flustered?"

Tighnari's cheeks burned a little hotter, and he swore that it was only because of the sun's heat. "I do not get flustered because of you." He rolled his eyes with a click of his tongue, pointing in a different direction to continue patrolling around Avidya Forest, and immediately shuts your voice from his head once you start teasing him again, a smirk on your lips that you always wear whenever he's around. As much as he refuses this fact, you'd always have to physically stop yourself from bursting out in laughter once you see his tail swishing side to side.

But of course, you have to eventually leave to travel around Teyvat once more or become too busy with your own priorities. Tighnari understands, after all, everyone has to make a living... However, he's grown quite fond of you for the past few weeks you've conversed. So what does Tighnari do, much to your amusement? Commission you day by day to 'arrange flora' for him, volunteering for the Forest Rangers since they're 'conveniently missing some members' or helping Collei with her personal garden. While you don't mind since he's consistently paying you the exact Mora he's promised, it's quite funny to you when you've immediately caught on to his intentions.

"So," You started, hands on your hips whilst you followed the fox across the forest, barely restraining yourself from touching his big, fluffy ears as it twitched and moved to listen to every sound he could, but he hummed in acknowledgment, so you continued to speak. "When are you gonna properly ask me out?" Now that was a shock. Tighnari froze on the spot and you hadn't even realized until you bumped into him, almost knocking him down to the ground. Caught off guard, you quickly grabbed his shoulders to keep him from falling, a nervous smile forming on your lips. Jumping to conclusions due to his perplexed reaction, you said; "It- it seems like I've misinterpreted some signals..."

Tighnari stiffened as he turned to suddenly face you, grabbing the collar of your shirt as he yelled, a pitch higher than his usual tone, "No, no!" Now he's completely embarrassed, face red, ears flat, and hands lightly trembling. Blinking at him in surprise, you stared into his averted eyes, waiting for him to speak again but he ultimately faltered which brought a grin to your face. "Oh? Then the famous General Watchleader admits he's been vying for my attention for the past few days?" You teasingly leaned close to his face and he immediately backed away, giving you a pointed glare as his grip tightened on your shirt. "Nonsense, of course not!"

"You've spent more than you should for commissions directed to me that I'm concerned for your financial situation—" Says you as you tilted your head with faux innocence, continuing to prod his patience. His face twisted to annoyance quickly, but the reds that dusted his cheeks hadn't faded. "I know how to handle my mora just fine." Tighnari huffed, finally releasing you and crossing his arms, turning his back on you. You just hummed, nodding at his words before saying; "But of course, it's not like our General Watchleader emptied his wallet just for me to rearrange his office for the 4th time this week, no?"

Tighnari sighed into his hands, unable to bear the heat spreading from his cheeks down to his neck. He wasn't subtle at all, someone with half a brain cell would guess that he was truly trying to spend more time with you even if it meant splurging all his Mora. You were a busy person that took upon the job of a merchant to make a living, so he thought it would be very selfish of him to ask for more of your time when you should be working to pay for the expenses of your day-to-day life, so decided to commission and request your services to his own home. Embarrassing, sure, but it worked! He managed to talk to you more, even helping you with your work until he was so familiar with it that he began assisting you at your stall from time to time. He just didn't like the fact you caught on so quickly.

Of course, Tighnari couldn't just admit that! He already humiliated himself before his peers just by clinging to your side a lot whenever you volunteered for Forest Ranger work and enthusiastically talking to you, so announcing that he's deeply fancied you since you met at the Grand Bazaar just like that? Absolutely not!

"You've surely misinterpreted my intentions."

"Of course, of course, my mistake, Sir Tighnari."

The corners of his mouth twitched, and your grin stretched wider.

- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛❛ If you like this a lot, consider reblogging! I'll appreciate it very very much! Don't repost and/or translate my work anywhere. ❜❜ ┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌