#or maybe he's gonna Jekyl and Hyde it and do a bit of both

[majorxmaggiexboy]

this man is about to either be the sweetest wingman or the vilest softspoken rat bastard to ever walk the earth and i have no basis upon which to make this claim but i KNOW

[assortedvillainvault]

Hello! If it's okay to request/ask, headcannon of TFA Blitzwing (each of his personalities) x Reader? Reader has a split or multiple personality. Kinda like Jekyll and Hyde (but sometimes a softie w/ close/loved ones, family/friends), if you're familiar with it. Can be Romantic and/or platonic…

(Gender-neutral/Female) Reader's a human and they aren't involved with any cybertronians situations…

(PS. Thank you if you answer this! if not, I'll enjoy your stuff either way.)

Hi Anon! I’ve been thinking about this one for a while! Sorry for the wait, I have a little bit of history with DID (as in I don’t suffer personally, but have been close with others that do), so wanted to get this one right. Blitwing was unironically a comfort character originally due to said struggles and trying to strike a balance between ‘funky space-german giant robot villain’ and ‘this is a serious real life condition with a lot of misinformation and prejudices’ can get a tad challenging.

Anyhoo, Long post alert. DID is discussed but no real warnings for this one. Lets go!

Blitzwing x DID!Reader

- DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) results in humans having multiple, distinct personalities – from as few as 3 or 4 (like our favourite triplechanger) to up to 100 in some cases. The Jekyll & Hyde - esque nature of yours is something you’re at least slightly grateful for – at least it’s simple!

- Granted, it doesn’t really help when your city is attacked by giant space robots. Repeatedly. Every week. Both personalities agree it’s a pain in the neck – switching out and coming-to mid war zone with no warning isn’t exactly relaxing.

- Your first meeting was very subtle. Crawled behind overturned cars and bridge rubble, ducking down as the buildings behind you were ripped up with a squeal of steel and concrete. An enormous giant tank/plane/robot shaking the ground, hollering with rage at a bright yellow little car zooming in the distance.

- “JOU PATHETIC LITTLE BUG!! I’LL - cUt JoU iNtO iTTy BiTtY stReaMerS!! HAhAha vE’re gOnNa haVe a PaRty – at jour base, perhaps, now zat ve know where it is, Autobot~”

- You couldn’t believe your fucking eyes -

- “Holy Shit SAME HAT?!”

- Red eyes snap to your dumbfounded expression, narrowing.

- Yeah. Maybe hollering it across no mans land wasn’t the smartest move.

Icy:

- He had no idea his affliction could be shared with organics. He didn’t even realise he was witnessing DID at first as you can’t literally switch faces. Come to think of it – I’m not sure cybertronians even have a word for it. He adopts your terms like a duck to water.

- Of the three he’s the most fascinated observer. He’s quick to document any minor tone shifts or facial expressions to indicate a switch between your two personalities – as well as the speed at which you change, your stressors and mannerisms. He can’t imagine dealing well if someone were to – somehow – get his alters mixed up, so he takes pains to greet both personalities properly.

- Is more likely the one to ask questions and approach the subject scientifically: though he will back off if the ‘Jekyll’ personality gets in his face about being treated like a science experiment. He knows the feeling and despises it.

- Just because he’s calm about it though, doesn’t mean he’s moralistic. Icy has a known sadistic streak and enjoys setting up situations to hurt people (see: the almost-murder of the Constructobots) so he’d be… intrigued to see how far your aspects were willing to go. He’s an enabler of destructive behaviour that specialises in not getting you caught.

Hothead:

- Hothead, by contrast – is much more reactive: blunt and easily confused.

- He will likely get your alters mixed up and become flustered and annoyed until he gets the hang of who is presenting when. Give him a bit, he despises asking Icy for help with anything.

- Yeah, of course he can – what do you MEAN you can’t communicate with your alters internally?? Do organics not come with a built in comm?? What the FRAG-

- He doesn’t like feeling out of sorts about finding someone with his condition. As far as he’d known, they were the only one ever to be split as they are. Someone who knows what it’s like, while desperately needed, is now almost unnerving.

- But he is an excellent vent buddy about multiple personality issues. If your alters want to chat shit about each other then Hothead is DOWN, he has a list of complaints about Icy and Random a mile long – even though airing them gets him interrupted by said alters all the damn time.

- Hothead will encourage violent coping mechanisms to your problems: if you have someone bothering you with some horror-movie assumptive bullshit about your disorder he is 1000% percent encouraging you to lure them behind a building for him to grind under his pedes.

Random:

- NEW FRIENDS?! New friends INSIDE of friends, oh he just wants to stuff you in his mouth and unravel you -

- Random is probably the first of the three to recognise your shared disorder. And when he gleefully tells his alters they don’t believe him (at least at first). Which doesn’t matter because you are now BEST FRIENDS. He’s gonna scoop you up and stuff you in his cockpit and make you a little hole in the mines riiiiiiight next to his berth. Don’t worry about telling him yes - he already knows your address!

- No matter how threatening you might think yourself to be, to Random you are the most adorable schmoopsie moo in the whole galaxy and he will commit war crimes to have you tucked into his pockets.

- Do not. Try him. In one-upmanship. Random knows exactly how far he will go to keep you with him and unlike Icy, who prefers to observe from a distance, Random will actively engage in finding very uncomfortable boundaries very quickly. Pretty much the only way to reign him in is to not play along in the slightest.

- He hates being ignored.

- He wants to hear and know everything about you, and will hop between subjects to a pattern only he knows. He’s exhausting, but probably also the most honest and vulnerable of the personalities.

- With Random, it’s most obvious that Blitzwing has total, universal acceptance of your personalities as they are. No dismissal, no belittling, no questions and no doubt.

- I’d say thats a breath of fresh air.

[leonenjoyer69]

I hope you don't mind this ask, but I'm in a huge Jekyll and Hyde hyperfixation rn (both TGS and OG novella) and I saw a post from you about how "Cotard's Solution" fits his Vibe; did you ever go on a ramble of Will Wood songs that fit Jekyll/Hyde? I'd love to hear them! I'm usually either an emo rock or hyperpop fan but I'd love to dip my toes into more Will Wood ever since my friends have shown me his songs :] I hope this isn't too much of an ask!

OF COURSE I DON'T MIND HEHEHE >:3 (also I'm so so sorry I kept forgetting about this 💀 BUT I'VE FINALLY DONE IT), I did originally connect a bunch of will wood songs to TGS characters in this post, and then I talked a bit about my Jekyll and Hyde playlist here (tho these are all various artists and Chonny Jash, not will wood, still a good collection of songs imo! Especially if you like emo rock and Hyper pop!!), but I would gladly go into detail about a bunch of Will Wood songs and how I connect them to TGS/J&H once more >:3

I LOVE WILL WOOD I'M SO NORMAL (also if there's any specific song from that first post, the honorable mentions in this, or my playlist that anyone wants an explanation for, just ask, bc idrk off the top of my head what to explain lmao, and if I have the thinking capacity to, I love explaining my reasoning!! :3)

OKAY OKAY, I'm probably not gonna hit many songs, but I'll try to get a few :3 I usually don't do these this in depth and I don't wanna make it too horribly long 💀

FIRST UP, A FRESH ONE I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT (bc apparently it hasn't been on my main playlist... I'm kinda slow sometimes): SKELETON APPRECIATION DAY

HEAR ME OUT, the "bones" could be interpreted as Hyde, or just all of Jekyll's hidden parts-- anything that isn't the perfect gentleman he prefers to show. And like!!! The lyrics can be connected so easily!! "While my cracking backbone lacks but backs up my false starts" transformation, next.

"All nightmares start as dreams and I hear my subconscious screaming" I don't even feel like I gotta say anything on that one.

"All love starts as a scheme, So wake me up, I'm tired of sleeping" bro literally didn't believe Lanyon loved him, the 'waking up' could be the first transformation.

And like!! The chorus!! "Bones, bones, bones, let me see your bones / Well, I don't wanna know if the feeling follows home /Bones, bones, bones, hell, we're all alone / If I come home, baby, will you show your bones?" Hell, I can see this as Jekyll asking (or at least wishing for) Lanyon to be more vulnerable, but!! Better yet, Lanyon asking/wishing that of Jekyll, since he knows how Jekyll just tends to cover everything up.

Idk, maybe I'm just talkin outta my ass, but I think this is really up there on my list of TGS-able Will Wood songs.

NEXT (another fresh song I haven't rambled about before): HALF-DECADE HANGOVER

I LOVE THIS SONG SM!!! I EAT IT UP EVERY TIME IT COMES ON!! PROBABLY MY FAV WILL WOOD SONG RN!!

Anyways, this song is so so soooo angstily Jekyll coded, let's go straight to the lyrics >:3

"Wonder how I didn't die / This is not my life. I'm no survivor, I only happened to survive" right out the gate, first lines. Bro literally drank chemicals and now shares half his life with an entirely different consciousness.

"Down the days I have left, with one eye open"- could be him drinking the potion, with the one eye open being only half of him--"That was me screaming "Bitch, I am reality" / And stumbling off to lose myself in a brown paper bag cause me and / Sweet Evan Williams got a date down on Avenue / A staving shakes scraping change till daybreak / Turns out anyone can eat out the trash / Then wake up on the freeway mid-crash" could literally just be Hyde doing stupid shit and Henry regaining control 'mid-crash', ie when problems arise because of either of them tbh.

And the chorus!!! "Cause I was drunk when I made my bed / Now with a half-decade hangover I lay down in it /What have I done? Don't know what I've said / It's a half-decade hangover, either this, in jail, or dead / It's a half-decade hangover, Jesus Christ my aching head" bro was at his worst when he made that potion, and now he's stuck with the consequences. And the "this, in jail, or dead" those are the only options he thinks he has to deal with Hyde now!!

"Tripped on a couple steps, and collapsed on the stairs / Broke my neck on the backs of those who I've hurt and scared" my guy has been lying to everyone around him for years, but now everythings falling apart and it's coming back to bite him in the ass so hard now.

LAST LYRIC BC AT THIS RATE I'LL THROW THE WHOLE SONG IN-- "Sober, but still so much still hangs over / Please believe me when I say I poured my whole past down the drain / Say that a second chance is a chance I can take" first of all, the poured my whole past down the drain could be him literally giving up the man he was and taking the potion, OR, him dumping all the potions in that one scene, teehee. Secondly, the second chance part and the lines that follow in the song, totally him at Lanyon.

Next: OUTLIARS AND HYPPOCRATES

This one to me is a very Hyde song, specifically him talking to Jekyll.

"Cause I doubt that you would even if you could change / You think it makes you special, but it makes you strange / I doubt that you would even if you could change / The things that make you special are the things that make you strange" could be Hyde tellin Jekyll that he wouldn't get rid of him, even if he could, because it makes Jekyll fell better about his "lonely prince" persona, as Jasper put it lmao.

"I am the shadows cast aside by gallows, and you the red-hot sky" I just really like thinking about this line with them bc ✨imagery✨. Like, shadow Hyde, check. Gallows? Hell yeah. Red-hot sky? We got color AND, by proxy, sun and moon references, Let's go 🗣️

"You become immune to my toxic fumes / My dose-dependent presence in your life / It's all subjective, all due respect to the collective mind" I mean like. Toxic looking green potion. 'Collective mind', they're both parts of the same guy.

"Horrified at the sight of my reflection in your eyes, I don't belong there" mmmmm bodyswap mishaps 🤤

"Well, it's your conclusions that make mine delusions, so I make you sane / You can thank me later" idk how to explain it but the way this is said just gives major Hyde vibes, you get it, right chat?

"Who'd want to belong to anyone? (Ay, ay, ay, ay) I mean, what do people even do? / So, if you love me, let me let you go, my love (ay, ay, ay, ay), so I can be no one" him and his little crush/loathing on Lanyon, the silly

Next!!: MR CAPGRAS ENCOUNTERS A SECONDHAND VANITY

Literally the Jekyll and Hyde song ever. I mean, it starts with "you're trying to replace yourself" 💀

"Carving out a fact from a reckoning! /Beckoning your back, skin sagging off its skeleton / Levitating off the ground / Is another man wearing your face" LIKE DO I EVEN GOTTA SAY ANYTHING? This whole song is about false identities 😭

"All the other false identities / Remedies or enemies to mitigate your memories / Shuddered at what they found / When they stripped away the grace" like...

"Damn, I thought you're not your imposter / You're so sure you're not gonna get caught / Dead in your own skin / But you didn't choose what you were born in" this song gives big vibes for chapter 14 and 15, with the constant switching and fear of identity reveal and such.

"What you feel and what you do, are those things really you? / And if not, then what is? (Never, never, never) / So, my God, what's wrong with you? / And I'm still asking who that is" I really like thinking about this part as Lanyon asking Jekyll those things, even without an identity reveal! Since he puts up this gentleman facade and hides everything, Lanyon barely knows who Jekyll is.

"You'll never take me alive, baby (this is not enough) / You'll never take me alive (this is not enough to prove it yet) / You'll never take me, you'll never take me, you better pray that I die (no, I need to hit the bottom)" This part feels like a simultaneous Hyde and Jekyll part, with Jekyll being the parenthesised parts. Hyde being all cocky n shit while Jekyll tries to figure things out or something, idk lmao running low on explanation brain cells.

Honorable mentions that I just don't feel like explaining in depth rn, but probably could!!

The Song With 5 Names- very Jekyll coded

Dr Sunshine is Dead- kinda Jekyll coded, but VERY Hyde coded

2econd 2ight 2eer- the Hyde song ever

6up 5oh Copout- another mega Hyde song, if I could animate it would be over for y'all

Against The Kitchen Floor- Jekyll and Lanyon, these gay people make me upset

Cicada Days- also very Jekyll and Lanyon :(

Hand Me My Shovel!- Jekyll coded, I like to think of him making the potion

Basically, 90% of Will Woods discography can be spun to fit these silly characters. I love Will Wood guys :3 sometimes I wish I could verbally ramble about this kinda stuff, but also words are hard (and it makes me feel annoying lmao) 💔💔 but anyways!!! Thank you for the ask! I hope Will Wood consumes you just as well as it has most of the TGS fandom :3 <333

[kibbits]

I have a few questions about your Theater AU

1) Are the boys separate or in the same body? If the same body, have they ever tried doing something like Jeckle and Hyde? Will management separate them?

2) Does Y/N have a sibling? If so, would they ask to be in the show somehow? Like a child actor? How would the boys treat them? Would the boys help with their acting?

3) If this is a comedy show for the boys, what sorts of plots will be in there?

4) Is Y/N going to double as both an actor and a caretaker in this AU?

Hi!!! Gotta admit I didn't develop it much in December so I don't have things 100% concrete, haha, but I love getting questions about it! Sorry for the delay, I was taking the time to think about the questions

Ah, so this turned out longer than I thought, so putting it under a readmore fljkgk

1) The boys are in the same body! They have absolutely done Jekyll and Hyde! In fact, I'd been thinking it might even be one of the last shows they did, so Moon sometimes gets stuck in that mentality (well, more like impulsive gremlin, but when you're a metal robot with little to no experience with how fragile humans can be, it also gets dangerous and scary)

I haven't decided yet if management is going to separate them, but for now I'm gonna go with no --Moon in this AU is in fact working as intended, and has Sunny's full support. It's probably easier to wrangle ONE animatronic (body) rather than two at the moment, so it wouldn't even be on the table until they're safer for the humans around them, but maybe in the far future!

2) I haven't fleshed out Y/N too much, so idk if they'd have a sibling yet, but once it's safer, it's a really cute idea to include either a kid from their family, or that they regularly babysit or something!

Probably not as a child actor? But maybe they can eventually grow to include volunteers in their shows --I remember getting picked to play a woodpecker from the crowd when i was a little kid gdjklg. And maybe that kid can work with them and Y/N behind the scenes to set up what that calling for a volunteer would look like

For now, only Sun really knows how to interact with kids? And that's by putting on his characters' persona, so it's akin to uuuh what's it called, a face character actor at disneyland? always in character, and a bit too posed and acted to feel natural (though the kids love it) but he doesn't know his own strength, or the kids', so it's a bad idea to have him interact with them directly and without supervision. Later, he learns to tone it down a little and he's delighted to interact with the kids, he just loves their energy and enthusiasm! Yes, even when they're having a tantrum --gotta admire the dedication to letting their feelings be known! fgjkldgk

As for Moon, for now it's a very, very bad idea to let him interact with kids. His roles are villain roles, and not always kids' stories villains, so it's a bit like if a haunted house actor was given carte blanche/told to go ham, was in character 24/7 and also didn't know about the no contact rule. And regularly breaks staff bots. Later though, he ALSO tones it down, and is more like that one older cousin or villain actor that loves to mess with or annoy you in a funny gremlin way, and pulls faces at you when the adults aren't looking to make you laugh

I think if they were asked directly, they'd help their acting! By the time they're safe enough to interact with kids, they've learned enough about how to go about it and also how not to comment/just play along unless the kid asks for pointers

3) I. Don't know yet fgjkldl I'm guessing you mean the shows and not their story? I haven't planned out anything concrete yet : O I'm still flip-flopping between wanting to make them 'fazbear and friends' type of knock-off retelling or original stories, or actual musicals. Maybe a few more classic ones? They definitely used to do more serious ones though, before the adults got bored of the novelty

4) Not entirely decided yet, but most probably they'll stay as a sort of talent agent/handler! They like acting with friends as in doing improv, dnd, LARPing, etc. but they're more of a stagehand than an on-stage kind of person. Sun and Moon probably trick them into doing a short guest appearance regularly though, haha, especially when it's a kids' show! (And Y/N can back out if they REALLY don't want to, it's all in good fun)

Thanks so much for the ask! Got me thinking more about it!!

[mikeys-bike-slut]

Untitled Part 26

hey hey lookie here new part!

Previous Part

Warnings: angst, threats, gun and knife threats, mention of trauma -losing a loved one-

***

I let out a sigh before pressing "answer".

"What Mikey...?" I sigh as I put the phone to my ear.

"Hey..." then silence.

"What do you want Manjiro?" I ask with more annoyance in my tone.

"I miss you..." he says and it takes everything in me not to just scoff.

"That's it?" I cock a brow.

"Angel, c'mon. We both did and said things we didn't-"

"Oh hell no Mikey. I did nothing wrong and I'm not gonna stand here listening to your bullshit cause you can't own up to the shit you say. And you know what? Yes, I slept with Wakasa and it was the best sex I ever had" I spit it out under one breath then just hang up before he could tell me how much of a whore I am. "Idiot.." I curse under my breath.

"The best sex you ever had?" I hear a voice behind me and find the White Leopard with a smirk plastered on his pretty face.

"Not now Wakasa..." I groan and he just cooes before walking up to me and wrapping his arms around me. "Let me guess, Sano?" I just nod in reply and he lets out a sigh. "Ignore him, you're with me and will stay with me. Now... We have more serious matters at hand" he says with a more serious tone and I can see the worry on his face.

"What's going on?" I look at him and a heavy sigh leaves his lips.

"We're meeting Jekyll and Hyde in an hour..." He says in a heavy tone and I just gulp, I almost forgot that the rulers of Ginza wanted to see me.

"Any idea what they want from me...?" I ask not sure if I even want to know but he just shakes his head.

"No idea, but I doubt they wanna drink tea and gossip" he frowns. "Either way, you're with me so you're safe, even they're not dumb enough to start a war with the Black Dragons"

"War?" I ask confused.

"If any fucker dares to lay a finger on you I am declaring war and wipe them off of the map of Japan" he says in a serious tone as he looks into my eyes.

"Don't be an idiot, kitty" I sigh and he just frowns at the nickname.

"Kitty? Really?" He cocks a brow.

"Yeah, you're the White Leopard, a big kitty" I stick my tongue out and I can tell he is ready to murder me.

"You know, maybe I just drop you off with the Ginza gang, I like to see them try to deal with you" he frowns then playfully nudges me. "Let's get dressed"

"Fine" I sigh dramatically then press a kiss on his cheek before going back to getting dressed.

After we both got dressed we got into Waka's snow white Mercedes and drove off to Ginza. The ride there was quiet, I just gazed out the window watching the snowflakes hit the window as Waka sped through the streets of Tokyo. When we arrived at the luxurious building the guards let us in without  a question and lead us to the elevator. As we get in I start to feel dread coming over me, Waka notices and gives my hand a gentle squeeze and a reassuring look. I calm down a bit but as the elevator pings my heart skips a bit.

The guards lead us down a long hallway to a beautifully decorated double door. Once it opens it reveals them; two tall and rather handsome men in their early 30's. The one with bright red hair just grins at me while the other with a beautiful lavender hair just keeps an emotionless expression as his eyes investigates me from head to toe.

"Jekyll, Hyde" Waka greets them. "She's here but I would like to remind you she is under the Black Dragons' protection"

"Waka, Waka, Waka c'mon, don't you trust us?" The red hair one grins.

"Do we ever really trust anyone?" Waka smirks as he cocks his head.

"What do you want from me?" I cock a brow as I finally speak up looking at both of them.

"Well, first of all let me introduce ourselves, I'm Jekyll and this mopey fucker is Hyde, don't worry he won't bite, but I might will" he grins as he extends his hand to me.

"Angel, nice to meet you" I shake his hand then glance over to the other one who's silver eyes are still glued to me yet still haven't spoken a word. "So how can I assist the rulers of Ginza?" I cock a brow.

"Look at you, so eager" Jekyll smirks and shakes his head. "Well, first of all tell us your real name"

I give Waka a confused look and he returns the same confused glance but he nods motioning for me to go ahead and do as they say.

"Maya Shishou...?" I say but more in a questioning tone not hiding my confusion.

"Your mother is Mira Shishou, right? And you been raised by your grandmother, Reika, right?" the other one finally speaks up and I feel the anger in the pit of my stomach start rising. No one, other than Mikey knows about my family and my past, it's something I tried to bury throughout my entire life.

"Who the hell are you?" I ask in a darker tone as I clench my fist.

"And you're dead brother-" and that's when I lose my temper and I launch at him but he easily dodges my punch.

"Maya?!" Waka yells as he stands there in shock I turn around to see why the commotion but as I turn I find myself facing the barrel of a gun.

"Don't be a fool Hyde" Waka growls as he grabs his own gun and points at the lavender haired male while the other guy just sits on the desks enjoying the show, clapping his hands together like a child.

Hyde ignores Waka and just cocks his gun. "Can I continue?"

"If it's about my brother then keep your mouth shut" I growl at him and grit my teeth.

"Don't like to talk about him? Why is that? Because you forgot about him?" he asks and my anger rises again as tears starts to gather in my eyes.

"I NEVER forgot about him!" I snap at him.

"Tell your beloved White Leopard what happened to your brother..." He says in a cold tone as he motions his head towards Wakasa.

"Fuck you" I grit my teeth and he just smacks me across the face with the butt of the gun.

"Hyde!" Waka barks at him and moves to intervene but Jekyll hops off the desk and with almost an inhuman speed he appears behind Wakasa and presses his scalpel against his throat.

"Don't be so hasty Waka-chan" he smiles.

I hold my throbbing temples where the butt of the gun made contact with my face and just glare at the tall man.

"I won't ask you again..." He says in a dark tone. "If you don't want your sugar daddy to end up in Tokyo harbour you better start your story time"

I clench my teeth and just stare in front of me, not wanting to drag out the memory I tried so hard to forget.

"Mikey and I were just kids... We must have been about 10-11. It was after we founded Toman, Mikey wanted to make a statement, so he decided to steal a shipment from the Harutori gang... Everything went well until they found out but they it was my brother... When they came for him...he took the blame for me and... I... I did nothing" I say before I break down crying.

Silence fall into the room and I'm afraid to even look at Waka. My deepest and darkest secret that I tried to bury so deep now been dug up again breaking me apart, once again.

"I killed him..." I whisper between my cries as I let that memory consume.

15 years ago

"You did what?!" Yasunori snapped at me. "You stole from a gang and not just any gang but the Harutoris?! I am going to kill that little shit" he barked as he slammed his fist on the table.

"It's all good! No one noticed!" I say in an excited tone thinking he'd be proud of me but his face remained serious.

"And what do you think gonna happen when they find it missing, huh?!" He snapped then let out a frustrated growl.

"I thought you'd be proud of me..." I say as I start to sniffle with tears filling my eyes.

"You dumbass.." He growled then pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm always proud of you, mousey" he said in a softer tone and I just clung onto him crying. "C'mon now... Not like I'd let anything happen to you"

"I'm sorry Yasu..." I sniffled as I looked up at him and he had a soft smile on his face.

"It's fine. I'm sorry I snapped at you mousey, I promised granny I'll take care of you and I always keep my words. You're my little sister, your problems are my problems and I always be here" he smiled. "Not like that flip flop kid could protect you, he can throw a kick but he has a brain size of a fucking pea" he frowned causing me to let out a chuckle which made him smile.

"I love you, Yasu" I hugged him tight and he patted my head as he embraced me.

"Love you too, mousey" he smiled.

Knock. Knock.

"Go upstairs..." He said with a serious tone as he glanced towards the door. "Now!" he said in a more harsher tone and I just scurried up the stairs but I stopped midway and crouched down to see what's going on.

As Yasu opened the door two man burst in and pushed him to the wall.

"Well, well Shishou, you're dumber than I thought. Stealing from me?" a third voice coming from the door and when he come into view I recognized him and my heart skipped a beat. Raiden, the leader of the Harutori gang.

"Gotta push my luck sometimes" Yasu grinned and my eyes widen. He takes the fall for me? No!

"So you admit, it was you?" He cocks a brow.

"No point in lying now, is there?" He shrugs then one of the other two men just punch him in the stomach and I let out a yelp but quickly cover my mouth.

"Bring him" Raiden says with a growl and they just drag my brother out.

"Yasu..." I whisper as I watch him being dragged away. Before the door would shut we exchange a look and he just gives me a reassuring smile like everything is going to be okay... but it wasn't. 

Present

I slump down on the floor as I cry uncontrollably until anger starts to set in again. Who does this guy think he is? Digging up my past... And how  does he know the one thing I kept hidden away from everyone. Just who is he? 

"Are you happy now?" I bark at him as I wipe my tears and slowly get back on my feet. "What the fuck do you want from me?!" I almost yell and he just shook his head. 

"That's all. Now tell me, are you close with Mikey?" he cocks a brow and I give him a confused look from the sudden question. 

"That's non of your fucking business" I grit my teeth as I shot him a glare then my gaze goes to Wakasa who still has the sharp blade of the scalpel pressed against his throat. "Let him go and I'll tell you whatever you want to hear..." 

"Like I'd leave!" a growl comes from Wakasa.

"Waka, please..." I say in a serious tone as I look at him. I can see the hesitation on his face and I know he won't leave easy. "I need answers about my brother... and clearly this guy knows. I'll be fine... right?" I cock a brow glancing up at Hyde who just nods. 

"Let him go Jekyll" he says as he looks at his associate who pouts but releases Wakasa. 

"If I won't have her back within 24 hours you can expect a war" he says in a serious tone as he looks at the two young men. 

"I give you my word Imaushi, she'll be returned to you without harm. We don't want a gang war... well not with the Black Dragons at least" he adds in a darker tone which gives me an uneasy feeling.

Just who is this guy...?

[quilna]

My hot take is that Jekyll fully is there and wanted to confess and do what he did with Lanyon but Hyde is also lurking there too because Lanyon is someone who makes him so for lack of a better term happy, the reckless and I depressed emotion of the moment makes that side of Jekyll pop out. I mean they are all the same person!

I don’t even know if the green eyes mean Hyde ripped himself away from the shadows or that’s just gonna happen sometimes now when Jekyll is truly happy because of weird science effects. Anyway, that’s my two cents on the issue. I think Lanyon did do it with Jekyll, but I do think Hyde watched, and may be trying new and exciting ways to get out.

I just don’t like the undercurrent of the belief that Jekyll’s confession and actions these last couple pages are no longer valid or expressions of what he truly wants because he went green for a second

I do think Jekyll was still there even if his eyes went green. Even after his eyes changed back to red, he didn't seem to react, didn't seem worried about what Lanyon might have seen.

I think there's a blurred line between the two of them and sometimes they cross entirely but sometimes it's more like toeing over that line just a bit - after all, when the green eyed moments first started happening, Jekyll didn't clue in immediately that it was Hyde. If it was always like having control completely wrenched from him or an out-of-body experience, he wouldn't have told Lanyon that he had had an outburst towards Frankenstein because he would have caught on immediately that something was unnatural about it and hidden it. While he did say he didn't feel like the one in control, I took it to mean it felt like losing control of his temper - like another person had taken control but still with enough of himself in there and in those words for him to not immediately clue on that it was genuinely anyone other than himself talking.

There might have been a bit of Hyde creeping in when Jekyll was talking on this particular occasion but Jekyll must have felt like himself enough to not notice the switch. He was certainly acting too sweet on Lanyon to truly be fully Hyde, after all the most Hyde-like thing he said was the line about "Breaking free" but Hyde would have little reason to say all the other things when his main goals include despising Lanyon and his own freedom. Helping Lanyon find his confidence doesn't help Hyde's plans to escape in any way nor does it help him tear down Jekyll's life. As such, I think this was more like Hyde getting closer to the surface or the line between them blurring a bit more. Hyde, after all, seems to be more associated with the side of Jekyll who gave in to his relationship with Lanyon and the side of him who was most hurt by the breakup as was shown in both Lanyon's and Jekyll's flashbacks. As you said, Lanyon is someone who makes Hyde happy. Now that they're in bed again but Jekyll's compartmentalising is more literal and physical, it makes sense that it would draw the more Hyde-like part of him closer to the surface. Maybe this will even be another factor that contributes to the erratic transformations in the end - reigniting the relationship with Lanyon and, therefore, meddling with the compartmentalisation that once kept Jekyll and Hyde separate, causing them to start to overlap.

In the end, they are the same person in some capacity.

This is just my theory though. It just seems strange to me that Jekyll wouldn't react at all if he was aware of Hyde in that moment so I still think everything he did was completely valid.

[randomperson0k]

jekyll and hyde but theyre pokemon trainers (im doing utterson and lanyon next, maybe poole too because poole appreciation)

if youre wondering why theyve got two seperate teams its because ORIGINALLY i was gonna make it so that jekyll and hyde have the same pokemon team (since theyre literally the same person why would he need another team when he already has one) but my friend suggested that they have seperate pokemon teams for both his ‘identities’. since jekyll is like. rich crazy ass. he can definitely afford to get more pokemon. and i guess it would be a bit weird if hyde just rocked up with jekylls team because people would make the connection that theyre the same guy. so i decided to just give him two teams. its also more fun because it means i dont need to have a mental tug of war over what pokemon i want to give him.

also originally i made a rule that i wasn't going to give them any mythicals or legendarys but marshadow is one of my favourites and i couldnt resist. so uh. oops.

some of the pokemon they have i have a reason for giving them and some i just added because theyre my favourites and i wanted to. duality of man. choosing a pokemon for its strength and maybe the lore behind it or just choosing it because ‘haha pretty teehee’

do you think if jekyll and hyde was like. in pokemon jekyll would be the pokemon professor but hes like REALLY shady and smells like garbage. and hyde would be the villain leader guy of like i dont know team garbage can eaters or something. and then there would be a big reveal at the end or something.

that would be such a fun concept to play around with

ok im done rambling. bye

[im-literally-just-a-girl]

A post about long distance relationships

Holy fuck this ain’t for the weak. Not being with your significant other can be so damaging for the relationship and there’s no coming back.

Let me explain, I was in a long distance relationship until 2 days ago when he decided that he didn’t really want to wait to actually live with me and getting to know me in my everyday life. That is so interesting because to me he’s the one that knows me the most, but at the same time he doesn’t actually know me at all, considering we’ve only physically been with each other a couple of weeks in all the years we’ve been dating.

It’s crazy how a person can change in person and over the phone. In person he’s my perfect soulmate. I love everything about him. We are best friends and nothing could really make me mad. Cuddling and laughing and just hanging out make me the happiest girl in the world. Over the phone is like all that sparkle goes away and we both become sick of each other and it’s just dark. All the good things about having a boyfriend go away. Which sucks considering the situation. It’s like dr jekyll and mr hyde situation. But hugging him was worth it all.

He was my first everything so i can’t really compare it to anything else but i would never go through this again. It was exhausting having to be on my phone all the time but i was (still am) so in love that i would be the whole day talking to him. Which makes my life fall apart a little bit. So boundaries need to be set on this one, maybe plan dates or alone hours.

I think it’s very important to have a future plan, to know when you guys are gonna meet up in person or move in together. I didn’t have that in my relationship. Everything was so uncertain and that breaks your soul. All we had was our love. And love isn’t enough.

There wasn’t a leader in the relationship. We both were working towards our personal goals. And like in every relationship there needs to be some sacrifices to be together. No one wanted to take the leadership to plan, to sacrifice, to give, to make our love win.

Eventually you burn out. When something isn’t moving in any direction or takes too much energy from you you give up. Unfortunately.

Communication is another big thing, I’m the worst at it and I prefer texting, he preferred facetime. So he wasn’t really happy when texting and I wasn’t really happy when facetiming. You can make an effort, but it doesn’t take long to realize you don’t want to do that anymore.

I actually feel like not being with each other made us talk a lot more. Because i open up when texting. I don’t think i could ever meet another person in this personal level again because he knew a phase of me i wouldn’t really show in person.

We also come from different cultures and speak different languages. So exploring that was fun. Seeing him wanting to learn about my culture made me fall way harder for him. We both were really fascinated with each other’s lives. I was interested in him at the beginning because of how different our lives were and loved living life through him. We were each other’s biggest fans.

This experience taught me so much. Love is so weird. I love love.

[dualityvn]

personally, i love a good mystery to solve so im gonna take a crack at it and give you my theory for what the situation is between tenebris and keith.



You've said that Tenebris isn't human and isn't dead, this isn't a Jekyll Hyde thing, and that they grew up together, so my main theory is that Tenebris is Keiths shadow. Not necessarily an alter ego, but the physical manifestation of all things opposite of Keith. It works like this, they, while being to separate people, are actually more akin to two halves of a whole. They can both exist without the other now, but there was a time during their creation when they could not. They were supposed to grow up to be one complete being, but something traumatic happened to them causing them to splinter and become unable, or unwilling to reform together, and now that they are separate individuals that chance to reform is lost.

Evidence:

Keith is very insecure about himself from being told he was worthless, with the exception of thinking that his face is good looking. In this scenario, it makes sense that the one thing that he is confident about, his physical appearance, is "ugly" on his shadow, Tenebris. (this isn’t to say i think ur ugly tenebris bby i luv u very much mwah)

There’s also the very obvious parallels between other aspects of their design, in the main cover art at the top of your page, Keith is standing tall with his hand outstretched, while Tenebris almost appears to be sulking behind him with his arms crossed. Keiths hair is neat and well maintained, while Tenebris' is more messy and lose. You’ve described Keiths voice as high and girly, and Tenebris’ as hoarse and deeper than keiths. They also have opposite aesthetics, with Keith wearing softer colors in a more formal style of clothing and Tenebris wearing darker clothes with a more punk aesthetic. Keiths side of the background is pink and colorful, with full defined cherry blossoms, Tenebris’ is darker with bloodspots, but it also is slanted slightly down, giving it the appearance of yielding to Keiths background, as well as falling along the line created by Keiths back, giving it all the illusion of shadow.

Tenebris is very protective of Keith, with his character bio saying he hates shallow people. This could come from growing up with Keith and wanting to spare him further trauma, but it could also be that Tenebris, as the inverse of Keith, feels a strong sense of duty to protect Keith because that is something that Keith lacks in himself. Keith feels no self preservation, so Tenebris feels it for him.

Additionally, (not to justify Keiths parents’ actions because they can go sucka lemon), maybe there was a time when Keith was little that they were still a more complete being. When there was more overlap between the person and the shadow. Seeing their son as some kind of ‘freaky-hybrid’ probably freaked them out, which would have caused whatever abuse was already happening to worsen.

You’ve said that Tenebris “physical condition is unique, so he prefers to do other things while hes around”  and that “he doesn’t physically need to” referring to masturbation. Ill admit that this has been a bit of a puzzler for me, because if Tenebris is not always physically corporeal to the point that he has to pick and choose what activities he partakes in, then that means a couple of things. There must be some kind of trigger that causes Tenebris to take a more physical form, but the question is what is that trigger? The obvious first choice is that its making Keith upset, which should naturally draw out his opposite side, but Tenebris doesn’t react well when Keith is upset, so while that might work to draw him out, its not a good trigger to build a good relationship on, which is one of the focus of the game, so there must be another option. My next thought was maybe he manifests like how a shadow does, appearing when Keith is in direct light, but this would also imply that Tenebris cannot be far away from Keith and would make it significantly harder for Tenebris to carry out the parts of his backstory where hes killed or seriously hurt people. Maybe Tenebris comes out when Keith is asleep, but that also doesn’t seem super practical and they seem to be able to both be aware at the same time. All this to say I really am just kinda drawing a blank here, I’m sure you won’t be able to really tell us about this because of spoilers but just know this is eating me up inside that I am unable to figure this out.

Im gonna cut it short here because this is very long and i do not know if there is a character limit on these things. Also i have no idea if anything ive said is anywhere near correct, ive just had a very bad case of the brainworms this morning and when that happens i just have to get them out or it gets worse. Thank you for making such wonderful characters and once again i am so sorry for the long read i simple cannot contain myself

EEEEEEEE I love your guys' theories so much!!! Tbh, what you've described is a little close to how I originally designed Keith and Tenebris. Except back then they were literally a person split into positive and negative. One could do no wrong and the other could do no good. But they've changed a LOT since then.

A little hint I'm gonna throw you is that Keith and Tenebris indeed cannot be separated.

Also some of my asks and art can be misleading~ The way I sometimes draw them outside the game's sprites and CGs is not entirely canon in a sense.

Their situation will be revealed in the demo, I'm just gonna enjoy teasing you guys until then, hehe.

[bansheeoftheforest]

Look!! Another dead bird for you!!

---

Okay, have you seen Wolf Children? Because that's my thought process here. One of Jekyll's parents was a cat-shifter and Jekyll inherited that ability. When he gets emotional he can start transforming, so at times he might have to hastily smooth his hair back in an attempt to hide a sudden cat ear or something. Nobody knows what he is because his human parent was kinda sorta ashamed about him, so he's hidden it all his life.

Just.. Cat Jekyll napping in Maijabi's lap. He feels so guilty because no one knows it's him but Maijabi pets so gently and coos at him in a language he isn't quite fluent in and he feels so safe. Cat Jekyll going to injured Lodgers to purr and nuzzle them. Cat Jekyll pointedly knocking things off of tables that could very well end in Lodger stupidity if left intact. Cat Jekyll climbing Adam/Creature and he is so enamoured with this little animal that doesn't fear him in the slightest.

Okay but also Jekyll slipping up in human form. He slow blinks at Jasper and Maijabi and Zosi and everyone else he likes. He starts to purr whenever he's happy and scrambles to cover it with a cough. He plays with string and gets tangled in it. He hears someone mention that Jekyll Jr. looks a bit funny with his curled ears and bob tail and just grumbles 'that's a standard appearance for Highlander cats, you arseholes-'

Does he bring people dead animals? Does Hyde? Hyde definitely would, just 'oh there's Rachel! I'm gonna put a dead mouse in her pocket :3' and she gets a feelimg of deja vu because it feels like Hyde's pranks but cats don't prank do they?? Cat Hyde showing off his new injuries proudly to the others then trying to run away when they try to patch him up because NO, he wants them to SCAR so he can look TOUGH.

If you go the Jekffin route, maybe Griffin's cat is normally skittish of others but just.. adores Jekyll. They're always rushing to greet him and rub on his legs and Jekyll just understands their body language and needs so well and is so patient with them and ah FUCK, he's crushing on Jekyll, god this is the worst-

Y'all at this point I get so many dead critters from you guys I could make a tiny graveyard sdfsdf

I have not seen wolf children but in all fair honesty, it looks like something my weeb-friend-trying-to-force-me-to-watch-anime would force me to watch <3 ANYWAYS. Still love that idea. Ooohohoho I don't know what's better, his father being the catshifter and his mother being deeply ashamed of the relationship combined with the premarital stuff bc of societal rules (hence why she was immediately scolding Henry for that dead bird) or his mother being the catshifter in a classic fairytale-esque way but being ashamed of it herself or knowing the father is ashamed about it, trying to hide all cat-ness with both her and Henry... Mmm, angst and parental trauma my beloved <3

...My brain immediately started thinking Henry's father getting seduced by a catshifter, accidentally fathering Henry, only for the catshifter to leave bby Henry on his doorstep and then just... Fuck off into the woods again. Does not make sense bc Henry has a mo- NO WAIT. OOHOH I GOT A BRANCH IDEA. His father already being married when Henry was born or his father marrying when he already had Henry, but telling Henry that his wife is his mom and that Henry was cursed from birth and that's why he can transform into a cat? Idk if Highlanders can be black but especially if he is a black cat??? ohoohohhoho ...Maybe that's why Morcant took such a liking to him immediately when they met, because he was supernatural? oohohoOHOO

I also just want to imagine that, despite his catness, his parents still loved him, even if they were a bit ashamed of who he was. Bby Jekyll having nightmares and it made him so upset he is stuck in cat form for a bit, creeping down the stairs to find his parents in the living room in front of the fireplace, him slowly creeping up on them and his parents immediately cuddling and doting on him when they see him... <3 (also this is just a bit of a branch, any other idea /idea for how Henry's relationship w his parents are welcome! <3)

--

I'm half if Maijabi should know about Jekyll being the cat bc of his spirit eye or not, bc that is used so much in my aus that it's kinda becoming cliche so I'm going to use the route that he doesn't. Just finding this lil cat with funny ears and a bobtail and immediately taking a liking to it. Debating adopting him because he knows that Jekyll would not have had the heart to kick Jr out if he has already adopted him. Scratching him under his chin and being the only one allowed to rub his belly. Henry getting so used to Maijabi's cuddles that the moment he is near him (in cat form) he stands on his hind legs and reaches his front legs up like a child wanting to get picked up and Maijabi always chuckles and picks him up, resting him against his shoulder. Henry sometimes getting a bit possessive bc Maijabi is his favorite lodger and tries to groom his beard and hair because it's always so wild. Maijabi just getting used to carrying a basket around or an extra shirt where JR can hang in bc he is so clingy and always wants attention. The Lodgers joking that Jekyll JR can sense sadness like a shark can smell blood and immediately rushes towards them to cuddle the everloving fuck out of them. The Lodgers cooing over him and telling him that he is so smart when he accidentally saves them from disaster, making sure to give him extra treats. Henry prowling the Society where he suddenly meets Adam. Adam stops dead in his tracks, having never seen this tiny cat before and being thoroughly confused as to why he isn't running away from him. Henry immediately walking up to him and rubbing his face against his leg, Adam hesitantly crouching down and reaching out his hand and Henry continues to happily sniff them and rub his face against them in that "I'm going to rub my teeth against your hand so you are mine now and you can't do anything about it" kinda way, Adam being close to tears bc this is the first time a living thing hasn't immediately run in fear away from him, Henry immediately using him as a stepping stool and climbing his arm until he can lounge over his broad shoulders, which quickly becomes his favorite nap spot.

(Adam secretly being very very amused when this tiny lil cat loves him immediately but hisses at Frankenstein)

--

Catboy Henry my beloved <3 Henry often not noticing how long he lets his nails grow until he accidentally scratches a Lodger (or the Lodgers clip his claws in cat form and it suddenly feels like his nails are going down to his bone. He never forgives them for that, even if he reluctantly accepts the treats). Loving to run his hand through his own hair with the perfect excuse that he is just making sure it doesn't get in his eyes. Him being so caught up in an experiment he doesn't notice that happy little butt wiggle he makes when he is focused. Him just being very loud and very yelly whenever someone isn't listening or giving him attention (although it's much more whiney and "PaaaaYyYYY aaaAAaAattention to meeEEeEEeEEE" kinda way). Just... Oh my god. Such an adorable lil bastards sjdfhsjdfh jshd <3<3<3

--

I have a feeling his instincts would get the best of him and he would start hunting the rodents around the Society when he is bored or hungry. Sometimes he sees a Lodger staying up late and the cat in him decides that they are not taking care of themselves and if they aren't taking care of themselves, they need food. Or that they have done such a good job and they deserve a reward. Maybe the longer he stays in cat form the more he gets into that "cat mindset" and doesn't realize what he just did until he is human again. Just... Drags a dead mouse over to a Lodger, jumps onto their table, proudly sets it down, and yells for them to get a snack. Maybe he would do a good job at hunting the invisible mice around the Society? Hyde definitely would hunt and bring in dead animals just because, although mostly bc he wants to show off his hunting skills. Him parading injuries and running away when people try to help him is so on brand sdfsdfsdfs

--

Griffin's cat loving Henry more than Griffin my beloved <3 Griffin realizing quite quickly that if he can't find his cat, they're with Henry. Griffin being so confused as to why his cat was never scared of Henry when they were even scared of Maijabi and Lavender. Griffin wondering if his cat genuinely fell in love with Jekyll JR bc he always finds them cuddled up together. Would Henry be able to understand Griffin's cat and be able to speak with them? Would he understand other animals as well? Jekyll and Cat having a deep conversation about the best lodger to cuddle or who gives them the best treats <3

[tinyboxxtink]

Helpless *Part 5*

Note: I appreciate the support guys, you have no idea. You believe in this story and it makes me SO happy!! <3

Masterlist:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 6

Tag List: 

@wanniiieeee

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@word-scribbless

@dumauier

You promptly followed Arianna to the back, practically stepping on her heels.

"You're WRONG about him, Arianna. He's too smart for this, for me-- for us," You warned. "AND he works for the MAYOR. Do you really want to go to prison when he figures out our game?!"

"See but THAT'S how much faith I have in you babe," She didn't even hesitate to shut you down. "I know you would never get us in trouble..." She wrapped an arm around you.

"...EVER," The arm going around your shoulder was soon pushing you back out into the restaurant, where a now composed Rafael sat, watching you intensely.

"....What the fuck was that?" He said in an eerily calm voice.

"W-What are you talking abo--" You tried to speak but he immediately jumped over you in an angry voice.

"What the FUCK, was that?!" He asked again, then proceeded to talk not waiting for you to answer.

"I have never, EVER spoken ANYTHING about my father out loud. To ANYONE. I have spent my entire adult LIFE making sure of it. And here 30 minutes with you and I'm making a flippant comment about my childhood trauma?!" His fist pounded the bar.

"What, the fuck...did you do to me?" he growled.

Alright, keep calm. You had this.

"What did I DO to you?" You snorted, like it was the stupidest question in the world.

"Rafael 10 minutes ago you didn't even BELIEVE in the science, and now all of a sudden I put a SPELL on you? Are you out of your mind?!" You rolled your eyes with a dismissive laugh, clearly agitating him more. People tended to be easier to read when they became emotional, and certainly easier to manipulate.

"Then how do you explain it, hmm?" He licked his lips, signs of disgust. God you hated this.

"Gee, I don't know Rafael. You ever stop to think maybe it was something MORE than science, some kind of different 'voodoo'?!"

"Like what...?" He blinked at you, trying to figure out what you were implying.

"Something about you just makes me feel...safe," You placed your hand over his once more, playing with the hair on his knuckles.

"Look, I understand why you're upset. But-- you know, it's not only you who's vulnerable right now," You lowered your voice into a soft, soothing tone.

"You know, I've never told anyone else about me and Ari before," you bit your lip and looked at the floor. Sure you hadn't, except every other guy Ari had made you scam.

"You ever think that's why you just blurted out stuff about your dad? Maybe that we had a connection that was bigger than some emotional reading bullshit?" Gaslighting was always a great way to knock someone down real quick.

You saw Rafael's anger dissipate from his face; you watched as his eyes filled with hope. You knew you were preying on his very obvious need for acceptance and affection, and you hated yourself for it. 

"I...well, maybe..." he rubbed the back of his neck, you saw the logical side of him fighting with his emotional side, trying to remind him that 'soulmates' or 'connections' didn't actually exist. And you watched it lose, as a beautiful smile crawled across his lips.

"Maybe you're right," He now took both your hands, and looked deep into your eyes. Right then you could see every little bit of trauma, hurt, anguish, wanting, all being pushed down by the growing look of hope, and security. And suddenly, you couldn't do it anymore.

"No, I'm not," you dropped his hands, unable to look at him anymore.

"Wh-What? Seriously?" He shook his head in utter disbelief, trying to figure out how the hell you were so hot and cold from one second to the next.

"Look just, take this," You scribbled on a check and handed it to him. "Go pay at the register, and get out of here. And don't come back,"

"What the fu-- are you on something?" he stared at the check, then you, then the sky like he was looking for answers.

"Look, I'm--I'm begging you, Rafael. Walk out of here RIGHT NOW, before Arianna comes out here," you almost whispered, praying she wasn't listening.

"....Why do you not want--"

"Just, forget it. Please, go. PLEASE," Your voice was shaking, tears lined your eyes. You had literally never been this unhinged emotionally in front of someone other than Arianna before, EVER.

"I..." Rafael was clearly shocked and disturbed by what was unfolding, but he didn't want to see you like this. You could see him backing off because he pitied you, he felt sorry for whatever inner turmoil was happening with you, even if he didn't understand it. He put his hands up and walked to the register, pay and give you one last sad look before disappearing into the night.

You felt your legs shaking, your heart beating outside of your chest. You had NEVER let Arianna down before, ever. You had never just...broken, like that. Lying was your LIFE. You barely had a moment to process what just happened before Arianna came storming out from the kitchen.

"What the HELL, Y/N? Where did he go?!"

"H-He caught on, Ari," you looked at the ground, terrified to meet her eyes.

"HOW is that possible, you never--"

You jumped over her words immediately, defensively yelling at her:

"I DON'T KNOW, okay?! He--He came from the bathroom all freaked the fuck out because he had literally never told ANYONE about his dad, and then he-- he accused me of DOING something to him! Like I was a witch or something!" Well, you weren't lying. Not like she could've been able to tell, like she said she didn't have your skills. 

"He wouldn't let me say ANYTHING. He just grabbed his check and stormed out of here! I didn't have TIME to work him over, okay? I'm sorry. I failed you," The tears around your eyes now dripped down your cheeks, little did Ari know they weren't for her. 

"Aw...honey," Arianna's anger vanished, you knew she couldn't stand to see you cry. She wrapped her arms around you and coddled you like a mom to a toddler.

"I know, you tried your best. And I know it must've been hard, giving up your abogado like that," she stroked your hair. 

"You'd just better pray we find another benefactor, FAST" her strokes turned into her acrylic nails running down your face, mildly aggressively. You looked into her eyes, she knew something had happened. She didn't know what and she would never accuse you, but you knew she knew. She always knew.

"I'm on it," You quickly tried to get away from her. "I promise,"

------

The night wrapped up pretty routinely, and the evening went about the same. The next day, you and Ari were walking up the subway towards Fazzoli's when you saw him-- Rafael was waiting, discreetly. Well, discreetly to him anyway.

"I uh-- You know what I forgot to make change before we left, I'm gonna hit the bodega real quick. I'll meet you inside, okay?" You quickly moved in front of Arianna as you talked, praying to God she hadn't noticed him. Luckily, she was thoroughly engrossed in a game of CANDY CRUSH.

"Mmmkay," She nodded and waved you off, not looking up from her phone.

As soon as she was inside, you walked straight up to Rafael and pulled him around the corner into an alleyway.

"What did I say?!" You hissed.

"Well first of all, this is my favorite restaurant, and I was here first, so you're not gonna 'ban' me from eating here," he stated. "And second, you need to tell me what happened last night,"

"No I don't have to tell you anything," you scoffed.

"But you want to,"

"HOW do you know that? You don't know that," you crossed your arms and rolled your eyes, signaling him to back off.

"Then what was that insane Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde act? One second you're batting your eyes at me and the next you're literally throwing me out! Are you nuts?"

"YES. Yes, I am unhinged and a psychopath, Rafael. Clearly. So you need to--to stay away from me," You huffed and turned to leave, but he grabbed your arm.

"I was right last night, wasn't I? That's why you freaked out,"

"...What are you talking about?" You stopped and turned slowly to face him again.

"You're not the only one who can google," he pulled out his phone and began reading an article he had found.

"...Behavioral scientists are hesitant to teach micro-expression reading to the masses, as it can be used for nefarious purposes,"

Your face fell-- You were right, he WAS too smart for you.

"People with these skills can easily manipulate any sort of information out of anyone, if trained properly," He continued, looking you straight in the eyes.

"I...Um.." Jesus Christ this had never happened to you before-- you literally COULD NOT lie to him.

"YES, okay? Yes, I manipulated you last night, are you happy?" You threw your arms up, starting to walk away again.

"No, I'm not! I wanna know why," He jumped in front of you preventing you from leaving the alley.

"Why? You wanna know-- does it matter?" You tried moving past him, but he wasn't budging.

"YES, it matters! For fuck's sake Y/N you-- you had me thinking-- I..." He trailed off, you saw the pain in his eyes. He had actually started to fall for you, and you had crushed him.

"Because it's what we do, okay?" You sighed. "It's not personal,"

"NOT personal? What 'we' do? What, you and Arianna?" he narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, but you don't understand ok? We, we lived in our CAR, Rafael. We didn't eat for WEEKS at a time, we started going through garbage like actual rats,"

"And then I found this book, and I studied it, and I just tried it ONCE--Just for a meal," you looked up, trying not to get emotional.

"And Arianna latched on to it. HARD," you looked everywhere but Rafael's eyes.

"She--She grabbed anything she could with information on micro-expressions, she quizzed me, she coached me-- she helped me," Finally, you let yourself look at him.

"So you could help her," he looked at you seriously.

"So I could help US," you argued.

"In six months we had enough money for a nice little studio apartment in the Bronx and a full refrigerator!" you heard yourself defending you and Arianna's life together, but saying it out loud you didn't know how much you believed it yourself anymore.

"...And what exactly do you do," His words made you shift uncomfortably on your heels.

"Y/N....." ," He lowered his voice, emphasizing his seriousness.

"I...we...Arianna picks a target, someone who's in the public eye and has money. and I...sweet talk them," you glared holes into the ground.

"...And then I get something out of them, something they don't want the public to know, that they don't want ANYONE to know," You could literally feel how these people must have felt because this was the last thing that you ever wanted Rafael to know, for anyone to know.

"...And she finds out more information about it and--"

"And shakes them down," He finished your sentence, you could hear the disgust in his mouth.

"Look I'm sorry, okay?" Your voice shook a bit.

"I know you are," He stepped closer to you.

"....Okay? Just like that? You're just gonna believe a professional liar?" you half laughed, rolling your eyes.

"Yeah, because if you really wanted to-- you wouldn't have kicked me out last night," a very small micro smile came across.

"I--Yeah, well um-- I...I couldn't," you bit your lip.

"Which makes me think you don't ever really like doing it at all, do you?" he looked at you with knowing eyes.

You shifted uncomfortably, not willing to verbally agree.

"So why do you let Arianna manipulate YOU?"

"Because she's all I have, Rafael!" You cried.

"She's literally the only person I have. It's been me and her against the world since high school, I can't...I can't just, abandon her! I can't let us starve,"

"You have honest jobs now, do you not?"

"Yeah I know, that's why I was pissed she asked me to do you-- I mean, use you," you bit your lip over your Freudian slip. 

"She KNEW I was in love with you, and she just--" you stopped talking, noticing a smirk spreading across his face.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked you with a shocked expression. You looked at him in confusion, then realized you had just spoken without thinking.

"I--It's a figure of speech. Like, "oh my god I'm so in love with Justin Beiber I could just die","

"...Don't like being compared to the Beebz like that but okay," he chuckled.

"Just...shut up. She knew I LIKED you, and she-- she just-- PERVERTED it," you spit out the words, your anger bubbling up. You knew from the moment he caught you sniffing his glass that you and him had something pure, and she just made it into something dirty, something evil.

"So...what EXACTLY happened, last night Y/N?" He stepped even closer, lowering his voice but his tone was soft not serious.

"I...You...You came in, and--everything was fine. It was just me, and-- and you, and we were--" You waved your hands, trying to be casual about it, but he grabbed them and made you look directly at him.

"...It was real," you whispered.

"And THEN, Arianna started telling me that I needed something out of you," your face went red again. "That-- that she hadn't 'planned' on using you, or me, but when she found out you were the ADA she just-- snapped," you went on again, feeling your anger rise again.

"She thought that she could use my actual feelings for you to get what she wanted, and I played along," you folded your arms, ashamed of yourself. You looked away, but Rafael's hand cupped your chin and turned you back to him.

"...But you didn't,"

"I COULDN'T," you could barely speak, tears choked your throat. Suddenly, feeling very uncomfortable having any kind of kindness being shown to you right now, you once again backed away from Rafael and paced around the alleyway.

"I...you don't get it. Lying is my THING. And--And usually okay maybe I have moral qualms about seducing dudes and exploiting them but I get over it, and I do it anyway!" You shook your hands into the air.

"B-B-But you, with you--your stupid eyes, god dammit those eyes!" you paced faster, shaking your head. Those fucking eyes.

"These eyes?" He pointed to his eyes, a very small smirk on his face.

"This isn't funny, okay? You--You made me betray my BEST friend," you stopped and stared into those eyes.

"With my eyes," he couldn't stop a smile.

"YES! I-I gave you that sappy load of bullshit about us having a 'connection', because I knew that was exactly what you wanted, what you   ," you looked away in shame.

"Wow..." Rafael shifted uncomfortably, you did know what you were doing.

"A-And you just, you ate it up! YOU, the most level headed, narcissistic, pessimistic lawyer, you just-- believed me," you almost laughed, the thought was actually unbelievable.

"And you were so happy," you added sadly, feeling the guilt rise in your gut.

"...And I think I started to believe it myself. And then I just...I couldn't--" You walked back up to him, this time taking his face in your hands.

"With everyone else I am a shark, but with you I just felt...helpless," you pressed your forehead to his for a brief moment, an intimate moment to say goodbye.

"So I sent you away. And I told you to stay away!" You literally pushed him away, gesturing out of the alley way.

"Why send me away though?"

"Because Arianna will KNOW now,"

"So? Let her know," he scoffed.

"NO," You stepped back into his face, trying to show him how serious you were.

"She's given up on you, because I told her you figured us out,"

"And she bought that?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well not figured figured out, just that you knew something wasn't right and we couldn't risk going to prison or something,"

"But if she knows that I just...let you go, she'll start digging on her own," your eyes grew wide with fear for him.

"And she will dig until she finds something. Something other than 'daddy issues'," you rolled your eyes.

"...And you think she'll find something?" he asked.

".... You're really telling me you don't have ANY skeletons in your closet, counselor?" now you raised an eyebrow.

"...I'm not leaving you alone with her," he took your hands again.

"Oh come on, I told you. She's my PERSON, she's not gonna hurt me. I don't need protection from her," you rolled your eyes, the thought of being afraid of Arianna was ridiculous. Kind of.

"That doesn't mean I won't fight for you," he touched your face.

"Raf please--" you pleaded once more.

"Give me your phone," he ordered, and you obliged.

"Wha--Okay..."

He took it and programmed his number into it, then handed it back to you.

"Arianna is NOT the only person you have now," he took your hand and kissed the back of your knuckles, before winking and walking away.

...What just happened?

[bastardtetsu]

{day 09} vanilla ice cream | tsukki x reader

pairing: tsukishima kei x gn!reader

genre: enemies to lovers, secret pen pal, mutual pining a lil bit?

wc: 1.5k

warnings: sick reader (hangover/cold), mention of drinking, some swearing, tsukki showing human empathy

⍋⋆*❅｡. 25 days of fic-mas mlist .｡❅*⋆⍋

somehow it all reminds me of doctor jekyll and mister hyde for right before my eyes, a man that i despise has turned into a man i like

—vanilla ice cream; she loves me (music by jerry bock, lyrics by sheldon harnick)

the first thing you notice as you wake up is your pounding headache. it’s hard to be surprised at your state after the amount of alcohol you consumed last night - not without good reason, of course. as awful as you’re feeling now, it’s nothing compared to the hell that was last night.

it wasn’t supposed to go like that - it was supposed to be a magical, maybe even romantic evening. you had been looking forward to meeting your mystery friend ever since the two of you started messaging each other online, but you hadn’t expected to develop a full-blown crush on this person without even finding out what they look like.

but the more you got to know their personality, exchanging playlists and talking about your similar tastes in music, the more your messages to each other became fonder, even flirty at times. perhaps it was the level of anonymity that made you both so comfortable talking to each other, but you quickly became each other’s most trusted confidants.

when you started working at the record store, things became a little more stressful as you adjusted to your schedule becoming tighter, having to handle the occasional nasty customer, and dealing with one coworker in particular who must have being rude to you written into his DNA. talking with your anonymous friend is a much-needed escape, a distraction from the mundane, a hidden treasure that only you get to enjoy.

so as you sat waiting in the cafe last night, a rose laid out on the table as you had promised your dear friend, nothing could’ve killed your vibe faster than the aforementioned rude coworker - tsukishima kei - showing up and ruining everything.

you could tell he was only there because you’d insisted on leaving work early to make this date, and he wanted to see if you were lying. he only proved his intentions more when he had the audacity to sit down at your table and make jabs at you for meeting up with someone you met online.

“you’ve been waiting an awful long time haven’t you?” he taunted.

“tsukki, if you don’t leave this table—“

“and you’ve never even met them? this is how people get murdered, you know,” he sneered condescendingly. you almost got thrown out because of how loudly you screamed at him. thankfully you didn’t - although you did seem to strike some nerves with tsukishima, which you felt a bit bad about - but even though you waited at the cafe until closing, nobody showed up, leaving you alone with a single rose and a full bottle of wine.

needless to say, you have every reason to feel like shit this morning. not only are you hungover and heartbroken, having heard nothing but radio silence from your friend, you’re starting to feel lightheaded and stuffy-nosed too. you waste no time calling in sick, burying yourself in your blankets as you try your best to shut out the pounding in your head and the salty tears beginning to sting the backs of your eyelids.

suddenly, a knock at the door jolts you back to reality. “who is it?” you call out weakly.

another knock. you drag yourself out of bed with a quiet groan and go to answer the door, only to be met with a familiar lanky blond.

“what do you want, tsukishima,” you demand dryly, “did you have something you forgot to say last night? if you do say it fast, i don’t feel well today.”

“yeah i know, you called out of work,” he replies ambivalently, “that’s why i’m here.”

“oh, so you’re here to check up on me again, make sure i’m not slacking off?” you taunt him, your temper rising.

“that’s not—“

“you gonna go back to work and tell everyone i’m lying? that i just don’t care about my job?”

“no i’m n—“

“well joke’s on you, four-eyes, ‘cause guess what? i’m not giving you the chance.” you immediately start gathering your belongings, preparing to go to work.

“what?”

“i won’t be that late,” you mumble to yourself, throwing a coat over your arm as you hurriedly grab your keys, “fuck— where the hell is my other shoe??”

“oi,” tsukishima says firmly, “y/n. you need to lie down.”

“fuck off,” you bite back at him.

“no seriously, you look like you have a fever.”

“i don’t care,” you snarl, “help me look for my shoe, i know it’s here somewhere—HEY!!!”

there’s not much you can do but continue screaming at him as tsukishima scoops you up in his scrawny arms - which are evidently way stronger than they look - and carries you to your bed, dumping you unceremoniously on top of the blankets.

“THE FUCK WAS THAT?!?” you shout. he just shrugs.

“what was i supposed to do? you wouldn’t get back in bed.” he says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. arrogant prick. you slump down into your blankets, feeling too depleted to pick a fight anymore.

“i brought you something.”

your head shoots up as a plastic grocery bag lands next to it. opening it up, you find a tub of vanilla ice cream inside. “it’s the best thing to eat when you’re sick,” he states.

“a-ah,” you stutter hesitantly, “thanks.” is tsukishima being… nice to you?

“did that uh… friend of yours ever show up?” he asks cautiously.

“no,” you mutter bitterly, “i waited til closing. guess you were right, meeting some stranger from the internet really was a stupid idea.”

“hm,” he grunts awkwardly, looking away from you.

“i mean,” you continue, “the least they could’ve done was give me some sort of explanation. instead they just fucking ghosted—“

“they didn’t ghost,” tsukishima interjects suddenly, almost defensive. “i mean— it hasn’t even been a day, they’ll probably hit you up later.”

“and how do you know?”

“because—“ he stops short, hesitating for a moment before continuing, “i saw the guy last night. on the way out of the cafe.”

“wait—what??” you exclaim, “you saw them? how do you know??”

“they were supposed to be holding a rose, right? like the one you had?”

“yeah— wait, how do you know about that?”

“it wasn’t hard to figure out. people usually don’t sit at cafes with loose flowers on the table unless it’s something dumb like that.”

“shut up, you wouldn’t know romance if it bit you in the ass,” you snap back, “so he’s a guy? what did he look like? did you talk to him? what did he say?”

“yeah, uh— he asked if i knew you,” tsukishima recounts, “and he wanted me to tell you he’s sorry for bailing, but something else came up.”

“anything else??” the eager glow in your eyes is suffocating as you stare him down, hungry for more details.

“yeah. he— he was kinda ugly.”

“…seriously?” you respond, half unimpressed with his attempt at a joke and half nervous that he isn’t joking at all.

“what, does that matter?” tsukishima replies mockingly, “i thought you liked him for his personality.”

“i do,” you jab, “and you know what, i don’t care what he looks like. and i certainly don’t care about what your salty ass thinks of him. i’m gonna message him right now, actually”

“have fun,” he says dismissively, turning to make his way out before pausing to pull a record from the vinyl collection on your shelf. “you like this album?”

“yeah, duh. it’s been one of my favorites for years.”

“huh. me too,” he replies, “it’s crazy how it stays with me. sometimes i swear i can hear it in my head while i’m asleep.”

“that’s funny,” you say, “my friend does the same thing. he hears it in his sleep.”

“heh. that is funny,” he mutters quietly as he turns to leave.

“tsukki—“ you stop him before he exits, “thanks for today. you’re not as awful as i thought.” a tentative smile graces your lips.

“whatever,” he mutters, quickly turning his face away from yours, “see you at work tomorrow.” as he retreats out the door, he prays you didn’t notice his blushing cheeks.

once tsukishima is out the door, you waste no time crafting a new message to your friend - but you find yourself struggling to piece together sentences as you snack on the ice cream tsukki brought you, the cold sensation easing your aching throat. was that really the same guy who’s been an asshole to you since the day you started working with him?

it’s incredible that the two of you even spent 2 minutes together without being at each other’s throats like usual, and even more so that someone as harsh and bitter as tsukishima would do something as kind as show up at your door with ice cream when you’re sick. he even said something to make you feel better - and it worked.

realizing that you’ve zoned out, you quickly snap your attention back to your message. but as you continue typing, you find your thoughts continually drifting back to the tall, bespectacled blond and his uncharacteristic kindness.

by the time you manage to write what you have to say and hit send, tsukishima is safely out of earshot when the new message pings on his phone.

he smiles and hopes that you figure it out soon, too.

a/n: i hope the ending for this one is clear addsdsdf,,,, i watched the entire roundabout she loves me revival to get inspired for this (and by get inspired i mean remember the plot details of she loves me bc i had only seen it once before lmao) tbh the narrative of this fic actually covers like 3 different songs, bc old musicals are weird and thought it was necessary to make looking for a shoe an entire number. anyways, all I have to offer you today is laura benanti being utter perfection and all of my love <3

taglist: @izagraceee​ @musicgetsmeoutofbed​ @azo-musxas​ @tsumurai @ghostlydiamond135 @animeboysimppp

[battendownthewhatsit]

Treasure Island read

Yaaay I finished it!

Assorted Takes : 

- I...had for some reason culturally osmosed that this book started out in New England? Nope, it's Old Busted England !   That makes the trip seem even more ???

- I'm really glad I saw Black Sails first bc a significant portion of the plot depends on people giving Silver  way too many passes and letting him switch sides back and forth despite constant betrayal (always going I KNOW THIS IS A BAD IDEA and then! doing it anyway!!) , and if I'd read the book first I'd be thinking it was a real Idiot Plot but I saw Black Sails so I COMPLETELY understand how he just charms his way past multiple murders and it would actually feel implausible if anyone held this horrible creature to account 

-  WOW the rocketsled of the mutineers from " totally competent sailors who can make a trip from England to a Debatably Located But Probably Tropical Island in good time to Practically Animals, Wallowing  In Their Own Filth, Too Drunk to Breathe" the instant they mutinied was sure. Speedy.  Less Lord of the Flies and more  " the transporter's having a malfunction and making Evil Clones" . 

- I know this is a shocking thing to say about the author of Jekyll and Hyde but y'all I think Stevenson has a whole lot of Victorian English Issues about the concepts of Society and Human Nature and ~~reversion and ~ Savagery , Risky Assertion I know but it's just this subtle little theme that is ALL OVER EVERYTHING , if you betray Society and Discipline you WILL instantly give in to your DARKEST INSTINCTS and be covered in mud  

-unless you're John Silver and then you do What You Want, what are people gonna do, NOT like you?   

- ...also Silver and Jim Hawkins are both queer, right ? like. that is an Accepted Read on this ? well known?  In the same way that queer readings of J&H are very standard at this point? I am not being flippant here

-at the very least, the way that they're the only two characters who successfully slip back and forth across Stevenson's VERY sharply drawn Divide without ever losing their sense of self is clearly Transgressive as hell in the text and leads to them both being misread all the time by everyone around them ; Jim's no less a trickster figure than Silver really , he just chooses team Lawful Good while Silver picks team Chaotic Me and is...maybe slightly  less lethal

-also really noticeable that Jim ends the story giving a definite, final account of the fates of all the surviving members of the party except Silver and himself  ?  Everyone else gets a very simple and clear happy ending--jobs, homes, families-- but Silver just gets a hopeful supposition and Jim says nothing about himself except that he still has stress-dreams about the island and wakes up hearing the parrot's voice.  Silver has ostensibly  vanished, but Jim presumably knows what he's done with his own life and he's not saying  , it's a surprising final bit of ambiguity for a kid's book narrator??  and I have no idea if Stevenson intended the whole thing to be anything besides Very Direct  What it Says on The Tin but wow it sure is 

- anyway intended or not it's a lot more interesting than  I was expecting! and miles of room for fanfic in this sucker wow 

[ugly-anastasia]

The Last 10 Years | Oneshot

Note: for the October Jekyll and Hyde task (write a one-shot featuring your character as first the protagonist and then the antagonist) I had an idea to try and tell Annie and Charlie’s story in the style of the musical The Last Five Years, since that is kind of the goal of that show’s storytelling style. Basically the premise is the same story told from two different perspectives, one in chronological order and the other in reverse-chronological order. Just wanted to clarify that in case the format is confusing. Enjoy!

Warnings for: alcohol, references to hazing, lots of messy/unhealthy relationship dynamics, misogyny, some nsfw topics

2021, Annie

The last time Anastasia Tremaine saw Charles King, he was shimmering. 

The morning light got in her eyes, Tennessee June out in all its glory as Annie loaded the last box into the Uber that would take her to the airport. Out of the corner of her eye, Annie could see Charlie bending down to give Harlynne and Jaxson each one last hug. The early summer sunshine seemed to sparkle on his Dri-Fit Vanderbilt Tennis shirt because of course it did. The world seemed to part for Charlie King and everything that made Annie squint and stumble and fall just painted him in brighter glory.

It was what she had always liked about him, wasn’t it? That she could look at him and see the sun? Annie’s life had always been defined by the people she surrounded herself with. Rodmilla Tremaine’s screechy daughter, Ella Ashbourne’s bitchy stepsister with the bad fake tan, and then Charlie King’s perky young wife. 

Maybe that was her mistake from the beginning. How was she going to define herself now?

2011, Charlie

The first time Charles King saw Anastasia Tremaine, she was shimmering. 

Literally. Covered in silver sparkles. The glitter bomb was a new ritual to welcome the Alpha Phi pledges, replacing the traditional surprise Jägerbomb after a lengthy hazing investigation that left the sisters scrambling to replace their traditions with those less explicitly related to alcohol. Of course, it was the first mixer of the year, so alcohol of all kinds was flowing through the Kappa Alpha house, just with enough plausible deniability to say that technically nobody underage was encouraged to drink. 

Luckily for the majority of the attendees at this mixer, they tended to have the kind of connections to get a good enough lawyer to get out of that stuff.

Charlie saw Annie sparkling as she stood on the coffee table and glitter rained down on her, shrieking in disgust (but maybe soaking up the attention just a little bit). And he knew that was his girl. She was attractive in a self-conscious kind of way, with her long legs and big nose, like maybe she was afraid she stuck out too much. It was easy to see through fake freshman confidence, and Charlie could already see her posh British accent impressing his parents. 

He hung back. He didn’t say anything yet. But Charlie had a feeling he would run into Annie Tremaine again.

2019, Annie

It was really quite plain and simple: Charlie was cheating.

Annie believed she was justified in going through his phone, because he was cheating. The signs were everywhere. He was always “going out to happy hour” after work even though he hadn’t been interested in “happy hour” since he’d started at the accounting firm six years ago. He seemed distracted lately. And his little icon always dropped off of the map on Find My Friends the same time every day. 

So when Charlie was in the shower, Annie reached across the bed and unlocked his phone. Unknown number.

Tonight again?

No, not tonight

When??? 😩😩😩 

Tomorrow?

Ur gonna make me wait until tomorrow

The anticipation will make it sweeter 😉

And there was her proof. “CHARLIE!” Annie roared, jumping out of bed and pounding on the shower door. She was justified. She had-- what was it they called it on those police procedurals? Probable cause? Annie had probable cause. Charlie came stumbling out of the shower, wrapping the towel around him and looking at her blearily. “Whaa-”

“Explain this!”

Charlie just stared at her. “Did you go through my phone?”

2013, Charlie

The plain and simple explanation was that Annie asked Charlie out. 

Two years after that first party where they locked eyes, after Annie had attracted a few whispers for stumbling through some on-off relationships with the more sensitive of the KA brothers, Annie went right up to Charlie at homecoming and asked him out. Charlie didn’t plan on getting tied down to a college girl right after he graduated. And no, he didn’t leverage any kind of power he might have had, because Annie had just applied for an internship at the accounting firm he and his father both worked at. That was her choice. Wasn’t that what feminism was all about or something?

Annie asked Charlie out with the brazen confidence of a brand new Co-Chair of Philanthropy, a confidence she would confess, taking a sip of her cosmo, actually came from Charlie’s encouragement. Last spring, right before graduation, Charlie had told Annie to go after her dreams, and Annie had decided that her dreams lied with Charlie King.

That was what Charlie had to explain to people when they raised eyebrows at his relationship with Annie. She had asked him out. It was even possible she was playing him to get her foot in the door at the firm. Right?

2015, Charlie and Annie

Charlie and Annie had a fight the night before their wedding. It started at the rehearsal dinner, when Charlie’s best man, a lanky KA brother named Ross, got into a tiff with Drizella over something political, and then Annie whispered to Charlie to shut him up, and Charlie didn’t, and now they were in their individual hotel rooms, shouting at each other on the phone.

“He’s my friend, Annie, I don’t control him!”

“I’m not asking you to control him, but you could have pulled him for a chat! Told him to tone it down!”

“Annie, why would that--”

“You have no problem doing that with me when I’m being a bitch! And I’ve done it with you when you’re being stupid! What’s the difference?”

“Annie, I--”

“I know why. It’s because you care more about fitting in with your stupid friends than you care about me! Grow up, Charlie, you’re getting bloody married!”

“Annie!” 

Silence.

“Look, Annie, I don’t know what you want me to say. I can’t travel back in time and do it different.”

“I want you to say you’re sorry!”

“Alright, Annie, I’m sorry.”

More silence. For a moment, Annie had a burning feeling that something might not be right. On the other side of the wall, Charlie had the same feeling.

They both wrote it off as cold feet. And the next day, they had a beautiful wedding, and it even made the society pages, and Annie had never gotten so many likes on Instagram. And Charlie’s mother was proud. And the fight was forgotten.

Until it wasn’t. 

2013, Annie 

Annie asked Charlie out because her mother said she should, and because her friends said that he was a sweet guy but he would never make the first move, and because a cute self-help book she had read said that if Annie didn’t take control of her destiny now, destiny would take control of her. Annie was a strong woman, and Charlie was cute and well-connected, and maybe he was a lot older, but that was the kind of man Annie wanted, anyway. Someone mature. Someone who wouldn’t walk out when things got hard. Charlie seemed steady.

And yes, maybe she told him that she had gotten her confidence from his little drunken pep talk that he gave her right before he graduated, even though that wasn’t really true. And maybe she faked it the first time they hooked up... and the second and third time, too. And maybe Annie swore she listened to all of his mixtapes, even when she found them quite boring. Men had fragile little egos, and Annie knew she could use that to her advantage. 

It didn’t matter, because at the end of things, Annie knew that she and Charlie would be perfect together. What was a little white lie here and there, a little corner cutting? It was destiny and she was just helping it along.

2019, Charlie

Cheating didn’t look good. It never did. Charlie had a kid, and another on the way, and a wife who was perfect on paper. Ross’s stare across the table at Buffalo Wild Wings (an old heartbreak haunt from the Vandy days) said all of that. But Charlie believed he deserved some sympathy. 

“She’s crazy, man!” Charlie argued.

“Charlie, you’re not supposed to call women crazy anymore. Erica--”

“I don’t care what bullshit Erica read on TheSkimm!”

“Charlie! That’s my wife you’re talking about!”

“Sorry,” Charlie grumbled, biting into his buffalo wing morosely. “But I think if she was paranoid enough that I was cheating on her that she had to go through my phone, then there’s a bigger problem. And, I’m just saying, she could’ve just asked me.”

“And you would have told her the truth?”

Charlie hmphed and threw the bone down on his plate, reaching for another wing. 

2011, Annie

The first time Annie saw Charlie, it was from behind.

But what a glorious back of his head it was! Thick chestnut-brown hair, gelled into a perfect side part but not too much that it couldn’t be tousled a little. A pink golf shirt-- there was nothing like a man who knew how to dress. And he was moving with purpose, with animation, like he knew he was the brightest star in the room and everyone around him was so lucky to bask in his light.

He was the shimmering outline of a boy you could fill in with all your hopes. And the other girls had told Annie to stay away from the older boys, that they would play with your heart and drop you by Christmas to ring-by-spring a girl more their speed. But Annie could see the pieces clicking into place. She had been raised to believe if you worked hard and wanted something badly enough and if you weren’t afraid to get your hands a little dirty, you could have whatever you wanted. And Annie wanted this. Badly.

Annie was tired of standing in the shadows. She wanted to attach herself to a boy who commanded the light, so she could shine, too. And she had finally found him.

2021, Charlie

The last time Charlie saw Annie, it was from behind, as she climbed into the car and didn’t bother to give him one last wave before speeding down the highway with the life he had spent the past ten years building.

Annie had gotten everything she wanted in the divorce. It was hard to sympathize with a cheater, especially one who already seemed to have a backup life ready to go as soon as his ex wife and kids were out of the way. Charlie didn’t really feel that way. He mostly resented Annie for blowing this up the way she had, turning one little affair into a marriage-shattering event, fleeing the country with both kids in tow. Charlie didn’t care what Ross said. She was crazy.

Mostly, Charlie mourned what could have been. He could have gone on having it all. He was doing a good job of balancing it. And he had been raised to believe that if he just managed everything tactfully enough, he could skate through life unencumbered, with nobody to say no to what he wanted. For the first time, he couldn’t. And it made Charlie livid.

But maybe it was time for a fresh start. He had Jenna, his beautiful girlfriend. He had his house, still. He had his Nashville friends, who had eventually come around to agree with Charlie that he was in the right (and Charlie believed that they liked Jenna better, anyway). 

The worst thing that Annie had done, Charlie decided, was think too highly of him. He wasn’t a man of principle or honor, he just projected that image in the settings where it was necessary. And she had been naive enough to believe in that. 

Charlie went back in the house and pulled up Jenna’s contact on his phone. From now on, he wasn’t going to lie about the kind of man he was. And hopefully, that would prevent him from repeating this whole mess over again.

[sapphire-strikes]

How do you think Kamal and Boris would react to fk being scared of the dark?

So sorry again for the late reply and thank you for the request! I had alot of fun with this and may have gotten a bit carried away.

(Also, like I always say; this is meant to be considered platonic/familial)

•Kamal probaby already knew just by watching you. He's a pretty perceptive guy but also isn't the kind of person to care much about the stuff he figures out. Sure it's kind of a silly fear, but hey, he's afraid of stairwells so who's he to judge.

• Boris on the other hand is pretty oblivious and that plays to your detriment at first.

• One day Boris had gotten a new shipment of seeds and had been working non-stop to get them planted. He had a late night but you waited up to walk him home like you usually did, despite the growing unease in your gut as the sky got darker.

• By the time he had finally finished up the moon was out and the street lights were aglow. You had fallen alseep in the back room and were awoken by him gently shaking you, "Wakey wakey, sleepyhead, sorry for the wait. It's time to head home!"

• As soon as the two of you stepped out the door your breath hitched and you backed into him. He quickly raised his hands to catch you, gently holding you by your shoulders and lightly shepherding you onto the street for a couple steps before letting go.

• The only light that was offered came from the street lamps above, creating ominous looking paths down the sidewalks on either side of you. It was almost more unnerving than complete darkness.

• He didn't seem to notice your discomfort at all but did comment on how late it. He even asked if you just wanted to head back to your place instead of staying out any longer and walking him home.

• You're quick to object, almost frantically grabbing his hand when he began to step away. No way were you walking home alone, or at least you'd try to avoid it as long as you could.

• Boris jumps in surprise when you cling to his hand so suddenly and looks down at you with concern. When you realise what you're doing you quickly apologize and attempt to back away only for him to grab your hand in return and begin walking happily. "Okee! Let's get going then, shall we? Kamal's going to be worried if we take to much longer."

• If he had thought anything about your little freak out it seemed to have already left his mind.

• Despite the darkness that surrounded you, you had to admit having Boris there was quite the comfort. You were walking slower than usual as you cautiously took in your surroundings and Boris adjusted his speed accordingly.

• He hadn't let go of your hand since you started walking and he seemed to quite enjoy the activity, even attempting to intertwine your fingers at one point but couldn't do it comfortably with the size difference. He instead just opted to wrapping his thumb around your wrist while his fourfingers easily encompassed the rest of your hand.

• His grip was firm but gentle and during moments of silence he would hum softly. For a little while you completely forgot about your fear and just took in his presence as he walked with a smile.

• You're snapped back into reality when your hand was released so Boris could begin fiddling with his keys. You had finally arrived back at Kamal's place and once it was unlocked, he held the door open for you to step inside.

• The two of you are greeted by a tired looking Kamal as he lethagically mulled over some paperwork.

• After a bit of conversation and Boris explaining why you got back so late, Kamal stands, stretches and turns to you. "It is pretty late ain't it? Maybe it would be best for you to crash here for the night, pal? No point in sending you out by yourself at this hour and I think I'm a little too tired to drive right now."

• Before you can respond Borsi stands up excitedly and clapped his hand together.

"We can have a sleepover!"

"Yeah sure, that." Kamal snickers and looks to you sympathetically, "You up for it, little buddy?"

Thinking it over for a second you nodded happily, "I think I'll take you up on that, thank you, Kamal."

• Boris squeals excitedly and lifts you off the ground for a second before his face flashes with an idea and he quickly puts you down. "I'm gonna go make snacks! Don't go anywhere! Okee?" You can tell he's joking about that last part but he still peeks back around the corner after heading to the kitchen, pretending to make sure you're still there.

• You and Kamal share a look and he wordlessly points down the hall with both hands. You get the message and give him a wave goodnight that he returns before heading to bed.

• If it's really late, Boris won't keep you up for long. Just long enough for the two of you to eat and watch some tv.

• After that, he'll offer to let you stay in his bed while he sleeps on the couch. You firmly deny his offer, insisting that you couldn't do that but you appreciate the thought, he really was a sweetheart. After a small back and forth Boris eventually relents when you insisting you'll be fine.

• Boy were you wrong. It hadn't even occurred to you until now that you didn't have your usual set up. Would it be rude to keep their living room light on all night? It was bright enough to be seen on from both of their rooms, even from under the doors. You eventually settle on leaving the tv running. It's not quite bright enough to comfort you but it's better than nothing.

• You spent the next two hours curled up on the couch, trying to keep your gaze focused on the tv. Normally the sight of Kamal's house brought you comfort, but right now it felt like you were floating in some sort of void with the dim light of the tv that illuminated the couch acting as your lifeboat.

• A few more minutes passed and you were spooked out of you already anxious trance by the sound of footsteps. "Flower, still watching teevee? It's no good for u this late you kno!" When you turned around you saw Boris standing at the end of the hall rubbing sleep from his eyes. He was also slurring his words a bit, something he did when he was angry, upset or tired. He walked up to the couch and leaned over you to grab the remote. "U can watch all u want in the morning I promisee".

• You panicked and grabbed it before he could, holding it tight to you chest, "N-no! I-I mean, just let me finish this episode, it's getting really good--I'll get some sleep right after!" Boris glanced at the tv then back at you with an eyebrow raised. You looked back to the tv and finally remembered what you had been watching for the last hour...the shopping channel. "There's...there's uh...a really good deal for...nonstick skillets coming up.."

• Your strange behavior seems to have woken him up a bit and and he looks down at you sadly, "Is everything okay, y/n? Was...was the sleepover too much?"

• You're quick to sit up and assure him that that isnt the problem, everything would be fine it's just that, well...

• "Oooh, so you do not like the dark?". You nodded, looking down in shame, it was such a stupid fear. "Well that makes sense! I--!" Before he even finishes speaking a look of realization crosses his face and he scrambles over the couch to the other side of the living room to flick the light on. As soon as he does he turns to you with worry, "Is--is that better? I'm sorry for turning it off :-("

• You stand up and assure him that it wasn't his fault There's no way he could have known and even if he did, it'd be silly of you to expect him to keep all his lights on just so you can sleep. You laugh a little bit, "I do miss my night light though."

He tilts his head in confusion, "Night-light?"

"Yeah, you know. Those little lights you plug into a wall socket. Not bright enough to bother you but enough to see in the dark. They're...usually used for little kids". You rub the back of your neck in embarrassment.

Boris's face light up, "Oh, I know what you are talking about! C'mere!" He grabs you by the hand, pulling you up off the couch and leading you down the hall to a door adorned in art of flowers and smiles. You can only assume it's his bedroom.

• He looks at you expectantly, motioning to his door and you take that as your queue to open it. When you do, you're met with what looks a bit like a kids bedroom, in the colorfullnes of it at least. The lights are off but there is a warm glow that leaves everything clearly visible.

• His bed is huuuge, but that's to be expected. To the right of it on the wall he has two night lights, one of a smiling tooth and one of a flower. On the left side of his bed was a night stand with a dimly lit lamp. Not only that, but looking up at the ceiling he had to have at least two-hundred of those glow in the dark stars.

"I do not mind the dark, but I like to read at night." You're once again snapped out of a trance and you look at him a bit baffled but smile anyway.

"Your room's pretty cool, Boris."

He seems pleased by your approval, "Thank you! It can be your room for tonight too!" Before you can protest, he shushes you. "It'll be like a real sleepover this time! I'm gonna pick out a bedtime story to help you fall alseep, go get comfy."

• You don't get another chance to protest since he's already looking through the large bookshelf that's sitting up against the wall to the left. You don't move from your spot near the door but you can make out some of the book titles that rest in it. Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and even a few by H.P Lovecraft. He wasn't a fan of horror persay, not horror movies at least, but he enjoyed the older novels. There were also quite a few books on flowers and even some on farming odly enough. It was all very Boris.

• After pulling out what he thought was an acceptable choice, he walked over to his bed and climbed in. His smiles at you expectantly again and patted the spot beside him, signaling you to come sit with him.

• After a moment of hesitation as you process the silliness of this situation, you relent and climb in beside him.

• He pulls the blanket up over the two of you and takes extra care to tuck you both in properly. It really seemed like he knew what he was doing as he went through the motions with a determined look on his face. This earns a laugh from you and a confused look from Boris. After he was satisfied with his work, he setted back down in his spot and began to read out loud.

• You forgot how nice it was to just listen to someone read as you drifted off, or maybe you never new in the first place. Either way, you were out like a light in less than thirty minutes.

[elv--eyera]

A GIF-by-GIF Analysis of the 2013 Revival of Jekyll & Hyde’s version of “Transformation.”

TRIGGER WARNINGS: talk of needles / injections. Mention of potential bodily harm / death. Some bad language.

The 2013 revival went in a very, very different direction than how the scene is normally staged, so I wasn’t originally going to start this little series with analyzing this one. This “Transformation” goes far, far beyond the usual bad lab safety, and I felt like it’s be especially weird to apply any sense of realism to this production, where the concepts seemed to be all over the place. People wanted this one, though, and I’m going to give the people what they want, dammit.

This writeup could actually make the case that based on this HJ7 setup, 2013Revival!Jekyll is the most mad-scientist-esque interpretation of Jekyll that the musical’s ever featured.

A disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or a scientist. I’m just one (1) smartass that did a bit of research and is taking things both far too seriously and not quite seriously enough. I am not pointing out every single issue here... just the absolute worst ones. And yes, it’s dumb to apply medical / scientific standards to a theatrical production. But it’s also fun, on occasion!

You can watch the scene here! 

Let’s get this started with a bang!!

For starters, Jekyll really should put on protective gear like a lab coat, safety goggles and gloves if he’s going to be working with a chemical formula.  He doesn’t do those things, but Constantine at least puts on an apron halfway through This Is The Moment. (It’s a leather apron because this is the 2013 revival, so of course, it’s leather. Because... ~aesthetic~ and ~steampunk~ and ~sexy~.) 

“delicious. finally, some good fucking gloves.”

I watched this video after watching about 10 ish other Jekylls not wear gloves or ANYTHING protective, so I was absolutely rejoicing to see someone finally have them. Also, I like the kind of endearingly awkward way Constantine fiddles with them in between This Is The Moment and Transformation, but that’s not lab safety related, so, moving on-

Now we’re getting to the bad lab safety - all these gigantic flasks of chemicals were all open and unattended when he came back! Leaving it open is just making it so easy for your freakin’ formula to get contaminated!  Not only has that probably ruined the shelf life of the chemicals, you definitely shouldn’t just leave them bubbling.

Also, watch how in the above gif he has to pour the green formula in each tube individually, one at a time...

... but the red formula affects all the tubes after only one drop. 

Make it make sense ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

After making me SO happy by wearing gloves, he just flings them on the damn floor. That made me sad! I cared about those gloves, Constantine. Those gloves didn’t deserve that, Constantine! My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. 

After he wheels the giant tubes of formula up to the sky, he starts to go all stabby on his neck and wrist, putting the IV tubes with injection needles in the little holes of the metal gauntlets. I wanted to try and not try to push realism on this too much because that’s obviously not what they’re going for, but this in particular would fuck someone up and I just gotta go into that. 

The neck is literally the most high-risk place to inject a human. It’s so easy to fuck up your breathing or heartbeat or brain by injecting into the wrong spot and hitting the arteries. Putting on the gauntlet thing would make it super hard to locate and inject into a vein, making it super easy to trigger all the issues that happen when you miss a vein and just go all stabbity stabbity on your friggin’ neck. Also, if he was going to do this on someone else, how does he account for where their veins are? 

Okay, I’ve gotta address this - Six different tubes / injection sites with ten giant jugs of evil juice is WAY too much HJ7 going into one person at one time!! Your body is going to be 100% flooded with chemical evil juice!! You’re gonna OD on the fateful brew!! And it’s bubbling - for god’s sake, Jekyll, if you inject a liquid with tons and tons of air bubbles, you are going to get an air embolism and fuck yourself up!!!

*deep breath*

It’s becoming super clear that they went for a cool-looking steampunk aesthetic, and I get that, and that’s valid... but along the way they created something that would horribly, absolutely fuck up an actual human person. I don’t want to get too far into all of the different reasons and ways it would unless someone asks for more detail (which I kinda hope someone does, honestly). I’ll just leave it at this: with this setup, Henry Jekyll is actually incredibly lucky that he somehow became a physically healthy but murderous dude, as opposed to dying painfully. 

Back to the action - this really bugs me, and let me know how you feel about this - why is everything already set up for him to administer the treatment to himself when he didn’t plan on doing that until right before this song? Specifically, why on earth would the lever to administer the treatment be placed on the chair of the person who’s receiving the treatment?

Also looking at his reaction - geez, maybe it hurts cause you’re injecting gallons of evil juice into your body without even looking for one vein!

OK, so when he (as Jekyll) put in the little IV things, he winces a bit, right. But he just flings them off as Hyde! That’s got to HURT!! 

IN CONCLUSION: 

There’s so much to say here. The designers seemed to want to create a thrilling, interesting-looking showpiece for Transformation, when the actual interesting thing about the scene is not the formula itself or how it’s administered, but how Jekyll reacts to it. This setup is absolutely, insanely bonkers, but somehow the most ridiculous thing about this isn’t the absolute overkill of the tubes and LED lights and giant bubbling flasks and electricity sound effects. No. The most ridiculous, gobsmacking thing about this, is that he lives.

It’s interesting to think about this, though - The unprecedented, dangerous aspect of Jekyll’s research, and the mad-scientist angle isn’t usually something played up in the musical. I think that’s worth exploring. I wonder what the creative team’s thought process was when conceiving this whole thing. 

Thanks for everyone that read this and huge special thanks to those who reblogged the Henry Jekyll Lab Safety Discourse and who encouraged me to write this. I hope you enjoyed reading this. I know too much about injections now, and it’s because of you.