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loveharlow · 7 months

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SEVEN - 002

PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚[6.5k] based on 1x02.

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, mentions of parental neglect, mild violence, mentions of death/grief, disturbance of a graveyard (?)

NOW PLAYING‧₊˚

A/N‧₊˚ I've been wanting to do an OBX rewrite for a very long time so here it is, the first chapter from yours truly.

˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗

“DO YOU REALLY THINK BIG JOHN COULD STILL BE ALIVE?” Kiara’s slightly digitally distorted voice came from the other end of the line. Your phone was pressed between your ear and shoulder as you searched the hangers in your closet, bath towel wrapped snug around your frame and your hair thrown up into a bun, which was presenting more like a mess of damp strands.

“It doesn’t matter what we think, Kie,” You made clear, eyeing a cute shirt you thought you’d lost. “We should just be there for him.”

“Yeah… but what if we’re just feeding into a fantasy? Wouldn’t that make us bad friends if we weren’t honest with him?” You could hear her shuffling around on the other end of the phone as well, dresser drawers slamming occasionally.

“Maybe you’re right.” You sighed, throwing your outfit onto your bed and heading back into the closet to find a bikini to wear underneath. Living in the Outer Banks meant you had a plethora to choose from. “But the way I see it? If it were my dad that went missing, I’d be looking for him too. I’d give anything to even have that small hope that my dad was still alive back, but I know he isn’t… so, I understand.”

“I didn’t think about it like that…” It was sad to hear her so conflicted, as if she’d said the wrong thing.

“Well, I wouldn’t expect you to. And I would never want you to be able to understand that feeling. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” You reassured, putting the girl on speaker to toss the phone on your bed and slipping the bikini you picked out onto your frame and tying the respective knots. “That’s why if John B thinks his dad is alive and wants to look for him? That’s what we’re gonna do. Because alive or not, John B is like a brother to me and leaving him to do this alone is what would make us bad friends.”

“I guess you’re right…are you still meeting up with the guys today?”

“Just J and John B for right now. Pope said he’d be around later after helping his pops.” You told her, slipping an oversized shirt over top of the bikini, eyeing your closet shelves for a pair of shorts.

“Alright, I might swing by if my parents aren’t up my ass about work.” She complained. “Talk to you later.”

“Later.” Was all you said before the end-call sound rang out in the expanse of your bedroom.

A swift series of knocks met your closed door from the other side, you shouted for them to come in, assuming it was either your mother or your dog Marley’s tail hitting the wood. The 2-year-old golden retriever had a knack for sitting outside your bedroom door on the rare occasion that it was closed and she wasn’t inside.

The knob twisted and in walked your mother, adorned in her signature navy blue pencil skirt and blazer, still a half hour to spare before she had to head off to her office for work. Rebecca Reyes was the Outer Banks’ most notable and renowned lawyer. Even when you still lived on The Cut all those months ago, she was still the island's number one defender. Moving to Figure Eight and getting rich, almost overnight, just gave her the resources she needed. You still questioned where all the money spawned from, chopping it down to your father’s life insurance coming through.

But the bank said that could take a while and you never assumed it was enough to buy a house on Figure Eight. But that’s adult stuff, you thought to yourself.

“You got home late yesterday,” She began bluntly, adjusting the diamond bracelet on her wrist. The smell of her expensive perfume already wafting into your space. “Where were you?”

“Just out with John B and the others.” You said with a shrug, walking out the closet with a pair of sneakers in your hands as you undid the tied laces.

She hummed, eyeing the space around you as if she’d never seen it before. “Did you hear about the boat they’re searching for? Scooter Grubbs’ boat?”

You side eyed her quickly, not quick enough for her to catch however. “Yeah, the whole island is losing their minds over it.”

“You and your friends haven’t come across anything, have you?”

“...I doubt we’d have any luck coming across a Grady-White, mom. Especially after the hurricane. That boat could be oceans away for all we know.”

“Right.” She agreed, but she seemed far away. Off. Why’d she care about Scooter Grubbs’ boat? “And what’s this I hear about some kid with a gun at The Point?” Your heart dropped.

“A gun?” You acted semi-shocked. “I don’t know, I wasn’t there.”

“Hm.” She droned. “Well, if you find anything don’t hesitate to tell me. Or Shoupe, for that matter. He said two out of towners showed up for the boat search yesterday, looked sketchy. So, be careful.”

You hummed in agreement, watching as the woman strutted out of the room without even a small ‘goodbye’.

You and your mother were nowhere near as close as you used to be. Your father’s passing caused a rift between the two of you that seemed irreparable. You just felt like she had become so cold and closed off, nothing like the woman who used to bake every weekend or plan family nights in the backyard. She was more secretive, dismissive. You couldn’t even remember what her smile looked like. She’d changed so much. She used to hate Sheriff Shoupe, said he was a dirty cop who worked under the rich snobs of Figure Eight. Now, it’s like they’re business partners of some sort and she is a rich snob on Figure Eight.

She even changed her last name back after your father died and wouldn’t tell you why. That was what made you feel the most alone. Rebecca Carter was now Rebecca Reyes but you were still Y/N Carter and your father would always be Owen Carter.

It was like she was trying to erase him and everything they’d built together.

You hated to admit that sometimes you wondered what your father would think of the woman she’s become. If she would be as unrecognizable to him as she is to you.

YOU SAT IN THE BACK OF THE VAN, legs bent as your journal rested atop your thighs while you scribbled down your thoughts and recent events — namely the events of yesterday. You had one earbud in, your playlist on shuffle as you half-listened into JJ and John B’s conversation that was happening in the front seat, the bumpy ride making your handwriting a bit chicken scratch-ish.

“I don’t understand why you don’t at least try with Kiara,” JJ started, his heavy boots kicked up on the dashboard. “She clearly likes you. She’s like ‘Oh, John B!’. She’s sketchy about you diving and then she kissed you, bro.” The blonde continued.

“She kissed me on the cheek. It’s not like we were makin’ out.” John B denied, brushing off the girl’s clear affections.

“Low-hanging fruit, bro.” JJ cut him off, the statement making you cringe in silence as you continued to scribble. “I see it in your eyes. You’re like ‘I kind of like that’.” JJ said in a mockingly low and seductive voice.

“Okay, you want to talk about me?”

“Yeah, bro, I wanna talk about you and your lack of game.”

“My lack- my lack of game? Okay, what game do you have, JJ? ‘Cause I haven’t seen any improvement in your case.” JJ’s head whipped between you and the boy in the driver’s seat within milliseconds before he was swatting John B’s arm.

“C’mon, dude...” He warned in a hushed tone. John B just chuckled.

“That’s what I thought.”

Moments of silence passed before their voices were heard again. “I gotta admit, your dad’s compass in Scooter’s boat? Freaky, man…” JJ claimed, twirling the newfound object between his fingers.

“That’s why we’re going to talk to Ms. Lana and figure this whole thing out. She’s his wife, she has to know something.” John B told him.

“And what makes you think she would want to talk to us?” You added, spooking the blonde boy in the passenger seat.

“How long have you been listen-”

“I’m always listening.” You spoke bluntly, a blank expression on your face as you averted your attention from your journal to him. “Anyway,” you dismissed. “A group of teenagers showing up to ask her about her dead husband, the boat that the whole island is looking for, and the compass we found inside of said dead husband’s lost boat? She’ll either think we’re criminals, FBI, or crazy.”

“Well, this is our first resort.” John B replied, eyes looking at you through the rearview. “We gotta try.”

“KNOW WHAT THIS HOUSE LOOKS LIKE?” JJ said, leading the group of us to the front yard of Lana Grubbs’ residence. “Whoever lives here smokes too much weed.” He observed the small, shack-like house — the walls were overgrown with weeds, the yard looked like it’d never been cut, the place was a mess from the outside.

The three of you stopped, more like flinched, in your tracks when you heard glass-shattering from the inside of the house followed by crash after crash. It sounded like the outside of a rage-room or a gun range.

“Maybe we should come back…” JJ advised, taking small steps back. But John B persisted, even as the two of you stood back in fear.

“No, no, shut up, JJ.” John B reprimanded absentmindedly.

“Tell me where it is or I’ll fuck you up!” A deep, brassy voice boomed from the inside. The voice so authoritative it made you shudder, but it didn’t worry you as when a woman’s scream followed. You could only assume it was Ms. Lana. “I’ll sink you in the fucking-” A crash, louder than the rest, cut off the sentence, almost covering the sound of Ms. Lana’s blood-curling screech.

“You’re hurting me!”

John B beckoned JJ and you on with his hands, urging the both of you to move forward. Reluctantly, and after a weary glance at one another, you and JJ followed the brunette boy who was edging closer and closer to the side of the house.

“Where the fuck is it?!”

“I don’t know!”

The three of you quickly dashed and ducked beneath the window seal on the only open window when you heard something hit the wall from the inside. You had just parted your lips to say that, just maybe, this was a bad idea. A terrible one, even, before a phrase yelled by the angry man inside had you shutting up.

“The compass wasn’t in the boat! Where is it, Lana?!”

“I don’t know!”

Your heart dropped as things continued to get thrown and slammed inside the house and you prayed those ‘things’ didn’t happen to be Lana. The paint and wood started to physically chip and fall off the walls outside, landing on top of the three of you crouched against the side of the house, wood particles falling into your eyes.

“Let’s get the hell out of here, man…” Another male voice commanded, followed by two pairs of heavy footsteps against the wooden floors inside. The three of you peeked around the corner to watch the two men disappear from the grounds through the front door, stomping angrily towards their boat.

The same boat that had been shooting at you only 24 hours prior.

“Those were the guys that shot at us.” JJ whisper-yelled.

“Go back.” John B commanded, pushing you all back behind the safety of the wall so they wouldn’t see you all. Once the boat sped off, the three of you slowly tip-toed your way into the house. The sound of Lana’s cries getting louder and more heartbreaking the more you entered the house, shoes crunching on wood and glass. Photo frames and dishes all broken into smaller fractions and littered on the floor, holes in the walls, kitchen cabinets hanging on by a single hinge.

“Ms. Lana?” You called out, voice laced with concern, eyeing the broken windows before they found Ms. Lana’s curled up figure on the bathroom floor right below the sink that was hanging on by a singular pipe. “Oh my God.” You gasped, kneeling right next to the woman and laying a hand on her shoulder that caused her to flinch and shrink in on herself.

She had tears running from her red, swollen eyes, curled up like someone’s child.

“She is tweakin’.”

“Shut up, JJ.” You hissed, shooting a mean glare at the insensitive blonde before turning your attention back to the feeble woman. “Do you need a doctor? We can call a doctor for you.” You assured, examining the multiple cuts adorning the woman’s face and arms.

“We can call the sheriff’s department-” John B was on the verge of suggesting before Lana cut him off frantically.

“No cops, please!”

“Mm, that’s not good. Let’s bounce.” JJ urged, weary of the woman’s persistence to avoid law enforcement.

“You shouldn’t be here...” Lana cried, her eyes focused on John B, speaking as her lip quivered and her voice shook.

The brunette’s face twisted, kneeling next to me to level his gaze with Ms. Lana’s. “Do you know those guys?”

“They were… looking for something.” Her voice wavered.

“...Does it have anything to do with this?” John B asked her, pulling the compass from the back pocket of his board shorts. You and JJ shared a glance, both knowing John B probably shouldn’t have shown it to her. “This was my father’s and Scooter had it. Do you know why?”

Why did John B think showing a woman his father’s compass and saying he copped it from her dead husband was a good idea? You had no clue. Interrogation tactic? Impulsiveness? Stupidity? Lana’s eyes were wide and teary, she looked like she was seeing ghosts.

“Scooter didn’t have it, okay? Don’t tell anyone that you have that. They can’t know that you have that!”

Your lips pulled themselves into a thin line and you were starting to feel less bad for Lana and more suspicious of the distressed woman. Maybe she wasn’t as innocent as she appeared. She didn’t seem to be a threat but she clearly knew things that she shouldn’t. You nudged JB’s arm, whispering in his direction even though the woman could most likely still hear you. “We should go…”

“You’ve gotta get out of here!” Lana cried, fearful gaze eyeing the compass in John’s grasp.

“What do you know about the compass?” John B raised his voice over her frantic one, still questioning Lana as JJ pulled him back and the three of you stood to leave.

“Go! Get out!” Was the last thing you heard as the hysteric woman yelled at your retreating figures.

“SO, YOU SAW THE GUYS THAT SHOT AT US, RIGHT?” Pope asked with his head in his hands, stressed after listening to JJ’s dramatic rendition of events. The three of you had returned to The Chateau and summoned Kiara and Pope not too long after, the events of today on the tip of your tongue. “Did you get a good description of them? Anything we can bring to a police report?”

You shook your head along with JJ and John B as Kiara and Pope sighed at you all's lack of response. There was nothing special about these guys. Sure, they seemed out of place but that’s because nobody on the island knew them. That was one perk about living in Kildare, everyone knows everyone. But these weren’t leather jacket, ski-mask wearing criminals. They didn’t stick out like sore thumbs.

“That’s not very helpful…” Kiara huffed.

“But, but,” JJ started again. “They were burly. Like the men I’d see at my dad’s garage. You guys know he made cargo hides for drug smugglers...” He reminded you all carelessly. “I can tell you with full confidence that these guys? They’re square groupers.”

“Like Narcos square groupers?” Pope questioned with little amusement, his face dropping as he watched JJ smoke against the brick wall.

“Like, Pablo Escobar square grouper?” You added on, just as skeptical from your seat on the patio floor, legs stretched in front of you and crossed over one another while you leaned on your elbows for support. JJ just nodded, blowing out smoke.

“You guys, not everything is a kingpin movie.” Kie reprimanded from her place next to Pope on the patio furniture.

“Okay,” Pope started. “What does a square grouper look like? Hm? Because clearly, you don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“Okay, you weren’t there! I wasn’t taking little mental polaroids the entire time, dude! I was under duress!” JJ whined to which you and John B rolled your eyes.

“Why would they want the compass?” Kiara probed, leaning forward in her seated position, resting her forearms on her thighs.

“That thing’s a piece of shit, you could pawn it off for five bucks if you wanted to… No offense, John B.” Pope claimed honestly, watching as John B flicked the object open and stared at it longingly, paying no mind to the boy’s insult.

“Well, clearly it’s worth something.” You popped in. “Considering these guys are willing to kill for it.”

“...The office.” You all turned to the scruffy brunette. A silent question on everyone’s face. “My dad’s office.” John B continued, shooting up and walking inside The Chateau as you all scurried to follow, shooting one another confused glances. “He always kept the office locked ‘cause he was worried about his competitors stealing his Royal Merchant research. Remember?” He directed at you and JJ, looking back but still walking forward. “We used to laugh at him like he was actually going to find it. But now that he’s…gone, I just left it as he kept it.” He said despondently.

“Yeah. For when he gets back.” Kie backed him up with a light-tipped smile. Keys jangled as John B unlocked the room you hadn’t seen in years. Not since before Big John went missing. Before all of this.

“I’ve slept over here like six-hundred times and I’ve never seen this door opened.” Pope said aloud, eyeing the office like a museum.

This was like being hit by a tidal-wave for you. And you’re sure it was the same for John B. You can remember the countless nights you’d slept over before and after Big John went missing. Before he went missing and you, JB, and JJ would peek inside just to watch him just write and type like his life depended on it. It even brought back memories of when your dad would stay a while after dropping you off to spend the night just to share beers in the backyard with Big John.

The nights after his disappearance weren’t as sweet though. Sleeping in a group hug around John B after his dad went missing. Then your friends all slept in a group hug around you after your dad went missing. Then they slept in another group hug around you when your dad’s body was found, washed up on the shore for the entire island to see. With the plethora of events, The Chateau became a haunted house in your mind.

“Look,” John B said, pulling you out of your stupor. He’d taken a bulletin board down off of the walls that was decorated with paper scraps and old pictures. His index finger pointed to the photo at the very top, a sepia-like tint to it. “This was the original owner of the compass.”

The paper pinned against the photo read ‘Robert Q. Routledge. 1880 - 1920’.

“There’s the lucky compass right there.” Kiara showed you all, pointing to the object clutched in the old man’s hand in the picture. You wouldn’t exactly call the compass lucky, though. And if it was before, it surely isn’t now.

“Actually, um. He was shot after he bought it…” John B informed. “Then the compass was shipped back to Henry.” He continued guiding you all through the timeline, pointing to the next picture. “Henry was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass.” You happened to look up at the exact same time as Pope, the two of you locking eyes with visible worry. “After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. Stephen had it when he died in Vietnam.” The boy ranted. “After that, Stephen passed the compass down to my dad.”

“This is painting a very bad picture, JB…” You warned, hand on the back of your neck as your face twisted.

“Yeah, he has a death compass.” Pope deadpanned.

“I do not.” John B denied, rolling his eyes and sitting down in the nearest chair with the compass still in hand. “My dad used to talk about this compartment here.” He explained, fiddling with the article between his fingers. “Soldiers used to hide secret notes.” He twisted the back of it off, revealing a word scratched into the top. He sat up with surprise as he spoke. “...This is my dad’s handwriting.”

Pope scoffed. “How can you know that?”

“He’s right.” You assured the doubtful male absentmindedly, squinting your eyes and craning your neck down to see the word written into the metal. “Big John had horrific handwriting and his R’s always had a point to them. I always used to think they looked like big-headed baby chicks, in a way. That’s definitely his handwriting.”

“Weird observation…but she’s right.” John B backed you up, his eyes going back to the compass. “Redfield…” He muttered. “What’s Redfield? Is it a clue?”

“A clue? C’mon that’s-” Pope began until you shot him a nasty glare, silently telling him to be helpful and supportive or shut up. His eyes widened as he gulped. “If it is a clue, m-maybe it’s an anagram?”

“Yes!” John B jumped up from his seat, beckoning you all to back up some. “Anagram. Perfect. You need paper.” He directed at Pope, eyeing scanning the cluttered space. Handing the boy an old, crinkled sheet of notebook paper, Pope got to work with the help of JJ and Kiara as John B and you scoured the desks for anything else of use.

Your ears were quick to pick up on the sound of an engine over the chatter of the brainiac bunch behind you. Eyes perking up to see a black truck pulling onto the yard.”...Guys?” You spoke, but not loud enough. “Guys!” You shushed them, all eyes turning to you. “Somebody’s here.”

The five of you crowded around the window, peeking through the blinds and peering through the dusted glass. Two males got out of the car and you recognized them immediately. “Those are the guys from The Marsh and Lana’s house.”

John B was quick to turn towards JJ. “Where’s the gun?”

“I don’t know-”

“Now you don’t have the gun? The one time we need the gun?” Kiara panicked.

“It was in my backpack and then I-...it’s on the porch.” JJ quickly realized, sighing before biting his lip out of frustration.

“Go. Go get it.” John B urged quietly but you were quick to step up, tugging the short sleeve of JJ’s shirt before he could open the door.

“No, no, we are not sending JJ out there to be pummeled by square troopers, square groupers, whatever they are-”

“We need the gun-” The bandana-wearing boy hissed.

“I don’t care. We stay put. We stay together.” You insisted. But JJ gently swiped your hand down and backed out of your reach, one hand up in surrender. “What’re you doing-”

“It’ll be quick, I swear. I’m like a ninja-”

“JJ.” You said simply, disappointed as you curled your fist in annoyance.

“I’ll be on my Batman shit.” He whispered before leaving the room quietly with the door cracked behind him, allowing you all to see him leave.

“John Routledge!” A country man’s voice boomed, causing JJ to turn around and slide his way back into the room quietly before he’d even made it two steps outside of the office. “C’mon out now!” JJ closed and locked the door as you all heard the pairs of footsteps enter The Chateau. The men began smashing and throwing things around just as they did Ms. Lana’s house. Was this their MO or something?

‘Window’ Kie mouthed, pointing to the window that led straight into the yard, towards the chicken coop and the surf shack. JJ and Pope rushed over to it as John B held down the door, which was just him standing against it with his hands above his head. JJ and Pope tried to lift the frame but it wouldn’t budge. Your face twisted in confusion, walking over to where the two boys were struggling and attempting to pull up the window seal yourself with no better luck.

“It’s painted shut.” You couldn’t help but smack your teeth, cursing under your breath as your eyes quickly scanned the room for something sharp as you patted the back of your shorts, feeling an object in your pocket. Digging your hand in to reveal a pen, the one you’d been using to journal that morning. You whispered for the guys to move before ejecting the pen and sliding it quickly along the seal to break it as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, one of the square groupers began kicking the door down, John B running across the room.

“Hurry!” Kiara whispered.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” You hissed. When the seal was completely broken, you wasted no time in opening the window, being the first to jump down into the backyard and making a b-line for the coop. The five of you piled inside one by one, the space surprisingly big enough for five fully grown teenagers as you crouched in tense silence. Just then, you heard a shot ring out from the inside of the house, assuming the man shot the door down.

Everyone could hear everyone breathing, shaky breaths all throughout the small enclosure. And the roosters. One rooster would not stop crowing. You were hoping, praying the damn thing would stop making noise. It wasn’t long before the guys were seen leaving the house, carrying at least two crates of books and research each.

“Pope, shut him up.” JJ demanded, referring to the rooster next to Pope that was making the most noise.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Pet it or something, I don’t know.” Kie cried. Suddenly , JJ got up and grabbed the rooster by its neck, pressing it into the ground until its neck audibly snapped and its clucking ceased. You couldn’t help but cringe and look away, the sight somehow prompting you to gag. JJ’s eyes met yours as if he was making sure you were okay, you giving him a sickly nod in return. One that wasn’t as reassuring as you hoped. Kie was crying silently and you didn’t miss the way John B grabbed her hand in comfort.

“WHAT BETTER PLACE TO HIDE A MESSAGE THAN A FAMILY HEIRLOOM?” John B tried to muse from the driver’s seat of The Twinkie.

“Maybe somewhere more easily accessible.” You said bluntly, laying back on the floor of the van, your foot on Pope and head in JJ’s lap, Kiara in the passenger seat. “Like a hidden jewelry box compartment or a locked drawer. Not inside of a death compass on a dead man’s sunken boat.”

John B simply ignored you. “He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?” He spoke hopefully, referring to his father.

“It’s possible.” Kie agreed from the passenger seat next to him, not wholeheartedly however.

“It could also be possible that you’re concocting wild theories to help deal with your sad feels- Ow!” Pope was interrupted when you kicked his knee, shooting him a glance that said ‘what the hell'.

“You know how I process my sad feels,” JJ started, your eyes drifting to him as your head craned slightly back from its place atop his thighs. “Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies.”

“Preach.” You agreed, dapping up the blonde boy.

“Look, I’m not concocting, okay?” John B nearly shouted in frustration. “My dad’s trying to give me a message.”

“...If it helps you believe, John B.” Kiara tried softly.

“I don’t need a therapy session. I’m not trippin’ out.” He dismissed the four of you. “My dad is missing, okay? Missing. You guys don’t know what it’s like to have the person closest to you vanish and have no idea what happened.”

Suddenly, the two pairs of eyes in the back of the van turned to you. You couldn’t help but curl in on yourself slightly. “Stop it.” You demanded, averting your eyes to the window, watching the palm trees pass by. You hated when they acted like you had to be shielded from things because of what happened to your dad.

“It’s been almost a year.” Kiara nudged JB, letting it go. “But fine. What do you think the message is?”

“Redfield.” The brunette reiterated hopefully. “Redfield Lighthouse. My dad’s favorite place.”

THE LIGHTHOUSE LOOKED A BIT DIFFERENT THAN YOU REMEMBERED. It looked older, more rickety. You could swear it was leaning now. The five of you stood staring up at it before John B turned around to face JJ.

“You’re gonna post up out here and look for bogey’s. Alright?”

“Wait, why me?” JJ asked pitifully.

“...JJ, there are independent variables and dependent variables. You’re an independent variable-” Pope tried to reason.

“Shut up.” The blonde-haired boy dismissed with a snarl.

“We don’t know what you’re gonna do!”

“Just shut up!”

“Listen to me,” John B broke the boys up, pointing an assertive finger. “Pope, you stand lookout with JJ. Y/N, you make sure they don’t rip each other’s heads off. If we get split up, we meet back at JJ’s house.” You watched as Kiara and John B hopped over the fence and onto the lighthouse property. You slid your back against a nearby tree, one earbud placed in your ear as you drummed your fingers against your thigh, playing with blades of grass between your fingers.

“I’m gonna work on my merit scholarship essay. I’m trying to keep felonies to a minimum.”

“All right, would you just shut up already?” JJ sassed, you rolling your eyes and scoffing at them both. A few beats passed before JJ spoke again. “They’re probably boning in there right now.”

“Jesus, JJ…” You breathed out.

“What? You don’t honestly believe they don’t have a thing for each other, do you?” He defended.

“Maybe you’re just jealous.” Pope offered from his place in the grass.

“Jealous? Of what?”

“Because John B’s trying to move in on Kie and you have a thing for her.”

“Listen, dude,” JJ started with his hands out in front of him. “Kie’s hot and all but she’s a kook. I don’t see her like that.”

“That’s what they all say.” You sang playfully, causing JJ to whip around to face you.

“Oh, really? And what about little miss pretty & popular?”

You visibly cringed. “Ew, don’t ever refer to me like that again.”

“You’re telling me you aren’t crushin’ on someone? No rich, polo-wearing kid swept you off your feet during you and Kie’s kook year?” He egged on.

“Knock it off, JJ.” Pope defended when he saw how your face fell at the mention of it. You hated when they brought it up. Technically Kie’s kook year was longer than yours, considering you’d joined her kook friend group when you moved to Figure Eight. That was an era of your life you’d love nothing more than to forget.

“Fine, fine,” He backed off, his hands thrown up in mock surrender as he backed some steps away. Just then, the three of your heads whipped to the dirt road behind you at the sound of police sirens. You snatched the earbud out of your ear and pocketed it, standing up from your place against the tree. They were clearly headed for the lighthouse.

“What do we do? Do we wait?” Pope asked frantically.

“We can’t, man, c’mon.” JJ urged, sprinting towards the van with you and Pope following close behind. He jumped into the driver’s seat, pulling off before you and Pope had even closed the side door completely. You could only have faith that your other two friends made it out okay.

“NEXT TIME YOU END UP AT THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE, YOU CALL ME FIRST. DO YOU UNDERSTAND, JOHN BOOKER?” Your mother reprimanded the poor boy, her heels clacking against the pavement outside of the department. You didn’t expect a call from John B after you all had run from the lighthouse, coming from the Kildare County Sheriff’s Station from John B saying he and Kiara had been “arrested”.

“Yes, ma’am.” He affirmed. By the time you’d arrived at the station, Kiara had apparently already left with her dad who’d refused to bail John B out as well, leaving the boy with only one other option. The three of you stopped in front of your mother’s car as she now turned to face the two of you.

“Shoupe already has enough to deal with. The sheriff’s office doesn’t need a couple of rowdy teenagers on their radar. I don’t know what you kids were doing up at the lighthouse that led to this, but drop it. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” You both blurted out simultaneously, your mother having a newfound knack for intimidating people. She didn’t hesitate to jump in her car and start the engine, giving one last look as a goodbye.

YOU WERE AT THE DOCKS WAITING ON JOHN B, SITTING ON THE WOOD AND SWINGING YOUR FEET. You’d gone with him when he realized it was time for him to work, an employee saying Ward was looking for him as soon as the pair of you had arrived. He was up on The Druther’s, Ward’s boat, talking to the man himself. You couldn’t tell what the conversation was from your seat on the docks, so you waited. It was only minutes before the boy himself came stomping down the marina, prompting you to get up and dust yourself off.

“Is everything okay-”

“I just got fired.” He blurted, not even making eye contact with you and he brushed past you. You stuttered at his passive nature, scurrying to follow behind him.

“What do you mean you just got fired?”

“Ward found out about the gear.” He scoffed, and even with his back to you as he breezed through the working people to leave the dock, you could almost feel his frustration. “I can’t believe her.” He muttered.

“Who? Who are you talking about, John B?” You soon got your answer as Sarah Cameron walked by, you and the girl making brief eye contact with a mutual snarl on both of your lips before her attention turned to John B, who she somehow saw after you.

“Hey, John B.” She greeted, her hands full of paper bags that were filled to the brim with groceries, a large, brimmed hat on the top of her head. You weren’t surprised when he continued walking as you followed without a word to the girl, but she persisted. “That’s it?” Sarah scoffed. “Not a ‘hey, how you doin’’? Not a ‘kiss my ass’?”

You didn’t expect John B to turn around and swiftly walk over to the girl, getting all in her face. With the noise of the busy marina in the back, their close conversation became hushed but it was still audible enough.

“Your secret’s safe with me? Really?” Your friend pressed the girl. “I just got fired because of you. And I know you can’t imagine that but some people need jobs, so they can eat.” Nothing shocked you more than when he smacked the bag of goods from her arms, leaving Sarah stunned as fruits rolled in front of her sandals. Her jaw slack and eyes wide.

“What the fuck?” She hollered.

“You are exactly who I thought you were, Sarah Cameron.” He reprimanded, turning and leaving behind a stunned kook girl. Although, you would’ve paid money to see that again, it was such an odd interaction.

You knew he worked on Ward’s boat so he was bound to come across her but you weren’t aware they really talked. If you didn’t know either of them, you’d assume they were a high school couple arguing out in public.

The brunette brushed past you once again, taking his time and seemingly building up the courage to break into a run.

“Wh- John B!” You called from your place in the parking lot. “John B, where are you going?!” But it was no use as he simply left you behind and continued sprinting away. You figured you’d just give him some space to himself.

YOU’D RECONNECTED WITH POPE AND JJ SOON AFTER BEING LEFT IN THE DUST BY JOHN B, meeting them on the docks in The Cut. The three of you had been there for some hours, you helping Pope fix a generator while JJ smoked unhelpfully to the side when John B pulled up in The Twinkie.

He honked, beckoning the three of you into the van with a finger and none of you questioned what was happening or where you were going as you hopped into the rickety vehicle. You were mildly pissed about being left at The Marina but you got in nonetheless.

THE SUN HAD SET AND YOU ALL STILL HADN’T ARRIVED YET. John B briefly explained the destination and plan but you half-listened. You’d been driving for a long time, picking up Kiara along the way, with no clue as to where the five of you were going.

“Do you mind if I sit this one out?” JJ asked tiredly. “It’s been a long, weird day…”

“Look, I know I was wrong about the lighthouse.” John B acknowledged. “And wrong about everything else. But I was right about one thing — my dad is trying to tell me something.”

Just then you pulled up to a graveyard, the five of you piling out of the van with a flashlight each in your hand. “This place is scary.” Kie voiced. “John B, what are we doing?”

“You know how you’re trying to remember a song but you can’t remember who sings it?” He started. “Redfield. This whole time, I thought it was a place.” He explained as you all followed him further into the mess of graves and tombstones. “But it’s not.” He held the lantern in his hand up once you all stopped in front of a tomb, one of the tallest ones in the yard, revealing “REDFIELD” engraved in the stone. “It’s a person. My great-great-grandmother, Olivia Redfield. That was her maiden name.” He spoke longingly, looking up at the stone letters. “Help me with the door. C’mon.”

Pope stepped forward as the remaining three of you flashed your lights in the pair’s direction as they attempted and failed to push the tomb door open.

“Are you pushing?” Pope said to the brunette.

“Yes, I’m pushing.” John B strained out. Then JJ was jumping into help but even with his addition, the boys had no luck opening the door. They all jumped back when a snake hissed, peeking its head out from a crack in the stone structure.

“Woah! That’s a moccasin, alright” JJ started, jumping back almost cartoonistically. “Ye-old cottonmouth. Death in tall grass. Roof! Roof!” JJ started barking at the snake. Sometimes, you questioned his sanity.

“JJ! Shut up!” You warned the erratic blonde.

“You’re gonna wake the dead.” Pope slapped him on the shoulder, grimacing.

“Dude, they’re afraid of dogs. Everybody knows that.” He breathed out, straightening himself back out.

“Look, John,” Pope sighed, turning his attention back to John B. “We’re not gonna get in there, it’s not budging. We should probably just go.”

You were examining the tomb carefully, flashlight trailing the structure up and down before you noticed something. “I think I can get through.”

“...What?” John B spoke.

“You think you’re gonna fit through that hole?” Pope asked, worried.

“I’ll do it.” You reassured them, ignoring their concerns. “Just help me up.” They all shuffled to help you up — Kiara and John B holding the vines away and to the sides while JJ and Pope intertwined their hands for you to use as a human step-stool.

“What am I looking for?” You inquired, eyes fleeting to John B.

“You’ll know when you see it.” Your hands slapped your thighs. Helpful, you thought, but you didn’t ask anymore questions. You put your flashlight in between your teeth, like a dog carrying a bone before laying a hand on each of the boys shoulders, you put your foot over their connected hands and boosted yourself up.

It was a tight squeeze but you made your way through, landing on your feet and removing the flashlight from your teeth. It took your eyes a minute to adjust, staring at the walls of the spooky space.

“You alive in there?” JJ called.

“Alive and kickin’.” You called back, aiming the flashlight everywhere, scanning over everything. But the space was much bigger than you thought and your one flashlight didn’t seem to be enough. “I need more light, please.”

“Gotcha’.” John B said, pushing his arm holding the lantern through the crack of the wall, illuminating the space by tenfold. And that light was just what you needed.

“Oh my God…” You breathed out. John B may not have led you all on a goose-chase after all.

feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading.

SVN Taglist; (let me know if you'd like to be added!) @esquivelbianca @fallingwallsh @calmoistorm

©loveharlow.

#Spotify #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank #jj mayback imagine #jj mayback x reader #obx jj #SVN #obx fanfiction #jj maybank x you #jj maybank fluff #obx jj x reader #jj maybank smut #jj maybank imagine #obx jj maybank #obx netflix #obx x reader

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unicreamuwu · 1 year

Text

The Little Batgirl (Yandere Platonic Batfam x Child Reader)

Prologue - Adoption Day

Warning: Yandere Themes (mentioned)

*New yandere platonic series, yay*

Bruce got out of his car and went into the orphanage he had planned to visit.

Today, he was actually planning to adopt a child who could be his next sidekick since the others sort of "retired".

When he goes in, he is met by the orphanage owner.

They greeted each other before they looked for the perfect child for Bruce to adopt.

Each child Bruce passed by, and they were not the kind to have the position to be his sidekick.

That's when the owner takes him into a room that shows a young girl with (h/c) colored hair and a pair of (e/c) colored eyes with (s/c) colored skin.

She was wearing a plain white dress as she was holding onto her lavender colored bat stuffed animal plush.

She was staring at both Bruce and the orphanage owner.

(This is how I kinda imagined of reader to be in this story, but you can come up with her appearance since she's basically you. Also, please DO NOT steal my art, thank you.)

"Who is this young lady?" Bruce asks with his eyebrow lifted as he stares at her.

"This young lady is Y/N. She came here alone with nobody by her side other than that bat doll about a few years ago. She was in terrible state at that time, so I decided to take her in," the owner tells him.

"For what I remembered, she read the dictionary in her bedroom over fifty times. So, when I quizzed her, she didn't hesitate to answer all the questions and got them all corrected."

That information caught Bruce's attention as he continues to stare at the young girl who is now in front of him.

"How exactly?" He asks.

The owner took out a piece of newspaper and hands it to the girl.

The piece shows a crossword puzzle that a grown adult would have struggled solving it.

Y/N sat on her chair before she takes out a pencil and begins to do the crossword puzzle.

After thirty seconds, the girl shows both the owner and Bruce the now completed puzzle that every word was written down correctly.

Bruce seemed impressed by the girl's talent and turns to the owner who stares at him back.

"Well, what do you think of her?" The owner asks him who was in thought.

Then, Bruce takes out his pen and turns to the owner.

"Bring in the paperworks."

~~~~~

After the paperwork was filled in, Y/N is now going to have a new life.

She comes out of the building with her suitcase that has all of belongings as she carries her bat plush.

Y/N also changed her outfit as well into a pink turtleneck shirt and a red skirt along with some white tights and a pair of red Mary Jane shoes.

She was walking up to Bruce and stares up at him.

Bruce was in thought as he stares down at Y/N.

She is a very smart girl, but was she really capable of fighting?

It's not that she looks or is very weak, it's just that she looks like she could get hurt very easily.

He should have a discussion with the others about this once he comes back to the manor.

They were staring at one another before Bruce kneels down to her level and pats her head.

"You don't have to worry. You're going to be safe living with me and your new family," he tells her with a soft smile on his face which is pretty rare to see.

Bruce brings Y/N into his car and shuts the passenger doors once she was in.

Y/N looks through the car window to see some kids from the orphanage, waving to her goodbye with encouraging smiles.

He then takes out his phone and dials a number before the other line picked up.

"Alfred, get the room ready for our new member of the batfamily. Make sure nobody goes in it until the member comes in."

#yandere #yandere x reader #yandere batfam #yandere dc #yandere platonic #batfam #x child reader #platonic #yandere bruce wayne #yandere batman

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ponyosmom35 · 4 months

Text

getting to know each other better

Simon Ghost Riley x reader

Liability Series!!!

synopsis: after a training session reader and ghost have a long conversation.

warnings: fluff, slight angst, ghost is down so bad, reader is a brat

Link to master list

https://www.tumblr.com/ponyosmom35/733401347573088256/simon-ghost-riley?source=share

MDNI

Ghost sat across from the young medic, the cafeteria nearly empty around them. The fluorescent lights cast Harsh shadows over his features, making his dark eyes even more intense. Despite the late hour, he found himself reluctant to part ways just yet. The training session had been long and grueling, leaving them both sweaty and exhausted.

He watched as she calmly sipped her water, her hair mussed and damp from the day's efforts. He wanted to say something, anything to extend their time together, but the words lodged in his throat, as they often did when he was around her.

“I’m exhausted” she admits, rubbing the back of her neck as she moves it side to side

Ghost's eyes watched her every movement intently, his gaze lingering on her fingers as they rubbed at her stiff muscles. He felt a pang of something - concern, perhaps - at the sight. Without thinking, he spoke, his voice gruff.

"Don't overdo it," he cautioned, gesturing towards her neck. "You'll strain something, lets call it for the week, give yourself a few days rest"

“I’m fine!” she responds quickly “just a little sore is all”

Ghost raised an eyebrow at her response, not convinced in the least. He could see the signs of fatigue in her face, the slight twitch in her shoulders, the way she rubbed relentlessly at her neck.

"You're stubborn," he observed, not quite able to keep the hint of admiration from his voice. "You should take a break. Let yourself recover."

“I wanna improve, nows not the time to stop - not when I’m finally picking things up”

Ghost sighed, recognizing the determination in her eyes. It was the same look she wore in the training room, stubbornly pushing herself to do better. He knew that she was committed to improving, but he also knew that pushing herself too far would only lead to burnout or injury.

"You're improving, there's no denying that," he said, his tone more measured now. "But you can't just ignore your body. You're gonna wear yourself out if you're not careful."

“There’s nothing I can do to change your mind?” she asks

He studied her for a long moment, his gaze intent behind his dark glasses. He appreciated her persistence, her drive to improve and achieve her goals. But he also knew the cost of overworking yourself, having pushed himself to his limits time and time again.

"No," he said finally, his voice firm. "There's nothing you can do to change my mind. You need to rest, at least for a few days. I'm not budging on this, no matter how hard you try to convince me."

“Fine” she smirks “I guess I’ll just have to ask Johnny to step in”

Simon’s jaw tightened at the mention of Soap's name. He bristled at the idea of her working out with Soap instead of him. He knew that Soap was a good soldier, but the thought of her training with him, getting that close to him...it made something burn in his chest.

"Soap's not gonna push you like I do," he muttered, his voice edged with a hint of possessiveness that he couldn't quite hide.

“I’m kidding Simon, you’re my training buddy nobody could ever replace you” she jokes

Ghost felt a pang in his chest at her words, the casual affection of calling him by his first name sending a jolt through him. He tried to hide his reaction, but a small, wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You're damn right about that," he replied gruffly, his voice a little softer than usual. "Nobody else can handle you like I can, you're too much for the others."

“Too much?” she laughs “it’s called personality”

Ghost chuckled, a rare sound from him. "Personality, huh? Sure, that's what we'll call it."

He leaned back in his chair, studying her again. He liked this side of her, the teasing, playful side that came out when they were alone like this.

"I still say you're a pain in the ass though," he said with a smirk.

“Oh come on you love it” she jokes “someone has to keep you on your toes!”

Simon didn't respond right away, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his dark mask. He hated to admit it, but she was right. She did keep things interesting, challenging him in ways that no one else did, both physically and mentally.

"Maybe I do," he admitted quietly, the words slipping out before he could stop them. "Doesn't mean you're not still a pain in my ass sometimes though."

“I’ll accept that happily” she smiles, placing her head in her hands

Simon watched as she settled her head on her hands, her eyes drifting lazily towards the ceiling. He resisted the urge to reach out and brush a stray strand of hair out of her face. Instead, he took a gulp of his coffee, the liquid feeling far too hot in his throat.

"You look tired," he said, his gaze returning to hers. "You really should be in bed right now, instead of sitting here with me."

“I like hanging out with you Simon, plus I don’t think I could sleep if I tired”

Ghost's heart did a little flutter at her words, and he mentally cursed himself for being so affected by her.

"What do you mean, you don't think you could sleep?" he asked, furrowing his brow. "You're exhausted, you shouldn't have any trouble falling asleep."

“Hoenstly?” she pauses staring down at her hands “I’ve been having these dreams…” she pauses before shaking her head “it doesn’t matter I would much rather be here”

Ghost felt a pang of concern at her words. Dreams? What kinds of dreams?

"What do you mean, these dreams?" he pressed, his voice a little sharper. "Are they nightmares? Something bothering you in your sleep?"

“Didn’t realize this was a therapy session” she jokes, trying to ligthen the mood. She notices his refusal to drop the topic and sighs “yeah I guess you could call them nightmares. It’s not even a specific thing that’s happening - it’s more of a sense that something really bad is gonna happen”

Ghost continued to observe her, his eyes sharp as they roamed over her face. He could see the way her shoulders tightened ever so slightly, the tension in her voice. She was worried, no matter how hard she was trying to hide it.

"You get these dreams often?" he asked, keeping his own voice neutral. "Have you tried talking to anyone about them? Doc or something?"

“Not really my thing” she answers “they’ve gotten better since we started training” she says

"Since we started training..."

Ghost echoed her words in his mind, mulling over the implications. Did that mean that him being around helped keep the nightmares at bay? The thought sent an unfamiliar feeling through him, part satisfaction, part something else he couldn't quite identify.

"So the dreams are worse when you're not training with me, is what you're saying," he said, his voice a little gruff.

“Don’t give yourself too much credit” she jokes “seriously though I do appreciate you dedicating so much of your free time to me”

Ghost snorted at her comment, his lips twitching slightly in a half-smile. She was stubborn as hell, always trying to downplay things. But he was starting to realize that this was just her way of deflecting from her own feelings.

"You're welcome, smartass," he replied, his voice a little softer than before. "You're a slow learner, takes a lot of work."

She laughs loudly “that’s not what you said when I disarmed you earlier!”

"That was a fluke," he said "You just caught me off guard. Won't happen again."

“Come on why can’t you let me have just one win?” she asks crossing her arms

Ghost leaned back in his chair, his eyes glinting with amused irritation. He found her playful banter endearing, and damn if it didn’t affect him more than it should.

"You get plenty of wins, you just don't appreciate them as much as your losses," he said, keeping his voice level. "You know damn well that I let you win this time, don't push it."

“Whats the fun in that?” she questions

Ghost rolled his eyes, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. She was relentless, always pushing his buttons.

"The fun is in keeping your ego in check, princess," he said with a smirk.

“Touche”

"Damn stubborn woman," he muttered under his breath, his gaze never leaving hers.

“Do you remember when you caught me training by myself after lights out and we fought about me going to bed?” she asks changing the subject

Ghost couldn't help but huff out a laugh, the memory still fresh in his mind. He remembered how he'd come across her training alone in the wee hours of the morning, her body tense and sweating after a hard session.

"Yeah, I remember," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You were being stupid, pushing yourself too hard when you should've been resting. You weren’t even using the correct form, you would’ve hurt yourself"

“Okay thats besides the point” she says “its just funny to me because at that time I thought that you were the biggest dick, I hated you. Now you’re my favorite person on base”

Ghost's chest tightened a little at her words, his pulse quickening. Favorite person on base? That was not what he had expected to hear.

"Damn," he muttered, trying to keep his voice nonchalant. "A lot changes in a few months, huh? We used to be at each other's throats and now you're calling me your favorite person."

“Okay princess now it’s my turn to keep your ego in check”

Ghost groaned, pretending to be annoyed by her jab. But he couldn’t find it within himself to be mad, she was clever and so witty.

"Watch it," he warned a hint of laughter in his voice. "Keep that up and I might stop being your favorite person on base."

“I fear its too late for that Simon, you and I are besties now you can’t get rid of me”

Ghost couldn't help but smile slightly at her words. Besties, huh? He never thought he'd hear himself referred to in that way. But honestly, he didn't hate it.

"Besties, huh?" he repeated, the word sounding strange coming from his mouth. "You sure about that?"

“Postivie” she says “and since we’re besties that means you have to tell me stuff about you that nobody else knows”

Ghost's eyes narrowed at her request, his guard going up instantly. He was not used to opening up, especially about himself. But there was something in her tone, in the way she looked at him that made him want to give in.

"What kind of stuff?" he asked, his voice cautious.

“Anything” she says softly “I wanna know you”

Ghost felt a pang in his chest at her words, his heart skipping a beat at the vulnerability in her voice. He wasn't used to people expressing an interest in him as a person, rather than as a soldier. He took a deep breath, looking away from her and focusing on a spot on the wall. He wasn't good at this kind of thing.

"What do you want to know?" he asked gruffly, still avoiding her gaze.

“What type of music do you listen to? What’s your middle name? Is it true that you killed a guy with a belt? What is your star sign?” she rattles off several

Ghost's eyes widen a little at the barrage of questions, his head spinning a bit at the sudden onslaught. He wasn't used to being interrogated like this. He considered each question, mulling over it internally.

"Alright, slow down," he said, holding up a hand. "One question at a time. First off, music. I don't listen to much, honestly.."

“You don’t listen to music?” she asks in shock “thats weird Simon”

Ghost shrugged, not used to feeling judged for his lack of musical taste. He was a man of simple pleasures.

"It's not like I hate music," he said, his gruff voice betraying a hint of defensiveness. "It's just not something I think about much. I'm a soldier, remember? Music isn't exactly a priority."

“You’re not just a solider, you’re a person too” she says “I like any kind of music, but I listen to Phoebe Bridgers and Ariana Grande mainly”

His breath stops when he processes her words. He had no idea how she was able to see right through him so easily. It was like she could understand him without any effort. She truly saw him as a person, not just a weapon.

“Do you know who they are?” she asks

“No” he responds, making her laugh loudly

“I know the end and Waiting Room are my favorite Phoebe Bridgers songs” she comments “so tell me is it true that you killed a man with just a belt?”

He stares at her and does not respond, she nods her head taking it as a sign and moves on. “What’s your middle name?”

Ghost felt a pang of something in his chest as she rattled off her favorite songs, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She was so damn vibrant, so full of life. It made his heart race in a way he wasn’t used to.

He took a deep breath, his finger running a along the rim of his cup. "My middle name? You really want to know?" His voice was gruff, his usual façade of nonchalance slipping for just a moment.

“I do”

Ghost looked at her for a moment, taking in her determined expression. Her eyes were fixed on him, her head tilted to the side as she waited for him to answer.

"It's Thomas," he said finally, his voice flat. He didn't offer any further explanation or comment, his expression guarded.

“Simon Thomas Riley” she smiles “I like it”

Ghost felt a pang at the sound of his full name coming from her lips. She liked it. She liked his full name. He tried to ignore the wave of satisfaction he felt at her words, tried to maintain his usual gruff demeanor.

"Yeah, well, it's just a name," he muttered, looking away from her and taking a gulp of his coffee.

“Its not just a name, its your name” she says softly “thank you for trusting me with that”

Ghost felt his breath catch in his chest at her words. Thank you for trusting me.Those words echoed in his head, making his heartbeat thump loudly in his ears. Nobody had ever thanked him for trusting them before. Not really. But hearing her say those words.. it made his heart flutter in a way that he wasn’t used to.

"Yeah, well, don't get too excited," he said gruffly, trying to mask the effect she was having on him.

“Too late” she smirks

Ghost huffed out a laugh despite himself, shaking his head slightly. This woman. She was really going to be the death of him.

"And here I thought I was supposed to be keeping your ego in check," he said gruffly, his eyes glinting with amusement behind his glasses.

“You can’t stop it, you can only hope to contain it” she jokes

Ghost couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. She was quick as a whip, always ready with a witty comeback.

"Contain it, huh?" he mused, his gaze roaming over her face. "I think that ship has sailed, sweetheart."

“so Simon I have one last question before I go back to my room”

Ghost looked up her, his eyes meeting hers once more. He couldn't help but feel curious about what she was going to ask.

"Last question, huh?" he repeated, his voice gruff. "Go on then, ask away."

“You know that if you ever wanna talk about the shit you see out there that I’m here, I may not fully understand what it’s like but I just want to make sure that you know you’ve got someone here who cares and wants to listen.” she says seriously “sometimes I feel like you feel you need to carry more weight on your shoulders than humanly possible and I don’t know I just worry about you”

Ghost stared at her as she spoke, feeling a wave of emotion wash over him. Her words hit him hard, right in the chest. He wasn’t used to people caring about him like this, not in a genuine, heartfelt way. He wanted to brush her off, to tell her that he was fine, that he could handle the weight on his shoulders alone. But the words died on his lips, and instead he found himself saying the truth.

He is silent for several seconds and she begins to panic. “I’m sorry If I’ve overstepped-”

"I.." he started, his voice gravelly. "I appreciate that. I really do."

She smiles “I’m glad I met you Simon”

She stands up and throws her cup away before turning to look at him, “see you tomorrow”

Ghost watches her as she stands up, his eyes following her every movement. He feels a pang of something in his chest, a sense of sadness washing over him as he realizes that she's leaving.

"Yeah," he says gruffly, his voice rough. "See ya tomorrow."

Ghost made his way back to his room, his mind reeling from the conversation he'd just had with her. As he shut the door behind him and leaned against it, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to push away the thoughts that were swirling through his head. There were so many things he wished he’d told her. He wanted to express how happy he was to have met her, how much she meant to him, but he could never find the words.

But as he did, he heard her voice echoing in his mind, telling him to listen to music. Curiosity getting the better of him, Ghost grabbed his phone and opened up Spotify. He searched up her favorite artist, Phoebe Bridgers. Ghost tapped on the song ‘I know the end’ and let the music wash over him. As the first notes of the song played, he felt a pang in his chest. The lyrics spoke to him in a way he wasn't used to, hitting him hard and leaving him reeling. He listened to the whole song, taking in every word, letting it sink into his bones. As the final notes faded, he couldn't help but close his eyes, feeling the weight of the song settling on him like a heavy blanket.

Ghost sat silently after the song finished, his mind replaying the lyrics over and over in his head. The words spoke to him in a way that nothing else had before.He didn't want to admit it, but the song had stirred something within him, something that he had tried so hard to keep buried deep down inside.He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, his gaze drifting to his phone, still open to her Spotify page.

Ghost listened to the second song, "Waiting Room," and found himself drawn in once again. The lyrics had a different feel to them, but he couldn't help but wonder if she had chosen this song for a reason.As he listened, he felt a pang in his chest once more. The words of the song spoke of a person waiting for someone, longing for them in a way that was both beautiful and heartbreaking. Ghost couldn't help but wonder if she had chosen it because it was exactly how she felt about him.

Ghost knew deep down that it was better for them to stay away from each other. For her sake, for his sake. Too much baggage, too many demons. They wouldn't be good for each other. But God, he wanted her. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. Despite his best efforts, Ghost couldn't stay away from her. Every time he saw her, every time she threw him one of those blinding smiles, it was like he was drawn to her. He tried to fight it, tried to keep his distance, but it was like an invisible force was pulling him towards her, making him crave her presence and her touch.

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gendercomsumer · 1 year

Text

Twisted Wonderland Confessions Part 5!

A/N: We're almost finished with the series! Idk what I'll write for after but I'll figure it out eventually. Also my computer broke in the middle of writing this- so yayyyyy

Warnings: Not proof read, Ooc Sebek, Lilia being a menace /hj (Also not knowing how to write him-),

GN!Reader

Characters: Sebek Zigavolt (773 words), Lilia Vanrouge (509 words), Leona Kingscholar (761 words)

Sebek Zigavolt

You'd meet him during the spell drive tournament (Book 2 w/ savanaclaw) When there was the plan to take Diasmonia out of the running for the whole thing.

It was only a small moment you two saw each other but from first impressions he was loud, and most definitely not afraid of showing his loudness off.

You ran into each other again during school realizing you had more classes with the fae then you first thought.

While Sebek is very loud at times, he's diligent and takes great and very organized notes (Even if they're only in pencil with no indicating colors.)

As a friend Sebek is a bit strange

You'll usually find him doing his own thing or lecturing a student on the topic of respect.

You two would hangout during lunch usually close by Malleus in case he needs Sebek to guard him.

A personal head canon is that he's also a bit suspicious of everyone, not like heavily so but it came naturally with him being a knight.

So he might not fully trust you at first to be able to be at two arms length of Malleus.

I mean at least he's being a good guard am I right?

He will let you borrow his notes if you need to, saying some comment along the lines of, "Ha! Of course a human would need my notes!"

While he can help you in math and science he does struggle in art and the more creative classes.

Help him with those and he'll see it as a favors for favors situation.

I can't really see him easily identifying let alone accepting his feelings for you

He at first thinks he's sick, or if you know magic you've somehow slipped a curse on him

He goes to Lilia for guidance and this old man while he looked composed was cackling on the inside.

Lilia explains that Sebek is most likely falling in love with the human and Sebek seems almost appalled by the suggestion.

Him? A fae? Falling for you some random pathetic human?!

No no that can't be right!

This was one of the only times he started to question Lilias judgment and views on the matter.

After getting the same opinion of Silver as well, and a lot of thought, he comes to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, he might have a teeny itty bitty crush on you.

That's as much as he was going to admit though.

Lilia what do you mean when will he tell them? He's not!

He tries to act the same but the words of his family stuck to the back of his head.

How passionate you were about things you loved and how you have done so much despite being only a human

at times you could catch his stone face starting to melt into a soft lovesick smile

Maybe that crush wasn't as small as he said it was

But he'd never admit that

Confession wise, either he puts it off for as long as he can or you decide to go up and confront him on his very badly hidden feelings.

So for this let's say you've picked up on his hiding of feelings and decide that now's the best time as any to let him know how you feel

You kept your fingers crossed that he felt the same as Lila led you through their dorm

"Alright third door on the left should be Sebek's, don't get too crazy now kids!"

Lilia left down the stairs with a childish laugh as you went down the hall hearing Sebeks voice through the walls.

It really showed how loud his voice could be considering the dorm was made of stone

Standing outside the door you could easily hear Sebek monologuing to himself about... He was talking about you?

The mention of your name was sudden followed by the names of Lilia and Silver.

"If both master Lilia and Silver say that I've... Fallen for this human, does that mean it's true!? mater Lilia is rarely wrong... But I can't be! They're just a human! A human who makes me feel like I'm in front of the thorn fairy herself at times... No no! How dare I compare the two!!"

He continued and a dust of color was brought to your cheeks to raise a hand to knock on his door hopefully loud enough he'd hear.

There was a long pause before the door was opened by Sebek and at the sight of you his face flushed.

In an uncharacteristically quiet way he asked "Please tell me you didn't hear any of that... Did you?"

Lilia Vanrouge

One day You walk out of your dorm planning to go get some food from Sam's shop since it had been awhile since you went on a grocery run.

It was a beautiful day out with the just right amount of clouds

You take a step out of your house, and Lilia appears seemingly out of thin air hanging upside down from your shade on the porch of your house

Yep that's how you met, him almost scaring the living shit out of you on a random Tuesday morning

What a fun way to start off!

After him almost killing you with that scare he would randomly pop up at times scaring anyone and everyone around you (after awhile you got used to it)

He's a very fun person over all despite what he's been through with the fae war and all

His jokes and lightheartedness are usually welcome lifting any bad mood you may have.

he'll try his best to help in any classes, he's a fucking god in history having lived though most of what they're teaching

And as the feelings start to appear he's a bit taken aback by their sudden appearance.

He's had many lovers in his years but this time the love feels different almost?

It's hard for him to describe, hell it's hard for him to comprehend, but nonetheless he enjoys the soft feeling you give him when you're around

He'd consider a long while on whether or not he would want a relationship with you

You are a human and he will most definitely out live you no matter what the world has in store

It's just the sad truth of having an extremely long life span like his

Once he is sure of this he will start to make more moves on you and attempt to gauge your reaction to them.

Depending on your reaction will depend when he confesses to you, or how much longer he wants to wait to confess.

I can see his confession being one on the more romantic side, but not like not as romantic as Rook.

Most likely he would confess in the middle of a hangout he'd be subtly flirting with you whether you notice or not is most likely up to how dense or oblivious you are

He'd be laying on the couch of the living room possibly (most defiantly) upside down

You'd be talking about some random topic and you look away for moment and suddenly oop there he is floating upside down in front of you.

You jumped and laughed questioning Lilia what he was doing

He stayed silent for a moment staring at you in a manner some would consider creepy before letting out a small laugh.

You asked what was so funny in a bit of a cautious manner and Lilia smiled at you "I've had plenty of lovers... but none were a stunning nor did they make me feel as strange as you do... so tell me, will you help me explore what makes you the one..?"

Leona Kingscholar

After the events, to say the least, of book two he's very salty about everything for at least a week

Eventually and inevitably the two of you need to work together (Either during or before book 3)

Or Ruggie some how convinced you to help him out with the lazy Lion

And either way hey it worked!

Most of the time Leona is either bored, sleeping, or secret option number 3! bored and wanting to sleep...

He's an interesting character to get along with and once you do it's a different side you see other than the one that's just a lazy ion that Ruggie and the other students need to deal with

You learn very quickly that he's very smart and knows most of what the teachers are teaching.

He just normally doesn't have the energy or the want to participate in classes.

Which in my opinion fair my dude

But because he's really book smart if you ask and he's in a good mood he would "dumb down the lesson" in reality he's reteaching it just in a way that's easier to understand.

He sleeps a lot so he knows how important it is to get enough of said sleep.

So if you're close (good friends and such) if he sees you start to drift off during class or fall asleep, he'll cover for you but will scold you that that's not a proper place to take a nap

He then proceeds to take a nap in potion class with Rook in the room. What was that about proper nap locations Leona?

But either than that he's a bit sassy at times and can joke around, hell he calls you Herbivore all the time, that should be evidence enough.

One time you had fallen asleep under a tree (Silver kinnie energy-) and Leona found you

He ended up staying with you and skipping class to take a nap of his own and that's when his feelings for you start to fully come into light.

When he saw you sleeping there, there was a small part of him who wanted to stay with you and protect you, silly right?

Now Leona's well versed in emotions. He'd seen how his brother acted around his now sister in law and here they were now with the menace of a child Cheeka.

So once these feelings start to become stronger and more prominent it starts to reflect in his behavior

I am an avid believer in the beast men/ mermen are possessive change my mind (warning you can't)

He'd start to stay around you a lot more than normal and once Ruggie joked that you had cat nip in your pocket and Leona was following you because of it.

Leona makes sure you get enough sleep a day. Didn't get 8 hours at least last night, whelp hopefully nothing important is happening in Crewels class cause you're skipping to take a nap!

He also makes sure you're eating right and not burying yourself in your work (I'm looking at you Crowley)

He also gets protective over you and if people look at you the wrong way they will have a lion glaring them down.

As for confessions I can see him being pretty nonchalant about it.

One day you had been studying in your room since you needed help in History.

Leona went to go get something and you decided to ley your head down on your bed to see if you could catch some quick rest

Leona returned sometime later and looked at you confused

you were still awake but you didn't want to bother to open your eyes as you were in a comfortable position and sleep sounded like a very nice idea at the moment

"Oi, Herbivore, are you asleep?" You stayed quiet and still as Leona looked over your face and gave a mischievous smile.

"Well isn't that adorable.. and here I thought I was the lazy one.." He gently brushed some hair out of your face and placed a feather light kiss to your temple

"It was your idea to study and you're the one to fall asleep.." You could feel the color come to your face as Leona sat at the end of the bed watching you

You eventually sat up and Leona laughed seeing the red color across your face "Thought so I wouldn't think you'd fall asleep that quickly, so tell me Herbivore.." Leona leaned closer to you with a smug smile

"you do know it's dangerous to fall asleep around a lion, don't you?"

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woonhakist · 1 year

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sweet nothing

synopsis — never in a million years would you imagine letting kyungmin go, even if you needed nothing more than to do just that.

pairing — cho kyungmin x gn!reader

genre — angst, fluff(?)

warnings — established relationship, mentions of food/eating

word count — 1.8k

notes — this fic is inspired by sweet nothing by taylor swift ! writing this fic made me so sad, i hope u guys like this twisted meaning of sweet nothing !

THE ERAS SERIES

the early-morning sun beamed through your kitchen window, casting a warm glow on everything in its path. a messy pattern of light and dark covered the room, shifting ever so slightly as the sun rose. specks of dust played a game of hide and seek as they peeked in and out of the shadows, dancing through the illumination.

the pad of your finger languidly circled the rim of your mug, the light circling with it. the coffee inside it was untouched, filled up nearly to the brim as it’d been when you first poured it. as it sat, the steam rising onto your skin gradually thinned, but it condensed on your hand all the same.

the droplets puddling on your palm dripped back down into the coffee, letting the cycle repeat. again, the steam rose, then condensed, then fell; until one small droplet went astray, slipping down the side of the mug.

your eyes followed the falling bead, watching as it ran its path. it lost its size as it went, water being left in its tracks. it trailed down until it inevitably couldn’t anymore, losing its fuel. it stopped on top of a tiny print of a daisy; one of the many patterned on the mug.

kyungmin had gifted the mug to you long ago, claiming the flowers reminded him of you. you couldn’t remember when it was, nor could you remember what it was for. if it’d been for an anniversary, a holiday, or a surprise gift was a mystery to you, but you appreciated the sentiment regardless.

you always valued his thoughtfulness, but you could feel the nook it occupied in your heart grow smaller and smaller over time. now, you could only recognize it as kyungmin just being kyungmin, but you still cherished him all the same, and that was enough.

“good morning,” kyungmin’s voice suddenly filled your ears, snapping you out of your zoned-out daze.

when you looked up, he was stood at your side, a drowsy smile on his face. he was positioned in front of the sun, and the light framed his figure perfectly. it provided a visual of the invisible glow he always radiated, even at his lowest.

“morning,” you greeted, the corners of your mouth curving up slightly. you dropped your hand off the mug and onto the table, and kyungmin shifted his gaze to look.

“are you alright, y/n?” kyungmin’s expression changed, eyebrows furrowing and lips lightly pressing together. “you haven’t touched your coffee.”

to no surprise, he didn’t fail to pick up on anything off with your behavior. how easy it was for him to see right through you was admirable, but sometimes, it felt suffocating.

“yeah, i’m fine,” you emptily assured. you weren’t sure of how you really felt anymore; your days began to blur, and they felt all too fast and all too slow at the same time. “just sleepy.”

“well, the coffee should fix that,” kyungmin teased, his smile growing again. he always looked at you like you were bigger than the whole sky, and you hoped you still looked at him the same way. “i’ll make you something to eat with that, okay?”

your tired eyes wandered off of kyungmin, spotting something far behind him. on the counter was a small, potted plant, and next to it was a pebble; tiny as a firefly. almost forgotten, you vaguely remembered it as a souvenir kyungmin picked up on your last trip together; you wondered if it ever missed its home sometimes.

“y/n?” kyungmin called out, causing your gaze to fix on him again. “did you hear me?”

naturally, you shook your head. “sorry, kyung. what’d you say?”

“i’ll make you something to eat with your coffee,” kyungmin repeated, his voice as kind as ever. his patience rarely ran thin with you, and you never knew how. “okay?”

you nodded your head, taking in a deep, unsteady breath. “thank you.”

as kyungmin looked at you, he almost looked hurt. his wide smile turned into a slight frown, and his eyes held more sorrow than drowsiness. you knew he was just worried, but something in you felt guilty.

“are you sure you’re alright?” kyungmin questioned again, gently placing his hand on your shoulder. his thumb rubbed the surface of your shirt, and you released a held breath at the feeling. “you know you can talk to me.”

“i’m sure,” you weakly reassured, putting on a smile. you covered his hand with yours, rubbing your thumb over his skin in the same way he did.

“okay,” kyungmin spoke softly, letting a smile play on his lips again. he leaned down to your level, placing a kiss on your temple.

you almost couldn’t feel anything when his lips touched your skin. all that there was was the feeling of a slight graze, and the pebble-sized flutter that fizzed inside of your stomach. your fingers had just barely curled up, and your shoulders had just barely slumped over.

“i’ll make you something now,” kyungmin repeated, the happiness in his voice restoring. your hand idly slipped off of his as he lifted it off of your shoulder, turning away from you to wander to the fridge.

when he opened the door, he slightly leaned back to give himself space. you felt yourself sink further into your seat, letting yourself smile faintly as you watched him look through each shelf and compartment.

he was still as fresh as a daisy, but you knew that his love had withered. his love no longer meant to you what it’d meant before, and every display of it drained every butterfly in your stomach one by one. you knew that his adoration for you grew stronger every day, but you could only feel your fondness of it shrink.

a little part inside of you said that the end of your life with kyungmin was coming, but you could never see yourself believing that. you knew that you’d always find yourself running home to his sweet nothings, even if they did nothing for you anymore. you’d take all of the internal pushing and shoving just for him.

you listened to his quiet humming mix with the sounds of the kitchen. the closing of cabinets, the clanking of plates, and the shuffling of his feet all came together to frame his voice, creating a messy melody. all of it sounded horribly wrong, but kyungmin made it right; he always did.

you didn’t know when or why you went wrong. one day, a switch just flipped, and everything flipped with it. the only thing that stayed the same was what kyungmin himself was to you; he was still your light at the end of the tunnel, even if he himself was the tunnel.

“voila! i made pancakes,” kyungmin excitedly walked over to you, plates in his hands. he gently set a plate in front of you, and the scent immediately overtook your senses.

“they smell good,” you stated, pulling your mug and plate closer as you watched kyungmin sit down across from you.

once he sat, he tilted his head at you with his dimples on full display. he was radiant; nearly more blinding than the risen sun. it only beamed on a small portion of his body, but he still gave himself his own glow. even at your worst, there wasn’t nearly enough of your own darkness to shield you from him.

his expression gradually fell, but everything he held in his eyes was worth more than the warmth of a thousand suns. he had more than enough love inside of him for the both of you combined, yet you didn’t have nearly enough.

“i love you,” kyungmin professed, his voice overflowing with the emotion. there was never a time where it felt like he didn’t mean it.

you hesitated before speaking, blinking away from kyungmin. “i love you, too.”

you didn’t mean it in the same way you should’ve. it sounded frighteningly empty, and you knew that there was a lost piece of your love that you’d never get back. it’d ran its course, and slowly depleted as it went; inevitably becoming a puddle of nothing.

“this tastes really good,” kyungmin mumbled.

you knew that you should be doing more. you knew that he deserved galaxies more than the truth that you hid from him, but you couldn’t let him go; you were selfish. never in a million years could you ever imagine letting him go, even if both you and him needed nothing more than just that.

“are you gonna eat?” kyungmin questioned.

only to him could you admit that you were too soft for everything that you were feeling, but you couldn’t. breaking both his heart and your own was something you couldn’t handle, and just the thought of losing him crushed you. the weight of it all was too heavy, and it was much too big; bigger than the whole sky.

“y/n?” kyungmin called.

you flinched, immediately bringing your attention back to him. “god, i’m sorry, kyungmin.”

he could only give you a sympathetic smile, picking up another piece of the pancake with his fork. “it’s really good, so you should try it. maybe you can dip it in your coffee.”

your ears barely picked up kyungmin’s giggle as you lowered your gaze down to your drink, sitting as still as it was. every unconsumed drop of caffeine was right where you’d left it, lowering in temperature as the minutes passed. there wasn’t any steam rising out of the liquid anymore, and when you went to feel the mug, all of its heat was lost.

you shifted your eyes back up to kyungmin, and you found that all of the warmth was held by him instead. even with all of the waves of heat he radiated, they didn’t quite reach you. you still felt cold; as cold as your coffee.

you would never be the same again, and you knew that. you’d never love kyungmin as purely as you did before, and you’d never forget that. it’d always be engraved in the back of your mind; taunting you with your buried thoughts. all that he ever wanted from you was sweet nothing, but you your truth was far from it.

even at his purest, you still couldn’t feel for him in the way he felt for you. masked behind the love in his eyes was nothing; everything he felt for you was wholly surfaced. there wasn’t anything he had to hide, and his angelic smile was there to prove it. he could never be anything short of sweet, yet still, all you could give him was nothing.

THE ERAS SERIES

#woonhakist #cho kyungmin #kyungmin x reader #kyungmin angst #kyungmin fluff #kyungmin au #kyungmin imagines #kyungmin scenarios #8turn #8turn x reader #8turn angst #8turn fluff #8turn au #8turn imagines #8turn scenarios

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tropes-and-tales-archives · 9 months

Text

Whistle Down the Wind, Chapter Nine

Word Count: 2411

TW: Idiots in love, angst, major injury (talk of recovery), lots of feelings, I guess?, the barest mention of sexy times but nothing explicit.

AN: Part of a series. The series masterlist here.

It was awkward at first. You moved into Sonny’s tiny guest room. He tried to convince you to take his bed, but you refused: he was too tall for both the twin in the guest room and his couch, and you weren’t going to be comfortable anywhere anyway. He gave you every pillow he had to help prop up your broken leg and broken arm, fussing over you each night and clucking like a mother duck. It would have made you smile if you weren’t in so much pain.

Your doctors had sent you home with a generous amount of pain pills, but you reacted badly to them and rarely took them. You took ibuprofen and just weathered the pain. You only took the stronger stuff after your therapy appointments.

Sonny took you to most of your appointments. He took time off and long lunches when he had to work. When he couldn’t make it, he had a roster of people to fill in: Bella and Tommy, his parents, your bandmates. He had a phone tree of people ready and willing to help you.

One time, Sonny’s partner Amanda Rollins drove you to your therapy appointment. Sonny was stuck in court, so the petite blonde picked you up. She was gorgeous, and you felt like a complete slug sitting beside her in her car. You also felt a thin filament of jealousy coursing through you; you knew that Sonny spent a lot of hours with her, so the two of them being close was inevitable.

She was a complete charmer though. “Carisi talks about you all the time,” she said as she navigated the afternoon traffic to the rehab facility.

“I suppose having most of my bones broken and taking up his guest room would qualify as a fun topic of conversation,” you joked lamely, but the woman shook her head at this.

“No, he’s always talked about you, even before the accident.” She muttered a curse at the traffic in front of her and took a cross-street to avoid it. “I should thank you, actually. Carisi’s always playing new music that you recommend to him. My musical horizons have definitely expanded because of you.”

You smiled, and Amanda continued.

“You made him a playlist once after a tough case. He played it in the precinct late that night when we were wrapping up the paperwork. It was really great. Actually made me feel better when I didn’t think anything would.”

The two of you sat in silence for a moment. Then Amanda cleared her throat.

“You know, Carisi is sort of the optimist of the squad. The work we do…it can really make you bitter. But Carisi can always find a bright spot. But I think that you’re the one that helps keep him, well, sunny.”

She turned and glanced at you, and you looked back at her. “That’s not true,” you replied.

“It is, I think,” she said. “I know that when the two of you were…arguing, he wasn’t himself.”

You made a thoughtful hmm, but didn’t reply.

********

Sonny was happy. It was tempered, of course, with the sorrow of seeing you in pain, but Sonny loved having you in his apartment. He loved rushing home at night to make you dinner; he loved driving you to your appointments and picking up your mail and refilling your prescriptions. He loved tucking you in at night, even if it was torture sleeping in a separate room from you.

He even loved the elaborate process of wrapping your casts in plastic bags before you took your awkward baths. You were oddly modest, and once your plaster was protected, you would cross your arms (awkwardly) and wait until he was out of the bathroom and the door was solidly shut. Then he spent the next hour listening to your mutters and curses as you tried to wash your hair one-handed.

He did hate seeing you in pain. He knew that you reacted badly to the pain meds, and you had refused to take them once you got released from the hospital. With nothing standing between you and the pain, you were only a shadow of your usual self. You slept poorly throughout the day, and your nights were sleepless as a result.

You had lost a lot of weight in the hospital, and despite Sonny’s attempts to tempt you with homemade pasta and sauces and desserts, you stayed thinner than you usually were. As a result of your lost weight, you were always cold: he wrapped you in his sweatshirts and blankets, and in the evenings, he’d pull you in against him and cuddle with you on the couch, hoping to share some of his body heat with you.

He was always careful with you. You were still healing, after all, and you had broken ribs on top of everything, so Sonny always made sure to snake a cautious arm around your shoulders, letting you settle against him until you were comfortable.

He was just happy to have you with him. Now that he had you, he wasn’t going to let you go.

********

It took about a month after you were discharged from the hospital for your ribs and arm to heal. Your leg needed a little more time, but you graduated to a walking cast and were able to do more for yourself.

The driver who hit you was arrested, but more importantly, his insurance settled with you. You got a tidy sum, and it was enough to replace your cello – and then some.

The first weekend after you had the cast on your arm removed, Sonny drove you to a tiny storefront in Brooklyn. You spent several hours trying out various cellos (as well as your freshly healed arm). Armed with your settlement money, you finally selected a benchmade instrument made by Antonio Stradivari in 1712. It was made of Russian spruce with ebony fittings and fingerboards, and it’s sound was true and gorgeously mellow. It was love at first sound.

You played a variation on “Für Elise,” one of the first pieces you had learned to play as a kid. When you looked up, you saw Sonny leaning against the wall, gazing at you with a soft smile on his face. You couldn’t help but smile back.

The smile didn’t last, though.

As you healed, you had a lot of time to think. You thought about your parents and their history and your own childhood. You thought about how you had latched onto Bella and Sonny and their family as soon as you got to college. You thought about your life after college and what may lay ahead for you.

You also thought about Sonny. A lot. It was hard not to. He literally tucked you in at night after he stuffed you full of homemade food. He made every moment of your recovery as easy as humanly possible. You saw the way he watched you, and you knew what was coming next.

A few weeks after you bought your cello, you had your leg cast removed. Your physical therapy wound down as well, leaving you with at-home exercises that you did diligently to regain your lost strength. There was no reason to stay with Sonny any more – you could handle your own walk-up apartment, and you could navigate your way to any appointments that you had left.

You didn’t know if you would end up broaching the topic or if Sonny would. The evening after you had your leg cast removed, Sonny removed any doubt. You knew he was gearing up to ask you.

He outdid himself with dinner: his mom’s chicken parmesan, homemade pasta, and homemade tiramisu for dessert. He opened a bottle of wine and lit candles for the table. You felt sick to your stomach through the entire meal, and when Sonny led you to the couch to talk, you almost threw up altogether.

He sat on the couch, one of his long legs tucked underneath him, and you perched on the edge beside him. He reached out and took one of your hands in his, and you glanced over at him long enough to see him smiling at you, his blue eyes bright.

“So,” he started, but you couldn’t let him continue.

“Stop,” you interrupted him. You had to take a deep breath to try and collect yourself, and you felt his hand grasping yours firmly as he waited. “Sonny, I need to tell you something, but I worry that you’ll stop listening once I get the first part out.”

He reached out with his other hand and tilted your head so that you were facing him. His smiling face was replaced by one of concern, and you felt yourself tearing up. You didn’t want to hurt him, but it felt inevitable, like a freight train bearing down on you.

“Sonny,” you said, your voice shaky with emotion. “I know what you’re going to ask me, but I can’t. I’m….I’m still going to move to L.A.”

He dropped his hand from the side of your face, and he dropped his hold on your hand. You looked up and saw the pain written across his face and hated that you were the cause of it.

“I can’t ever repay you for everything you’ve done for me,” you continued. One tear, and then another, rolled down your face. You didn’t bother wiping them away.

“You don’t have to repay me,” he protested. “I did it because I love you.”

You nodded. “I know. And I love you too, Sonny. More than you know.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “Sure.”

“I do. I loved you from the moment I met you, and I’ve loved you more every day since then.”

“But I was too late,” he replied. “It took me too long…”

“No,” you shook your head vehemently at him. “Sonny, I’ve done nothing but think the past two months.” You reached out and took his hand in both of yours. “I grew up in a miserable home. My mother was bright and had a future ahead of her, but she settled into marrying my dad right out of high school. She grew to resent him, he resented her resentment. They made each other miserable and then had me, and then there were three miserable people living in that house. You’ve met them, Sonny. You’ve seen what a lifetime of resentment can turn you into.” You took a deep breath and continued.

“I need to take time for myself to see what I can do with my talent. If I go to L.A., even for a year, I can either make it or not. If I do, then that’s great. If I don’t, then I’ll never have to wonder ‘what if.’ I’ll never have this bitter resentment taking over my life when I’m older.”

Sonny didn’t answer, so you looked up at him and saw the tears in his own eyes. You couldn’t help but reach out and cup his face with your hand.

“Stretch, I don’t ever want to resent you,” you said softly. “And I don’t want you to ever feel obligated to me. You bounce from relationship to relationship, and I don’t want you to settle on me because I needed to be taken care of for a few months.” You gave him a weak smile. “You like to mother people, Sonny. You like to feel needed.”

He nodded and leaned into your touch, shutting his eyes. You were both silent – the only sound was the traffic outside of his window and the occasional murmur of other tenants in the hallway. “When are you leaving?” he finally whispered.

“In a week,” you replied. “I have a place sublet out there, and I have someone lined up to sublet my apartment here. I have meetings lined up for some projects out there already too.”

He nodded again, his eyes squeezed shut. A tear crept out from under his eyelid, and you reached up and wiped it away gently. “I was too late,” he whispered, his voice choked with tears.

“Oh, Sonny.” You leaned in and wrapped your arms around his neck, and he turned and pressed his face into the crook of your neck. “This isn’t goodbye. I just want a year out there to see what I can do on my own.”

You held him while he cried against you, and you cried too. You felt sick to leave him, and you felt awful to be hurting him, but you felt in the pit of your gut that this was the right thing to do. You didn’t want to turn into your mother: divorced, estranged from her only child, and bitter about what she could have been. And if you and Sonny were truly meant to be, then you’d find your way back to each other.

“Stay with me until you leave?” he asked, his breath hot against the bare skin of your neck, and you murmured your assent. He lifted his head to look at you, and you felt that sick feeling again. You could get lost in his eyes. It’d be so easy to change your mind and stay with him.

He closed the gap between you in a flash, capturing your mouth with his. You froze a second in surprise but then leaned into the kiss, relishing the feel of his soft lips against yours. It was better than you had ever imagined, in all the years you had pictured kissing him.

He kissed you until you were both breathless, and then he carried you into his room, lying you down and stretching out alongside you gently, mindful of your recent trauma.

With a few exceptions – him going to work, you tying up loose ends – you spent the rest of your week with him, in his bed and in his arms. After one particularly vigorous evening together that left you both panting and exhausted, you curled up against his bare chest with a heavy sigh.

“You’re just trying to convince me to stay,” you accused him, half-playfully but half serious. It would be so easy to just stay with him.

He huffed out a breath in mock offense, but then he reached down and grasped your jaw lightly in his hand until you were gazing up into his blue eyes.

“No,” he murmured, his voice full of feeling. “I’m trying to remind you of what’ll be waiting for you.”

#sonny carisi #sonny carisi imagine #sonny carisi x reader #law and order svu #law and order svu fanfiction #tropes and tales

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blazehedgehog · 5 months

Text

Thoughts on the first three episodes of "Knuckles"

I have watched the first three episodes of Knuckles tonight, and I think I am trending on the side of "this show is bad."

Wade Whipple, deputy sheriff, was tolerable in small doses. But only tolerable. When you describe his character out loud, he makes sense, but the performance is very mild. The pratfalls aren't wacky enough, and Wade himself isn't dumb enough for it to feel outrageous. He's plain tap water: it'll get the job done, but it won't tickle your senses all that much.

So they gave this guy a show. And they paired him with a cartoon character who only plays one note, constantly, at maximum volume, all the time.

They have no chemistry. That's supposed to be "the joke," but for them to become friends you need to see a spark of something there. Most of the humans in this show can't even make eye contact with Knuckles. They look in a general direction he might be, but they rarely actually look directly at him.

In fact, going back through the first three episodes to snap the worst examples, there are a lot of scenes where they straight up avoid having characters maintain an eyeline with Knuckles. They focus way more on shot-reverse-shot close-ups so everyone can just look slightly off camera and have it not matter.

The show picked up a little bit in the third episode, where we get to see a bit of Wade's family, but even then, it wasn't, like... great. It was more that I could see what they were going for. It just doesn't mean they got there, you know? The whole episode happens to be much too convenient and doesn't really make good on the stakes it establishes. Everyone just kind of shrugs and says "Eh, good enough."

And then there's just how fast and loose they are with the story. I suppose if I'm wrong somebody will call me out, but I think this series is the first time they've mentioned Knuckles is the last of his kind and that the rest of the Echidnas were hunted and killed by Owls like Longclaw.

This is also our first real introduction to GUN, and though I think they're supposed to be a secret government agency, it's not really clear what they are outside of being super evil now for some reason. They're like if the Men In Black were arms dealers that traded alien weapons with other murderers and criminals, I guess. It's weird, and the two agents we get to see never feel cool or threatening. They're just there to tie a thread to the upcoming Sonic 3 movie so we can go "oh dang GUN has access to their own warp rings?"

And despite all of this constant trouble nobody ever stops and asks, "Hey maybe we should go tell Sonic and Tails about this." Secret government super agents, people with ties to Robotnik, mercenary hitmen... but nothing stops the road trip to Reno for the bowling tournament, I guess.

I still have the second half of the series to go, so I'll reserve final judgment, but the short of it is this is shaping up to be something nobody asked for.

#knuckles series #wade whipple #paramount+#sonic the movie #sega

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nightsinbluevelvet · 7 months

Text

A little rant

Occasionally, I get messages from people who are provoked by what I post about Matt and Jonathan, so I thought I would try to clarify my views again. I realise it's easy to misunderstand things.

I do not assume they're a couple, nor have I ever said I do. In fact, I think that would be unlikely, as long as Matt remains married. Wanting them to be together is not the same as believing or assuming or claiming that they are. Above all - whether they're able to be together or not - I want them both to be happy and to be in each other's lives forever (since that's what they seem to want).

The ones who accuse me seem to be full of assumptions themselves. (And perhaps they don't know what it can be like to be in a long marriage, with children...). It's important to remember that fans without any inside information don't actually know anything about anything. "But he's married!" isn't really an argument here. There's no way for us to know what their relationship looks like right now. From the limited interactions we see, they barely look at each other. On their way to the Critics' Choice Awards, Matt posted a selfie with Simon, calling him "the best date" - yet Jonathan was the one he kissed and looked blissful with. The valentine's day getaway could have been a desperate attempt to save their marriage. The "I sure do love him" birthday post by Matt wasn't very convincing at all. It's all too easy to pick up subtle things like these, and interpret them as Matt trying to convince himself, above all, of his happiness with Simon. He certainly doesn't seem to feel the same explosive tenderness and joy with him as he seems to feel whenever he's around Jonathan. But just to clarify, I'm not "assuming" these things either, just saying that it's just as easy to interpret everything this way.

As for Jonathan - sure, he briefly mentioned once that he was seeing a "lovely man." That doesn't have to mean anything anymore, and cannot be used as an argument for why he and Matt are "just friends." It's very hard to imagine that another man could mean the same to him as Matt does. For all we know, he could have been referring to Matt (just kidding!). Their bond is, undeniably, rare - and something that most people don't get to have. "Beyond soulmates" is more accurate than "just friends", but I'm not sure even that is enough to describe their love.

I'm very intrigued by the way Fellow Travelers has transformed people's lives - both the lives of fans and those of the people directly involved with the series. Fiction and reality have merged, and created something beyond measure. It's beautiful and should be celebrated.

#fellow travelers #matt bomer #jonathan bailey #soulmates #rant #Fellow Travelers 2023

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saintrocklee · 2 years

Note

For the prompts (I’m probably super late I’m sorry OTL) “it’s not my fault, it’s 4am and you’re fucking yelling at me!” For Kakuzu please! Also your writing is amazing and I hope your muse returns pronto! Good vibes from me to you ✨

💰 kakuzu x reader 💰 supernatural (ish) AU part one | part two | part three | part four warnings: brief mentions of past abusive relationship. finger sucking and minimal sexy thread times. also - this is a special guest episode, as a treat. special message to the anon who requested this literally 72 business years ago: i am so sorry. i hope this was worth it. ily.

this is part four of my kakuzu prompt series. i recommend reading parts one, two, & three (linked above) before indulging.

The next day you’re distracted. Very distracted. You were typically pretty well put together but you felt as if your head was stuck in a permanent fog. Last night played on a loop in your mind, and you know ... you know Kakuzu had almost kissed you.

I broke my rules for you.

The apple you’re looking at slips from your grip and you blink back to reality. Embarrassment curls up your spine as you glance around to see if anyone saw. When you’re sure no one noticed, you bend to pick up the fruit and add it to your basket. You were doing some light grocery shopping, but so far you’d bumped into two different people, walked down the wrong aisle multiple times, and now you were dropping things.

God, you were like a teenager all over again. Just a silly little girl with a crush. You honestly hated the word, it didn’t seem to adequately describe your situation or your feelings. An infatuation? You were definitely attracted to him. You liked talking to him. You wanted to know more about him. And most importantly of all, he made you feel safe.

Next time, girl.

The shame curling in your gut from being clumsy was slowly being replaced by a simmering, now familiar heat. What did he mean, next time? Did that mean when he saw you again, he’d ... what? Kiss you? Explain? Kill you?

You know the latter is completely untrue, but for some reason it was much easier to imagine Kakuzu taking your life. You can picture Kakuzu killing, you know he’s done it before, and his aura alone was stifling and intimidating. But … kissing? Being intimate? Your imagination stops there but it doesn’t keep you from wondering. From wanting.

You never thought you would fall for a mountain of a man after spending a good portion of your life afraid of men, but here you were. Falling for a monster. Your monster. Who, by all accounts, should scare the absolute living hell out of you.

But he didn’t.

You’re able to check out without issue and start your walk home with two small grocery bags. It’s a nice day and fall was coming, leaving a nice breeze in the air to help clear your mind. You switch your bags to one hand and hold your sweater a little closer, managing to nod and smile at a gentleman walking by. Every day your confidence grew around strangers, and every day you’re thankful for Kakuzu. For your deal. Your spine felt harder, straighter. You rarely had panic attacks anymore, and found yourself leaving your apartment without constantly looking over your shoulder. You were stronger, self-assured, and self-reliant. You felt good.

A low whistle catches your attention and just like that, your courage fizzles to nothing. It was a catcall whistle, something meant to be derogatory, and it reminded you of your ex-husband.

“Wow.”

There’s a very male voice coming from behind and you stiffen, heart jumping to your throat. You don’t want to turn around but you stop walking, listening intently as footsteps approach you.

“I think I get it now.”

You blink, now confused and nervous, and turn your head to see who’s talking to you. Maybe they weren’t even speaking to you, maybe you misheard. Your rampant paranoia was still present and maybe —

Nope. He’s looking directly at you.

You’re visibly shocked by him, mouth parting muted awe. He looked … not like any man you’ve ever seen. Vibrant lavender eyes hold your own with an intensity you’re not used to receiving from a stranger, and his mouth is twisted into a cocksure grin that showed teeth. Silver hair was slicked back with a few strays curling slightly on his forehead, and the open jacket he wore revealed way more chest than you wanted to see. Your eyes immediately flick down to watch his hands and your anxiety kicks up a notch when you see them stuffed into his jacket pockets.

Hidden hands meant trouble. Your ex was proof of that.

It’s the first time in awhile you’ve felt trapped; cornered like some animal. The stranger’s posture was relaxed but the look on his face was anything but. You tried to keep your breathing calm, but your gut instinct was telling you something was off about this guy. He didn’t seem totally crazy, he just seemed … abnormal. Intense. Unpredictable.

“You checkin’ me out, girl?”

Your back stiffens and you snap your gaze back up to his face. Girl. Kakuzu called you that and it never bothered you, but coming from this man? It felt like an insult. Like you were beneath him.

Still … the way he said it. The tone reminded you of your monster. Something about how he said it. Like you were different from him, like you were in a category of your own.

“Do you need something?” you ask, attempting to keep your tone level. Not quite friendly but not quite scared. You were extremely aware of the fragility of the male ego and didn’t want to set this guy off, but you wouldn’t cower. Your question seems to ignite something in him and you frown as he throws his head back and laughs. It’s loud, boyish; and when he snaps his head back up his eyes find yours immediately. The wicked gleam there has you fighting off the urge to bolt, but somehow you know running would make things worse.

“Nah I’m just,” he pauses, taking another step toward you; to which you respond by taking a step back, “curious.”

“About?”

Something about you must amuse this guy a great deal. He’s grinning at you now, assessing you like you were an exhibit he didn’t quite understand. You glance to your right, only to inhale nervously when you realize you’re completely alone. You could have sworn there were other people on the sidewalk with you, and the street you were on was typically a busy one. But there wasn’t a soul in sight, just you and this man.

You suddenly wish Kakuzu would appear.

“Couldn’t fuckin’ believe it when I heard. Had to make a trip back just to see …” he trails off, taking a step to the right to start circling you. It reminded you of a wild animal, circling their prey.

“I don’t understand.” You breathe, body twisting to keep him in your sight. Lavender eyes once again meet yours.

“Don’t suppose you would.” His tone is light, and you can tell he’s having fun. You’re thrown back to being in elementary school, watching other kids participate in game you didn’t know how to play.

“What do you want?” You ask, some of the carefully hidden irritation making it’s way into your tone. Amusement falls from the stranger’s face and you blink when he’s suddenly in front of you. You could have sworn he was just standing behind you, how did he -

“As much as I’d love to ruin that bastard’s day, a deal’s a deal.”

You hold your breath and fight to not visibly shake. The playful demeanor he held was now lined with something dangerous and the air around you seems thicker. He bends his head towards you and your spine stiffens when his next words are whispered directly into your ear.

“Tell the old man Hidan says hi.”

Your mouth parts, more questions forming on your tongue, but just like that he’s gone. A gust of wind hits you and you jump, the sound of cars and people bustling on the street hitting you all at once. The once still and silent street was now full of noise and life; and you blink helplessly as it all washes over you. Where had everyone gone? You were sure the street was just empty.

You tighten your grip on your groceries and decide to just book it back to your apartment. You felt breathless and a little dizzy, no doubt due to some of the leftover fear and adrenaline in your system. You start moving, keeping your head down as you make your way back to your apartment.

Just get home, you chant to yourself. You purposefully move the command around your brain, even going so far as to silently mouth the words to keep from thinking about what just happened.

Just get home.

Soon you’re back in your apartment and quickly putting your groceries away. The next thing you do is check to make sure all of your doors and windows are locked, and then you check again. You're shaken to your core and now that you’re back in your home, in a space you consider safe, your mind is reeling.

Who was that?

You immediately start listing off people you knew, to try and figure out who he was talking about. He said the old man, you didn’t know any old men -

Except your ex.

Was he - did that guy know your ex-husband? Was he sent to you, as some sort of sick joke? You didn’t know anything about your ex-husband’s whereabouts, you just knew he was alive, and that was enough for your panic riddled brain to latch onto.

The anxiety you feel is building and you move to your bedroom while trying to do the breathing exercises your therapist had taught you. Inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds. Before you know it, you’re in your bed, back against the headboard - trying to just breathe.

Inhale for four seconds.

Hold for four seconds.

Exhale for four seconds.

It calms you, after awhile, and you swallow against the dryness in your throat. You feel heavy, emotionally drained, and you just want to sleep. You move slowly, changing into shorts and an oversized shirt that's warm but comfortable. Your bed welcomes you back and soon you’re under your blankets, mind still doing a slow tumble through your day. You can still hear the stranger’s laugh, a loud cackle that sends a shiver down your spine. You shut your eyes tight and try to think of something else.

Someone else.

Lavender eyes and silver slicked back hair are replaced with green and black. You think about Kakuzu, about what happened last night, and soon you’re drifting off; thoughts of inky black thread and unfinished promises sending you into slumber.

You wake with a gasp and sit up, throat sore and wetness pooling in the corners of your eyes. You had been with your ex, he’d cornered you, he’d been drinking and had come home and -

It takes you a moment to realize it was a nightmare and the next breath you take is ragged. You were home. You were home and that was years ago, you were safe now, you made a deal with -

“Calm yourself girl.”

Your head snaps up and stiffens when you see Kakuzu standing in the corner of your bedroom. The streetlights from outside along with your blinds shine an interesting pattern on him, and you’re surprised to see that he’s uncovered. Black hair hangs freely around his face and his arms are crossed across his chest, his stitches straining against his muscles. Swallowing thickly, your hands fist in your sheets and you frown when they start to move underneath you.

When you glance down, you’re surprised at the black threads that are tangling around your fingers. There’s so much of them and you carefully turn your hand over, watching intently as inky strands continue to dance across your palm. More investigation reveals that his thread is covering both of your hands and moving carefully up your arms, stroking back and forth carefully like a caress. It clicks suddenly, and you bring your head back up to look at him.

“You woke me up.” You murmur, throat still dry, and Kakuzu’s eyes narrow, confirming your suspicion. You look away to glance at your clock and frown when you see it reads 3:47am.

“Thank you.” You whisper and Kakuzu shifts his shoulders, his arms unfolding and resting at his sides. His thread starts to pull back and you turn to watch as they slide away from you, off the edge of your bed, and disappear into the darkness that cloaks him.

“Anything to cease your endless whimpering.” His confession is sneered at you and you have to drop your chin to your chest to hide a fond smile. Ever so grouchy and grumpy.

You lift a hand and rub at your eyes, fighting back a tired yawn. Kakuzu steps closer and you still your movements when he speaks again.

“You met a man today.”

Your head snaps up, tiredness forgotten, and frown. Inhuman eyes hold your own, and there’s an edge to his tone, to him that you’ve never seen before.

“H-how did you - ”

“Did he touch you?”

What?

You blink once and then twice before opening and closing your mouth. You were trying to find the right words to respond, trying and failing to come up with something to say. Your brain, poor thing, was still lagging from being woken so suddenly, leaving you somewhat slack jawed and intelligible.

Kakuzu snarls in response to your silence and leans over, hands coming to rest at the foot of your bed as he looms over you.

“Answer me, girl. Did he touch you?”

Your brow furrows in response.

“How did you know I met a man today?”

Judging by the incandescent glare you receive, you answered wrong. Even so, you feel none of the fear you felt earlier, none of the anxiety or panic. Distantly you register that the protective streak you’re witnessing is causing molten heat to stir in your belly, but you’re tired and agitated from your nightmare and being abruptly woken up.

“I won’t ask again.” He snaps and you swallow, eyebrows pinching together in frustration.

“No, he didn’t. How did you know?” You snip back and Kakuzu pushes himself off the bed.

“That is none of your concern.”

You bristle in response.

“None of my - how is it none of my concern?”

Green cat-like eyes stare at you impassively and you’re hit with the childish urge to throw something at him. If you weren’t so disorientated you might have.

And then -

“Wait, is he like you?”

Tell the old man Hidan says hi.

You feel the sudden urge to move and start to slowly uncurl your legs from your blankets. Kakuzu doesn’t answer but it doesn’t deter you.

“He told me to tell the old man hi. Are you who he was talking about?”

Your feet meet the carpet and you stand, fingers drumming against your bare thighs. Details from your encounter start to resurface and everything slowly clicks into place.

“He ... he made everyone on the street disappear. Told me he was curious, wanted to see for himself. He’s like you, right?”

Kakuzu’s mouth twists into a snarl.

“Don’t ask stupid questions.”

Your hands tighten into fists.

“I wouldn’t have to if you just told me the truth.”

You watch as what you can only describe as irritation flashes across his face. He moves towards you and you dig your heels into the carpet, ready to stand your ground.

“I don’t have to answer to you, human.”

Something visceral burns through you.

“Why are you mad at me? I didn’t do anything, it was your friend who just showed up —” A low rumble similar to a growl warns you to stop but you keep going, your hands emphasizing your frustration as your voice rises, “it’s you who’s snapping at me, I don’t even know what’s going on —”

“You are the one who cannot answer a simple question. Idiot girl.” Kakuzu’s sneering at you, now close enough to bend his head to look down at you. You throw your hands in the air and let out a humorless laugh before going to shove him back.

“It’s not my fault, it’s four in the morning and you’re fucking yelling at me!”

You don’t expect him to so much as budge when your palms meet his chest, but it feels good to make contact with something. With him. You know it wouldn’t hurt, you know he’s probably laughing cruelly at you, but you couldn’t take him standing there looking down at you when he had all the answers and you had none.

What you don’t expect is for him to grab onto your wrists and pull you closer. You immediate reaction is to flinch, to protect your face by ducking down, and the breath in your lungs stills. You wait for something, for him to yell, to shove you off, but nothing happens. The weight of his hands is heavy, and your brow furrows in confusion when you feel him lift and turn your wrist. You chance a glance upwards and watch as his eyes skim up and down your hand, your arm. When his inspection is complete, he turns to the other one, once again lifting your hand away from his chest. When he speaks, his tone is deeper, and the heat that you’ve come to associate with him once again makes it way through your chest.

“There is no one like me. Hidan is merely an immortal who uses blood magic. He would just need a drop ...” His sentence trails off as he finishes inspecting your arms, only to lightly push you away to cast his gaze down at your legs. Your toes curl in your carpet under his scrutiny and when he drops your wrists you tangle your hands together.

“I’m fine.” You try but Kakuzu cuts you off immediately.

“You wouldn’t know.”

You bristle again, still buzzing with frustration, but the gravel in his tone digs up under your chest and starts to break it up.

“It presents differently, in humans. You wouldn’t even have felt it, if he pricked you.”

Oh. You exhale through your nose.

“So ... he’s like a vampire?”

Kakuzu snaps his head up to meet your eyes and lets out a snort. You blink at the foreign noise.

Did your monster just laugh?

“Idiot.” He scoffs, straightening to his full height. You narrow your eyes and fight a smile.

“What? Demons and immortals are real. You’re real. But vampires, that’s stupid?”

You’re rewarded with an arched brow and finally feel all the anxiety and frustration from earlier fizzle into nothing. The warmth in your tummy starts to kindle and you glance around your room as memories from the previous night start to hit you.

I broke my rules for you.

“He will not bother you again.”

You nod and turn back to look at him, meeting his stare head on. You had other questions about your encounter with Hidan but you knew the answers he’d give you would do nothing to satiate your curiosity. You're not sure how much times passes, all you do know is neither of you are making any sort of move to leave. It makes you bolder, knowing that something kept him here. That he wanted to be there.

Next time, girl.

So instead -

“So, is this the next time you were referring to, or ... ?”

The air around you changes and a thrill shoots through at the way Kakuzu tenses. Like a coil, almost. His eyes somehow burn brighter and he takes a step towards you again, large hands flexing at his sides. Your chest heaves with effort and the smirk that curls across his face is anything but friendly. Dangerous.

It's consuming, how much you want him.

"You know not what you ask, girl."

You tilt your chin up to hold his gaze as he looms over you. His hair falls from his shoulders, surrounding you, and you feel the telltale trickle of his thread around your ankles.

"Just a stupid human girl." You murmur, and those green eyes narrow at your tone. You feel thread in your hair and let your head be pulled back, baring your throat to your monster who seemed to be wrestling with something as he looked at you. His gaze trailed from your neck, to your eyes, to your mouth; as if he were looking for something. Waiting for something. You don't move, you don't speak and finally he stills his movements completely, eyes boring into yours as if to burn you in place.

"You understand what you're asking of me?" He hisses and you blink. He waits for your answer and you swallow before finding your voice.

"Yes."

"You understand that I am not like them." He sneers the last word in disgust, as if even needing to state the fact that he wasn't human was beneath him.

"Yes." You breathe, the warmth from your tummy spreading. You were beginning to feel light headed and your hands twitch with the need to touch him.

He pauses, taking you in, and then you feel it. Strands and strands of inky black thread coiling around your thighs, your waist, your neck. You close your eyes and part your lips with a gasp at the way his thread move across your body. They're under your shirt and skirt the edge of your shorts, feather light strokes becoming bolder and bolder with each touch.

Your eyes fly open when you feel his hand curl around your chin and stutter a breath as thread moves just under your breasts. His thumb strokes your bottom lip and wetness begins to pool between your thighs. Your heart beats a furious rhythm under your chest and Kakuzu inhales at the sound of it.

"Open." He commands, voice deep and unwavering. Your mouth parts slowly, and you shudder as the tip of your tongue meets the pad of his thumb. The thread around you tightens upon the contact, flexing against your thighs and pushing up against your breasts. He presses down, holding you in place, while simultaneously tilting your face up. He's so close now, hair tickling the sides of your face, and you swear you see a triumphant glitter in his eyes.

"So pliant." Kakuzu taunts, nose nearly brushing yours. Your eyes narrow and before you can think better of it you close your mouth around him and suck.

Your reward is a snarl and the wall meeting your back.

He's quick about manhandling you, large firm thigh slotted between your legs, thread tightening enough to keep you still without hurting. He presses his thumb further into your mouth, eyes now transfixed on how it disappears, and you glide your tongue along the ridges of his knuckles before sucking him in deeper. He hasn't actually touched you anywhere else, hasn't even kissed you like you wanted him to, but that doesn't stop your body from reacting to everything. To him.

The whimper you let out is pathetic and needy.

He opens his mouth, no doubt ready to degrade you or boss you around even more, but something on his face changes. You pinch your brow in confusion as his head turns sharply, eyes unfocusing as if he's thinking. When he cocks his head ever so slightly you realize he's listening and you strain to hear what he heard.

Only there's nothing.

Kakuzu pulls away from you sharply, taking his thread with him, and you hear him growl in a language you'd never heard before. You take a step forward to regain your balance, only to be once again manhandled to look up at him. You can still feel your saliva on his thumb as he grips your chin, and you're taken aback by the intensity you receive.

"We are not done here."

He spits the words at you, eyes narrowing until you nod in agreement. His gaze flicks down to your overly wet mouth and you're once again introduced to a language you don't understand. He sounded angry, strained, and he meets your eyes once more before taking a step back and disappearing completely, once again leaving you alone.

#show of hands - who thought i would never publish this #anon if you see this please know that i am so incredibly in love with you ASDFGHJKL #kakuzu x reader #kakuzu x you #kakuzu fanfic #daddy K is BACK #ONE MORE PART TO GO before i'm done with this series #and then i'm never touching this man again he is MEAN to me #he doesn't let me WRITE him #he's RUDE i love him but imma leave him for the experts #xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooooooxoxoxo if you still follow me you are braver than any US marine

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thatmooncake · 1 year

Note

hi hi!! i saw your reblog of your therapist au art and noticed in the tags that you dont mind answering questions. i hope its alright if i ask you one or two!!

so, you mention in the background section of the au that moon was used to trap souls inside dreams (or something similar to that.) will that be addressed in the future?? i feel like thats prime material for angsty stuff and moon feeling bad about what happened in the past :< not to mention the whole fazbear entertainment thing lending you the therapy bots and them linked to dream experiments is shady (as per usual with fazent.)

(also not as important, but is the whole "trapping souls" thing a reference to somniphobia, the book in the tftp series?? i actually havent read the story personally, but from a brief summary, im getting those same vibes lol. could be entirely a coincidence, but if not, thats cool either way!!!)

and on a more lighter note, can they eat stuff in this au? if so, id love to know their favorite ice-cream flavors! its a weird question to suddenly ask but for some reason this au is giving me "its a summer night, im up way too late, and im eating ice-cream when i shouldnt" type of vibes

anyways!!! im sorry i think i rambled too much but i love your guys' au, and yall's artwork!! cant wait to see more of it, hopefully in the future!

(p.s. unrelated but i thought moon,,,had the bisexual colors in his irises,,,)

Ooh yay hihi I love AU asks!

So! The dreamscape is going to play a big part in the therapy bots AU, and the angst and drama is very much ongoing - it might seem like fun and games at first exploring the therapy themed concepts, but you’re absolutely right, there are massive Somniphobia style undertones there. Moon’s dreamscape is designed to pull you in and it can be addictive and …energy consuming. Or should we say life force consuming?

Moon meanwhile? He feels closer to you in the dreamscape than in the waking world …at first. All the souls he steals become a part of him, in a sense. Remnants of them continue to float around in the dreamscape if you look hard enough, like when you start peeling back the wallpaper of a new house that used to belong to someone else. For the longest time Moon has not really been able to interact in the real world, and honestly most people in the dreamscape very rarely interacted with him either up until the very end, being far too wrapped up in exploring the vast dreamscape which moulds itself around their wants and needs. He’s been kind of used to his role as a passive observer, or a creature without much identity at all. But this time around, because you think he’s a therapy bot, he’s a part of the action. He’s actually being played with. This is unusual for him, and his feelings get a little more muddied over time.

Sun and Moon can absolutely eat in this AU - it was one of their ill-advised “upgrades”. And as the three of you start sharing some soul energy - uhhh, bond with each other more closely, they start to gain the strangest senses too. Senses they’ve never had before, like smell and taste. And they do not know what to make of this. But they do know that Sun likes neapolitan flavour (don’t ask him to pick just one, they look so pretty together!) and Moon likes mint chocolate chip flavour (yep you heard me, mint is good). And that having ice cream late on a summer night is what it’s all about (well, ask Sun about that one - Moon thinks you ought to be sleeping, but he’ll allow it this one time).

Never apologise for rambling I love rambling :D (also everyone who’s mentioned all the pride flag colours you are absolutely correct Sun and Moon say gay rights)

#fableasks #fnaf #sundrop #moondrop #therapy bots au #consulted Scrunchie for a bunch of these and we have a lot of thoughts #wheeee

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moonsprings · 2 years

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ccir episode 15 thoughts (it's long)

admittedly i'm mildly surprised at some folks saying ccir is a great critique on the educational system - imo i personally found it poorly handled mostly due to pacing issues and i don't really find the way they wrapped up the mr ji plot to be satisfying. if people want a show that critiques the extreme culture surrounding the asian educational system i think sky castle is a far better drama. despite some of the qualms i have with the last episode of sky castle it was well written overall and didn't suffer from so many of these issues like ccir does. i stand by this serial killer plot not really adding much to ccir's story - i think it would have been better if they went a more realistic route exploring what someone in that situation would do, especially in regards to ji dong hui being a victim of an abusive parent and a witness to his sibling's suicide. i think even just expanding upon the murder of his parent would have been enough of a mystery without adding in this whole serial killer plot if they really wanted the thriller mystery. i'm not against having a murder plot line (again, see sky castle) but i don't think the way it was executed worked here. a lot of plot lines seem poorly resolved. i can think of several b-plots that were wildly rushed or never mentioned again: - they never mention the female student stalker who got shot in the very beginning of the show ever again. honestly i only found out she was dead this week because the news in the story says 3 dead, multiple injured - but the drama never said she was dead explicitly before or acknowledged it with any additional scene of her family/friends asking why she's missing, especially given that ccy was accused of dating this particular underaged student. it's weird they never mention it or show an investigation of her death unlike the other student who was also killed on screen. - what happened to ccy's piano date? not even a short text msg from her on screen to finish out their short relationship and they act like she never existed. - sua's onset mental illness issues - likely will be mentioned in the last episode? but i find the way sua's story's been paced really awkward - in the beginning she got significant screen time, and now she's dropped off so much i forgot she existed for most of the last 3-4 episodes. they also never elaborate why she's obsessed with haeyi either. - jaewoo and yeongju's rapid 2 episode romance was badly paced. they should have set it up from the beginning so it didn't feel so last minute. - haeyi's bio mom suddenly appearing and dominating the last 3 episodes of the series completely overtaking the focus on the serial killer plot, which ended up giving the murder mystery a rather lackluster ending. - haeyi unaware? of mr ji's death as there was no scene connecting the two despite her being attacked and kidnapped by him, and in general mr ji's death feels like it's glossed over quickly - we don't see the impact of his suicide on his coworkers or the police or the victims's family/friends. it also feels like ccy also gets over it really fast. like... i feel like they needed short scenes or even just a line to acknowledge these things happened in order resolve these story points more completely. there were parts i also enjoyed about this ep like the smaller moments - sunjae and geonhu's hilariously wholesome back and forth outside the hospital. i liked that haeyi didn't pick either of them and that the love triangle isn't so combative or typical, and that they're all genuinely good friends with each other. ccy and nhs's short interaction to show he has a support network now and someone who cares for him as much as he cares for her was nice, as well as haeyi's teacher's gentle banter with nhs about ccy. idk how the last episode's gonna go but eh 😔 jeon doyeon does dramas so rarely that i know i'm gonna watch it to the end anyways... and i enjoy jung kyungho's acting as well so... only one episode left so i really do hope they can wrap this up enough to be an ok ending.

#ccir #crash course in romance #moon.txt

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empressofthewind · 1 year

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Would female Near perceive her feelings for Mello as being an intense want of being fem Mello's friend? Would fem Mello see Near's attempts of getting close to her as Near just wanting to be friends?

Thank you for the ask!

To me, there are two layers to this question. First I’ll give my reading of the characters based on how they appear in the series, then I’ll answer the fem aspect.

Near is portrayed as someone who is very in control of himself. On account of that, I imagine he is self-aware when it comes to his internal thoughts and feelings, and he uses that insight to manage their influence on his behaviour. It’s also stated in Volume 13 that he’s sensitive, which I think is true to an extent, but he allows himself the time to process his emotions to limit how much they affect him.

As a result, I see him as the kind of person who would rarely misinterpret his own feelings. If he feels any kind of attraction to Mello, he will either recognise it immediately or spend some time reflecting on that feeling and what it means. Point being, I think he’d be aware that his feelings are romantic in nature.

On the other hand, Mello frequently misinterprets Near’s behaviours, and is less inclined to engage in extensive self-reflection. He believes Near is arrogant and thinks of everyone, especially Mello, as less than himself (case in point, Mello believing Near saw him as a tool in the confrontation at the SPK HQ). On account of the fact that Near doesn’t have any friends as is, I don’t think his immediate assumption would be that Near wants to be his friend, but rather that by trying to get close to him, Near is taunting him or attempting to sabotage him somehow so Near can stay number one.

In addition to all of this, because of Mello’s insecurities, he doesn’t like to think that he could be wrong about anything, so there’s very little chance he’d pick up on signs that Near isn’t actually the cruel, cunning villain Mello thinks he is. He’d find ‘proof’ in every interaction that his skewed interpretation is correct, and ignore all evidence to the contrary.

Then there’s the matter of whether them being female changes any of this.

Personally, I tend to imagine the main thing that changes in this instance is how they are treated by others, but that fundamental aspects of their characters would remain. How they experience and perceive their own emotions are key aspects of both characters, as well as one of the main differences between them. How Mello interprets Near’s feelings towards him is an important element that shapes many of their interactions. And of course, the inferiority complex has to stay, otherwise Mello becomes a completely different character.

I feel I should also acknowledge the tendency for sapphic women to interpret attraction to women as a strong desire to become friends with them (something I have also experienced myself). It’s hard to answer how much this would play a role given that it comes from an ingrained belief that straight is the default, so it depends on how much that belief was pushed by Wammy’s, but this is something I see more realistically impacting Mello than Near. I could still see Near correctly identifying her feelings despite this.

So in short, I think everything I mentioned above would still apply. Female Near would be equally as calm and controlled as her male counterpart, and definitely no more outwardly emotional, so she’d recognise the romantic nature of her feelings. Mello would woefully misinterpret everything Near says and does, and would likely jump to the conclusion that Near’s affection towards her is part of some evil plot.

Having said all of this, one thing that may change this is their ages; Mello being more mature or having spent more time with Near may help her better understand Near. I find it unlikely that she’d assume Near has feelings for her, but she may assume that Near wants to be her friend.

Hope this answers your question!

#death note #mello #near #meronia #asks

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smalltownfae · 1 year

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Book recs asks!

3, 5, 15, 24, 48, 61, 118, 129, 133, 134, 135

Is that too many? You can just pick the ones you like if it is.

It's alright. I love answering these so thank you for sending the ask :D Sorry in advance for the very long post though.

3. a stand-alone that you wish was part of a series

If anything, I always hope for more standalones. I read very few series until the end. The books and characters need to be really good to get me that invested. I can't think of any standalone that I would like to be a series so I am grasping at straws here and I am going to say Black Water Sister. I could do with more shaman shenanigans and seeing the mc with her girlfriend. But, tbh, I prefer it as a standalone. I am terrible at this... That's what happens when you have a preference for standalones anyway.

5. something in fiction that reads like poetry

Patricia A. McKillip is known for this. Her books can be quite lyrical. They tend to be short and have a fairy tale and dreamlike feel to them. Not all of her books feel the same and some are more confusing than others, but I would recommend starting with The Forgotten Beasts of Eld or The Changeling Sea, that are more straight forward. I also love Winter Rose, but that one reads like a confusing dream.

“I did not want to think about people. I wanted the trees, the scents and colors, the shifting shadows of the wood, which spoke a language I understood. I wished I could simply disappear in it, live like a bird or a fox through the winter, and leave the things I had glimpsed to resolve themselves without me.” (Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip)

15. a book rec you really enjoyed

Usually when my online friends recommend books to me they are right because they know my tastes the best.

There's Howl's Moving Castle recommended by @monpetitrenard, Momo by @whatevsbla, the manga Pandora Hearts both by @whatevsbla and @song-of-amethyst. Black Water Sister was also recommended to me. Persepolis was recommended by an irl friend too. I might be forgetting some. I should take notes of who recommends me what...

24. a book on your nightstand

That is always the book I am currently reading and my kobo. Right now I have The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and I am also reading For Real by Alexis Hall on ebook.

48. your favourite sci-fi novel

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler. Every book I read by her so far, except for Fledgling. Butler doesn't use weird scifi lingo. She keeps her stories very personal with a human focus instead of a scientific or technological one and I really like that. I never thought I would love a book with aliens and set aboard of a spaceship but here we are. Only Butler could do it.

Other scifi books I really like are The Left Hand of Darkness and Flowers for Algernon. I also used to love The Illustrated Man but I need to reread it before considering it a favourite still.

Klara and the Sun is also a favourite, but that is more literary fiction and Frankenstein is more of a gothic book, but I still need to mention those.

61. your favourite horror novel

My favourite horror subgenre in literature is gothic horror. I feel like I might like psychological horror but I need to explore that more. Horror (and psychological thrillers) is my favourite genre when it comes to movies, but somehow it doesn't work so well when it comes to books.

That said my favourite horror novel, if we don't count Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray, is We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

I got some horror book recommendations I still need to sink my teeth into and that is a genre I plan to explore more soon. This year I read The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell and I am interested in checking more of her books.

118. your favourite short story collection

Hands down The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. I really like every story in it, which is rare to happen in short story collections. This is a book about women and their relationships with each other and religion. These are women leading lives that the church would disaprove of and it mostly involves their sexual desires.

‘There’s an old saying: mothers raise their daughters and love their sons.’

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor is also a great one to check if you enjoy the above since it's also about the lives and strugles of black women (in this case women living in a poor neighborhood and how society fails them). Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata, Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue and Shiver by Junji Ito are also good, but not even close to that level. Also, Poirot Investigates is so much fun and a nice place to start with Agatha Christie.

129. a book with beautiful prose

My favourite writing style is something that feels just right. It doesn't look like the author is trying too hard like flowery writing nor does does it look like the author isn't trying at all. It's something in between those extremes. Because of that my favourite kind of prose is the one presented in the Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Also, the feelings I get while reading those books are unmatched. It really does something to my heart and that is very rare.

133. a book that you came across randomly and fell in love with

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. I eyed it everytime I went to the supermarket when I was a kid, but I only ended up reading it much later in life (in my 20s) when I found it in the library. As a kid I just liked the cover, the title and the fact that it was inspired by a fairy tale, but I am glad I haven't read it then because that rape scene would be a shock. Nowadays, everything I pick up is calculated and I do not read anything just because the cover or title seems interesting anymore. I have a big list full of recommendations by other people or books I heard others talk about and sounded interesting. I find more success that way to be honest.

134. unreccomend any book you like!

Oh where should I start? This question can be taken both ways so I guess I will start with the shorter answer for the interpretation of a book I like, but I wouldn't recommend to people (or at least not most people). Those are Earthlings and As Meat Loves Salt.

With that out of the way, let's go to the salty interpretation.

Do not believe people that say The Name of the Wind is just like Farseer by Robin Hobb. Honestly, this is far from the worst book I have ever read now. I read so much worse, unfortunately, but I still hate that it is so popular while other books I love are not.

PS: I made myself angry while writing these so I apologize for letting my emotions show, but I am not taking anything back because these matters do make me really angry.

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea is the worst thing I had the displeasure to attempt to read. It is incredibly awful and I have no idea how it ever got published. I couldn't even finish it and I stated my reasons here. At least it made me see that when I thought I had read bad books I hadn't seen nothing yet.

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler. Look, I love her too, but this book ain't it.

Stop calling Circe and the Bloody Chamber feminist books because they are not. They are so not. No book that has women being awful to all other women because of a man is feminist and I would like everyone to stop saying it is. Also, a book isn't feminist just because you have a special girl you care for while screwing everyone else. Please, stop. Thank you.

The Last Wish makes me really impressed by how much people love it and don't notice that only female characters get screwed over while a rapist has the pity of the protagonist. It really makes me go hmmmm (and by hmmm I mean that sexism is very much ingrained in your brain and you should examine that. You can still like the book, but it would be nice to have you acknowledge that it is there, you know?)

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Yeah, it's a kids' book, but it's a shit kids' book that should be put in the trash and stop being considered a classic because it has close to nothing of value to offer. More about it here.

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. If anyone likes this book they better not even open their mouths to talk about the trash I enjoy. This is pure edgy teenage boy fantasy and you know it. I can see why some people might find it fun, but these are the people that say a character is flat for being kind in a cozy fantasy. Have you looked at Jorg? He is flat but in the opposite way in the sense that he is just evil because evil is dark and edgy and isn't that nice? It isn't.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It's a good thing that people stopped pretending this play is good since J.K. got "cancelled". I kept hearing the excuse of "oh you just don't like it because it's a play, but those are supposed to be different". Oh, it's different? I am in shock! That a play is different from a novel. No, what happens is I read actual good plays like The Importance of Being Earnest and Waiting for Godot. This argument was always the most ridiculous one.

135. recommend any book you like!

Everyone should at least try Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. That obsession is how this blog got created to begin with. I had a tumblr blog before but I came back because I had nowhere where I could scream about these books and even if this was an empty void at the time full of old posts and innactive accounts at least I could be annoying here. It's fine to start the series with either "Assassin's Apprentice" or "Ship of Magic".

Also, I am going to recommend some underrated stuff (or at least it seems like it is from what I have seen).

Short stories: Recitatif by Toni Morrison, The Nose by Nikolai Gogol

Poetry: Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith

Novels: Sistersong by Lucy Holland, The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell, The Language of Roses by Heather Rose Jones, Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh, The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Manga: Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani, Solanin by Asano Inio, Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

#andy answers #book asks #too many books to tag

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floorpancakes · 10 months

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can you post what all the results to the quiz are & what charas they have? im just curious to see the answers to what i didn't get!

ok so ill probably add to this slowly but time for some stats and answers and stuff! obviously dont check this out if you dont wanna be spoiled (thread)

first, here's the actual amounts of each results people have been getting:

when i say i had NO IDEA we'd get so many chuunis....watching the numbers go up the first few days felt like a fever dream haha

but its comforting to know that everyone is cringe and free! i for one welcome our new gothy overlords!

i was also really surprised that gimmick idols got some of the lowest scores 😭 the space that spans is so wide so i was expecting way more people to get that result since i figured it'd catch a lot of people, but i guess you guys are rare!

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now its time to look at the archetype list:

this was pretty tricky, especially cause i was working on the quiz for funsies at silly o clock in the morning for two nights while i was dealing with some sickness induced exhaustion lol. i wanted to include more (a few like the princely type nearly made the cut), but I found there was

1. a lot of crossover between archetypes (this even happened with some of the idols i chose for the results image!!! hanayo being average idoltwt user AND a harapeko type or minori being average idoltwt user AND fake it til you make it for example)

2. some archetypes that were only based on visuals or not on personality at all

3. kind of lowkey paradoxical (eg. someone might really fit the princely type, but often in idol shows they make it so that trait is pushed on them, but they secretly wanted to be feminine all along, which like, ok but then if someone actually fits the princely vibe I'd be slightly struggling for examples and we'd get all tied in knots unfortunately)

4. the amount of answers was already getting so long that if i added any more it'd start getting difficult to come up with more answers for some of the more concrete questions (like what you'd do post graduation etc)

...so I had to kind of draw the line somewhere. especially cause i thought like 3 of my idoltwt mutuals would take it and that's it 😭 maybe I'll make a part 2 or a more extensive quiz later who knows (guess who just remembered the 'rock is life' type idols and screamed into a pillow for only just remembering...)

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so the idol archetype categories themselves are DEFINITELY things I've picked up on in multiple series, altho they may require a lil bit of explaining so I'll quickly summarise each one when we go thru the characters. i should probably mention that some of these (like the chuunibyou) are word for word archetypes that people use all the time, while some were just me trying to put words to the character types so the wording was just a descriptor (fake it til you make it queen), altho i hope they were useful! ive seen a few people online using these terms after taking the quiz which is super cute...🙇 let's take a look at these categories shall we?

(note: i have varying levels of familiarity w these characters, i wanted to make it reasonably varied and recognisable but some of them i kind of just knew what category they fit and that's it)

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THE CHUUNIBYOU

to those who don't know, the chuunibyou is a pretty popular archetype beyond just idols, and tends to refer to people who are stuck in or going through their 'edgy phase'; chuu-ni being short for second year of middle school syndrome (think like, 13 or 14 year olds), but the general vibe tends to be associated with emo or goth phases, claiming to have an evil eye, being or being a servant of Satan, hiding a secret shy or self conscious side with edge, yaknow. average tween behaviour. it's not limited by age tho especially in anime media! one of the examples i used is a 26 year old grown man with a job. never too late!

Like with a lot of the other categories it was really hard to narrow down the results page characters, but from left to right:

1. Todo Yurika from Aikatsu!

Yurika takes being a lifestyle lolita to the next level, being a gothic lolita and punk idol with the chuuni character of a vicious vampire, which she desperately tries to keep up as part of her career, only letting people see her quiet nerdy self once in a blue moon. She has a secret soft spot for garlic ramen and sings some of the best songs in the entire series (which is an achievement cause aikatsus songs are god tier).

music rec (won't do this for everyone, only ones i know well, but pls feel free to fill in the blanks in the comments/reblogs!): check out Glass Doll, Onegai Venus and Eternally Flickering Flame! She has two singing voices over the series, both of which are incredible.

2. Asselin BB II (Asselin Beelzebub the Second) from The Idolm@ster SideM!

Asselin is a genius chef in his mid-twenties that ended up on the streets being kicked from countless jobs because of his ....quirks. He's a chuuni through and through, and its something a lot of the people around him didn't know how to handle, but when he gets taken in by Cafe Parade (both an idol group AND a real life dining establishment) to be their chef, he finally finds a place where he belongs. He's goofy and crazy while simultaneously being an introverted and nervous personality, and claims to be a servant of Satan, which just happens to be an adorable plushie that he carries around for comfort and finds difficult to be without, who gets painstakingly dressed up in matching outfits whenever he's included in a card! Don't be fooled by his softness though, this servant of satan has PIPES. You may recognise his voice, as he's played by well-known seiyuu Furukawa Makoto.

music rec: check out Waga Konton no Sabbath Marriage to immediately ascend, or Reversed Masquerade for a taste of the full CafePa experience.

3. Tsushima Yohane from Love Live Sunshine!!

Probably the most famous on the list so I'll keep it brief! She's been at this chuuni business since she was a little girl, so she encountered a lot of loneliness before joining Aqours, but she's got a cute and clumsy personality and has a tendency to yell about being a fallen angel. She's an absolute sweetheart, despite claiming that she's angered God himself, and is always there at the scene to deliver an edgy pose or stunning vocals.

music rec: check out Kowareyasuki and Strawberry Trapper for peak Yohane vocals, honestly Guilty Kiss in general should be mandatory listening homework

#idol quiz #idol archetype quiz #stats and info and stuff ahead!#thread

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risu5waffles · 11 months

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i Miss DoTENBori

i really do. i know it's gotten cleaned up a lot from when i first got to Osaka in 2004, it's grimy charm brushed and burnished off, but it still had that undertone of scuzziness that said it could all come back if the city took the day off upkeep.

Also, i needed a TEN for the title. Sue me.

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We talked about this one the Friday before last, and i still like it for it's frenetic crufting. Maybe not the most polished version of the theme that i've played, but it's got a lot of heart to it.

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The precursor to Rescuing the Monster's Child that we reviewed last month. It's mostly a gallery to showcase that bigass monster, but at least some work got put in that department, which is more than you can say for most galleries. The monster itself is, well, i mean, it doesn't do much; i think at this point in LBP, folx were still working out how to get large contraptions to reliably stand up and manage limited movement. It's still impressive, and cute in its own way, and i could appreciate it. i'm pretty sure there was an intended flow to this level that i completely fucked up by going further back in layer than what would have been possible in LBP1. Ope.

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This is an earlier level by the kid who did Hello Autumn! a few entries up, and it's definitely the weaker of the two in my books. It's got swimming, and it's quite rare that i find LBP swimming to be all that enjoyable as a traversal mechanic. The cameras tend to be overly pulled back, and it just feels slow moving all-around. Like Hello Autumn, it's overburdened wiv prizes, so that was going to make it a hard sell wiv me as well. It still has that charm of a level the creator really enjoyed making, tho'; and i can enjoy it on that level at least. Some creators can really bring that feeling to the front in their work.

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It will always feel a little wild to me to think LBP generates its own intracommunity drama. i mean, on one level, any group of people larger than two members is going to pick up some drama over its lifespan, but it's still, like... it's LittleBigPlanet. But there was a contest, and our own wonderful chronos453 won it, and some folx got really cheesed off. chronos showed me a few of the comments from the time (i was blissfully ignorant of it, as i usually am until years after the fact), and this level here got put forward by a number of them as the level that really should have won. So, thought i, let's have a look. It's not bad. Like, i love the look of it. Well executed sticker panel visual presentation can be very slick looking. Usually when, as we see here, it's the exclusive or at least primary element in play (another great example is in chrono's Demo series, or the menus in his Tower Defense level. Gods and fish, those menus are actual fire). The problems creep in in the game itself. It's exceptionally ok. Like, i think it'd work really well as an early mobile game (that is not a dig, mobile games got shittier and shittier the more companies realized they could be turned into money engines that looked like games, as opposed to games that might happen to generate money, if you ask me). You've got a keep ship moving until you take enough damage and die gameplay loop that is, at least, easy to get into. i found it a little too simple to engage my interest more than a few tries, and it really wasn't something i would find myself going back to wivout need. And it's a shame, because you can tell a lot of work went into putting it together. i have no doubt that Gilinator was quite serious about the project, and put in the hours; but this is a good level, not a winning level.

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Here's the winning level. Honestly, despite one significant flaw, it's one of the best, if not the best survival challenges i've played in 15years of LittleBigPlanet. Elegant, stylish presentation. Gameplay that requires the player to be active and paying attention throughout. Quick to get into, and quick to restart when you've messed up (a point crhonos mentioned being a particular focus in his design of the level). Like, people complained that that was too much of an homage, and not original enough; and i would invite them to go back to the survival challenge in the Metal Gear dlc pack and tell me if this is not an improvement on that in every department. You could argue, and fairly, if this should have been first place; there's always room for that kind of conversation. You cannot argue in good faith that this isn't a top-notch level. However, i did mention a significant flaw. It is not in anything that the level does wrong, or a failing on the part of chronos as a creator. It's the simple fact that, maybe not for everyone but at least for me, using the Paintinator really starts to hurt after a while. i wonder about the susceptibility of people to RSIs. Like, it can't be a 100% thing, or else they'd be more well designed for. There are millions of folx working cash registers that i imagine come home fine after work, but when i was a kid my friend up the block's mum wound up needing multiple surgeries to try and fix up her fucked up wrist after a couple years of "help make the ends meet" work at JC Penny's. i bring it up because, like, Mm must have playtested the Paintinator. Even if it was a dlc and not, like, the main game, they would have had a team working on it. And then QA after. Did no one say "hey, ummm... my wrist kinda felt like it was on fire after the Metal Gear Rex fight"? And maybe they didn't, or maybe it was just one or two folx who complained, and that was deemed an acceptable risk by legal. Maybe i'm just one of the lucky ones i kind of hate that.

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This level was... it was definitely a lot. Not, necessarily a bad a lot, just a lot. i really enjoyed the extremely "this is not a real place, but we'll treat it like a real place" cartoon environment vibe; like it manages to pull that off pretty well. i like that there were a couple of spots where you've got mechanical movement and interactions mixed in wiv behind-the-scenes logic, i'll always have a soft spot for those. The end feels like it could have used a little bit more wrap up, and i will almost always prefer a scoreboard to an adventure board, but that was all ok. But... for all that is good and holy, why did the creator put that arm-y enemy where it was, and why was it set up how it was? Like, that bit just kills any momentum the level has. It's such a pain in the arse to get over the arm, because it's kinda-sorta tracking you, and then the bounce pad puts you onto a wall jump that, if you're not careful, will throw you right back into the spikes on the arm. i was not a fan of that bit, i can tell you what.

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Once again i have gotten to my Halloween content well after Halloween. It one of the dangers of doing things in advance. You'll record a bunch, and then only later when you're actually setting up the editing and uploads do you realize you've already set for videos all the way up to, like, a week after some upcoming event. This one was a fun little one. Great presentation, very charming, smooth gameplay. i don't know if it's strong enough to make me want to come back to, but definitely glad i ran into it this year.

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Talked about this a little bit back, but it's still really good.

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What do you even say about Ramp? The first. The best. Picked up Level of the Day yesterday (i am half convinced because i, in a roundabout way, reminded StevenI that it existed). Ramp is an honest hoot, and i found myself just laughing in delight. Thought, how haven't i archived this one yet? Why wasn't it the first LBsA episode? i mean, i know the reason it wasn't the first is i'd wanted that slot to go to chronos, but Ramp should have been number two by all rights.

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i think First was EightWonder-'s first published in the actual release? 'cause Ramp was first-first. Still, this one's a great example of early-early LBP1 platforming, and i had a real good time wiv it. It's a little confusing in its pathing at times, and it's definitely super-kludgy, but it has such a "having a good time" vibe to it that it's hard not to love it. i appreciate it when folx get all srs biz in their creations (i don't necessarily mean that the tone is serious, just that they've clearly taken creation seriously), but i do love it when you see these levels that are, like, let's just have fun and throw everything at the wall and see what we end up wiv. As long as the result is sufficiently level as to be playable, it's always at least a little bit of a good time.

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So that's the that for this set. Pretty good spread all in all, no real clunkers. i'm sorry for being late, again, but thing's have been life-shaped. Dealing wiv a lot of little health stuff. Mostly headaches and a lot of exhaustion. Nothing that has me, like, "maybe i should go to a clinic" kind of thing, but it's really got me worn down.

A quick reminder that @soupum is running a LBP stream for Palestine at twitch.tv/soupum . Drop on by and give him some love!

#littlebigplanet #little big planet #lbp #lbp1 #lbp2 #lbp3 #LittleBite-sizedArchive #LBsA #Youtube

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