#/ok im out...until i return with something else gay

[raayllum]

* Kicks in door and flips a table *

I have a theory about the whole Gay old men Divorce Scene that has been SCREAMING in my head ever since I watched season 5 and I have yet to see anyone else talk about something like this yet and I don't really have tdp Fandom friends to screech about it too so im yeeting it to tumblr instead!!

So. My theory. The entire bit with viren and Aaravos talking? I am absolutely certain that Viren wasn't awake during that. He had backslid back into his vision quest. And this has a lot of ramifications.

So when Claudia wakes Viren up after rescuing him from the river while he's dream questing, Viren obviously is Not Ok. It seems that Claudia has forcefully disrupted Viren's vision quest, and the result is he becomes catatonic. He's unresponsive, doesn't even blink. Its like he's a husk of himself, if you understand me here.

Vision quests obviously have something to do with the soul. I think its safe to assume that when you meddle in matters of the soul, things can go very VERY wrong. So my theory is the entire time Viren is awake but unresponsive, its because when Claudia woke him up it partially untethered his soul from his body. So YEAH THAT'S HORRIFYING. Makes you wonder what happens if you fail a vision quest.

So, viren is there but not, taking in stimuli but not processing because, well, his soul is out of place. And then Claudia walks into the water. And we see Viren's vision overlay with something that isn't happening. Something like a nightmare. I believe that seeing Claudia leaving was enough of an anchor for Viren's soul that it got him back in place from sheer desperation to reach her… but the moment his soul slots back into place? Viren falls back into the vision quest.

When Viren calls out to Claudia, things start getting surreal once again. She suddenly just… drops. Like the waist deep water had suddenly turned into an endless abyss. And I'd also like to point out that Viren called out to her, and yet no one seems to notice. Not even Terry. Which is really odd, don't you think? If my father in law who has been catatonic and unresponsive for days suddenly cried out, I would immediately be at his side because honking trees, that's the first sign that he's actually still in there! But Terry doesn't seem to even register it. Doesn't turn to look at Viren. Nothing. Which doesn't make sense…. Unless it's dream logic. And viren is backsliding into the fever dreams that make up a vision quest.

And then suddenly sparklepuff flickers into Aaravos. And that was the point when I was certain Viren was definitely dreaming again when I was watching. Because all of last season, mage fam hasn't been able to get in contact with aaravos because viren lost his magic cocoon lens contact of letting him see sparkly elf man. If aaravos could have made himself visible this entire time without the presence of the caterpillar eye contact lense, why in the world would he have not communicated until now? It wouldn't make sense for him. But by dream logic, it would make perfect sense, wouldn't it?

And then there's what Aaravos *says* as greeting. "This is a special day."

He just echoed Avizandum's line from when Harrow and viren killed the archdragon. A line that I dont think Aaravos has any way of knowing about, nevermind that Aaravos would sooner eat some of Lujanne's cooking than do anything reminiscent of avizandum so yeah, Something isn't Right here.

Then there's the old gay men divorce that happens and STILL terry doesn't notice, which would only make sense in a dream.

So yeah, my theory is that entire sequence isn't actually happening, its all in Viren's head as his vision quest picks back up. What is really happening in the waking world is viren's half-husked unconscious body silently gets up and sleep walks away while Terry is focused on watching for Claudia's return, thus why terry doesn't notice.

Now onto my most important part. Viren is dreaming. Which means the "aaravos" in that scene? isn't the real aaravos. Its a dream version of him, based on Viren's perception of aaravos rather than what aaravos is really like.

[Tumblr wont let me include a picture in the ask so im just going to have to settle for quoting Aaron's tweet in response to someone asking him if Viren was confirmed dead: "I won't spoil this but I will ask you the question I have asked every person who asks me this. Do you think Aaravos was telling him the truth?"]

The show writers have reiterated time and time again that aaravos doesn't lie. (My understanding is he works on a mix of fae and genie logic, he cant fabricate a falsehood directly, he can only state truths in a way that would cause people to make assumptions that aren't necessarily right.) Aaravos Never Lies. He cant lie. yet here, they insinuate that "aaravos" could be lying. Which means that that apparition can not be the real aaravos.

So yeah ive been screamming

So Claudia doesn't forcefully wake Viren up from his dream - it's very clearly his dream self that forces him to well, wake up for lack of a better term. It's only once she's dragged him to shore that he finds himself in his final confrontation with, well, himself, which is clearly the last stage of the dream.

She actually isn't touching him at all when he finally does wake up and coughing up water. (Which like, Claudia begging Viren not to repeat his path and die again, just as Viren rejects his prior path by accepting his former self? Chef's kiss)

You're right that Viren is definitely still catatonic in the real world / borderline hallucinating in 5x09 during his conversations with Aaravos (Aaravos even states as such, saying he's borrowed Viren's consciousness) but

Aaravos never lying doesn't mean he's always telling the Objective Truth or the True Nature of Reality. It just means he's always telling his subjective truth, as in what he believes to be true, like any other character (hi Zubeia's account of his life and treachery). As far as he knows, as of the end of 5x09, Claudia has succeeded in finding his prison ("Others are near as well, but no matter. Your daughter is far more powerful" yeah, about that, buddy...) and no blood of any of Viren's children has been adequately spilt. This is particularly true given that since Aaravos was confident Claudia would succeed, his notions of how the evening had gone was definitely not featuring her experiencing massive blood loss because of a limb being severed. Therefore, as far as Aaravos knows, Viren has failed his final test, and he will not live to see the following day.

As for Aaravos not communicating clearly - if all he needed was for them to go to Umber Tor, he could've told Claudia directly before going into the cocoon; Sir Sparklepuff only knows what Aaravos knows on that front, after all. But Aaravos is someone who is straightforward but never direct, if that dichotomy makes sense. He didn't tell them because he didn't want to and because it wasn't, in his eyes, necessary. (Which like Aaravos & Rayla secret keeping versus trust in S5 with their high mages but that's a whole other cano of worms for another day). Sir Sparklepuff (and everything entwined with him) was just another string for Aaravos to pull, I think.

Aaravos is also far more like Avizandum, I think - but the show loves to stack foils on top of foils constantly so that's not exactly surprising

[drowninginyourtouch]

i know you left this as the tags on some old post but im interested in hearing your thoughts on d-vilman crybaby especially as someone who didnt read the original manga ^_^

yo ok so i haven't actually read the manga however. i have seen devilman crybaby and its got Issues imo. i can tend to break down most of my main complaints into 4 or 5 points. it might get a bit long so imma put it beneath the cut :) also because spoilers for specific things perhaps

possesion anime in general is kind of a hit or miss concept to me. imo the only "possession"/gets powers type anime i really care for is parasyte. tokyo ghoul didnt do much for me from what i saw, havent seen csm but it doesnt do much for me either. likewise devilman just... doesnt really do it for me as far as its premise and initial set up goes (side note: does code geass count here? i have so many thoughts on that series it wouldnt fit here but regardless)

i feel bad for saying this but i really do not like devilman crybaby's artstyle. like it just does not look good to me. im okay with different artstyles but this one just looks ugly. sorry

i feel like the story is just. poor. not good. it starts much too slow for how insane the story gets on later. if you take a show it influenced (evangelion), its pretty up front with its premise up front. i know people have made jokes for years about how eva gets weird and its a bait and switch but like.... not really? like at its core it is a mecha show about kids fighting aliens in robots and even with the character study stuff it doesnt veer that far from that initial premise. devilman crybaby has... a nightclub rave where akira gets posssessed so some white boy can play god while akira does good at track? like its not a strong start and it only gets worse from there. again, i know the reason the end of evangelion ends the way it does is BECAUSE of devilman but like. they just did not execute that ending correctly at all the final few episodes feels so constrained and so much happens in such a short period that it feels like the ultimate anticlimax. its hard for me to care about any of what happens because so much happens in so little time. its worthless and makes me feel nothing as a viewer. these bitches gay! good for them. good for them. what's not good for them is the story. cuz it sucks.

this ties in with my general distaste for the story but i also feel the characters are super weak. again, i feel nothing towards them and they all feel like cardboard cut outs with little personality to them at all. it all returns to nothing so i have no reason to care about them when theyre all gonna be killed off screen in the most contrived and terrible battle sequence maybe ever. ryo is the worst offender by far. his character fucking sucks dude. i dont think he even does anything in the story besides ruin akira's life and then sit in his ivory tower and act gay until the narrative decides "actually he was Satan the whole time!!" fuck you. and fuck those rap battle dudes too your bars fucking suck

i think a final point to end this on is that it is just far and away so much worse than everything it influenced. even if i read the manga or watched the original devilman, im pretty sure the story would remain much the same. and as such, there is literally not reason to watch devilman (much less crybaby) in 2023 when literally everything that came after it is better. i realize this is kind of a silly argument given how i listen to music but im standing by it. just watch evangelion. watch parasyte. watch berserk. play shin megami tensei. consume literally anything else that isn't this trite

i think that's all my main points. im sure i had more but i wrote this over the course of my day whenever id think of something else so. if i think of any more criticisms i had and forgot i'll reblog this and amend the post. sorry it's so long i just had way more to say that i originally thought. lol

[pjulian]

Shoreline Cafe - In the land…

In the mood for a latte, american breakfast, and skipping class, I (guiltily) dragged julian to shoreline cafe before (during) class a wednesday morning.

Being one of the only walkable food spots in the cc area, (who knows when sushi gogo will return?) It is a frequented cafe of ours.

Staffed by what seems like exclusively twenty-something college students, Shoreline Cafe usually offers iffy service, but good food.

It’s best feature is easily the view, being literally beachside but nicely protected from the sun, wind, and sand.

Starting with our quintessential espresso, we both got vanilla lattes. Mine oat, of course. Truly unbelievable that julian didn't get a mocha. Really solid flavor, but not jaw dropping. We have previously had their hot lattes, also great. Interestingly, always served in a different style of cup.

Moving onto the mains, i got the two egg breakfast. julian got the chilaquiles. A bit sloppy on the presentation of mine but not a huge concern. I am a huge fan of full breakfasts, i love just picking at like five different things. It's hard to mess up toast, but it was good. The potatoes were also great, cooked well and seasoned beautifully, crunchy but soft inside. The sausage is positively to die for, at least for me. I could have eaten a plate of like, twenty sausage patties. The eggs were... Eggs. Never my favorite, but I smothered them with ketchup.

As mentioned before, service here can be a bit spotty. It seems the waiters disappear for decent chunks of time. They're all kind, but julian and I were sitting at the table, plates very obviously demolished, for a good 20-30 minutes sans check. Eventually it arrived, pretty standard prices around $25 per person.

All in all, I do love the shoreline cafe. Something about it, perhaps the sunshine, feels comforting. Food is actually good, and worth the ok service. I will continue to look forward to more irresponsible breakfasts.

★★★ 1/2 / 5

Until next time,

pj

Read julian's thoughts on his food below ⬇️

shoreline cafe on its own is just a fine little thing that i probably wouldnt go out of my way to eat at if given the choice but paired with a morning college class that im too tired to attend and a cripplingly empty stomach (plus pjs manipulation) my brain suddenly turns it into the most gourmet and extravagant of meals i could possibly ingest. pjs on the money when it comes to the slow service but if you get a seat on the deck its not really much of an issue considering the gorgeous view of the beach and ocean that keeps you occupied, only really becomes a problem if you show up with your stomach acid already burning a hole through your abdomen like we do. i always try and spot some dolphins or something on the horizon but theyve never come, only boring shit like seagulls and swimmers but still pretty beautiful nonetheless. 

ive always gotten a burger or something else lunch-oriented every time weve gone here but this time i decided to switch it up and got chilaquiles instead to prove to everyone in the restaurant that i was a #realmexican despite my light skin and broken spanish. the chilaquiles came with eggs and a bowl of fruit which was appreciated, i typically prefer a fried or over easy egg on top of them but i got scrambled in case they were on the side and they were. no big deal just not really my preference, i guess i couldve asked the waiter to put them on top but like i dont know i didnt really want to inconvenience them. like i didnt want to be that guy who asks for the eggs on top yknow. and then the chefs are all annoyed cause they gotta put the eggs on top for the little gay kid skipping class. anyways besides that the chilaquiles were good, not the best ive ever had but still good. liked the salsa had a kick but not overwhelmingly spicy either. the little fruit cup was a welcome addition it had pineapple in it and im not the biggest fan of pineapple but any fruit with breakfast is good to me.

overall shoreline cafe isnt really all that on its own but if youre a student looking to kill time or just down by the beach in general and wanting to grab a bite then its not a bad pick, even just for the view alone. id give it 3 and a half stars.

thats the facts,

julian

Shoreline Cafe: 3.5 ★

[chelleztjs18]

Hello you mrs. mango eater iced coffee drinker bread lover honey nut cheerio lefty eyebag princess😅

Hm so with my second account, it follows the same blogs I follow in the first one. I don't really know how to just follow certain blogs for each account lol cause I tried to see if I can follow people with my second account name but I can't 🤔

But yeah 😁 it is like incorrect quotes, and right now it's mostly focused around Wanda hahaha I am making it mostly funny because I really don't know how to write anything else. I suck at writing things in detail.

Ah I know what you mean. My best friend is the same way, she is constantly cleaning or just playing with her daughter. I think she will have a hard time when my niece goes to preschool soon lol

I say get drunk! It's the end of the year, let go of it ahahaha let go by getting drunk then having a really bad hangover the next day. Hm, maybe I won't give you my other tumblr name, I don't wanna get weird drunk text from you 😂 just kidding

Okay, I'll see if I can find the movie in the store or stream it somewhere 🤔 I am the same way, I hate when people talk to me during the movie. But if I am at home, I always pause the movie so I can make comments lol

I usually don't mind gory movies. I get iffy though when they show something being done to the characters skin or nails. Hahaha! Thats exactly why I can't watch filipino scary movies. I feel like the ghosts or supernatural stuff are actually there and will haunt me.

Hm I don't know either. I never pay attention to ratings until after I watch the movie. Oh actually there is one that people loved but I hate it because it was so bad. It's the cabin in the woods. It's supposed to be scary, but the whole time I was watching it, I kept going what the eff. 😂

Ok, last question for the night. 3 movies or shows that awaken your sexuality or was your sexual awakening. I hope the question made sense.

-CuriousGeorge

Hi hi righty eyebag!

Wow, that was a long nickname plus the princess nickname at the end..😁🤭

Ah i see. So it means ur second account follows mine..i wonder which none is u 🤔 hahahah.

I love incorrect quotes! Some of them can make me really laugh out loud..😅😆 n how they make y/n sometimes stupid but funny n how wanda or nat very patient with y/n. I love it!

Hahaha okay, it's understandable that u dont wanna give me ur tumblr because of not wanting to get drunk text from me. 🤣🤣🤣

Im.not sure if i wanna get drunk. The last time i got drunk, i shared a big bottle of vodka with him n other cocktails, i got so drunk n i felt like shit the next morning.. 🤣

Hahah yeah pls find it n let me know what u think about Knives Out.

Well, that's not fun either if u keep stopping the movie to comment. Just kidding.😆 at least it's bettter than miss the movie because someone is talking. It's still very thoughtful of u.

I will talk in the movie sometimea if we rewatch a movie n the other person already watched it too.

Im like that too with indonesian ghost movie.. i think asian ghosts r described a little more eerily weird.hahaha. n they look scary.

Ah i see.i never really remember movies that i regret watching that people love it.

Oh oh! I remember! I watched Hunger Games Mocking Birds with my friends n they all were excited about it. But i fell asleep watching it.😅 a movie thats called Yesterday also got me bored like hell that i have to stop watching it not even half of movie. The most recent bad movies i watch that people seems to love it is the latest Jurassic Park movies. I even feel like almost 3 hours of my life was wasted 😅 it's just my opinion though, i hv nothing agaisnt the fans of that movie.

Hmm 3 movies that was my gay awakening

1. The Mummy Returns (Rachelle Weisz was sooo hot in it)

2. I Can't Think Straight (the story is quite similar with my story with my ex-gf)

3. Kyss Mig or Kiss me (it's a sweden movie but good story in it.)

4. Iron Man 2 (when Natasha first appeared in MCU)

Whats urs?

Next question

Cheerio!

[novannna]

⭐️?

ty for the ask dt!!!

hmm i really like what i did with this section from my nobell pirate au

"...Nova’s grin widened.  “Guilty as charged.”  She noticed the other king’s still body.  “A little scuffle?”

“Something like that,” the crown prince cut in.  “What do you want?”

“From you?” Nothing.”  Nova laughed.  “Bind everyone’s hands, and feet if you can,” Nova barked to her crew.  “We don’t want anyone running off, do we?”  She raised her pistol and fired a shot.  It struck the wood right next to a woman attempting to sneak away down below.  She screamed, and dropped to the ground, shaking.

“What do you mean you want nothing from us?” the prince asked.  “Why are you here?”

Nova grabbed his hands roughly, and wrapped a rope around them.

“The world isn’t all about you, sweetheart.  And you should be thanking me,” she grinned.

“What do you mean,”  he demanded.

“You don’t have to rule anymore.  You’ll never bear the burden of the crown.  So… You’re welcome!”  Nova laughed brightly, and threw him down to the floor.  He grunted, and tried to rise up, but Nova placed her booted foot on her chest, pushing him back down.

“Now, where’s the dear bride?  I have to greet both sides of the couple.”

“Here,” a quiet voice said.

Nova stalked towards the source, grinning as people flinched away so quickly they toppled over.  Oh, how she loved being feared.   The rush of power she got.  It made Nova full.  It reminded her of how far she had come.  She wasn’t a helpless little girl anymore.  She had come far.  She had done things that were once considered impossible.

Nova Jean Artino was the most feared person to ever sail the seas, and she had done it all on her own.

She was the pirate Nightmare.  And they should fear her.

Especially this small, quivering white clad figure before her.

“So,” Nova said, her voice cutting across the quiet deck.  “You’re the girl the prince chose to wed.”  Nova smirked.  “And who is the lucky lady?”

“You know, I’m hurt you don’t recognize me,” the voice said.  It was low, and achingly familiar.

Nova raised her eyebrows.  “Should I?  You know I meet a lot of women and-”  she stopped talking suddenly.  The girl raised her head, and met Nova’s eyes with her own.  The dark amber stared at her.  Soft brown skin, and artfully arranged blonde dreadlocks.

“Hello, Nova,” Danna said softly.

Nova felt her breath catch in her throat.  Danna was striking in her wedding dress.  Her wedding dress .  Danna was marrying the prince.  Her Danna.  Her Danna was throwing her freedom away.

“Hello, Danna,” Nova said, struggling to get the words out.  “Sorry to interrupt the happy occasion.”

Danna scoffed.  “I should thank you.  Nothing about this is happy.”

Nova tried to smirk.  “Then, your welcome, milady .”  She sank into a deep curtsy.

“Nova, what are you doing here?” Danna asked.

What was Nova doing here?  Just the glance of Danna was enough to knock her off her pedestal.  She lost sight of her goals.  Lost sight of her past.  Forgot everything but the girl next to her.  Danna’s very breath was poisonous.  She slipped into the cracks in Nova’s body, and took hold of her.  She made Nova forget who she was.

Danna was deadly, and Nova was addicted to her.

That would not do.

“I’m doing my job.”  Nova inhaled deeply, and looked away.  “Tie her up, and put her with the others,” she barked to her crew.  “I don’t have time for pleasantries, love,” she said to Danna.  “Take her away.”

“Nova!”  Danna screamed.  “Stop, you have to listen to me!”

Nova paused.  “Gag her too,” she responded.  “I don’t have to listen to anyone.  You listen to me.”

Nova drew her sword, and stalked down the deck, dragging the tip against the ground behind her.

“I am in charge here.  You are all my prisoners.  And luckily for you, I don’t care about your pitiful lives.  So, if you behave, you can keep them.  Am I clear?”

A hurried response of yes’s were quickly returned.

“Good.”  Nova smiled.  “Then, you will not say another word until my uncle is here.”

King Simon looked up quickly.  “Uncle?”

Nova spun around, sword tip already at his throat.  “Did you not hear a word I said?”

He flinched back.

“Good.”  Nova smiled, teeth glinting.  “Any other comments?”  She asked, sheathing her sword.

No one responded.

“Excellent.” Nova laughed.  “Don’t you just love weddings?”

ok so in the first few paragraphs, im just obssessed w nova being a smug little bitch, i love her, she's literally so cocky, its really fun to write. and like, so power hungry too, she's kinda relishing all the fear and pwoer she's possessing, and just how in control she is.

and then, she asks to meet the bride, and obviosuly doesnt know it's danna, and while its from nova's perspective, i was trying to show everything that danna was feeling too, i didnt do a great job, but it worked kinda.

and nova know's its someone familiar, but she wouldn't have guessed danna, because, it was her danna, and she wasn't able to ever imagine her with someone else (even if it was all fake) and nova knows danna doesn't love adrian, not like how nova loves her, she knows she was ready to throw her future away just like that, and she's so fucking angry, but also, she shouldn't care, but she does and its ahhh

ofc all the while nova is struggling to seem normal.

also, so so obssesed w this paragraph : "What was Nova doing here?  Just the glance of Danna was enough to knock her off her pedestal.  She lost sight of her goals.  Lost sight of her past.  Forgot everything but the girl next to her.  Danna’s very breath was poisonous.  She slipped into the cracks in Nova’s body, and took hold of her.  She made Nova forget who she was.

Danna was deadly, and Nova was addicted to her."

i don't even know what commentary to add, just yeah... these bitches gay <333

and nova has to choose danna or her ambition, but she already made that choice, and now she has to make it again. And she does. Nova chose to secure her own future, and can't be around danna, because it hurts her to be near her, but not w her just yeah. ow </3 and she needs to act like the cold pirate she is while breaking apart inside and pain :)

yeah thats p much it idk, sorry that was long, people should go read the whole au, its not terrible writing crazily enough im so sorry if that didn't make sense im not at my best.

[siren-virus]

welp, I've finally came up with a schedule for asking you questions. Every 2-4 days after you answer something I've sent I shall make an ask, changing the themes between your OCs and their world, and Luckyboy!Ben AU. That way I won't burn you out accidently with asking about the same thing all the time XD And since my last ask was about your OCs, it's time to return to Luckyboy!Ben AU :D

Ok, first question, Would Gwen here have the necrofriggian babies? Big Chill babies (but named differently obviously)? I suspect that she would have them considering that that was something that came up from a... defect, bug, glitch, purposefully put design? in the Omnitrix, as such she should have birthed them regardless of the differences with cannon. Would anyone else know about the babies, considering it was treated as a secret in cannon but maybe not in this AU?

Also, what about Zs'Skayr? He (Is Zs'Skayr gendered? I'll treat them as male for the rest of this ask to avoid complications) is also someone that's independent of the events of the prime universe, and as such I'd imagine that he would still be a threat in this universe.

And the Loboan transformation that Ben went through in the OS, would Gwen also go through it in here as well? We know that that transformation was triggered by Werewolf when the team was attacked, forcing Ben to go through a gradual transformation.

Now back to Nekomata :D Would Ben ever reveal his identity to someone? Maybe Gwen and grandpa Max? Perhaps Rook if he manages to gain the complete trust of Ben first? What kind of situation would allow for Ben to reveal his identity as Nekomata that wasn't a life-or-death one? Because let's be real, in a life-or-death situation anyone would reveal their identities XD

We know that Ben is the favourite barista of the coffee, and with good reason, considering he's a charismatic info brooker that will kick the ass (or alien equivalent) of anyone making trouble, while also being respectful of the clients (because that's mandatory in a job like that one, but isn't it hard to find employees like that in this universe) and keeping their dietaries needs in mind. But does He has any favourite client, someone he's waiting to come because he geniunly sees them as friends even though they only see each other in the coffee? Nekomata interactions don't count for this XD I'd imagine it would be one of the plumbers kids, Kevin or Argit, But who knows? this might as well be a time to make any background character shine :P Not that I remember any of them anyways XD

NGL Im already burnt out on luckyboy (it dont take much rlly, just bored of the idea haha ;;) I'll entertain ur questions tho. maybe it'll spark me back to life. Currently hyperfixated on artfight!

I'm conflicted about this. Idk if that episode was supposed to be a metaphor for teen pregnancy (i still find it hilarious that it's a cannon mpreg episode rip!), but with Gwen it wouldn't rlly work(?) She's quite responsible, and considering her personality she'd get way too attached.

So- I would say that she has a lot better communication with Azmuth then what Ben did, and Azmuth took into consideration a lot of Gwens suggested tweeks. So, no babys- srry. They'd nerf Gwen completely. (poor thing crys over the littlest things...)

You know what? what's the harm in a little childhood trauma, we'll have Zs'Skayr. Gwen never took back control of Ghost Freak after the events of Zs'Skayr. She also never defeated him the first round, it irritates her to know end how much of a coward she was as a child. But she was a child! She's too hard on herself a lot of the times.

Oh geez this brings back memories~ I remember sitting in my loungeroom watching this episode and loving it every time.

The only reason Ben turned into the Laboan was because he chased after the OG wolf man.

I would say Gwen's a lot more cautious in those cases and stuck close to Max. So she didn't end up collecting the Laboan DNA until a lot further down the track.

Maybe similar events happen with a different alien however, something Gwen can't avoid.

Before I dive down into Nekomata I just wanna make note of some Gwen stuff.

Gwen is still quite headstrong, intelligent and cautious when it comes to fighting. Quite similar to how she functions in the OG her fighting is more Defensive. Her fighting style is built off Taekwondo (I think thats what she practised in alien force...) So she's more built for self defence. She's very analytical of her opponents. Her best alien would be XLR8 (my one of my faves ngl). Using her quick thinking she can do small attacks that can weaken her opponent.

Now then:

I usually don't like to reveal big REVEALS to anyone even myself. Which can straight up nerf me when it comes to developing my own characters cause I won't spoil myself.

So it takes a lot of willpower to do this. It's my AU and I say what's canon!

WHEEEEZE BUT TO BE HONEST I LIKE TO SWITCH THINGS UP SO DON'T TAKE THIS AS OFFICIAL OFFICIAL CAUSE I MIGHT END UP CHANGING MY MIND. I'M SO INDESCISIVE!!!

The big reveal:

You know what, I thought about this a while ago. Rook is realsing that perhaps the plumbers are in the wrong. So he only whishes to hear Nekomata out. He ends up finding Nekomata after a big fight. He's quite injured and bleeding out, he can't retain his anodite form (add a bit of a concussion in the mix). Rook panics and has to throw the mask off, because the majorite of blood is under the mask. (mans know first aid). He's hesitant, all this chasing, all this fighting. Surely he couldn't! but He does. He pulls of the mask AND, oh shit, the barista!

I think around this time the plumbers had caught on to Rooks faulty allegiance and had followed him, so He finds himself surrounded. Rook places the mask back on and trys to talk with the plumbers.

They're not hearing it. And Ben, in his weary state, pulls out one of his little teleporter rocks (i forgot to mention he carries around of a lot of them, preinfused with mana as a just in case scenario) grabs Rook by the ankle and teleports them away.

Through a series of events his identity is revealed, to the public and he's on the run. Not sure how that'll go, but it extends the overall storyline!

....

...

You're right, the BG characters really don't get that limelight. So..... Blukig and Driba. He genuinely enjoys their little back and forths. Also in this universe they're gay. I can't imagine those two loving anyone else but each other.

[smutty-ki113r]

(((*vents back into chat* OK SO YOU WANTED THIS SOOOO- FEEL FREE TO READ AS PLEASE- IM MAKING A PART TWO BUT IDK WHEN IT WILL COME OUT SEEING AS IM LAZY BUT HERE YA GO B) ))

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- -𝙰 𝚁σɱαɳƈҽ Ⴆҽƚɯҽҽɳ ƚɯσ 𝙶σσϝႦαʅʅʂ-

𝙰 [SUSSY ANON] ϝαɳ-ϝιƈƚισɳ

𝙻αυɠԋιɳɠ 𝙹αƈƙ 𝚇 𝙲αɳԃყ 𝙿σρ

``𝚃ԋҽ 𝙲𝚒ɾƈ𝚞ʂҽʂ 𝚁σɱαɳƚιƈ 𝙳συ``

--//Explicit words//Hints to sexual desires//Mentions of death//Slight blood//--

️🌈 ~Gay ship paring Creepypasta~ ️🌈

It was a crisp summer’s night, as our colorful jester Candy Pop wandered throughout his Circus. He sighed as he sat down at the ‘Pick-A-Duck’ station. He pulled out a rubber duck and mushed it in his hand, chuckling as it ‘peeped’ out to him. He set it down on the counter and rested his head looking at the duck. He snickered at how small it was, patting it on the head, smiling at the tiny peeps it produced. He pocketed the duck for good measures, in case he ever needed a quick chuckle. He got up and wandered around more, humming to the tune of ‘Zydrate Anatomy’. He had heard that song a few times now, and it was starting to get stuck in his head. He wasn’t a huge fan of music, but he occasionally listened to it.

As the sun set further down, so did the jester. He went down the lanes between mini-games and in and out of mazes that he knew like the back of his hand. He laughed to himself as memories of chasing kids in these mazes danced in his mind. He loved that about his circus, that any newcomer could get lost so easily, and Candy Pop would know where they were. Most kids got stuck in mazes or rides. So that is where Candy Pop lurked the most, in case a kid did come down, he would be there waiting for them.

Candy Pop's shadow dragged behind him, he was getting rather bored of being by himself, he considered the options of going out, but it was far too late for that. Most places were either closed or going to be closed soon. But Candy Pop didn’t mind that, he entertained himself most of the time as it was. But recently he was craving something, more than just himself. He wanted another to entertain him, to be his partner in crime, to love him. But no one loved Candy Pop, he was too bold and chaotic, and most of all, a killer. Who would love someone that at any given moment, would end it all?

Candy Pop sighed at this, sitting down at a ‘Balloon Pop’ station. He looked up to the balloons on the wall, all of them were purple with a jester-like smile drawn on them. This was one of his favorite mini-games. This was because whenever someone popped the balloon, it would send a loud bang in their ears, causing the person’s ear dumbs to burst. He laughed at how many people went deaf to this. He was about to pop one himself just to hear the loud bang himself, but something caught him off guard. A silent grunt.

Candy Pop turned his head around to see a pin aimed right for his face? No, it was headed for the balloon, but Candy Pops’ poor reaction time led the pin to hit his face, right in his ear, a fearful gasp could be heard, the pin wasn’t meant for Candy Pop, it was meant to hit the balloon to startle him. Candy Pops’ eyes narrowed at who caused this. He couldn’t help but wince at the pain in his ear, pulling the pinout and planning on returning it to the sender. Just as he was about to throw it, a familiar voice caught him off guard.

“Pops! It's me, Jack!” The nervous clown exclaimed. Not wanting to hurt his friend, he rushed over to make sure he wasn’t hurt too badly. He scanned his ear to see where he hit. When he spotted it, he sighed as it wasn’t too severe. “Jeez, I really gotta get my ‘aim’ game eh?” Jack jokingly teased. Both chuckled at Laughing Jacks’ shitty joke. Candy Pop shook his head at his knucklehead friend, both could be complete idiots at times, and this was one of those times. “Ya know you really gotta be more careful with that shit, you aimed way too close to my head ya know!” Candy Pop sighed.

Both stood in awkward silence. Then, in unison, both spoke. “So what are ya doing-?”. Both looked at each other in shock, before laughing at how bizarre that was. Then, Candy Pop sighed, and went first. “I was just wandering around until you showed up, heh- what brings you here anyway?”. Jack looked back to his colorful friend before rubbing the back of his head.

“Well, I just wanted to see how my buddy was doing, ya know? That and I thought ya might wanna hang out?”. Jack asked. Candy Pops head sprung up to this question. Of course, he wanted to hang out with his greatest friend! Finally, something decent he could do. Smiling at Jack, he nodded fastly. “Yes! Yes! Of course, I’d love to hang out!”. Candy Pop sounded like an excited child going to DisneyLand. He practically sprung up from his chair jumping up and down a bit, before tuning it down and just swaying side to side. Jack chuckled at this before announcing where he would be taking him. “Well Candy Pop, I was thinking if we could just hang out at your Circus? Or mine if you’re up for it!”. Laughing Jack held the same excitement in his voice as Candy Pop did.

Candy Pop stood thinking of where he might want to go, but he was already at his circus and didn’t want to stress Laughing Jack too much, so he just decided it would be best to stay at his circus. “We could stay here and mess around!”. Candy Pop gleefully exclaimed. Laughing Jack smiled at this, wasting no time and grabbing Candy Pops’ hand. Jack had been to Candy Pops circus a few times before, but he knew that if he led the way, he would get them lost, or at least himself lost. So he let Candy Pop lead the way, he trusted him like that.

Laughing Jack always liked that about Candy Pop. Candy Pop was his only loyal friend, besides a few others, but even they had slip-ups. Candy Pop on the other hand only made shit jokes from time to time, but nothing too horrible or worth crying over. Candy Pop looked over Jack’s shoulder laughing at him. Jack couldn’t help but laugh back, he loved hanging out with Candy Pop, he was just so wild and fun! It was always a roller coaster of emotions with him. You never knew what you might get. However, Jack loved the days where Candy Pop was so burnt out, that he just talks about the most random things. That’s how they came up with ice cream-shaped pizza. Cookie dough for the bread, ice cream as the sauce, and chocolate chips as the pepperoni.

Candy Pop leads Laughing Jack to a glass maze, Jacks’ favorite maze there. He gasped and joy as his eyes gazed upon the maze. “You didn’t! Pops you know I love this maze!”. Jack chuckled aloud. He jokingly pushed Pops lightly teasing him a bit, both laughed at how cheesy the other was acting. Candy Pop hopped up at the start of the maze, holding a hand out for Jack. Instead of grabbing Candy Pops’ hand, Jack coiled his legs, like a spring, and bounced up, like a loose spring. His legs spiraled back to normal, he laughed at how cartoony that was. Candy Pop clapped his hands in amusement, despite seeing him do it before.

Both then wandered into the maze, Jack getting lost in his own glee, as Candy Pop ran around making sharp turns to not hit or break the glass mirrors. Laughing Jack soon found himself cornered in the maze, slightly lost and scared. Candy Pop took this as a chance to mess with Jack a bit. He stood in a mirror that reflected throughout the entire maze. He called out to Jack. “Oh, Jack~.” Candy Pop snickered at how cheesy this reference was. Jack snorted a bit himself too, he knew Candy Pop was trying to recreate the scene from Pennywise. Both hated that clown, so it was always funny when they mocked him. “You wanna BallOOn?”. Candy Pop said, trying to impersonate Pennywise. Both then burst laughing, Candy Pop falling over revealing where he was.

Jack couldn’t help but wheeze at how his face must have looked when he got lost, he probably looked like a lost child, he snarled at himself for that, but he was so busy laughing that it all seemed so funny. Candy Pop got up brushing himself off, still wheezing from what just happened. Candy Pop looked at Jack, who was still laughing and a bit red from embarrassment that he got scared. Jack looked up to Candy Pop as well, both meeting eye contact. They both grew silent just staring at each other, before starting up again and just losing it to laughter.

Candy Pop broke the spell of infinite laughter by finally speaking up. “Hey, bud- eheh- wanna head somewhere else? Don’t wanna stay here too long, when it gets dark here, IT GETS DARK! I don’t think I have any lights in the mirror maze- because it gets hot in here when there is light- heh.” Candy Pop chuckled. Jack considered this for a moment. “How about the ferris wheel!”. Jack practically shouted. That had to be his favorite ride, from how slow it was, to the heights, and how you could see the entire circus from up there. He loved the whole idea of it. Candy Pop smiled at this as well, he loved the ferris wheel, not as much as Jack, but he considered it second place next to roller coasters as his top pick. “I’d be down for that!”. Candy Pop excitedly said, already running in the direction of the ferris wheel. He had just installed new lighting or the ferris wheel, about a week ago. It lit aesthetic purple and blue, to fit the theme of his circus. He started to go there more often in fact, and having this in mind, he knew Jack would love the update about it.

“Come on then! It has some new cool features”. Candy Pop could jump out of his skin from how excited he was. He grabbed Laughing Jack's hand and dragged him along, leading them out of the maze. It even took Candy Pop a while, because Jack was lagging behind a bit, and kept slamming into the glass walls, so Candy Pop learned to slow down and take a steady pace. Even this was slow, but at least Jack didn’t get himself hurt. Snickering at Jack, Candy Pop teased him by bumping into a wall as well. This pulled off because Jack let out a faint snicker. A few minutes later they made their way out and started their long walk to the ferris wheel.

Eyes wandered around the carnival, looking at all the games and prizes to win. Dried blood spattered onto the walls from previous victims that fell to Candy Pop. History laid on these walls. Jack was there for some of the killings. Most of the time he just ate the victim whole. Other times they fucked the victim up so bad you couldn’t tell out a single feature. Jack smiled at the work they did. Jack felt his face grow warm as his gaze returned to Candy Pop, but he shook it off as just sweating from all that running. Candy Pop looked up to Jack and smiled, Jack's eyes met Candy Pop, and Jack smiled too. Both giggled lightly before looking ahead of them. Jack couldn’t help but love the fact that he was holding Candy Pop's hand. It was just so cute of him, Jack holding Pop's hand. The way his gloves were so silky smooth, and his nails lightly dug into Jack's huge claws. Jack never wanted it to stop, if he could he had the choice to, he would always hold Candy Pops’ hand. But he knew when they got to the ferris wheel he would have to let go. He sighed at that, hating the idea of having to let go. Oh well, might as well enjoy the moment.

The ferris wheel was getting closer now, just a few more rows of mini-games, and they would be at the entrance of the large ferris wheel. Jack could see the purple and blue lights, his jaw dropped rolling on the floor like a cartoon character would in animations. His tongue landed flat on the ground with a loud plop as his eyes bulged out. Candy Pop snickered, raising an eye at his now cartoonified friend. “You like it?” Candy Pop snickered aloud. “Do I like it..? No..” Jack teased. Candy Pop almost frowned, but his frown was cut off by Jack. “I FUCKING LOVE IT!” Candy Pop jumped at how loud his friend got, but smiled in joy. Candy Pop jumped up and down at this new information. “I’m glad you like it! I thought you might!” Candy Pops face beamed with overjoy, Jack saw this in Candy Pop, and lightly pinched Candy Pops nose. Both snickered as they resumed walking.

The closer they got to the ferris wheel, the more excited both got. Candy Pop snickered before looking at Jack. “Last one to the ferris wheel is a rotten egg!” Candy Pop then bolted for the ferris wheel, cackling to himself. “HEY!” Jack winced at Candy Pop. Candy Pop was already halfway there, but Jack remembered he could just teleport, so he did. He snickered to himself at how easy that was, now all he had to do was wait for his jester friend.

Jack looked at his claws admiring them and how deep they could puncture someone. He laughed at how many people he has killed with one swoop of a punch. He could hear Candy Pop getting closer, why didn’t he just teleport too? Maybe he forgot. Either way, Jack laughed a bit.

Candy Pop was now in full view, he was panting a bit at how fast he had to run to get there so quickly. Jack clapped slowly, cocking an eye. Candy Pop’s body dragged down as the weight of his body caught up to him. “Well, well, well, lookie here, I won~!” Jack teased Candy Pop by hissing those words at him. Candy Pop puffed and fell to his knees. “No! Lost! To a master- and cheater.. Of teleportation! How could this ever have happened! Oh, foolish me!” Candy Pop dramatically pretended to faint, holding in a snicker. Jack snorted at this, which triggered Candy Pop to burst laughing. Jack couldn’t help but fall to his side plopping on the ground next to Candy. Both lied their laughing until ether couldn’t breathe.

Candy Pop then dragged himself back up and dusted off. Jack did the same, chuckling at how dramatic his friend had gotten, even if it was an act. Jack then turned to the ferris wheel, to get a better view of it. Jack gasped silently at the sight. Wonderfully crafted, aesthetically fitting, and damn well-done lights, stood before the monochrome clown. He couldn’t help but mutter a silent wow at how unreal this all looked. Jack jumped a bit when he felt Candy Pop’s hand rub the back of Jack. “Pretty isnt it?” Pops silently said as to not ruin the moment. “It’s awesome Pops- like holy shit-.” Jack almost blurted out how much he loved it, but he managed to keep it in. Pops snickered at Jack before nodding to him. “Well, come on, hop it!” Candy Pop excitedly exclaimed. Candy then opened the door for Jack. He climbed in, and Candy Pop followed, sitting on the other side. He then pushed a button and the ferris wheel started to make its way to the top.

The ferris wheel seat rocked back and forth gently, someone could be able to pass out on it if they really wanted to. It was a quarter of the way to the top. Candy Pop smiled at Jack, as both grew to a cold silence. The other gazing deeply into the eyes of the other. Jack gulped a bit as things were getting a bit too intense for him. He didn’t like where things were doing, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay till the end for it. It was now three-quarters of the way to the top now. If someone dropped a bit, it would echo throughout the entire circus. No one broke contact, Jack was too scared to look away, and Candy Pop was too into the moment.

The ride stopped as it reached its highest point. Candy Pop took this as his cue, and slowly leaned in. In a panic, Jack leaned back and winced. Confused, Candy Pop opened his eyes and looked at the clearly nervous clown. Both sat looking in a now dead tone silence. Candy Pop lightly coughed before leaning back into his seat. The ride started up again and started its slow descent to the ground.

“Sorry- I thought you wanted to- .” Candy Pop was then cut off by Jack. “N-no it’s okay I just panicked a bit that’s all, heh.” Jack quivered. Pops nodded his head, but he really wanted that kiss. It was just so called for, why did Jack back out, was he.. Scared? But why? It was so clear to Candy Pop that Jack was into him, or maybe that is just Jacks’ way of being nice. If so, that is one hell of a way to be nice.

They both walked in awkward silence to the exit. Neither said or even bothered to look at the other, in fear that something might happen. As they approached the exit, Laughing Jack sighed and looked at Candy Pop. “Hey- Pops? I’m sorry I didn’t mean to, I really wanted to just-!” Jack was cut off as Candy Pop grabbed the now-beat-red blushing clown, and kissed him. Jack couldn’t help but stare in shock, before calming down and kissing back. The kiss felt like it lasted for an eternity, but Jack didn’t mind. He regretted not letting Candy Pop in the first place. Candy Pop leaned into the kiss more, causing Laughing Jack to tip over a bit. Then, Pops stopped kissing Jack, allowing Jack to catch his breath.

“W-woah…” Is all Jack could say. It was just so magical it felt like a dream. Candy Pop, who was now just as red as Jack, snickered. “I-it was nothing.. Don’t mention it, heh.” Pops snickered. Jack chuckled and let out a sigh of relief, he started to walk towards the exit once more. He looked back to Candy Pop. Candy Pop nodded with a smile, as Jack left the circus, to visit for another time...

-𝙰 𝚁σɱαɳƈҽ Ⴆҽƚɯҽҽɳ ƚɯσ 𝙶σσϝႦαʅʅʂ-

𝙰 [SUSSY ANON] ϝαɳ-ϝιƈƚισɳ

𝙻αυɠԋιɳɠ 𝙹αƈƙ 𝚇 𝙲αɳԃყ 𝙿σρ

``𝚃ԋҽ 𝙲𝚒ɾƈ𝚞ʂҽʂ 𝚁σɱαɳƚιƈ 𝙳συ``

~The End~

AWWWWWWEEEWWWWWWWWWEWWE WAIT THIS WAS SO CUTE!!!

I loved it!! I’m not sure if you wanted my constructive opinion but here it is: I loved the descriptions, the lights and the circus was great, the games and the names too, I suggest adding more of feel in it. Not sure if that makes sense but just the FEEL. The humor was great, I liked the jokes you embedded. And the cartoonish descriptions were so cannon- I also like how you wrote the characters with their giddy childish selves. I used to have a really hard time filling in space between times which is another thing I think you should work on. Fillers can get mmmm sometimes so I suggest instead of dragging it out fill with emotion or thought. But overall I loved it, got lost in the story which is what matters so congrats! Great job love <333

[gaylonelydyke]

if it’s not too late, 12 for episodes and ships, and 17!

its never too late! thankyou for the ask 🥰 oo damn this is gonna be a hefty one, just to prepare you this is gonna be long 😅😅😅

spoiler alert for my friends who are finishing up season 2 rn, be careful if you look at my top five episodes, pay attention the the episode numbers, i will put [ ] in bold at the beginning and end of spoilers!

12. Top 5 ships

5. faith x myself because have you seen faith? shes such a babe! spare consensual kiss maam?

4. willow x oz, i dont know if this is an unpopular or not but i feel like if the 90s had been more accepting of term then willow wouldve been bisexual, but like even now tv shows will rarely let characters say that word :( but anyway i love them! theyre both quirky and kinda awkward but its such a sweet relationship and you really see how they go from awkward crushes to an actual deep relationship, oz is one of my favourite characters too what a dude!

3. giles x jenny, mlmxwlw solidarity in this bisexual couple! there is no an ounce of straight between them and i love it, i love their dynamic, i love that giles *respects women* (im staring daggers at xander rn), also the original girlboss x malewife couple askdjaksjhd

2. drusilla x spike, these two!!!!!! once again a bisexual couple with zero straight between them, the vibes are off the charts. sexy vampires, goth x punk love, i just love them man, and their relationship is so interesting to delve into. like theyre vampires, theyre soulless and yet they have a capacity for love, they care deeply for eachother, theyre so tender towards eachother in season 2 in the way they take turns to care for one another, also drusilla picking spike up with one hand made me gay and thats on that

1. willow x tara!!!!! lesbians man lesbians! they have a beautiful relationship, until a certain point wink wink, they feel like a perfect match, willows become more outgoing due to buffy and xander snd having a proper group of friends, so its cool to see her as the more outgoing independant one in the relationship, and tara is such a honey 🥺 the biggest sweetheart in the world what a babe!!!! also like how groundbreaking was their relationship? as a queer couple, they had p much the dame amount of screentime as a aueer relationship today! and willow says the word lesbian so many times and is always making gay jokes which is something shows today are too scared to do, its honestly refreshing which is weird for a show in the 90/00s

12. Top 5 episodes

this is so hard because its such a damn good show so i had to rlly be picky about this but here we go

5. 6x22 ‘grave’- i watched buffy for the first time last year at work coz i worked with one other person just packing shit, and THIS was the episode that made us cry infront of eachother. the scene with willow and xander at the end is one of my all time favourite scenes and like legit we were watching and we starting going like ha.. this is so sad Q_Q and we looked at eachother and we were both crying akdjdjsjdhs its SO GOOD, like this is a friendship ive been so invested in and [seeing xander be able to pull her back from that dark place was so heart wrenching and amazing god its so good]

4. 3x12 ‘helpless’ - im finishing up s2 in my rewatch rn so i havent rewatched this one to double check but i remember loving it man. buffys father daughter relationship with giles is my favourite of the whole show they make my heart ache, so i love that this is an episode that really shows you how dedicated giles is to her, [its the breaking point where he finally disregards the fact that hes a watcher and acts as her father once and for all, its a turning point for their relationship where he is finally embracing the fact that shes like a daughter to him and i just love to see it Q_Q get you a dad who will leave his lifes calling for you]

3. 4x22 ‘restless’ - season 4 is interesting coz it has really good episodes and them some gd awful ones 😂😂 but this one just blew me away, i love a good character study episode and this is THE SHIT! its so weird and creepy but in the most perfect way, its not on the nose its so subtle, it feels like an uncanny valley version of buffy almost, i like that they finished the season first and then took this episode to do something out of the box and different i feel like it lets them fully explore this idea without the pressure of needing plot included. [also the cheese man is iconic. dont however like xander being all nasty with willow and tara but whats new there man]

2. 1x12 ‘The Prophecy Girl’ - for my first watch of buffy i wasnt that into the first season, like i enjoyed it but i didnt think it was anything super special? but this episode changed EVERYTHING for me. up until now buffy had been fun, witty, charming, but not anything new atleast for me, maybe in the 90s it was but right now its your average teen supernatural show. but this episode!!!! the emotion! buffy facing her death, her speech about how shes just 16 and shes scared and she doesnt want to die, that is what i wanna see!! its heartbreaking and it made me cry, and then it gives us the wonderful moment of giles trying to take her place and buffy realising that she has to be the one to do it, man its so good! basically anything with buffy and giles being a duo is gonna make it an automatic yes from me and this is indeed the case for this episode, i just love that the show remembers that shes a child! shes not brave all the time, shes not strong all the time, shes just doing her best and sometimes its overwhelming, 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 i bow to this episode

1. 2x17 ‘passion’ - i know i just sang praises about prophecy girl but THIS EPISODE IS THE SHIT, the best episode full stop. i wont accept any argument. angel is probably my favourite big bad, its so funny to see plain bread, mopey brooding angel become this charismatic, funny, poetic, blood thirsty angelus, hes everything i want in a villain and in this episode he delivers! rip jenny tho love her. i think the tension built around angel is so good, because of his drawings and notes left around, every scene youre worrying like is he here now? are they safe or what? its so tense! and also it is me and im a slag for buffy x giles father daughter moments and this episode fucking delivers! giles discovering jennys dead body is probably one of the best scenes on the show, the dramatic irony is heAVY, we know jenny is dead, we know that these flowers arent from her, but giles is so so happy, and i want to see him happy but you just know somehing horrific is about to happen and damn does it. its a masterpiece! i love jenny and giles so much it is so sad, but also the fact that it gave us that scene makes me almmmoost ok with it? i also love the moment where giles breaks down in buffys arms, hes been there for her and now shes returning the favour and hes accepting it i just 😭😭😭 also on a different note, angels narration of this episode is amazing! it gives us great insight to who he is as “evil angel” and like even though hes awful i was also kind of rooting for him coz hes just such a great villain

sorry this is so long lmao, last question!

17. Which characer do you wish had less of a focus on them in the show?

i dont wanna get yelled at butttttt i dont like the amount of focus on dawn. i think it makes sense for the her first season considering the story arc but that season really does double down its focus onto dawn and buffy and it barely leaves room for anyone else to have a storyline, it keeps the episodes super depressing too its like a constant level of just sadness the whole time because we’re so stuck in THEIR arc, theres no room to balance it out and have a breather, some people might like that its more serious but i really really didnt like, i love episodes like prophecy girl where it is campy and brings the more emotional notes in when the time comes, but dawns whole arc is just constantly depressing the whole time i just hate it, and also just shes not a character i felt i could connect to because of how suddenly shes introduced, so its weird to have her SO focused on in the first half of that season coz we dont know her yet so i feel like the emotional moments dont land the way that they should? basically they shouldve eased us into dawn or introduced her differently and maybe i would like her enough to want the focus on her but i really just dont

adksjakjshd apologies for the essay this is, thanks for the ask!

[leverage-ot3]

notable moments from The Maltese Falcon Job

leverage 2.15

Hardison (checking phone): Guys, they are ripping through Nate and Tara's cover stories. All their financials are blown. So look, until I know what they know, no credit cards, no debit cards, no ATMs, nothing that can be traced back to us. OK? Cash in hand only.

- - - - -

Nevins (on phone): No, not a safe house. Interpol wants Culpepper someplace off our system. We're taking him to the Governor Hotel.

Nate: OK, that's it. That's where we're gonna hole up.

Tara: The Governor Hotel?

Nate: Yeah.

Tara: The hotel crawling with FBI?

Eliot: FBI and Interpol.

Nate: Yeah, you know, it's the one place in Boston they won't be lookin' for us. Come on, we just gotta get there first

smart

- - - - -

Tara: Oh, thank God! I just stepped out to get the paper and then my door closed behind me and I tried to find a house phone, but you guys don't have those anymore. (drops towel) Oops.

Man: Uh...

(Eliot and Parker look down the hall, then at each other, then down the hall)

parker, g i r l, close your mouth

they were both slightly Into It™ and you can’t change my mind

- - - - -

Hardison: In-room checkout. (sits down on bed with keyboard) OK, look, this means that I have access to the hotel's billing computers. It's a big ol' backdoor in every hotel room in America. (hacks system) As of right now, we've been here for a week, and our reservations are good for another week, courtesy of this man's platinum card, Mr. Ogden Shields, who has spent a lot of time in the adult section of pay-per-view. I mean, did he even leave the room?

Parker: In-de-panties Day?

~ a few moments later ~

(Parker takes keyboard from Hardison’s hands)

Eliot: All right, I'm gonna go get some keys made. I'm goin' to the gym. Make sure I can charge stuff on the room.

Hardison: I gotcha.

(women moaning on TV)

Parker: Wow, she really wants that car clean.

Hardison: That’s-that's enough of that

parker is baby and hardison wants to protect her from that nastiness

- - - - -

Nate: Why do we care about him?

Hardison: 'Cause he's big on the surplus weapons market.

Eliot: (laughs) That's just a polite way of saying arms dealer.

Tara: His specialty's buying cheap guns from Third World countries and reselling 'em.

- - - - -

Nate: Don't worry about Sterling.

Eliot: Did you just say, "Don't worry about Sterling?"

Nate: Yeah, don't worry about Sterling. What you don't think I can beat Sterling?

Eliot: I think in the last six months, Nate, I've heard you talk about beating the Triads, beating the Russians. All right? Maggie's boyfriend. Huh? How'd that work out? We all said that meet was a bad idea, right? But you got a taste for taking down this Mayor and you can't resist.

Nate: You wanna walk away? Walk away.

Eliot: I'm not walkin' away. It's not my job. My job is to get your back. And, Nate, I'm gonna do it. All the way down. But I need you to do your job.

Nate: And what's that?

Parker: Be Nathan Ford. Be the person we came back for

PARKER BABY she showed emotion I’m so proud of her

- - - - -

(Eliot holds up the piece of paper taken from Bonanno’s house that reads ‘Maltese Falcon’)

Eliot: That's still bugging me, man.

we love to see eliot confiding/leveling with hardison

- - - - -

Parker: Ooh! But, uh, I have mini-bar.

her in the maid outfit with the french accent

+ HER WINK IM GAY

- - - - -

Nate: You help Tara and Parker. I'm gonna stall Sterling.

Hardison: How?

Nate: I'm thinking.

(Sterling gets into an elevator. Nate heads up the stairs, stopping at every floor to push the elevator button. Sterling begins to get irritated when the elevator stops at every floor but never sees Nate, who gets progressively more tired as they go upward)

[Hallway]

(Sterling gets off on the 14th floor. Behind him, Eliot pushes his cart into the elevator. Sterling glances at him but the door closes before he can get a good look. Sterling approaches the door the FBI agents are guarding)

petty and fucking ICONIC I wouldn’t have the stamina for that but neither would nate tbh and honestly he was probably running on pure spite to make that happen and I respect him for that

- - - - -

Parker: Housekeeping!

(she goes inside, pulling her cart in behind her. Once in the room, she finds Tara and Hardison in the window. Hardison is tangled in his line, and Tara is trying to help him)

Hardison: Ow. That's... Stop. Hey, I got this. Stop. I don't need help.

Tara: Clearly you do.

Hardison: I got this. I got this. Go.

LMFAO E V E R Y TIME

we love to see the running bit of hardison utterly FAILING at anything rappelling related

- - - - -

Culpepper: Where are the agents? Where are the agents? There should be two FBI agents standing at the door.

(Eliot walks in with Parker thrown over his shoulder)

Nate: Did you have to?

Eliot: She saw our faces.

Nate: OK. Yeah, put her in the tub with the others.

(Eliot takes her into the bathroom)

- - - - -

eliot can always knock a bitch out with one (1) punch

- - - - -

Sterling: So, I'm gonna make you a deal. You find Kadjic, tie him to the guns, I'll give you a free pass. Just this once, you get to walk away with your record wiped clean.

Nate: My team?

Sterling: They go down. Every last one of 'em. They deserve to go down. They're criminals, Nate. Thieves. So that's the deal. You bring me Kadjic and the guns, and I cut you and you alone loose. Because at the end of the day you're always right. You're not a thief. This is your second chance.

(Sterling picks up the flask and walks away)

this was actually really interesting to see. sterling leveled with nate. he knows nate, knows how he works, thinks he knows who nate really is on the inside. they have a Past™

- - - - -

Nate: Yeah. No. I... I, uh... Listen, I need you to come back. Um... I need you. Uh, I need you.

[Interior Helicopter]

Sophie: No, no, no. Speak up. I'm traveling and...

[Leverage Headquarters]

Nate: Not the team. Me. For me. Not for a con. I just... Listen, I... I don't know who I am anymore, Sophie. And, ah... When, when I was chasing you and everything and we were doing cons, I knew who I was, but not anymore. As crazy as this sounds, I need you to tell me, tell me when I'm goin' too far. I mean, it just... It gets out of control and I just don't know who I am and, and you've always been... .y compass. And, you know, I care about you more than yo-you'll ever know, because I lo... I lo...

lmfao when the signal is lost? tragic

- - - - -

eliot is wearing a flannel in the final scenes

- - - - -

the obama portrait very visible in the background of the government building? we love to see it

- - - - -

eliot DING DONG WE’RE HOME spencer owns my whole (whole) heart

- - - - -

Nate: What are you doing?

Eliot: Countin' all the guys with guns.

Nate: How many?

Eliot: A lot

smart and TOTALLY an eliot thing to do

- - - - -

Parker: Don't worry. No one's ever died going in through an air duct.

Tara: Oh, this is comforting.

Parker: I mean, worst case, you slip and fall. Break your legs. Lay there for days, scratching on the metal. It's like a long, metal coffin with wind. (excited) Let's go!

(Parker runs across the roof)

she’s baby and I love her. never, ever change parker

- - - - -

Computer: Match identified.

Hardison (bending over keyboard): Damn, you finally found something, half-pint?

HE CALLS HIS COMPUTER HALF PINT ??? ICONIC

- - - - -

Hardison: Parker, where are you?

Parker: Sorry, had a buzz from the alarm system, I couldn't hear a... thing. What?

(Parker’s face hardens and she heads for Tara, who is putting the rappelling gear back in the oxygen tank)

Tara: Parker, what's wrong?

(Parker grabs Tara by the throat and pushes her back until she is leaning over the edge of the building)

~~~

Tara: You're really strong.

Parker: Yeah. I hang from buildings with my fingertips.

Tara: It's not what you think. I was setting up a meeting!

Parker: Actually, that was exactly what I was thinking. Bye now.

Tara: Not for myself

- - - - -

ANNIE KROY IS BACK

- - - - -

(Eliot, his hands tied, is being led to some stairs by two goons.)

Man: I'll get the hatch.

(one man moves ahead of Eliot while the other stays behind him. When Eliot doesn’t follow the first man up the stairs, the second pushes him)

Man 2: Come on.

Eliot: Thirteen.

(Eliot and the second man struggle, sending gunfire rifling across the ceiling before the second man is knocked down. The first man comes back and kicks Eliot in the face. Eliot kicks him in return)

Eliot: Come here!

(Eliot swings his hands across the first man’s face, knocking him back)

Eliot: Twelve.

(Eliot knocks the first man out)

Eliot: Eleven.

(Eliot starts up the stairs, but hears someone else coming and waits around a corner. After a brief struggle, he knocks this man out as well and breaks the zip ties on his wrist)

Eliot: Ten. (heads up the stairs

HOOOOO BOY

MARK ME DOWN AS SCARED AND HORNY

also if parker and hardison know what he was doing? they’d be marked down as the same

- - - - -

Tara: All she asked was that I report back to her every now and then. Are we sure this is the fastest way?

Parker: Yeah, look. (looking at car GPS) There's no traffic this way. So, you were spying on us.

Tara: I was not spying. I was an early warning system. Sophie just, she was worried Nate might go off the rails. So, if it ever looked like he was spinning out of control, I was supposed to call and let Sophie lay in a backup plan just in case.

Parker: Yeah. Why not us?

Tara: Because you were too likely to forgive him.

Parker: I suppose gettin’ busted by the FBI and trying to bring down arms dealers while kidnapping a mayor does qualify as out of control.

Tara: So, anyway, I used my contacts to get Sophie set up as a buyer for the guns. You know... You actually had me worried for a second that you were gonna drop me.

Parker (laughs): That is silly

- - - - -

(Hardison is carrying a large monkey wrench and smiling. He hears noises and goes to investigate, seeing Eliot starting up a ladder)

Hardison: Hey. It took you long enough.

Eliot: What?

(Eliot starts toward Hardison, but a man points a gun to his head)

Man: Freeze.

(Eliot grabs the gun and knocks the man out)

Eliot: One.

Hardison: What

hardison if he knew what eliot was doing: hot damn

- - - - -

(the team gathers together. Parker hugs Sophie)

Sophie: Ooh. Parker touching.

Parker: Kinda, yeah.

- - - - -

Eliot: There's not that many ways out of here.

Sophie: Eliot, when I arrange a rescue, I do it properly.

(a helicopter lands on the docks near the ship. The team heads down the stairs, but Nate hesitates, looking down at the blood on his hand from his side. He goes down the ladder to join the team on the lower deck)

- - - - -

Nate: I've destroyed all the evidence the FBI has on Culpepper and Kadjic. You have no photos, no tapes, you don't have anything. You don't have a case on anybody, unless you arrest me. And only me.

Sophie: Nate?

Nate: I agree to turn state's evidence. I testify to what Kadjic told me, how he put the hit on Bonanno. Hell, I'll even give you Bonanno's evidence against the gunrunning.

Eliot: Nate, I can take these guys.

Hardison: It's just ten more yards to the chopper, man.

Nate: Listen, guys. I got you into this mess. This is the only way to get you out.

eliot is still ready to fight for his family no matter what and hardison just wants them to leave because they’re SO CLOSE

- - - - -

Nate: Come here.

(the team moves closer to him)

Nate: You guys are the most honorable people I have ever met in my life. You've become my family. My only family. I won't forget that. (looks at Eliot) Now get 'em on the chopper. Please. Now!

Eliot: Let's go.

(Eliot nudges Parker and she reluctantly heads for the gangplank. Eliot touches Hardison’s arm)

Eliot: Let's go, man.

(Hardison walks away. Eliot hesitates a moment, shaking his head, then follows the others, hesitating at the top of the gangplank near Sterling)

nate trusts eliot, and only eliot, to be the one to be able to get the rest of the team out of there and into the helicopter. he knows eliot and how much he cares for his family and will do anything to make sure they’re safe, and nate is betting on that to get them out of there

eliot has to be the one to make parker and hardison move because they’ll listen to him and also there would be a good chance that they’d try to stay with Nate otherwise

+

his gentle hands leading them away have my whole (whole) heart

- - - - -

(Sophie and Eliot get on the helicopter, Eliot hesitating one last time before getting in)

this hurts eliot so much because he’s the RETRIEVAL SPECIALIST and he’s supposed to get everyone safe and never leave anyone behind I’m-

- - - - -

Agent: Who the hell is this guy?

Sterling: I don't know.

Nate: My name's Nate Ford, and I am a thief.

(more sirens are heard. Nate begins laughing as the helicopter lifts off and more police cars and agents arrive, surrounding Nate and the dock. Nate watches the helicopter fly away)

MAJOR character development for nate this season (2.01 had him refusing that he was a thief and in multiple other episodes in this season)

oh and also, y’all, just like last season, if I had to watch this go down like that with my own two eyes and have that be the end of leverage (because they close every season like it’d be the last) I would have fucking R E V O L T E D

[ahh-fxck]

Chapter 11 of Warrior’s Blues: What Would I Do Without You?

Folks, I am so excited. I finally get to present to you the next chapter of Warrior’s Blues! This chapter (and the following two) have been a labor of love. @stressedspidergirlsfandomblog​, editor and co-creator of this fic, thank you for all your hard work and insight!! Ok folks, here it is:

Chapter 11: What Would I Do Without You?

Yennefer's visit throws Jaskier for a hard loop. His best friend helps him sort it out. Best Friend Rating of the Geralt Incident? 10/10 top notch Jaskier fuckery. She loves her disaster queer.

CW for drinking, smoking, implied death of an original character, grieving

Please let me know if you’d like to be tagged (or untagged!) for future updates of this story!

@astouract​ @smolpoe​ @yes-im-the-violin-girl​ @ladyknight-keladry​

  On the day of Yennefer’s visit, Jaskier arrives at work on a bicycle. He’s late and on a bicycle for the same reason, which is to say, he is drunk and cannot drive his car. He is drunk because he’d been so full of mixed emotions after Yennefer left that he’d sat down to eat the rest of the fruit and whipped cream. Somewhere in there, it had seemed like a brilliant idea to pour half a bottle of bourbon after it. 

It was not. Luckily for him, the person working the bar tonight is Julia.

She is a stocky woman in her mid-forties. She has tawny skin and skeptical hazel eyes, and there’s a kind twist to her lips that she often hides. She has a tuft of cropped blue hair and wears a denim vest with a white t-shirt. Even though she is exasperated when he staggers through the door, she feeds him a sandwich and coffee while she fills him in on the meeting he missed. From there, she lets the crew in for the night. 

Jaskier feels like the whole world is an itchy sweater, even after the sandwich and coffee. It’s like his brain is on fire, and he can’t quite settle into the usual friendly chatter that his job requires. He passes an irritable and lonely night out by the door. By the time it’s time to clock out most of the staff is eager to clear out from underfoot; Jaskier is a great boss, but when his nearly infinite good humor runs out he can be a real asshole.

The only one who doesn’t give a fuck is Julia. She knew from the second she saw him wheeling in the door that it was going to be a late night, so she lets the rest of the staff out before pouring herself a big glass of gin. Then she settles her elbows against the bar, watching Jaskier mop the dancefloor. He is flailing wildly with the mop, clearing the floor with brutal inefficiency. Internally she begins to count down the time until he knocks the bucket over. Sure enough, a moment later he does just that. She nods in satisfaction, pleased that her timing is still on point.

Jaskier throws his head back and lets out a shout of pure frustration as his poorly-contained feelings boil over at last. Julia smirks and grabs a bunch of towels, then ambles over to him and starts tossing them on the floor to soak up the mess. 

As she does so she says nothing, but the look she gives him makes him feel transparent. Jaskier avoids her eyes as he tosses some towels down onto the puddle. 

Julia gives a little harrumph, unimpressed, bending to help him clear the towels away. They right the bucket and clean the floor in silence. When they’re done, she turns to him and gives him a long look. 

“So… What’s eating you?”

Jaskier grumbles and straightens. “Nothing.” He hauls the bucket away, fills it with water, and returns. Without making eye contact he begins to mop again.

Julia hums, crossing her arms. “Yeah, and nothing made you stink like bourbon, too. Cough it up.” She leans against a nearby wall, giving him a skeptical look. He looks at her from under the fringe of hair that has fallen over his face. Something about the wide-eyed, guilty glances that he keeps shooting her makes him look sixteen again. She smirks. “I think you wanna tell me but you’re embarrassed, so how about I start making guesses?”

Going pale, Jaskier groans. “Why are you so hell-bent on pushing my buttons?” The last thing he wants is Julia making guesses about what is bothering him. She has a terrible habit of being accurate and she has a memory like an elephant.

“Because you’re not a dumbass kid anymore and you haven’t shown up drunk in years. You missed an important meeting! What the fuck, Jaskier? Don’t make me call you Julian, I swear to fucking god I’ll break out your birth name.”

“Julia…!” Jaskier protested. “I d-”

“Julian Alfred P-”

“Fine! Stop! Oh my god, you are merciless!” Jaskier cries, but secretly he’s glad that she cares enough to needle him. He stops and holds the mop for a moment, blowing his hair out of his eyes as he gathers his thoughts. Then he starts pushing it across the floor again. “I’m sure you heard about the man who rescued Pride this year.”

“Heh, I feel like I’ve met him. Yarpen won’t shut up. Heard from him recently?” She narrows her eyes at him, sure that she’s about to hear some sort of horny idiot story. 

Jaskier blushes hotly, confirming Julia’s suspicions. “Well, funny thing about that.”

“What did you do now?” Julia asks, smirking. She retreats to the bar and picks up her tumbler of gin, then lights a cigarette. 

“We-e-elll…” Jaskier prevaricates.

Julia gives him a long look, and he folds. 

“Um, so I might have brought him back to my house after Pride.”

Julia barks a short laugh. “Color me not surprised. What’s the problem? Is he why you were wearing that birdy when you came in?”. 

Jaskier’s flush deepens. “I meant to take that off before his wife showed up. After that my day got all sort of… muddled.”

“You mean you got chewed out and then got drunk, right?”

“No! You know what, Julia? She yelled at me when I met her in the hospital, but when she came to my house she was…” He pauses, seeing the bewildered look on Julia’s face. “All right, let me back up and explain. He broke his hand, and I had to take him to the hospital. Two weeks later we go for his followup appointment and his wife is there waiting for him. Tracked him down all the way from fucking England! Got the third degree from her there, but the wildest part is, she showed up at my house the next day to talk. About me dating him.”

Julia laughs again, harder and longer. “What the fuck, Jaskier?”

Despite himself, Jaskier breaks into a rueful grin.“Right? Seriously though Julia. If I talk to you about this it stays strictly between you and me, got it? All of it. He’s in the closet and no one else here needs to know any of this.”

“You got it. No gossip. Your secrets are my secrets.” Julia smiles crookedly, sipping at the last of her gin. She’s been keeping Jaskier’s shit to herself since he was a teen. At first, it was out of a desire to not get involved, but by now she genuinely likes the dingbat. He’s dumb but sweet, and he’s been good to her. “So what’s the deal, kiddo?”

“So what it all boiled down to is that she’s not mad at me for sleeping with him… she’s mad I slept with him so fast. Turns out she’s okay with me seeing him again.”

Julia puts her glass down on the bartop, eyes twinkling with amusement. “Okay, that is a new one on me, I gotta admit. What’s the story there? She into watching or something?”

A surprised laugh escapes Jaskier. “No, thank fucking god, I don’t think I’d survive. This woman… oh Julia, you should have seen her. She’s like, five foot four inches of lightning in a bottle. A total force of nature. I think she could snap me like a twig.” A wry twinkle comes into his eye as Julia’s eyebrow goes up.

Smirking, Julia taps some ash off of her cigarette. “Sounds like a hell of a woman.”

Jaskier snorts, cutting her an amused look. “She is, but I don’t think you’d get very far with her. She’s asexual.”

“Oh? The plot thickens.” Julia grins wolfishly, leaning her chin on her hand. Jaskier had a way of getting up to his neck in crazy situations, and it had become something of a spectator sport for her over the years. 

Flushing with embarrassment, a crooked grin flickers across Jaskier’s face. “Yeah, well.” He turns his glass in a full circle. “So it turns out, they uh… have a kid together. And I want you to understand how terrifying this woman was because there was no way in hell I was going to ask for more details. But. What she told me was this. They got married because of their daughter, but Geralt… her husband, the man I was sleeping with… He’s gay.”

“Oh man, you really have a way of finding them, don't you?" This is top-notch Jaskier fuckery, it really is. She’s glad she’d stayed to get the story out of him, even though she knew it meant that she’d be dragged into his shit sooner rather than later. 

“I really do,” Jaskier agrees with a little groan. 

“What’s her name?” 

“Yennefer.”

“Hm. Nice names. Yennefer and Geralt. So she got mad at you for sleeping with Geralt so fast, and then what?” 

“And then, Julia! She told me that she’d always hoped that he’d find someone special. She looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘maybe someone like you’ and I just lost my mind. Just- Pow!” He makes an exploding gesture out from his head with his hands, then shakes his head and returns to mopping. 

“Wow. That was not the reaction I was expecting.”

“Yeah. Yeah! No kidding! Apparently, he’s always been free to choose his lovers. He’s never wanted to bring one home before, though.”

Julia lets out a low whistle, her eyebrows going up. “So he likes you, likes you. And his wife is… okay with this?”

“I don’t think she likes me very much, Julia, but she gave me the phone number to their hotel room. Says I should have a real talk with him before I think about dating him.” He stalks past her into the kitchen to dump out the dirty mop water.

“Just like that?” Julia laughs, leaning in the doorway.

“Threatened to bury my dead body if I didn’t treat him right, in those exact words,” Jaskier says over his shoulder.

Julia leans against the doorframe, shaking with mirth. “Oh my fucking god, Jaskier.”

“I know!” Jaskier cries, flinging his hands up. “This is absurd, Julia! And you know what’s even more ridiculous? I really think I could fall for him, I really do. He’s just so…” He sighs, tossing the mop and bucket in their corner and washing his hands.

“Yeah, Yarpen wouldn’t shut up about him. Six feet plus, white hair, amber eyes, stacked? Sounds very striking.” Julia drawls, eyebrows arching. 

“No, Julia- Well, I mean, yes, but…” He walks back out to the bar, flopping onto one of the tall stools.

“But what?” She smirks, returning to the bar and tapping out her ash.

“Well, I was gonna say beautiful, but I didn’t mean it like that.” Jaskier puffs, drumming his hands on the bar top, trying to find a way to put it. “Like… ohh, I sound like a fool, but he feels like a warm hearth. I just wanna curl up next to him with a book and a cup of tea and fall asleep because I feel so good around him. Safe. And don’t you go telling me he’s a stranger-” Jaskier breaks off as Julia rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to speak. “I know that! I know, and that’s what makes it so weird, Julia. But like, good weird.”

Julia hums thoughtfully, tipping her head to the side. Jaskier has been getting more self-aware as he ages, and for once, she’s inclined to believe that he remembers this guy’s a stranger. “Have you called your therapist yet?”

“For once in my life, yes. I called her before I came in. Hopefully, she’ll have gotten back to me by the time I get home.”

“Good for you. So this is why you came in here drunk off your ass this morning? This whole mess?” She pours him a shot glass of rum and passes it to him.

He takes it with a nod of thanks. “Yeah… I guess I got a little freaked out after his wife grilled me this morning, didn’t cope with it well.” Taking a sip, he frowns. “Julia, I’m in over my head. I don’t really know what to do here. He’s never had a boyfriend before.” 

Letting out a low whistle between her teeth, Julia stubs out her cigarette. “Ain’t he about my age?” 

“Yeah… He’s… I guess he spent his whole adult life in the military and never let himself have one. That’s what his wife said.” Jaskier worries at his lip, blue eyes wide as he shoots a glance at Julia. His glass scrapes on the bar top. 

Annoyed by the sound, Julia tosses him a coaster. Then she hums thoughtfully, swirling the dregs of gin in her glass. “That’s a long time to be lonely.”

Puffing out a long, slow breath, Jaskier nods. He draws the coaster over and sticks it under his drink with a guilty look. “Yeah.” Slumping to the bar top, he puts his chin on his hands. “She said… if I cheated on him it would crush him. She said… ‘Please don’t make things worse by being irresponsible with his very fragile heart.’” Putting his face into his arms, Jaskier gives a little groan. 

Julia sucks in a breath, watching Jaskier crumple in front of her. He’d at least grasped the concept of fidelity by now, but until recently his romances had never been particularly stable. Her heart goes out to him. She finds herself walking around to the other side of the bar to stand awkwardly by his side, her stocky frame only coming up to his shoulder where he sits on the stool. She awkwardly pats said shoulder, then gives it a squeeze. “That’s gotta feel pretty big to you. How are you doin’ with it?”

“I’m feeling massively intimidated, Julia. He’s gorgeous and I really want to date him, but I’m really afraid I’m going to be bad for him. I don’t exactly have the most amazing track record.”

Julia hums, sucking her teeth thoughtfully. She rubs a gentle circle between Jaskier’s shoulderblades, an unusually affectionate gesture for her. “Kiddo, you know I wouldn’t say this normally, but you’ve put a damn ton of work into your personal relationships. I trust the man you’ve grown into, and I think you should try trusting yourself for once. See how it works out for you. It’s been a long time since you let anyone in.”

Jaskier sighs, leaning into the touch. “I know. I worked so hard, and Rue didn’t even get to see much of my life after the dust settled. I hope she’s proud of me.”

A smile lights Julia’s face, but as she speaks a note of grief creeps into her voice. Her partner Rue had passed two years ago, but the pain was still fresh and hot. Rue had been more than a friend to Jaskier, she’d been his absolute favorite person. He missed her almost as dearly as Julia herself did. 

“She’d be proud of you all ‘round, kiddo. You’ve really shaped up. Hell, you stepped up when I needed you.” She gives Jaskier a little shake. “You might be a dumbass, but it matters that you try to get things right. It matters more that you do your best now to fix it when you don’t. That’s all anyone can do.” Julia’s hand moves back to his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “You’re a good man, and I think she’d tell you that, too.”

Jaskier nods, swallowing hard. As Julia’s hand closes on him he realizes all of a sudden how much he misses Rue. His heart contracts with terrible grief. “Oh!” He gasps, surprised by the abruptness of the pain. Reaching back to squeeze Julia’s hand, he can feel his throat tightening. “I feel really lost right now. She’d know what to do.”

A crack appears in Julia’s heart. She nods and steps closer to Jaskier, reaching around his hip and pulling him close. Jaskier leans into her and she grips him tightly with her strong arm. Her cheek presses against him and she squeezes her eyes shut, nodding. “Me too. I miss her like hell.” As she grips Jaskier, silent tears dampen his cheeks. Before long, Julia’s eyes begin to well over too.

Rue had been the center of both of their lives. Julia had been in love with her since they met one hot summer on Coney Island as teenagers. They had kissed in the rain under one of the piers, and that had been it for her. By the time they’d moved in together as adults, Julia would have gone down on one knee and married her in a heartbeat. 

Every summer they took a long vacation on Fire Island, where Julia would pick up part time work as a bartender. They’d met Jaskier one summer there when he was just sixteen years old. He’d been a disaster of a baby queer, but gregarious little Rue had seen something of herself in him. She had taken him under her wing, and he had thrived.

When Rue was diagnosed with ovarian cancer four years ago, it had been at a quiet time in Julia’s life. Jaskier had gotten a therapist a year before and was finally out of her hair. The bar was thriving. Rue and Julia had settled into their home just the way they’d liked it, tea settees and all. Julia remembers looking at this yellow, gold, and cream-colored doily on their tea table after they got home from Rue’s diagnosis. The little sunburst pattern had seared into her mind as she sat in shock. 

The following two years had been hell on a plate. The bar came closer to folding than it ever had as both Julia and Jaskier bent themselves completely out of shape trying to get Rue the care she needed. In the end, that had meant hospice and a funeral. Jaskier had ended up having to plan it for her, and he’d stepped up to the role with a seriousness that she hadn’t thought him physically capable of. It changed something about his personality. Julia watched him go almost overnight from a happy-go-lucky kid to a closed-off and responsible adult. The only exception had happened shortly after Rue’s death. 

When the fuss from the funeral had died down, Jaskier had disappeared for the better part of two weeks. Scheduled everyone in, made sure payroll was cued to go properly, and just… vanished. He’d come back with a bloody lip and fear in his eyes, and Julia had been too heartsick to ask questions. That night they’d grieved Rue together, sitting next to one another and crying their eyes out. Jaskier had fallen asleep on their dinky little couch, and she’d tucked one of Rue’s crocheted blankets over him before she went to bed. 

Since then Jaskier had been eerily quiet. At least, until Pride. After that his mood had been so pleasant that it was making Julia downright nervous. She’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now, at last, it had. 

Jaskier takes a few napkins out from under the bar top, passing them to Julia. They wipe their faces in sticky silence, and afterward, Julia pulls out a smoke and hands him one too. The click of her lighter is loud in the silent bar, echoing off the far walls. 

“Can you imagine what she’d say about this mess?” he asks, a soft huff of laughter escaping him as he shakes his head. His wide blue eyes turn up to take in the fairy lights over the bar, the smoke twisting among them.

“Oh! I can just imagine.” Julia chuckles damply, shaking her head. “She always said you found love in the strangest places.” 

Jaskier smiles crookedly. “She’s not wrong.” Smoke drifts from the cigarette between his long fingers, swirling eddies forming as it rises. 

Julia nods, then blows a slow, lazy smoke ring. “She’d say… don’t listen to your heart anymore. Don’t listen to your head. You’ve heard enough from them for now. Go find someplace quiet, where the silence can slip in through the cracks of you and fill you up. Sometimes the answer slips in alongside the silence." 

The damp groan of chagrin that escapes Jaskier makes Julia smile. "That's right,�� he replies, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “And I would say, I hate silence, it makes me nervous."

Julia nods, amused. "And she would say-" Jaskier's voice joined Julia's and they finished together, "There's your problem right there." 

With a damp chuckle, Jaskier shakes his hair out of his eyes and blinks away the last of his tears. “Oh lord, Julia. I’m glad you’re still here. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Suffer.” Julia jokes, knocking back her gin. “Suffer and die, probably.”

“Crash and burn, at the very least.” Jaskier snorts. He knocks back his glass of rum, then rises at last from the bar. He stubs out his cigarette as he rises. Then, with a soft clinking, he gathers all the glasses and takes them back to the sink to wash. A hush falls over the room, broken only by the splash of water against the metal sink.

Julia turns to watch him, leaning her elbows against the counter. Her head tips to the side as she watches Jaskier dry the dishes, then start scrubbing at the already-clean sink. He takes sanitizer and sprays it on a towel, then starts trying to evict the microscopic grit left around the base of the faucet. After a while, she stirs. “You think this guy might be it?” she asks, her eyes soft as she tips her head to look at her friend.

Jaskier looks down at the wet towel dripping in his hands. “I don’t know. I just… he’s different. I feel really different around him. I think I want to try, but I’m trying to just...” He grimaces, tossing the towel into the bin with a little too much force. “Take a minute to look before I leap.”  

Julia breaks into a wry smile, hazel eyes sparkling with gentle humor. “Good for you. Does that mean I’m gonna be staying late a few more nights?” 

“Could you? I could use the company.” Jaskier looks at her out of the corner of his eye, moving on to wipe the counter. 

Julia scoffs, but there’s a playful note in her voice. “Fine, but you gotta cough up those kreteks you've been teasing me with. You owe me.”

“Oh! I actually have those back at my house, thank you for reminding me!" Jaskier exclaims, smacking his forehead. "I can't believe I forgot. I’ll bring them in tomorrow, I got you a whole case. They came in from Indonesia last week and I just spaced out about them what with everything else going on.”

Eyes lighting up, Julia socks Jaskier affectionately on the shoulder. “Hey! My man! That’s what I’m talking about.” 

Jaskier laughs, rubbing his shoulder. “Anytime. It's the least I can do.”

Julia takes one last drag off of her cigarette, then turns to stub it out. “Listen. You want a ride home? It’s late.”

Jaskier wavers, then turns to look at the storeroom where his bike is. It’s a long ride home in the cold and dark, and he’s heartsick as all hell. It’s hard to turn her down. “Got room in your trunk for my bike?”

“Yep. No sweat. I’ll pull the car around front while you shut down.” Julia pats her pockets, making sure that her wallet, keys, and cigarettes are all in place. 

By the time she’s parked in front, Jaskier is locking the door of the bar. They wordlessly wrestle the bike into the back of the car together, working with the ease of practice. In the car, Julia flips on the stereo and pops in a Patti Smith cassette. Patti’s smoky, dry voice floats through the car, twining through the bouncing and jangling guitar riffs of the opening song of the album. Oh, she looks so fine… I’m gonna uh-uh, make her mine… 

They drive home in comfortable silence. Julia pulls up behind Jaskier’s car and parks. She eyes the white truck in the driveway silently, finishing her smoke as she considers it. Jaskier sits beside her, making no move to get out of the car. Finally, she stubs out her smoke and says, ��Is that his?”

Jaskier nods. “Engine keeps overheating. He knows what’s wrong with it but I don’t have the tools for him to fix it, so it’s gonna stay there until I can get them for him. Honestly I don’t have the faintest idea what he wants, it all goes in my ear and then out the other. If he’d just let me take him to the store it would be fine but no-”

Putting her hand on the door, Julia eyes Jaskier kindly. “Kiddo, I don’t need every single detail. It’s his truck, I get it. Let’s go in.”

Jaskier puffs as he’s thrown off track. Then he smiles crookedly, face catching in a bar of orange light from the streetlamp outside. “Sorry. You go on in, I’ve got to bring the bike around back.”

Flourishing her keys, Julia nods. She ambles around the front of Jaskier’s house and unlocks his door, letting herself into the dark entryway. Flicking on the lights, she looks around. The place is uncannily clean and stinks of floor wax and furniture oil. Jaskier’s home usually looks a bit rumpled, like a bed that’s been slept in and then had the covers thrown back into place without being smoothed or tucked. Not dirty, precisely, but not clean. Lived in. This, though… she gives a low whistle under her teeth. Her friend had been understating the distress he’d been experiencing. His home didn’t get this tidy unless something really got under his skin.

She kicks her boots off and heads to the kitchen to get a pot of coffee going, then snags a pudding out of the fridge. As she’s digging around for a spoon, she hears the jingle of keys announcing Jaskier’s arrival through the back door. 

He notes the pudding cup in her hand and the very corner of his mouth turns up, but he doesn’t comment. Instead, he slips past her to drop his bag in his bedroom. When he returns to the kitchen he smiles at her, leaning against the fridge.

“Better?” she asks, tearing open the plastic lid.

“Better,” Jaskier agrees, eyes dancing with a teasing light. “Still like the taste of stolen pudding?”

“Tastes better if you swipe it,” Julia grins unrepentantly. She settles on the stool with her pudding. “Gonna cough up those kreteks?”

Jaskier grins. “You’ve got it. Just a minute, darling. I have to figure out where I put them.” He turns on his foot and bounds off to the other end of his house, rummaging around until he remembers where he stuck the package. It turns out it’s still next to the front door in plain view, hidden on a shelf by the other oddities it’s been stuck on top of. Jaskier’s house is unusually clean, but it isn’t that clean. Making a triumphant noise, he grabs it and heads back towards Julia. 

Pleased, Julia opens the case up in a few quick movements and takes out a carton. She flicks it open, smelling it with great satisfaction. The rich smell of clove and tobacco wafts up to her, and she sighs in contentment. “Ah, that’s the good shit. Thanks, man.”

“You’ve got it. I’ll order more tomorrow, you deserve them. Takes them a while to import but we should be seeing them in the next month or so.” 

Julia laughs. “Man, I’m earning them signing up to listen to your shit like this. Go check your message machine, I ain’t subbing in for your therapist.”

Jaskier huffs a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. “Fine, fine, I’ve got it.” He pours himself a cup of coffee, then ambles over to the message machine and picks up the receiver. He punches in a code and waits, then jots something down on a pad of paper next to it with a brief smile flashing across his face. He turns back to Julia, wiggling the notepad at her. “Got an appointment tomorrow before I go to work. She shoehorned me into her lunch hour.”

“Huh,” Julia grunts, amused. “Better bring that poor woman lunch, she’s a saint for taking you back like that on short notice.”

Jaskier looks chagrined. He settles himself back on a stool with his back to the refrigerator. “Yeah, you're not wrong. Best kind of saint. I thought I’d bring her Thai from that place up on Market street. You know the one with the little golden treasure bag dumpling things?”

“Man, she gets treasure bags? Do I get some?” Julia teases.

“If you come hold my hand tomorrow, you get anything you want.”

“Mm, no dice. I’m doing enough hand-holding as it is. Speaking of which, you could still bring it to me at the bar...” she grins over her mug, eyes sparkling playfully.

Jaskier rolls his eyes and sighs. “Extortionist.” 

“You love me,” she snorts.

“I do,” he breaks out into a smile, leaning against the island top with his elbows. “Thanks for running me home.”

Julia shifts in her seat and sighs, leaning forward onto her elbows and giving Jaskier a frank look. “I got you, it’s no problem. It’s not every day you get blown out of the water by something like this. You gonna be ok?”

Jaskier considers his mug with a thoughtful moue, then nods. “I think I am, Julia. I’m sorry about this morning, it won’t happen again.”

Smirking, Julia shrugs. “Just do better.”

Fluffing the hair on the back of his neck, Jaskier nods. “You got it.” He takes a thoughtful sip of his coffee, then asks, “How are you doing?” His voice is gentle as he asks the question, sensitive to the ongoing nature of her pain.

Julia shifts uneasily, squinting at her mug. “I dunno. I’m making it. Don’t wanna look for a new place yet, but I know it’s gonna be time soon.” She casts a short, hard-to-read look at Jaskier. She appreciates him asking, but she’s also not sure how much she wants to talk.

“When’s the lease up?” Jaskier asks, his eyes soft. 

“Uhm…” Julia cleared her throat. “June.”

“Julia!" Jaskier gasps, exasperated. "That was over a month ago! You didn’t just sign a new one, did you? Why didn’t you talk to me first?” 

“I didn’t wanna talk about it,” Julia growls, scowling.

Jaskier rolls his eyes. “Oh, don’t get all growly with me. You’re miserable there! Rue is all over that place, darling! I can barely turn around twice in there without bumping into something that breaks my heart, I don't know how you go and live there every day."

Julia presses her lips together, tapping her carton of kreteks between her fingers. She shrugs. "I can't imagine being anywhere else. All I have left is there."

Heart breaking a little, Jaskier sighs. He regards Julia kindly. "You can't hold on like that forever." 

Scowling, Julia shrugs. That might be true, but she didn’t have to like it.

Pursing his lips thoughtfully, Jaskier looks her over for a moment. He hesitates, then says, "Why don't you just start looking? There's no harm in at least checking the paper…" he nudges her gently. "Worst that can happen is you don't fall in love with the first place you see. No harm, right?"

Julia shuffles uncomfortably, taking a big gulp of her coffee. She frowns at her cup, then looks out of the corner of her eye at Jaskier. “I can’t afford to break the lease.”

“Nonsense, you’ve got plenty of savings to cover shit like that,” Jaskier replies, still exasperated. “Besides, even if you didn’t, I’d cover you. You know that!”

“I know…” Julia grumbles, “But-”

“So what you mean is, you’re still stuck and you’re not ready to go yet.”

Julia scowls. She wants desperately to argue with him, to lash out and protect herself, but the impulse passes before the words can even form. She shrugs. “Maybe so.” 

Jaskier sighs. “Julia darling, I’m convinced there’s a place in the world for you. Somewhere that will feel good and be just for you. Who knows, maybe you’ll even meet someone soon? Stranger things have happened.”

“Stranger things can eat my ass,” Julia snaps.

Unimpressed, Jaskier shrugs. “Okay.” He pops open his pudding cup and spoons up a mouthful, sucking it off of his spoon thoughtfully. “Mm. Should you ever decide to come out of that suck-ass hedge-maze of grumpiness you’ve built for yourself I’ll be here. I love you, despite all your best efforts to turn into an unmanageable troll.” 

“Oh what, and you’re Prince Charming?” Julia scoffs. “Puh-lease, you little drama queen.” They both eye each other for a moment, wavering, then break out in quiet laughter. Jaskier reaches over and pats her hand, and Julia smiles crookedly. She drains the last of her mug, then sets it down with a final-sounding ‘thunk.’ “All right, mijo. I won’t keep you talking all night. Thanks for the kreteks, I hope you work everything out. Call me if you need me.”

“I will. Same goes for you, darling. My phone is always on for you, and my door is always open. I don’t care what time it is, if you need me you come. Ok?”

Julia eyes him uncertainly, then nods. She had taken him up on the offer before, showing up at odd hours eaten alive by grief and unable to be alone with it anymore. “Ok. See you tomorrow.” She punches his shoulder affectionately, then heads for the door.

“Good night, Julia. Safe drive, I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

~*~

Jaskier puts himself back together during the intervening days. He attends therapy, brings Julia her takeout, and things return to normal at the bar. Sunday morning he rides his bike, but this time he’s sober, more himself. At the end of the night, he pulls Julia to the side as she sighs in exasperation. 

Jaskier gives her a sheepish smile, leaning back against one of the counters. “Sorry, I’m not going to keep you long tonight.”

“Yeah? Good, my fish are starting to worry I’m seeing someone new,” Julia cracks. “What’s up?” Her eyes travel to the closet where the bike is and back to him. “Car ok?”

“What?” He looks over his shoulder in the direction she’s indicating. “Oh! No, it’s fine. I just wanted to take a long ride tonight after work, maybe catch the sunrise out south of my house.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s Geralt. I finally decided to call him. I think I’ve got my head on straight and I still wanna do it.”

Julia sucks her teeth thoughtfully. It’s sweet to see him excited, but she worries about his heart, too. He doesn’t always guard it as carefully as he should. “You sure? From what you’re telling me, it doesn’t sound like you’re lookin’ at a walk in the park. He’s married, he’s got a family halfway across the world, he’s in the closet…”

Jaskier sighs. “I know, Julia. I was there, I remember.” 

Julia arches her eyebrow at him but doesn’t comment. 

Jaskier chews his lip. “I know it’s probably stupid, and I know we could break each other’s hearts, but…” he ruffles his hand through his hair. “I don’t meet men like that every day. Besides. I will definitely regret it if I don’t at least see him one more time.” 

Julia rolls her eyes, but a fond smile creeps across her tawny face. “I’ll give you wanting to see him again one more time, you two really should talk. Just try not to be a dumbass, ok? Go slow. You’ve gotta take care of yourself, you’re not twenty anymore.”

The look on Jaskier’s face softens thoughtfully, and he nods. “I know. I’ll try to be good.”

“Good. Where are you planning on taking him? This doesn’t sound like public conversation material.”

“Well… that’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. I was thinking maybe the best place would be the bar.”

“What, don’t want to use your house?” Julia asks dryly. 

“Nnnoo, uh…” Jaskier rubs the back of his neck, turning red. 

“I get it.” Julia cuts him off with a quick gesture, smirking.  “You wanna keep it on the up and up. Don’t you have somewhere else you could meet him though?”

“Mmm… I mean, there are some parks I could take him to, but that feels weird for a private conversation, you know?” Julia nods. Jaskier continues, “He’s staying with his wife at the hotel, and I feel like it would be rude to ask him to kick her out so we can talk. Most of my friends have these teeny apartments so I can’t exactly borrow space from them. The bar seemed like the best place.”

Julia hums, then nods. “I get it. Not like I have a porch I could offer you or anything.”

“Yeah. So…?”

Shrugging, Julia stuffs her keys into her pocket. “Go for it. Just don’t fuck all over the furniture or I’m gonna fire you,” she cracks.

Jaskier laughs. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She might not be able to actually fire him, all joking aside, but Julia has a way of finding truly horrifying tasks to saddle him with. He isn’t about to try her and they both know it.  He pushes off of the counter, then digs a faxed receipt out of his back pocket and unfolds it. “Kreteks are on the way, by the bye. Here’s the tracking number.” 

Julia lights up, making grabby hands as Jaskier hands the receipt over. She scans it, then gives a satisfied smile and folds it up to stick in her wallet. “Great. All right, I’m gonna head outta here. Let me know how it goes, ok?”

“As if I’d leave you out of the loop,” Jaskier hums fondly. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Am I gonna lose a hand if I try to hug you?”

“Yep,” Julia says with a chuckle. She reaches over and slaps Jaskier’s shoulder companionably on her way out the door. “Good night, mijo.” 

“Good night, Julia. Drive safe.” Jaskier says to her retreating back, smiling. He turns away as the kitchen door swings shut and makes one last circuit of the bar. When he gets outside he closes up; there is a satisfying click as the tumblers lock into place. It has been a good night, and tomorrow is full of possibilities.

[tiliamericana]

Muay Thai: 1.04

Read From Start | Read Ahead | Home Site

It was amazing just how quickly Nairi got used to waking up and finding texts from Cherry waiting for her.

Cherry seemed to be up and on at all hours of the day; she was awake in the morning well before Nairi’s eleven o’clock alarm, but also worked well into the small hours of the night and put in long hours at the day job. Nairi had managed to ascertain that it had something to do with art—Cherry had strong opinions on grades of paper (something about absorbency), colour theory (people were stupid), watercolours (they were bad), and on the one occasion she’d come upstairs had informed Nairi that her walls were driving her mad and that she’d be painting something to stop the encroaching insanity.

When she wasn’t inserting herself into Nairi’s life she was sending Nairi pictures and selfies with her other friends; grad students with brightly coloured hair, a grinning bartender showing off his flair, baking with a short woman in glasses. And now this:

C: youre closed on tues y/y?? C: which means yourf free tonight right?

Nairi sent her back a quick “yes” and set her phone down before pulling herself out of bed to face the day. Not opening the dojo meant she was able to take a little longer with her morning, but she still preferred to do her prayers before she had to think about anything else, and Cherry was prone to showing up if Nairi indicated she had free time. Which she apparently had a lot more of than she realised.

Maybe she should look for a new style to start training in. This was the first time she hadn’t been focused on a new one since she… Well, for a while.

When she came back upstairs her phone was lit up again. Maybe Cherry had ideas about lunch? It would mean she’d have a reason to go out and eat something.

C: great!! C: dn you wanna come out tonight?? dinner C: on me if i need to sweeten it ;) edies just moved back fr work and if its just me her and nick im go6na die from them being old folks who disapprove all night C: also i keep talking about you at nick and he wants to meet you lol

Nairi had initially assumed ‘Nick’ was Cherry’s father, just based on the way she talked about him. But then Cherry had mentioned her father later, just calling him ‘Dad’, so maybe he wasn’t? Either that, or she was very discreet about their being gay. Or she just went back and forth between ‘Dad’ and ‘Nick’ arbitrarily. ‘Edie’ on the other hand was a name Cherry had mentioned in passing once and then never again, so Nairi had concluded she was one of the colourful grad students. Apparently not.

She sent back a “sure”, and then after a moment, asked for a place and time.

C: yay!! thank you!! C: its this fckn italian place edie loves but theres a ok bar so not all bad C: edies fatal allergic to being on time but nickll be 7 minutes early

The next message was a sticker, a little pair of eyes rolling across her phone screen when she opened it.

C: meet at 7? C: i checked the menu has good veg C: pasta heavy but good :p

Nairi smiled a little at that and sent her another “yes”. After a moment she added a “thank you”. Cherry sent her back three hearts, and Nairi put her phone down to go and get some lunch.

She didn’t think anything of it until she showed up at the restaurant. Cherry had driven and was already parked, leaning against the side of her obnoxious little two door to wait. It was bright red and nearly vintage, and she’d obviously put a lot of care into it. Nairi had half expected vanity plates, but they were a normal registration.

Nairi waved as she approached and Cherry visibly perked up with a wide, glossy smile, waving back. Cherry had dressed up a little nicer—dark skinny jeans and a pretty sleeveless shirt with a modest v-neck. The heavy Docs were gone, traded for heeled ankle boots, and she had delicate pearl bob earrings to match her golden cross. Not a paint spatter in sight.

“Hi,” she said as Nairi drew to a halt just out of arm’s reach. “Didn’t we pick an interesting night to go out?”

“We sure did,” said Nairi, her brow furrowing as she looked past Cherry to the road between them and the restaurant. “What the hell is going on?”

The stretch of asphalt was filled with a flock of young adults, all of them shirtless, yelling along together in an incomprehensible chant as they ran up and down between two unmarked points on the road. They were arguably being directed; a young woman with a reflective coat and a manic grin, holding a megaphone in one hand and an airhorn in the other, was standing on a shopping cart in the middle. Standing next to her on the ground, was another woman in reflective orange with a clipboard.

Judging by the amount of honking and the lack of anything resembling city signage, this wasn’t an official event.

Cherry glanced down at her phone as one of the women held up the airhorn to the megaphone. Charitably she waited for Nairi’s ears to stop ringing before she spoke. “Flo did a round on the facebook pages—apparently it’s some dorm flash mob from a hall at her college.”

“Which one’s Flo? Did she have the blue hair?” asked Nairi as she lowered her hands from her head and gladly pulled her attention away from a panting eighteen-year-old who had something pink painted on his heaving chest.

“Nah that’s Mason, he’s finishing up his sociology honours. Flo has the green hair, she’s doing her psych PhD,” said Cherry, craning her neck to look around Nairi. “Nick’s here! Right on time, like I said.”

She started waving, and Nairi turned to see the tallest man she’d ever seen waving back across at them. She raised an eyebrow, the muscles in her forearms tensing, and she tried not to feel too uneasy about it.

Cherry hummed happily, picking herself up from where she was leaning on the car door and reaching in through the open window to grab a thin cardigan from the seat. “Oh, and just a heads up,” she said casually, “Nick like, really hates it when people call me Cherry, it’ll probably be better if you just use my real name in front of him.”

Nairi opened her mouth to remind her that she’d never actually gotten around to saying what the was exactly, but Cherry was already halfway across the lot towards the man. “Nick!” she called out as she approached, closing the distance and leaning up on tiptoe to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

He said something to her, pausing to hug her back before continuing over to Nairi. He drew to a halt next to her while Cherry returned to perching against her car. “You must be Nairi,” he said, voice alarmingly deep, hand outstretched. “Linden’s told me so much about you.”

Nairi took his hand and shook it once before dropping it, resisting the urge to take a step back once she’d done so. “Likewise. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Nicholas was close to seven feet tall and probably in his late fifties or very early sixties if she was any judge. His hair had landed firmly in the ‘grey’ zone just past salt-and-pepper, though he’d managed to keep rather a lot of it, close cropped in a very standard short back and sides. He had broad shoulders and a carefully ironed shirt that looked worn but cared for. He had a firm grip, muscle swelling ever so slightly in the lines of his shirt, and there was a furrow in his brow that made him look deeply concerned about something.

Though, from what she’d learned being friends with Cherry—Linden—if she were an older adult in her life she’d probably be deeply concerned as well. Or maybe it was the students.

“Do either of you know what’s going on here?” he asked after a moment, nodding at the crowd.

“Youthful hijinks keeping us from our dinner,” said Linden, grinning easily. She’d released some of the tension in her shoulders since Nicholas’s arrival, but at the same time seemed a little more on edge, like she was anticipating something. She took a deep, exaggerated breath, and pushed her hands into her jean pockets. “Do you know what that smell is?”

Nairi exchanged a faintly puzzled look with Nicholas, though his looked a little more exasperated. “Cheap beer?” she tried.

Linden sniggered. “Yeah, we called it ‘Eau de Freshie’ when I was in school,” she said, tossing her head to give the students behind them a speculative, almost mean look. They were still yelling enthusiastically, and she gestured at them. “It’s no longer funny, anyway. How many of these assholes do you reckon I have to beat up to let us get through?”

“I’m sure it doesn’t need to come to that,” said Nairi, her mouth twitching a little at the side.

Nicholas shot her a grateful look. “From the looks of things someone has already called the police, I’m sure they’ll be dispersed presently,” he said with a nod towards a pissed off looking woman standing by the crosswalk, phone jammed up against her ear.

“The cops always take fucking forever,” complained Linden, running a hand through her hair, foot tapping impatiently. “Come on Nick, you actually like, made a reservation and now we’re gonna miss it.”

“Linden I’m reasonably certain the staff can see what’s happening from where they’re standing,” said Nicholas, irritation creeping into his tone. “A little patience will not kill you, please do not start a fistfight with a teenager.”

Linden grinned at him, stretching her arms out in front of her chest. “I’m like, pretty certain the one with the airhorn is at least twenty.”

“Linden.”

“Well, I mean,” said Nairi speculatively, eyeing the students. “All you really have to do is be flashier than them.”

One of the running students fell out of pitch with their friends, and someone complained in her peripheral. A car door slammed and there was the crunch of footsteps on gravel followed by a huff as someone else joined the spectators. Linden turned her grin back to Nairi. “Yeah? You got an idea?”

“Yeah,” said Nairi, stepping up to Linden and reaching past her into the car window.

The other items she wanted were on the front seat, and Linden’s grin only widened as Nairi pulled them out. The baseball bat was wooden and well used, with a long crack threatening to split it clean open and letter stickers in the world’s ugliest font spelling ‘LINDE’ down the length. There was a clean spot amongst the built-up grime under the ‘E’. The bottle of lighter fluid was about half full, and Nairi held the bat out in front of her to squirt the contents over it liberally, splattering the asphalt in front of them as she did so.

She reached around Linden, extending the same familiarity she’d been receiving from her for the last two weeks, and pulled the lighter out of her back pocket.

The bat lit up easily and Nairi twisted it around to hold it upright, offering it to Linden. Linden looked at her, wide eyed, and took the bat. She placed her other hand on Nairi’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “You get me,” she said with warmth, before throwing her head back and cackling loudly, sprinting towards the crowd of students with the bat raised over her head.

Nicholas, next to her, made a faint, strangled noise. Behind her was a scoff and a loud voice. “Well. I’m guessing you must be Nairi.”

She turned and came face to face with an older woman in a rumpled men’s dress shirt and glasses who was glaring at her. She had red hair, natural as opposed to Linden’s box dye, and it was plaited out of the way to keep her tired face clear. Grey blue eyes stared down Nairi under her stern brow, and she uncrossed her arms to step forward into Nairi’s personal space. She was stocky and only a little shorter, barely having to raise her chin. “Just for reference,” she said, tone acerbic, “If I hear a single piece of news about young adult burn victims in the local urgent care facilities tomorrow? I will track you down and hold you personally responsible.”

She stepped away without waiting for an answer, glare sliding over to Nicholas. “You’re so right, Nicholas, I can see how much of a model presence she is,” she said in a way that even Nairi could read the sarcasm. “You remain a uniquely terrible judge of character.”

She strode across the street in the wake of Linden’s chaos. The students had mostly scattered with cheers and yells, and the girl with the megaphone was doubled over laughing in her shopping cart.

Nicholas was very slowly turning red, staring at Nairi with an unreadable expression. She coughed slightly and spun on one foot to follow the others across the street, trying to swallow her irritation at their judgement.

[mousehole5000]

the rest... of... book 4..... through chapter 225

i sad.

“He was lying to himself and lying to others! All nothing but deceit! No matter what, it was impossible to pretend nothing had ever happened, and it was impossible to return to before!!!” - i know :(

“Before Feng Xin went, he was afraid. Now that Feng Xin had gone, he wasn’t scared any longer. But, even though he wasn’t afraid anymore, he was in deeper agony.” - ah yes. being afraid of your friends leaving so you do things to drive them away so you can have something to point to and say that you were the one who made the choice and you dont have to fear it anymore. except that has never once worked out ever and turns out losing people just means you lost them and it still hurts. not that i would know or anything.....

“He saw upon the table there were a few plates of horrid-looking dishes that were now cold. They were what he made the queen take away without eating a single bite the night before. Now, he pulled them over absent-mindedly, and ate everything, not daring to leave behind a single leaf, afraid to miss a single grain of rice. After he ate he started puking.” - this broke me and the bad cooking isnt funny anymore :(

all this happens after they have money again. no further commentary on this chapter

i know for a lot of book 3 i just wanted hua cheng to go away but now i would give anything for wuming to come and interrupt these interactions with white no-face

“Lang Ying, a brute commoner, led an army and destroyed Xianle. With the aura of the king enveloping his body, ordinary evil wouldn’t be able to come close to his person. However, at this moment, what Xie Lian brought with him were millions of souls of those who died on the battlefield!” - interesting to think about this story from lang ying’s point of view. the bit about his wife and child... oh my god... the things we carry with us...

“Will it really be alright to leave him like this? How about, I give him a cup of water?” - cup of water motif is back... ouch

“One person. Just one. Really. Just one person was enough!” - for like 20 minutes after reading this i really was just sitting here thinking about every time a stranger did me a small a kindness and the times i did the same it just made me cry harder i love people and they really can be awful and choose to be cold and cruel but it means that when they choose to be kind..... it doesnt negate the cruelty but its still indescribable.. and being able to see that and remember that even after all the pain..... 

ugh still just thinking about the times ive gone through something that changed me and having the cold numb fear that i would never be the same as i was before that i would lose some precious part of me forever and wondering if this would be the thing that finally did it... i dont know if ive ever actually experienced a piece of media that really make me think about that tbh

“Stop thinking so highly of yourself! I don’t need you to teach me anything, I can learn on my own. If you represent heaven’s will, then something like heaven’s will should be destroyed!” - why is defying the heavens so sexy.... keep it up (edit after white no-face identity reveal: HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!)

the fact that xie lian went through what he did and got nothing out of it and in fact lost everything he had left due to the trauma,,,,, but just one person is enough for him to willingly offer to do it again, even if all he could save is one person,,,,,, crying again.... and who it is who takes it all on instead... ok...

“After all, everyone knew that Mu Qing ascended because he cleaned up all the remaining stubborn resentful spirits in the old capital of Xianle, so to understand it as “generous and kind” wasn’t unreasonable. In any case, everyone in the old capital of Xianle were all very grateful for him.” - its not unreasonable at all!!! this boy picks cherries for his mom and the neighborhood kids leave him alone

“Shaking his head, Xie Lian contemplated, then he ladled two large bowls of rice, one offered inside the Temple of Ju Yang, the other inside the Temple of Xuan Zhen. Finally, feeling that everything served its purpose, he clapped his hands close, completely satisfied.” - please i just want them to be friends again

ruoye........ xie lian bidding farewell to the tiny red flower.... ok i feel a totally normal amount about all these things

book 5 time!!!

xie lian king of taking a third option.. no one dies in the kiln at all we’re just leaving bitch

“Xie Lian didn’t know why he had to use his hands to cup Hua Cheng’s cheeks, but he did so subconsciously, probably so he could comfort him, but also because Xie Lian was afraid Hua Cheng’s face would be frostbitten by the snowstorm.” - gay people.....

“This giant stone divine statue must’ve been sculpted when Hua Cheng was trapped inside the Kiln, when he was severely beaten down and in intense suffering.” - ohhhh my god. okay. okay. look. i get it....

“The divine statue obeyed his command and took off with a gigantic, wide step, going along with the rolling current of snow. One slide was several miles, and the snow waves it created crashed around its body. Because both its arms were open, even though it was a body of a million tons, it still maintained good balance.” - HELL YEAH!! HELL YEAH LETS FUCKING GO LETS GOOOOO

the statue that requires transfers of spiritual energy... statue of make you kiss me i see how it is.....

“Hearing this, Hua Cheng raised his brows, his expression seeming to say, please have them beat each other to death, that’d be great.” - when you dont like your SO’s friends and they dont like you

“With a sharp sword in hand, Xie Lian was like a tiger with wings added, his might increasing exponentially, and he struck out!” - YES!!! GET EM!!!!

“No one could blame him for not knowing what was going on. Perhaps, he was confused the entire way: Why was he beaten? Why was he buried inside a wall? Why was he turned into a daruma doll? And why did he have to turn into a sword, too? There was not a single point where he’d figured out what was happening.” its okay qyz its okay i know honey me too

HELLO?? SQX IS BACK???? omg what a development omg omg okay okay interesting... okay so shi wudu would have rather died than lose everything but shi qingxuan is still trucking

“Hua Cheng responded lazily, “Oh? So you mean to say, beggars can’t save the world? Is it because they don’t have the ability to, or because they’re not worthy?” - KING okay i know this is a motivational tactic but also... who was it who took on all the souls for the human face disease and did in fact save the world back then hmmm?

absolutely enthralled by the fact that in chapter 207 we find out that the guoshi is in fact just. still here. and the name of the chapter is "Seeking Affection; Ghost King Fakes Displeasure” which i mean that happens too but fjasdlkfajsld

bruh okay. okay. okay. everything is happening okay. okay. chaos in the heavens okay. ling wen is still invited to kiss me on the mouth tho idc

“Indeed Yin Yu didn’t have enough confidence, and said weakly, “Chengzhu has shown me grace, he saved me…” “I know,” Jun Wu said. “He even helped you pacify and send off the resentful spirit of Jian Yu, who died during banishment, am I right?” - awww im glad they resolved that bit that whole situation was awful also give me the forbidden hua cheng ghost king lore...

“Yin Yu finally couldn’t take it anymore. He clenched his fists tight, his knuckles cracking, and he whipped around. “I DO RESENT HIM! I DO HATE HIM!!! BUT, SO WHAT??” - yin yu kiss me on the mouth right now

“Xie Lian hugged him. “It’s alright, it’s alright. These are all small matters, really. Your Highness Yin Yu, just live in this world for another few hundred years and you’ll know that none of that really matters. Either driven to madness or really wishing someone would die, whichever. Who in the world has never had such thoughts? I’ve even thought of massacring all in the world who had wronged me, it’s true, and no lie, I’d almost done it. But look at me, haven’t I shamelessly lived until now? You haven’t actually done anything in the end, and that’s the most important thing.” - he’s right im crying again

“But…in the end, I…still think…it’s so unfair,” Yin Yu sobbed. “If I was already destined to be no one remarkable, then at the very least, I…wanted to be a kind and perfect person. But…I couldn’t even do that. It’s really…so unfair. And truth to be told, even in this moment, just thinking that I’m dying for Yizhen, this little dummy, I still can’t get over it. I can’t even let go and die with a heart with no resentment and no regrets, what is that.” - YIN YU YOU CANT DIE NOOOOOOO youre the only man in this whole book i would kiss why does this always happen im actually really sad ;_;

“If the Rain Master was killed directly, and a better heavenly official couldn’t be found to replace her, the people put food above all else; if agriculture isn’t running smoothly, the world will be thrown into chaos. You don’t let people eat, people won’t give you a job. Besides being displeased with the Rain Master, the people of the world might also begin to be dissatisfied with the great god above Rain Master’s head. Which means, if he isn’t careful, the fire can burn all the way onto him. If things aren’t controlled adequately, it might incur riots to topple gods.” - rain master my friend rain master... also yes!!!!! food production!!!! critical!!!!!!! theres a lot you can get by without but food is not one of them!!!!!

“Feng Xin was Xie Lian’s servant, his good friend, but not his slave. He could’ve built his own home, had his own family. And he had actually already met those people, but the encounter just had to be during Xie Lian’s first banishment, the toughest days they suffered back then.” i am very sad about all of this

hua cheng in the palace of ling wen looking for the brocade immortal while the heavens are in complete chaos as the world turns on its head and STILL taking the time to beg for kisses is making me lose it fjalkdfjlsd

oh my god the guoshi and the cards thing..... hmmmm

delighted that mount tong’lu has such great significance beyond just being the kiln or whatever

hmmm crown prince of wuyong... its truly sad... but dude.....

the way that the heavenly capital is literally built out of previous gods... wow

the outright attempt to continue to cycle of trauma that failed simply bc 1. xie lian is his own person and 2. xie lian recieved kindness and gave it back to the world even to the people who refused to help him im ;_;

the absolute mess of xuan ji/rong guang/pei su/banyue/ke mo going down in the palace of ming guang... entertainment

okay i think im to a point where i dont have any possible spoiler knowledge in my brain about what happens next (only thing i have is theres a joke about he xuan eating that i dont understand yet and i think we might get like an emily corpse bride moment but if we do i dont know why) but oh my god things have escalated

[pastelgrungewrecker]

Fledgling

You float in the pool where the soundtrack is canned You go ask your questions, like “What makes a man?”

Expectations are a motherfucker.

Quickdraw hugged his knees, leaning against Mimi as she rubbed his back and soothed the hiccuping noises coming from his narrow chest. His black eye hidden by his arms and his torn shirt hanging loosely on his frame he whimpered his faults between the soft “Sssshshshsh” coming from his big sister.

“You know our dads love you no matter what, Qd. And no one knows ‘em like we do.”

“You’re just fine the way you are, I promise.”

Day in and day out- he stared at his reflection. Flicking the side of his front teeth with a thumbnail and hating the gap between them, the way they didn’t seem to fit in with his widened double canines. His cupid’s bow and the softness of his lips, the sharpness showing in his cheekbones and the thick waves in his hair that ate through brushes and combs alike.

He tugged at the chopped shirt he wore- the edge hanging well above his navel and showing the lanky skinniness and isolated roundness of his stomach in the center of a birdlike torso.

He was broken stone and vines, he was a battered shrine to his parent’s legacies that he felt like he was failing with every displeased look and every disappointed P.E. teacher.

He flexed his arms, sighing at the uneven muscle blooming under skin and over bone and felt tears bubbling up in gold eyes before he hugged himself around his narrow chest and bit his lip until the skin tore again and leaked violent red over cashmere skin until the door creaked open and he nearly screamed.

Whirl stood behind him, face worried and patch absent to show the wild scarring around a milk-white and dead eye.

“...Kiddo, c’mon. Talk to me sweetheart.”

“D-Dad I-I-I- It’s nothing I-I’m f-fine-”

His stammer rising in time with his anxiety and a gurgle in his stomach as he clapped a hand over his mouth and hiccuped burning. A nod of Whirl’s head and Quickdraw leaned over the toilet and let his stomach expel nothing but his worries and retched his mourning- tears bubbling up over his cheeks as he heard Brainstorm and Drift’s worried calls from the living room.

“I’s alright, his stomach’s just upset!”

An answering murmur, the sound of Drift fumbling with the phone to contact Ratchet or First Aid or who knew who else as Quickdraw’s long fingers curled into fists and his tears came faster and thicker and he swore they were viscous and sticking to him like shoplifting ink.

He cried in cornstarch as he mourned the falsehood calling Whirl his father felt like.

Whirl rubbed Quickdraw’s back, softly hushing the muted whimpers that escaped nervous nausea as the adolescent’s heaves finally calmed and quieted and he returned to his forlorn vigil in front of the mirror- brushing the teeth he wouldn’t look at and dodging the teary eyes he hated recognizing as his own.

He rinsed his mouth of the final traces of terror and Whirl put a hand on his shoulder.

“Mimi told me you had trouble with your P.E. teacher again; do I gotta go down to the school and give him a fuckin’ piece of my mind?”

“He gave me trouble BECAUSE you did that.”, rasped Quickdraw- before the dam broke. Wiry shoulders shook and his arms held against his chest as those sugarsyrup tears came back like cast resin and his breathing shuddered, “B-Bec-vause I’m n-no Wrecker’s SON!”

Whirl froze, something vicious flickering in his good eye before it was blinked away and he turned Quickdraw to face him, “What did you just say.”

“N-No one b-believes I-I’m your b-boy!”, he sobbed, “B-Because I-I’m so s-soft!”

“Who in the hell-”

“B-Because I l-look girly and g-g-g-g-”

“Deep breaths, young’n. Deep breaths, and speak slow okay?”

“Th-They say I l-look gay a-and I can’t b-be Whirl’s son-n.”, he hiccuped, coughing bitterly once, “A-And they j-joke I’m ado-dopted since Whirl wouldn’t h-have such a stupid soft kid like m-me!”

He leaned his head forward, sobbing hoarsely again as his lanky jackdaw limbs uncurled and wrapped around his father’s waist in a desperate bid to stay on Earth instead of flying away on his own wheezed crying, “A-And it’s f-fucking HARD dad I’m trying so HARD to make you and p-papa and everyone proud but e-every DAY I hear this-”

Whirl hugged his son tightly, trying desperately to calm him, to soothe his worries and fears and flaws and perfections as the boy broke into little glass shards all over the floor- weeping his morningdew and carnation petals and wisteria all over the tile floor.

Whirl gently loosened Quickdraw’s hold, getting down onto a creaking knee and holding his boy’s sharp face in his warmed steel hands. His thumbs stroked over sharp cheekbones and the beginning of Brainstorm’s keen smirk and sharp frown and pouty lips and feels his heart break that his boy can’t see the beauty waiting to bloom in softness.

“Don’t you EVER listen to pieces of shit like that, Quickdraw- you hear me?”, he said, his voice a paternal growl even as stardust leaked from Quickdraw’s eyes in rivers, “You are MY BOY, and I have NEVER been prouder of you, you understand me?! Those pieces of shit don’t have a damn clue about me, and they never will- hell, they’re probably the same fucking dumbasses who gave me shit about my hair. I got long hair and steal Papa Bee’s shirts all the time, who gives a shit. So you wear half shirts, baby boy you got too much torso like me and that gets sweaty and fuckin’ itchy when you run! And boy you run everywhere! Not your fault those pieces of shit look like the corpses of Barbies used as Chrona’s chewies when she was a li’l pocket potato.”

Quickdraw hiccuped a giggle.

“Anyone who’s gotta problem with you can fuckin’ take it up with me. What they think don’t matter. They give you shit? Call me. Right then and there- ah, ah, ah; I don’t CARE if phones ain’t allowed! I’ll punt a teenager, I’ll clock a principal! Papa Whirl gives ZERO fucks if his baby bird is bein’ harassed, you got it? And if they really piss me off, I’ll hand ‘em over to Brainstorm and Percy and really watch the fur and feathers fly.”

Whirl huffed, smoothing Quickdraw’s hair out of his face as the boy blinked owlishly. The tears had slowed at least, and his breathing only shivered a little behind his birdcage ribs.

“You are my li’l canary-boy; you’re my dino-baby and you’re Quickdraw and that’s fuckin’ aces to me, got it? You don’t dissapoint me, you ain’t ‘failing the legacy’ or what the fuck ever just cause you like makeup or doin’ your nails or wearin’ skinny jeans or someshit. Hell, ask Papa Percy some of the ridiculous shit I got up to with my appearance; he still hates half my tattoos and don’t get ‘im STARTED on the piercings I got.”

“S-So I’m n-not a bad kid f-for not being strong and tough like y-you?”

It hit Whirl like a lightning bolt, and his eye widened until it watered.

“...Quickdraw, Qd- Nothin’ makes me happier than knowin’ you got a gentle soul.”, he said softly, pulling his son back into a hug, “Nothin’ brings me as much joy as knowin’ you and your sister got so much love in your li’l bodies, are you kiddin’ me? Qd, I spent so many damn years runnin’ on hellfire and hatred that I was SCARED of havin’ kids... I was so scared they’d be like I was, cold and cruel and sharp and angry. Seein’ you and your sisters in your little blanket forts and watchin’ sappy movies? Seein’ you bring home puppies and kits you found walkin’ home cause you were scared they’d be hurt? I knew right then you weren’t gonna carry my scars and rage and that brought me more peace than I ever thought possible.”

Whirl got to his feet, lifting his son easily and feeling spindly limbs coil and cling as he reached behind him and opened the door fully.

“You and your sibs taught me I still got love in me, cause you all have so much in you and ANYONE who tells you bein’ ‘soft’ in a world like this is wrong? I’m gonna make ‘em learn why they called me a Polyhexian Devil. My fists are reinforced now, and they’re just ASKIN’ to find out how much.”

Brainstorm stood outside the door, face livid and high in color as Quickdraw buried his face into Whirl’s shoulder and hiccuped softly again. He followed Whirl and their son back out to the couch, curled up next to them and gently brushed lab-scuffed knuckles against his boys teardamp face until he opened watery sunrise eyes.

“Quickdraw.”, said Brainstorm firmly.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Your fathers, your family, says you are perfect the way you are.”, said Brainstorm firmly, “At the end of the day, nothing else matters- all you need to worry about is us... and You. Are you happy, with who you are?”

“I-I think I’m p-pretty cool.”

“Then fuck everyone else. If you like yourself, no one else’s opinions matter; and when you get a little older? Not even your dads’s opinions matter anymore. If you love yourself, everyone else can either fall in step or fuck right off out the door.”

A kiss to Quickdraw’s forehead.

“And if that means, my li’l munchkin wants to wear pretty things? Then rock it. If anyone complains, we’ll take care of ‘em.”

“And yeah, I’m goin’ to your school next week Qd.”, growled Whirl, “Me an’ your P.E. teacher are gonna have a nice long talk in the parking lot.”

“Give him a busted eye socket from me, babe.”

Quickdraw giggled thickly at Brainstorm’s request, complete with fluttering eyelashes.

Whirl squeezed his son once more for good measure before loosening his hold and letting Quickdraw shift down to fit perfectly between his parents as Brainstorm hugged him around bony shoulders.

“Become whoever you want, whoever you feel like being, baby boy.”, said Brainstorm softly as he planted a kiss against Quickdraw’s wavy mop of hair, “We’re ALL proud of you, as long as you’re being true to yourself.”

“Ok-kay.”, he said, a hiccup breaking the word in half like a cracking lock on a door he hadn’t realized he hid behind, a wardrobe made of barbed words and stuffed full of all the things he dreamed of being.

[furymint]

Three Characters Similar to Mine

i was tagged by @alusbeauregard​ and @norhimorovine​! tagging @kukurubean​ @aethernoise​ @houserosaire​ @seascrapes​ & @rhotanored​!

lord goring is a Good. he’s got his love’s lord chilterns back, he’s the wildean mouthpiece of witticism and sentimentalisms, and he Will get what he wants by outsmarting ur less fashionable ass. he’s vain and evasive of what he doesn’t like, is always doling out advice despite never having himself together, and ends up playing priest’s ear for everyone bc he’s in everyone’s business.

ok i havent read vile bodies yet or seen bright young things, but miles is 1) a tennant character, 2) a waugh character, and 3) another waugh character based on tennant. so. it checks out. and based on those things i can conclude that he is an excitable, self-absorbed, bad-decision making, affectionate, helpless, and witty gay. i can bet $20 his subplot is abt alienation, seeking approval in unhealthy ways, and falling in love w someone he can’t completely understand.

i have no gif but wishaw plays every period gay so whats it matter

finally i pick oswald, the aristocratic pov chara of imre: a memorandum. while oswald’s not at full peace with his sexuality, he’s much more confident of it than imre. he knows how to present himself, and he’s managed to find comfort n belonging in budapest rather than further anonymity thru travel. he’s well guarded but warm, and enjoys talking abt anything. elliot’s very similar, and despite being much more traditionally feminine than oswald, both are fiercely defensive of their identity as men. they constantly seek love but never look to inspire it in someone, and still feel critically responsible for ‘deceiving’ and ‘obligating’ their loves into returning their affection.

yes, brianna, we get it, roland leighton, now stop posting gifs from the same damn scene. anyway. ra leighton was smart and an incredible poet. nolanel is neither of those things. but they’re both militant, glory-seeking, self-sacrificing, brutish, arrogant, loving, empathetic, irritable, respectful, and im love them. he wants to make something of himself but never feels in control of anything, which can cause him to slip up his stoicism n practiced hatred.

look at this idiot. andrei bolkonsky’s always seeking peace but never properly knows what he wants. he’s always thinking but never understanding or believing in anything but love. he simultaneously thinks hes not good enough for anyone but also that hes better than everyone. might as well go down in the military bc he’s not good at anything else. spitefully loyal n a wall of fake apathy. fan of isolating himself n working too hard. bad at social anything. nol.

guys hes sooooo dumb. so dumb. philip ashley from du maurier’s my cousin rachel. hes easily blinded by feelings and his own anxieties, refuses to give up his convictions + decisions, can’t deal w being Sociable well, n falls back on anger when uncertain abt anything. he’s easily suspicious of others and will believe what he wants to believe until things come crashing down n he's change forced to change his mind. unfathomably loyal. he's awkward but he's got presence nonetheless, and his body often talks for him--there's a deep physicality in the way he acts n carries himself.

[the-arg0naut]

Mon ami

ok here’s the deal

i wrote this weird, so its gonna be put out in parts

atm im thinking abt 3, but we’ll see how i wanna split up the later parts

its not bc its awful long or anything

i just wrote it weird

ok here’s part 1 of Mon Ami

~~~~~~

There was always a nice bit of routine. Vivienne, who claimed she didn’t need sleep (“I’ve done it before and I lived, get off my ass.”), would wait until her parents went to bed, sneak downstairs to grab her laptop, and run back up to crouch in her closet with a tiny light on and text Patty. Sometimes she would stay up for hours with her online friend, talking and roleplaying. A few times they stayed up until 5am for Viv (they lived a couple states apart, in separate time zones; Patty was an hour behind Vivienne), and they both nearly fell asleep while talking. It never really affected Viv in the morning; she was 12, after all, and those youngins have infinite energy, don’t they?

Vivienne stared at her laptop, open on the floor in front of her. C’mon, Pat, I know you’re online, respond to me you fool. She had texted her friend over Discord, their main method of communicating. At the moment, they had a roleplay going. It was about 11pm for Viv, mid-January. The roleplay plot had gotten particularly climactic when they cut it short last night, and Vivienne was eager to get back to it. However, Patty hadn’t responded yet. So Viv waited, as she always did, messing about on other websites as she waited for the lovely sound of the notification.

Blip. There it was. Viv excitedly hopped on Discord, reared and ready to go.

pattycake5: (hello hello! I have not died in the 16 hours since we last talked!)

Viviendo: (oh good, i was getting worried)

pattycake5: (aw, you care about meee?)

Viviendo: (oh shush, i just wanted to get back to the roleplay)

pattycake5: (i think you’re secretly a little cuddlebug who wants nothing but someone to be gay with and sweetness)

Viviendo: (yay to the first one, nay to the second)

pattycake5: (yeah ok, and im dark, edgy and emo /s)

Viviendo: (shut it and get back to the rp. It’s your turn)

pattycake5: (ok ok! I gotta go see where we left off)

Viviendo: (i’ll be here mon ami)

Of course, Patty had been right, Viv did want sweetness and sunshine, but she’ll be damned if she let her edgy persona she’d worked so hard to build fall away (you know, as 12 year olds do). 

They roleplayed late into the night, Viv falling asleep at her computer and Patty lovingly wishing her good dreams as she signed off.

2 years later. The two still text occasionally, and are still good friends, but life has gotten in the way and they’re both busy. However, whenever they do talk, it’s always so lovely.

pattycake5: y’know, i think i have an old binder that was too small i could send you

Virgalent: oh my god, are you being serious right now? like actually serious?

pattycake5: well yeah! it is my sworn duty to help fellow enbies out

Virgalent: you are Literally the best human ever mon ami

pattycake5: you bet i am.

pattycake5: also i kinda need your address if i'm gonna send this thing

Virgalent: oh! right, here

Addresses exchanged, they talked a while longer, both were happy.

Not too long after. Virgil (their name after coming out as nonbinary) had found some free time and wanted to text Patton (their name after coming out as nonbinary).

Virgalent: hello i am online hello: 

Virgalent: hello

Virgalent: bro its been like ten minutes hellur

Virgalent: pat?

Virgalent: hey c'mon now don't just leave me sitting here

Virgalent: pat

Virgalent: pattoooon

Virgalent: ok pat you’re starting to scare me

Virgalent: please just say something

Virgalent: anything

Virgalent: please

Nothing. Virgil was heartbroken. One of their closest friends, gone, without so much as a cursory goodbye. No clue what had happened. They didn’t know what to do. 

So they closed their laptop, went upstairs, and curled up in bed. They never got to sleep.

A month later. As they’ve done every night, they go downstairs and check Discord in the vain hope Patton might reply. Tonight, there’s a message. Not from Pat, but from… Someone else. They open it.

They don’t quite remember the specifics, but it went something like this:

Virgil,

When I tried to send you the package, it came right back with a Return to Sender stamped on it. You either gave me a fake address or it was wrong. My parents grounded me for a month, because they said internet friends are nothing but liars, as was evident by the package returning. I’m sending this to you through my friend Logan because I don’t want them to see this in my history. I have my phone back, but I… don’t particularly want to talk to you right now. So. Goodbye, ig.

Virgil couldn’t believe it. They read it over a thousand times and the words didn’t change, Didn’t feel better. It hurt like an icicle through their chest every time they read it. After about the 3rd read-through, they started crying. They don’t really remember what all they wrote back, but it was as polite as they could manage with tears streaming down their face.

All they remember is typing the end card: “Goodbye, mon ami.”

[minjoonalist]

Predilection | Chapter One

Pairing : Jikook x Reader [Feat. Taehyung]

Words: 4k

Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, Fluff

Warnings : explicit wording, masturbation, brief hand Job

Description: you want him, he wants you, but he also wants him, and him wants you- but him hurt you. So You hate him.

———

“Y/n, Park Jimin, and Jeon Jungkook. You three will be housing number 6”

“Are you kidding me…” you whisper, not even bothering to listen to whatever your professor had to say next. You were too busy being stuck on the two names that were just called along with yours, wondering what kind of sick joke the universe had to be playing on you to stick you with the men who ruined you years ago.

This can't be happening...

“Damn, tough luck kid” your best friend Taehyung chimes in next to you, just as the professor in the front of your classroom, moves on to the next housing mates of your Off-campus project. “ Rooming with the man you would kill and the man you would kill for? Ouch.” he cringes just before giving an assuring pat to your back.

You instantly slump down into your seat and dread begins to wash over you.

Silently, you were hoping that some miracle would happen, that this all just a terrible dream and you would wake up five mins late on your alarm like usual. But that's not going to happen and you were slowly realizing that. Still, you dont stop yourself from peeking down a few rows- eyes finding your two targets in front of you who are conveniently facing away from you. When you do however, you see that the two men- whose names are going to be linked to yours for the next few weeks- pay you no mind as you do them.

Wouldn’t they want to know whose despicable soul is going to be stuck with them for an entire week? You ask yourself, with a frown- your heart starting to ache when you notice the both of them cuddled up together. One of them tilting his head into a more comfortable angle on the other's shoulder, a bitter taste coming into your mouth from the sight.

“Tae…” You try to whisper to the male next to you.

“One second.” The boy with vibrant blue hair, shushes you- his dark eyes full of stars as he focuses on the front of the class. “ He has yet to say my name and Im praying to the gay cupid himself, that the love of my life is in my housing…” Taehyung bites his plump lip anxiously.

You scoff at him in return, feeling sorry for your wishful friend “Please, I may have gotten unlucky to be trapped with those two...but the chances of you and him becoming housemates are a good slim to none-” your laugh was suddenly cut off by Tae’s small squeak. You notice the way his eyes sparkle with a flash of excitement, the moment he realizes whose names were about to be called.

“Oh my- in all the holy fucks be with me…” he suddenly gasps- Very dramatically might you add and he practically crushes your tiny hand in excitement.

When did he even grab it?

“Please, let me go.” You wince.

“...Last but not least, I was left with only a pair of two and that would leave both Mr. Kim Taehyung and Mr. Min yoongi.” your professor finishes up his list and Unfortunately, Your best friend squeals in delight causing multiple classmates-including your crush to glance in both of your directions.

The sound echoes throughout the hall Immediately, the both of you blushing- especially once you notice your professor rolls his eyes at the interruption.

Taehyung is the main culprit however, once a certain Min Yoongi himself looks up towards him. His curious cat-like eyes landing instantly on him, assessing him, and then sending a small smile. Taehyung’s eyes widen, mouth parting in shock “s-sorry,” he mumbles with a tiny voice, making eye contact with everyone and finally Yoongi. “ I -uh…I just...was shocked a-and...” he trails off, but never finishes, only to drown in embarrassment from the curious gazes.

“Well I’m glad that you are so expressive of it Mr. Kim, perhaps you could try it when I’m actually done speaking?” Your professor announces with no enthusiasm whatsoever, drawing some of the students back towards him. “ Now as I was saying about your Projects…” While he continues on; Slowly, but surely everyone turns their heads away- deciding there wasn't much else to see.

Tae lets out an audible breath he was holding, letting his chest deflate, but only to pull it back when he notices Yoongi still staring up at him. The man looks as if he was going to burst the second the mint haired male sends him a wink before turning back like the others.

“ I... think I just pissed myself...hopefully…” he finally breathes as if he’d ran out of oxygen.

Now would be your cue to tease Taehyung and tell him how much of a dweeb he was for causing all that attention. Or so he thought, his face turning down when nothing comes from your direction

“Uh babe? You alright? ” He questions while lifting a dark brow.

Absolutely fucking not.

Frozen in your seat, you might as well have been a statue, your own breath sticking to the inside of your lungs when a certain silver haired boy with puffy cheeks and a strong jawline- turns in his boyfriend’s arms and looks up in your direction. With scanning eyes, he looks over everyone curiously, seeming as if he was trying to find one person in particular.

You swallow, heart speeding up when they linger over Tae for a moment and then they were snapping to someone next to him.

You.

He was now staring up unapologetically at you. Jimin smiles brightly with his perfect white teeth- he then gives a silent wave of his ringed hand, a confident lip bite coming soon afterwards. This made your heart and the lower parts of your stomach heat up uncontrollably. A strong sense of adoration and lust falling over you, but then anger, guilt and shame immediately afterwards. You put on a shy fake smile back towards him and he falls for it, turning back to the comfort of a certain raven haired asshole.

In an instant Your shy smile turns into a hard glare for your old friend Jungkook, who stares forward unknowingly. not bothering to look up at whoever caused all that noise.

Typical.

“Is there an off button for those lasers?” Tae questions you, before poking your cheek with an adorable pout.

By this time, your class was near its end and you’ve yet to stop glaring at the couple. “Tell me, between burning him alive or strangling him until you see life leave his eyes… How much do you want to kill Jeon?” Taehyung cackles unattractively while waving a hand over your face.

You then release your vicious energy with a blink and turn towards him, a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on your face. “ how about stabbing him 33 times in the back until all the blood drained from him in various openings?” You retort in an innocent tone, feeling nothing of the sort.

Everyone around you had already begun to clear out as you packed up your things and you followed immediately grabbing your stuff and passing over Tae. The both of you were making your way down your classroom’s stairs when you notice Taehyung sending you a terrified look.

“What?” You ask in a defensive tone.

“ Nothing just-...that was gruesomely specific.” he replies as the both of you were just getting ready to walk out. Him stopping so that you could pass out the front door and he could follow. “It's things like that, that remind me why you can be extremely terrifying.”

You scoff once again and pause to look at him “oh please, It’s what he did to me...metaphorically at least.”

“That's not the same as wanting it physically, you psycho.” He shakes his head with a bemused smile, silently urging you on and he would soon follow. That was until a hand touched Tae’s shoulder, making him turn with you in tow.

You wouldn’t be shocked if Taehyung’s soul left his body. He widens his eyes, facing a half-smiling mint haired boy-a friendly aura contrasting with his brooding stature. Right there, Tae lets out a pained whimper that only both you and him could hear and You giggle in surprise, stepping back from him.

“Um...Tae- ..hyung, right?” Yoongi’s shockingly deep and monotone voice, brings Tae out of his little world.

He pushes up his square rimmed glasses and puts a rough looking hand out to shake. “I’m Min Yoongi- I think you screamed out in surprise earlier, but I wasn't sure if that was from excitement or disgust.” He chuckles dryly, making you wonder if he was genuinely happy or just doing as the professor suggested.

In front of you, Tae only nods at him, giving a quick and soft smile before taking it. You knew without a doubt he was currently flush red and exploding inside from the comment. When Tae doesn't say anything more, Yoongi quickly looks down towards their shaking hands, Taehyung just then realizing how long he kept it going.

“Oh um-” he quickly snatches it away, embarrassment making his cheeks even pinker. “Yeah n-no, that was for something else…” he quickly lies, although yoongi looks as if he doesn't buy it. Instead, He Chooses to nod appeasingly, thinking better to let it pass.

“Oh? ok- well I was hoping we could discuss our living arrangements for—a...bit?” Yoongi attempts, but hesitates when Tae starts to send him a horrified look. “-or not? my bad, that must be such a dumb Idea.” he shakes his head and that’s when your best friend snaps out of his stupidity.

“No!- I mean ...no, that’s a great idea” He then agrees, finally sending back a genuine smile and the two share a stare for a moment too long. You on the other hand had unnoticeably excused yourself the second you realized this conversation no longer had anything to do with you.

Me: heading to the café , I’ll get us a table.

TaeTae: thanks. Be there soon!

After about 10 minutes across the campus, you manage to text Tae when making your way across the quad.. Eventually, you were just a few feet away from the campus’s coffee shop when a familiar laugh enters your ears, making you glance behind you. Right there, you wanted to swallow yourself whole or to scream out into the universe for the injustice.

Jimin.

Oh for fucks sake….you cursed yourself when you saw the striking couple making their way towards you. Jimin, being the perfect model he is, struts confidently under his much taller boyfriend’s arm and Jungkook squeezes him closer, mumbling something that only the both of them could hear. Jimin had once again burst out with laughter.

You want to pout, it feels as if you were intruding on them, a private moment that was meant solely for the two and you happen to be there witnessing it.

Huffing, you quickly turn away before they could notice and continue walking towards the shop- needing a triple shot latte pronto if you were going to get any studying done for the day. Although you felt you were being as invisible as possible- what you didn’t feel was the pair of eyes that were following you the second you left.

“Please can’t we go talk to her?” Jimin whines into Kook’s side.

He pouts wrapping his arm around Jungkook’s waist and snuggles even more into him to add for a better effect. Jungkook’s conflicted look, stares ahead to your walking figure and he could feel his little ball of happiness breathing up his neck “ Not now, Jimin.” he just replies calmly and looks down to him before pecking his plump lips.

Jimin frowns accusingly at him “But she’s so cute when she's flushed, she’s the most adorable thing ever. ” he says thoughtfully and Jungkook looks down at him in awe when a dark look enters Jimin’s eyes- his cute aura switching off immediately.“I wonder how much cuter she would be in bed” He chuckles and Jungkook will never understand the duality that came with his older boyfriend.

However, it was his turn to frown. He stops dead in his tracks to tower over a perplexed Jimin. “You- No.” he simply states “Hell no, not her. Anyone but her” he looks at him almost desperate, pleading to him and he could understand why his boyfriend’s eyes seem to pop out of their skull at the sudden change. Jimin had never seen him act out this way, He was usually so cool and put together. A bit bossy might he add but still...

“Jeon, you asked me for a threesome and I told you that I would be the one to pick the person. Besides, what's wrong with y/n? Shes super sweet from what I’ve seen of her-shes fucking hot.” he bites his bottom lip already imagining how amazing you would look between the both of them. Jungkook would almost blush at his boyfriend’s behavior .

Fuck, what was he suppose to do?

It seemed like Jimin's eyes were so set on you from the second you both waved at each in class . Yeah, Jungkook saw that and it took so much in him not to look up at you and see your beautiful smile. Not when he knew the second he did- you would make it go away. Jimin has never voiced his opinion on wanting someone other than him and the two had been together since senior year of highschool-

that's when it hit him..that painful suppressed memory of your history. There was nothing that could be done and hell if he didn’t regret it every single day. Still, he had no choice, he would have to tell jimin what happened for it to make sense. Jungkook never wanted to, but with the way Jimin frowned up at him with a suspicious glare, he knew the man would never let this go. After all, he only wanted to make him happy right?

Jungkook swallows painfully before he confesses.. “Jimin…y/n she…well the girl fucking hates my guts.”

and she has every right to…

———

“ Okay so let me get this straight” Taehyung looks at you with a cringing face and you sip slowly on your bitter three shot americano. The both of you enter your classroom, walking further up the stairs away from the front of the class. There's about two days left before your trip and it was your final class to attend.

“ You finally get the chance to talk to Min yoongi-”you start and you pause to take in your best friend’s complete stupidity “-a guy you’ve been wanting since the day you first stepped foot on the campus ... and you blew him off…” you ask then finally taking your normal seat at the top of the class.

Tae almost melts into the ground, dramatically falling into the chair next to you. His cheeks flush and he tries his best to hide his face behind his hand. It was impossible to believe that someone with his confidence and sexual history could possibly be acting the way that he was at the moment.

“I panicked- I never panic.” He exclaims sitting up straight. “The worst part is - I think he might actually like me. Y/n I guess we’re soulmates because we really are some dumb bitches.” he sighs and you shake your head pulling out your laptop when you notice some of your classmates beginning to fill in.

Two girls happened to be walking by when he said that and They looked over to you two. you immediately blush “Excuse me? Im not a dumb bitch, you’re on your own there Tae.” You laugh saying it loud enough for them to hear. He pulls a face at you, then looks up for a moment pretending to think “You know, I was just being nice, but forget what I said cause you’re a sad dumb bitch.” he comes to his conclusion and chuckles at you.

your jaw drops and you lift a brow.

He takes it as green light to continue “You see, Im a dumb bitch, because im crushing on a single man who just might be mine by the end of this trip. I’ve talked to him and although I might have blew him off…” he trails off slowly to cringe “ -theres still a good chance I could have him. now YOU on the other hand - have never even spoken to your crush. Might I add, who’s whipped...in a relationship…with the man you told most about it…declaring you sweet heart-” he bops you on your nose with his finger “a sad dumb bitch” tae smiles sweetly and you pout in hurt.

“hm being a dumb bitch doesn’t look too bad now does it?” He mocks you and you elbow him playfully into his chest. You and taehyung were each other’s worst bullies and probably your worst critics. It was most likely the reason you two stuck together for so long, but even though you knew the man was only joking; his words still stung about Jimin.

It's been three days since your professor announced all the housing mates and you quickly realized you were the only one who hasn’t spoken to yours. As everyone walked in to take their seats, you could see the multiple groups of future housings sitting beside each other.

That's when it really dawned on you…

What exactly would happen when all three of you had to meet? Would Jimin even like you? or Did jungkook already convince him you were the garbage he treated you as back then.

You frowned in deep thought. No way… He seemed nice when he waved at you the other day. In fact Jimin always looked nice, hell It was probably one of his charms that captured you the most. Every moment you saw him he was always smiling and helping others when he didn’t even have to.

Taehyung must have noticed the uneasiness on your face when he suddenly asked you about the two. “You’re either really constipated or you’re thinking about thing one and thing two.”

You looked at him in surprise. “It’s that obvious, huh?”

“Y/n, Babe I know you like the back of my hand, so no it's not. But,” he trails off before continuing “ In all seriousness-...I think you should consider asking for new housemates…” he hesitates to say and the look you give him, tells him that he was right to. He grabs your hand “ I- I just don’t want you to get hurt…you’ve liked jimin for so long and the man has been with Jungkook for four years now. I don’t want you be heartbroken the second you realize just who you’re living with for an entire week. You think I don’t notice how you visibly sink into sadness whenever you see the two? It's not healthy for you, nor for them. So it’s time to move on don’t you think?” Taehyung pours his heart into his speech for you and your stomach begins to turn just a bit.

You’ve felt this way for jimin since your junior year. The famous high school sweetheart Park Jimin and his ex- girlfriend had just broken up and you remembered running to your best friend of the time Jeon Jungkook. You were so excited, but also pitied the poor girl that was probably still in love with him.

“I should talk to him right? I mean it's been 3 months already. It seems like he isn’t talking to anyone” you chirped, walking hand in hand with Jeon down your school’s hallway.

He smiles slightly at you humming in return, before he pulls you into his side and wraps his arm around your shoulder. “I don’t know, maybe Jimin's not the kind of guy you want to go for y/n. I don’t he would fit you...” he says a bit low and you scoff.

“Why not? He’s adorable, he’s smart, and sweet… I haven’t been around him enough- but I bet he's funny too.” you grin and it only falters when you see him still looking ahead with a straight face.

“Guk?” You try, making him blink as if he pulled himself from a trance.

“Yeah, he probably is.”

You suddenly become nauseous from the memory. Your eyes moving towards your class’s entrance just in time to catch the devil himself walking in.

Dressed in all black, he holds his hoodie up on his head and his black boots thumps against the ground as he walks to his seat up front. Your brow furrows and you noticed it was only him by himself- looking more miserable than ever... aww.

“ That asshole.” You whisper only for you to hear.

For most of your class, you could only think about how long Jungkook must have held the truth from you. How every now and then you would find yourself glaring at the back of the man’s head and every other time you were busy wondering where Jimin must’ve gone off to.

By now it was almost over and after realizing that for nearly an hour, your thoughts were being consumed with the two ...Taehyung really was right…

Your obsession for jimin wasn’t healthy and the hate you continued to let consume you for jungkook also wasn’t healthy. They were happily In love and that will never have anything to do with you. Whether you wanted it to or not.

——

Jimin laid wide awake on his bed, in the darkness of his room and it had to be somewhere between 2 to -he-should- really- fucking- sleep- before-his-math- test- in- the- morning AM.

I did something wrong…He thought about the words his boyfriend spoke to him the other day. It was a shocking revelation and one that he just couldn’t seem to get his head wrapped around. He then turned on his side, looking down at the cute bunny faced man he’s loved since highschool.

His features, innocent and soft which was the complete opposite from Jungkook. “What did you do ?” Jimin asks him softly, but of course he couldn’t hear.

A sweet image of you, pops up in his mind. How you smiled down at him nervously, returning a slight wave in class the other day and even then, he could remember the pain in your eyes. Jimin felt like a dumbass, how was it that he never noticed you until now? You were literally too cute.So cute, that when jimin tried to close his eyes for the tenth time that night, all he could imagine was you. It didn’t matter the scenario- but a popular one was definitely you underneath him.

He could see you, a sweaty and trembling mess. Your hair falling messily over your flushed face and pillow. He’d dip his head, kissing you passionately once you fell apart, because of him. although he’d wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of his boyfriend’s name coming out your mouth instead.

Ugh why was he thinking about you so much?

There was just something to you, that had Jimin's skin burning-a desire he hadn’t felt in years. It reminded him of when he first met Jungkook. So much, he opted in not attending your class, already knowing that it certainly wouldn’t be the professor he’d imagine taking against that desk.

The image vanishes and now for the 11th time tonight Jimin found himself awake. “Oh no” he groans suddenly once he lifts the covers from his lower half. He’s hard, the kind where rubbing one out or taking a cold shower simply won't do.

A soft sigh leaves his mouth in frustration. He was angry at Jungkook for his actions, but it wasn’t exactly like he could go to your house and ask “Hey! I'm sorry I completely ignore your existence- but do you think you could suck me off really quick?”. Jimin bites his bottom lip with a quiet chuckle.

If only..

“Kook…” He whines, poking the sleeping boy in his face to wake him. “Kookie please wake up.” he begs, leaning over and kissing him softly until he feels him stir. Jungkook awakes smiling wearily, when he realizes Jimin was no longer ignoring him.

“What's wrong babe?” His hoarse voice sends a shiver down Jimin’s spine when it plays on one of his weaknesses.

Stupid, sexy asshole…

Jimin grabs himself, stroking up and down softly. When he lets out soft sighs, Jungkook picks up on them fairly quickly. Sleep leaves him and he rises, watching Jimin's face contort with pleasure.

“Fuck…” he breathes at the hot sight in front of him.

“I thought about it ...her with us. God I couldn’t help it…” Jimin confesses and Jungkook only swallows because he knows exactly who ‘her’ is. “It was fucking hot kook- I want her. I want to fuck her and you baby.” he moans stroking himself just right.

“I want the both of you...”

Jungkook’s persona suddenly darkens and he takes both of Jimin's hands away. The already naked male climbing over his boyfriend and pinning them above his head possessively. “You don’t speak to me all day and now..?- I thought we already talked about this jiminie?” he speaks the words tightly through his teeth. Jimin pouts writhing under him to get some sort of stimulation. Jungkook notices and he takes one of his hands away to stroke Jimin's shaft himself.

“Y/n isn’t right for us. Not for you and especially not for me.” he lies. You were perfect, you always were. But you hated him and he hated you. That's how it should stay.

It has to…

“Ugh..” the silver moans under him. His hips bucking into his boyfriend’s hand. “ Let me top you.” Jimin requests desperately.

Jungkook’s eyes widen “you want to top me?”

Jimin nods “y-yes” .

Jungkook frowns for a second and he sees the predatory look in Jimin's gaze. He hadn’t seen that look in years, so why the hell was he acting this way now?

Y/n what are you doing to him?

+++

Chapter One | Masterlist