#(( hope that’s an ok verse let me know I should change it ))

[hellfangedfire]

❤️ -  for  your  muse  to  confess  they  still  love  them  despite  them  being  a  vampire. + reverse, duh.

He was growing frustrated and the more frustrated he was growing the more hungry /they / got, he could feel Kas scratching at the back of his mind wanting out to feed or just say it himself cause it was rare the two of them agreed on anything despite sharing a body and a conciseness.

“.. Steve.. Steveie it’s not that I don’t want you here I just it’s not safe Henry still very much king around here and I can’t have you hurt cause .. I .. —shut up- “ he hissed to himself fangs glinting in the red lightening of the upside down.

“Despite me being well a monster now.. Steve I.. I love you I don’t want you hurt we don’t want you hurt “ he finally admitted .

@alwaysthesitter

[pardonmydelays]

(I'm the anon who said/asked about Lin not disappointing with 'Warriors') I felt iffy about 'Hamilton' with one reason being I don't really listen to hip-hop, but my God, was I wrong and, unfortunately, late to the game. I downloaded most of the songs while watching it on D+! 😂 But I honestly don't know about 'Warriors'... Do you have any song recommendations?

omg anon, i hope you don't mind me writing a fucking essay again (well, maybe not essay but this will be a long answer), this ask made me so happy!

i never really listened to hip-hop music either (which is ironic if you think about my favourite artists... but this is like a totally different type of music and we call it gangster poetry here, right?). however, if you love hamilton, i'm pretty sure you would fall in love with warriors as well!

so let's start with the fact that this album is like... SOOOOO LIN. full of hip-hop music but also other genres, every character has their own musical theme (my favourite thing about musicals, also as someone who has never seen the movie and has absolutely no intentions to change that, i was afraid i could have problems with following the plot, there are so many characters, but hey, once again, lin made it so easy for us cause he's a fantastic songwriter and storyteller). honestly, the more i listen to it, the more things i notice. i remember there was a rumour some time ago about "major pop stars" being on the album and i obviously thought "taylor swift and beyonce???" lmao. i'm so glad it turned out to be false, cause we have pippa soo, jazzy jones and amber gray instead (and i would die for them!!!). also, if you're familiar with freestyle love supreme, you would probably recognize aneesa folds, as well as utkarsh ambudkar (oh my fucking god i was so excited when he was announced because i love this dude so much it's unreal!!!). so basically, once again, we have lin manuel miranda and friends (tick tick boom, i'm talking about you). and this just makes me so happy!!! anyway...

if you're still not sure if you wanna listen to the whole album, i will just give you my favourite songs that you should definitely check out (with a little explanation) and then you can decide if you wanna hear the rest of it!

survive the night - it's the first song on the album and it's just so damn catchy, it kinda shows you what you can expect and as much as i wasn't really convinced before the album came out, after hearing this song i was really hyped, so i would recommend to start with this one!

going down - this song should be 10 hours long and i'm not even kidding... ok, so luther is the villain in our story and this is his first song, when i heard it for the first time my jaw literally dropped to the floor, i still can't believe this is a song from lin's musical lmao, i can't stop listening to it, NOW I WOULD PAY SO MUCH MONEY TO SEE IT ON BROADWAY (also i think it makes so much sense to give this particular genre to the villain but i don't want to spoil anything for you so i'm not saying anything else, please just listen to it hdebjfe)

orphan town - when utk was announced before the album came out i was thinking that he would probably have a rap verse or something... cause that would make sense, right (fls!)? well, i was wrong. but i would recognize his voice anywhere. oh my fucking god, this is, for me, the funniest song on the album and it's all because of him. you should see my face when i heard it for the first time. i fucking love this dude!!!

call me mercy - this is the "i want" song from warriors and i usually love those so fucking much ("how far i'll go" and "waiting on a miracle" i'm talking about you), it's just so good and i find myself singing this one at least a few times a day now lmao

still breathin' - i need you to check this one out because it's so damn emotional and i think aneesa is such an amazing rapper and the "what do you do when they kill everything you believe in?" has been stuck in my head ever since i heard it for the first time ughh

quiet girls - not much to say about this one except that it's just so damn catchy and the production on this track is probably my favourite from the entire album, so it has to be on the list

sick of runnin' - AMBER FUCKING GRAY (ajax is my wife, back off everyone)!!! this is such a fun song, i've been in love with amber's voice ever since i listened to hadestown for the first time so no surprise there, but also: 96,000 🤝 non-stop 🤝 we don't talk about bruno 🤝 sick of runnin' (YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! classic lin, i can already see myself trying to sing EVERY PART OF THE SONG AT ONCE AND BEING ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED THAT I CAN DO THIS LMAO).

a light or something - this is so gayyyyyyy and jazzy jones is there, do i need to say more?

somewhere in the city - this song gives me shivers and honestly i started crying when i heard it for the first time but i don't know if you're gonna get emotional if you don't really know the plot, however, it's an amazing song and i have a feeling you may like it

reunion square - this is definitely one of my faves (especially the last part of the song and phillipa soo as fox, you know i love her), once again, i don't know if it's something you should listen to if you know nothing about the plot but fuck, i was crying like a baby on this one and "when you woke up today you didn't think you could die, neither did i" and and and I'M FUCKING SOBBING

same train home - i recommend it if you wanna cry

one thing i also need to mention is that i absolutely love the transitions on this album, they are cool as fuck!!! and i think that's it for now because it's already longer than i wanted it to be, oh my god. i'm sorry. i'm really sorry. if you made it to the end, i love you. thanks for reading. and also please let me know once you check them all out, i really need to know your opinion!

[frikatilhi]

*quietly plants brainrot here*

(no pressure ofc pus)

OK YOU NOW LISTEN

What makes you think you can just BARGE in here and drop THAT in my askes WHAT

please continue

Anyway, under the cut is the last of the prompts for now (feel free to send more though, I've loved these!!).

“Is that what you’re gonna wear?” Jesse asked.

Bojan looked down at his Pasivision jersey. “Yeah, why?”

Jesse’s eyebrows were up. “Not exactly club attire.”

“I’ll change after the show,” Bojan shrugged, going for the dumb and innocent approach. Jesse shot him a knowing look. 

Bojan wasn’t sure what the big deal was - it was meant to be funny. He had come to Glasgow to support his friend, so he was ready to go all in. He had tucked his Pasivision jersey in his luggage in hopes he’d have the courage to wear it, and when it was time to go to the venue, he had pulled it over his sparkly top meant for partying later. 

Jesse was still saying something, but suddenly Jere came into view, in performance mode, ready to take the stage, and Bojan wasn’t listening anymore, because he had also noticed Bojan and was coming over.

“Hey there superstar, ready to blow the roof off?” Bojan said, offering his fist for a bump.

Jere tapped his knuckles into Bojan’s. “Look at you, fanboy.”

Bojan patted his belly. “Oh, this? My turn being the tour wife, I guess. You did so well, last time.”

Jere grinned. “Yes. You serve me drinks, after show.” 

“Sure thing, hunnybunny.”

“Okei, gotta go. See you!” And he was gone. Bojan let out a sigh of relief, not sure why. Next to him, Jesse rolled his eyes.

****

It was more than halfway through the show, and Bojan was watching from the balcony. Jere had exited the stage for a minute, letting the others take over for what Bojan assumed was a change of outfit, sip of water and a much needed breather. A new song started - Bojan wasn’t that well-versed in Käärijä’s discography that he would have been able to differentiate between the songs easily - and Jere came back on stage and.

And.

He was wearing - a shirt? That itself was unheard of, Käärijä did not perform in a shirt, ever, but on top of that, it was… something white.

Not just anything white, either. It was Bojan’s mesh shirt, the one he had worn at Tavastia, the one that he had left at Jere’s, the one that Jere had proudly waved and smelled in front of the entire internet, the one that had made the freaking news.

He hadn’t left it on purpose, mind you. He wasn’t even sure how that had happened, because it’s not like he was wearing it when they had crashed at Jere’s. Somehow, Jere must have stolen it from his bag, that bastard.

The boxers, on the other hand, he totally owned up to. He had taken a shower at Jere’s in the morning. He was not good at keeping tabs of his belongings, so it’s no wonder those had been left behind. 

But that wasn’t on purpose, either. Or so he told himself.

He wasn’t super excited about Jere’s public stunt with the laundry, but at the time there wasn’t anything else to do than to take it in stride, share the story, and dm a bunch of skull emojis to Jere. This was their love language, was it not? Bojan was glad he had retaliated by sneaking the Bulbasaur beanie in his bag when Jere wasn’t looking, even though he couldn’t have known at the time it was to be revenge. He felt no need to flaunt his achievement for everyone to see, though. He hadn’t told or showed it to anyone, actually. He told himself he was waiting for the right moment to strike.

Jere was thrashing about the stage and the shirt - Bojan’s shirt - kept riding up and exposing his belly. Which shouldn’t have been as hot as it was, because Jere’s belly was always on display. Why did seeing it under - and through - a shirt suddenly made Bojan’s want to bite?

The same went for Jere’s nipples that were barely visible through the mesh. God, is that what he looked like, as well, wearing that? That shit should be illegal. Suddenly, the jersey felt too fucking hot on him, he could feel sweat pooling under his pecs and on his lower back. The song ended, and Bojan couldn’t be sure how the rest of the show went. All he could feel was… some kind of unfounded ownership, like he had staked his claim without even trying, like now everybody was able to see right through him, like now everybody knew.

Afterwards, backstage, they had a laugh about the whole thing. Mikke took pictures of them, Bojan showing the victory sign in his jersey, Jere tucked under his arm in the white shirt. Both of them were sporting wide grins. Jere enjoyed the frenzy it caused when he posted it; Bojan was not so sure about how he felt. He shared it adding a single heart - he didn’t even dare to try to put anything into words. It took enough effort to keep acting like his insides weren’t on fire.

They didn’t talk about it much, then or later. Jere said he had brought the shirt because he wanted to return it. Neither of them mentioned that it never actually made it back to Bojan. Instead, another pair of boxers was accidentally left behind, this time by Jere, who had to scramble to make it back to the tour bus after extended goodbyes in Bojan’s hotel room. Bojan didn’t feel the need to roast him publicly about it. Privately though, back in his apartment in Ljubljana, he made sure to send Jere a picture of himself wearing them, fresh from the clean laundry pile. And the reaction he got back - meant for him and him alone - was enough to sustain him for a good long while.

[translatemunson]

track three — the ex tapes

warnings: not proofread. this is not a fluff series, so be ready for some angst and angry characters.

author's note: thanks for all the love these past few chapters! i'm thinking of taking some requests on scenes/drabbles you'd like to read about this series, what do you think? send your ideas my way via ask or message me!

series masterlist

Eddie didn’t call you again. He went silent. Yeah, that was definitely a goodbye.

This was one of those days where the connection wasn’t there. The artist you worked with gave you some trouble when trying to find the subject of the song. You’ve talked for hours, he asked his assistant to get you some coffee and cookies from a nearby cafe, but even after all of that, he couldn’t give you enough material to start based on his experience.

You wrote a verse and a chorus you are not proud of, leaving the rest for another session. But you’re not sure if this was going to happen. He felt a bit off, you knew when people didn’t want to open themselves up, for whatever reason. 

Perhaps it was your fault. You were so connected to your personal story that everything was distant. You drive back home listening to your classical music tape, letting the harmonies and crescendos get the ideas out of your mind.

You don’t recognize the black car parked a few spots to the left of Steve’s car. You’ve been living in this building long enough to know everyone else’s cars. New neighbors? No, you weren’t aware of people moving in for a while now.

You gather your things and go up the stairs to the third floor. Everything is calm.

“Stevie! Wanna order some pizza?” You unlock the door and meet with a very serious Steve staring at the person on your couch. Black jeans, denim vest and jacket, dark curls. “What’s this? Why did you let him in?”

Both boys look in your direction. You cross your arms in front of your chest, your guitar case on your feet.

“I think you should talk.” He motions to Eddie to stay in his place.

“Steve-”

“Think of your career, ok? I’ll be in my room,” he walks to you and hugs you. “Try not to kill each other. Scream if you need me to kick him out.”

Steve leaves you alone, locking the door to his room — you bet he’s gonna eavesdrop on your conversation, whether you like it or not. You put your things on the table and let a deep sight cut through your silence.

“What are you doing here, Munson? No, what do you really want from me? Wasn’t leaving me behind like we were nothing enough?”

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry.”

“I know, you said it a few nights ago. But I’m not buying it. How did you find me?”

Eddie looks in the direction of Steve’s room and you feel a little betrayed. You knew Steve would do anything for you, to protect you. And maybe you were too drunk when he arrived after the phone call and you poured your heart out telling him you wished things ended up differently. But you were too hurt, too afraid to let him closer again.

“Sorry, I-”

“You don’t mean it, so shut it. You never returned my calls, or my letters, or even let me know when you were in town so we could have a decent conversation. And now it’s too late.”

“You wanted closure? Do you even know what it means? Because to keep writing our story on people’s songs isn’t closure.”

“Like you’ve never written something about us as well. You can’t change my mind, Munson: I’m not writing with you. Now leave me alone.”

Eddie stands up, but doesn’t go for the door. He takes some bold steps until you’re close.

“You left me in the studio, was it some kind of twisted payback?”

“You broke my fucking heart, Eddie! Making you pay for the studio rent is nothing compared to what you’ve done to me!”

“Well, isn't it funny that you’re working in the same field as me? It’s like you were hoping this would happen.”

“Idiot, I’ve been writing songs and poems for ages! Who gave you the poem that inspired your first hit?” He doesn’t answer, well aware of the day you gave him an envelope with the poem inside. “Why did you use it anyway?”

“Because it was good, Y/N, really good. Can we please put those things behind and talk about our jobs? Because I really need to write this song, and you’re the only person that can understand me.”

You don’t understand me, he said that before you left the trailer in a hurry. It’s been like six years since that night, and you still feel it hunting you. Because you know you were wrong, but you were also young and too eager to get it.

You wanted to move to Chicago, to attend college, to live with Eddie in a small apartment. But you weren’t on the same page. He didn’t see how leaving somewhere else would be good, how he could keep playing with the band. According to him, you had everything you needed in Hawkins.

You had this huge fight. Screaming at each other how things were going to be better, new opportunities and everything else. To him, studying was a waste of time. To you, his band was a waste of time. In the end, you left the trailer after getting tired of all of his bullshit.

When you returned a few days later, he was gone. He moved to Los Angeles, they got a record deal, Wayne explained to you. He gave you his number and new address, and God knows you’ve tried to talk to him, at least to say you were sorry and you wanted to try long distance before ending things up.

He ended things before you could try.

“It has to be you, Y/N. I’ve tried with others, they don’t get it like you do. Please.”

“I’m sorry, Eddie. I can’t.”

You take a paper from the table and start writing down all the songwriters you’ve worked with and could help him, maybe would be honored to work with him. Because you know you can’t go in a studio with him, write down his feelings and walk away without feeling hurt. The song would play everywhere and it would sink the knife deeper.

You offer the paper. Eddie takes it but doesn’t give it a look, shoving it in his pocket right away.

“Please.”

You start crying, your memories making you go back to that night in the trailer. You’ve seen this film before, he’s gonna leave you again and again. 

Eddie brings you to his chest in a warm hug. You inhale his scent: cigarettes, maybe coffee and some fancy cologne. Time was good with him. You hug him back stronger, wishing things were different in the past. He doesn’t let you go until he’s sure you’ve calmed down.

“I’m so sorry that I left you. I really am.” He holds your face gently, sweeping the tears away. “Back then I thought that I always had to choose, and I didn’t want to do it because I really wanted to be with you, but music means everything to me. And then we fought and I had a good reason to run away. But you didn’t deserve it, and I’m so sorry for that.”

“I know, Eddie. But I have my fair share of guilt,” you cover his hands with yours. You wished you did this sooner, found your way to Eddie sooner. “I wanted you to leave everything for me, without thinking about other ways we could do it. And when I did, it was too late.”

He holds your shoulders. “Let’s call it a truce? Just for the sake of our jobs. We write the song, I give you a huge cut from the money and we can follow our own ways.”

“You can’t tell people that Charlie Rogers is your ex, because I really don’t wanna be Eddie Munson’s ex,” you add to the deal.

“Sure.” Your proudness is always showing, but he agrees with you: you’ve built your career by yourself, not by being someone’s ex. “Anything else?”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise, love.”

“I can fit you in my schedule.”

“Great,” he claps his hands, satisfied, “if you wanna work in a specific studio, let my manager know, he can arrange that.”

“Nah, choose your favorite and we’ll be fine.”

“Right, ok,” he smiles and leans in. “So see you soon?”

“On thursday, probably. I’ll have to cancel with Madonna, but that’s fine.”

“Madonna? Are you serious?”

“Yeah, it's the third time we’ll work together. I can fit her somewhere else,” you say like it’s nothing. “Clean your schedule for me, rockstar, and meet me here at eight. And make sure to rent the studio for noon. There’s something we need to do before our writing session.”

“‘K, I’ll be here.”

“Ok.”

But none of you move. His big brown eyes don’t leave yours, you can’t break the contact. Reality is hitting you in the middle of your face. The thing you asked for years is happening. Eddie is here.

A door is opened and you hear footsteps.

“Erm, I thought you killed each other,” Steve cleans his throat.

You break the contact first. Eddie puts a cheeky smile on his face and walks to the door.

“See you on thursday. Bye, Steve.”

“See ya, Munson,” Steve does the honors of letting Eddie out. As soon as he closes the door, his eyes find you. “Are you alright?”

“Don’t wanna talk about it.” You take your stuff and walk to your room. “Please, leave me alone tonight.”

“I’ll make dinner for you.”

“No need.”

“Y/N,” he’s already worried about you.

“I need a moment alone, Harrington. Talk to you tomorrow.”

taglist: @@lokiofasgard616 @munsonology

[this-is-a-dystopian-parable]

ACT TWOOO

1/2/3/?

So we got out of the show, definitely crying after Seconds. We stood up immediately during the applause they DESERVED IT.

We went out to the lobby and were given our posters while we waited for the cast to change and come back! We started saying hi to them before they were even out into the lobby, and they were excited to sing our posters and hear what we thought about the show!

I said hi to the costume designer, who recognized me from my DJ cosplay. Which is insane to me. Also bc the DJ has a cool metal wire mask thing he wears during Electric Future and it kinda reminds me of my design hehe. Also the music director, and the sound designer! Who wanted to know our thoughts and seemed really excited to explain his ideas and what he did with the sound, it was really busy so I hope we have more time to talk next show!

We again met up with Sam and Aya to talk about how much we all enjoyed the show. And they got to meet their new counterparts. We took even MORE pictures with everyone. THEN got to chat with some of the cast about like, bootlegs and demos and behind the scenes stuff they were excited to share. Which was very cool.

I got to talk to the DJ'S ACTOR. I told him I'm the number one DJ fan and he says "what does that say about you? Should I be concerned?"

mmm. yeah maybe.

He also said the DJ is his favorite character too but like. He does play him.

We hung out talking to people for WAY too long and didn't get moving until like 10:30. But it was so worth it. I hope tonight we get to talk to Krista and some of the designers more!

The Prize:

Some little changes. The whole "there's a home and a hot meal for everyone" bit was extended, with more about poverty and helping people.

We're back to the DJ striking down people during The Prize so I'm going to be honest I was kinda distracted during the second half. He was doing wonderfully.

My Weird:

Ok I will have to write a whole new thing about Grace and Tye's new dynamics. There's less focus now on Grace being kinda pushy with their relationship while Tye is more worried for the future. Now it's a lot more about Tye not knowing who they're going to be, much more subtly just not knowing if being married, attaching themselves to one person right this minute, is what they want. Because what if they want to change? There's some added conversation between Tye and the DJ there too, which lays out the wider themes of the show while speaking to Tye's character.

My Weird was absolutely crushing, it was stunning. No major differences just. Them.

Squaredance / Showdown:

THEY LET THE DJ BE HOMOPHOBIC AGAIN

They let the DJ be homophobic again

For those who don't know, the verse around the line "boys are studs and girls are sluts and queers ain't even s'pposed to do that stuff" was cut in MSM

BUT IT'S BACK NOW. WOOOOOO

Otherwise? No big differences. Good Rodger and Dakota chemistry, different from either that we've seen but that's largely thanks to Rodger's new character being more religious. I'll also have to make a whole post about that aspect, I know people were a little worried it would make him the one "in the wrong" in their relationship, but it really doesn't at all. He's a lot like MSM Rodger, generally very anxious, and it comes off like he's using his religion as an easy way to explain his anxiety. He's not just a prude, he is young and worried about his own feelings as well as what his religion tells him.

But besides the new dynamic in the subtext, nothing new here. Once again I was kinda distracted by the DJ.

Bacchanal:

Changed Dionysus to Bacchus.

With the new Harper & Janelle dynamic, the DJ now tells Janelle "she broke up with you, remember?"

Electric Future:

WONDERFUL projection mapping here, I really enjoyed how the commentator's booth was done separately so it stood out.

Amazing Cyrus. I haven't talked about him much but I like what they've done with the character, leaning into the jock aspect and running away from his problems. Also it's no longer "crushed in a car accident right after they had a fight" it's "crushed in a car accident while he was driving" so ;-;

Uh there was a moment where the DJ put his hand on Cyrus' while he was in the chair and leaned fully over him and into his face. That is all.

ALSO the DJ could FEEL the shocks and he was enjoying them. Like he was getting a kick out of them.

For those wondering, the Mo ending was reversed. It was back to a slightly adjusted version of the original 2015 ending. Which I prefer. That's another post <3

Seconds:

We cried. Amazing. Man I can't wait to see the show again tonight!

1/2/3/?

[irenadel]

I saw someone send in a song the other day so I hope this is ok? I only just now realized how much "It Will Come Back" by Hozier reminds me of Pygmalion. I just get the same sort of anticipation of getting a too close for safety to something very dangerous (that is also starving for affection). I absolutely love love your writing!

Once more, sorry for the late reply on this. I was working on the Vamplander story and it was like pulling teeth (pun intended).

I really wanted to give this the proper time because... wow... the song is just gorgeous. I especially liked the grungy, country sound of it. And I loved it so much for Pygmalion because it gives that Americana vibe that is so important for the Homelander aesthetic... But beyond that... the lyrics, oh Jesus, they hit so good and so right. I'm going to have to start making a playlist for writing with all these suggestions because damn! You guys are just nailing it!

Don't let it in with no intention to keep it Jesus Christ, don't be kind to it Honey, don't feed it, it will come back

If only someone had warned poor Reader! Is this the Farmer and the Viper but slap some Superman on it? Yeah. The definition of no good deed goes unpunished.

I know who I am when I'm alone I'm something else when I see you You don't understand, you should never know How easy you are to need

Oh that last verse, oh if only Homelander were capable of that level of introspection. I love it. I love it so much because it makes explicit what I think has only been subtext for Homelander up until now. That she is both changing him and becoming indispensable to him. And he to her.

The other side of this beautiful song is what if I want you come back? What if I want to be needed? What if I have every intention to keep it?

I guess we'll soon find out...

[fandomxo00]

champagne problems pt.2

so knowing Joe, there was a lot of keeping their relationship underwraps in secret he didnt want everyone knowing and she respected that this is mentioned in:

bustling crowds or slient sleepers you're not sure which is worse, saying that he took the night train for a reason he did like the quiet but its kinda the idea that slience can be loud and painful too especially if we think about how she left him later on in the song, the slience on her end has to be daunting for him or anyone who goes to propose and is stood up or left

so putting this song in context with the first couple verses, i think joe was going to propose and this is mentioned again in midnight rain, "he wanted a bride", but she left him instead

sometimes you just dont know the answer til someone's on their knees and asks you...

again with the "you had a speech, youre speechless, love slipped beyond your reaches, and i couldn't give a reason"

i feel like question should be brought up at this point in the song when she starts one for the money two for the show, the show that everyone was watching?? have you ever had someone kiss you in a crowd room? wheere every single one of your friends was laughing too and then fifteen seconds later they were clapping too?? like it kinda makes sense? like they were making fun of taylor saying she was fucked in the head but i bet when they got back together everyone was like yesss we were rooting for you!! like the whiplash

which is paralleled in midnight rain where she can finally give him a reason 😭

then saying that his heart was glass and she dropped it, their relationship being literally 'delicate' is also a theme in their relationship especially in reputation

or the fact that he told his family because he was so excited?? you told your family for a reason you couldn't keep it in---and its so powerful how she sings this because it almost sounds like an excited thing and she does the musical choice to go a little deeper on the in part of the lyrics

then going on in the song talking about how his sister had been drinking and the town would talk about it and call it champagne problems

around 2;15 the ring is redropped into the champagne in the lyric video

okay after this the story changes she is reflecting on their relationship, the small moments like your midas touch on the chevy door or november flush and your flannel cure

that everything kinda stops around her when she thinks about how people are going to move on specifically her friends and there is a theme about taylor being stuck in one place -right where you left me- while everyone else moves on with their life like, decking the halls that we once walked through

okay and lets talk about how she kinda wanted him to move on and find the one who would give him that "she'll patch up your tapestry that i shred" or how she now at the end of the song talks about his future "your mom's ring in your pocket, her picture in your wallet, and you wont remember all my...champagne problems." hoping that one day he does find a new girl that wont leave him like she did.

ok but i also wanna mention how in this instance she couldve been the archer??? hear me out, in red jake was the one doing the leaving and hand dropping, but now shes now the one doing it---that guts me

[automatismoateo]

Got preached towards at work last night via /r/atheism

Got preached towards at work last night I just need to rant because this shit still upsets me. I work 6pm-6am at a hospital, and i was just going through my shift until my morning coworker showed up at 5 to help start setting stuff up. He's always been super friendly, and we've always been friendly to each other. I'm gay (and a transsexual guy but I pass so it's nobodies business), and he asked me how school was going. I told him it was going fine, I was just stressing out about having to move if this new bill gets passed because my full ride was here in my state. Basically my state is trying to redefine marriage as between 'one man and one woman'. He then responded that marriage was between a man and a woman, and how our country was founded under God. He's black, so I asked him how'd he'd feel if they took away his right to vote, because slavery was ok in the Bible and many people use the Bible to justify racism. He said that's federal and it's different. He then went on to tell me how he hopes that I repent so I can let God into my heart, and that God changed his life and made him live right. How he's also sinned but he's working on himself everyday. He thought I had no experience with religion, which I quickly corrected him on because I went to pentecostal church and then went to a religous elementary for most of my schooling. Whenever I'd quote a Bible verse (for example the one about the prosperity gospel, because he believes in that) about the eye of a needle, camel, and a rich man getting to heaven he'd say that I was misinterpreteding it. He also kept interrupting me by saying "here me out and let me finish" and so I couldn't even finish a complete sentence. He also doesn't know I'm trans and while he was telling me about how I'm going to hell because I want to get married, he suddenly brought up how he believes you can't change your skin, "even if I remove my skin ill still have male hormones and parts just like you, right? We are both biologically male and I believe we can't change that, just like we can't change marriage". He did this for like a whole hour and then when someone else arrived he suddenly shut up. I can't report him because my boss loves him, and it's probably end up getting me fired because I've already been reported for 'forcing my lifestyle' on visitors because this lady asked me what I did for Thanksgiving and I said I had dinner with my boyfriends mom🫥. I just need to rant because the stupidty of it and the fact I can't do anything about it. I hate people. I hate how I'd be labeled racist if I told him I don't think he should have the right to vote, but it's not discrimination to tell me I'm going to burn in hell and he's glad I don't get the same rights as him. Submitted January 17, 2024 at 11:04PM by heyitskevin1 (From Reddit https://ift.tt/t5e3KJS)

[kingsmanne]

@caliphor​ // re:v sc.

          The exterior by itself was such a stark contrast to the general decreptitude over the village below. Dark and majestic, it could’ve been setting the scene to any gothic horror film, and while Anne didn’t pack any flowing robes that would fit in the best, a bespoke suit would do too.

          Thankfully, dealing with extravagant billionaires - the lady of the castle must be, without doubt, the maintenance must be insane - was something she was used to and it could prove itself easier than trying to get something out of the villagers, and even if it was but information about the owner of the castle. Which was... almost nothing. At least nothing they were willing to share. 

          Still, Anne knew she could count herself lucky as she was let in, as opening the door to the castle solely on the account of her being a stranger. The servant girl looked pale and quiet, head lowered, and only spoke in the quickest, most abrupt sentences. Would it be arrogant to assume that it was because of her? After all, it was not every day strangers came to visit, and especially not those, who seemed to be so chipper and eager to talk. The girl kept quiet for most, and it couldn’t solely be her bad Romanian. Knowing people as her job, Anne knew something was wrong about her. And with this whole situation.

            Quick steps that only let her scan the rooms they traversed for moments, not enough time to notice the details, but good enough to make quick notes of the path and possible exits. It wasn’t, despite the general feeling of unease ever since she had set foot into this village, solely because she expected something to happen, but something to put her mind at ease. Always have an escape plan.

          “The Mistress will be with your sho-,” The girl lifted her head, and turned even more pale than she already was, staring at the landing above. It felt like Anne heard... a humming?  “Excuse me, I must return to my duties.” ALmost stumbling oer her words as she stumbled outside, Anne followed her figure for a moment, before tearing herself away to scan the magnificent parlour and- there it was again. What the hell?

[calmcorvus]

➤ @conquiistador​

          It had been two months since he returned, welcomed with open arms back into the family. It hadn’t even been questioned, at least not openly in front of him. Regardless – two full months for the memories to come trickling back, nagging at the edges of his consciousness and telling him things were somehow RIGHT.

                    ( He was back with his brother at last. )

          There was the memory of Doflamingo’s anger that festered even as a child, the threat he shouted upon everyone in the mob that night, the anger that followed him as he had shot their father, deeming only his severed head of use to him. It had terrified Rocinante, but he felt no guilt in experiencing fear. He was only a child at that time after all.            Yet there was also gratitude mixed with those sensations that bubbled back up to the surface. Doffy was the one who had truly taken care of him when things got bad, who did the best he could even as a small boy. He often had felt safer with his brother around who dared to speak up instead of beg for mercy, unafraid of inflicting violence upon others to get them what they needed to survive. He fought where Rocinante was too afraid.

          Two months was plenty of time for a conflict to begin to wage war in his mind: where did his allegiance lie? The Marines and Sengoku who had taken him in, raised him, shaped him? Or to the memory that existed of his brother, who even still seemed to hold love for him? 

          As quiet as ever, he watched Baby 5 and Buffalo playing tag once more, as well as Diamante recounting his latest venture to Trebol and the others. He had wasted more than enough time. Rising to his feet, the man approached none other than the young master himself, gesturing with a hook of his thumb to an adjacent room before leading the way.

                    I need to talk to you.

          When the door was shut, Corazon exhaled a heavy sigh and took a seat, elbows rested upon knees and fingertips pressed together, gaze trained on the floor. It wasn’t easy, the idea of expunging his identity, especially to a man who held loyalty above all else. In fact, it was a risk, but one he thought was worth taking it seemed. Though he found his palms damp with the heightened state of his nerves, the blond did not reach for a notepad and pen like usual, at last looking up to see Doflamingo, bracing himself to speak bluntly.

          “My marine code is zero-one-four-seven-six. They wanted me to spy on you and report back — to stop you from the inside.”

[leeriespeak]

@drecmcrcfters - marzena

Jack walks into the coffee shop, a sketchbook tucked under one arm. He can’t wait to finish his latest piece, and here seems like the perfect place to do just that. He waits in line, bouncing on the balls of his feet. When it’s his turn, he steps up to the counter, giving the barista, whose nametag says ‘Marzena,’ a beaming smile. “Hello! I’d like some hot chocolate, please, miss.” He laughs and then adds, “I don’t care much for coffee.”

[learningmagics-blog]

@void-dad

She looked a little harried, backpack slung over one arm and hair flying in all directions. She hadn’t showered that morning, hadn’t slept much the night before, eaten a fistful of dry cereal and two girl-scout cookies for breakfast, but she had managed to wash her face and get dressed. Which was good. There were just those days sometimes. She knocked on the door softly to announce her presence before letting herself in like she had the last two days.

“Hi, I’m back.” She was going mostly on momentum as she swung her backpack off, already arm deep inside feeling for the CDs she had brought. “I’ve got a musical this time I hope- ” Abbie paused when she saw from the corner of her eye something large and mostly purple. She looked up. No longer a soul in a tank, Abbie had more or less barged into the home a flesh and blood Trashy. (Or whatever he was made of.) 

 A good portion of the anxiety melted off her face. That was good. A relief. One less thing to worry about. What seemed to be a genuine smile bloomed across her face. She pulled her hand out of the backpack. 

“You’re back!” She smiled, twisted her hands a little. There was rarely a time when she wasn’t fidgeting in some way or another. “You look better. Obviously. Um.” She looked around at the room again. Maybe she should have waited a little longer. “Sorry. I just barged in.” 

[bastardcatthings]

Ok so this is really incoherent but I just wanted to take a moment and talk about just how much Felix and Papa's relationship means to me. One of the challenges of being mentally ill (at least for me) is the constant feeling that you're not worthy or capable of being loved. After all, neurotypicals or people without mental illnesses have the right to not want to deal with you/take care of you all the time and that is completely understandable but at the same time can be a very lonely and stressful thought because it just feeds into the narrative of you being unlovable and no one tolerating you (all of this is coming from someone with BPD and anxiety, OBVIOUSLY everybody is different and none of the things I've said might apply to you)

And then we have Pepa and Félix. I know that Pepa isn't stated to be mentally ill but she is heavily mentally ill-coded ( the constant mood swings, people keeping tabs on her emotions, the calming mantra she repeats to herself, hyperventilation and panicking over very small things and just her whole vibe) and seeing Félix be so AMAZING with her truly made me have hope for my own future in love.

See, Félix NEVER expresses exasperation or contempt towards Pepa’s mood swings or her quote on quote "thundering", instead he just lovingly shakes it off or distracts her. He never once rolls his eyes or tells her "what are you doing", instead he gently let's her know she is maybe making someone/something wet or that she is being too hard on herself (even by the end of the movie, in response to Bruno saying she should “let it go” i.e. be more relaxed/less hard on herself, Félix says that's all he’s been saying. he just wants her to be calm and happy!) . Every time we see them onscreen he is always supportive of her and having fun(joking, dancing, hugging) and god THAT, that is how you handle us. Not with deep sighs and clenched jaws and exasperated" I don't know what to do!" s , but with just a little bit of support, patience and light humor since all that we need is for you to be there while we work through it. That's it. You don't have to "take care" of people with mental illnesses, just be there for them and let them calm down because that is all you can do and that IS enough and you can also see it with Pepa. The moment Félix smiles at her or cracks a joke or throws his arm around her she starts smiling too because when you are supportive and calm, your partner will also respond to that and calm down too I mean look at this

Look how fast papa's mood changes! In many cases the anger that people with mental illnesses feel is very short-lived and if we see that the person on the other side of the conflict has calmed down, the behavior will be mirrored and Félix is doing that with perfection. Just the simple: "I'm sorry mi vida go on" shows Pepa that a) he LOVES her he really DOES! And b) he is willing to accept his mistake and let Pepa go on with her story so there is nothing to be upset about anymore! Also the fact that Félix ends his verse in we don't talk about bruno with "what a joyous day but anyway" reminding Pepa that she didn't "ruin" their wedding and that it was an amazing day all the same, like, that is SO important and precious!

another scene where Pepa instantly calms down because of Félix is at the breakfast table. she gets upset that Mirabel took her place and the second Félix touches her shoulder and smiles at her she's calm.

(cloud? what cloud?)

And that's another thing, Félix loves Pepa so much! And Pepa knows it! Or better, Félix let's Pepa know it. A lot of times people with mental illnesses can forget or be unsure of other people's love for them so little reminders like having an arm over their shoulder or verbal affection/playfulness can go a long way and this just shows how well Félix had adapted to papa's needs and mental situation.

He is also obviously used to Pepa's mood swings and is not phased by them anymore (obviously if the outbursts of a partner are too violent or toxic you should NOT put up with it but a lot of times they can just be stressed and overwhelmed and nothing big or dangerous is at play) Her momentary anger or stress doesn't make him doubt her love for him and that is incredibly important when having a relationship with someone who suffers from a mental illness since a lot of people take those moments of weakness at face value and think that their partner doesn't care for them when that's simply not true. They DO love you and when people like Félix understand that, it helps both partners navigate their relationship a lot better and more stress free.

Anyways TL;DR is that whether consciously or not, people at Disney have made an incredible showcase of a healthy dynamic between an awesome, badass, beautiful woman with mental illness and her incredible, devoted, loving husband.

Go Pepa and Félix!

[alltooreid]

I Think He Knows

Y/N has a huge crush on Spencer Reid, so huge she embarrasses herself every time she tries to talk to him. She is convinced he is aware to all her pathetic attempts at flirting and just chooses to ignore it, but turns out Spencer may be a little more clueless than she thought.

A/N: Hope yall enjoy this cute fluffy fic! I’ve been having a rough couple of days so writing a fun fluff like this was really comforting :) yes it is inspired by the t swift song, but you don’t need to know the song to read and enjoy! also my requests are open so let me know what you want to see! (also sorry if this is kind of short, but i’ve been super busy and wanted to put something out :)))

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Type: a cute pining fluff fic

Word Count: 2.3K

Content Warnings: mentions of alcohol, otherwise none.

“He got that boyish look that I like in a man I am an architect, I'm drawing up the plans It's like I'm seventeen, nobody understands No one understands”

“He has to know Penelope, I’m not exactly subtle.”

You and Penelope spent the majority of your lunch breaks in her office, discussing anything and everything. Recently however, the point of contention had been a certain young genius. One who you had a huge crush on.

“Spencer Reid may be a genius, and one of the best profilers I have ever seen but he most certainly does not know,” she said, as she drizzled more dressing on her salad.

“He has to, it feels like everyone knows. . . Do you think everyone knows?”

She shrugged, “They might, I know my Chocolate Thunder hasn’t picked up on it yet.”

“You haven’t told him? It’s already been a week since I’ve told you! How did you keep it a secret for so long?”

“You asked me very nicely not to tell anyone! Plus this one seems really important to you. I don’t want to go around telling people and for Reid to hear it in office gossip.”

You smiled, “Well you Penelope Garcia are the best, best friend ever.”

“You know it, now I know you desperately want to repay me for my services, and you can by giving me those exact ranch packets you have in your bag,” she said.

“They’re all yours, now let’s discuss something other than my pathetic schoolgirl crush. Like how stupid Kevin’s sweater was today.”

“Kevin? The other internal affairs technical analyst? Yeah what the heck was he wearing?”

“You know, I’m tired of having to carry the weight of the brains, looks and fashion sense out of the two of us,” you said. “Though, that is a good way to gather attention . . . I wonder if Spencer would actually hold a conversation with me if I wore something as ugly as that.”

She laughed, “You know I think that might send you backwards.”

You stabbed your lettuce, “At this point I’ll try anything.”

Before Penelope could respond, someone interrupted your lunch, your only other friend on the BAU team, Emily Prentiss.

“Oh hi Y/N! How are you!”

“I’m good Emily, what kind of gross things are you here to deliver today?” you and Emily joined the FBI at around the same time, and found comfort in the fact that you were both total try-hards. Emily was going to eat lunch with you and your fast friend Penelope, at least on days when she was in the office for lunch, but you and her both agreed that she should eat lunch with the team so that they can get used to having her around.

“Just some paperwork, no cases yet, knock on wood. Also I just wanted to say hello! What are you guys eating?” she asked, pulling up a chair.

“Some salads from that takeout veggie place PG is always talking about. I told you I was going vegetarian right?” “You did not! That’s great Y/N! We need to talk more, like we used to when we first started here,” she sighed, then perked up, “We should have girls night! Remember how fun it was that night at the bar? With Brad the real FBI agent?”

“Yes! We should! You know, Gideon’s replacement comes tomorrow, we should celebrate!” Garcia said.

“You know, I don’t know if the best way to celebrate a new agent is by drinking without them, but I’m down. We’ll toast our girls night to agent Rossi. Someone ask JJ if she’s busy.”

JJ was not busy, but when you and Emily asked, Morgan overheard.

“So am I not invited to the party?”

“Well it was supposed to be girls night . . . but I think PG would throw a fit if I turned down her 2nd favorite person in this building, so I guess you can come,” you teased. “You should come too Spencer!”

“I don’t know, that’s not really my thing . . “

“Oh come on! I know I would love to see you there,” you then realized that you were embarrassing yourself being so forward. “And I’m sure everyone else would too!”

“Alright, I’ll come, but I’m not drinking.” he said firmly. 

Before you could respond, Penelope magically appeared. “Good, you can be completely sober when Y/N gets wasted and embarrasses herself,” she said.

“PENELOPE! I’m not the light weight here! you’ll see Spencer, she’s actually awful. Two shots in and she’ll be on the floor,” this was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Spencer grimaced. “But it’ll be so much fun! You have to be there! You already said yes!”

“I just don’t know if seeing all of my coworkers get drunk while I watch is my idea of a fun evening. . .”

“Trust me! I’ll even stay sober with you, so we can judge them together. It’ll be a blast.”

“Ok, I’ll be there . . . but for now I need more coffee,” he pulled his chair out and walked towards the office kitchen. You silently cheered, forgetting how people were still standing around you.

“Well,” you awkwardly laughed, “um, I guess I better be getting back to my neck of the woods. I’m not a hot shot profiler like the rest of you guys . . . so see you all later!” You tried to escape before anyone interrogated you about your conversation with Spencer. However, a certain profiler followed quickly behind you. 

“So. . . you and pretty boy huh?”

“Shut it Morgan.”

{⋅. ♪ .⋅}

You stayed true to your word that night, Spencer stuck to water and you enjoyed a diet soda. The bartender, who you had grown fairly used to seeing on your many nights out, was shocked to hear you didn’t want any alcohol in it. 

It’s probably a good thing that you didn’t drink, you already embarrassed yourself enough in front of Spencer fully sober.

“So Spencer, you know that new bookstore you said you were going to go to after work a couple weeks ago?”

“New bookstore . . .? Oh yeah! What about it?”

“Well after I heard you talking about it I decided to check it out . . . It’s really nice there! I go like every other night now! We should totally go together sometime.” Luckily, you were sober enough to keep a secret: the fact you were only going so much in the hopes of running into him.

“Oh really? If I’m being honest I wasn’t super impressed with their selection, it was mostly contemporary fiction. And all in English . . . Not really my thing,” when he saw the way your face dropped he quickly changed his tone, “but it’s great if that’s your thing!”

This. Is. Humiliating. The amount of times you had gone and bought books from the bookstore, you were there almost every night hoping to run into him after work and start a conversation. You felt stupid, of course he wouldn’t want to go on a book store date with you. If Spencer Reid didn’t like you so much that he wouldn’t even go to a bookstore with you, there’s no chance at a relationship.

“Oh haha, yeah you’re right it’s totally lame. . .”

“Didn’t you just say you went there all the time?”

“No! When did I say that? You must be drinking Dr. Reid,” you said, quickly hopping off your bar stool, and running towards Morgan and Garcia, not turning around to see how confused Spencer was, but only being able to imagine him as relieved. Relieved he didn’t have to make conversation with you anymore.

“I’m blowing this PG, he totally hates me.”

Morgan laughed, “Y/N, you’re acting silly, this isn’t high school, we aren’t seventeen, stop dancing around it and just go ask him out.”

“Morgan, he doesn’t want to go to a bookstore with me, no way he’s agreeing to a date.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, maybe he’s just not in the mood to go?”

“You go ask him then, 20 bucks he says yes.”

“You’re on Y/N/N.”

7 minutes later Morgan returned and without a word pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and deposited it into your hand. “Sorry, Y/N.”

Penelope then piped up, “I’m telling you Y/N, he just doesn’t know. That boy is clueless.”

You scoffed, “I think he knows Penelope. I’ve made it pretty clear.”

“Have you told him?”

You were thrown off, “Um, no but-”

“Well then you haven’t made it clear enough, have you sugar?”

You almost said something, but you couldn’t really think of a good rebuttal for the argument. So instead, you downed Penelope’s half dranken frozen margarita, and headed back over to Spencer.

“Hey!” he said as you made your way back over, “I was wondering where you went, after you left Derek came over and asked to go to that bookstore with me, isn’t that extraordinary. . .”

“Do you wanna go on a date with me?” you blurted out.

“What?”

You sighed, “I’ve had a crush on you since like, forever, and I keep planning all these ways to ask you subtly but it’s just not working so I’m asking now. Do you want to go on a date with me?”

“You like me? I didn’t know that . . .”

“You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not, I thought you were just being nice. You’re nice to everyone and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

You smirked, “Get your hopes up? Does that mean you’re obsessed with me too Dr. Reid?”

He laughed in response, “Yeah, you could definitely say that.”

You dug through your purse and pulled out your keys, “Ok, then let’s get out of here.”

He paled, “And do what?”

“We’re going on our first date.”

He smiled, and you both got up off your bar stools and headed out the door, ignoring Morgan’s snide remarks as you passed. 

{⋅. ♪ .⋅}

You couldn’t help but smile as you drove. Every couple of seconds you couldn’t help but look over at Spencer, getting lost in his brownish hazel eyes, which looked indigo in the night. He would smile, the kind of smile people write silly little romance songs about and spend verses to describe, and tell you to pay attention to the road before you run off of it. You would laugh, tell him to calm down. Although originally you had an idea of where you were going, now you just wanted to drive in circles, to bask in this memory. 

“So where are we going?” he asked.

“Think about it Doctor Reid . . .” you replied, teasing him in the way you’ve imagined since you met him. 

You pulled up to that little bookstore on 16th avenue, the one you couldn’t stop going to out of the sheer chance Spencer might be there, the one that was obviously closed this late at night, but was too perfect not to spend your first date at. 

“Although this is beautifully symbolic, it’s almost 2 in the morning, this place closes at 8. We’re 5 hours, 49 minutes and 17 seconds late.”

You smiled and pulled out your ring of keys, “You know, when I spent hours a night hanging around here after work, hoping that you would happen to come shop for books and see me here too, the woman who owns this store got pretty curious. So I told her why I was here, and after she got done laughing at me she offered me a key, so that if I ever had the guts to ask you out, I could take you here no matter what.” You turned the key and swung the door open, gesturing him inside and locking the door behind you, “but we have to keep the lights off, so no one comes by and tries to get in.”

You and Spencer sit in the non-fiction section, and enjoy the silence for a few seconds before you have an idea, “Read me something Reid.”

He reached up, pulling a book off of the shelf without looking, “Are you sure, A Brief History of 1491: Life in America Before Columbus, is first date material?”

“Although that book is anything but brief, anything you read to me will sound stunning coming from your pretty mouth.”

So he begins to read, attempting to slow down to a reasonable pace but still going abnormally fast. You didn’t care though, more than you listened to the history of the late fifteenth century you watched Spencer’s hands. They’re really nice hands.

His right followed the words as he read aloud and his left helped hold the book. He wiggled the fingers on his left hand unconsciously as he spoke, getting into the words of the book. 

After about 25 pages he glanced over at you, and you could almost hear the gears turning in his head. After a second he went back to the page, and continued reading. You didn’t think anything of it until a couple minutes later, when his hand made its way to your left thigh.

He held it and you leaned into him, and you both stayed like that until you fell asleep hours later, with his head resting on top of yours. 

At 8:30 Mrs. Betts, the owner of the bookstore, found you and Spencer, arms around each other, the book thrown aside. She smiled, glad to know you had taken her up on her offer. She went to go wake you up but glanced at her watch. She didn’t have to officially open until 10. 

She could definitely spare a couple of minutes. 

“I want you, bless my soul I ain't gotta tell him I think he knows”

- Thank you for reading! Please reblog and let me know what you think :))

ATR’s tiny taglist: @reidingmelodies​

[ruki--mukami]

"ok, uhm.." they sat next to him and took a deep breath before starting.

"I'm a girl. Or maybe I'm not. The first time I breathed in that thought, I felt like I was far too old to be redifining myself, so I coughed it out like a stale cigaratte. after a long night of bad desicions, looked at my reflection and told myself, you're wrong. that night, I put on the prettiest dress I had and went out dancing. 'til I realized I was only skirting around my deepest fears. You see, everytime someone calls me "she", my stomach turns and my skin feels thick. Like someone raised a panic alarm in my brain. And with every "her" that gets hurled my way, I get turned around. I'm not lost, just.. never seem to have the right map. But see, I'm not trapped in a body I hate, just, wrapped in words that don't relate to the way skin feels on my bones. Or, the way that I only feel like home, when no one knows exactly where it is I am, so.. maybe I'm a man. Except I don't think thats right. Theres never been a fight like bar brawls through my veins telling myself I need to change. "him".. feels like a synonymous with someone else. "He", a chorus unto itself, and "him" just fits too loosely. so, maybe I'm not. Either, I mean. I go online to see, do you realize no one is buying this? Do you realize, I'm not selling myself short anymore? Because the first time I opened up the door to the possibility of being myself, I found a treasure map I left for myself back when I was a kid. When the only thing I was scared of loosing, was my sense of self. You see, I never thought we were speaking the same language, untill someone said "they" instead. So tell me I'm wrong, tell me I'm broken. Tell me I must hate myself so much to be the way I am. And I will tell you, I never knew what it was like to fly until I let myself breathe in. Finally found my map, you know? X marks the spot."

(this is not my poem, its from this short film! But I loved it so much and I'm nonbinary myself so I wanted Ruki's reaction to it.)

"How eloquently worded of you to compose such an emotionally-driven masterpiece. You've truly learned so much despite your short time alive, including things about yourself, too. It's a beautiful poem, my dear."

Not quite moved to the point of tears, although steadily approaching an all-encompassing bittersweet wave of sentiment, Ruki's steel-blues traveled from the paper to his child's face, gazing into their eyes before assuming a gentle closed-eye smile to signal that the poem satisfied him with a parental sense of accomplishment that any father should feel after witnessing that the one who lived and treaded an unforgiving world has finally obtained acceptance.

"Well, message aside, I do hope the point of the assignment was to write in free verse... Otherwise, I'm certain you will be docked some points for not maintaining . Kidding, of course. It's wonderful."

Stronger than what any poetry can express, the Vampire enclosed his arms around them, hugging his child tight enough to reach their once troubled heart. A heart fogged with the uncertainty of never being seen the same way they saw themselves, neither male nor female.

"Rather than criticism, I know full well that you seek an audience instead. People who will hear what you have to say, and see you for you. Not because you're trying to sell them a story they'll buy, but because you wish to be acknowledged. If you've finally learned to breathe before flying, then all your father to help you spread those wings and soar to new, unforeseen heights. Surely your teacher and classmates will understand—because we all live under the same sky."

Releasing his child from the embrace, Ruki placed both hands upon their shoulders in reassurance.

"Truth be told, there honestly may have been a time when I couldn't accept such a notion. My past self from eons ago in a world that was very much binary might have argued that people should just accept their birth sex as their identity. That's because I, myself, am what people would label cisgender as you have already surmised. Not to mention that I was raised to essentially become the head of my own household and family someday, given my aristocratic parents. Well, I say to hell with that."

As deeply engraved to the Vampire as those ancient ideologies were, happiness reigned supreme. Happiness for his family, for his children, forevermore.

"No matter what you identify as, I will always love and support you."

[to-star-lake]

An early scene from the let you go verse ✿☾

--

Geto had never seen anyone move that fast.

Sure, Gojo’s fast, and so is he, but you-

You were a veritable storm of movement, a blur of speed and precision.

He fanned his hand in front of his face, coughing as the billowing clouds of dust and rubble settled and the smoke cleared.

And there you were, crouched on one knee, your hands holding down the pair of curses the two of you were assigned to exorcise, a first mission for you. And there he was, standing awkwardly, wide-eyed, while the colossal tiger curse he summoned purred beside him, rolling on its back.

He cleared his throat, shaking thoughts away, dismissing the curse, and made his way towards you. The curses under your grasp groaned in unholy voices, and he watched, unable to tear his eyes away as your fingers closed even more tightly around their necks, your expression stone cold, unchanged.

“I could’ve helped,” he managed, quietly thankful that his voice didn’t crack at that moment.

You shrugged carelessly. “You didn’t need to.”

“Aren’t you going to exorcise them?” he tilted his head, failing to hide the intrigue in his voice.

“Yaga told me to let you exorcise them whenever possible.” He watched your face lift and your eyes met his. “He said you can control them.”

He paused for a moment, considering your words and nodded. He held out his right hand, palm open, enabling his technique and he watched your expression intently as one of the curses in your grasp warped into a dark, rumbling swirl in his palm, forming a crystal black orb.

Your eyes were focused on him, on the warbling sphere on his palm, and a twinge of self-consciousness hit him as he raised the orb to his lips, consuming it. Your eyes held no expression, he could not read what you were thinking, as much as he wished he could in that moment. But your eyes were so focused on him, so present, like you saw him so clearly and he almost wished you didn’t.

The other curse was churning into his palm and it had almost completely absorbed into an orb when you asked, “Can I hold it?”

He looked at you, wide-eyed, almost in disbelief as the question reached his ears.

Why? He wanted to ask. But didn’t. It can’t hurt you. And you can’t hurt him..right?

He took a step toward you, slow, cautious, the gently revolving curse in his palm out, a cursed offering to you.

“You should concentrate cursed en-” He didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t need to. You held your hands out, cupped next to each other, cursed energy coursing to your palms.

Carefully, gently, he tilted his hand over yours, passing the orb onto your hands and one might mistake this care for the object like it was something precious, but it isn’t. He'd never handed over an absorbed curse to anyone else (no one else had ever wanted it). He didn’t know what would happen.

He’d only noticed he’d been holding his breath, and let out a purposeful exhale when he saw the orb floating in your palms and in your hands, this wretched thing almost looked precious, like a gleaming black pearl between iridescent ivory shells.

He watched you looking down at it, a glittering reflection of the cursed orb in your eyes.

“And then you eat it?” your voice was much quieter than before.

“I consume it, yes.” he answered, the tenor of his voice matching yours.

His breath hitched as he watched you lift the orb to your lips, the tip of your tongue peeking from between your teeth, and you-

You tasted it.

He let out a ragged breath, hoping you couldn’t hear it.

Say something. He clenched his fists at his sides, desperately grasping for words in his mind. Do something. But he was frozen, the bottoms of his shoes cemented to the ground where he stood. He dug and dug, his efforts in vain, to find something behind your stoic expression.

It’s grotesque, isn’t it? This hideous thing I do. And now you’ve seen it. I shouldn’t have shown you. I shouldn’t have let you..

Finally you looked up, your eyes meeting his and you handed the curse back to him just as carefully as he passed it to you.

“That’s disgusting.”

“Ha..” the relief was audible in his voice at the way you said that. Your expression still hadn’t changed, but dare he say it, he definitely heard it, there was an almost playful edge to the way you said it.

-

“Hey, can we stop in that convenience store real quick?”

Geto turned to look at you, your small hand tugging at the sleeve of his uniform, the other pointing to a brightly lit building surrounded by vending machines past an empty parking lot.

He took out his phone to check the time.

“Yeah, are you hungry?” There was still time before the train back to Tokyo leaves.

“Yes,” you replied simply and bounded through the entrance to the little store. He took a seat on one of the benches outside by a vending machine, and a couple of minutes passed before he saw you poke your head out from the doors.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“I’m not hungry,” he smiled. He never had any appetite and wouldn't for a long time after consuming a curse.

“Ok, I’ll just be a minute.”

He sat, looking out at nothing, replaying that moment over and over in his mind. The image of you, holding the small, black orb to your lips, the tip of your tongue grazing its surface-

“Here.”

He blinked, time finally catching up to him. He watched you take a seat beside him, holding a lollipop out for him. For me? And you nodded, nudging it closer to him, like you could hear the question in his mind.

He took it from you, and watched you drop a full bag of food down onto your lap. You unwrapped and took a bite out of the onigiri that you held in the other hand.

You must’ve noticed the way he was staring, because you turned and answered the question he didn't ask, “My cursed technique churns through my physical energy stores, so I’m always hungry,” you explained flatly. “I got you some cup ramen and onigiri too. For the train, in case you get hungry later.”

He laughed softly, he couldn’t help himself - the way you muttered through a mouth full of food, a little smudge of nori on your cheek, so different from the way you were when you defeated those curses, so human, so honest, so young..

“And this is what, an appetizer?” he chuckled, unwrapping the lollipop after reading the label. Sour apple.

“No, that’s a palate cleanser,” you replied simply. But your words caused him to freeze mid-movement. He felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach at the implication.

He took a careful inhale, forcing himself to move after a moment, and brought the lollipop to his lips. “I know it’s unpleasant. I can go buy some chewing gum-” He stood, turning away, his eyes dark beneath the fallen strands of his hair.

“Shit-”

A gentle tug at his shirtsleeve.

“Geto, I’m sorry..”

He turned, a practiced smile on his face. “You don’t have to apologize. I normally go on missions alone, so there’s no one to converse with..no one to care..and I’m so used to it that I hardly notice it anymore.” This last was a lie; he couldn’t not notice it.

“No, I mean-”

He watched your expression twist into something he hadn’t seen before. An emotion was manifesting in your eyes. What is it?

He watched you inhale deeply, your chest rising. He hung on the edge of every millisecond that passed.

“It’s not that. It’s not what you’re thinking,” you began, your voice softer than usual. He watched you scoff lightly, shaking your head a little before meeting his gaze.

“This isn’t normal, what you and I do, what we are, you know that right?” You glanced over at a boy and girl across the street, hand in hand, in their high school uniforms, skipping along, laughing, so immersed in their own world it was palpable.

“You don’t seem like the kinda guy that ever complains,” you continued, your eyes meeting him again. “I might be out of line for saying this, but I want to make sure you know- what you do, this is not something you should ever have to get used to. This isn’t normal. I know you probably have some belief system, some cause you’ve dedicated yourself to. To help people who can’t help themselves, because you can, so you think you should, right? Because you have this ability. But I hope you know that it doesn’t have to be at the expense of your own happiness. It’s not selfish to look inward once in a while. If you’re suffering, if you’re in pain- you should know that it’s valid. And that lollipop, it’s just a reminder, an entry back into the real world after you’ve consumed a curse.”

You turned, moving back to take a seat on the bench, resuming bites out of the onigiri in your hand while he was stunned, frozen where he stood.

“I apologize for my candor,” you muttered, your cheek puffed with food. “It’s an unattractive quality. But I hate it when people get so caught up in themselves that they lose sight of what makes them great.”

It doesn’t have to be at the expense of your own happiness…

It’s not selfish to look inward once in a while…

If you’re in pain, you should know that it’s valid…

This is a reminder…

…

What is this feeling?

A slow simmer in his gut, it was warm, fluttering gentle caresses up his spine, it rose up and brought warm heat to his cheeks, a flush of pink under his skin.

He looked at you from where he stood, and from your feet, he watched the rest of the world suddenly emerge in vibrant color- the way the summer air smelled, the soft chirping of crickets from the trees in the distance, the low rumbling of a faraway storm..

Everything that had faded into the background, that he’d pushed to the far back of his consciousness because for as long as he can recall, he was actually the one being consumed by the curses in his possession. And he’d gotten so good at hiding what plagued him, that he was even starting to believe it himself, believing that everything was fine. But by the sweet, clear succession of your words, everything was brought to life, screaming and vivid.

In that moment, he stood on this Earth, just a boy, and you, just a girl; someone from that moment on, he knew he wanted to protect with his life.