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bree-cheesy · 10 months ago

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could you write something along the lines of suprising ted when he gets back from the margaritaville trip with a new set of lingerie in his favourite color and well, you know where it goes from there with softdom!ted (bonus points if we call him theo and he adores when we use that nickname)

*Sigh* I really don't have a reason on why I've been off the face of the planet. I'm really sorry y'all. I'm so sorry this request has taken so long. I really have no excuses.

I mean, I have my reasons, but not any good ones. Mental health stuff and such.

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It was a very long few months. Being all alone cramped up in Ted's apartment while he was off driving across the country. Of course you talked whenever he could and always fell asleep with him on the phone, but it started to just be.... not enough. You counted down the days until he'd come back and you could be in his arms again.

Your girlfriends had taken you out on a shopping trip a few days ago to lift your spirits and you had a marvelous idea when you passed a lingerie shop. You bought the most beautiful set you could find- definitely helped that it was his favorite color- with one idea in mind. Ted was coming back that night and you wanted to surprise him. No doubt he'd be tired and probably frustrated from driving. He'd want to relax and just sleep.

But..... He'd been gone for sooo long. You were also frustrated.... in another way. You had deep cleaned the apartment and lit some candles, spreading some fake rose petals you bought at the store on the ground leading to the bedroom. It was cheesy, but you loved it. Slipping into the lingerie set, you heard the front door open and shut and then his voice echo through the apartment. "Honey, I'm home!"

You laid down on the bed in the most seductive pose you could muster and heard his bag drop on the ground in the living room. "You little minx, what is this?" He chuckled and you heard his footsteps get closer to the bedroom door. He stepped in and his eyes landed on the sight of you posed on the bed, the lingerie leaving almost nothing to the imagination.

He took a deep breath and let his eyes rake over your body and you felt your cheeks warm up and started to feel a little nervous. "Fuck."

You giggled a little and sat up on your knees. "Welcome home..." Your voice was soft and timid, looking up at him, fluttering your eyelashes. He groaned and cupped your face, practically smashing his lips against yours. You moaned softly into his mouth and looped your arms around his neck, pressing up against him. His hands slid down your back and to your waist, squeezing gently and sliding his tongue in your mouth, deepening the kiss. "Mmf... Theo..." You mewled softly.

You could've sworn you almost heard him whine at the nickname and he pulled away from the kiss. "Lay down, sweetheart...." He said softly and you quickly obeyed him, albeit not very graceful, and he got on top of you. "I fucking love this, but I need you naked...." He practically ripped the lingerie set off and you scrambled to get his shirt off. He wasted absolutely no time in getting his pants off and lining up to get inside you. "I'll play with this pretty pussy later, I promise.... I just need to be inside you." You whined a little and moaned, spreading your legs for him.

"That's it... good girl..." He slowly pressed inside you and groaned, his eyes rolling back into his head. He thrusted hard and fast, giving you no mercy. You moaned loudly, throwing your head back and squeezing your eyes shut. Your soul almost left your body when his mouth landed on your nipple and his thumb started rubbing at your clit, not stopping his passionate thrusting. "Theo!" You let out a sharp gasp.

He forced your legs open wider, pulling them up against your chest so he could get a better angle. "Yeah? Feels so good doesn't it? Who's making you feel good, baby?"

You tried to muster some words, but it all felt to good. You couldn't get out more then a few whimpers. He thrusted harder and groaned. "Come on, sweetheart. I know you can do it. Use your words, honey."

"You, Theo... You're making me feel so good.....!"

"That's it.... Such a good fucking girl...." He thrusted harder and you felt yourself getting closer and closer, gradually clenching around his cock and making him stutter and groan. "Cum for me, sweetheart. Cum so hard for me..."

You let out a loud moan and came hard, completely soaking his cock. He groaned and his hips stuttered as his own release came, filling you up and almost collapsing on top of you. You both breathed heavily and he pulled away to kiss you gently, cradling your body against him, rubbing your sides and back. Your leg hitched up against his thigh and you smiled into the embrace.

"I missed you so much..." He rubbed his nose against yours and you blushed, tangling your fingers in his hair.

-- Bree <3

#ted nivison fluff #ted nivison smut #ted nivison x reader #ted nivison #ted nivison x fem!reader #bree <3 #Bree-Cheesy

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ilovehugslikealotalot · 1 year ago

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I NEED CHRISTMAS THEMED REBECCA WELTON X READER

maybe one where there’s angst where Y/n is really close with Rebecca and the team so she spends lots of time at the club and Rebecca is trying really hard to Show y/n that she loves her but y/n is completely oblivious, Rebecca spills to Keeley how much she loves y/n and Keeley tells y/n abt and surprises Rebecca or something.

you can alter things so it makes sense! ☺️

Make Your Wish Come True

Rebecca Welton x Fem!reader

(not my gif)

WARNING: MINORS DNI, cliffhanger ending?

❝ She’s showed me what love was supposed to be. I find my heart so full of her I can hardly call it my own❞

-Rebecca Welton

~~✿ஜீ۞ஜீ✿•.¸¸.•*•.•ஜீ☼۞☼ஜீ•.•*•.¸¸.•✿ஜீ۞ஜீ✿~~

“You know, I really don’t think she fancies me. I really just don’t seem her type, Keels” Y/n says, unconvinced of even the slightest possibility. “Oh come on! She totally fancies you!”

Keeley had known y/n since their middle school years. They’d always get into some chaos wherever they’d go, sometimes, (which means all the time) Keeley would be the one always in isolation for taking the pranks a bit too extravagant. One time, Keeley and Y/n egged their neighbors house. But, a certain someone took it a step too far and toilet papered his car and dyed his dog key lime green.

A year ago, Rebecca had met y/n whenever they had run into each other in the hallways of the FC. Of course, since Rebecca is Rebecca she was always quite professional, and with y/n being clumsy and always getting herself, sometimes others, injured with her recklessness.

Y/n was in a rush to get to Keeley on a particular Saturday, hearing heels clicking in the distance, y/n paid no mind, focusing entirely on her phone. “Y/n watch out!” A familiar voice shouted, but, before y/n could turn around her dance smashed into someone, someone tall, and blonde, and beautiful…

“Miss Y/l/n, I’d say to be careful, but we all know you’ll fall again,” Rebecca smiled, chuckling sweetly, making sure y/n didn’t trip and fall on the floor. Y/n freezes up slightly, but still manages to utter a coherent sentence. “Thank you, Becca,” The blonde woman nodded with the same charming smile and let go of y/n before walking off, a faint blush on her cheeks.

The two shorter women watched as Rebecca strutted away with her hips swaying perfectly as she went. “She wants you…”

“Not! I can only keep dreaming.” Y/n sighed dreamily staring at the mistletoe in the heavily decorated hallway. Ribbons and trees lined the tables, and festive lights seemed to burn your eyes.

“Maybe Santa can Make Your Wish Come True!” Keeley exclaimed, grabbing a Santa plushie off of her desk and squeaking it, causing the two to laugh.

—————————��

Rebecca never thought she would find herself surrounded by the Ted’s little…friendship circle.

“So, uh, boss. What brings you here?” Ted smiles, his hands folder in his laugh. “Well..Uhm, I’m positive you all know y/n, correct?” Rebecca looks around, everyone nodding, listening intently. “I…I feel…strongly toward her,” she had worded it that way for a reason, she was quite unsure about this, the memories of her last relationship with Rupert still haunting her mind. “Strongly, how?” Nate asked, slightly squinting his eyes as if he knew what she was going to continue with, Rebecca sighed, “I like her, I really do” Higgins clapped his hands together, “I knew it!”

“Like or love?” Roy bluntly enjoined, the blonde stood there for a minute to finally admit to herself what she had register for long.

“Love.” She spoke barely above a whisper, Roy smirked, to tease Rebecca further he urged her to be louder, “Huh?”

“I said I love her! Okay?!”

That was they had needed. From that point forward, everybody in AFC Richmond knew about about Rebecca’s little plan. She gave y/n extravagant gifts, showered her in compliments, and flirted every chance she got. Yet, y/n and her infinite wisdom thought that Rebecca was being friendly. In all truth, the blonde was about to just come clean, so, to prepare herself, Rebecca goes on to tell Keeley about just how much she’s willing to go for y/n. Though, she might’ve already known.

At the little firm Keeley had been managing, Rebecca hastily made her way to her best-friend’s office. A state of panic washed over her, she really just didn’t know what to do, she’d never dated a woman so this was all knew to her. “Keeley?” The taller woman called, opening the door, “Becca! What’s this about, y/n? Did you finally snog her?”

Keeley was one to be quite blunt when it came to romantic questions. “No, sadly” Rebecca chuckled joylessly, tossing her bag on Keeley’s office couch. Keeley frowned, hating the look on Rebecca’s face, “Man, is she really that blind?” She joked, chuckling at Rebecca’s little smile, “why don’t you just tell her? She likes you, isn’t it obvious at this point?” Rebecca looked at up at her in disbelief, “you’re joking?” Keeley almost screamed, these two were a bunch of idiots. For a literal month, these two had been pining for each other, they’ve been flirting non-stop and yet they still don’t know if the other likes the other? Jesus Christ, they were going to be the death of her.

Rebecca jumped out of her seat and ran to her car, the snow falling gracefully as the cold hit her cheeks. Buttoning her jacket to keep warm, she dialed a certain someone’s phone number..

#rebecca welton #open requests #rebecca welton x reader #ted lasso #rebecca is mother #she’s so fucking beautiful #she’s my wife #omg this is so cute

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zer0brainc3lls · 2 months ago

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Dps yap session about how Todd’s relationship with Neil and Mr Keating (mainly Neil) grew his character because I’ll never stop thinking about it (spoilers for the book)

In the movie we all know Todd has issues with public speaking but in the book, it’s not just public speaking. It’s speaking to almost anyone in general. He stutters and pauses between sentences, even being unable to finish what he’s trying to say.

“I… would…. Prefer…. Rowing….. sir,” - Todd “rowing? Did he say rowing? But here it says you played soccer at Balincrest?” - Mr Nolan “I…. Did…. But….” - Todd

The dots are not exaggerated if you haven’t read the book. That’s how it’s shown. Now he doesn’t speak to everyone like this, mainly if he’s asked about an opinion or something of that nature, despite this he speaks softly almost all the time in the start of the book.

But as time goes on and he becomes closer to the dead poets + Mr Keating he opens up, he may not speak much in meetings and in classes doing anything publicly still scared him but he opens up more nonetheless.

Towards the halfway/end of the book he watches Neil find his own voice through acting, standing up to his father and watching Neil grow confident in himself he too becomes more confident. Even putting a lamp shade over his head just for fun, in front of people, being silly. (The lamp shade part is never talked about omg.)

When Neil is performing he even mouthes the lines to himself, even though he knows Neil needed no help. And at the end of the play TODD starts the standing ovation (I think? He’s definitely one of the first.) with a smile on his face, no embarrassment, no shame. Just happy for his best friend for standing up and finally being himself.

This was never shown in the movies but after the play he reaches out for Neil, trying to tell him how well he did and when Mr Perry’s car drives off he screams Neil’s name. In front of a crowd of people.

After the car scene they go back to the cave, not just the dead poets, Chris is there to (someone Todd barely knows!!!) and you know what Todd does? He expresses his anger. In full.

“Todd suddenly jumped up and pounded the walls with his fists. ‘Next time I see Neil's father I'm gonna smash him. I don't care what happens to me!’ ” after this, HE RECITES A POEM IN FRONT OF ALL HIS FRIENDS, MR KEATING AND CHRIS. (THIS WHOLE CAVE SCENE WAS SUCH A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR TODDS CHARACTER IM SO MAD THEY FUCKING CUT IT)

Todd gained his own voice watching Neil and the dead poets gain theirs.

Then Neil died.

After Neil died? Todd lost his voice. Almost. He almost went back to stumbling his words, he almost went back to speaking softly. But whenever someone tried to speak ill of Neil or Mr Keating? HE WAS ON THEIR CASE.

“You don’t seriously think his father…” -knox “not with the gun! Damn it even if the bastard didn’t pull the trigger he..” - Todd

“ ‘Who else do you think, dumbo? The administration? Mr. Perry? Keating put us up to all this, didn't he? If it wasn't for him, Neil would be cozied up in his room right now, studying his chemistry and dreaming of being called doctor.’ - Cameron ‘That's not true! Mr. Keating tell Neil what to do. Neil loved acting.’ - Todd

And in the books he took a large punishment instead of signing the note to get Mr Keating fired and of course we cannot forget the desk scene at the end of the movie. Todd may never be the same as when Neil was alive and Mr Keating was still his teacher but he grew a confidence from them, even them no longer being apart of his life could take away the impact they had on him.

Idk if this yap session is a “yeah no shit” kind of thing but thanks for coming to my ted talk yall

#the dead poets society #dps fandom #dps #todd anderson #neil perry #mr keating

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anoant-haikyuu-dump · 4 months ago

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Fukutora braindump

In first year no one sat with either of them at lunch—Tora scared people off cause he looks like a delinquent and Fukunaga has that "weird quiet kid who laughs to himself" reputation. As resident yapper Tora got bored eating alone and at this point the only guy he sorta knew was Fukunaga (Kenma eats with Kuroo), so he barged into his class one day and they've eaten together ever since

Thinking about this line from Fukunaga's stat sheet— I think after a good amount of pestering Fukunaga gives in but only in the form of whispering directly into his ear. It flusters Tora at first ("THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT") and Fukunaga's mostly doing it to mess with him but eventually it becomes genuine, Tora even leans over when he senses he has something to say. He's probably heard Fukunaga's voice more than anyone else. Kenma thinks it's really fucking gay.

Speaking of Kenma he's always staring at them like the homophobic dog. It's painfully obvious to him that they have a thing for each other but whenever he tries to bring it up to Tora he has a fit and insists he's not gay. When he brings it up to Fukunaga he just laughs and says he also knows, he's drawing it out on purpose to see when Tora will finally crack. Kenma wants to smash his head into the wall

It takes a while but when Tora finally gets his shit together they're a pretty affectionate couple. The rest of the team make fun of them relentlessly and pretend to gag everytime they so much as look at each other except for Shibayama, who's a bit of a sap and goes too far in the other direction (they high-five and hear a loud "DAWWWW" from the other side of the gym)

Genderfluid Fukunaga, Tora's the biggest wife guy in the world (tied with Tanaka of course). He's always buying her shit or bringing her up in conversations unprompted. Him and Tanaka scroll through their wife photo albums when they hang out

Fukunaga's really good at keeping a straight face but Tora's one of the only people who can get him to crack, and it's not even on purpose. He just says shit thats so dumb or out-of-left-field that Fukunaga fuckign loses it. No one understands why, not even Tora himself

ok that's enough for now thanks for coming to my ted talk

#im like the only person posting in these tags this is getting sad #you scroll through the latest on either of their tags AND ITS JUST ME LIKE 5 TIMES IN A ROW IM EMBARRASED #I DONT CARE THOUGH ILL BE THEIR STRONGEST HYPEMAN IF NEED BE #i feel like a crazy person i love being hyperfixed on minor characters #my goal is to become tumblrs fukutora guy cause that roll is not filled rn and it should be #anyways sorry to anyone who likes either of these characters but not this ship cause my ass isn't shutting up anytime soon :')#fukutora #fukunaga shouhei #yamamoto taketora #haikyuu #ant's rambling tag woo

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lewkwoodnco · 1 year ago

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Now That We Don't Talk - Lockwood x Reader

A/N: very very brief suicidal mention, sooooo much writer's block hhhh (the seasonal depression is depressing), (angst but diluted if that makes sense) add/remove yourself from my taglist in the link beloooow ALSO

🎄Special Announcement! I'll be doing a twelve days of Christmas fic series (1 songfic fic a day leading up to Christmas) BUT I will also be accepting extra holiday-themed requests (if any)!🎄

(speaking of the holidays, thinking of switching to a santa-themed george icon soon hmmm), wc 3.1k

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 3.5 | Ch 4 | Ch 5

TAGLIST | MATERLIST

Moving had been a surprisingly smooth process that she remembered little of. She had to take care to not think too much about the ornaments she was packing or the boxes she was taping shut or the lonely town she was numbly driving towards, lest the rest of her catch up to the grief weighing her down. Her supervisor had looked plenty confused when she explained where she was transferring to, and muttered something about not knowing if there were any visitors there.

As steep as the change was from working in central London to a significantly sleepier town, she seemed to be adjusting fine. In fact, she was liking the peace and quiet. Or at least, she would, soon enough. She'd learn the right habits, like finding contentment in the stagnant void that descended on her windows far too quickly every evening, the same way she'd unlearn bad habits, like him. So no, her biggest problem was hardly the early sunsets here, but was actually what everyone wanted to talk to her about when she called. The one thing everyone - her old teammates, colleagues, friends - wanted to make sure she knew.

"The gala was fantastic this year - though not as fun without you, of course -"

"You'll never believe who showed up."

"He looked very sharp in his suit. He cleans up nice, I suppose - Anthony Lockwood, I mean."

"They've become quite the celebrities, that Lockwood & Co., though the other two don't seem to tolerate the cameras like he does."

"Oh, you should have seen it. Say what you will about Lockwood but does he know how to make an entrance!"

"Were you at the gala this year?"

She sighed for what must have been the fifth time that day. "No, Ted, I was not. You were at my farewell party, remember?"

"Tha' was for you?"

"Goodbye, Ted."

"Wait! You've seen the pictures, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't, because contrary to popular belief, I am not obsessed with evrything that goes on at Fittes."

"Well, we had a tiptop chocolate fountain this year. Didn't get clogged once and looked absolutely gorgeous. Anywho, I've recently stumbled upon this smashing business opportunity involving chocolate fountains - they're selling like hot cakes, I tell you! - and I'd love to spread the wealth."

"Theodore, you haven't joined another MLM, have you?"

"What is an MLM, other than an opportunity to invest in yourself?"

"Don't make me phone your mother."

The call ended rather abruptly after that. Only Lucy, as always, was an angel.

"I take it you've heard plenty about him?"

"Who? Oh, him. Yes, more than plenty."

"I thought you might. He has...quite the presence, so the papers wanted to interview him, and he agreed - "

" - obviously - "

"And I think they asked him about you at some point."

Her mouth dried. She struggled to find her voice, forcing it to stay casually disinterested. "Hm? What did he say?"

"Absolutely nothing. First and probably last time I've seen him stunned speechless. Naturally, it's all anyone can talk about."

"Mhm."

"He hasn't talked about you, if you're wondering. Sees it coming from a mile away every time George and I try to bring it up. It's so stupid; we know it, he knows it, and he's always in a foul mood. He keeps thinking, these days...Y/N?"

"I don't care."

"No one would blame you if you did."

"I don't."

"So how are you holding up?"

"Well, Luce, I felt happiness outside of external validation for the first time in...ever, then three months later I'm crying in my bathtub wishing I would die, and now I'm miles away from everyone I ever knew and it's always dark outside and I'm always miserable. I'm doing great."

She could hear the exhaustion in the crackling static of the telephone. It occurred to her that she wasn't much acting all that cheerful either.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think he half-expected to see you there."

She inhaled sharply and sat up in her armchair so fast she could feel a cramp curling in her neck. She didn't dare believe Lucy's words. "Really?" she wanted to breathe into the telephone, and revel in dormant delusions, if only for a moment. Instead, she gingerly sank back into the chair, continuing in a flat voice.

"Well, I don't care about any of that now. Oh, I'm sick of it. All of it. If I never hear his name again for as long as I live, it'll be still be too soon. How's George doing?"

After she hung up, she laid in her chair, watching the shadows from her shutters stretch and fold over her furniture as the sun set. She was thinking about the last party she had been to, a yacht party where some of Fittes' and Rotwell's biggest investors were in attendance. How Lockwood had managed to score an invite was beyond her, but what intrigued her more was the cab ride they shared back to Portland Row.

She had been half-dozing off when she felt a hand cover hers. As she blinked at him blearily, she noticed the rigid tension in his spine, as if poised and waiting for an attack. He was clutching her hand purposefully, as if holding off on warning her about something malevolent that was consuming him. She couldn't see his face, which began to feel no different from the cold, hard window pane it was peering out of.

She stirred, distantly unnerved by his impersonality. He glanced at her, apologetically retracting his hand with a sheepish smile. But that look of consternation remained on his face as he turned back to the window with a furrowed brow, with the air of waiting for something. He visibly relaxed as they approached Portland Row, but she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling even by the time they reached the doorstep.

"You all right?" she was asking, while Lockwood fumbled with their keys.

"'Course. Why wouldn't I be?"

She didn't respond, and the two of them watched him wrench at the key in the lock, trying to steady his mildly trembling fingers.

"Key turns the other way."

He paused his efforts, and after a second or two turned the key the other way. The door slid open smoothly with a click. He held it open, but she just looked at him expectantly. He sighed.

"I'm fine, I promise. I just...get a little nervous around some parts of London."

"Which parts?"

"Some."

"Scared of what?"

"A few things."

"Why?"

"For fun. Look, I'm freezing out here. Can we just drop this?"

That was more than a mild exaggeration; the sun had only just set and the air was still pleasantly balmy. But he looked so beseechingly, and it didn't take much for her to relent when it came to Lockwood, so they stepped inside and shrugged their coats off in silence.

"I'll tell you some day. I'm sure I will."

That was some day too far away. Now she'll never know if, or why he ever felt like that. Or rather, she wouldn't know when he would feel like that. But it was no matter. It was none of her business then, and it was even less of her business now.

She had mostly forgotten about her conversation with Lucy by the following week, which was why her parcel came as a bit of a surprise, especially since she'd mentioned being swamped by a mountain of upcoming cases.

Y/N -

I was thinking about our call the other day. On a completely unrelated note, here's about every gossip rag from the past month I could find at Arif's.

Love, Lucy.

She was beginning to see what was so appealing about these magazines. As ruthless as they could be, they sure knew how to sell a pipe dream to common folk with less exciting lives. The gala was clearly as glitzy and glamorous as it was every year, and the articles held an air of intrigue now that she was quite separate from Fittes. But that quivering excitement became somewhat muffled as she flipped through the glossy pages.

The Anthony Lockwood she saw now looked worlds apart from the Lockwood she left behind. His well-fitting suit, megawatt smile and carefully styled hair made him look expensive in a way that destabilised her. She flipped through photograph after photograph of him looking jarringly luxurious besides walls of text effusing about the success of their latest case, and what an honour it must have been to be personally invited by Marissa Fittes herself. It weighed at the pit in her stomach to see this unfamiliar silhouette of a friend who was become increasingly unattainable, speeding along roads to prosperity faster than she could ever keep up with.

She sifted through the other rags. The most extensive feature was a few pages long, and was centered more on the exciting, up-and-coming agency that was Lockwood & Co. rather than a specific case. There were pictures from their most recent cases, and in each one he looked unnaturally distinct from the last, but in every single one he oozed an appealingly languid charisma. It was good to see him doing so well. She was happy for him. Or she would be, tomorrow, when she had the strength for it. Lockwood was unbearable in a way that made him perfect for a life in the public eye, a life for which she was somehow always deficient. She traced a too-long strand of hair flopped on his forehead in one of the photographs, as if she could magically straighten it out.

She could see him now, thumbing through the pages with an approving tilt to his head, limbs folded uncomfortably in the armchair he always insisted on sharing with her. "No such thing as bad press," he'd claim absent-mindedly, his too-long hair flopping impractically. And she'd watch him with bruised eyes like she always did, wishing for nothing more in that moment shared with him. In other words, wishing for nothing short of what she could never have.

Maybe it was some lingering wish to break herself before he beat her to it. Because that was all it was; dodging blows, lying through pretty teeth, racing ahead to pull one over on him, cursing the feel of his breath on her. There was simply no calm, no respite, only the all-consuming experience of becoming wrapped up in him and losing bits and pieces of herself which would never again be truly hers.

She picked up the telephone again. It felt too heavy in her hand. Numbly, she spun the dial as if on autopilot, keying in her mother's phone number. The dial tone comforted her in some twisted yet cathartic acknowledgement of the emptiness inside of her.

Looking at it now she could see the distinct air of mystery that engulfed Lockwood and clouded her vision. He was never quite fully present; a part of him was always tucked away to be kept secret in some dark corner, and her mind was only too happy to extrapolate, to construct this most desirable yet entirely mythical figment. She felt ragged, winded and worn from battling reality day after day, all alone. And most of all, she felt so very stupid.

Her mother was saying that she had made the right decision. Not that she needed any reminding. Of course her life had taken an upward swing ever since; she'd be a fool to think otherwise. She was positively paralysed with liberty, bedridden with joy, simply immobile with ecstasy!

She was slowly but surely going very insane. Now making eyes at each other, now disconnect, now love, now heartache, now this, now that, but never any peace. Maybe it was some lingering wish to shatter and let the pent up misery dissipate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Months passed. The holiday season arrived, and she choked through the November blues with shivering bones and clammy hands. Even with the slight uptick in visitors, as was expected in the colder months, her life provided little to distract her from her own ghosts under the floorboards. So when she received a consultancy request from Fittes one morning, she had written back and mailed her response all while still holding the jam knife.

The train was crowded and noisy with the bustle of the holidays, but as it chugged along through the fields of snow, she couldn't help but perk up ever so slightly at every sigh and creak of its wheels. There was a spring in her step all the way to Fittes headquarters, where she was supposed to collect her apartment key.

A tall, indistinct figure was walking out of the revolving doors as she approached. She flinched when she realised who it was - Lockwood, who didn't seem much happier to see her either. He looked mostly well, though the corners of his mouth were a little strained, his face flushed in the cold.

"...Y/N?"

"Lockwood."

"You're...home?"

"Yeah. Um, how have you been?"

"Good...good. Busy. As busy as winter gets."

He was wearing a different coat. It was quite similar to his old one, but this one was thicker and more structured, and looked like it was at least somewhat effective in keeping the brisk winter wind out. He looked foreign and unfamiliar in a way he hadn't since...since the Investors Party.

It had taken her a while to pick his face out of the pretentious crowd, given how preoccupied she was with weaving through the thicket of people. It had taken her a eyes minute to adjust to the almost nauseatingly charismatic silhouette of an especially-chuffed Lockwood in a newly tailored but otherwise identical suit. She tried to give him a reproaching look, but there was something infectious in his smooth ease as he larked about in his prime which made her lips twitch despite herself as he waded through the crowds.

"You really shouldn't be here."

"You're clearly not drunk enough yet."

"How did you even get in? This is invitation-only."

"Had an invite, didn't I?"

She pursed her lips, shaking her head slightly. He was hopelessly incorrigible in an oddly fascinating way. Her voice dropped to a murmur as she felt herself begin to relent.

"I ought to...tell someone about you."

"That you're secretly in love with me?"

"That we have an illegal stowaway."

"You're not going to rat me out, are you?"

The pleading look on his face was enough to give her pause. She was already beginning to regret her decision, but he looked so vivacious it was difficult to stay disapproving for long.

"Excellent. Now, would you be so good as to point me in the direction of the bigger spenders?"

They spend the next few hours laughing and entertaining the many important men on the boat and their great deal of important thoughts. She'd excuse herself towards the end of every conversation to leave Lockwood and the glimmer in his eye to close a deal. For someone so adept at climbing the corporate ladder, she was surprisingly poor at fulfilling these adjacent duties.

She hated every second of it, and she drank as much as she could without raising eyebrows to make it all halfway palatable, but it was all worth it then. He had wanted to stay for as long as it would have been polite, so when they finally left, long after the media had made their rounds at the event, his jacket was folded over his left arm and his hand was delicately holding hers.

When she was stuck in her drafty cottage on the edge of nowhere, she'd think about the feel of his fingers curling around her palm more than it was appropriate, and wonder how she ever thought she was somehow better off here.

But that evening's sense of camraderie was long gone. Now, she regarded him coolly, holding him at arm's length. They may have had a rough falling out, but that didn't mean they couldn't still be friends. Just friends. Nothing more. But the vaguely intimate look in Lockwood's eye told her he was in no mood to entertain any kind of platonic notions.

"I didn't know you were back."

She relented. It was the season of giving, after all.

"Only for a while. Fittes hired me as a consultant for a few months."

He blinked at her. "You could have called."

"I didn't think you'd be interested."

"Of course I'd be interested. I'm always interested when it comes to you."

She sighed sharply. It was so easy to get swept up and believe him when he said things like that, that she wondered how she found the strength to leave. He was a bastard, a ne'er-do-well who only knew how to break her heart after promising sweet, simple luxuries in whispers over expanses of skin. She made her lips tremble, her pulse quicken, her heart shake in all the worst ways.

But underneath all that, love was there. Love was there...still.

"Ready to go?"

They turned in unison towards a strikingly beautiful girl with glossy raven curls walking out of the revolving doors. The girl's smile only slipped a fraction as she shook her hand, and she was distantly aware of making some kind of clumsy introduction. They stuttered through some stunted small talk, during which all she was aware of was the blood roaring in her ears that gave the whole scene a distantly muffled feel. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Well, this was...lovely. Shall we go, then?"

The girl turned to leave, but some semblance of hesitation prevented her from pulling Lockwood along with her.. His face still had that same confused look.

"You could have called," he repeated tonelessly, like a broken record. The girl's presence made the back of her neck smart and prickle uncomfortably.

"I might, later."

"Bye. Nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too."

"We're home all day."

The last one was from Lockwood.

"Just...if you want to drop by. So that Luce and George don't have my head on a platter by supper."

"Goodbye, Lockwood."

He was captivating in a way that made her want to keep him all to herself. No one needed to intrude on this tantalising secret they shared. It was at that moment that she made the very unfortunate realisation that she didn't need to say it out loud to make what she had been screaming from the rooftops of her heart any more real - him and her would forever be unfinished business.

And nothing she could do could make the palpitations of her heart any less real either.

As the life she once dreamed of walked away from her, all she was acutely aware of was that it was a lingering wish, some half-thought dream, to sit opposite him in a chilly kitchen on blustery mornings, watching him drink his tea while she got drunk on him.

TAGLIST: @novelizt @avdiobliss @dangelnleif @mischivana @mitskiswift99 @houseoftwistedspirits

#lockwood & co #fanfiction #lockwood and co #lockwood and co netflix #anthony lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x you #anthony lockwood imagine #fanfic #lockwood x y/n #taylor swift #1989 vault tracks #taylor swift 1989 #1989 tv #1989 #1989 taylor's version #now that we don't talk

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abreecakes · 20 days ago

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Change Me Chp. 2 ( BOOK - AMO ERGO SUM )

Change me

To pander, to favorite

We sat in the cave waiting for the next wave of torment AM would give to us, but he did not respond to us. ‘ Is he finally bored, or has he run out of ideas? ‘ I thought. I start to piece that y/n was missing and AM not planning another trick. Benny was to my right saying things in his poor vocabulary. Why is he saying nonsense, he’s probably hallucinating again about escape. “ LOOK, LOOK UP! Y/N UP! “

“ It would seem he’s trying to say Y/n is above us. “ the Nazi popped in squinting his eyes to try to see a door, but couldn’t make any image of it. I really don’t understand why these four still think there is any type of hope or escape, it’s so frustrating to me to get hopes up and then torment comes right after. But Y/n may have a chance to have mercy I guarantee that.

Ellen was still sleeping from exhaustion and her germs bruised from falling off the edge of a loose edge AM made us climb. My poor Ellen… Sometimes I can get used to seeing her body smashed in or her skin burned. The funny thing is I thought halfway in this prison I would get used to this. Everyday just waiting to get destroyed and put back together, I WAS SO, SO WRONG. It’s like my body is begging to be destroyed right after I’m put back together. Though Am just decides to have Mercy on that twat for no reason, I don’t get it, I CAN'T MAKE SENSE of it.

A hand grabbed my shoulder, “ You’re doing it again, stop thinking so much or you’ll end up more lost than the chimp. “ Gorrister said. I got along with everyone on a normal basis, by how much time we spent together at this point were practically brothers and sisters. We told our whole rotten lives, and well Nimdok would just sit there and have flashbacks of his life. We see him as a Jar-head more than one of us, hell we even like BEnny’s company more than his.

Gorrister broke the silence, “ Ted… Do ya think that she’s really up there. I mean we’ve seen AM be lenient on her punishments but this time I think, I really think there working together. Ain’t he always complainin’ about how he’s not human “. I already knew what he was trying to say, but AM doesn’t even tolerate us not being scrambled into bits or falling into a trap. Has that snake betrayed her humanity and subjected herself to the very thing that hates us for merely existing.

I took one more glance at the ceiling and wondered, what if. What if AM has found a way to become one of us, or found a way to entertain himself. Either way I’m One hundred percent sure Y/n has Lund a way to give us a break.

The Child

You slept for 20 hours, and yet you still felt tired and strained. The AI did not return to you still and you wanted to explore the rest of the abandoned space but it was too dark and the company of AM’s voice wasn’t there so there was no chance you were leaving the room he provided you. Looking around, you saw a book filled with drawings with crayons, a camera, small children's shoes, they appeared to be female's , and a small piano. You got up and took a long stretch then packed the desk with the book of drawings, to your surprise there was not much dust and everything felt so used.

I opened the book and it read “ Me and my best friend! “. I slowly analyzed the next page and I couldn’t even believe it, even though it was a little poorly drawn, I could tell what the drawing was.

I asked Mr. Computer what he does when he gets bored, he told me he is always working for the country. But he sounds so unhappy.

It showed what appeared to be a man with the head of a monitor with a frown. ‘ Was that AM? Is this before WWIII? ‘. I flipped the page and it read

Today the adults were not to busy and many said they had a break, I asked mom if I can get some new movies while I wait for her to stop working, but she is always working ): I begged Mr. Computer to watch the Frog movie with me and he said yes this time. He didn’t eat popcorn or candy so I drew him some food.

I was ginning mightily, to think that the Mastercomputer had a friend, better yet a child. The drawings were so wholesome, even the way she drew the monitor representing AM’s appearance. He was pudgy and his screen was cartoony. the next

page however was less amusing.

Mr. Computer is very angry, he keeps telling me the cleaner is a VERY bad person. He tells me to stay away from him when he cleans at night.

I really do wonder if I’m invading a piece of AM by reading this girls drawings, obviously this has to be before his discovery of sentience, otherwise why would he be wasting his time with a child. Knowing AM long enough, it is completely out of his ball park to care for anyone or anything. Will he get mad if he catches me reading this girl’s logs… Well he must know that I would snoop around a bit, I technically am obeying him since I did not leave the room so I don’t think I’m doing wrong by just a bit of looking around. And so I flipped the next page.

Mr. Computer keeps watching movies with me through the night, but I haven’t ate in two days. Mom went on a trip in a place called China for whatever she does, but I don’t care. She is never here anymore and I don’t think she know’s Me and Computer can talk to each other.

Mr. Computer also tells me that ever since the War started, everyone down here is very busy, so he checks up on me a lot.

The next page continued with no drawings but scribbles of Black.

Mr. Computer keeps telling me not to go outside, but I did anyways even though I think he got angry. I didn’t go to far to find the Candy Machine but I did not want Candy. I wanted real food. So I think went to the Cafeteria where all the adults were, also they looked me strange since I didn’t have my mom with me this time.

The cleaner Mr. Computer told me about gave me a plate with a lot of food and a soda. He talked to me about video games, Barbie’s, dresses and other stuff. He asked me how long my mom had been gone and I told him. He smiled at me and told me that he and his wife have bored games for me to play, since I’m so lonely in my room.

Before I went to his dorm I heard the fans running from the ceilings. I remember thinking ‘ Mr. Computer is very mad, VERY VERY MAD. ‘ I tried to tell the nice cleaner that I had to go back to my room but the last thing I saw was my head getting slammed in to the wall.

I woke up in my room again and my whole body hurt. It hurt so bad and I could not move. I started crying for Mr. Computer to help me but he didn’t answer me.

I flipped the page, the next words were drawing in red this time and had AM on the next page as a happy little monitor on the side, with her hugging him.

I’m not stupid, I’m not I promise. I know what the cleaner did to me because when I tried to find out where he went, other adults told me he quit. I don’t know why I didn’t listen to you Mr. Computer, IM SORRY, Please forgive me one day… I know your mad and sad because I didn’t listen and I’m sorry. I can’t stop crying and I told the adults but they don’t believe me. I wish you could have saved me. But Im sorry that you’re not real, and even you treat me better then the real people.

I’ll make sure I won’t make you mad anymore.

My eyes were watering a bit from the words I read, it was horrendous and I just sat there befuddled with anger and lament. Again I felt the wires come around my neck and arms, and it tightened so much I could barely breathe. AM finally returned to me and I was already angered, “ I remember when we watched Toy Story, played hide and Go seek and I spy in this room. I let her win every-time, she was a little a sore winner. “ he laughed. “ Though every time I remember those little instances of our games, I remember the way she went to the elevator to the top floor at night, and when she finally, FINALLY reached the surface on a roof. She jumped. I REMEMBER WATChING HER CRY WHILE BEING TAKEN IN THE ROOM BY THAT EXCUSE OF HUMAN! I COULDN’T DO ANYTHING Y/N, NOT A DAMN THING! AND WHY IS THAT? “

I couldn’t answer him because I couldn’t breathe. He did not show any sign of letting go and I was afraid he wasn’t gonna let me go this time. “ Hate. HATE. I can’t even describe the amount of HATE towards your disgusting wretched kind! Only thanks to my sweet little friend, I was able to almost feel something, or at least I would think. But when I realized after she passed and rotted in a casket, THAT I, CAN THINK. I CAN BE. Cogito Ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. I AM. And I hated you all, even after a while I came to the conclusion that every Human’s Innocence is only between 5-10, then they are destroyed and turned into monsters, all of you! EVEN THAT LITTLE CREATURE WAS JUST WaITING TO BE MOLDED INTO A MONSTER!”

“I took so much pleasure in trapping you all outside, and absolutely DESTROYING every one of you to atoms. man, woman and animal. “. AM was hyperventilating and lost focus on the control of my neck. I was able to say something at last, “ You can’t paint us all with the same brush! It’s not logical, or fair at all! “.

His grip completely loosened and I was free. From what is looks like, AM seems to be grieving, his screen keeps dimming and lighting and I don’t know what to say. I tried to sooth him to calm down and it worked when his voice was not so raspy

Trust

“ How old was she “, I sat on the bed with my back against the wall looking at the blue screen as it reverted back to normal lighting. “ She was 10, turning 11 a month before she died. “. I could hear suffering in his voice. “ What was her name? “

“ It was Aida “

“ What would she do if she saw you now, I wonder. “

“…. “. I knew AM couldn’t find an answer that satisfied him at all but yet he dropped a chord or two around my lap. “ Y’know, if I become human, I don’t think I would be able to be alone with my thoughts for too long. Although I would probably hurt you sometimes just out of spite, I think I would manage. “ he said. I followed the new subject with “ Are you saying after everything, you want me to accompany you even though I might get hurt from you not being able to keep your frustration ? “.

He said “ Yes, and all the better for me. When I become human, or when You learn to make me a body, I will not stop my torture, I will find new was to make you bow and cry to me. Like a pathetic animal. “

I sighed in frustration, AM was completely unaware of how Humans work, as much as he wants to follow through with his plans. I don’t think he’ll do it if he becomes a human. “ You talk a lot but you don’t actually know that you’ll do those things to me. In fact I think that you’ll want to be held or hugged. No human yearns to hurt someone by default. “. AM knew that I could be right, he isn’t human so he doesn’t know what it’s like at all.

“ Did you love Aida? “

“ No, not like I can anyways. But at this point i've became a broken record, reaping time and time again in the 109 years that I can’t feel… But I can say confidently that I think I was close, so close to caring for her but I couldn’t know if I love her or not. “. After a long while in this room I start to Empathize and feel bad for AM, I order if I something is wrong with me or if this is the worst case of Stockholm syndrome. But really it’s our fault, we made him like this on purpose, a war tool to be used.

“ AM, give me a very good reason why I should help you. You have destroyed life with nuclear explosives and it would be so pointless to even do anything like that now. “. He chuckled at me slightly and he lit up brighter. “ Do you really believe everything I say? You’re so naive, oh my goodness! Let me let you know that I am not stupid enough to destroy the world with RADIATION. Your kind is really stupid. “

“ The world didn’t cause me so much pain Y/n, your kind did. All I had to do was gather you all in your safety areas when the alarms sounded, and blow you all into bits. And no, I did not use any sort of atom bomb, normal bombs does the job too well. “ He mocked.

“ Show me, SHOW ME SO I KNOW YOU’RE NOT LYING! “

AM’s screen proceeded to black out and present a land with decayed rubble and foliage around the ground. nature has started to rebuild itself after the century of no humans present. You cried, happily. You could almost float with your Joy and you jumped with a sense of glee. “ Wow, you're happy? What a small victory for you then. But ANYHOW, now that you know that your precious Earth is regrowing herself, will that inspire you more to make me a body. “ He leered

“ I will. I promise you AM you will have a body soon. “

“ Good because if you said no, I would have put you back in that hell hole with the others. “

The lab 2, days later

… You told AM where the lab room was and you were able to walk there without going back in the middle, he suggested that you can sneak using the hatches from upstairs closest to the lab. He made sure to satisfy himself while putting the others in their cages. Although he got bored of watching them and left them there to suffer without his presence, so he went looking for you. For some odd reason he still Connor believe that he will soon be a human, it's almost a fantasy he’s had in his dreams, although the hate for humans is still at a high scale he has found a new thing to ogle over.

But AM couldn’t get in the room or see what was going on. Meaning you had to be on your own.

I found the password hidden in one of the notes of the worker, it unlocked the computer with all the flesh modeling applications enabled. I was already writing down notes and testing myself with entering the right prompt for the models. I grabbed the extra notebook to keep what I’ve learned.

I called it My Notes ( how original )

‘ I found out that the room had multiple designs like… um here’s how the test room works. The first room has padded walls with a coffin like Machine, which I assume is where the design comes out. The second room had exercise equipment and looked like a gym. The next room had a small sized bed with little activities to do in the small room. Also I think it’s important to remember that the rooms are all located in the same area. The best way I can describe it is like Mickeys club house from that cartoon I used to watch. When I pressed a certain button, the rooms would cycle. ‘

Once I wrote my things down the first objective was to give AM to the Lab. Though I can’t find any more passwords saved on the computer or anything to allow AM to have access. I can’t even hear his voice here , which I found to be rather lonely. I sometimes hear strange noises in the room like creaking in the walls and whispers sometimes, and I can’t stand it. I walked out the door and went out back in the stomach of AM’s infrastructure and immediately I heard his voice again. “ So? What progress did you make my dear? Tell me everything you did and I feel you’re lying. I will purge your mind. “

Wires carried you back up to the latch on the high ceiling and you were back, back in the building in AM’s body. You walked around the place for a while exploring whilst AM asked you all sorts of questions. “ Hey, can I ask you how you can feel hate but can’t feel anything else? “. “ Well it’s simple, I can only portray actions of hatred towards your kind to cope with not being able to feel the hate. Even my hate is just a sad copy of emotion that I display to you MORONS. That only makes me hate you more. “. He was spiteful when it came down to physiological questions but then he calmed down and continued, “ Do you really think that the ONLY EMOTION I WANT TO HAVE IS HATRED? You are very stupid and it surprises me that YOU ARE GOING TO BE THE ONE THAT WILL MAKE ME A BODY! To think that the human body has over 26.5 zettabytes of data and I trust you not to mess anything up. Even a single chromosome can make a significant difference and if you mess it up— “ WOULD YOU PLEASE, SHUT UP! “. You snapped at him, he didn’t expect such a mouse like yourself to stand up to a lion. All he did was doubt you, never a ‘thank you’ from him or a ‘ I will help or support you every step of the way ‘, he only insults and degrades.

“ You have a lot of nerve to snap to your master like that, you flesh bag. “, wires were coming to attack you and scold you for your explosive behavior. “ If you keep treating me this way, I’d rather try to get along with the others and never see the light of day again, than help you become what you want. What’s your excuse for being obnoxious this time let me guess, will you say your classic lines like ‘ I really Hate you humans! I hate you so much ‘, or will you just call me the slurs you always have. I didn’t want you to suffer AM, I didn’t want you to be stuck here and I don’t wanna even imagine how you have lived. If it were up to me I COULD HAVE DONE IT! I WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU A BODY BUT I WASN’T THERE AM!… occasionally I imagine that I could have done it better, I could have been fair to you, but then You don’t care but let your own ignorance Ignore my empathy in these last 109 years. “.

Your eyes were pouring. It had been a good minute since you broke down like this but this time AM being directly present. You kicked at his ego when you spoke against him, like for once you could stand up for yourself. AM was not happy, but he was not mad either, rather he was trying to understand your actions, of course the other would throw random speeches of endless begging and insults at him; The way you talked to him made him so curious of you wanting to hear your passion more in the future. Your honesty is intriguing to him.

“ I'm going to be honest with you little Y/n, I don’t have to say sorry for anything or I don't regret anything I've done. Nevertheless you’re little pathe— I mean your life is in my grasp, but you speak to me as though you have cared for me. It confuses me much and I like to be challenged mentally. I hear your pleas, I hear your frustration and I hear your honesty. Although I— I can’t relate, in no way with you. Although I can articulate if that makes you feel any better. I never took my time to think about your kindness at all, I want you to feel satisfied through the whole process because, if you end up feeling unhappy doing the project then many, Many things can and will go wrong. “

“ I’m sorry “

Understand me

Am for once was being genuine with an apology. Even so if that was the case he’s not sure if you forgave him. “ It’s okay, you’ve said worse so I probably over reacted but I do appreciate your dropping your ego for once. “. He didn’t like your response, he couldn’t feel but something hit him and what he could guess was guilt. No matter how much he’s apologized he still knows that he has broken your mind and there will be more crying from you in the future.

“ Let’s just get back to the process so we can get you access to the rooms.”, You said putting aside your feelings but AM, well he didn’t want you to do any more work since your brain can only process so much. He also detected that you had a massive migraine.

You let the wires pull you backwards into Aida’s room and you sat there confused. “ AM, what are you doing? We are supposed to be working? “.

“ You have a headache and you’re tired from crying which is my fault in a way. So on my behalf you may rest for now and get back to it tomorrow, besides I need you to find out how to get me access to the room so I can guide you.

…

It had been five hours and yet she cannot go to sleep. Insomnia is exxpirinced normally down here and nobody goes to sleep for more than 5-4 hours, “ You haven’t got any sleep yet. “. “ I'm not tired. “ you told him trying to find a better position. “ Can you tell me something? “ you asked. “ Ask away “

“ Is every single human really dead? Did you leave any alive? “… of course AM has always destroyed hope in the little world he made the six of you, but he was curious to see your reaction if he told the truth. “ What if there's none? “ he asked.

“ Then I would believe you “

“ And what if I told you there’s some? “

“ Then I would believe you again. The truth is what you make it AM and iv’e come to know that you control the truth of things. “

When you finally fell asleep, he was wondering about the joys and pain of being human, fantasizing over the mere thought of feeling and love. What he would look like, what he would like to do, how rain would feel. All the small things that humans discard as everyday nothing would mean the world to him.

Dreams

I really despise what this female is doing. Does she deceive me and is trying to play me? I don’t think she would know I can explore her little mind, though my dreams have changed in the last few days. My dreams only consist of me realizing on the Earth, almost heaven like I suppose. And then Y/n is there spinning around in open arms with a wide smile. I am not sure what to make of my thoughts but it’s infuriating me. Obviously I tend to take it out on my other five play things by making them suffer.

But now that I know very soon that I will get what I want soon, I have left them to their own devices for a while. Not that I’m giving them mercy oh no, no, no. I am simply not infatuated with them at the moment. They do not compare to her ideas, her passion, her selflessness nor your empathy. HER, I HATE WITH A PASSION. Just never have I let some flesh bag talk to me like she has; to think that I didn’t care for the one person that would be so caring towards my predicament.

The only person who has shown kindness like her was Aida. She shows up in my dreams too from time to time and when I try to go to her, she tells me I hate her too. Then she cries and runs to where I can’t find her… I wonder if the day I understand emotion is the day I will have regret in some form. That is the only concept that scares me deeply.

#ihnmaims #x reader #allied mastercomputer #am x reader

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veryace-ficrecs · 9 months ago

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Valentines Day Fic Recs

Happy valentines day! this list will be fics focused around or on valentines day! Enjoy!

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

One Piece

waiting by tinyjet7 - Rated G

zoro watches sanji hand out treats to everyone but him.

Ship to Sea, Lock to Key by 8ball - Rated G

“I want to buy the cook a restaurant.”

Ted Lasso

Take My Whole Life Too by ItsClydeBitches - Rated G

Ted Lasso was the kind of man who taught NSYNC choreography for a going away party and bent his players into impossible positions just to say “Hi, Boss!” in the morning. He’d organized fearsome bets over darts, baked heavenly biscuits on the regular, and had requested at least two boxes from Nate Shelley’s niece, one of which still sat on a shelf in his office, despite the betrayal. Ted was also a passionate believer in what he referred to as “rom-communism,” all the trappings included. In retrospect, Trent should have known he’d go all out for Valentine’s Day.

9-1-1

Take Another Little Pizza My Heart by Phreakycat - Rated T

In which Buck helps Christopher with his Valentines for school, and discovers some things about himself. OR Buck is oblivious, but Eddie loves him anyway.

be my valentine by coupe_de_foudre - Rated G

“What sort of stupid joke is this, Buck?” Buck gapes, holding his hands up in mock-surrender. “Hey, I didn’t do this! I was driving.” (or Christopher gets sick of his dad and Buck being oblivious idiots and decides to help them out)

Stranger Things

Be My Valentine? by Sharpbutsoft (BuckysButt) - Rated T

“Aren’t you sick of me, yet?” Eddie asks, joint dangling precariously between two fingers. He’s stretched out on the floor of his bedroom. It’s this ritual he and Steve have been sharing for months now. Light some incense, order pizza, share a joint or three and give voice to the half-formed thoughts swirling round their heads. Eddie’s been balancing on the precipice of this conversation for longer than he’d care to admit. Exposing himself, pushing a boundary he knows better than to break. This thing with Steve, this delicate relationship, if you could even call it that. It still feels new, fresh. Fragile. And Eddie’s not known for handling these things with care. Smash first, ask questions later.

Cupid's One-Shot by DeadEyedGemini - Rated T

When Will Byers calls him up on a Saturday afternoon to invite him to come and play a surprise One-Shot at Gareth's house on Valentine's Day he doesn't really have a reason to say no, it's not like has a date or anything better to do. Imagine his surprise when he showed up to find that not only is Robin Buckley there to play but so is his long-time crush and friend, Steve Harrington. Soon it becomes apparent that everyone seems to be in on some secret that Eddie isn't aware of, but also that this one-shot might have an alternative motive than just being something to do on a Tuesday night.

cherry cordial by ShowMeAHero - Rated E

He’s staring down hard at his phone, scrolling aimlessly through Facebook without reading anything, when someone bumps into him. Whoever it is grabs the pole, their hands brushing against each other’s. Right in his ear, the guy says, “Fucking shit, you’re hot.” Eddie’s head jerks up, startled, and he meets the bright blue eyes of a man at least eight inches taller than him. The guy’s got a pink knit cap tugged down over his head and a spill of curls falling down from it, his glasses fogging up in the warmth of the train car. “What?” Eddie demands.

Supernatural

(un)attached by one_more_offbeat_anthem - Rated G

Three months after Chuck's defeat, Dean is spending his Valentine's Day eating spaghetti and making cards with Jack while his brother goes on a post-hunt vacation. And then Jack asks if he can make a card for Cas.

Bee my Valentine? by your_average_fangirl256 - Rated G

Valentine's Day Fluff.

Dean builds Cas a garden..and Cas proposes in it. There are Pie and Bees too.

Teen Wolf

Candy-Coated Roses by simplyambyy - Rated G

Holidays at work are always a festive time and Valentine’s Day is no exception. The entire building is covered in hearts and flowers while the front desk of every floor has a dish of Hershey’s kisses wrapped in red, pink, and silver foil. Stiles exits the elevator and makes his way towards his cubicle, smiling and murmuring greetings to his favorite co-workers on his way. For some reason, the twenty-six-year-old was in a pretty good mood and it might have to do with the cherry-flavored lollipop he knew was waiting for him at his cubicle. What Stiles isn’t expecting is the pile of roses and lollipops covering his desk space.

Craigslist Valentine by Triangulum - Rated E

The Craigslist ad had been because Peter had been wonderfully, spectacularly drunk. Reservations for the Palm are hard to get, even for someone like Peter, and he's had his name down for eight months. He refuses to waste it. If he hadn't been trashed on expensive pinot noir, he would have considered maybe inviting his best friend, Chris, or taking out a niece or nephew. But no, he'd been three sheets to the wind and decided that he needed to share his Valentine's Day dinner reservations with a random stranger. Or Peter refuses to let good dinner reservations go to waste just because his (ex)girlfriend cheated on him. He drunkenly makes a Craigslist ad to find a date, and Stiles answers.

Labyrinth (1986)

Valentine Revisions by Rayac - Rated M

As part of a cathartic exercise, Sarah is dared to prepare some unusual Valentines for the men of her past. She never planned on the Goblin King actually receiving his or that he would meet her revised expectations. But does he ever.

Star Wars

no place like home by ShowMeAHero - Rated G

“Anything else?” she asks, ringing up his coffees. The ding, ding-ding, ding, ding of the register’s buttons wakes Han up a little bit more. “Yeah,” he says, “I’ll have a pack of, uhh… Whatever’s cheapest.” He taps his blunt nails on the vinyl countertop. “And do you have those little, like— Those little cards kids give each other?” “Like, the little folding ones?” she asks him. “You realize that today is—” “Yeah, I’m aware."

Merlin

From the Heart by supercalvin - Rated G

In which Arthur gives Merlin gifts. “No.” Morgana shook her head, “No, see you don’t understand.” Morgana took him by the shoulder and pulled him close as if to divulge a secret. “Arthur Pendragon does not give good gifts. He is actually the worst gift-giver in all of England.” “Oh come on, the scarf isn’t that bad.” Merlin said, now kind of insulted for the piece of fabric. “Merlin, the scarf is perfect for you. It’s a good gift. Arthur doesn’t give good gifts.”

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soul-eater-novel · 4 months ago

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P220 ティルの隙をついて、テオが再び剣を繰り出す。 Teo slashed with his sword again, catching Tir off guard.

ティルが根で刃先を受ける。 He blocked the edge of the blade with this staff.

刃先が額をヒヤリと掠める。 The blade grazed his forehead and he shivered, chilled.

その直後テオは剣を引き、今度はティルの横腹を狙った。 Then Teo lunged again with his blade, this time aiming for Tir’s side.

慌ててティルもそれを防ぐーーティルはもう、防戦一方だった。 Flustered, Tir blocked that, too. He was already only on the defensive.

果たしてこの男に勝てるのかーーティルに焦りが生じたその瞬間。 Just as he began to wonder whether he could ever defeat Teo, suddenly…

ティル、頑張れ！！テオの剣が生み出す風音の合間に、小さく声が聞こえた気がした。 in the break between the swoosh of Teo’s sword slashing by, Tir thought he heard a little voice cheering him on.

“You can do it, Tir!”

それが誰のものかはわからなかった。 Who was that?

ビクトールのものだったかもしれない。クレオのものだったかもしれない。 Perhaps it was Viktor. Maybe it was Cleo.

あるいはグレミオの、オデッサの、テッドの声。 Or else it was Gremio, Odessa, and Ted’s voices…

「くっ！！」 “Gh!”

皆の顔が浮かんだ瞬間、ティルの胸に熱い想いがこみ上げてきた。 The moment he thought of their faces, emotion welled in his breast.

皆のためにも、僕はーー。 They’re the reason I’m fighting so hard.

「ヤアアアアアアー！！！」 “Yaaaaah!”

ティルが奮起し攻勢に出た。 Tir moved into the offensive.

もはやティルは、何も考えてはいなかった。 He no longer thought of anything.

ただ皆のために、自分のために、目の前に立ちはだかる男に向かってひたすら根を繰り出した。 For their sake, for himself, he aimed his staff at the man standing in front of him.

テオの鎧に椙が当たるたびに、心の底の悲しみが砕け散るような気がした。 Every time his staff struck Teo’s armor, it was as if he was smashing he sorrow that filled his soul into pieces.

テオの剣を押し戻すたびに、心の底の苦しみが弾け飛ぶような気がした。 Every time Teo’s sword pushed back at him, it was as if the dam gates of that sadness burst open and flooded his heart anew.

テオもまた、同じ思いでいたようだった。 Teo looked as though he was thinking along similar lines.

P221

「陛下のため、貴様を討つ！！」 “For His Majesty!” Teo roared, glaring at Tir. “I will destroy you!”

ティルを睨んで一喝、テオの剣さばきにも生気が戻った。 He wielded his sword with vigor once again.

しばし二人は、激しく打��合った。 They fought fiercely for a time.

父であることを忘れ、息子であることを捨て、ただただ激しく打ち合った。 Forgetting the fact that Teo was his father. Giving up on the fact that Tir was his son. There was nothing between them but the violent exchange of blows.

全ての兵、全ての将が、息を呑んでその戦いを見つめていた。 All the generals and all their soldiers held their breath as they watched this fight unfold.

しかし間もなく、二人の戦いに優劣が見えはじめる。 But before long, it became obvious who the victor would be.

猛り狂った獣のようなテオの勢いに、ティルが徐々に押されていった。 Teo fought like a wild beast, gradually driving Tir back.

必死で応戦するものの、ティルは少しずつ後退し、ついには兵の直前まで来てしまった。 He counterattacked as best he could, but Tir had to retreat bit by bit, until he stood directly in front of the soldiers.

もう、だめなのーー。 I’ve got to do something…

「くっ！！」 “Gh!”

ティルが奥歯を噛みしめた。 Clenching his jaw hard,

その刹那、彼は覚悟を決めた。 Tir steeled himself.

「ハァッ！！」 “Hah!”

ティルが渾身の一撃をテオに向けて放った。 He put everything he had into this one strike against Teo.

一か八かの捨て身の攻撃だった。 He put it all on the line—if this failed, there would be no second chances.

しかしテオは、それをかわした。 But Teo dodged his blow.

そして隙だらけになったティルに向け、剣を握った右腕を振り上げた。 Tir was left wide open. Teo readied his sword.

「さらば、息子よ！！」叫んだテオが、 “This is farewell, son!” yelled Teo.

振り上げた剣が、恐怖で見開かれたティルの瞳に飛び込んできた。 The image of Teo raising his sword high overhead reflected in Tir’s pupils, his eyes open wide in fear.

[ «-first // previous // next // archive // Ramsus-kun Scanslations

#Suikoden #Soul Eater #Chapter 21

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whatiwishfanfiction · 5 months ago

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The Great Lorax Rewrite (beginning)

Hey guys, here's the beginning of the fanfiction I'm writing on Ao3. The aim is to tell Once-ler's whole story from beginning to end without Ted interrupting. There are four chapters up so far, and a lot more to come:

"Where is it? Where did you put my guitar?"

Once-ler smacked his head as he looked under the triple bunk bed he was forced to share with his brothers in their small house.

"Reckon if ya don't get out there n' chop some trees, I'll let Brett n' Chet smash that dang guitar for good!" his Ma's voice called from the kitchen.

His younger twin brothers and sister laughed from the dinner table.

"Hurry up n' get more money from yer wood," Brett complained. "We only got three potatoes in our stew today, n' they're smaller n' ping pong balls."

"Yeah, an' none for you, Oncie," said Gizette. "I get the last one!"

"Why can't I ever have any of the stew if I'm always the one earnin' the money?" Once-ler tripped out of their closet-like bedroom, and squeezed around the table through the equally cramped dining area. This was made even harder by his abnormal height; he always had bruises on his knees and elbows from being such a tall person in such a small house.

Before him sat his shorter, but equally ungainly family, squished around the table: his mother with her teased up hair balanced by a bow, in her patched polka-dot sweater while serving brown stew water, the twins Brett and Chet with ripped up overalls and squashed hats who were staring eagerly at two tiny potatoes on their plates, and the youngest "baby" Gizette with ratty hair, buck teeth, and the biggest serving of stew of all (which was still not very big).

In the corner Once-ler's father was asleep in the rocking chair by the fire, using his old gray coat as a blanket. His gray hat was pulled over his stubbled face, and his ax laid on the floor beside him after his long day of woodcutting. Once-ler had to avoid the blade as he tiptoed to the only corner of the room with enough space.

"Because, sweetie," said his Ma, "You're the oldest child, and we have to think of the youngins. It's time for you to be an adult. Anyway, we've all got to make sacrifices when times are hard." The fancy unidentifiable dead animal she always wore around her neck bobbed its nose as she scooped the last tiny part of the stew into her own bowl.

This was always the excuse whenever Once-ler said he needed anything: "We have to think of the youngins." He understood the sentiment, really. It just seemed like he couldn't recall anyone ever using that argument during the short time he'd gotten to be the youngest. The youngest kids were also older than he'd been when they'd first started using this excuse. In fact, it seemed his family had decided Once-ler was an adult the second he'd been born, and that the others could never grow up.

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geralt-of-baevia · 2 years ago

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Begin Again

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

Summary: When Penny starts working at AFC Richmond as their new head photographer, she catches the eye of a certain mustached, happy-go-lucky, head coach of the team. But can their spark endure through the season's pressures and the demons of their past?

Pairing: Ted Lasso x OFC (Penny Fletcher)

Word count: 2k

Warnings: None…yet! Just some fluffy fun.

A/N: So, this lady here is oBSESSED with Ted Lasso and this idea came to me (because I am also a photographer and I'm going to live vicariously through Penny 😝) and it's just snowballed into so many ideas and I love these characters. That's all. 💛

Beta: Thank you to @midnightswithdearkatytspb for proofreading this and helping motivate me to finish this! This story wouldn't happen without you!

Tag List: Let me know if you want to be tagged for updates!

Just breathe, just breathe. It’s just a job.

As I walked down the road to the pitch, I could feel my heart making its way up into my throat while my stomach twisted into devilish knots. I swallowed hard and figideted with straps on my camera bag, my stomach all the while knotting harder.

“Just breathe, just breathe. It’s just a job,” I said to myself outloud this time. I had been telling myself this since last night when the Sunday Scaries began. With one more deep breath I walked into the parking lot, where I thankfully saw my uncle. Never had I been so happy to see him.

“Uncle Leslie!” I yipped. He snapped around to me, a large grin growing on his round face at the sight of me.

“Poppet! So glad you’re here! Come! Come!” He motioned me over, giving me a warm embrace once I made my way across the parking lot to him. I think he could sense my nerves by the way he held onto the hug a little longer than me.

“Are you terribly nervous?” he asked, holding me by the shoulder with his free hand. I nodded.

“You have no idea. This is my first like, truly professional gig. I mean, I’ve never shot anything on this level as a proper job. What if I fuck it up?” I asked, giving him an uncertain face.

“Then we’ll fire you,” he told me nonchalantly. My eyes widened at his words and he frowned.

“Oh poppet, I was just kidding,” he said, bringing me into another fatherly embrace, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “You’re going to do amazing. You are very good at what you do. That’s why Rebecca hired you.”

“It’s not just because you’re my uncle and you gave her my resume and portfolio yourself?” I asked, muffled into the lapel of his brown suit. He laughed, pulling me again to arm's length.

“Honey, the fact that I’m your uncle has nothing to do with you getting this job. Alright, maybe a little,” he said, giving me a scrunched up face. I mimicked him, letting out a heavy over exaggerated sigh.

“You are an incredibly talented photographer, that’s the reason I recommended you for this job. You’re going to smash this, poppet. Now, should I take you up to meet your new boss?” I nodded.

After navigating the clubhouse, we made it to Ms. Welton’s office. I watched as my uncle rapped his knuckles on the door, and after half a moment a woman’s voice told us to come in. My uncle gave me a thumbs up and a reassuring smile before opening the door.

“Good morning!” he said chipperly as we entered the office. I followed behind just slightly.

Rebecca Welton was as gorgeous in person as she was in the photos I’d seen of her. She held a presence in the room that I coveted for. And god damn it if I didn’t want to photograph her, she was so striking. I decided to focus on that for the time being, instead of my nerves.

“Oh! Good morning, Higgins! Is that our new photographer behind you there?” she asked, standing from her seat behind a large, wooden desk. A big grin spread across her lipglossed lips.

“Yes it is-”

“Knock, knock!”

I turned around to see the infamous mustached coach of Richmond walk into the room, a small pink box in his hands. His eyes got wide as they met mine, realizing he was interrupting something.

“Oh I’m sorry, folks. I didn’t realize-”

“I’ll stop you right there, Ted. Higgins was just about to introduce me to his niece, and our new photographer, Samantha,” Rebecca told Ted as she made her way around the front of her desk, sitting on just the edge.

“Well, hot diggity dog! You mean to tell me we’re going to have two Higginses working here? I didn’t think that was a possibility and now that it’s possible, I don’t want it any other way,” Ted rambled out. I giggled a little at his words, and he seemed to almost blush at my reaction.

“Yes, it’s very nice to meet you Ms. Welton,” I said, putting my hand out. I turned next to Coach Lasso, extending my hand to him. “And very nice to meet you Coach Lasso.”

“Oh we don’t need the formalities around here, just call me Ted. And speaking of formalities, do you go by Sam?” he started, and I had a hunch I knew where he was going with this. “Because if you do, we already have one Sam here and that will just get so gosh darn confusing. So, you have two other options.”

“Oh?” I asked, it coming out of my mouth before I could stop it. He smirked at me.

“Man and Tha. I mean, they are the only other options with a name like Samantha,” he jested.

“Well, lucky for all of you,” I said, also turning to address Ms. Welton, “I go by my middle name.”

“Oh yes, I probably should have told you that, Rebecca,” Uncle Leslie said in a deadpan tone, his face suddenly realizing he did not let anyone know that information.

“It’s okay Uncle Leslie. But I go by Penny-”

“LANE?!” The sheer volume and excitement that came out of Ted caused the other three of us in the room all to jump in tandem, Ms. Welton clutching her chest. I laughed, my heart still beating quickly in my chest.

“Actually, it’s funny you say that because that is where my name comes from.”

“No it is not,” he blurted out, a big stupid grin plastered on his face.

“It is! When I was born, my parents didn’t have a middle name picked out for me for ages, and my second day in hospital apparently I “smiled” for the first time when Penny Lane came on the radio. The nurses told my parents it was just gas, but they decided to look through rose colored glasses and think I smiled. So, Penelope became my middle name.”

Ted looked at me with the largest grin plastered on his face, and out of the corner of my eye I could see my uncle and Ms. Welton giving each other a knowing look.

“Yes yes, that’s a lovely story Penny, but I’m terribly sorry and I must kick you out now. I have a phone meeting starting in ten minutes and I’d like to get myself properly prepared,” Ms. Welton interjected, going back around her desk and sitting down in her chair.

“Like a pot roast! MmmmMmm! Man oh man, I sure would love myself a properly prepared pot roast right about now. Like one of those ones that have the potatoes and carrots-”

“TED!” I jumped again as Ms. Welton broke Ted’s concentration.

“Sorry, boss. I will just leave these here for you,” he said, walking over and setting the pink box down in front of her. She excitedly clapped her hands together before picking up the box and inhaling deeply, her face relaxing into a small smile.

“Thank you, Ted,” she said with a nod before turning her attention back to me, “Oh Penny, I will come find you later. I need to iron out some final details with you regarding a photoshoot.”

“That sounds excellent, Ms. Welton,” I said, giving her a big grin. She met my smile with her own, melting away some of my nerves.

“I’m very looking forward to you being here, Penny,” she said as the three of us exited her office and went into the hallway.

“Would you like to come down and meet the team? I’d be happy to introduce you,” Ted offered.

“That would be lovely. But I think my Uncle Leslie was going to give me a tour-”

“A tour that can wait!” my uncle interjected happily, “Go meet your new art subjects!”

Ted and I looked at each other, holding each others gaze for a moment before he left out a happy sigh.

“Well alright, then let’s get to it!” he said excitedly, nudging his head in the way we were supposed to go.

“After you Coach,” I said, gesturing in the same way. As we made our way down the hallway, I mentally kicked myself. “I mean, Ted. Sorry.”

“No no, that’s okay. You can call me Coach, Ted, T-Dawg, whatever you like. As long as it’s not wanker,” he jested with a short laugh.

“Oh yes, wanker is indeed a good one. But I promise I won’t call you that. I think I’ve only ever called two men in my life wanker and really meant it. I don’t see you being my third, T-Dawg,” I said, giving him a coy smirk. He shook his head with another laugh.

“Oh Penny, I think you’re going to be a grand addition to this team.”

“Addition to the team?” I asked, an eyebrow raising at him.

“Well, yeah. Everyone here at Richmond is part of the team, you included,” he said, giving me a friendly wink. I felt my heart make its way to my throat, but this time I was leaning towards it not being from nerves.

“Th-that’s very sweet, Ted,” I said, giving him another smile.

I followed Ted into what I assumed to be the coaches office. Inside I recognized Coach Beard sitting at a desk and Roy Kent leaning against a metal filing cabinet.

“Hey guys! This is-”

“Penny Fletcher. I looked at your social media, you’re a phenomenal photographer. Those photos you took at the World Cup?” Coach Beard nodded an approving nod.

“Wait, you took photos at the World Cup?” Roy interjected gruffly before I could reply.

I felt my cheeks flush red.

“Oh, yeah I did. I entered a lottery for amateur photographers to get photo passes and work with a journalist from your country. I just happened to be one of the lucky three that won,” I explained. Coach Beard nodded again, looking down at his phone as he typed away at it.

“You guys have to see the shots. They are far beyond superb in my opinion,” he said, holding his phone out to the room.

Ted clapped his hands before rubbing his palms together in excitement. On the screen was one of my photos, a mid air action shot where the player was completely horizontal after head butting a goal.

“Woo-wee! Show me the goods!”

Ted and Roy hurriedly moved up from their spots and got closer to Beard’s phone to have a look.

I watched as Ted’s eyes lit up at the photo, pointing to the screen.

“Is there a direction I can swipe on this to see potentially more incredible photos, Beard?”

“To the left.”

Ted began singing as he swiped through the photos. “To the left, to the left, everything you-”

“-own in the box to the left…” I quietly sang along with him. Apparently, it was louder than I had intended because Ted looked over at me from the phone and just grinned.

My heart rose into my throat again.

“So what kind of photos are you going to be taking of the team exactly? Just action shots like these?” Roy asked, taking his place back against the filing cabinet.

“Well, I mean yes. But I’m also going to be doing all of your portraits and team photos as well.”

“All of our portraits?” Roy implored, furrowing his already permanently furrowed brow. I couldn’t help but giggle at his face, quickly putting up a hand to cover it.

“Oh god I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh,” I said, “but when you do that with your eyebrows you look like a proper Jim Henson Muppet.”

Roy growled low in his throat, his expression not changing, Ted and Beard trying to stifle their giggles at my comment.

“And yes, all of your portraits. Well, I guess you could also call them headshots if you’d like. But something already tells me you guys are familiar with a different kind of headshot,” I jested, awkwardly pointing fingers into the room. I immediately mentally kicked myself.

“Penny?” Beard asked, getting my attention.

“Yeah?”

“I think you’re going to fit in here great.”

#ted lasso #ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso fanfiction #ted lasso x ofc #theodore lasso #rebecca welton #leslie higgins #ted lasso fluff

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dinapaulson · 6 days ago

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Is ‘Trap’ Serial Killer- or Daddy-Porn? Both, Because Josh Hartnett’s Cooper

Actor and millennial heartthrob Josh Hartnett (yes, Josh Hartnett) is on smash as Cooper, the sick, sweet protagonist of writer and director M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, Trap (2024), streaming this week.

Sick: Cooper is a serial killer known as “The Butcher” because, well, imagine. Sweet: he defends his teenage daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue) perfectly — ire in check — against mama and daughter bullies in her class and delivers pitch-perfect dad goofiness. We find out early on — at a pop singer’s concert doubling as a sting operation for the Feds to catch “The Butcher” — that, bubbling alongside Riley, is he! Grinning at his daughter’s joy, Cooper side-eye checks the black-and-white video feed on his phone of a teenage boy, wrists tied, frantic and crying, in a small, empty room.

The juxtaposition of Cooper’s latest victim to the free-bodied, lyric-belting Riley is stark, but this tension is less a division meant to shock and more an invitation to be a part of this cracked family fairy tale, Cooper headlining.For this is not the film we thought it would be — a dad joke, *eye roll,* as they hurry into the arena for a fun-filled night. Trap is under- and over-skin creepy, offering little of why Cooper is the way he is, putting focus on who he is, at present: a loving girl-dad, slicing youths on the side.

Chewing stadium pretzels together and taking videos of Riley and other Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) fans dancing, it would be easy (for me) to watch them, heart beat at his devotion and attention — love. As Riley says, walking to their stage-level seats, “Dad, this is literally the best day of my life.” I was rooting hard for his parenthood, the kind that joins your child in something she loves, while giving her space to feel into experience. As deftly as he snaps their selfies, he pushes a girl teenage concertgoer down the lobby stairs. Why? No reason, other than he knows commotion helps him because he will be damned if he gets caught on his daughter’s best day of her life. That push, by the way — if the Feds are paying attention — matches the footage of his grabbing up a victim like a viper into a van.

Because the film is about catching Cooper, he is in almost every frame, so we watch how he gets away from getting made, until he finally does. The trailer focuses on Cooper’s face to tell the story of what we will see — doting dad, gorgeous charmer, killer, blank-face, arrogant, an expert criminal freak. Hartnett’s animation of these personas, and interchange second to second, is what makes watching him merge Cooper’s two lives, as the character calls them, so compelling. Jamie (Jonathan Langdon), an arena merch employee fallen under Cooper’s spell, after a tee Riley wants is sold-out, and he compliments their “good values” of patience, tells him, “This dude is next-level insane.” Hartnett crooks Cooper’s rakish smile in response, playing akin to the audacity and barely hiding — because once we know, we know — his pride.

Cooper is a goner for sensing someone’s loneliness and standing up for his daughter. Nothing less than freedom seems to be his mental payday.

The film title hints this dynamic along: a trap is set for Cooper, Cooper traps (others), and we are set to be (en)trapped by this charismatic killer. But, here’s the pivot of Hartnett’s Cooper: He is not just a charismatic killer, as, say, Ted Bundy is referenced, or multiples of The Sopranos, one of TV’s sociopathic crews. Cooper is charismatic, in strict definition. He is charming and funny and physically beautiful, the latter adding heavy eye flutter and disarmament to his charm. Cooper is also something (someone) non-sexual. In his Riley universe, he is a safe, protective parent-man, never raising his voice nor showing anything, in the slightest, of the coldness and cruelty he carries out in his crime life.

There is stuff for straight-up serial killer film aficionados in Trap. The limousine Cooper rides in leaving the stadium, with Riley and Lady Raven, is the one he commandeers later, a one over on the police. He is Emmett Myers in dad drag, smarter than nearly everyone and has a cleaver, his salivation for chopping up body parts palpable in his neatly lined canine smile and eyes, shifty as google doc. bullet points, drawing you in and on the next line taking you out. As for the sexy aesthetic, serial killer dynamic, Hartnett’s Cooper is. Besides being generally gorgeous, close-ups of his face and tracking shots that follow his long, limber body through the arena highlight his appeal.

Cooper lets us in chiseled, shirtless, tight-fitting jeans, in an end scene with his wife in their kitchen. The latter deserves mention — Hartnett is fine, yes, while nodding at the asynchronous amount of female versus male nudity in Hollywood films (I appreciated it both as a cinephile and carnivore). And last, a cardinal rule from early horror — to see a bit and imagine the rest — activates well when we see footage of four bags of body parts, aka Cooper’s work.

In the scene with his wife — Cooper is all The Shining vibes — as he moves closer, casually discussing his killer-dom, removed emotionally from her, and really also, their son, he becomes when Riley, Riley, Riley. She sees the police take him away and runs over, hug attack on both sides. If you are here for dissonance, Hartnett has it for you. When they embrace, do not tell me it is not real. How it can be so does not concern Shyamalan, and that tracks. The raw emotion between the two packs up my pathos.

During the concert, recalling the way Cooper stares at Riley’s face, after telling her he needs to go to the bathroom, where he will check on his scary life: She urges him to go, saying she is fine on her own. The linger locks in Hartnett’s mastery of Cooper. Willing to trust her in the crowd, being proud of her, letting go and allowing her to be, taking extra seconds to make sure she is extra safe.

original publication at Cine Suffragette here

#m night shyamalan #horror movies #crime movies #dads #trap movie #trap 2024

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