#But as we all know. In truth Bill is obnoxious.

[tswwwit]

familiar!au thoughts:

i've been mentally handwaving all of dipper's reincarnations having the same names, bc it would just be confusing to read, if they didn't (and bc tbh i feel like bill would just ignore it anyway, lmao. this is pine tree! that's all that matters. what, is bill supposed to remember whatever dumb new thing his mortal parents have named him every lifetime?)

HOWEVER, a funny alternative- do you think, after bill & dipper have gained enough notoriety for dipper to be recognized as a Big Heroic Demon Hunter, there's a sudden spike in people naming their kids "mason", and/or "dipper" becomes a new & notable given name?? are there magical families out there naming their baby boys mason or dipper, in the hope that they'll grow up to be powerful practitioners, or that they'll be especially resistant to demonic temptation? (lol. lmao, even.)

second: imagine familiar-verse's pop culture landscape once enough time has passed that bill & his mortal have passed into legend. 😭 what do you think it's like to be a teenager growing up in the Between Times, when there's mythologized history, daytime TV dramas, and bad historical romance novels about these two?

do you think there's like, tiktoks about how to tell if you're regaining past memories in dreams, of your time as bill's mortal? IG reels of kids who have Wildly misunderstood the situation, w/ captions like "13th bday, i think my birthmark is finally starting to come in?!! 🤯😱 #ChosenMortal #BeastWithOneEye #WelcomeBackDipper" and the comments are full of people going "bestie that is a rash, please go to the doctor 🙏😭"

Thank you for accepting my handwaving of Dipper's name in the reincarnations! A majority is of course the readability and understanding it's the same guy, but bit of it is 'I don't wanna come up with new names for each one'. I also agree with 'Mason' and 'Dipper' becoming much more common after Dipper's first life! Turns out he made quite the impression. That'll happen when you're a clever guy with the full power of Bill Cipher behind your spellcraft. God, though. The cultural phenomenon behind this weird Demon Bond. With how little information the public has on how things went down, imagine all the fictional interpretations. Dramas, of course. Soap operas, even! Horror movies! Tons of different versions of what happened! Of course there's tweens daydreaming about being next, it's a Pretty Cool Thing to happen to someone - if you don't know Bill very well. I will also take your rash story and invite another possibility - A Dipper who thinks he's totally gotten away scot-free from any involvement with Bill. After all, he doesn't have the birthmark.

Only to wake up one day, wash his face at the sink, and look up to see the damn birthmark plastered right on his forehead.

[donatellawritings]

I just came across ur page and omggggg??? I'm literally in love. I was wondering if you could do a head cannon of Rafe with a latina reader who sings or plays soccer, tome su tiempo mamas 😻💕🎀

te quierooooo <3 fyi, i suck at headcanons so i hope you like this little drabble! i may have gotten carried away lol

you were constantly singing, i mean, whether it’d be humming along to the music that flowed from your speaker, or belting out lyrics in the shower — you were singing a song whenever you’d gotten the chance. and the best part about it? rafe loved every moment of it. sure, there were times where’d be having a rough day and could do without it, but he was never outright mean about it. truth be told, hearing the spanish words slide off of your tongue made him want you, perched on his lap, like the good girl you are, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

you were in the middle of singing a kali uchis song while rafe sat at his desk, struggling to focus on properly counting the stack of blue dollar bills that rested in the palm of his large hand, “hey, mama - d’you want to hold off on the singing while i count this?” he’d call out from his seat, before resuming his silent counting.

“sorry,” you winced, biting down into the fat of your bottom lip as you swallowed down your embarrassment, deciding to distract yourself by forcing your attention on the neatly displayed bookcase before you.

rafe was quick to finish his silent task, before sighing as he leaned back into his seat, his legs spread deliciously as he watched you adjust books that were already stood upright. he knew his words got to you easily, you didn’t deal well with correction, you always took it to the heart. so, he decided he’d continue watching you: looking to see if you’d crack.

you decided to stand on your tippy toes, your legs a bit wobbly from rafe having you fucked flush against the wall, just twenty minutes prior. you’d thrown on one of his shirts, the curve of your plush ass straining against the thin fabric as you reached your arm towards the one book that stood just a tad bit crooked. rafe couldn’t help but rub his lips with the side of his index finger, holding back a laugh as you became a bit too engrossed in the bookcase.

deciding to put you out of your misery, rafe let out an obnoxious huff of air, “come here, baby,” he caved, moving his chair away from the desk, giving you the space to climb onto his inviting lap.

you were quick to oblige, approaching rafe with a subtle pout on your lips as you curled into his side, your head resting on his shoulder, his hand softly tapping against the side of your hip. meanwhile, you toyed with his other hand, a lingering sense of embarrassment still bubbling in your stomach as you compared your hand size with rafe.

rafe was all too familiar with your anxious ways, so he decided to humor you about the song that you were singing along to, “so, what was that song that you were singing, earlier?” he questioned, sliding his fingers through yours, bringing his free hand to the back of your neck, guiding you to look up at him.

“la luna enamorada — it’s a kali uchis song,” you spoke, your eyes locked directly on rafe’s as he nodded with his mouth slightly opened. you were the first to break the eye contact, a blush creeping to your cheeks.

rafe presses his lips to the top of your hair, lightly bouncing his knee, “y’should teach me what all of that means,” he taps the side of your neck, commanding your full attention.

you gasped excitedly, sitting up straight in rafe’s lap, “oh my god, and then we can just start talking shit about people in spanish and they won’t even know,” you spewed quickly, laying your hand on his firm chest.

rafe quickly checked-out from your eager ramble, his eyes focused on the hem of his shirt that bunched up around your lower waist. his eyes now hung low as he took in the sight of the thin black thong that was almost entirely enveloped by your ass. the bounce in rafe’s knee now ceased as you turned to face him with a joyous smile.

“okay, so we can start with the basics, y’know-” you were quickly cut off by rafe pulling you to lay back against his chest, his hand now lightly wrapping around your throat.

“tell me that you love me,” he sighed, his hand that was once interlocked with yours now sliding underneath the seamless fabric of your thong. you let out a shaky breath, the overflow of excitement that coursed through your veins, now turning into an adrenaline that hummed through you.

rafe’s warm hand began to tighten around your throat, “te quiero,” you muttered, your hardened nipples now straining against his shirt as he massaged deep circles into your swollen clit.

“tell me that you belong to me,” rafe coaxed, continuing to massage your clit, his voice now an octave lower as he kissed the side of your face, a wet and noisy kiss.

you strained your neck to look up into his bright blue eyes, through your curled lashes, softly nodding as you struggled to find the right words, “t-te pertenezco a ti,” you forced out, a moan escaping from your throat as rafe’s fingers slid into your tight and wet hole.

rafe smiled down at you, mimicking your slacked jaw as he fit the entirety of his two fingers inside of you, “oh shit,” he laughed, bringing his hand from your throat, down to your hip, holding you still as you attempted to roll your hips, desperately needy for any kind of friction.

“rafe, plea-”

rafe shook his head, his fingers tensing inside of you as he leaned his forehead against your head, “tell me to fuck you, mama.”

“cógeme, te necesito.” you whined obediently, slightly shifting your hips, just to feel something. rafe decided he’d let you slide, considering how good and willing you’d been today. plus, his cock was already strained against his khaki slacks, eager to be freed and plunged into the deepest parts of you.

“y’such a good fucking girl,” he praised, pulling your face in for a disgusting sloppy kiss, his wet and warm tongue fighting against yours as he slid his lengthy ringed fingers in and out of you.

[ckret2]

after reading your goldie fic I think it’s alright for me to assume that you’re a Mabel liker. And that’s great because I am too!! But, I’m sure you know about the Mabel haters in the fandom and they use reasons such as “she’s selfish” and “doesn’t feel any remorse for causing Weirdmageddon” to justify their hatred for her even more. I just wanna hear your thoughts about these claims and what you think about Mabel haters in general? (also hi hope you’re doing well :))

I think Mabel haters are ridiculous lmao

I've got nothing to say that hasn't already been said by hundreds of other people who think the Mabel hate is ridiculous, but she's no more selfish than any of the other main characters (and also significantly less), pretty much any time during the show that she IS being selfish (Boyz Crazy, Sock Opera) she realizes she's out of line and corrects herself, and honestly I suspect too many people took Bill's deliberately manipulative analysis of her in Sock Opera as the truth instead of asking sensible questions like "wait, why is Dipper keeping the job that lets him hang out with Wendy slightly more than all the time he already spends hanging out with her more important than helping a lost merboy reconnect with his family? Why is that a 'Mabel is selfish' point rather than a 'Mabel guided Dipper into doing the morally right thing' point?"

The only time we fully focused on Mabel long enough to find out whether she regretted being tricked by someone disguised as a friend into starting Weirdmageddon was Escape From Reality... at which point she hadn't been told Weirdmageddon was happening. Once she found out, she kind of spent the rest of the series stopping it?

We have whole episodes dedicated to her inserting herself into other people's lives to try to solve their (personal or romantic) problems, because she can't stand seeing anyone feel bad. We have a whole episode where she has a breakdown about potentially not being a good (enough) person. We have multiple episodes that end with her saying "I'm sorry" to Dipper (and Pacifica, and Candy, and Grenda...) after she recognizes her mistake—which is more than most characters do after realizing their mistakes. Selfishness is not her predominant character trait.

She's got flaws, sure, and anyone is welcome to dislike a character for any reason. I enjoy the fact that she's sometimes kinda obnoxious in a "loud child" way, that she hasn't learned yet when well-intentioned meddling makes things worse, that she's comfortable enough with teasing her brother that sometimes she doesn't realize when her teasing goes too far, that she's afraid of the future because she sees better things for herself in the present that she's scared of losing. Other people might not enjoy those flaws. That's okay.

But when the two biggest criticisms of her are [trait the villain misrepresented to manipulate her brother] and [action the villain misrepresented to manipulate her into doing], people are missing the point.

[crow2222]

I don't know when I've written enough to comfortably start posting the chapters of this fic,

but here's a little snippet of the first chapter under the cut because I just wanna share some of it already

“I’ll be back in the evening, later Ponyboy.”

Sodapop ruffles my hair as he says his goodbyes to me for the evening. I hate how it feels without grease in it, but I haven't had the energy to put it in. That's only if I use Two-bits's tub too, and I don't think I can handle that like Sodapop can.

Soda was grinning at me but his sad eyes were telling me the truth. He’s been working like a dog day and night for the hospital bills. I just wish I could help- if only my limp wasn’t making it so damn annoying to walk.

He walks away from me, going into Two-bit's room; Darry was sleeping there, or at least he's meant to be asleep. If he could get out of bed, I feel like he'd be like those cats scratching at the door that have been left out in the rain, begging to be let in; or in his case, let out. He’s gonna go downright crazy soon from staying in bed, but he has to. Doctor’s orders. He hasn't given himself a proper chance to heal ever since we got out of the hospital. We just about had to tie him down to the bed last night, he kept trying to clean all around Ms Matthews house; it was a bit of a funny sight sure, seeing my big brother on his tippy toes trying to clean the top of a fridge, but his scrunched up, pained face, took all the laughter out of me.

He felt guilty for staying here indefinitely, hell I do too, but I'm taking this gift without a second thought because we sure need it.

But at least Darry got assigned Two-bit’s bed. I had to sleep in Karen’s obnoxiously pink room; being a fourteen year old greaser in a preteen girl’s frilly pink bed was embarrassing, to say the least. I have a feeling there was a slight advantage to our rooms though- aside from the bed sizes, Karen's room didn’t stink like Two-bit’s room, it's no wonder Darry can't fall asleep.

Even if all I did today was walk to the kitchen, make a bologna sandwich and plant my ass on the couch; I sure felt tired.

I settled my head deeper into the dirty couch pillow, it don't smell too good and it was lumpy but it was better than the hospital bed so I hugged it gratefully. My vision goes as I close my eyes, starting to think about why all this had all happened in the first place..

…

I wonder what it’s like in a burning ember..

I stared at my cigarette’s burning, almost glowing end instead of reading the book I had propped wide open in my lap, the words sitting patiently right in front of me. It was some dusty old book I’ve read multiple times- if the bent corners weren't already enough to tell, the scribbles of my thoughts would be. None of that has never stopped me from reading a book before though. If you knew my family, or what side of the town we’re on, you’d know that we don’t have a good flow of money; I just have to make do with what I have.

Unless Darry was in a good mood and let me go out on a trip to the library; I’d pretend the books I’ve had sitting around for years weren't mine, dust never collected on the books in the first place from how often I handle them. Instead, I’d pretend they’re brand new books I’ve bought recently, ignoring the highlights and anecdotes in between the lines I've made myself.

I was smoking peacefully in my room, which wasn’t exactly allowed but the whole gang was away for the day, at least for now. Darry would always send us out when a cigarette was lit, he got that from mom; she’d never let anyone smoke in her lovely home, not even her own husband, said it gave her headaches.

Both of my brothers were working and the rest of the guys were probably out in the town causing trouble like the hoods they are, which was the usual. I can’t lie, I really did hate them a little bit for hanging out without me, but at the same time I know I shouldn’t, seeing how it wasn’t their fault that I got grounded. Well, at least not this time.

[helenofsimblr]

Elita: Tynas could not help himself but chuckle. You know if there’s one thing that pisses Evelyn off big time, it’s not taking her anger seriously. 

Tynas: That sounds like him alright. I know you have little reason to trust me, and I can see why, but I had my reasons. I picked you because had one of your brothers gone, I can assure you the big bastard would have taken much less kindly to them telling him what to do than you. He always had a weakness for the girls you see, particularly the pretty ones. And I'm assuming that is why we are having this conversation the next morning...

Evelyn: Deliberately avoiding my actual question… this was a conflict that did not need to happen. My wrist is broken, possibly needing surgery and I’m visiting a chiropractor as well thanks to your little stunt that need not have happened. I could have easily negotiated without having to try to kill him…and had you told me what he was, I wouldn’t have even tried to kill him! 

****

Tynas: You won't need surgery, it's a minor fracture, can I offer you a cigarette Dr Van Richten? Or is it last night you'd have needed it? *he chuckles.*

Elita: Tynas came so close to death here he can’t even know, Evelyn’s hackles were raised... what did he know? She asked herself, but didn't give a voice to it. 

Evelyn: I don’t smoke, and you’re playing a terrible game, Agent. You don’t want to cross me and my family. I came here to tell you that your damned paper won’t be published and kindly get bent. Be sure not to ask my family for any more favors. You’ve done enough and I’ll be sure to send the medical bills to your secretary because I’m not paying for them, you are, even after the fee you already paid.

Tynas: You're right and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so obnoxious. The truth is, Guy was as much a victim in all this as you are. He didn't ask to be the way he is, but I know him, I know how he thinks, how he feels, he's smarter than me I admit that... but he is predictable. I know you got hurt and I am genuinely sorry for that. But you had to be there.  I knew he wouldn't kill you and he'd feel bad about knowing he crushed a carpal or two. Quite honestly, this is the best outcome all round. The thesis is gone, one of the smartest men in the world is still alive, and you got a nice pay day out of it all. I see no reason to be upset. This is truly the optimal outcome! Even if I say so myself

Evelyn *frowning*: There’s PLENTY to be upset about, but it seems as though you’re not inclined to give me the answers I know that you have. Victim or not, he will lose himself in the madness, if he hasn’t already. He was talking to someone else in the room at the time. When he goes full mad, you will have yet another problem on your hands beyond the one Ms. Brand was worried about. My brothers say she’s also worried about another one of Dr. Eichler’s monsters. Have fun with that…

****

Tynas: I have a lot to occupy me for sure, all your troubles though, will be little ones. Have a good day Evelyn.

She flips him off without looking back. Tynas grunted and sighed.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1184: Sunset Watching with Big Sis Yang (RWBY)

5:34 p.m. The Xiaolong's Residence's Rooftop........

Oscar: (Sighs In Relief While Sitting Next to Yang on the Rooftop of her abd Ruby's House) ISo glad to finally be back home......

Yang: (Turns to Oscar with a Cheeky Grin on her Face) Getting tired of the marriage lifestyle already there, champ?~

Oscar: Yeah. Not the most insane fiasco I got dragged into, but it's up there with the others, that's for sure. (Starts Snickering a Bit) I almost felt bad for the crooks who ran the whole scheme in the first place.

Yang: (Chuckles Lightly) Don't remind me~ Our friends scarred those jerks for life back there!~

Oscar: (Casually Shrugs) Can't say I'm too surprised really. The protectiveness from each and everyone of you guys have been showing no signs of bounds these days.

Yang: (Happily Pulls Oscar into a One Armed Hug) Well, no duh!~ You know we got your kiddos back no matter what.

Oscar: (Chuckles Lightly) I know. We got yours too. Always. (Looks Back at the Sunset) Thanks again for bringing me up here with you, Yang. I keep forgetting how pretty and peaceful the sunset looks at times.

Yang: (Forms a Teasing Smirk) Like your future wifey?~

Oscar: (Rolls his Eyes) Getting really obnoxious today, aren't we?

Yang: I'm a Big Sis, Oscar. It's what I do. (Smiles Softly) But seriously though, you don't need to thank me at all. (Look At the Sunset Herself) Rubes and I used to watch the sunset together all the time growing up. But now that we're older and she's more busy being Ruby, I'm in need of a new Sunset Buddy as of late. (Turns Back to Oscar) You're cute and just as much of a smartass as she is, so I say you fit the bill perfectly!~ (Happily Gives Oscar a Thumbs Up)

Oscar: (Rolls his Eyes Again) Gee. I'm so honored.

Yang: And now sarcasm. I'm starting to actually believe Nora for once.

Oscar: Believe her on what exactly?

Yang: That Ruby's been a bad influence on you.

Oscar: Oh and like you guys are any better in the equation.

Yang: (Immediately Pouts at Oscar) Hey, say what you will about everyone else, I have been wonderful influence all around!

Oscar: I say otherwise. Remember all those pranks you had me pull with you last year?

Yang: You volunteered to help me!

Oscar: Yeah. By suckering me in with those Puppy Dog Eyes of yours.

Yang: You LOVED those Puppy Dog Eyes! Don't even try to deny it either, mister! ('Sighs Heavily') Anyways......(Went Back to Smiling Again) I'm really happy to have you out here watching it with me. Especially when I can tell that something been bothering you when we started heading back home.

Oscar: (Turns to Yang with a Bit of an Uneasy Frown) It was really that noticeable, huh?

Yang: Yeah, but that's mostly cause of my sisterly instinct managed to quickly notice that right away.

Oscar: Huh. Neat. ('Sigh') But yeah.....I'd be lying if I say nothing been troubling me since then......

Yang: (Starts Frowning) It's about Qrow, isn't it?

Oscar: (Simply Nodded) I take it Ruby already filled you in on everything?

Yang: Her and Emerald, yeah. She wasn't happy about any of that at all by the way.

Oscar: And how do you feel right now?

Yang: (Eyes Turn Red) Pissed. (Ball her Fist Up a Bit in Anger) Like I'm having a strong urge to the punch him straight to his face the next time i see him. But I'm more worried about you of anything. Hell, to tell you truth, I've always been worried about you.

Oscar: You have?

Yang: Of course. How couldn't I? You mean the world to us, Oscar, truly. (Let's Out a Sigh Before Looking Down with Sadness Now in her Eyes) I'm so sorry....

Oscar: (Genuinely A Bit Confused) What for? It's not like you're the one who punched me or called me "A Worthless Meat Shield" in front of everyone in the room.

Yang: No. But we sure as hell, aren't any better? We yelled and lash out at you, hardly ever helped console you when you were stressing yourself out about the Merge you and Oz were supposed to have, we made you feel like an outcast of the group, for God sake, we never even bothered to get on Ironwood for not inviting you to that stupid celebration party he threw for us back at Atlas!!

Oscar: Okay, I'll admit that the Atlas one gotten to me a bit more thab i hoped it wouldn't. (Frowns at Yang) But you really don't have be hard on yourself about this, Ya-

Yang: (Immediately Places her Hand on Top of Oscar's as He Looks at Him Directly Towards his Eyes) Yes, Oscar, I do. I know that you see the best in us and I am so happy that you do, but please. You can't keep making excuses for us on this any longer! Not amyore.....('Sigh') Look, either way you look at it, we......were terrible friends to you. You were practically dragged into this whole Ozpin and Salem ficaso with little to NO choice or say in the matter and yet here we were, not doing anything to help! You deserved a whole better than all the crap you had to endure in the past. ('Sniff') And.....it's all the more reason why I and.....everyone else in group, are so......so sorry, Oscar........

Oscar stares into the pain, tearful look into Yang's face for a few seconds before finally speaking.

Oscar: Hey, Yang, can I say a few things?

Yang: Yeah...(Uses her Arm to Wipe the Tears Away as Best as She Could) ('Sniff') Go right ahead, kiddo. ('Sniff')....I can take it......

Oscar: (Takes a Deep Breath) Okay, look, I don't blame any of you guys for the way you acted in the past nor do I ever think you're terrible for doing so. It was stressful, traumatic journey for each of us to get through, so it makes all the more sense as to why we let our emotions get the better of us on a few occasions. And I know! You said not to make any more excuses for you guys, but I meant every word I said and I'm sticking to it. (Looks Up at the Sunset Before Letting Out Another Sigh) But....you are right about one thing: I did felt like an outcast sometimes. Like, I was never worthy of being part of the team to begin with. I even felt like my existence and....purpose of life was just that: Being another substitute body for Oz to use until I get disposed of. They're terrible feelings to have all around.......

Oscar looks down at both of his hands before gently balling them up into fists, taking another deep breath.

Oscar: But eventually, I realized that my life has a lot more valuable and purpose than I thought, as my own person. So whenever I do feel like being stuck in the corner, I calm myself, recollect my thoughts, get myself back up, and keep doing the best I can to contribute and keep fighting to see another, in my own ordinary way. And really, I don't think I would be sitting here right now, if it weren't for any of you guys being there for me when i needed it and giving me all the confidence I need to become a better version of myself. Hell, you even went out of your way to save me from Salem once and that is something I will NEVER forget that as long as I still live and breathe. So yeah, we may not always see eye-to-eye sometimes, we may even get mad at each other and say or do things neither of us really meant to do, but all of that alone won't ever stop me from loving you guys to pieces. Because you're more than just my friends and comrades.....(Turns Back to Yang With Most Sincerest Smile He Has Ever Mustered) You're my family and I would never trade you in for any-THING!?

Before he could finslly finish his sentence, Yang immediately pulls Oscar into tight, but very loving hug.

Yang: Thank you....('Sniff') Thank you so much, Oscar. I promise, from this day forward, we are going keep doing better, make you feel more loved and appreciated. ('Sniff') So don't you dare give up on us just yet! You hear me?

Oscar: (Chuckles Lightly) Never planning on it. (Happily Hugs Yang Back) Thank you for listening......Hm.

Yang: What's wrong now?

Oscar: Nothing. Just....realizing how right Ruby was is all. (Snuggles a Bit Onto Yang's Embrace) You really do give out the best hugs~

Yang: (Giggles Softly) You goddamn right I do!~ What kind of big sister I'd be if I didn't?~

Oscar: A boring one maybe? Which you clearly are not by the way.

Yang: (Smiles Brightly) Exactly! Which is why, starting first thing tomorrow morning, you and I are gonna be spending the whole day together. Better not have any other plans by then~

Oscar: (Rolls his Eyes) Relax. I'll be free tomorrow. But what makes you wanna do it in that in the first place? You know, beside having our talk just now.

Yang: It's been a long while since we got the proper chance to hangout together, so intend to fix that from here on out, future brother-in-law~ (Playfully Winks at the Farm Boi)

Oscar: ('Sighs in Annoyance') You're never gonna let me live this down, aren't you?

Yang: As I live in breathe~ We're a family remember?

Oscar: (Smiles Softly) Yes. Yes we are. I love you, Yang.

Yang: (Heart Begins to Melt in Genuine Happiness) I love you too, Kid. (Kiss the Top of Oscar's Head) Thank you so much for being a part of our lives~

Oscar: Thanks for being part of mines. You changed my life for the better.

Yang: Ditto.

R.I.P Rooster Teeth (2003-2024)

@albion-93

@bestpony666

@maripr

@cyber-wildcat

@ma-lemons

@oscarpineprotectionsquad

[honestsilasbirchtree]

About

(This blog is an experiment in finite RP that explores the Ciphertology storyline in "The Book of Bill". No threads, but asks/anons/other follower content are welcome as the main narrative progresses! Read my Rules and see (most) OOC asides and updates at @tesser-rp )

(Be advised, this blog will contain quite a lot of the following content: themes pertaining to cults and religious fanaticism, depictions of brainwashing and manipulation, some amount of violence and death, copious body horror and other kinds of horror -- but all within a PG-13 rating to the best of my ability.)

(Also, MASSIVE SPOILERS for Gravity Falls and other material, TBOB and its tie-in website. Read on at your own risk.)

ABOUT SILAS

(Silas Birchtree is a decently good-looking man of average height, with fair hair, conspicuously pale and cold skin, and unusually wide eyes. He smiles constantly and wears a suit and bowtie, and extremely shiny shoes. He smells strongly of formaldehyde and a faint buzzing sound is heard wherever he's standing.)

("Silas" is stuck chronologically in 1952. He will not know who the Pines family are or about anything plot-related that happened after that year. He knows about the prophecy and can see into the future, but it's an imprecise art.)

In life, Silas Birchtree was a failed, aimless snake-oil salesman drifting across shiny and desolate post-war America. (20% off the top-shelf cottonmouth, and two bottles of the ratsnake for $14.99 for a limited time only!) Early in 1952, while stopped in Orchard Lake, Kansas, he choked to death on a nickel and was buried quickly.

The next day, he was seen alive and... well??? And not only did he return from the dead with an entirely new and pretty obnoxious personality, but he also had something new to sell...

ABOUT CIPHERTOLOGY

Ciphertology was an apocalyptic cult that rose and fell within 1952 in the isolated and humble town of Orchard Lake BillVille, Kansas, which through the actions of the United States government no longer exists.

Ciphertologists were all about three things: throwing off the yokes of law, order, decency, humanity, and common sense; spreading "the Bad News" to whoever they could force to hear them out; and building, by order of their Lord and Master Silas Birchtree, a mysterious giant metal structure out in a field, that their leader called a "portal".

The cult ultimately met their demise around a year later, after a two week standoff with the Kansas state troopers and a helium explosion set off by a disgruntled old lady.

ABOUT BILL CIPHER

Silas introduced his followers to his "muse", an extradimensional entity of perfectly triangular form named Bill Cipher, who inspired madness whenever it spoke through its human host, and would frequently enter and take over the minds and bodies of dozens of the cultists at a time. (You've probably heard more about this unholy triangle fellow elsewhere.)

In truth, Cipher and "Silas Birchtree" were one and the same, Silas being nothing more than a husk for the beast to inhabit. It is fortunate that the creature's dark designs for our reality never came to pass.

(Bill will sometimes talk directly, instead of through Silas, under the tag #CIPHER SPEAKS. This version of him is canonical (or at least canon compatible), but is also chronologically locked in 1952.)

ARE YOU DEPRESSED? LONELY?

Then Ciphertology might be for you! That's right, you CAN, if you so choose, toss either yourself or your beloved roleplay character into this (possibly) metaphorical meat grinder of a triangle fanclub! Just follow, drop a line in the askbox, or contact @tesser-rp and we can, at next to no cost to you, let you sample some interesting perks, including:

A totally new and very dapper fashion sense! Mandatory bowties!

License to eat off your own fingers!

A rural 1950s Kansas town to run around in, shrieking all of Cipher's fun catchphrases to your heart's content! (Historical accuracy not guaranteed.)

Complimentary helium tanks!

Plenty of body modification options, starting with a shave and a cattle-brand!

The opportunity to marry into the Ciphertology family! Mass weddings are held every Friday at noon-- bring the kids! Bring the dog! Already married? Even better!

SEE YOU REAL SOON, AND REMEMBER--

(The bottom's been burnt off.)

[potatoes83]

Random...

Had to drop the Wrangler off at Belle Tire yesterday; found a nail way too close to the sidewall, and the 7 year old tires were starting to dryrot in the treads. I live about 2 1/2 miles away, so I walked back home. Got a big bastarding blood blister on the ball of my foot, right behind the index and middle toes, size of a quarter. That's obnoxious.

Stayed up late, slept in, creatures fed, me fed, laundry and dishes going. It's funny how things change when you're an adult; you used to tell your friends about your newest action figure or whatever, now it's like, oh yeah, got a new dishwasher... yeah, stainless steel, you'd better believe it... no, three freaking racks, I know, right???

I am still annoyed by the fact that the dishwasher takes like 2 1/2 hours to run the dishes. The old one took about an hour. And it's not like I desperately need the dishes like I'm running this thing back to back in a restaurant or something, we've been lazy this week, so there's every bit of a second load to go in, but it's not like the washing machine where you have a finite amount of time to get everything done over the weekend. It doesn't really matter how long the dishwasher takes, truth be told, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole it runs so much longer so it can save energy thing. Last I checked, with electrical appliances, the longer they run, the more they cost you. And I know, the heating element is probably half the size, the pump is smaller, and I hear it in there spraying rack by rack, instead of just a massive cascade of water, but once again, if you have something that's half the size running twice as long, it seems like that would be as much if not more energy.

What I really hate is the way that with all this energy efficiency nonsense, your everyday families are really being priced out of being able to afford appliances. Like it's one thing if you're making the decision to spend more money on the higher efficiency model that uses less water and allegedly less energy, that's you making that choice with your dollars based on your lifestyle. But if you just need a replacement dishwasher, never mind the fact that the cheap ones are prohibitively expensive compared to what they used to be, they also just don't work as well. You're really forced to buy something upper end just for it to do what it's supposed to do. This dishwasher works great, yes it does, no one's questioning this. For over $1,000 it better. You buy a cheap one these days, and because it's sitting there saving energy at you, you got to run half the dishes through again. Unless you're one of those people who pre washes them with soap and water before they go in the dishwasher, in which case what's the point? But I know there was a significant period of my working life where there was no way in hell I could spend this kind of coin on a dishwasher. Hell, I had the basic rebuilt washer and dryer from the local used appliance store, $150 each out the door, if they lasted you a couple years, they had paid for themselves. And there was nothing wrong with that. And even in this case, a thousand bucks isn't walking around money, it's by the grace of the Home Depot consumer credit card letting me use their money for 6 months interest free that this dishwasher is a thing.

I've said this before, I'm not a masochist when it comes to my energy bills and whatnot. Everything costs way too much money, and we work far too hard just to pay for our utilities. But let me make that decision. That's what it boils down to. Because some people can't. Oh, what you save in electricity and water, that makes up the cost of the dishwasher, yeah that's cute, but you're talking about long-term costs versus upfront costs. I'm sitting here right now looking at seven light bulbs, none of which are on, but back in the day those would be 60 watts if not greater. Each. That's a hell of a lot of wattage. So I'm running energy efficient light bulbs, I still have quite a few cfls, a smattering of leds, because I didn't go throwing everything I bought away when the next technology came down the road. But I also remember when you get a box of 60 watt standard light bulbs for like 80 cents or some nonsense. So if I want to save the energy, I can spend five bucks a light bulb or whatever the hell it is these days, but what if I don't have that luxury. What if I just need some light in my kitchen, and things are really tight, what do I do then?

The choice needs to be in the hands of the consumer. And that can't be a Sophie's choice of choosing between affordability or something that actually works. Also, affordability needs to be determined by real people, not a bunch of bureaucrats pulling down comfortable six figure salaries. That's not reasonable. And it's not helping anybody. If I need to buy something basic, with less fancy functions, less energy efficiency, but it will still do the job I need it to, that needs to be my decision. ����

[blog-of-a-multitude-of-fandoms]

Delivery- Jonny Goodman

Pairing: Jonny Goodman x Reader

Characters: Jonny Goodman, Jackie Goodman

Warnings: N/A

Request: Anon- Hhmmmm what else could be friday night dinner?? The adventures of the delivery girl? Who gets called to the house since for some reason Jackie couldn't cook and then gets called for more and more ridiculous reasons cause one of the boys is hopeless in hiding their attraction?

Word Count: 707

Author: Charlotte

Working as a delivery driver for a restaurant wasn’t the most ideal of jobs, but it paid the bills, and it meant your car constantly smelt like food which for the most part was an okay thing. You had done a run of two orders and dropped them off to the houses they belonged too, including the regulars of the Goodman’s. You had delivered to them several times before and as the mother of the family was very chatty, you had ended up getting to know them better than most of the customers you delivered to. Today they stood out more than normal, which for a slightly obnoxiously out their family, it was almost impressive.

You had been called out to their house a few times already and another call had come through to the shop again sending you back to their home. The first time to their home it was normal, as you were delivering their meal as you were expected. Jackie, the mother, had tried extending the conversation as long as she could, even calling her sons to the door, to attempt to persuade you pop in as they had ordered enough for a guest. You had declined and headed on to your next delivery.

Before you had even returned to the shop, you had been called by one of the waiters to say the Goodman’s hadn’t received their full meal, so you needed to pick up one of the sides they were owed and return it to them. Jackie tried talking to you again but you cut the conversation short and headed back to the shop. As soon as you walked into the shop, you were handed a small bag, with something else that needed to be taken to the Goodman’s. This happened twice more, leaving you pulling up outside of the Goodman’s residence for the fifth time.

You grabbed the small paper bag, containing only a single garlic dip, that they had insisted they had ordered and needed it to be delivered. Knocking at the door, you knew that it would only be a couple of seconds before Jackie opened the door. She threw open the door with a gleeful smile on her face.

“Y/N,” she smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” you responded, frankly getting a little tired of returning to the same house over and over again.

Jackie reached out to take the bag but cupped your hand between hers instead.

“Can I tell you the truth, Y/N?” She said in a hushed tone. “I didn’t mean to give you the run about tonight but my youngest, Jonny, he finds you attractive and I’ve seen the way you look at him, he’s a handsome boy, isn’t he?”

Your face became flushed at her comments. You had noticed her son before, several times and you did find him attractive, but you wouldn’t have ever had to guts to admit that to him.

Before you could say anything, Jackie called out her son’s name, making him reluctantly join you both at the door.

“Jonny,” she gleamed. “Wouldn’t it be nice if Y/N, joined us for dinner?”

“Mum,” he sighed.

“I’m sorry Mrs Goodman, but I am in the middle of my shift, I’ve got to get back to work,” you said apologetically, hoping she’d accept your excuse, seen as you were actually at work.

Jackie gave her son a shove towards you. “That’s a shame, but Jonny, at least walk the girl to her car.”

You both knew it was easier to just play along and the two of you left back towards your car that was parked near the entrance of their drive.

“I’m sorry about my mum,” Jonny apologised. “She’s a bit crazy.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve all got crazy family.”

He chuckled softly as you reached the car, him running a hand through his hair but silence continued to fill the air.

“Your mum was trying to set us up,” you admitted, deciding to try and use this situation to your advantage. “Maybe we should exchange numbers so you could warn me if the calls to the shop are fakes. Or to maybe plan a dinner together?”

Jonny smiled, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I was thinking the same thing.”

[friendlybatteringram]

I keep wanting to make a vent post for every time a republican or republicans (plural) does something absolutely shitty and abhorrent that moves our whole country back in time by another decade, but I also know that this would make my blog pretty damn obnoxious about it. So consider this my official all-purpose GOP hate letter.

I fucking hate republicans. With every ounce of my being. They're morally bankrupt, supremely hypocritical, and just plain evil. They are actively putting several people I love, and so many other people across the country, in terrible danger, and yet they still have the gall to claim the moral high ground simply because they don't believe our birthrights and lifestyles are valid. Because who we are and how we live scares them and makes them uncomfortable.

They call us overly sensitive, special snowflakes for wanting to build a more kind and accepting world, and yet they pass bills banning the discussion of very real issues like racial conflict and sexual orientation because it makes them uncomfortable. For no other reason than the exact same reason for which they have taunted us for decades. See again: hypocrites.

They obnoxiously warn and warn the country that we are headed for some sort of ridiculous communist nightmare scenario simply because a member of the other party has taken the highest office, and then continue to successfully enact law after law to follow their agenda of converting their supposed Land of the Free into one of the most oppressive, freedom-sapping, history-erasing, segregating, marginalizing, hateful police states in modern history.

Many of them claim to follow the teachings of Christ, and yet they relentlessly blame and punish the poor because of reasons beyond their control. And yet they settle for rapidly killing the planet - God's creation - in lieu of disrupting the flow of their precious oil money. And yet they vow to physically harm or even kill those with different views. The truth is that they SPIT on the teachings of Christ.

They claim to espouse the virtue of protecting the young and defenseless by restricting women's control over their own damn bodies, and yet they allow the young and defenseless to be slaughtered in schools in order to avoid upsetting the gun lobbyists. And they say that nothing can be done.

I sincerely with all my heart hope that the ignorant, misguided republicans of this country pull their heads out of their asses ASAP, and that the ones who know full well what they are doing get exactly what they deserve and go directly to Hell. Yes, I mean Biblical Hell.

And if you're a republican and you come across this post, I honestly do hope it makes you angry. I hope each of these accusations chip at your armor. Heck, I'll even encourage you to send anon hate and death threats to me (and ONLY me). Please, prove me right about who you are.

Have a wonderful day.

[angelictaehyun]

PAIRING: richboy!kang taehyun x fem!reader

SYNOPSIS: He’s been a pain in your ass since you began working at the club. He’s arrogant and insanely wealthy, and you’re struggling to simply pay tuition. Needless to say, it’s not quite the match made in heaven… or so it seems. 

WC. 11,200+

GENRE: rich kid au, country club au, e2l au, crack, fluff

WARNINGS: mild language, illegal activity, y/n’s an actual dumbass, and taehyun’s kind of a dick lol

.

You repeatedly tapped your pen against your sticky, worn checkbook, awaiting a response from the refined, old lady sitting comfortably under a patio umbrella. You, on the other hand, felt the scorching heat of the summer sun against your back, making you sweat uncontrollably—you could only hope you didn’t resemble a drenched pig. The woman eyed you, a bit too judgmentally for your liking, before pointing her perfectly manicured nail at the menu in her hand, “I want this pasta, but make it gluten-free. Throw in another iced tea, too… extra lemon, of course!”

You winced at her shrill voice. 

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, all of our pasta is made from flour,” you explained patiently. Her right eye twitched. You were an obstacle in her way of getting what she desired, she was angry. Lovely. However, above all, she was confused, “Just tell the chef to make it without flour, let him know it’s a special request. I don’t see the issue.”

“Ma’am, I’m telling you… there’s no way to make it without flour, we just don’t have the type of noodle you want in house.”

She drummed her hand on the table, absolutely fuming. She glanced at you like you kicked a puppy, it was absolutely infuriating. She grasped for nothing as her brain formulated any response, “This is outrageous! I want to speak with a manager. Now!”

You sighed, “Gladly.”

It was astounding, truly, the lack of self-awareness and consideration some people had... or, didn’t have. You wished, so badly, to tell them off, but you desperately needed the cash. After all, college wouldn’t pay for itself and the bills piling on your coffee table wouldn’t just magically disappear. You swiftly turned around and trudged away, scanning the vast garden for your manager, Yeonjun, but unsurprisingly, he was nowhere to be found. You’d known him long enough to assume he was hiding in the manager’s office, his poor attempt to flee from the overbearing, entitled crowd. How he scammed his way into a managerial position, a position of authority… that was beyond you. 

You were halfway across the floor, pushing past another server when you felt an intense stare land on you. You halted in place, knowing exactly who the gaze belonged to. You glanced at the table stationed in the far corner of the garden, instantly meeting his piercing stare. He eyed you shamelessly, a signature habit of his, before throwing you a smug grin. You weren’t going to kid yourself, he wore the smirk well. 

Too bad he was a pompous ass. 

Kang Taehyun. You hated saying his name, it humanized him and he was anything but human. Rather, he was an evil, irritating demon spawn simply disguising himself as human. And the cherry on top? He was the absolute bane of your existence. 

There was a hint of mischief in his eyes and something else you couldn’t quite pinpoint, but you didn’t necessarily want to. He opened his mouth to call you over, but much to your dismay, decided against it and instead rose from his seat to saunter over to you. You tried fleeing the scene the millisecond he stood up, but the elderly lady directly in front of you shuffled quite slowly, blocking your exit and trapping you in place. You tapped your foot impatiently as he approached you. 

“You look… sweaty,” he observed, chuckling at your less-than-appealing state. Truth be told, though he didn’t like admitting it to himself, he thought you looked beautiful. 

“Taehy—” he forcibly cut you off by landing his slender finger on your lips. You ignored the spark you felt from the small contact. He let his gaze travel to your Cupid’s bow momentarily, a part of him wanting to kiss your frown away. 

“Ah, not Taehyun,” he reminded you smoothly. You considered biting his finger off, but you prided yourself on your outstanding professionalism. Granted, it significantly dwindled every time you spoke to him.

“Gosh, I’m so sorry,” you mumbled monotonously. “Mr. Kang… if you don’t remove your hand from my mouth, I will shove a menu so far up your ass, you’ll choke,” you snapped, a pretty smile adorning your face.

“Oh, Y/N. Your customer service and approachable personality never fail to amaze me,” he stated, drawing his finger away from you. He continued despite the growing, fiery rage in your eyes, “I’d like another fork, mine’s a bit dirty.”

“That’s your problem. I’m not your waitress, I have my own customers to deal with, so if you don’t mind…”

He completely disregarded your subtle plea for him to leave. “For your information, I’d much rather prefer you as a server and not him,” he admitted, throwing a spare glance at his server—Hyunjin, if you were guessing from the blond hair. 

“That’s too bad…” you trailed as you mustered up the fakest sympathetic pout you could. You continued, “Anyways, I really hate to cut this short, but I’d better get going. I’m sure you’ll survive with your fork. You probably won’t get tetanus, but fingers crossed.”

“Yeah, best of luck with Cinderella’s stepmom,” he mumbled, gesturing to your awaiting customer. He flashed you a confident wink before whirling around and returning to his seat. You scoffed, your lips tilting downward into an ugly grimace. The snapping sound from a couple of feet away brought you out of your disgusted daze. The lady you had spoken to was repeatedly snapping her fingers in an attempt to grab your attention. You were met with an expectant gaze when you directed your focus back on her. She was poised, her spine in perfect posture and hands folded properly across her lap; her body language exhibited no sign of emotion until you reached her watchful glare, clearly telling you to hurry along. You inhaled sharply before plastering on a fake smile. You resumed your hunt for Yeonjun, but once again, you felt the weight of a cocky stare land on your back. 

He was challenging you, silently. You knew it. Unfortunately for him, you had no interest in playing his silly, childish game, so you clenched your jaw and walked away. 

· ──────────────────── ·

As odd as it was, you and your best friend had a favorite bench. It sat a block from the country club and in the middle of a hidden, rugged park, but it was your safe space; it’d been your favorite place since you both found it in fourth grade. After every grueling shift, Kai would meet you on the bench with dinner. The food was almost always inedible, but you weren’t there for his cooking, rather his company. He was already perched on the bench, kicking at a pebble beneath his feet. He heard you approach but kept his focus on the fascinating rock.

“God, took you long enough, I’ve been here forever. I started to think you ditched me for one of those rich boys,” he complained. When you didn’t retort with a snarky comeback like you normally would’ve, he turned from his spot and glanced at your disheveled figure, immediately letting out an obnoxious laugh.

You looked like shit.

Your hair was a disaster, the wisps of hair framing your face no longer considered stylish, but rather unkempt and as Kai liked to put it, “homeless-like.” Not only did you look bad, you felt unclean. The sweat behind your knees was quickly becoming uncomfortably sticky and your mascara was rubbing off, making you look like a rabid raccoon. 

Despite all that, you were happy to see Kai, his bubbly personality never failed to cheer you up—but you’d never let him be privy to that. 

You shot him the nastiest glare you could muster, but that proved difficult considering the little energy you had left.

“Aw, Y/N…”

“I’m going to quit, I swear to God. If I have to hear one more soccer mom complain about her salmon being too fishy, I’m going to have to start perfecting my mugshot pose,” you grumbled through clenched teeth. He made a noise of disagreement, “Let’s not throw your ass in jail just yet. Orange makes you look like a traffic cone.”

You shot him an indignant glare, “Thanks.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Anyways, I made us some hamburgers and managed to grab some extra soda cans before leaving home. So bone app the teeth or whatever.”

You snorted. He always brightened your mood, just a simple sentence could lift your sad spirit. You had to give it to him, the burger looked pretty appetizing… but you’d learned that with his cooking, much like anything else, appearances can be quite deceiving. Despite this, you inhaled your burger, ignoring the fact that the meat was undercooked and the mayonnaise was likely expired. You paid no attention to the fact that your soda was lukewarm and flat—you sipped on it regardless. Your mind was elsewhere, easily drowning out whatever Kai was ranting about. 

“... I know you probably had a bad day ‘cause of your boy,” he observed quietly.

You snapped your focus back, “My boy?”

“Yeah, your boy. The one you think is a self-righteous prick, but secretly think is really hot. Hm, what was it… Terry? Tyler? Taeyong?... Oh, I got it. Trash can.”

You scoffed, “Taehyun, most certainly, is not my boy. I can’t stand him. His head is so far up his flat ass, I’m surprised he’s still breathing.”

Kai nodded in feigned understanding. He tilted an eyebrow quizzically before opening his mouth, but you beat him to it.

“And I don’t think he’s cute!” 

“... And I’m Beyoncé.” 

You didn’t respond, too tired to argue with him. Instead, you let out a small noise of disagreement before resting your head on his broad shoulder, contently sipping on your warm soda. He knew how tired you were; everyday he watched you wear yourself down to practically nothing, it hurt him. He leaned his head against your own, placing a hand atop your thigh and squeezing reassuringly. You allowed yourself to relax, breathing in the humid, summer air. You stayed like that until he let out a small laugh. 

“Let’s rob him,” Kai suddenly suggested. He was joking, obviously, but you still perked at the idea. You turned to face him expectantly, straw loosely hanging from your mouth. He visibly retracted, “Jeez, Y/N, I was kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“… I’m not robbing someone.” He threw you a cautious glare before aggressively taking a large bite of his burger and chugging his flat soda. You were losing your mind, he was sure of it. You poked curiously, “So I’m assuming your stance on graffitiing is the same.”

He pressed his lips into a thin line before letting out an exasperated sigh, “Obviously.”

You turned away, sulking, and he couldn’t help but snicker. You were his best friend and had been since second grade, but if he said he didn’t think you were a dumbass, he'd be lying. 

“Come on, it’s time to get you home, you have an early shift tomorrow,” he reminded suddenly, mouth still full. You smacked his arm, disgusted by his lack of basic manners. He opened his mouth to showcase all his unchewed food. 

You gagged. 

“You’re disgusting!” you screeched, shuffling away from him. He chased after you, catching you almost immediately. His long legs made it easy. He effortlessly tossed you over his shoulder, ignoring your squirming, and carried you to his car, “Hush, I know you love me.”

“Gross. Never.”

He slapped the back of your calf and you squeaked, “Kai! Put me down! Now!”

“No, not until you say it. Make it believable, too.”

He wasn’t joking, you knew that. Eleven years of friendship and he was still as shameless as the day you met him. More so, if anything. Yes, his eight-year-old self was quite the charmer. You grumbled monotonously, “Kai, what can I say… you’re the light of my life, my hero, my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Probably die. I love you, I guess.”

“Too sarcastic, but it’ll do,” he conceded. He set you down and held in a laugh. Your hair looked even worse than before. He slung an arm around your shoulder, “Okay, get in the car. Hurry. I’d rather not listen to you complain about your lack of beauty sleep… again.”

· ──────────────────── ·

You mindlessly typed in a complicated order as Yeonjun watched your gaze drift over to the garden. 

“You’ve pressed that button so much, the console’s probably broken. Cool it,” he reprimanded gently. Your attention snapped back to the screen which was littered with incorrect orders.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what has me so distracted today,” you mumbled sheepishly. He chuckled and gave you a comforting nudge on the shoulder, “I think I know exactly why.”

Your gaze followed his and instantly landed on Taehyun. As much as you hated to admit, he looked good. Great, even. It looked like he’d just walked out of a rager, especially with his tie undone and shirt untucked, which he pulled off beautifully. His hair was slightly disheveled and you suddenly had the strongest urge to run a hand through it. 

Your eyes widened at the sudden thought and you aggressively shoved it to the back of your mind. “I don’t like him!” 

“I never said you did.” he argued, suppressing a mirthful grin. Yeonjun reminded you of Kai, especially with his insistence on your attraction to Taehyun, or as you believed, lack thereof. He continued, “Just a reminder, though. The line between love and hate is so, so thin.”

Rather than responding and saying something that would surely get you fired, you huffed and turned your focus back on the order, unaware of your aggressive punching on the console’s screen. You were already having a rough day, but everyday spent at the country club was considered less-than-stellar. Yeonjun gave you a reassuring smile before sulking off to deal with another whiny, overbearing customer. You unconsciously let your gaze travel back over to Taehyun and was instantly met with a genuine smile, just not one directed to you. He laughed at a joke, oblivious to your longing and thank God, if he caught you staring, you’d never hear the end of it. His smile was just so pretty, you couldn’t help but feel giddy. Sure, you hated him—that’s what you told yourself—but you could appreciate a handsome face. As if on cue, Taehyun turned in your general direction and you quickly scrambled out of sight. As you turned, Hyunjin scrambled by you, the heavy tray resting on his shoulder nearly beheading you. His long, wavy blond hair, which was in a nice, neat half-ponytail at the beginning of his shift, was now splaying in every direction—he was beyond stressed. If the messy hair wasn’t enough, his hooded eyes were getting darker. You approached him as he grabbed a checkbook, “Hyun, you look like a mess.”

“Hey, Y/N! Yeah, I just have a lot of floor to cover, and they’re all extra demanding today,” he explained, short of breath. He groaned as he watched another set of people sit in his section and continued, “God, please cover me. I’ll owe you one. I’m already overwhelmed with my current table number.”

You laughed understandingly, “Of course.”

“You’re the best, it’s table thirty.” He squinted to get a good look, “Oh! I know that customer, he’s a great tipper. You should be just fine.”

You shifted your attention to the table in question, immediately deflating as you saw Taehyun sitting with a friend. You turned around to protest, but Hyunjin was already gone. 

You internally screamed before trudging over to his table, gathering all of your dignity... kissing his arrogant ass wasn’t necessarily on your agenda for today. When Taehyun saw you approach his table, he did little to hide his pleased smirk. You undid your balled fist. 

“Hi. My name is Y/N, I’ll be your server today,” you monotonously stated, an unenthusiastic but convincing smile plastering your face. To any other guest, it would’ve been believable, but Taehyun knew better; your server persona didn’t fool him.

“Y/N. What a pretty name,” his friend observed, a bit too flirtatiously for your liking. Taehyun noticed too, judging from the way he narrowed his eyes and tongued his cheek. And also the way he obviously kicked his friend’s leg under the table. You mustered a sweet smile, hoping to mask your disgust, “Thank you! That’s so… nice. Anyway, what would you like to drink? We got in a new Italian wine, just delivered today.”

“That’s alright, just water.”

“Water.”

Cheap. Especially for a pair of chaebol children. 

“Alright! I’ll be back momentarily,” you informed, smile dropping the instant you turned away. As you trailed back to the kitchen, you heard Taehyun give his friend a hushed reprimanding making you smirk. You passed Yeonjun, noticing he looked as if he was about to lose his sanity. You gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder—for someone so young, he managed well. Of course, he used his handsome face and charm as often as possible; his attractiveness and charisma was dangerous. He managed to grasp the attention of everyone and it aided him greatly. You pressed quizzically, “Jun, you don’t seem good.”

“Says you. You’re lover boy’s server. What a shocking, juicy turn of events. I’m on my toes,” he teased impishly. You stared at him vacantly. Yeonjun continued to poke fun, enjoying the lack of response you gave as you procrastinated to avoid returning to Taehyun’s table, but sadly, there was only so long it could take to fill a glass with water. Yeonjun pouted sympathetically, “Good luck.”

You didn’t need luck. No. To spend a precious hour or more, waiting on a privileged, disgustingly wealthy teenage boy, specifically Kang Taehyun, you needed patience, self-control, and temper management. You reminded yourself of just that as you approached him, placing his water near his plate, “Gentlemen, are you ready to order?”

You jotted down his friend’s order, ignoring the growing complexity as he piled on request after request, no sign of stopping. “... And I need it lukewarm. Not room temperature, but lukewarm.”

You diligently suppressed the eye roll that nearly bubbled up. Honestly, you’d dealt with far worse, Taehyun’s friend didn’t even scratch the surface. 

You had to wonder though, did people like this ever feel shame? 

You faced the cocky redhead, “And for you… Mr. Kang?”

You cringed. He didn’t miss the nearly imperceptible flash of disgust that crossed your expression. He grinned, “Just the lasagna. While you’re at it, I’d like another glass of water.”

“You already have a full glass,” you seethed, glancing at the glass you had just set down. He enjoyed this: testing you, pushing you, slowly dwindling your sanity until you snapped. He wanted to get a reaction from you, anything other than the bored, disinterested expression you gave him every single day. He smiled innocently, “What can I say… I like staying hydrated.”

His amusement was irritating. Unsurprisingly, his torment was based on the stupid, outdated notion that a boy has to show interest by picking on his crush, but you weren’t privy to his inner thought process. You suppressed another eye roll as you turned to grab a pitcher from Hyunjin, the boy sprinting behind you with a full tray. You felt bad for him, at least, until you remembered he pawned Taehyun’s table onto you and your pity became short lived. You filled an empty glass, increasingly aware of Taehyun’s piercing stare. Your emotionless expression would’ve given him no indication as to how nervous you felt if it weren’t for the slight blush that painted your face.  

He smirked victoriously. You hated it.

A breath of relief escaped you as his attention turned to his friend. He leaned back in his seat and lifted a hand to rest behind his head, accidentally smacking the pitcher, causing you to spill the cold water onto his lap. He flinched at the sudden icy contact. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” you gasped, fishing a stray napkin from your apron. Normally, he would’ve brushed it off, considering it was his fault, but he felt pressured under the expectant gaze of his snobbish peer. Plus, he gained the reaction he wanted from you... something other than disgust. He feigned offense as he dramatically pushed his seat back and stood up, easily towering over you, “Next time, try not sucking at your job!”

He immediately regretted his outburst but he showed no sign of remorse, not when he had a reputation to uphold. God forbid, he could actually be a considerate person. 

More importantly, though, he pushed too far this time and there wasn’t much turning back. You winced at his tone, withering back from his harsh statement, though you quickly replaced your hurt with unadulterated rage. Your blood boiled as your vision went red, steam practically fuming from your ears. Your pained expression broke his heart and he nearly dropped his act, but before he could do or process anything, his silk shirt was sticking uncomfortably to his body as ice water seeped through. His slacks were drenched and his designer loafers were completely ruined. He didn’t pay much attention to that, though... not when you were an inch from his face, holding an empty water pitcher over his head.

“I quit,” you lowly hissed. You firmly shoved the pitcher into his hand and scoffed as he stumbled back from the force. All eyes were on you as you stalked off, hastily tossing your apron into the nearest trash can. Yeonjun gave you a quick nod, his subtle way of telling you he was proud. 

He’d get your resignation letter another day.

Taehyun helplessly called after you but it was useless. You were too far gone to care. 

· ──────────────────── ·

You slammed your car door shut, absolutely fuming. You blankly stared at the frog keychain hanging from your rearview mirror. Normally, you would’ve smiled at the small figurine, but in the moment, you wanted to punt it into another timezone. It’s cheeriness pissed you off to no end. You quickly fished your phone out to dial Kai’s number, the line ringing thrice before he picked up, groaning, “I’m trying to sleep.”

His voice seemed muffled, likely from the thirty plushies he insisted on sleeping with. 

“It’s dinner time.”

“It’s called a nap, genius.”

“Alright, well, I just quit my job… and I might have dumped a pitcher of water onto Taehyun’s stupid, privileged ass.”

The line fell silent. You wouldn’t have been surprised had he hung up on you—your tendency to act impulsively drove him up the wall and he was nearing his limit. You patiently awaited his response, likely a reprimanding scold. 

“Y/N, what the fuck.”

“He had it coming, I swear,” you promised. In detail, you explained your biased side of the story, ignoring the obvious judgement emanating from the opposite line. The minute you finished, you spotted Taehyun’s panicked figure run into the full parking lot, frantically searching for you; you ducked behind your steering wheel, praying he didn’t see you. You squeaked, cutting off Kai’s tangent, “Oh my God! Oh my God! He followed me!”

He sighed. “If you dumped ice water on me, I’d be chasing after you too.”

You peeked curiously from your spot, seeing he had yet to find you. The cogs in your mind churned slowly, mixing in with your rage, “What if we graffitied his house?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“I’m serious, I want to do it! He can’t just get away with humiliating me in front of the entire club, waitstaff, and my manager. And graffitiing isn’t illegal… ish.”

You could practically picture his narrowed gaze, “It’s definitely, most certainly, illegal. Sunshine, I understand your anger, hell, I’d be outraged, but revenge isn’t always the answer. And graffiti isn’t the most… sound idea.”

You crossed your arms defensively, “It’s a genius idea.”

“It really isn’t.”

“I’m going to do it, regardless of if it’s a good idea or not. You’re either in or out.”

Once more, the line fell quiet. His mind churned, concluding there wasn’t a chance in hell you’d follow through—you were simply too chicken. He laughed, “Fine. I’m in.”

“Great! Find his address, I’ll be over soon.”

You hung up and regained your composure. Taehyun spotted your car as you buckled in your seatbelt, making direct eye contact with your enraged figure. You were surprised, he didn’t seem angry, rather regretful. Almost apologetic. 

But you didn’t care. 

You sped off the lot without sparing him a final glance. 

· ──────────────────── ·

“Have faith in me! Finding his address isn’t going to be hard. You know, I’m a tech whiz, it runs in the family.”

You snickered, “Beomgyu getting accepted into the computer science program at his university doesn’t mean you got the tech gene. You’re the worst with technology, you can’t even remember your laptop login half the time.”

He eyed you challengingly, before cracking his knuckles and typing furiously. Only a single minute had passed before he was yelling, “Jackpot! I found it!”

You were thrown for a loop. He was quite technologically inept, he couldn’t even open a browser without some trouble, let alone find an address. You stared at him quizzically, a smidge of doubt crossing your mind. He deflated, avoiding your hard gaze, “Okay… maybe, just maybe, I called Gyu before you arrived and had him help.”

You snorted. “Yeah, that tracks.”

You sighed and tossed yourself back on his plush bed, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars plastered on his ceiling. You laughed quietly, you remembered putting them up there—it was really only a year ago. See, Kai had this whole star-sticker-related schtick or as he liked to put it, “Inability to have them as a child which subsequently caused emotional damage.”

You had just returned from a grueling shift and you were exhausted, weak, and insanely pissed—reason being Taehyun, of course.

It was always Taehyun.

In a frivolous attempt to cheer you up, Kai suggested pasting the stickers onto his ceiling. Honestly, it was more stressful than fun. He constantly wobbled around the bed, nearly dropping you several times as you sat perched on his broad shoulders and stuck them up. It kept you busy though, and thus, kept your mind off of Taehyun. 

It was funny, honestly. For someone that swore they hated him, you sure thought about him a lot. He took residence in your mind and you felt like the landlord trying to evict him. 

Even at that moment, you couldn’t stop thinking about him. Of course, you were in denial. You told yourself it was natural to be thinking about him; after all, you were going to destroy his property. There was absolutely no other reason as to why he ran free in your mind… none at all. 

Kai knew you were overthinking. It wasn’t hard to tell, especially since your forehead usually tended to crease in the ugliest manner when you did. He tried reeling you out of your daze, “So, we’re going to commit a crime.”

“Yep.”

“... There’s no turning back.”

“I know. I’m not going to chicken out.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, of course you’d chicken out. You always did. He didn’t see any harm in indulging you with your idiotic plan, so he found the address. No harm, no foul. Right?

· ──────────────────── ·

You anxiously picked at the leather seating beneath you, nearly tearing a hole in the worn fabric. 

“Yo, cool it. Jihyo is already pretty fucked up,” Kai warned. Oh, Jihyo. You still couldn’t believe he named his old, rickety car—let alone after his ex. His car looked as if it had a mile left in it before it ultimately broke down, but you had to put some blind trust in Jihyo. After all, she was your getaway car if everything went south. You’d been sitting in Kai’s passenger seat for half an hour, coming up with nearly every excuse not to proceed with the crime.

“We really don’t have to do this. Not to mention, I don’t want to do this,” he grumbled. 

“Then why are you here?”

Imagine his surprise when you showed up at his door, decked out in all-black, stealthy gear, hope and adrenaline coursing through your body. He truly believed you would’ve backed down by now, and a small part of him hoped you still would, but the odds weren’t looking in his favor. 

“I’m not letting you go to jail! I can’t get through the school year without you, especially now that Jihyo—human Jihyo—is starting to spread her stupid, little personal agenda against me. Like, yeah, I broke up with you and that’s rough, but maybe next time, try not being manipulative… or a cheater,” he rambled. You flashed him a sympathetic smile; he said he was over it but you knew better. You patted his arm comfortingly and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, a flustered, shy smile replacing his pout. 

“Guess what? I think I know exactly what’ll make you feel better,” you whispered sweetly. 

His smile instantly turned down into an exasperated frown, “Mhm, let me guess… robbing the rich boy you have a crush on.”

“I don’t have a crush on him! Why would I like him? He yelled at me in front of the entire club! And we’re not robbing him, we’re simply… graffitiing his house. Tastefully. 

“So you admit, you had a crush on him.”

“No! I’m just saying!”

He pointedly rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the castle-like house across the street, not wanting to have that conversation with you. He mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like idiot but you let it slide, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand. 

“Okay, so the gate code is probably something stupid like his birthday, his mom is probably sentimental like that,” you mumbled to yourself. You tapped your foot anxiously as you tried to formulate a coherent plan. You slowly continued, “The only problem is the crazy amount of security cameras around his house. Like, who needs that many cameras? People are dying.”

“God, I hate you,” Kai grumbled.

You ignored him, “There has to be a blind spot, somewhere a camera won’t cover. Hm…” you studied the perimeter, searching for that camera-free sweet spot. At that moment, you found a tiny patch of grass, hidden under a massive oak tree. 

Bingo. 

You shook Kai’s arm aggressively, “Look! Right there, that’s the spot. That tree has to cover the camera.”

He rested his head against the steering wheel, “Let’s get this over with.”

As you both climbed out of his car, you couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place. The street was littered with fancy, expensive cars while Jihyo looked like she belonged in the dump, making you even angrier. Kai crept over to the sidewalk, insisting on creeping in the shadows like a vigilante. You, on the other hand, struggled to carry your duffel bag full of equipment, constantly getting slowed down by the exceptional weight. That was your fault though, you packed it full of necessary, outstandingly heavy equipment (necessary being a loose term). Alongside the many cans of paint sat a bag of Goldfish, three juice boxes (because Kai is a massive baby), a faulty navigation system, a not-at-all threatening ski mask, and a broken hammer. 

You didn’t remember packing that hammer. 

You settled in front of Taehyun’s gate, hoping your birthday theory was correct. Of course, simply because it was you and your luck was awful, it wasn’t. You began pressing random keys, hoping something would work but it was fruitless. Nothing worked, not even the basic combinations. You huffed, “I guess we’re going to have to climb our way in.”

You mentally prepared yourself as Kai sent a couple of prayers out for good measure. He eyed your duffel bag curiously before opening it, instantly met with a multitude of spray paint in all shades. He narrowed his eyes and scoffed, “Jesus, Y/N! Where the hell did you get all this shit?”

“... Craigslist.”

“Bullshit, you were kicked off Craigslist years ago.”

You winced, insulted by his easy remark—he knew how sensitive you were about that. You kicked a pebble sheepishly, mumbling softly, “Fine, I bought the paint from Soobin…”

His eyes widened comically as his heart practically ripped out of his chest, “Soobin?! Choi Soobin?! You can’t be serious. No, there’s no way you bought from the school drug dealer! He’s a criminal! He probably tried to toss in some of that devil’s lettuce with your purchase, huh? Or worse… crack!”

You rolled your eyes and tossed your head back, he was always so dramatic. “Kai, he’s not a criminal. He’ll occasionally sell an edible or two, but that’s it! He didn’t try to sell me anything. Actually, he gave me a pretty good deal on this stuff.”

“Lovely, a modern-day businessman,” he grumbled sarcastically. 

“Whatever, just help me climb the wall,” you huffed, zipping up your bag before tossing it over the blockade. Hesitantly, he got on one knee, muttering something you couldn’t quite hear—not that you wanted to anyways. You delicately stood on his knee as he pushed on your thighs in an attempt to boost you over. 

Honestly, you struggled. Your weak muscles did little to aid in your quest, but Kai’s strength helped. 

“God, take your sweet time, it’s not like your flat, piece of plywood ass is dangling in front of my face or anything. I’m about to throw up,” he gagged. 

You scoffed, “Yeah, yeah, complain all you want but this is the most action you’ll ever see.”

“... I won’t hesitate to drop you on your face.”

However, before he could follow on his threat, you managed to hoist yourself over the brick wall. You offered a hand to Kai but instead of accepting, he eyed it mockingly, knowing you weren’t strong enough to lift him. He stretched his legs before taking a step back, giving him a running start, and surprising you both when he successfully lifted himself.

You placed your hand over his mouth, “Shh.. whisper. We’re in enemy territory now.”

He licked your palm, nearly making you screech, “Gross!”

He childishly stuck his tongue out. You shook your head and began scrounging the duffel bag for the perfect paint color. Of course, you wanted to create a masterpiece worthy of Kang Taehyun... you even considered tagging it. Kai silently sat on the grass, aimlessly picking at the freshly-cut blades as he watched you happily paint. 

You were pleased to say that in the half an hour you’d been painting, nothing had gone awry... yet.

“The fuck is that supposed to be?” he questioned curiously, leaning closer to inspect the vulgar work. 

“Taehyun,” you said easily.

“Really? ‘Cause it looks like a dick.”

“It’s called symbolism, Kai.” You stepped back to admire your work as if it were hung in the Louvre whilst Kai scrunched his nose, clearly offended by the unpleasant art.

“You know, it’s funny how you have the biggest crush on this dic—” Before he could further elaborate, he was interrupted by an awfully familiar voice. 

“What the hell are you doing on my front lawn?”

You cringed. You’d been caught red-handed. 

Kai turned slowly, surrendering with his hands up. You, however, kept your back turned, considering just going to hell with it and continuing your tasteful artwork. He glanced at you anxiously, silently pleading for you to put down the paint can. 

Only because Kai looked a second away from fainting, you huffed and turned around, mimicking his pose, the only difference being the bored expression plastered on your face. 

Taehyun stood in front of you, his arms crossed and irritation painted all over his body language, but as much as he tried to hide it, there was a glint of amusement behind his eyes. You hated how his obnoxious, stop sign hair managed to look amazing under the glow of the moonlight—it was beyond irritating. Arguably, his entire being was irritating. You held his gaze, silently challenging his presence. Kai, on the other hand, was sweating profusely and dramatically hyperventilating. He clutched onto your shoulder, failing to catch an actual breath, “Oh my God! I feel like my heart is pumping out lukewarm sewer water.”

He placed his hands on his knees as he hunched over and continued, “Please, Taehyun. Please, don’t hit me with your Lamborghini. I’m begging you.”

Taehyung blankly stared at the younger, completely forgetting he was even there. You rubbed your temple and hissed, “Will you shut the fuck up? You’re making this worse.”

“I don’t want to go to jail! My face is too pretty for jail, they’d murder me on sight for being the most gorgeous boy they’ve ever seen. God, please don’t call the cops… I’ll do anything,” Kai shamelessly begged. You were so close to punting him into the Pacific Ocean. Taehyun’s annoyingly gorgeous lips twisted into a smug grin as he directed his attention back on you, “Hm, and what about you, Princess? I don’t see you begging.”

You scoffed, “I’d rather eat Kai’s shoe.”

He simply hummed, “That’s too bad. You know, I have a family friend who’s a cop… I’ll convince him to go easy on you in jail.”

“The wealthy wielding control over the justice system… how unexpected.”

“Oh my God! Y/N’s kidding, she’ll do anything,” Kai blurted quickly, shooting you a death glare. Taehyun’s eyebrow lifted curiously, a satisfied smirk settling comfortably, “Is that true?”

“What the hell do you want?” you questioned hesitantly. 

“A date.”

You briefly considered his words before shoving Kai forward, “Yeah, go nuts. He’s all yours.”

“... With you.”

You threw your head back and let out an inappropriate, hearty laugh. Even Kai let out a small snicker before replacing it with a fake cough, but Taehyun didn’t seem amused. He watched you expectantly, awaiting an answer. 

“So this is the only way Kang Taehyun can score a date… by blackmailing them. You know, that actually makes sense,” you theorized to no one in particular. You simmered in silence for a short moment before Kai cleared his throat, hinting at his obvious discomfort. Taehyun was enjoying this, you just knew it. 

That broken hammer never looked better...

“Fine,” you conceded. You glared at him, biting your tongue to prevent you from going off on his pompous ass. Taehyun’s eyes lit up with hope. 

Kai let out a breath of relief before mumbling an apology and dragging you off the lawn. His grip on you tightened as you turned around one last time to shoot daggers at Taehyun. He stood comfortably in the middle of his manicured lawn, the porch lights behind him highlighting his pleased smirk, yet all you saw was red.

· ──────────────────── ·

Kai splayed across your bed, mindlessly picking at a random throw pillow while you spritzed a hint of perfume on your forearm. His gaze trailed over your figure curiously, “You’re quite dressed up for someone who’d rather sleep in a dumpster than go on this date.”

“Well I’m not about to walk into high society wearing a stained sweatshirt and joggers.”

He snorted, “Right, that’s the only reason.” You smoothed your shirt and gave yourself a once over, feeling quite confident in your choice of clothing. Kai wasn’t blind, he thought you looked nice, but he’d let pigs fly before he told you that. He continued, “You don’t look… that ugly.”

You rolled your eyes, knowing that was the closest you’d ever get to a compliment from him, “Thanks.”

“Do you know where he’s taking you?” 

“Nope.”

If you were being honest, you didn’t care where he took you; you didn’t set any conscious expectations. 

“Oh! Before I forget…” Kai smirked as he dug around his backpack. He tossed you a small, blue bottle of mouthwash. He winked cheekily, “You never know… mayhaps you’ll kiss him.”

You nearly threw up, “I most certainly will not be kissing anyone tonight, especially not his pretentious ass. Besides, you know about my rule.”

He groaned. He definitely knew about your rule, it was all you talked about after getting dumped by your last ex. After your last failed relationship (or four) you created a no-kiss policy for your first three dates. You wanted to make sure your kisses weren’t in vain, and honestly, it was fun just watching them work for it. 

“The rule is dumb,” he reminded. 

“... You’re dumb.”

You were busy dodging a pillow when your doorbell rang, signaling Taehyun’s arrival. You were shocked he didn’t just notify his presence by honking his horn—for a pompous ass such as himself, you wouldn’t have been surprised. 

“It’s time,” you mumbled somberly. 

“He isn’t the Grim Reaper. This is a date, it’s supposed to be a happy thing!” he tried encouraging sweetly as you stalked down the staircase, but to no avail, your mood didn’t lighten in the slightest. 

You aggressively swung open your front door, nearly knocking Kai unconscious. Taehyun dressed simple but pleasant; his expensive, black sweater was expertly tucked into a nice set of slacks and the Cartier bracelet that adorned his wrist, perfectly accentuated his veins. His bright, red hair was styled messily and his cheeks were flushed, beautifully highlighting his angled nose and sharp jawline. Your mouth gaped, just slightly, as you drank him in—while he was always attractive, this specific look had you stunned. He held a single rose against his chest and it only made him look more ethereal, if that was even possible. When you looked up, you instantly noted the hint of panic in his eyes, which made you feel at ease. 

“Taehyun,” you blankly addressed.

“Y/N! You look amazing, so beautiful…” he trailed as he handed you the rose. You grabbed it and immediately shoved it into Kai’s chest.

“Let’s get this over with,” you grumbled, pushing past him and harshly hitting his shoulder.

“... Right.”

“Hey, try not to murder him, I can’t afford bail. I make minimum wage,” Kai reminded, flashing Taehyun a sympathetic smile as the older trailed closely behind you. You were about to open his car door when he came rushing by, insisting on opening it for you. In return, you sent him a nasty glare, “I’m capable of opening my own door.”

“I’m just trying to be a gentleman.”

“A gentleman doesn’t go off on someone in the middle of a public space,” you reminded.”

He sighed. A mere five minutes into the date and he already felt defeated. He wished he could form a proper apology, but it would be futile—you’d just shut him down. So he decided to express his apology in the form of something he knew you’d accept; needless to say, he had a trick or two up his Gucci sleeve. 

You kept your gaze focused on anything but him. Your arms were folded across your chest, the evident frown on your face doing very little to hide your irritation. Despite that, he still thought you looked beautiful… granted, every single time he spoke to you, you wore a frown so this wasn’t new to him. 

“You look so pretty,” he complimented as he slid into the driver’s seat.

“I know.”

Of course he deserved every ounce of your cold, unwelcoming demeanor, but it still hurt. He was flushed but you didn’t notice since you made an obvious effort to scoot as far away from him as possible, practically pressing yourself up against the car door. However, the painful silence quickly overwhelmed you, so you hesitantly threw him a bone, “Where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise but I know you’ll like it. It’s my way of apologizing.”

“This better be a hell of an apology.”

“I promise you it is.”

You noticed his sincerity. His usual cockiness was replaced with shyness and a twinge of guilt, and you found it endearing. You stayed quiet for the remainder of the car ride, only a small sound of confusion as he pulled into a half-empty parking lot of a local carnival. A young employee approached the car and gave Taehyun a permitting nod, making you suspicious. He drove past the entrance gate and straight into a private space, parking next to a dinky, old ice cream truck. The space was close to a nearby forest, a bit too secluded for your taste.

“So you’re going to kill me,” you observed, scanning the dark environment around you.

He rolled his eyes. “No.”

“That’s what a murderer would say,” you mumbled.

You were so stubborn, he knew that, yet he still let out an exasperated sigh. He frowned and climbed out of his car, shuffling to your side, only to find you were already halfway out. You didn’t say anything, choosing to send another hard glare his way instead.

He headed in the direction of the carnival—not the forest—and gestured you to follow him. You trailed behind, ignoring the damp mud that stuck to the bottom of your cheap shoes. You felt a bit overdressed, but when you glanced at Taehyun, you felt better. However, the more you thought about it, his outfit likely cost more than your college tuition, putting a slight dent in your ego. You focused your attention on the glowing moon instead of him, and when he turned to look at you, he was in awe. You seemed peaceful, or at least, not as pissed. 

It was nice.

He led you down to the middle of the fair where you saw a crowd gathered around a massive dunk tank. He seemed antsy, constantly shifting his weight and picked at the hem of his costly shirt. He momentarily abandoned your side and walked to the dunk tank operator, speaking briefly before grabbing a bucket filled of unknown stuff. 

When he walked back, you stared curiously at the bucket which was full of heavy baseballs. “This is my apology.”

Vague. 

As if he read your mind, he gently placed his hand on your shoulder and turned you to face the tank, pointing directly at the chair above the pool. “I’m going to be sitting on that chair. Your job is to throw them,” he gestured over to the bullseye, “at the target, until I’m submerged.”

You couldn’t suppress your smile. He was right, this was an apology you’d accept, an apology in the form of embarrassment. Smart boy. 

He didn’t necessarily look forward to ruining his cashmere sweater, but he would’ve done anything to make it up to you, and your bright smile told him he was on the right path. You let out a light laugh, picking up a baseball and tossing it carelessly. 

He spared you a final glance before shuffling off to his fate. He seemed to garner a lot of attention, the crowd had grown significantly larger since you first arrived. You held the ball in your hand as he climbed onto the chair—you were arguably a little too excited to send him into the cold, cold water. He seemed shaky, but you didn’t care. You threw the ball with no hesitation. 

Strike one. You missed by a long shot.

He suppressed a laugh. You shook your body, ridding yourself of any anxiousness before trying once more. 

Strike two. You were closer. Barely.

You had an unlimited amount of attempts, but the longer you failed, the more embarrassed you felt. He now seemed comfortable... prideful, even. Your face was flushed red from humiliation, but you tried to keep it from affecting you as you threw once more, this time, significantly more aggressive. 

Strike three. This was outright shameful.

“C’mon, you can do better than that…” he baited. He couldn’t help but tease, it didn’t matter that you were on a date. The crowd let out a collective laugh. You scoffed indignantly, cracking your neck and back, your stare darkening. You were about to hit the winning shot, he knew it. He loosened his grip on the chair and leaned forward.

“I’m sorry,” he mouthed. 

The longing, heartfelt expression in his eyes had you flustered. You nodded understandingly, reeling in his genuine apology, and flashing him a sympathetic, sincere smile before throwing the baseball straight at the bullseye, sending him (and his expensive outfit) straight into the tank. 

You pumped a fist in the air as the crowd cheered. He emerged from the stale water, completely drenched. He shook hair away from his eyes before climbing from the tank and into a changing room, but not before finding your figure in the crowd. You wore a gentle, soft smile; for the first time, you looked at him with something other than hatred. 

It gave him hope. 

After changing, he appeared by your side as the crowd slowly dispersed, dressed a lot more comfortably. He changed into a pair of fitted (and designer, you just knew it) joggers and a clean, simple sweatshirt, pulled together with a silver chain hanging from his neck. He went from runway to streetwear yet he managed to look absolutely fantastic and it irked you. He seemed expectant yet nervous, constantly shifting his feet and biting his bottom lip. He needed reassurance and suddenly, you weren’t hesitant to provide it. 

After a minute of painful silence, you conceded. “I forgive you.”

A deep sigh of relief escaped him. He’d practically been holding his breath since that day and all of a sudden, this weight had been lifted off his chest. A wave of solace washed over him, “Thank god. I didn’t know what I would’ve done if that didn’t work.”

You giggled softly. He short-circuited for a mere second; being the cause of your melodious laugh had him speechless. It was all new to him. Your laugh was so sweet, soft, and a drastic contrast from the person he was used to. He yearned to hear it again. 

You peered up at him without saying a word.

He coughed awkwardly. “Right, uh, that didn’t take long at all. Let’s get you home, this was a waste of your time, I’m so sorry,” he rambled, turning in the direction of his car. You tilted your head questioningly. The night was still young and you had no interest in going back home. You were pleasantly surprised, all it took was a simple apology for your hidden, buried feelings to surface, though you knew how hard it was for him to apologize. Maybe that’s why you were so easy to forgive. You reached for his sleeve and gently tugged him back, “You asked me out on a date, so let’s do it.”

Going on an actual date was the last thing he expected. His plan for the night was to pick you up, try his best not to offend you more than he already had, and get dunked into some dirty, stale water. Of course he couldn’t refuse, seeing as his heart nearly soared from his chest. He nodded eagerly, “Y-yeah! Yeah! Okay, let’s have a date. Okay, uh, this is a carnival, right? I have to win you a plushie then, that’s just basic, carnival date knowledge. That’s the rule.”

You snorted. “Can’t break the rules then.”

He led you on over to the strength machine, eager to showcase his brawn—he hoped to impress you. His boyish mentality made you laugh, as endearing as it was, you couldn’t help but find it primitive and a bit childish. Nonetheless, you indulged him. He fished change from his wallet and you couldn’t help but notice the shiny, heavy, black card sitting comfortable in his wallet’s compartment; you suppressed an instinctual eye roll. He held the massive hammer in hand, attempting to hide the fact that it slightly weighed him down, despite his muscular build. He flashed you a confident wink before raining the hammer down on the target, sending the marker less than halfway up the pole. You coughed in an attempt to hide your laughter, you didn’t want to embarrass him, he’d already been dunked into a tank of mucky water. 

He stood dumbfounded, “Okay, this is rigged.”

“Mhm, right.”

“Fine, hotshot. Give it a whirl then,” he challenged. You raised an eyebrow cockily, yanking the hammer from his hand. It was simple, all you had to do was send the marker higher than his. You smugly grinned before trying your luck, the marker barely rising an inch. 

He slapped his knee and cackled. You were offended.

“This is rigged,” you mumbled. 

“S’ok, love. There’s plenty of other stuff to do that isn’t rigged,” he encouraged, throwing a side eye at the gamer operator who simply shrugged in return. He slung an arm around your shoulder, choosing not to dwell on the way his heartbeat sped, “Let’s go get you a prize.”

· ──────────────────── ·

For him to win you a singular prize, it took a game of whack-a-mole, a shared slice of pizza, a tuft of cotton candy, a vigorous pep talk, and sprinkle of beginner’s luck. It was a cheap, funky-looking ring, but you wore it with the utmost pride. 

You both talked excessively, really getting to know each other, and with each new detail, he fell harder. Your shy smile, adorable laugh, witty sense of humor… they were all just a bonus. Normally, you weren’t one to fall, if at all, but you found yourself going against your instinct and doing just that. In hindsight, though, it’d been a long time coming. He was hesitant to initiate any sort of skinship, considering you’d forgiven him an hour prior, but you proved opposite after you mindlessly reached for his hand the second you spotted your favorite ride.

“The spinning teacup! That’s a must!” You both felt the spark from the contact, it was unmistakable, but you both chose not to say anything. He let you drag him over, despite his aversion to the particular ride; he just couldn’t say no. 

“Fine, but promise me you won’t spin fast.”

“Pinky promise.”

As the cup turned, albeit at snail pace, he admired the light wind that flowed delicately through your hair. You had a certain aura, he couldn’t help but notice. It was enchanting. The moonlight kissed your skin beautifully, it had him watching in infatuated awe. 

“You’re staring.”

“Pssh, I’m not staring.” You eyed him and he crinkled his nose, “Fine, I was staring. I can’t help it, you’re beautiful.”

He didn’t know where the sudden confidence came from, perhaps it was just the motion sickness, but he didn’t regret it. You turned away from him, clearly flustered, and it made him smile. The ride ended quicker than he expected, but it was a welcomed relief, considering his well-being. The second he stepped from the cup, he fell to the floor. 

“I barely spun the cup! It turned, like, a mile an hour!”

“I’m sensitive! I get sick easily.” He lifted himself off the ground, just slightly, continuing with a corny joke. “Look at me on the floor, I guess some might say… I fell for you.”

You snorted, not at the cheesy line, but the aggressive finger-gun that accompanied it. He tried to wink but failed, immediately hunching over from the queasy feeling in his stomach, “Oh my God, I’m going to die.”

He made an ugly, inhuman noise. 

“Jesus Christ. Are you okay?”

“No, it’s fine, I’m great. I just think it’s my time to go.”

He reminded you a lot of Kai—both of them had an affinity for being overly dramatic.

You rubbed his back soothingly. He felt so embarrassed, but the feeling was overshadowed by the sickly feeling. You continued caressing, making sure to glare at anyone that dared judge him. You crouched down until you were eye level and brushed his hair from his forehead, giving him a small smile. At that moment, he could’ve sworn you were an angel of some sort. He felt better instantly. 

“I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine,” he insisted, waving his hand carelessly, telling you not to worry.

“Let’s just head home. I’ll have Kai pick us up, he’ll definitely do it.” You paused, crinkling your forehead in thought, “Scratch that, he just got his license and ran over a cone yesterday.” 

He stood up slowly, waving his hand once more. “In the recipe for a perfect carnival date, the ferris wheel is a must.”

You didn’t like where he was going with that. 

“You’re going to hurl if we go on that. For real, this time.”

He rested his hand atop his heart. “I won’t! I swear.”

“I don’t know...”

He laced his hand with your own and pulled you to the carnival’s main attraction. He fiddled with the ring on your finger, proudly glancing at it every once in a while.

Just your luck, a slightly younger couple was paired with you on the ferris wheel. The ride operator shoved the four of you into the cramped, tiny compartment, ignoring the silent plea Taehyun sent her way. The other couple sat hesitantly with a noticeable distance between them, awkwardly shifting every now and then. The young men—one blond, one with raven black hair—stayed quiet and you couldn’t help but think they were also on their first date. They often glanced at each other but didn’t talk and Taehyun had to hide his amusement. All four of you simmered in uncomfortable silence for a good portion of the ride. 

Taehyun unconsciously threw an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close as you laid your head on his shoulder. It was a subtle display of affection that made you blush, but he didn’t notice. Out of the corner of his eyes, Taehyun watched the blond boy copy his movement, just significantly clumsier—the poor boy accidentally smacked his boyfriend square on the nose. It took a lot for Taehyun (and you) to suppress an amused laugh.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry,” whispered the blond. His boyfriend let out a small, nervous laugh, “It’s okay.”

The black-haired boy gently rubbed his nose before reaching for his boyfriend’s hand—a simple compromise. The blond avoided eye contact with you and Taehyun, choosing to shift his gaze to the carnival below. The black-haired boy spoke first, “We’re kind of… new to dating.”

The blond cringed, still looking at the fair, before nodding in agreement. You giggled at the obvious tension, quickly comforting, “It’s cute! You two seem like an adorable couple.”

The couple smiled fondly at each other. The blond squeezed his boyfriend’s hand reassuringly and it made you smile. They seemed so in love, you were swooning. The remainder of the ride was silent and the couple chose to get off the ride after the first go-around. The blond meekly nodded his head in Taehyun’s direction and your boy gently returned the gesture with a shy, caring smile. 

As soon as they were out of earshot, you both broke into a fit of laughter, “Oh my God! He was totally copying you, that’s adorable!”

Taehyun gushed, “They both were so flustered! Too cute.”

You both spent the next go-around giggling, conversing about nothing, and sharing sweet, longing gazes. The carnival beneath you slowly began shutting down, each area turning their lighting off one by one. You kept your hand laced with his and while you glanced down the dying fair, he lovingly gazed at you. 

“I guess that’s our cue to leave.” You gestured below. He trained his gaze to the lack of vivid lighting around the carnival and sighed, “Yeah, I guess so.”

He squeezed your hand tighter. You didn’t want to part from him so soon and he shared your exact sentiment. 

· ──────────────────── ·

As Taehyun pulled into your driveway, you instantly spotted Kai’s silhouette lurking in your bedroom window.

“Jesus Christ,” you grumbled.

Kai had spent his night waiting for you to come home, eager to hear your nightmarish tale. He planned to head to his house and simply wait for your inevitable call, but when he left to grab takeout, he found himself straying back to your house. Your mother must’ve let him in, granted he was also gifted a key and he used it regularly. Your mind suddenly short-circuited by the feeling of Taehyun’s hand atop your own. If you noticed his tremble and clamminess, you didn’t mention it. 

He cleared his throat, “Let me walk you to your door.”

You sheepishly nodded, anxious to speak. If yesterday, someone had told you you would be this shy at the end of the night, you would’ve laughed in their face. He rushed to open your door and you let him, much to his surprise, without any snarky remark. The short distance to your front door didn’t stop him from holding your hand, leaving you a giggly, flustered mess.

You could practically feel Kai’s smirk. 

Taehyun stood awkwardly, frequently shifting his weight, while you nervously picked at your fingernail, both waiting for the other to break the silence. He took the first leap of faith, “I had a great time tonight, I hope you did too.”

You were too focused on his calloused thumb tracing soothing circles along the back of your hand, making you lose your train of thought, “Yeah! Yes! So fun!”

You winced at your overly enthusiastic response. The luminous light, hanging haphazardly above you did little to hide your anxiousness. He chuckled softly, glad he wasn’t the only nervous one, “That’s good to hear.”

“I’m sorry you nearly threw up.” You both cringed at the recent memory. He squeezed your hand reassuringly, “Don’t worry. Weirdly, that’s not the worst thing to happen to me on a date.”

You tilted your head curiously, you wished to hear his story. Frankly, you found yourself wishing to hear everything about him, but before anything, you needed to get some stuff off your own chest. “I’m also sorry about other stuff. I have more to apologize than you, even before the incident, I was always so abrasive and mean, and I want to apologize for that. And, I, uh, also kind of broke into your house… so obviously I’m sorry about that too. Not to mention, I thin—” 

He placed his hand on your cheek and caressed softly, making you quiet. “It’s water under the bridge.”

You shyly smiled, looking away from his adoring gaze. He tried mustering up a cheesy line but he found himself losing focus, his eyes constantly straying to your lips; he couldn’t help it, he really wanted to kiss you. He sucked in a deep breath, gathering the courage to just do it, even though he knew you’d likely reject his advance. After all, it was just the first date and you only forgave him three hours ago.

Not to mention, Kai stole your phone to get Taehyun’s number just to inform him of your strict no-kiss policy.

He hesitantly brushed your hair behind your ear before leaning in slowly, his plush, attractive lips easily tempting you. Unfortunately for him, you kept to your rule. You splayed your hand across his chest before pushing him back gently, “Nice try, Romeo.”

He wasn’t surprised, it was a long shot anyways. He’d just regret it if he didn’t try. He nodded understandingly before leaning in once more, this time to place a gentle kiss to your forehead. You couldn’t hide the obvious blush that dusted your cheeks, making him grin. Maybe you weren’t as tough as you liked to seem. 

He felt hopeful.

“So for our next date, I was thinking mini golf,” he said enthusiastically. His eyes sparkled with excitement; he seemed thrilled, you couldn’t help but giggle, “Easy there tiger, I don’t recall ever saying anything about a second date.”

He leaned in to plant a kiss on your cheek, pulling away only slightly to whisper, “I think I’ll be getting another date.”

He was right. He was definitely getting another date… and maybe, just maybe, you’d break your no-kiss rule.

[dutchforstrangers]

Digimon Astrology Journey - 'Head first' buddies: Koushiro & Taichi

So I’m back with some headcanon Digimon Astrology and I’m diving into it head first! Something fierce leader Taichi would do, however he needs his loyal ‘brains’ there with him and that will be Koushiro. Where Koushiro is a thinker, analytical in every way due to his pragmatic Sun and Rising, Taichi is one of action due to his Moon and Rising (and Mars!). However don’t underestimate them, they have some serious airy energy going on, making them vocal, diplomatic and charming in their own individual ways.

These boys are so different, yet work together very well. They just have a hard time… talking to others or each other about… the complicated, personal specific stuff feelings. Must be the stars, right?

It’s been a while, but you can read back all things Astrology (basics, background, etc.) in previous posts Part 1 | Part 2. Furthermore, exploring Taichi and Koushiro’s birth charts is part 2 of this series, you can read the exploration of Sora and Mimi’s birth charts here.

The important stuff

Koushiro Izumi, August 26th 1989 (around 05.30AM)

Sun: Virgo (earth-mutable)

Moon: Gemini (air-mutable)

Rising: Virgo (earth-mutable)

Taichi Yagami, October 15th 1988 (around 5PM)

Sun: Libra (air-cardinal)

Moon: Sagittarius (fire-mutable)

Rising: Aries (fire-cardinal)

Warning: IT’S VERY LONG! I’m sorry in advance…

A little disclaimer before I start rambling: These are headcanons! Their given birthdays are not canon at all, but just me having fun combining my love for Digimon and my love for Astrology. It can be highly self-indulging, but maybe you can find some truth in it as well! If you want to know how I calculated their birthdays, read my previous posts as stated above. I use these birthdays in my own fanfiction, but feel free to use them as well. Some credit in the form of a reblog, like or mention of these posts and/or my Tumblr would be highly appreciated! See something you want to discuss? I love to learn and talk! As said these are my headcanons, but I’m not afraid to change my mind or to defend what I have if necessary.

Everything charts and the why under read more!

Koushiro Izumi - August 26th 1989

Assigning the Virgo Sun to this boy was the first thing I did, because I myself am convinced Koushiro Izumi is the embodiment of a true Virgo. I could be wrong, as I did not study Astrology and am a simple hobbyist, but everything I read about Virgos always lead me back to this particular maroon headed anime dork for years now. Hence why I gave him the same Sun and Rising sign, because Koushiro is who he is. Anyway, let me try to convince you.

For starters, here are a few (or actually all the) things about Virgos in general, for both Sun and Rising. Virgos are bright, practical, pragmatic, orderly, respectful, critical, perfectionists, security driven, communicative, tidy, nervous, detail-oriented… Can I stop already? Okay, now pick one of the above and tell me it’s not fitting for Koushiro.

…

Hm, I know. It’s hard, isn’t it?

Maybe his tidiness is questionable depending on the situation… But the guy is orderly and the chaos only exists in times when his perfectionism takes over. The nervous part from the Virgo can be seen in shyness or even being obedient. All of that makes Koushiro a dedicated friend who would do anything in his power to make everything work for you. Danger is that he will efface himself, thinking he’s not worth as much as the others. This is what happens in Adventure episode 28 right after he solved the card riddle. On the top left corner either the Agumon or the Gomamon is right, but he doesn’t know which one and he apologizes, which is not necessary at all, with: “I’m sorry I couldn’t live up to your expectations,” which is such a Virgo Sun/Rising thing to say..! The Virgo dynamic is alive and kicking.

It’s even more alive and kicking in his other strong Virgo placements: Mercury and Mars. With Mercury in Virgo, Mercury is in it’s sign of its rulership, making it a strong placement. And precisely that planet is the planet of thoughts and knowledge! The combination of his Sun, Rising, Mercury and Mars in Virgo makes him be, engage, think and act like a true Virgo. Detail-oriented, thoughtful, respectful, orderly, practical and curious!

The hardest part for his birthday calculation was his Moon placement. The Moon is all about emotions, needs, wants, behavior, responds, et cetera. I first gave him a Capricorn Moon, but my boyfriend is such a Cap Moon and it didn’t fit the bill for Koushiro in my opinion. So I read and searched and eventually came to the conclusion it had to be an Air sign Moon, simply for the fact that our boy Koushiro is the bearer of the crest of Knowledge and Air signs can be seen as the intellectual ones of the Zodiac! Eventually I went for the Gemini Moon and I’m going to explain why exactly.

One could say Gemini is the bearer of Knowledge just as much as Koushiro is. Gemini LOVE to know things! They are naturally curious and are great communicators, when it comes to knowledge (pun warning if you’ve seen the reboot: they love to bring joy to their knowledge). Gemini tend to be a bit superficial when it comes to having and sharing knowledge and of course we know that’s not the case with our Koushiro here, due to his many Virgo placements, making him more observant and inward. What the Gemini Moon DOES to him is making this boy very talkative! He likes to spill what’s on his mind, he likes to share what he thinks, he likes to ramble and rant. It’s something we see him doing in Tri a lot, especially that one scene in Reunion part 3 (episode 3) where he keeps on rambling about all the strange events and he misses the first part of the conversation between the other DigiDestineds (about the news and Jyou’s ‘girlfriend’ poor guy no one believes him). Koushiro misses the conversation because a) his Gemini Moon likes to ramble and keep rambling, and b) because his Virgo placements can make him a bit unaware of his surroundings quite the time…

That’s not a bad thing per se, Koushiro is just very much focused on his work and d e t a i l s, which is a VERY Virgo-ish trait. But lets not forget that his priority is to help others with that knowledge and that the combination of his Virgo placements with his Gemini Moon makes him a great mentor. Brings me to his role throughout the entirety of Adventure 02: The Mentor. You’re welcome.

Another Gemini Moon thingy is rudeness. Now we know Koushiro is the most polite person out of ALL DD’s, always using honorifics, even saying Hikari-san instead of Hikari-chan, because Koushiro IS respect. But Koushiro is not afraid to tell you what’s at stake in times of ‘danger’, he’s not afraid to tell the truth. There are a few examples for that in Adventure, Adventure 02 and in Tri, but I’d like to refer to one of my favorite moments in whole Digimon Adventure history. Because Koushiro x rudeness brings me back to Diaboromon strikes back when he’s obviously so done with everyone, then Mimi enters the scene and he doesn’t even care. In the English dub she literally says “How rude”. Ooooohhh Koushiro, you little rude demon… It’s not the biggest proof it’s a simple one and my personal favorite.

All of the talkativeness and rudeness is something we mostly see Koushiro doing when he’s most comfortable. So we won’t see him being all talkative all the time -sharing more than just plain, superficial knowledge and instead more personal helpful knowledge- with everyone, but we do see him being talkative and speaking up to certain characters he’s most comfortable with. Now name one boy he’s very talkative to compared with literally all the other characters… You know what? Scroll down.

Last thing and then I’ll stop rambling about this beautiful and lovely nerd. His Venus, planet of values (and love…) is in Libra. What does that mean? Well, I’ve seen quite some fans type Koushiro as a bi-sexual, or something in that direction. Or even better a ‘disaster bi-sexual’. I already agreed on that, but when I saw this birth chart… IT’S (HEAD)CANON! Seriously, Libra is the zodiac sign of doubt, decision making (or actually no decision making, but I’ll get there with the next boy) and relationships and if you have your Venus placed in Libra you’re doomed to be a disaster when it comes to making decisions in your love life both romantically and platonically! Venus in Libra creates the desire for a good and loving relationships, but Koushiro’s Virgo Sun/Rising makes him more shy, his Virgo Mars makes him hold back. Once again, the Virgo Sun/Rising-Libra Venus dynamic lets him efface himself in relationships, thinking they have nothing to offer, but they have!! And so Koushiro gets left behind with his unresolved feelings… the boy has a hard time in love, let’s give him all a hug!

Taichi Yagami - October 15th 1988

The protagonist. Okay, let me compare this goggle headed protagonist to another goggle headed protagonist outside the Digimon franchise: Naruto. This is probably more interesting to people who have watched and know Naruto, so you can skip the part. To me Naruto is the classical protagonist type; bold, adventurous, playful, (a little) obnoxious at some times, hot headed… These are traits we easily assign to fire signs in the zodiac, especially Aries. So I would immediately give Naruto the Aries Sun placement. However, when we see Naruto grow up, his behavior and the way he speaks and leads grows up with him as well. That’s only natural. And based on those changes I wouldn’t necessarily give Naruto the Aries Sun placements, although the Aries placement or another fire placement is very likely to be present in his chart.

Now I could go even further, explain the development from child to adult through Jung’s theory about cognitive functions, but that’s incredibly complicated and a looooong stretch I won’t be making here today. In short, Jung’s development theory is interesting, because it shows how we first see the obvious traits in a child which are the traits the child engages (Rising sign) the world with before it develops the other functions showing the person’s true identity (Sun sign). So we could say we first see someone’s Rising sign more clearly before the Sun comes shining through. Like with Naruto. And the same could be for Taichi in the case of this headcanon.

To tackle his birth chart and big three, I’ll be starting with explaining his Rising Sign before his Sun sign. And the Rising sign I assigned him is Aries Rising.

Like I said above, Aries is bold, adventurous, playful and above all: courageous. Especially the Aries Rising placement which is more courageous than its Aries Sun counterpart. Aries are born leaders, can be extremely competitive, are somewhat restless and desperately need to move. In Taichi’s case with the above birth chart, that urge to move is magnified by his Aries Mars placement. The dynamic of his Aries Rising and Aries Mars makes Taichi a mover, an adventurer, and incredibly determined. This could be both positively, always wanting the best (especially for yourself, as Aries is a pretty selfish sign), and a tad negatively, always going and going and going. In the Adventure series this could be the reason why he makes Greymon dark-evolve, because he wants things too bad and too fast. Aries are hot headed and can grow impatient if things don’t go the way they want. And the Aries Rising and Mars dynamic makes Taichi a very physical guy. Mix that with the impatience and he is not afraid to pick fights and use his fists.

All of this can make Taichi a very stormy and reckless boy (boundaries? What’s that?), but also a fearless leader. The exuberance, the impatience and restlessness comes back in his Sagittarius Moon placement as well. This Sag Moon in combination with his strong Aries placements in Rising and Mars makes Taichi a sportive, physical, optimistic and forward leader that is incredibly courageous and adventurous, which could make him a bit ‘superficial’ as a protagonist. But the Sag Moon also deepens and strengthens his leader skills.

Sagittarius is a sign pictured by a centaur with an arrow and bow. The centaur’s horse legs make the Sag want to move and be free, but the arrow aims in a clear direction and aiming takes knowledge and focus. Sagittarius thus is an adventurous fella, but also a philosopher. Taichi’s Sag Moon placement makes him a pro in seeing the bigger picture and connecting dots next to his never ending energy. He will make sure we’re going in the right direction by overlooking the whole situation. So we absolutely shouldn’t forget Taichi is a true strategist! He sees, understands what’s at stake in a situation, connects the dots, comes with a strategy and like a true leader knows his team and can place everyone in his right spot to get through the toughest of situations (once again referring to Taichi asking Koushiro to pick the cards in Adventure episode 28). Speaking about a great leader, gosh, Taichi, you’re truly amazing! <3

However, it’s his Aries Rising and Mars that often make him act before he thinks, preferably alone (Taichi is a teamplayer, but the selfish and reckless Aries in him makes him act alone. And the sum of teamplayer + acting alone = self-sacrifice mode… which happens ALL THE DAMN TIME). Or actually makes him act while thinking without doing a short reflection beforehand. Seriously, I’m convinced that this reflection in advance could have saved him a lot of trouble throughout Digimon Adventure. Let’s blame it on (t)his (headcanon) birth chart…

Also, all of the above vouches for Taichi having an amazing intellect, but the guys needs to be challenged… Hence why he’s always staring out of the window during classes in Tri, daydreaming away to where the adventure is. He feels trapped, needs to be outside and should use his intelligence for things he finds important (like saving the digital world, soccer and saving friends and the world). The daydreaming could also be his Libra Mercury who can make Taichi lose his focus and could make him lazy. Luckily Taichi has a very active Aries Mars in opposite aspect from his Libra Mercury that neutralizes that lazy and dreamy Libra Mercury.

Okay, back to topic. Now you maybe think: But if Taichi is good in knowing where to go, being the fearless leader, also an intellect who has the knowledge to aim straight and shoot… then WHY is he so lost, down and in doubt in Tri and so unknowing of his future in Kizuna…??!! I have an answer to that. And that answer is his Libra Sun.

I know I know, this is a very VERY unpopular Sun sign to give this goggle leader, but please hear me out. For starters, Libra is the sign of diplomacy and if we believe the 02’s epilogue what’s Taichi’s job? Right, a diplomat. We also know he studies something like political sciences in Kizuna (which I think is AMAZING and vouches even more for Taichi’s intellect! Politics is a tough study…) and to make it in the political field you really do need diplomacy and charms.

Taichi is an absolute charmer, in my eyes at least. I mean, look at his 02 self! He’s such a smooth charmer in every way… The way he sends off Sora to Yamato while acting all cool and collected, phew, that requires some serious smoothness. And still we often see Taichi depicted as a down and broody boy besides his energetic and bold (sometimes indifferent…) character, especially after Tri. That too could be due to a Libra Sun placement.

Like Sagittarius is depicted by a centaur, Libra is depicted by scales and those scales are all about harmony, balance and justice. Libra is the opposite of Aries in the zodiac, but also about weighing opposites in the sigh itself. When we look at the Aries/Libra opposite placement: where Aries can be quite selfish, Libra as an opposite is the people’s pleaser. Where Aries is reckless and impatient, Libra is thoughtful and patient and one could say that an Aries acts where a Libra waits. Where Aries makes the impulsive decisions, Libra keeps deliberating leading into constant doubt and confusion. And how do we see Taichi in Tri? Ah yes, in doubt and confused.

A Libra Sun desperately wants to bring peace and harmony, driven by justice, in a diplomatic way. Libra Suns are deep thinkers which can make them very doubtful, making them spiraling down into a hole of overthinking and doubts. The Libra Sun-Sag Moon dynamic makes this all even more deep and almost philosophical in a way there will always be more and more questions, but never answers because Libra simply can’t make choices. All while being solution-oriented!

As Taichi grows up from a middle schooler to a high schooler, it’s that doubt coming from the Libra Sun that kicks Taichi hard. It conflicts with his carefree and bold Aries Rising nature and as that Libra Sun comes shining through, we see Taichi becoming more cautious and reserved compared to his younger self. The guy has a strong inner dialogue always looking for the best solutions to please everyone and bring harmony (I wanted to say ‘balance to the world’, yes to all the avatar the last airbender cameos) to the people and world(s in case of the digital world) around him he so desperately wants to protect. This is what we see happening in Tri, where he can’t choose what’s the right thing… Most of the time that inner dialogue is hidden behind his Aries Rising (and Aries Mars and Sag Moon).

So under that tough and courageous Aries Rising demeanor (remember that a Rising sign is all about engaging and how you come across to others) is a very soft, sweet, friendly and overall smart Libra Sun boy who has troubles expressing himself because the boy is in conflict with himself (which we see in the Dark Master’s arc in Adventure where he expresses his concerns towards his sister to Koushiro… it’s so hard for Taichi to let it all out, even when he needs it badly). It’s so sad, he’s such a complicated character, but that’s also one of the most beautiful things about Taichi. He’s layered af. He could be the best listener (Koushiro’s feels this, that’s why Koushiro can talk so open and freely to Taichi, because Taichi lets him thank you Libra Sun) if it weren’t for his strong fire placements opposite from his airy Sun sign. But give the boy time and space and he can show you his charms in a way no one else owns those charms.

So Taichi’s Libra Sun is hidden away most of the time due to his strong Aries placements. Usually his Rising and Sun sign being in opposite aspect from each other, should neutralize the placements, but Taichi’s Aries Mars placement makes the Aries Rising overrule the Libra Sun. Still, we shouldn’t forget Taichi is a softy with a big heart. He just needs the right people around him to get his charm on and Taichi definitely has some great people collected in his life who can help him think and make decisions.

A few things I want to point out before I stop rambling, because this analysis is already WAY too long.

Taichi’s midheaven in Capricorn in combination with his Libra Sun and Aries Rising makes him very ambitious on the intellectual side! Directly aiming for the UN and quickly climbing up the promotion ladder (and being successful like a true Cap, let’s not forget that).

His Mars was in transition from Pisces to Aries during his birth. Which means his Aries Mars is highly influenced by Pisces which could also explain why he spirals down as Pisces Mars has a lot of stormy energy on the emotional side (whereas Aries Mars has stormy energy on the physical side). When this emotional energy comes out negative, it can lead to mental health problems (!!! TRI DEPRESSED!TAICHI), especially when close friends and family (can you feel it coming? The whole Hikari-trauma is a thing) are involved.

His Libra Sun makes him in need of a group of friends and he loves being surrounded by them! Though he doesn’t like to admit that due to his Aries Rising. Taichi is such a conflicted boy…

An end note on these two boys: A heart to heart/hard friendship with a lot of mutual understanding and support <3

[writerwrites]

Will You Hold On My Love

Pairing: Frank Adler x Reader

Summary: You were supposed to be his rebound and you were supposed to go it alone, so why are you both holding on for dear life?

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: Mentions of death and sex but neither are written in. Cancer, general sads and fluff. Really, it’s just a fic about two people wanting nice things and life being life, so take that as you will.

A/N: *THIS IS A ONE SHOT* This is the Week 5 prompt to the Optimistic Captain Donut Challenge [due a decade ago oops] created by @captainchrisbaby​​, @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho​​ , and @donutloverxo​​ … The Week 5 Prompt was based on the gif below and Where Do Lovers Go by Ghostly Kisses | Dividers by the talented @whimsicalrogers​​

You’d met at tipping points in a bar, one drink in a piece.

Frank and Bonnie were done, the whole town knew about it except you. You were minding your own business really, you had your own problems and the last thing you needed was it spread all over town like the half-dozen sob stories tied to the Adler family. Everyone had problems, some more than others, and you’d been determined to be an empathetic decent human being the first time someone tried to spread Frank’s business into your general direction. It was your innate ability to gently veer a conversation away from drama that had made you pleasantly forgettable to every friend group you were a part of. It also happened to be the reason you were sat in a drab local bar on a Thursday evening spending an obnoxious amount of quarters to play Sonnet by The Verve on repeat like you could convince the whole three people in there that your favorite band was more than a one hit wonder. Then he sat next to you and everything changed...

“If you play it one more time, then you owe me a drink.” Frank Adler, who hadn’t spoken to you since grade school, now sat next to you in the bar at the edge of town. You watched him pick up a quarter, spinning it with his thumb and pointer, and watching it spin and stop before repeating two more times before the song repeated, “All right, you owe me a Guinness.”

With a nod to the bartender, you held up two fingers and he did just that. As you brought the beer to your lips, you hummed the song and he watched you with the slightest curve to his lips. “What? Can’t a girl play a song on repeat to get it out of her head?”

“Oh? Is that what you’re doing?” He tilted the bottle back, the tone one of obvious doubt. “I thought people were supposed to reserve that sort of behavior to their bathrooms with a bottle of wine?”

Somehow you couldn’t bring yourself to lie to him, already smiling a little as you pretended to take offense. Frank was right, most people kept that depressing blubbering to themselves, but you knew that with the news you’d gotten the last thing you should be doing tonight was sitting alone. “Nope, but did you really come in here tonight to listen to a stranger’s problems or did you come to forget your own.”

“Touché.” You followed his lead, chugging back your drinks and slamming them to the sticky bartop. He slipped off the stool and tossed a few bills to the counter, no pretense, and you did the same, albeit with a little less grace in your descent. With a nod of appreciation to the bartender before grabbing your things, you followed the tall blonde out of the bar and tried to ignore the knowing glances from the few patrons left behind. It wasn’t until the crisp autumn air nipped at your ears that Frank spoke again. “You’re not a stranger. I remember you from school.”

“Well, neither of us are who we used to be. Safer to assume we’re stranger-adjacent then. As The Verve would say, All this talk of getting old, it’s getting me down…” You winked and he shook his head. “How many are you in? Are you good to drive?” His shrug left you unconvinced. “I’m a Bud Light and Guinness in- on a whole dinner, so I’m fine. I’ll drive.”

Frank’s stormy blue eyes glanced toward his truck and he pursed his lips before rocking on his heels and following you, hands in the pockets of his jeans as he followed you. There was a sense of relief in not having to bicker with a man about the subject. You didn’t know that it was his every intention to stick to his usual coping strategy: easy lay, slipping out with Mary as an excuse the second the sex was over. Frank Adler had mastered the art of escape and now that Mary was thirteen and more than capable of handling herself, those escapes typically led right back to another bar. It wasn’t actually about being there for Mary, it was about feeling something, even if it was temporary. Somehow, in some cavern in the back of both of your minds, in the comfortable silence of the car ride where he reached over and surprised you by taking your hand in his, there seemed to be some unspoken decision to not make a mess of this.

God, you wanted to tell him. When you woke up to him fast asleep, long lashes casting small shadows on his sun kissed cheekbones as the late morning light licked at his skin through your bedroom window. His chest pressed close into your side, his legs tangled in yours, and his calloused fingers stretched across the expanse of your ribs like you were something small when in reality he simply dwarfed you. This stung, the ache to wake him up and be as honest as the pair of you had been last night. He’d put you on a pedestal and worshiped you. You’d called out his name and praised him as he gave you everything you asked for. Your skin covered in goosebumps just thinking about the night you two had shared and how scared you were for wanting more of it. Bottle it up and enjoy the moment, you told yourself in misery, scrunching your eyes shut and pinching your nose with the hand that had been absentmindedly stroking his dark blonde hair.

It was that withdrawal of your warmth that woken Frank up from the deepest sleep he’d had in the weeks since his breakup. Mornings had been the hardest for him because he’d gotten used to Bonnie’s dark curls draped across his pillow. It was harder still when Bonnie’s side of the bed no longer smelled of her. It was Mary’s logic that had pulled him out of the breakup stupor, but it hadn’t stopped Frank from falling into some old promiscuous habits. At least he’d thought he’d tapered off and found some routine in the monotony of distractions and the routine of a quick slip out. Now as his steely blue-gray eyes opened there was a brief moment of panic that followed that sleepy cling for the body he’d been holding.

Two months later and it all seemed too pleasant and rushed, too crazy to ruin. Yet you knew this was what it was, you making the most of the final moments and Frank getting over an ex. You knew it because you reminded yourself of that every time you caught yourself smiling over the little things because if you were really being honest with yourself it was two months of selfishness. Now, as you and Mary were making pancakes together while Frank laid out under the sink repairing the disposal, it was Mary that cornered the two of you. It happened with a bang- literally. “So, is this a grown up thing to not call each other boyfriend and girlfriend or are you two just being weirdos?”

The bag of flour slipped from your hands and clocked Frank right in his package causing his body to lurch forward and his head to hit every surface under the sink. As he groaned in pain, you tried to form the ‘right’ words, knowing that there weren’t any. “Oh, we’ve never been on an actual date…” Your words were slow, drawn out and delicate as you cautiously picked up the flour. Tapping his thigh with your foot you looked at the body of the man who’d given you a slice of happiness you didn’t expect to find in a bar and certainly didn’t feel like you deserved. “You okay down there?”

In usual form, he emerged covered in grease and grime, wiping his hands on a dingy old handkerchief that had been tucked in his pocket. He looked at you after wiping the sweat from his forehead onto his forearm and then over to Mary who stood akimbo. “Is this a setup?”

Mary crossed her arms, a stern look that you’d seen on Frank only a few times but found it completely recognizable and amusing. You pressed you lips into a line . “I didn’t think it needed to be.”

If you hadn’t been guilt stricken then you would’ve laughed at the tone of her voice bordering an abuelita waving a chancla. Instead, you watched him get up with his beautiful eyes watching you the whole way up. “Frank, you don’t have to say anything. I’m happy with this, just as it is.” You glanced at Mary, her arms still crossed, her expression wholly unconvinced. “I… I don’t want to be held responsible for anyone getting hurt.” The confused expression on Frank’s face was fleeting, maybe it wasn’t confusion or a twinge of hurt, but it made you try to rephrase yourself, trying to play it up in a sweet way and trying to convince him that this was about you- not him or Mary. “I can’t have anyone falling in love with me.”

The last thing you expected to hear was for Mary to snark out a defiant, “Too late for that.”

You told yourself you had to pick up your jaw, but you couldn’t because Frank was looking at you with that face he made when he woke up next to you… your favorite face. The crooked smile that was almost boyish and the crinkled eyes that you swore were just age and tiredness, but now you knew the truth, it was something else, something more. Your heart was racing, your mouth went dry and you tried to form the words of warning as your legs gave out beneath you and you collapsed into Frank’s arms.

Time was a funny thing, spinning in and out of consciousness you caught conversations and yet couldn’t recall which order they’d happened or where they were happening, nor could you discern how long the vast nothingness between those glimmers of consciousness seemed to be.

The first seemed obvious, sinking into your bones like the cancer that consumed you. The pain of Frank’s voice as he tried to throttle you awake. The timbre of his voice shifting from teasing amusement to legitimate worry. You could still feel his warm calloused hands on your cheeks followed by the cool droplets of water he’d splashed on you to try and wake you up. It worked just enough for you to say, “No doctors.”

Secrets seemed to unravel from there as you faded in and out, coming round to hear the beeping of machines or a man racked with heavy sobs. There was some relief in being a familiar face in this small town’s hospital. The familiar voice of your oncologist telling Frank that rules meant Frank couldn’t be told anything but that he could stay. Mary came and went, too. It was her small hands braiding your hair that woke you up on an early afternoon. The blinds were pulled wide open and your dry lips cracked as you smiled and tried to talk. “You look like an angel with all that snow behind you.”

Mary perked up at the sound of your voice and she leaned over your shoulder and rested her cheek against yours as she looked where you were. “It’s not real, it’s left over Christmas decorations. I wanted you to have a Winter Wonderland. It was so boring here. Hold on!”

You wondered if she’s had conversations with you while she’d waited for you to wake up or if you’d only been out a day or two because she seemed so unbothered by you forming your first words in what you would soon learn were three weeks. Mary pulled the blinds closed and climbed over a bench that had blankets and pillows folded on the end, a clear indication that Frank had been there with you for at least a night. When Mary emerged the room twinkled with fairy lights. “Wow, Mary! I love it so much.” You blinked away the fresh sting of tears. “Aren’t you a thoughtful angel.”

“I wanted it to be nice for you and Frank when you two picked up your last conversation.” A little wicked smirk drew across her lips and you waved her over to the bed and patted the blanket. Her smile fell just a little as she picked at the chipped nail polish on her fingers. “He told me not to look at the charts and the board or the machines, but I did and then I asked a teacher about what I found on Google and…” She let out a long, weary sigh. “I think you two still need to tell each other the truth.”

It seemed right, like you owed Frank an explanation, but the reality of the situation was that when you got your post-treatment update you’d not even uttered this truth to yourself. It was just something tucked in your head, a bomb, slowly ticking away. Frank walked in, purple bags of exhaustion around his eyes, and he still lit up the room with a smile the second he saw you were awake. His long legs took just a couple of steps and he was next to you on the hospital bed. Mary took the snacks from his hands and slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her and you had no doubt that she was already standing guard outside it. Wasting no time, you tried to apologize to him, “Frank, I want to say that I’m so-” Your heart ached with the regret of keeping this secret from him.

His lips crashed to yours before you could finish, absolutely no regard to the chalky taste of sleep on your mouth. When pulled away satisfied, Frank hushed you just millimeters from lips before going back in for another softer kiss- the familiar kind he’d taken to sneaking in when he walked past you from one room to the next. “Tell me the truth. Tell me it’ll be all right.”

This was exactly what you didn’t want, someone begging for you to give them what you knew you couldn’t. Your hands covered his as he desperately held your face and your eyes fell to his lips and the scruff along his jaw as you found yourself debilitated by his hopefulness. To say you were incapable of meeting those bright blue eyes without falling apart was an understatement. Your small fingers brushed across the familiar scars and calluses on his hands as you tried to think of the right thing to say. “I think we got our ‘all right’ already, Adler. I wish it could give you more, but I really stayed for you and Mary, so selfishly, for as long as I could.”

“I read the chart,” Frank swallowed, but you heard the tension tight in his throat as he tried to keep his voice even, “No one would tell me anything and I didn’t know what else to do just sitting here waiting for you to come back to me.” That sense of ownership surprised you, not because you didn’t want it, but because you’d been alone for so long… well before you got sick. As you cleared your throat to try and speak, he kept going. “You somehow made it longer than they thought, didn’t you? That’s why they were running so many tests, isn’t it?” Keeping your eyes from his, you didn’t need to look at him to know that Frank wasn’t necessarily asking you for answers. “Maybe that means you’re healthier than they realized and they could put you in a trial?”

“Frank, I’ve been right here the whole time.” Instead of focusing on the future, you focused on the present. Attempting to reassure him, you turned your cheek into his palm and placed a soft kiss there. This level of affection had been strictly reserved for sleepy mornings and movie nights, they’d become your favorite memories. “I felt everything, even heard you sometimes…” Resting your head into the curve of his neck, you ignored the painful tug of wires and tubes as he held you close. “I wanted to tell you, but I thought it would be over by now.” The ‘it’ wasn’t just the one night stand that had turned into feelings at about the same rate your cancer had come back, no you thought you would’ve passed on by now. The truth, it was what stuck in your head and kept you frozen there tucked in his arms, but he wanted more and you knew Frank deserved it. So, when Frank tugged gently on your shoulders and tilted your chin up, you mustered up the courage to not only speak but to meet his gaze. “A month, that was all I was supposed to get the night I tortured you with The Verve in our bar.”

To your surprise Frank listened without interrupting or asking a single question and it helped you explain yourself, why you never talked about this because, as you two crossed from strangers to friends, you knew he didn’t deserve the pain. Those secrets that were whispered about him around town that you had shut out were shared, with time, on his own. Frank had no idea that in those quiet back and forth exchanges that you had held in the one thing that would change everything. “You could’ve told me. I’m not mad… I just want to understand.”

The truth, the weight you carried in silence. The truth, it poured from you now, albeit unwillingly, and you hoped he wouldn’t carry it for you. Maybe a part of you knew he would because that’s what he always did. You’d never met another person so selfless. When you wondered if he understood, wondered if he knew just how stolen their time was, you bit into your lip and tried to explain it one more time. “I got lucky, but this is it, Adler. I was the walking definition of terminal lucidity and, God, I’m thankful I got my rally with you.” Just stringing along those words, the explanation, you were breathless. “I’m not walking out of this hospital.”

As you watched the painful reality set in, you also watched Frank’s jaw tighten. “If you really want to get out of here, if you don’t want to die in this room, will you do me one thing?” Confused, you nodded, feeling like you owed him but weary of what he’d ask. Frank smiled softly, only furthering your worry that he’d bring up a trial again. “I want you to come home with Mary and I.”

Hesitation laced his name as you shook your head ‘no’, repeating it over, “Frank, no. I can’t put that on you and Mary.” There wasn’t much space to pull away, your weak frame falling back onto the stiff mattress of the hospital bed.

“You already promised and I don’t think we have enough time for the kind of promises I would’ve liked to make.” Frank reached out and brushed a strand of hair from your face, even in that moment looking somewhat mischievous.

“Oh yeah, and what were those plans?” You closed your eyes, tired and curious, but not wanting to look at him and be upset by the mutual stubbornness both of you bore.

“‘Til death do we part.” His warm breath hovered over your face and you scrunched your nose at his dark humor, but he wasn’t laughing. You opened your eyes to find him looking at you with an expression of impatience, “I mean it, come home and let me love you for whatever time we’ve got left.”

“Say it again.” You sighed, processing what he’d said and wondering if he’d meant it.

“Come home.”

Reaching out, you playfully nudged his shoulder. “No, the other bit.”

Looking into each other’s eyes, you wondered if the word had slipped from his lips by mistake, but that mischievous smile reached his eyes and Frank leaned in, his lips brushing yours as he said it one more time with confidence, “I love you.”

It wasn’t easy for the doctors, who knew you so well, to let you leave their care. Just like it wasn’t easy for you to give up your dwindling independence or to let Frank and Mary take care of you when you knew you’d brought death to their home. But nothing seemed to change with them, they forgave you for your secret and kept on with the silly breakfasts and morning cuddles; the popcorn at the home cinema nights. Mary kept you close, shared everything with you and listened to any story you were willing to tell. Frank held you together as you fell apart, carrying you from room to room so that you could still enjoy the silly things you’d been enjoying together all along. That was the only change, you becoming weak, fading from them. Neither of you became truth-spilling emotional lovers or bitter about the end. No, he wouldn’t leave you with that last memory. Instead, he put on some music and sat by your side, whispering a vow of love that was more than some overpriced ceremony and a piece of paper could provide. And when you were gone, you never really were. A person the world should have forgotten, tucked away and carried in two hearts long after you departed this world.

Tags are open, just send an ask.

All Content: @tom-hlover​​  @marvelouslytrekking​​  @rockyrogers​​

Chris Evans Related Content: @inlovewithfictionalcharacters​​​ 

[pocketfulofrogers]

Fallen

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: After Steve drops the shield, he begins down a path he may have no hope of returning from. 

Notes: I would not be opposed to turning this into a series, but it would be a lil dark and hella angsty.

It's for the best. He tells himself. They’ll forgive me when I’m done. They’ll understand.

Steve repeats this on a loop, a desperate track that tries to soothe the bile that builds in his throat as he types. His heart beats rapidly, each thump against his chest echoing one unified truth: these are lies.

But he needs them to keep moving forward, so that he may forget the look in Natasha’s eyes when he left her in stunned silence on the runway. Her hand gripping her duffle, the humid air thick and sticking her bright hair to her forehead- eyes glistening. Forget the things he said to Tony, full of rage and hurt and everything he hates. Forget Sam and all his pleas, asking for the chance to keep his friend safe.

“Just give it some more time, man.” Sam had begged.  

He had given it time, seventy years of it. Add a few more for doing things the ‘right way’ and all he had to show for it was a demolished building, several civilian casualties, and a smear to his name.

Lost and fresh out of hope, Steve had tossed the shield. Not that it mattered all that much to him anyways, all he saw in the center of that star was a replay of every failure he had ever had. Funny enough, they started and ended with the same person.

Bucky.

See, the general consensus on had been that if the Winter Soldier were to take Steve Rogers, hold him for days and beat him until he broke more than his bones, he would cease this rescue mission he had been hellbent on since the fall of SHIELD.

They were only partially right.

Tony had been the one to find him strung up in an abandoned warehouse barely conscious, his eyes sunken and hollow. His body was a mess of blues and purples. Too terrified to touch him, Steve hung there for an additional twenty minutes before the medical team arrived to pull him down.

It was the first time they’d ever seen Natasha cry.

His heart stopped twice in the time it took them to reach the compound and Banner didn’t upgrade him from critical condition until three weeks later. He didn’t open his eyes for another two.

When he eventually emerged from the critical care wing, he was different. “It’s to be expected.” They drone out. Sure, but not like this. He was dark. Twisted and bent and no longer the captain they remembered.

Three cadets had filed complaints by the end of the month, citing a range of problematic offenses. It didn’t take Natasha very long to convince Fury to let them slip through the cracks if Steve would agree to move to another area.

Despite it all, he seemed more focused than before. He swears up and down that if there’s only one good thing he does with his life on this god forsaken planet, it will be saving his friend.

With that thought, Steve presses send and seals a deal with the devil.

**

You’re leaned back in the metal of a chair, appreciating the cool contrast to the hot sun filtering down. A single, freshly manicured nail traces the lattice pattern of the tabletop absentmindedly while you glance over the café menu.

“A little warm today, isn’t it?” A man asks from behind you.

You turn your head to the side, unable to see him still. “I quite like the warm.” You answer back.

He slips his way behind you and into the chair before you. Something about him feels familiar and it sets you on edge enough that the pistol on your thigh beneath your black dress feels a little heavier.

The stranger has a ballcap worn low, obnoxiously covered in anything that could possibly scream ‘I’m a tourist’.

You lean forward. “I said you needed to blend in not announce yourself as an easy target for every pick pocket in the state.”  

“I can’t risk being made, and it’s worked before.”

Sliding your sunglasses down the bridge of your nose, you eye him. Not a single discernable feature about him yet something felt very off. “Who are you?”

He shakes his head. “That’s not what I’m here for.”

You smile coly as you nudge his knee with the muzzle of your gun, and he tenses. “Not an optional question.” It isn’t until he’s raised the bill of the cap up just enough for you to see the bright, clear blue of his eyes that it finally clicks. “Absolutely not.” You announce as you stand.

His hand darts out to grab your arm. “Please, just hear me out.”

You stare daggers at his hand until he pulls it away. “Captain, have you suddenly forgotten what side you’re on?”

“I don’t know if you’ve seen the news lately but it doesn’t seem like anyone’s on my side.”

You purse your lips. “Do you know who I am?” His eyes fall flat and you shake your head. “My answer still stands. I’ve been at this too long to bring in a maybe ex Avenger that could blow the whole plan.”

“I need the money.”

“Ask Stark, he’s got plenty of it.” Steve averts his eyes at the comment and shoves his hands into his pockets. Maybe he wasn’t kidding. “What do you need it for?”

“A friend.”

Your laugh drips sarcasm. “Are you going to offer up any useful information or am I going to have to blow your poor attempt at a cover and slip out? There’re some big names looking for you, Steve, especially if you’re all on your lonesome now. Watching the mercs and the US government fight for first dibs sounds fairly intriguing.”

His eyes snap back to meet yours. “And then I bring you down with me.”

You lean forward again. “I wonder if you’d live long enough?” You ponder for a moment with a sinister smirk. “I am not an enemy you want to add to your growing list.” You grab your bag and stand up. “Good luck in whatever it is you’re doing.”

“I’m trying to buy the freedom of a friend.” He says quickly just as you’ve turned your back and you pause. “Hydra set a high price.”

With that, you sit back down. “You’ve piqued my interest, go on.”

He rolls his bottom lip between his teeth and leans forward. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing, he barely even knows who he is.”

“The Winter Soldier?” You ask and he nods.

“I knew him a long time ago, thought he died. He saved my life more times than I can count, so I’m trying to do the same.”

You dart your tongue out to wet your lips. “Very noble, but this is not the place for you.” Steve moves to interrupt, but you hold out a finger. “We are not noble, we’re barely even reasonable. If it’s money you need, go rob a bank. There’d be less blood on your hands.”

“It wouldn’t be enough. I don’t care what I need to do, I’ll do it.”

“Story checks out, boss.” You pause to listen to the man who’d been feeding you tidbits of information on the other side of your earpiece. “Chatter says he’s cut ties with the Avengers permanently. There was some kind of falling out with Stark.”

Looking back to Steve, you watch him for a few moments. “You’re about to cross a line you can’t come back from.”

“I’ve already crossed it.”

[parkersharthook]

Some Very Specific Hypotheticals

(Tom Holland x female!reader)

warnings: it’s thirst tweets so it’s slightly smutty and risque

1.5k+ words

a/n: so I got all of the thirsty tweets towards tom from jordan fisher’s video (x) and all of the thirsty tweets towards the reader from tana mongeau’s video (x). I did make up a few of my own lol but most of them come from those videos

Edit: I recognize tana is problematic and I only used her in one of the tweets bc I had originally gotten these thrist tweets from her video. I don’t actually watch/like her so I was unaware of her issues until recently when she came up in the news (I still don’t really know what the whole situation was tbh) anyways.... I changed tana mongeau to anna kendrick bc i have a crush on her lol

requested: Could you please write a Tom Holland x reader reading thirst tweets

“Hey guys I’m y/n/ y/l/n.”

“And I’m Tom Holland.”

“And today for some reason the two of us, who are in a couple, will be reading the other person’s thirst tweets to them.”

“it’s like some weird version of foreplay.”

“I’m excited.”

--

You sat in the chair, facing Tom. The two of you had matching blue jugs with little slips of paper full of what you assumed was raunchy girls, and probably guys, thirsting after the two of you.

“Which one of us is going first?” Tom asked as he fiddled with the bucket.

“Oh definitely me.” You pulled out a slip and smoothed it out, “it says in all caps by the way, ‘DAMN DADDY U SEXY CAN I EAT UR ASS?!?! LICK YA BUTT??!!?!” You barely got the full tweet out before you were laughing.

Tom had already turned a shade of pink and was rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. He stuttered slightly, “wow what a way to start this whole thing. Okay, my turn.” He pulled out the next slip, “y/n y/l/n is literally the most beautiful human ever. Goodbye.”

“aww wait that was so sweet. Thank you.”

“Why was mine about eating my ass and yours was saying you were the most beautiful person ever?”

You laughed slightly and shrugged, “look, everyone is just speaking their truth. My turn!” You happily grabbed the next piece of paper, “haha it’s literally just a screenshot of your age with the words ‘thank god’. If that is not the biggest mood ever…”

Tom laughed heavily. “yeah I had someone tweet me saying ‘I saw a lot of people looking up Tom Holland’s age during the movie.’ Guess it’s a recurring theme.” He fingered through the bucket before grabbing a crumpled sheet, “I want y/n y/l/n to murder my bussy.”

You threw your head back in laughter, “I get that one a lot actually. A classic, really.”

Tom looked around sheepishly, blushing hard. “what’s a bussy?”

You snickered slightly, “it’s a butthole tom. You need to educate yourself. Next one! I love how everyone in the world can agree that tom Holland is hot af and daddy material, even the lesbians.”

“okay that one is definitely the forerunner, that’s a good one.”

You looked back down at the paper with a smile, “that is a good one.”

“’Repeat after me: y/n y/ln makes me horny y/n y/ln makes me horny y/n y/ln makes me horny y/n y/ln makes me horny y/n y/ln makes me horny y/n y/ln makes me horny y/n y/ln makes me horny’. And it says that like 16 more times.” Tom shrugged slightly, “I mean… I can’t exactly disagree.”

“Tom!” You cried slightly exasperated as you blushed. “I’m moving on now… ‘Tom Holland’s lil ass is hella fine’.”

“What? My ass is not little.”

You laughed, “relax they said it was and I quote ‘hella fine’. That’s a compliment.”

Tom grumbled slightly as he grabbed the next tweet, “I want to have a threesome with y/n y/l/n. but no tom Holland. It’s just her, me, and a blunt.” He threw the paper down with a little angry frown, “so first they call my ass little and then they steal you for a threesome? Rude.”

You bit your lip with a small chuckle, “if it makes you feel better, it’s not really a threesome thinking that one member is literally a blunt.”

“can we move on before I get jealous?”

“of a random twitter user and weed? Yeah okay sweetie.” You rolled your eyes heavily, eyeing the paper. Tom watched as your eyes grew wide and then a shit eating grin cracked your lips.

“oh… what is it?”

“this tweet is very specific.” You smiled as you met his eye and began reading it, “look how fine this man is i want him to fuck me on a bed of money and finger me with a $100 bill wrapped around his fingers and then stuff ten thousand $100 bills inside me so he can call me his million dollar pussy.”

“oh… my… god.” Tom said slowly, a deep blush rising on his cheeks. “that- that one was a lot to take in.”

You waved the paper in the yes, “yes. Just… yes. This one cleared my skin, watered my crops. Amazing, perfect.”

“shut up, you’re so annoying sometimes.” He stated as he rolled his eyes.

You poked your tongue out at him teasingly, “you love me.”

“unfortunately.” You scoffed as Tom leaned over and patted your knee lovingly. “you know I’m kidding baby.”

“whatever just read the next damn tweet.”

Tom laughed and pulled out the next one, “I would pay any amount of money for y/n y/l/n to spit in my face and call me an ugly fucking bitch. It would be my honor.”

Your mouth fell open in shock as you looked between Tom, your friends behind the camera, and the crew. Well, that threw you for a loop.

“I- I… don’t know what to say to that. I don’t think I’m comfortable spitting in your face, that seems mean. But… I’m not here to kink shame so thank you I guess.”

There were a few snorts behind the camera as you picked the next one, “Tom Holland is both cute and sexy at the time and it’s really messing with my sanity.”

Tom smirked at the camera and flipped his collar, “I mean what can I say?”

“it’s a point of contention in our household for sure.”

“That I’m sexy and cute?”

You shook your head, “no, that you think your sexy and cute. It’s cocky and rude.”

Tom laughed, “it’s cocky and rude to be confident?”

You turned to the camera, “see? Point of contention.”

“I just think that you’re losing your sanity over my cuteness and sexiness.”

You shrugged obnoxiously, “oh you caught me.” You pointed to his bucket, “please keep going.”

“Okay but imagine: a y/n y/l/n Anna Kendrick sex scene. I mean the power and sexuality they hold is absurd.”

You slapped your hand on your knee, “I love Anna. She’s so funny and I would love to do a sex scene with her or just sex her really.”

“seriously?” tom said exasperated, “you’re sitting here in front of your boyfriend and you’re saying that you want to have sex with someone else?”

You nodded, “yes.”

“dude.”

“relax, it’s not actually going to happen, it’s just hypothetical.”

“you wound me.”

“here, let me boost your ego with a thirst tweet. Tom Holland is fine as hell, I’d eat that ass like a chocolate croissant, chomp chomp bitch. He could choke and kill me and I’d only ask for more. Lemme chomp chomp on that bussy please.”

“wow… I’m not sure that cheered me up exactly but thank you none the less.” He pulled a new slip, “At least 3 times a week me and my boyfriend talk about wanting to have a threesome with y/n y/l/n.”

“wow…”

“why is everyone trying to have sex with my girlfriend?”

“because I’m hot as fuck.”

“can’t argue with that.”

“Alright next one, Tom Holland with that half smile and lip bite fuuuuuckk nope nope nope.”

“okay, that one made me feel better.” Tom said with a little smirk causing you to roll your eyes and laugh.

Tom grabbed the next one, “y/n y/l/n has the best boobs. That’s it that’s the tweet.” He waved the paper a bit, “I happen to agree with you.”

“well thank you for thinking my boobs are great.” You plucked out a new tweet, “Daily reminder: tom Holland is daddy af.”

“I should set an alarm for myself that goes off at the same time every day that just blares ‘Tom Holland is daddy af’.”

“absolutely not. Veto. Nix. Not happening.”

“you’re just mad they think I’m daddy.” You gestured to the bucket, causing tom to roll his eyes and reach into it. “y/n y/l/n can choke me and run me over and I’d say thank you and sorry for the dent in your car.”

You let out a loud bark of laughter, “that’s super funny. Definitely the funniest one I’ve heard so far. Whoever wrote this, you’re funny and I appreciate your comical genius.”

“alright I think we have like one more each, let’s do this.”

“Tom Holland is either a smol puppy or a sex god, there is no in between.” You shook your head, “I actually think there is an in between. It’s called boyfriend Tom. It’s when he’s all cuddly but not quite as baby as smol puppy. Like he’s still a functioning adult but he’s being sweet.”

“ya know… sometimes you can be pretty sweet.”

“aww thanks babe.” You leaned forward to give him a little peck before smiling brightly, “last one! Make me blush!”

“Hey @y/n can I lick your forehead?” you two sat in silence for a moment before tom furrowed his brow, “is that like a sexual thing?”

“I guess…? That’s a new request though, I’ve never heard that one. Interesting.”

“what’s your answer?”

“huh?”

“can you lick their forehead?”

“I’m going to go with no…”

“and that’s the end of our really fun and definitely not at all awkward video!” tom said excitedly

“thanks for watching everyone! We love you and thanks for tweeting thirsty stuff!”

[youngbounty]

My Issue With Narumayo and Narumitsu Shippers

Just to be clear, I have nothing against Narumayo. The only issue I have with it is that I don’t like colleague dating, especially if it is an employee hooking up with their boss. Though, this is only a pet peeve at best and it isn’t illegal. I just consider it distasteful and I feel no different about Justicykes. Though, this isn’t about that or my distaste for Narumayo. I just wanted to make it clear I don’t have anything against anyone that may like Narumayo. You can like whatever ship you want or not like whatever ship you don’t like. It’s your right. Same with Narumitsu, since I am a fan of that ship myself.

That being said, I will call out any BS claims about a ship by those that oppose it. I’m talking about both sides. Just to be clear, the “fans” of both ships that do this are a very small minority compared to the entire Narumayo/Narumitsu fan base. It just goes without saying that the more eggs you place in the carton, the more bad eggs you will find in that carton, even if it is a small percentage or number.

For the Narumayo fans, I am talking about the claim that the opposing ship fans cherry picks reasons from canon as reasons for their ship being canon, even though they’re not proof that the two parties are in love and could just as much equal a platonic relationship. I mostly see this from Narumayo fans towards Narumitsu shippers where they make fun of how Narumitsu shippers depend on the “Unnecessary feelings” line as their reason they support their ship. Point taken, except don’t Narumayo shippers do the very same thing? They depend on the words from a sheltered 8-year-old little girl that doesn’t know how to read, let alone understand what romance is. I’m not going to say we Narumitsu fans never scrape the bottom of the barrel for proof that our ship is canon, but Narumayo fans literally do the very same thing.

Other reasons Narumayo shippers claim their ship is “canon” is because Phoenix is always concerned and trying to save Maya. Again, didn’t Phoenix do the same for Miles in Turnabout Goodbyes? How is Phoenix saving Miles from having his life ruined or getting the death penalty any different from saving Maya from the hands of Shelly De Killer or the Minister of Justice in a foreign nation? What? Because Phoenix saved Maya more times than Miles? Bold excuse. If that is your argument, then I guess Phoenix loves Maya more than Trucy, because he only felt concerned for her safety during the one time she was kidnapped. Phoenix saving Maya constantly doesn’t mean he’s in love with her or cares about her more than Miles or anyone else, just like Miles saying “unnecessary feelings” doesn’t mean he’s in love with Phoenix. Even though I like Narumitsu, I am aware that they are not canonly in love, just like a majority of Narumitsu and Narumayo fans, that cherry pick excuses that probably doesn’t mean romantic, already know their ship is not canon. 

I do understand that many noncanon shippers that cherry pick reasons from canon that don’t equal their ship being canon can come off as annoying. They can get very obnoxious. Though, you cannot claim that your ship is better when it does the very same thing. You’re basically the pot calling the kettle black. The same would go for Narumitsu shippers that are calling out Narumayo shippers for the same thing. The only difference between Narumitsu and Narumayo is the sexuality and backstories of the characters involved in the ship. Though, to the Narumayo shippers’ defense, at least they don’t accuse the other ship of being a pedo ship. Get ready, because I’m about to rip the Narumitsu pedo accusers a new one.

Maya is NOT a minor. She owns her own place, works a full time job, pays the bills and even cared for a child only a year later. Also, being Ace Attorney takes place in Japan, the age of consent in that country is 13 years old, so 17-year-olds dating 23 or 24-year-olds is not considered pedo. Even if you were to call her a minor, by California’s standards, which already has BS laws about 10-year-old little girls being allowed to marry or have sex with older men with parental consent, Maya was only age 17 during the first three months she was with Phoenix. I doubt if he is going to remember Maya being a minor for those three months out of the 12 years they’ve known each other. Count the months between Turnabout Sisters to Turnabout Goodbyes, technically that is three and a half months in total. That is literally how long Maya was 17 years old hanging around with Phoenix. That’s hardly enough time to ask her out on a date, let alone falling in love with her. 

Another thing, people like Phoenix, falling in love with young people like Maya, happens more often than you think. Again, Maya lives like an adult, so it would make just as much sense for Phoenix to be attracted to Maya, especially since she looks almost like his ex girlfriend. Men fall in love with very young women. I’m not going to say it’s tasteful, but that’s how the real world works. In the real world, men like Miles Edgeworth will date young women like Ema Skye. Yes, she was a minor when he first met her. She also grew older and of consent. I’m not saying it’s right or tasteful, but that is the real world. Men love them women young and ripe. Does it make them pedophiles? No. It’s distasteful, but they’re not pedophiles. Falling in love with someone, who is an adult, you’ve only met as a minor for a few months or so before they grew into an adult, does not count. It takes more than a few months to fall in love and even attraction itself isn’t always there when you first meet the person you are dating. With every shipper, you need to think ahead. I doubt most Narumayo shippers have their ship shipped together during the time of the first game. It’s likely they’re shipped together after the trilogy or Spirit of Justice. 

In truth, both Narumayo and Narumitsu ships equally have potential. There’s no reason for either ship to go against each other. It’s petty. Neither ship is canon or makes more sense than the other. They’re equally okay, if done correctly. I’ve seen Narumayo where Miles Edgeworth is supportive of Phoenix and Maya getting together. Same with Narumitsu with Maya being highly supportive. Hell, most Narumitsu fan fictions have Maya as the one trying to pin Miles and Phoenix together like Pearl tried to do with Phoenix and Maya. Now, as I said before, I consider Narumayo distasteful, because of the employee x boss thing and the fact Maya is the younger sister of Phoenix’s dead boss. Of course, my reasons are from experiences and I know not everyone shares mine. You don’t have to like a ship and it can be for whatever reason under the sun, but that’s not a reason to accuse the opposing ship of something your ship does or of something they’re not. 

Before you are to accuse a ship of being a pedo ship, always think ahead. Is the ship of an adult having romantic feelings or doing romantic things with a child? Do the shippers ship them together when either character is a minor? If no for all of them, it’s not a pedo ship. Even if character A has known character B since character B was a minor before being shipped, that doesn’t make it pedo. It might be distasteful, due to the age gap or having known the other character since they were a minor, but it is NOT a pedo ship. It only is when either character in a ship is a minor the moment they are shipped, get together, fall in love or the older one crushes on the younger. Always. think. ahead. 

The same goes for any ship accusing the other of cherry picking reasons for their ship to be canon when it’s not. If your ship is also not canon, then why even call the other one out for cherry picking? Narumayo and Narumitsu cherry pick reasons for their ship being canon all the dang time. Narumitsu’s reasons for claiming their ship is canon are no more reasonable than Narumayo’s reasons for the same thing. I’ll even list the basic excuses Narumitsu shippers use to prove their ship is canon:

“I have been settled with unnecessary feelings,” Turnabout Goodbyes, Phoenix was angry at Miles for leaving him in Justice For All, Phoenix pined for Miles since he was a child, Phoenix became a Defense Attorney because of Miles two times, Phoenix helps Miles with cases more times than anyone else including Maya, Miles had helped Phoenix retrieve back his badge, they fight like a married couple in court, Miles helped Phoenix save Maya the two times she was kidnapped, Miles had helped Phoenix investigate in the two later games, Miles denying wishing for marriage in Turnabout Time Traveler, Miles bringing up Phoenix so many times that I could make a drinking game out of it in Miles Edgeworth Investigations 1 and 2, Phoenix calling Miles ‘Daddy’ in Dual Destinies, Miles telling Phoenix he should ‘strip naked’ in Farewell my Turnabout, the creator saying that Phoenix would find Miles ‘cute’ in a Steel Samurai costume and Miles telling Phoenix “as you wish” for anyone making a Princess Bride reference.

There is more, but those are all I could think of. If you can think of one reason for any Narumayo shipper to believe their ship is anymore reasonably canon than all of the Narumitsu excuses I’ve listed, I may reconsider, but I have found non. I’d argue that not all of these excuses are unreasonable to assume the two parties maybe in love. It still could mean something platonic, but it can easily mean something different, if they were the opposite sex. And yes, it’s the same with Narumayo; some of their excuses are reasonable, but that’s the point. Most of the excuses I listed are obviously dumb reasons like the “strip naked” part, but it’s not unreasonable to think there might be something more between them based on Phoenix pining for Miles or Miles constantly thinking or admiring Phoenix in his own games and comics. The same can be said for Phoenix and Maya. It’s not unreasonable to think Maya might have feelings for Phoenix based on the fact she talked about him a lot after leaving for the Kurain Village in Turnabout Goodbyes. Not my thing, but I can understand why people ship Phoenix and Maya, because I ship Phoenix and Miles for many of the same reasons.

Feel free to comment. What are your thoughts.