#How do I approach him about this subject because all of our friends keep asking me what is up with him?

[1343-40]

@season-two you mean to tell me THIS 👇🏻 is john c egan

[jaiistg]

Karma Akabane who is whipped for reader

"I guess I'm stuck forever by the glue, oh, and you"

•You and Karma met because of his and your's parents !! They knew that you two would get along so well,infact you two did get along...Maybe a little too well,to the fact he got attached to you.

•His parents shipped you both together when Young karma asked them why does his hard beats super fast whenever he sees you and wanting to always be by your side.HIS MOM WAS ALL LIKE "MY BABY BOY IS GROWING UP !!!"

•You and Karma are classmates on class 3-A, that was until this fucker got suspended and was now in class 3-E🙄 he would help you with subjects your struggling with.

•After his suspension he couldn't stop thinking about you like "how is she doing?" "Does she miss me?" One day he saw you hanging out with his one and only rival Asano Gakushuu.He didn't blame you since him and Assano🙄 were your only friends.

•He thought he was being slick with hiding his feelings for you that was until he got exposed by koro sensei because HE KEEPS DODDLING YOU ON HIS NOTEBOOK,he was so fluttered he can't even look at koro-sensei in the eye...tsk tsk hope you learn your lesson next time Karma~

•Ever since his classmates found out that he likes you THEY KEEP TEASING HIM AND HE CAN'T HELP BUT BLUSH😭.

•Everytime he sees you the world stops.Its as if you two are the only people in this world.This dude wants to approach you and ask how your doing but is too afraid because he hasn't spoken to you for a long time.

•Eventually,you guys talked and it felt like nothing has changed,He dosent know what he was so afraid of...

•He sometimes gets lonely on his house because his parents are always at work so he calls you and ask's if you can come over,and ofc you said yes.

•His house,the place where you guys first met and also the place where you guys became official<33.

•It turns out you guys are smitten for eachother but can't seem to confess to one another.How did they found out about each other's feelings? Truth or dare.Yeah you heared me right Truth or dare.

(name-chan) truth or dare he asked?

(name) can see his smirk.what is he up to now..? As she face palmed."Truth"

Have you ever liked someone in our school? Karma asked curiously secretly hoping she'd say yes and say it is him

(name) was caught of-guard.Since when did he care about things like this? She thought.

Fine,Yes I had a crush on someone.I still have a crush on them tho...She mumbled the last part but Karma can hear it.

Its your turn now strawberry! Truth or dare (name) said excitingly

He can't help but find her cute."Dare,im not a coward like you!" He said jokingly

Hey!! (Name) said clearly offended."If you have a crush on someone can you text them and confess?"

"What."

"Pleaseeeeeeeeee"

Ofc he couldn't say no to her.So he did it.

Wait someone texted me (name) said

She was shocked.She looked up from the screen and saw karma smiling at her with a tint of blush on his cheeks.

"Is this....True?"

"Duhh,why would I lie to you about what I feel?" he said chuckling but also serious about what he said

I..."

"you?

"I like you too."

"HUH ARE YOU FOR REA-"

•Has he died and went to heaven?? Are you sure you'll go to heaven? Lmaooalakka THE (NAME) LIKES HIM BACK??? SOMEONE SAVE THIS MAN FROM PASSING OUT.

•And yeah! That's what happened, after you two became official you guys told both of his and your's parents !! They were happy that you two got together.

[artsy-waffle19]

I think the reason why the fandom is so divided about what to think of the cat king is because this character fits into very different concepts depending on how you chose to vibe check him.

so if we decide to vibe check him by supernatural/fairytale standards he's a typical trickster with a goal who pulls of a bunch of smart tricks in order to achieve them. He also follows a very stict code of "an eye for an eye", most of the time throwing a characters own actions right back at them in an unpleasant way. In fairytales and folktales the whole deal with "the king saw them and immediately fell madly in love, demanding their hand in marriage" is a pretty common occurence so that fits that too. The task he gives Edwin is also very fairy tale like as it's a task that sounds impossible but the hero manages to outwit him and beat him, which earns them his respect even though he might temporarily consider going back on his deal. So if we vibe check this character he's just a morally neutral character that unfortunately functions as an inconvenience in the heros main story.

however why a lot of people have issues with him is because it's also a very valid approach to vibe check him by real life standards which does make him a predator. (Let's be real if our friends irl were in this exact situation Edwin is in, we'd get out the cricket bats ourselves while telling them to stay as far away as possible from that person and better yet get a restraining order on that guy). Instead of "trickster who tells the hero to solve a riddle and asks his subjects to keep him posted about what the hero is doing" we get "guy who won't accept a no as an answer and keeps stalking somebody who already rejected him", just like instead of "morally neutral character goes by 'an eye for an eye' does things that might be uncomfortable for the protagonists but are technically fair" we'd just see "petty guy who keeps throwing a tantrum about random stuff but won't behave any better". So it really depends on wether we go by folktale morals or real life morals, which both offer very plausible interpretations of the character. And this is intended as the show repeatedly shows us this supernatural world but then the villains are always normal people doing very bad, very real things to their victims. Devlin is just a guy who is obsessed with control. He's not a supernatural being or posessed or anything, he's just a bad person. So are Edwins and Charles' bullies, Charles' father, Brad and Hunter and David as he is a demon but it's not his being a demon but his abusive behaviour that traumatised Crystal. So the show actually makes us view it through that real life lens and vibe check all of the characters by our real life standards, according to which the Cat King is moving in a really dark gray area, while also being set in the supernatural world with entirely different standards, that we are also aware of.

So yes: The Cat King is a fun and interesting trickster character, who influences the character development of one of our main characters in a positive way and is otherwise no more than a minor inconvenience with a fun character design and yes: if he were a real person he'd need to get punched in the face, go outside and touch some grass and then get like a decade of therapy. These two things can be true at the same time. That's what makes the character so good.

[calicomarie11]

Tommy is a dumbass, but Buck loves him anyways.

Just because it seems warranted on tonight of all nights, I'm sharing a bit of my current WIP. This was all written before tonight's episode, so it doesn't match up with canon.

Subject to change before it gets posted to AO3 because I'm trying this crazy thing where I actually write the whole fic before I start posting chapters.

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

Tommy threw the strap of his duffle bag over his shoulder and wearily trudged up the front steps of his house, ready to sleep and wallow for the next two days until it was time to go back on shift. 

He went to unlock his front door and paused as the handle turned easily in his hand. He wasn’t the type to forget to lock up and it didn’t look like the door had been forced. He cautiously pushed the door open and eased into the house. He set down his bag carefully and grabbed the baseball bat he kept propped next to the door. (Look, his neighborhood was safe enough, but this was LA and weird shit happened all the time.)

Gripping the baseball bat tightly, Tommy made his way down the front hallway, ear cocked for the noise of intruders. As he approached the living room, the sounds of a baseball game on the tv got louder. 

“Goddamit, he was safe,” a familiar voice shouted, and Tommy eased up his grip on the bat. He set it down as he walked into his living room and spotted Eddie stretched out on his couch, a bottle of his beer in hand as he watched the Rangers losing to the Cubs. 

“Diaz,” he said, “What the fuck are you doing in my house?”

“Kinard,” Eddie snarked back in return. “Just stopping by to see if you were going senile in your old age. See, my best friend, Buck, you remember him? Came to my house with a hilarious story about you trying to dump him. Given the fact I had to drag you past that jewelry store when you started staring at engagement rings in the window the last time we went out to catch a movie, I find it a little hard to believe.” Eddie took long drink of his beer as he cocked an eyebrow at Tommy.

Tommy huffed and stalked out of the room to go to the kitchen. If he’s going to do this, he’s at least going to have a beer.  He yanked open the door of his fridge with a little too much force, knocking a few magnets loose and sending a handful of pictures to drift to the floor. He grabs a beer and sets in on the counter before bending down to pick up the photos. 

Evan and him in a beach selfie, a shot of Tommy and Evan on either side of Christopher from the first time Tommy tagged along to the zoo, a photo of the 118 in their Halloween Fest finery and a shot of Tommy swinging Jee around in Bobby and Athena’s backyard. He stacks them neatly and places them next to his beer on the counter. 

He wants to put them back up, where they belong. But they don’t really belong there now that he told Evan goodbye.  He picks up the stack again and opens the junk drawer. He closes the drawer again and then sets the pile face down to be dealt with later. He grabs his beer and heads back to his living room and his ex-boyfriend’s best friend.

Eddie is still shouting at the tv when he returns. He waits until Tommy sits down next to him to pout, “Where’s my beer?”

“You invited yourself, you can get your own damn beer,” Tommy growls. He makes a point of relaxing back into the couch and keeps his eyes trained on the tv. “How’d you get in anyways?” Tommy would have remembered giving Eddie a key.

“Switched keys with Buck.”

Tommy turns to look at Eddie, confused. “Then how did Evan drive home?”

“Man, other then the key for your house and one for Maddie’s place, 99% of our keys are the same. I have the spare for the Jeep and he has the spare for the truck in case one of us gets locked out.”

Tommy shakes his head at this new revelation. “Anyone ever tell you how weirdly codependent you two are?”

“We are not codependent, we are practical and efficient,” Eddie said in an affronted tone.“Besides, where’s your spare key for the truck?” he asked, his smirk communicating that he already knew the answer.

“With Evan,” Tommy confirmed. “Which means you currently have it. You should give me those keys before you leave.”

“Nope. You’re going to have to talk to Buck if you want your keys back,” Eddie said. 

“We could trade, Buck’s house key for mine?” Tommy tried.

 “No deal. If Buck doesn’t want you to have a key, he’ll ask for it back. Besides, half of LA has keys to Buck’s place at this point.”

“What?” Tommy said, surprise in his voice.

“Well, dude gets hurt so often and usually doesn’t have a partner to help out so everybody pitches in. Off the top of my head there’s me, Maddie, Bobby, Hen, Chim, Albert, Ravi, May, Chris of course, Carla, and there’s a spare at the firehouse on the master key ring. Oh, and the neighbors across the hall have a key.”

“Why would the neighbors need a key?”

“Buck locked himself out one time taking out the trash on the super’s night off so he asked Rose and Ethel to keep a key just in case.  Worked out, because they don’t mind watering his plants when he’s in the hospital for more then a few days.”

“Rose and Ethel? Does he live across the hall from septuagenarians?”

Eddie huffed, “Worse, trust fund babies. But they’re harmless. I’m surprised you haven’t met them yet.”

“Wait, does one of them have a septum piercing and the other one has pink hair?”

“Ironically, Rose is the one with the piercing. Anyways, stop trying to distract me and answer the damn question. What the hell, Kinard?” Eddie speared him with a piercing stare.

“I could kick you out,” Tommy said under his breath, although apparently not quiet enough.

“You could try,” Eddie scoffed. 

Tommy side-eyed Eddie. He knew he could take the slighter man, but he also knew he didn’t want to. He wasn’t quite ready to give up on the friendships he’d made or rekindled through his connection to Evan. Sure, Eddie was acting in his role as Evan’s best friend right now, but they had their own relationship.

“Why are you here?” Tommy asked, frustration evident. He hadn’t expected that Eddie would want anything to do with him after he had broken up with Evan and he’d tried to make his peace with that.

“My friend is being a dumbass, where else would I be? Seriously, man, what’s going on?” Eddie asked, and Tommy wants to talk about it, but he can’t trust it will stay between them. 

That was always the problem with his friendship with Eddie, it included Evan. He got that they were a package deal, and when he and Evan were good that wasn’t a problem. But now, he couldn’t just unload on Eddie and not expect it to get back to Evan.

“I’m not talking to you about this. I get that you want to help, but this is between me and Evan.” He tried to resist asking, but the curiosity won out. “What did he tell you?”

“Just that you blindsided him and started talking about taking some time apart, that he needed to get out there and explore his “sexuality” and how you didn’t want to hold him back. At least, that’s what I could make out before he doom spiraled and started dissecting the past month to figure out what he had done wrong.” Eddie narrowed his eyes at him. “You know he was expecting you to ask him to move in at that dinner, right?” 

And Tommy can see how Evan might have come to that conclusion when he’d asked him over. They’d been together 8 months and Evan spent more nights at Tommy’s then at his own loft. Evan bought groceries and brought them to his house so he could try out new recipes and he’d started hinting about how the backyard was big enough for a dog and Tommy had realized that half the laundry he’d folded last week had belonged to Evan. 

And he could see it, his future with Evan. A shared home, a supportive group of family and friends, hosting Thanksgiving because Evan really wants to deep fry a turkey and no one will let him try it at their homes. Marriage and kids and pets and joy. An end to the search, an end to being alone, the beginning of the rest of his life. 

And he panicked. Because 8 months ago Evan thought he was straight, he’d never kissed a man other then Tommy and one day he was going to wake up and realize that he settled for the first guy to make a move on him. And then he’d resent Tommy and it would be the beginning of the end. 

So instead of asking Evan to move in, he’d sent him away. At least, he’d tried to. 

He’d stumbled through a standard break up speech, the kind of thing he’d heard dozens of times during his life. It’s not you, it’s me. This is moving too fast. I think we should take some time apart, explore our options. 

And Evan had frowned at him, his brow furrowed as if Tommy was speaking a foreign language. He’d stuttered out a “Wh-what the fuck are you talking about?”midway through Tommy’s speech and then as Tommy kept trying to make him understand he’d started laughing. He’d actually patted the back of Tommy’s hand and said simply “No.”

It had stopped Tommy in his tracks. “No? You can’t refuse a breakup, Evan,” Tommy had said.

“Sure I can. I’m going to go and let you have your ‘time apart’ but this is not finished between us, Kinard.” And then he’d left and apparently headed straight for Eddie.

“Earth to Kinard,” Eddie snarked at him. “You want to spill what’s going through that fat head of yours? Because I, for one, can’t believe you are fumbling this. And I thought Buck was the idiot in your relationship.” 

Tommy felt a growl in his chest at the insult to Evan, no matter how lovingly offered. Evan was not an idiot, he was brilliant. He was smart and funny and warm and so open and he was going to destroy him when he left. So Tommy left first. 

“Eddie, I mean this with love, but leave it the fuck alone. You can stay if you want, catch the rest of the game but I am not talking about this with you.” 

Eddie shrugged, “All right, bro. Just be prepared for your man to go full Buck on you.” He chuckled as he toasted Tommy with the dregs of his beer. He got up to grab another from the kitchen. 

“I don’t know what that means,” Tommy yelled after him. “What does that even mean?” he muttered under his breath. 

[aettuddae]

hole in one — chapter 100.

⌕ synopsis: at one of the most prestigious universities in the country, where everyone is battling to be the center of attention, yu jimin is just a regular. people want her because of her beauty, but all she cares about is sharing her freaky stuff with her friends and passing her subjects. although there's one thing that might push her out of her comfort zone, revenge. when nakamura kazuha, one of the richest and most well-known students of NCU, starts to spread gossip about her for thousands of followers to see, jimin decides to get back by taking away the thing kazuha cares about the most: her perfect girlfriend, the young golf star, kwon haru.

masterlist | prev | next

[written chapter]

[warning: suggestive]

"good luck with him!" haru's voice filled the entire hotel hallway where the rooms the lordland team players were staying in were located.

"give him lots of water." recommended karina in a loud volume so that seungkwan, who was entering his room carrying a severely inebriated minhyuk, could hear.

the boy was so busy trying to keep his partner on his feet that he only responded to them with a thumbs up as he continued to push the taller one, until finally disappearing from sight. the sound of the door closing was heard.

"poor kwan, he's in for a rough night." took pity the older girl, making the other laugh.

"well, that's the boy he wanted." reminded this one teasingly.

"do you have our key?" asked haru, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall as she waited for her room to be unlocked.

"of course i have it." jimin picked up her bag and opened it to start rummaging through the things inside, looking for the card to open with.

"i told you not to lose it." the golfer complained, standing upright and approaching the girl somewhat annoyed, looking inside the accessory, but not touching.

"i didn't lose it!" she defended herself. "don't touch." she softly slapped the girl's hand which went through her belongings with the intention of speeding up the search.

"hey, does this dress look weird on me?" questioned kwon as she looked down at her clothes.

"haru, you asked the same question all night, we already told you that you look amazing." she replied as she kept trying to find the item.

"i guess this isn't my color." she continued with a listless attitude. "you lost it!" she accused jimin again as she covered her face with her hands in frustration.

"i told you i didn't lose it." she scoffed as she held up the small plastic between her fingers, victorious, and then proceeded to stick out her tongue to tease haru. "and you look beautiful, enough doubting." she pointed the card at her defiantly.

"whatever, either way, the night's over." she dismissed. "open up." she pointed her head in the direction of the door.

"haru, you seriously look great." she took a few steps towards the door, but instead of opening it, she blocked it. "look, i'll even give you compliments so you'll understand how great you look through my eyes."

"no, jimin, open the door!" she asked as she laughed at her friend's sudden proposal.

"are you a water hazard?" she blurted out with the smuggest smile possible as she held the older girl's waist to keep her from moving.

"is that the only flirt line you know?"

"you never let me finish it!"

"i already know the punch line, it's bad." she grumbled, reaching for the door key. "open!"

"how do you know the answer, who used it on you?" jimin hid the card behind her back and feigned annoyance.

"hey, i want to go to sleep." haru pleaded, with an amused expression on her face, bringing her hands to hold the younger girl's cheeks between them, as if it would make it easier for her to understand her words.

"who else told my haru that she has them soaking wet?" she pouted her lips and spoke in a higher pitch to sound cuter, which only caused haru to burst into laughter.

"friends, people who have tried to flirt with me, i don't know. i just know they've told me that one before." she rambled nonchalantly.

"and why do you let them throw that line at you? are they more important than me?" she brought a hand to her chest dramatically. "wasn't i your princess?"

"yes, you are my princess, jimin." she grabbed the opposite's shoulder, reassuring her. "now, please let me into the room."

"if i am your princess then you should deal with me first." she took a step forward, standing only inches away from each other, and rested her touch on haru's neck.

"what does that mean?" she scoffed, holding karina's waist to support her so she wouldn't lose her balance.

"please me." she commanded in a whisper, which, given the closeness, haru could hear clearly.

the older one kept quiet for a moment, her gaze static on jimin, contemplating her, -her or what she should do after that statement-. but she just let go of her body, raised her arm to reach for the key that was on the girl's grip and walked away.

"you're drunk." she accused as she finally opened the door and stepped into the room, tossing her belongings around, and removing her shoes.

"i'm not, you know i'm not." she whined as she followed her inside.

karina set her purse down on a small glass table by the entrance, then moved around to the other side to place the card in a slot in the wall, which made the room light up.

she never expected that with the light, would also come haru's body aggressively wrapping around hers and pushing her, guiding her again towards the gateway of the room, crashing her against the now closed door. and as animals, when she had her locked against that piece of wood, she captured her. trapping her mouth with her own, tasting her cherry lipstick, biting her lips as if trying to tear the skin that covered them off.

karina threw her arms around haru's neck and inflicted force to draw her even closer. the emotions overflowing her body were satisfying, she could tell she was happy at that moment, though not for sure because of how clouded her mind felt by the raw human urges her body was having, but she wanted more. reasoned that the closer haru was, the better she would feel. so all her limbs were working to hold her friend as if they were trying to become one with her.

her leg clung to haru's and slid upwards as if she was about to wrap herself around her opponent's waist, but she never succeeded, for it was just another part of her body seeking contact and warmth. still, kwon's palm twisted around it and caressed it, rising up to her thigh, lifting her dress a little, before the younger girl lost her balance and leaned it back to the ground.

yet with their lips entwined to each other's, them wandering over their bodies, and their arms holding themselves, they began to move around the place, in search of the bed positioned in the middle, right behind haru.

jimin took advantage of haru's grip on her torso and lifted one of her legs into the air, then stretched her arm back and removed with some effort her shoe. she dropped her now bare foot again, and moved into action to take off the other, but haru, who hadn't realized what the girl was doing, kept walking. because of this, the blackhaired girl, who had one foot suspended, lost her balance and fell to the floor.

"shit!" she exclaimed upon landing, as she rolled over to sit up and began rubbing the knee she had fallen over.

"what are you doing?" questioned haru exaltedly watching her with wide eyes in surprise.

"what do you mean what am i doing? i fell." she gave her a frowning look.

"are you okay?" she bent down to help her withdraw her remaining heel.

"yes, i'm fine." she affirmed tossing the shoe away. "please don't let this stop you from thinking i'm sexy." she joked, causing them both to let out a laugh.

the golfer grasped her and helped her up, then they both stood looking at each other in silence, the fall having interrupted and calmed the intense moment they were in. she lovingly arranged the younger girl's hair, who brought her lips close to hers to kiss her again. but haru didn't move, didn't reject her, but didn't reciprocate either.

"are you okay?" karina examined her sweetly, to which the girl nodded. "haru, if you regret this and don't want to do it, we can stop now. we'll go to sleep and tomorrow we'll pretend it never happened. i won't get mad, just say the word." she tried to soothe her after seeing her sudden change of attitude.

karina knew it was her first time being with a new person after so many years, and that it might be hard for her to assimilate what she felt.

"do you want me?" she murmured in a thread of voice so fragile that all desire in jimin's body was forgotten, and replaced by the vehement need to hold her and take care of her forever.

"of course i want you, haru." she wrapped the girl in a warm embrace. "you have no idea how much i want you." she assured in her ear.

the girl's chin rested on the opposite's shoulder, their cheeks rubbing together. jimin lowered her mouth just below her ear and left a delicate kiss there, physically reinforcing her words. haru looked to her side, making eye contact, and the two slowly moved closer until they kissed again.

that contact was much more tender than the previous one, it was a sign of affection rather than need. in the way they caressed and rocked with each other, there was a pact of security and trust.

"i like you a lot, haru." she confessed midway through that kiss, after having felt that way for so long.

"i like you too, jimin." she requited, accepting those emotions that had lived with her for quite some time, but to which she had never given a name.

haru inclined slightly, touching the back of the girl's thighs with her fingertips, giving her the signal for her to mildly jump, which the older one took advantage of to hold her and lift her up, getting jimin to wrap her legs around her waist.

they met again in another kiss, as the golfer walked towards the bed.

"are you sure?" karina wondered again once they were at the edge of the mattress.

"sure." she repeated then leaned her back against the sheets and hovered over her to connect their lips again.

(!)

— taglist: @runawaymazola @chaenniefirst @livelaughchoerry @rinapomu @jeindall777 @petruchiosstuff @winieter @sewiouslyz @minjeongswife @yvesismywife

[tulipsforyourlips]

✧˖°. i found you ✧˖°. (6)

|| the sandman x dead boy detectives ||

SUMMARY: You run the dead boys detective agency along with your two best friends. And somehow two ghosts and a living girl make it work. Until you dream one night, of dream himself.

PAIRING: dream of the endless x fem!reader

WC: 4K

WARNINGS: slight angst

A/N: okay brace yourselves ladies it's a long chapter. and slow paced too but i genuinely loved writing this chapter and showing intimate conversations between dream and her. its a slow burn after all the chemistry has to be right.

PART 6 ✧˖°.

"Morning lads," you greeted the pair sorting through the daily mail.

"Mornin- woah what happened?" Charles' eyes motioned to your hand.

What? How were your injuries from your dreams transferring into real life? Well, technically that happened outside your dream. Whatever, you had no energy to mull over the technicalities of the realm differences, that was better left to the Endless.

"Eh nothing. Just slightly cut my hand open on the bed railing."

"How did that even- you know what nevermind."

"How's Jesse doing?" You changed the subject.

The boys had been monitoring her full night.

"The demon did peek through but for like half a second. Too brief for us to use our incantations and extract him out," Charles answered. "Poor kid. Must be suffering."

You gulped down some water and nodded.

"So? I was in-"

"Hell for seventy years." Charles and you finished his sentence.

"Oi turn up the volume a bit," you said as the television screen displayed some news in the background.

"As you can see around us ladies and gentlemen, the sleepy sickness has indeed made a comeback. We have Shiara's parents with us right now who has been diagnosed with the same, just one victim out of the thousands being affected," the lady reported from a hospital.

Shit shit shit. This was bad.

"Will the number soon soar to millions like it did around a century back?" The reporter continued.

You had obviously read about it. And Morpheus himself had told you how his imprisonment had befallen this plague on the waking world.

"That's..intense," Edwin said.

You never heard Charles' reply because your brain was busy trying to comprehend what you had just heard. You needed to see Dream. In response to your plea, Matthew pecked against the window.

"I will be right back," you told the guys. "Need some fresh air." You grabbed your coat and hurried out.

Dream was waiting for you in the alley behind the building.

"The sleepy sickness is back," you said as you approached him.

"I know."

"But-I-," you stuttered, "I don't understand. I thought things were supposed to move in the healing direction after last night. Atleast not worsen."

"You are coming to the Dreaming with me."

"Right now?"

In answer, Morpheus fetched his sand pouch from his cloak. You knew he could easily transport you through his cloak disappearing trick. But he seemed determined to avoid any direct contact between you two. Except when he had bandaged your hand. Ugh not the time to be a hopeless romantic. Sand enveloped you in a tornado and took you to the Dreaming. Your heart shuddered when you took in the scene awaiting you. Ruins littered the ground everywhere which in turn bore fresh cracks. You revolved your head around, assessing the damage. You took a step back, bad idea. Your feet connected with nothing and you fell, would have if not for the sturdy arm wrapped around you. Something in your guts uncoiled, partially from the apparent death, and partially from the proximity of him. This close you could see the crystal blue of his sapphires for eyes. Loose rocks fell into the crevice, showing you your alternate fate. He uprighted you on secure ground before withdrawing his hand from your waist. That was the third time he had contacted you, willingly or not. Were you keeping track? For fuck's sake you almost fell to your death and that's the part you want to fixate upon?

Shoving your flustered state deep down, you asked, "How did this happen?"

"Honestly, I dont know," Dream spoke, "What I know is we need to take another approach, a more direct and dangerous one. It is our only shot at saving humanity." He looked down at you, his eyes imploring you to trust him and validate his decision.

Had he so little faith in you? "When do we start?"

"Tonight."

You were flopped on the couch alongside Jesse watching some lame ass family movie. The boys were on some haunted house case according to the note scribbled in Charles' ugly handwriting. On the screen, a daughter hugged her mom and you tasted a palette of emotions- jealousy for being denied what others had for granted, lonely for having no one to call your own, frustration for not remembering anything. Even though you had accepted the erasure of your past, you couldn't help but grieve who you were. Who were you? Someone who mattered so little that her family and friends didn't even bother looking for her? Didn't deem her worthy of putting themselves through the trouble.

The door busted open and Charles stormed through.

"Where's Edwin?"

"Fuck knows." Was all he said before shutting himself in his room.

Okay something was seriously wrong. The door creaked on its hinges as you opened it.

"Charles?"

He was sat on his bed, whimpering softly.

"Hey? What happened?" You asked in a whisper and sat down beside him.

He shook his head. You gave him time to gather his thoughts. "He just doesn't understand."

"Edwin?"

Charles sniffed, wiping his tears away. He took a deep breath and started, "There was this family. The husband murdered the wife and children."

You inhaled a bountiful. You were aware of his traumatizing past starring his abusive dad. That fucker. The first time he had told you about him, a rage you had never been familiar with before had tightened around your veins. If that sick brute hadn't already had departed the waking world, you would have hunted him down and done that.

"I am so sorry." You intertwined your fingers in his.

"I tried to intervene but apparently had some strong emotional response to it and got sucked into the situation itself. I am aces now-"

"Clearly."

He continued on, "but that didn't stop Edwin from yelling at me for getting involved in the first place." He sucked a breath. "I couldn't help it Hazel, I just couldn't. When I saw his ghost murder-" he choked on his words. New tears escaped his eyes and burned at the back of yours.

You cupped his face in your hands and swiped your thumbs across his cheekbones, dampening his tears. "Look at me Charles." 

He reluctantly met your gaze. "I am so sorry you had to go through that. I can't even begin to grasp what that might have felt like. That's simply fucked up. But you have to know, if there is one person who understands you, it is Edwin. He cares for you more than any other person or ghost on this Earth. The only reason he yelled at you was because he was scared Charles." You didn't release your hold on his face. "Of losing you."

Charles' eyes softened.

"He loves you. We both do."

"I know." A hint of a smile graced his lips.

You kept tossing and turning in your bed. Charles' tearstained face kept flashing in your mind. You had found Edwin at the bottom of the stairs, equally devastated at his outlash. He had explained to you what you already knew, that he was worried for Charles, of losing him. Oh these boys were going to be the death of you,  provided you survived long enough.

"You are late," Dream declared when you appeared in his realm.

"Sorry, trouble at home."

"Nothing serious," you added to erase the crease in his brows.

"I want to show you something."

"Lead the way your Highness!"

You followed him to Holy shit. You'd thought you'd toured through every phenomenon in the Dreaming, been fascinated by every miracle it had to offer. You were proved wrong as you titled your head backwards to witness the dazzling fabric of sky warping around you. When you propelled it downwards the same enchanting sight glimmered. The water was coated in the sheen of the starry night. An admiration blossomed deep in your core for the Endless standing at your side, the creator of the spectacles you had witnessed in the realm, the cause behind all your fascination. These docks just being one example, perhaps your favourite yet. After your very own dream of course.

"And this, mortal, is where the magic happens."

He extended his arms and the sea waters responded to their master's call. It roared to life from its dormant state and danced to the tunes of the Endless' hands. Spiral of waves loomed from the sea, stray droplets settling on your skin as you watched the Dream lord at work. Globes of water bounced on the ocean's surface. An assortment of objects and beings went about in their respective bubbles. In one such bubble, through its foggy exterior you recognised a dream you had gotten to trust mere days ago. And then it dawned on you, you were watching people's dreams. You were staring at the collective unconscious of the living world. There was no horizon visible as far as sight took you, the sea and the sky effortlessly blended into one entity. You were in infinity itself. Where you stood was sacred ground. And Morpheus had brought you here, to a special rendition of his soul. He trusted you. No, he had no other option but to, with the waking world now in turmoil too. Unknown to your captivated self, Dream was taking in each and every shift in your expression.

He came up just beside you. "Dip your hand in it."

You peered through the mist swathing the globules of dreams floating in front of you. Seeing your apprehension, he went first. His skin immersed the film and once he was halfway through, he rotated his head back. An invitation.

"You will be fine," he said.

"You promise?"

A thousand emotions collided in his eyes all in a fraction of a second. "I promise." And he disappeared into the globule. You followed suit and landed on your butts on solid ground. The Endless at your side who was standing on both his feet having failed to make a clown of himself unlike you, paid no heed to your graceful landing. You were on your feet in a quick motion. Butterflies fluttered their wings around you and you extended your arms for them to rest upon. A giggle left you as one plopped itself on your nose.

"What is this place?" You couldn't keep the wonder out of your voice.

"This is Fiddler's green. One of my proudest creations, I confess."

"I don't blame you." Your eyes raked past the waterfall and the pure greenery of the place.

A boy, just a child, hopped a few feet away from you.

"Why are we here?" You asked finally.

"To try our new approach."

"Dream you really have to start being elaborate."

"We need him to wake up. He has been here for a while."

"Wouldn't really hold it against him. Have you looked at this place?"

Dream looked at you. Of course he had. What kind of stupid rhetorical question was that to ask the person who had made the effing place.

"I mean it's beautiful."

He brushed past your compliment and said, "Hazel he has the sleepy sickness."

"Oh. But how am I supposed to get him to wake up?"

Nightmares weren't the only ones running wild. Dreams even as pleasant as the one you were currently in, were drifting from their original purpose to serve humankind. They used their beauty and kindness as an added advantage to lure humans into staying in a fragment of their mind forever. You'd known humans' resolve was fickle, being one of them. And provided with an opportunity to escape, no one would ever turn it down. Even the strongest wills would shatter with the passage of time. And that was why you listened intently to what Morpheus had to say.

"Invoke trust in the Fiddler's green as you did with others. Without hope, their sense of their purpose is growing corrupt. They are feeding on humanity's innate desire to run away from reality. Your trust has to fill in the void left by the absence of hope."

"What if I can't?"

"You don't have a choice."

"Dream but I- what if I am not the person for this? This was Hope's job. It was never meant to be mine."

"Will you tell his parents that they can stop visiting his bed every second of the day, quell their prayers, and say goodbye to their son because you were afraid to try?"

Brutal. But the impact was necessary. "No."

"Then the fate of the world is in your hands mortal."

No pressure then.

"Oi where are you going?" You asked Dream's retreating figure.

"This is your fight Hazel. I will see you when he wakes up."

"If you think you can just leave me here- " He definitely thought so because you were standing alone on the grassy landscape, except the jovial boy chasing butterflies.

You looked at him, airy giggles erupted from his throat. You sat down, feeling the grass beneath your palms. And closed your eyes until the beating of your heart was all you were aware of.

The dream collapsed as back in the waking world, the boy began to stir, accompanied by exuberant cries of his parents. You found yourself back on the docks, completely drenched. Beads of water dripped down from the hair sticking to your face.

"You look pathetic."

You swirled around to face the Endless who had spoken those words.

"A thankyou, you did remarkably well. Yoo hoo you are saving the world and I am indebted to you. And I apologise from the bottom of my heart which I am not even sure if I possess one, for abandoning you back there, would be nice but you know whatever," you rambled. "Wouldn't want to disrupt this whole emo vibe you have going on," you vaguely gestured to his hair and robes.

Your sour mood immediately dissolved as a smile graced his lips, his perfect cherry lips, you didn't deny it this time. An actual smile, fleeting but it was there. As real as the wind blowing through his hair, bestowing an air of ethereality upon him. A god, an Endless, who had just smiled at you.

"It's time for you to wake up mortal. The sun has already risen in your land. We have a lengthy path to walk, Fiddler's green was just one on it."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're one massive buzzkill?"

You didn't think so with the authority he owned and his general 'you dare say anything to me?' demeanour but the reminiscent twinkle in his eye made you doubt otherwise.

"Goodnight Hazel."

You were lying in your bed since you had woken up, which was seconds or minutes ago, brooding over stuff, enjoying the quiet laziness before one of the guys would barge into your room and drag you out of bed. They were late today. The faint ticking of the clock was the only sound in the room when a sudden scream interrupted the monotonous ticking followed by a loud thud. You dashed through your room to the living room where an unconscious Jesse was slumped on the carpet. Charles and Edwin were both lying on the floor next to a book on incantation and Charles' pandora's box, as you liked to call his bag of tricks.

"Oh you are alive," Charles addresses you.

"What the fuck happened?"

"The demon happened," Edwin exhaled in a breath.

"Don't worry we had it contained, like forever." Charles jiggled an opaque jar in his hands. "No thanks to you," he quipped.

"I-" You were dumbfounded. "You could have woken me up."

"Oh we tried mate, but you were sleeping 'like a log' won't do it justice. We thought you were dead for a moment."

"Or worse, that you had the sleepy sickness. But before we could assess that for certain, Charles had to pee and then Jesse got possessed so we kind of had our hands full."

It was because I was in someone else's dream you gits. But it isn't like you could explain that to them. And you did have a history of sleeping like someone who had just been introduced to the concept, so you let it pass.

"But we are obviously super relieved to see you fit and aces."

"I can see that. Charles you chose pee over me!" You cried.

"Mate it was nothing personal. It was really urgent."

Okay that was the last straw. Your hands were around his neck in a second, your knees pinning him down as he tried to wiggle free from your grasp.

"Careful with the jar, you two." Edwin said flatly, unconcerned if you would strangle the ghost.

What would happen if you did? Could ghosts die again? A part of you wanted to find out badly, but a sympathetic loser  part of you took pity on his reddening face and let go. You fell down on the space next to him, both of you heaving air into your lungs.

"I hate you," Charles huffed, his earring still dangling from the aftermath of your force.

You patted his shoulder. "Don't fret it son. I hate you more."

You were headed back to the agency with arms full from your grocery trip. A yapping Charles trailed on in front of you. Jesse had moved out, to your ghost friend's dismal and ranting about it was his way of dealing with it, unfortunately.

"And she said Edwin-that Edwin had a better fashion sense than me! Can you believe it?"

"I can."

He stopped and you took the lead. "What?" He blinked.

"Come on Charles you can't be serious. His taste is impeccable. I would have stolen his wardrobe a long time ago if he wasn't a ghost."

Passers by gave you judgmental glances, but you were used to it.

He caught up to you. "Hazel, this." He gestured to his baggy jacket. "And this." He flicked his earring.

"Yes even after this and this."

"I can't believe girls sometimes, scratch that, all the times." He fastened his pace, muttering to himself.

You brought your wrist to your hand to see the time when you got knocked off balance as someone bumped against you. Your groceries spilled out of the paper bag onto the road.

"Oh I am so sorry," a stranger's voice apologised.

You both were on your knees, gathering your escaped items.

"No it's okay my fault. I wasn't lookin-" You looked up and golden eyes met you. Wow. That was one rare iris.

"Oh shush now darling. Mistakes happen," they cooed.

You both scrambled to your feet as they handed you your bag. "Thankyou."

"You're welcome Hazel."

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh I overheard you and the boy talking," they said with an unnerving smile.

They could see him? Well quite a many people could, guaranteed that they'd had a similar bump in with death, not the Endless. You watched Charles distant profile walk on far ahead still seemingly mumbling to himself. You turned your head back to ask them if they had been in a near death incident, but they were already gone. Weird.

"Haz are you coming?" Charles shouted, realising you weren't with him.

You forsake the encounter with the golden eyed person and made your way towards your impatient friend.

Cool water lapped around your ankles where you had dipped your feet in them. The past week you'd fallen into a routine, a tedious and rewarding one, as you helped more and more people get rid of their eternal sleep. You had learned to manoeuvre the waters on your own, invading people's dreams while Dream devoted his time in mending his realm. Some days he'd join you after your daily targets and you'd both sit together, relishing each other's company. Today was one such day.

"When do we begin with the nightmares?" You had only focused on the sweet dreams till yet. Dream was insistent on it, forbidding you from trespassing through any others.

"Not yet," he said.

"Don't you ever get tired?" You asked after some time.

"Of what Hazel?"

"Of being immortal."

He raised his eyebrows at you, "Would you?"

"Fuck no!" You bit your lip. "Sorry. I mean knowing your time is always running out, does generate a new appreciation for life. But that life seems to be gone in a blink of an eye. Too brief, to leave a mark, to have your existence mean something. Time becomes the most precious and most despised instrument at play," you spoke. "But being immortal, it's-it's something else. Imagine the wonders you could witness, could be a part of. An eternity of just living, carrying the past of the world with you into the future. I like having a particular destination to swim to, but I would rather be lost in the infinite ocean, you know?"

Dream listened to your words intently. "I have a friend back in the waking world. Hob Gadling."

"I didn't strike you as that."

"As what?"

"As someone having friends. But go on."

"We met in the fourteenth century. Death and I visited this pub together and there he was, proclaiming humans could cheat death."

"What did you do?"

"Death granted him his wish."

"What?" What?  "So does that mean he is still alive?"

"Yes. In fact we meet up every century."

"Hold up hold up. The devil meeting with an immortal man in the pub, that has nothing to do with this right?"

Dream's lips twitched imperceptibly.

"Will you ever cease surprising me?"

Quiet ensued you both.

"So this Hob Gadling, does he enjoy his immortality?"

"To my initial surprise, yes. I had thought after a hundred years, he would surely be begging me to take the curse back but he seemed to consider it a boon. Even after centuries had gone by, his zest to live never died, hasn't died. He reminds me of you. Or, you remind me of him."

"Oh careful Dream lord, are you implying I am your friend?" You nudged his shoulder lightly.

"Now let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

You let out a half suppressed laugh.

"Perhaps," he said.

You titled your head towards him, "Eh. I don't think I'm ready to promote you from acquaintance just yet."

"Is that how it is?"

"Absolutely."

A shooting star dived through the sky, cutting a blaze of fire through it.

"What do you wish for Dream?"

He glanced at you.

"Come on. It appears every day without fail, in the abode of your creations. You made it. What do you wish for everyday?"

He was silent.

"And here I thought we were friends."

"I created it in memory of Hope."

That was the first time he had willingly mentioned her. 

"Do you miss her?"

He took his time to answer. "Sometimes."

You drew your feet out of the water and hugged your knees. "Well. Tragedy does birth-"

"The most beautiful things."

You looked at him to find his eyes already on you, a quiet yearning displayed in them.

"Ok mind reader," you scoffed.

"I do not posses those powers, unfortunately."

"Oh a creep then?"

When you looked at him again, his lips imitated the crescent moon in the sky on his perfect face. It wasn't like any of the fleeting twitches, no matter how treasured, he had given you before. The smile reached his cheeks. His teeth glittered under the moonlight, his skin washed in it. A weak crinkle formed at the end of his eyes. Your heart lurched in its rib cage, wanting to join another. No. You won't fall for him. You won't fall for an Endless. You won't fall for the pompous goth guy. You won't fall for him. You weren't falling for him. You weren't falling for him. You weren't falling for him. You were not falling for him. Shit. You were falling for him. 

SERIES MASTERLIST

[russellsppttemplates]

Bestie, I adore this new generation of yours! How about mama reacting to Hervè's dating life? Feels like shes the one with a big reaction when her baby boy brings a girls home and is all lovey dovey. Maybe he's just like his papa and she keeps teasing Charles about it.

Note: thank you 🥹 I wasn't expecting it, but I love writing about them!

"I'm sorry, could you point me to the bathroom, please? Hervé said it would be the only door and I'd recognise it but I think I went to the laundry room instead and I don't want you to feel like I'm snooping around the house", Hervé's girlfriend said as you and Charles loaded the dishwasher.

"Oh, it's that one on the left, near the stairs", you walked closer to the door with her, "and don't worry, I think the most shocking thing you'd find is either a mountain of my work files or unfolded clothes", you chuckled, hoping to put her more at ease.

Walking back to the kitchen, Charles noticed your smile, "she's a good girl, very polite and very kind", he noted, "she is very sweet, I understand why Hervé is so enamoured of her", you replied back. Chuckling, Charles couldn't help himself, "so no more finding you crying in the bathroom because your baby boy is no longer a baby and that some 'girl' is taking him away from you", receiving your threatening side eye.

"What does he mean when he says he's bringing his girlfriend? Does he even know what having a girlfriend is?", you reasoned, gesticulating and amusing your husband, "seriously, Charles. Maybe it's just a girl he likes, some good friends. He's still my baby boy and I'm not going to let some girl think she can just swoop him off his feet.", you said seriously to you husband, annoyed at his gleeful expression.

"Amour, you have to take this easy. I think I know who she is, I saw her when I picked him up the other day. He kissed her cheek and blushed all the way home even though I didn't even touch the subject", Charles tried, "Oh, I'm sure she fell for his eyes. They always glint, it was the same way with you. You Leclerc boys always find it in you to make us all swoon", you pouted, cuddling your husband as you wiped your cheeks, the tears now stains.

"Like I said, she's a nice girl", you stated, "and if he's happy, I'm happy too".

During the afternoon, you couldn't help but notice how Hervé behaved. He always offered her something whenever he got up to get something for himself, his arm resting on her thigh or around her shoulders, their giggles at a shared inside joke and how he looked at her. The signature Leclerc glint was inherited from his father and it left your heart feeling cosy at the thought that your boy was in a loving relationship.

"I loved it when you did that for me", you pointed out, focusing your eyes so Charles could also see Hervé's girlfriend resting her head on his shoulder as she spoke to Amélie about something from school, "now you don't love it anymore? Your head goes to my shoulder the minute I sit down next to you, woman!", he teased, kissing the side of your head, "he's learnt from you, and I know for a fact that that girl is being very well treated and cared for because of that", you kissed his jaw, "we Leclercs know how to care for our loves".

Later on the night, Hervé's girlfriend had left already and he was helping you with folding the table back to its usual size, tucking the middle piece of wood so it would be stable, "you really like her, don't you?", you asked, approaching your oldest son, "I do, mama. I know I'm still young, but right now this feels good", he said, "but that doesn't mean that I don't have space for you in my heart", he smirked, "Papa told me about your meltdown", he stretched his arms for a hug, making you hug him back, "you're not losing me, okay?".

"I know, I know, but you made a mama, I obviously can't let you go with anyone", you giggled, "besides, Amélie is all instructed in how she should be treated, I know she won't accept less than she deserves", you chuckled, "and I still have Thomas", you reasoned, "but the day someone comes to get him away from me, your father is going to have to have to pull his A game to distract me from it. I'm talking swoon worthy dates like the one where we both admitted we loved eachother because my heart will be broken".

(Thank you for submitting an ask 🤍)

[applepi-1]

Work Wife _Suna Rintaro

You hated that you were late, Suna told you about the dinner party his company was throwing last week, and you told him you should’ve been out of your meeting before, but here you were rushing around your house, jumping into your dress and forcefully throwing your heels on before grabbing your bag and phone and ran out the house, you had your driver speed to get there as you fixed your hair. You stepped out looking presentable enough, you slowly walked inside looking around for Suna, seeing him with a group of guys. You walked over to the bar getting a drink to fix your sore throat, before looking at how hot he looks in his suit. “Hi.” You looked over at the woman who approached you. “I’m sorry I don’t think we met, I’m G/n.”

“Y/n, nice to meet you.”

“Are you on a lower floor of the company? I don’t remember seeing you?”

“Oh, no, I’m here with someone.”

“Oh, my apologies, I see you have your eyes fixed on Suna over there.”

“Oh.” You blushed looking away feeling slightly embarrassed you were caught.

“It’s fine, I do it all the time.”

“Excuse me?”

“May we have everyone’s attention, please?” You turned your head to Osamu. “I have a special announcement, well, my dear friend Suna has a special announcement to his beautiful wife.” Everyone in the crowd clapped as Suna walked up the stairs.

“Um thanks, Osamu, so I’ve been working at this company for 15 years now.” More clapping was applaud as he smiled in your direction holding up a Champaign glass. “I wouldn’t of been able to keep my head on my shoulders if it wasn’t for my love, making sure I’ve ate, asking if I called someone about an important subject or just being there. I love you my queen, I wouldn’t of been able to do any of this without you. Or any of my coworkers you guys have been a big help too. Thank you.” You clapped smiling as he began to make his way towards you.

“Hubby, you didn’t have to say all that.” You looked at her confused as Suna reached you. “But I love you too.” She went to touch him but you grabbed her arm.

“Excuse me what are you doing?”

“Hugging my husband.”

“You’re what?”

“He belongs to me that boy-“

“Is mine.” You said showing her the ring, her face fell looking at Suna who bit his lip looking at his wife.

“Oh, you’re the wife, it must of slipped my mind he hardly mentions you at work.”

“I hear my name enough at home.” Suna smirked looking down at you as he wrapped an arm around your waist.

“Oh, that’s… great. Oh yeah Suna don’t let me forget I have your jacket in my bag.”

“Why does she have your jacket?”

“Yeah, I had to borrow it out of his bag the other day.”

“I didn’t realize you had it honestly.”

“I haven’t had the chance to wash it yet, so it still smells like me, actually smells like that perfume you got me last Christmas.”

“What perfume?”

“The one you picked out for the females because I didn’t know what to get them.”

“Oh, yeah, and it’s fine we can wash it at home.”

“By the way, you look gorgeous.” Suna releases your waist to grab your hand doing a little spin for him.

“I look rushed, I was rushed I barley had time to do my hair I’m glad I got my dress on right.”

“None sense, you look effortlessly beautiful tonight.”

“Awe, I’m sorry I’m a bit late, my meeting ran later than I thought.”

“It’s fine, you still look elegant.”

“Awe. You’re too good for me.”

“None sense, I’m going to grab a drink, I love you.” He quickly pecked your lips smiling at you.

“I love you.” He kissed you once more before talking to the barmaid.

“I’m sorry about earlier, I had no idea you were coming, Suna might of mentioned it but I thought he said you weren’t going to make it.”

“Ahh, yes, Rintaro is very bad at not checking his messages, but then again I’m glad he didn’t. There’s a voicemail of me sounding rushed as I grabbed my keys and fought with our door.”

“I’m sure you’re kids were entertained.” You cleared your throat smiling weakly at her. “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” Her voice was far from sincere.

“No, no. We talked about having kids, it’s just been too busy is all.”

“Oh no, too bad.” You nodded your head looking back at your husband, you looked at the girl before walking toward Suna grabbing his arm leading him away from the crowd.

“Well, hello to you too.”

“Let’s have a baby.” Suna’s eyes widen before looking around the room, he sighed looking back at you.

“I thought we talked about this, works just been too crazy, and not just mine yours too.”

“Then I’ll quit.”

“Y/n.”

“I want kids, I want your kids, I want a family Rin, I’m ready if you still are.”

“You’re being serious?” You smiled at him stepping closer placing both hands on his shoulders.

“As a heart attack.” He quickly wrapped his arms around you lifting you off the ground as he spun you quickly, placing you down for his lips to meet yours. You smiled pulling him closer.

“I love you, come on.” He grabbed your hand leading you to an elevator.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“To make a baby.” He tells you as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“But, your company is throwing you a promotion party.”

“They’ll be okay for an hour.”

“An hour?”

“Oh, I definitely gotta make sure you get pregnant.”

“Suna, this is crazy, you’re crazy.” He stops at the elevator looking at you as if you’re the most beautiful thing in the world. “Let’s be crazy together.” He smirked as the door opened leading you inside, pressing your lips to his as he hits the stop button in the elevator. “We’re doing this here? What if the music stops and people hear us?”

“Let them hear those beautiful angelic moans of yours, I don’t care, I need you right now, I want you right now.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? No more interruptions?”

“None, here, now kiss me.” He didn’t need to be told twice as his cold lips met your warm ones, backing you into the elevator walls. He was more thankful the elevator wasn’t made of glass like some of the coworkers wanted, seeing he doesn’t mind if they hear you, but sure as hell don’t want them to see you.

[appl3kenpii]

birds of a feather ➳ chapter 2

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : .

Hinata was very aware that they were graduating soon. That was why they had to leave a good impression for the first and second years that would fill their vacuum in the team, and that was why Hinata needed Kageyama to be on top of his game for the upcoming match. It would be one of the last, especially with exams coming up. So he handled it the way he knew best.

He cornered Kageyama some days before the match, after practice, since everyone else had left the two alone as per usual. Kageyama had been consistently leaving practice a bit earlier than usual since last week, but Hinata had just chalked it up to that being an unintended consequence of his reckless bike riding and Kageyama’s desire to avoid any more of his generosity. Now he wasn’t so convinced. Kageyama had been putting some of the balls away in the storage room when Hinata approached, tip-toeing as if he had something to hide.

”Kageyama,” he mumbled awkwardly. For all his efforts and planning, Hinata actually had no clue how to approach the situation. What was he supposed to say? That Kageyama had been acting off? That he was worried? As if he could survive saying that to the King. ”Um…”

”What?” Kageyama turned around with an unimpressed expression, crossing his arms, taking advantage of their height difference to look down on Hinata in a way that felt rather condescending.

I’m done for, Hinata thought. He’s gonna sentence me to death. “Are you okay?”

All that followed for some long terrible seconds was silence. Kageyama looked away for a moment, and Hinata could’ve sworn he saw a hint of pink on his cheeks. Finally, he turned back around and kept on organizing some things in the storage, although there was nothing to organize as far as Hinata knew, so it just looked like Kageyama was rummaging through equipment.

“I’m fine,” he said while still looking away, and Hinata cursed himself for not thinking of what to do in this very likely outcome of Kageyama deflecting the question. Racking his brain for a way forward, he gave up and decided to just be direct.

”Are you sure? Are you worried about exams?” Hinata took a step to stand next to him, although Kageyama still avoided his gaze. “I don’t think I’d be much help, but two heads are better than one…”

Kageyama sighed a very nasty sigh. “Not that.” He didn’t elaborate.

Hinata was getting fed up. He knew that he should be patient, because for Kageyama to act like this, whatever was bothering him must have been serious. But he just didn’t have the mental capacity to keep dancing around the subject.

”I’m worried about you,” Hinata admitted. They had known each other for years. They could afford to act like best friends that spoke without emotional riddles, once in a while. “We… um, the team… we don’t have much time left together. Shouldn’t we make the most of it?”

No response. Fine, Hinata thought. If that’s how you’re gonna want to spend our last months on the same team, our last months together, then -

“Okay.”

”…Okay? Okay what?”

”Let’s make the most of it.”

Hinata beamed. His poorly planned prodding had worked, and… actually, no. Kageyama looked even more miserable than before. His lips were in a tight line as he rummaged through the storage still, as if he was waiting for Hinata to leave. But that was the one thing Hinata refused to do.

”Ukai’s place is still open,” Hinata suggested. “Let’s go get a snack, then, if you wanna make the most of it like you said,” he challenged, because if there was one way to get Kageyama to do what you wanted, it was by challenging him. Kageyama gave him a displeased smirk.

⋆

”What’s his deal?” Tsukishima asked after practically dragging Hinata to a far away aisle. He and Yamaguchi had the same idea, and had been hanging out at Ukai’s when Hinata and Kageyama arrived.

”I don’t know!” Hinata whispered. “How am I supposed to know?”

“I thought you could read his mind or something with how much time you freak pair spend together,” Tsukishima joked. He then took one glance at Kageyama, who was listlessly standing to the side as Yamaguchi spoke to him stiffly. “I mean it. He looks… pathetic. What agony could possibly be ailing this guy…” he added with a scoff.

For some reason, the way Tsukishima was talking bothered Hinata. A lot. “Well, we all suffer if he doesn’t get better.”

”Insightful comment from Shoyo.”

Hinata gave him a glare.

”Maybe he’s heartbroken over losing his best spiker in the upcoming months,” Tsukishima speculated. No way. He didn’t sound like he was being sarcastic, but he must have been.

“This isn’t the time for jokes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this bad…”

“Have you talked to him?”

“I’ve tried!”

“Clearly not hard enough.”

Hinata groaned. Tsukishima was a real pain, but he was right. He would get Kageyama to admit what was making him like this, and he would do it that night. He walked up to the counter and checked out a little carton of milk, then stepped towards Yamaguchi and Kageyama. Tsukishima soon followed, more snacks in hand. Hinata almost fell backwards when he offered one to Kageyama. Another little carton of milk, chocolate flavored. Tsukishima didn’t even say anything, just handed the carton to Kageyama without a word. Hinata had seen him be nice like that, once or twice in the past years, but it always felt like a shock.

“We’re gonna get going,” Yamaguchi said, giving Kageyama one last badly disguised look of concern. “Tsukki and I are gonna study. I can give you guys some notes, if you want…”

Tsukishima gave him a look, as if saying, giving him milk I bought with my own money is charity enough. What makes you think he needs help studying? “See you two tomorrow,” he said, turning to leave with Yamaguchi, but not before giving Hinata one last knowing look. Yamaguchi threw him a little thumbs up.

Now it was just Hinata and Kageyama, again. They always ended up alone with one another somehow. Kageyama stood off to the side sipping the chocolate milk.

“You’re gonna tell me what’s wrong,” Hinata said confidently. “You will.”

“Are you like… trying to hypnotize me into doing that?”

Hinata laughed. “I’m serious. You’re gonna tell me, right now.”

Kageyama sucked in some air through his teeth, the way people do when they’re in pain. “Fine, but only because you won’t leave me alone. After we leave I’ll tell you.”

Hinata drank his milk so fast he almost choked. He had to keep insisting for Kageyama to speed up, and it still took them over ten minutes to leave, because he kept drinking slowly on purpose. They waved Coach Ukai, who had been on the phone, goodbye.

It wasn’t snowing that night, but the remnants of the past few days could still be seen on the ground, and it was still cold enough to see your own breath. Hinata pushed his bike along as the two walked, matching his steps with Kageyama’s for no specific reason. Due to their differing heights he consequently began to lag behind, so he had to abandon that idea.

“So?”

Kageyama stopped for a moment, unspeaking. He looked puzzled, like he didn’t know the answer to the question himself. “I just,” he thought for a moment. “Haven’t felt well lately.”

“You’re sick?” Hinata gasped. The Date Tech game was close. He knew he should’ve given Kageyama more bike rides home.

He shook his head. “Not that type of not feeling well. I tried to tell you last week, too.”

“Nuh uh, you didn’t say anything like that!”

“That’s because you wouldn’t let me get a word in!”

Hinata didn’t really believe that, but he wasn’t there to argue, so he shut up with a pout. “Well, tell me now.”

“I guess… I just feel weird about graduation.”

Graduation. Hinata hadn’t given it that much thought outside of how it was going to impact volleyball. But graduation was scary. Kageyama had plenty of offers from teams for after graduation, though, so Hinata couldn’t imagine what about it bothered him.

Kageyama elaborated in response to his silence. “It’s stupid. It’s just that a lot’s gonna change.”

Hinata only really thought deeply about that now. He was right. A lot was gonna change. For Hinata, he had briefly considered that Kageyama and him wouldn’t be practicing together almost everyday, playing on the same team. Being each other’s strongest weapon. It felt more serious now. But surely that wasn’t what Kageyama meant. Hinata had always depended on him a bit more than the other way around. Kageyama would be fine without him.

That bothered him. But he couldn’t understand why.

“I feel the same,” he mumbled, not bothering to explain further. “But that’s exactly why we should make the most of it. And I’m still here,” he added, regretting it immediately. That was too forward, too much.

Kageyama gave him a smile. Not the scary one he gave on the court, but one filled with… relief? Not relief, but something like it. “Yeah… yeah. I guess you’re still here,” he almost whispered.

Hinata’s heart quickened inexplicably. Kageyama stood barely illuminated by a street light. His breaths came and went, little clouds in the air.

“Uh. I should get going,” Kageyama added, breaking off that strange moment.

“Ah. Yeah. Yeah, uh, do you want a ride?”

Kageyama laughed a bit, head tilted back. “See you later.”

“Yeah,” Hinata said to himself, since Kageyama had already walked off. “See you later.”

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : .

chapter 3 - in progress…

[littlenightmares2]

What do you think is the meaning behind Mono turning into the Thin man at the end? Do you think that’s an example of his character repeating the cycle of abuse which was imposed onto him?

thank you for asking! i love dissecting the story of little nightmares and the characters so much, so i foresee myself rambling a lot in this answer. here we go.

the long and short of it is, i think that the pale city was always awaiting mono's arrival.

we can see in the scene where mono and six are first travelling to the pale city that upon their approach, the buildings immediately begin to bend and warp towards them. the city already seemed to recognise mono's latent powers in this moment as it responded to his presence- that, or his fate had already been decided by the nowhere. the city demanded a broadcaster.

my (current, and constantly subject to change!) interpretation of events is that six accompanying mono impeded what the nowhere had already predestined him to.

he's described throughout promotional materials as "an uncommonly single-minded child." this phrase has always fascinated me. we get so few solid details about the children's mindsets and motivations in this world so it's difficult not to fixate on that simple string of information. yet despite him having this singular, unshakeable motivation to move towards the pale city and find the source of the transmission, the signal tower, he still allowed himself to be waylaid. he stopped to free six.

the pale city exists because the need for escapism exists. therefore, the broadcaster that would oversee the signal tower and send out the transmission across the city would have to be a figure that was sunken deeply into escapism, too. somebody who needed a distraction. somebody who had been through such immense pain, such betrayal, that they would do anything to put it to the back of their mind. somebody who needed the false comfort that escapism and denial of reality provides.

when asked if mono ever thought about lashing out against the tower, using his powers to level the city, or generally defying what had happened to him, the little nightmares twitter responded: "of course not. like all sensible children, he eventually came around to our way of thinking." they also stipulated that mono's idea of escapism would be, "revenge, maybe? a second chance?"

i believe that the looping events of little nightmares ii are caused by mono's own desire for either revenge or a second chance. he conceded to the tower's will because escapism was offered to him when he so desperately wanted it.

he is the thin man, cast into the depths of the flesh walls, but in his mind, he's mono again, back at the start of everything in the forest. the loop that persistently plays out is a recreation of events that allows mono to engage in the escapism of being at six's side again after everything that happened forever. he can't change what happened. but he can enjoy second chance after second chance, being her friend again before everything went wrong- the thing he so desperately craves.

the thin man takes his revenge in chasing her and stealing her away. keeping her prisoner in the signal tower, in pain just as he is and will continue to be forevermore. even if he goes on to free her after the fact. i don't think mono exactly 'remembers' how everything happens when he lapses into these bouts of escapism with the loops playing out over and over. it wouldn't be true escapism if he was aware of how painfully everything was going to end. everything feels new for mono, but as the thin man, he remembers and guides others into the false lull of security that turning away from reality offers.

six was a perfect instrument to use against mono. even though she was initially detrimental to the tower's goal of drawing mono in, she later became an essential part of it.. she was a catalyst of trauma and the tower maliciously aligned events when it warped her into a monster, setting everything up to transpire in such a way that she would abandon him. when mono shattered six's music box, he denied her the escapism it provided. the comfort and denial of her painful reality was snatched away. this goes to show exactly how intoxicating the tower and it's transmission are, and how manipulated events between the two children were. the end goal was always for mono to think he was saving six, while she wholeheartedly believed he was hurting her and ruining her happiness. that he was unsafe to be around.

[myrmyrtheorca]

Ignore me, just adding some more stuff into your inbox pile hehehehehe

🌈 Rainbow: What is your favorite character dynamic to write? Give us an example from your WIP!

💧 Raindrop: Describe your antagonist/villain in 5 words.

P. S: Take all the time you want bud, I know the battery is currently low 🫂🫡

*chews lix* hi friend- (ask game)

thank you I'm doing my best to keep up with everything, also redirecting here @upsilambic because she asked for the same prompt

🌈 Rainbow: It's not a character dynamic per se I think, but I really like to tackle the tension between two characters that are obviously up against one another but can't openly fight it out/quarrel/express their disdain for one another. I guess you could call it forced collaboration?

Two scheming characters, each one with their own goals, who have to constantly outsmart and keep up with the other's moves. They KNOW the other one is out to get them but cannot ask for help or flee: they have to play the game or itìs their end.

Let's see if I can find something from the next chapters:

"For the past two months, Madam Nifate has instructed us to divide the sample pools into two subgroups. [...] The second group, on the other hand, is dedicated to collecting data on conscious subjects."

"Which we know to be very scarce compared to the resources we use to obtain them," he interrupted again, finally deigning her with his cold gaze, "How many subjects died this time?"

Anemone's heart was gripped by a mixture of shame and fear: it seemed that young Tristam had done his homework before that meeting. She guessed that, perhaps, he had planned to confront her about it personally, preparing to debate with the data held by Nifate. At least, she thought, a subtle difference between him and the Nera Signora was slowly becoming identifiable: he was much less patient than his mother.

"We... we lost two girls," she replied, struggling against the urge to clench her fists, "Thirteen and twenty-three years old. The other three subjects lost consciousness during the experimentation... and so managed to survive."

Tristam's reaction to that information was a silent raising of his eyebrows. "I understand. And why did it come to letting three subjects faint? Why didn't you proceed? Keeping them conscious by force shouldn’t be that hard."

Anemone's self-control failed: she bit her lower lip before answering with a trembling voice: "Signorino Tristam. Our approach as a research and development team prioritizes the safeguarding of our specimens when possible."

"Yes, mother mentioned things have been like this since you took command."

"And since then, branch productivity has increased by 30%. Collaboration with the study subjects allows them to re-present themselves as such multiple times. With all due respect, signorino... under these premises, it's not accurate to describe our work as 'lacking commitment', if that's what you're insinuating."

💧 Raindrop: oh god. who's KW's main villain? I feel like that's Tristam right now, at least.

Treacherous. Forlorn. Adored. Repaired. Vengeful.

[littlegodzilla]

Yay for requests

Can you do Judas/biker girl reader? Maybe they first meet on the highway and he doesn’t know she is a girl because of her helmet but then is smitten when he finds out? Thank you for your writing

Hi Anon!!

Sorry for the waiting! I liked your idea and don't usually have requests about Judas so, I'm totally in!!

Not too long, sorry about that too, but hope you'll like it.

Enjoy!!

*************

Let's Ride.

Judas x BikerReader.

One shot. Anon request.

Warnings: none.

Words: 1000.

Judas returns home, after days away from New York, on a mission that Jesus expressly left in his hands. The leader of his gang wants to expand the club outside the city and is meeting new leaders to know what he is up against, Judas is acting as an intermediary between some of them. It is exhausting to listen to their proposals and repeat, over and over again, what they want to carry out, but it is his duty being the Vice President of the club, Jesus trusts him, although sometimes it is not clear to him why.

He is immersed in his thoughts, when a motorcycle passes by his side, roaring in his ear, catching his attention. He frowns because he recognizes the badge decorating his leather jacket, it's his gang, but there's no name written on it. He must be a rookie, but they are not allowed to go out with the name of the club until they are formally initiated. He tenses up, annoyed, and speeds up to stand behind said subject. He seems to be aware of his presence because he also quickens his pace, but Judas is no novice and has no trouble keeping up with him.

From his position, a few meters behind, he observes the other biker's driving. He has to admit that he also knows what he's doing, he dodges the cars without a problem, takes some daring overtaking and makes the engine of his Triumph roar, it's a classic model, but it's well maintained and used to making long trips. A flash catches her attention again, she has seen him, but that doesn't make her slow down, quite the contrary, now it seems she is challenging him and Judas accepts the game.

He is not surprised that you stop at the door of the club, he has arrived a few seconds behind, but he has to admit that he has enjoyed the ride, it has been interesting. He turns off the engine of his bike and is ready to approach the other biker, but his companions jump on him, welcoming him, he sees how he disappears in the crowd and enters the club, he wants to go behind, but his companions don't leave him alone.

"Judas is back!" they shout as he enters the club, they all shout in jubilation, whistle and raise their beer mugs. Judas smiles at the warm welcome.

"What have you bastards done already to miss me so much?" He jokes and everyone laughs with him.

"Let's celebrate your arrival, beer!" They howl and Judas shouts with them.

"Beer!"

He advances to the bar to order for himself, he unbuttons his leather jacket and unbuttons his shirt, it's hot as hell and it's not much better in there. When he arrives there is already a cold beer waiting for him and he drinks it without protest.

"Welcome home." He hears next to him, turns his head and discovers Jesus. He smiles and they give each other an affectionate hug. "How was the trip?"

"All good, negotiations are already underway, some have demands they want us to follow, but..."

"We'll talk business, you just got here."

"Ok... by the way, I met a rookie on the road, he was going with our jacket but no name, since when do we let them go out like that?" he asks curiously, Jesus frowns, not knowing what he means, but then he smiles.

"Oh yeah, no, it seems to me there's been a misunderstanding, my friend." He explains and gestures to him, Judas then sees someone among the other members approach. "It's my sister, she's come to visit." He explains and introduces you.

"It's a pleasure, Jesus talks a lot about you." You smile and hold out your hand, Judas needs a second to react and then responds to the gesture.

"Your sister? I thought..." he starts to speak, but the leader nods cutting off his question.

"She was away for study purposes, but with her new job she's been transferred to the States and came to see me." He explains again, Judas fixes his gaze on you and you smile kindly.

"We met once, a long time ago, I was just a kid, I don't think you remember..."

Judas remembers, vaguely, but he remembers that little girl who used to follow his best friend everywhere, unruly hair, crooked teeth, glasses to correct her eyesight and was always dressed in boy's clothes, knees bloody and muddy. She certainly has nothing to do with the woman in front of him now. You wear glasses, but they give your look an interesting, sexy touch, your tousled hair is gathered in two long braids, your teeth are no longer crooked and are protected behind full lips that Judas suddenly finds very appetizing. He swallows, shifts on his feet with some hesitation and feels his hands sweating.

Fuck, why do you have to be the boss's sister?

"She's not going to stay long, she must return mid-week to her job." Jesus' voice catches his attention. "I'm tied up with all the new business we have on our hands, why don't you two meet up and take her out to see the city?" He suggests to his right hand man, you roll your eyes.

"Jesus, I'm not eleven anymore, I can go around by myself." You mumble.

"No, it's okay." Judas steps forward to speak. "I don't mind, in New York there's always something interesting to see." He smiles and you look at him curiously.

"Okay..." You agree without looking away from him, Judas doesn't either, the two of you studying each other intently, you don't even notice Jesus walking away, leaving you alone. "That was a good run." You say then and he smiles.

"I let you win, babygirl."

"Of course..."

"Anytime we can do it again." He challenges you, you smile with amusement and move a little closer.

"There are other things I'd like to do, more interesting." You tell him in a suggestive tone, your fingers caressing his hand.

Judas' pupils dilate and he breathes heavily, watching your every move, your mischievous smile and the language that screams your body drawn to him. He takes a step closer, but you place a hand on his chest.

"Enjoy your welcome, Judas." You tell him. "See you tomorrow."

Judas grunts like an animal as you turn and disappear back into the crowd. His pulse is racing and he wants so badly to follow you.

He loves coming back home.

.

.

The End.

.

Hope you liked it!!

See you in the next stories!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jay Kuo at The Big Picture:

Most of us know someone on the left who is dug in against voting for Joe Biden because of U.S. policy toward Israel and Gaza. For them, the continued support of Israel and the flow of weapons is a dealbreaker, and they say they can’t support a president for reelection who would back a genocidal campaign against the Palestinians.

No amount of “but he’s a good man” or “the alternative is an even worse nightmare” reasoning seems to move them from their position. And it appears they are not alone. As protests emerge around the country on college campuses and in some cases turn ugly, many wonder whether the damage will deal a mortal blow in November.  After all, if blue voters, particularly young voters who have formed such a key part of Democratic electoral victories in the past three elections, stay home instead of voting to reelect Biden, it could usher in another Trump win. This is particularly worrisome in key battleground states like Michigan, where there are large numbers of Arab Americans who cannot see themselves voting for Biden. So how do we talk to our fellow Democrats for whom Gaza is a huge, seemingly insurmountable hurdle? And how worried should we be about the war in Gaza keeping voters, particularly college-age voters, home on Election Day, or even causing them to lodge protest votes with one of the spoiler candidates? At the risk of sounding like a political advice columnist, I take these two questions on below.

When they don’t want to hear about voting for Biden

I was at a gathering in San Diego recently, where I’d met with around forty local readers of my newsletter. I’d opened the floor up for a general discussion about the state of our politics, and a gentleman in the audience told me about a friend of his. That friend is a volunteer in the LGBTQ community and has solid progressive views, but is so disillusioned with Joe Biden over Gaza that he can’t ever see himself voting for him. He even rails daily about “Genocide Joe.” 

What can we do to reach people like that, the gentleman asked me. I replied that I have the pleasure of serving on the board of an organization devoted to human rights, and we had just held lengthy, internal discussions about what the best approach is when the subject of Gaza and Joe Biden comes up. Here are some key takeaways. Don’t dismiss their anger and pain. For people who consider themselves progressive, the war in Gaza with its high civilian casualties can create a strong sense of turmoil, disillusionment, frustration, and even stronger emotions like fury and disgust. Most Democrats I have spoken to fall somewhere along this spectrum, myself included. While it may feel good in the moment to grow indignant, it is ultimately unhelpful to question anyone’s passion, commitment, and emotional investment in the Gaza crisis. Instead, we should acknowledge it and give it the respect it deserves.

Don’t tell them they are only hurting the ones they want to help. A common response to those who say they can’t support Biden or the Democrats ever again is to attempt to move to a logical, cost/benefit style analysis. The thinking goes something like, “If you really care about Gaza, then you’ll vote for Biden and the Democrats, because a vote for anyone else, or any non-vote, will hurt the very people you purport to care about.” There are a couple of problems with this approach. First, this is basically telling them that they don’t have a real choice in who to cast their votes for, when in fact they do. Second, such logic forces them to be complicit, at least in their minds, with something they abhor. It’s not a strong starting point.  Don’t make this a choice about the “lesser of two evils.” Another common approach is to argue that this is about making the choice that is less evil or harmful than the other. But this rarely works because 1) in their mind, nothing could be more evil or harmful than genocide, and 2) foisting a choice of a lesser of two bad options often results in apathy, meaning folks stay home or vote third party. So how could this delicate issue be approached instead? Here is a summary of some thoughts that others, who have spent significant time in the political trenches on this, shared with me:

Say you feel conflicted, too. Forming a bridge of understanding with those who are suffering anguish at the role our country and this administration are playing in Gaza is foundationally critical to having any kind of productive discussion. Expressing your own emotions—whether it’s frustration, horror, pain, sorrow, confliction—will open a patch of common ground on which real dialogue can happen. It is an invitation to share more, not shut down. And talking with someone who also hates what’s happening in Gaza but arrives at a different result on how to act on it can be illuminating. Talk about other issues that matter to you. This is a key point. When someone is stuck on the narrative that “Joe Biden is bad,” you should move away from talking about the candidates (Biden v. Trump) and talk instead about all the issues that matter to you. This election is about Gaza, yes. But it’s also about many other things:

Reproductive freedom and a right to abortion that was stripped away from millions of women overnight;

Threats to democracy and rule of law from autocratic leaders and their enablers in the Republican party;

Reducing the use of fossil fuels and addressing the global threat of climate change;

Supporting our allies in NATO and Ukraine fully against Russian aggression;

An economy that focuses on the needs of the people at the bottom and the middle, not those at the very top;

Reducing gun violence and the need for sensible gun safety legislation, all currently opposed by Republicans;

A humane and functional immigration policy that doesn’t demonize vulnerable migrants;

Compassion and full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans youth in need of gender-affirming medicine;

and many more. I have found that most people who demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the end to U.S. military support for Israel also will agree with me on the need to protect and press forward with all of the above, and not allow Republicans to seize control and move us backward or toward authoritarianism.

[...]

According to Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist who was one of the few to predict the failure of the vaunted “Red Wave” in 2022, there were three key takeaways from that poll:

Vote intent right now is where it was in the spring of 2020, a very high turnout year for young people. Young people are engaged, paying attention.

Biden is close to 2020 results with likely 18-29 year old voters. Work to do, but we can — if we do the work — hit our 2020 numbers with 18-29 year olds in vote share and overall turnout. This is good.

Israel-Palestine is not a major issue for young Americans right now, and is in my view very unlikely to be one in the fall. This finding is confirmed in other polls. It’s an important issue, of course, but for young people there are many issues which matter much more. Note the top 6 issues for 18-29 year old self-identified Democrats: 

women’s reproductive rights

gun violence

healthcare

housing

inflation

climate change

Of course, I’m one of the last people who would say we should put our faith in polls. They are simply information points, and not generally predictive of election results this far out. That means a lot could still change, and sentiment could shift, for or against the Democrats. We have much to do.

Jay Kuo wrote In The Big Picture Substack on the impact of Joe Biden's position on the Gaza Genocide and Israel Apartheid on voters who are dug in on opposing him and how to respond to their pain and asking them what other issues could motivate them to cast their vote for Biden.

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (7)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

wc: 1,901

Wonderland: Past

I stand up, overwhelmed with emotion but mostly anger. Anger that Cora would wipe my memories away from me like they belonged to her. Angry that it took this long for me to return, knowing the suffering that was taking place while I've been gone.

I turn slowly, facing the White Queen's armor when I realize I've already come to a decision. I'm going to kill The Queen of Hearts.

Killians point of view

"The Jabberwocky?" I ask with an incredulous laugh. "For one woman?" Cora shoots me an amused smile before approaching me.

"That's just a small part of my plan my dear, I have a far more lethal weapon to deal with Alice." She says, giving me a pointed look.

I don't know why but a feeling of dread fills me. "And what would that be?" I ask, trying to sound blase.

"Why love of course."

Storybrooke: Present

Jefferson shoves Emma into a room with shelves filled with identical hats.

"I don't know what you think you're doing but if you hurt my friend, I swear I'll make you regret it." She spits out.

"Hurt her? I'm saving her life." Jefferson replies back, walking towards her, causing her to back away.

"How do you figure that?" She asks, trying to mask the fear in her voice.

"Don't play stupid. We both know what happens when people try to leave Storybrooke." He says, still approaching her.

"What are you talking about?" She asks, genuinely confused.

"The curse."

"What curse?" Emma asks him, still confused.

"The one keeping us all trapped. All except you." He answers slowly, as though he's talking to a child.

Realization dawns on her. "Have you been reading Henry's book?" She asks quietly.

"Henry? You mean the Queen's father?" He asks, confused himself now.

"Henry, the mayor's adopted kid." She answers, exasperated.

"Oh, Henry. Your Henry. And his book of stories, the ones you choose to ignore." He says with a malicious grin. "Maybe if you knew what I know, you wouldn't." He says matter of factly.

"Why have you been spying on me?" She asks, changing the subject to something far less... crazy.

"Because for the last 28 years, I've been stuck in this house. Day after day. Always the same." He says, staring off in space, remembering. "Until one night, you and your little yellow bug roll into town and the clock ticks and then things start to change." He says, coming out of his dissociation, pointing the gun he has at her halfheartedly. "You see, I know what you refuse to acknowledge Emma. You're special. You brought something precious to Storybrooke. Magic." He whispers reverently.

Emma gives him a look of pity. "You're insane." She says in response to his long monologue.

Jefferson laughs a humorless laugh, tears forming in his eyes. "Why? Because I speak the truth?"

"Because you're talking about magic." She responds with pleading eyes, trying to get him to understand, knowing it will never work.

"I'm talking about what I've seen. Perhaps you're the one that's mad." He replies, walking over to where she stands on the other side of the table.

"Really?"

"What's crazier than seeing and not believing? Because that's exactly what you've been doing since you got to our little hamlet. Open your eyes...look around...wake up. Isn't it about time?" He shoots back, getting into her personal space with a threatening look.

"What do you want?" She finally asks.

"I want you to get it to work." A tear falls down his cheek before pushing her down in the chair before a hat.

Wonderland: Past

The White Queens armor fits me like a glove and I'm shocked at how light it feels but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, considering it was made for someone who's not a soldier. With the Vorpal sword in hand and a shield, I go to start my trek up the path where Jefferson had gone but the ground suddenly shakes.

Not so far off in the distance, I hear a great roar, a roar that makes me think of a memory from my previous time in Wonderland. The memory of that dragon creature chasing me... I believe Jefferson had referred it as the Jabberwocky.

Ice fills my veins as I see it, flying over the horizon, right towards me. I take a deep breath and remember something my father taught me. The key to any weapon is focus. I hold my sword, ready to do the impossible and kill this creature.

Storybrooke: Present

Jefferson brings Emma a piece of cloth for the hat. "Make one like that." He orders, pointing to the finished hat.

"You want me to make a hat? You don't have enough?" She asks sarcastically.

"Well, none of them work, do they? Or else you wouldn't be here." Jefferson leans over the table and stares at her. "Now make a hat and get it to work." He sits down, prepared to wait, just like he had for 28 years.

"I don't-"

"You have magic. You can do it." He interrupts encouragingly. Emma looks around, realization dawning on her as she puts the pieces together.

"The hats, the tea... you're psychotic behavior. You think you're the Mad Hatter." She says, disbelief written on her face.

"My name's Jefferson." He says, unamused.

"Okay, you've clearly glommed onto my kid Henry's thing." She puts down the cloth and scissors. "They're just stories. The Mad Hatter is in Alice in Wonderland. A book. A book I actually read!" She says, trying to get through to him.

"Stories." He breathes out with a humorless smile. "Stories? What's a story?" He asks rhetorically. "When you were in high school, did you learn about the Civil War?"

"Yeah, of course."

"How? Did you read about it, perchance, in a book?" He asks rhetorically once again. "How is that any less real than any other book?"

"History books are based on history." She says slowly, exasperated with the whole situation at this point.

"And story books are based on what? Imagination? Where does that come from? It has to come from somewhere."He explains, but continues talking, not giving her a chance to respond. "You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution to their problem, but no one is willing to believe in magic." He points the gun at her. "Now get it to work."

"Here's the thing Jefferson." She says, slapping her hands down on the table. "This is it. This is the real world."

"A real world." He clarifies before standing with both hands on the table, getting close to her. "How arrogant are you to think yours is the only one? There are infinite more. You have to open your mind. They touch one another, pressing in a long line of lands, each just as real as the last. All have their own rules. Some have magic, some don't. And some need magic." He rants, voice filled with conviction. He stands and points the scissors at her threateningly. "Like this one. And that's where you come in. You and your friend are not leaving here until you make my hat. Until you get it to work." He places them down in front of her.

"And then what?" She asks knowingly.

"And then I go home."

Wonderland: Past

The Jabberwocky lands, causing the ground to shake and begins to clamber towards me at a speed I wasn't prepared for. I try to think of as many as six impossible things before breakfast. My fathers voice rings in my ears once more and I nod to myself in reassurance.

"Six impossible things. Count them Alice." I say to myself as I approach the beast, my heart beating rapidly. I ignore it, knowing that if I focus too much on my fear, I may as well die. The Jabberwocky is now only a yard away from me and let's out another ferocious roar.

"One, There's a talking rabbit who can tell time." I say, my voice a little shaky but I continue walking. I am now only feet away from the Jabberwocky, which for some reason, hasn't attacked me yet.

"Two, There's a potion that can make you shrink." My voice comes out a little more steady this time but my confidence quickly vanishes when the beast speaks.

"So, my old foe, we meet on the battlefield once again." His voice a deep baritone which I can feel it's vibrations in my chest. It flicks it's serpent like tongue out at me.

"We've never fought." I say, brows furrowed.

"Not you, insignificant girl." He snaps at me with another flicker of his tongue. Anger flares inside of me at his insult. "My ancient enemy, the Vorpal one." He explains, leaning his head down menacingly.

"That's enough chatter." I say before bringing the sword down on his tongue. It lands with a plop at my feet as he cries out in pain, knocking me down with a flick of his tail.

I lay on the ground, fear replaced with adrenaline. "Three, there's a cat who can disappear." The Jabberwocky goes to step on me but I roll out of the way just in time.

"Four, Alice." I say as I get back to my feet, facing the Jabberwocky again. "I lived in Wonderland for a year." I say louder and then begin to swing the sword, attempting to strike the beast.

"Five." I quickly put my shield up when the Jabberwocky breathes purple lightning at me. Sparks fly but the shield does its job and all I can feel is the static in the air. The lightning stops. "I can overthrow the Queen of Hearts." I say frantically, going in for another swing and missing.

I brace myself. "Six." I pause. "I can slay the Jabberwocky." I whisper under my breath, feeling more confident than I ever have in my life. With my newfound bravery I swing my sword assuredly, managing to slice it's cheek, giving me the distraction I need to run underneath him. He attempts to bite me but I avoid his teeth that are the size of my head and push forward.

I reach the ruins of the White Queens castle and begin to climb, something I had got quite good at. Growing up my mother would always chastise me for climbing up the multiple stories of our home while my father would simply laugh. I push that thought aside, too painful to think about.

The Jabberwocky begins to bring it's claws down on me but I swiftly jump to the next ledge, narrowly avoiding being killed. I take a breath of relief but I don't linger in one spot before hoisting myself up to the top of the castle, barely avoiding the next strike of lightning he breaths at me.

The Jabberwocky perches on the top of the already crumbling building and looses his balance when the wall crumbles under his feet. I stab my sword directly into his eye, causing him to duck his head defensively and lets out a roar of pain.

In that moment I don't think, I just act on instinct, jumping on the back of his neck. He begins to swing his head around wildly, attempting to fling me off but I hold on tightly. He swings his head upwards and I let go, flying up in the air, heart beating wildly as I bring the sword over my head.

"Off with your head!" I shout before coming down and severing the Jabberwocky's head from it's neck and I land in a heap on roof of the castle. I lay on my back and allow myself to grin madly.

Storybrooke: Present

"I can't make it work, what you're asking me is impossible!" Emma says, slamming the hat down on the table and standing.

"No! It has to be. If it's not, I'm never going home. I'll be cursed to live in this house forever." He shouts back frantically, inspecting the hat.

"What is so cursed about your life? Look at this place! It's beautiful. Doesn't seem cursed to me!" Emma shouts, finally snapping at how ridiculous this all is. She doesn't have time to placate a mad man, she needs to get Mary Margaret to the police station in time.

"It's cursed because, like everyone else here, what I love has been ripped from me." Jefferson explains, tears forming in his eyes as he walks over to the telescope. "Take a look." Emma walks over to the telescope and is unnerved when she sees a little girl having dinner with her family. She looks up at Jefferson, concern contorting her features, but not for him.

"Her name is Grace, here it's Paige. But it's Grace. My Grace." He pauses. "Do you have any idea what it's like to watch her, day in and day out? Happy, with a new family, with a new father." Emma looks disturbed, realizing that he believes he's the little girls father. "That's not all, look over here." He adjusts the telescope to somewhere else in town. Emma leans down, expecting to see someone else's home but all she can see is the hospital.

"That's the hospital." She says, voice laced with confusion.

"That's where Regina is keeping her, Alice. She's like my daughter..." He trails off, lost in though.

"Alice?" Emma asks, a sympathetic look on her face. Despite the circumstances, she can't help but feel bad for him.

"She's real, and you can see for yourself. Go to the hospital psych ward, she'll be there." He says confidently before his voice turns somber as a single tear trails down his face. "She has been for 28 years."

Wonderland: Present

I stand next to the Jabberwocky's head and kick it lightly. Just to be sure. When it doesn't move I let out a satisfied huff and turn to walk back to the path.

Right as I enter the path I stop dead in my tracks at the sight before me. Standing about ten feet ahead of me is Hook and Jefferson. Hook is standing behind Jefferson, holding his hook to his neck as Jefferson looks at me with a proud expression at the sight of me wearing the armor.

"That was an impressive show lass." Hook says without a hint of sarcasm. I raise my sword once more, my expression now cold.

"Let him go." I demand softly. He looks at me with a bittersweet smile.

"You're a tough one aren't you?" He looks down for a moment, clearly conflicted. "But I'm afraid that's why you must leave Wonderland." He tells me before taking something out of his pocket and throwing it between us. Before my eyes, the ground changes and begins to swirl. My hair flutters around my face. "This portal will return you back to your land."

"No!" Jefferson shouts and my gaze meets his. Tears form in my eyes and I smile a sad smile at him.

"What do you want?" I ask Hook without taking my gaze off Jefferson's.

"It's not what I want love, it's what Cora wants." He tells me, voice filled with sympathy. "She wants you gone. If you jump into that portal, your friend will live."

"You can't Alice!" Jefferson shouts, panicked. "Let me die." His voice barely a whisper over the sound of the whirling portal.

"No." I whisper back, tears streaming down my cheeks steadily.

"Please, just... tell Grace that I never gave up on trying to find her." He pleads.

"Jefferson." I sob out. He looks at me and nods tearfully. "Do you know why a raven is like a writing desk?" I ask, forcing myself to smile through the tears. He simply looks at me, eyes widening slightly. "Because it can produce a few notes."

"You remember." He breathes out.

I fall forward, feeling myself being transported back when the last word I hear is Jefferson's scream.

"No!"

[ask-the-clergy-bc]

AAAHHHH can you write some headcannons for the papas helping a depressed partner??

Happy to write this but always like to say a few things when it comes to this particular subject.

You're never alone and there is no shame in asking or seeking help. You don't have to suffer alone, and there is love and support for you during these hard times.

I hope these head canons can bring comfort to anyone who is just having a tough time mentally, right now.

Trigger Warnings for talks of Mental health, depression, depressive symptoms, and talks of doctors/medication.

Further Disclaimer: Every individual with depression has different symptoms and experiences. We all have our own needs and ways support helps us. This will not cover every experience, but I hope it covers a good general range. Thanks!

Papas Supporting Their S/O With Depression

Papa Nihil: Despite not having the best medical knowledge, Nihil knows depression and how it has affected many of his friends in life. Seeing you, his partner, be affected by it makes him sit down and actually learn all he can. Yes, he was always the supportive friend and mentor in his time as Papa. You couldn't be Papa without helping those in need. But it's different now that it's someone so important to him. Nihil makes it a point to sit down with you when you have the energy. The fancy medical text books and blogs can only tell you so much. Nihil knows only YOU know how you feel. That's the root of his faith after all, trusting your own mind and sense. So that's where he truly wants to start and support you! He asks how do YOU feel and what YOU are personally going through. Truthfully, it was nice for someone to ask and not just ASSUME you are having all typical depression symptoms.

You're also a bit flattered that Nihil is protective of you during initially working to feel better. He'd eat his own saxophone before jumping to conclusions that you were going to hurt yourself, or that 'he knew what was better for you.' Nihil trusts you and whatever path you want to take. Just know if it's seeking professional help you'll get the best, and if you felt like your doctor was dismissing you well... the doctor is going to have to deal with a lot of ghouls in their work place. Other than that, he will be by your side as long as you need him. He isn't a doctor, but he loves you with all of his being. So he will be there to carry you when you can't stand.

Papa I: His support is often very gentle yet firm, and goes at your pace. Papa will never force you to 'just get over it' or 'try to be better'. Actually, he often hates blind optimistic or overly cynical approaches to mental health. Neither are helpful, and he'd refuse to subject you to them. Papa is more prepared to ask you what you'd need, and WHEN you'd need it. Maybe one day you need his help entirely, and other days you don't want him messing with your progress! Either way, he's an unwavering presence. As a magic and faith user who supports medical advice, Papa would help shape some aspects of your daily routine to alleviate some of your symptoms. Anything that just makes getting through the day with less stress and hassle. It's slow but steady, but it makes life so much easier!

You find you like him not verbally reminding you to keep with your meds. Instead he incorporates them wordlessly with breakfast or lunch. Instead of energy drinks, he offers hand blended teas he uses from his own garden (He loves a good holistic approach when appropriate in his own aging body.) They are a good way to get a bit of energy and calm down. Papa encourages you to join him for some daily tasks- whether that's a small errand you can run together or a small activity. He worries about a lack of stimuli for you and tries to keep you out of bed as much as possible. But he will never force you. Instead he uses his deep and comforting voice to ask you join him just once. Most importantly? When you have no energy, he let's you rest. Let's you sleep it off because that's your body telling you what you need.

Papa II: I've often said that Papa II always has a tough time with issues he can't fix by punching them in the face. And trust me, if he could punch your depression he absolutely would. Papa keeps to himself how much he HATES watching you struggle. Because sulking about it on his end isn't helpful and he'd never put that burden on you. Instead, Papa tries to do his best to support you where he is needed and wanted. If you looked closely at your daily life, he does subtle things to make your life easier. Encourage you to get up with him in the guise of needing company, cooking to see if you'd eat because he took time to make it, or even just making small comments of 'Oh, I need my vitamin. Do you want me to grab your antidepressant?'

For big things, he goes where he is needed. Papa would be loathed to make you ever feel like you didn't have autonomy even on your low days. So you have discussions about it often. Papa and you have decided that, outside of emotional support, he would get more staff to help with daily tasks. And you appreciate it on days you just can't do anything. What you even cherish more is him always reassuring you that having help DOES NOT make you a burden or useless. Everyone needs a little extra help. And if that means hiring a ghoul or sibling to do some laundry or make food, then by Lucifer, he's going to hire the entire convent! And he'd be BLESSED before he let you feel like it wasn't ok to need support! Papa is always a strong rock for you.

Papa III: Papa has never told anyone about his own struggles with mental health. He's had some pretty bad lows in his life. So he knows exactly what you are going through, and he fucking hates seeing you like this. If it was up to him he'd take it all away and keep you safe. But life is not the fairy tale he'd like it to be. So Papa resolves to do what he always wished someone would do for him; be there to support you unconditionally. Papa offers this in MANY ways. But the most important one he wants to convey to you (should you be open to it) is just making sure you know you are NEVER alone. That, and letting you know you are such a precious person to him and you are NOT broken. Because truthfully, that's all he ever wanted for his own battles.

Papa does everything he can for you, whenever you want. His best expertise is letting you talk it out. Getting out all of your numbness, your fears, and even some of the events that triggered your depression. Other times, he tries to keep you occupied- even if it doesn't necessarily bring you joy. Just something to keep your mind off of how awful you feel AND knowing you have a safe person to do it with. Sometimes these are walks, sometimes these are cheesy horror movies, and even more they are just small activities to do together. Anhedonia was the worst for him, and Papa believes finding some sprinkle of joy in life is a good start to hanging on. For him back in the day it was finding he likes writing. So he's happy to help you discover what brings that spark back for you.

Papa IV/Cardinal Copia: Copia is a well known pillar of strength in his flock, even before ascending to Papacy. But it's distressing to him to learn that you, his beloved, has this problem. If it wasn't for the fact he has done this so much he wouldn't feel qualified to help you. But Copia REFUSES to throw a pity party for himself, especially when it's YOU who needs the help! So he's going to be there for you as the best partner he can be! Starting with encouraging you to seek professional help. Copia will always be there as a helping hand and a shoulder to cry on, but he knows his limits. One day when you mention you were considering medical intervention, he sat with you and encouraged you gently. Copia explains all the benefits to you and offers to go with you to your appointment. Even sheepishly he has had to do the same before. He won't be ashamed to admit he's had his own battles with anxiety.

Copia does what he can to assist you when needed. Sometimes he brings you to his office on less busy days so you can have some work. It takes your mind off of matters without being overwhelming. Copia makes all the time for you he can so you don't have to be alone. (or if you want space he gives you all of it you need between checking on you once in a while.) Copia is very big on sticking to professional recommendations, as the routine helped him control his anxiety a bit more. He offers his advice (when asked) and is happy to do tasks with you. With his Papa connections too he gets the best therapist when you ask, and will refuse to stop looking until you find one you have the best chemistry with. A bit over the top? Yes. But you're worth it to him, and he will do whatever he can to see you beat this.

[russellsppttemplates]

Could you do a Lance blurb where him and the reader give a puppy after Addalynn and Margot beg them after they were spending a day with Chloe and Scotty and their dog

Note: this is also partly inspired on how me and my family got one of our dogs a few years ago!

"Bauer!", the girls yelled as they ran into Chloe and Scotty's garden, following the dog as he ran around the grass with one of his toys. That's how it started as when you were making your way back home, Margot started angling for a dog, "it would be so cute, mummy! We could play with him and we'd always have company!", she reasoned.

"A dog is a lot of work, princess, it's not just the good parts of having another friend. They need showers, food at regular times, time in the garden to go potty, training", you explained as Lance nodded, "it's not something you get just because you want one - as isn't anything else in life", your husband offered.

The subject stayed there until one of the team members, James, told you about a litter his neighbour had and while they had buyers for all of the male puppies, no one wanted the female puppies and he didn't have space for all of them once they grew up. Because James had been looking for a good family dog since he and his partner had welcomed a baby into their family recently, he was showing the pictures of the black labrador asleep next to the crib, "my neighbour still has another two puppies - and he's giving them for free because he can't keep all of them. People made reservations for them, but the minute he told them they were female, the clients called it off", he explained. You and Lance shared a look before asking James for his neighbour's phone number, scheduling a visit to the puppies.

The brown labrador caught your eye first as she stood in the corner of the living room, "hey, sweet girl, come here", you cooed soflty, offering her your hand to sniff so she could get comfortable, sitting on the floor as you heard Colin, James' neighbour, talk and explain the situation to Lance, "I just want them to have a good family to take care of them and love them - and realistically, I can't do that", he added.

The brown puppy stomped to you, little legs walking up to your lap and curling up there, "Oh, Lance!", you cooed at the sight, knowing he didn't need to say much to convince you to bring her home with you.

"Girls!", you called as you walked into the house, "come to the garden quickly, please!", you said as you let the dog sniff her new home.

"What is it mu- oh, look Margot!", Addalynn said as she saw the puppy in the grass, "it the dog ours?", she asked hopeful.

"Yes", Lance encouraged them to approach you and the brown labrador, the girls cooing and squealing startling her before she sniffed them.

"Daddy, we're going to call her Juno!", Addalynn smiled as she petted the dog on her sister's lap

"Sounds lovely, sweet girl! I'm sure she loves it!", Lance smiled as he flashed her a thumbs up, "Even the dog in this house is a girl", he chuckled as he hugged you from your back, hands resting on your growing tummy, the round bump now obvious.

"What can I say, handsome, you were made to be a girl dad!", you kissed his cheek as he rested his chin on your shoulder as you watched your girls play with the new family member.

(Thank you for sending this in ✨️)