#also i am very much hooked by the fact that like. nowadays i keep seeing ship posts about 'killing myself in front of you to change the

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

.

[whirlybirbs]

FEVER-DREAM    ;    echo/reader 

summary: echo is fine-tuning his new prosthesis. you have experience, you help. unspoken feelings are acted on. adoration blooms. you learn what mesh’la means.

word count: 3k

pairing: echo / f!reader

tags: mutual pining, lots of tender looks, victorian-era hand-touching sluttiness, echo is a gentle soul, reader is head over heels, a touch of ptsd mention, set on ord mantell, mention of our boy fives, in this house we love assistive devices, enough sexual tension to power the death star

a/n: this is me round-house kicking the bad batch writers in the throat because they made echo cosplay a droid — but, also because this man deserves to be treated as more than a means to a mission’s end. majority of you know i am ~bitter~ (understatement of the century) of tbb’s plot/design/writing. but echo has been a favorite from the original days... so have some very soft fic.

i reference character redesigns by @nibeul​ in this piece — please go peep them here, and some updated character spreads here! they’re really beautiful and add a phenomenal layer of storytelling to the existing designs that’s lacking. nibuel’s art and writing is lovely. please give them a follow — i can’t rec their work enough. 

“How does it feel?”

The words are nearly whispered; it’s clear you didn’t want to startle him, and Echo can feel the pinch in his brow soften at your sudden appearence in the doorway. 

His bunk, at the back of the Havoc Marauder, is small — the space itself even more so. There’s a makeshift partition, hooked together with spare parts and meant to offer a bit of privacy on the cramped vessel. Its slate grey color has faded, and the edges have become tattered in the cycles of use. 

When Echo pulls his dark eyes up from his work, you’re leaning against the frame — your expression is earnest.

For a moment, the once-ARC Trooper is quiet. 

He wonders if he’ll ever get used to your attention. Each and every time, it sends him into a spiral; his heart catches as he inhales and tries to push down the warm stir in his gut. The sight of you is enough, nowadays, to melt Echo’s well-maintained irritability. His attention is stolen from his ever-present pain, if only for a bit.

There are plenty of days where he misses the old him — the wide-eyed, eager ARC Trooper who had his brothers by his side. His real brothers. Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait... Fives. 

Fuckin’ hell, Fives was probably staring down at him now laughing. 

No matter what changes, you’re still shit with the ladies, vod’ika. 

In a way he hasn’t fully admitted to himself, you make him feel like himself again. Like... Like some shiny cadet, on leave and distracted by the promises of pretty smiles passing-by. It’s good.

This makes him feel... good. 

He flexes, and his right hand — the new, gunmetal durasteel cyberized-prosthesis — closes into a tight fist. It’s taken him a bit, but the feeling isn’t so foreign now. It’s still... slow. Slower than he’s used to, but you’d mentioned it may take some time. The phantom feelings get better, too. All in all, it’s a good thing.

Your own hand, your left, glimmers back in the same gunmetal color.

(Echo had never pressed you about the missing limb — not until one day, in Cid’s, you’d joined him in a quiet corner. You’d spilled your drink and a complaint about getting the star-cherry syrup out of the joints had slipped out. Echo had laughed; a real laugh, the sort that was so rare coming from him, it had you staring at him as if he’d hung ever star in the sky. 

Can I ask how it happened? he’d said, breaking the heavy silence when your eyes never left his.

The Pykes, you’d said, and that was enough.)

“I haven’t, uh... Haven’t gotten the sensory calibration right yet.”

Then, his prosthesis cramps. His fingers go rigid, and Echo curses sharply as he reaches around his forearm to quickly reboot the appendage. It goes slack, then hums alive once more.

You wince.

You’re slow to move into the room — and you settle atop one of the crates Echo had stolen from the belly of the ship, an old Mantell Mix shipping container. You’re mindful to set his datapad aside, to not disturb his space too much. Before you reach for his hand, however, you lift your chin and open your hands in your lap.

“May I?” you ask, just as soft as before.

Echo feels small under your gaze.

Truth be told, you’re doing more than just... asking. You’re taking him in — appreciating him. It’s a habit that’s grown more and more apparent to not only himself, but the others.

In recent rotations, Echo has let his hair grow out — not long, but the once close buzz he’d kept has begun to curl at the top. Not entirely dissimilair to how it was before the Citadel. The dermal implants, the ones the Techno Union installed in order to parse the nuerological data in his head, stand out against his warm-colored skin. 

His usual AJ^6-inspired headpiece is resting on his bunk.

That damn thing.

A neccesary tool. One that, given the amount of user data Tech had procured when working on modifying the implant, Echo found himself immediately distrusting. It wasn’t as if the AJ^6 cyborg construct had a beautiful track record, and frankly, Echo would like to keep his personality in tact, thank you very much. There were plenty of days he felt machine enough. 

It wasn’t often you saw him without the headset; you knew it made linking in via his scomp easier to handle, it made the visualization of data transfers as easy as breathing. For Echo, it was a part of his vast kit, an important tool. For you, seeing him without it bubbles up a bit of a smile.

Echo catches it.

His eyes narrow playfully.

He looks... well. You — hell, are there words for it? For the way the sight of him makes you feel? It’s like there’s a world full of potential there, a thousand words unsaid, and feelings that have steeped in the warmth of longing gazes and half-there touches.

You’re still looking up at him, knees bent on the crate.

You blink, realizing you’ve been caught staring — not for the first time and certainly not for the last. In the beginning, it had left a sour taste in Echo’s mouth. But, now... Well, it stokes a sort of pride in his chest that he hangs onto. 

It never gets easier to recover from — certainly not when Echo smirks. He moves to allow you to take his prosthesis into your lap. The gesture is gentle; your fingers cradle the firm yet pliable metal.

“What?” he asks. His voice, low and rough and warm, is tinted with amusement.

“Nothing,” you say vaguely with a shrug — as if that’s supposed to explain any part of your enamored stare. Your attention moves to the prosthesis.

“Nothing?” he asks, moving to thumb his left ear with his free hand with a dash of nervousness. A habit. Echo tilts his head as his fingers brush the cochlear implant there. The panel rests neatly against the side of his head, a small rounded-off square. The bite of self-consciousness has dwindled around you — but still, it creeps back up every now and again.

The Corporal’s brows knot playfully as you turn his new hand over in your lap; you’re admiring the upgraded feel, the more seamless panelling in comparison to your own. Echo watches your lashes flutter in silent thought.

Then:

“You’re a terrible liar, you know.”

You blink slowly at the hand, swallow down your sudden sheepishness and ignore his gaze. You bite back the smile digging into your cheeks. “Maybe.”

“Do I have something on my face?” he asks suddenly, and you look up.

A baited trick. He’s smiling. 

The warm sort — the sort reserved for you and for Omega. The two souls that hold a piece of his heart, with all its ticking valves and electric timed pulses. There are machinisms that keep him alive, and then there is you. Your wide-eyed expression melts, giving way to the sort of smile he’s tried to memorize over and over. It’s the same smile that has warded off that reoccuring nightmare of the night on the tarmac at the Citadel, the same smile that has pulled him through the grit of phantom pains.

“What—” a sudden laugh bursts from your chest, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You were staring, mesh’la,” he rumbles out as a reminder, enjoying the fact he’s suddenly become the center of your attention. Echo leans back, his boot toeing yours. You nudge it back. Your face feels hot. You ignore his pointedly teasing look with a roll of your eyes.

The nickname started a few weeks ago. You haven’t asked what it means — no, for now it’s meaning hangs in the balance. Untouched but there. The affection the word carries makes your heart feel heavier and unbelievably full.

“Bad habit,” you chirp back, looking up at him through your lashes.

His laugh is warm.

“Maybe not.”

“No,” you say quietly; your voice is soft as your eyes bounce across his face, tracing the lines of his face with your gaze, “I don’t think it is.”

There’s a silence that slips between you — a comfortable one. It’s heavier than before. That has begun to happen recently, especially with the petal-soft utterance of mesh’la becoming more and more frequent. You hold his gaze. Echo lets out a soft, contented sigh.

Then, you remember the task at hand.

You clear your throat.

“Uh... The access panel I’m looking for,” you say slowly as your raise your finger to point to your own arm, “It’s on your bicep.”

Echo blinks. He clears his own throat before looking down — he hadn’t even noticed that access panel. That could explain the jarring miscommunication stalling the limb. This model had more bells and whistles than he initally realized. 

Better than a fuckin’ scomp link, that’s for sure.

Wordlessly, Echo makes room on his bunk. You move to settle beside him, your bent leg resting aginst his hip as you half-straddle the bed; your other knee brushes his thigh — and Echo tries to sit still. You’re close, now. 

“Is it okay if...?” you trail off, fingers tugging on the short sleeve of his blacks; you pause until Echo offers a curt nod. You catch him swallow. You push onward, fingers nimbly rolling the fabric up over his broad bicep. 

Echo steals a glance your way as your fingers pass across a slip of his bare skin. 

In his lap, both his hands twitch.

He’s no small man. Lean and athletic, Echo is built like a soldier. Omega had said once that Echo was an ARC Trooper, one of the best of the best. You believed every bit of it, and you’d hung on her words when she’d rambled on about ARC training, about Kamino, and about who Echo was before you knew him. It was all in the past, though. That Echo is a part of this Echo but... They’re different men. He’s been changed by the things that have happened.

You don’t press him on the details. 

In time, they’re slipped into conversation here and there — between the here and now.  

In the beginning, when you’d found yourself amongst the crew of the Havoc Marauder — be it for a simple job on Cid’s behalf — Echo had hardly paid you a moment of attention, though you admit you’d been curious from the start. It had taken three jobs for you to finally see his face. Then began the slow and gradual bonding over catching joints, grating plates, and hardware updates. His legs, your arm. Two pieces of a pair.

Now, he has this. A beautiful new upgrade — something he’s wanted for a long time. A part of his old self is back, in a way.

You liked that it was more than just a tool. That, in having this piece of his body back, he felt like more than a tool. More than a scomp link. 

After all, he is a man — a... a very handsome man. One whose proximity is sort of distracting you, again, from the task at hand.

“The panel here,” you say as you slowly press on the seam that enables the settings panel to be revealed; you’re mindful to explain, “It controls sensory outputs, as well as synchonized synaptic commands. The panel on my forearm does the same to my hand, yours is just... well, you’ve got the new and improve version.”

Echo ducks his head as you work, watching you from the corner of his eye. “Feeling a bit jealous, mesh’la?”

“Maybe,” you breathe out with a smile. 

Then, you lift your eyes. You intended to see that he was still comfortable, but instead you come face to face with the Corporal. His nose nearly brushes yours when you lift you chin, completely dragged in by the closeness shared.

There’s a beat of tension. Echo’s mouth goes dry.

You fingers pause. You swallow hard. “How... uh, how does it feel?”

Echo tightens his grip, then releases. His breath tickles your cheeks. His eyes, a deep, warm brown, flit from your eyes to your mouth, and then back. His voice is a croak. 

“...Same as before.”

You tinker with a dial, eyes never leaving his; your voice is above a whisper. “And now?”

It’s immediate. Like a rush of cold air up his arm — and on instinct, Echo’s hand twitches. His fingers grip the fabric of his blacks, along his thigh, and... he feels it. The smooth, stretch of the material. It’s... it feels like a lot. His fingertips, metallic and cyberized, tingle. It’s distracting.

He can feel. 

His hand is slow. It moves across to bridge the space between you. His pointer finger settles on the curve of your knee; the feeling of your tactical pants beneath his fingertip is ignored, instead he chases the heat of your body.

Your breath catches at the touch. 

Echo’s face is turned to you, but... his attention has settled on his hand. His palm then sweeps across your thigh. He follows the curve, soaks in the feeling. You’re frozen in place, beating back the desperate sound of appreciation that threatens to be pulled from your throat. The touch is... more than welcomed. 

The closeness itself is making you dizzy.

Then, Echo turns — and the warm, durasteel-plated palm finds your cheek.

Your skin is hot. 

“Is this okay, mesh’la?” he whispers, words riding on a quiet exhale — the sort that make you feel... well, you don’t even have words for the way he makes you feel. Echo is... kind, honest, and loyal. Above all else, he’s gentle. Despite it all, despite every bit of horror he’d been put through, he’d never lost sight of the importance of a gentle hand. Especially now in a moment as intimate as this. It coaxes you closer.

You lean into the cybernetic attachment, cheek resting in his palm. You nod, then, with eyes eager to take in every bit of this moment.

He chuckles at the enthusiasm. Echo’s thumb, deft and smooth, then traces the line of your lower lip.

The feeling is... the gnawing pain that he’s felt for nearly a year has melted. Finally, the itch has been scratched in his brain and the hollow ache of his bones is gone. It’s relief, and comfort, and excitement and all these beautiful things — and you. 

You’re stuck — you don’t want to move, you won’t move. He’s rooted you completely, and when his other hand — the calloused and warm one of flesh and blood — finds it’s spot along your thigh, you swallow a lovesick sigh that would only exaserbate your desperation. 

Your mouth is moving before you realize it. 

“What does it mean?”

Echo’s eyes narrow, only a bit, and he runs his thumb up your cheekbone.

“What does what mean?” 

“Mesh’la,” it sounds foreign on your tongue. It’s not Hutteese or Twi’leki, not like any language you know, “Will you tell me what it means, Echo?”

The corner of his lips quirk. Your eyes jump to it.

You feel like someone’s reached right into your chest and given your heart a squeeze — and it only worsens when he laughs. He laughs, deep and quiet and warm, like a thunderstorm on a summer night. It feels cruel, to string you along like this when you’re here, lips parted, hanging off his every touch and his every word.

“Beautiful,” he says quietly as his other hand touches your jaw — it’s so damn reverent, this little moment in time, that you almost don’t believe it’s real.

It feels like a dream — like someone has come in and stolen your thoughts from you; like the unrequited yearning has finally stoked a fire large enough to burn you up entirely, a fever you never knew you wanted.

His nose brushes yours.

Your fingers wind into the fabric of his chest. You’re clinging, lost to the moment — and you can’t help wonder if this is how it feels when he catches you adoring him. He’s admiring you so tenderly that you nearly break.

You want to kiss him.

He’s thought about nothing but kissing you for the last five days at least. Longer in his dreams. Nowadays, it’s a constant pull, a constant want.

And now, it’s here — a present and current moment where it can happen. Where he can stop being a shiny cadet and he can make a move...

Enter Omega.

“Echo, we’re back—!”

The telltale hammer of a girl’s boots on the floor signals that the party is back from their supply run — but you’re so far off, spinning in a different universe, you don’t even hear her until its too late... Until Echo is yanking himself away and clearing his throat and rolling his wrist to test the prosthesis in a different way, a less intimate way. 

You blink, then rattle yourself back to the present. Omega is in the doorway staring with a quizzical look. Clearly, your state does little to dissuade the assumptions she’s already making and you can see the gears turning in her head. The dark-haired girl then slowly grins.

“Hi.”

You swallow. “Hi, Omega.”

“...Whatcha guys doin’?”

Echo coughs. “Uh, just fine-tuning the new upgrade.”

“...Riiiiiight.” 

You rub your cheeks and laugh — clearly forced and incredibly pained — as you stand up and nearly ram your head right into the top of Echo’s bunk. It’s met with a hiss of warning from the trooper as he jumps up to try and protect you from the impact. 

“Well! Uh, thanks for letting me help, Echo,” you clap, rocking back and forth on your boots, “I, uh... Oh, Cid called. I should... I should get back—”

“Yea,” he says, straining a bit to find the words, “Yea, I’ll... I’ll comm you if it starts to, uh... If it starts to act up?”

Omega watches the exchange, big brown eyes moving from left to right. 

“Good, great — yea, that’s,” you inhale as you rub your thighs and move towards the door, “Perfect. Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Bye!” Omega calls, waving.

You wave back, smiling. “Bye, Omega.”

Then, once it’s only Echo and Omega in the bunk, the tween speaks.

“...What the kriff was that?”

[snailvibes]

do you have any headcanons about off the hook and/or pearl and marina individually? also do you agree they are gay?

HI sorry for taking forever to get to this, been very busy lately and forgot to answer this lmao

First of all yes I am actually nintendo themselves and they’re very gay mega gay pearlina canon the only reason they haven’t been in the splat3 trailers yet is Cus they’re on their honeymoon <3

Headcanons under the cut!

- marina is into competitive online video games except instead of being like the kids in COD lobbies she just messages you your IP and says “this u?”

- taking this as a chance to spread my favorite hc of “pearl is emperor and prince from the splatoon manga’s sister” because it’s amazing. Pearl goes to all of their matches and supports them no matter what (embarrasses emperor more than anything lol). They all argue a lot but pearl practically raised them so they’re super close still they love their big sis <3

- marina adores cats she visits the judds constantly and loves reading any human books about cats and cat facts she can find

- Pearl enjoys hanging out with the agents she has a “cool aunt” relationship with four and three

- marina has tons of things she likes to collect for fun ranging from manga to trading cards to merchandise of the bands she likes. Pearl actually collects stuffed animals but she tells everyone it’s Marina’s collection Cus she gets embarrassed

- around when marina first came to the surface she’d constantly drag pearl outside when it was raining because of how fascinated by it she was. Pearl went along with it just for her even when it was thundering but it was worth it to see marina smile so much. Nowadays marina won’t drag her outside anymore but she still asks her to watch it from outside a window with her and Pearl never says no

- pearl very much just wears only clothes from marina she’s stolen. Heck I think she’d buy marina a bunch of clothes just to steal them after she’s worn them. I very much think her hoodie from the octo expansion used to belong to marina ages ago and marina just eventually let Pearl keep it.

- Marina’s octo form is HUGE and she very much enjoys cuddling pearl in it

- Pearl’s shit at cooking but she’s been trying to learn to do nice things for marina like making her breakfast (which usually doesn’t work because marina wakes up before pearl lmao but it’s the thought that counts! Sometimes marina will just stay in bed and pretend to sleep when pearl wakes up because she knows pearl wants to make her breakfast) 

- obviously they’ve adopted agent 8 and are a happy family with her <3 they’re both good at helping out with any nightmares from the metro and taught her how to speak inkling better. Marina taught her how turfwars work and pearl took her everywhere around the city

- I believe in the gay cephlapods supremacy <3

[silentfcknhill]

FAVORITE SHOWS IN POSTERS

Well, we’re back for another installment of this tagged meme, this time for TV shows! I also stole this from/was indirectly tagged by @jcmorrigan. My taste in shows also differs a bit from my taste in movies, as I tend to like a lot of comedy shows with not as many horror ones. I’m not into shows as much as movies overall, but there are some that I am very passionate about so I picked twenty again. So, here we go for part 2, in order:

1. Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend Of Korra (2005-2014)

I'm including these as one show since they take place in the same universe and tell a continuation of the same overall plot. Altogether this is probably the best piece of media to ever exist, including movies. It has so many great characters and villains especially and some of the most epic sequences, charming humor and heartwarming moments ever. I've never met a person who didn't like these shows, even people who normally don't like cartoons. My dad, who is biased against animation? He loved it. My mother? She loved it, watched it with her multiple times. My grandmother? Loved it. My ex-boyfriend? Loved it. My best friend? Loved it. I dare anyone not to, and I'm so glad it's making a resurgence since it's on Netflix for a new generation to enjoy.

2. Black Butler (2008-2014)

I never was big into anime growing up and only really started watching anime when I was like 16 and above, but this is one of the exceptions because holy shit is it ever dark and epic. I'm not sure I'd really recommend it for kids, it's more of a teens and young adults kind of anime and that's probably why it's so good, because it isn't afraid to explore dark and mature topics and do it with all of the intensity and gravitas required to do said topics justice. It has lots of great characters, and the story of demons who make deals with children who have a dark side is fun to watch play out.

3. Seinfeld (1989-1998)

My dad was a huge fan of this show so I watched it growing up since I was a toddler and it became a classic for me. I've watched thw hole show through at least 8 times, and I'll never stop because it never gets old or boring. It's also my only comfort show when I'm having a panic attack because of one time a few years ago when I was having a drug-induced psychosis episode and watching it calmed me down, so now it's like the opposite of a trigger and whenever I'm having an episode or something I watch it to bring me back to reality. For that reason it's more than a show to me, it's a medical treatment and I'm forever grateful to it.

4. The Good Place (2016-2020)

The big four shows made my Michael Schur all made it on this post (The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office and Parks And Recreation), either in the main list of the honorable mentions, but this is my personal favorite of the four. It's so funny, quirky, relatable and basically tailor-made to suit my interests. Not only is it an entertaining and wholesome show, but I think watching it helped me come to terms with a lot of things like mortality, ethics, philosophy, religion and my relationships with other people. It gets  alot of different viewpoints across and if you're a very analytical and philosophical person like me you'll probably enjoy seeing it all play out. Not to mention, every single character is 'favorite character' material. It's rare you find a show with no filler characters in the main cast, but I genuinely can't choose who is best.

5. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-?)

Another of Michael Schur's shows, this one is just barely under The Good Place and to be honest it was tough to pick my favorite between the two because they're both equally funny. I know it's kind of controversial right now because of the whole law enforcement thing, but I actually think they do a good job of handling social issues in the show and remaining respectful of real-life systemic problems. As for the characters, this is another one of those shows where every single character is gold and I think that tends to be a trend among Schur's shows in general. He produces damn good comedy, and damn good characters. I can't wait to see what they bring next.

6. Rick And Morty (2013-?)

This is unfortunately one of those cases of 'great show, horrible fandom' and for that reason I don't get involved in the fandom even though I love the show. It's a shame because it really is a great show, so funny and, again, such good characters. I think it's a lot more accessible than the fandom likes to claim, so I'm hoping more people will give it a chance and not get put off by the intellectual elitism of the fandom because it does have some of the most entertaining and batshit crazy episodes ever, poking fun of some of the staples of science fiction in media while also poking fun of itself the whole time. Unlike the fandom, the show doesn't take itself seriously and that's enjoyable nowadays.

7. Orange Is The New Black (2013-2019)

While this show is a comedy, it is also a lot of other things and it's probably made me ugly-cry just as many times as it's made me laugh. Well, maybe not as often, but those few scenes (if you've watched the show then you know the ones I'm talking about) made me hysterically sob hard enough to be worth like fifty minor sads. But I didn't even mind because the show is just that good, and it makes you /feel/ something in a real way. Probably because of just how real it gets in terms of telling stories that happen all the time in the real world, sometimes with inevitably tragic endings. But these things do happen every day, and it's important to shine a light on that. It's not just representation for LGBTQ+ but also for POC, the neurodiverse, the poor, and many more. Give it a watch to broaden your perspective!

8. Big Mouth (2017-?)

This is probably the grossest show I've ever seen but by god is it ever funny. Maybe it's because I have an immature sense of humor or something, but I love this show. It definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea and I don't recommend you watch this show with anyone else around because it will get awkward. I think part of its appeal to me is that everyone I talk to who likes it considers it so relatable to their lives growing up but for someone like me who grew up on the autism and asexual spectrum and who was physically an early-bloomer by years, nothing about this show is relatable to me in any way so it makes it all the more crazy and bizarre watching how the people around me must have experienced things. Did y'all really have these experiences with puberty in middle school???

9. Dexter (2006-2013)

I recently heard that this show is coming back for a reboot soon and I'm so excited because this is my absolute favorite drama/thriller show, as evidenced by the fact that it's the highest one on the list so far that isn't a comedy. I love the idea of having a protagonist who is sort of a villain (or at least morally dubious), and the idea of a serial killer who only kills bad people is particularly satisfying for some reason. Maybe because he's the vigilante we all deserve and want in this unjust and evil world of modern times? Idk but the very premise of this show set it up for big things and aside from the ending I think it delivered consistently.

10. Once Upon A Time (2011-2018)

This show took us on some journeys, and you can't deny that. Sure, maybe it didn't always finish what it started and didn't always end in the most satisfying way, but part of its charm is that you didn't care because the experience was just so much fun. They took characters and stories that have been told to death and somehow managed to put a unique and unexpected twist on them, and that alone is admirable. Good twists, good villains, and pretty much every cliffhanger known to man will keep you hooked on binge-watching every episode.

11. RuPaul's Drag Race (2009-?)

A bit different than the other entries on my list in that it's not fiction but a reality competition show, but I couldn't leave Drag Race out because it's just so fucking iconic and perfect. Even when you disagree with the judges or can't stand a certain contestant you'll still be having a good time. It's got the personalities you love to love, the ones you love to hate, and the comedy that's completely meme-able. I mean just how much has this show contributed to pop culture and the internet? More than most of us, henny. I've watched every single season, even the international ones and all of the spinoffs. This show will probably be on for another thirty years when Ru is throwing shade from a hospital bed and I'll still be watching.

12. House (2004-2012)

Some people hate on this show, and I don't get it. I love House. Yes, he's an ass. That's the point. He's supposed to be unlikeable, and that's why I like him. Maybe because I always love the rude, sarcastic, misanthropic jerkass-genius characters for some reason. And I also love procedural shows, so it's a win-win. I also work in the healthcare field so it appeals to me for that reason too, because obviously the whole premise is outlandish which is what makes it funny. Of course it's not realistic for a hospital, so just enjoy the absurdity and don't get too hung up on the details of medical accuracy and professional ethics and you'll be fine.

13. The Office (2005-2013)

The third of Michael Schur's show and the last one that made the main list (sorry Parks And Rec, I love you too but there was just so many good shows to choose from and I saw you last so the nostalgia isn't as strong!) I don't think I need to hype this show up any, it's already a classic and you can't even turn around online without getting hit in the face by a dozen Office memes. You'll have to pry this show and it's relatable characters (especially Michael Scott) from my cold, dead hands.

14. All Hail King Julien/The Penguins Of Madagascar (2008-2017)

Like Avatar/Korra, I also consider this as one show for the sake of this list because it also takes place in the same universe (Madagascar, specifically) and I just couldn't choose one over the other because they're both so perfect. They're funny and I love all the characters (it cut out the weaker links of the Madagascar film series and just focuses on expanding the standout side-characters like King Julien and the penguins). It also delved into some lore, particularly the first show, and even though I didn't also agree with the directions it took (you may have seen me get salty about the ending because I cared too much), I can't deny how much I love it.

15. Bones (2005-2017)

One of the other scarce non-comedy shows on this list, it still has it's funny moments. It's also, like House, another procedural show that involves some medical stuff, but this time on a more scientific and forensic level which is even more interesting. It's nice to see a lead female with Asperger's, too. There's a lot of cop/law enforcement shows where they try to solve crimes, but this one is the best, and I'm saying that as a fan of CSI as well. Don't fight me on this, I'm right. Oh yes, it's corny, it's campy, it's cheesy, but I love every minute of it. Don't watch if you have a weak stomach though.

16. The Simpsons (1989-?)

We all grew up with this show, don't lie. It's been around longer than most people on tumblr have even been alive. Should it have ended seasons ago? Hell yes. But that doesn't take away what the first like 20 or so seasons gave us (there's a lot of argument about when the show jumped the shark, for me it wasn't until much later than the popular consensus). The characters are amazing, but the secret to the show's longevity is that they always return to status quo and there's comfort and nostalgia in that. Bart will still be in 4th grade when you're out there pushing 90. This show is persistent. This show is eternal. This show will outlive us all.

17. Ash Vs. Evil Dead (2015-2018)

Sorely underrated. This show is hilarious, gruesome and campy as hell and I love it. I don't think you necessarily have to watch the Evil Dead movies beforehand in order to get the plot of the show, although it would probably help. In my opinion this show ended way too soon and I'm hoping someday we'll get a comeback because Ash is the reluctant, self-absorbed hero we all need and it's 2020 so at this point there really might actually be a demon-zombie apocalypse and who's gonna save us then if not for the impulsive womanizer with a chainsaw for a hand?

18. Malcolm In The Middle (2000-2006)

Another show I grew up with, I don't think it gets as much credit as it deserves. It has some damn funny episodes and great characters, and it did a lot of the popular sitcom tropes before they were 'cool'. Some other great sitcoms, The Middle in particular, took a lot of influence from this show and it helped pave the way for the future of sitcoms at a time when they were about to make a comeback. If you want a good show about the real experiences of growing up, this is a much more accurate representation of the highs and lows of being an awkward tween from a dysfunctional home.

19. A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019)

Unlike most people I actually liked the movie version from the early 2000's, and I read the books growing up so I was excited when I saw there was a live action television adaptation of it on Netflix because I felt like they cancelled the movie franchise too soon. I was interested to see how new actors would handle the roles, and I was not disappointed. I wouldn't say I liked either portrayal of the characters better or worse, they both added their own twist to it and this show is a great and loyal adaptation to the books, probably because the author was so heavily involved. He knew just when to stick to the books and when to improve upon what he had done with the benefit of hindsight. This show is basically the books, but remastered.

20. Winx Club (2004-?)

Sort of an odd one out on this list, but I really love this show even as an adult and it may surprise you to learn it is still going on and the most recent season came out last year. They take big breaks sometimes in between seasons, but it's still going strong and in multiple countries. The only thing I don't like about watching this show is all the different and inconsistent dubs since the original show is Italian and each dub only goes for a couple seasons so by the time you get used to one set of voices/names for the characters oyu have to abruptly switch to another, but it's still worth it for the beautiful animation and cool characters (especially the villains!)

Honorable Mentions: 

13 Reasons Why, America's Next Top Model, American Horror Story, Arrested Development, Bates Motel, Battlestar Galactica, Black Mirror, Care Bears, Chernobyl, Courage The Cowardly Dog, Criminal, CSI, Duck Dodgers, Goosebumps, Kenny Vs. Spenny, Kim Possible, Kingdom Hospital, Lazytown, Lost, Making A Murderer, Mayday, Mindhunter, Modern Family, Monster High, Obsession: Dark Desires, Parks And Recreation, Prison Break, Project Runway, Queer As Folk, Queer Eye, Salem, Schitt's Creek, SCTV, Spongebob Squarepants, The Emperor's New School, The Good Doctor, The Haunting Of Hill House/Bly Manor, The Middle, The Pretender, The Walking Dead, The X-Files, Through The Wormhole, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Unsolved Mysteries, Yugioh

Tagging: @bullet-farmer​ and anyone else who wants to!

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Fandom Thoughts

First thing I want to say is this post is just me speculating and expressing my thought on things. I’m sure many people will disagree with me or have a different interpretation and that’s ok. I could be totally way off base with everything I say but like I said this is just my interpretation of and my thoughts on things, also just want to say that I mean no disrespect to anyone or anyone’s fandom so yeah.  

So we all know that B*ghead is the largest fandom and the most popular ship. There’s no lying about that. I think it became so popular out of a combination of things, I think Cole’s popularity from his time on the Disney channel did bring across a lot of fans. I mean I could be totally wrong about this but I do feel like alot of the B*ghead fans were originally Cole fans. I’ll be honest, I didn’t watch Riverdale when it first aired, it was about 6 episodes in when my sister told me it was a good show about a murder mystery and that I’d never guess who was on it? Cody from suite life. I myself originally started watching the show because I was curious about the fact that Cole was on it and then stuck around because I got invested in the mystery and because from that very first episode I was hooked by Barchie and saw so much potential with them. I do think another contributing factor to the B*ghead ship’s popularity was the fact that the actors themselves became a couple and so people weren’t just invested in the ship but in the actors’ relationship too. I also do think that the fandom was very ‘loud’ on social media and there was alot of engagement. All of that combined with the fact that they did have some cute scenes together I think was the perfect storm to creating a popular ship.  

However V*rchie doesn’t actually seem that popular to me. In fact from what I can tell its a much smaller fandom and I would argue that after B*ghead the most popular ship out of the three is Barchie. Barchie has always won out in fan polls against v*rchie and I feel like I see more comments from the Barchie fandom than I do the V*rchie fandom. To me it has always been more of a B*ghead vs Barchie thing than a V*rchie vs Barchie thing. It always felt more like V*rchie got support because it kept Archie out of the way of B*ghead. In fact I see quite alot of support for Veggie and for Archosie and alot of people admit that they liked those parings over V*rchie. I myself loved Veggie together far more than V*rchie and I didn’t mind Archosie I thought they were cute, I didn’t like them as much as I did Veggie but I still thought they had some really nice moments together. I think after Betty, I liked Archie with Josie best. 

But here’s another thing to bear in mind. Whilst Riverdale and its ships are popular online and get alot of chatter on social media and has its fandoms which are very vocal on social media, there is also the general audience. These are the people who just watch the show every week, they don’t talk about it on social media, they don’t look up interviews and obsess over every little crumb of info the writers put out trying to figure out what might happen in the next episode. They are the silent part of the audience, I suppose you could call them. And I would say that this part of the audience far outnumbers the part that are involved in the fandom side of the show. Of course its very difficult to really know what this side of the audience really thinks of the show because they aren’t out on social media telling people what they think. The best way is to know what they think is to look at the ratings and the netflix streams. 

I mean I know that the ratings don’t really matter a whole lot when it comes to whether or not the network will renew a show and that streams mean more nowadays anyway. But in my opinion I do think the ratings can still give you an idea on how interested the audience is in the show. The way I see it is that if I am really excited by a show, I spend all week looking forward to the next episode and you can bet your ass that when that show’s next episode airs I am sitting down in front of that tv and watching it live if I can, because I don’t want to wait a second longer than I have to when I want to see it. With this season all the Barchies know that the most live viewed episodes of the season were 5x05 and 5x06, the two episodes that were promoted with Barchie. The lowest two episodes not just for this season but in the shows history were 5x08 and 5x09. These were the two episodes that had the V*rchie and B*ghead content. 

I also discovered this website flixpatrol that tracks the top tens on Netflix in various countries each day of the week. You can also look up specific shows to see where in the top ten they come each day of the week and I think I found something interesting. Now obviously because its week by week I could only really get information for episode 9.  

So what can this information tell us. Well episode 9 aired on the 24th and appeared on Netflix in alot of countries on the 25th. This chart shows where in the top 10 Riverdale fell this week, I’ve outlined those two dates in red. A dash indicates that it didn’t appear in the top ten that day. Now we can see that Riverdale most definitely does better on Netflix than it does in the live views and is consistently in the top ten in most countries. However, as I said, I did notice something. On the days it appears on Netflix we can see  that in most countries it doesn’t appear in the top ten and in the countries it does it is very low on the list coming in at mostly, 8,9 or 10. To me this suggests, like with the live ratings, that people just aren’t rushing to watch it. Some of this can be explained by the fact that it airs on a week night and it does fall high on the list on the Saturday after it airs on Netflix which could suggest that people are waiting until the weekend to watch it. But again, maybe its just me, but when I really want to watch a show, when I am really excited by a show, I will stay up late or I will get up early to watch it. I mean when 5x05 and 5x06 aired I was up early on the Thursday morning refreshing my Netflix page over and over waiting for the episode to become available because I was that excited to watch the episode.

*Edit: I’ve learnt that I have read this chart completely wrong as there is a one day lag, so the ratings on the 26th show that people were tuning in on the 25th which is the day it becomes available on Netflix in those countries. So ignore everything I just said in the paragraph above. I am going to keep the chart in for those who are interested in those numbers though. But yeah apologies for that.*   

To me this doesn’t really line up with the whole B*ghead is the most popular ship. I mean with B*ghead being the most popular ship then this last episode should be the most watched and I’ll admit I was a little surprised that it didn’t have more views. So why is that, we know B*ghead is popular so why aren’t we seeing it in the views. Well I think the answer is whilst they are popular, whilst it has a large fandom, its not popular or big enough to save the show by itself. And to be clear this is just my opinion which I’ve based on what I’ve seen people saying on social media and in YouTube reactions and reviews and from this data from the amount of people tuning into the show. But I think as much as many people like B*ghead, more people dislike/ are bored of V*rchie, are bored of the repetitive plotlines, are getting frustrated with the nonsensical plots. I think it has just gotten to the point where the things they don’t like about the show, or the things they’ve become bored with, far outweigh any appeal one ship might have. Basically I just get this overwhelming sense that people have lost any excitement they felt at this show. And this goes beyond any ships, whilst I do think alot of people tune in because of ships, there is more factoring into it than just that. I feel like all the excitement that came with the time jump and with seeing something new with Barchie and seeing something new with them being adults and dealing with adult themes, has worn off. It happened so fast too. I mean after episode 8 aired it was like a dementor had come along and sucked all the happiness out of the fandom. All of that energy that had existed before was just gone in the space of 45 mins. 

But here’s my question. I did notice a little bit of that energy come back when the promo for ep 10 was released and it showed that shot of Jabitha together. Again I do think that alot of people like this idea of Jabitha together or at least are intrigued by it. Although I know there are quite a few B*ghead fans who think the romance is unnecessary. But again I think this interest in Jabitha is because it is something new and therefore it is something interesting. I’ve also seen some Veggie fans creeping out of the woodwork over the last few weeks. So what I am wondering is if the show decided to go the route of Barchie, Veggie, Jabitha, Choni and Kangs would that generate enough buzz and would all those smaller fandoms together be enough to revive the show a bit. Especially if they couple those ships with some interesting new storylines to go with them as well as keeping the interactions between characters varied. I mean I am not expecting the views to suddenly jump up massively back to what they used to be in like season 2 but I do wonder if it would be enough to breathe life back into the fandom again.   

[queensgaybeach1d]

HELLOOO, I just discovered your blog, shame on me. So, I read your masterpost about the stunts in the industry (great work btw) and was wondering how to tell if something is real or purely pr. Would you mind giving me a few pointers ?? Answer however and whenever you can.

Hello Sweetie,

Thank you so much for your lovely words. I would love to help you dig deeper into the PR industry. In fact, I did some research myself and I stumbled upon a great confirmation on how everything works. I think it is just the right fit for you, sweetheart.

Please take your time reading the post and if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to ask me. Have a great day and enjoy!

Kisses,

Suman 😊

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How to spot a PR relationship?! 

This post is made for everyone who would like to learn how to spot a fake relationship in Hollywood. This information is supported by a very reliable source. The name of the source is Jack Ketsoyan, he set up two PR relationships himself. If you would try to compare this to your favourite Hollywood couple, you might be surprised of the outcome. I wish you all the best while reading this and if you have any questions/suggestions please do not hesitate to ask. Enjoy! :)

 This is the link of the podcast about the PR relationships (skip to 5.40). I will make a little summary of the very important things Jack said. There is also another man who is speaking about this subject. His name is Christopher and he is a lawyer who has worked with cases like these for a long time.

 (Please note that I am in no way hating on anyone. I have a strong dislike for all ‘’beards’’, but what they do with their lives is their responsibility. Therefore I mean no harm to any of these people. It would be very sad if any of these people would do it because they needed money for their families. If that was the case I would truly feel sorry for them, but the thing is they want to become famous by dating someone else who put his/her hard work in his/her career. That it just not fair. There are plenty of ways to become famous by dedication, hard work and staying yourself.)

I want to give compliments to the lovely @Totallylost4you on twitter. She made me aware of the podcast.

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-’’To hide the artist’s sexuality; boosting of the careers.’’ --> (Louis, Harry, Zayn, Liam and Niall. Also, Kristen Stewart, Cara Delevigne and Taylor Swift) -->

‘’It is more common on the male side than on the female side. There are certain celebrities who were, back in the day, in the closet and it was not okay to be out. We live in a completely different time nowadays, these days being gay is okay. So back in the day that was the biggest secret, it was a big taboo, if a certain high profiled male, the heartthrob is all of a sudden gay, they were not going to get the bigger roles anymore. They were going to be type casted, so that was the big way of hiding things. Them hiding their sexuality was dating a female who would keep them in the limelight basically and cover it up.’’  [about closeting] ‘’Times have changed, it still happens, but a lot has changed.’’ --> There are still people who would not like attending a Harry Styles (the heartthrob) concert when he comes out as gay.

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-’’To be able to sell the hype of it.’’ --> (Whenever a picture of Taylor and Tom or Louis and Eleanor comes out, people are quick to retweet, post and talk about what happened. Within no time the pictures have traveled through the internet. Which automatically means that a lot of people have seen it. All of this gives the label/couple/artist attention and money. --> Whether it is bad attention or good attention, attention means money.) a few examples of these couples are also: Haylor, Zigi and Elounor.

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-’’To sell tickets to concerts or movies.’’ --> 1D world tours and solo tours. That is also why beards like Camille Rowe, Eleanor Calder and Maya Henry attend their concerts. As for movies think about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (who is gay) fake dating, moments after Twilight came out. Think about 1D bringing their fake girlfriends to the world premiere and Zayn and Perrie getting engaged a second after. The purpose of these events are attention. Sweethearts, whenever people go to these shows/movies all they will focus on is 1D and their ‘girlfriends’. Photos will spread faster than ever and people will talk about how ‘real’ they are. Their aim is to kill two birds with one stone; making them look like a ‘real’ couple whilst promoting their movie/album.

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-’’To sell albums.’’ --> (Zigi, Chiam, Elounor, Hamille, Nailee, Haylor.) Let us be honest, are they not the biggest reasons why antis buy the album? Just to see what stuff they write about their fake girlfriends/boyfriends. Just to see how ‘Camille’ pronounces ‘’Coucou’’or just because Gigi Hadid starred in Zayn’s music video. Or maybe to finally know the ‘truth’ about Taylor’s fake relationships.  

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-’’It's all about the hype at the moment. Especially with the social media world.’’ --> I am going to point out an important thing Jack said. He said ‘’especially with the social media world.’’ Remember when there were only rumours of Louis and Eleanor being back together? The whole fandom tweeted about it. This made it popular and that was the solid moment 1D’s label knew that Elounor 2.0 would do it for them. They would earn a lot by it. The same thing counts for Zigi, Chiam, Haylor, Hamille. Hamille is a good example too. When all of you heard that Harry wrote a song about her and that her voice was going to be included in his song, what happened? Exactly, everyone went nuts and made sure to listen to that exact song. That is exactly what they want. They want that power over you, that is what gives them the money. Another example, how fast do you think solo Zayn stans and Directioners tweeted about a ‘power couple’ when the news broke that Zayn and Gigi are ‘expecting a child’? How fast did people open their social media accounts when Kylie Jenner was pregnant for the Kardashian’s 10th anniversary? (Social media does A LOT. Whenever a picture of Eleanor (beard) and Clifford (Louis’ dog) arrives on the internet, people automatically assume they are together in a room. This, is not the case. That is how convenient social media is to arranged relationships. Why start a rumour by hiring newspapers instead of posting a message on social media? It is much cheaper and more people will know about it in less than four hours.)

Promoting certain brand like Coca Cola (Elounor), YSL, Gucci, Vogue (Zigi) and Hugo Boss are also a part of it. Celebrities wearing those brands make their fans want to buy it too, think of the Kardashians promoting Adidas and other expensive brands. Also think of people like Briana Jungwirth promoting flat tummy tea. This is called ‘celebrity branding.’

Tell me, how many times do you get HQ pic of your PR couple on your phone? People tend to go out of their mind when pictures come out. That is the immediate effect Hollywood has on social media/ you. That gives them the promo they need, even during quarantine the beards post pictures of themselves, making you think they are together when in reality they are not. :)

{About why Jack hooked an arranged relationship up himself} --> ‘’It was more of a mutual agreement between the agents. {Tells a story about an actor getting bad reviews for a movie and in order to let people focus on something else they got the actor a girl, so the media would focus on the girl instead of the bad movie.}’’ -->  ‘’Just a one year deal. Basically they finished of the press and the international press and then they went their separate ways, because she did not want to do a two year deal.’’ {interviewer asks if it worked} --> ‘’It worked.’’ -->  A few examples of (approximately) a one-year deal: Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift, Niall Horan and Hailee Steinfield and Louis Tomlinson and Danielle Campbell. It is also good to point out that the beard can decide whether she wants to continue or not, but the celebrity has to do what the agent arranges.

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{Interviewer asks what reasons people might have to agree to one of these PR relationships} --> Different reasons, that could be to deflect attention away from a controversy (damage control. think of something Larry or Ziam related happening and the next day Zigi and Elouno are papped. Or fans finding out Louis is in the same country as Harry and the next day they will let Elouno do a pap walk. Another example is when Ziammies find out a Zigi picture is photoshopped, the next day you will see Zigi in person. This happens when their stunts fail). So if an actor has drugs and alcohol problems they may want to give the appearance that they have settled down and are in a committed relationships so that they can banked for films. Or they are going to be able to get bonded and get work and people will trust them, because they have settled down. It also could be done to create a brand. Two celebs getting together and 'now there's this tremendous interest about them being a power couple.' [...] We create strong provision against the disclosure of any negative facts against the celebrity - with consequences. So these agreements need to be structured with a hold back of money so that over time if they have complied with the agreement and not disclosed ehh no personal information and violation the agreement then they would be entitled the payment, so under the agreement. " --> The last part might be difficult to understand, because the lawyer uses difficult words, but what he is actually saying is very important. He says if the celebrities who are in the PR relationship have done their part (parading around with each other) then they will receive their money (please correct me if I am wrong). The host also confirmed that contracts like these are the reason why a lot of celebrities do not admit they had a PR relationships.

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Clues on how to spot a PR relationship:

-‘’The main clue you would see is if, you know, a certain high profiled male is dating a female (or when a high profiled female is dating a regular male), who was not high profile. All of a sudden, she is, overnight, the most talked about girl in Hollywood and everyone want a piece of them. That is the biggest thing, you know, it is such a career boost for the female that some females end up taking the deal.’’ --> Zigi, Elounor, Chiam, Brouis, Haylor, Taylor and Calvin. How does the world know Eleanor Calder? Because of Louis Tomlinson. No one knew her before, except her family. How did Gigi gain so many followers? Because she started dating Zayn Malik. Gigi already had a platform for herself, but she gained a lot of followers by dating Zayn. Zayn also gained followers by dating Gigi. Gigi needed promo and Zayn was in the spotlight, because he just ‘left 1D.’ This made him the perfect target. I hope all of you also notice that when beards/fake girlfriends post pictures of them with their fake boyfriend, it gets way more likes than their usual pictures.

{What was the benefit for the girl in the scenario?} --> ‘’Ehm, she has a huge career at the moment. She benefit from that by becoming a household name (someone that is well known) and getting bigger roles than she would have. She would use to be the 3rd or the 4th lead in any auditions or any jobs that she was getting. She then became the first lead. She got a great career boost out of it, for sure.’’ --> Gigi Hadid, Eleanor Calder, Sophia Smith, Cheryl Cole, Maya, Camille Rowe and Kendall Jenner are just a few examples.

How did the world know Townes? Because ‘Harry named’ her in one of his songs. How did the world know about Maya Henry? Because Liam Payne started dating her. Before this, she was just a fan. How did Cheryl Cole get the attention back? Because of baby gate and by fake dating Liam Payne. How did Briana gain so many followers? Because Louis Tomlinson fans gave her the attention and because she participated in faking a pregnancy. How did Shawn and Camilla become a couple in the spotlight? Because people have always shipped them, ever since the beginning and their label gave the fans what they wanted. How did Kim Kardashian become famous? A *** tape of her and Ray J leaked and she became famous. Now, she is a lot richer and more famous than he is. A quick note, not many people know how Kim Kardashian became famous. They only really know her from Keeping Up With The Kardashians. The newer generation does not know about the tape scandal, and that is what they do. You need to dig a little deeper to see that. This all is an on-going cycle and it will not stop unless we all stop believing it. 😊

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  What do they do in order to make a PR relationship look real?

{Interviewer asks what the clauses in an arranged relationships contract are} --> ‘’An arranged relationship is estranged by definition. So certainly we are going to see requests that are equally odd. They are certainly going to have requirements as to how they hold themselves out to the public as a couple. This would mean appearances at award shows, parties or events together as a couple and that there would be requirements maybe for specific events.’’ --> Eleanor attending Jay’s wedding and being ‘maid of honor’, Calvin and Taylor at Award shows, Elounor at the fashions show 2013, Haylor and their NYE ‘kiss’, Zigi at the MET gala and Chiam at the Brits, celebs at after parties with their ‘girlfriends’. All of these couples have also pictures with each other’s family members. That made a lot of you think they are close and real, well my loves, now you finally know that it is all part of a PR stunt. The fake girlfriends also have to look supportive, that is why they have to be there at concerts, soccer matches, award shows etcetera. 😊

Remember when Eleanor (beard) posted a picture of herself and in the background you could see a picture of her and Louis in 2012 and ‘Louis’ written on a board? Remember when she posted a picture of herself with her and Louis’ boots in the background in 2018? All of these things are there to make it look like they truly live together and  that they truly own each other’s stuff. The same thing counts for Haylor’s airplane necklace. Do you genuinely think they did that by accident? No, that is the purpose of the whole picture. 😊

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‘’Then there is going to be particularly some none disclosure issues surrounding them as to what cannot be said about the relationship and what needs to be said. There could be a script even as to what they have to say if asked about the relationships. There would be photo sessions showing them as a couple. And then I have seen issues of sexual relationships and specific whether this would happen or not happen in an agreement. But if it is truly a PR relationships then sex would not be a part of that relationship, because it is not real.’’ --> Loves, do you remember a moment when someone asked a celebrity about his/her relationships and they stuttered and looked uncomfortable, or they just said something wrong or embarrassing or tried to talk themselves out of it? Well, that happens when you have to make up stuff that never happened.  Louis Tomlinson confirmed his interviews are scripted, so this one is just an extra thick layer of confirmation. I also recall Gigi doing a live and someone asked about Zayn and she just stuttered and looked away, not knowing how to answer a question. (I think there have definitely been times when two people who were in an arranged relationship gave different answers to the same question, why? Because they do not know anything about each other.) Here is an example of a moment that is repeated and scripted about Louis’ ‘relationship’ with Eleanor, even know we have legit proof that is not what happened:

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Now I can hear all your lovely brains working and thinking whether a celebrity is willing to sign a contract like that or if their label is making them sign it. Well, if you have read my previous masterpost about the music industry you can see confirmations of the label making the artist their puppet. They own you, so if they think you should have a girlfriend to hide gay rumours then they will give you one. ‘A label cannot force you anything’, but it does make you sign a contract. When you sign the contract without reading it carefully, then your label will mess you up. In those contracts they do not write ‘’Taylor Swift has to agree to arranged relationships.’’ They write stuff like ‘’When signing the contract, Taylor Swift allows the label to make changes in order to get her to fame.’’ Of course Taylor (and other artists) would think that they mean changing her outfit and looks, but no. The label thinks being gay is something that will not get people enough fame. So what do they do? They change her, they change her sexuality. They closet her and even though Taylor and other LGBTQ artists do not want that. You cannot deny because when you do so, the label will show you the contract you signed. A contract like that is never written literally, they can manipulate their words. To the label ‘’being gay or a part of the LGBTQ+ community’’ falls under ‘’making changes’’ in order to make her famous. Of course there are celebrities who willingly closet themselves for various reasons. I hope to create a single post about how devious these contracts are for you all! 😊

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Here are a few things I hope you have learned from this: 😊

 - Fake relationships still exist and they will always exist. It has been confirmed, so no one can deny this anymore.

 - The girl and boy have to go to special events, such as award shows, family dinners and weddings in order to make it look real.

 - Homophobia is still a thing and the biggest reason why arranged relationships exist.

 - The beard has a contract too, so your idol has no say in how long she can or cannot stay. If she does good then she will stay. (I see many people say that Louis chose Eleanor because they are friends and that is why she is back, but he actually has no say in anything. Your idol is their product to sell. Your idol is basically a marionette.)

 -The PR team does everything to make it look like they are truly together, think of photos of each other in each other’s homes and ‘personal gifts.’

 -Celebrities get an enormous boost on their social media accounts when they start being part of an arranged relationship. Something I have always thought was a bit odd, is the fact that Eleanor never created an insta account until her and Louis’ ‘relationship’ had its peak; in the middle of June 2012. When in reality, insta was created in 2010. She also created twitter in 2012. Exactly when the first few big events were attended by them. (I genuinely think she did that, because everyone wanted to see more of her. Plus, she has always wanted to be a fashion blogger and this was her ‘big moment’ to do so.)

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The credits for this post go to @Totallylost4you. They made me aware of the podcast and they continue to shine light on hidden treasures like this one. They also hardly get credits for their solid hard work and I hope they will continue doing this! Thank you!

Thank you so much for your attention. If you have any question/suggestion, please do not hesitate to ask/tell me! I wish all of you the best and please stay safe. Have an amazing day!

[bizarre-alien]

Saturday Morning

I made a short Erasermic fic on Saturday, and I just wanted to post this here because why not! It takes place when they were in their 20s, and Shota is gonna do something bold after a night of clubbing with Hizashi which, apparently, didn't turn out so well!

Saturday mornings were hard sometimes. Waking up hungover while my brain tries to recollect memories of last night only makes me numb with this dull melancholic ache in my chest. I stretched out my limbs across my bed to find that I was all alone. “Shocker.” I thought to myself sarcastically. I slowly turned my body over to get my phone that was on my nightstand. To my surprise, it was hooked up and charged. “No, I was too drunk to do something this responsible.” I mumbled as I unplugged it. There were some unread messages from Yamada, and it brought this warm feeling inside that my heart seemed to crave.

“Last night was WILD! Please text me when you wake up. I need to know you lived! 😭”

“I did lay you on your side with a bucket, pukey! 🤣”

“OMG ARE YOU ALIVE?? I MISS MY BEST FRIEND!”

“I should’ve just crashed on your couch instead of taking the cab back to my place… Could’ve saved myself from stress and money… LMAOOO”

“SHOOOOOOTAAAAAAAA”

I couldn’t help but to laugh at his sweet attentiveness. He never failed to put a smile on my face even if he wasn’t around. I took a selfie and sent it to him. “I lived, bitch. 😤”

I felt my stomach shock from anticipation as I saw the ellipsis pop up. “YOU LOOK GOOD FOR A DEAD BITCH!!” The ellipsis came up again. “Also, you looked cuter than me in the shirt I let you wear. If you wanna keep it, you deserve it! I have your shirt, and it’s nice and clean! I think I’ll wear it today!”

I couldn’t help but to blush at his remark. “It’s mine now. I’ll take good care of it.” I looked down to see which shirt it was, and I gasped. It was an exclusive shirt from one of his favorite bands that he got at a live show. The exact one that he said he wanted to be buried in. “WAIT ARE YOU SURE BC I JUST SAW WHICH ONE IT WAS”

“It’s okay!! I’d rather see you wear it instead. 💖”

“... That’s very sweet…”

“How do I look? I’m going for that Shota Aizawa look. Don’t mind my lack of pants, please. 🥰🤣” His selfie nearly made me drown in affection. He looks so good in my shirt… And his legs...

“*Chef’s kiss* You rn…” Were we flirting, right now?? No. He has someone, right? “Wait… Are you flirting with me to make your so jealous? What did he do wrong, now? 🥴” The ellipsis came up, but went away… Then again… Then nothing. I began to worry. “Zashi, I’m playing. You know that, right?” The other end was radio silent, and I felt anxiety surge through me. Was it a sore topic and I didn’t know? Did I just ruin our friendship? I mean, how would that screw everything up? After all we’ve been through for the past 7 years, that couldn’t have been the final straw… right? I was pulled from my overthinking by my phone vibrating. It was Zashi calling, and I picked it up immediately. “Was that a bad thing to say? Because I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt-!”

“It’s okay, Sho!” He chuckled reassuringly to me, but I could hear the pain in his voice. “I forgot that you black out when you’re drunk… No, me and him are done. You broke his nose when I came to you crying about it. We had to leave the club because of all the drama, but no one knew who we were… Thank God, right?”

“Yeah…” I was silent for a moment as I tried to remember what happened.

“Sho! We’re leaving. Come on!” Hizashi roared as he made his way to me.

“Hold, hold, hold. What happened?” I stopped him in his tracks and grabbed his arms. “Zashi, are you okay? Where’s-?”

“Who cares? I hate him! Let’s go!”

“But you left me to blow him in the bathroom! What do you mean you hate him, now-?”

“I wish I didn’t, and I’m so sorry! He’s a monster in disguise, but I was too stupid to notice AGAIN!!” Zashi burst into tears as he held onto me tightly. We stumbled a bit, but I held him back with all I had. I feared that this was gonna happen.

“I knew there was a reason why I couldn’t stand him.”

“Baby, you got it all wrong! I love you, Hizashi! I wanna marry you!” I heard the voice of Zashi’s former lover, and the alcohol in me decided to take control of my body.

“You take another step, and you’ll regret it! Don’t think I won’t have you on the ground, you piece of garbage!”

“Sho, let’s just get out of here! I gotta go!” Hizashi pushed me towards the exit. “It’s not worth it!”

“Hizashi!” The moment he grabbed Hizashi’s arm, I went feral.

I dug my nails into his wrist to get him to let go of my best friend. “Piss off!” I roared as I got Hizashi behind me. Before I could register anything, I felt my right fist connect with his nose hard enough that it sent a shock up to my shoulder. “I knew you were trash the moment I laid eyes on you! You don’t deserve Zashi!” I wanted to go for more, but I felt a multitude of hands grasp at me and pull me towards the exit. I managed to spit on Zashi’s ex before we were escorted out of the club.

“Oh my God, Shota! That was intense!” Hizashi grabbed my shoulders and shook me. His makeup was smeared from his tears, but it made him look like an ethereal being. “You good?”

“Mmh.”

“I can’t believe you did that for me! You’re so sweet! Oh my gosh, like you- Oh, God!” He backed up as he looked at me again. “Alleyway. Alleyway!” He guided us to the alleyway and held my hair the moment I let everything out. “Oh, God. It’s on your shirt. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” When I spat out the remains, he gently took off my soiled shirt. “You are so lucky that I have on something sexy underneath this tee! I guess this may be a sign to dress sexy for myself instead of waiting for someone to see it in private, huh?” He pulled off his band tee and handed it to me with a smile. He had on a fishnet long sleeve bodysuit with nipple coverings, and he looked like the biggest rockstar in that moment… but, that was my best friend… My best friend is the biggest rockstar and he’s holding my gross shirt.

“You’re so freaking nice, Zashi!” I began to tear up as I put on the shirt. “I’m so sorry!”

“I should be sorry! I didn’t listen to you. I just listened to his dick!” We laughed like a couple of hyenas as we took our drunken selves to our favorite place to eat when we drank our weight in booze.

“Zashi." I sighed and shook my head. "I’m so sorry."

“Thanks. It hurts, you know? He wasn’t who I thought he was. I guess… I don’t know how to pick ‘em, huh?” He tried to laugh, but he went quiet.

Never in my life did I want to reach out to him through the phone and hug him as much as I do now, but all I could do was hug him with my words. “You have a big heart and a warm presence that deserves to be honored and cherished, and he just didn’t get it. If I had the chance, I’d punch him again. You deserve so much better, and you will get that.”

“When, Shota?” There was a pause.

“When the time and place is right.” I wanted to say right now and with me, but I chickened out. “That person will love you and nurture your heart, and that person will be the most lucky human in all existence and memory.”

“I wish it were-” He paused and sighed. “I wish it happened now.”

I felt my heart jump and my mind started to race. Did he want me? Should I risk it all? Were we both too afraid of screwing up our friendship? “Hizashi…”

“Hey, do you mind if we meet up somewhere? Your place, my place, a restaurant… Anywhere, honestly! I just need to see you. Sorry if that sounds clingy. I just-”

“Of course! I would love to meet up. You’re going through a tough situation, and I’m more than happy to be there for you.” I smiled. “You can come over to my place and we can decide if we wanna go out or not.”

“That sounds good. I’ll get coffee on the way, okay? I know you need it.” He chuckled.

“You’re the best.” I sighed in relief. “I think coffee would solve a lot of problems, right now.”

“Hey, Shota?”

“Yeah?”

“I want you to know how much I value our friendship. We had rocky moments, but there isn’t a day that I’m not grateful that we smoothed things out. I can freely be myself around you, and that’s really rare nowadays because all these fakes are roaming the streets.”

“It doesn’t help that you’re well known, huh?” I joked.

“Exactly! You keep me from losing my mind… You inspire me, you encourage me, and I know I can be vulnerable with you and you wouldn't judge me for it! I just really love- Ugh... No, I should stop. I’m getting sappy.” He burst into laughter.

“Funny enough, I needed to hear that.” I blushed and rubbed that back of my neck. “Hizashi, I actually wanna talk to you about something when you get here. It’s important to me, so that’s why I wanna wait.”

“Oh, for real? I’m not in trouble, am I?”

He was so cute. “No, not at all!” I snorted.

“Good! Give me a few minutes, okay? I’ll be there in a bit.”

“In Hizashi minutes, right? I'm guessing that it'll be an hour before you get here.”

“Shut up, man! I can’t help the fact that I’m a high maintenance scatterbrain!” He whined on the other line.

“Whatever. Just get here when you get here. You know where the spare key is, so I’m gonna take a shower and clean up the place a bit.”

“Sounds good!”

“Okay, cool. See you then.”

“See you!” He sang then hung up.

I looked at my phone with a whirlwind of emotions. The comfort of his voice still in my heart, but it wrestled with the anxiety that I felt in my chest as I knew what I set myself up for. The timing seems wrong, but I was so caught up that I could care less. What if he hates me for even confessing now? Yet again, it seemed that he was dying for me to confess… I just know that this is the last Saturday morning I wanted to spend hungover by myself. I wanted to wake up to messy blond hair in my mouth, limbs entangled, and the sweet smell of his natural scent mixed with the ghost of his perfume of choice from the night before.

The feeling was so strong that I clutched my pillow for dear life, and I couldn’t tell what kind of tears were falling from my eyes. All I could do is lay there and imagine what could possibly become a reality while also fear that I could make this imagery impossible if I said the wrong things. Funny enough, this hurricane of emotion is something that I’m just observing. Somewhere deep in my core, I felt a sense of relief and peace. And it was that very peace that gave me the strength to get up and get ready for a life changing discussion with my best friend.

Thank you! Bye!

[mitsuki-murakami]

think of me [Oikawa x Reader]

Hello, hello. I’m glad you survived the 2018 tumblr purge.

It’s been a long time since I sent in a request *cracks knuckles* Can you do #3 from the dialogue prompt for Oikawa or Kuroo (your choice) making a mistake? This gonna be gud.

#3: “How could you think that this wouldn’t hurt me?’

Requested by: @thenerdyrebel

Hellooooo!! Y’all are probably sick of me saying sorry over and over again but I really am!! I haven’t touched this request for over two years so I’ll probably make one for Kuroo as well kjhdfkjadhf I sincerely apologize and thank you so much for requesting this I appreciate you so much hehehe

Warning: A N G S T angst angST 

***

The day was going by pretty well. Most of the daylight was spent with your person, Oikawa. The two of you have been together since childhood, practically joined at the hip along with Iwaizumi. It didn’t really take long for people to start getting suspicious about the amount of time the two of you spend together on a daily basis. It got a little annoying with the constant prodding about when are you guys going to get together. Poor Iwaizumi no longer tries to explain the situation between the two of you, simply resolving to answer with a blunt “I don’t know, you ask them,” without answering any follow-up questions.

Neither of you really indulged in extravagant gimmicks that other couples did to show off. It’s not that you and he disliked it, it’s just that you both felt as if nothing needed to be announced to each other or anybody else. It was like there was a part of you and Oikawa that knew, even before either of you had the wits to form a proper sentence, that your relationship began a very long time ago, and it need not be confirmed that you loved him, he loved you, he was yours, and you were his.

Looking back at it, the closest you’ve ever been to hearing him ask if he was your boyfriend was during that one year in junior high when everyone was obsessing over whether or not they were in a relationship; if they had a boyfriend, girlfriend, or what. 

“Hey Tooru, why’s everyone talking about relationships nowadays? I can’t go through a day without someone asking me we’re in one.” You absentmindedly asked him after deleting an e-mail you received from a classmate which of course, was asking if Oikawa was your boyfriend or not.

“I don’t know either. It’s crazy, because of it Iwa-chan gets annoyed with me even before I say a word.” You chuckled. It was true, you did see him get smacked by Iwa-chan earlier on in the day. 

“We’re in one though, right?”

“Uh, duh.”

And that was pretty much it. The only kind of confirmation that either of you had. Some people would think that it was pretty sad about the fact that probably one of the most boring milestones in your relationship was also the most mundane one. But you thought it was nice how perfectly in sync the two of you were. Funny, even, because it made other people look stupid when the both of you would easily say “Yeah,” to the person who got blown off by Iwaizumi earlier and then suddenly go back to whatever you were doing just like that like it was common knowledge (It should be, you both thought so).

You could literally go on forever about how things went between the two of you, but you’d rather not. There was no time for that. The both of you were too busy with either chasing your dreams or pushing the other to chase theirs. After all, knowing exactly what you and the other wanted to be in the future was one of the defining characteristics that pulled you closer together, if that was even possible at this point.

Of course, there were downsides to that. Sometimes one of you would let being career-oriented get into your head causing you to push everyone else away, but luckily one of you was always there to slap the other silly or knock them into sense. Especially that one time he almost went ham on Kageyama? Boy, was Oikawa in it for you and Iwaizumi that day.

There was also that one time when you were determined on doing well with your academics that you forgot to take care of yourself. You weren’t eating right and your sleep hours were next to nothing. You saw these as simple sacrifices you were willing to make because everybody else could, but all Oikawa saw was you destroying yourself over something that didn’t even come close to the importance of your health. He made that very clear by watching over you for the next few days to make sure you ate and slept when you needed to.

The two of you worked well together to keep each other in check. Never has a day gone by without his presence, and it was pretty clear that as much as possible, both of you didn’t want to spend another without the other, considering everything the both of you have been through. Which is why no one could blame you for not wrapping your head around what he just said to you.

“I said, I’m thinking of accepting their offer. Look, you’ve heard of this team on the television before, right? They’re pretty strong.” He pointed at your laptop, right at the name of the university that e-mailed him a few weeks ago, offering him a full ride throughout college if he’d play on the varsity team as their setter.

“Yeah, I have.. But..” You tore your eyes away from the laptop the both of you were sharing on your laps and looked into his, confusion spreading across your face.  He was giddy, and that look would always make you so happy, but in this case, it wasn’t. His face slightly fell.

“It’s really far away, this isn’t what we were planning.” It wasn’t a question that the two of you wanted to go to college together. Sure, it was a busy place and you wouldn’t be able to spend as much time together as you could, but at least you’d see each other every day. 

“I know, I know, but look, this is a great offer! It’d give me a great chance to start up my career,” he reasoned, and he was right, it would help him advance his career early on, but what about yours? You wanted to get a Ph.D. and the school you’ve previously agreed was one of the top schools for that.

“I know this school, Tooru, and this isn’t what we agreed on. I have a small chance of getting a scholarship here, it’s a private school and many other kids are more qualified than I am.” You explained, crestfallen. You didn’t think that this was one of the things you two would disagree about, considering that you’d already discussed this before. Both of you spent all night huddled up in his bed covered in blankets looking for that one university that would fit both your needs and you did. You couldn’t comprehend why this was coming up now. 

“Yeah, but I can always get you hooked up with something! I’m pretty sure they’d make adjustments if I ask them to, they seem thrilled to have me there.” This was starting to upset you. You didn’t have time for this, finals were coming up and you didn’t want to waste precious time arguing on something you’d already agreed on.

“What’s wrong with the one we both like? It’s still a powerhouse school, it’s closer to where we live, and a lot of our friends are going there.”

“Why are you being so picky about this? College is months away, we still have loads of time to pick another one that fits us.” At this point, you didn’t even bother looking at him. You pushed the laptop off you and stood up, reaching for your study materials. 

“I have every right to be as picky as you are, Tooru.” And with that, you left your bedroom, attempting to slam the door behind you, but instead finding that Oikawa caught the door and swung it back open.

“Hey, don’t walk away from me,” his tone was almost indiscernible, unrecognizable to you with all your years of being by his side. It was emotionless almost because Oikawa knew that he’d lose it if he let even the slightest emotion flow through. 

“I’m not. I’m walking away from this conversation. I need to study.” You set down your books on the table and pulled out a chair, 

“Then don’t walk away from it, let’s talk it out.”

“This conversation was over months ago. We’ve talked about this.”

“I just-- Why is it so hard to talk to you about this?” He ran his hand through his hair, pulling out another chair and positioning it in front of you. You flipped through the pages, trying to find where you left off earlier before you got pulled into this conversation. 

Oikawa realized that you weren’t going to respond, so he snapped the book shut, and along with it your patience.

“Because we shouldn’t have to!”

“So,” he sucked in a breath, leaning back on his seat in disbelief. “Talking about our career isn’t important to you anymore?”

“We weren’t talking about our career, we were talking about yours.” You crossed your arms, finally meeting his eyes. He was livid, but he did everything he could to restrain himself from lashing out. He always did that, when it came to you. It’s not like you couldn’t take it. He knew you could. But he didn’t want to hurt you. That would never cross his mind.

So much so that sometimes he confuses his intentions for his actions.

“That’s why I’m saying that we could both study here-- of course I’m thinking about your career too.”

“No, see, I’ve already told you, this doesn’t fit me. It’s doesn’t fit the degree I’m going to pursue.” Your hand reached up to cover half of your face while you sighed. “That college was already right for us, and now you mean to tell me that I have to reapply for a scholarship, look for another place for us to live-- everything!”

“Like I said, I’m going to take care of everything,” he was getting irritated with the back and forth, and honestly, who wouldn’t? But that wasn’t the case for you. You were tired, and now you only have a little over a couple of months to plan out your whole career all over again, which you already did almost a year ago, with the previous college. “Listen,”

“I am listening!”

He clicked his tongue, “Do you really not want to give this a shot? For me, hell, even for us? Do you realize what this opportunity could bring the two of us? Don’t you want that for us?!” It was like he couldn’t hear what he was saying!

You took in a deep breath; it sounded more like a shudder to you at this point, before you mustered up the energy to look him in the eye. A few beats of silence passed with the two of you just staring at each other for answers before you replied.

“You think I would say no that easily? To you?” You huffed in anger. “I already know this college, I’ve already weighed my options, and the answer is no, Tooru. My answer is final.” He turned away from you, glancing outside the window long enough to make another think that he was just taking in the scenery, but you knew he couldn’t say the next words to your face.

“So, you don’t care if we go to different schools, now?”

“Of course I--”

“Do you know what that could do to us? Are you,” he paused to stop his voice from cracking any further.

“I know that, and that’s why we planned this over a year ago. Because you don’t get to suddenly change your mind as soon as the next shiny offer comes to sweep you off your feet.” He didn’t respond immediately, like he was expecting you to say something to soften the blow that needed to be delivered. “I’m sorry, but it’s still no.” 

His demeanor completely shifted, as if he was weakened by your indignance. Tired, exasperated, desperate, was only three of the many things you could feel from him.

“Just like that? You’re willing to give up on us just like that? How could you not be as affected as I am? How do you do that? Look, I’ve done everything to not surprise you with this. I waited until this week for us to talk about this, and this was the perfect week, the calm before the storm, I,” you thought he was done, but you were wrong. You were so wrong. 

“I did it so that you wouldn’t be shocked when I told you the news. I could’ve accepted the offer with just one call, but I didn’t do it for you. I did everything in my power to not hurt you, but no, you just don’t care, do you?”

Then the first wave of tears came. But as steady as the tears that flowed down your cheeks, you didn’t falter. How you hated the fact that you cried when you were angry.

“How could you think that this wouldn’t hurt me?” Disbelief was an understatement. Stupefaction was more fitting.

“Do you honestly think I don’t care, Tooru? Is that how I make you feel?” No response. “Because if that’s how I make you feel, then I don’t think--”

“Don’t say it.” He finally stared at you again. “Please, don’t” God, the look on his face broke you. “Let’s just.. Let’s just take a break, okay? We’ll get back to this later, does that sound good?” You nodded softly as you stared into the distance, not realizing that the tear that fell onto your knuckle was his.

It took him wrapping you in his arms to realize that he had pulled you out of the chair and back onto your bed, the dreaded laptop discarded onto the far side of the room. He moved the both of you under the covers, letting you nestle into his chest. It didn’t matter that you soaked his shirt with tears. The only thing that did was that the two of you were going to get through this together.

Or so he lied to himself.

You woke up, still in his embrace. He was sound asleep, but the tear tracks on his face didn’t help you forget that your problem was indeed, very real and unchanging.

You’d think that not needing as much confirmation as the regular couple would be amazing, but it was far from that.

Because of it, you knew that Oikawa wouldn’t change his mind about it. You’d already given him all the reasons that you could think of, and repeating all of that wouldn’t do any good to either of you. He’d still stand by the thought that what he wanted for the both of you was best.

That would be okay. At this point, you knew each other too well. Too well that you both knew that the only way for both of you to succeed was to reach for it apart. You were pulling each other down by making mediocre choices to compromise for each other.

You loved him. You really did.

So you gently removed yourself from his embrace and packed up. You kissed his forehead, careful enough not to wake him before you left to stay at your family’s house. It didn’t matter if it hurt you more than you thought it would. It mattered that you were doing the best, for the both of you. Because you wanted to see him shine, you needed to step back. 

A spotlight would be useless if everything it pointed to was already lit.

***

Thank you for reading!

Dear god this hurt more than it should have, I’m so sorry

thats literally all i can say im sosorry i love you dont hate me bye

Special thanks to @sashimeh and @capt-spangles

Taglist:

@from-sejiou-to-the-stars @zephyrria

[lostinmysticfalls]

Safe to Fall - Javi x Fem!Reader

Summary: Javi made it very clear from the beginning that there would be no strings attached. He calls you up when he needs you and you’re more than happy to be of service. But when he changes his mind about sending you on a dangerous mission, you realize that perhaps he hasn’t been following his own rule as closely as he thought.

Words: 4,127

Warnings: smut, angst, emotional hurt/comfort, abandonment issues, implied violence briefly mentioned

A/N: Wow… this one took a turn. It’s a little darker and more angsty than I anticipated. Reader’s got quite a bit of emotional baggage but so does Javi so, they’re kinda perfect for each other? (title taken from lyrics of Finally // beautiful stranger by Halsey)

Javi pushed himself up on the granite counter, his denim clad legs and bare feet dangling as he poured two glasses of whiskey over ice. One for him and one for you. The smoke from his lit cigarette billowed like a gray cloud underneath the warm glow of the kitchen light.

“So you really haven’t changed your mind?” He asked.

You set your things down on the small coffee table in the living room. Replying loud enough so he could hear you. “No. I told you I want to help.”

He remembered what happened the last time he had a girl get information for him. The memories of her helpless body curled on the soiled mattress on the floor, immobile and barely breathing. The stench of decay and mold, the creaking sound of the rotting wood in the room, it still vividly haunted him years after the fact. 

She couldn't have been older than you, and she too had been brave, willing to help because she felt loyal to him. Because she had also gotten dangerously close even when he thought he was keeping his distance. Angel wings burnt like Icarus by the invisible fiery rays that radiated off of him like a death curse. 

Her light was gone after that night. No amount of time was long enough for her to heal. A life ruined forever because of something he'd wanted.

Javi had been afraid for the girl, of course he had been. What kind of man would it make him otherwise? During his time at the DEA he’d seen some of the most fucked up shit anyone could ever witness, but he wasn't a soulless monster. Not even after all that carnage and violence he’d experienced. It was something the cartels hadn't been able to take from him and it was the one thing he kept most guarded.

He’d never admit it but that brutal happening was the reason why he was always careful to the point of being paranoid nowadays.

Why he'd never allowed things to go too far with any of his girls, why he brushed off any kind of compliment and instead of building relationships with women, he built walls. Keeping things professional. All business. It was his way of protecting himself and keeping those around him safe. 

Everyone knew Javi was more than willing to share his body with any pretty little thing that gave him the time of day, but sharing his entire being? Even just a glimpse of the man underneath the hardened exterior? That was out of the question. 

Or so he thought. 

As he stared at you from atop his kitchen counter, he could feel his heart rumbling in his chest. It was yearning but also paralyzing fear, a mix of effervescent joy but also agonizing pain. A turmoil of emotions that he’d been trying to keep bottled up and locked away like a dirty secret. 

Something else had clicked in him. An unplanned tethering had formed as a result of all the time you'd spent together. Of your scheduled and unscheduled romps between his sheets—ones that had slowly transitioned from casual and meaningless fucking to sweet and tender love-making without him even realizing it. Of the sound of your velvet voice over the phone during your late night chats when he needed to vent. And of the way you leaned your head on his shoulder and sometimes fell asleep while you watched TV. 

Javi had made the same mistake yet again and he knew it. He’d been naive enough to think that you would be the exception to the rule, no matter how close he allowed you to get. He had ignored all the red flags until you gradually imprinted yourself on his skin. A permanent mark that he would carry with him forever, no matter where life took him.

He stupidly chastised himself in silence, as if doing so would sever the ties that bound you.  

You swayed your way to him, unaware of his predicament, little dress hugging your figure as you took off the leather jacket he'd gifted you for your birthday a couple months back. Your hair getting caught on the metal buttons as you slipped it off your shoulders.

"It's gonna be fine." Your voice had an air of confidence and reassurance. "I'll do exactly as you say and nobody... well, almost nobody... will get hurt." You took the glass of whiskey that was meant for you and sipped it, grimacing and sticking your tongue out when the flavor hit your tongue. "Javi. I trust you." You smiled.

Maybe that was the problem. Blind trust.

He looked down at you, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray and swirling the contents of his glass before downing it all in one gulp. His brown eyes were trained on your face, like he was getting a good look at you just in case everything went to shit that night.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be you." He said, his voice deep and laced with trepidation.

"Cómo?" You questioned his sudden change in plans after all this time. For weeks he'd been coaching you, training you for that exact mission. "Si esos hijos de puta me la deben también." You snarled, reminding him that you had scores to settle with those assholes too. He wasn't the only one who'd lost people in this war.

“I can do this, Javier." You cocked your head. Swallowing the rest of your drink as you looked up at him and smirked. After a little while, you bit down on your crimson tainted lip, asking coyly. “Am I still your favorite?”

You pushed up on your toes, your hands on his thighs as your plump limps brushed against his mouth. The taste of whiskey and cigarette infusing your tongue as his mustache scraped the delicate skin of your upper lip, tickling the tip of your nose.

“You know you are, sweetheart.” He kissed you again, his actions more fervent the second time around. “Y eres la más hermosa también.”

“Then if tonight’s plan is settled, why’d you call me? We weren’t supposed to see each other until afterwards.” You teased, kissing him and biting his lip. Pulling it with your teeth until he exhaled a little moan. 

“You know I care about you.” He growled, his hands running down your arms. 

You laughed through the shivers that his touch produced, pretending like you hadn't notice the goosebumps that formed on your skin. Trying to ignore the way your heart beat for him and your stomach twisted with excitement as a million butterflies took flight. You'd caught yourself slipping more often than not these days. 

"Sure." Deep red lips pressed against his once again, attempting to dismiss the meaning behind his words. "We'll go with that." 

"Is that so hard to believe?" He asked, one eyebrow perched.

It's not that it was hard to believe. On the contrary, you knew that Javi had a good heart, you'd seen it time and time again no matter how much he tried to downplay it.

But he knew better than to bring any kind of emotional baggage to the agreement you two had made. He had been the one to set the rules, for god's sake. The fact that you had been on the same page had actually been what earned you the coveted role of favorite girl. You were clear on the terms, believing you were smart enough not to form real relationships with clients. Up until that point, you thought he was too.

"I just don’t want you to get hurt." He said, touching the side of your face with his hand, his forehead resting against yours as he caught his breath, stopping himself from saying more.

“Javi. Stop with the sentimental bullshit.” You said quietly, breath swirling over his parted lips as you purred. “Will you just fuck me already? I’ve missed you.”

His thumb caressed your chin ever so lightly.  Lips crashing into yours as he jumped off the counter. Both hands cupped your face, his body moving against yours. His closeness lighting a fire deep in your core and igniting the aching throb between your legs. Your breathing was growing heavy, the pulse at your neck pounding with rabid need.

You raised his buttoned shirt over his stomach, breaking from the kiss for just a short moment to take it off. You kicked off your shoes, feet stumbling as you walked backwards, his body guiding you at an unhurried pace toward the unlit room that was at the end of the hallway. 

Overzealous hands moved along your bends, trailing over the small of your back and down your ass until his fingers had hooked onto the fabric of your dress and you felt it leave your body. The cold air in the apartment hitting your exposed skin. 

You had just crossed the threshold into the bedroom when he stopped you.��

He grabbed your arms, twirling you until your back crashed against his stomach and chest. You squirmed and giggled, enjoying the way he took command and allowing him to do as he pleased. Your body whirred with arousal, the touch of his hands gliding over your breasts and pulling down the cups of your bra, making you shudder. 

You moaned. “Touch me, Javi.” Snaking your body into him wantonly, your ass rubbing up against his hardness. 

The straps of your bra fell over your shoulders, and you reached behind your back to unclip it as fast as you could. His large hands covering your supple mounds, massaging your full tits as his lips trailed over your jaw.  He felt so good, your entire body hummed, wetness pooling in your underwear as your nipples pebbled between the clutch of his fingers.

His mouth bit your chin as you cranked your head to look at him, your sensitive skin burning from the scratches of his facial hair and the gentle scrape of his teeth. 

Javi kept one hand on your breasts, playing with your stiffened peaks as his other hand slid down the length of your upper body. His back hunched over slightly as he reached inside your underwear. 

A whimper floated from your lips when his fingers made contact with your soft flesh. Your delicate flower blossoming for him as he slid between your moistened folds. 

“Oh, you’re so fucking wet already.” He muttered against your ear. “I could slip right in if I wanted to.”

He went on with his ministrations, making you writhe against his chest the more he teased your pulsing center. His fingers traveled up and down your slit, getting closer and closer to your heat each time, finally reaching your tight entrance. But he only circled his way around it for a few seconds before he retreated.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You whined, your complaint being cut short by the feel of his arms swooping you off the floor. 

He carried you the rest of the short distance to the bed and set you down atop the fluffed up comforter that had been left undone from that morning. He smiled, pulling your underwear down your silky legs until you were completely naked.

You watched him, biting down on your lip as he got out of his pants. His beautiful cock, rock hard and swaying as he got on the bed. Dark eyes transfixed on your nakedness, knowing you were all his in that moment. He climbed on top of you, hovering over your body and kissing your mouth as his eager fingers returned to the place they’d abandoned just moments prior.

“You want this?” He asked, his mouth trailing over your jaw and then down your neck. Tongue licking its way down your chest until his tongue was encircling one of your nipples. 

“Yes.” You cried, as his index finger penetrated your slick walls. Your tight flesh wrapping around his digit as he began moving in and out of your crevice. 

You arched your back, craving more. Even though you knew that when it came to him, it was never enough. You could never suffice. After a few moments he slipped in a second finger, his thumb moving over your clit as he started to finger fuck you more vehemently. 

“Oh my god!” Whimpers left your lips. “You’re so fucking good!”

Javi kissed your face, the feel of your skin hot against his lips. Your body began to spasm as a result of his actions. His fingers moved rapidly in and out of your opening, curling and stretching your insides now and again. His other hand paying attention to your pulsating center, circling over your clit, determined not to stop until he’d made you come.

“Just like that, mmmm… así, Javi…” You repeated the words over and over until they eventually died in your mouth, replaced instead by unabashed cries of gratification as you reached that blissful finish. 

An explosion of fireworks went off behind your closed eyes as the heat rippled through all your extremities. Your core swollen and tender from his touch and its sensitivity heightened by your triggered orgasm.

You laughed, kissing him. “You’re amazing, Javier.” With your hands on his arms, you pulled yourself up. “Come here,” you patted the bed, gesturing for him to lie on his back.

You stretched across his upper body, opening the drawer in the nightstand next to him. You’d been at his place plenty of times before to know where everything was, but it was almost like unspoken rule between you. One that if acknowledged, would give away the deep intimacy you both already shared. He slapped your ass as you reached for the box of condoms buried underneath his socks. 

Moments later, you sat astride his thighs, unrolling the rubber over his length and pumping it with your hand a few times before positioning him at your entrance. He looked up at you, his slightly opened mouth exhaling a groan as he slowly invaded your heated depths. 

He allowed you full control of the movements as he slid inside you, even though he was dying to grab your hips and ravish you without restraint. You blurted out his name as you started to move up and down his length, the thickness of his cock stretching your wet walls, instilling you with indescribable pleasure each time every inch of him filled you up.

You rocked your hips back and forth, riding his cock like you owned it, alternating your speed as the minutes ticked by. Eventually turning your movements into that undulated dance that you knew he loved so much. Your breathing became ragged and your bodies sweaty from the heated friction. Grunts and moans, fused with curses and dirty talk, permeated the air.

Javi held on to your hips, fingers gripping your skin as you bucked your hips into him harder and faster. You leaned your upper body forward, mouth nipping his neck as you bounced your ass up and down over his thighs, taking pleasure in the sound of your wet bodies clashing against each other.

Your heart was beating so fast, the exertion making your legs tired and numb from being bent in the same position for so long. Javi sensed your fatigue when you slowed down your pace. He wrapped his arms around your back, holding you close to him as he lifted his hips off the bed and slammed his cock into your core a few times, giving you a bit of a break from your movements.

He took a second to catch his breath and then rolled over with you on the bed, pinning you underneath him as he adjusted himself inside you. Taking both of your hands, he raised them over your head, binding your wrists together with one of his hands as he began fucking you again. It was the first time you could recall him doing that, but something about it made you feel absolutely comfortable and safe. It wasn’t aggressive or even forceful. No. It was like he was claiming you as his own.

“I can’t let you do this.” He said, making you mewl and flail as he hit your sweet spot with just the right amount of force.

He was breathless, but his words were gentle and full of the love you told him once he could never feel for you. 

“I care about you too much.” He said your name, repeating it one more time before he made his final confession. “I love you.” 

The rousing feelings overtook you, pleasurable sensations flowing through you as you came undone one more time. His hips banged into you over and over, the ache intensifying in your core, your walls quivering and contracting as they burst with release. 

You were still in the midst of your orgasm when you felt his body go rigid for just a second, his grunts becoming loud and incessant as he came inside you. The rapturous seconds of physical climax evaporated after a few moments but the emotional effects of it lingered long after. 

Your exhausted bodies lied next to each other, legs still entwined as you remained still for the minutes that followed. 

Even after you both had come down from your respective highs, you stayed put, afraid to move in order to delay the inevitable explanation that was coming after what Javi had just said.

* * * * *

You came out of the bathroom, trajectory set on your scattered clothes on the floor. Legs were still wobbly and heart was still beating fast but maybe this time it was from anxiousness and fear more than anything.

Javi had said those three words to you, knowing that you didn’t want to hear them.

Before then, all he’d done was toy with the idea of you leaving the trade for good. Deep down you suspected his reasons for asking but he had never really elaborated on what his intentions were for you if you did decide to quit. Not that it was a big secret. You were aware that he’d sent some girls across the border to live a life under witness protection, and others to monasteries or safe sanctuaries far away from their homeland. None of which was for you. 

You gave him the same answer every time he brought it up; you belonged to no one but yourself and you didn't need a savior to rescue you.

Javi reached for your hand as you finished getting dressed. He’d sensed the coldness you emitted. He could feel you drifting from him, shutting him out.

“So you’re just going to ruin your team’s operation because of me?” You couldn’t believe you were saying that, it didn’t sound like the Javi you knew. His job had always been his priority.

“It’s still happening. You’re just not a part of it.” He buttoned his jeans, frowning when he heard the contemptuous laugh that left your lips a second later.

"You can't save me from this, Javi." You pulled away, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Because I don't need to be saved. I thought you understood that.”

His nostrils flared, one hand running through his hair as he looked at you. Face painted with despair. “Why are you acting like this? I just told you I loved you—“

“And I warned you not to fall in love with me.” You retorted, your voice cracking from the influx of emotions he’d stirred in you. 

You wanted to cry. There was anger in you but you weren’t angry with him. How could you be? No. You were angry with yourself because you too had allowed it to get this far even though you told yourself you wouldn’t. Your carelessness had led you to grow attached.

“Well, I do love you.” He shrugged like there was nothing he could do about it. 

“Es la verdad. Te amo.”

“Estás loco, Javier.” 

He smiled, inching closer to you. “Loco for ti nadamás.” 

“Fuck.” You huffed under your breath. “I’m being serious.”

“So am I. Come on, talk to me.” He put his hands on your shoulders, tipping his head down and searching for your eyes. “Why is it so bad that I fell in love with you?”

“You wanna know how this story ends?” Your eyes narrowed, mouth twisting in disapproval. “I’ll tell you. Hell, I’ve lived it plenty of times before to know the ending never changes.”

You sighed, the twinge in your chest threatening to make you fall to pieces before you could even speak.

“You tell me that you love me and I believe you… because I want it to be true,” you said quietly. “And it’s fine for a little while. But you never truly get over it. You’re not able to forget my past. The countless men that crossed my path before you…”  

You stopped to take a breath, trying to get rid of the knot that had formed in your throat. “And then that love you said you felt for me. The love story that you made me believe in… it begins to turn into a nightmare. Chipping away at any feelings we might still have for each other. Until one day… you grow tired… and you leave. You leave and all I’m left with is bitterness and hate.” Your eyes were filled to the brim with tears.

He shook his head. “I would never do that to you.” His kind eyes displaying a glint of hopelessness as he began to realize why you’d been so put off by his declaration. 

“But you will.” Your lip trembled as you began to sob. “Because they always do. They never stay, Javi. You won’t stay.”

He took you in his arms, your composure crumbling all at once the moment you felt his warm embrace. Your head was pressed against his bare chest, your whole body enveloped in his scent.  

“You’re a good man. I know you are. And I don’t want to hate you.” You said between sharp intakes of air, feeling completely vulnerable as he held you. Knowing that now that your truth was out in the open, there was no point in denying your own feelings for him. “I love you too much to ever hate you, Javi.”

That bit of confirmation that you felt the same way was reassuring to him. He held you tightly, kissing the top of your head. “And do you trust me?”

You laughed between the tears, thinking that earlier you’d been dead set on putting your life on the line for him—he knew you did. “Of course I trust you.”

He nuzzled your temple and then spread kisses over your flushed, dewy cheeks in the most delicate and loving manner. The tender brush of his lips made you shiver in delight, like a hit of ecstasy had been shot straight into your veins.

“Then believe me when I tell you that I would never…” He gently took a hold of your chin with his fingers, wiping the tears from under your misty eyes. “I would never break your heart. I would never hurt you, amor.”

You closed your eyes, feeling his proximity close in on you. The touch of his lips on yours made your heart sputter. Hooking your arms around his neck, you kissed him again, gently sparring with his tongue as you relished in each other’s taste for a long drawn-out minute.

Breaking away slowly, you said. “I know but I’m fucking terrified to fall… to completely give myself to someone other than me.”

“So am I.” He said. “But not of falling. It’s too late for that.” He caressed your face, the tears no longer trickling down your cheeks. “What terrifies me is the thought of not being with you.”

You sighed deep enough that it made your chest hurt. “You really believe in us?”

“Yes.” He replied without hesitation. “I do.” His words drenched in sincerity.

You knew the absolute soundness you felt in that moment could only be found in his arms. Javi had always cared for you, protected you, kept you safe. He offered all the things that those who had wronged you had failed to provide.

“It’s safe to fall.” He whispered. “I’m right here.”

You knew that the deep rooted fear inside you that made you question every relationship you’d ever had wouldn’t just magically disappear overnight. But you also knew that he would help ease your mind whenever you were in need of it. 

Javi had never failed you and never would.

You shut your eyes, breathing him in, not wanting to let go of him just yet. With each passing minute you grew more convinced that perhaps what he had said was true. Maybe it was finally safe for you to fall.

[kentuckywrites]

Imperium 2: Chapter 3

Sic faciet nives. (It will snow.)

Tatsu wasn’t a fan of the food jokes Lin made, but he was most certainly a fan of joining the Cocytios expedition. In fact, he quickly took Lin’s place as the most excited to venture into unknown territory, and the entire time at the dinner table was filled with Tatsu’s grand stories of the legendary Heropon who lived there. She didn’t quite get to ask how he knew of Cocytios before they did, and yet Elma couldn’t help but be amused at some of the stories he recited. His enthusiasm was contagious! It was almost as if Pongo being in trouble was an afterthought.

But after dinner, that was all Elma could think about. She went to sleep thinking about him, she woke up thinking about him, she even thought of him as the MMC workers helped set her consciousness up in her old mim. Pongo, the boy she’d recruited onto her team, the boy who didn’t know how to speak until Vandham described the Interceptors’ role during his BLADE training. The boy who went on to become a powerful protector, who built a Free Hug Stand in the Commercial District, who would put himself in harm’s way to keep his friends safe without question. He was once a shy and awkward rookie who talked too much and thought every human being was beautiful. But nowadays, Pongo was confident, he knew himself and the world around him - quite literally. He could handle himself out there.

Yet Nessa’s mere existence proved he was in far more trouble than he’d ever been in before. And that scared Elma far more than she wanted to admit. 

She walked out of the MMC and immediately took a deep, cleansing breath. It wasn’t exactly weird, being back in her old mimeosome. In the beginning, returning to her original body felt like going back home after years of being away. Returning to her mimeosome now was like going back on vacation, a change of pace she didn’t know she needed after all this time. Mimeosomes didn’t need to worry about the same necessities that real bodies did. This would be important for Cocytios, and important for rescuing Pongo.

Elma quickly met up with Lin, Nessa and Tatsu outside of their barracks. Though they knew they wouldn’t be able to bring their Skells to Cocytios, it was decided they’d spare themselves the trouble of walking all the way to Primordia’s southern coast and opt to drive there instead. Lin had even managed to hook up their little yacht to her Skell and was fine tuning the hitch connecting the two when Elma approached. Nessa and Tatsu both watched, but didn’t make any move to help. Elma could only assume that at the very least, Nessa wasn’t as familiar with the technology. It was curious, how both of them looked on with the same sparkle in their eyes, the same childish wonder. She recalled Pongo having that same sparkle when he was first discovering the world and all its mysteries. 

Nessa was the first to spot Elma approaching, and she whistled softly. She was wearing new armor, too. The brogs matched Elma’s own, though Nessa’s pair were blue, and the rest of her armor was mismatched from various other apparel lines and arms manufacturers. What made Elma smirk was the fact that it was...okay, it wasn’t leaving much to the imagination. At least Nessa could dish out her interest in such things while accepting the style herself.

“All ready to go?” Nessa asked her.

Elma nodded once. “I believe so. Lin, how about you?”

“Just making some last minute adjustments, then I’ll be good!” Lin kept working, and the squeak of a bolt tightening under a wrench accompanied her response. “Our Skells are full of fuel, so that won’t be an issue for the drive. We’ll be parking near one of the bases, and I’ve already called ahead to let them know we’re coming soon. They’ve promised to keep watch over our Skells and make sure nothing bad happens to them!”

“And what about me?” Nessa prompted, “Will I have to ride with someone, or am I getting my own little plaything?”

Lin paused. “Do you...do you know how to drive a Skell?”

“Absolutely not. But there’s a first time for everything, right?”

“I don’t trust that for a second. You’re not hurting any of my - any of Pongo’s babies. He paid a lot of credits for these, y’know.”

“Oh come on, if there’s anything I remember of him, it’s that he’s loaded,” Nessa said, crossing her arms and pouting in dramatic fashion, “Shame Mira couldn’t create me with a couple thousand credits in my pockets, though.”

“If Nessa not have credits before, how did Nessa get credits for new armor?” Tatsu asked innocently.

Nessa winked. “I raided Pongo’s stash. You won’t believe how much armor he’s got stored away. It’s like he’s got a piece of armor for every monster he’s killed.”

Lin finally finished making adjustments to the hitch, and she bounced straight up, turning to face the others while wiping the sweat off her brow. “Alrighty, that does it! I’m ready to go when you are!”

“Tatsu excited!!” Tatsu cheered, “Winterland home of legendary Heropon! Tatsu can’t wait to meet him and ask about dadapon!!”

“Right, your father is also a...Heropon,” Elma recalled, “We’ll have to wait and see. For now, Nessa, you can ride with me if you want. I may not have an extra seat like Lin has for Tatsu, but there should be plenty of room for us both.”

“How could I say no to such a generous offer?” Nessa beamed, “Let’s head out, Team Elma! To Cocytios!”

Elma didn’t say anything when Nessa initially walked up to the wrong Skell - the Amdusias Hades belonged to Lin, a stronger hitting Skell that was well equipped and well handled under the Outfitter’s care. At first glance, it was the most powerful between the two Skells parked, and Nessa patted its leg with a confident smile.

“Um…” Lin was the one to break the illusion, “You know that’s my Skell, right? Elma’s is the red Verus Cain over there.”

A flash of confusion, quick glances between the two Skell models, and finally, Nessa’s apologetic smile landed on Elma. 

“Right, of course. Should’ve guessed by the unusually thematic coloring. Let’s get a move on, then!”

~

It was an uneventful drive to the coast, and the BLADEs maintaining the base camp were more than happy to keep watch over their Skells. Lin unhooked their yacht with ease, and with the help of the other BLADEs, they all managed to drag it into the ocean. From there, it was smooth sailing, and beautiful weather for it too. Lin handled the boat’s controls while Elma supervised and Nessa provided directions, but it wasn’t hard to get lost in the salty sea breeze, the warm sun that kissed Elma’s skin. She knew this bliss was temporary, as most things were, because Cocytios was supposed to be bitter and unrelenting. She was excited, of course, and she kept a keen eye out for any signs of land.

Yet it took them hours on the open sea before Nessa called out to them, pointing ahead. “I see it! We’re close!”

Lin squinted at that, trying to identify Cocytios’s coast. Lin and Elma both squinted, trying to make out the continent, and soon enough Elma saw distant shadows on the horizon. It was still a far ways off, but the shadows were tall and ominous, easy to spot once she put some effort into it. Mountains, she harbored a guess, and fairly tall ones at that. The closer the yacht got, the more Elma realized she was right. They were tall, snow-capped mountains that only seemed to grow taller and taller the closer they became. The tallest ones were even obscured by a layer of clouds, which were brimming with infant snowfall. But, to Elma’s surprise, she saw a familiar silhouette past the mountains. Were those…rings? 

“Nessa,” Elma called to Nessa, leaving Lin’s side to approach the edge of the deck, “The ring structures embedded into the mountains...they appear similar to those that we found in Oblivia. Do you know their purpose?”

“Oh, the Perceptis Automata?” Nessa spoke the name as if it were common knowledge, “Those were weapons used in an ancient war. It mainly took place in Oblivia, Sylvalum and Cauldros, but some fighting occurred here, too. Not enough to damage the ecosystem, mind you, but enough to leave behind evidence.”

“I see,” Elma pondered for a moment. She remembered something about this war, something that Pongo had mentioned during the explanation of his origin. But the details escaped her. She supposed she could learn more after the mission’s completion, after they’d rescued Pongo from whatever fate he’d befallen.

“Was war between legendary winterland Heropon and Miran gods?” Tatsu waddled up to Nessa, and Elma could practically see the stars in his eyes despite his glasses covering them up, “Like in Tale of Two Gods?”

Nessa raised a curious eyebrow. “That’s the story you were going on about yesterday, right? I ah...no, that’s not the one. This war was a really long time ago - longer than the Nopon have existed, I reckon.”

“Hmph!” He pouted, “Tatsu still want to find Heropon here. Tatsu has so many questions!”

“Maybe we’ll find a Nopon caravan here,” Elma said, “After all, there seems to be one caravan inhabiting every continent thus far. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and find one that would be willing to house us and provide some extra knowledge about the land.” When Tatsu opened his mouth to say something, she quickly added on, “But we shouldn’t depend entirely on that possibility. We need to be able to fend for ourselves and we can’t become reliant on ‘what ifs’.”

“If Tatsu know anything about legendary Heropon here, it’s that he always comes to help!” He kept up his enthusiasm, “Tatsu not lose hope that Heropon will help us if we find him!”

They continued to sail ever closer to the shore, and eventually, Lin turned off the engine and let the yacht come up close to where the sea kissed the land. All it took was a hop and a couple steps for Elma to officially be standing in Cocytios. She inhaled, the crisp winter air stinging her lungs. She’d made a good call, Elma concluded, coming in her mimeosome rather than her true form. Even now, she could feel the chill of the air pushing underneath her clothes and teasing all her goose bumps out of hiding. 

Nessa, Lin and Tatsu soon joined her, and the group stared into the vast expanse of fallen snow, of mountainous terrain and foreign land. When Nessa finally spoke, she didn’t break the silence. How could a silence be broken, when the wind promised so willingly to create sound at all times?

“Welcome to Cocytios,” Nessa extended her arms, smiling warmly in the cold, “I’d love to give the grand tour, but we’ve got ground to cover before dark.”

“Right,” Elma agreed, “Lead the way, Nessa.”

For a moment, Nessa looked honored that Elma had relinquished leadership to her, but she took the news in stride. Nessa soon walked ahead of the others, maintaining a steady pace. For now, the snow was light and feathery, and it didn’t have time to properly accumulate on the ground. Elma looked up at the mountains, at the path they now trekked along, at the cloudy sky and her team around her. Tatsu, having dressed warmly, stuck to Lin’s side like glue. Elma told herself to keep an eye on the little Nopon; he’d tire easily in these conditions, and she’d carry him if he started to fall behind.

Little conversation was had for a vast stretch of time. The wind was consistent and brutal against them, trying so desperately to push them back to the shore from whence they came. Elma observed halfway through their journey that there was a surprising lack of indigen activity. It was unsettling, especially since the snow hindered her vision considerably, so she couldn’t quite tell if there were actually indigens around. Perhaps some were camouflaged, perhaps some were in plain sight and stalking their every movement through the terrain. Elma kept her guard up either way, keeping a vigilant eye out for any surprises. 

“So where exactly is Pongo?” Lin asked at one point, her voice raised to triumph over the wind, “Can Mira remember where he went?”

Nessa didn’t respond. She stopped walking, seemingly frozen in place for an unnatural second. Elma almost thought she was frozen before she finally moved again, turning to face Lin. Her eyes had gone white, the same white as the snow collecting around them, and her voice now harbored an echo, as if she was no longer the only person speaking from her body.

“I do not remember myself, but I do feel a strange presence to the southwest. I believe there may be a Ganglion fortress there, and since the Ganglion attacked Pongo before I lost connection to him, I would harbor he is down there.”

“Meh meh? Nessa sound funny,” Tatsu scowled.

“Oh, that would be correct. Tatsu, my name is Mira. I created both Pongo and Nessa. She allowed me to speak through her body for a short time to relay this information to you.”

“Mira? As in planet Mira?”

“Yes.”

“Tatsu thought Mira was planet! Planets can’t talk!”

“Well, this planet can, thank you very much.”

“Does planet usually have funny accent?”

Nessa - or rather, Mira - stared at Tatsu for a very, very long time. Elma wasn’t sure which was colder: the Cocytios weather or the sheer amount of annoyance radiating off of Mira’s body.

“Nessa usually has a funny accent. Mira, the planet, can sound like anything. I cannot change Nessa’s voice, however.”

Tatsu kept scowling, clearly confused or unconvinced or some mixture of the two. But Lin butted in before Tatsu could raise another question. “So how close are we to that possible fortress?”

“Oh, sweetie, that’s on the other side of the continent,” Mira shrugged, “It’ll take a while.”

“Is there anywhere we can camp nearby, then?” Elma asked, “It would be wise to set up shelter before the sun sets, if what Nessa told is true.”

“Yep, Cocytios’s most dangerous indigens like to emerge in the night hours.” Mira stopped for a moment, looking up as if it were trying to calculate something. “There is a cave nearby that should provide adequate shelter for the night. It is not far, but we should keep up the pace if we want to make it there before nightfall.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Elma confirmed, “Let’s move out.”

And so they continued through the monotonous scenery, with Elma keeping that ever vigilant eye just in case anything popped up. Mira had confirmed that most of the dangerous indigens would emerge at night, and the sun was only just beginning to lower in the sky, but Elma wasn’t about to take any chances. Somewhere along the way, she even asked Mira about possible indigen activity during the day, but Nessa had regained control at that point and could only pass along a cryptic message.

“Mira said we’ll be fine,” Nessa said, “That we shouldn’t worry our little heads about it.”

“Patronizing,” Lin muttered.

The sun was threatening to disappear past the horizon by the time Nessa found the cave Mira had told them about. The entrance was rather small, and the interior didn’t stretch too far into the mountainside it was carved into. But it was a decent enough spot to rest for the night, and Elma located some shrubs that they could use to form a fire. Eventually they’d all settled down, with Elma offering to take watch first, and soon night had fallen and the others had fallen into a peaceful sleep. It gave Elma more time alone with her thoughts, trying to process how quickly things had come to pass, what was going to greet them the next day. She could hear rustling outside, the echoes of indigens calling to each other. One caught her ear the most: a melodic wolf’s howl, multiple, creating a haunting symphony. It was hard to place how close they were, but something told Elma that she didn’t need to worry.

But then, something else caught her ear. Stone cracking, breaking somewhere. Elma looked up and noticed the stalactites hanging from the cave’s ceiling, and she mistakenly thought nothing of it. 

And then, in glorious fashion, one by one, the stalactites fell. Elma couldn’t call out to the others before a rock hit her head and all went dark and quiet once more.

[lavendersuh]

“how much do you hate me?”

pairing: fuckboy!mark tuan/reader

genre: college!au, childhood neighbors, enemies to lovers, fluff, mild angst

word count: 2.3k

a/n: you should know how much i love enemies to lovers ok i really really love it,,,, this is based off the drabble prompt “how much do you hate me?” “not enough to say no immediately what do you want” enjoy! xx

“How much do you hate me?” 

The question came from behind you, as you sat reading a textbook and munching on an apple between classes. You spin around to see Mark Tuan, resident fuckboy on campus, smirking down at you. 

He wasn’t just the resident fuckboy, but he was also your childhood neighbor, the boy that you watched grow up beside you. It still baffled you that somehow you both had managed to choose the same college. You, for the creative arts program, and he, for the fraternities. The lives you led were different, yet somehow had always paralleled each other.

You were never really friends with Mark, despite your mothers putting you in the sandbox together at a young age. Pulling your pigtails at the age of six didn’t necessarily leave you with the best first impression of him, and that animosity followed you as you both grew up. Arguments ensued throughout the occasional dinners your families would hold together. It always left you frustrated, wishing you had a grumpy old man as a neighbor rather than the increasingly attractive boy you were stuck with.

Awkward teen years and the constant bickering warranted a bit of anger when you realized he chose the same college as you. Would you ever escape this man?

You close your book slowly, as he sits down next to you. It’s early on a Saturday morning, so the library is mostly empty. 

You narrow your eyes at him, “Not enough to say ‘no’ immediately,” you say, “What do you need?”

He beams at you and you notice how much he’s changed. You have only seen him in passing glance in one of the dining halls since arriving on campus, and his hair is more blonde since the last time you saw him in the beginning of summer. He wears a hoodie with his frat logo on it, with sweatpants and a hat.

“You know me so well, Y/N.” he says, “I need you to kiss me.”

You immediately recoil, “What the hell?”

He laughs, “Not right now, but tonight at a party my frat is hosting. I’m trying to hook up with this girl and I want to make her jealous.” 

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” you exclaim, before pausing, “What’s in it for me?”

“The satisfaction of knowing you helped one of your lifelong, childhood friends get laid by a senior?” he throws you a convincing smile, “The fact that you’ll have kissed your high school crush?”

You go to stand up, packing up your books into your bag, “I am not helping you seduce a girl, I don’t care if she’s a senior.” You look back at him, “And I didn’t have a crush on you! Where did you get that dumb idea?”

“Your mom told my mom,” he mentions, “You know how they love to gossip.” 

It was true, your mothers both were quite the little gossips. But the fact that you did, indeed, have a crush on Mark was something you never told your mother. It was a secret you would keep to the grave. He would never had let you live it down.

He goes to follow you as you descend the stairs, leading out to the Quad. You continue to bicker with him as you make your way back to your dorm hall, and it feels all too familiar. Arguing with Mark is a sport, and you were a pro.

“I do not support using manipulation to get someone into bed with you. Just tell her you want to fuck! What is with guys and zero communication these days, Jesus.” you huff. 

“If I do that she might think I want more than just a one time thing!”

“Then communicate that you just want to hookup!”

You reach your dorm hall and just as you are about to slide your ID and open the door, he slides between the door and you. 

“Ok, listen, what if I sweeten the deal?” he reasons, “How’s $10 and some free booze?”

You sigh. He has always been stubborn. 

“How about $30?” You’ve always been stubborn too. 

He rolls his eyes, but holds out his hand, “Fine, deal, be there at nine, okay?”

You grasp his hand in a firm handshake, “Can’t wait,” the sarcasm drips off the words. 

It would certainly be an interesting night.

By the time you got to the frat house at ten, the party was in full swing. People littered the front yard, and as soon as you walked into the house, you were met with heat and smoke. You’d never been to this house before, but the kitchen was easy to find. Grabbing a beer from the coolers lining the wall, you cracked it open, wondering where Mark was.

You wandered around a bit before seeing a head of blonde hair coming toward you.

“Hey, you made it! I honestly didn’t think you would show up,” he chuckles, a beer in his own hand.

“I came from the booze and the grocery money,” you grin at him. You never were a lightweight, but the taste of alcohol already begins to loosen you up a bit. “So, where’s this girl you’re trying to make jealous?” 

“Not sure yet!” 

You whip your head around to look him in the eye, “What? You don’t have someone specific in mind? Why am I even here?”

He laughs, guiding you through some of the crowds of dancers, “I’m trying out a new technique. You know how chicks get jealous.”

Your face morphs into disgust. Of course he thinks like that. 

“Have you always been this shallow? This inept?” you ask.

“Hey, look who’s following along with my plan, eh?” 

You huff, and take a few more swigs of the beer in your hand. Mark stays next to you, nursing his own drink, watching you curiously. It’s been so long since you’ve really talked to Mark, yet the bickering dynamic feels like you talk everyday. 

It takes a few moments, of drinking and taking in the sights of the party around you, before you come to a decision. Taking the last gulp of your last drink, you muster up your courage and look at Mark. 

“Alright, I’m starting to get tipsy, I'm kind of curious to see if this will work. Find your target, let’s go.” you tell him.

He grins, “Give me ten minutes, I’ll meet up back here.”

With that, he’s off, and you go to grab another drink. At least there’s booze, you think. You find your spot back along the wall and try to find Mark in the crowd. Eventually you spot him, talking up a pretty brunette, who isn’t as into it as he would probably like. 

Watching him flirt relentlessly with the girl brought back memories of high school. Of hugging the wall at parties, watching him flirt and go for the girls in other classes. It was odd watching the shy neighbor boy transform in such little time.

Whenever you crossed paths with Mark nowadays, it always made life interesting. While he constantly drove you insane, you also felt nostalgic for the simple high school days of dumb arguments.

While you are caught in your own thoughts, you don’t notice Mark approaching you. He swoops his arm around your waist, taking you on a trip through the crowd. He nuzzles his nose next to ear, sending a chill down your spine. 

He whispers in your ear, “Let’s find a place to start the show, eh? She’s hanging with her friends in the living area.” 

He leads you through the house, finding a bookcase in the back of the living room. As he spins you around to lean against the bookcase you catch a glimpse of the brunette he had been talking to. You can’t help but stare at her, as she takes quick looks over at the two of you.

Mark moves in close, his arms coming to rest on either side of you, “Hey,” he catches your attention, drawing your eyes from the girl, “if you get uncomfortable or something, let me know.”

Was Mark being caring? Since when? Wasn’t this the fuckboy that would tease you for paying attention to your studies rather than finding friends? Wasn’t this the very man using you to get in another girl’s pants?

You nod, catching the dark look overtaking his eyes. He glances down at your lips, before leaning in, capturing your lips with his own. 

A warm feeling spreads through you, as he grips your hips and you bring your hands up to encircle his neck. His mouth is warm against your own, and you find yourself not hating this as much as you thought you would. 

You’re still curious, wondering whether the girl is looking over at you, but you can’t bring yourself to open your eyes and check. Might as well just live in the moment, right? 

You don’t know how long it is before Mark is removing his lips from yours, but as you open your eyes, he rests his forehead against yours, staring directly into your eyes. 

“Not bad, neighbor,” he comments, sending you a smirk that could probably leave you swooning if not for your pride.

“Ditto,” you reply, through it comes out as a sigh, as you still try to catch your breath. 

He pecks you on the lips once more before fully retreating from you, “Time to see if the plan worked,” he mentions, stepping away. 

You clear your throat, suddenly sobering up, from both the alcohol and Mark. “Right, go get your girl.” 

He throws you another smile before sauntering casually in the direction of the brunette. You look away, suddenly feeling sick at the thought of watching him hook up with someone. 

You weave your way back into the kitchen and manage to score a glass of water. You aren’t really sure how much longer you want to stay. You vaguely recall Mark owing you $30, but you don’t care all that much. 

Deciding you want to leave, you abandon the glass, walking towards the door. Why, surrounded by so many people, do you suddenly feel so alone? 

You stumble out of the frat house and into the cool night. It’s quieter out here, despite the background sounds of the bass and the occasional holler from someone on the lawn. 

The walk home is sobering, to say the least, as you make your way back to your dorm. It’s never been fun walking home from parties, especially when you are all alone and not very drunk anymore. 

You pass other parties, and crowds of people laughing, but you just want sleep, you just want warmth. Coming out tonight was not your finest idea, but you’ve found when it comes to Mark, things always shift from what you planned.

You aren’t sure why you suddenly feel so sad. Is it because Mark is so easily able to find someone to spend the night with? So easily able to talk to others and make connections?

Deep down, in your traitorous heart, you fear it isn’t Mark’s people skills you want, but Mark himself.

You sputter, shaking your head to yourself. That’s crazy, you think. It’s Mark.

By the time you make it back to your dorm hall, you finally accept that it probably is just Mark. You shove that down though, suppress it. That would never happen.

You laugh to yourself, walking up the steps to the front entrance. Blaming all these ridiculous thoughts on your tipsy mind, you don’t hear someone calling out to you until they get closer.

You spin around, only to find Mark staring at you from the sidewalk. He looks out of breath, like he just ran here. He climbs the steps, two at a time and before you know it, he’s standing in front of you, winded and with a wild look in his eyes. 

“Mark?” you ask, confusion evident in your tone, “What are you doing here?”

He’s still breathing heavy, and looking at you like he doesn’t even know the answer. “The girl- she- I don’t know, I can’t stop thinking about- and then-” he pauses, taking a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. 

He tries again, “She wasn’t what I was looking for.”

Your eyebrows knit together, “Oh, so you want me to help again? I’m kinda tired-”

“No! No, I-” he cuts himself off again, “Jesus, I’m so bad at this. I finally got her all alone and it didn’t even matter. I didn’t feel like kissing her, or doing anything.”

“Why?” you ask quietly.

“She wasn’t you.”

You are startled at his words. Shell-shocked. You wonder if you already made it up to your dorm, and were fast asleep, dreaming up this whole situation. 

He steps in front of you, taking your hands gently in his.

“I know we have fought for as long as I can remember.” he tells you, “But kissing you felt right. Tell me you didn’t feel the same. Tell me to stop and I’ll go; I’ll never speak to you again.”

“I-” you can’t find words as you watch him lean closer and closer. 

Because the truth was, something about it did feel right.

“How much do you hate me?” He asks, tilting his head as you feel his breath dance across your lips.

“Not as much as I want to,” you whisper back, pressing your lips to his, letting the emotions of hate and anger flow away has he kisses you back. 

You think back to the days of your adolescence, when your mother would tease you about your bickering with Mark, saying you acted like an old married couple, joking about how eventually the two of you would start dating. You used to think your mom was crazy. But now, with Mark leaning into you, and fireworks exploding in your chest, you wondered if she’s been right all along. 

[jungshookz]

demons and angels and nurses, oh my!; myg

😈 pairing: min yoongi x reader

😈 genre: spooktober day (2/7); demon!yoongiverse because it wouldn’t be halloween wiThout everyone’s favourite demon; costume shopping is always cute!!

😈 wordcount: 2.1k

😈 note: demon!yoongi told me that if i didn’t write a spooktober drabble for him he would stand in the corner of my room at night and watch me so here he is!!!! i’m trying to keep these drabbles short n sweet but i apologize if it seems like there isn’t much substance to this one but pouty yoongi and costume shopping is CUTE suE ME 

(picture source here! again, having some trouble finding the original-original source of the picture because it’s literally on everyone’s pinterest page lol) 

                                      ◢▅◣Ξ◥▅◤Ξ◢▅◣Ξ◥▅◤

this is supposed to be the most beautiful time of the year for yoongi

the leaves are dying

the rain is falling

the pumpkins are spicing

so he doesn’t understand whY he isn’t out in the world wreaking havoc on everyone and is instead stuck shopping with you!!!

(for the record he loves you and cherishes this relationship but PLEASE for the love of satan he needs to get the hell out of here before he falls asleep)

not to be a grump or anything but you guys have been at the costume store for a solid 2 hours and yoongi’s ass is getting sO sore from sitting on the bench for so long

“you know, the key word in couple’s costume is ‘couple’. and so far, this has been a very one-sided couple.”

yoongi glances up from his phone and snorts when he sees you dressed up as a bottle of mustard

“look, i even took mustard so you could have ketchup! ketchup is red and red is the colour of your eyes when you get upset!!”

“well, that’s very thoughtful of you.”

here’s the thing

jungkook’s throwing his annual halloween party (this is the first time he’s throwing it at an actual venue and not his musty dusty cruSty apartment)

would it be so vEry wrong of you to show up there with yoongi? your boyfriend? your devilishly (hA) attractive boyfriend who you would very much like to rub in everyone’s faces?

also there’s literally a 2 for 1 deal on couple’s costume so it would be crazy for you noT to take advantage of that

here’s a list of the couple’s costumes that yoongi has rejected so far:

salt and pepper

milk and cookies

peanut butter and jelly

(you skipped lunch today so maybe that’s why you’ve been choosing a lot of food-themed costumes)

pennywise and georgie!!!!! yoU thought yoongi looked so cute in that yellow raincoat

plus you were kinda feeling that pennywise wig on yourself

a bar of soap and a loOFah

eggs and bacon (again, ya didn’t eat lunch)

you tried to make this experience more fun for yoongi by letting him choose some costumes for you guys but he ended up just choosing costumes for yoU which meant a lot of sexy [insert literally any kind of person/place/thing here]

surprisingly enough he wasn’t a fan of the demon one

in all honesty it was kinda taCky

the cheap red paper horns

the flimsy pitchfork

the pointy, scrawny little taiL

humans really need to be more open minded when it comes to how demons look nowadays

“i am burning up for you, nurse y/l/n…“ yoongi whistles lowly as you step out of the changing room wearing yet another one of his tasteful selections

you don’t understand why there are sexy nurses but there aren’t any sexy doctors

but that’s a conversation for another time

for now you’re trying to figure out how to walk properly without having the dress rise up and expose your enTire ass to this store

you’re not even sure if this costume is in your size considering how tight it is

you feel like if you cough weirdly you’re going to pOp a button and everyone’s going to get a nice look at your boobs

“you’re not taking this seriously anymore.” you grumble as yoongi leans forward to grab your wrists and pull you closer to him

“what do you mean?” he hums as he begins to slide his hand up from the back of your thigh to your- “oW-“ yoongi pushes his bottom lip out in a pout when you swAt his hand away before he can get to the motherland

“i wanna win the costume party and we’re not going to win if i show up wearing a sexy nurse’s outfit and you show up wearing- well, normal clothes!”

yoongi lets out a sigh and props his chin up against your torso and you instinctively reach down to push his hair back “we can go as like, a professor and a student or something.”

“…we’re dressing up for halloween, we’re not shooting a porno film-“

“it’s just- halloween is the one night of the year that i’m free from my demon duties and i get to do whatever i want and i- i don’t know, i guess i think it’d be a little siLLy using that time to put on some silly costumes and hang out at jungkook’s place with a bunch of people i barely know. plus - a couple months back when we were talking about halloween you said that you’d be okay with me disappearing for 24 hours!” yoongi pouts up at you and bats his lashes

okay

he has a good point

you dO remember having that conversation with him

and it’s true, the fact that he only gets 1 day out of 365 days off

if he wants to spend that one day hanging out with his demon friends then he can do that

it’s just.,,.

u don’t want to sound like a brAt or anything but

!!!!

halloween is so much moRe fun when you get to dress up with your significant other!!!!!

and u don’t like that he’s calling it silly because now yoU feel silly for enjoying the dress-up aspect of halloween

and now you’re going to have to show up to this party aLone which is not ideal because you already told like 8 people that you were bringing your boYfriEnd

>:-(

u know what

it’s whatever

it’s not worth getting into an argument over

you’re fine!

it’s fine

it’s whatever

“that’s fair…” you murmur and purse your lips in thought

now you have to come up with a clever single person halloween costume

you still have a couple of days left to decide so you’re sure it’ll be fine

“alright, i suppose you’re right.” you let out a sigh and yoongi grins happily up at you

“thank u, baby”

“mm”

yoongi gives your bum a swat as soon as you turn around and you resiSt the urge to tackle him in the middle of this costume store

“y/n, you are noT going to believe the things that i have planned out for-“ yoongi’s sneakers squeak against the wooden floor when he spots a familiar face in the apartment “…what the hell are you doing here?”

“good afternoon, yoongi!” jimin smiles brightly and yoongi raises a brow

he sweArs his perfect, pearly teeth are going to blind him one day

“why are you in my apartment?”

“y/n and i are going to jungkook’s party together and she wanted me to come over to try some outfits on!” jimin states as if that’s the most oBvious thing in the entire world and yoongi snorts

“…you guys aren’t going to the party together.”

“ya we are”

“no, you’re not-“

“mmmm i’m pRetty sure we are”

“okay but it’s like- it’s a couple’s costume and you’re not a couple-“

“we don’t have to be a couple! she just needed someone to go with-“

“okay but you’re noT a couple so you can’t say you’re a couple otherwise people are going to think that you guys are like, together-together-“

“you know what the funny part is? we’re actually going to go as-“

“yoongi!” the little quarrel is interrupted when you emerge from the guest bathroom “i thought you were going to be out all day doing… demony things!”

“i was but i finished ea-“ yoongi doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence because he’s pretty sure his tongue rolls out of his mouth and giGantic red hearts start pumping out of his eyes

you-

well he thouGHt he wasn’t a fan of the demon costume but this one definitely doesn’t look like the one you tried on at the store

you’re wearing some kind of a red latex leotard (and it’s taking a loT of effort to not check out your boobs right now)

complete with a pair of thigh high boots and arm sleeves that make it look like your forearms are engULfed in flames aNd of course there’s a long, pointed tail attached to the back that kind of just drags behind you on the floor

a pair of little red horns sit on the top of your head and that,.,,. shouldn’t affect him as much as it is

“you’re going as a demon?” yoongi swallows thickly and reaches up to tuck at the collar of his shirt when he catches sight of some fiery-red garters around your thighs

“uh-huh! you like it? i figured that since you’re not coming with me, i’ll just dress up as you-“ you joke and twist slightly to make sure the tail is still in place “jimin actually made the whole outfit for me-“

“jimin helped you with this outfit??” yoongi raises a brow and

“yep! i thought the puny little tail was kinda pathetic so i made a longer one and that definitely amped up the look aNd the horns are nice and sturdy now-“ jimin leans back against the couch and crosses his arms “i suggested fishnet stockings but y/n thought that would be too much-“

“wait, if you guys are going together, and you’re dressing up as a demon, then what are you dressing up as?” yoongi’s brows knit together as he looks towards jimin

“y/n suggested that i just go as myself - get it, because a demon and an angel - but thEN i was like what if i aLso dress up as a demon and we can do a matchy-matchy thing- pLus, i don’t think i’m breaking any rules because it’s just for halloween so we’re goo-“

“you’re going as a demon?!” yoongi interrupts him and if you looked any closer you’d probably be able to see the steam shooTing out from his ears

what the hell!!!!!!!!!!!

ok u know what to be fair you’re letting him off the hook for the night which is what he wanted

but he didn’t know that you were going to be wearing that

and he aLso wasn’t aware that jimin was apparently going to be your demon boyfriend for the night

and knowing how ditzy jimin is he’s probably going to lose track of you and then you’re just going to be prey in the eyes of the many, mAny other demons who are out on the prowl on halloween

you walking around wearing that with your aura as pUre as gold (even though half of it belongs to yoongi but still your aura is like 78% pure) is equivalent to serving a piece of fresh salmon on a silver platter to a pack of wild bears and yoongi suddenly has a vERy strong urge to taint your aura again and again and again so that people know exactly who you’re with-

hm.

interesting.

“jimin.” yoongi clears his throat calmly, “you have five seconds to leave before i kick you out.”

jimin’s lips part in a gawk

“wha- what did i do-“

“four- three- twO-“

“alright, i’m going, jesus-“ jimin grumbles and lets out a huff before he disintegrates into a beam of golden sparkles

a moment of silence goes by after jimin leaves where you and yoongi are kind of just staring at each other

the air in the room feels different and you feel your heart sKip a beat when you notice yoongi’s eyes flicker to black for a millisecond

if you had blinked you probably would’ve missed it

“what’s the matter with you?” you cross your arms and tilt your head slightly and yoongi scoffs before poking his tongue into his cheek

“what do you think is the matter with me?”

you don’t miss the way his eyes trail over your figure and you don’t have to be a roCKet science to figure out what thoughts are running through your boyfriend’s head

“…you want me to keep the horns-“

you don’t even get a chance to finiSh asking before yoongi’s grabbing you and practically dragging you to the bedroom

(yoongi makes a mental note to apologise to jimin later for shRedding up your handmade costume.)

help me help you make your wishes come tru (aka send me a spooky request)

spooktober masterlist // main masterlist

[zebraslovescupcakestoo]

Deviltown

An Obey Me! Fanfic with an @snowandseven OC and paired with Lucifer. Inspired by Beauty and the Beast’s scenes. You’ve been notified.

It was a typical Saturday in Devildom. The eternal night sky is slightly brighter during the day, the blood bats were 'cutely' screeching and Cerebus was very excited for walkies since he's been busy paroling the House of Lamentation's underground tomb. Accompanied with Beelzebub, whom he can handle Cerebus next to Lucifer, was the exchange student from the human realm, Valentine.

Deviltown, it's a quiet village - Every day, like the one before

They've stopped at the entrance of the Deviltown, which was the opposite side of Devildom's big city, was what you might called an old fashioned town. The buildings was like old peasant-like housing, brick walls, fairytale look a like, almost slightly before the Victorian style era began. Granted, there were some updated mechanics and technologies, but most were kept old fashioned charm. Valentine fell in love with this place due to being an 'old soul.' -no pun intended-  Whether he had an agenda or not, he'd come here for anything and re-enacted his fantasies of his 'Snow White' image. Valentine hopped down from Cerebus with his DeVil school bag, only exclusive for RAD students and specifically made for Valentine by Diavolo's request. Meaning Valentine's school bag was suitcase-like but turquoise coloured themed.

Deviltown, full of mythical people -

“Are you sure you can manage the tasks by yourself? You have quite a lot to cover and carry.” Beel said to him. Valentine smile and said with assurance. “I am fine and confident to carry the order. It is my duty and also part of an apology of a sort. I must at least show how appreciated you and your brothers that you've forgave, accepted as family and taught me what feeling are after what happened, my 'rebirth,' when my 'secret' revealed and my true motives are. I am determined to start over and gain your trust not as pawns or tools anymore, but as a family.” “Even though we're literally demons?” Beel asked. Val chuckled. “Of course! You've forgotten I was one too on the inside. I can still change, despite my actual age. Now, I must be going. I'll summon if I do indeed need of help. I shall make my best meals from the freshest- er... maybe I'll say it once I've made it. It will make you think of hunger more than it is already.” Thus Beel's stomach started to growl. “I think there's still something left from the fridge back home. I promise to make a feast fit for a king tonight if you can manage long enough!” Valentine thought of a quick strategy. If he can get Beelzebub to get away from the fresh market, he won't cause a scene to devour the entire produce sections. “... Alright. But will there be-”

“Sour raspberry pie? Yes and I can also make other goodies once I finished and- oh! He left already.” Beel had already left with Cerebus. Guess that a yes.

Valentine then started quest to search for his ingredients.

Waking up to say:

He was greeted by the town demon-folks. It was like any other trip, smile and be polite, but this time, he wanted to start practicing being a real, genuine person and not a mechanical doll. He learns a good handful to start on something easy like saying:

[DEMON FOLKS] : Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!

He greeted them back. He realized that he felt a little heart warming that wasn't there before. It's not much, but it was new to him. It was nice!

There goes the baker with his tray, like always - The same old bread and rolls to sell

The first thing he needed was fresh bread rolls and more bread for breakfast tomorrow. The owner of the bakery was a kind ogre. He too has a family and his shop was operated like one. Maybe he can try learning a bit from them if he have that chance, like now.

Every morning just the same - Since the morning that we came - To this poor provincial town

Valentine decided to learn how he interacted with his loving wife and maybe he can do the same when the time will come when he can make a pact with Lucifer. After all, he wanted to be more genuine when he says he does love him. "Good Morning, Valentine! Grocery shoppin' again for the lords?" The ogre baker asked Valentine. “Indeed, but I've decided to make tonight's meal a special treat. I would need...”

Valentine carefully chose the baked goods and he place them in his RAD suitcase. “Our generous lord Diavolo had blessed me with this lovely suitcase and even more is that one of my pact mate, Satan, had placed a special spell on it so that I can carry more than it looks.” The baker was impressed. “I'm impressed! I must say that if that involved magic as powerful as his, you're quite a human! Not many can make pacts from them, let alone being alive for so long.” Valentine felt a bit proud. For someone who's emotions are almost non-existence, the 'feelings' are new to him. Thus, he done his best by learning more and understand what the were. “Thank you for the compliment.” That was the supposed reply, he guessed. Before he asked the baker about his relationship advice, he started shouting in the kitchen, presumably the wife, something about the baguettes. Valentine knows that it's just the language barrier and it wasn't too difficult making out what they were REALLY saying, but it sounded like they were arguing. (But not really!) 'This must be one of those lover's quarrels situation that I've heard about.' He thought. Maybe some other time and leaves for the next item quest. [DEMON FOLKS]: Look there he goes, that boy is strange, no question.

Valentine continue to search for his ingredients. He was in luck for this time of year in Devildom, because it's their harvest season and there are so many delicacies and special imports from the human and celestial realm. Thanks to his brilliant, quick learning mind and his very good memory, he knew exactly what to look for AND finds items his pact mates been trying getting their hands on. Normally, his 'old' self would think this is for keeping them happy just to be pawns, but from now on, he must try to be like a family member.

Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?

He found a good amount of meats such as the FirePhoenix meat, MadCow hamburgs and steaks, FilthyPig pork chops and his Lucifer's favorite, the HellFurry Peacock's pack fit for a celebration dinner. (Or in this case, a 'modest' feast made for a future Demon king's coronation.) He got a fair amount in wrapped plastic. Cause it's for sanitary reasons, even in literal hell.

Never part of any crowd - 'Cause his head's up on some cloud

He then moved on to the next selling stand where they sell a fair amount of human and Celestial goods. The first ones that he immediately noticed was ramen noodles. Mammon and Leviathan’s favorite for on the go or gaming. He remembers the first time he saw this in his last cycle of 'rebirth.' It was in his human realm and he was catching up to the latest youth trends and he was offered a cup. 'You can now just add boiling water and it's done? What kind of magic is this? Is there really no time nowadays to even prep the meals?' Was his first reaction and to him, it's a descent food but not as good as home cook ones he's best at. Would you like to know how mind blown when one time he made a thanksgiving feasts one time to his previous roommates and they were in disbelief when he said it's just a 'normal' dinner?

The other story about it was when he eats it again, this time with 'THE' Mammon, he was taken aback when he devoured it like a beast with no manner. Maybe due to the fact that they were in Mammon's room and not at the dinner table that he think good manners doesn't apply. Valentine did his best, at the time, to show he's 'relate-able' by sipping the broth from his cup. Mammon noticed him and it started off their friendship on good terms. Looking back, deep down Mammon's a good guy and well, he IS his first pact in order for him to gain power... He must at least show him that he's sorry for using him as a tool. Maybe later he can help him with clearing his debt a little or get him off the hook from Lucifer... just once if it's minor.

He got the human world of chicken and beef flavored ramens for Mammon and the Shrimp flavored ones for Leviathan.

No denying he's a funny boy, that Val.

He then stopped to see the imported figurines called 'anime' as they called it. Val was thinking 'first it's animation, then cartoons and now anime?' He thought of Leviathan, his second pact. At first he thought that he was just a shut-in otaku, but as time goes on, he felt he can relate to him. He was scared of people hurting him. He can't understand what 'normal' humans do or 'normies' does. He is passionate on things he's very interested in like TSL and Rurui-chan. He did helped him out sometimes when fixing his uniform one time due to his cosplays and sewing.

He saw some limited key sets of the latest Rurui-can collectables and decided to buy the one that had his color themed and his. 'Maybe he'll like me more if I show this as 'friendship phone straps' and make most out of that gaming app Majolish.'

Bonjour! - Good day! - How is your family?

He searched all over the fresh produce market for vegetables, fruits and exotic herbs. He was thankful that Beelzebub was NOT with him at the moment and his charm spell has cast him away. Otherwise, there will be a concerning letter along another separate big grocery bill and that would make his Lucifer stressed.

He was his third and quite a formidable power house. Finding out his weakness was not so hard and his raw strength does come in handy at times like lifting the couch with one hand while eating a cucumber sandwich in the other.

But what he admire and now values in Beel the most was his kindness. Sure, he does act dangerously ferocious when he was denied food one too many times, but for his family especially for his twin, he would do anything for them. Valentine can learn a thing or two from him.

He already knew Sour Raspberry pies will be another easy favorites, so he made sure that he bought plenty for pies and at least one of them for the others.

Now as for the other twin and the seventh born, Belphegor, he was the one who revealed his 'rebirth' ability to others when he was killed again. To his surprise, he came back to life in hours rather in years unlike the human realm. Must be the realm's magic or something cause he's certainly sure it ain't from his heritage. Belphie was the one who made him confess everything, his true plans, his back story and his reason why he needed power. He thought that at the moment he was going to be kicked out and send back. But instead, they forgave him, said that they were literal demons to each other and that they wanted to start over again with him but be more honest and true.

Belphegor was probably the one who he can be more open and honest with himself when talking afterwards. Asides back rubs and talking about the stars, he does seems like a likeable character and he does care. Like himself, he tries to make amends for his big brothers from his mistakes.  

He saw some silky fabrics with night star patterns that reminded him of his favorite sleeping spot, the Planetarium. Maybe he can get some to make a pillow cover for him whenever he changes and washes out the laundry for bed sheets.

Bonjour! - Good day! - How is your wife?

He then came across the beauty sections where perfumes, jewelries, clothing, you name it is here. Too bad Asmodeous is being help up for catching up his neglected homework. He heard him dramatically sobbing from the other room of how 'cruel' it was for him being held up especially for today when fall fashion had just arrived today and that he'd always be the first in line.

I need six rotten eggs! - That's too expensive!

Asmodeous was the fourth he made pact with and to be fair, it was like they're staring at their own reflections of outer beauty wise. Both of them are beautiful in their characteristic ways such as Asmo is more self-care conscious while Val is more natural. They both shared much in common such as fashion statements, jewelries, skin care, Lucifer, ect...

While Asmo is narcissistic most of the time, he does think about others and wanted to help them as much as he can. One time he cut his finger and when Asmo saw it, he immediately took out the first aid kit.

Valentine decided to at least buy a beautiful beige scarf and a new hand lotion from the human world that's one of his favorite beauty lines.

There must be more than this provincial life!

He then hopped back on a black hellhorse royal carriages that was still new from the handle like it was a free ride during it's time. He was almost done with the shopping and he got most of the brother's favorites. He was in a trance of understanding what emotions are. He already knew what fear is, more than he can remembered. He knew, in others, how they acted with their emotions and their reactions. But he still haven't felt emotions himself until he discovered them during these months whenever he interacted and developed his relations with the brothers. Happiness, sadness, anger, laughter, embarrassment, envy, and others he had seen or heard before. It felt so new to him when he realized that for the first time in what seems forever, he laughed when there was that pillow fights saga and just last night when he had to confess about everything, he cried.

But most importantly, he started to develop something he can't quite describe yet...   He decided to think about it later and hops off the carriage when they've passed at the bookstore where Satan gets his favorites and hard to get books. It's probably the only and closest bookstore in Devildom to get his books. [DEMON FOLKS] Look there he goes, that boy is so peculiar - I wonder if he's feeling well

What he finds attractive in Satan was his vastly knowledge on so many subjects. Like he, Valentine's no slouch when he shows his knowledge. (He lived for almost two centuries.) They can talked for hours on so many topics and they're quite close apart when it comes to the subject of Lucifer. He knows that Satan's power alone is powerful enough to make anyone quiver in fear, but he was also created from Lucifer's anger before he was casted out from heaven. Not to mention Lucifer was a former arc angel and to be honest: He's got that temper that needs to be kept in check unlike Lucifer.

None the less, he is still a valuable person that he was glad to make a pact after that trip to London for the swap curse saga. He picked up Satan's weekly orders and also he picked up a fairytale book for another report. 'Beauty and the Beast.' He read this story a few times before, remembered how both the girl and the Beast learned to love each other. Maybe he can learn too if he tried harder? He also picked up 'The little mermaid' too. For 'human lessons' reasons.

With a dreamy, far-off look and his nose stuck in a book - What a puzzle to the rest of us is Valentine

When he got out of the store, he saw a Hellish black horse that had blue flames as his mane and tail. The creature, like every others, felt a slight charm from Valentine. He took this opportunity to practice a bit of what it called 'kindness' by taking out his 'Beauty and the Beast' book and shows it to the beautifully yet terrifying creature. He then sings gently a bit to help it calm down. [VALENTINE]: Oh, isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part because you'll see - Here's where we meet Prince Charming but we won't discover that it's him till chapter three!

The Hellish black horse then rubs his cheeks with Valentine's as affection. "You're very welcome!" He then realized that he was then surrounded by a few other small street creatures and they were eyeing on him. If he doesn't ditch them soon, he'll get more than just a 'warning' from Lucifer when he sung while cleaning near open windows and not realizing there were Hellbats and Hellbirds flew in. (Though he admitted he finds his frowning face attractive when scolded.) So he the skedaddle over to the next stop. [GARGOYLE WOMAN]: Now it's no wonder that Asmodeous is worried, His looks have got no parallel.

He blushed at this felling what he recalled embarrassment. He halted when he arrived at one of his favorite clothing shop in Devildom. It's the only one that has those old vintage tuxedos and vests made for dukes and 18th centuries royalties. 'I guess I can look for a little bit before I return home.' He thought of himself.

[BUG CREATURE SHOPKEEPER]: But behind that fair façade, I'm afraid he's rather odd - Very diff'rent from the rest of us.

If you think Valentine's had a minor spell from his 'charms' for the demon lords alone, you might be mistaken when there's other powerful demons who wants to make a pact with him and we're not talking about Diavolo or Barbatos here.

[DEMON FOLKS]: He's nothing like the rest of us. Yes, diff'rent from the rest of us is Val!

In the Blood square of the town, there are two powerful demons in their own rights. They were from a neighboring kingdom, who's under the demon king's control, are there for their day off. One of them had a particular goal of meeting Valentine.

There was one demon who's name is Giovanni The Hellian. He's a high ranking demon for his strength, his manly appearance, his legendary rivalry against Beelzebub's sports team, but most importantly, he is very prideful. (In other words, he's the Devildom's version of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.) He had red hair fairly long like Asmo's but slid back, his attire is something similar to a high school student for today. He threw a fireball towards a black horned goose that flew over them. It hit the poor creature and it hit the ground dead. “Wow! You didn't miss a shot, Giovanni! You're one the greatest hunter in the whole Devildom! I bet you'll be summoned by prince Diavolo one of these days for one of his hunting trips.” The other one was a fairly strong demon named Kiru, he was a male Incubus with some envy. He's got that bowl cut, brown hair and he wore the same team jacket as his friend does. He is most likely the support type. “ I know. I will get what I always want.” Giovanni boasted. “No beast alive stands a chance against you, ha ha! and no Incubus girl, for that matter.” Kiru replies as he took the goose in his bag for supper later. “It's true, Kiru, but I've got my sight set on that one in particular!” He pointed out at Valentine who he just exited the shop. “You mean the exchange human student by Diavolo himself?” Kiru questioned his friend's taste. “He's the one, the lucky boy I'm going to make a Formal pact with!” Giovanni boasted with pride. “But he's-” “The most beautiful boy in centuries I've lived through!” Giovanni cuts him. Kiru tried to tell him about Val, but Gio wasn't listening. “I know, but-” “That makes him the best. And don't I deserve the best?” Gio picks him up from his jacket's collar and look dead in the eye. Kiru fussed with it. “But of course! I mean, you do! But I-” He then drops him. [GIOVANNI]: “Right from the moment when I met him, saw him - I said he's gorgeous and I fell. Here in town there's only he - Who is beautiful as me. So I'm making plans to woo and pact with Val.”

Giovanni wanted Valentine more than just a simple pact, he wanted him to make an OFFICIAL demonic pact. The only difference is that a regular pact can easily be removed once a deal is set or done. An Demonic pact is more like a marriage bond. It's more 'official' and gives more power for the demon.

Giovanni only saw him three times at events prior to today. The first was at a Devil-ball game, where his team was up against Beelzebub's. Valentine was in the crowd along with the other seven demon lords. His feminine-like beauty had captured his attention. The second was on another sparring competitions where high ranking demons, including the seven lords themselves, practices and compete for top spots. The third one was at Diavolo's party where Valentine had changed his appearance to fit in with other demons. He almost ask him for a dance until Lucifer took him away from him. Gio wouldn't let that glare from Lucifer that night to keep him away from Valentine. He 'marched' straight to Valentine who's just strolling into the further end of the town, presumably to return to the House of Lamentation. Whenever Giovanni wanted something, he takes it. No compromise. [FEMALE CHEERLEADING INCUBUSES] Look there he goes. Isn't he dreamy? Monsieur Giovanni, Oh! he's so cute! Be still my heart. I'm hardly breathing! He's such a tall, red, strong and handsome brute! [Witch Woman:] Bonjour! [Giovanni:] Pardon [Beauty incubus:] Good day! [Clown Woman 2:] Mais oui! [Undead Woman:] You call this bacon? [Werewolf Woman:] What lovely grapes! [Vampire Man:] Some cheese? [Ghost Woman:] Ten yards! [Cat Man:] One pound.

Unfortunately, the busy hour of the demon folks in the town residence had commence their daily routines. They unknowingly prevented him to reach Valentine who he was walking away from them.

[Giovanni:] Excuse me! Please let me through! [Vampire Cheese merchant:] I'll get the knife [Undead Woman:] This bread - [Werewolf Woman:] Those fish - [Witch Woman:] It's stale! [Clown Woman:] They smell! [Ogre Men:] Madame's mistaken. [Ogre Women:] Well, maybe so. [Demon folks:] Good morning! Oh, good morning!

Back on Valentine, he looked around to see several interactions between the demon town folks. Some were happy, upset, angry and more. He knew beforehand what they were, but he still haven't learn how and why. Which was new and exiting to him. [VALENTINE]: There must be more than my provincial life!

Eventually, Giovanni had catch up to him.

[GIOVANNI]: Just watch, I'm going to make Valentine a pact!

Gio had placed a hand on Valentine's shoulder and the human looked back at the demon. Val recognized the face before but he was clueless on who he was. “My name is Giovanni The Hellian. You might have heard of me before, haven't you? Ha! Well, as usual, I'm full of surprises for anyone.” Poor Val was like 'Have we really met before?'

[DEMON TOWNSFOLK]: Look there he goes! The boy is strange but special. A most peculiar gentlemen! It's a pity and a sin - he doesn't quite fit in.

Giovanni continues to 'flirt' by bragging himself even more, unknowingly that Valentine's still doesn't know him asides his name. “You know, my little Valentine, there's not a demon in all of the Devildom's united kingdoms who wouldn't LOVE to be in your shoes. This is the day-” Gio had noticed he looked at the widow reflection of himself and just wiped something on one of his sharp teeth with  his triangular tong. “Ah, ahem! THIS is the day where all of your hearts desires comes true.” Valentine might not be a social butterfly, but he knows how narcissistic characters can be. (He ought to know, he was born from one.) “What do you know about my desires? Do you know me well enough about my life before I live here?” Does this demon knew about his mother who she's rumored to be a very legendary, powerful witch? Who she's so powerful that almost every demon shuttered at her very name? Whom she had an obsession of dominance and control over him and tries to break him?

“I know plenty! Picture this!” Giovanni then traps Valentine between himself and the wall. “Once I've risen up and be acknowledged by future Demon King Diavolo, we will live in a modern luxury apartment with all the latest gadgets and clothing. My latest kills roasting in a white, electronic, up to date kitchen that does all the cooking and my beautiful little human, massaging my horns and wings. We'll also have beautiful incubuses to satisfy our needs, so I don't mind if you wanted some fun on the side. I'll make sure we'll have big beds to fit all of us.”

“For you and them?” Valentine 'innocently' asked. Does he think he KNOWS Valentine that well?! “Ha! Not just them but also you! Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll be the only one sleeping in my arms.” Valentine then slides underneath his barring arms. “Thank you for the invite, but your picture and mine are very different paintings.” Giovanni doesn't let him go. He grabbed Valentine's wrist with a bit of force. “Make a formal pact with me, Valentine. Only you can help me.” Val tried to pull away from him. “I'm sorry but no, I want to be with the one I love, not just for status or image alone.”

Giovanni laughed “Love? Ha! Don't be ridiculous! I like my human more obedient, not-” His eyes widen as to someone who was standing behind Valentine. He recognized this menacing aura. “Didn't you heard what our human said? He's not interested making a pact with you.” He then saw red gloves freeing his wrist and he held it up while the other one covered his left torso. “Lucifer...” Valentine whispered with a blush when he looked up to him. “I suggest you leave him be if you want to keep your current status and have a chance to be promoted by Lord Diavolo himself.” Giovanni tsked and then leaves them, cussing mumbling 'freaks.'

“Are you alright? Have he done anything else to harm you?” Lucifer's attention is now on Valentine. “Yes, I'm fine. He really was a brainless boar.” Val responded. He then felt a hand brushed through his long hair and then lips on his fore head. His cheeks heated up. Lucifer chuckled. “My words exactly.” Valentine then looked down. “I... I know that I've wronged you and your brothers with pacts that I made prior to last night's confession. I really mean it when I said that I will change and... I DO want to be with someone I love. I can't stand being with someone who's just wants me as a possession and not as an only partner for life!” That makes Lucifer smiled. “Then you'll only need to prove it yourself if you ever want it really bad. If you can manage to make amends with my brothers, I will forgive you and maybe, we can make a pact. But my standards are normally high, are you sure you want that?” Valentine looked up straight in Lucifer's red eyes and nodded. “Good. Now, how about we both take quality time at the nearest cafe? I want to know a bit more about your... 'early' life in details. The others can wait for a bit.” Valentine then accepted Lucifer's invitation without hesitation. Lucifer chuckled as both of his left wings covered Valentine and pulls him closer to him. “That's what I like to hear. Now, stay close to me. I don't want you to be with another demon apart from me and my brothers, is that understood?”

[DEMON TOWNSFOLK]:'Cause he really is a funny boy. A beauty but a funny boy. He really is a funny boy. That Val! (Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!)

-----

Yeah, this is a different Gaming AU that I’ve played on my phone and I really liked @snowandseven‘s OC and story arcs.

Obey Me! Game belongs to Solomare. OC belongs to @snowandseven

[carlyfrombleachers]

EMOTION, because a CRJ blog needs to talk about EMOTION.

Some things in life are inevitable. Life, death, consumption of media, crying, interacting with others, and many other things, they are simply inevitabilities. Another inevitability is a Carly Rae Jepsen blog talking about EMOTION. It is something every blog-runner is eventually faced with, because of how impactful this record is for everyone who has listened to it. We will all write our EMOTION thinkpieces someday.

This post will only talk about the standard 12 tracks, Run Away With Me to When I Needed You. I will write about the Deluxe tracks (Black Heart, IDJCHTD, Favorite Colour, NGTHY, Love Again) some other time. Okay? Okay.

Also, I just realized my last two posts had the word “brilliance” on their titles. I do not know why that happened, maybe I’m a fan of the word, maybe they’re both brilliant! I don’t know. But the word “brilliance” is being banned from my titles from now on.

With that being said, let’s begin.

The First Three Tracks

I have talked about how important the first three tracks of an album are in my previous post, about Gone Now, but basically, the first three tracks are how they hook you, how they pull you in, how they make you stream it over and over. And EMOTION’s appetizers of Run Away With Me, EMOTION and I Really Like You are quite the solid ones. Run Away With Me wins every single “which is the best CRJ song” poll, so I really don’t want to talk about it, because I think everyone recognizes this is a good track. Personally, I think it is okay. Please don’t crucify me over this??? Thanks.

EMOTION is also a great track which I feel embodies what EMOTION (the album) is about. Which is why it shares a title with EMOTION (the album again). And this is what EMOTION (the album) is about. Emotion. I know, Queen of Subtlety, everyone please clap.

In all seriousness, EMOTION (the album!!!) is about love and the emotions that drive us. The love part is introduced with Run Away With Me, and the emotions, with EMOTION (the track). Run Away With Me is about unconditional love, about wanting to run away taking only the person you love the most. About forbidden love. About running away from all expectations and pursuing only love. EMOTION (the track again) is about evoking emotions in others, in those who you loved or still love, about wanting them to experience all emotions you two experienced together because you feel wronged by them.

And then we get to I Really Like You. I don’t like I Really Like You. You could say I Really Don’t Like It. And the fact it was the lead single? That’s just a weird choice. Sure, it’s catchy, and Tom Hanks is in the music video, but it’s just… not impactful enough? It’s very lovey-dovey, but that’s all it is. Love. Really Liking someone. There are better songs out there. But well, the first two tracks are so good, I think it hardly matters.

The Second Three Tracks..????

The middle of an album is weird. This is usually where themes are explored and pushed far. Lorde’s Melodrama features The Louvre, single Liability and Hard Feelings, where the themes of love shine through after their introduction through Green Light and Sober. Bleachers’ Gone Now features lead single Don’t Take The Money, along with Everybody Lost Somebody and All My Heroes. EMOTION’s tracks 4 through 6 are Gimmie Love, All That and Boy Problems.

These are weird tracks. The theme of love is very loosely present in all these songs, and the 80’s vibes shine very strongly here (especially in All That), but there is not much connecting all of them. Gimmie Love is about doing it with an ex, who you wish still loved you, All That is about being and doing everything for someone, and always being there for them, and then you have Boy Problems, which is, well, about how Boys Suck. The storyline of the record is confusing at best, much like Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia. Future Nostalgia, much like EMOTION, is an album about those cool disco vibes and there is not really a present, recurring theme shared between most of its tracks. The progression on EMOTION is basically, “I love you, let’s run away”, then “I hope you suffer, because I kind of want you back”, followed by “Hey, I like you!” which then becomes “let’s have sex”, and then “I want to always be here for you and do everything for you and everything about you is incredible”... only to be stopped by “hey men are kind of trash aren’t they?”, the progression is all over the place. A record doesn’t need to be composed of only tracks that tell a concise story, of course, and I’ll talk about what this means for EMOTION later on.

The Second Set Of Second Three Tracks

“When you need me / I will never let you fall apart / When you need me / I will be your candle in the dark”

This is for later, don’t worry. :)

Tracks 7 through 9 are also quite the odd bunch, with a bunch of odd tracks with zero correlation between each other. 

Making the Most of the Night is about being there for who you love no matter what, much like All That, with a sick beat instead of the more chill vibes. Your Type is a song about jealousy, one that is very welcome on EMOTION because it displays both themes of love and emotions very well. Your Type shines. It ranks very highly on every EMOTION ranking I see because it’s hard-hitting. “I’m not the type of girl for you / And I’m not going to pretend / I’m the type of girl you call more than a friend / And I break all the rules for you / Break my heart and start again / I’m not the type of girl you call more than a friend”? Damn. Let’s Get Lost is kind of meh. Run Away With Me did the whole “running away from everyone” deal a lot better. But I think it sets out to do a thing and it does the thing. Not particularly impressive, but it’s good.

I have seen people go insane because of someone saying their favorite EMOTION song was bad or annoying, so if you have felt personally offended by any of these, send me an ask. End all your asks with “+” so I know you hate me. It’s okay. My self-esteem is quite high nowadays. I also wish to keep track of which of you to watch out for. Unless you send them anonymously, of course. In that case, I hope I know how to evade you. I have seen this happen very frequently with people who like Let’s Get Lost, so that’s why I’m apologizing.

Why didn’t I apologize at the end, though? Well, it’s because the next three are my favorites.

The End: The Last Three Tracks

The last songs of an album are magical. All the themes shine after their exposition in earlier tracks, allowing the record’s message to be complete and meaningful. Of course, not every record needs to do this, but it’s a lot cooler if they do.

L. A. Hallucinations is a nice song about a love story that starts being interrupted because of fame and how impactful it is to one’s life, Warm Blood is this eerie-sounding track about creating this façade and hiding who you are, only to meet someone who makes you give up on everything because you wish to be completely truthful to them, and When I Needed You is the best Carly Rae Jepsen song. No, I am absolutely not biased, shut up.

I think the album’s title, and its theme of emotion, shine on the last tracks. The build-up for the closing track is simply wonderful, and it just ties everything together. The connections that opening and closing tracks (or simply first and second halves) have is a beautiful thing to witness. Let’s take Melodrama as an example, since I’ve been listening to it a lot lately.

Melodrama is divided into two main parts: Green Light through Hard Feelings, tracks 1 through 6; and Loveless through Perfect Places, tracks 6 through 11. The first half of the album is dedicated to Lorde sharing how she feels, how her breakup makes her feel, how harshly she feels everything. How she loved and how she is no longer loved, how she didn’t care about what happened to her as long as she was having fun and how she sees that what she was doing hurts herself. The second half is Lorde accepting that she is not loved by him anymore, that it is not really her fault and that she has to move on, knowing that her ex may or may not realize what he’s done. That’s why we get Sober II, when Sober was present in the first half, and Liability (Reprise), when Liability was also in the first half. The first half was about hurting and feeling awful, while the second part is about how you're not the only awful person out there. In Liability, Lorde believes wholeheartedly that she is a burden to everyone, that she is too much, that she needs to disappear, but in Liability (Reprise), she mocks such an idea, or perhaps even comes into terms with the fact that she is a liability, and then follows it up with “Whatcha gonna do?”, because if she admits such a thing and is not bothered by it, then it doesn’t matter. After reflecting on whether or not she’s a liability, she doesn’t care anymore.

EMOTION's When I Needed You is basically Melodrama's second half crammed into a single track, and oh, does it sound good. This track fixes every single problem I had with EMOTION's inconsistency, its contradictory themes. Because I can just argue that it's foreshadowing. This is the part where I argue that it's foreshadowing.

When I Needed You, And How Great Closing Tracks Are Important

When I Needed You basically turns EMOTION on its head. Everything about this track is straight up perfection. All the emotions that kept hiding from you and refusing to show themselves finally do in what is, in my opinion, the best closing track of any pop record.

It’s just… the way everything sounds, the amazing production, the lyrics, it’s all just… so perfect??? EMOTION (the track), Your Type and Boy Problems kind of don’t fit the theme of the rest of the record, they’re not about how amazing it is to be loved, and instead are about how painful it is (for EMOTION and Your Type) and how love does not matter (Boy Problems). When I Needed You somehow manages to tie all these themes together with stellar lyricism.

“Sometimes I wish that I could change / But not for me, for you / So we could be together forever” 

The sheer power of these lyrics, oh wow. Carly is just so tired of things not working out that she wishes to become someone else. She wants to be who she isn’t. All of that, just because she likes someone who doesn't like her for who she is.

“But I know, I know that I won’t change for you / ‘cause where were you for me? / When I needed someone / When I needed someone / When I needed you”

Very few records reach this level of… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. But not every track can take the premise of “I wish I were someone else, but is it worth it?” and do it like When I Needed You does.

Remember what I said in All That, how I saved those lyrics for later? This is the part I bring them up.

“When you need me / I will never let you fall apart / When you need me / I will be your candle in the dark”

“[...] where were you for me? / When I needed someone [...] / When I needed you”

Carly wishes to be everything for someone in All That, she wishes to do literally anything for her lover, but in When I Needed You, she reveals her lover won’t do a single thing for her. Her lover does not care for her. And it doesn’t matter what she does, it doesn’t matter because she is not who she wants her to be.

I’m a Bleachers blog too, so I’m bringing Strange Desire up. I think Strange Desire, much like EMOTION, suffers from not having a very cohesive theme between all its tracks. Most of them are about love, and then you have I Wanna Get Better, and some more songs about love, but the album is quite… tame? It sets out to do something and it does it, and I like it.

The final track of Strange Desire, “Who I Want You To Love”, is quite the odd one. Whereas most songs in Bleachers’ first record are about wanting to see someone evolve while also struggling with evolving yourself, Who I Want You To Love is not really like that. It’s more like a “I give up” letter.

“I will love who you want me to love / Oh, I will bleed when you want me to bleed / But I don’t wanna know too much of anything / Because it all hurts me”

WIWYTL is simply about giving up. Going so far you don’t care about what happens to you. And it’s a perfect closing track for a record like Strange Desire. It has feeling. It has emotion. It has power, strong themes, a message. It’s beautiful. If you only come here for my CRJ content, I highly recommend you listen to Bleachers. It’s a bit wonky at first, but I’m sure you’ll love it if you give it a try.

Back to CRJ though, When I Needed You is an example of how to do a closing track. The weird, contradictory messages that popped up every now and then? It was self-doubt. Doubt that this relationship could grow. That maybe everything was not so great. She experiences a breakup, then falls in love again, and again, and again, only to realize she was changing too much for the people she loved, she was doing too much, and she doesn’t need to do too much. She needs to be happy and make others happy being herself, instead of changing who she is. And this is the main lesson you should take from this song: if you’re changing who you are just to satisfy someone you love, and you’re not happy with who you’re becoming, stop. It is not worth it.

I think every track has a message that can be taken from it, and the most important ones lie in Run Away With Me and When I Needed You. And I think that’s why so many people LOVE Run Away With Me. Because they love the message. Because of how beautiful the lyrics are, and because of how many people identify with wanting to run away with who they love, because they’re queer, because others would not understand, because being LGBT+ is seen as sinful. Or maybe it’s about sex, and that’s what the sinning implies, but I like my (and many other people’s) interpretation better.

Well, that’s all I have for today! Have a great month and happy holidays. As we approach December, I might start pumping out extra content, potentially talking about other records I love (Melodrama lol) or some other things I feel like you (my beautiful lovely readers) might enjoy! If there’s an album you want me to listen to, feel free to send me recs through the asks function! Goodbye.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #293

“your head upon a stick would look really sick, but they would call me crazy for the way i spoke to it”

Hey bitch, what's your fucking name? What a start, jc lmao. Brittany. What color are your nails? They're not painted. Last time you got some ass? Well this survey's gonna be a journey. Many years ago. Do your parents like your style/music choices? Yeah, at least most of it. Some music my mom really doesn't like or just hates, while I can't even imagine Dad's reaction to some bands I enjoy. Ever seen your parents make out? tbh would rather slam my ankle on a Razor scooter. What's your dream height and weight? Forget about my height, if I could just be at least 120 again... Do you put your hair up a lot or down? It's too short to put up. Most of the time do you straighten or curl your hair? Neither. What do you do when your house loses power? Light a bunch of candles and carry flashlights. What piercing do you hate? I'm not a fan of cheek piercings. Were you raised in a religious house? Yes. I grew up going to Sunday school and church, even though I hated both. Do your parents get mad when you're on the computer for hours? Gah... it was a very, very big source of argumentative fuel between Mom and me all the way up to my late teenage years when she just gave up; now, it's to be expected and is completely "normal." I always wanted to be on the computer once I was introduced to it; she tried to limit my time on it, and it was without fail what she would take away whenever I was grounded. I'd even sneak onto it when I wasn't allowed to if she wasn't home and Dad was in their room. My mom really did try to keep me from being hooked on technology, she really did, it just didn't work, but dear god I wish it did. I just about turn into a caveman without some form of it, and it's pretty pathetic. Dad meanwhile has never really cared much, but he'd make a comment here and there that would make me self-conscious about it. Have you ever been asked for a nude picture? No, and guess who would be ignored for the rest of their lives if they did. It's so fucking disrespectful and objectifying to me. If someone wants to send a partner something like that by their own volition, that's cool, but asking, that just seems incredibly rude to me and turns the person into an object of lust. Ever been so scared you pissed? Caaan't say I have. Can you watch scary movies at night and not be scared? Yeah, they've never really fazed me. Last reason you got your cell taken away? I actually don't know if that's ever happened, given the aforementioned computer thing. I was never hooked on my phone. Could you handle working on a farm? Nooooo, that is way too much physical exertion. Have you ever been attacked by an animal? No. Have you ever had to put an animal to sleep? ugh Do you have a favorite type of firework? Well, visually I really just like the big colorful ones, but I don't endorse the use of fireworks anymore. Some animals literally die from fear, they can be seriously upsetting to veterans with PTSD (you could have one in your neighborhood and never know you indirectly gave them a panic attack), and they're a large source of litter. Where would/did you get your first tattoo? My right wrist. What's your favorite kind of pet? Snakes. Favorite dinosaur? Spinosaurus is obviously the coolest. It's always been my fave. How many pets do you have? Sigh, just two. Our landlord doesn't want us to get anymore pets than what we came in with. What were two of your favorite Disney movies as child? The Lion King and Finding Nemo. They're still my favorite Disney movies. When carving pumpkins, how do you decide what you're going to do? I haven't carved a pumpkin in years... so idk. Do you own any art supplies? Some, yeah. Do you believe you have a higher IQ than most? Definitely not. What is the name of the doctor that delivered you? I have no clue. Mom knows him for sure because she's mentioned him from my childhood, but I don't. Have you ever seen a Lamborghini in person? Hunny, I live in rural North Carolina. You don't see that level of bougie here lmao. Shane Dawson: funny or annoying? I honestly think he's fucking hilarious. I just have such conflicting feelings about him after "the drama," hearing so many people's opinions (particularly from those who know him so well, like his fiance and Ryland's sister), fact checking, audio cutting and mixing, the whole "people change" philosophy... I don't know. When you have a container of Neapolitan ice cream, what flavor do you leave for last? I ain't touchin' strawberry. Gross. If you could choose to have any superpower ever, what would you pick? I'd wanna be a shapeshifter/druid. What would you be more embarrassed to buy: sex toys or adult diapers? Yikes, sex toys. Given my age, I'd say if I bought adult diapers, people would assume they weren't for me. I'm awkward enough with all things relating to sex to begin with, so. What’s the biggest animal you’ve ever killed? Yo wtf I never have and never will (intentionally) kill an animal. Well, correction: I've killed bugs before, the biggest probably being some spider or something, but I really try to avoid this now. Could you win the Hunger Games? lol hell to the fuck no, have you seen me??? For you, would getting amnesia be a good thing? ... Maybe? Not saying I wanna find out, though. Have you ever been punched in the face? No, plan on keeping it that way. Is morality universal or relative? I question this myself. Who is your favorite late night talk show host? I don't have one. Where do you put your keys when you get home? They stay in my purse. Do you prefer hot coffee or iced coffee? Neither. The sheer variety of questions relating to coffee and tea in surveys boggles my mind, always feel left out that I can't answer 'em lmao. What’s your phone background picture? My lock screen is this pretty, soft aesthetic screen that has "i am strong, i am loved, i am enough" written in the center. I've really needed it for my mental health lately. My home screen is some meerkats. I know, can you believe neither are currently Mark? Have you ever seen a snake in the wild? Plenty. How do you cope with anxiety? Deep breathing, mindfulness and grounding exercises, confiding in my mom, listening to music (usually my favorite calm, instrumental soundtracks, like from the Silent Hill franchise - particularly the second game! - or Shadow of the Colossus), try to nap, play a game as a distraction, watch my favorite YouTubers (typically something funny)... I'm lucky to have learned a lot. Now, if only I could cope with social anxiety... What was the last takeout food you ate? Oh Jesus, how embarrassing is this timing, seeing as it was one of my unhealthiest fast food orders: Son of the Baconator and Baconator fries from Wendy's. It was so fuckin good tho. Who makes you laugh the most? My friend Girt. What does a successful relationship look like to you? One with great communication and total honesty, and when you are able to build each other up and bring out the best in your partner. It's also imperative for you to feel safe being your authetic safe for me to consider it "successful." What do you like to put on your baked potato? "Salt, pepper, butter, cheese, bacon bits." <<<< That's how we do it, lads. What was the most memorable birthday you’ve had? My 16th, but not for good reasons. Would you rather go to the beach or the mountains? That's easy as hell, mountains. I don't like the beach. Do you look in the mirror before you leave the house? Yeah. Not gonna like what I see no matter what, but I'd like to make sure I don't look worse whan what's normal. Have you ever seen someone quit their job in a dramatic way? No. What do you like to dip your fries in? It varies between ketchup and honey mustard. What’s your favorite kind of museum? Science. Do you believe in alternate universes? Nah, I don't think so. Whose house did you last visit? My older sister's. What games do you play on your smart phone? Mostly just Pokemon GO nowadays. I haven't touched Dragons of Atlantis in a long time... Do you know anyone who is colorblind? Jason's older brother is red/green colorblind, I think? Are you the youngest, middle or eldest child in your family? Middle. What’s something you’ve been meaning to do but keep putting off? Ugh, I need to finish decorating my damn room... Got most of the stuff on the walls now, but it's still pretty skeletal in self expression. My motivation is abysmal. Have you ever flown a kite? Oh yeah, I loved to fly a kite with Dad as a little kid when the tobacco field just across the road was barren. Who was the last person you talked about sex/relationships with? My doctor. How many brothers does your father have? I'm almost certain he doesn't have one, just one sister. Do you think you act older or younger than your actual age? It depends on the situation. When it comes to "adulting," I don't have a fuckin clue what I'm doing. I doubt anyone would believe I'm a month shy of 25. In terms of general maturity, I think I act my age, if not older. When was the last time you swam in a pool? It's been years. What are your parents' views on your relationships? Mom is always very supportive so long as they treat me right; she's taken to all my previous partners very well and treated them like family, too. My dad is also supportive as long as I'm treated properly and happy. Is your best friend dating anyone? No. Have you ever babysat before? Twice, but not really willingly. Way too stressful. Do you delete pictures of you and your exes off of Facebook? It took a very, very long time, but all pictures with Jason are forever deleted. Ever had a huge crush on someone who still doesn’t know? Not a huge crush, no. Ever watched porn? No. You do you, but I don't see the appeal of watching some random people fuck. Ever performed in a talent show? No. Would you audition for a reality talent competition? Nope. How many celebrity crushes have you had? I'd say Jesse McCartney, Link Neal, and Mark Fischbach are my only BIG celeb crushes I've had. How many non-celebrity crushes have you had? I dunno, don't feel like reaching back and counting. Ever been compared to a celebrity? Not visually, but with my adoration of animals. Have any embarrassing pictures on Facebook? Oh, I'm sure. None that are horribly embarrassing though, or else I would have deleted them. Ever seen a therapist? I've regularly seen a therapist since the 6th grade. Ever purposely ignored a text? Yep. A Facebook message? Sure have, when I was beyond done arguing with a former friend. A friend request? No, I just decline or accept it. My page is private, so you can't see my activity, and it's not like they get notified if it's declined, Would you say you read into things too much? I am the fucking sovereign of this. If you turned out exactly like your mom would you be pleased? I love my mom to death, but no. I'd be disappointed. Ever had a credit card denied? I've never had one in the first place. Ever had the lead in a play? No. I do remember though in elementary school, I was real bummed that I wasn't Snow White for one we did for Music class. What about a solo in a concert? Never been in a concert. Would it bother you if you found out that your mother was pregnant? Well. One, she's long past menopause. Two, because of ovarian cancer, she had all those organs removed. So, that would be impossible. Have you ever had a threesome? No; I'm personally strictly monogamous and would feel it to be disloyal, even if my parnter was okay with it. What's the last game you used dice for? Not a clue. Are you interested in surfing at all? Have you ever been? No. What brand of bottled water do you prefer? Essentia. What is your favorite type of bird? Barn owls. What is your favorite chocolate candy? motherfuckin REESE'S Have you ever been called a racial slur? No, considering I'm Caucasian. Why did you last stand in line? I was at the doctor's office, I think? What is your favorite pirate movie? /shrug What is your favorite character from Orange Is the New Black? I've never watched it. What was the most unsettling film you’ve seen? Watching the ending to Paranormal Entity was VERY uncomfortable. It was a decently scary movie, but the ending was seriously intense. When was the last time you were snooping, and found something you wish you hadn’t? I don't recall. Which celebrity or band has the worst fan base? I don't know. What are you interested in that most people aren’t? The sheer degree of my love for meerkats would definitely be missed by probably most people. What smartphone feature would you actually be excited for a company to implement? I dunno. Anything I could think of, the most current products probably already have and I'm just uninformed of them. Like, I use a Tracfone lmao. What’s something people don’t worry about but really should? Their plastic usage and disposal. I'm certainly no saint when it comes to plastic either, but I try to do all I can. What movie quotes do you use on a regular basis? Hm, ARE there any? Do you think that children born today will have better or worse lives than their parents? This depends on what you consider "better" and "worse." Environmentally, I honestly don't think mankind can maintain itself for that many more generations at the rate we're currently at, so that's probably just gonna keep getting worse. On the other hand, advances in medicine and things like that will certainly continue to improve quality of life in that sense. Human rights are getting better and better. I do fear that we're becoming too comfortable with laziness and convenience, but I hope that's a decline we don't continue to venture down. What’s the funniest actual name you’ve heard of someone having? I had a college classmate named Apple. Which charity or charitable cause is most deserving of money? Oh, come on now. It's not a competition. What game have you spent the most hours playing? So. When you type /played in World of Warcraft, it will show you your total playtime, and mine is YIKES. Like, around a year's worth of time of pure playing since 2014, I think. What’s the most comfortable bed or chair you’ve ever been in? I don't recall. What’s the hardest you’ve ever worked? When I did WiiFit religiously and lost around 40 pounds in HS. I was in the best shape of my life. What movie, picture, or video always makes you laugh no matter how often you watch it? Oh, there's certainly something. Probably some Unus Annus clip. That channel was a fucking blessing and a curse all the same. If you could have an all-expenses paid trip to see any famous world monument, which monument would you choose? Oh boy, I'd have to think, but probably somewhere in Rome or Greece. What’s the coldest you’ve ever been? I'm unsure. Probably jumping in the pool as a kid. My sisters and I would nag Dad to put the pool up on like the very first day of spring, so of course it was cold, but as a kid, I didn't mind that. What’s the most ridiculous thing you have bought? Hm. What’s the most depressing meal you’ve eaten? Ha ha yiiiikes, struggle foods... I don't know, but I've had some. What outdoor activity haven’t you tried, but would like to? Herping, though I change my mind on-and-off about it. I'm not very into the idea of disturbing wildlife just because they're cool and you wanna check them out. I'd totally go exploring with a camera, though, and not actually pick anything up. If you were given five million dollars to open a small museum, what kind of museum would you create? Hm... I actually think something like an art museum for the mentally ill would be pretty interesting and educational? Even something that could build empathy. Maybe mix some psychology in there to understand conditions.

[lilly-and-alice]

OC Interview

As with Alice's, I was tagged by the lovely @lusus--naturae & @r0xy-w0lf.

I'm not tagging anybody for this one - but please feel free to join in if you want to.

Date of Interview: 1914

Name: "Elizabeth Mae James, but I go by Lilly"

Are you single: *Smiling as she looks over at Charles who's sitting across from her "No, I'm very happily married thank you"

Are you happy: *Hands resting on her baby bump while still grinning at Charles and their four children sitting around him* "I'd say this is the happiest I've ever been"

Are your parents still married: "No, Mama died when I was 4. As for my father? I last saw him when I was 14 "

Are you angry: "Not so much nowadays, but I'll admit, in the past I was a bit of a hothead"

Facts

Birthplace: "I was born out in the midwest somewhere. We moved around a lot so I don't actually know where exactly"

Hair color: "Red"

Eye color: ''Green''

Birth date: ''6th Dec 1873"

Current Mood: "Well as happy as I am to be carrying my 5th child, I'm so uncomfortable right now. I can't wait to be not pregnant again"

*Charles laughing* "I'll remind you of that when you tell me you're desperate to start trying for number 6.

Gender: ''Female''

Summer or winter: "Summer. The winters here in Canada can be too cold for my liking"

Morning or afternoon: "I've never been a morning person, but nothing better than a lazy afternoon"

Eight things about your love life

Are you in love: "With all my heart"

Do you believe in love at first sight: “No” *leans in and whispers while Charles is distracted by one of the kids* "I remember Dutch introducing Charles to the camp, but I didn't really pay much attention to him at first. I do remember him being around, but he never really spoke with anybody. It wasn't the gang started falling apart that I took the time to get to know him and honestly? It wasn't until he left the gang to help Rains Falls & the Wapiti that I realised I was falling in love with him"

Who ended your last relationship: “I did, it had gotten complicated and as much as me and John wanted it to work between us, I knew I had to remove myself from the equation so he could make his own decision about whether he wanted to try make it work with Abigail & Jack”

Have you ever broken someone's heart?: "You know, John later admitted to me that it almost killed him when I told him it was over, but he also told me thank you for making him see sense when it came to his family"

Are you afraid of commitment: "Not at all" 

Have you hugged someone in the last week: “Each of the kids and my handsome husband of course”

Have you ever had a secret admirer: *Charles butts in before Lilly even has chance to speak* "I was so nervous to speak to Lilly in those early days, I'd just find a quiet spot and watch her get on with her day. I do wish I'd had the courage to tell her sooner though"

"Me too...though just imagine how many more kids we'd have then"

Have you ever broken your own heart: “Making the decision to leave John was tough, but even tougher was the mistake I made, which caused the only real argument me & Charles ever really had and actually made us split up for a while..."

*Charles reaches her hand* "That's all in the past now Flower. We eventually got past it and we don't need to dwell on it"

Six Choices

Love or Lust: “Love - I mean the sex is incredible, but I'm happy just being in Charles' company”

Lemonade or Iced Tea: “Iced Tea? I'd rather have a hot tea to warm me up thank you ”

Cats or Dogs: “Dogs” 

A few Best friends or Regular Friends: “I still write to the likes of Tilly, Mary-Beth & Abigail. But honestly - I'd be lost without my best friend Allie constantly by myside"

Wild night out or romantic night in: “Oh my nights of getting drunk with Allie & starting a bar fight or two are well and truly behind me. Much prefer to be snuggled up in front if the fire "

Day or night: ’'Night, I like the quietness of the world”

Have You Evers

Been caught sneaking out: “Grimshaw used to have a habit of catching me in the act, trying to escape doing chores”

Fallen Down/Up the Stairs: “All the time, I'm quite possibly the clumsy person alive”

Wanted someone/something so badly it hurt: “I got everything I need right here”

Wanted to disappear: “You know, during my time in camp and everything that was going on between John & Abigail, I managed to persuade Hosea to let me travel around on my own for a while, to help clear my head and work out what I wanted from life. I'm glad I did or otherwise I'd never have met Allie”

Four preferences

Smile or eyes: “A good smile draws me in, but I feel you can see the real person by looking into their eyes”

Shorter or taller: “Preferably taller, but it doesn't matter either way”

Intelligence or Attraction: “I'm lucky I guess - I have a handsome husband who also happens to be incredibly intelligent.”

Hook up or Relationship: “I never was one for hooking up with random people, I'd much rather be in a relationship ”

Family

Do you and your family get along: “Me, Charles & the kids are quite content together. 

As for my other family members? Well, I have no idea where my father is these days, if he's still alive. And Alice? For the longest time I wanted nothing to do with this random girl turning up, claiming she's my sister. But fate had a strange way of pulling us closer together and now we keep in regular contact"

Would you say you have a messed up life: "Let me give you a list:

Was it messed up to lose my mother & brother when I was only 4 and then find myself travelling around the country with my father, sleeping in the back of a wagon most nights as he prepared for his next con?

Or what about being sold to my own grandmother when daddy felt he was unable to look after me?

Or when Grandmama passed away, her husband was considering carting me off to the nearest brothel because the cheap bastard didn't want the added expense of caring for me?

There's also the man who I thought I loved, leaving me to get attacked while he went off to spend the night with a whore..."

*sighs before a huge smile appears on her face as she casts an eye over at Charles, who's now reading a story to the kids*

"But you know? Each of those moments brought me one step closer to this wonderful life with Charles and our children"

Have you ever ran away from home: “It never felt like home, but leaving my step grandfathers house & running away with Van der Linde gang was best thing I ever did"

Have you ever got kicked out: “Like I said, back in the day, it was a mutual decision between me & Hosea to leave camp before I did something stupid."

Friends

Do you secretly hate one of your friends: “Why would I? Though Mary-Beth is a bit full of herself nowadays with her being a famous author and all”

Do you consider all of your friends good friends: “Of course I do. We might have done some questionable things in the past, but we had our reasons”

Who is your best friend: "I swear if you don't say my name right now" *Allie laughing from across the room*

"I guess there's your answer - my best friend is Allie Foster. Always been right by myside through thick & thin and most probably always will be”

Who knows everything about you: “Allie knows most things. But I don't hide anything from Charles either"