#but no one will notice unless I point it out

[ooooo-mcyt]

Do you guys ever think about what a turning point Double Life was for Joel?

During Third Life and Last Life, Joel was alone.

In Third Life he kinda floats around from alliance to alliance, being pushed into whatever faction is pushing hardest, and then dying with very little notice from the rest of the server.

In Last Life, Joel has allies sometimes, but they cycle in and out of his life. Scar, Grian, Lizzie, they're all there for an episode or two, but then they're gone. Joel is lonely, and he knows it, he feels the aching hollowness in his chest. Over and over Joel talks about needing a team, but instead he ends up the most hated man on the server with a roster of situational alliances.

That's who Joel is, someone who causes chaos, setting the world ablaze, who is sometimes tolerated for mutual benefit, but who's almost always alone, and who (as far as other people seem to notice) doesn't mind it that way.

And then Double Life happens.

The universe itself hands Joel a partner. Someone who's life relies on him, and who he has to rely on in turn. Someone who he has to trust implicitly. Someone who won't leave, because the two of them being a team is sewed into the fabric of reality for the season. And you can see how much lighter Joel is, how much he thrives when he isn't alone, when, for the first time ever, he can end one session and be able to fully trust that he'll still have someone on his side when the next one starts.

Of course, Double Life doesn't last forever. Limited Life comes around and, as far as alliances go, it's like the previous season never happens. It's..difficult for Joel. He takes every little betrayal (of which joel perceives many) from Etho very hard. Which could have left Joel in a worse place than he started. Joel could have lost Etho and decided to never let himself care about anyone again. But instead, he does the exact opposite.

In Limited Life, Joel clings to Jimmy and Grian. The universe showed Joel what it was like to be loved, and I get the sense Joel couldn't stand to lose that, so he found a team and held them so close they could never leave (he would have given jimmy more time, all the time he needed, to keep him at his side).

In Secret Life, Joel absolutely surrounds himself with people. Joel joins the largest faction on the server, never far from people, from life, from laughter or joy. There's no chance for Joel to ever really be alone unless he chooses to be.

And finally, Wild Life. Joel wins because of family. Because he came into the season and he fully opened himself up to love and trust from other people, and he received it back in droves.

I've seen people say it's ironic that Joel won through "family" instead of bloodshed, when he's such a hostile and isolated player. But, while Joel is still chaotic, he never wanted to be alone. Joel was isolated for the first two seasons, in part because of bad circumstances, and in part because he didn't think there was any other way to be. And then the universe showed Joel how it felt to be loved, and he's never let himself be alone since. Of course Joel thrived in Wild Life.

[just-null]

*gives null his favorite things in hopes of thinking about this*

What if, from all the stalking the Hantengu clones had done to their darling, their darling develops a lot of paranoia and doesn't let anyone near anymore?

Or maybe their darling has a lot of trauma from man going awful, unspeakable things to them?

((I don't know if I should refer to their darling as female or male and that's my first time ever asking a favorite creator of mine, please don't judge me))

((the Darling can be whatever you want them to be, but I'll always be as neutral as possible, so don't worry! 🐸💖))

Considering that these men are also horrible, it's not surprising at all to find yourself going insane! I wasn't sure whether not letting anyone close included the boys or not, so I did both!

[Cw! Yandere behavior, unhealthy dynamics, obsession, manipulation]

Your sudden shift was wonderful at first! They finally had you all to themselves, and it gave them so much more time to evenly spread your attention between themselves without getting into usual fights.

When finding out about your paranoia, they feed into it, affirming your fears about others just to have you rely on them further. Never stray too far, not like you can, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Do you want to go out but you're too scared? Wait, right there, they need to decide who goes first to clear the way while the others stay close by!! that way no one will bother you!

Their favorite hobby is stealing—er—borrowing! so you don't even need to worry about something as silly as money or finance to get what you want again!! All you need to do is ask, and it's yours.

Their bias is prominent. Where hantengu would yelp and shout, they'd laugh and scold, but if you were to do the same, they'd comfort and coo. It's cute.. do you want them to get rid of something for you? Hold you? Comfort you?

Nothing really annoys them (aside from each other) now that you fully rely on them. Be as clingy and jumpy as you want, and they'll coddle you. Being spoiled rotten is the goal as long as you continue to cower at the sight of another soul or the thought of being alone.

They almost seem like decent lovers at some point, solely focusing on you and your needs. Jealousy is at an all time low now that they don't have to worry about anyone else. They even begin to hide their violent tendencies, too happy that you're with them to care.

It gets to the point where THEY had to be the ones to leave for important tasks lest they be.. "scolded" by a man you don't need to stress over.

It's devastating when they separate from you.. When they fight, their attacks are ruthless. Brutal. Bloody.. Even Urogi and Karaku are more productive because the image of their beloved all alone and trembling has their unbeating hearts aching.

Even with all this, they're still scummy rats who work together to make sure things go their way.

Sekido doesn't rile up your paranoia unless you insist on going somewhere alone. "Be careful, don't wander off. Yell and I'll go get you, who knows what's out there." He's content with your fears already. In fact, he's.. sweeter. He doesn't get as mad as he used to, only slightly irritated.

Seeking him out to protect you from something small gets the most blissed out expression from him momentarily. His hold is still as firm as ever, but he doesn't insult you as harshly. Quiet grumbles like "Such a baby.. what is it this time?" are frequent, yet he does whatever you want.

Karaku is NOT helping at all. Ever since he noticed you got jumpier, he thought it'd be fun to make you squirm, though he probably teases too much and makes you cry.. Pointing and gasping at nothing, making noises from other rooms, asking, "Did you hear that?" until you're visibly shaking from every little creak.

But it's okay. He opens his arms every time and pets your head, cooing at you, "D'aww, don't start the waterworks, c'mere. I'll knock it off, I was just playing..! Even if I wasn't, you really think I'd let something get you? Never!"

Urogi probably will give you terrifying heart attacks. Because you're so dependent on them now, he can't contain his love for you the second he sees you. One second, you're conversing with one of the boys, then the next a blur of feathers and glowing yellow eyes barrels towards you, toppling you to the floor.

He can hear your heart beating through your chest as he presses his ear against it. He loves the sound!! "Did I scare you again? Hahaha!! You know it's only me who does this to you!! Anybody else would be dead before they even made contact. I love how warm you are, the thump of your heart, the feel of your skin, everything about you makes me too happy!!"

Aizetsu is your worst enemy.. He needs a damn bell! Each step is too quiet, and he knows this. it's purposeful. You need to remember why you're paranoid in the first place, so he lurks around, letting you find him if he's feeling kind or giving you that feeling of being watched if he's not. He doesn't do it for long, preferring to be the one you hold instead of watching the others make an opportunity out of his methods.

When he lets you find him, he pouts, tilting his head as if you're the one who intruded on him. "Dont mind me, I'm making sure everywhere is safe. Did you need something..? Or did you feel how much i missed you? Oh, you're so nice to me.."

———

But then.. you began growing distant towards them.

They're not sure what happened. Honestly, they might take it as rejection at first and double down until they notice you're TERRIFIED. They pause and regroup, planning their next course of action.

They're not as aggressive, just confused and hurt. Attempts to be considerate come off very stiff, but they're trying. They can tell you're not faking it. The terror in your eyes is undeniable.

They do a 180 and fight often when alone, blaming others, then each other for being too much on you. Their muffled yelling and thumping from fighting are loud enough that you hear, though they try making it up to you later.

Even if they're extremely upset about it, they put their feelings aside for you. There's no use talking to someone who won't listen.

Their attitudes get a lot more cautious but desperate. They've dealt with Hantengu's jumpiness and constant crying before, but being the cause in your case makes this more complicated..

They attempt to give you your space, and insist you stay home. Don't like the home you have? They'll find you a new one, a better one, and promise not to get too close. Give them some time. After that, they get rid of any external factors that could be harmful to you.

Unsurprisingly, they can't help themselves and will try to approach and speak to you, even if behind a wall or at a distance. Probably set up a wall divider just so you don't feel as scared to speak to them.

They're desperate and want what they once had with you.. please don't shut them out. this wasn't how it was supposed to go.

Emotional reassurance isn't their strong suit (ironically). They never comfort anybody, not even Hantengu. Combat is their expertise! In their mind, fixing the problem outside will fix the problem inside ..At least, fingers crossed that they do.

It's because of those villains out there that you're so scared in the first place. What kind of disgusting shameless bastards assume they get the privilege to think of you, much less be near you?! The second they know what these "men's" faces look like, their insides will decorate the ground and-!

Ahem—

Let's just say they took a page from Akaza's book and treat men a little meaner than women. As in, making sure at least one bone of theirs is broken if they so much as breathe in your direction.

During the attempt at rehabilitation, they fall into roles according to how they handle you.

Sekido is your bodyguard that makes sure the others behave and you're taking care of yourself. His once long fuse shortened since he began blaming the others for your paranoia. He can't help but be protective. As much as he hates it, he won't focus on anything if he knows you're unwell. He doesn't say much aside from grunts and scoffs in hopes of not scaring you further.

Karaku tries to lighten the mood and fills the silence with stories about what he's seen throughout his life, excluding the violent and aggressive details. Maybe even random stories he's heard, just to try and get your mind off of whatever is troubling you. He doesn't speak directly to you but around you so that you'll probably overhear.

Urogi is the material comfort, bringing you gifts that the others check before they get left outside your room. The gifts aren't as ripped or scratched as they would usually be, but that's because he's trying extra hard to give you something that'll hopefully make you feel better! With his talons and excitement, Urogi doesn't see you as much anymore unless it's through the window when you're asleep.

Aizetsu is the one who frequently speaks to you. He loves gathering information about you and hearing you speak in general. It's a pity you speak less, and when you do, there's a slight tremble.. it's cute, but you sound so miserable.. His airy, soft voice and gentle attitude grow sweeter when announcing himself, "How are you feeling? it kills me to see you like this.. please, tell me what to do to make everything better.”

The eyes you feel get worse since they're overprotective of you. At least they're not as secretive about it! They're insistent and happy that you avoid other people all together, though it'd be much better if they were an exception!

[cravinganotherworld]

Amorous - Chapter 3 - Frontman x Fem! reader

WARNINGS: 18+, Implied smut, swearing, death, guns shooting, angst, slight harassment from thanos

Chapter 1: https://www.tumblr.com/cravinganotherworld/772151896142233600/amorous-squid-games-frontman-x-fem-reader?source=share

Chapter 2, part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/cravinganotherworld/772200596177666048/amorous-chapter-2-part-1-frontman-x-fem?source=share

Chapter 2, part 2: https://www.tumblr.com/cravinganotherworld/772230442224173056/amorous-chapter-2-part-2-frontman-fem-reader?source=share

NOTE: Let me know what you think!

Wordcount : 2,6k

Leave or stay…leave or stay. The only words floating through your mind as you stare at the buttons underneath your fingertips. You wanted to see your grandfather, you really did but as always, your heart wanted to win, it yearned for the soft touches and the gentle smile of Young Il, but you couldn’t let it win this time. Your hand quickly pressed ‘X’ and that side of the room cheered. You handed your badge over to the guards taking the new one presented to you. As everyone took their turn the numbers started to go up and you held a little spark of hope that you could go home. Until the end that is. You look up at the scoreboard seeing the ‘O’s were in the lead and your heart dropped as Gi-Hun took the final vote, of course voting to leave. It made barely any difference to the score.

“Dear players, lights out will be in 30 minutes, please prepare yourself for lights out”

You let out a small sigh and begin to walk over to your bed when someone grabs your hand. As you turn to look your heart drops. Thanos.

“Ay seniorita, I think you should stay with US tonight” pointing between him and his friend.

“No thank you” you whisper and turn to walk away but he runs infront of you, grabbing your shoulder as he does so.

“C’mon pretty girl, nothings gonna happen” he leans down so his lips are almost brushing over yours. You stand still in fear. “not unless you beg for it” he whispers, his breath fanning on your lips.

“She’s with us” butterflies erupt in your stomach as Young Il comes up behind you. Thanos looks up, his tongue darting out of his mouth to lick the side of his lips as he lets out a defeated chuckle. He puts his hands up in Défense walking backwards away from you. Before he turns away he shoots a dark smile in your direction and makes a love heart with his hands. You shudder at the thought of him and turn to Young Il.

“Thank you” he nods in response.

“Stay with us tonight” he spoke, his voice firm and cold, nothing like he had been earlier. Your heart drops slightly at his tone and you glance over his shoulder seeing Dae-Ho wave you over excitedly. Smiling at him you make your way past Young Il, stopping when you feel his grip on your wrist. You turn and look at him, watching as he takes in a deep breath before letting you go. Confused you shake your head and continue walking towards Dae-Ho and the rest of the team. Young Il didn’t speak to you for the rest of the night, your heart aching at the thought that you had done something to upset him. You tossed and turned unable to sleep as thoughts once again plagued your mind, huffing lightly you sit up in bed and run your hands down your face in frustration.

“Can’t sleep?” you jump at the sudden noise beside you. You look up to see none other than Young Il.

“no…I can’t get a decent night sleep in here…I’m exhausted” you confess,

“May i?” he gestures to the space infront of you on the bed and you nod lightly. He sits and turns to face you. “I understand, I can’t seem to sleep either, it’s almost like a waiting game…” your lips frown in confusion.

“waiting game?” you ask quietly. He looks around the room.

“To see when they’ll attack” your heart jumps into your throat, what does he mean attack? Why would they attack?. Young Il looks at you noticing the fear spreading across your face. “it won’t be tonight, you don’t have to worry” he reassures you.

“How do you know?”

“They would’ve done it by now” he confidently replies. “You really should try and rest, you’ll need your strength for tomorrows game” he speaks as he stands up. Before he walks away you grab his hand, you feel him tense under your touch.

“Thank you”

“What for?”

“Earlier…saving me from Thanos and his minion” He laughs lightly and squeezes your hand.

“You don’t need to thank me” You stand up, your stature small compared to his, but nonetheless you look up at him. He tilts his head down looking back at you.

“Yes I do…nobody else helped me, they would’ve let him continue” you look into his eyes seeing a hint of anger flash through them. “Why did you help me Young Il?” you whisper placing your hand on his chest

“A gentleman never leaves a lady in distress” he replies, his jaw clenching as you begin to remove your hand from his chest. He catches your wrist, ensuring it stays in its place, his eyes not meeting yours.

“Oh” you whisper, disappointment evident in your tone as you look down at your shoes. Young Il notices and a smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. He reaches for your chin but you pull away from his grip shattering his heart. You step back and look up at him. “I really should try to get some sleep now” your voice filled with sadness. As you turn to return to your bed you feel Young Ils hand wrap around your waist and pull you into him, your back hitting his chest. You gasp lightly and his other hand comes up to cover your mouth. You feel his breath tickle your ear as he leans down.

“You want to know why I saved you huh? You do something to me y/n, the way you walk, the way your hips move so perfectly” He places a tender kiss at the top of your ear. “The way you talk, so well spoken and polite” his lips trace down to your ear lobe. “Oh the nights I’ve spent imagining how polite your words would be as I fuck your pretty little brains out” Your eyes widen at his confession and your breathing begins to pick up, your heart beat now erratic. You feel his hand loosen around your waist as he turns you towards him, walking you backwards until your back hits the wall. He leans forward pressing his forehead to yours, removing his hand from your mouth as he inches closer. “The nights I’ve spent imagining the feel of your lips on mine” he moves to kiss your cheek “to feel the warmth of you as I hold you” he kisses your other cheek, leaning back to look into your eyes. “to feel every inch of you close to me” he kisses your nose and pulls back once more, his hand coming to rest on your cheek. He leans forward, nearly closing the gap between you “to have all of you”.

“Players, please awaken and prepare for the fourth game, please follow instructions and make your way to the games hall, I will now repeat” You take a deep breath as Young Il removes himself from you, walking backwards but still looking into your eyes until he met Gi-Hun. As the players make their way down from their beds and into the centre of the room you stand still trying to reorganize your thoughts. What the fuck just happened. All you could think about was the coldness that crept into you at the absence of Young Ils hands. Soon enough you made your way down the steps, following the guards to the game hall. As the doors open you’re met with a room full of doors and a large carousel in the centre. You hear murmurs of the other players trying to decipher the game.

“Dear players, the game you will be playing is ‘Mingle’, the carousel will spin in time with the music, when it stops a number will be called, you must then form a group of this number and enter a room before the time is up. You will have 30 seconds per round. Players, please make your way onto the podium” You begin to make your way to the podium, standing between two players you don’t recognise and prepare yourself for what’s to come. The carousel starts to move and the music begins to blare through the speakers. The lights flickered and your breath caught in your throat. In the dark? Surely not. Before you could think the lights flickered back on and the carousel stops.

“10” everybody scrambles around looking for a team and you hear your name being called from the chaos. You look around trying to find who the voice belongs to, your eyes settling on Gi-Hun frantically waving you over to them. You rush over, smiling at Jun-Hee as she takes your hand.

“We have 10, Over there” Gi-Hun shouts, pointing towards a room in the distance. You all rush towards the room falling in as the timer counts down to zero. As the last second ticks Gi-Hun slams the door shut, the lock locking automatically. You look around the room at everyone breathing heavily, your eyes landing on Young Il only for a second as shots begin to be fired. The screams outside died down and the door unlocked signalling for the players to return to the podium. You follow your team and find your place between Gi-Hu and Young Il. The events that conspired earlier in the day now no longer a thought in your mind as you fought to say alive. As the carousel begins to move again you feel Young Il take your hand in his, holding it tightly. You say nothing as the music stops.

“3” Once again everyone begins to scramble. Jun-Hee rushes over to you taking your hand and you look between Young Il and Gi-Hun.

“You three go, I’ll find two more” Young Il shouts letting your hand go. Your eyes widen in fear

“No!” you reach out to grab his hand but are dragged away by Gi-Hun. Young Il watches as he drags you away despite your struggle, his eyes never leaving yours.  “Young Il!” you cry, fear now rushing through you. What if he couldn’t find anyone. You struggle against Gi-Huns grip on you, and he pushes you forcefully into the room closing the door as the timer hits Zero once again. As gun shots fill the air you rush to the door and look out amongst the remaining players praying you didn’t see his face. Soon enough the door unlocked, and you rushed out as if your life depended on it. You stood as the crowd moved towards the podium once more, searching for his all to familiar eyes, your heart breaking more with each second you couldn’t find him. Losing faith you begin to move through the crowd, ignoring the calls of Gi-Hun and Jun- Hee. You have to find him. As you move through the crowd your vision starts to become blurry as tears pool in your eyes.

“Y/n!” your head whips around at the sound of your name being called and relief washes over you. He’s alive. You rush over to him jumping into his arms, nuzzling your face into his neck. You feel his arms wrap around you with one hand holding the back of your head as you let your emotions come out.

“Shh it’s okay I’m okay” he soothed you as he stroked your hair calming you down. As you calm down you step back to look at him. Placing both hands on his cheeks you look into his eyes seeing tears on his cheek too.

“I thought I lost you” you whispered. He laughs lightly and presses his forehead to yours.

“Never”

“Players please return to the podium” As you return to the podium with Young Il it begins to move again. You look up at him smiling gently and he returns the gesture. The podium came to an abrupt stop.

“6” You hurriedly find you your group of six and move towards the closest door you could find. You all rushed through the door and slammed it shut with seconds to spare. As the round ended you all cautiously stepped out of the room, the floor now decorated with blood and silence filling the air.

“Please prepare for the final round” Once again you all stepped onto the podium awaiting the final round.

“How many do you think it’ll be this time?” Gi-Hun asks looking around.

“Two” Young Il speaks without hesitation. You look at him confused by his confidence

“How do you know?”

“Look around, there are 126 players left and only 50 rooms, if it’s two people there will only be enough for 100 to survive, if you don’t get to a room quickly…you’re done for” you nod your head in understanding and the podium came to a stop.

“2” Without thinking Young il grabs your hand and rushes towards the closest room he could find. As you get closer to the door he lets go of your hand to pull it open and you run faster now time running out. Suddenly you are pulled back by your hair and thrown to the floor by another player pain radiating through you as your head connects with the floor. Young Il hears your scream and looks out to see you on the floor and the man who pulled you down rushing towards him. In one swift movement he grabs the man and shouts at you to run into the room once you had gotten back on your feet. Your heart was beating fast and sweat began to drip down your forehead as you rush into the room, your blood running cold when you see another player already in there. Shit. Young Il runs in behind you and closes the door looking up at your face noticing the fear and followed your eyes.

“Out” he ordered the man in the corner

“That’s not fair we were here first” he objected. Young Il looked up at the timer and quickly rushed at the man wrapping his arm around his throat. You watch as Young Il tightens his grip around the man’s throat, his eyes emotionless as they look into your soul. Suddenly you hear a crack and the man falls limp in Young Ils arms. The door locks and shots fill the air. Young Il pushes the body off of him and stands up walking towards you. He pushes your body against the wall and caresses your cheek. You should be scared, he had just killed a man infront of you with no mercy…no remorse but yet…you feel even more drawn to him, the way his eyes grew dark ignited something within you, something you had never felt before. Looking into his eyes now your heart feels as though it could burst,

“do not hate me for what I have done” he whispers placing his forehead on yours. Without thinking you reply.

“I could never hate you” He pulls back searching your eyes for anything to tell him it was a cruel trick, but he found nothing but love. Without a second thought he presses his lips to yours in a kiss so desperate neither one of you wanted to pull away. You feel him gently bite down on your bottom lip as your hands travel up into his hair pulling lightly drawing a soft moan from his lips as he pulls away causing you to let out a small whine at the loss of contact. He smirks and presses a shorter kiss to your lips parting when the door unlocked. You admire him as he steps back from you, his messy hair and lips glistening had your stomach reaching for him. He looks towards you once more offering you his hand. You take it without a second thought and watch him as he brings it to his lips whispering,

“You have no idea what you do to me”

[georgeweasleyslostearhq]

Eddie munson x reader fic based on this?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYTgsBwR/

cute!! thank you for requesting <3

BEST FRIEND'S BROTHER

Pairings: Eddie munson x fem! Summary: your best friend's little brother has a crush on you, which you use to your advantage. Warnings: a kiss

──── ୨୧ ────

you entered the Munson Trailer with a bag full of movies you rented from Family video.

it was friday night, which meant you watch shitty movies and get fat with your best friend.

you were immediately greeted with a bunch of muffled screaming from the room down the hall, Eddie's room, your best friend's little brother

although, he wasn't really little anymore, and he was only 2 years younger than you. so was he ever really little?

you frowned and looked over at your friend, Beth, wondering what was going on

"oh, yeah, Eddie invited his band over. I told them to be quiet" she sighed with a smile as you took off your jacket

"i don't think they listened" you laughed

she shook her head "no, they definitely didn't"

you got settled on the couch beside her after digging in the fridge for a drink.

"oh, yeah. i ordered Pizza but they were like, super early, the boys took it from me as soon as they smelt it. good luck if they even give you a peice, if there's any left" she snorted

she usually didn't give a fuck about her brother, unless he really pissed off or tried to get your attention during your hangouts

which raises the idea in your mind.

from the very start of your friendship, you noticed Eddie and his attempts to drag you away from Beth.

and it wasn't until you were 16 and him 14 when Beth told you he had a major crush on you

she told you the whole story of going in his room to find a drawing of you in his sketchbook while he was out.

her telling you made it so awkward when you's came over, you noticed every shy smile and glance he'd give you when he thought you weren't looking.

you'd notice when he'd go out of his way to do things for you.

when you'd come over, he would rush out of his room at the sound of your voice and offer you a drink

"Can I get you anything? we have pretzels, and coke" he'd ask

you declined every time, feeling a small pang in your chest, watching the smile of his face falter as he backed up into his room

"okay... just call out to me if you need anything!" he'd say before shutting his door

in highschool, he would go out of his way to say hi to you, but frown everytime you'd brush him off, looking at him like everyone did, like he was a freak.

Eddie gave up on liking you for a while at that point, the poor 16-year old's heart was broken, but it's not like he ever thought you'd like him back.

you were just so pretty.

he was so heartbroken he had put everything he made for you away in a box and put it under his bed, long forgotten by now.

every lyric sheet of a song he made for you, every trinket that made him think of you, everything you'd leave at the trailer that he was able to swipe before anyone noticed.

it wasn't until you graduated that you began to be nice to him again. now, 4 years later, his crush on you was known by everyone, and he knew that you knew about it.

at 20 years old he had finally grown a little more confident when around you, sending you little comments of flirtation or winking at you. though, he'd miss the way you'd blush as you rolled your eyes.

he wants you to know. he's definitely not shy about letting you know.

which is why you stand up and smile

"I have a feeling they'll let me have some" you speak confidently

you walk up to his room down the hall and knock

"first one to get me a slice of pizza gets a kiss!"

you giggle and look back at Beth when you hear screaming and rustling on the other side of the door

"BACK OFF! MOVE! GIVE ME THE PIZZA, GIVE IT!" you hear Eddie scream at the others.

it's silent after a few seconds before the door slowly opens.

Eddie's head pops out from his room and gives you a smile

he opens the door wider and bows down in front of you, presenting a paper plate with a slice of pizza on it

"One slice of pepperpni pizza for the fair lady" he smiles cheekily

you smile and take the plate

"thank you, kind sir" you curtsey and take the plate. you turn around and go to walk back to the livingroom when he clears his throat

you looked back as see him still standing there, his eyes wondering around the room, his hands behind his back as he rolls on the heels of his feet.

you blush when he puckers his his lips like a child ready to have his first kiss with his girl crush.

you roll your eyes "oh how could I forget, I apologise" you speak in the same way he did a few seconds ago

you walk back over to him and lean up on your tippy toes. he looked at you happily when he leans in.

you swerve his lips and connect you mouth with his cheek, right on his dimple, wiping your thumb over the lipstick mark as you pull away

he looks at you lazily as you back away, a dumb smile on his face as he backs up into his room

"pleasure doing business with you" he says before shutting the door.

you walked back to the livingroom, taking the pizza into your mouth, taking a bite when you see Beth roll her eyes.

as you sat down next to your best friend, you could more screaming and cheering

"he's such a dork" Beth mumbled

you look down the hall, where his bedroom door was shut and shrugged

"he's cute"

Beth's head snapped to the side to where you sat "what!?"

your eyes went wide when you realise what you said "what?"

──── ୨୧ ────

[thanosscross]

Pretty boy - Kwon Ji-Yong/G-Dragon x reader part 1

Summary: after meeting Y/n for the first time Ji-Yong can’t seem to get you out of his head, while you were in just in awe over how godlike he looked whenever he’d smile at you or give you any type of attention. After meeting each other for a third time at the club, Ji-Yong finally decides to make a move

Warnings: none <3 just Ji-Yong being deathly adorable <333

The first time you ever met Kwon Ji-Yong you were fresh out of the gate twenty years old, you were visiting South Korea for a gig as a dancer for a few concert shows, whenever you bumped into Ji-Yong in the hotel lobby you were both staying in, both of you crashing into each other as you rushed downstairs before the Taxi left with your bags still in the trunk. You thought by his looks he’d scream at you for being clumsy, I mean he looked polished, respectable, and like he had somewhere very very important to be, so why wouldn’t he? But instead he just offered you one of the prettiest smiles you had ever seen before offering his hand to you to help you up. “You need to be careful, Aein, I’d hate for someone as pretty as you to get hurt” he flirted, you were a blushing mess afterwards, quick to pull your hands away as you saw the taxi drive off “damnit!…my clothes” you whispered sadly before looking at Ji-Yong “Listen, I’m so sorry I ran into you but I need to go call the taxi company” you apologized before running up the stairs to your hotel room to let your managers know the situation, after you left, Ji-Yong knew he had to find you again, you acted so unfazed by him compared to him, yea you blushed but most girls wouldn’t of even be able to touch his hand without screaming, and you just, apologized and ran off. You quickly became the only thought that filled Ji-Yong’s mind during rehearsals and shows, always scanning the crowd for you, asking the boys constantly if they saw a woman matching your description, he wouldn’t see you again until he saw you leaving dressed in a long black coat covering what looked like fishnets. You looked panicked as you rushed by him, your gaze catching his for only a few seconds before you were gone again “guys! That was her!” Ji-yong whisper yelled pointing to you as you ran past “didn’t yg tell you no more girls?” Seung Hyun asked teasingly, watching his face glare “no he said no more controversial girls” he argued before moving his head around to get a better view of you, watching as you hurried into the taxi to leave.

As you showed up to your gig you were in awe, staring at the huge arena and stage, this was definitely the biggest gig you’ve taken, no wonder it paid so well. As you listened to the choreographer you noticed a group of guys walk in laughing and pushing a shorter male around, as they entered the room, as they got closer you immediately noticed them as the men from your hotel lobby. You quickly tried to step behind the others to hide yourself, but Ji-Yong had already spotted you, seeking you out almost immediately, playing it off as introducing himself personally to the group of back-up dancers that stood around with you, whenever he got to you though his hand lingered holding yours, taking in every feature of yours before pulling away.

Rehearsals Ji-Yong wasn’t able to focus, always looking towards you anytime he lip sung to the music playing over the speakers “so, for this section of the song, we’re gonna pair each of you up with one of our boys, your job for this song is to compliment them as they sing since they don’t have much choreography.” The choreographer shouted, pulling you all forwards to find the best height differences, as she went down the line you started to feel nervous, the more ladies she paired up, the more it narrowed down you and Ji-Yong. “And finally, Y/n, we’re gonna have you paired together with Ji-Yong, he’ll be center stage so you have to make sure you have face the entire performance, no frowning, pouting anything unless it’s in the choreography, got it?” She lectured, you nodded along with her words walking over to Ji-Yong, you kept your eyes trained on the floor, Dae-Sung and Seung Hyun’s chuckles and squeals not going unnoticed by you as Ji-Yong wrapped his arm around your shoulders “we’ll have fun don’t worry, just let me know if anything is too much, okay beautiful?” He stated, offering you the same sweet smile he did whenever he helped you up, you couldn’t help but stare in awe, he looked so pretty, almost like a fairytale prince or a god. It didn’t take long for you to become shocked at how fast his sweet pretty demeanor changed to dominant and hot during his rehearsals. As you stood next to him for the next song his hand found your hip for his pose “this is okay?” He asked softly, you just nodded offering him a sweet smile “yea, it’s part of the choreography right?” You asked, Ji-Yong wanted to kiss you right there, you soft tone as you innocently asked him questions throughout the rehearsal about the choreography drove him nuts, you were too sweet to be on stage dancing like you. Regardless of your looks you still bent down with Ji-Yong, blushing as you felt his hand press against your lower back keeping you bent down at the waist as he stood back up, smirking as he pulled you up against his chest, swaying your hips together to the chorus of ‘Bae Bae’.

As you pressed your back against his chest you grabbed his free hand holding it in yours as you moved your hands up your body, starting at your hips not stopping until your arms were above your head, hips swinging to the beat of the music before you spun around him, moving back towards your mark single file with the other ladies. Ji-Yong was quick to grab your wrist, pulling you closer to him again “I think it’d be better if I kept her dancing near me as I went?” Ji-yong stated as the music stopped “if that’s what you think is best Ji-Yong, but keep in mind if it fails it’s on you” the woman warned.

After rehearsal you decided to go to a club that was near your hotel, deciding after that experience you needed to get drunk and forget about it, of course the one time you’d travel for a gig one of the band members would start acting attracted to you. As you stood at the bar section of the club you took notice to how many people were there, you weren’t concerned about it though, you had a plan before you ever came here, do your job and have fun while you travel, and you were going to stick with it. As you felt the alcohol wash over you a feeling of confidence washing over you aswell. Moving to the dance floor you focused more on letting the alcohol take over rather than dancing, only noticing an arm around your waist as you danced whenever you heard a very familiar sweet voice “I swear it’s like fate we keep running into each other” was all heard you before the beat dropped to the song that was playing.

Spinning around in your drunken haze you smiled “oh my gosh! Pretty boy! You’re here?” You gasped in shock, placing your hands on his shoulders to stable yourself in order to get a clearer look at the man in front of you. His bright red hair and earrings being a giveaway that he was indeed ‘pretty boy’. “Pretty boy?” He questioned laughing softly, giving you that damn smile that had your heart swooning in awe “yea! I can’t remember your name, so pretty boy!” You giggled, your words slurring together slightly as you spoke, Ji-Yong wasn’t as drunk as you, but he definitely wasn’t sober, far from it, even in his state though he couldn’t get his mind off of you. “It’s G-Dragon, but you can call me Ji-Yong, pretty girl” he smirked, watching as your cheeks heated up slightly, you couldn’t help it, from your hometown there wasn’t anybody that compared to Ji-Yong and his looks, it was absolutely breathtaking, so hearing him confirm that he thought you were pretty made you feel butterflies. “Awww! You think I’m pretty?!” You shouted over the music, he nodded excitedly watching as you hugged him tightly “do you wanna dance with me? It’d be so fun!” You gasped excitedly, Ji-yong couldn’t stop himself from internally awing at your excitement, especially whenever you were so shy to rehearse the choreography with him hours before.

You ended up staying in the club for almost 3 and a half hours, ending up getting a taxi together since you were going to the same place in the end. As you stumbled to the elevator, Ji-yong laughed, catching your hands in his quickly to help you stabilize your balance before you tripped over the small crack where the floor met the elevator. As you rode up together Ji-Yong’s arms were wrapped around you securely “you know..you don’t have to go home yet” he whispered in your ear, swaying you back and forth as you rested your head back against his shoulder, shivering as you felt his breath against your neck “We both have somewhere to be tomorrow morning” you warned, resting your hands over his as you spoke “the same place, what’s the issue?” He asked playfully “you don’t have to, princess, we can always continue another time” he offered sweetly, you sighed feeling torn, you very much wanted to see where it went with Ji-Yong, but you didn’t want to risk getting in trouble or losing your gig, it was a lot of money that you’d be getting once you were finished.

“I don’t know..” you whispered shyly, holding his hands a little tighter as your anxiety started to creep up on you, what if you declining him ruined everything? What if that is the reason you lose the gig? Now you were panicking, trying your best to hide it as you both walked off the elevator together “Princess, don’t feel pressured, We both have rehearsal at the same spot same time” he whispered calmly, taking his index finger and thumb to tilt your head up to meet his gaze “okay?..” he added on, you couldn’t hide the fact you were melting in his touch, you couldn’t help it though, throughout the entire time you had been in South Korea it had been back to back being charmed by Kwon Ji-Yong, and it was starting to make you fall for the man.

You took a deep breath before holding his sides gently “You’re not mad right?” You asked softly, tilting your head, Ji-Yong just raised his eyebrows at you, wanting to pull you into a hug calling you silly for ever thinking he could be mad at you, but he contained himself shockingly “of course not, pretty girl, you have a right to say no, I have no reason to be upset with you, as long as I can see you again” He explained, his hands moving to cup your cheeks “Of course…first thing tomorrow?” You asked hopeful, Ji-yong flashed you the same charming smiling before nodding “of course, I’ll even give you your own personal wake up call if you’d like” he offered playfully, you just nodded, taking him up on the playful offer “you can if you’d like” you smiled sweetly, pressing a kiss to his cheek before rushing off to your bedroom.

Ji-Yong walked back to his room in awe, shutting the door before pressing his back against it sighing “oooooo Ji-Yong! Do you have a crush!?” Dae-Sung gasped excitedly, jumping up on the bed noticing his friends flushed cheeks and in awe expression as he shut the door “shut up! She might hear you!” He whisper shouted before pointing to the wall that was the only thing separating your rooms “she’s next door” he added on before walking over “she’s amazing, absolutely amazing, guys” he muttered before flopping on the bed “we can’t leave until I get her number, please guys!” He begged before Seung Hyun raised an eyebrow in his friends direction “can’t you just find her on instagram? What’s her name?” He asked, causing a feeling of dread wash over Ji-Yong, he was this head over heels for a girl he didn’t couldn’t even remember the name of, he was too busy paying attention to you than what the choreographer was saying whenever she’d say your name.

“It’s Y/nnnnn!” Tae-Yang shouted in a sing song tone as he teased his friend “it’s y/n and she’s Ji-Yong’s new girlfriendddd! He wants to kiss herrrr!” He continued, earning himself a smack in the side from Ji-Yong “y/n..” he repeated back to himself before letting his head fall again, knowing he’d have to talk to you again tomorrow, you were too amazing to leave behind and never see again.

—

…you like? 👀😏 also please bare with me lovelies 😂 I’ve been writing this throughout my shift at work on my phone which is very different for me, so if there are any mistakes please bare with me <333 excited to hear from you lovelies!!

—

Taglist!!

@ag02212023

@onyxmango

[dreadnoughtus101]

Fossilized

Tsukishima Kei

"Ooohhh I was thinking about reader! who works at the same museum as Kei (timeskip) and their coworkers and are forced to work together and were an annoying thorn in Kei’s side (obv pookie is in denial duh) 😒" -@livelovelaughgeto

______________________________________________________________

"I think the easiest thing is for everyone to pair off and work on different sections together, it'll go by faster."

The museum had just gotten a new shipment of decorations that needed to be up by the weekend. Your manager was pairing everyone off to work together so it would go by faster.

"Tsukishima and y/n, you guys can take over the herbivore exhibit."

You glanced at him to see him roll his eyes and nod silently.

You recalled your first day, where he was supposed to show you around and teach you everything. You two had hit it off at first, cracking jokes and having genuine conversation. You remembered how at first, it was his eyes that captivated you. The beautiful gold reflecting in the light was enough to make you smitten. His snarky comments that made you giggle, he was never explicitly mean to you. It was after the few weeks you two shared that he grew distant and cold, bitter towards you as if you had done something wrong.

It hurt at first, you longed to hear his voice again in a tone that didn't convey pure distaste towards you. Every time you walked past him, you waved, crackled a smile, tried anything to get his attention, but he never reciprocated anything, so you gave up.

You weren't sure what his problem was, but today was the day to find out.

· · ────────────────── ·𖥸· ────────────────── · ·

Walking side by side with the boxes of decorations in our hands, you were able to take in his height, he had to be at least six feet tall. It was quiet, only the sounds of feet shuffling, you trying to keep up with his pace as he walked ahead of you.

"Do you have any plans this weekend?" You were looking up at him, trying to break some of the ice. To nobodies surprise, he only side eyed you before responding with a sharp "No."

You nodded, "Me either," to which he said nothing. While you didn't expect him to immediately open up to you, you were waiting for some sort of explanation as to why he's been nothing but rude to you. He never bothered to say anything more than he had to, never speaking unless spoken to, he was never the type to ask how somebodies day was or what their plans were for the weekend.

· · ────────────────── ·𖥸· ────────────────── · ·

Unboxing all of the packages, you tried to figure out which one of you would do what. "Maybe I can put together the new fossils and you can hang up the wall art..?" You looked at all the fossils that had to be put together. He spared a glance in your direction, "Sure, you're too short anyways." His tone only showing annoyance, he picked up some of the paintings and walked off without a word, looking at where the best place to put it up would be.

Sitting alone on the floor, you stared at the instructions that made absolutely no sense, trying to figure out how to put the thing together.

"How is this supposed to go together?" You mumbled under your breath, you were still stuck on just the leg.

"What are you doing?" Tsukishima asked with that judgmental tone. The first time he's ever initiated a conversation with you. "I'm trying to put together the new Parasaurolophus we have." It felt humiliating to have to explain yourself.

"So why is it's leg attached to it's arm?"

Jaw hung open, you looked at the monstrosity you accidentally created, he was right.. you somehow put the arm into the leg. You were so caught up in your own daze that you didn't notice exactly how wrong it looked until someone else pointed it out.

"Move." He said, pushing you to the side and sitting down fixing it, taking it apart to put the right parts together. Now standing over him, you watched his face contort to what appeared to be only pure focus. He bit his lip while reading the instructions, "They're quite clear, how did you manage to screw it up so bad?" The utter confusion in his voice only hurt you even more.

"I-I don't know.." You were stumbling over your own words in shame by now, what was meant to be a time to put up simple decor turned out to be a moment of pure humiliation. He turned and looked up at you, his golden eyes meeting yours. It was as if he looked into your soul for only a second before turning back with a huff.

It instead seemed that now the roles were reversed, he was the one putting together the new displays while you put the decorations up. It was a nice silence, the warm kind that you don't ever seem to think twice about, before he spoke up, "Do you even know how to put those up correctly?" You sighed and looked at him from across the room. "Do you want to do everything?" There was a hint of sadness in your voice this time, something he hadn't picked up previously. "I'm just making sure I don't have to go behind everything you do to fix it." You looked at him with your arms crossed, "Why are you acting like I'm such a thorn in your side?"

He jumped a little by the frustration in your voice. "What are you talking about?"

You scoffed, looking at him in disbelief, except he didn't even notice because his back was still turned against you. "You won't even look at me," You felt a little edge in your voice now, unable to hide how frustrated you had been this whole time, "And all you do is criticize everything I do. Why don't you help me instead of judging me?"

He finally turned to look at you and realized your face had turned a slight tint of red and there were tears starting to cloud your eyes. "I've been nothing but nice to you, Tsukishima, yet every time you see me, all you do is act like I've done nothing but wronged you."

He felt too embarrassed to look you in the eyes, his head hung low and his ears were red. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"No, fuck you, Tsukishima."

You left, going home early, claiming to have a stomach bug.

He didn't see you again after that, he walked by your usual areas, the department you usually lingered around, but he never saw you.

Days turned to weeks, turned to months. He still hadn't seen you, until one day he briefly spotted you around the corner.

He ran to catch up to you, "Y/n." he called, his voice raised slightly higher than normal. You stopped in your tracks to look back at him, surprised he had managed to notice you this time. "Where have you been?" he was searching your eyes as if the answer lied beneath your surface.

"Around."

"Where? I've looked everywhere for you."

"Why were you looking for me?" Your brows furrowed.

"I just wanted to apologize."

"You already did."

Your voice was shallow, missing the usual friendly tone you always had. It was enough to make him wince as if your words caused him physical pain.

"Y/n, listen, I'm sorry." You could see he was genuine, something new for him. "I thought you were too busy ignoring me, now you're the one apologizing?" You knew your words were cutting deep, a part of you hoped they were. You wanted him to feel the hurt and confusion you did.

You didn't let him find a response before you walked off, letting him wallow in the heavy emotions in the air.

· · ────────────────── ·𖥸· ────────────────── · ·

You were walking home, the easier choice as opposed to taking the bus due to how crowded it would get, when you heard footsteps behind you. Turning around, you saw none other than Tsukishima, again.

"Are you following me home?" You looked at him with horror, "No, y/n, just let me explain." He let out a small laugh when he saw how horrified you were. "How did you know where I was going?"

He rolled his eyes, "You never noticed we always leave in the same direction after work?" a brow raised, genuinely surprised you hadn't.

You shook your head, embarrassed by your accusation.

"Y/n, please let me explain." He started, you only nodded while watching your feet as you walked.

"I was embarrassed." He spoke low, as if he was worried someone would hear. This is what caught your attention. "Of talking to me? Being my friend?" He shook his head, "It's hard to explain." It was your turn to roll your eyes now.

"Either explain or I go straight home." You felt annoyed by the constant circles you two were going in. He'd be nice and let you in, only to randomly shut down and ignore you. It was a loop that you weren't sure would end.

"I like you, y/n, and I don't know how to cope with that." There was a shake in your voice, his eyes refusing to meet yours. "What?"

"Why didn't you just say so?"

"What was the point? We're colleagues, it's awkward." He was trying to brush it off, play it off as if he didn't feel like his soul was being chipped away every minute that went on without you reciprocating it.

You took a deep breath before deciding how to respond, the sound if your inhale only made him more nervous, unsure if you were gonna tell him off and leave him standing alone on the sidewalk.

"What if I said I liked you too?" This felt silly to say, it felt like you were in high school again, confessing your crush to another boy. You knew your cheeks were red, blushed by how nervous you felt.

He stopped in his tracks, slowly turning to face you.

"Just because you like me doesn't mean you treat me like you hate me, Tsukishima." You faced him, looking up at him for any sort of window into his thoughts. His face was a similar shade to yours, was he just as nervous?

"I know, which is why I'm sorry. I want to make it right." He sounded formal, sincere, this was him trying to prove that he meant it.

"How?" You were curious as to what his plans were.

"Can I take you out tonight?"

"Where?"

"Wherever you want."

[blackberry-sage-tea]

Something I have not really seen anyone else talking about is how Veilguard vastly and very noticeably overinflates its quest count.

Like, in most games, you would consider something labeled a "quest" to have a beginning, middle, and end, right? "Here is the problem, go solve it with some gameplay, here's the outcome". They don't have to all be long but it's usually like, a complete narrative thread. Sometimes you'll get followup quests, but those are again going to have their own beginning, middle, and end. They will feel complete. You don't label something as a quest unless it has at least a little bit of substance to it.

Veilguard...has a different design philosophy.

Buying presents for your companions where they will give a one word response in thanks? Those are quests. There's a quest where you visit the Black Emporium--that's it. That's all you do, you go to a location. Need to have a single conversation with your companion to get information about something? How about we make that a quest! Have to get some crucial info about characters that are featuring in a companion's questline? We'll make that cutscene an entire quest by itself rather than putting it in one of the quests it's relevant to. Have to put together another team meeting to discuss your quarterly budget? Quest! Need to talk to Solas after a main story moment? Those are usually labeled as their own quests.

Early on you go to Arlathan to investigate the ritual site to verify Solas' claims about the gods escaping, and after a brief conversation with the Veil Jumpers there you go on to a new location to recruit Bellara. Once you get back to the Veil Jumpers you head out to D'Meta's crossing and witness what the gods have done, seeing with your own eyes the danger Solas warned you of. From there you return to the ritual site at last to find the dagger that he was using, wrapping up your main purpose in heading out in the first place. Same quest, right? Wrong! Four quests! There is no point at which one properly finishes before the other begins, but these are listed as four separate quests!

It's like some executive had a specific quest quota they wanted the developers to hit and the developers knew they'd never be able to make enough content to meet it so they just chopped up every main and companion quest piecemeal, even though this means the pacing and momentum of the game frequently comes to a complete standstill as you stop and start quests over and over. Bellara trying to talk her brother out of doing evil things for Anaris and then just walking away when it seemingly doesn't work rather than doing anything to actually stop him is solely because it has to be its own quest rather than part of her questline's finale. "Why don't we take care of X right no--" Because we need to pad out the runtime of this game. We need the characters to drag their feet on absolutely everything, we need to have the same conversations about the same things over and over again because otherwise you'll notice that this game's content could have been condensed into 40 hours instead of 80.

I'm not saying that previous Dragon Age games never had fluff quests or padding but the scale at which Veilguard does it is frankly unreal.

[cosmerelists]

Did I Achieve my Earnest Hopes & Dreams for Wind and Truth?

The night before Wind and Truth came out, I wrote up a list of things I was hoping to have happen (or not happen) in that book. Now that it's a month later and I've finished it, how much of what I wanted did I get?

[Obviously, big big spoilers for Wind & Truth!]

Kaladin lives. WELL... He is...alive. Immortal, really. But all of his friends think he's dead, since he left his body behind when he became a Herald. He did not get to meet with up Adolin & Shallan for drinks like he promised. That's more what I was hoping for...but I'll take this. He IS alive.

Kaladin lives and is happy. WELL... I actually think he's...somewhat happy? He swore the Fifth Ideal. He's with Syl. He's in a Tranquil Mind Palace giving therapy to the Heralds. It does seem like it might get a bit...lonely? But it did not end with him broken or anything like that, so again...I'll take this. He's not unhappy.

There's a really cool Kaladin fight. Maybe two. Honestly, I think we had a sad lack of cool Kaladin fights. I understand that this book was all about Kaladin figuring out who he is without the spear, and I respect that...but I did miss there being some kind of Grand Kaladin Entrance After Which He Kicks Serious Butt. The only fight we got was him vs. Nale, which was...okay, but was solved ultimately via Flute and Therapy and not Cool Fighting Moves. I'm a somewhat simple soul. I missed having Cool Fighting Moves.

Kaladin & Szeth have to fight someone together. Not really. :( Not in the "back-to-back facing off against a hundred foes" that I was picturing, at least.

Leshwi has a significant role. Leshwi was there, but mostly walking and complaining about having to walk now. Again, I was hoping for more Cool Fighting Leshwi, which we didn't get, but I did like that we at least got some scenes with her.

There's a really cool Leshwi fight. Sadly, not so much. Her small amount of fighting was off-screen.

Adolin is NOT Odium's champion. He sure wasn't!

Adolin lives. He did! I think the Adolin story was one of my favorites, to be honest. Him becoming Unoathed was so cool.

Shallan lives (I'm not super worried about her for whatever reason but I couldn't just include two of the three, you know?) She did! ...Although trapped in Shadesmar but NOT able to world jump, which feels like the worst of both worlds. As soon as she got trapped I was like "Hell yeah Shallan worldhopper," but it doesn't seem like it's going that way, unfortunately.

Rlain & Renarin romance. Hell yeah! The Rlain & Renarin romance throughout this was super cute.

Rlain & Renarin romance that isn't like tragic or awkward or anything. I request warm & fuzzy plz. Yes! I like that it wasn't super angsty or anything. They both realized that they liked each other pretty quickly and then just kept making eyes at each other.

Shallan & Thaidakar meet. Well, they TALKED, so I'll take that!

MeLaan cameo. Well, as @archmage236 pointed out at the time, this was impossible since Mistborn Era 2 is after Stormlight. And there were no time travel shenanigans either. We DID get a kandra...but it was Ulaam, and not a cool kandra spy reveal.

...I notice the MeLaan cameo. I didn't but I'm pretty sure it's not my bad this time.

Rock returns or at least is in the book somehow. There was NO Rock! I was genuinely sad about that.

Kaladin hits his head on a doorframe in Shinovar. But not as sad as I was about Kaladin not bonking his head on ANYTHING. A tragic missed opportunity.

Navani invents something cool. You know...I don't think she did, unless you count the weird cocoon thing at the end. But she did figure out how to navigate through the Spiritual Realm, which was a cool Navani Science Moment so I'm counting it.

Navani thinks about Raboniel. I think maybe briefly?

We get the third Bondsmith. We did not! And now that Honor is (actually) dead, I feel like we won't? That's too bad, honestly.

The third Bondsmith isn't human. I suppose technically I got my wish here, yeah.

We find out that there are more than five Radiant oaths (pet theory that I want to be right about) Well I'm not right YET, but...come on! Honor even said he hates the number 5! How could that be the number of oaths?? It just doesn't make sense. It would be like there only being 11 metals or something.

Hemalurgy gets used.....I know that would be bad but I think it would be interesting. Hell yeah. It didn't have a huge role but I was actually delighted that Moash got Marshed.

Hemalurgy doesn't get used on anyone I care about!! I mean...I do care about Moash but I think he was a good choice for this. Future Herald Kaladin vs. Hemalurgic Moash battle, one assumes?

Shallan doesn't incorporate Radiant. :(

Maya cure. Yeah, like I said, I thought Adolin's arc--and by extension, Maya and the other Deadeyes' arc--was great! Maya was so butch and I love what she created with Adolin.

The theory that Shallan's mother was a Herald is confirmed. I think it's a cool theory. Oh wow was it ever! The chills I got when Shallan said, "She was at my wedding."

Bondsmith powers used for a fight. I think it would be cool. Sadly, no. We never really did get to see how they'd be used in combat.

Satisfying Sanderlanche. I don't think it was the Greatest Sanderlanche of All Time or anything, but I was fully captivated (and yes, the biggest downside for me was that it was more Emotions and Philosophy than Cool Fights with Swords. I'm a simple woman).

Kaladin meets a sheep. Or a dog. Or BOTH. I CAN'T BELIEVE SANDERSON CANONIZED NO DOGS AT ALL. Tragic. A true blow. And Kaladin only saw sheep from a distance.

I don't cry too hard... I actually did not. I teared up at actually two parts: when Maya came with all of the Deadeyes and when Kaladin decided to take Szeth's place as the Herald. (But honestly, I don't cry at books very often, so maybe that's on me.)

[mysticwastelandkitten]

Can the Killer Chat! LI's cook?

My lil headcanons! Probably OOC :P

Misaki:

Misaki doesn't cook. Not for lack of trying, more so lack of funds. Have you ever noticed that buying ingredients is 10x more expensive than takeout? Misaki definitely has! Their day to day meals mostly include instant Ramen and whatever takeout that's in her area of assassination- but sometimes when the money is rolling in and her spirits are high- she'll bang out the most beautiful flavorful meal that has ever graced humanities lips. So good that it can only be made once cuz they didn't follow a recipe and wrote none of what they did down. Oopsie.

Misaki also makes a mean chocolate chip cookie. Only thing she knows how to bake.

Angel:

Angel is a great chef for someone who's self-taught. She knows how to follow a recipe to a tee. You will not catch her lacking. It's gotten to the point she can perfectly recreate dishes she's watched people make only once. However, she's not the kind of cook that experiments and crafts new recipes. With Angel you get consistent, precise meals. It's also one of the reasons she's really good at baking. Exact measurements and times for things is her safe place.

V:

V is probably the best and most traditional chef of them all. He knows how to balance flavors and textures- no recipe needed- to craft a delicious symphony in one's mouth. He definitely took cooking classes at his fancy smancy private school growing up, but I also like to think that his mother was the biggest factor in why he's the cook he is today. She taught him how to truly perfect a meal.

You can ask V for the craziest combinations of food and he'd find a way to make it work AND look good while giving you a silent judgmental look.

Pastries are his jam.

Ronin:

Ronins an average cook. Nothing particularly wrong with what he makes (unless he wants it to be particularly wrong) he just can't compare to Mr and Mrs perfect V and Angel. He cooks to sustain himself.

I will say tho that his fridge and cupboards are a mess. How he gets any cooking done is beyond me. Everything and I mean everything is in a different container.

"where's the butter?"

- "In the jar that says pickles"

"Wait then where's the pickles"

- "In that open can labeled beans"

He'll also put nonfood items in food containers and vice versa, so be on guard when you're eating at his house. You might just down a sprite bottle of bleach. And he's not helping you, he's just gonna laugh.

This guy also can't bake for shit. He even fucks up cake mixes.

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

Probably did a lot of things wrong here. Feel free to yell at me in the comments 😭

[bettyfrommars]

Crawling towards the finish line that is this year – biker!Steve notices and remembers you used to love Christmas when you lived in town (maybe it’s something that’s lost on you now). I feel like he’d do something quietly sweet.

This is coming from the girl who can’t write a single sentence for her Steve fic so pls feel free to ignore lol ❤️‍🔥

Welcome to 2025! Gah, I'd been hopinggg to get this out before the end of last year as a holiday gift for you, Mel, but alas. You know how it goes. Loved spending time with him so thank you for always wanting to get to know our biker boy.

biker!Steve x afab!Reader

For others seeing this, I know "biker Steve" can get confusing here because I have two different ones 😂 But this is Ring of Fire Steve, in a universe parallel to Hawkins called Hawkeye. You do not have to be familiar with that au to enjoy/understand this.

18+only but this is just so fluffy. Strange things happen in Hawkeye, and this is no exception. Introduction to a place called Hellfire Hollow. A Christmas song is mentioned, but that is it.

Word Count: 2.2k

"Does this look okay?"

You stepped out of the bathroom to smooth your hands up and down your thighs. Steve was stretched long on your bed, head propped up on the knuckles of his fist, flipping through an issue of Sassy magazine.

He mumbled "uh huh" before even looking up, fully engrossed in a quiz titled: How to know if he is really into you. You said his name and he blinked to attention.

"Wowzers," he froze and then slowly sat up, swallowing hard.

An awkward laugh bubbled out of you. "I take it that's a yes?"

It's not like you were in an evening gown or anything, but you realized he's only ever seen you in casual jeans and tees, possibly a hoodie or two. He probably didn't even know you had a waist to speak of.

He hasn't moved, you're not sure he's even breathing until he offers a few micro nods. It took a herculean amount of strength not to blurt out that he loved you, but that would be absurd. Normally he’d put on the ‘ol Harrington charm of pretending he didn’t care, but he was too far gone at that point.

"You didn't say where you are taking me," you shifted your weight from foot to foot. "So hopefully it's not to go rock climbing or something."

His wallet chain jingled as he stood to step over and kiss you softly on the corner of your mouth, hovering close as he spoke. "That's right, it's a surprise, but what you're wearing is fine. More than fine. It's beautiful, I mean, you're beautiful." He moved back to gather his thoughts. "You'll need a coat or something though. Something warm you can put on once we get there."

"Consider my interest piqued," you scratched your fingers through the side of his hair, tucking a piece behind his ear with the hoop piercing, and he leaned into the touch like a cat. He wore a black Corroded Coffin tee under his blue and green flannel, and that spicy cologne you liked.

It's the first week in December, but it's rare for the temperature to ever fall below freezing in Hawkeye, so you no longer own a heavy winter coat. Your trusty leather jacket is hanging on the door handle behind you, and you hoped that would suffice for the evening.

"You're so far away," Steve said once you were in the truck, patting the space on the bench seat next to him, begging with those puppy dog eyes for you to scoot over to be closer to him. Once you were there, his hand went to your knee, and that is where it stayed for the rest of the trip unless he was fiddling with the radio.

"I missed you while you were gone," you said over the grumble of the engine and his trusty yacht rock sifting from the speakers. Steve just got back from being out of town on a run with his motorcycle club for a few days.

"Really?" He turned to stare at your profile as if he needed confirmation that it wasn't a joke. "I missed you too. Thought about you the whole time. There was a payphone at the place we ate at on the way home. I was gonna call, but then I thought nah that's stupid. You were probably busy anyway."

"I would've liked that,” you replied, but it was too quiet for him to hear.

He drove for a while, to the outskirts of town where the highest point in the sprawling desert was telephone poles lined against a darkening sky, snuggled in a sea of sagebrush. He cut left down a road that didn’t even look like a road at first and then crests a ledge that drops down into a valley.

Finding a station on the radio playing Christmas music, he twists the knob to turn up the volume a notch. It's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland.

"I love this song," you said, cracking a smile. 

"I know."

It was your turn to check his profile to see if he was pulling your leg. Steve only shrugged and squeezed your knee.

"How would you know that?"

He sniffed, secretly proud of himself. "You, um, you told me. One time at school you were sitting alone on the roundabout humming a song, so I asked to know what it was. You seemed like you didn't really want to tell me, but I don't know, I'm pretty persuasive, I guess." He flicked a shy smirk. "It was in a movie you used to watch with your grandmother."

You weren't sure if it was the memory itself or the idea that a ten-year-old Steve managed to retain that detail, but emotions tightened in your throat and tickled there until you coughed.

"I wish it would snow," you admitted, lowering your temple to his shoulder. You imagined the landscape ahead covered in white with fluffy candy flakes blanketing the windshield before the wipers brushed them away, but it never snowed in Hawkeye.

"We're almost there," he replied with an answer that was seemingly unrelated, tilting his head so that it was touching yours.  .

It's then that you see it: Hellfire Hollow. 

Against the deep purple sunset, the trees looked like long, crooked, menacing fingers coming up out of the ground.

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Never," you said. "I've only heard the stories."

The bark of the trees that comprised Hellfire Hollow were said to be black with char and void of any foliage or other signs of life. Some say they were the product of a horrible fire that swept the town generations ago; others believe they came out of the earth like that.

"Didn't a kid disappear out here a while back?" You adjusted in your seat, leaning forward to get a better look. “He was in high school.  There was a search party and everything.”

"Yeah they never found him," he parked and turned the engine off but left the lights on.  “He showed up like months later as if no time had passed.  Said he went through a tree, ended up in a place called Hawkins, and couldn’t find his way back. No one believed him.”

“Weird.” That was the only thing you could think of to say, peering in through the sinister shapes. 

“That’s Hawkeye for you,” he unfastened his seatbelt and paused.  “You know you don’t have to worry, right? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know,” your gaze fixed out the windshield to the motes of dust swarming in the beam of the headlights. “I like this place, it’s creepy.”

“I thought you might,” he stretched across the cab with a grunt to flick open the glovebox and grab a flashlight with a yellow handle.  “We’ll go get some dinner after this, but there’s something really cool I want to show you. Not many people know about it. Grab your coat.”

“How far are we going?” You wondered this as he helped you step down from the cab; you couldn’t imagine traveling far enough for that much of a temperature drop.  

“Hundred yards or so,” he stole a kiss, and then another and another, lips salty and cinnamon sweet, taking your face in his hand for one final long one, huffing a soft exhale of pleasure. “I promise, it’ll be worth it.”

A sharp wind bit through the air, whipping his hair in his eyes, and your whole body rippled from the chill, hissing as you shrugged into your jacket.

He held your hand once it was through your sleeve and pointed the flashlight beam ahead. Each step felt like walking on popcorn, and a huge bird, possibly an owl, flapped its wings to ascend from the branches with the fanfare of some mystical beast.

The weight and smell of the air changed, as if that specific area belonged to another space in time and you’d crossed an invisible barrier.  Faint whispers crackled at your ears like they would in a hypnagogic state, making your skin ripple with gooseflesh.

“It’s right over here,” you were pinned to his side while he guided you to the left, carving a path of light through the inky night. One massive, charred tree had a thick trunk with an opening in it the size of a hobbit door.  

You shivered so hard in reaction to the icy pocket of space that your back teeth clacked together.  Steve hooked an arm around you and pulled you into his side while he used the other to point at the opening in the tree.

“Get closer,” he hushed, giving a soft nudge. “Look inside.”

After a sharp intake of breath, you held it in, staring at the arched opening in the seemingly ancient tree that was something out of a fable; it had roots erupting from the ground like the bent knuckles of some earth dwelling beast..  

The opening was big enough for you to crawl through, but just.  Without a glance at your companion, you bent down and shuffled forward, bending a knee to stick your head in.

“Wait no!” He was quick to snatch you back, his eyes wide and feral. “I didn’t say go in. That would be bad.”

You wet your bottom lip, your warm breath making smoke in the air. “Why would it be bad?”

He took a firm grip on your arm instead of answering. “Let’s look together.  Stay back here with me.”

You were happy to go along with that suggestion, another chill cramping the muscles in your thighs. 

Lowered to mirroring crouches, you peered inside.  At first you saw nothing but the dark insides of a hollowed out trunk.  After a few blinks, the space filled with what resembled static from a television. 

But it wasn’t static; it was snow.

Snow?

A gentle stream of fluffy, white flakes inside the tree? Never had Hawkeye ever seen a snow fall.

Steve turned to catch your reaction, pleased to watch your jaw go slack.

“How is it possible?” Your mesmerized eyes glistened with wonder, tilting your head back to see if it was falling from above.  

“Hell if I know,” he nuzzled his nose against your cheek. “It’s a doorway to another place, that’s what they say.”

“Another place?” You squinted, peering closer to see the outline of a building, lined with pine trees. There was a whole scene of a tiny town in there, as if someone shook a gigantic snow globe.

He rested his temple against yours to watch the scene.  “I remember you said you wanted to see some snow.”

“Yeah.” Your throat tightened when you swallowed, a dam of tears building behind your eyes. Steve had proven to be such a thoughtful boyfriend, you felt melancholy about all of those years you’d spent without him.  

“It’s a doorway to another world that is kinda like ours,” he continued. “Some people go through and come back, but some people don’t. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, as far as I can tell.  A guy from our club went through there once when he was running from the law.  He showed up the next day, but he was ten years older. Said he’d made a whole other life for himself with a wife and all in that other town, but he robbed a bank and thought he’d hide out here for a bit.”

“Did he go back?” Your hands crept under Steve’s lined Carhart jacket to leech his warmth and his armpits welcomed you in.

“That’s the sad bit,” he squeezed you, exhaling.  “The tree wouldn’t let him go back.  Every time he tried, he’d just end up in the belly of a regular old tree.  He tried for months, it drove him mad I think. Ended up crashing his motorcycle in a high speed chase. Died instantly.”

You were silent, watching a few stray snowflakes escape the doorway only to melt instantly on the matte black bark.  

“Maybe that means he finally made it back,” Steve mumbled.  

“I hope so.” You didn’t realize at first, but you were taking steps backward, creating distance from the entrance.  The idea occurred to you that maybe some cowboy lasso would fly out and snag you to drag you into that other place.  

“C’mere,” Steve pulled you around so that your chest was against his, leaning in for another kiss.

“The tip of your nose is like ice,” you chuckled, dragging your lips along his before wiping your own nose with the back of your sleeve.  

“Yeah, it’s fucking freezing out here. You hungry?”

Your nod was enthusiastic, but you kept checking the snowy portal over your shoulder as you walked. There was a gravity about it, pulling you in, a sense of untethered yearning. Little did you know that the urge to step inside that tree was one you’d have to fight every day for a long, long while.  

[oobbbear]

This took me an embarrassing amount of time but guess what it’s finished

[fluentisonus]

working in a factory has you thinking so much about the insane chain of labor & transport that goes into making literally anything

[puppppppppy]

learning abt friendship decay and "not reaching out to your friends for months at a time unprompted is not neurotypical behaviour" has me feeling a certain way

[nonairy]

How to savescum animal breeding in Fields of Mistria

1. Just before you end the day, feed the heart treats to the animals you want to breed 2. Make a save at the diary (Save 1) 3. Sleep, then make another save at the diary (Save 2) 4. Load Save 2 and sleep repeatedly until the baby is born. 4a. If they are the color/tier you want, load Save 2. The color/tier is locked in at this point, so you can continue playing normally and/or repeat from step 1 with different animals. 4b. If they are NOT the color/tier you want, delete Save 2. Load Save 1 and repeat steps 3-4.

Keep in mind regular breeding rules still apply, so the colors/tiers that are available are based on the parents' tiers.

[carefulfears]

mulder not owning a bed is such a minor character detail that’s encompassing of practically the entirety of who he is, which is so crazy honestly

[jrueships]

Bought one of my lil nephew giannis shoes for his birthday bcs he loves giannis and these are some of the ugliest fucking things I have ever laid my eyes on in my life. anyways it's his bday today so i gave them to him. but they are so ugly. he loves them