#but that sense of loneliness just kinda lingers

[felix-the-creature]

Well of course it's haunted it was recorded on the most goddamn haunted landfill in all of goddamned Europe! There's gotta be at least 50 ghosts unofficially guest starring on that thing lol.

But in all seriousness, it's beautiful, ain't it?

Gorillaz (self titled) is an amazing album with a lot of variety, but it's haunted. it feels lonely, desolate even. it sounds like the soundtrack to the chillest apocalypse. it sounds like a rave in an abandoned warehouse. it sounds like block party on a street where you know nobody lives. that album is fucking haunted.

[slu7formen]

Hellooo helloo, I love all your Luke stories so muchh!!

Could I have a request for Luke x Poseidon’s daughter reader something about her joining him even betraying her brother Percy because love prevails all so like their love is the most powerful thing of all.. hope that makes sense in a way hahaha okay thank youuu 😙💗💕✨

thank you so much for reading my stories, I’m so glad you like them ☺️

luke castellan x fem!reader

warnings: betrayal, reader’s kinda blinded by love but also kinda cute, little fluff at the end

reminder: english’s not my first language so I apologize for any spelling mistakes

₊˚⊹♡

Thirteen wasn't exactly the age you pictured discovering you were a demigod. Apparently, you had blissfully –or maybe obliviously— muddled through your first thirteen years completely oblivious to the mythological world that simmered just beneath your feet.

Your life had been a quiet one. Growing up in a sleepy seaside town, the rhythmic crash of waves against the shore was the soundtrack to your existence. You felt a weird connection to the water, an inexplicable pull towards the ocean whenever you stood on the beach. But you attributed that to nothing more than a love for swimming and a healthy dose of wanderlust, you thought.

Then came the satyr. Grover Underwood, a nervous wreck of a creature with a perpetually startled expression. You don´t remember much about your life back then, just the way he stammered through an explanation about Greek myths being real, your parentage being linked to a god, and the pressing need for you to get to a safe haven called Camp Half-Blood.

And now here you were. Years went by, living at Camp Half-Blood, and being the only child of Poseidon.

Camp was always bustled with activity. Laughter echoed across the training fields, campers sparred with celestial bronze swords. Yet, amidst the chaos, a subtle sense of loneliness lingered around you. You weren't friendless, not by any stretch of the imagination. You had a close circle of friends, but there was a specific kind of lonely feeling that came with being the only child of Poseidon at camp, a forbidden child.

The other cabins, they all teemed with siblings. —mostly—. Shared history, inside jokes, and the comfort of knowing someone else understood exactly what it meant to have the same god for a parent – these were things you craved. There was a gap, a yearning for a familial connection that none of your friends could fully fill.

Then came Percy.

His arrival at camp was nothing short of spectacular. A blue-eyed twelve-year-old with a knack for attracting trouble. During a particularly intense Capture the Flag game, Annabeth, a sharp-tongued daughter of Athena with a strategic mind, shoved Percy into the lake. The air crackled with gasps and surprises as a shimmering green trident materialized above Percy´s head, claiming him for Poseidon.

The revelation sent a jolt through you. You, the solitary child of the sea god, suddenly had a sibling. Percy looked up at you with wide, startled eyes, a mixture of awe and apprehension playing on his face. It was like looking into a mirror reflecting a younger version of yourself, the same confusion etched on his features.

Percy looked up to you with a hero-worship that both amused and touched you. He saw in you a reflection of his own mother, Sally Jackson, with her kindness and unwavering belief in the good in others. You became his confidante, his guide through the intricate social landscape of Camp Half-Blood.

But you weren't the only one who welcomed Percy. Luke, your closest friend at camp, was equally happy for your newfound family, —or so he faked it very well. Percy quickly found himself asking you both all the questions he had and spending all his training session´s with Luke.

You and Luke were a natural fit. Both of you skilled warriors, blessed with the agility of Hermes and the raw power of the sea. You sparred together often, your movements a dance of attack and parry, a language only the two of you seemed to understand. Your laughter echoed through the camp, and more than once, you caught Percy or other campers shooting you hesitant glances, not really knowing what your relationship was about, a thin line between friends love and-, other type of love, drawn in between.

And yes, Luke loved you, and you loved him. So much, that´d you´d be able to do anything for each other. Little did Percy know.

The metallic clang of your celestial bronze sword echoed through the silent woods, a jarring counterpoint to the chirping of nocturnal crickets. Percy, his breath ragged and sweat stinging his eyes, pushed back against Luke's relentless assault. Betrayal gnawed at his gut, a viper coiling tighter with every parry and thrust.

Luke, his once friendly face twisted with a manic fervor, pressed the attack. Every word that left his lips was a fresh wound: about the Olympians' manipulation, about the power promised by Kronos, about how this wasn't meant to betray him, or anyone.

Suddenly, the clang of steel meeting steel ceased. Percy stumbled back, his heart hammering in his chest, as Luke lowered his sword. A flicker of hope, fragile and fleeting, ignited within him.

"Percy," Luke said, his voice quieter now, a hint of desperation creeping in. "This is not what you want, trust me. Last chance."

Percy stared at him, the hope dying as quickly as it had flickered. How could Luke even suggest such a thing, joining him? Didn't he understand the consequences?

Before he could retort, a new figure emerged from the shadows of the trees behind Luke. His breath caught in his throat, eyes twitching as he tried his best to focus on the figure coming from the forest. You.

A flicker of relief washed over Percy as he saw you emerge from the shadows. "yn” he called out, hope blossoming in his chest.

You stepped into the scene, moonlight casting an ethereal glow on your features. But something was off. You weren't rushing to his side, face etched with concern as it usually was. Instead, you stood there, a strange stillness cloaking you.

"Percy" you finally said, your voice cool and controlled, lacking it´s usual warmth.

Confusion warred with the relief. "yn" he repeated, his voice unsteady. "Clarisse didn't – it was him" he stammered, pointing at Luke with his sword. "He stole the bolt. He's joining Kronos"

Percy expected outrage, surprise, anything. Instead, your expression remained unreadable. A shadow flickered across your face, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"I know what he did" you replied simply. The calmness in your voice sent a shiver down his spine. The casualness of your reply was scary. It was like you were talking about the weather, not a world-shattering betrayal.

There was something wrong. Terribly wrong.

"Then help me" he pleaded, a desperate edge creeping into his voice.

You met his gaze for a long, agonizing moment. Percy saw a flicker of something weird in your eyes, something that made your pupils blown. But then, it was gone, replaced by a fire that mirrored Luke's.

A slow realization dawned on him, cold and heavy in his gut. You weren't surprised. You weren't angry. You knew.

Percy's heart hammered against his ribs. He saw the familiar hilt of your celestial bronze sword hanging loosely at your belt, the moonlight glinting off the polished metal.

"Percy, I can't do that" you said, your voice barely a whisper.

Percy understood then. You weren't caught in the middle. You weren´t with him, you were with Luke, all the way. The truth slammed into him, a betrayal far worse than anything he could have imagined. You were a traitor.

Percy felt like you'd ripped open a fresh wound in his chest and poured lemon juice in it. This sister, this family he'd thought he'd found at camp, meant nothing to you in the face of this rebellion? The anger coursing through him was laced with a bitter disappointment that gnawed at his insides. He'd trusted Luke blindly, sure, but you were different. He'd looked up to you, confided in you. The betrayal cut deep.

"You're with him?" he choked out, the question laced with disbelief and a raw, wounded vulnerability. He couldn´t wrap his mind around it.

"I'm not with him, Percy" you countered, taking a hesitant step forward. He flinched back, the movement a physical manifestation of the emotional chasm that had suddenly opened between you. The pain that flickered across your face was a punch to his gut, but he couldn't ignore the conviction in your voice. "We're together" you continued. "We created this."

Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing. You were so convinced, so blinded by whatever twisted loyalty you felt for Luke, that you couldn't see the bigger picture. "How could you?" he roared, his voice raw with emotion. "How could you do this, to everyone who trusts you? To the people who love you?"

You scoffed, a harsh, humorless sound. "Come on, Percy, you want to talk about betrayal? Let's talk about our father." The words hung heavy in the air, a challenge laden with bitterness. A sudden breeze swept through the woods, rustling the leaves and carrying the salty scent of the ocean as if a wave had crashed nearby. It seemed like even the sea itself reacted to your words.

"Let's talk about the gods" you pressed, your voice laced with a bitter venom. "They get bored at the Olympus, so they play their pretty games, making mortals fall for them and then discarding them like broken toys. Mortals like your mom, like mine. And they leave us, their children, to pick up the pieces."

Percy groaned in frustration. "They're not perfect" he admitted, "they're trying their best for us"

"Don't bullshit me" you say. The calmer your voice was, the more fear Percy felt. "I don’t wanna fight, Percy, but they couldn´t care less”

Luke´s face partially obscured by the shadows, but the jagged scar across his cheek was visible under the moonlight. It was a constant reminder of the failed quest Hermes had sent him on, a cruel mark of a father's neglect.

Percy's gaze flicked between you and Luke, a sudden understanding dawning on him. Your words, your anger, your sadness. It wasn't just about Kronos or overthrowing the Olympians. It was about a deeper wound, a festering resentment born from years of feeling abandoned by your father, his father too. He understood, but he didn´t think it was right.

"But you can't be serious" he finally choked out. "This isn't the answer. There has to be another way."

A flicker of sadness crossed your features, a stark contrast to the steely resolve you'd presented earlier. It was a fleeting glimpse, a crack in the facade you'd constructed, and it tugged at Percy's heartstrings. No, it wasn't jealousy or envy. It was a deeper, more profound sense of loss. You weren't angry at him for having a father who cared just a little bit, for having a family he cherished. You were simply… sad. Sad that you never had that, that your only family was Luke, and that his arrival, however welcome it initially felt, couldn't erase the years of loneliness you'd endured.

Percy´s eyes darted behind you, to Luke.

"Why are you dragging her into this?" Percy demanded, his voice tight with a mixture of anger and protectiveness. He knew you weren't the mastermind, Luke was the one who had poisoned your trust, manipulated your resentment.

"It's not that hard to understand, Percy" you answered before Luke could speak. Your voice held a quiet defiance, a loyalty that both warmed and stung him. "We're together" you repeated, the words laced with a quiet strength that resonated deep within him.

Then it hit him, another wave of realization crashing over him like a rogue wave. It wasn't just loyalty or a shared cause that bound you to Luke. There was something more, something deeper that flickered in your eyes whenever you looked at him.

"You love him" Percy whispered, the words hanging heavy in the air. And it wasn´t a question either, he knew.

A faint blush crept up your cheeks, but you didn't deny it. "We understand each other, Percy. We know what it's like to be unseen, unheard. Isn't that what love is? Empathy, understanding?"

A tear escaped your eye, glistening in the moonlight. Percy could see the pain, the longing in your eyes, how you clinged to the only thing that hugged you back; Luke.

“You’re blind” Percy whispered, hand instinctively groping to the handle of his sword.

"No, Percy" you countered, your voice soft but firm. "I'm awake. I see things for what they are. You know what it feels like, right? To have one person who understands you, who truly sees you" you continued. Your voice softened even further, a hint of vulnerability entering the equation. "Sally, isn't it?"

He flinched at the mention of his mother's name.

"That's love, P." you said, using the nickname you'd once shared. The sound of it sent a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill from his eyes, mirroring the glistening in your own. "And to me, to us" you continued, your voice barely above a whisper, "that's the most powerful thing."

Percy saw the love for Luke burning bright in your eyes, a love that had blinded you to the potential destruction you were embracing. He saw the pain of neglect, the longing for acceptance that fueled your rebellion. But most of all, he saw a glimmer of hope, a flicker of doubt that your tear-filled eyes betrayed.

The weight of your words settled on Percy like a lead blanket. He understood the path you were on, but he couldn't just let you walk away, couldn't let you be consumed by this darkness. The thought of ever having to fight you, to raise his sword against his own sister, filled him with a dread that eclipsed even the fear of facing Kronos himself.

With a desperate surge of defiance, Percy lunged at you, Riptide flashing in the moonlight. You reacted with lightning reflexes, a blur of blue as you deflected his attack with your own celestial bronze sword. The clang of metal echoed through the silent woods, a discordant note in the tense atmosphere.

The fight was short, brutal, and utterly one-sided. You were older, more experienced, and fueled by a burning conviction that mirrored Percy's own determination. A quick twist of your wrist, a disarming maneuver honed through years of training, and Riptide clattered to the ground several feet away.

Percy landed hard on the leaf-strewn ground, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He lay there, disarmed, defeated, and utterly heartbroken. Betrayal gnawed at him, a bitter cocktail of anger and sorrow.

A single tear escaped your eye, tracing a glistening path down your cheek. You knelt down beside him, your touch surprisingly gentle on his shoulder. "Percy," you said, your voice thick with emotion, "you're my brother. I don´t wanna leave you”

Percy looked up at you, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with a storm of conflicting emotions. "Then why?" he choked out, his voice hoarse. "Why are you doing this?"

"Come with me” you continued, your voice softening further. “Come with us, Percy”

A long silence stretched between them, punctuated only by the chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves in the night breeze.

"I can't, yn" he said, his voice firm despite the tremor that ran through him. "I won't be a part of this, it´s not fair."

A flicker of pain crossed your features. You rose to your feet then, your expression unreadable again.

A curt nod was your only response before you swiped a hand across your cheek, wiping away the traitorous tear. Bending down, you retrieved your celestial bronze sword, the moonlight glinting coldly off its surface.

"Then I guess I won't see you for a while, little one" you said, your voice thick with a maelstrom of emotions. Percy almost flinched at the nickname, a stark reminder of the bond you once shared. The weight of his decision pressed down on him, a suffocating feeling that left him breathless.

Suddenly, a hand clamped softly onto your arm. You whipped around, eyes focusing on Luke, his face grim.

"We have to go" he said urgently, his voice laced with a barely concealed panic.

You glanced back at Percy, his expression a mixture of heartbreak and steely resolve. A million unspoken words hung heavy in the air, a silent plea for you to reconsider, to choose family over rebellion.

But your path was laid. With a final, longing look at Percy, you took a few steps towards a cluster of crumbling ruins that stood there sentinel. Luke reached for your hand, his grip tight with a mix of reassurance and desperation.

Percy watched, a cold dread settling in his gut, as Luke traced a final line, completing the arcane symbol etched onto the column. The air shimmered, a blueish light pooling in the center of the ruins. It widened, forming a shimmering curtain that pulsed with an otherworldly energy.

Luke leaned in, whispering something in your ear. You nodded, a faint smile gracing your lips for a fleeting moment. Then Luke, his face a mask of grim determination, looked back at Percy for a final time. And with a final squeeze of his hand, you both stepped into the shimmering portal. The blue light intensified for a moment, blinding Percy momentarily.

And then just like that, you were gone.

The portal spat you out in a blackness so thick it felt like a physical presence. The air was heavy with the smell of salt and wet sand. You stumbled forward, disoriented, hand instinctively tightening on Luke's. His grip was firm, anchoring you in the swirling darkness.

"Whoa, careful" he murmured, his voice a welcome sound in the suffocating silence.

He took a tentative step forward, then another, testing the ground. You followed suit, your steps hesitant and laced with a growing unease.

"Come on" he said, his voice tinged with urgency, "we gotta get to-"

He cut himself off abruptly as he realized you weren't moving. You stood rooted to the spot, your eyes fixed on something beyond him, your grip on his hand tightening almost painfully.

Luke turned you gently, his brow furrowed in concern as he gazed into your tear-filled eyes. The moonlight, pale and ghostly, illuminated the glistening tracks on your cheeks.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft but laced with worry. He cupped your face in his calloused hands, his touch a familiar comfort in the unsettling darkness.

You choked back a sob, the tears overflowing again. "Am I doing the right thing, Luke?" you whispered, your voice barely audible above the crashing waves. "I lost my family, again. Percy. He doesn’t-…”

The raw pain in your voice tore at his heart. He knew this path, this rebellion, would come at a cost, but seeing the emotional toll it was taking on you was a gut punch.

"Hey, hey, look at me" he coaxed, gently lifting your chin so your eyes met his. His gaze was steady, filled with a fierce loyalty that had always been a source of strength for you.

"We were on this path way before Percy arrived, remember?" he asked, his voice firm yet soothing.

You nodded slowly, a single tear tracing a path down your cheek.

"I need you to be strong for me, angel” he continued, his thumb brushing away the tear. "You´re what keeps me going."

He placed a tender kiss on your forehead. "I'll give you everything" he murmured, his voice a low promise. "I promise I'll give you the life you deserve"

Then, he trailed a line of kisses down your cheek, his lips lingering on yours in a final, lingering and sweet kiss.

It was meant to be a reassurance, but it sent a wave of conflicting emotions crashing through you. There was comfort in his touch, a flicker of the love you shared, but it was overshadowed by a gnawing doubt.

When you finally pulled back, a shaky breath escaping your lips, Luke took your hand, his touch gentle yet firm. He looked out at the vast expanse of ocean, then scanned the horizon.

You followed his gaze, squinting through the darkness. A faint flicker of white lights danced in the distance, a beacon in the vast blackness.

"Come on" he said, his voice tinged with newfound purpose. "We gotta get to the cruise."

[twiishaa]

sanji x reader ; wc 1.4k warnings again i shat this out at 3am and there are parts i’m not too happy with but i think it’s okay as a whole <3 tiny tiny bit of angst if you squint?? fem!reader <3 here’s my masterlist!

it had only been a few weeks since you joined the straw hats’ crew. to leave your home and everything you’ve known behind to pursue a life on the sea, on the run from the world government on a whim was a big decision, but you didn’t regret it. being part of such a lively crew made it worth it, you guys were like a family already.

but they didn’t need to know you did it partly because the blond cook of theirs was kinda…

anyways. that can stay between you and me <3

it was the middle of the night, and you finally sat up after hours of not being able to sleep. maybe it was the humidity on the ship, or maybe it was the small, lingering homesick feeling you had. you drowsily made your way to the deck, the slightly salty wind waking you up a little. now that you were out of your room, it was homesickness that was keeping you awake. you hadn’t felt homesick these past weeks, why were you feeling it now? this had been everything you were dreaming of—adventure, fun, and friends you knew you’d go to the end of the grand line for, even though you’d only known them a quarter of the time they’d known each other.

oh.

was homesickness that feeling you felt sometimes, when everyone was laughing together?

you cast your mind back to the time you’d feel sad at home. your mum would be able to sense your mood from rooms away and bake you blueberry muffins. after eating them, you’d forget about your worries and give your mum a cheery smile, whether covered in blueberry juice and crumbs or not. and so, you made your way to the kitchen, hoping that baking some blueberry muffins now would cure your loneliness, despite the ungodly hour.

hopefully sanji won’t mind... 

remembering the recipe from some corner in the back of your mind was proving to be a much more difficult task than you anticipated, paired with the unfamiliarity of the ship’s kitchen. to be honest, you were having fun! it was like a game, which drawer will the wooden spoon be in? not long after, the batter was complete and distributed into their muffin cases. it was a miracle you found everything; however, that didn’t mask the moderately large mess that had built up over the course of baking the muffins. fond memories of your mum walking through the door to find you covered in flour and your lips stained with blueberry juice flooded back to you; you felt at home again, even if you weren’t physically. not long after you cleaned the counter and put the muffins in the oven, the comforting smell of fresh muffins filled the kitchen, and you took a step back to admire your work. your spirits were definitely lifted. maybe blueberry muffins are the solution to most problems.

meanwhile, in sanji’s room (room??? quarter????? wherever he’s sleeping, please just roll with it), he was awakened by the light scent of… blueberry muffins? he rolled over to check the time. nobody could be possibly be baking something at such a time… maybe he was still dreaming. nonetheless, he groggily got up just to confirm his suspicion—to make sure that no one had broke onto the ship… and decided to bake blueberry muffins… or something.

as sanji approached the kitchen, he noticed the lights were on, and a figure standing right in front of the oven.

oh?

now he was concerned. the figure was… a girl?

what? this is one strange dream… he thought to himself.

when he could finally distinguish that it was, in fact, a girl, and that it was you, of all people, he was just confused. he leaned against the doorframe, observing how you were looking at the oven like you were watching over a child. from this angle, he could make out that you were making blueberry muffins.

“what do we have here, hm? why are you up so late, [name]?”

you screamed in response, then swiftly covered your mouth as you remembered the time.

sanji chuckled. “hello to you too,” his look still conveyed sheer confusion, but he was somewhat enjoying it now.

you could feel the heat rise to your cheeks, both from embarrassment and that your secret crush, of sorts, was talking to you.

the fact that it was the middle of the night as you were baking muffins in his kitchen without asking him was irrelevant. sanji was talking to you!

you laughed nervously. “I just woke up in the middle of the night and I… really wanted blueberry muffins… so I decided to bake some…” he looked at you, evidently quite amused.

“sorry if I messed up your kitchen! or if you don’t like people using it or something.. I should have asked you before…” you trailed off timidly.

sanji laughed again, before moving to lean on the counter beside you. “It’s fine, honestly! besides, I didn’t know you bake, how come you’ve never said anything about it?”

lies.

usually, sanji was very particular with who touches the equipment in the kitchen, but he could let it slide for a pretty girl like you, or so he thought.

what you didn’t know is that your little crush was mutual—sanji had his eye on you,

not in a stalker-ish way, no!

—ever since he saw you when the crew stayed on your island. since then, he gradually started to become less and less flirty as he used to around nami and nico robin, even if you didn’t notice. he really only had eyes for you, following you around the ship as best as he could without looking like a weirdo. it was bad, he was down bad for you. by some power of the gods, you hadn’t noticed yet. everyone had noticed—even zoro, who took the opportunity to tease him every second he got; sanji was so down bad that he didn’t mind being teased about it. he did become aware of your lingering stares from time to time, but for the sake of his sanity, he just pretended he didn’t see anything and looked away, because if your eyes met you would see how flustered he actually was.

“oh, no, I don’t bake often! my mum taught me this recipe and I make it when I feel… lonely , or I don’t know, I think I just missed the taste of them.” you replied. sanji’s expression turned into one of worry. was there something wrong?

“no, no! it’s not you guys, I just… it’s my first time being away for so long, it’s just different to anything ive done before, and I just want comfort in something that I know… I probably make no sense right now..” you quickly added.

sanji shook his head. “no, I get it. doing something different is scary, and I think you’re really brave, [name].” he gave you a reassuring smile.

you blushed a little, but sanji caught sight of it and his eyes widened a little, before laughing. that little interaction was enough to confirm there was something between the two of you, but maybe the middle of the night wasn’t the best time to confront it…

beeeeeep!

the two of you were interrupted by the timer going off, indicating that the muffins were done. by now, the scent of blueberry muffins was overflowing in the kitchen, causing the two of you to laugh. as you went to take them out of the oven, sanji stopped you abruptly.

“let me do it; I wouldn’t want you to get burnt,” he took the gloves from you and took the muffins out, placing them on the counter.

damn. they looked better than you thought they would.

while the muffins were cooling, you and sanji continued your conversation from earlier, but now there was something in the air other than the smell of blueberry muffins. all of sanji’s responses had a warmer tone to them, maybe because he knew that you felt the same way, or maybe because he learnt something about you today that the rest of the crew didn’t know, he was someone special to you. the night passed quickly and soon you could see the sun rising, signalling that it was probably a good time to get at least some sleep before the entire crew awoke.

sanji could feel the effect of the sleep he lost that night and he was visibly tired in the morning, as were you; but he didn’t mind losing sleep over you if it meant one day he could be your boyfriend. <3

notes i love sanji so much <33 this was inspired by when i made blueberry muffins for my mom 😽 should i do a 100 followers event pls lmk and also send in any reqs you want love you !!

[dabisbratz]

PENANCE — leon s. kennedy x male reader

w.c: 5.1k

౨ৎ . . . warning: light bondage/restraints, fucking on a cross, argument, bottom reader, mixed praise/degradation, leons corny one-liners, impulsive reader, fingering, spit, finger sucking, oral sex, improper use of guns, “make-up” sex (kinda), standing mating press, dirty talk, sir kink, leon’s weak pull-out game, readers genitalia undisclosed, clothed sex, d/s understones, two (2) spanks, phone sex (kinda?)

The last lingering days of winter sit at the very edge of the night, the top of the inveterate day, like the ever-ticking clock resting upon the wall that inches deeper into the midnight sky with its turning. The taste of regret lingers in the air, bitter and sour and pungent, assaulting the senses of any passerby and residents.

So overpowering, in fact, it’s plagued the plagued, drew them straight to you as you ran through the dingy village. Your combat boots slipped through the mud, clingy and riddled with a thick, musty smell that clasped itself to your clothes. The air was thick with fog, an impenetrable layer of milky grays that made it almost impossible to see through, and the gun glued to your hand felt like a cold, heavy brick.

Your mission was simple enough— accompany your superior while he secured ‘Baby Eagle’, make yourself unknown.

Tread carefully.

Your knife— secured by a leather scabbard wrapped around the swell of your thigh— remained cold and sharp. You thought there’d be no use for it— no close encounters.

Tread carefully.

You’d managed to run through the heart of the village, conjuring up quite the mob, full of pitchforks and flames, full of ashes and debris that danced in the air. It burned your lungs more than the running, lit the charcoal fire in the pit of your stomach as you ran until you couldn’t anymore— and your partner was out of sight.

Tread carefully.

Leon told you to stick beside him. Follow closely behind and he’d cover you, as long as you covered him. But you just couldn’t help yourself— the blood rushing through your veins and your heart pumping in your ears— you panicked. You ran. Stupidly, selfishly, you ran. You’d broken the dam and left Leon to pick up the pieces.

The last thing you’d heard before slamming the mass of your body into a wooden door was the gruff scream of your name, Leon, who you knew was more than capable of making it out just fine. That wasn’t the issue, no— it was your recklessness, your brief disregard for his advisory or guiding hand— it was your impulsiveness to run straight into danger.

He’d specifically told you not to on the way there. Stick by his side and you’d be okay— not that you’re incapable—just inexperienced. No strays— none of the sort. No catching any, no following any, no becoming any.

So now you have to pay for your mistakes.

You’re sprawled on the cross like a two-page spread, skin sheen and wet with what you assume is sweat— and dirt sticks to the slickness of your forehead. The pitter patter of rain against the poorly ventilated windowsill lingers, and the dirty glass trembles with loneliness. You can certainly attest to that, with your arms bound above your head and tied up in rusty chains. There’s no one here but you and your thoughts, your increasingly darkening veins and swimming mind.

You don’t remember who chained you up— perhaps the crafty residents of the village with much more intelligence than you’d like to admit, especially considering their predicament. But you do remember the injection of something cold and foreign. Something that absolutely should not be in your body. It doesn’t hurt, though, it’s not uncomfortable. And the wetness of the air bothers your head much more than the injection, if it’s bothering you at all.

It’s more a minor inconvenience than anything, aesthetically.

Perhaps it’s immunity, or maybe just inattentiveness. You’d have to tell Leon about it later, if you ever get to see him again.

You can’t help but think of him, his opalescent skin that travels for miles, the small quirk to his pink lips when he’s reveling in pride, the bleached-blond bundles of hair that sit perfectly atop his head. Like a crown— like a halo. The piercing blue of his eyes, cold as the arctic as he stares right through you. The deep pool of his pupils that dilate and constrict when sunlight hits them just right. . . The swell of his biceps when he crosses his arms, bulging and spilling over his closed fists. His hands, rough and scarred. Gloved and airbrushed with leather gloves that stop just before his knuckles, hiding the veins and muscles of his hands that stream down his wrists like a steady river.

It’s almost like you can hear him, the assertiveness of his voice that reverberates in your ears. Like he’s next to you again, wrapping his large hand around your wrist and maneuvering it into the right position for combat— the thickness of his voice as he notes aloud, “Keep it like this or you’ll hurt yourself.”

This whole time he’s been your keeper, steering you through the village with one hand secured around the handle of his gun and the other cradling the nape of your neck.

(“I got it.” You’d muttered, shaking off the heat of his large palm. There was something calculating in his eyes, and his long, dark eyelashes batted against the prominent curve of his cheekbone.

Your pistol rested in your hand, barely a scratch across its metal surface. You were still a bit slow at reloading, but you got the job done.

“As long as I’m here, I’m sure you do.)

You want to laugh about it now, pitifully, because the chains around your wrists are nowhere near as warm. Just as domineering, maybe, but not comforting in the slightest. It’s embarrassing to admit how often you’d thought about it— his comfort, late hours in the night filled with his voice, his hands, his touch.

Heat pools in your abdomen, swimming down your navel and spreading between your thighs. Now isn’t the time— not that you could take care of anything if you wanted to— You’ve been stripped of everything— just not in the way you want.

There’s a quiet rustle of the leaves, barely audible with the echoing pews of the church, but you hear it. That walking pattern. . . stepstep… step… stepstep’ only belongs to one person, and you feel relief pushing down your shoulders.

“Jesus...”

“Leon,” Breathy like a prayer, your hands clench into fists as you strain against the rusty chains. His figure grows, stalking forward with swaying shoulders that look broader than ever, and his nude lips are pulled tight into a snarl. His eyebrows— full and straight, pinch together with what you assume is anger, and a familiar crease forms between them. “I can explain.”

His shoulders bounce, as if he’s let out a sour chuckle, and there’s a slight shake to his head as he carries himself up the steps to free you. Quite the hero, you can’t bring yourself to stare into his eyes for too long as he scours your body for injuries. Nothing major— nothing he can’t help with, and his blue eyes settle on your face for much longer than he’d like to admit. There’s a soft haze to his furious eyes, the fire behind them dampening as his mind slowly realizes you’re alright for now.

You’re alive.

“Oh, I'm sure you can,” He quips, circling around the contraption you’re chained to. It almost feels primal, his intense gaze taking you in from every angle as he walks forward to trace his fingertips along your wrists. He’s gentle, though, feathery light as he gives an experimental tug to the metal. “And you will. So you better start talking.”

A small breath of relief escapes your freshly parted lips as it’s pulled away, and Leon doesn’t miss the indents freshly engraved into your skin. His frown deepens, but the cool leather of his fingerless gloves feel much more soothing than the chains.

You don’t mind it as much as he does.

A dagger of shame shoots through your chest, beating and writhing against the confines of your rib cage. Your tongue is tied, excuses dying in your throat as you stare at Leon’s five-fingered grip on your wrist. It’s tightening, his nails digging into your wrist ever so slightly, though you already have no chance at escape. You figure it’s meant to ground you, not hurt you.

“It’d be a lot easier if I were free,” You’re stalling, not all that uncomfortable as Leon turns his head in the direction of your face, his head tilted downward and his breath lightly fanning your neck. Warm. “…Leon? Wanna help a guy out, or…”

A characteristic clench to his jaw has the words dying on your tongue, and for some reason unbeknownst to you, he’s seething.

“Pull something like this again and those things won’t be the only ones after your head.” The warmth of his large chest against yours leaves just as it arrives, and he’s tilting his neck to really get a good look at you. Trying to get his point across, you suppose, with steely, gunmetal blue eyes. You can’t help but waver, irises stinging as you turn your attention to your bound wrists. Part of you wants to roll your eyes.

That just won’t do.

Leon sucks his teeth, gripping your jaw with restrained strength so you’re actually looking at him now, and whatever excuse you’ve created dissipates immediately. The look in his eyes—territorial, maybe?—has you at a loss for words, and all you can do is watch his pink tongue dart over his bottom lip.

Whatever he’s thinking about, you don’t like it, because he’s shifting his weight from one foot to the other with his hands on his hips. His face is pensive, but you can still feel the heat of his anger radiating off his skin. Even from a distance. “Shoot the chains or something.”

“Sure, let me accidentally graze you with a shotgun shell while I’m at it.” More bite than he’d intended, Leon loosens the straps to his body armor and lets it hit the ground with a small thud. You blink, eyelashes beating against your cheeks as you blink away surprise.

“Leon—”

“Shh, I don’t give a damn. You could’ve died. Seriously, what were you thinking?” His hair sways, violent and angry and overprotective. “Don’t go running off like that again, you understand?”

“I’m not a kid. I’m a grown man—” Irritation bubbles in your throat— did he just shush you?

“Damn right you’re not. And I’m not your father. Didn’t I tell you not to do anything stupid?”

“I had it under control.” You both know you’re lying through your teeth, but Leon wants to really drive his point home. He nods, noncommittal, snaking his arm around your waist and down the small of your back to unzip the pocket attached to your utility belt. He pulls out your gun, which remains heavy and shiny with disuse.

“Yeah? Under control with no bullets?” He aims the gun at a large mosaic of a stained window, and pulls the trigger with no hesitation. There’s nothing but a click, then resounding silence as he slowly releases the trigger, one hand secured over his knuckles while the other grips the pistol's handle.

“Lee, c’mon, we have stuff to do,” You sound whiny and borderline pathetic. You almost expect him to tell you to ‘use the magic word’, but he’s too busy pressing the pad of his thumb against your lips. His finger tastes vaguely of salt and leather, and you fight the urge to open your mouth and suck on it. “…Please.”

You’re not entirely sure what you’re begging for. The ache in your wrists feels dull and distant, and you can’t help but press the tip of your tongue against the flat underside of his thumb. You watch his pupils blow wide, pink creeping up his neck and pooling around the shells of his ears.

“Okay.” He breathes, broad shoulders melting ever so slightly as he pushes his thumb further into your mouth, taking in every curve and contour of lips as you wrap them around his thumb. It fills your mouth with ease, caressing the flat surface of your tongue with slow, circular strokes. You want more. “Yeah— okay. Tell me you understand.”

“I understand, Sir.” You try to sound more snarky and annoyed than anything, but it’s hard when you’re deepthroating another man’s finger. You sputter around his thumb, can barely form a coherent sentence with it pressing into your mouth like this— but Leon seems to catch on anyway, chuckling humorlessly to himself. Stubborn boy.

There’s a warning pat to your cheek, and suddenly you’re back in that training facility. Dimly lit and nearly empty, save for some equipment and workout machines— save for you and Leon, who kept his hands relaxed as you punched him square in the palm.

It was Leon who was told to take you in, show you the ropes, and he’d done so with a sly remark and a curt nod. It flew over your head at first, whatever he was implying, but you were slowly starting to get it now.

(“Well, looks like you’re stuck with me. Time to break in the fresh meat, then.”)

Only a few months ago, you’d been recruited into special forces, and there was something special about you. Something untapped and not yet tainted— there was still a genuine curve to your lips when you smiled, a sparkle in your eyes as you spoke. Charm was written all over your face, boyish and giddy and eager. You’d reminded Leon a bit of himself back in 1998, full of potential but laced with undeniable naivety.

And, truthfully, he liked you. Likes you, even, because of it. You remind him of who he used to be— why he’s here— to serve and protect. And if he’s being honest, he wants to protect you.

Even if it means putting you back in your place.

Breaking you in.

“Say it like you mean it.”

“I understand, Sir.” You’ve lost some bass in your voice, and it comes out shaky and cracked. You don’t have time to dwell on it now, how pathetic you sound, because Leon’s expression is nothing short of prideful. Your breath hitches in your throat, stuck in your larynx as you want the blond take in a sharp breath. He likes the title.

“Atta boy.” His eyelids are blanketed, heavy as he stares down at your lips with the remnants of a lazy smile. His— your — gun is still in his hand, but with him closing the distance between the two of you, it’s pressed against your collarbone.

You can’t help it; the opportunity is right there, and you find yourself leaning forward to press your tongue flat against the slide of the pistol.

“Playing a dangerous game, pretty.” Leon rasps, but taps the barrel of the gun against your tongue anyway. It’s slick with your spit, shiny and wet and he has to resist the urge to suck on it too. To taste you. “Yeeaah, just like that. There you go.”

It’s like you’ve learned nothing.

With a low grunt, Leon pushes the gun deeper into your mouth, using his left hand to hold onto the nape of your neck and keep you still. Asshole.

Ever the brat, you furrow your brows and thrash against your restraints.

“You can take it,” He hushes you, using that voice he has reserved for hostages or targets, all gentle and sweet. It’s hushed, barely a whisper, but it makes your brain foggy anyway. You can take it. “Give me your mouth. You can do that for me, can’t you? Say ‘yes sir’.”

You try, hard as you can, whining around the barrel of the gun with tears springing in your eyes. It’s hot and heavy now, like some sort of makeshift dildo, but you know the real thing would feel better. Warmer, stickier, curved and veiny. Thick on your tongue and pulsing, salty and sweet and long.

“Jesus-fucking-Christ. Holy shit,” He’s fucking your throat, sliding the metal into your mouth as far as it can go. It’d be much better if it were his cock instead, so big and so deep, leaving a bulge as he grinds it into your mouth. You’d take it like a champ too, eager and greedy. “Breathe.”

“Sir,” You gurgle, drool running down your chin and coating your skin until Leon pulls the pistol away and inspects it.

You watch him part his lips, previously pulled into a frown, to suck along the barrel of the gun and lap up your spit. There’s remnants of mint and saliva, fresh and sour when combined with the metal of the pistol. “Shit—Leo.”

“Tastes good. Did you take my gum?” He hums, witty as ever. It’s a passing comment, one you can’t help but laugh at, and the man seems to appreciate it. Even if he doesn’t exactly say that. He doesn’t give you much time to laugh, instead opts to connect his lips with yours. Finally, you moan into his mouth, much sweeter and pliant than before. You can’t stay mad at him.

“That’s all you needed, huh. Just a few sweet words, a couple kisses… If I’d known that I would’ve done that months ago.”

Only because you’re so needy, though. Your hips buck into the air, grinding against the space between your hips as your heart slams against your chest. You want more— need more, and the ache between your thighs is enough to prove it. You whimper, high in your throat and full of frustration.

“You really like hearing yourself talk.” You can’t take yourself seriously, not like this, but you say it anyway with nothing but the intent to get fucked stupid. You don’t doubt his capabilities, not with the way Leon’s staring at you. Predatory and ready, like he expected you to say that, his large hand gripping his cock through his tightening pants. You swallow hard, sensing some kind of mistake, and manage to gulp down your pride in the process. If you were someone else you’d be scared, running away from his anger with your tail between your legs. But you’re not.

“You just can’t wait, that it? Over here humping my leg like a damn dog, and now you have something to say? What, because your little hole gets frustrated when it’s been empty for too long?”

You’re squirming within seconds, struggling to wrap your legs around the dip of his waist. Even after dropping his armor he’s wearing too many clothes, too many layers that separate your skin from his. You can’t exactly take your shirt off, not without ripping it straight down the middle, but your lower half is free rein.

“Spoiled brat,” It’s something the blond registers too, because his big hands are hastily unbuttoning your pants and tugging them down your thighs, trailing behind with the gentle scrape of his fingernails. “Remind me the only way to keep you quiet is stuffing your holes.”

He’ll be able to see you much better like this, kneeling in front of your position on the cross to really see you. The clenching of your hole, empty and needy, the trail of lube gushing from it just as he hopes to, the shiny slickness covering your inner thighs. He wants to bury his face in it, fuck you on his tongue till you’re downright ruined, fucked-out and plaint. Maybe it’s in your nature to drift off, have your brain cut off from an orgasm (or two..or three) until you’re malleable enough to listen.

Your words are stuck in your throat, choked up and wobbly as his fingers relentlessly press into that special bundle of nerves. You feel like a slut, with Leon’s fingers twisting and pounding away, his newfound grip on your thighs so tight you’re gasping, crying out and squealing. He’s still careful, applying just the right amount of strength to keep you still.

“We don’t have much time,” His breath is hot against your entrance, and it can’t help but flutter with his mouth so close. Leon’s face contorts, softening as he licks a fat, wet stripe alongside it. “Wish I could keep you on my tongue. But you won’t mind something bigger, yeah?”

There’s nothing for you to hold onto as his fingers poke and prod at your hole, rubbing smooth, slow circles around the entrance. You want to wrap your arms around him, grip his shirt like iron and stifle your moans with it— but you’re chained. Leon pauses to stick his thumb in his mouth— the same one previously pressed against your own—and brings it down to you, pushing into your hole with ease. The thought of an indirect kiss has you spreading your thighs, lifting a leg just barely above Leon’s shoulder. Maybe you’re easy— maybe a kiss is all you need. Maybe it’s just because it’s Leon.

“Damn. Feel so fucking good on my fingers, baby,” He purrs, his voice melting in your ears. “Keep it up and I’ll see if I can promote you to Special Forces’ personal fuckhole.”

His fingers are wet and thick, you’re not sure how he’d managed to lubricate them so well, maybe he kept some in those extra storage pockets of his, but whatever it is…feels good. Slick and warm, almost feels like he’s fucking a fresh load of cum into you. The thought has you mewling, hands furled into tight fists as you struggle to stay upright.

With an unending stream of pitiful noises, your mouth pools with saliva that starts to dribble from the part of your pouty lips, and you instinctively spread your legs wide. It’s far from gross, the messiness of your drool catching on your chin and trailing down your clothed chest. It’s hot— you’ve gone braindead from his fingers alone, and he’s barely even started. You’re wailing, more wet and hiccupy sobs than moans, and tears stream down your handsome face in response. It’s just too much: too big, too deep, too warm, too wet.

You can’t do anything but take in the digits, slick and warming up by the minute until they curl, deep and thick. Your eyes roll back in your head as Leon keeps an iron hold between your thighs, rubbing and rubbing at your front and—and oh, you’re so close. You’re so close it hurts, the pit of your stomach filling with light and your toes curling deliciously. You have nothing to grab at, nowhere to hold, nothing to keep you stable as you lul your head to and fro. You sound delirious, and you must look just as bad.

“Ohh, m’gonna—”

“Brace yourself,” He mumbles, gloved hands running up the back of your thighs until he’s lifting your lower body off the cross and placing your knees on his shoulders. It’s intimate, personal and close as he lets out a breathy moan in response to the perfect fit of your hips against his own. “I’ll be gentle, sweetheart. For the most part.”

The blond is still clothed, and it’s hard to gauge his reaction of your naked lower-half grinding against his pulsating erection, with his hair partly shielding his pretty face. But you can imagine it, his pink licorice-twist lips divorced and blush high on his cheeks as his precum mixes with yours, sloppy and soaking the front of his inky combat pants.

You whine, wiggling your hips and kicking out your feet like some sort of brat, a completely wordless attempt at telling him to strip. You know there’s tears streaming down your face, just when you think you’ve taken a step forward you discover you’d taken two steps back.

“You’ll take what I give you,” Like molten lava, Leon’s voice grows deeper by the second. He’s pushing your legs further forward, bending you in half until your legs burn and he’s sandwiched indubitably close. You’re glad you stretched before this, because he’s got you bent like a pretzel— like some sort of cheap whore, and there’s no escape. “Your new mission is to take it and look pretty, don’t complain now. You hear me?”

“Yeah,” You feel yourself nodding from a distance, frantic and erratic despite the strong grip he’s got on your chin. You can feel him twitching beneath you, his cock jumping in his pants as he traps you with his weight alone and unbuckles his utility belt. It drops to the floor, loud and heavy, but it’s nothing compared to the obscene sound of his cock slapping against your skin. He’s unzipped his fly— still clothed, almost like he’s emphasizing his power over you. “Yeah, I— yes, Sir.”

“Open,” It’s not a suggestion, as he’s already rutting his hips against the warmth of your skin and snaking one arm around your waist. The other goes to your mouth, wet and ready, pries it further open so your pink tongue is on display. Leon gathers a glob of spit, but rather than your mouth it reaches your cheek, wet and sticky. Leon’s aim is better than anyone you’ve ever known— so it’s deliberate. “Good boy. Use your manners.”

You swallow anyway, desperate pants obstructed as you stick your tongue out further for more. “Thank you, Sir. For— for your spit.”

Leon sinks in with a loud whine as you clench around the fat head of his dick, whining and gasping, fighting your orgasm off with everything you’ve got. There’s a slight burn— the stretch of his fat, lubed up cock nestling into your hole— but it feels good, indescribable and finally plugging you full. It’s hard to hear anything he’s saying behind the loud squelching of his cock slipping inside, that and your own sounds, but you try anyway. He’s filling you till you’re ready to burst at the seams, pressing his weight against your body so you can clamp down and take him completely, no questions asked.

“F-huck, I can’t… Please, please, you’re so,” You’re on fire, his cock curving up just right as your pillowy walls flutter around his intrusion. Right there, electricity sparks inside you and your eyes roll back with the pinch of your eyebrows. “So deep.”

“Yeah?” The blond laughs, breathless and high off the feeling of your velvety walls constricting around him— clenching so perfectly, so hot and slick with rhythmic pulses along his veiny shaft. His hand travels to press on your navel, and he can feel himself sliding in and out, in and out. “Feel it right here?”

You do. And his hand pressing against it isn’t much help, you can’t focus on anything other than his cock. Your wrists are achy, almost as much as your hole, straining against the chains that you still have yet to break from. But it makes it better, you’re open and free for Leon’s use. Just a hole—to be filled, used, fucked. And, yeah, maybe you are. Maybe you want that, being used by Leon and his strong arms, manhandled into any position he wants.

“Yeah, in my— in my stomach.” You sound so cute, sniffling on his dick with every bounce and thrust forward, occasionally thrashing against your restraints. Leon coos, right in your ear and echoing in the pews. Much like the sound of your skin slapping against his, deep and fast thrusts like he’s pounding the brat out of you.

"God, should’ve had you like this all the time, drunk on cock,” You’re twitching, pulsing and convulsing around Leon’s cock, the fabric of his combat pants rubbing against your front. “Just like that, there you go, honey. Don’t run, let me watch my pretty hole swallow this cock.”

His— oh. Yeah, you suppose, it’s his hole to fuck, to kiss, to use. Since day one, really, when you’d spent your first night after meeting him knuckles deep. It’s incomparable to his own, longer and thicker, faster and better. So, yes, your hole is his, and his alone. You nod. babbling in his ears and wriggling in his arms. You’re his. The implication behind it has your heart stuttering, hammering in your chest as butterflies beat against your tummy.

Oh— You’re cumming.

“Shit, sweetheart. Knew you were a slut.”

“I don’ wanna— I can’t—” You let out an array of desperate, hysterical cries around Leon’s long, airbrushed pink cock, thighs and chest heaving and trembling, and arching off the wooden cross. It takes you a moment to form a complete sentence. “Don’t wanna.. st—op.”

“Yeah, yeah..” Leon nods against your neck, burying his face into the warm skin. His hair tickles your throat, soft and silky. “I won't. We won’t. I got you.”

His big palm cracks against the swell of your ass, loud and echoing in the church. Your core tightens, knees tightening on his shoulders as you cum. Hard and fast, you can barely register the squeals being ripped from your throat. Not over the slapping, the spanking, the—

The crackle of Leon’s radio, loud and blaring in his earpiece.

“Hold on.” Tears spill over your glassy eyes.

“Wh— No! Sir, you—“

“Hey. Don’t ‘no’ me. I’m right here, just sit pretty for me and take it,” He moans, emphasizing his words with a sharp snap to his hips. Your toes curl, searing white pleasure sparking in your stomach as Leon responds to the radio comms. You’re overstimulated, sparks of sensitivity striking through you with every quick thrust. “There you go, such a good boy. . .”

“Condor one to Roost,” He replies, sparing you a gentle glance while your legs lock behind his neck. The blond doesn’t let up once, honey locks bouncing as you cry on his dick. “What?”

“…Very funny. . .” Whatever Hunnigan said must’ve been spot on, because a low growl rumbles in his chest and his balls are tightening against your skin. Blotches of pink bloom in his neck, probably following down his wide shoulders— if only he weren’t clothed.

“Goddamn, you’re gonna make me cum, yeah, wish I could fuck it into you. Next time,” It’s deliciously obscene, the sounds of Leon’s cock reaming your hole like his life depends on it. His voice is barely above a whisper, so quiet but full in your ears. “Next time, we’ll make your pretty hole all messy with my cum. Yeah?”

Leon’s hips stutter, his deep thrusts growing shallow and messy as lube and precum froths between your warm skin. You can feel it all, the way his cock jumps and as he cums, missing a beat before pulling out to spurt the rest on your tummy. Thick and hot, it’s starting to cool on your shirt before he can move to wipe it away. Before he can end the call.

“He’s fine. We’ll have Baby Eagle home in time for dinner. Right, rookie?”

[shortpplfedup]

What's your favourite kbls?

Look at me getting to my asks months later like a real Tumblr BNF🤣. Thank you Nonny, for the question, and hopefully you're still interested in the answer! Here's my tops, in no specific order:

Anything by Hwang Da Seul (Where Your Eyes Linger, Blueming, To My Star/To My Star 2, Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo): This woman owns my entire soul. She nearly broke me with To My Star 2 and then finished the job with Taekwondo. I will watch anything she makes, and cry about it.

Long Time No See: They're assassins, they're lovers, they've tried to kill each other before. Amazing.

Just Friends?: Pre-stardom Lee Je Hoon and Yeon Woo Jin in a delightful little indie film about a man hoping to get some when he visits his military boyfriend and how his boyfriend's mom cockblocks him...on the surface. Underneath, so much of the pain of the closet, the joy of loving despite it, and the reality of the outside world piercing your bubble.

Semantic Error: An ACTUAL enemies-to-lovers romance set off by an amazing pair of performances. Sharply written and very fun.

You Make Me Dance: Full disclosure: the actual dancing is terrible, but the romance between a down-on-his-luck dancer and his loan shark was surprisingly compelling.

Roommates of Poongduck 302: Quite enjoyed this exploration of power dynamics shifting between work and home, where a man becomes his boss' landlord and they fall in love.

Sing My Crush: If I think too much about Han Baram and Im Hantae I might chew through my fist. The absolute sweetest slowburn story of a young singer/songwriter and the boy who insists on becoming his manager.

Choco Milk Shake: A beautiful meditation on loneliness, grief and deep abiding love, with a twist. I won't spoil it. Just watch it.

Unintentional Love Story/The Time of Fever: ULS is the main story, TOF is a prequel starring the side couple. The most kdrama of the KBLs IMO.

Love Tractor: Fun little show about a burnt out law student running away to the country, running into a brolic farm boy and triggering the farm boy's gay awakening.

Love Match: I really did not expect to like this one but it did some really interesting things. A bitter Betty disappointed by love decides he's only going to date, not have sex or commit. A sunshine boy at his work says 'fuck that'. Delight ensues.

Love Class 2: Skip the first one IMO and head straight for the sequel. 3-couple BL around a bunch of dudes in college together.

Our Dating Sim: Second chance romance of the century. Trust me.

A Shoulder to Cry On: It ends so absolutely weirdly but up until then I was invested. Interesting take on the bully romance, if you're into that.

The Eighth Sense: Korean/German bildungsroman-style drama about a country twink who moves to the big city for college and rather boldly pursues the Big Man On Campus who is sorta-kinda-but-maybe-not-entirely closeted. That's really Cliff notes, but there is so much here about the sour side of coming of age in modern Korean society and the pressures and expectations heaped on.

The New Employee: Age gap romance between a late-thirties-ish dude who is tired of being in these skreets and just wants to settle down, and the fresh-faced postgrad who is getting a later career start than usual.

[doumadono]

🆘 Emergency Request 🆘

Hey there, my love. New Year's Eve was decent - I cleaned up, had a quiet dinner alone, and caught the fireworks later. But, truth be told, I'm feeling kinda down. Celebrating solo hit differently, you know? Out on the street, surrounded by all those happy folks with their friends and loved ones, that pang of envy crept in.. Mind if I ask for a scenario where Dabi encounters a girl on New Year's Eve? He hears her quiet crying, initially scoffs, but ends up standing nearby, leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette, just watching her. Eventually, he approaches, and their conversation turns her mood around. All this courtesy of a seemingly scary stranger

New Year's Eve - Dabi x Reader

A/N: Ru! I'm sorry to hear that your New Year's Eve wasn't as uplifting as it could have been. It's completely understandable how celebrating alone amidst the joyous crowds can bring about a sense of longing. In those moments, the stark contrast can be tough to bear. If you feel like sharing more about it or just want to talk, I'm here. Wishing you a brighter and happier start to the new year ahead ♥

EMERGENCY REQS MASTERLIST

The chilly night air hung heavy with a sense of loneliness as Dabi wandered through the dimly lit streets on New Year's Eve. He observed the distant bursts of fireworks, a stark reminder of the festivities he chose to distance himself from. A smirk played on his lips as he inhaled deeply from his cigarette, the ember casting an ominous glow on his scarred face.

As he rounded a corner, the soft sound of someone crying caught his attention. In the shadows, he spotted a girl, huddled against the cold, her silent tears betraying a deeper sadness. Leaning against a tree nearby, Dabi couldn't resist watching her, the smoke from his cigarette swirling lazily in the air.

A girl was standing almost in the middle of the street, watching the distant fireworks, her tears rolling down her cheeks glistening like dewdrops in the colorful lights of fireworks.

Dabi scoffed, a cynical smirk playing on his lips, dismissing the vulnerability he witnessed. "Really? Crying alone on New Year's?" he muttered to himself, taking a drag from his cigarette. His turquoise eyes observed her, initially with indifference.

Dabi's initial scoffs gave way to a more contemplative demeanor as he recognized a familiar ache in her despair, a reflection of the isolation he often embraced.

Finally, he crushed the cigarette beneath his heavy boot, taking a few steps closer. "Shouldn't you be off somewhere, celebrating with your friends or boyfriend?" he mocked, the edges of his voice tinged with bitterness.

The girl looked up, startled by the sudden intrusion. Her eyes met Dabi's, and for a moment, an uneasy tension lingered between them. "Who asked for your opinion?" she retorted, quickly wiping a tear away with a mixture of defiance and vulnerability in her gaze.

Dabi smirked, unfazed by her response. "No one. Guess I've got a soft spot for loners tonight. It's not every day you find someone as miserable as you on New Year's Eve."

She eyed him warily, unsure of his intentions. "What do you want?"

Dabi shrugged, the edges of his scars catching the dim light of a street lamp. "Nothing." He leaned back against the lamp.

The girl took a cautious step back as the dim light revealed the true extent of the scars that marred Dabi's face. Disgust flickered across her features, her breath catching at the sight of the grotesque combination of destroyed and healthy skin connected by thick metal staples. The shadows cast by the nearby buildings seemed to accentuate the eerie nature of his appearance. She had an uncanny feeling that she had seen him before, a nagging sense of recognition that danced on the periphery of her memory, just beyond her ability to pinpoint its origin. "What… what happened to your face?" the girl stammered, her voice barely above a whisper, a mixture of shock and terror in her eyes.

Dabi noticed her recoil and the apprehension etched on her face. His smirk faded into a solemn expression, acknowledging the impact of his appearance. "Life happened," he replied, his voice carrying the weight of years filled with pain and suffering. The metal staples glinted ominously as he tilted his head.

The young woman struggled to maintain eye contact, torn between the fear inspired by his appearance and the strange kindness he was offering her.

Despite the initial shock, Dabi's gaze softened as he met her eyes. "I ain't gonna bite. You can come closer, dollface."

The girl, still visibly shaken, nodded hesitantly.

"So, what's your story?" Dabi asked, his tone no longer laced with mockery but genuine curiosity.

The girl hesitated, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. "Why do you care?"

Dabi shrugged, a nonchalant gesture masking the complexity within. "No reason. Just figured we're both stuck in this lousy night, might as well share the misery."

She let out a reluctant chuckle, wiping away lingering tears. "Misery loves company, huh?"

Dabi's lips twitched into a half-smile. "Something like that."

"You're not as scary as you look," the girl remarked, a playful glint in her eyes. "And I have this feeling I've seen you before..."

Dabi raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his gaze. "Looks can be deceiving. You're not as fragile as you seem either. And you probably did see me in the news a few weeks ago."

It was the moment of realization. The scars tracing his face, the distinctive white hair, and those piercing eyes — it couldn't be denied. It was Dabi, or more accurately, Todoroki Touya, the eldest son of Endeavor. A notorious and dangerous villain, a member of the League of Villains. The girl struggled to maintain her composure, uncertain about what to expect from him. "So... What are you doing here, all alone?"

Dabi's half-smile lingered, his piercing turquoise eyes holding a depth of mystery. "Just enjoying the night."

The girl, though still uneasy, found herself drawn to the enigmatic aura that surrounded him. "Well, it's not exactly the serene escape most people go for on New Year's Eve."

Dabi chuckled, the sound carrying a mix of cynicism and genuine amusement. "Guess I'm not most people."

As the conversation continued, a peculiar tension filled the air. The girl couldn't shake the knowledge of Dabi's infamous reputation, yet there was an unexpected comfort in his presence. She hesitated before voicing her thoughts, her tone a mix of curiosity and caution. "So, what's it like being a part of the League of Villains? To be a villain?" she asked, her eyes searching his for any hint of the truth.

Dabi's expression remained enigmatic, a mask that revealed little. "Sometimes you have to play the game to survive, even if the rules are twisted."

The girl nodded, absorbing his words. "Survival is a powerful motive, but it doesn't make everything right."

Dabi's gaze lingered on her, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. "Right and wrong are just labels people use to make sense of the world. In the end, everyone's got their own code, ya know, dollface." Dabi, as if sensing her internal struggle, spoke again, his voice softer this time. "You don't have to understand or approve of what I do. Just everyone's fighting their own battles, even if they wear a different kind of armor, yeah?"

The girl pondered his words. "A... Are you... I mean..." She hesitated. "Do you want to hurt me?" The young woman asked simply.

Dabi observed the genuine concern in the girl's eyes, and for a moment, the hardened exterior softened. He took a step back, allowing a subtle distance between them. "Hurt you?" he echoed, his voice carrying a hint of surprise. "No, sweetheart, that's not what I'm here for. Besides, it seems you're already hurt," he mused.

The girl released a sigh, her head nodding in reluctant acknowledgment. "Yeah, I don't know what's up with me, but I just feel this overwhelming emptiness, you know? Super lonely. No one to share the joy of this time of the year with. I realize it sounds silly, but it's like I'm stuck in this sea of celebration, and I'm just stranded. Tonight, seeing all those happy people with their loved ones, their friends… and then there's me, all on my own. It's just sad. Sorry. I can't believe I'm dumping my pathetic problems on a freaking villain. What a night," she chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

Dabi's expression softened as he listened to her, a subtle understanding in his piercing eyes. "Loneliness isn't reserved for heroes or villains," he remarked, his voice carrying a surprising depth.

The girl looked at him, a mix of surprise and gratitude in her eyes. "I didn't expect a lecture on life from someone like you."

Dabi chuckled, the sound carrying a hint of self-awareness. "Life's full of surprises. You never know where you'll find a connection, even in the most unexpected places."

She chuckled loudly. "Guess you're right."

Dabi straightened and closed the gap between him and the girl. He gently caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head to get a better look at her. She was undeniably pretty. "Considering we both seem to be stranded, and you're not posing any threat to me," he remarked, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes, "how about we make the most of this damn night together?"

The girl's eyes widened at Dabi's unexpected proposal. There was a mix of surprise and uncertainty on her face as she processed his words. She couldn't deny the allure of the idea — escaping the loneliness of the night with him, even if just for a little while.

Dabi's half-smile lingered as he awaited her response. His eyes held a hint of genuine interest, waiting to see if she would take the leap into the unknown with a man who, by all accounts, was a notorious villain.

She hesitated for a moment, the internal struggle evident in her eyes. With a deep breath, she nodded, a shy smile forming on her lips. "Sure, why not? It's not every day you get an offer like that from someone like you."

Dabi's smirk widened, releasing her chin. "That's the spirit."

Together, they ventured into the night, the echoes of celebration still resonating in the distance.

[sunny-mercya]

Expresso Shots

Tony DiNozzo x Male Reader

Fandom -> NCIS

Requested by -> @sukuna-wafiu

Masterlist

A faint smell of medium dark roasted coffee—long forgotten and cold by now, from its loneliness of ignored attention—brewed with the distinctive flavour of caramel and ginger spice in it, lingered through the room like a warm breeze of early autumn afternoons—when the sun slowly slipped away, with its last few warm breath of light, into the darkness.

There's a particular spot, kinda like a mark or close to resembling a scar, on the orange coloured wall—in between the hung up frames of different scenery from Washington D.C, Maryland and Virgina—and Tony never took notice of that spot till now and he have to say, it looks absolutely ugly to look at it.

Tony didn't even know why he keeps staring at it, because when he gotten back to your office section—minimal surprised to see it empty as, by the time now, you and others of your colleagues should be back from the investigations—after having brought the cups of Coffee for the daily shared break, waiting for you, Tony's attention had been unintentional drawn to the ugly mark on the wall.

You're awfully late, Tony noted—glancing down onto his watch—10pm already and you told him you would be back from the investigations by 4, yet your desk still empty and void of your presence.

»DiNozzo? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Hospital?« it's Lacy's voice, which pulled Tony out of his stupor staring.

Lacy Lacrosse—or Lala as you would nickname her from time to time, is one of your teammates and close to being a good friend—had been surprised to find Tony still in the office, questioning why no one seemed to have informed Tony—despite him being your emergency contact number one—about your situation conditions and your stay in the hospital.

»What you mean hospital? I'm waiting for [Name]. You guys are awfully late, by the way.«

»Tony....« Lacy sighed out, feeling now even more worn out than before, because Tony genuinely didn't seem to know and now she had to tell him and that's lowkey a point of exhaustion—simply in the sense of having to retell the whole story of what happened again and also making it clear, that you're doing—more or less—okay.

»Tony......[Name] is.....he's in the hospital.« Lacy decided to just rip off the bandaid of bad news in one go, it's easier that way.

There a thousand thoughts running through Tony's mind, when Lacy told him these news, but none of these had stuck—expect for one, getting to you as fast as possible and making sure, desperately hoping, you're alright.

~~~•~~~

Groaning in discomfort, you moved a bit—although this tiny movement caused already a slight wave of pain coursing through your nerve system—around on your hospital bed, hoping to find a bit of relief—because constantly laying on your left side, while the right throbbed painfully, wasn't so comfortable as it seemed to be and especially not with the amount of pillows—to keep you from moving around in your sleep and cracking up your hip even more—being propped up against your back.

Huffing out a breath, after having accomplishing the small task of—although still laying on your left, but slightly leaning back—moving into a comfortable position of posture, you looked at Tony—whose had been sitting on the plain white chair, hunched over and hands folded into a prayer, even though Tony wasn't a person for god or any religious beliefs—a few hours now, barely moving as if he's frozen or didn't want to spook you with his movements.

There was also this blank, almost vacant—as if he wasn't in the current time flow of the here and now—and unblinking stare in Tony's eyes, which brought a ounce of concern to you, because you never had seen your boyfriend like this before—it's just something new, despite being in a four years into a relationship, to discover and given your current injury state it might have short circuit Tony.

»Tony? Tony, love, could you get me a new hot water bottle please?« you asked, voice a bit hoarse and rough, but Tony remains unresponsive, keep staring at whatever there's to stare at.

It's like a repeat—Tony's mind wandering back to these unpleasant memories, rewinding them like a strong gush of upcoming wind after a calm—of the accident in the depths of Virgina's snowy mountains and forest, two years ago.

First it was being stuck in the car—a Queen Cassette on repeat, especially the song Somebody to love, to listen to—which had been sabotaged to break down in the middle of nowhere street, during their drive back to the base—after finishing up a second investigation in the lonesome, ghost walking empty, mountain town—and getting hit by a snowstorm.

And being stuck in the car with you during a snowstorm—which Tony would have find romantic, if it weren't for a case—wasn't the bad thing to happened, it was what had happened next.

After a few hours of rough sleeping on the backseats and when the snowstorm had passed, there had been a fresh bloody trail on the thick snowed up ground and Tony—after having mobile signal again, sending a quick sms to Gibbs and the others—persuaded you to follow these trails with him.

And you even told Tony, it wouldn't be such a wise idea to do so, but he didn't listen—insisting more and more to follow the trail and getting to a possible suspect—and so, one accident lead to another.

What also wasn't so wisely decided from Tony, was to split up and search through the area alone—with nothing but a gun, one extra ammunition and a knife for potential protection—which had lead you into the misery of being getting stuck in a small bear trap (which only had left a good bleeding, swollen ankle and a sore scarring afterwards) and then crashing into a frozen lake and almost drowning if, thanks to god and the fates, Tony hadn't been near enough to hear your scream and barely getting you out of the lake.

Tony had carried you all the way back to an, kinda as it looked maintained enough to be still in use, abandoned hut—which he had discovered—jogging back and forth from hut to car to get some needed stuff.

Once he had started a chimney fire, Tony undresses you completely naked, tending with the first-aid kit to your wounded swollen ankle, before huddling you up into blankets—to keep you from getting hypothermia and a possible high fever—and holding you close in his arms, hoping you would wake up soon from your unconsciousness and being okay.

~~~•~~~

Tony flinched, being roughly pulled out of his thoughts—which resembles fleeting leaves being swept away by the wind—when something hit him one the head

»Yeah?« Tony asks, looking at you with a raised eyebrow of questioning—finding no amusement of getting hit by a paper ball.

You frowned at Tony for a second, before you raised an eyebrow of your own—reaching your hand out for his and it does takes Tony a moment to grab your hand and giving a long good squeeze.

»Tony, you're okay? I've never seeing you spaced out like this.«

»It's all good, just in thought.«

Tony remembers clearly your blue quivering lips and the ashen, frozen cold, complexion of your face—so ghostly, that Tony had to feel for your pulse more than just once, just to make sure you're still alive.

And somehow, while seeing you on the hospital bed once more, your lips looking blue once again—as if you didn't get enough oxygen or being on the brink of hypothermia.

»Care to share your thoughts?«

»It's just.....just.....you know, seeing you like this, injured and in pain, makes me so.....urgh, I don't know.«

Aah. You knew exactly, as it wasn't the first time, what your boyfriend's problem was—while your dad, as a single parent of six (with you being the youngest) children, was hellbent keen on teaching you and your siblings how to express feelings, Tony himself wasn't so lucky and had to suffer through a distance and detached father figure in his life.

Tony had decided not to tell you about his memory diving to your accident—which also caused you a fear of being surrounded by water too long—back then, because if he does, you would ask him what he's talking about as you don't remember any of it anymore.

»Hey, it's fine. I'm not really hurt at all. It's just a shattered hip, nothing life threatening, love. Really, I will be forever bound to desk work and suffer through paper chaos.« you laughed a bit, grunting in pain afterwards from moving too much.

»Yeah, it's just, you did gave me quite the scare, when Lacy told me you're in the hospital.« admits Tony truthfully, sighing out and giving you another squeeze.

It really was a scare for Tony to get told by Lacy—who only came back to the office to get some of your stuff and it was mere coincidence for her to find Tony there in the first place—and not by the hospital or Helms or Gibbs themselves of what had happened to you—although in later realisation they did tried to call, but Tony hadn't his phone with him.

Tony couldn't even imagine the pain you must have been in, after being shot—during the suspect chase—two time in a row into the right hip and crash landing into a window.

»I could tell, with how you rushed inside here, all panicked and both McGee and Jenner apologising on your behalf of behaviour.«

»Well, Jenner wouldn't let me thru to you, had to wrestling him away and McGee was babbling something while waiting for Lacy. Ten bucks, McGee's crushing on her.«

»Twenty bucks. You know how Jenner can be. Be glad neither Helms nor Gibbs are here, otherwise you would have been booted out of the hospital completely.« another laugh escaped your lips.

Tony smiled, hearing you laughter—despite the pain filled grunts whenever you moved your bandaged up hips too much or even slightly—was such a pleasant sound to his ears, that Tony sighed softly in relief and it felt as a weight of tension was being lifted of him.

Getting up from the chair, still holding your hand, Tony leans and down and pressing a soft kiss onto your forehead—giving you one of his charming gentle smiles, which could make your knees buckling weak, before locking his lips with yours for a sweet short kiss.

»Anything else besides the hot water bottle?«

»A cup of (f.drink), please.«

»Anything for you, mio caro.«

[actiniumwrites]

𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

synopsis: in which a victory against cyno at genius invocation tcg leads to unexpected confessions

characters: cyno x gn!reader

wc: 880

warnings: fluff, angst, kinda hurt/comfort? established relationships, jealousy, loneliness

notes: sorry it’s been so long since i’ve written something :( this also isn’t based on the new event since i haven’t had the chance to play it yet! it kinda just popped into my mind randomly

“Ha, I win!” You exclaim loudly, immediately bursting up from your spot at the table and pointing downward at your victory.

“What?” Cyno gasps before spouting words of denial, “No, that’s impossible!”

Ruby eyes hurriedly glance over the cards on the table, desperately searching for some sort of error. Cyno was the king of Genius Invocation TCG. He fought people over it, entered dangerous competitions just to win cards, and for you to so easily defeat him? He couldn’t bear to admit his pitiful defeat.

Cyno never knew just how good you were at TCG. Your deck was damn near flawless, cards powerful beyond belief — not to mention how many limited editions you had. All these years of knowing each other, and not once did he know of your affliction for the card game.

“Admit it, Cyno, you lost!” You rub in your victory once again, reveling in the shear defeat painted across his face. It’s priceless, an expression you’re pretty sure you’ve never seen on his face. If you’re being honest, you didn’t know he could make such an expression.

“No, I won’t accept it,” he says slowly, staring down at his own cards, analyzing where he went wrong, “Let’s go again. If you really are that good, then beat me again.”

Your smile grows big and is rather mischievous, “Oh? Ready to lose again?”

And so you play. Again and again and again. Over and over. It takes hours before either of you declare it time to leave the tavern. Countless people go in and out, some wander over and stare at the intense match, while others pass by without a glance. It isn’t until Lambad comes over and tells the two of you the tavern is closing that you finally pick up your cards and place them back in your deck.

You glance up curiously at your boyfriend when you’re done. His looks distraught and a pinch of disappointment rests on his face. You watch as he picks up his cards one by one and carefully places them in his deck as to not damage them. It contrasts how you care for your cards: eager to place them away in bundles, almost like you didn’t practically sell your soul for them.

When he’s done, the two of you walk out of the tavern silently. You don’t like the tension in the air or the lingering sense of defeat, even though you won.

A grumble from either of your stomachs cuts through the deafening silence. You go to meet Cyno’s eyes, but he isn’t looking. You speak anyway, “I guess we played so long we forgot to eat, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to stop and get something? I’ll pay,” you offer in the hopes he’ll give you a real response.

“I’ll just eat at home.”

“Oh, okay,” you say meekly and avert your eyes. You play with the bracelet on your hands for a few seconds, fiddling with each gem on it.

“I never hid that I was good at TCG, you know?” You blurt out suddenly. It captures Cyno’s attention in an instant and his eyes finally snap to yours.

“What?” He says as if he doesn’t believe you.

“Really, I swear! I just—we’ve been dating for years. And, well, I knew how much you liked the game, but I was never any good at it. You always go out with the others and play with them and it always made me feel a little jealous because I didn’t understand how to play it.”

Cyno looks shocked, but he motions you to continue on, eager to hear your explanation, “One day, a few years ago, I decided to find someone to teach me and I got a good deck and started collecting cards in the hopes that I could play on your level one day. I didn’t mean to make you feel so defeated though, honestly! I just wanted to have fun with you too.”

Cyno sighs. He hates the way he made you feel guilty just because he was upset he lost at a stupid card game. That, and he never knew how you felt all these years. While he was off playing for hours on end with the people you both called friends, you were at home feeling left out. How did he never realize?

“You could’ve asked me, you know?” Cyno says quietly, “I could’ve been your teacher.”

“Yeah, but I sort of wanted to surprise you,” you smile bashfully.

“Trust me, you certainly surprised me,” he scoffs, “All that talk about wanting to be on my level and you go and exceed me.”

You laugh loudly at that, and a smile pulls at Cyno’s lips as he lets out a breath of air, “You’ll have to teach me some of your tricks. I still cannot believe you beat me every single time.”

“Maybe, but only if you give me that card with the limited edition Inazuma backing!”

“What? No. Do you know how long it took me to get that one?”

You dramatically sigh and look away, “Oh well, I guess you’ll just have to continue losing then.”

“Okay!” Cyno interrupts, “but only if you agree to share it with me.”

You smile and nod at him, “I can work with that.”

[meowsod]

hey guys do u wanna hear me yapping about how i think angel care and last journey by iyowa fits how i feel ab jacket's mourning after he lost beard and gf? no.?????? ok idc ure still hearing me out!!!!

all the translations referenced!!

last journey / ラストジャーニー [tl source]

angel care / エンゼルケア [tl source]

both translations are by Spicy Sweets!! go check out their blog here :]

og songs if u want to listen to them!!!

last journey / ラストジャーニー [this could make u motion sick, be wary of that!!! take care!!!]

angel care / エンゼルケア

so, for context, last journey is about someone losing their partner / close friend / loved one / whatever else, either due to suicide or something else. and angel care is basically the aftermath, hence the lyrics referencing last journey!!

"I thought I'd stop by to see you. While tripping on the smoke of our burning love" y'know how from chapter 3 (decadence) onward you see girlfriend in your house, just hanging around, right? i like to think this line kinda parallels that, jacket coming back home to see her again, because no matter what he still probably worried about her and wanted to see if she's okay. especially after what the snuff film producer put her through.

"When the dead body started talking, it devoured what little daily life I had" the missions he was sent on by 50B. what else do i say!!!

"I made it here because I had halfway expectations" also somewhat relating to both 50B and girlfriend, expecting either a house full of russians to beat down on or his beloved girl waiting for him.

"Your phone died, and you didn't have friends you could go to, so I was worried." beard talking about how there's something going on outside the shop he works at in san francisco, then walking out after hanging up and getting fucking CLAPPED by the nuke.

"I'll get a bit of rest in this freezing, rust-colored world." how jacket felt after losing the one friend he trusted the most, probably being sleepless for like days on end because of how much it fucked him up - or oversleeping, i mean... that's just depression and grieving for u

"Our little home was blown away, but I made it here because I wanted an unraveled love" again, san francisco getting blasted and jacket wishing he could've saved beard somehow, even if that's not possible.

"I clung onto a dream that wouldn't ever comfort me on our last journey" that part in hlm1 where suddenly jacket sees the world for how it is, the shopkeeper no longer being beard but some bald guy. hence the "dream that wouldn't ever comfort me" part, but that's just me probably looking a little too much into it ^_^"

what do i say!!!!! that part in the game where gf gets shot and wasn't able to be saved :[

now here's angel care!!!!!!

"I made it here because I have only one regret" him regretting that he didn't save beard or gf in time. i mean, he couldn't do jack shit but he surely wishes he could.

"My favorite books are all boring now. Those changes rose to the surface along with my beloved" the monotony of life in jail after he shot the grandfather point blank, and then maybe the memory of beard and gf's moments with him surfacing. god. ok this is making me sad why did i do this to myself

"No matter how many times I'm reborn, I can never atone." more of a meta thing, though also you brought it upon yourself by killing mobsters and basically leading to the world pretty much blowing up.

"I'm sorry for not saving you, I'm sorry for looking away" i explained this like 95954954 times u get it by now

"I savored the loneliness that lingered among my dulled senses. Ahh, if I pretend that I'm burdened by fate, then it'll be fine if I say it'd all for your sake, right?" wanting everything to turn out okay, maybe downplaying how he feels as he thinks it's stupid. i'm looking into it too much god help. idek how to word it at this point

again, the san francisco incident and that part in / before trauma

the "I'm sorry" lines are self explainatory, the "as we're reduced to ashes" is the nuke!!!

"Ahh, the world's ending, I loved you" the end of wrong number, it all makes sense.

"Your long journey is over now." both to the player and everyone else, you've done all you did and caused it.

ty for reading my unhinged rant and stream of conscience!!!

[ren-shonen]

Returning fire: time to Be Seen friendo

"There's A Lot Going On Actually And It Can Get Messy" is a favorite genre

Likes blue as a motif color (for various symbolic reasons but if I had to pick one, maybe a hint at the ever lingering sense of feeling "blue"/lonely that they just can't shake?)

Very inspired by music, but especially lyrics

Drawn to characters who are "fishes out of water" so to speak, whether they're in a different physical environment from where they grew up, or in a new social circle/status that they're not used to having (shoutout to Rhenbraen for ending up in BOTH types at once)

Also characters who struggle with the balance between maintaining their independence and leaning on others for help/support

Symbolic 👏 Locations 👏 and/or Landmarks 👏👏 (whether for in-game screenshots like FFXIV or fanfic settings for characters to meet up at)

(Much like you did I kinda cheated for some of these since we've talked about favorite themes and motifs before but I can point to your writing entries and go "Right there, Exhibit A")

(Hello! This lovely ask prompted an absolute ramble, but since I intend to reblog this to my FFXIV blog also, I must apologize in advance for not putting this under a readmore)

A Lot Going On: You're SO right. 😅 I do like the layers, and I like peeling them back.

blue: Yes, I sure do end up with a lot of OCs with blue theming, don't I? Also, I had it pointed out once that blue shows up more than once in my BNHA fics, specifically as the color of the sky in the early morning, before sunrise. I promptly went "y'know.... huh" because I associate that time of day with having been up all night and, yeah, with a certain deep loneliness or sometimes solitude (perhaps funnily, my motif color for myself is red!)

lyrics: very yes. Especially lyrics. Almost all of my BNHA fics and FFXIV writings have a song associated with them, and several of the fics have lyric titles (as is tradition XD)

fish out of water: You're on to something here for sure, because this is true of very many of my FFXIV characters!

I suspect this may stem primarily from my enjoyment of Putting Characters in Situations that they then have to deal with, and being far from home and the familiar is a great way to do that. FFXIV's setting also makes it easy (practically necessary) to do this with any character whose lore origins place them outside of Eorzea, since they'd have to have a reason to travel there. As a result, I often employ it as a plot device to "shake things up" — like the most minor version of the isekai trope, perhaps. So I'd say it's less "drawn to" and more "tend to deliberately engineer," lol!

It may amuse you to know that Rhenbraen actually was very firmly embedded in their home environment for a BIG initial chunk of their story, and trying to figure out how to maneuver things so they would leave it was a major undertaking. (They were so stuck. SO stuck.)

...arguably, "being forced out of one's home environment" in my writing is usually a spur toward growth and positive change, even if it comes with significant growing pains.

Relatedly, I do have a personal theme of "you can't go home again" that shows up for almost all of my OCs, even the ones who have literally returned to their home environments.

I'm not sure if this also shows up in my BNHA stuff. I think there, it's more general sense of the world changing around the characters, and changing the characters, too? of time continuing and bringing with it new circumstances and situations, some of which are painful? Like Izuku having to confront being touch-starved for the first time when he moved into the dorms ("Distance and Weight"), which is a not-uncommon teenage/young adult experience. Now that I think about it, that's a good example of the second type you talked about (different social circumstance).

independence/support: oooh that's a fun one to ponder. (I wonder if I have any characters who lean toward the be-supported side? Maybe Renan? Zedyr?) Definitely shows up as a prominent theme in my BNHA stuff, though, at least on the "trouble asking for help" side. *cough*Izuku*cough*

landmarks: ooh interesting one. You know, this one actually is a bit personal/about me as the writer, even if I'm not totally sure it reaches beyond Rhenbraen's symbolic attachment to the Lominsan lighthouse (have to think about that one! but it feels right....) I'll message you to tell you more about the specifics. :D

[lunaprincipessa]

ENTRY EIGHTY-SIX

Valentine's Day is coming up. Another year celebrating this holiday single. Kinda in limbo this time around. Not feeling any particular way about it. Lots of times though, single friends will hit me up wondering what I'm doing. I tend to keep myself busy.

I think it's a part of being human to want to be with someone special on February 14th. Nothing wrong with it! But sometimes, I notice people may not know what to do with themselves if the loneliness and sadness reaches a point where it's overwhelming. Not passing judgment, "takes one to know one."

I get it. Definitely been there before! You feel there is nothing in life and you also feel there is nothing in life to look forward to. Feelings of emptiness and hopelessness linger around you like a vulture waiting to feed. You desperately cry out to the Universe for a sign that you're not forgotten, then you're met with silence and still with no sign to be seen, or heard, or felt. And so, in the midst of breaking down and feeling worthless and unwanted, you have to somehow summon up the strength to comfort yourself alone. Believe me, I get it.

That being said, I wanted to share a list of things to get into if this holiday is gonna be rough or has the potential to be.

1.) Who says you have to celebrate at all? Ignore it, or blow it off purposely doing something else or even nothing. Not a federal holiday where everything gets closed down, life can continue on as normal on this day. It will be what you make it.

2.) If you really want a Valentine, it is not limited to dates and significant others. Your kids, friends, relatives, pets, and coworkers can all serve as examples. If you feel there isn't anyone or everyone is busy, gift a random Valentine to someone you know could use some kindness. A good deed like that will make you feel fulfilled.

3.) Since we're discussing different ways to go about Valentine's, consider starting a new tradition in your household. Do whatever ya like, include whoever ya want.

4.) Hobbies! Sharpening skills! Get started on something new or restart something you've been neglecting. The sense of accomplishment will help.

5.) Shows and movies, and might I suggest two key factors: (1.) Binge, especially if it's something you love or something you need to catch up on. (2.) "Laughter is medicine for the soul," as they say. Watch comedy!

6.) Make a plan for manifestation. Just because you're currently single, doesn't mean you can't plan for the future. Lots of people decide what kind of home or outfit they want before actually getting one. Same process here. Work on getting a clear vision of the type of relationship you want to have if you feel making a plan for the future won't make you feel bad or worse.

7.) If all else fails and you can't find a Valentine, I know a place where you can look and it's always guaranteed that you'll find one there. The mirror! Last time I checked, you're a person too. Pamper yourself! Spoil yourself! I'm single and I just dropped $45 on some ginormous chocolate-covered strawberries. FTW!

8.) Music is life baby! I can't even begin to describe all the ways music has gotten me through some very hard times. Make yourself a playlist to listen to. Any kind of playlist you want! You can listen in while relaxing, cleaning, bathing, studying, etc.

9.) Dive into your spirituality or your religion. I don't care what you believe in. It will be the most comforting and most uplifting distraction from loneliness ever. You won't feel so alone anymore, promise.

10.) Cook! Blowing off the holiday, trying to celebrate it, I couldn't care less. Cooking can soothe stress and build self-esteem in many individuals. Plus, cooking a healthy meal in itself can be good for your mental health as foods like chicken, fish, and eggs have lean proteins to help with general functioning of the brain and nervous system. In addition, foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can offer some mood-boosting doses of serotonin and dopamine.

11.) Exercise: the most underused and underestimated anti-depressant ever! While the exact link between exercise and depression is actually still being investigated, the physical activity will ease the symptoms and have you feeling better in no time. And I think I remember being told a while back that exercise tends to hit reward receptors in the brain. Makes sense because that's how it feels. It feels good and ya wanna keep going!

12.) Exploring areas of town that are new to you will replace the lonely feelings with curiosity and a sense of adventure. Look up the history of the property you're on and take photos!

13.) Offer to pick up a work shift or babysit for a couple that wants to go out. If you don't wanna celebrate, all well and fine, but you can still take advantage of the opportunity to make some extra cash.

14.) Utilize coping skills. Maybe it isn't just a matter of not finding a date or being single. Maybe at the heart of it all is trauma or social anxiety disorder. Life isn't always easy for those of us dealing with those types of things. Coping skills and reaching out will help tremendously.

I conclude with memes that have tips about how to release happy chemicals in the brain to give people more ideas of how to go about their Valentine's Day more positively and productively despite being single.

Best of luck to all of us out there. And may those of us who have never been loved right find happiness someday. 💗

More thoughts later.

[usimp4women]

Okay hi! First I have to thank you for writing anything related to Lady Lesso! Honestly ppl are sooooo slow and im soooo obsessed and in love so THANK YOU, also i have requested this to another writer, but they kinda ignored it ir they r busy, sooo here i come to you!

I wanted to ask if you could write a oneshot, where at SGE (when it is the united-like its one school now) is ball for parents and their children and there's Lessos student (girl who will become vampire after graduation, she still has the basic magic that u can see in film-shining finger blahblahblah) and the girls parents didn't come.

(Don't know the reason, but I feel like no matter if you are an ever or never, you are just normal person and most of the time have normal family relationship? So it's kinda disappointing?

Like evers and nevers would be equaly appreciated, cuz both sides are important, evers r proud for making good etc, same nevers?)

And them there's dramatic entrance where we (the reader) come in ( we are that single rich aunt- and very powerful and respected vampire, who loves tea and has a cat) and we flirt with Lesso, dance or something like that? Or maybe Lesso makes first move? Not sure about that😁😁🥰

Also maybe some ever could hit on us, but like in disgusting way and we would scare them off and Lesso would find that hot?

(hiss maybe ? Turn our eyes red, bcs of our anger? Like u lnow strong emotion or hunger makes our eyes red?)

Here r some pics of vampire aesthetic and face claim that I had in mind (if you don't have time, then u obviously don't have to write it.) Have a nice day! Don't forget to drink and eat! And happy Halloween 🎃

PS: IF I have more ideas maybe we (mainly YOU) could make a series of oneshots ?

PS2: IF you could name her Nova i would loooooooove it, but feel free to use Y/N.

Your Attention.

Pairing; Lady Lesso (Dean of The School for Evil) X Reader

WordCount; 1144 words, 6730 characters.

Warnings; Slight NSFW?

Summary; Lady Lesso's hot 😫

Note; THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS I REALLY LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING A SINGLE, RICH AUNT 😍 Anyways, I think I've got the idea here, so hopefully it makes sense regarding your submission, also— the cat is insanely adorable! (It's not long but hopefully it'll do..) BY THE WAY HER WINK IN THE GIF AHSFUHWR BARK WOOF WOOF

+++++

You observed the ceremony in solitude within the shadows. Parents and their children could be seen gathering around the ballroom. Normally, you would've been somewhere else right now but oh— the loneliness, you couldn’t take that chance.

Besides, you’ve got a reputation to uphold so why not indulge yourself a little?

While taking in the scene, you fixated your attention on a particular girl lingering around in the corner. You've heard something about her before, a rumor that she'll transform into a vampire after completion of the course, and although she still possesses some basic supernatural abilities, she will indeed develop a flawless student for you to impart wisdom, considering your 'substantial immortal expertise.'

She was one without a parent beside her, you tilted your head in curiosity, beginning to feel more intrigued.

Your thoughts were shattered once you discovered your cat stroking its head against your leg, following a mild purr. "You want me to go out there, do you?" You murmured, while you shrug with a smile. Your cat simply agrees with nothing but a faint meow as you stretched out to stroke its neck.

So, you got down and arrived at the entrance. Seeing a few neatly arranged wine glasses around the doorway, you reached out to consider holding one with your free hand. At that moment, the entrance gates began opening automatically. You felt the time going in slow motion, You walked gradually with an amusing smirk on your face when you realized that everyone's attention was peering upon your grand figure.

Yes, now this is delightful.

With a glass of wine in your right hand, your fur flowed elegantly behind your frame. Your head held high in dignity. Swaying your hips graciously while you approached a specific girl in the distance as everyone shuffled aside to provide space.

The majority of them even lowered their heads when they realized it was you.

Oh, of course, the spotlight. As a superior, well-known, and respected immortal, being placed in the center of attention was always your personal favorite.

The girl was flabbergasted by your presence, Is she coming towards me? She thought.

“Why yes, dear. You can’t enjoy the night without a guardian by your side, can you?” You gleamed amusingly at the girl; her glance was welcoming and enthusiastic; it may have been your proudest moment throughout the day.

You could still detect people staring at your physique, thus you spun around, "Nothing to see here," whilst arching an eyebrow.

Almost instantly, they promptly diverted their focus away from you. However, you can still feel someone gaze at the back of your head whilst you proceeded to continue conversating with the girl, which frustrates you significantly. All your intentions here were just to utterly comfort the poor thing and, if there was any, to offer her some complimentary tea.

Eventually, you sensed a presence beside you, hence you shifted your head to see a woman who had a somewhat intense amount of make-up on her face. You reluctantly bit your lip against your teeth to prevent yourself from almost laughing uncontrollably.

“Hey, you must be Nova, right? Do you mind if I borrow you for a moment? I've had my eyes on you ever since you came here." The woman giggled confidently while twirling a stroke of her hair.

You cocked your head, very innovative, "You must truly have some nerve inside you to ask me personally."

The woman replies, extending her hand to stroke your arms with her fingers, "Well, obviously I got some faith in myself."

You shoved her hand away in disgust, Your eyes glowing scarlet from arising anger. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

Her eyes were enlarging in dread, then you snarled ominously and displayed your fangs to insist her to stay out of your sight. She shrieked in response out of pure terror and hastily grabbed her regal gown to flee. Unfortunately, her garment was so cumbersome that she struggled and stumbled as she sprinted.

You and the girl laughingly mocked the woman, “You do this often?”

She raises an eyebrow in your direction while engagingly grinning. You winked, raising the wine glass to your lips with a smirk, "It makes my day more entertaining."

You proceeded to converse with the girl until you came across the sound of heels clicking against the floor. Oh, I wonder who it is... Her presence and aura seems formidable and overpowering.

You spun your head to gaze upon a woman with oh my god– The coat, the suit, the dangling chains on her midsection, her rings, her cane, and her curly, ginger hair. Everything about her was definitely captivating.

It was almost as though a goddess appeared before your eyes. Your posture nearly collapsed out from beneath you while your eyes began to flicker abnormally, but you quickly picked up reality. "Well, well... Look who's finally come to the show." She spoke in a rich, enticing tone.

"For a woman like you, you surely are capable of handling a complicated situation." She stood before you, setting her palm on your jawline and raising it up to meet her eye-level using her finger; you felt your breath hitch at the interaction.

Nonetheless, you maintain your composure as you glimpse into her amethyst eyes. "Now, how would you like it if you were to dance with me?" The redhead grinned haughtily at your stature.

You responded with a head inclination, "I would love to." Was she challenging you?

As you approach In the middle of the ballroom, she then guides you to the main stage. She positioned her hand on your waist practically immediately when you were there, ushering you to sway seductively with her body.

You angled your attention towards the girl you were previously with, poor thing had to witness the scene in the front seat. But she didn't even bother stopping you both though; all you could see was her shrug and a wide grin.

You then redirected your concentration to the redhead once again. You both swung your hips back and forth.

Your body was tenderly pressed against hers as her fingertips traveled from your waist to your upper chest, swaying alongside you as they performed so. Your muscles tensed up as you felt her front in contact with your back. Consequently, you closed your eyes and buried your head where her neck and shoulders unite.

She twisted your figure around enough to confront her as the music stopped. She looked down into your eyes with domineering intensity whilst you bore her stare in defiance.

“Oh, you…”

A few inches from your lips, she begins to lean in your favor. A brief lick of her lips gave you the impression as she was preferring to focus her stare on your neck. She subsequently tilted her head slightly and smirked knowingly, drawing your attention to her.

“Why don’t we continue this somewhere else?”

[imaginemcyt]

sisterinnit!

cc!wilbur soot x tommy’s older sister

tw: language

note: this one uses specifically she/her pronouns, however, you can replace them with your pronouns. it won’t change the story at all. sorry that this is kinda shit but tumblr deleted my draft and i had to completely rewrite it so this is what i’ve got. hope you enjoy! <3

“y/n this is wilbur, wilbur this is y/n.” tommy gave the basic introductions with a bored look on his face.

“y/n simons, pleasure to meet you.”

“wilbur soot, the pleasure is all mine.”

as he shook your hand, you stared into each other’s eyes. he wore a small smile, that was almost a smirk. was it just you, or was there electricity when your hands touched? that had to be in your head, right? your gaze lingered on the other for perhaps a little too long before you let go of each other’s hands.

“now get out, y/n.” tommy pushed you towards the door.

•••

“y/n can you see wilbur out? i’m busy!”

wilbur looked at you with a smile, causing you to blush. you nodded and yelled back at your brother, “yeah!”

you led wilbur to the front door, opening it and stepping to the side. you looked at him to find he was already looking at you. he grabbed your hand and placed a kiss on your knuckles.

“it was nice meeting you, y/n.”

as you stuttered out a reply, he gave you that same almost-smirk and turned away, walking down your driveway.

•••

“what are you doing up?”

you jumped, not expecting to see someone in your kitchen at two am. then you remembered tommy had invited friends over.

“oh, it’s you. i… i can’t sleep. what are you still doing awake?”

you filled a glass up with water and began to drink it, putting it in the sink when you were done.

“tommy snores really loud.”

you both let out a light laugh at your younger brother’s expense.

“well, since we’re both awake, do you want to do something? we could watch friends? that’s all i was doing anyway.”

“that sounds great.”

you both made your way up the stairs and into your room. you sat on the bed and set up the laptop with the episode you were currently on. eventually you were laying down together watching joey do lunges in all of chandler’s clothes.

(like this ^^^)

you were about halfway through a second episode when tommy interrupted.

“what the hell are you guys doing?”

you both looked up at the tired gremlin child.

“watching friends.” wilbur gave him a cheeky smile.

•••

“hello?”

“oh! uh, hello…?”

“oh it’s you, wilbur!” you spoke over your brother’s headset while he was in the bathroom.

“y/n? hi! what are you doing?”

“well tommy’s in the toilet so i wanted to see who he was talking to. turns out it’s you!”

wilbur let out a chuckle. “it’s me!”

“GET OUT OF MY BEDROOM!”

“uh oh, gotta go!” you threw down the headset before running for your life.

•••

“y/n, hang out with us!”

you stopped at the doorway, looking back at the group of boys all sitting on the floor. jack manifold, tubbo, and wilbur all stared up at you.

“no, y/n, get out of my room.” tommy spoke from his spot on the bed.

“aww, why can’t she stay?”

“yeah, tommy, don’t be a dick, man.”

“y/n, stay!”

“no, y/n, leave.”

you looked nervous, being pulled in two different directions, before ultimately deciding that you had other things to do.

“sorry guys, i should probably go.”

a chorus of disappointed groans and “aww”s left the group before you waved and closed the door behind you.

you went back to your room, deciding to give your brother his space despite your loneliness and boredom. you knew you’d want the same from him.

you decided to mess around with your ukulele to pass the time. you played your favorite song, singing along quietly. it wasn’t long before a knock on the door made you stop.

“come in.”

the door opened and none other than wilbur soot popped his head in.

“hey.”

“hey. tommy asked me to tell you to shut up, but i think you sound lovely.”

you turned slightly pink. “oh, uh, thanks. tell tommy i’m sorry and i’ll keep it down.”

“no need, he’s a prick anyway.” he made his way to where you sat on the bed, taking a seat next to you.

“what are you playing?”

you smiled and told him about how it was your favorite song by your favorite artist and you loved how fun it was. he requested you play a little bit for him, so you did. when you were done, you started to talk about it a little more.

at least until you realized he wasn’t listening. he was staring at your lips, leaning in. you followed suit.

the door burst open, causing you two to spring apart.

“wilbur, what the hell is taking so long? and what are you two doing in here with the door closed?”

wilbur smiled at tommy. “playing music, of course.”

tommy gave a skeptical look, dragging wilbur out of the room with a “keep it down, y/n!”

wilbur stopped at the doorway. “by the way, i quite like hanging out with you, y/n.”

•••

“your hands are so tiny!”

“they are not,” you gasped. “your hands are just huge, probably because you’re a giant of a man.”

wilbur laughed. “put your hand up,” he instructed. he touched his to yours gently, showing off the size difference.

you both giggled before stopping and looking into each other’s eyes. he gave you a gentle smile and slipped his fingers in between yours, interlocking them and holding your hand in his larger one.

you looked back at him and smiled.

•••

you knocked on the door three times, and he answered not long after.

“y/n? what are you doing here?”

“tommy thinks he left his sweater here and asked if i could drop by and pick it up on my way home.”

“oh yeah, one second.”

he disappeared for a moment before returning, holding your brother’s red hoodie. “here you go,” he said with a smile.

“thank you. sorry to bother you.”

“it’s no trouble. can i walk you home?”

you felt yourself heating up and smiled. “if you’d like.”

he nodded and grabbed his jacket. then you both started off toward the simons residence. you almost made it before it started raining.

it was light rain at first, so you carried on. however, it got heavier by the second, and pretty soon it was pouring on you two.

wilbur took off his jacket and held it above your heads. “we’re almost there, run!”

the two of you ran the rest of the way, only stopping once you got to your porch. you looked at each other for a moment, catching your breath. then you started laughing. you were both soaked and standing there like idiots, laughing at yourselves.

your laughter soon died down, and then you were just smiling at each other. he reached over to you and brushed a wet piece of hair behind your ear, getting it out of your face.

you weren’t stupid. you knew the look he was giving you was a lovestruck gaze, but you decided to play dumb.

“what?”

then finally it happened. after months of flirting and mutual pining, he closed the gap and kissed you. with his right hand on your face he crashed his lips to yours (a/n: that sounds violent but it’s not meant to be lol), pulling you closer with his left. you wrapped your arms around him, hands tangling in his hair.

passion mingled with desperation and you kissed long after you were breathless. you didn’t part until you heard a loud yell of disgust.

you instantly sprang apart with swollen lips and red faces.

“are you fucking kidding me? that’s my sister, man!” tommy yelled, glaring at wilbur.

he then looked to you. “and you, kissing my best mate?!”

you stood there shocked for a moment before coming to your senses.

“uhhh, I wasn’t kissing, were you kissing?” you said, turning to wilbur and praying to god he caught on to your obvious lie.

“no, i wasn’t kissing.” he shook his head.

“neither was i! see, no kissing here.”

“i’m not stupid,” said tommy, voice low and angry as opposed to the shock and disgust from before. “i saw everything.”

he then turned and walked away from the door, leaving you two alone again.

a moment of awkward silence passed. “i should probably… you know.” you said, pointing to the house.

“oh yeah, no, definitely.” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“and look, i’m sorry if i ruined your friendship with tommy. i know you guys are close, and i hope he forgives you.”

he gave you a sad smile. “same here, love.” he then kissed your cheek and took off into the rain once more.

you went inside and tried fixing things with tommy, who refused to speak to you. after sitting outside his bedroom door for nearly an hour, you finally gave up and headed back into your room. you opened discord.

[your username]: tommy’s ignoring me. i’ve just sat outside his room for an hour and he refuses to talk to me.

WilburSoot: i’ll give it a go.

he did not speak to wilbur. tommy left him on read every time.

•••

tommy avoided you entirely for two weeks. he left the room if you walked in, and he wouldn’t speak to you at the dinner table. your mother was curious what was going on between you two, but neither of you would say anything about it.

finally, you’d had enough.

you asked your mother to call tommy out of his room, since he wouldn’t answer if you were to try. she did, just wanting you two to speak again. once he arrived in the living room, you jumped him. you grabbed him around the middle and threw him on the couch, planting yourself on top of him so he couldn’t run away. your mum left the room.

“hey, you asshole, get off of me!”

“no, tommy! enough is enough! you’re not leaving until you hear me out!”

“no, i don’t want to talk to you!”

“too bad because i’m not moving until you hear what i have to say! i don’t want us to keep avoiding each other like this.”

he went silent and thought about it for a moment, an angry and skeptical look on his face. “…fine. get it over with.”

you took a deep breath.

“tommy, you’re my little brother, and i love you. i’ll always love you, even when you hate me. just know that i never meant to hurt you or make you angry. however… you can’t tell me how to live my life, or who i can be with. i want to be with wilbur. i can’t help it, tommy, i love him. you can be happy for me or not, that’s your choice. but what isn’t your choice, is who i love.”

by the end of your speech, your voice was shaking and your eyes were watery. you got off of tommy and helped him sit up.

his face softened. “you… you love him?”

your tears ran down your cheeks. you nodded. “i do.”

tommy sighed before pulling you into a hug. it was rare for him to show affection, especially to you, but after everything that happened between the two of you, he felt it was important.

“i love you, y/n. you’re my sister, i could never hate you. i’m happy for you. but just know, best mate or not, i’ll castrate him if he makes you sad.”

you laughed, wiping away your tears.

“i should… probably speak with wilbur, yeah?”

you nodded. tommy stood and went back to his room. you followed not long after, and even though you knew it was frowned upon, you stopped to listen at his door.

“tommy, thank god you’re speaking to me. listen, man, i–”

“do you love her, wilbur?”

“what?”

“my sister. do you love her?”

“i– yeah. yeah, i do.”

“good. listen, all i want is for y/n to be happy. meaning if you make her cry, i’ll murder you.”

wilbur chuckled on the other line, making you smile.

“you won’t have to worry about that. i promise you i’ll take care of her.”

“just don’t make my sister cry and don’t be gross in front of me, alright big man?”

“you’ve got yourself a deal, tommyinnit.”

you smiled again before heading off in the direction of your room.

[stevelvbot]

the 1 (robin buckley x nancy wheeler)

pairing : robin buckley x nancy wheeler

summary : nancy isn't displeased with her life by any means, she has what she always thought she would , a husband, kids, a job at the newspaper. but when she closes her eyes at night she pictures what might've happened if she had been honest with herself, if she had been honest with her, and it would've been fun if she would've been the 1.

word count : 884 words

warnings : implied nancy x male character, post ST4 + 10 years in the future, fluff, slight angst if you squint, bi!nancy , ronance pairing (duh), told from Nancy's POV (kinda)

author's note : my first stranger things fic and the first in my taylor swift folklore x stranger things series ! i'm open to constructive criticism but no hate please !! very short 😵‍💫

People all grow up eventually. They move to new towns, they find new jobs, they meet their partners and they have kids. everything changes, summers fade into fall, high school fades into college fades into life fades into nothing. The same can be said for the kids of Hawkins, no more monsters, nothing keeping their dysfunctional family together. Nancy was no exception, she finally got to live out her dream. She had the perfect picket fence life. She worked as an investigative journalist at the Fort Wayne Post, she had a husband who loved her, and she had 3 kids that made her smile and laugh on even the hardest days

Everyone, including Nancy herself, would say her life was perfect. What more could she ask for ? She’s never spent even a moment wanting to change anything about her life. But, she always had lingering what-ifs clouding her dreams. What if she never left Hawkins? What if she let her guard down ? What if she had just told her how she felt instead of being too afraid? Nancy didn't need to wait long for answers because as soon as her head hit the pillow there she was, Robin, as beautiful as ever. Her curls fell down on her face as she smiled.

Every dream started the same, Nancy was back in Hawkins, back in her senior year, back with all her friends, back with Robin. They were all sitting around Steve’s house watching some awful movie he had picked out from Family Video, just like they did every weekend before college began. And just like every weekend before that, Robin was telling Steve how idiotic she found this movie to be. Nancy didn't realize then but she knows now how she held onto every single word Robin said, everything else felt like background noise. But the way her nose crinkled up when she called Steve a “dingus”, and the way her hair bounced when she laughed as Steve tried to defend himself. It made Nancy’s heart flutter.

Then the dream shifted, it was just her and Robin out on Lovers Lake. Nancy knew she was leaving for college soon, she’d be leaving Hawkins, leaving Robin, she knew if she didn’t tell Robin how she felt now she would never express her true feelings. The sun was beginning to set and Robin interrupted Nancy’s thoughts with a light, “hey, everything alright?” and when Nancy looked up at her she knew she wasn't. Nothing was alright, but when she was with Robin somehow everything fell into place. That's when she decided to kiss her. And just like every night before, Nancy woke up.

Reality rushed in around her and she felt this gaping hole in her heart. Even with her husband and kids around her she felt this overwhelming sense of loneliness trickle in, but before she could let it set in, her phone rang. The newspaper was calling, so with feelings shoved aside she answered. Her boss had given her a new assignment, to write an article on the death of small town as everyone began moving to bigger cities, and she knew exactly which small town she was going to.

A few hours and several cassettes later, she was there. Hawkins. She saw a flash of curly hair at the bus stop, and for a moment felt her heart race, but it wasn’t Robin, just a random girl trying to get to work. As she walked along the streets taking note of what business had closed she saw her. She thought her heart was about to leap out of her chest when it happened. There she was with the same tendrils in front of her eyes and the same creases in her cheeks from smiling. Nancy was ready to turn around and run back to her car and leave. But then she heard a voice screaming “Nancy?”. She whipped around and smiled “Robin!” and before she could take a step Robin was rushing up to her and embracing her in an intoxicating hug and for a moment Nancy felt like she was back in her dreams.

That's how they ended up at the coffee shop. Never in a million years did Nancy think she'd be getting coffee with Robin Buckley after all these years. It just couldn't be possible, even in her dreams they'd never done anything like this. As they caught up Nancy resisted the urge to just blurt out how she felt about Robin all those years ago, to ask if Robin felt the same, if maybe things would've been completely different if Nancy had just owned up to her feelings. But sitting there as Robin gushed over her wife, and explained how utterly happy she was, Nancy realized she couldn't. Digging up the past would do nothing but cause confusion and she would never want to hurt Robin, all she wanted was for her to be happy. At least that's what she told herself, the truth was she was terrified of the answer.

So Nancy never asked, and she and Robin parted ways with promises to meet again soon. Nancy chuckled to herself thinking, ‘you have no idea’. And as Nancy tucked herself into bed that night she whispered to herself “it would've even fun, if you would've been the one”

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

My Star 2 episodes 7-8: both confirmation and plot twists abound

Short summary:

Me: I want to know what is really going on in Jiwoo’s head

Show: here ya go

Me: thanks I hate it

So. I’m looking back at all of my early theories and have concluded that this director is a damn genius.

Because (as some people pointed out already) we are positioned in the role of the friends, the villagers, people with imperfect knowledge who are drawn to take sides in a confused rush to fix things or Figure It Out. And these two episodes really drummed down on that.

The breakup: I theorized that Jiwoo didn’t just break up with Seojoon because he felt lonely, and I was both right and very wrong in that assumption. It wasn’t JUST his loneliness, some sense of dissatisfaction—he was dealing very quietly with some intense self-loathing and lingering feelings of unworthiness. Imagine being that angsty little turtle and then someone so bright, so dazzling thinks you are amazing—it’s both wonderful and awful, because Jiwoo thinks himself a burden to Seojoon, something holding him back, and that’s why it’s so important we get the other perspective here. Because when we see Seojoon turning down his friends’ party in his honor without regret to go home to Jiwoo (we are vaguely aware someone is filming a live show of it) it’s sweet devotion and care. But when we see that video from Jiwoo’s perspective, it’s the straw breaking the camel’s back, the reason he thinks he needs to leave. So while there was something that happened between preparing the cake and his leaving, it wasn’t something external—it was internal.

Jiwoo’s mental health: Other people have already posted well-thought-out studies on depression and self-loathing in the show. In regards to his treatment of Seojoon, I can only speak from experience to say that the thing about depression is, even if you have struggled with depression for years, you can still miss or misinterpret signs of it in other people, you can still miss how they are feeling. You can get so caught up in what’s in your head, it warps how you see your relationships with other people. We’ve been talking about how great Seojoon has been—and that really drives home that being in a relationship, even with someone incredible who you love, cannot fix you.

The scandal/ The revelations about his parents and the village scam scandal just gives Jiwoo more reasons in his head—as Yoon Seul points out—to think Seojoon is better off without him. He looks absolutely crushed to see the online hate against Seojoon starting, he has to think that’s because of him. Jiwoo really didn’t want to hurt Seojoon in the long run—he thought by driving him away again and again, he was doing them both a favor. It’s not the big reveal of Evil Scheming that I was kind of expecting, but tbh the first season set us up for that belief (well played again, Hwang Da-Seul).

The breakup’s effect: And the thing is, I have to agree with what is being said: no, this does not excuse Jiwoo’s treatment of Seojoon. It explains it, but does not excuse it. Nor is it meant to excuse it—I’ve worried and hurt multiple loved ones during my low periods without intending harm, and coming to terms with that is really not about getting forgiveness from the other party. Apologizing is important, yes, and I believe Jiwoo still should acknowledge his actions affected other people, but he needs to forgive himself. He needs to work on himself. He needs to do that for himself, not because of anyone else. Seojoon can forgive him or not (let’s be honest, he already kinda has without even knowing everything).

My ideal ending for this: they are both in therapy. IF IT IS GOOD FOR BOTH OF THEM, they have little coffee shop meetups—they aren’t calling it dates, not yet. There’s no pressure or expectation. Just honest conversations with each other. Maybe holding hands, maybe discussing a future together where they take care of each other AND themselves. Maybe just sitting together and healing. The point the show is trying to make is that this isn’t about romance at all costs—it’s about taking care of yourself, not necessarily so you can be with someone properly but so you can love yourself, because you deserve love.

Regardless of how this ends, I want to shoutout the director again—I can’t think of many other shows that tackle mental illness and breakups so honestly, and certainly not with this care. My only complaint at all is that everything before this got dragged out for 6 episodes of pain and lack of resolution, when after 4ish I think I got the picture there—but it also shows that feelings are messy and people, no matter how close they are to us, don’t just know how we are feeling (love Sung Yoon’s point there).

[spicyicymeloncat]

Rewriting Ninjago s11 part 3

Ice chapter episodes 16-23

Okay first of all I think I’m retconning the whole over hype of the never realm being the worst realm ever because like in actuality, there’s still the realm of dragons and Oni, and like the realm of the departed. Sorry a few icicles don’t hold a candle to the realms of devils and eldritch horrors respectively. Instead Wu tells us that his father said it was horrible, yes but mostly lonely, hoping that Wu would never have to go there. Instead of being just horrible, we’ll place a little more emphasis on the sadness, the point of no return (I mean ig this still works as canon, I just wanna emphasise it).

16 The never realm

The ninja enter the same as the show, Cole losing the tea leaves and the bounty falling. Apart the bounty falls into a large body of water and sinks. Before that water immediately freezes over. Huh. An important thing to note is that when they find the frozen village, the corrupted ice is strange. It actually works kinda like the mirror in the explorer’s club, showing someone their fears or at least a terrible vision. As well as this, it’s still corrupting and spreading, nearly freezing one of the ninja’s hands off when they tried to touch it. The ice doesn’t seem to affect Lloyd as much though, due to his dragon/Oni heritage. The ice continues to spread outwards as if it came from a source within the trees and it turns out the ice wolves prowl around the outskirts, notably not nearing the edge of the ice. Wolves they can outrun, untouchable ice floor they cannot. So they flee until they find the tribe of Ice fishers, a lonesome yet lively village of fishers who make do and scrape by with what they’ve got. They meet Sorla who showed them to the hearth fire which she explained was the source of life and joy in the village. She explains that the ice of the never realm reflect many things, the dark fears within people’s hearts, the loneliness that lingers in the snow, but that with a little hope, the hearth fire can answer much needed questions. They use the fire to find Zane, but they only see the Castle of Ice, filled with ice samurai. The same scene plays out but I’d like to note that I want to change Vex’s design, because I have a different idea for how that character concept should be used. Idk what I’d change it to, maybe remove his icicle moustache lol (Ik it’s iconic but it wouldn’t make sense later, we can give it to someone else I promise). Meanwhile, Vex, spying, tells the ice emperor that strangers have arrived. Vex starts to say “maybe-” before the I.E waves his hand, and with hesitation, Vex turns around and orders the ice samurai to March. We get a shot of the ice emperor’s face and end episode. So yeah sorry vex enjoyers (if there are any), but I’m uprooting and yeeting the canon vex out of the show lol.

17 Fire maker

This episode Kai learns how to play support. It starts off the same but when Kai asks about lighting a new hearth fire, the people tell him that no other fire could be lit, it was lit by a strange man a long time ago (it’s the fsm but the theorists can figure this one out) and that this fire is their only hope. When Kai tells Sorla about how he wishes he could’ve used his elemental fire to make more fire, she says “it’s not about burning bright, but saving firewood for when it matters”. Kai doesn’t understand but oh well. They have to defend from the ice samurai, nothing new, the ice samurai snuff the fire. Everyone is sad, because that fire was their only hope. perhaps the corrupted ice starts to creep in and Kai sees he’s reflection, a sad lonely Kai, who failed to protect everyone. Then Kai gets up and points out how they’ve always been cheerful before, that they’ve braved the harshest winter without falter and that their hope was in each other. And he’s not gonna let some ice tell him he has to feel sad or scared with out his powers, because it only limits him. Even if he has to try everyday in every how, he’ll light that fire. Everyone gets inspired, because they’re in it together and even if it’s hard they’re gonna hope and try, so they all get fire wood, and then Kai tries, fully tries. And the wood starts to spark. Even if it’s a small spark it catches, and they have fire, and Kai is named fire maker. And fire means hope, which Kai made for them and himself. (I just thought this ep could’ve been more emotional and less “your elemental powers are still there lol”)

18 An unlikely ally

It starts the same with Nya and Jay moving snow, however Cole is kinda distant/distracted but he does start to run on about how Nya could have just used her powers, Nya throws the snow ball. Would like to point out that Jay tries to ease the tension (I’m gonna do something with him I swear). Then they go over to Kai who’s living the good life and Nya gets more upset. Sorla tells her that’s she’s more than just her elemental powers, that as a person, she’s enough, no one is asking her to be the water AND ice elemental. Nya responds by saying “but the ice elemental isn’t here”. Then Lloyd shows up and firstly tries to comfort her “you’re not useless!” And secondly he tells her that he’s going to launch a sneak attack on the Ice Emperor. As the only one immune to the corrupted ice which has frozen over a sea surrounding the ice castle (Note: yes in this rewrite, Zane is on an island in the middle of an albeit frozen ocean, as a homage to his father’s lighthouse >:) ), he’s the most logical choice. (Nya tells Lloyd that he sounds like Zane and that he should be careful not to end up like him. Lloyd “what? Being saved by the bravest ninja doesn’t sound too bad an ending does it?”. Later that day he leaves. The journey happens the same, although there is no Vex and the prisoner scene (there’s no prisoner in this rewrite). Red the wolf saves Lloyd from the ice wolves and we’re not doing the samurai in mala-wojira, instead we are just merging those scenes for time (so Lloyd shouts wojira at the wolves who then get buried before proofing into nothing), because instead, the second fight of the episode is between Lloyd and the reflection he sees in the ice, Garmadon, who taunts him being alone, thinking he could make it without his friends, and it starts to get to him before Red says stfu and bites IceReflection!Garms. Lloyd then realises he does have a friend and they continue on their merry way until they see the Titan Mech.

19 The absolute Worst

…is the absolute best episode I’m not changing anything

20 The message(//secret of the wolf)

So I’m merging these two episodes together, and switching the ep order around so the last of the formlings happens before the travellers tree and Krag’s lament and secret of the wolf does not exist. It’s basically the message but instead of the bird, its the ice dragon, Lloyd finds the message and akita is revealed. Idk how exactly it fits together, all ik is that the bird and the ice behemoth fights are so freaking unnecessary. I’m aware squeezing two eps in one might frick with the pacing but would you rather watch Lloyd get eaten by a bird or watch Zane angst? Also lloyd takes Zane’s recording with him, idk he puts the hard drive into his hand held device. Which I’ve decided, had a strap. Which the ice dragon snags, trying to drag Lloyd in the air before Lloyd let’s go. Now the Zane recording is in a hand held device on a strap wrapped around the ice dragon as it flies away.

21 The last of the formlings (formally the travellers tree)

So Akita explains her tragic backstory tm.

She says that the never realm has always been harsh, coated in ice that only reflects despair, but the formlings have a secret grove, beautiful and peaceful. She explains that she and Kataru were to get their animal forms. Akita was worried she wouldn’t achieve hers whilst Kataru confidently proclaimed his predictions. Vex does not storm the ceremony, everything is as planned. The problem is, after the ceremony, Akita fails to reunite with her brother, and spends days looking for him, calling his name and finding no response until one night, when that response found her. The ice emperor appeared, saying something about the only the only way to save everyone was to numb away their pain. He started freezing the village. Then Akita was attacked by his henchman, Vex. She cried “who are you! What are you doing to my village” to Vex who responded “letting it have the fate that befell your brother”. Vex pushed her to the ground. “The ice consumed him, as it will to this village! And you too if you do not hurry now”. And with that Akita fled. The anime flash back stops and Akita tells Lloyd that that was when she found out that the I.E took her brother. Lloyd consoles her says that they’re after the same goal. Which Akita points out that Lloyd wants to save his friend whilst Akita wants revenge. Lloyd expresses his worry as he knew plenty of people who let their life become ruined due to vengeance, but Akita tells him that they took her home her family and her life is already ruined. (Is this too edgy idk??)

22 The traveler’s tree

This ep can be basically the same.

23 Krag’s lament

This ep is also basically the same. There’s a bunch of little memorials or something that indicate that there used to be more krags (but not burial mounds because their bodies aren’t here), and Cole goes back to Krag and asks him where they went, to which Krag doesn’t know. Krag doesn’t want to leave the safety of the mountain out of fear but Cole encourages him to not live in fear anymore. They go all the way to the travellers tree where they find another memorial but not one made by Krag. Although it has ninjargon script on it, Cole tells us that it says “until spring”, and he is briefly confused. Also to their disappointment, the travellers tree hasn’t flowered due to the cold. Nya and Jay (Jay complaining about everyone splitting up) walk up, meet them, are briefly startled by Krag before they all decide to head out back to village as they see the ice dragon head towards there

Links:

Part 1 (intro)

Part 2 (fire chapter)

Part 3 (ice chapter episodes 16-23): here!

Part 4 (ice chapter episodes 24-30)

Part 5 (outro)

Bonus art!

Never trust a human episode cover

Ice chapter all banners