#i will probably be spending most of my time there as he's an easier muse for me to write

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

Just Let Me Adore You Pt. 1

Pairing: Stucky x Reader

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: none here, we've just begun

Genre: mostly fluff ig

Summary: You’ve been dating your boyfriend, Bruce, for 3 absolutely blissful years. He’s a scientist and professor who is as smart as he is kind and if anyone asked, you were sure you’d spend the rest of your life with him. That is until two mysteriously charming men that Bruce swears are dangerous take an interest in you that threatens to turn your entire life upside down. I mean… what exactly are you supposed to do with two gorgeous men telling you something that suggests that basically everything you think you know is a lie? And why does part of you have enough doubt to wonder if they might be telling the truth?

Series Masterlist

***

It's a beautiful afternoon as you're wrapping up your shift at the cute little cafe/bookstore you work at.

"See ya later y/n!" Your coworker, a kid named Peter calls after you when you leave.

"See you! Have a good shift!" You wave at him with a smile. Peter's 18 and has only been working at the store for a couple of weeks, so far he's doing pretty well. Most of his shifts are in conjunction with yours and today's one of the first times he'll be working with some of the others. You trained him well so you know he'll be fine but it's kinda like leaving your kid somewhere for the first time. Your walk home is nice, late spring bringing warmer temperatures that aren't yet sweaty which you take advantage of. When you walk into your shared apartment, you find your boyfriend of three years sitting at your kitchen counter. Your boyfriend Bruce is a professor and researcher, and you moved in together almost a year ago.

"Hey y/n." He calls over his shoulder, papers scattered around him and his laptop.

"Hi Brucey. You done with lectures for the day?" You ask draping your arms over his shoulders and kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, I cancelled my second lecture for the day- they've got an exam next class." Bruce tells you.

"Ah I see. So how was your first lecture?"

"It was fine, it was my psych class and we ended up having some very interesting discussions. How was your day? You still training that guy?"

"You mean Peter right? His training is pretty much done, actually today he's working a different shift than me."

"Well how's it going for him?"

"I think he's doing alright honestly. He's a little nervous sometimes but it's kinda cute." You giggle.

"Cute, huh?"

"Yeah, the kid's a ball of nervous energy actually. Sometimes he talks like he's had too many espresso shots and it's so fast he's almost unintelligible but apparently he doesn't even drink coffee, which, I think might be for the best. It's so interesting though, I don't know many teenage boys who display energy that way." You hum.

"Maybe he's got anxiety or something."

"Hm, I hadn't considered that. He probably does." You muse grabbing a bottle of water from your fridge. "Well that's the uni update, anything interesting going on in the research area for you?"

"Oh, yeah we've got a vampire coming to the lab tomorrow actually."

"I'm not sure if I like that honestly." You hum.

"Not to worry sweetheart, it's safe. I won't even be alone with him." Bruce says.

"Right of course, not alone just- with others that are part of a vampire's diet."

"You know not all vampires feed on humans."

"What's the alternative? Animals?"

"Yes, exactly." He nods.

"And the vampire you're studying tomorrow eats animals?"

"Correct."

"And you're sure about that?" You ask.

"Well we're studying him because he's animal fed so I sure hope he is."

"Have you ever studied vampires that do eat humans?"

"Yes, back when I was a research assistant. Honestly, the hardest part about studying vampires is hunting them. Once they're caught you can sedate them and that makes it much easier."

"You hunted them?"

"I mean vampires aren't exactly jumping in line to volunteer for this kind of thing you know." Bruce shrugs.

"So this animal-fed vampire, did he volunteer?"

"Yes he did. I don't really run tests on unwilling participants these days. It's unethical."

"I know that. Sounds like your old research boss didn't feel the same." You say.

"Well, that group of researchers mostly tagged creatures to study their patterns in nature. They weren't so much running tests but it's a bit hard to tag a vampire that's trying to rip your heart out so-" Bruce shrugs.

"Alright well I'll take your word on of yours this vampire tomorrow. Be careful." You say.

"Always darling." He winks at you. In all honesty, you try not to ask too many questions about your boyfriend's research of supernatural creatures. He swears to you it's all ethical but you're not sure how well it sits with you. You've been to the lab once and the asylum-like observational rooms you saw were offputting. Stark white walls and a small bed in an otherwise empty room doesn't seem very morally sound to you despite what Bruce tells you. Granted the observational cells were empty when you visited so you can only hope nobody's been in there against their will.

"Y/n!" Bruce pulls you from your thoughts and your head snaps to his confused face.

"Sorry, I- spaced, did you say something?" You ask.

"I said I was thinking we'd order something for dinner, does that sound okay?" Bruce chuckles.  You want so badly to trust that his work is virtuous because that's what he tells you.

"Yeah that's fine with me. Did you want Chinese or Thai or there's that Italian place too, maybe pizza?" You list off some options, shaking the uncertainty from your mind. They say ignorance is bliss.

"Do you have a preference?" He asks.

"Let's do Chinese."

"Sounds good. I'll finish grading these assignments and then order in a couple hours." Bruce says.

"Yeah that's fine." You nod giving Bruce a quick kiss and leaving him to his papers. With the few hours you have to spare until dinner, you crack open your latest read, a book recommended to you by a coworker that you've been meaning to start for a while. Eventually, Bruce orders dinner and gets your attention once the food arrives. Your night is pretty relaxed, you eat and chat while watching TV together for a while before you turn in for the night. You and Bruce do have different rooms because it's important to have your own space, but most nights you sleep together in his room. You'd consider your life pretty ordinary. You have routines and habits and while you have lots of fun experiences, you'd say most of your life is very much average.

~*~*~

The tinkling of the bell over the door doesn't pull your attention from the magazine you're reading but you do greet the customer since you're at the register by the door.

"Hi welcome in!" You say with mild cheeriness.

"Hiiii y/n!" The sing-song greeting comes from your best friend and you look up when you realize.

"Wanda! Hey love." You smile at her.

"Hi! Hi Peter!" She waves at Peter, who's learning how to work the coffee bar today.

"Oh. Hi miss Wanda!" He says with a shy wave.

"I've told you sweetie you don't have to call me miss." Wanda chuckles.

"Sorry." He mutters.

"What a cutie." Wanda hums.

"Isn't he?" You agree quietly. "Anyway, what brings you here babes?" You ask.

"Is your shift almost over? I wanted to hang out today."

"Well I'm supposed to be out of here in the next half hour or so but of course, I've gotta wait for Matt or Layla to come in before I can actually leave." You shrug.

"Peter! How good are you at that coffee bar?" Wanda calls across the store.

"Uh- I- I'm alright I think." Peter says.

"Wanna try making me a vanilla latte?" She asks.

"Well I- I can try."

"Confidence honey, you've got the recipes, you can do this. Don't act like the coffee bar's gonna bite ya!" You tell him.

"Right! Confidence. Vanilla latte coming up." Peter nods grabbing items to make Wanda's drink.

"And if you have any questions I'm right here!" You call.

"I'll wait for your shift to end and then can we do something together?" Wanda asks you.

"Of course we can." You nod.

"Done!" Peter says after a few minutes. Wanda takes the coffee from Peter and drops a five on the counter for him before sitting at a table with her drink and a magazine.

"This is pretty good for how unsure you were Peter." Wanda tells him.

"Good job Petey! I told you, you got it." You smile at him and again he hits you both with a shy smile.

"Thanks." He says quietly. A few customers come in and leave before Eric arrives and you clock out, leaving arm in arm with Wanda. She seems to have a destination in mind as you walk together.

"So where are we going lovely?" You ask her after a few minutes of her dragging you down city streets.

"Well I have a date tonight and I need something to wear, so the mall." She tells you.

"A date? You have a date? Why didn't you mention this before now?!" You blink at her.

"Honestly I forgot about it until I realized it was tonight." She shrugs.

"You forgot about it? Are you even interested in this person?" You laugh incredulously.

"I am! He's very sweet, I just have been busy with other things this week."

"Alright well let's get you something to wear for this second thought date." You snort.

"It wasn't a second thought. It's just that I can only prioritize like three things at a time."

"Seriously? You can lift a plane with your mind but can't remember your date until the day of?" You scoff. Wanda's a witch. It's the only real secret you keep from Bruce. She's not totally comfortable with him knowing that information and since it's her life you have no problem supporting that decision. To tell the truth, she's not very comfortable with him in general because of the whole research thing but he makes you happy so she gets along well enough for your sake.

"I didn't forget forget I was just, you know, too busy to think about it."

"Yeah sure whatever." You laugh as she pulls you into a store near the mall's entrance. "So how do you know this date of yours? Friend of a friend? Someone from work? A dating app? One of Pietro's friends?"

"He's a friend of a coworker." She tells you.

"A friend of a coworker? Is this a blind date?"

"No. He came to a work function and I had a nice enough time talking to him there that when he asked me on a date I said yes."

"It sounds like your coworker was setting you up and just played the long game." You chuckle.

"Hang on I'd like to circle back to your suggestion that it would be one of Pietro's friends. Why would I ever do that?!" She looks at you over a clothing rack.

"Oh come on Pietro's adorable." You laugh.

"This is about his friends, not him."

"Yeah I know but I'm of the belief that hot people hang with hot people so naturally-"

"Yeah that's not. No."

"Why? Is it the fact that the halfling has mostly vampire friends? I know you have ethical reservations about the whole blood sucking thing despite being raised by a vampire." You ask as the two of you leave the store you're in. Wanda and Pietro are twins but apparently since their father is a vampire and their mother is a witch one twin got each supernatural gene, making Pietro a vampire halfling.

"Most of Pietro's friends hunt animals so no it's not that." She rolls her eyes.

"Wait they hunt animals?" You blink.

"Yeah? So does Pietro, you know that."

"I know he does but I guess I didn't think about his friends- I think one of them might be volunteering for Bruce."

"What?" Wanda's eyes widen.

"A couple of weeks ago Bruce told me a vampire was going to the lab and they were going to study him because he's animal fed and well, considering we live in New York and not Idaho I can't imagine there's a large population of animal diet vampires." You explain.

"What if he finds out about Pietro? About me?" Wanda gasps as the two of you enter another store.

"He won't. Even if this guy knows Pietro why would he put another person on Bruce's watchlist that didn't ask to be there? His loyalty should be to other vampires not to a bunch of researchers." You say quietly. The shop you're in is empty besides the employees and while supernatural creatures aren't a secret, some people are more reserved when it comes to them.

"Some of them don't accept Pietro because of our parentage. He could rat him out on purpose for-"

"Bruce isn't going to go hunting people down, I've mentioned Pietro like once so he might not even know you're related, it's not like Pietro would rat on you, and if Bruce does find out that you're twins well, you aren't a vampire. I'll simply tell him that twins of a vampire and a nonvampire split the gene, and only one gets it. Plus it's been a couple of weeks since this happened, if the vampire had mentioned Pietro or Bruce had any suspicions about you, he'd have given himself away by now. He's not going to find out you're a witch. He's not going to find out Pietro is a halfling. Your secrets are safe."

"Man I hope so." She sighs.

"Yeah well I know so." You tell her.  The two of you flip through racks of clothes for a while, pulling different items for Wanda to try on in the dressing room. "So where are you going with this guy?" You ask her when you finally reach the dressing rooms at the back.

"Dinner! Maybe something else after but we're starting with dinner." Wanda says through the door as she tries on the first dress she picked.

"Hm, what's his name?"

"Wes."

"Wes? Is it short for Wesley or- is that the whole name?"

"It's short for Wesley." She pushes back the dressing room curtain to show you the dress. "What do you think?"

"That's cute. Although maybe not right for a first date." You say. It's a short dark blue dress with lace trimming and as much as you like it, it's not a dinner date outfit.

"Yeah- maybe you're right." She looks at herself in the mirror for a moment and then closes the curtain.

"Hm, Wesley? That's not the worst name in the world." You hum.

"Y/n!" Wanda laughs.

"Look! I'm not trying to be mean, but you know, some names just don't... roll off the tongue the right way ya know." You shrug even though she can't see you.

"Now why would you say that?" She tries to scold you but you can hear her hiding her laughter before she shoves back the curtain again. "This one?" She asks. This dress is a green off-the-shoulder pick with bell sleeves.

"I think it's the wrong shade of green for you honestly." You tell her.

"Ya think so?" She hums and closes the curtain again.

"Anyway, I said it because it's true. Like I'm not saying you're going to fuck this guy or anything but imagine trying to moan a name like Bartholomew or Yolanda. Ya know? Wes or even Wesley you could probably get away with though."

"Don't be crude! I don't think anyone born in the last century is named Bartholomew but- I guess I get your point." Wanda chuckles.

"Also it's cute that your names are alliterative. Wanda and Wesley. You'll have to come up with some cute introduction when you meet people as a couple."

"It is one date. You are for sure skipping ahead." Wanda pulls back the curtain in a new dress, pointing an accusing finger at you. This one is a two-toned red and black dress.

"I mean if you think about it now you're ready for if the time comes." You shrug.

"You and your ability to romanticize things." She shakes her head. "Thoughts on this one?"

"Life is better when you romanticize things. Honestly, I think this is your dress. You should get this one. It's gorgeous on you. If he's not speechless when he sees you, leave." You tell her.

"That's dramatic." She laughs.

"It's in my nature." You shrug.

"It is a nice dress though. Should I bother trying the others?" She asks as she closes the curtain again to change back into her clothes.

"I mean if you want to but I'm pretty much sold on this one." You say.

"Excuse me." You hear a voice behind you that causes you to spin around. A sales associate for the store you're in is smiling at you when you do.

"Hi! Can I help you?" You ask.

"This is for you." She says holding out a shopping bag with the store's logo on it. Your hands fly up as if you're surrendering.

"I- didn't purchase anything so that cannot be right." You shake your head.

"Actually the items were purchased for you by someone. It's a gift."

"A gift from whom?" You frown in confusion.

"They've asked to remain anonymous."

"That- sounds increasingly suspicious. Um can you, hold the bag open for me?" You ask her.

"Excuse me?" Now she's confused.

"I am not touching that bag if I don't know what's inside it. So, if you could just open it so I can look inside?" You explain. "Wanda! You almost done in there?" You call as the associate opens the bag. Wanda rushes out of the dressing room when she hears your voice.

"Everything okay?" She asks you.

"Somebody has anonymously gifted me some items apparently." You share a look at her before looking into the bag to find a dress, a jacket, and a jewelry set each that you'd commented on while shopping with Wanda. You spin around to face Wanda almost too fast. "Holy shit it's all stuff I said I liked while we were shopping." You speak quickly and quietly to her.

"What?"

"It's the dress and the jacket that I put down right before we came to the dressing room." You hiss.

"Woah." Wanda blinks. You turn back to the associate.

"Did they pay with a card? Can you refund this person somehow? I can't just take this gift from a stranger." You tell her.

"All of the items they bought are final sale so unfortunately, a refund would not be possible, plus they paid in cash."

"So- there's really nothing I can do but take this?"

"I mean if you don't take it I'll simply sell them again. It'd be unfortunate for the purchaser." The associate tells you. You look at Wanda again.

"This is like a $200 purchase what the fuck?" You whisper to Wanda.

"Then I guess you should take it." Wanda whispers back. You mull it over in your head for a moment before turning back to face the associate.

"Alright fine. Thank you." You take the bag from the associate with a small smile. "If the, anonymous gifter returns please inform them that I appreciate the gesture but not to do it again because this is very weird." You tell her.

"I will pass on the message." She nods and walks away.

"I cannot believe you've got a secret admirer." Wanda loops her arm through yours and pulls you towards the counter with her chosen dress in hand.

"This is absolutely ridiculous. What do I tell Bruce?" You frown.

"The truth. That a stranger bought them and you have no idea who it is." She shrugs. The two of you check out and leave the store and subsequently the mall, Wanda deciding she has enough shoes to choose from at home. "Do you have any idea who it might be?"

"No. I only talk to like 5 people and none of them are spending $200 on items I only mentioned liking while we were just shopping."

"Even Bruce?"

"If Bruce did it, he wouldn't keep it a secret. So I know it's not him." You tell her.

"Well, you'll have to tell me how he reacts. I'm going to head home so I can prep for this date. I'll call you later." Wanda says hugging you tightly.

"Have fun babes." You kiss her cheek and then part ways, heading back to your apartment. When you unlock the door and kick off your shoes, the smell of food welcomes you so you head to the kitchen.

"Hi Bruce!" You say wrapping your arm around him from behind.

"Hi babe, welcome home. Work a longer shift at work or something?" Bruce asks.

"No Wanda came to my job and we went shopping once I got off. She's got a date tonight!" You tell him and Bruce turns enough to see the shopping bag sitting on the counter.

"I see you got some things too. What's in the bag?" Bruce asks.

"A dress, a jacket, and some jewelry."

"Impromptu mini shopping spree?" Bruce chuckles.

"Well I didn't buy any of that stuff actually." You shrug. Bruce frowns at you for a moment before turning back to whatever he's cooking. A past dish from the looks of it.

"Honey I know we don't really keep secrets from each other but if you're going to commit a crime-"

"I didn't steal them. Why is your first thought that I stole?" You chuckle.

"You said you didn't buy them."

"Yeah I didn't. They were gifted to me while I was shopping."

"What?"

"Someone bought these things and had a sales associate bring them to me."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? You didn't ask any questions?"

"I asked like a dozen questions, including if she could refund whoever it was that did this and she said no. She also told me whoever it was asked to remain anonymous, what was I supposed to do? Force the information out of her? She probably doesn't know who it is either."

"What if he was watching you? You accepted the gift he might think he has an in with you."

"How do you know that this person has any intention of doing that?"

"Can you think of any other reason that they'd spend hundreds on stuff for you? This is basically a secret admirer stunt y/n."

"Look I told the sales lady to let whoever it was know that this was incredibly inappropriate but it's too late to do anything else. Even if they're stalking me I have no idea who they are so, what do you want from me here?" You cross your arms.

"I don't mean to snap at you I'm just worried about your safety." Bruce pulls you to his chest.

"Yeah, I get that, but it sounds like you're blaming me for receiving an anonymous gift." You mutter.

"I'm not trying to blame you I promise. This is just weird and it concerns me."

"Honestly as weird as this situation is I dunno I just don't hear the alarm bells I usually notice before something goes wrong. Of course it's only one incident, things could escalate."

"Well, even if you don't feel alarmed by this, be careful anyway." Bruce kisses the top of your head.

"Always." You wink at him. The rest of your evening is quiet, you discuss work over dinner and watch TV before eventually getting ready for bed.

~*~*~

You hum along to the music playing in the store as you restock some items by the register, it's pretty slow around this time in the afternoon usually so you've got Peter in the back learning inventory stuff.

"Hi welcome in!" You call over your shoulder instinctively when the bell by the door goes off.

"Hey, excuse me." You turn around at the voice to see two men looking at you, one Black and one white.

"Hi! Is there something I can help you with?" You smile.

"Actually we're looking for someone. An employee, Peter Parker. Is he here?" The Black man asks you.

"Mind telling me what this is about?" You ask keeping a polite smile on your face although their question concerns you.

"Excuse me?" He blinks at you.

"Well Peter's a kid so I hope you can understand my reservations in disclosing information about him to men who haven't identified themselves or their relationship to him, and seemingly don't know his schedule which to me means he does not want you popping up at his place of employment unexpectedly." You cross your arms and the one who hasn't spoken quirks an eyebrow at you.

"Look is the kid here or not?"

"I'm not authorized to give out information you don't already have about anyone who may or may not work here." You tell them.

"This is ridiculous- Parker! It's Wilson and Barton come up here." The Black man calls loudly. You spin around and intercept Peter when you hear his footfalls behind you.

"Peter do you know these men?" You ask quietly. He looks over your shoulder.

"Yeah they're friends. I'm sorry if they're causing you trouble." Peter tells you nervously.

"They aren't causing me trouble but they're looking for you and I wanna make sure you aren't in any danger."

"No. No danger. It's alright, they're alright. Is it cool if I step out with them for a moment?"

"It's empty so fine but you probably shouldn't do this often."

"I swear this won't happen again."

"Go, make it quick." You wave towards the door and he leads the two men out of the store.

"She seems protective of you." Clint points out.

"She's real nice, it's kinda like having an older sister at work but that's besides the point you guys cannot just show up here while I'm working!" Peter tells them.

"That's cute, and relax you're just a cover, we were told to check on her." Sam says.

"She's wearing the jacket." Clint mutters.

"She's wearing the jacket! Did she mention anything to you Parker?" Sam looks from you to Peter.

"About her jacket? No? Why should she?" Peter frowns.

"No reason. The fact that she's wearing it bodes well for them I think." Sam says.

"Bodes well for who? Wait did they buy her that jacket?! She's been in a relationship for like three years!"

"Relax kid leave this to the adults." Sam nudges him.

"They can't just poach someone's girlfriend."

"No one's poaching anyone don't worry about it, Peter. Oh, but they do wanna see you after you get off so- head to the offices when your shift is over." Clint claps Peter on the back and then he and Sam leave.

"Sorry about that." Peter says as he rushes back in.

"Everything alright?" You ask.

"Yeah! Totally fine, I'm gonna go finish learning inventory."

"Holler if you need anything." You hum. You know it's not really any of your business but you do hope Peter was telling the truth and those guys weren't here to hassle him.

***

Part 1/???

Tagged Users: @cjand10

[fearlessword]

I’ll meet you in my dreams - Chapter 2

Summary: You dreamed of the boy who played piano before you knew who he was. Humming the melodies you heard in your sleep brought BTS into your life and you thought it was just meant to be.When you finally have the chance to see him perform live, you realize that the dreams you have are more than a coincidence. You hope he dreams of you too.

Slow burn/ Slow build/ canon divergence/ d-day tour / soulmate- ish

Pairing: Idol! Min Yoongi x Reader

Ongoing

Masterlist

Author’s note: Hi tumblr! I’ve been wanting to post this fic here for such a long time! Seriously! I can’t believe I actually did it! I’m so excited for you to read this chapter! I post on AO3 first, but it’s nice to share my work on this platform too! Please send me your thoughts on this chapter, I’d love to hear it. I’ll come back in a few days with chapter 3, but if you want to read it before that, you can find it here. I hope you like it! Thank you for being here!

Chapter 2

February 2023

“…So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee…” you read.

“This is one of my favorites, and one of the most famous Shakespearean sonnets. You guys already know how much I love words but in this sonnet…” you pause with a sigh. “I feel so happy reading it, it took Shakespeare only 14 verses to explain how powerful and everlasting words are. Can you imagine how extraordinary it would feel to be the muse of a piece of work like this? I don’t want to go crazy over this, but how beautiful is that? And to see that he was indeed right, the poem does give life to his beloved muse, it makes me want to cry. How beautiful is that? Just think about it?!”

“Ms. _______, you are fangirling over poetry again” one of the students says.

“Well, it is my profession after all! I am also a fan of so many things, it’s the way I function!” You laugh. “But you guys need to agree, it’s beautiful. You should think about writing a sonnet like this to your Valentines next year… Does anyone want to comment on their first impressions of this piece before we go deep into our analysis?”

The students were ready to give their opinions when the bell rang, announcing your lesson was over and stopping the discussion from happening. The backpacks and chairs in the classroom combined in a messy, hustled melody created by your high schoolers. It was the end of the school day, after all.

“ Well, it’s nice to end the day with a hook. Please read Sonnet 18 one more time and write a short comment about it in your reading journals. We’ll discuss it in the next class. Enjoy your Valentine’s day, everybody!”

One by one, the students left the room, leaving you alone with the mess of the classroom. As usual, you organized the desks and chairs for the next day, erased the white board, turned the electronics off and put away all of the supplies in the cabinet. You only left out your pencil case and the piles of assignments to grade. It was Tuesday, but the faster you start grading, the easier your Friday will be. Even though being a teacher means that you eventually (or always) take work home, you made yourself a rule that you’d avoid working during your weekends. Also, no teacher wants to grade anything on a Friday afternoon. It’s not like you have anything to do on Valentine’s day, either way.

You directed your attention to the desk and a huff left your body as you thought about the few hours of unpaid work you had ahead of you. You didn’t know if the gray Tuesday made your situation worse or better. You tried to see it with a positive attitude: at least you wouldn't spend the next few hours inside, admiring a perfect sunny day through the windows of your classroom.

Before sitting down to start grading, you got your phone and your airpods in your bag, you didn’t bother to turn the airplane mode off, and, to be honest, that was probably the best option if you wanted to really focus on your work. A playlist of your favorite songs is the one selected for the occasion. You put your phone away, grab your green pen and start.

When The Truth Untold started, you were halfway through grading. You couldn’t help thinking of how unlucky you were. BTS came into your life only during the pandemic, which meant no concerts, but lots of content and late night meme videos and Korean lessons that distracted and helped you when you needed the most. When the concerts finally happened in the US, you were out of the country to complete part of your Masters in Literature in England. It was more than a dream come true, from visits to the Globe to visits to the lakes and all of the places your favorite authors and characters saw long before. It felt bittersweet. The timing was just wrong, and now, it felt like the chances of seeing all seven of them just escaped through your fingers. All you could do was wait. Wait until the seven of them come back, and trust them. It was hard, but was there another option?

Just fans understand how hard it is.

Alright, you need to focus on the grading.

The playlist kept going as you corrected and graded and wrote comments in each of the papers, carefully analyzing the work of your students. Every once in a while, you’d laugh at how they expressed their opinions on their essays. How fun their snarky comments were! The piles of paper were organized into folders. Thankfully, in less than three hours, the work was finally done, (until the next time, which will probably happen sooner than what you want.) It’s half of the week, and finally time to go home.

Winter was unusually warm this year. Still, the short walk from the school to the subway station felt longer because of the cold air. It wasn’t too cold, but it wasn’t comfortable either. The hot mass of air that embraces you as you enter the station is welcomed, at least during the colder seasons. The station was packed, it’s always a struggle when it’s peak time, but on days like this, when the busy people of the city go out to dinner to celebrate the existence of their love life, it is just the worst. When the train came, you found a spot where you could stay, close enough to the door so you could leave it three stations later.

You hope there is a seat for you in the Q train that will take you to Brooklyn. Deep down, you know it’s hopeless. At 6 pm Times Square station is filled with both New Yorkers and tourists. You could differentiate them easily, from their clothes to the kind of demeanor they have. The empty eyes were usually the giveaway whether someone was a New Yorker or not. You hoped you had the same curious eyes you had when you first moved to NYC for college, but you understand that, as much as you love the city and all it means to you and your journey, routine takes some of the magic away. Right now, you bet your face gives away your exhaustion too, if there’s someone watching you, you’re sure they know you live here.

People watching was your favorite pastime during your commuting time: imagining what each one of those people was like, their dreams and hopes, if they had any. Today, you could see a considerable amount of bouquets in the train, and it makes your imagination go wild imagining what expects these people once they get to their destination. You try not to get caught while you look at them for the next 30 minutes, then, you leave the train and walk home.

You were fumbling in your bag in a failed attempt to find your keys when the door of your apartment slammed opened.

“Where the hell were you?” Your roommate demanded.

“At the school, Cami.” You answered as you took your shoes off and went inside.

“ Why weren’t you answering your phone? I called so many times.”

“I was grading papers”

“On Valentine’s Day?”

“It’s not like I have a date”

“______ you seriously need to do a better job at answering your phone” she huffed. “I was freaking out here”

“Is everything okay? Are you okay? Is my family okay? It was in airplane mode and I just didn’t care to check it after I left the classroom.”

“Everybody is okay. Well, emotionally I’m definitely not okay. I’ve been freaking out here since I got home from work. Seriously, we need to communicate better so we can actually leave school together, we can grade here! Why do you have to stay there so late anyways? I needed to talk to you and You. Weren’t. Answering.” She paused. “Why am I freaking out? It’s not like it’s something I care about. Oh my God! Maybe I care about it because you care about it." Camila pointed at you. "What is happening to me?! Am I literally freaking out on Valentine’s day because of a tour of a guy that I’m not even interested in? I promise I won’t be alone for Valentine's day next year, I need a date to look forward to instead of getting crazy over a K-pop man. This is the worst day of my life!” Camila rambled while pacing in the living room

“Did you say tour?”

“Seriously? That’s all you heard?!”

“You were saying so many things”

“Alright, sit, and please, I am begging you to turn the airplane mode off”

You do as she says, and as soon as your phone connects to the wifi, hundreds of notifications pop on your screen, including notifications from the Weverse app. Your heart jumps. One of the members of BTS on tour? You opened the app.

SUGA | Agust D TOUR

“What?” Your voice was so low you could barely hear it.

“Why are you so calm? Isn’t he the whole reason why you are a BTS fan?” Camila pauses to massage her temples. "Why am I freaking out? Isn’t he the guy you dream about all the time? ”

Yes, he is. You thought. The one and only Min Yoongi. The reason why you became an ARMY in the first place.

Turns out, the mysterious guy from your dreams back in 2020 was real. You've dreamt of him so many times before finding out he was actually a living person and not a figment of your imagination.

After the first time dreaming about him, you were washed with a sense of comfort you couldn’t quite understand. The crying over your ex had gotten better with each dream, simply because the feeling of seeing him in your sleep made you feel happy the whole day and forget anything else.

You could see him… Writing, laughing with the most precious smile, reading, recording at the studio, and at last… playing the piano. A real piano. The first time you heard him, though, he looked younger, but you could still see the same focus and the same passion as he played each note so beautifully. That morning of quarantine, almost a month after the first dream, you woke up with the urge to cry from how mighty the scene was. The warmth of the presence of the boy in the piano was already a familiar feeling, but actually listening to his music? Ah, you wanted to stay in that scenario forever. You hummed the song throughout the day, you asked Camila if she knew that melody, just so you could listen to it again. You thought about that the whole time, until you remembered how technology existed and you could just hum the melodies to your cell phone.

It was a BTS song.

And so you listened to that sweet piano melody, and heard him rapping for the first time. And searched for the names of the guys in the band. And finally, you saw the face of that mysterious man on your phone screen. It was weird that you dreamed of an actual person that turned out to produce music before knowing the person actually existed, right? Why you were dreaming about a korean idol and why it made you feel so content was a mystery to you. You tried not to dwell on that, realizing this was the way the universe sent BTS to you, when you needed it the most. And slowly, moving on from your trauma was easier. Letting your ex-boyfriend go was getting simpler each day. You finished that letter (Was it a letter or a novel? With the amount of pages you wrote, you didn’t even know anymore) and just let it go. Yoongi helped you, the boys helped you, and they didn’t even know.

Sometimes when you watch stuff, you get washed with the sense of deja vu. But it is what it is. Yoongi keeps popping in your dreams from time to time, you started to write about him and you irresistibly became an ARMY. How could you not?

“Earth to ______'' Camila snapped her fingers in front of your face “ I thought you’d scream! For God’s sake, I did! Why aren’t you freaking out when I am? You are the fan!”

“Sorry, Cami, I just don’t know how to react. You know how much they all mean to me. But with him… I just can’t believe I’ll finally have the chance to see him” your eyes burned filled with tears.

“Oh, amiga… We will try all we can to get you the best tickets. You will see him play the piano in front of you. I know how much this means to you, how much you changed after you became a fan. I will make sure it happens. I promise.”

You looked at your friend, sitting by your side on the pink couch you insisted on buying for your living room.

“You can’t control that, Cami”

“I can’t, but I will sign up for the pre-sale with as many email accounts as I can. I will even buy the membership thing.”

“ You sound like a fan”

“Well, if he helps you so much, maybe I should be a fan, do you think one of them could visit me in my sleep too? I bet it would be fun” She jokes.

“I wish I could talk to him, even in my dreams”

“When you go to the concert, he will look at you and you guys will fall in love”

“Cami, this is not fanfiction”

“Are you really quoting me right now? Well, I will create my own fanfiction if I want to. Nothing’s impossible. It would be great, then next year you won’t be alone for Valentine’s day. Maybe we can go on a double date, cause next year I’ll definitely have someone.”

“I’m not alone, you are literally in front of me”

“You know the kind of alone I’m talking about. Now, let’s make our Galentine’s dinner. I saw this recipe of spinach gnocchi that seems very easy. I want to try it tonight. Then, we’ll have a date with Mr. Darcy.”

“Camila, have I told you that I love you?”

“Te quiero, amiga, but you better answer your phone next time”

🪷🪷🪷

After squealing during the entirety of “Pride and Prejudice”, you called it a night and went to your room. It was late, but you couldn’t stop yourself from checking all of the details of the announcement and texting your ARMY friends back.

It felt surreal. That your bias will go on a tour. That you’ll finally have the chance of seeing one of them. Excitement was an understatement. You could feel your heart beating against your ribcage. You needed to sleep now, but your whole body was already buzzing with anticipation of going to the concert, of seeing Yoongi in front of you in real life.

Instead, you open the Weverse live and watch it. You pay attention as he talks about Slam Dunk and shares about Fashion Week. You worry when he said he hasn’t eaten, you smile with him once you see his reaction to the tour announcement coming out. You are washed with a wave of love for the artist on the screen.

“It’s not good to be delusional, _______” you say out loud. But you are not sleepy enough right now, and it was indeed Valentine’s day, so your imagination starts making up alternate realities of what could’ve been. You get your dear journal and write a poem, a confession.

“Let’s see each other in person, Yoongi” That’s what you hope and pray for.

🪷🪷🪷

Yoongi POV

Yoongi woke up on that Wednesday with that fuzzy feeling on his chest again. He knew this was getting too weird for his own good, there was no way dreaming about a random person he had never seen in his life was a normal thing.

Three years ago, he thought seeing a woman crying while writing was just a way his brain found to deal with his own creative process and the frustrations coming with it. But the story was getting too complex, the scenes were getting too detailed. There’s no way he knew sonnet 18 by Shakespeare by heart to create that kind of scene. He didn’t even know it by heart in Korean!

He couldn’t complain. He was nervous about his solo tour and his album and seeing her in his dreams gave him a warm sensation of calmness. He hasn’t heard her voice many times, so listening to the teacher in his dreams reading that poem with such devotion made him happy. He closed his eyes, still in bed, trying to replay it in his mind. The big smile and kind eyes shining so bright while talking about the sonnet with so much passion… His heart shrinks a little, the good kind of pain, he wishes he could see her for real, if she’s real. She must be. She has to.

He knew that feeling wouldn’t leave him, even if he tried, the warmth, the pull and the want to see her one more time. This would follow him for the rest of the day and he was getting used to it after such a long time.

He didn’t know what to do. Yoongi knew people would say he’s crazy if he dared to talk about this out loud. So, he resorted to his old friends, the yellow notepad and the pencil. And just like the other times she followed him in his mind, he wrote her another song.

To be continued.

Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[astrxlfinale]

Knowing a partner well can potentially make writing together a lot easier.

Repost it up. No reblogging.

--------

NAME: Jace

PRONOUNS : He/Him

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION : Tbh DMs and Discord are the best way to go. If I'm ever calling you up in 4k, we've probably know each other for a hella long while at this point in this hobby. lol

NAME OF MUSE(s) : Caelus (Honkai Star Rail)

BEST EXPERIENCE : In particular it was a RP in my manga days of RP with my Oga Tatsumi muse. Me and a bunch of Nintendo related muses (After playing the hilarious spectacle of Shut up and Jam Gaiden, proceeded to do a shounen-esque RP of basketball that went into comical perfection. Rosalina Nintendo did indeed nuke everyone at the end with her Cosmic, universal shattering dunk.

It was GLORIOUS.

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS :

:| So uh, there may be a bit to this.

Trauma/Stress Dumping: The #1 that will have me done at the drop of a hat. Since I even began rp'ing it's always been this thing, people seeking other folks/people who offer up solid chill times to just go and vent the entire world and then some onto them. Mind you a lot of these interactions being with strangers likely known for a week at most.

This literally has no changed a lick since middle school. Unless I've known you for a considerable amount of time, this is the easiest way to proceed breaking all contact with me.

Not to have this confused with venting on your own blog/space. I accept and always respect that boundary. Just do not use talking as an opportunity to lean into such subject matter. It's one of the central reasons I'm really careful in joining group chats to begin with. There is a difference in telling me that a day was rough/bullshit, AND letting me know of particular territory to be watchful for in discussion, then just using me as an outlet. Especially in what I take for a hobby.

Socializing =/= Writing time: While I enjoy the social aspect of RP in it's nature. I never want to be in a position where the hangout time I spend with you creates the curve of interaction. That easily exhausts me and takes the fun from things once I'm clued in. Honestly speaking, someone could never talk to me outside sparse words, and we just run around with our muses writing up all sorts of scenarios and it'd work perfectly. This is what I use the website for!

Plotting does not fall under this umbrella. If people need an angle to make their magic work, I'm all for cooperating with you, this again just leans into xyz activities outside the hobby. Stretching yourself too thin in this regard can genuinely screw people over in other long time hang outs too, I've learned that the hard way.

Reference of Son/Daughter talk in mention to the muse in question: While I've first seen it on this website, in the same vein it's made me incredibly goddamn tired as it reels directly into the conversation involving the infantalization of muses. This likely strikes the highs for me into terms of 'Fandom Curses' alongside 'One character quality defines the whole character in question.'. Let's not even get started into fandom habits shaping the perception of a character OUTSIDE of canon content. Having muses that had to deal with the primary talk point here, I've just said to hell with giving many things or people a chance.

It just comes off as a really weird practice to me. It leans off heavily into the realm of character disrespect on top of that, as these idealized fandom notions. (For Example: Kingdom Heart's Aqua being relegated to 'Momqua'.) It gets too 'family' oriented in a sense where these accomplished characters can't really explore the depth of both their struggles, triumphs and lows. So if you seen me avoid that like the plague, that's exactly why.

'Comfort Character' Projection: It aligns a smidgen with the above. But no, have no expectation that I'll ever be a source to live out these particulars with you if I happen to play that very muse. I've again not hesitated to cut off connections at all when people attempt to wire these expectations onto me. My iteration of the muse is exactly what you signed up for by following me, respect that, just as I respect your boundaries.

MUSE PREFERENCES: If we're talking about the TYPE of muse I enjoy? Delinquent muses take the penultimate crown. I love those rowdy but firm hearted types.

PLOTS OR MEMES : Throw both at me. Now days I've gotten particularly more experienced into the plotting department. In the same vein I can't have it entirely streamlined either. I gotta let the muses breathe their breaths and exercise their own voice and actions.

That said? Memes are eternal, just throw those in anyday of the week, even if they're in the old logs of my blog. I never mind that. Just the prompts and scenarios alone can spark forth some vivid ideas/adventures that do lead into plotting. So hell, both sides win.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES : Either is good. Though, a forewarning that I CAN wind up getting wordy. This never has to be matched as I'm just a sucker for details.

BEST TIME TO WRITE : For me, it's normally times outside the midday. It's usually when I'm available, as you'd come to see me around mornings or nights. (Also it's the best focus time.)

I say normally however, there's also plenty of times I'd just be hanging around on/off periodically.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S) : Outside of some brazen qualities. Not really no!

Tagged by: Not a soul! Yoinked it up myself.

Tagging: If you feel like lettin' the world know, then by all means!

[saintrocklee]

For the prompts (I’m probably super late I’m sorry OTL) “it’s not my fault, it’s 4am and you’re fucking yelling at me!” For Kakuzu please! Also your writing is amazing and I hope your muse returns pronto! Good vibes from me to you ✨

💰 kakuzu x reader 💰 supernatural (ish) AU part one | part two | part three | part four warnings: brief mentions of past abusive relationship. finger sucking and minimal sexy thread times. also - this is a special guest episode, as a treat. special message to the anon who requested this literally 72 business years ago: i am so sorry. i hope this was worth it. ily.

this is part four of my kakuzu prompt series. i recommend reading parts one, two, & three (linked above) before indulging.

The next day you’re distracted. Very distracted. You were typically pretty well put together but you felt as if your head was stuck in a permanent fog. Last night played on a loop in your mind, and you know ... you know Kakuzu had almost kissed you.

I broke my rules for you.

The apple you’re looking at slips from your grip and you blink back to reality. Embarrassment curls up your spine as you glance around to see if anyone saw. When you’re sure no one noticed, you bend to pick up the fruit and add it to your basket. You were doing some light grocery shopping, but so far you’d bumped into two different people, walked down the wrong aisle multiple times, and now you were dropping things.

God, you were like a teenager all over again. Just a silly little girl with a crush. You honestly hated the word, it didn’t seem to adequately describe your situation or your feelings. An infatuation? You were definitely attracted to him. You liked talking to him. You wanted to know more about him. And most importantly of all, he made you feel safe.

Next time, girl.

The shame curling in your gut from being clumsy was slowly being replaced by a simmering, now familiar heat. What did he mean, next time? Did that mean when he saw you again, he’d ... what? Kiss you? Explain? Kill you?

You know the latter is completely untrue, but for some reason it was much easier to imagine Kakuzu taking your life. You can picture Kakuzu killing, you know he’s done it before, and his aura alone was stifling and intimidating. But … kissing? Being intimate? Your imagination stops there but it doesn’t keep you from wondering. From wanting.

You never thought you would fall for a mountain of a man after spending a good portion of your life afraid of men, but here you were. Falling for a monster. Your monster. Who, by all accounts, should scare the absolute living hell out of you.

But he didn’t.

You’re able to check out without issue and start your walk home with two small grocery bags. It’s a nice day and fall was coming, leaving a nice breeze in the air to help clear your mind. You switch your bags to one hand and hold your sweater a little closer, managing to nod and smile at a gentleman walking by. Every day your confidence grew around strangers, and every day you’re thankful for Kakuzu. For your deal. Your spine felt harder, straighter. You rarely had panic attacks anymore, and found yourself leaving your apartment without constantly looking over your shoulder. You were stronger, self-assured, and self-reliant. You felt good.

A low whistle catches your attention and just like that, your courage fizzles to nothing. It was a catcall whistle, something meant to be derogatory, and it reminded you of your ex-husband.

“Wow.”

There’s a very male voice coming from behind and you stiffen, heart jumping to your throat. You don’t want to turn around but you stop walking, listening intently as footsteps approach you.

“I think I get it now.”

You blink, now confused and nervous, and turn your head to see who’s talking to you. Maybe they weren’t even speaking to you, maybe you misheard. Your rampant paranoia was still present and maybe —

Nope. He’s looking directly at you.

You’re visibly shocked by him, mouth parting muted awe. He looked … not like any man you’ve ever seen. Vibrant lavender eyes hold your own with an intensity you’re not used to receiving from a stranger, and his mouth is twisted into a cocksure grin that showed teeth. Silver hair was slicked back with a few strays curling slightly on his forehead, and the open jacket he wore revealed way more chest than you wanted to see. Your eyes immediately flick down to watch his hands and your anxiety kicks up a notch when you see them stuffed into his jacket pockets.

Hidden hands meant trouble. Your ex was proof of that.

It’s the first time in awhile you’ve felt trapped; cornered like some animal. The stranger’s posture was relaxed but the look on his face was anything but. You tried to keep your breathing calm, but your gut instinct was telling you something was off about this guy. He didn’t seem totally crazy, he just seemed … abnormal. Intense. Unpredictable.

“You checkin’ me out, girl?”

Your back stiffens and you snap your gaze back up to his face. Girl. Kakuzu called you that and it never bothered you, but coming from this man? It felt like an insult. Like you were beneath him.

Still … the way he said it. The tone reminded you of your monster. Something about how he said it. Like you were different from him, like you were in a category of your own.

“Do you need something?” you ask, attempting to keep your tone level. Not quite friendly but not quite scared. You were extremely aware of the fragility of the male ego and didn’t want to set this guy off, but you wouldn’t cower. Your question seems to ignite something in him and you frown as he throws his head back and laughs. It’s loud, boyish; and when he snaps his head back up his eyes find yours immediately. The wicked gleam there has you fighting off the urge to bolt, but somehow you know running would make things worse.

“Nah I’m just,” he pauses, taking another step toward you; to which you respond by taking a step back, “curious.”

“About?”

Something about you must amuse this guy a great deal. He’s grinning at you now, assessing you like you were an exhibit he didn’t quite understand. You glance to your right, only to inhale nervously when you realize you’re completely alone. You could have sworn there were other people on the sidewalk with you, and the street you were on was typically a busy one. But there wasn’t a soul in sight, just you and this man.

You suddenly wish Kakuzu would appear.

“Couldn’t fuckin’ believe it when I heard. Had to make a trip back just to see …” he trails off, taking a step to the right to start circling you. It reminded you of a wild animal, circling their prey.

“I don’t understand.” You breathe, body twisting to keep him in your sight. Lavender eyes once again meet yours.

“Don’t suppose you would.” His tone is light, and you can tell he’s having fun. You’re thrown back to being in elementary school, watching other kids participate in game you didn’t know how to play.

“What do you want?” You ask, some of the carefully hidden irritation making it’s way into your tone. Amusement falls from the stranger’s face and you blink when he’s suddenly in front of you. You could have sworn he was just standing behind you, how did he -

“As much as I’d love to ruin that bastard’s day, a deal’s a deal.”

You hold your breath and fight to not visibly shake. The playful demeanor he held was now lined with something dangerous and the air around you seems thicker. He bends his head towards you and your spine stiffens when his next words are whispered directly into your ear.

“Tell the old man Hidan says hi.”

Your mouth parts, more questions forming on your tongue, but just like that he’s gone. A gust of wind hits you and you jump, the sound of cars and people bustling on the street hitting you all at once. The once still and silent street was now full of noise and life; and you blink helplessly as it all washes over you. Where had everyone gone? You were sure the street was just empty.

You tighten your grip on your groceries and decide to just book it back to your apartment. You felt breathless and a little dizzy, no doubt due to some of the leftover fear and adrenaline in your system. You start moving, keeping your head down as you make your way back to your apartment.

Just get home, you chant to yourself. You purposefully move the command around your brain, even going so far as to silently mouth the words to keep from thinking about what just happened.

Just get home.

Soon you’re back in your apartment and quickly putting your groceries away. The next thing you do is check to make sure all of your doors and windows are locked, and then you check again. You're shaken to your core and now that you’re back in your home, in a space you consider safe, your mind is reeling.

Who was that?

You immediately start listing off people you knew, to try and figure out who he was talking about. He said the old man, you didn’t know any old men -

Except your ex.

Was he - did that guy know your ex-husband? Was he sent to you, as some sort of sick joke? You didn’t know anything about your ex-husband’s whereabouts, you just knew he was alive, and that was enough for your panic riddled brain to latch onto.

The anxiety you feel is building and you move to your bedroom while trying to do the breathing exercises your therapist had taught you. Inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds. Before you know it, you’re in your bed, back against the headboard - trying to just breathe.

Inhale for four seconds.

Hold for four seconds.

Exhale for four seconds.

It calms you, after awhile, and you swallow against the dryness in your throat. You feel heavy, emotionally drained, and you just want to sleep. You move slowly, changing into shorts and an oversized shirt that's warm but comfortable. Your bed welcomes you back and soon you’re under your blankets, mind still doing a slow tumble through your day. You can still hear the stranger’s laugh, a loud cackle that sends a shiver down your spine. You shut your eyes tight and try to think of something else.

Someone else.

Lavender eyes and silver slicked back hair are replaced with green and black. You think about Kakuzu, about what happened last night, and soon you’re drifting off; thoughts of inky black thread and unfinished promises sending you into slumber.

You wake with a gasp and sit up, throat sore and wetness pooling in the corners of your eyes. You had been with your ex, he’d cornered you, he’d been drinking and had come home and -

It takes you a moment to realize it was a nightmare and the next breath you take is ragged. You were home. You were home and that was years ago, you were safe now, you made a deal with -

“Calm yourself girl.”

Your head snaps up and stiffens when you see Kakuzu standing in the corner of your bedroom. The streetlights from outside along with your blinds shine an interesting pattern on him, and you’re surprised to see that he’s uncovered. Black hair hangs freely around his face and his arms are crossed across his chest, his stitches straining against his muscles. Swallowing thickly, your hands fist in your sheets and you frown when they start to move underneath you. 

When you glance down, you’re surprised at the black threads that are tangling around your fingers. There’s so much of them and you carefully turn your hand over, watching intently as inky strands continue to dance across your palm. More investigation reveals that his thread is covering both of your hands and moving carefully up your arms, stroking back and forth carefully like a caress. It clicks suddenly, and you bring your head back up to look at him.

“You woke me up.” You murmur, throat still dry, and Kakuzu’s eyes narrow, confirming your suspicion. You look away to glance at your clock and frown when you see it reads 3:47am.

“Thank you.” You whisper and Kakuzu shifts his shoulders, his arms unfolding and resting at his sides. His thread starts to pull back and you turn to watch as they slide away from you, off the edge of your bed, and disappear into the darkness that cloaks him.

“Anything to cease your endless whimpering.” His confession is sneered at you and you have to drop your chin to your chest to hide a fond smile. Ever so grouchy and grumpy.

You lift a hand and rub at your eyes, fighting back a tired yawn. Kakuzu steps closer and you still your movements when he speaks again.

“You met a man today.”

Your head snaps up, tiredness forgotten, and frown. Inhuman eyes hold your own, and there’s an edge to his tone, to him that you’ve never seen before.

“H-how did you - ”

“Did he touch you?”

What?

You blink once and then twice before opening and closing your mouth. You were trying to find the right words to respond, trying and failing to come up with something to say. Your brain, poor thing, was still lagging from being woken so suddenly, leaving you somewhat slack jawed and intelligible.

Kakuzu snarls in response to your silence and leans over, hands coming to rest at the foot of your bed as he looms over you. 

“Answer me, girl. Did he touch you?”

Your brow furrows in response.

“How did you know I met a man today?”

Judging by the incandescent glare you receive, you answered wrong. Even so, you feel none of the fear you felt earlier, none of the anxiety or panic. Distantly you register that the protective streak you’re witnessing is causing molten heat to stir in your belly, but you’re tired and agitated from your nightmare and being abruptly woken up.

“I won’t ask again.” He snaps and you swallow, eyebrows pinching together in frustration.

“No, he didn’t. How did you know?” You snip back and Kakuzu pushes himself off the bed.

“That is none of your concern.”

You bristle in response.

“None of my - how is it none of my concern?”

Green cat-like eyes stare at you impassively and you’re hit with the childish urge to throw something at him. If you weren’t so disorientated you might have.

And then -

“Wait, is he like you?”

Tell the old man Hidan says hi.

You feel the sudden urge to move and start to slowly uncurl your legs from your blankets. Kakuzu doesn’t answer but it doesn’t deter you.

“He told me to tell the old man hi. Are you who he was talking about?”

Your feet meet the carpet and you stand, fingers drumming against your bare thighs. Details from your encounter start to resurface and everything slowly clicks into place.

“He ... he made everyone on the street disappear. Told me he was curious, wanted to see for himself. He’s like you, right?”

Kakuzu’s mouth twists into a snarl.

“Don’t ask stupid questions.”

Your hands tighten into fists.

“I wouldn’t have to if you just told me the truth.”

You watch as what you can only describe as irritation flashes across his face. He moves towards you and you dig your heels into the carpet, ready to stand your ground.

“I don’t have to answer to you, human.”

Something visceral burns through you.

“Why are you mad at me? I didn’t do anything, it was your friend who just showed up —” A low rumble similar to a growl warns you to stop but you keep going, your hands emphasizing your frustration as your voice rises, “it’s you who’s snapping at me, I don’t even know what’s going on —”

“You are the one who cannot answer a simple question. Idiot girl.” Kakuzu’s sneering at you, now close enough to bend his head to look down at you. You throw your hands in the air and let out a humorless laugh before going to shove him back.

“It’s not my fault, it’s four in the morning and you’re fucking yelling at me!”

You don’t expect him to so much as budge when your palms meet his chest, but it feels good to make contact with something. With him. You know it wouldn’t hurt, you know he’s probably laughing cruelly at you, but you couldn’t take him standing there looking down at you when he had all the answers and you had none.

What you don’t expect is for him to grab onto your wrists and pull you closer. You immediate reaction is to flinch, to protect your face by ducking down, and the breath in your lungs stills. You wait for something, for him to yell, to shove you off, but nothing happens. The weight of his hands is heavy, and your brow furrows in confusion when you feel him lift and turn your wrist. You chance a glance upwards and watch as his eyes skim up and down your hand, your arm. When his inspection is complete, he turns to the other one, once again lifting your hand away from his chest. When he speaks, his tone is deeper, and the heat that you’ve come to associate with him once again makes it way through your chest.

“There is no one like me. Hidan is merely an immortal who uses blood magic. He would just need a drop ...” His sentence trails off as he finishes inspecting your arms, only to lightly push you away to cast his gaze down at your legs. Your toes curl in your carpet under his scrutiny and when he drops your wrists you tangle your hands together.

“I’m fine.” You try but Kakuzu cuts you off immediately.

“You wouldn’t know.”

You bristle again, still buzzing with frustration, but the gravel in his tone digs up under your chest and starts to break it up.

“It presents differently, in humans. You wouldn’t even have felt it, if he pricked you.”

Oh. You exhale through your nose.

“So ... he’s like a vampire?”

Kakuzu snaps his head up to meet your eyes and lets out a snort. You blink at the foreign noise.

Did your monster just laugh?

“Idiot.” He scoffs, straightening to his full height. You narrow your eyes and fight a smile.

“What? Demons and immortals are real. You’re real. But vampires, that’s stupid?”

You’re rewarded with an arched brow and finally feel all the anxiety and frustration from earlier fizzle into nothing. The warmth in your tummy starts to kindle and you glance around your room as memories from the previous night start to hit you.

I broke my rules for you.

“He will not bother you again.”

You nod and turn back to look at him, meeting his stare head on. You had other questions about your encounter with Hidan but you knew the answers he’d give you would do nothing to satiate your curiosity. You're not sure how much times passes, all you do know is neither of you are making any sort of move to leave. It makes you bolder, knowing that something kept him here. That he wanted to be there.

Next time, girl.

So instead -

“So, is this the next time you were referring to, or ... ?”

The air around you changes and a thrill shoots through at the way Kakuzu tenses. Like a coil, almost. His eyes somehow burn brighter and he takes a step towards you again, large hands flexing at his sides. Your chest heaves with effort and the smirk that curls across his face is anything but friendly. Dangerous.

It's consuming, how much you want him.

"You know not what you ask, girl."

You tilt your chin up to hold his gaze as he looms over you. His hair falls from his shoulders, surrounding you, and you feel the telltale trickle of his thread around your ankles.

"Just a stupid human girl." You murmur, and those green eyes narrow at your tone. You feel thread in your hair and let your head be pulled back, baring your throat to your monster who seemed to be wrestling with something as he looked at you. His gaze trailed from your neck, to your eyes, to your mouth; as if he were looking for something. Waiting for something. You don't move, you don't speak and finally he stills his movements completely, eyes boring into yours as if to burn you in place.

"You understand what you're asking of me?" He hisses and you blink. He waits for your answer and you swallow before finding your voice.

"Yes."

"You understand that I am not like them." He sneers the last word in disgust, as if even needing to state the fact that he wasn't human was beneath him.

"Yes." You breathe, the warmth from your tummy spreading. You were beginning to feel light headed and your hands twitch with the need to touch him.

He pauses, taking you in, and then you feel it. Strands and strands of inky black thread coiling around your thighs, your waist, your neck. You close your eyes and part your lips with a gasp at the way his thread move across your body. They're under your shirt and skirt the edge of your shorts, feather light strokes becoming bolder and bolder with each touch.

Your eyes fly open when you feel his hand curl around your chin and stutter a breath as thread moves just under your breasts. His thumb strokes your bottom lip and wetness begins to pool between your thighs. Your heart beats a furious rhythm under your chest and Kakuzu inhales at the sound of it.

"Open." He commands, voice deep and unwavering. Your mouth parts slowly, and you shudder as the tip of your tongue meets the pad of his thumb. The thread around you tightens upon the contact, flexing against your thighs and pushing up against your breasts. He presses down, holding you in place, while simultaneously tilting your face up. He's so close now, hair tickling the sides of your face, and you swear you see a triumphant glitter in his eyes.

"So pliant." Kakuzu taunts, nose nearly brushing yours. Your eyes narrow and before you can think better of it you close your mouth around him and suck.

Your reward is a snarl and the wall meeting your back.

He's quick about manhandling you, large firm thigh slotted between your legs, thread tightening enough to keep you still without hurting. He presses his thumb further into your mouth, eyes now transfixed on how it disappears, and you glide your tongue along the ridges of his knuckles before sucking him in deeper. He hasn't actually touched you anywhere else, hasn't even kissed you like you wanted him to, but that doesn't stop your body from reacting to everything. To him.

The whimper you let out is pathetic and needy.

He opens his mouth, no doubt ready to degrade you or boss you around even more, but something on his face changes. You pinch your brow in confusion as his head turns sharply, eyes unfocusing as if he's thinking. When he cocks his head ever so slightly you realize he's listening and you strain to hear what he heard.

Only there's nothing.

Kakuzu pulls away from you sharply, taking his thread with him, and you hear him growl in a language you'd never heard before. You take a step forward to regain your balance, only to be once again manhandled to look up at him. You can still feel your saliva on his thumb as he grips your chin, and you're taken aback by the intensity you receive.

"We are not done here."

He spits the words at you, eyes narrowing until you nod in agreement. His gaze flicks down to your overly wet mouth and you're once again introduced to a language you don't understand. He sounded angry, strained, and he meets your eyes once more before taking a step back and disappearing completely, once again leaving you alone.

[abyssembraced]

okay, easier (?) one: 17. which muse would spend a night in a haunted place for $20?

20 QUESTIONS FOR MULTI-MUSE BLOGS! (Still accepting!)

Funnily enough, pretty much all of them, I think. Or at least, they wouldn't be afraid to do it.

(Also going under a cut because this one also got really long dhshshf)

Like-- Ghost Doesn't Care. For one, they can probably just see and interact with any spirits in the building thanks to the Dream Nail, but even if they can't, they wouldn't be bothered. They also don't need to sleep, so if they need to fight off evil ghosts for an entire night, then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ they will dgdhshdhf. No big deal, they've done it before!

Only thing is that I don't think they'd be all too interested in the "reward" for doing it. If that was their only reason to do it, then they might just not bother. 20 Geo isn't much, and even if that amount was higher, they probably wouldn't be in desperate need of it. For a Charm or something though, or to help someone out? Yeah they'd do it!

Similarly, Papyrus would also be fine with it! Ghosts are just a natural species of monster in his world(s)! Nothing to be afraid of! Undyne even has one as a neighbour!! ...Are you just inviting him to a sleepover with them in an unnecessarily weird and mysterious way? Dgshddhfhs. But also similarly, I don't think he'd care too much about 20G? Though also actually, while Paps wouldn't be afraid of ghosts because they're just People to him, uh. That also means you're asking him to spend the night with a bunch of People he's never met before. Which! Is pretty Weird! And also maybe a little Suspicious if you're trying to bribe him with 20G to make him do it. And also if you're asking him to break into a ghost monster's house while they're not there and sleep in it then uh No, he's not committing Ghost Crimes dgshdhfs. So I could see him refusing just based on that! But he could also be convinced to do it pretty easily. Depends on the context and who's asking him to do it, I guess.

Kirby also would absolutely do it! Those ghosts in that building are just new friends for him to make! He's not concerned about them being malicious in the slightest---even if they were, he knows he's more than strong enough to handle it. But also once again, I don't think he'd care about the money dgshdhf. If he's offered food for it though? Oh absolutely he's doing it. Though even just the idea of new friends and a comfy place to sleep might be enough for him.

Meta Knight... Actually he'd probably be more interested if the ghosts were malicious. Powerful enemies he can fight and test his skills against? Hell yes sign him up. And if they pose any sort of threat to Dream Land or Planet Popstar as a whole? No need to tell him twice, he's investigating it immediately. But otherwise, he probably wouldn't be interested. He has more important things to do.

Magolor is. Interesting. I do think it could be funny if he was afraid of ghosts, but I'd have to check his dialogue again to see if there's anything that would support or go against that. He'd want to avoid the possibility of getting possessed ever again for sure. And if those ghosts happen to be at all Dark Matter-related then he is definitely staying the hell away from there. However! He's also my one muse who would be the most interested in the money being offered. So I could see him doing it just for that. His magic should be more than strong enough to fight off any aggressive spirits, at least.

Rouxls, I'm... Not completely sure. Maybe it depends on who's asking him? If it's a teenager or a child, like someone from the Fun Gang, then he probably wouldn't have time for their "childish games". If it's an authority figure he's already trying to suck up to? Yeah, absolutely he will in order to please them, but frankly he'd do pretty much anything they ask. Anyone else? ...I'm still leaning toward No, because he has work to do, especially if this is when he's still working for King and thus is already extremely overworked. But maybe if he needed the money?? I'm not sure.

I could see Kay doing it just for fun, I think. Though if anything I think it'd be more likely for her to be the one making the $20 offer to someone like Sebastian dgshshf

GLaDOS is the only one that would 100% be a No, and I don't think there's anything you can do to convince her otherwise. I'm... Not sure how she feels about ghosts, actually---yes, she's a woman of Science, but I could also totally see Aperture (or at least Cave Johnson) believing in ghosts specifically because they want to find some way to exploit them lmao. And I mean. Cave did mess around with alternate universes, so like-- that feels at least Somewhat similar??

Regardless, whether or not the building has ghosts in it isn't the problem. GLaDOS herself is a massive building, so uh. Good luck getting her inside it dgdhshf. Technically you could remove her core from her chassis and stick that in the building, but uh. No. Absolutely not. She's never agreeing to that. That's where the real problem is dhsshhff. Even if she remains in her core and isn't turned into a potato again, she's still pretty much helpless since she can't really move. If you're going to remove her from her body, you'll have to do it by force. And besides, she has Important Testing to do instead, thank you very much. And actually, what perfect timing, as it seems she's just found her next test subject! You.

Caroline I could see doing it, if only because Aperture was desperate for money. But as GLaDOS? No way.

[dcynight]

💖 Shippy Facts / Headcanons 💖

[[ bc if I don’t put this here I’ll forget to stick some of this on my blog later lmao ]]

SUN AND MOON ARE TECHNICALLY A THING IN MOST VERSES! (I get asked if people can ship with them both at the same time and the answer is YES ABSOLUTELY!) 90% of the time though, in ALL their verses, they are both just very oblivious to the fact they might be considered a couple to most. So if you ever actually ASK them if they are, they tend to say no at first or get flustered or just flat out not answer. So for clarity sake: YEAH THEY ARE, THEY’RE JUST STUPID. BUT THEY ARE OPEN SO YES YOU CAN SMOOCH THEM BOTH.

While Sun is easily more approachable and probably the easiest to fluster, flatter, or just pursue in general. Moon on the other hand is very difficult to have come around. So if your muse is interested in him, it WILL take more time and effort with him. Will he mess with you and MAYBE flirt? Yes. Does he mean anything by it? Most likely not.

If you DO wanna know how to get Moon to open up a little more, the biggest thing you can do is spend time with him. Easier said than done since he makes it clear he likes being by himself. I can guarantee you though if you actually show initiative and a WANT to hang out with him and speak to him. Chances are, he’ll eventually start coming around and being more talkative. He’s used to being the back-burner character in the daycare and in general. He’s not as bubbly and interactive/social as Sun, so he tends to think very little of himself. So someone ACTUALLY wanting to seek him out first usually tugs at his heart strings.

Now, with Sun- While he normally tries his best not to come off too strong towards people. He CAN be very…. Obvious, with his affection. If you’ve ever seen him fawn over Freddy or Moon or just- whoever holds a big place in his heart. You can TELL he’s got it bad… He does his best to try and dial it back the best he can, but he’s a very emotional guy out of the two of them. He feels everything very intensely and he often gets VERY giddy whenever anyone gives him any sort of attention. So he gets crushes very easily and sometimes in certain cases this ends up being a bad thing too SDGHFDDF

[daybreakrising]

and now that i am Thinking about it (listen, it was my profession for 5 years & i was an amateur for ten years prior to that), here is a list of my hyv muses (main roster only) ranked by their ability to sew:

m.enogias - the master. this man probably invented a number of the techniques still used in current day t.eyvat. there is nothing he cannot do, and nothing he doesn't know. if alive in current day, he has of course taken the time to learn any new skills that have developed in his absence. he must remain the master.

t.homa - this housekeeper has many talents besides cleaning. we know he can knit/crochet (he knows both) and of course he knows how to sew as well. whilst he does do repairs to the wardrobes of his lord and lady, most of his skills go towards making sure the other staff in the estate are always looking their best. he has also offered his skills to the people of i.nazuma who are less fortunate.

n.atasha - she doesn't just stitch up people, but clothes too. much of what she does is repair work, but she's made clothes for the orphans of the underworld from time to time. she learned most of her sewing skills after coming to the underworld as a doctor, though she started her learning as a younger girl.

b.aizhu - similar to n.atasha, only b.aizhu learnt to sew clothes before people. growing up in a poorer village, clothes were readily mended before replaced, and he made sure to learn young.

vautrin; b.eidou - learned to sew out of necessity, both for personal needs and as a result of their chosen profession. very adept at the basics, and could probably pick up more complicated skills if required.

w.riothesley; blade; b.oothill; s.ethos; c.yno - can sew, but only learned the very basics required to patch up clothes damaged in combat (blade; b.oothill; s.ethos; c.yno), or worn out through a less than comfortable lifestyle (w.riothesley; s.ethos; c.yno). both w.rio and blade can also stitch up wounds, the former learning first out of necessity and then from s.igewinne; the latter because it's easier to do it himself and wait until his rapid healing kicks in.

k.aveh - similar to the above, only with less practical experience (so far). will probably rank higher over time if he continues to learn, but it isn't a great passion of his.

razor; g.orou; l.uka - technically, they are capable of sewing a seam. it is, however.... not pretty. a repair job would be functional at best, probably hold for a few days, and then inevitably fall apart. of these three, razor is the most competent out of necessity for his lifestyle, but his stitching is crude and rough and frequently needs redoing. l.uka now finds it more difficult with his metal arm, but teeth are often a good substitute for pulling needles through fabric if necessary.

dr. r.atio - knows how to sew in theory, but has never put it into practice. studied techniques and skills, both from texts and from observing professionals, simply out of interest for knowledge, has no desire to test out any of those skills. is probably capable of it, but impossible to know how it would turn out.

z.hongli - has never tried. is aware of many skills and techniques (one cannot spend too long around m.enogias without learning a thing or two) but would rather leave things to professionals.

g.allagher; b.eisht - have never tried. could probably sew a button if they needed to, but haven't ever needed to. one is an entity who takes many forms, the other is a god who takes many forms. clothing gets damaged? oh, would you look at that - it's magically fixed.

[shadowedresolve]

one thing i really like to explore (as most of you probably know by now lol) is the adults' reactions to the metaverse, and the supernatural being real. it's something i really like to explore in all media tbh, people coming to terms with that sort of thing and how it affects them (zenkichi's exposure to the jail for the first time is one of my favorite scenes in strikers haha) - but i do see it slightly differently for toshiro and zenkichi??

toshiro... i would not say he takes it any better than zenkichi at all. he's just as shocked and overwhelmed if not moreso, thinks he's crazy or dreaming, and can clearly barely handle what's happening at several obvious points throughout the game. and zenkichi is similar when he experiences the metaverse for the first time!but i feel like after their respective games, toshiro's kind of almost... adapted it to it more, compared to zenkichi??

actually, that's not quite right, because zenkichi adapts pretty well too actually! it's more like zenkichi spends more time thinking about it post-canon - about how much his worldview has been changed, how he now knows a crazy secret that the majority of the rest of the world does not, and how it feels like it's a big deal that makes him feel a little separate from everyone else. not in an arrogant way, but like... "wow, these people have no idea, and i was the same for so long, and i also had no idea." he probably feels bad sometimes like they deserve to know, but he knows he'd be dismissed as crazy, so he can't talk about it except with the PT. of course he's very careful not to start thinking of himself as better than others because of it, but. it fucks with him.

in contrast, toshiro... doesn't think about it as much. i mean - he definitely still does. sometimes he's stunned by just how crazy his reality is, tbh, and he still feels shaken about all the things he now knows/has experienced. but he's more focused on how much his worldview/mindset has changed, and how he's grown as a person more than anything else. THAT'S what stuns him the most. which zenkichi does too, but! i think toshiro being younger than zenkichi and the sheer craziness/constant shit going on in his game also makes it easier for him to accept, though him being older than the kids makes it harder than it was for them, too.

idk it's just so much fun to think about sometimes!! i love thinking about how other people/muses who don't know about the metaverse would react to their knowledge, too. i'd love to explore that in a thread, but it's hard to find the right chance, since most muses i interact with are obviously already knowledgeable about the supernatural.

[fe-fictions]

I got a prompt. Robin getting a little jealous when Frederick starts to spend more time with their daughter Marc but towards the end, Frederick gives her flowers as an apology. Extra points if Marc also gives her flowers.

(I finally got this one finished! I needed more FredRobin in my life,,, figured it was time to bring back the royal family of my heart U V U )

When Marc was found among the future children, Frederick was somehow even more elated than when Morgan appeared.

It wasn’t because he “loved her more”, which both you and your son teased him for. Rather, he was elated that he had not one, but two children to call his own!

Not only that, but now he had a son and a daughter- he couldn’t ask for more. So now that he had Marc to spend time with, he took every spare moment he had to get to know her.

You thought it was precious how Frederick hung onto her every word, listening to the tales of her life. The only problem was it came at the cost of your own quality time together. And the void was becoming more apparent with every passing day. 

He was getting up earlier, so that he could teach Marc how to start the morning campfires, before the two of them would go on their morning patrols (which were little more than glorified walks).

“It’s been a little while since you and I went on a sunrise patrol, dear.” You would point out to him, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

“We shall patrol later in the evening. This particular valley is beautiful when the sun rises above it; I wish to show Marc. She tells me that she’d rarely have time to appreciate the dawn in her timeline- it was far too dangerous.”

“Of course.” Like you would dare to argue with that. Instead you smiled and gave him a kiss, “Hurry back- it’s awfully cold in here when I’m on the bedroll alone.”

“Yes, my sweet.” 

The response was always reassuring, but every time you drifted off and would wake up again an hour or two later, Frederick never came back.

Typically by that time, he was either training with Marc and teaching her, a Mage class, how to fight valiantly with a sword and spear.

Other times the pair were gallivanting off to the kitchen so he could teach her how to make morning tea for her mother and brother (the royal family’s as well, naturally).

This had been going on for nearly a month. 

However, this particular morning, you aimed to do something about it.

With a yawn and a stretch that resulted in a few pops here and there, you emerged from your tent into the misty gray of early morning.

“Mother!”  

Morgan’s cheery voice greeted you first thing, the young man bounding up to you with a spring in his step few could find right after waking. Likely a trait he inherited from his father.

“Good morning, Morgan- did you sleep well?”

“Well enough,” He replied, offering his arm for you to take. “I meant to spar with Father last night, but he and Marc had already trained. It’s easier to sleep well after a training session with him.” 

“He does demand a lot of energy in a spar, doesn’t he?” You mused, the two of you heading towards the mess hall. “Well, you’ve been able to spend time with him in other ways, haven’t you?”

“Oh, certainly! Father, Marc and I will polish weaponry together, review the stock in our storerooms and repair armor together…oh, and just the other day we went to the river to wash the linens from the medical tent!”

“I’m glad the three of you are getting on, then.” You replied carefully, “But Morgan, what about time with just you and your father? When’s the last time the two of you were together?”

His brow furrowed, “I’m not sure, Mother…maybe a month ago, or so? Marc really likes to spend time with Father, probably because he’s the most familiar person to her, besides me.”

“That makes sense. I hate to think about where I am in Marc’s timeline, but I know she's more comfortable with him. Does it bother you that you’re not able to be with your father as often?”

“No, not at all! I don’t mind having less one on one time with him. Marc seems like she needs it a lot more.”

“So you don’t miss him at all?” You quirked an eyebrow, and Morgan hesitated. He was far too considerate and kind to admit that he was jealous of Marc’s monopolization of his other parent.

“I can’t miss him, I spend plenty of time with him!” Morgan laughed, though it quickly died when you narrowed your eyes at him.

“Even though you used to have him all to yourself and now, all of a sudden, you don’t?”

“W-well, I figured we’d piece together a schedule at some point, after we got used to having Marc with us! I just didn’t think it’d take a month.” He admitted, and you nodded.

“I have a sneaking suspicion that your father doesn’t realize how much time he’s spending with your sister over us. If he didn’t recognize it weeks ago, he won’t now. Maybe we should have a chat with them about it.”

It didn’t take long for the mess hall to fill with Shepherds, your usual spot at the end of your table already reserved by a handsome knight and his lovely daughter.

You found them setting your plates, already loaded with the hardy breakfasts that made armies strong. 

And both greeted you with glowing smiles.

“Good morning, Mother!” Marc chirped, quick to your side to wrap you in a big hug. You smiled at your sweet daughter, glad to reciprocate.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“I did! Papa taught me how to make this type of herbal tea that helps you sleep better. It’s worked wonders for me! Do you know how to make it?”

“I actually don’t,” You remarked as you sat down, “Usually he runs off to make it for me. Although lately I’ve found it difficult to pin him down long enough to brew me some.”

“Are you not sleeping well, my love?” Frederick piped up, taking your hand to help you to your seat. “I will gladly make you some tonight, if you wish.”

“Assuming you’re in bed at a decent hour- lately you’ve been coming to sleep around the same time I do! Which is way too late with your schedule.”

“That is explainable- Marc and I have been going on patrols later in the evenings so we might be able to stargaze once the rounds are done. She’s quite knowledgeable on astrology.”

She giggled as if on cue,  her eyes glimmering with excitement.

“The stars are always so beautiful when the nights are clear- whenever I’d take my wyvern up back home, I’d spend hours just tracking the constellations and planets.”

“I’m glad to see you sharing so much knowledge with each other. Though…Morgan and I were hoping to speak with you about a rather serious matter.”

“Oh?” Frederick set down beside you, the two children following suit across the table. Marc nudged Morgan’s shoulder, grinning at him.

“What did you do, Brother?”

“I didn’t do anything!” He protested quickly, “Besides, if anyone’s in trouble, it’s you, Marc.”

“Me? I’ve never done a thing wrong in my life!” She joked, though Frederick was surprised by Morgan’s offhand comment.

“What are you talking about?”

“No one’s done anything wrong,” You chided the children, “It’s just that Morgan and I have noticed that we’re not seeing very much of you, Frederick.”

“That can’t be true- I see both of you every day!”

“Yes, in council meetings and at the end of a long night, for me. And with Morgan, you two are typically doing tasks alongside Marc, yes?”

“Hmm…yes, I suppose that’s true,” Frederick conceded, mulling his schedule over. “But that does prove my point, doesn’t it?”

“What about the time you spend alone with him? And myself?” You pressed, your calculating gaze impossible to miss as you took a bite of breakfast.

Frederick’s expression became even more serious. He appeared to be going back through his schedule, but he wasn’t able to find anything to prove otherwise.

“And what about you, Marc? When’s the last time you and Mother were off doing something with just the two of you? Or you and me? I haven’t had a chance to hang out with you without Father there- no offense, Father.” 

You smiled softly when poor Frederick’s face paled, realizing that he had indeed been spending more time with his daughter than anybody else.

“Oh, dear…I’ve been neglecting the two of you, haven’t I?” He realized with a deep frown, trying not to bury his face in his hands. He couldn’t afford to do such a thing now when he had to make things right.

But to say he was ashamed of himself was an understatement.

“It’s not that big a deal, Freddybear. I was just wondering when I’d get a turn with you again, that’s all.” You mused, patting his shoulder.

Marc looked sheepishly to her brother, an apologetic smile on her lips.

“Ahh…I’m sorry too, Brother. I didn’t realize how little time I was spending with you! It’s just…Papa’s the one I remember the most from the future…a-and we were always together! I guess it just felt right to spend time with him.”

“Sure, I get it. The gaps in your memory make it a little easier to stick with what you can remember.”

“It’s not easy, but…I do want to spend time with you and Mother,” She continued, looking over at you as well. “I’m sorry if it felt like I was hogging Papa. You need one-on-one time with him, too!”

“And they shall have it. I will adjust my schedule so that I can spend an equal amount of time with each of you, at least! I love you far too much to let such a travesty happen again.” He decided, nodding to himself as though he already came to his decision.

You smiled gently, patting his hand. “Thank you for being so considerate of us. We did miss you.” You joked, winking at your daughter, “And I look forward to spending more time with my daughter; I feel that there’s much to learn about you that I haven’t discovered yet.”

“Of course, Mama! I can hardly wait to spend more time iwth you! Shall we go right now? We could discuss my newwest spell casting techniques I created!”

“Oh? I’d be very interested to learn more. But maybe after breakfast.” You gestured to the meals waiting to be wolfed down.

Morgan was glad to, with great gusto.

You and Frederick watched as the children chomped down their food and excitedly chittered with each other about their plans for the day. You nudged his shoulder giving him a small smile.

“Do you think this is what it’ll be like when we have kids?”

“I would imagine so,” He remarked quietly, nudging you back, “Though we won’t know until we have them.”

“I guess we’ll just have to start trying to find out.”

“Robin, please, we’re in the middle of war-”

“No time like the present, dear-”

“There are far better times, not in the present!” He laughed, “I admire your, uh, eagerness to start our family properly, though. I’d be lying if these two haven’t been a convincing argument to start building our own little family in this timeline.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” You hummed, taking his hand under the table and giving it a soft squeeze.

The family continued the day, everyone going about their schedules and feeling far more chipper now that the matter had been resolved.

While you wouldn’t see Frederick again until later that evening, he did surprise you by coming home sooner rather than later.

And when the tent flap opened, you spotted a sweet bouquet of wildflowers in his hand as the tent was latched shut.

“I see you’re still working away, the night,” He commented while he closed the distance, smiling at the happy blush on your cheeks.

“I was, but now I’ll have to busy myself with these flowers you’ve brought me,” You hummed, taking in the delicate scent “What’s the occasion for these, hm?”

“They’re an apology for being such a poor husband. I know you were being quite a good sport about it this morning, but you weren’t wrong that I was being neglectful of you and Morgan in favor of spending time with Marc. I hope you can forgive my short sightedness.”

“While I will admit that I felt a bit jealous ad neglected over your prioritizing time with Marc, I know it wasn't intentional. But thank you for these…they’re beautiful.” You gladly received your gift, making plans to dry and press them later since it would be far prejferred to trying to keep them alive in a vase with a constantly moving caravan.

Frederick offered his hand to you, allowing him to pull you into his chest so that he might have you close.

“You know that I lvoe you very much, right?” He asked softly, his gaze warm in the glow of candlelight.

You nodded, a soft blush warm on your skin. “I do. And I love you too, Frederick. I hope you won’t forget that when our third child comes from the future.”

He laughed, “you don’t think we already have our hands full with two? If our future selves honestly think we could possibly manage a third, they were more ludicrous than we thought-”

“Give your future yourself a little credit- this is you we’re talking about.” You giggled, leaning in close to receive a well-deserved and long overdue kiss.

You broke apart only when you heard the tap knocking at your tent. Marc’s petite frame was silhouetted by the candlelight, prompting your her father to open the flap.

“Yes, dear? Is there something you need?” Frederick asked immediately, always on high alert for his children.

Marc gestured to you past him, hiding something behind her back.

“I was hoping to give Mama something, if that’s all right.”

“I don’t see why not- your father gave mea beautiful bouquet, and now I get a rpesnt from my daughter, too? What a lovely surprise!”

“Aww, he already gave you a bouquet?” She looked at the wildflowers with wide eyes, disappointed that her plot had been foiled. “Well, that kind of ruins what I planned for you!”

“Did you bring me flowers, too?” You grinned, impossible for you to conceal your joy. “Oh, Marc!”

“I did, Mama.” She produced the flowers from behind her back, revealing a very similar bunch of blossoms that all but matched the ones from Frederick.

“Thank you, both of you! Was this the plan all along?” You wondered, combining the two bouquets so that it was twice as beautiful.

“It was not, actually-” Frederick glanced at his daughter, “I guess we’re much more similar than we first thought, hm?” 

“Great minds think alike!” Marc was practically glowing with joy, “I hope you can forgive me too, Mama. I want to spend time with you and Morgan too, so get ready! You’re gonna see a lot more of me than ever before.”

“I look forward to it.” You grinned, giving her a warm hug. “All is forgiven, so don’t worry about a thing.”

“I’m glad,” She pulled back, catching her father’s hand. “Then I’ll leave the two of you alone- I’ve got some work to take care of before I go to bed tonight.”

“Don’t stay up much longer- it’s important you rest well.” Frederick reminded her (likely for the thousandth time in the future and present). 

“I will, Papa!” She promised as she scampered from the tent. You smiled after her, leaning into your husband’s chest. 

“We’re going to have a very rich future, Frederick. I can hardly wait…can you?”

“Loathe as I am to admit it…I’d love to start our future now.” He sighed happily, “Instead, we’ll simply have to prepare oursel 

He trailed off, his arms wrapping even tighter around you, hoisting you up onto his waist. You squealed in delight, hands on his shoulders to keep from falling.

“Freddybear-!”

“As soon as it’s just the two of us, you’re not leaving my sight for a long time.” He vowed, the last exchange you would have before he kissed you senseless.

You hoped he made good on that promise, when the time came. Just having him back in your arms again was a heavenly sensation.

You would wake to the sweet scent of wildflowers that morning, held intimately to your husband’s chest and luxuriating in the sun’s glow.

It was a memory you would hold terribly dear.

[noonegetsleftbehind]

Get To Know The Mun

------The Basics!

Name: J

Pronouns: he/him

Zodiac Sign: libra

Single/Taken: taken by @viralstars for the last 10 years as of mar 23 and married for 3 as of oct 31 lol (ewww gross it's like i love you or something)

------Three Facts!

1- i cosplayed ledger's joker for years and used to appear outside of the theater i lived above to hand out candy on halloween as him (incidentally, the euphoria i had from wearing that costume was my egg breaking) i also wrote him for for about 10 years in some way shape or form (he was my first indie blog on tumblr and how i met my wife.) i now write 2019's joker here @smilewithapurpose (the joker is my all time favorite fictional character and i cannot put into words what the character means to me)

2- i have a tattoo of freddie mercury and it means the world to me

3- my hair has not been its natural color since like... 2016?

------Experience!

Platforms Used: started out doing fanfic so fanfic.net and AO3 then moved to tumblr and also use discord for it too

Plotting / Winging It / Memes: all of the above tbh. i like doing all of them. sometimes it works best to have a plot or at least a small idea of what we want to do. then other times it works out to just wing it and see what happens and all of a sudden you have something that's so awesome and you're obsessed with. i cannot tell you how many of my favorite ships and threads have started with a meme.

------Muse Preference!

Gender: i typically would say about... 95% of my muses are male and i lean more comfortable writing male as a preference. most of my friends growing up were male too and i still find it easier to speak to and befriend males so i suppose that's part of why it's most comfortable to me.

Multi or Single: so lol i do have an re multi here @infectati and my long ignored regular multi that i would love to be able to go back to here @writingxonthewall but i often have trouble keeping centered on a multi. it's a me thing because i start having an overload of aesthetics and info etc and i get weird about my muses having their own space. however.... i LOVE writing with multis and i fully support them! <3

Least Favorite Faceclaim(s): ....? listen... i don't have time to give a shit. you do you. it's your muse. your blog. i don't have to like them or agree with them.

------Fluff / Angst / Smut!

Fluff: godddd i love fluff. admittedly lmao i probably spend the LEAST amount of time writing it of anything. i should probably spend a little more time with it, but that angst is just so damn good!

Angst: listen. not only is it the name of one of my favorite rammstein songs, but goddamn. i. LOVE. writing. ANGST. it's my favorite. i feel it catches my attention the most and i am able to explore aspects of my character and their relationship with other muses involved so deeply when writing it. i feel it is is my strongest creative drive.

Smut: yup. it doesn't have to be spicy sunday in this bitch. i love writing smut. there. i said it. i love it. sometimes it can be really in depth and emotional. something raw and intense. sometimes just all out naughty. sometimes sweet. there's a lot of depth to it and it can also bring out depth and emotions in my characters that i otherwise wouldn't get writing anything else. it's a valid genre and one that needs a fuck ton less stigma to it.

Stolen From: @idolkills and @deadkenndy Tagging: allllll of you <3

[venalier]

Wuthering Heights: Has your muse ever found themself in a toxic or destructive relationship? Who was the other party? How did it end?

       　´ ✱ ‾‾‾‾   classic literature asks.

i was thinking about this the other day when i was riffling through caeldori's s-support convos again and remembered this throwaway line from m!corrin's s-support:

Caeldori: Why do I always fall in love with men who never love me back? In the Deeprealms, I fell in love with my guardian…who was married. With kids. And after I left, I fell for someone who turned out to be engaged to another.

the second one's kind of an odd mention because as far as the game narrative is concerned, caeldori leaves her deeprealm to fight alongside her father and corrin's army, and jumps right into doing just that the moment she steps out. there presumably isn't any sort of span of time where she's left to her own devices. the implication here would be that this second unrequited love she mentions is someone in the army — probably some npc somewhere off screen.

anyway, the answer to the question is yes, and this person was it.

it's a wartime situation with a lot of changing factors in who they're fighting and the nature of their enemy and the fate of the whole world, which means there's a lot of uncertainty and probably, if they were considering finally bringing the gen2 units on board instead of keeping them continuously safe in the deeprealms, one where they were starting to need the help of anyone who could and was willing to fight.

it's fairly likely this was a man who had left his engagement back home, either nohr or hoshido or elsewhere, to join the front lines. and that time, distance, and threat of life made him more open to caeldori's affections than he would've been otherwise. she was freshly out of her very insular deeprealm life, exposed for the first time in her life to an enormous array of people, to "real life" as she saw it, and as such very naive and very eager to prove herself. she romanticized just about everything about being able to now spread her wings, so to speak — this relationship included.

and on his part, he probably didn't intend for it to go anywhere at the start; he saw her as lord tsubaki's earnest and hardworking daughter and there wasn't really anything harmful about being on good terms with her or if she wanted to talk to him and spend time with him here and there. it's not as if they were anything; and when caeldori, driven person that she is, unconsciously developed feelings and wanted more, he just didn't say no.

it's worth noting she says specifically "i fell for someone who turned out to be engaged to another", which forms most of the basis here.

in the end, she found out — whether because he finally told her himself or through some other means, and the fallout was pretty bad. she essentially ghosted because that was easier than confronting her shame, and they only had one conversation when he sought her out again, which started out civil enough but quickly turned accusatory and defensive on both sides. afterwards, though they saw each other here and there over the course of the war, they never interacted with each other past what was necessary, and caeldori took quite a long time to fully get over how she felt. she believes he simply lied and took advantage of her feelings, though how much of that is the truth was never something she thought or wanted to find out.

[doctorknightley]

📝 kirby

Their first impression: "How does one person manage to get injured so quickly? I should probably plan ahead and set aside some of our supplies for them."

Their current impression: "I'm not sure why people find it so surprising I consider them my best friend. They are one of most creative and wittiest people I've ever met. He's fearless and fun, that hasn't always been a part of my life, so I appreciate them for it."

What they like the most about your muse: That Kirby is so unapologetically themselves at all times, regardless of who they're interacting with. Spending time together watching movies, even if half of them are weird.

What they dislike the most about your muse: That Kirby doesn't seem to believe they're a good friend. How they hold everything in until it overflows.

What your muse is for them ( Friend, lover, rival ecc.): The first friend Knightley made, not just in Huntsville but in his whole life. That's his best friend.

A general opinion of their relationship: He appreciates how reassuring they've been over seeing him as a friend instead of just a doctor. The insecurity is still there that if he's not useful to Kirby they'll eventually find a better friend with more to offer.

If applicable, something they wish to reveal: "I wish you'd speak as highly about yourself as you do your friends. You're a good person. Those of us who call you our friend wouldn't be half as happy if you weren't here. This town is hell, but you make it easier to smile."

[fmrboarder]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER.

name. geist

pronouns. he/him.

preference of communication. IM. I'll only hand out discord if you ask directly. Don't be afraid if I don't respond right away. I have very low energy when it comes to speaking/chatting/interacting OOCly. Can only talk to a handful of folks before needing to recharge, never mind the fact I work 16+ hrs shifts and spend the rest of the time recovering. like i've probably slept no more than 3hrs in a 48hr period at the time of writing this.

name of muse. grusha

rp experience / how long. 15+ yrs. maybe 7+ yrs tumblr now? ask @futurefocused how long I've known 'em and you'll get your answer of how long I've been on this platform on and off. since the other two mentioned it - originally used to be a big sabrina and clair rper back in the day. still see the clair icons i cropped for free use floating around out there. it's nice.

best experience. don't have one in particular, but each fandom i've been in has had one. essentially, that moment when you find a sense of comfort in your writing, the people you're writing with, and sometimes angst or shenanigans.

rp pet peeves / deal breakers. when 'dark topics' are offered, discussed in length, and agreed upon both sides with firm lines drawn but when it came to the actual writing - all the rules from the other party changed without even informing and/or even redacted to the point of 'fluffying' or 'edgifying' the event. or, even worse, using it to paint me as some person who promotes -insert dark topic here- even after the opposing party brings it up first and with more detail. ( i'll always check your boundaries first before touching anywhere close to these topics. ) so i won't write it with someone in a thread unless -insert very mysterious exception here-. drabbles maybe, hidden under cuts with plenty of disclaimers in tags and above the post in the biggest, ugliest font possible to make sure the warning is clear and to be caught by blocked tags/blacklist/tumblr savior/etc. luckily, the primary 'dark themes' on this blog will likely be related to grusha's mental health which can be done primarily in drabbles with brief/subtle references in rp that can be/often been missed in my experience. ( i'm v subtle with this shit. )

fluff, angst, or smut. i'm ace and mildly sex repulsed so i can't handle looking at most sexual content well. great at writing angst, hella fun, but always needs to be broken up with some fluff or other shit.

long or short replies. short for quicker stuff (like within a week or a few days). long can take a month. sometimes short replies magically triple in size when in the writing mood. don't be surprised if it does; it happens fairly often.

best time to write. late nights. after i've been up for 24+hrs or some dumb shit. for some reason, easier to write when completely drained. not always the best conversationalist tho.

are you like your muse. vaguely gender ambiguous, sure. athletic, no. something happening to u that that shoves you into a career that was not your first choice, yes. not much of an ice pkmn lover though (but neither was my hc of grusha). don't got blue hair tho blue is my favorite color. a little snarky and blunt when comfortable - oh no am i grusha? jk. i wish i was that tall.

tagging. you who's looking/reading this now.

[joy-of-life88]

Can I love again? [a Roman Reigns story] 9 Spending time

"I'm so glad we have time for this. It's such a beautiful morning and I haven't done anything like this in ages," I mused as Roman and I walked hand in hand down the street, looking for a place to have breakfast.

It felt so nice to hold his hand. So natural and not a bit forced. I was aware of what a roller coaster the last 24 hours had been, but I could say with certainty that it felt right to take this leap.

"I know, and I'm glad to be able to spend time alone with you," Roman replied as he looked down at me and gave my hand a light squeeze.

We found a café not far from the hotel and ordered coffee. Since we both couldn't decide what to eat, we simply ordered two different dishes and decided to share them.

As we sat next to each other at the table, something Roman insisted on so he could put his arms around my waist, we talked about many different things. Even about James and Eric. Although it was hard for me to talk about them, it was really good not to have to hold anything back anymore. And it was nice to share my thoughts and memories with Roman. I think this way it was easier for him to understand me.

Of course, we also talked about his marriage and why it had failed in the end. I could tell that it was hard for him, but he tried his best to be strong. In the end, it was probably the fact that he was away so much and rarely spent time at home that caused their relationship to fail.

"How are the eggs?" I asked as I sneaked a piece from his plate.

"Really good. How are the pancakes?" he then wanted to know.

"Have a taste." I said, cutting him a piece and feeding it to him.

"Woah. Those are some good pancakes." He praised with his mouth full.

"True, but mine are better." I replied with a laugh.

"Yeah? You'll have to prove that to me when you get a chance, angel!" he said, winking at me.

"I'll be happy to do that," I promised him.

"I know the timing is really not the best, but I have to tell you something. I just want you to know what it's about in case she approaches you." he began after we finished eating.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Well, there's this woman from the production team who keeps flirting with me. Even though I've told her many times that I'm not interested, she won't let go. Her name is Brenda. I don't know if you've had to deal with her before," he began.

"Hmmm... no, I don't think so." I said after a moment's thought.

"Well, anyway, she came up to me earlier and was surprised when I told her I had a date. I was hoping that she would understand that I am not available. But somehow I have my doubts. She is really persistent. If she gives you any trouble, please tell me immediately." he continued.

"How long has she been chasing you?" I wanted to know.

"Oh, it started shortly after the divorce. She just doesn't want to understand." he replied.

"Wow, she must be really determined. Are you sure you don't want anything from her?" I asked, a little insecurely.

"Y/N, listen... you are the only one who touched my heart. No one else." he said in a firm voice as he lifted my chin so I had to look him in the eye.

"Okay, Ro. I just wanted to be sure." I whispered.

"I understand that. And just so you know...if you want me, you got me. I mean it. Y/N angel, you had me wrapped around your finger from the first moment." he said softly.

"You're sure?" I asked just as softly as I looked at his full lips.

"More than sure!" he murmured as he leaned closer to me.

When our lips finally met, it was the most beautiful feeling I could imagine. Butterflies as big as airplanes fluttered in my stomach. This sweet kiss lasted only a few seconds, but when Roman rested his forehead against mine, I knew that this was only the first of many to come.

[kowaindar0u]

✿ ◈ (sadafudo because the world needs more of them)

[ SEND IN A SYMBOL FOR SHIP DEVELOPMENT ]

✿ do their music tastes align? are there some things they clash on?

oh man. huh. what kind of music would fudou listen to???

I think sada could appreciate just about any kind of music but of course probably likes best anything upbeat and energetic.

fudou's music taste is probably like... 1/3 easy listening, 1/3 angry emo stuff, and 1/3 karaoke hits ??

So... I think where their overlap would be most is the karaoke stuff LOL. Fudou might be alright with some of sada's stuff but some of it might be a bit much for him, it depends on his mood. and of course sada tries not to listen to the sad stuff too much. though... i feel like if he noticed fudou had taken a liking to some of it, he'd like... give it a thoughtful listen to try and get what fudou's feeling with it yknow?? HMM

(also LMAO this song popped into my head when thinking about sada's music taste)

◈ what was your muse’s first impression of the other? how did it change over time?

Fudou probably thought Sada was too happy-go-lucky and loud (especially if like... fudou is hungover when he first encounters him, that would not make a good first impression lol) and annoying.

And on that same thing I think at very first meeting, Sada thought Fudou was just irritable and snappish.

But then after spending more time around him, and with others who know him, Sada could clearly see that Fudou has some heavy struggles and has unfortunately come to try and soothe them with an unhealthy coping mechanism. He can acknowledge that it doesn't always make things easier for those around him, and it's not exactly responsible, but he finds it hard to really hold that against him when Sada can tell that Fudou is, actually, trying his best.

And Fudou comes to learn that while Sada is indeed loud and happy, and still sometimes annoys him with it, it's actually really valuable to have as, well, a friend (or more). He's always trying to encourage Fudou and talk him up when he's down on himself, and tries to help him take care of himself when he's having a hard time. And he also sees the way he lights up the others around him-- Shokudaikiri clearly loves him a lot, Tsurumaru finds him as a little buddy when they're doing silly mischief together, and he even makes Ookurikara smile sometimes, so... clearly he's just a very shining light that he can't help but want to stick around.

[disasteracesstuff]

Tech is my favorite character and overall I agree. I'm responding to this, firstly to let you know that you are not alone in your frustrations and secondly to expand on some of the points you made.

To start, the decision to kill off one of the Batch members in the first place was made because the creative team thought it would be unrealistic for the Batch to go up against someone like Tarkin and not pay a price.

As Jennifer Corbett put it in this article:

But what we're showing in Season 2 is that the galaxy has changed and the Empire is now very powerful in the early years. So we were trying to be logical in the sense that, the Batch keeps putting themselves in these positions and, ultimately, there has to be a time when they do lose.

I do agree with what the creators said in saying it had to be Tech because things would've been much easier if Tech had lived.

In an interview with The HoloFiles, Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau were asked: How long did it take for you to decide that it was going to be Tech to execute Plan 99?

Corbett's response was:

"I don't know about how long, it was more about convincing ourselves that it had to happen because we love him so much. But in thinking about it and thinking about the squad dynamics, Tech is very much what I call the squad navigator and when you take him out of the equation that affects everyone in the squad. He would always keep everyone moving be very factual about what they needed to do and you take that out and now everything kind of unravels. So now not only do they not have Tech they don't have Omega and Echo is, you know, off on another mission with Rex trying to uncover other information. So it's really the effect of the squad is them being fractured at the beginning of season 3."

The specific question occurs around the 15:02 mark, but I recommend just listening to the interview in it's entirety as it is very insightful.

If Tech had lived, they would've tracked the shuttle to Tantiss, probably stormed the base, broke out Crosshair, gone back to Pabu, end of story. But here's the thing: the mending of the sqaud's relationships with Crosshair probably would've been a bit rougher. Crosshair's relationship with Omega would most likely be different and that all just seems too easy. Because of Tech's death and what happened on Eriadu, Omega wouldn't have been taken to Tantiss and formed a relationship with Crosshair as well as restore his hope in escaping.e

The only way Tech survives the events on Eriadu is by removing Saw Gerrara from the situation.

I agree that a quick rescue would have made the mending of the squad's relationship with Crosshair much rougher. Crosshair needed to spend that time on Tantiss and he also needed Omega with him to help him have hope when he had none. Crosshair's relationship with Omega would have been very different and if you haven't read @miss-musings analysis on why Crosshair needed to bond with Omega apart from his brothers I highly suggest you do.

I wanted Tech to be alive, too, and I even said a couple times to people "we didn't see a body" or "if X character (like Maul or Palpatine) can survive a fall, then Tech can", but I never firmly held onto that belief.

We got a "body" symbolically through Tech's goggles. I think what made it easier for me to accept that he was truly dead and not coming back is that I made that connection before season 3 came out and accepted it.

As for the CX-2 thing, both @jimbodyson and I share the same opinion.

The entire point of the CX assassins is that they were a legitimate threat to the Bad Batch. There was also much stronger evidence in support of it not being Tech.

"They never mentioned Tech"/"They never mourned Tech." "They wrote Tech out of existence." First of all, the first and last sentence couldn't be farther from the truth. They reference Tech several times throughout season 3. The show did not forget him. The Batch did not forget him. If they had completely forgotten about him, they would not have referenced him by name or alluded to him with his goggles or datapad several times. So please, can we stop saying they forgot about him? Cuz it's just not true. Just cuz they didn't all sit down at a table and full on talk about him at length doesn't mean the characters or the creators forgot about him. His absence was still very much felt, but he still had a presence throughout the last season. Which leads me to the Bad Batch not properly mourning him. First of all, everyone mourns differently.

Even though I wasn’t personally bothered by the way they handled the aftermath of Tech’s death, I don’t fault anyone for thinking the mourning was lacking. When a character we love dies it can be cathartic to see a big emotional reaction from the other characters and I don’t blame people for wanting that.

You’re not wrong that different people mourn differently. My head cannon for why Hunter especially (and to some degree, Crosshair) appeared to have such an underwhelming response to Tech’s death is because of compartmentalization.

A lot happens very shortly after Tech falls most notably is Omega’s capture. Hunter becomes so focused on finding her that he barely leaves room for anything else. And even after she returns to them she’s still in danger and he’s unable to rest.

I like to think that at some point after Tantiss Hunter is finally able to let the walls come down and feel the pain of losing his brother. Perhaps one day he finds himself alone in the atrium and seeing Tech’s goggle, breaks down sobbing.

We didn't see him in season 3, but his memory and legacy was still ever present. Hell, the show ended with Omega becoming a pilot just like him and wanting to help the Rebellion. If that's not perfectly honoring Tech and his sacrifice, then I don't know what is.

Absolutely.

I can't keep quiet anymore. I've got some things to say about the whole Tech situation from Bad Batch...

I've kept a lot of this bottled in for a long time, but now, I just can't. Long rant ahead, be warned.

First of all, I understand he was loved by many people and seeing your favorite characters die is extremely hard. Believe me, I swore I would quit the show if Hunter died. Though, some of the fans' reactions and the things fans are STILL saying to this day a few months after the show ended, I feel need addressing because I think people are missing the bigger picture here.

"Tech deserved better"/"They killed the only 'neurodivergent' character"...

Frankly, I don't think it would've mattered who they killed because people would've found something negative to say about it.

Hunter: "Of course, they would kill the mentor/father-figure!"

Crosshair: "Why did they have him die to redeem himself?"

Echo: "They killed the disabled character!"

Wrecker: "Why would they kill the big teddy bear character with the biggest heart?"

It wouldn't matter who it was, people would still find some way to complain about it. But of all the Batch to die, I do agree with what the creators said in saying it had to be Tech because things would've been much easier if Tech had lived. Now, hear me out! I'm not saying I wanted him to die or he deserved to die; heavens, no! I was devastated by his death and he's not even my favorite Clone. But if you think about it, his death was what paved the way for everything else that needed to happen.

If Tech had lived, they would've tracked the shuttle to Tantiss, probably stormed the base, broke out Crosshair, gone back to Pabu, end of story. But here's the thing: the mending of the sqaud's relationships with Crosshair probably would've been a bit rougher. Crosshair's relationship with Omega would most likely be different and that all just seems too easy.

Because of Tech's death and what happened on Eriadu, Omega wouldn't have been taken to Tantiss and formed a relationship with Crosshair as well as restore his hope in escaping. They wouldn't have needed to go to Barton IV, which is where a LOT happened in the Batch rebuilding their relationships with Crosshair, especially Hunter. If Tech had been there, he might've had Crosshair check his hand much sooner, which wouldn't have led to Omega bonding with Crosshair over trying to help him and teaching him to meditate. Everything else that followed involving Crosshair's growth, Omega's growth, the Batch growing closer as a family, etc, would not have happened had Tech lived. What we might've gotten would've been vastly underwhelming. Tech's absence made the Batch have to work together more to achieve their goals, which brought them closer together by the end of the show.

Granted, I do believe it still would've been nice to see Tech be a part of the family dynamic after Crosshair's return, but I don't think it would've been remotely the same. I could very well be wrong; maybe what we could've gotten had he lived might've still been just as good, but that's all pure speculation now. But I know there are moments we all loved from season 3 that wouldn't have happened had Tech survived and would've vastly changed the story.

As to the "killing the ND character" thing, I highly doubt that was why they did it. There was no agenda there and I feel that point is just something people want to say to justify hating his death. I understand if you're ND and seeing a character like you/you relate to die on screen is hard, but that doesn't mean that the creators are out to get you and they're "taking away representation". Like I said earlier, you could make any excuse to why they'd kill any of the characters, but that's not what they were doing with Tech. Tech's absence created the most challenges for the Batch, which was what led them to work more together and grow closer as a family. It still sucks we had to lose him anyway, but his loss had more impact on the story than anyone else's would've. Characters are killed for "plot purposes" all the time. That's just part of storytelling and driving a story forward. (Unless you're Game of Thrones and you just kill characters left and right for the hell of it)

"CX-2 should've been Tech! They manipulated us into thinking it was him!"

Here's where I might get a little controversial, but just hear me out.

Here's the thing: I only believed CX-2 might've been Tech when he used the word "domicile". And even then, that was a loose belief because I didn't want to be disappointed if it turned out not to be true, which it did. Everything else people were saying was "proof" that the assassin was Tech, I personally couldn't see it. And I'm someone who closely analyzed a LOT of things throughout the show.

I'm gonna come out and say it: I think a lot of fans were heartbroken over Tech and wanted him to be alive that they saw what they wanted to see in order to justify that want.

I wanted Tech to be alive, too, and I even said a couple times to people "we didn't see a body" or "if X character (like Maul or Palpatine) can survive a fall, then Tech can", but I never firmly held onto that belief. Because I wasn't so set on "he's alive and he's going to come back", I didn't see all the things people claimed they saw that "proved" CX-2 was Tech. They claimed he walked like him, I honestly didn't think so. They claimed he talked like him/sounded like him. How could you tell? He had a voice modulator and frankly, he sounded like a mix of Clone voices and I never heard Tech's voice.

I honestly believe a lot of fans saw what they wanted to see in order to justify saying "Tech is alive" because they were angry or sad that he had died in the first place. Then to find out in the finale that they were wrong, they got angry and claimed the creators "manipulated" them into thinking Tech was the assassin. Which was not what they did. Also side note: with how the actors and creators were vague on talking about Tech's death, which I think was also a contributing factor to people thinking Tech was alive; that could've possibly been handled better, yes, but think about it: they loved Tech as much we did. Maybe they didn't want to outright say "he's dead" because they were struggling with it, too. I don't think those vague statements were made to mess with us. I think the cast and crew were still trying to cope with Tech's death just as much as the rest of us.

This is part of why I say making theories or speculations about shows is dangerous because when you hold on too closely to them or convince yourself your theory is right, it ruins things for you when you turn out to be wrong. Some people get too convinced they're right about certain things and then when they're not, they get angry and hate the show. That's part of why fans got angry at "The Last Jedi"; fans were convinced Rey was a Kenobi or related to some other big SW character and then it was revealed that her parents were nobody, which made people mad cuz their theories were proven wrong. (Not gonna go into how they backpedaled on that in Rise of Skywalker, but my point still stands). I know some people may not agree with what I'm saying to this point, but I assure you, I'm not trying to invalidate anyone. I'm merely pointing that what everyone thought was there was not actually what was happening, which unfortunately soured your opinions on the show/how they handled Tech.

Which then brings me to this point:

"They never mentioned Tech"/"They never mourned Tech"/"They wrote him out of existence"...

First of all, the first and last sentence couldn't be farther from the truth. They reference Tech several times throughout season 3.

And here's the thing: after his death, Tech is mentioned more times in season 3 than several other Clones were ever mentioned throughout the entirety of Clone Wars combined!

99: 1 time

Hevy: 2 times

Fives: 3 times

Hardcase: 0 times

Waxer: 0 times

Cody: 0 times (I know he's not dead supposedly, but he's still disappeared and hasn't been mentioned since)

Echo: 1 time, but only just before it was discovered he was actually alive

Gregor: 0 times until it was revealed first he was alive in Rebels

Jesse: 0 times

Mayday: 0 times, but shown 1 time

Tech: 12 times

If you don't believe me, I will give episodes, scenes and/or lines for every single time he's referenced.

The show did not forget him. The Batch did not forget him. If they had completely forgotten about him, they would not have referenced him by name or alluded to him with his goggles or datapad several times. So please, can we stop saying they forgot about him? Cuz it's just not true. Just cuz they didn't all sit down at a table and full on talk about him at length doesn't mean the characters or the creators forgot about him. His absence was still very much felt, but he still had a presence throughout the last season.

Which leads me to the Bad Batch not properly mourning him. First of all, everyone mourns differently. My husband is a good example. Both of his grandparents died within the span of a couple years, but he didn't cry at either funeral because he knows he'll be reunited with them in heaven one day, which I know too, but he chose not to cry. Whereas I was a mess at both funerals and I didn't know them nearly as well as he did.

Same with the Bad Batch. Keep in mind, they are soldiers. They've probably gone a long time knowing any one of them could die throughout the Clone Wars. Most of the Clones knew that. Honestly, when did we ever really see the Clones "properly" mourn their brothers other than the CW series finale? Fives or Rex didn't mourn Echo after he "died". No one properly mourned Fives. Or 99 or Hardcase or Waxer. Most Clones didn't get "properly" mourned because they were soldiers. Rex even says in Clone Wars s7 ep2:

"I have watched so many of my brothers fall during this war, and I try not to hang on to any one of them."

The Clones are taught/programmed to not really mourn their brothers because they are soldiers in war and any of them could die at any moment. The same applies to the Bad Batch. Now, the argument could possibly be made that the Batch are a smaller squad and closer than most other Clone groups, so they should be different, but that still doesn't take away from the fact that they were still born and raised as soldiers. The way they handle death is different than how we might in real life.

The bigger fact of the matter is, right after Tech died, a lot happened. The Batch were all badly injured and then Omega got captured. Their attention was then focused on finding Omega instead of Tech. Plus, what did Tech say in "The Crossing"? That "change is a fundamental part of life" and "we have to adapt and move on". I really think that's what the Batch did: they had to adapt to the change and move on. They couldn't take time to mourn Tech because finding Omega took precedence.

And if you really think about it: that's what Tech would've wanted.

He was adamant about rescuing Crosshair and I honestly believe, if he could speak from beyond the grave, that he would've been adamant about them rescuing Omega instead of wallowing in sorrow over losing him. We all know how much he loved his brothers and his sister, so I firmly believe he would not have wanted them to focus on him.

That all, of course, is more speculation, but it is just something to think about.

If you've made it this far, my point is: I'm not trying to invalidate anyone's feelings about how things with Tech were handled. I think a lot of us were just shocked with his death and plenty more coped with it by essentially denying it and finding things to justify him being alive in the hopes that he would come back somehow. I've seen people act like Tech still being dead is, like, the first time a character's death has been actually final, but this isn't the first time a beloved Clone has died and his death was final.

Fives is still dead.

99 is still dead.

Jesse is still dead.

Mayday is still dead.

Plenty of other Clones are still dead.

The only exception so far has been Echo and Gregor (the first time) for reasons I don't know. So Tech's death being made final after the Bad Batch finale is nothing new, so I don't know why people are so up in arms like it's the first time it's ever happened. I know it sucks other characters in SW can die and come back by some means, but with Clones, this is how it's been.

I miss Tech, too. I struggle watching "Plan 99" and thinking about him being gone is hard even for me...but don't hate on the Bad Batch because they didn't bring him back. They gave us an incredible story; probably the best in all of Star Wars animation and I'm afraid people are losing sight of that because they're mad about Tech not actually being alive like they thought. We didn't see him in season 3, but his memory and legacy was still ever present. Hell, the show ended with Omega becoming a pilot just like him and wanting to help the Rebellion. If that's not perfectly honoring Tech and his sacrifice, then I don't know what is.

If you disagree with me, that's fine, but please keep things civil if you choose to say anything. These are just my thoughts and observations. I felt many of these criticisms were unfair and needed to be addressed.

I love the Bad Batch so much and I just want other people to remember their love for it, too, despite the tragic loss of Tech.