#i actually vividly remember this one specific moment

[risingsunresistance]

was looking around at some stuff on skycrypt... WHY WAS I GOOFING OFF DOING THE CAMPFIRE CHALLENGE ON RESISTANCE DAY 😭

[auroralwriting]

the gun

spencer reid x genius!bau!reader

oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, they both reached for the gun, the gun, the gun…

"you just needed to prove to Spencer, once and for all, that you had all the skills to be the best agent, the best genius."

word count: 2.3k

warnings: cm violence, blood, enemies to lovers, kinda rushed im sorryyyy, fem reader slightly mentioned

a continuation of this story can be found here

Spencer and you always competed. He had an eidetic memory, you had a photographic.

The difference between you two was anything you ever saw, read, you held in long-term memory. Spencer’s, though, resided in short term. However, Spencer was also an autodidact, meaning he could teach himself anything. You also had a vast emotional intelligence. You had such strong empathy, you could detect any micro-detail anyone displayed, making you the perfect lie-detector one that even Hotch couldn’t evade.

Spencer was Jason Gideon’s special boy. Gideon helped Spencer make his way in the BAU. You were David Rossi’s special girl, him noticing your skills from a young age when he met you during a case. He guided you to make all the best choices, leading you to the BAU as well. It took a few years, timing and all, but you got there.

When Dave transferred to Quantico’s BAU, he requested your transfer as well. He thought you would mesh well with the team. More specifically, he assumed you and Spencer would become a genius duo; totally unstoppable.

Oh, how wrong he was. It was from the moment you’d corrected Spencer on some statistic he spewed, you both became enemies forced to co-exist on the same team. There was never a civil moment, always some fight. It was sad, too. You remembered the first time you saw him, you were struck by how cute he was. Too bad he decided to hate you before you got a chance.

Vividly, you remembered the most intense fight you both had.

“So someone with a medical degree,” Hotch muttered. “That’s got to be impossible.”

“It’s more likely that have a nursing degree.” Spencer replied. “We’d be looking at around one hundred eighty thousand people a year. If our unsub is a new graduate, that’s the numbers we’d be looking through.”

You shook your head, “It’s actually one hundred fifty seven thousand. Also, narrow it down to nursing degrees in New York, and you get around eight thousand. Eleven percent were men, so around six hundred. Lower it even more to those who don’t have any family members, most likely from group homes, you can get maybe seventy?”

oh, yes

Garcia clacked away at her keyboard, “My baby’s got it! Seventy two people. If we’re looking at NYU specifically, thirteen.”

Pride filled your system. It was fulfilling when you were able to get things right. Spencer, on the other hand, wasn’t too happy about that.

“You know, nobody asked your opinion.” He scoffed.

“It isn’t opinion, Reid. It’s purely fact, ones you should probably get right.” Your reply had Spencer clenching his fists.

How dare you insult his intelligence? His IQ was much larger than yours, you weren’t one to speak on that. “Maybe you should focus on the case instead of trying to be a people pleaser,” Spencer sneered your way.

His reply made you roll your eyes, “At least I can tell what people want. You’re oblivious, Reid.”

oh, yes

Slowly, the two of you began to go back and forth, your voices raising. Before the situation blew up, Hotch stepped in, trying to mediate. However, Spencer mumbled something under his breath, something you couldn’t just let go. It hurt, stung like a bee, and you weren’t going to let him walk away feeling victorious.

“At least my mentor didn’t up and leave me.” you snapped. “He’s still with me, he didn’t just vanish with a stupid little note as a dingy goodbye.”

Spencer had paused, face dropping. You read him like a book, you’d gone too far. He showed minuscule signs of distress, grief, sadness. The room was silent, no one quite knew what to say.

oh, yes

“Reid, I-”

“Save it.”

Spencer had walked away, leaving you to feel shameful of your words. Rossi just squeezed your shoulder. The man knew you didn’t mean it.

they both

Since then, it was like the two of you were on each other’s cases, constantly bickering and arguing. Now, you were almost subconsciously battling each other for the genius role of the team. Was there any need to? No, not at all, but your fights had become not a battle, but a war.

You stood outside the bank with your team. “They have hostages,” You identified, attempting to peer inside. “There’s no way we can go in. It’s a suicide-murder mission.”

oh, yes

“There’s gotta be a way,” JJ shook her head. “Maybe there’s another way in.”

“It doesn’t look like it,” Derek sighed.

After a few hours, Will made the decision to go inside. You had to help hold back JJ as he walked in. Hearing the bullets made you sick. You physically had to double over, holding back the tears. It suddenly hit you how dire the situation was. You went back to the van with the team. No one really knew what to say.

"Did you see where he was shot?" JJ asked. "Is he alive or dead, Garcia?"

Penelope's breath was shaky, "I don't know."

"He was wearing a vest." Emily reasoned. "He might be okay."

JJ gave a smile, but it was one of disbelief. "Might be," She muttered, shaking her head in reply.

It was then that the team decided to go in. You shoved your gun in your holster, "I'll take first point," You offered. "Check and see if Will's okay. I'll try and manipulate them into letting me go to him." Hotch nodded. With your knowledge of psychology and your emotional intelligence, Hotch knew you could do it.

they both

"L/n, it's too dangerous." You heard Spencer say over the phone. "Just wait for me to tell you where to go in."

You rolled your eyes, "Reid, I'm not stupid. I've handled multiple hostage situations."

Spencer didn't reply. You liked that. This was the first time you'd be able to prove yourself without Spencer's help. This was honestly just a way for you to prove you were the better of the two. Your actions were motivated by the desire to be the best; a classic narcissistic move. You weren't a narcissist, though. You just needed to prove to Spencer, once and for all, that you had all the skills to be the best agent, the best genius.

Oddly enough, hostages flooded out of the bank as you made your way back outside. Maybe Will was alive and managed to get them all out. Once none more came out, you and two other cops began to make your way inside stealthily.

Right as you got in the middle of the bank, you heard Rossi's panicked voice over your comms, "Abort, abort!"

oh, yes

There was no time to reply. It all happened so suddenly. You heard the explosion before you felt it. It was hard to breathe. You couldn't see, hear. It slowly registered that there was a bomb, and it went off.

they both reached for

You had no clue where you had been thrown to. Everything felt cold, really cold. A loud ringing filled your ears as you slowly sat up. You touched your head, pulling back to feel stickiness on your fingers. Your vision was blurry, but you knew it was blood. You had to get out of the building. You needed help, medics, your team. Was anyone else in your team inside yet?

they both reached for the gun

A grunt left your lips as you stood up. You felt your legs give out under you, and you went down again. The desire to live was stronger than your physical weakness, and you stood up again. It was so dusty and hazy that you couldn't see. You leaned on the nearest wall for support, slowly using it to try and find your way out of the building. All that you heard in your head was get out, survive, get out, survive.

After what felt like ages, you felt a breeze against your skin. You followed it, hoping it would lead out, and it did. The light was harsh on your eyes as you tried to scan the area. It was then you saw Spencer and Hotch-- what was Spencer doing here? He was still at the BAU last you'd checked. Maybe the blast knocked you out cold.

Trudging your way over, you weakly called out. "Aaron, Spencer,"

the gun

Spencer knew he heard his name. He looked up from the blueprints of the building to see you, blood covering different parts of your body, your skin covered in debris and dust. You had limp, and your eyes were blown out. "Oh my god," he muttered, running over to you.

the gun

The genius took your in his arms as you fell into him, "How'd you get here?" you asked. "What's for dinner?"

Spencer took notice of your confusion as he allowed you to lean on him. He took your face in his hands, "Y/n, look at me. Focus on me,"

the gun

You couldn't directly look at him. Your eyes darted all over the place. "Where's Rossi? Did he go in?"

"No, Rossi's okay." Spencer leaned over his shoulder, "We need a medic!" He yelled, quickly turning his attention back to you. "It's okay, you're okay."

oh, yes

"I can't feel anything," you breathed out, "That can't be normal. Is that normal? Spencer, am I dying?"

oh, yes

Spencer shook his head, "You're okay, it's okay."

"I can't die," You softly whimpered. "I'm sorry, Spencer. 'M so mean to you, I don't mean to be."

Deep down, Spencer knew you meant what you were saying. The fear of dying without getting your true feelings out always lead to admissions of the truth. "I know, I know," Spencer smoothed your hair. "I don't hate you, I don't. You're going to be okay." Spencer slowly became anxious as he noticed the amount of blood seeping from your head. "Look at me, please, keep talking to me."

"'M sorry," You muttered, feeling your eyes grow heavy. Spencer's face began to fade as you collapsed in his arms.

Spencer felt his breathing grow heavy as he held you tightly. "Medic! She's-- oh, god, Help!"

they both reached for the gun.

A steady beeping was the first thing you heard as you woke up. The light was a blinding white, and you let out a groan at it. Your body hurt like hell, and your head was pounding.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, here, let me just--"

The white lights went out and all that was left was the stream of daylight coming through the windows, along with a lamp that was a warmer light. It was much more comfortable that way. You quickly guessed you were in a hospital. The beeping, white lights, smell of rubbing alcohol that you just identified.

"How do you feel?"

Spencer. You turned your head to look at him. His face held deep concern. He was holding your hand. "I--" You paused, considering his question. "I feel like shit."

He let out a soft chuckle, "Yeah. You kind of got exploded." That's right, the bomb.

"Oh, Will, the team, are they okay?" You softly asked.

Spencer nodded, "Everyone's okay, we got the unsubs. It's all okay now."

You remembered Spencer's words. You should have waited to go in. If you had waited, maybe you wouldn't be in this situation right now. "I should've listened to you." You stated weakly. "You were right. I was being stupid."

"Hey, no," Spencer quickly interrupted. "You were doing your job."

"I wasn't," you shook your head. "I wanted to prove myself. I-I wanted.. to show that I didn't just do victimology and simple hostage relief situations. I wanted to prove myself like you have." You stopped, sucking in a pained breath. You felt your eyes become glassy. "I wanted to prove to everyone I was just as good as you."

Spencer felt his heart break at your words. You both knew overall, he was smarter. It never occurred to him that your constant bickering was to prove yourself, and not to prove him wrong. "You're better." Spencer decided to say. "I mean, I can't relate to our victims, hell, our unsubs the way you can."

"Spencer,"

"I'm serious." He continued. "You're so important to this team. You-you push us to be better." Spencer cleared his throat, "You push me to be better."

You stared at Spencer blankly for a moment, "I never told you that I like this haircut."

Spencer gave you a slightly surprised look. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," You hummed. "It makes you look, I don't know, less like Einstein and more like, uh, a really smart James Dean."

"James Dean," Spencer repeated, "I've never gotten that one before. Are those meds talking right now?"

You shook your head slowly, "Probably the clearest I've thought in a while." You replied, causing Spencer to smile. "Why did you stay with me?"

Spencer paused for a moment, "I wanted to make sure you were okay. I know we bicker a lot. Well, more than a lot. Probably several times a day, but I still care about you. I-I was.. really scared for you. I don't think I could forgive myself if I let you walk in there and you'd died."

"It wouldn't have been your fault," You tried. Spencer just shook his head.

"It would have been. I should've rationalized it with you. When I saw you, I just thought, 'What have I been doing this whole time? Have I really been wasting my breath arguing with you when we could've made the best team'? I remember when Rossi first introduced you, I was like, 'No way someone this pretty is doing this', when you should've been some model or something." Spencer rambled. He did that, paired with hand fidgeting, when he was nervous. He rambled as he played with your fingers.

You took a breath in, hoping for the best. "Hey, maybe we could, uh, go to one of those team based trivia nights at O'Keefe's?"

"Are-are you asking me out?" Spencer asked.

"Only if you're saying yes." You responded. "I, uh, maybe thought we could start over."

Spencer gave a chuckle, "Yeah, trivia night sounds good. I'd like a retry at this. Maybe we're, uh, meant to be more than just a team."

You smiled at him, knowing that a simple friendship wouldn't be highest point of your new relationship with the genius.

[speed-world]

Idea for a story...based off something I saw somewhere else.

Y/n sucked into the cookie run kingdom game and transformed into a cookie and is a complete coward...like cookies, if they want y/n to come with them on adventures, have to bribe y/n into coming...or drag them as they scream in fear. They are terrified of plot because they know what happens in the cookie run story and feel like they wouldn't survive....

Buuuuut then, as they progress through the story, more cookies are revealed to love y/n and their presence in general make the cookies...nicer and more focused on making y/n happy than the plot lol. Like they start making sure y/n has their treats, that y/n is having fun, etc!

Cowardice…Pays Off?!

(Is this self aware? Kinda i guess right?)

You aren’t sure how or why this happened. One moment you were just by yourself, ready to play a newly downloaded Cookie Run Kingdom-The Game. You saw a lot of videos about its story and characters, and you wanted to give it a shot since it all seemed so cool!! Then, just as you started the game up, your game glitched and got stuck. The screen of your phone went blank. Then, like a vortex, it pulled you inside of the game and your entire body composition changed. You were flat, smelled appetizing, and you were a lot smaller than you were supposed to be.

You became a cookie…which horrifies you immensely!

Sure, it sounded neat to be surrounded by the characters that you loved, until you realize that you now have to go through the same story as them. A story that you knew most of the outcomes…

As you finally came to, you heard the crashing sounds of asteroids from outside. You studied your surroundings a bit more until you realized: This is the Final Battle of the Dark Flour War, which surely means-

“This is…Oh no, what a horrible sight.”

“The whole place is covered in Cookie crumbs!”

You heard footsteps of 5 cookies approaching you. You vividly remembered there words as the same words from the Final Battle prologue scene. But of course, you were there. And you noticed that the Ancients immediately froze and changed once they saw you.

“Despite the foul stench and scene, it appears that a Cookie made it after all…”

“Ah! W-wait, I-I’m not s-supposed to uh— p-please I-I’m so scared, d-don’t h-hurt me p-please!!” You freaked out at the realization, and buried your face in your knees. Tears welled up in your eyes as you began to weep.

Pure Vanilla Cookie softly approached you and caressed your back. He sat down in front of you and held your arm.

“We promise you, the last thing we’d ever want is to hurt you! You don’t have to worry, we’re here to protect you with our own lives, you have my word! I’m Pure Vanilla Cookie, may I know who you are?”

With how softly and assuring he spoke, you held his hand and nodded.

“Y/N…I’m Y/N.”

You hugged him out of instinct, which definitely surprised the healer, but he didn’t mind at all. He reciprocated the hug and then hugged even tighter…as if he’s been waiting for this specific hug with you for a while

“A-wait! You g-guys have to leave!! D-D-Dark E-Enchantress Cookie is too strong for y-you all!! Y-you won’t win against her!!” You panicked as you remembered the fate that awaited the Ancients. They all looked surprised initially, but then they all looked more determined than ever.

“While your concern is appreciated, we assure that we won’t back down from Dark Enchantress Cookie. We’ll take her down AND make assure your safety at the same time.”

You looked at Golden Cheese Cookie, quietly pleading with her and the other Ancients to not go and fight this battle. They all do their best to reassure and comfort you, hoping that you understand they can’t abandon this fight. One Ancient however, stared at you differently than the others. She looked at you as if…she actually knew who you were…

White Lily Cookie saw you catch onto her staring, and she shook her head to snap back to reality.

“I-I believe we should get ready! W-We need t-to find Dark Enchantress Cookie before she finds us!”

And then, as if on cue, you all notice the sounds of Cake Hounds rapidly charging at you. The Ancients ready themselves to fight, and you trembled as you got to your feet. You hid behind Hollyberry Cookie, tightly holding onto her for dear life and shutting your eyes…until you felt various Cake Hounds nuzzling your legs. You opened your eyes to the cute creatures smiling at you and not hurting you at all, which confused the Ancients.

“Shouldn’t these Cake Hounds be attacking us? These are Dark Enchantress Cookie’s forces, and yet they’re…rolling around and nuzzling us?!”

“It appears they’ve a fondness for Y/N. We could use this to our advantage, let’s move!”

Dark Cacao Cookie scooped you up with one arm and carried you as the Ancients ran to the castle area where Dark Enchantress Cookie was.

You screamed and pleaded to not go with them since you knew what would happen. Since comforting you didn’t seem to work, two Ancients had the bright idea of bribing you to come along.

“Come now Y/N, I promise to gift with riches beyond your dreams after we win this fight! I’ll even let these Cake Hounds be with you, but you’ll spend more time with me, my closest treasure~!”

“I’ll be sure to grace you with the finest berry juice ever! My treat!! You’ll never have to worry with me around, I promise you!!”

You were more relaxed after hearing the offers of Hollyberry Cookie and Golden Cheese Cookie. After a while, you noticed everyone had stopped moving. You slowly looked up in horror…Dark Enchantress Cookie was waiting there.

“And so, upon the ruins of your home we finally meet. And it would appear…that you brought an uninvited guest~.”

…She was talking about you. You met your worried eyes with hers, but she didn’t look at you with malice. More she looked down at you like a mother would a little child…and you had no clue how to react.

Pure Vanilla Cookie stood in front of you, and had hardened gaze on Dark Enchantress Cookie.

“Dark Enchantress Cookie! What is the meaning of this?”

“Now, now. No need to be so hostile. In fact, I have a…proposition for you lot.”

“Proposition? What nonsense are you rambling about now?”

Dark Enchantress Cookie focused her gaze on you. You hid behind Pure Vanilla Cookie, but Dark Enchantress’s eyes never stopped following your movements.

“I would like to believe that we have a common interest. The Cookie that you’re shielding - Y/N I believe was your name, no? - There’s something about them that’s quite incredible, wouldn’t you say~?”

“What…w-w-what are y-you getting a-at?!” You decided to speak, or more stutter, for yourself.

“I’m saying I believe we’ve all taken an interest in you. Dare I say, we can come to a deal: I’ll cease my own vision for the world in exchange for the safety and prosperity of Y/N. Does that sound alright with you?”

You were very reluctant to respond, mostly because of how much you were taken aback by this. Is this really the same Dark Enchantress Cookie you remember?! Apparently, the Ancients had the same conflicted expressions. None of them truly knew what to say about this ordeal.

“Can we really trust her words? This could easily be just another scheme-“

“I AM serious about this, mind YOU! It’s abundantly clear none of us want Y/N in any kind of danger, and I can see it clearly in your eyes—all of us feel a special attraction to them, despite the odd circumstance~. There’s no reason to lie about it.”

You looked to the rest of the Ancients in anticipation. You had zero idea what the right answer was, if there was one, but you just prayed that you wouldn’t be hurt in any way.

“…..Fine then. For the sake of all Cookiekind, and for Y/N, we’ll trust you. But know this Dark Enchantress Cookie, we will fight you again if you ever back down from your word!”

“Hah, you won’t have to look forward to it~…”

————————————————————————

It’s been a while since then, and you still have no idea how to feel about your situation.

On one hand, literally nothing wants to harm you in any way. Every Cookie you’ve met has been extremely kind and generous to you, even if they’re evil aligned. The Bear Jellies are so warm and welcoming, and the Sugar Gnomes have virtually become your best supportive friends. Not to mention the Cake Hounds being head over heels for you, which you reciprocated the love for them.

On the other hand…there always seemed to be some small layer of tension whenever Dark Enchantress Cookie comes to see you. She’s always super nice to you, giving you immense affection that at times seems out of character.

Of course, the Ancients always get slightly agitated when Dark Enchantess Cookie visits. Especially Golden Cheese Cookie and White Lily Cookie, who really got upset whenever Dark Enchantress took you away from them.

Granted, White Lily made some sense with her relationship with Dark Enchantress.

But Golden Cheese really took offense to whenever you’re attention was taken off of her

In any sense, the most confusing thing was whenever the Cookies wanted to take you on adventures. Mainly the Gingerbrave gang.

You were incredibly scared of going with them, mostly because you knew of the danger of their adventures and thought you’d either be harmed or get in their way.

Whenever a Cookie invites you to travel with them, they always make sure your safety is prioritized. Sometimes they’ll try to bribe you with treats, gifts, or rewards if you tag along.

But sometimes, they’ll abandon their plans just to be with you and make sure you’re comfortable.

This life of yours was so odd and scary, but your fears would eventually wash away with how much the Cookies would treasure your being above all else. You’d grow to enjoy and love the affection and care, even if it seemed to be overwhelming at times.

[minarisplaything]

Daughter's of Ms. Kim (ft. Aespa Winter)

pairing: Winter x Male Reader rating: Explicit word count: 2.8k summary: After a pool boy's rendevous with Karina, he's confronted by her sister, Winter who is eager to prove herself. tags: pool sex A/N: this is part of a series, if you'd like to read chapter one on AO3 you can find it here. there isn't really any smut in it so i didn't post it here but it sets up the series. or just feel free to read on and wing it. either way enjoy!

“Ah…! Ah…!” 

High pitched moans were making their way into the hallway as a result of your actions. More specifically, of you railing into one of Ms. Kim’s daughters. The same daughter you had lusted over prior to this moment. The same daughter who apparently, had lusted over you as well. At least judging by how wet she had been when she first spread her legs for you. 

At first you had been worried about one of her sisters, or even Ms. Kim herself, walking in on the pair of you but the more vocal Jimin got, the more you found that you didn’t care. If she was giving it her all, then you would too. Besides, while losing your job for leering had been an embarrassing and humiliating thought; losing your job for this was worth it. 

“Jimin…fuck…”

You groaned, feeling her pussy tighten around your rod. You had thought the initial stretch had been heavenly but then you found a lack of description for the feeling of her clenching around you as you pumped inside her with a steady ready. What went beyond heavenly? And then there was that look she gave you when she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes pleading with you for more. 

It was a plea you were more than willing to fulfill. 

You didn’t know if this was a one off exchange or not. If you’d ever get to experience the feeling of Jimin’s pussy trying to milk you for every drop again. With that in mind you had to make sure to give her your all this time. If nothing else, it’d leave a lasting impression on her memory.

“Jimin…”

You slowly came back to the present day, the replay of that day still going vividly in your mind. You were grateful for the pool that Ms. Kim had allowed you to use today after you had finished. It meant you could have a raging hard-on under the water without worrying about anyone seeing it. Not that there had been anyone in the yard when you had jumped in to begin with. Your solitude was the reason you had allowed yourself to close your eyes and recall those memories.

“...”

With a sigh you let your shoulders sag. You still didn’t know if you’d ever get that chance again. The next day, Jimin had acted as she always did and you hadn’t had the nerve to bring the topic up on your own. You simply followed her lead and pretended like nothing had happened. Now you felt like you were at a crossroads. Maybe if you just got a chance to talk to her privately…

The sound of water moving caused your eyes to peak up. When you saw someone floating in the water five feet from you, you immediately stood straighter. Then, remembering your erection, immediately sunk back into the water.

“Minjeong…How long have you been there?”

Another one of Ms. Kim’s daughters, she was known for being aloof and quiet. Often times it seemed like she was in her on world whenever you saw her around the house. On more than a few occasions you had caught her simply…staring at you like she was now. It was a little unsettling but, well, she was gorgeous. Her pointed cat-like facial features gave her a striking visual appearance that in a lot of ways only added to the mystery of her. The only time you had talked with her was when you started the conversation. And even then she only gave you short responses.

“...Minjeong?”

Maybe she didn’t know you were given permission to be in the pool and was giving you a silent judgement. Or maybe she had caught wind of what you were hiding beneath the water. In all your speculation, you hadn’t considered what she actually said next.

“Did you fuck Jimin?”

If you had water in your mouth you would have spit it out then and there. Instead you choked on your saliva for a moment, hand going to your throat as you tried to regain your composure. Where the hell did that come from?! More importantly if she was asking you that meant Jimin hadn’t told her one way or another. Not yet at least.

“W-what? Why do you ask that?”

She was silent in response, her chin tilting downward for a moment as her eyes avoided yours. Was she being shy? After such a bold declaration?! Honestly, you hadn’t spent enough time around Minjeong to know her personality. It never crossed your mind that she was shy or had a crush on you. You had always just thought she was, well, strange. Your attention had been so focused on Jimin this summer that you likely would have never noticed even if she was overt about it. Now here she was bluntly asking you if you slept with her sister. Truth, be told, you didn’t know what to make of it but the thought of lying made you feel guilty.

Of course, it didn’t help that you were still sporting an erection from your prior thoughts. 

“I, uh,” you paused trying to word it. “Yes. We slept together. It was just a one-time thing though.” 

You tried and failed to hide the disappointment in your tone at that admission. No point in dwelling on idle fantasies. 

Minjeong gave you a side glance at your confession, a hint of crimson coloring her pale cheeks. It wasn’t clear whether it was arousal or embarassment but suddenly you found yourself paying more attention to her, wondering what exactly was going on in her head. Admittedly, she was a little cuter when she seemed to be coy rather than staring at you from across any given room without saying a word.

“What was it like?”

”E-excuse me?”

Rather than repeat herself or explain what she meant, Minjeong glided through the water towards you. As she drew closer you suddenly remembered that you were still sporting a rather sizeable erection and drifted backwards, only for your back to bump into the edge of the pool. Despite the look of dread that was surely on your face, she continued her advance unbothered right until she was face to face with you. Her head craning up to look at you. You swallowed thickly, unsure of what to do next.

“Minjeong…?” 

Wordlessly she looked down, barely making out what was standing at attention beneath the ripples of the pool. You had never known Minjeong to be described as bold in your time working for Ms. Kim but that was the only way to label her actions when she reached beneath the water and took ahold of your cock. Your body jolted suddenly, even with the contact being through your swimming trunks. For her part, Minjeong seemed to be lost in her own world. She was staring down, mouth slightly agape as if utterly fascinated by what was currently in her hand. Despite it being a confusing and bizarre experience, that didn’t stop your cock from throbbing any less in her grasp.

“It’s bigger than I thought it’d be…” she muttered, more to herself than you.

“Thanks…? I think?” 

Was that a compliment? Wait – she’s thought about how big your cock was before?! This was quickly spiraling into something you had no idea how to react to. You had never looked at Minjeong in this kind of light before but it was increasingly hard not to when her hand was wrapped around your cock. It was also increasingly hard to think with a clear head. Especially, when she started to move her hand experimentally along your shaft.

“M-minjeong, someone could walk out,” you started weakly.

You gave a glance over to the patio. Currently, the only other person outside was Yizhuo, who was currently sunbathing topless – another thing that caused your cock to twitch in Minjeong’s grasp. From what you could see it looked like she had headphones on and was completely oblivious as to what her sister was currently doing to you. If Minjeong had heard any word of your concern she didn’t show it. In fact, when you turned back to look at her she was even closer to you, her nose practically brushing against yours.

“If Jimin could handle it then I can handle it,” Minjeong stated. 

“I…” 

As much as your mind screamed at you that this was a bad idea, that if you got caught you’d lose your job, you found your resolve already weakened. Not only because of what her hand was currently doing to your cock, but because of what had already happened between yourself and Jimin. If you were going to get fired you might as well go two-for-two on reasons to get terminated, right?

Rather than answer her verbally, you leaned forward and closed the distance between your lips and hers. As your lips moved against hers you wondered if Winter was simply stunned that you had actually kissed her. Briefly you wondered if she had ever kissed anyone best. Wait, am I taking her first kiss? The thought should have made you feel guilty, or at the very least reconsider your chosen course of action. Instead it only caused your cock to throb in her grasp.

Finally, Minjeong began to respond to the kiss. It was slow at first, tentative even. Like she was exploring and analyzing it in her mind before she finally delved in. Her lips parted, her tongue pushing into your mouth experimentally. It was a completely different experience than what you had with Jimin, which you supposed was a good thing. Her lips were suprirsingly sweet and you wondered if she had placed lip balm on them before coming to you. 

Your tongue danced with hers and you deepened the kiss, the water making ripples around you. You didn’t know if Yizhuo was still unaware of what was unfolding but at that point you didn’t care. You had started this ( well, she had technically ) now you were going to see it through.

Her lithe body pressed flush against hers, one arm wrapping around her neck while the other continued to stroke your cock under the water. When she finally pulled back, she looked up at you with large eyes.

“I want it…”

“What do you want, Minjeong,” you prodded.

She briefly looked away, her cheeks tinging with a hue of red. Her stoic confidence seemed to have faltered. When she spoke it was in a low voice that you could barely hear. “...fuck….me…”

“What was that?” you couldn’t help yourself from teasing her a bit. “I couldn’t hear you.”

Finally, she looked back at you. Her eyes staring intensely at yours, “I want you to fuck me.”

Well, that didn’t leave any doubt did it?

“You want me to fuck you like I did Jimin?” you questioned, your voice lowering as you began to lift her up. You had never actually fooled around in a pool before and were relieved at how easy it was to pull her closer so her legs could wrap around you. You pulled her bikini bottoms to the side, positioning your cockhead at her entrance.

“Yes,” Minjeong said, sounding determined now. “That’s what I want.”

Fuck, there was just something alluring about the way she said that. You may have never pictured her this way before but hearing the usually reserved daughter of Ms. Kim speak such vulgar desires was the last straw you needed. You pushed forward and pulled her towards you, beginning to sheath your cock inside of her pussy. 

Fuck she was tight. 

Despite her arousal you struggled at first to fit your length inside her in it’s entirety. Minjeong said nothing but her body tightened around you as she bit her bottom lip. 

“If you want to take it all you have to relax,” you whispered into her ear, “It’ll feel so much better, I promise.”

“So full…” she mumbled.

“There’s still more to go but you have to relax,” then another idea popped into your head, “Jimin was able to take it all.“

Your words worked as expected. Minjeong took a shaky breath before you felt her body begin to relax in your arms. Her walls still gripped your cock tightly but you didn’t feel like her body was fighting against you anymore. Instead she was slowly accepting more and more of your length as you pushed deeper inside of her warm tunnel. The resistance you felt at first was now giving way to a pleasure that was sending your mind reeling.

“You feel so fucking tight, Minjeong…” you moaned softly.

She mewled softly in your ear in response. When you finally bottomed out inside of her, your bodies pressed flush against one another, you stayed like that for a moment. You still didn’t know if this was her first time or not but you felt the need to give her a moment to adjust to your size regardless. Even if Minjeong herself would never ask for it.

“Can you kiss me again?”

Her request caught you off guard. You looked at her for a long moment, realizing there was more to the quiet sister than met the eye. Rather than give her a yes or a no you leaned forward, capturing Minjeong’s lips in a tentative embrace. This time she didn’t take as long to respond to your kiss but still kept things slow and explorative. As your lips locked, she began to move on your cock.

Fucking in the pool was a first. Or any body of water for that matter. It was different then you expected, but the weightlessness of it meant that as she grew more accustom to your size, she could begin to move easier, her slow, rhythmic pace picking up slightly. At times you were worried about making too much noise, that Yizhuo might hear the splashing of your bodies as you speared her pussy over and over again, but she never seemed phased at all. Not that you were paying her much mind, your attention was focused solely on the woman currently riding you. 

“Does it feel as good as you imagined?” you questioned.

“Mhm,” Minjeong nodded her head. 

“You like stealing your sister’s fuck toy, huh?” your words grew more vulgar.

She nodded her head again, biting her bottom lip as she gripped your shoulders tightly. It was almost adorable the way she was so focused on the way your length was stretching her pussy that she couldn’t even manage a proper response. That wasn’t good enough. You had given in which meant you wanted to go all the way. You needed to see the usually quiet and reserved Minjeong come undone. Gripping her waist, you smoothly swapped places, pushing her back against the wall. You gripped the edge of the pool, using it as leverage to meet her movements with hard thrusts.

“I can’t hear you,” you teased.

Immediately you were greeted with moans of pleasure as her head fell to your shoulder. That was much better. Your hips snapped roughly, shoving your cock inside of her as her sex quivered around you; squeezing around your length each time you filled her hole. The usually quiet Minjeong had become a mess of sounds as you fucked her against the edge of the pool

“Aaah~ ah~ mmh~” her fingers dug into your back, any sense of forming a sentence completely gone from her.

You didn’t care if Yizhuo noticed the excessive splashing created from your union at this point. Hell, Ms. Kim herself could walk out and you wouldn’t care. If Jimin walked out on the other hand…Your cock swelled inside of Minjeong at the thought. The image of Jimin watching you ravish her shamelessly as she cried out your name. Another image flashed through your mind, one of Jimin massaging your balls while Minjeong serviced your cock with her lips. 

As fantasies in your mind mixed with the pleasures of reality, you felt the body clinging to you begin to shudder. Minjeong let out a cry of pleasure as her orgasm tore through her body. Her walls tightened around you, seemingly intent on dragging you over the edge with her; impluring you to spill your seed inside of her.

“Fuck!” she swore.

It might’ve been the first time you had actually heard her swear, let alone that loudly. That fact triggered something inside of you. It had you gripping the ceramic edges of the pool for dear life with one hand while the other wrapped around her slender waist, burying your length to the hilt as your pleasure finally erupted with a roar. It was incredible, scintillating even. Honestly, your mind simply went blank for a long moment with no thoughts or concerns. Judging by the way Minjeong was currently slumped against yours, she was in a similar state of exhausted euphoria.

The only sound that reached your ears was the slow settling of water and the heavy pants of your mingled breaths until finally she spoke up.

“How did that compare to my sister?”

You could only let out a sound of disbelief as you floated in the water. There was something wrong with Minjeong and her competitive streak – or was it jealousy? Whatever the case a part of you was starting to like it. There was certainly no way you’d look at her the same after today.

[junityy]

summer nights ٠ ࣪⭑ 심재윤

pairing. boyfriend!jake x gn!reader genre. fluff, established relationship wc. 800 note. i literally wrote this at like 4am therefore this is disgustingly cheesy and delusional !!! be warned

Zipping up your sweater jacket (which wasn't exactly yours) once you arrive at the somewhat small river, your inner self simply thanks Jake for convincing you to put on a jacket before leaving earlier. And the fact that it was (yet again) one of his jackets was just a bonus.

“You cold?” he questions when he turns to look at you, only to be met with you quickly shaking your head in response.

It's a summer night, so it isn't exactly cold or hot - but rather comfortable and kinda warm. Which pretty much explains why you decided to randomly hang by the river again, as it basically became your spot by now; even more so every summer. You specifically love coming here right as it gets dark every time, something about it feeling kinda special when you're with Jake. And he knew which is why he grew to love these random dates too - and whether these are ‘actual’ dates could be up for discussion, but to him (and you) they were, so that's all that really matters.

“Next time we should bring a blanket.” Jake notes when both of you lie down on the grass and look at the sky. Even without stars to admire, you enjoyed staying like this for a while. “Probably.” you scoff, though feeling perfectly fine without a blanket beneath you.

Watching the clouds in comfortable silence beside Jake, you can't help but have sudden flashbacks; causing you to giggle quietly.

“Do you remember the first time we came here?” you laugh in, what you would probably call a tiny bit of embarrassment, as your mind goes back to almost two years ago. So does Jake's, and soon the cherished memory can't help but put a smile on his face yet again. He loves thinking back to it, especially since that was kinda the highlight of your very first date (and the several ones following; including this one, too).

“Like it was yesterday.” he laughs along, even letting out a giggle which you so love to hear every time. “It was perfect.” he quietly adds as the laughter fades out naturally, yet both his and your smile remains.

“You know, I actually fell in love with you that day.” you so casually share and quietly giggle again; almost causing Jake to choke on air in the meantime. You remember it so vividly, when you were here and looked at him and.. oh. It hit you like a train - you were actually in love with him. Like, in love. Like the crush upgraded to full-blown romantic feelings and you had just realized.

“You're so cheesy.” he only laughs, and before you can even blink, he simply adds “I love you.” just as casually.

You may have been in a relationship for almost two years, but still every time Jake tells you he loves you, you feel like going crazy. His first confession was pretty much the most beautiful thing you've ever heard, but little did you know the countless following I love you's would drive you just as nuts. And, - very needless to say - the exact same went for him.

“Oh shut up.” you return in a playful manner, quickly followed by a genuine “I love you more.” that lets your own heartbeat increase a little. Impossible, Jake only thinks to himself.

Turning your head and immediately making eye contact with him, you fail to hide an even bigger smile. Oh god. You really do love him and his insanely contagious smile.

However, before either of you can say anything, you suddenly hear a light thunder from afar and can easily figure out what's coming next as you break eye contact to look back up.

“Should we leave?” you calmly ask with your eyes on the sky - which is now visibly darker than before. Though still rather light, more and more thunder appears, and you and Jake seem to listen rather than talk at all. Some could probably say you look insane calmly listening to the thunder together as if it was your favorite song playing instead, but it's moments like these that you so love and cherish - both of you.

Still, almost as if there was an imaginary count to three, the two of you simultaneously respond with a laid back “Nah.” to the question you asked before; which is immediately followed by shared laughter.

But oh boy, you will probably remember this date especially well.

🌧

Safe to say, neither of you went home dry that night, but rather drenched in rain. On the bright side though (although you didn't have any complaints in the first place), you came back loving Jake a little more than when you first left that night, and you were certain to wake up tomorrow and love him even more.

taglist @tyunni @geombyu @jaeyunverse @yjwfav @sieuneo @beombisou @neos127 @odxrilove @4xiaojun

[poebot]

Part 2 of toxic when babe?😫

a/n: right here angel ! sorry for the wait. i was kinda high when i wrote this so here’s to hoping its coherent. enjoy~

summary: Tension arises as Abby finally confronts Ellie.

warnings: sfw again (for now 🥸)

tag(s): @thatonementallyillsimp @blvebanisters lemme know if you wanna get tagged when i update :)

“Toxic” Ellabs / F!Reader Part 2 | Part 1

Abby’s breathing became increasingly rapid as she came to terms with the fact that she was actually doing this. Actually approaching Ellie in a confrontation that didn’t consist of passive aggressive remarks that went over your head or telling you to break up with her every chance she gets in private. It was both exhilarating and mortifying.

She had finally managed to manoeuvre her way through the crowd of sweaty bodies to get to you. “Hey, can I grab you for a second?” Abby said as she reached you both. You tapped subtly on Ellie’s arms to get her to loosen her grip on your waist, noticing the way her hold tightened up as Abby approached.

“Yeah, Abs. What’s up?” Your words were slightly slurred and breathy as you smiled warmly up at the girl, eyes misty with intoxication. Her cheeks were quick to flush, stomach fluttering incessantly. You were so beautiful to Abby that it physically hurt. Especially with that cute nickname slipping past those pretty lips. Ellie watched the exchange in silence, her tongue pocking the inside of her cheek. She finally spoke up, tired of watching her girl get ogled in front of her.

“What do you need to say to her that I can’t hear, Anderson?” Abby scoffed at her, folding her arms across her chest. God, she was such a dick. “Can’t hog her the whole night, Williams.” The quip left her mouth almost like a reflex.

Like being flushed with cold water, you suddenly sobered up enough to notice the tension in the air as the girls stared each other down, practically sizing each other up. The hard set of Abby’s jaw and the way Ellie’s fingers were flexing by your thigh made you instantly anxious, your brain steamrolling into prevention mode. “Hey, why are you guys being so weird? Whatever this is, please drop it.” Abby chuckled humourlessly, still locking eyes with the brunette. She expected her to falter by now, but her eyes still screamed ‘I’ll kick your ass’.

“It’s your girlfriend that seems to be the problem here, doll.” Ellie immediately tensed at the nickname, cocking her head to the side. “Doll?”

Your eyebrows rose, incredulous that this was actually happening. On the night you specifically dedicated to de-stressing and forgetting about your fucked up love life. “You aren’t my girlfriend,” You pocked a manicured nail into Ellie’s chest as her eyes followed the movement of your finger. “And you need to stop purposefully being a prick.” You rounded on Abby with hurt in your eyes. The girls attention both turned to you and you saw the exact moment the panic and regret set in.

“Shit- sorry babe, I wasn’t trying to pick a fight-“ “I didn’t mean to piss you off-“ Their voices overlapped in explanation, but you were already leaving them on the dance floor, heading towards the bar to order another cocktail. Neither dared to follow you in fear of making shit worse.

“Fuck you, Abby.” Ellie groaned, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. “You pulled that shit on purpose.”

Abby frowned to herself, suddenly unwilling to make eye contact. This wasn’t at all her plan going into it, but it definitely got you out of Ellie’s arms for the night. She scowled at the ground, her mood turned sour. “She said she’s done with your ass. You need to learn to take a hint when a girl gives you one.”

“Didn’t seem very done to me.” Ellie muttered under her breath, mostly to herself as she stalked off to a far away corner of the club. But Abby heard, and it stung. Because she was right. You were still clearly infatuated with her.

She stood there, in the middle of the dance floor, shitty pop music blaring from the surround speakers. Abby remembered vividly why she rarely goes to these places. Then she glanced over at you slumped slightly in your stool, looking deflated as you sipped on your fruity drink from a straw. The excitement and joy at the beginning of the night was completely absent from you. She missed your sunny smile from moments ago.

Shit. She really needed to fix this.

[404writes]

Devil's Haircut - (Carnid)

Summary: The last time Carl got a haircut was before his mother Lori died. He's finally ready for another one, and he's entrusted the process in Enid's hands.

Masterlist!! Taglist!!

Pairing: Carl Grimes / Enid Rhee

Warnings: Talk of parental death

Era: Not specific, but sometime around s10, pretending the Grimes family is still intact.

Word Count: 1.3k

~

"It's getting a bit long for the summer don't you think?" Enid sat cradling the boy in his own bed, whilst she ran her fingers through his hair, tangled from a long day of physical labour.

"Perhaps, but I don't mind it." He knew what was coming next. It didn't bother him as much as it used to, nevertheless he'd still sometimes catch himself accidentally holding his breath when the topic came up.

She ruffled his hair around, "Maybe I could give it a trim for you sometime. God knows when you last had a haircut." God might have known, but so did Carl, in fact, he remembered the occasion quite vividly. It was one of those memories he had clutched to in fear of losing after his mother died, she'd given him his last haircut.

After the tragedy, Carl had racked his brain for every reminder of his mother, mentally cataloguing it all, his memory was the only thing that wouldn't abandon him until he himself abandoned the world. For years he had spent hours each day making sure there wasn't one thing he'd forgotten about her.

As much as Carl wanted to honour her existence by telling everyone every story he had, part of him wanted to keep the small pieces of her that only he knew, right in his pocket. As if to remind him that she wasn't just stories, but she had actually, at some point in time, been tangible.

He could tell the story of his last haircut as much as he'd like, people would understand it, some had even been witness in the moment. But no one could understand how it felt to be protected by his mother's touch, comforted and soothed within such a trivial activity. In those last days before the world was ultimately doomed, whilst there was still hope, she'd kept only the most fragile of touches for her son, wanting to protect and shield him from what had seemed to be the short-term decay of the world. So that maybe, once the world had fixed itself, he wouldn't remember the global panic that froze everyone, only that his mother loved him.

He hadn't had another haircut since, he feared that if he let someone else handle him in that way, the memories would intertwine and his mother's touch would become watered down and worthless. It scared him.

~

Carl looked up from the poster he'd been blankly staring at, welcomed back to Earth by Enid's smiling face. God he loved her, sometimes he wanted to shout it from where everyone would hear, but other times he just wished to engulf her in the fact, in the comfort of his own room.

"You don't have to cut it if you don't want, it was just a suggestion. But, I do need you to help with mine tomorrow. Think you can do that?" Carl nodded his head. She planted a quick kiss on his forehead and thanked him.

They spent the rest of the evening doing their own activities, by each other's side, with only small chunks of conversation being exchanged every so often. They enjoyed the mildness of one another's company.

~

Enid set up on the front porch, clippers and fine combs, she carried a chair out the front door. Carl followed quickly behind, asking "So what do I actually have to do?" She sighed and replied: "Don't worry, it's nothing too laborious, just a trim."

He awkwardly approached the scissors, as if he'd never seen a pair before in his life. It took him a couple minutes, but he soon began feeling around Enid's head with his hands, reassuring himself that there was no possibility of screwing up.

She didn't rush him, and let him take his time. Enid enjoyed the closeness, and the domestic nature of the activity, it made her smile. She'd told Carl neatness didn't matter, she didn't mind whether it was raggedy or uneven, she'd live. At least it would be cut.

There was still hope inside of her that the act of cutting her hair would bring Carl around to letting her reciprocate the action on him. As she hoped, the further they progressed, the more slick his touches became, and the more carefree he was with the scissors, he might have actually been enjoying himself.

~

"Okay I'm done." Carl dusted off Enid's shoulders and let her come inside with him so she could view the final product. He looked proud of his work as she played around with her hair in the mirror.

Enid turned around and smiled into a kiss on his cheek. She pulled away to look at his face. Upon matching her stare, his gaze softened, "You know, maybe a small trim wouldn't hurt." Enid was ecstatic that he'd finally confirmed her this privilege.

She was quick to have him pulled away from her, as she led him back out to the porch. He sat down on the seat Enid had been sat in earlier, and she eyed up and down the length of his hair, deciding where would be safest to cut.

~

Carl wasn't even thinking of saying yes until he'd finished with Enid's hair. He'd seen the neighbours strolling past the house, quickly looking at the pair of them, only to smile and look away, as if they knew how sacred that moment was, even before Carl did.

He realised that these were the moments he wanted to outweigh the major events in his life, even though by comparison these ones were microscopic in importance. He wanted to make memories that didn't just bring joy upon reflection, but the ones that had also been joyous in the moment.

He didn't let these thoughts over-complicate the event, he sat patiently, feeling Enid take to his hair, double-checking every move she made. The segments of silence were constantly broken by pieces of playful conversation, which brought the pair to laughter. It was a peaceful environment, and Carl felt as though the interaction was encased by a small bubble, which no harm could penetrate.

~ Enid put the scissors down and took one final glance at her completed handiwork before telling Carl she had finished. He didn't immediately rise, he was still savouring the last of it, but as Enid followed him back into the bathroom, she was almost as excited as he was.

Carl took one look at himself in the mirror before letting out a single smiling breath. He could barely notice a difference in length and style, although he had to admit the load felt a lot lighter, and would do him much better in the increasingly warm oncoming weather.

"Do you like it?" Enid asked, the few seconds of silence had been too much for her, awaiting his feedback was painful.

"Yeah, you did good, really good." He looked at her once more, taking visual screenshots of the moment, that would last forever in his memory.

~

The thought of his mother didn't even hit him until well after the event had ceased, and the two of them were preparing a Grimes family dinner in the kitchen. But upon taking one glance at her, Carl concluded that he didn't mind that his mother's memory was beginning to become entangled by hers, in the end all his memories boiled down to love, and he loved her now more than ever.

[eggymf-archived]

no place like home;

ft. garreth weasley with f!reader/mc (one-shot)

themes: hurt to comfort, angst to fluff, established relationship, aged-up characters, post-hogwarts, fiance!garreth, ex!dark!mc, slytherin!mc, 3rd person pov

warning: two idiots in love arguing, mc being the bigger idiot for once, implied traumatic events, implied violence, not spoiler-free, get a load of this sap

summary: she couldn't bear to make him suffer with every horrific danger that constantly chases her, hence she decides to run away one rainy summer night.

word count: 3.2k

a/n: happy weasley wednesday! this is my first entry and fic of garreth actually. i’ve decided to frankenstein the [lyric prompts] sent by @applinsandoranges​​ a while back along with the weekly prompt for weasley wednesday, “wet”. also, if you have read these two smut oneshots (pt.1 and pt.2), this fic features the same mc (just older). that aside, enjoy? :D

main masterlist || series masterlist || AO3

bonus: audio

It was during the summer of 1892 — the year when they finally graduated from Hogwarts. 

She never expected to be given the privilege of spending the summer after her 7th year with Garreth. It was undoubtedly what she truly needed: an opportunity to escape from the utter chaos of the life she has within her own family home in London: specifically her father's seething wrath after that stunt she had pulled, which almost destroyed their own family’s stellar reputation within the wizarding world's pureblood society. 

Family drama aside, not only was it the perfect time for her to rest and recuperate, but it was also the chance for her to contemplate the future now that she has broken free from the shackles of her responsibility as an heiress (temporarily, that is). Perhaps in the midst of it all, she could also make amends for her past wrongdoings.

Oh, but [what on Earth can atone for all the wrong things that she had done]? 

It wasn’t an easy task, to say the least, for the blood that was spilled on her hands all in the name of the greater good has long stained her psyche. There was an insurmountable amount of filth that resides within her as the vessel of accumulated pain, and all she could do was endure the ordeal. The moment she had made that dire decision in the repository during her 5th year, she was doomed to a life of loneliness, but all of that changed during her 7th year when the threads of her own fate were intertwined with his.

She never would've expected that Garreth Weasley out of all people would serve as the beacon that would lead her back to all that had been long forgotten — her own happiness. 

Truth be told, she wasn't the most forthcoming with the notion of romance in general due to her unsavory experiences and personal issues, opting to steer clear of the entire topic in general. In fact, she was better off alone, but for some miraculous reason, the fiery-haired male had managed to creep into her heart, taking his rightful seat on its long-abandoned throne. It was truly a mysterious outcome, for nobody would've foreseen the unusual relationship to even happen, much less prosper.  

A Slytherin and a Gryffindor; the celebrated hero and an aspiring potioneer. They were like day and night; the sun and the moon — ever so different, yet fell in love too soon. Perhaps the irony of it all was what truly brought the both of them together, regardless of all their atrocities, differences, and follies combined. 

But even the greatest of love stories always had their own fair share of trials and tribulations, and the silly, dramatic little tale of her and Garreth weren't an exception. She remembered it all vividly: the times when she'd discourage him from pursuing her, only for her to fall harder and harder for him in the end.

“You'll never know peace a day in your life once you decide to be with me, Weasley.”

“I'm not good for anyone, lest you want a head full of gray hairs before you reach the age of forty.”

“You're better off without me, I assure you.”

“Garreth, please don't. I'll ruin your life.”

Yet her words, no matter how grim, threatening, or incessant, would always be met with his adorably goofy little grin along with the same simple reply that held the undying promise of his devotion and loyalty.

“I know.”

If only things were that simple.

From this moment onwards, ["I know" is never good enough] — not when she's aware of the dire consequences that would soon follow should she decide to pursue the yearnings of her poor, naïve heart. It was too huge a risk to gamble the life of the man who had brought her solace and joy amidst the pandemonium that rages within her blackened soul, for he was all she had left — the only person who would never treat her as a pawn across the chessboard; her most trusted confidant, companion, and lover: her chosen family.  

The musical incantation of Vulnera Sanentur from his Aunt Matilda's lips was all that she heard whilst she silently wallowed in her own thoughts of self-blame, her eyes darting around the damaged parts of their humble abode out of pure guilt. She glances at Garreth's father, who winces as several hands aided him to sit more comfortably on the sofa. His younger sister and older cousins scampered around to repair the several damages within the house whilst checking up on the others after the incident.

It was an ambush by dark wizards: the ones who sought to covet the corrupted power within her. Despite her not being a family member of the Weasleys, they fought gallantly alongside her, defending her as if she was one of their own. Although they are well capable of empathizing and understanding her prior violent display of magic within the heat of battle, it did not quell the bubbling shame that stews within her being. 

It was almost the norm for her to be targeted by the enemies that she had made in her past battles, but to be attacked while she was in Garreth's family home? To put the Weasleys in danger? Preposterous. Utterly preposterous. She'd never forgive her enemies for it. Hell, she'd never forgive herself for it either. 

The warmth of Garreth's palm on her arm startled her from her train of thought whilst she was in the middle of repairing the broken walls, offering her a kiss on her forehead the moment her head turned. 

“Garreth…” her voice, uncharacteristically small and hesitant, trails off while he cups her cheek, tracing his thumb over her delicate face as a form of reassurance.

“It’s not your fault, so please don’t think about it too much, alright? We’ll handle it from here,” he reassures.

Despite her evident disagreement with her fiancé's words, she bit her tongue, not wishing to add any more fuel to the fire. She gave the Weasleys one final glance as she headed to the kitchen to help his mother prepare their dinner for tonight while the others focused on either healing their mild injuries or fixing the damages within their house.

The Weasleys were a beautiful family. It was the ideal family that she would truly love to be a part of in a heartbeat: they were kind-hearted, selfless, and honorable, never swayed by the adversaries that came their way. It was for this very reason that she decided to protect them with all that she has, and she would never allow a single soul to harm even the hairs on their head even if it means that she has to bring herself out of the picture in the end.

Thus, she has made her final decision. 

[She's only safe when she's alone], just as they'd be a whole lot safer without her presence. She could easily slaughter anyone who stood in her way without fear of disappointing anyone with her ruthlessness, and none of her loved ones would be used as ammunition to make her submit to her enemies’ bidding. This painful choice was truly for the best — such as the fate of all fallen “heroes” who walk a lonely, dark path.

Yet despite all the danger he'd have to face and the sought-after coalesced filth of humanity that literally resides within her, her departure was Garreth’s greatest fear.

It was on the same day of the incident that he received the heartbreaking news in the middle of that particular rainy night. His sister was about to pay her a visit for their usual heart-to-heart session, only to find out that she was no longer in their home.

“Gone? What do you mean she’s gone?!” he bellowed, fear lacing his voice as he sped towards the guest room with soft footsteps trailing after him.

“Garreth, I'm sorry. I went to her room and—”

Not giving his younger sister a chance to finish, Garreth barged into the guest room with evident panic, only for his heart to sink at the sight of a room that was entirely bare of her belongings except for a note that she had hurriedly scrawled before she left.

I'm sorry. I love you.

Garreth quickly ran down the flight of stairs and straight to the exit of their home. The shouts and cries of his name fell on deaf ears as he bolted out of the house, racing into the chilly night with a million panicked thoughts buzzing unpleasantly within his head as raindrops drizzled upon his form.

[She had his heart, and he could only hope that she wouldn't hurt him] permanently with one measly written goodbye. He was angry and dismayed with her drastic decisions that lacked his consultation, but he simply couldn't allow all that they'd built to just disintegrate in a blink of an eye. She was, after all, his dearly beloved — the person he'd give his all without a second thought.

As soon as the thunder rumbled, he hurriedly took out the piece of parchment that she had left, casting a tracking charm with his wand. The piece of paper immediately bursts forward, leaving a trail of glittering golden dust for him to follow before the increasingly damp piece of parchment falls to the ground. The spell worked, and it only meant that she hadn't wandered off too far.

He knew exactly where she was from where the trail was heading. With the location clearly visualized within his mind, he apparates to their usual spot, hoping that she was still within the particular vicinity.

Needless to say, he was right.

There she stood in front of the tree where they often frequented for their usual picnics — the place where it's usually just the two of them, gazing upon the meadows of the countryside whilst enjoying the summer breeze. She looks upon the ring that was on her left hand, admiring the ruby and two small diamonds that glimmered under the moonlight. With great reluctance, she attempts to slide her engagement ring off, intending to keep it within their box of little keepsakes before she leaves, which was contained within the tree's hollow.

Amidst the soothing pitter-patter of raindrops, the sound of an audible crack was soon heard from a distance followed by several thuds of footsteps, effectively stopping her. She whips her head in the direction of the sudden noise, only for her eyes to meet a pair of emerald-green orbs. 

[Sometimes, she forgets that she was his] — he'd always find her wherever she may be simply because he knew her that well. She should've expected that he'd figure out her whereabouts within minutes after she had left the Weasley family home. He was, after all, her dearly beloved — the keeper of her heart; the one who knows her better than herself.

“Blast, I shouldn't have loitered around…” she thought ruefully as she faced him completely, a shaky breath escaping her lips as she braced herself for an earful. Instead, he runs towards her with a relieved expression, pulling her into his embrace before kissing her fervently. 

As if it were right on cue, the rain began to pour harder, just like those dramatic little romance novels written by Muggle authors. His touch, although scorching against her cold, damp skin, brought relief to her mind, body, and soul. 

It was only he could bring her such solace, nobody else.

As soon as his lips parted from hers, he grabbed her bag nearby before turning to her direction once again with a tired sigh. Before she could retaliate, he swung his arm around her, engulfing her in his arms before apparating back to his home — specifically into the living room, where the rest of the family was awaiting their return. A blush crept up to her cheeks upon feeling their eyes on her and Garreth, who held her by her waist. The both of them were soaked to the bone with their clothes and strands of their hair clinging uncomfortably onto their skin.

Wordlessly, Garreth set her bag on the ground before flicking the tip of his wand at both of them, casting a drying spell before making his way to the kitchen. She winced at his deathly silence, while the others glanced at each other with an evident grimace as well.

“... Alright, you lot! Off to bed, we go. Come along now!” his mother urges, pushing the other family members right towards the staircase, much to his younger sister's and cousins' chagrin.

“But mum—!”

“Shhh!”

She received several apologetic looks and pats of good luck from his cousins, for she was obviously going to need it. Garreth was upset — abysmally upset to be precise. It was a rare occurrence, but whenever it happens, it was a painful punch to the gut.

Silence looms over the living room, the thumping of footsteps dying out as they scamper to their bedrooms, leaving her and Garreth alone on the first floor of their home.

“Garreth…”

Silence.

“Garreth, please say something?” she pleads, all to no avail. He remains tight-lipped, averting his gaze from her as he grabs the nearby teapot to pour each of them a cup of tea.

She hated it when he was like this, but his reticence was definitely warranted. She sighs in defeat, finally deciding to stop beating about the bush.

“... The attack from earlier—”

“—Was, again, not your fault. And you ran away because you didn't want any of us to get hurt. I know that,” he cuts her off bitterly before he sips his cup of tea in hopes of calming himself down. 

“Then you're aware of the dangers, Garreth. You've seen what they're capable of. You've experienced it for yourself.”

“Yes. So?”

“So why did you bring me back? You know that chaos ensues whenever I'm around, and it's never the good kind.”

“Really, now? Seems like a pretty peaceful night to me until you decided to leave,” he sarcastically snapped, much to her exasperation.

“Garreth, for god's sake—”

He slams his cup on the countertop, nearly shattering the object. His frown deepened, finally looking at her with a glare.

“A note with no explanations? Sneaking out right under my nose? Is that how trivial our relationship is to you?” he asks with a tone mixed with anger and hurt. She visibly pales at this, panic evident within her eyes that he would even think of such a thing.

“Garreth that's not—”

“—what you meant? Oh, believe me, I know. But it certainly feels that way and it's really upsetting. I'm not mad though. I could never be mad at you, but I'm sick and tired of you pushing me away at every bloody inconvenience!”

“I'm doing this for your sake! As long as I'm around, you and your family will always be—”

“I didn't ask you to play hero for us!”

“So you'd rather thoughtlessly sacrifice everyone else just to keep me around?!”

“YOU'RE MY FIANCEE FOR GODRIC'S SAKE!” 

She was stunned into silence by his raging outburst, all retaliations within her head immediately disappearing as he ran his mouth, pouring out every single trace of frustration that had accumulated within his chest.

“Don't you know you're just as important as everyone else in here?! I know what I signed up for — mum knows, dad knows, my little sister knows, every single relative knows! You're already a part of this family at this point!” he continues exasperatedly, running his fingers through his hair out of sheer agitation. “Gods, you’re always like this! I hate that you feel the need to constantly tell me I shouldn’t be with you! I’m still here, aren’t I? Is that not enough for you?!”

She looks away, letting out a shaky exhale while she clenches her fists, her eyes becoming glassy with tears. His heart was thumping loudly, his chest heaving as his emotional hurt slowly descended from its peak. His glare soon faltered the moment he realized the aggression of his words, his fiery anger slowly dissipating as he stared at her with guilt simmering within his gut. Her eyes were downcast while she chewed on her lip, desperately keeping her emotions under wraps while placing her arms gingerly around herself to soothe her nerves.

With an aggravated sigh, he gently pulled her into a warm embrace. She whimpers at his display of tenderness despite the prior exchange of heated words, finally letting her tears run free as she wraps her arms around his waist, a string of apologies pouring out from her lips. He pressed his lips at the side of her head before parting from her as he cupped her face with both of his hands.

“Darling, listen to me. Look at me.”

She acquiesced, her bleary sight slowly trailing up to meet his verdant-hued eyes, which gazed upon her with pure love and adoration despite his recent display of anger. 

“I know I may not be the best man for you, but you best believe that I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe. When I swore to you that I'll accompany you to the ends of the earth, I meant every single word,” he whispers with heartfelt sincerity, wiping a stray tear away with his thumb. “But all I ask of you is to please have a bit of faith in me; in us — that we’ll manage all of this just fine. Please, I love you too much to let you go...”

“But… Your family…” she meekly sobs.

“Then we'll live alone together, just the two of us.”

“But what about you?”

“Then I'll be stronger for you! Hell, I'll beg Sallow to teach me how to duel better if I have to so please…” he begs, his voice cracking. 

“Don't ever leave again. Stay with me until the very end.”

At that moment, she finally caves into her heart's desire, standing on her tiptoes to urgently plant her lips on his without hesitation while his hand flew to the small of her back, the other placing itself at the back of her head to press her further into him. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally parted, gazing at each other's eyes with a smile of relief etched onto their faces. A surprised yelp escaped her lips as he scoops her up into a bridal carry, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck.

“Well then, now that's done and settled, let's get you to bed, shall we?” he grins, his anger completely appeased by her response.

“At least let me bring my bag upstairs first, love. I need my clothes,” she laughs.

“Clothes? For what?”

“...To change in?”

“Oh, trust me. You won't be needing them tonight,” his voice drops into a teasing whisper. 

Her eyes widened, warmth creeping to her cheeks at his insinuation. He chuckled at her reaction, planting a kiss on her cheek before heading upstairs with her in his arms. The tense aura that loomed over the entire building was now completely gone, her soft giggles of sheer elation filling the halls before a peaceful silence ensued the moment the door to her room was closed shut.

Like the moon and stars that reside in the night skies, this was where she truly belongs — right in the arms of her dearly beloved; her most cherished abode.

[anrieee]

⇝ 19 - (✍︎) i hate you

Scara’s smile faded as fast as it appeared when he saw you with the guy you posted about on Twitter. He thinks his name was Thomas or something, it didn’t matter, really. Were you on a date with this guy? The thought made his whole being tingle with bitterness and that was evident with the scowl he adorned. But that was how he usually looked anyways, always frowning or straight-faced.

“Kuni~” The annoyingly high-pitched voice that Tin used made his frown deeper, but it also brought him back from his thoughts.

For a moment he forgot that he was here on a date with the unpleasant female. Thinking of being on a date with Tin made him just as upset as he did when he thought of you being on a date with someone else.

“Are you done yet?” He seethed.

“Hm, not yet.” Scara wasn’t sure if Tin can’t read the room or she just ignored that he obviously didn’t wanna be there. “I still need to buy some new stuff from Gucci, some of my clothes are outdated now.”

“Spoiled brat.” Scara muttered under his breath.

Tin tried to drag Scara with her into the store, but he stayed rooted in his spot. Tin looked back towards him, tilting her head in confusion. “Are you not gonna come with me inside?”

“No.” Scara stated firmly and Tin just shrugged. Scara wanted to at least say hi to you.

He started to make his way towards you and the guy you were with. He didn’t know what to say to you, all he wanted was to hear your voice.

“Y/n, hi!” He called out from behind you.

You visibly flinch and turned around in shocked, “Scara? What’s up?”

“I’m here on a date.” He said. He didn’t know what possessed him to say that, but something in him wanted to see how you would react. Er— more specifically, he wanted to see you jealous.

Your eyebrows raise ever so slightly and you shifted uncomfortably. After that, you didn’t seem to show any more reactions seemingly having shut them down. You smiled at him in a way that didn’t reach your eye, “I see. I’m here spending some time with Thoma. I hope you’re enjoying your time with Tin, I’ll see you later.” And with that you quickly turn around and drag the guy with you.

“Who was that?”

“Scaramouche.”

Thoma raised his eyebrows at you, “Are you guys exes?”

“Kinda.”

“Do you like him?”

“I don’t like him at all.” Due to your previous interaction with Scara, your words came out colder than you expected. And unbeknownst to you, Scara had heard the statement loud and clear. In his mind, the way you said it seemed like you actually hated his gut.

“Damn, your tone sounded really harsh. You’re totally je—” Thoma’s voice faded as Scara’s thoughts became louder.

‘They hate you.’

‘Shut up.’

‘Only natural since you’re an inconsiderate asshole.’

‘Shut. Up.’

‘I told you everyone leaves eventually.’ It laughed at Scara and mocked him.

‘They don’t like you enough to stay with you.’

‘Let me rephrase that, they hate you and they finally decided that they couldn’t put up with you anymore. Worthless and annoying.’

‘You’re a handful.’

‘All you do is be a burden. You’re useless. This is why no one actually likes you.’

And Scaramouche spiralled down deeper into the darkness of his mind.

Deeper and

deeper

and deeper.

He felt like he was drowning and he let it happen. He didn’t try to swim up. All he did was lay there limply, like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

He didn’t remember what he did after that. He only remembered the emptiness he felt as he was lost in his mind and the anger. Anger towards himself, you, and everything. And he vividly remembered the impulse he had to text you. To hurt you as much as your words had hurt him.

just a hater — [ prev | masterlist | next ]

Synopsis: In which you major in astronomy and scaramouche is the biggest astronomy hater (in your eyes). What happens when someone confesses their feelings for you, and you not knowing how to handle affections, suddenly blurt out that you are already taken. By who? Well, scaramouche of course.

a/n: was planning on posting this during christmas but eh

taglist: @lovelyiez @linn-a-a @one-offmind @itsyourgirlria @beriiov @kunikuzushiit @bubiblossom @jiminscarmex @starfruiitzz @baelloraa @bleedingwhiteroses222 @zanashair @criminalinthemaking @dee-zbignuts @shizunxie @lxry-chxn @mangobee @sukunasrealgf @reverse-iak @monochromaticelliot @scaranaris-lil-niko @zannivrs @lovely-scaramouchie @ireallylikehamsters @angryhope @monaypo1 @diiucsion @shirmxie @pooonyo @ladyv1n @thenightsflower @aerinrin @suzukara @lfgceo @st0pthatsgay @elysiasbae @saoiirsee @kairxse @prefesro @purpl3bo1 @l-l-u-x-x @otomegame-oneshots @mcryv @kunikuzushisbeloved (?) @cupids-chamber @justawalkingdisaster @scaraapologist @elakari @nicole-inyourhouse @hishui @loveroftheoldestdream @doppoluvbot @crowbird @lunavixia @mirology

[daisynik7]

A Bento for Kento

Chapter 4: The Truth Comes Out

Pairing: Nanami x f!reader

Word Count: ~3.8k

cw: it gets a tad suggestive at one point, but it’s still pretty tame :) 

Summary: Ren reveals the truth. You make some questionable Google searches. Nanami finally gets his ham and cheese sandwich.

Notes: This chapter's bento is inspired by the tasty looking ham and cheese sandwich from Episode 13 of the anime. This is for you, bakery girl, we love you! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in the next chapter(s). Thanks for all those that have read, reblogged, liked, and/or commented so far! I appreciate it so much.

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A Bento for Kento Masterlist

If you want to join the taglist, let me know in the comments below or interact with the post A Bento for Kento Taglist!

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

It’s Monday, the start of a new week. You’re already awake when your alarm rings, staring up at the ceiling of your bedroom, remembering last Friday night’s festivities.

After you and your brother stuffed your faces at the street food fair, Ren finally told you everything.

He told you about his birth parents and how they were involved with some shady people called “Curse Users”. He shared his thoughts about the unusual circumstances of their deaths and that he determines that they were killed because they were trying to leave all that behind once he was born. He explained how he could see “curses”, which he mentioned was “like seeing ghosts, except they are way uglier and mostly stupid.”

The truth about his lessons with Nanami was revealed; apparently he’s being taught how to exorcise curses. And that this mentor of his is actually a super strong “grade 1 sorcerer”, and not a regular high school teacher. He even described Jujutsu High and how it’s supposedly the best institution for people like him. “I want to become a powerful Jujutsu sorcerer so I can help people and make the world a better place,” he said.

All you could do was listen with intrigue and astonishment. Plus a dozen other emotions you couldn’t really process in that moment.

As you lie in bed this morning, you think back at your childhood. Were there any signs of this back then? You remember an incident when you were walking home together. You took a different route that day and passed by a creepy, abandoned house. Ren stopped dead in his tracks, peering into the windows, as if he could see something. That must have been a curse, right? How about all those other times he would stare at people on the street? Maybe he was focused on the curses, rather than the people. He mentioned how some can linger around humans without them even knowing. You remember this vividly because it creeped you out.

Then, there were those nights after Ren moved in. It was expected that he would still be traumatized by his parents’ deaths. But you specifically remember hearing him cry about “the shadows” and “monsters” while Mom and Dad comforted him. This went on for weeks until one day, he announced at the dinner table, “I’m not scared anymore” with so much determination on his face. You were confused, but your parents just looked at him lovingly and ruffled his hair. No questions asked. You make a mental reminder to have a long talk with your parents once they’re back from vacation. Clearly they know more about this situation than you do.

You’re aware that your brother has some odd quirks, but it’s never bothered you. It still doesn’t. It’s what you love about him. He’s always been your weirdo booger. Sure, he has this morbid side to him, but above all, he is sweet and thoughtful. He marches to his own beat proudly. He’s a good, genuine person. Despite not being blood related, the unconditional love has been there from the start. Ever since your parents brought him home all those years ago, you wanted to look out for him, as a big sister should. Mom and Dad love him as a son, and you love him as a brother. Nothing about his past, present, or future will change that. 

The two of you spent the rest of the weekend together normally. You watched movies, baked cookies, and took a few walks to the park. Whenever Ren played videos games online with his friends, you searched the Internet for anything to help you better understand. Googling “what do I do if my brother sees ghosts” did not help. Neither did “how to kill a curse”. You made sure to delete your embarrassing browser history before Ren could see. 

All in all, nothing has changed. You just know the truth now.

Does it shatter your perception of the world and reality as you know it? Yes. Is it unsettling knowing curses are out there, floating around and wreaking havoc, invisible to the ordinary human’s eye? Definitely. But at least you know that Ren isn’t getting roped into some pyramid scheme, like you originally thought. And that he’s not joining a cult.

Well, you’re still not entirely convinced that it’s not a cult.

Most importantly, he’s learning how to stop curses and curse users. You can’t blame him for wanting to learn any of this, considering what happened to his birth parents.

You toss to your side and finally shut off the alarm that’s been blaring for the past five minutes, too lost in thought to pay attention to it. Before you get up to start breakfast and prepare the bentos, Ren’s words replay in your mind:

I want to become a powerful Jujutsu sorcerer so I can help people and make the world a better place. 

Even though most of what he admitted to you sounds like elements straight from a horror movie, knowing he wants to do good is something you can live with.

~~~

Nanami arrives to the office early on Monday. As he sits at his desk waiting for Ren’s arrival, he recalls Friday afternoon’s mission.

They were sent to a burned down apartment building nearby. Gojo reported that there was a small infestation of Fly Heads that could be easily dealt with, so it was safe for Ren to tag along. A stray appeared randomly as they explored the first floor. Nanami took this as a learning opportunity. He captured it in a small cage and had Ren observe it, all while explaining the different ways to eliminate it. This was also a way for Nanami to confirm that Ren can truly see curses, which he can.

Once they encountered the infestation on the top floor, Nanami had Ren hide in a safe position so that he could observe from a distance. He easily eliminated the curses using his blunt sword, all while explaining exactly what he was doing. Ren was staring at him in awe as he was feverishly taking notes.

They took the Fly Head back to the office as some kind of souvenir. Nanami could tell that Ren was reluctant to let it go, so he agreed that they could keep it, expression giddy as they locked it up in one of the desk drawers. 

Nanami chuckles to himself as he opens the drawer to check on the curse, still safely secured.

“Morning, mentor! Is our friend still here?” Ren drops his backpack and stands beside Nanami, observing their new pet.

“Hey there little guy!” Ren coos, wiggling his finger towards the pest. It produces a buzzing noise in response.

Nanami returns to his desk, allowing Ren a moment with his new “friend”. He remembers their conversation before their mission. Ren planned on telling his sister about Jujutsu Sorcery. He’s curious if it happened and how it went.

“How was your weekend?” Nanami asks.

Ren closes the drawer and sits at this usual spot. “Well, I told my sister. About everything.”

“And how did that go?”

“It went well. I said what I needed to say. It felt good to tell her the truth.”

Ren smiles before continuing. “You were right, I should have given her more credit. She freaked out way less than I thought she would. Her facial expressions were hilarious though. But other than that, she didn’t really ask me any questions. She just listened. We spent the weekend like we usually do. It felt normal.”

Nanami recalls the note from last week: Can’t wait to spend this weekend watching movies and baking cookies with you! He wishes he could have tasted those cookies.

“Glad it went well. It’s always nice to be honest,” Nanami says. He thinks about all the tiny notes in his briefcase. He feels a tad bit guilty, harboring this little secret of his, but not enough to reveal his own truth.

They start their lesson on cursed tools and weapons. Once it’s lunch, Nanami brews his tea and buys a Pocari Sweat from the vending machine, the usual cycle. Like clockwork, Hello Kitty is waiting for him on his desk as Ren prepares to bite into…

Wait.

Is it really?

Nanami speed walks to his spot, tearing off the cover to the bento. Inside is a ham and cheese sandwich. It’s slightly smushed, but once he picks it up with his hands, it’s beautiful.

Already knowing the answer, Nanami asks, “What is this?”

Ren finishes chewing and replies, “Ham and cheese sandwich! It’s on some type of French bread. She’s always talking about the bread.” Ren shrugs. “She loves bread.”

Nanami gulps.

He loves bread.

She loves bread.

And she makes ham and cheese sandwiches.

There is hunger and butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

Before he can say or do anything embarrassing, he bites into it. This time, his eyes actually do roll to the back of his head. It’s amazing. The bread has the perfect texture: Chewy crust on the outside, soft crumb on the inside. There is a perfect proportion of ingredients, Nanami notices, as he inspects it thoroughly after his first taste. Creamy mayo and Dijon mustard skillfully spread on each slice. Fresh lettuce and tomatoes sliced thin. Generous layers of ham and cheese, which Nanami can tell are from a high-quality deli.

It's as good as the one he used to get from the bakery.

No. It’s better.

Nanami doesn’t speak, savoring each bite of this divine creation. He’s brought back to reality when he hears Ren’s voice. “It looks like you’re really enjoying it!”

He swallows before admitting, “I am enjoying this. I’m quite fond of ham and cheese sandwiches.” That’s an understatement, but he’s trying to remain calm in front of his student.

“My sister woke up early this morning to pick up all the ingredients. She went to the bakery, a deli, and this little farmer’s market nearby. How she managed to stuff this big sandwich in the bento, I’ll never understand. She’s some kind of cooking wizard or something.”

As Ren talks, Nanami continues to happily munch on his food. He agrees with Ren; she is a wizard for conjuring magic like this.

“Oh! Forgot to share today’s wisdom. ‘To my little superhero, let’s kick some Jujutsu ass today!’” Ren beams as he gazes at the note. “She really is the best.”

Nanami is too excited about the meal that he forgot about the note. He retrieves the cover and turns it over to inspect. When he reads it, his eyes widen with shock.

Nanami,

Thanks for looking after Ren these past few weeks. I hope you’ve been enjoying my bentos.  

P.S. Sorry about Hello Kitty ;)

~~~

That morning

After assembling what might be the best sandwich you’ve ever assembled, you take a few seconds to admire your work. Ren comes into the kitchen and stands next to you. “Did you really make that? That’s not from a sandwich shop?”

You flash a bright smile at him and brag, “It was all me! I made it! I bought all the ingredients this morning. I wanted this week’s lunch to be a little different.”

He puts an arm around your shoulders. “You’re the best, sis.”

You rest your head on him. “Thanks for being honest with me, booger.”

“Well, since we’re being honest, there’s one more thing I have to tell you.”

You groan. “Oh no, I don’t know how much more of this I can handle right now!”

“It’s not anything serious, I promise!” He points at the bentos. “I’ve actually been giving a bento to my mentor, Nanami. He never has any lunch with him, so I felt bad and wanted to share. And I think he likes me better because of it!”

You’re surprised at this news. Nanami, Ren’s mentor slash the handsome ex-stockbroker, has been eating your food this whole time? Not only that, but he’s probably witnessed some of the embarrassing messages you’ve written.

“Wait, do you give him the blue bento box?”

Ren grins. “No, he eats in the Hello Kitty one, hehe.”

You slap your palm to your forehead. “So I’ve been serving this man food in a Hello Kitty bento box the entire time?!”

“Yup!” Ren replies, giddy.

If you knew this guy was eating your cooking, you would have prepared a more elevated dish, not egg salad sandwiches or meatballs. You look at the sandwiches that you were proud of moments ago and frown.

Ren, sensing your internal crisis, reassures you, “He really likes it. He even said your egg salad sandwich was tasty. And trust me, that is not a common word in that guy’s vocabulary.” He attempts to place the covers on, pressing down to smush the sandwich in.

“Wait! Let me do my notes.”

Ren steps aside. “Oh yeah! Can’t forget that. It’s my favorite part.” He gives you a big smile. Your brother really is a sweetheart.

It doesn’t take you long to complete Ren’s. However, it does take time to think about the other. The one that Nanami probably reads. Should you pretend that it’s still for your brother? Or say something generic? Maybe a silly joke?

You contemplate for a minute before you decide what you want to write.

~~~

Nanami re-reads it again and again, not knowing how to react. There are several things that stick out to him. First, the use of his name. She knows his name. How? They haven’t been formally introduced to each other yet.

Second, she’s giving him thanks. Thanks for what? He’s just doing his job. He doesn’t need to be thanked. Does it make him feel good? Sure. Does he like it? Yeah. Does it give him butterflies seeing it in writing like this? Absolutely.

Third, she’s aware about him eating her food. Worst of all, she knows that he eats from the Hello Kitty bento box. He should have never trusted that damn feline.

Last, and certainly not least, that winky face. A winky face?! A. Winky. Face.

Is she flirting with him?

He buries his head in his hands. Why is he thinking about this? Why is he flustered? Riled up over nothing? She doesn’t even know that he exists.

No. She does know he exists.

All those times, pretending that those kind words were for him. This time, it actually is. He can’t let this opportunity go to waste.

Nanami glances over at Ren, who is distracted by his phone. Now is his chance.

He gets a small piece of paper and quickly scribbles a message. He sticks it into the empty bento and closes it with the cover, observing it for another good minute before plotting his next move. As nonchalantly as he could, he walks over to Ren and hands it to him, thanking him for another great lunch. 

He watches carefully as Hello Kitty disappears into the backpack, praying to the Sanrio gods that she fulfills this mission for him.

~~~

That night after dinner, Ren studies at the table as you get prepare to wash the dishes. “Hey Ren, can you hand me the bentos?”

“Sure.” He sets them on the counter beside you, then goes back to his seat.

Opening his first, you place it in the sink with the rest of the dirty plates. You start to do the same with the Hello Kitty container, but something catches your eye; a piece of paper with words written on it.

You almost call Ren to question him about it, but you stop as soon as you realize that your name is written at the top in unfamiliar handwriting. The rest of it reads:

I’ve licked every single one of your bentos clean. There’s no doubt that I’ve enjoyed your meals.

P.S. Hello Kitty has grown on me, so I don’t mind :)

You clutch the note against your chest, checking to make sure Ren is still distracted by his book, which he is. You study it again slowly, word for word, the gears in your brain spinning faster and faster. After processing what’s written, blood rushes into your cheeks, feeling flustered.

Especially at the word “licked”.

He licked them clean. Licked.

Every. Single. One.

Oh my.

You can’t help but picture it. Kento Nanami, handsome ex-stockbroker from whatever that company’s name is, licking every corner of that Hello Kitty bento box, licking his fingers clean, licking your ��

“Hey sis, I’m going to my room!” Ren’s announcement startles you out of whatever ridiculous scenario you are imagining.

“Okay!” you respond, without turning around to face him. You can’t bear to even look at him right now. You listen as his footsteps fade into the background, then a door shuts in the distance. Sighing in relief, you glance at the note again, smiling. For someone who seems so serious, he sure is cheesy drawing a smiley at the end. You secure it in your pocket, shaking your head to remove any impure thoughts from your dirty mind.

Why are you getting so flustered by this? It means nothing. He’s responding to you to be polite, that’s all. There is no hidden meaning behind it. Stop letting whatever girlish fantasies you have run wild. You are better than this.

As you lie in bed that night, Nanami’s picture on your phone in one hand, his message in the other, you realize that maybe you’re not better than this after all.

~~~

Nanami went the rest of the day not thinking about the note.

They finished another successful lesson, said their goodbyes, and Nanami went home. The usual. He cooked himself a nice plate of carbonara with a side of garlic bread, all paired with glass of white wine, of course. He skimmed the paper while he digested his dinner. He showered, changed into a robe, watched the nightly news. Flossed, brushed, and changed into his pajamas. Same routine. 

The only difference is that now, he’s lying in bed unable to sleep because that’s the only thing he can focus on. It’s not even her note he’s freaking out about. It’s his. The one he sent to her in a red Hello Kitty bento box. Where he wrote “licked” on it. And drew a smiley. He covers his face with his palms and groans aloud. His embarrassment is catching up to him ten hours later, ten hours too late. If he knew how ridiculous he sounded, he would have never written it. 

He didn’t mean for it to sound so…suggestive. He was simply being honest. He actually does lick those bentos clean. He does it after each meal to collect every last morsel from that container. He has no shame in that. But he didn’t have to admit it to her, especially not to the woman who is giving him these feasts. She must think I’m some kind of pervert, he thinks. His cheeks feel hot as he grumbles again.

He’s reminded of the picture Ren showed him last week. Her holding those giant meatballs. That warm, inviting smile on her face. Those cute sushi pajamas. She’s probably a nice person. A good person. He hears it from Ren so often that he starts to believe it himself. He refuses to see her as anything other than wholesome and good.

What was her reaction to it? He imagines her finding it and smiling. Maybe she re-reads it a couple of times and giggles. She probably has a nice laugh. Someone with that smile must have a beautiful laugh.

You’re better than this, he tells himself. He shouldn’t let his imagination run wild. He is a grown man thinking about a woman in sushi pajamas. She is a normal woman who cooks amazing meals and has a gorgeous smile. It’s no big deal.

Yet here he is, in bed, getting excited. His entire body is heating up, he has to strip the blanket off to cool down.

Maybe he isn’t better than this.

~~~

Wednesday morning, after having two nights to think about it, you decide how you want to respond to Nanami.

You scribble your message, add a few hearts in there for good measure, and sign your name.

It’s all innocent fun. You’ll probably never meet each other in real life. What’s the harm in playing around?

~~~

Wednesday afternoon, Nanami sits at his desk, blushing profusely. He pays no attention to the delectable sandwich in front of him. His sole focus is on the note he is currently gawking at:

Nanami,

You had me flustered. I hope you enjoy today’s ham and cheese sandwich. I put extra love in there, just for you.

Three hearts drawn in a row. Then her name signed at the end.

As Ren inhales his lunch in the background, Nanami hunches over his desk, re-reading the words carefully. He even removes his glasses to get a closer look.

So, she doesn’t think I’m some sort of bento box licking pervert, he thinks. Good. That’s good.

She got flustered at his message. Flustered. And she put extra love in the sandwich, just for him. She was thinking of him when she made this sandwich. She thinks about him. This is for him. The note, the sandwich, her love.

Nanami blushes. This is getting ridiculous.

Kento Nanami does not blush. He does not exchange flirtatious comments with strangers, let alone his student’s older sister. He does not get butterflies in his stomach. He does not fall in love. This is all just a momentary lapse of judgment.

Kento Nanami is a grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer. Kento Nanami is a professional. Kento Nanami is a serious adult.

Kento Nanami is alone. That’s the way it is. 

Ren’s summer lessons are almost over. And by the time he becomes a Jujutsu High student, he’ll move into the dorms on campus. There will be no reason to ever meet his sister in person. He’s sure of it.

What harm can a little playful flirtation be? This is a silly exchange they’re doing. Two adults having innocent fun. There’s nothing wrong with it. He’s allowed a moment of fun once in a while in this mundane life of his. Right?

He jots something down on a piece of paper and places it in the box. It’s certainly less embarrassing than the previous, he made sure of that. 

He sighs as he finally picks up his sandwich to eat. From his peripheral, he notices Ren looking at him, concerned.

~~~

You didn’t expect him to respond back. You were thinking it was going to be a one-and-done type of deal. You didn’t know this man, but you assumed that he is the type to not entertain this frivolous idea.

But here you are, standing in front of your kitchen sink, reading his latest reply: 

It was delicious, as usual. I wish you could make this for me every day.

No smiley faces this time, straight forward and to the point. For some odd reason, this tamer response still has you just as flustered as the infamous lick memo. 

After you wash and hand dry the containers, you retrieve a small sticky note to write your reply, tucking it in the box for Friday.

~~~ 

Friday afternoon, Nanami reads the words attached to his lunch:

That can be arranged ;) Happy Friday, Nanami.

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

Taglist: @liliorsstuff-blog @hughugh20 @lucyrocks86 @bloompompom @vampyra-needs-food @extrasugafree @deepcloudspyhairdo @invisible-mori @justnamuaf @syynnaaah @unknownspecies @goldencattto @maqqiekwon @batafuraikisu @pxppetmxster @jesstuff

[aropride]

i dont want to do "schoolwork" i want to traumadump. When i was in high school my (ocd-fueled, completely uncontrollable) skin picking was at its worst and there were times i could barely hold a pencil to write bc of how much of my fingers were just open wounds (i have a theory this is part of why i hold pencils "wrong" still- the other part is my parents were too focused on my brothers' fine motor skill development and forgot about me- but i digress) and my parents banned me from using band aids bc i was using too many and they thought it would make me stop using them (it did not) (i remember one time i hung out w friends after school and they walked with me to the grocery store so i could secretly buy bandaids, 💫 would bring them to me too like multiple times, it was a whole thing) so every morning i'd use masking tape and pieces of paper towel or tissue to cover my fingers so i didn't get blood everywhere and i'd steal bandaids from my parents and cut them in half so they'd last longer and use those. anyway during midterms week in late january of my sophomore year i was in an abusive relationship and she had a habit of weaponizing her mental illness to manipulate me while also ignoring my mental illness . and i specifically remember. during my health class midterm i had trouble writing or holding a pencil bc of how bad my skin picking was at the time, like i probably had to turn that paper in with blood on it, it was so painful, there were tears in my eyes, etc. i think i actually got knocked points on one of the later written questions bc i didn't answer all the parts of the question. and the day after my health midterm- late january 2019, my midterm for that class was on a tuesday, i could pin it down to a day if i wanted- i was with my girlfriend-at-the-time in the lobby of my school, and she was talking abt how she couldn't do something because she had a cold, and i mentioned how i couldn't do it bc of my skin picking, and i so vividly remember her saying "well, i can't help having a cold, you can help picking your skin". and i think that was the moment where it really clicked subconsciously like "oh i have GOT to get OUT of this." as you can see this is living rent free in my head 6 years later. it's 10am on a thursday in 2024 and i'm thinking about it.

[tarakaybee]

I Was Right (Oxventure Wyrdwood Thoughts)

In the past on this extremely low follower blog of mine, I've talked about how I liked Oxventure for the first few sessions before it deteriorated into unstructured nonsense with no emotional stakes, no story, and no interesting gameplay and I stopped watching after they started to become repetitive, derivative, uninspired and a lot of other mean words. The reason that I fixated on its problems is because I genuinely thought everybody involved was extremely talented, I could vividly imagine a slightly better version that I would've loved, if only they had greater ambitions than just doing gags for six years like they were writing The Beano. I've been thinking on this a lot, but I remember that I quickly emotionally connected with the five player characters in the early campaign and some of the early NPCs, and my villain origin story for my many frustrations with Oxventure was that I felt embarrassed for emotionally investing myself when the campaign progressed and it became clear that there were never going to be any emotional consequences for anything.

I think everybody should play D&D the way that they find fun, even if, no especially if it's a campaign that is being filmed and broadcast, but it irked me that they never engaged with a lot of the fun parts of the game, which are fun and designed specifically to be fun. I'm trying to not sound like I'm gatekeeping, I sincerely believe that they simply never read the books in any amount of detail and never became aware of the interesting parts and would've enjoyed it if they did, because I just don't see how you can be a fan of a game system if you have to remove more than half of the rules to enjoy yourself. I've long held the suspicion that when they started playing they were instructed by Johnny to not worry about understanding all of the rules right away, and the players held the belief for years that the rules were extremely complicated, when they continued to not learn them. Mike in particular makes jokes about how he doesn't understand the rules, like in the lead-up to Orbpocalypse Saga where Johnny explained what spell slots were, Mike made a joke about how the explanation would take several hours because it was so complicated despite the fact that it's literally just a few rows of boxes that you tick off when you spend them, the Paper Mario games have a more complex magic resource system than that and Mike is supposed to be a games journalist.

After not watching the main campaign for several years, I decided to give Oxventure Deadlands a try, and I was surprised that Andy ran a campaign where he was willing to say no sometimes, and sticks to a consistent emotional tone without sacrificing the all-important comedy, and I said on this very blog that if Johnny were to run a campaign in this style where the players were willing to take things seriously that would be absolutely perfect, because Johnny has established their strong storytelling chops in basically every way possible other than during Oxventure Prime.

And I was right!

They were all capable of the kind of D&D campaign I wanted to see, and thought would be more deep and enriching than just going for the cheapest gags every time, they decided to take that leap and Johnny just casually, offhandedly created one of the all-time best campaign settings in episode one of a new campaign. Oxventure Wyrdwood, based on only one episode is absolutely brilliant and everything I've wanted out of Oxventure for the past six years, the first time Johnny actually wrote a story in earnest it was so creative, so inspired, so rich with lore, and unlike some seasons of Dimension 20, they did it in a way that was concise.

All the players are great too:

Luke Dob was a seminal moment for me in my experience of the D&D hobby, the simple combination of half-orc and bard was such a brilliant combination that it inspired a five year long campaign in which I played a character inspired by that same combination. Happen is a very fun concept, I always love it when a player mixes and matches classes and backgrounds, Acolyte is an interesting background for a Ranger that gives Happen a lot of fun depth, and I enjoy the Cadence Dice system so far.

Jane I knew that Jane was going to go for the logical opposite of Prudence, I definitely called that Jane would be a Life Domain Cleric months and months ago. What I liked about Willowfine from the offset is that Jane doesn't play her superficially, she isn't just a healer, she is actually, genuinely kind, her first healing action being to save one of the episode's antagonists was a brilliant tone setting moment for the character and the campaign as a whole.

Ellen Like Jane, Ellen made a brilliant choice of playing against type for herself, but I really like that Ellen's way of playing an extremely selfish character is distinct from the way Jane did and has some obvious nuance to it. Prudence was obsessed with violence and evil magic and generally likes amusing herself, whereas Cressida seems to be more interested in her image and personal pride. Related, I don't think I would've called Prudence actually evil, she didn't do that many obviously selfish things when compared to say, Corazon, she was basically just a dramatic goth who likes the aesthetic of evil. In contrast, Cressida has a selfish motivation that is easier to accurately roleplay without becoming a liability to the party.

Andy It was very obvious that there was some secret gimmick to the way Andy was going to go about things and the way things turned out intrigues me greatly. He was the player that surprised me the most, I love the idea that Robin genuinely has a commoner's stat block until the evil side takes over. Aberrant Mind is a fun subclass, and it looks as though he gained Cure Wounds from his Magic Initiate subclass to fit into the witch aesthetic a little more.

Mike With Mike, this is where my one nitpick lies, I don't think Mike is the best roleplayer of the bunch. The fact that Mike doesn't understand extremely basic parts of the rules at this point has long stopped being funny and genuinely just reflects poorly on him. Why does he still not know how proficiency and attack modifiers work? It's literally a sum consisting of adding two single-digit numbers together, and it's a sum that you're supposed to write on your character sheet before playing to eliminate the brainwork of doing it mid-session. And if doing two minutes of homework to prepare your character sheet before playing a two-hour game of D&D is too much, why doesn't he just use D&D Beyond which adds the two numbers together for you? That's exactly how I learned it, and also the fact that I just read the rules recreationally because I thought that they were fun.

I was surprised that he read what Rage actually does, but then Mike gets confused when Johnny doesn't do the maths to half incoming damage for him, despite the fact that it's not Johnny's job to use Mike's character abilities for him. To put this as nicely as possible, I knew Mike was going to choose Barbarian because if you don't like the game system as Mike seems not to, you at least don't have to interact with it much if you choose the class with the fewest abilities possible. Mike seemed to shine the best in Blades in the Dark, which seems to be designed to have as few rolls as reasonably possible.

Roleplay-wise, I think Mike portrayed Lug as different enough from Egbert that I was happy with the character in concept, but like with his other characters, there is no second layer below the obvious quirks that are on the surface like everybody else demonstrated.

Johnny Johnny was always my biggest problem with Oxventure Prime, I found their DM philosophy and storytelling choices completely mystifying. Why when Luke established that Dob was looking for his sister did this plot get resolved offscreen by an NPC? Why when Andy said he was searching for a pirate treasure did Johnny forget about this plot for two real years and have Corazon find the bulk of it offscreen between episodes? Why did Johnny not write a plot or do any worldbuilding the entire first campaign when not having anything set in stone created massive problems in the final story arc when their farewell tour gets cut short because the players can't remember more than one notable location and only two NPCs? Why did Johnny constantly ask the players to roll for things that were not optional, and then when the player rolls low, just ignoring the result and saying they passed?

In this campaign, with a mere few months of doing actual legwork, in Oxventure Wyrdwood, Johnny crafted a beautiful, immersive and unique story setting. In the first boss fight at the end of the first session, the monster was consistently doing enough damage that it could have killed everybody other than Lug in one hit if they didn't fight smart, and fight smart they did, it made perfect sense for the monster to quickly go down when the other members of the Folkmoot arrived. There were a couple of rules-aberrations, but my problem isn't getting rules wrong, it's not using game mechanics and everybody was definitely engaging more with the gameplay and not treating it like an unwanted obligation this time I feel.

In addition, I love the "Magic Will Have Its Due" mechanic, it's not just cool sounding words that Johnny plastered over the marketing, it's an intrinsic part of the story, and therefore an intrinsic part of the gameplay. This is probably one of the only ways you could outright play anything resembling a horror campaign in D&D, where there isn't so much a consistent looming threat and the stakes take a different form. The main horror module in 5E, Curse of Strahd, is a very well designed story and game experiences, but the horror aspect pretty much doesn't exist in the gameplay after the players level up a few times.

I was cautiously optimistic before this first session, but now I'm actively excited in a way that I haven't been since Critical Role campaign two. I desperately hope this quality remains consistent throughout the remainder of this story. Also, I'm glad the episodes have proper titles and not things like "Water Wonderful World" or whatever.

[maxwell-grant]

So, as a lover of superheroes, supervillains, super-science ETC, i've had Venture Bros on the mind recently, for reasons that should be obvious, and my mind has run into an intersting question I kinda want to pick your brain on: Why does Venture Bros work. Like, it's a show that is absurdly cynical and dark and bleak. It's comedically dark, but sitll dark. Downright mean-spirited a lot of the time. And normally, I find that kind of cynicism very dull, but...For some reason, here it feels like it works. Maybe it's just the sense of affection, of real love for classic 60s cartoons and superhero comics sprinkled throughout, but...I don't know, it feels like it should make me as angry as something like Velma does but it just doesn't. I don't know why. ANy thoughts

I said as much that a lot of that has to do with the fact that the show stuck around, and the characters were developed so vividly, that the creators had to answer the "...okay, so now what?" process, that usually stops those kinds of mean dark parodies right on their tracks when they run out of cheap shots to take. But honestly, going back and rewatching it? Venture Bros was always going to go there, the whole Jonny Quest parody thing just did not last past Season One, hell you could argue it didn't even really last past the pilot or midway through S1. By episode one of Season 2, the show had gestated into it's own thing. The show was allowed to grow, and change, and develop. It got to move past itself and say goodbye to old favorite ideas and say hello to new ones, it got to breathe new life into itself with the soft-reboot of Season 6 and keep being so much more with every new season.

The artbook goes into this quite a lot, actually, with Jackson talking about how Venture Bros started as a one-off gag observation about how Jonny Quest ripped off Tom Swift, and then became a concept when he realized he could fit all of his unused ideas for The Tick and superhero parodies and weird comic ideas. He and Doc Hammer actually specifically address how the parody element faded and why:

I like the pilot. It isn't the show that we made. but I like the pilot. The pilot was made with a different concept. I can watch it and not tie it into Venture Bros. I can go, "Okay, here are these characters in their first bid for comedy,", and it had moments when we both said, "Yes, we will perpetuate these moments. This is who these characters are." And it had moments of single-beat pilot jumps. It was fine. It was not the show that we kept writing, because we couldn't.

There's something about a straight parody that I think has a cap. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe people can write a parody forever, but I think you can only make so many jokes on one thing for a certain amount of time before you go, "We have to develop the world that these people are in.". It needs a revolving door.

You would need to approach it like Harvey Birdman, which said, "We're going to take every character we can get a license for, bring them onto the show, and have them do their thing in our world so we can demystify all the characters you remember from your childhood". It's a great straight-up parody. But if you take Sealab 2021 - that had nothing to do with the original. They took these drawings, and they said, "These are totally different people. We're going to give them their own different world, their own language, characters", and that worked.

We were leaning towards that. Venture Bros was even weirder because we said, "Let's make this world rock solid and deep and long and have just an abundance of information. Let's have the jokes come from everywhere, and the speed is hard to keep up with. You have to watch it twice". And that was nothing that Jackson and I talked about. Let's make this smart, rich and meaningful, and hope that other people have our sensibility and eventually get it. - Doc Hammer, Go Team Venture!: The Art and Making of The Venture Bros.

There's even this quote from Jackson regarding one of the earliest attempts made in trying to figure out the show's look and design where it was supposed to be animated in CG at Will Vinton Studios, and it was intended to look gorgeous as well as outrageously expensive and within six months everyone aboard had left and Jackson's time in The Tick was up so he had to get production on the new thing moving along. And he describes what wound up being a pretty effective summation of the show post-animation bump;

"Screw the bad-on-purpose sixties Marvel thing. Screw irony. Isn't it way more subversive to do this smart-ass, darkish comedy but have every aspect of it look gorgeous?

That's what got me thinking that it's way cooler to make things well and beautiful than to try to make them crappy on purpose - Jackson Publick, Go Team Venture!: The Art and Making of The Venture Bros.

Most if not everything that makes the show work, that makes it's character work, you can trace pretty directly from that process, of where the show started versus where it ended. It's Rusty Venture becoming a more complicated character and less of a mean caricature. It's Brock Samson needing things to do besides being the action badass who kills armies of disposable henchmen, and the show needing to move past him and make him so much more as a person. It's in how the show was originally conceived in a villain-of-the-week format and The Monarch was a throwaway gag character for the pilot, but The Monarch's defined personality and shtick worked well enough that it made it much easier and more rewarding for them to just go back to him for most episodes, until he wormed his way into becoming the show's other protagonist. It's Hank and Dean growing past literally and textually interchangeable and disposable Hardy Boys pastiches into actual people, distinct people, people who can carry their own plotlines and take center stage and actually be The Venture Brothers as something more than just a throwaway gag concept.

I'm certainly not saying it works for everyone, or that it works 100% of the time, again rewatching the show is putting a lot into perspective for me and a lot of jokes kinda did just age abysmally, but the show knows what it's doing enough to skirt by and avoid a lot of catastrophic pitfalls that usually happen with similar projects.

And really I'd say the main reason it works is, and it's never really just one reason, is because it was, and is, a painstaking labor of love founded on a marriage by two geeks (I'm not even exaggerating, that's how the two described their partnership at least a few times) shooting the shit at a treefort for nights on end, getting to do all these dumb voices that you only get to do with friends, laboring extensively for years on making this thing they'd created the best that it possibly could be, something they put all of themselves into again and again. It's them making a dozen different comedy duos voiced by themselves and finding ways to make each distinct so they can fit in all these dumb and lovely little conversations and skits, it's that combination of their skills and preferences and even disagreements. It's got that Asterix thing where the work is so inseparably intertwined with the partnership that made it, that the work's growth over time is tied to.

So honestly the best way I can summarize why I think the Venture Bros works is because it was 19 years of Jackson Pollock and Doc Hammer at AstroBase doing exactly this, just replace the cartoon sound effects with deep cut pop culture riffs and in-depth earnest extrapolations of why the comic books and cartoons they love and obsess about are deeply stupid on a fundamental level and why this something great that you can spin endless stories and scenes out of, actually no keep the over-the-top battle sound effects, those are equally important.

"Jackson and I, we'd go every day and talk and laugh and get to know each other and not even talk about the show, but just find out what our sensibilites were. It was like the process of falling in love"

We played darts and made up these little skits, much of it became The Venture Bros. It was all kind of based around this idea that Aquaman and Black Manta were not who they were but people that were much chattier and more social. It's almost like what The Monarch and Dr Venture became, actual people that have these bizarre jobs: chaser and chasee. This strange bureaucratic relationship with the paradigm of villain and hero.

I'm a goofball and name shit. Of course I named my studio. We took over the place and AstroBase as this entity - a really filthy fucking painting studio - became a creative tree fort. Owning the AstroBase is one of the things that made The Venture Bros.

A place where we could go at two in the morning and scream at the top of our lungs that had nothing to do with commerce. It was a clubhouse. A pure idiot invention. And if we wanted to stay up all night making costumes or rubber swords, we just did. - Doc Hammer - Doc Hammer, Go Team Venture!: The Art and Making of The Venture Bros.

[theorahsart]

I’ve been happily dragged into the French Revolution, do you have any recommendations on where to start learning about this??? My brain doesn’t hold French names very well so I literally only know Robespierre and the dude that got killed in the bath

OH NO my enthusiasm has caught on, welcome to the insane drama that is French Revolution 😆

So if you're able to listen to podcasts, I feel like Grey History is a good place to start because it paints a really good picture of the situation, culture and feelings of the public leading up to the revolution.

It then delves in a straightforward timeline into the various events during the revolution and gives all the different points of view from each side (there's so many different 'sides' it's a lot like modern day politics where everyone is quite divided in their motivations).

So I feel like it's a good starting point before going into the many books, that in contrast tend to look at more individual moments without giving much overall context.

If you'd prefer reading books to listening, I'm reading currently 'Liberty or Death' by Peter McFee which also (so far, I haven't finished it) feels also like something that is painting a good overall picture in a straightforward timeline, and giving loads of cultural context that helps you understand various people's motivations and actions.

My favourite book in English that I've read so far is 'Twelve Who Ruled'- but it's very specific to the one 'reign of terror' year which is pretty far along in the first part of the revolution. But I think I would recc reading this anyway- you might not understand all the context but it's so riveting I think it helps you see why the topic and people involved are so fascinating.

As I'm not an academic/easily remembers facts kind of person, I really like that it so vividly painted a messy situation in a story telling kind of way, without being particularly biased to any side. Each politicians very different personality shines through, which is one element of Frev that makes it so interesting. It also does a great job of sharing in this story telling way, the overall culture at the time, psychology/sociology of the public and individuals, and various messy af situations that had to be dealt with.

It basically breaks down really well something horrific and complicated so that you understand how it came to be that way, and how people ended up making the decisions they made. Also, SO much drama in this one year, so many friendships broken down, so much back stabbing lol

Outside of that, I think actually the online community is really amazing and there's so many people on here translating stuff into English and answering questions to info that is normally scattered across several books/archival information, and then these amazing ppl just like bring it together in Tumblr posts. Looking through the Frev tag is a good way to piece together all the various details when you're just starting out.

[rinsuniverse]

Can I request woozi with a reader who loves loves loves music? I’m autistic and music is just one of those things that make me so so so happy! And I really vibe with svt songs it’s crazy…

woozi with a s/o who loves music ✧˖°.

i feel like it's necessary for woozi's s/o to LOVE music

i think he said in an interview one time that his ideal type is someone who loves music as much as he does!

but anyway, if he knows you love music, he'd be so overjoyed!

he'd feel even more motivated to keep producing music

he'd send you lots of song recommendations and playlists

and he'd sing your favorite songs to you on very lucky days

one day, when you were attending one of seventeen's concerts when you guys just started dating

he memorized where you were supposed to be seated

and whenever he'd look over at you and saw you bopping your head to the music and listening happily as you get lost in the wonderful sounds he put together

he can't help but smile at you and fall in love with you

the way you can get so lost in music just like he does

it just makes his heart so happy

he wishes he could've taken a photo or video of that moment, but he treasures that memory and makes sure to remember it vividly

during the time he has to go on tour and leave you home alone for a long weekend, he compiles a playlist of music he loves, music he thinks you would love, and music he KNOWS you love for you to play on a speaker for when the house feels too quiet

when you're in the car together, he insists he always has the aux, but of course, he'd play specific songs especially for you

since this drabble is kind of short...

here's an imagine for you!

imagine it's been a terribly long day, and you're feeling so exhausted on your way home

when you get home, you aren't surprised jihoon's not there

i mean, he stays up pretty late working

but you decide you're gonna beg for him to come home at a reasonable time so he can come chill with you at home

so you shoot him a text like

you: ji

you: pls come home

and he responds

jihoon: right now?

you: just earlier than usual

jihoon: why? what's wrong?

you: i've had such a long day

jihoon: you can't come to the studio and hang out with me here?

you: ...

jihoon: fine i'll come home in a bit

and you lay there on the couch with your work clothes still on

you don't even have the energy to clean yourself up or make yourself something to eat

when he comes home, he tsks at you

"wow. have you just been laying here since you called me?"

"mhm."

he chuckles, plopping himself on top of you

"want to call it an early night tonight?" he mumbles into your shoulder

"yes, please."

he gets up and helps you up, leading both of you to your room

he takes off your jacket for you before laying it over your desk chair

you go to the bathroom to actually change into some pjs

and he changes into some shorts that he left over at your house

and then you both lay next to each other in bed

"i'm so tired," you say, sighing

you lay your head on his chest and listen to the rhythm of his heart

"why? did you not have a good day?"

"it was an okay day, just felt like it was too long."

"oh, makes sense," he says.

he doesn't ask if you want to talk about it

because, to be honest, he doesn't know how to comfort you with words

and if you really wanted to talk about it, you would go on ahead and do it

you lay there in silence until he starts singing "hug" to you

you listen to his voice and the meaningful lyrics

and it feels so wholesome and so pure

you want moments like these to last forever because you love music and you love him

so if he's singing to you, it's just everything you love at once

you quickly fall asleep in his loose grasp

his arm wrapped around your shoulders with his fingers drumming a soft beat on your chest

and when he finishes singing, he quickly notices your soft snores, and he feels so accomplished and happy

he feels so warm in these music sharing moments with you

he plays some of your favorite songs on his phone at a low volume

and you both sleep well together 🫶

thank you so much for the request! i hope you enjoyed it <3 feel free to request many, many more things ✧( ु•⌄• )◞◟( •⌄• ू )✧

(p.s. requests are still open! i specialize in woozi stuff, but i don't mind writing about other svt members! i can also do some nsfw if you want! so request whatever and as much as you want! ς(>‿<.))

[johns-prince]

Wanna make it a point that I've never actually sat down and watched the 2019 Rocketman movie, but I do know enough that The Beatles are mentioned and hinted at throughout the film, not to mention there's a bit where it appears that Elton got the rest of his stage name (Elton John) from the John of The Beatles but but but but the important one at least the most important to me that I for some reason remember quite vividly despite not watching this movie once, and been thinking very hard about, is this one scene:

Here if you want to watch the scene yourself.

And while the lines in the script were changed a bit, and those who were saying like one or two line changed, like the ''living and working together'' changed to just ''living together'' which I do find rather interesting, but otherwise that one line remained unchanged from script to acting out:

RAY

Whoever heard of song writers not

living and working together. Lennon

and McCartney are inseparable.

You can read the script here, find this on page 39.

The fact that Lennon and McCartney, their legendary collaborative partnership, being brought up here, of all times. Specifically because while you can't pick up intonation from the script, how Dick asks them if they're flatmates suggests a bit of leering, underhanded silent question ''are you two as men living together, y'know, as queers."

You can even see the guarded expression on Elton's face when this is asked, only to be relieved and softened when Bernie answers clearly with a "No, we live with our mums."

It's after that, and after the same man states ''whoever heard of two song writers not living together'' (the 'living and working together' was replaced with only 'living together' in the movie, which I think is also curious) that Ray, the man advocating for these two, responds seriously with "Yes, Lennon and McCartney are inseparable."

Lennon and McCartney are inseparable. Not were, but are.

If I've got my timelines right for this movie, and if my little bit of research is correct, Elton John and Bernie Taupin got started together in 1967. That means this scene here is during 1967.

Ya'll. If you know your McLennon history, 1967 is like, peak McLennon, it's peak free love Lennon-McCartney.

It was said that during 1967, John was most often found visiting and staying long periods at Paul's house:

“I was fortunate enough to see them together many times in the late 60’s, and have always been fascinated by what I saw/heard: they finished each other’s sentences, laughed together, just seemed totally in sync. I was a 15-year-old girl, but I did notice that about the two of them and will never forget it.”

“We used to go to Paul’s house in the afternoon. John often went there, George and Ringo went too, but John went more often. Then they would go to the studios. Some people would stay to see them leave the house and others would be at the studios to see them arrive.” Lizzie Bravo, apple scruff, on John and Paul [x]

Even as George said it, “...the crucible was in 1967 [sic; 1957] when John and Paul became a duo.” [x]

Listen, I know this movie isn't necessarily strictly on-the-money accurate or precise, and that it is a 'musical biographical fantasy drama about Elton John' but but but it's the fact that this would be considered something to even have said or mentioned, in the kind of way it was, in the kind of moment in that scene, which is happening in 1967.

We have it being said: Lennon and McCartney are inseparable.

You could say it's subtle enough that no one would really notice, right? That it makes sense for Paul and John to be brought up as a comparison to Bernie and Reggie (Elton) with other mentions of Beatles influence scattered and briefly highlighted in early and young Elton John's start off breakthrough years.

Though if you're a real Beatlemaniac, a real Mclennon Truther, and you watch this scene, and catch the tone of the manager's voice hinting at something in 'flatmates' and the look on his face as he brings up the not-so-subtle-accusation-question, and then with Lennon and McCartney being labeled as noticeably inseparable to those working in the industry, as a vocal agreement with ''who ever heard of song writing partners not living together'' and an example as such.

It was said that during 1967, John was most often found visiting and staying long periods at Paul's house:

“I was fortunate enough to see them together many times in the late 60’s, and have always been fascinated by what I saw/heard: they finished each other’s sentences, laughed together, just seemed totally in sync. I was a 15-year-old girl, but I did notice that about the two of them and will never forget it.”

“We used to go to Paul’s house in the afternoon. John often went there, George and Ringo went too, but John went more often. Then they would go to the studios. Some people would stay to see them leave the house and others would be at the studios to see them arrive.” Lizzie Bravo, apple scruff, on John and Paul.

While this is a fantasy/drama biographical, Elton was the executive producer of this movie, and he and his husband had been working on trying to produce a film based on his life for like, two decades. Elton John was friends with John Lennon during the 70s, and they seemed to get on rather well, Elton not having a bad thing to say about Lennon, even though the 70s were tumultuous for him. I'm not necessarily saying Elton knows anything in particular, or truly understood the deeper happenings and complicated relationship that carved up John and Paul, but I'm sure John must've talked with him about it to some extent.

As a friend of mine said as I brought this one scene up to her, while it's probably Elton poking fun at the whole McLennon conspiracy, if anyone knew about some shit going down between John and Paul, anything much more deeper and intimate than just two mates creating music and being buddy-buddy, Elton would be that someone, or at least had his own suspicions.

So I'm sure Elton must've known something, or was suspicion of something, to some degree. There had to be a relevancy for him to want to include and greenlight that line in this scene with those lines and the body language and the quiet accusation of homosexual relations going on between these two up-and-coming songwriters/musicians who actually turn out to be like, platonic soulmates themselves, and to include Lennon-McCartney between the mix and as a comparison.

"Yeah! Lennon and McCartney are inseparable."