#i have not seen this man in two years on a whim i decide to click on the birthday tweet link from foolish updated just in time to see this

[sharkshenanigans]

Foolish: Guys. I think we should all just dig in with our hands right now.

Blau: *does exactly that*

Foolish: Great. Now Blau ruined my birthday! So selfish of him. You didn't even let me have the first scoop.

Chant: Feed him! Feed him!

Blau: *feeds him*

The Girls: *absolutely distraught*

Foolish: *moans* ???

Blau: *licks his hands*

Foolish: Now. Guys, it would mean the world if you all fed me a bite.

[animeyanderelover]

I've just recently finally gathered the courage to buy a horror manga from Junji Ito and I've gone for Tomie and now that I've actually started reading it, I just can't stop thinking about having a female s/o based on a similar concept. Someone who has the uncanny ability to make people obsessed with her if they spend enough time with her and who always regenerates no matter how cruel her deaths are by the hands of very same people who fell victims to her strange powers and claimed to adore her.

After years of enduring death and obsession in an never-ending cycle again and again, I can only imagine how jaded and morbid reader would be with everything. She has fully embraced her cursed existence at this point because there is literally nothing she can do about it so at this point she has turned it all into a game. Every time someone else falls for her, she's basically playing the 'what Yandere type are you going to be?' in her head as she has seen it all. She has seen the possessive, the obsessive, the delusional, the overprotective, the clingy, the submissive and dominant, the worshippers and the sadists.

Reader can only sit back and watch with a mixture of pity and amusement in her heart as her newest victim is molded into another obsessive freak that she will live with and indulge their every whim for as long until they snap and she will die yet another death at the hands of her supposed lover.

There are a few worlds where I think such a reader would be especially interesting to let loose (by the way, there are spoilers for Chainsaw Man if you are an anime only):

In Hunter x Hunter I have two headcannons for a Tomie reader. Either she has a Nen ability. Considering that her mere presence would twist and change everyone's emotions as well as considering her regeneration abilities and other things she can do with her body, she'd either be in possession of two nen types which would be Transmutation and Manipulation or she would be a Specialist

The headcannon I consider to be far more intriguing though would be if reader would be a humanoid creature who originated from the Dark Continent but somehow found her way to the Known World. Imagine the Hunter Association or the Known World Government finding out about your existence and hiring skilled Hunters and assassins to track you down and murder you before your abilities could cause any panic.

Imagine Chrollo and the Phantom Troupe catching wind of the situation that is currently being hidden from public. Chrollo, who would be instantly intrigued to track you down and see for himself what a creature from the Dark Continent is capable of and who would keep you as his most priced treasure the moment the troupe has finally found you after searching for you for a long time. Who has to share with the rest of the Phantom Troupe as your mere presence eventually gets to them too, to some sooner than to others and who notices your mild surprise that they actually work together insted of slaughtering each other, something you must be used to seeing. Chrollo, who shares with you experiences in the Known World and adores listening to your stories about the Dark Continent where you were born.

To make it even more interesting, let's assume that you are caught and kept around the time Hisoka has infiltrated the Troupe. Hisoka, the only member Chrollo doesn't trust to leave you alone and neither do any of the other members. There are usually at least two other spiders with you when Hisoka is around but the clown takes it with slightly infuriated amusement as he gives brief glances in your direction, patiently waiting for the day where he can keep you for himself. He has to give it to Chrollo after all, the man knew just how special you'd be when he decided to go after you. He can't wait to steal you away right under the nose of the criminal~

Another possible scenario would be that the Zoldyck Family is hired to hunt you down and capture you as they were informed that you are akin to an immortal being. Imagine Illumi spending months tracking you down and successfully capturing you, though that is only because you do not resist when he finds you, only to never hand you over to the government. Instead he keeps you, black eyes staring fascinated at you whenever he sees you, his cold skin tingling whenever he touches yours, his chest clenching with a sensation he can't quite grasp. He only knows one thing though. That he needs more of whatever it is he feels when he sees you and touches you.

I've already explored this world with a Tomie reader before in this post but Jujutsu Kaisen would literally be perfect because reader could literally be the enbodiment of the curse of obsession which could be used to explain her immortality. No matter how many times she is killed or even exorcised, she will be reborn for as long as people obsess over someone else, no matter how superficial or deep their feelings really are.

Suguru would be an interesting choice that I didn't talk about in the Hc's I linked since he uses Cursed Spirit Manipulation to control curses. The question would be though whether or not Suguru would be able to exorcise and consume you to enable him to gain control over you and summon you at any given time he wishes. Ironically enough a relationship with you in a scenario where you would be a curse would probably be better for you than if you were human since Suguru doesn't look down on you nor would he judge you for your nature as it is the negative emotions of humans from which you were created. You have shared with him some stories of the past where you were murdered from non-sorcerers when they lost control due to your powers and it only fawns his hatred against the monkeys. There are always sweet promises whispered into your ears that he'll never hurt you like they did and you can only wait half-interested whether or not he will remain true to those words.

We could also go way back in time to the Heian Era and simply crown you as the Queen of Curses who stood by Sukuna's side as obsession over someone else is as ancient as the concept of love in all its twisted and radiant forms itself. For a curse to be so strong that it can even influence other curses would stir Sukuna's interest, though he never expected to fall under your spell himself. He is somewhat displeased that his resistance is that weak as he has had multiple women warming his bed before he consumed them and enjoyed their flesh yet he knows that you are a being that will be reborn even if he kills you. Now that you have done it and seduced him though, he'd much rather have you pay the price for it. From now on you shall be his queen. When he is sealed away, you go into hiding. You feel no deep grief in the centuries that follow, though Sukuna has certainly been more memorable than the thousands of other people that follow him, one as bland as pathetic as the next one. It isn't until the 21st century that Sukuna is finally reincarnated into Yuji's body, thrilled and excited about this chance to finally live again. Now he only needs to find his Queen again...

As someone who just recently finished Chainsaw Man, in this universe the reader could just be a devil who has the form of a young woman. You'd probably also assume the role of the Obsession Devil in that scenario and whilst you could just be a wild devil, I think it'd be much more interesting if you actually work sort of together with the Devil Hunters without being locked away like some other devils are. It's rather rare for you to make contracts yourself even if multiple Devil Hunters have willingly offered limbs, senses and much more to you to form a contract with you as you only accept a contract if you are actually interested in a Devil Hunter. Instead you find yourself often negotiating with other devils to convince them to form contracts with Devil Hunters as your influence to make people infatuated with you even affects other devils.

Extreme femme fatale vibes and interesting scenario would be if it is Makima aka the Control Devil herself who is no exception to your abilities. What would make this so unique would simply be that Makima is, just like her devil suggests, someone who represents the fear of conquest and is a woman who is always in control, no matter the situation. That would so very much contrasts with the fear you represent since an obsession is rarely something that can be controlled and both of you are aware of her feelings she harbors for you. You have little capacity to care about people around you as years of living through the same events again and again have made you jaded towards the very idea of attachment and love but perhaps it is the uniqueness of the situation that perks your interest as she can tell that you are testing the waters with her. Are you willing to play the game with her? You should be prepared for the possible consequences if your answer is yes.

Kishibe is one of the few people who you have ever approached and asked for a contract as he caught your eye when he first joined and decades later he takes pride in the fact that he is the one you have held a contract with for the longest time. Your condition for a contract have always remained the same. The moment the Devil Hunter you were contracted to would stop being interesting to you, you wanted his heart and until that point, you would assist them whenever they desired your help. Some sane people would consider those conditions as nothing short of lunatic yet a Devil Hunter rarely survives if they do not belong to the crazy kind and the first time you approached him, he could already tell why you were as desired as you were by many Devil Hunters. Kishibe has survived for as long as he did precisely because he is a madman and that is why your interest in him hasn't faded to this day. You fulfill his every wish in this contract yet he has held himself back in comparison to some of your previous Devil Hunters, though some things are always the same. Like the few other Devil Hunters who had a contract with you, he proposed to you and it isn't the first wedding you went through yet it is the first time you have let a contract last as long to the point where both of you already had a silver wedding to celebrate 25 years of marriage. You're going to miss this one the most when his time comes...

In One Piece a reader with such mysterious abilities could of course be suspected of having eaten a Devil Fruit but I personally would like you to instead be an ancient being that, according to rumors, originated from somewhere in the New World, though nothing about you has ever been revealed. Throughout history, you have only gotten yourself involved a few times yet whenever you did, you were the demise of entire nations yet the full extent of your powers remains as shrouded in darkness as the rest of you. Only the highest-ranked people in the Marine and are even aware of your existence and the World Government has been after you ever since they were established. Not only are your powers frightening but it is also the knowledge that you hold that has made you the most dangerous being in the Grand Line.

You have watched history unfold in front of your eyes, know about the Ancient Weapons and other events that occured throughout time that no one is supposed to know, know even about the darkest secrets of the Navy and know exactly where the proof for their hidden atrocities lies that would ruin their reputation. Whilst the citizens on every island do not know of your existence, in the Grand Line exist tales of you that parents commonly tell children as bedtime stories where you are usually portrayed as a monster. You know of that but you do not care as an existence as long as yours has taught you best that you are not even remotely a human, though your appearance may fool others into thinking otherwise.

I'm not quite sure yet about individual characters in One Piece yet but since I just recently finished the Marineford Arc, I can't help but imagine that after essentially centuries of laying dormant and only being a silent watcher, you finally decide to take an active role when news of Fire Fist Ace's public execution reaches you. Your eyes and ears are everywhere, you always know what is happening in all different oceans after all, no matter how much the Navy may try to hide it from the rest of the world. Though the news of the execution are not kept as a secret this time and reach ears on every island throughout all of the seas. There are no heroic motives though as you make your way. You're just simply bored and decide that messing with the Marine, the pirates and all the people who will watch it all unfold might be amusing and provide some thrill, even if only temporary. The world is certainly going to shake when they find out that the monster from the fairy tale has always been there yet those who will be exposed to your aura on that day will probably go out of their way to chase you down, pushed by their ever-growing obsession. You do not mind. It has been way too long since you've been entertained by them after all. You're just hoping that at least a few of them will prove to be more than yet another waste of your time...

[captainsophiestark]

A New Man

Colin Bridgerton x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: Bridgerton

Summary: Colin has had feelings for his best friend for some time now, and has decided his new skills in charm and flirting are the perfect way to win her over. He is unfortunately very mistaken.

Word Count: 4,713

Category: Angst, Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"This is by far the best part of these society events," mused Benedict, one of my best friends, as the two of us perused the dessert table. "Sometimes it even makes putting up with all the marauding mamas worth it."

I laughed and picked up a delious looking cupcake.

"The mamas must be truly terrible this season if the food only sometimes makes them worth putting up with."

Benedict sighed. "You have no idea."

I nudged him with my shoulder, smiling as we stepped away from the dessert table together.

"Well, you have no need to worry, Benedict. As long as I am unattached, I am more than happy to act as a shield for you, especially when society dictates you must find a partner and dance."

"Thank you. You are a true friend. I know I can always count on-"

"Colin!" I turned to grin sheepishly at Benedict in the wake of my outburst and found him staring at me with a mocking, raised eyebrow. But I couldn't quite bring myself to care, since I'd just seen my absolute best friend in the world, Colin Bridgerton, standing across the lawn chatting with a group of ladies.

He'd left England this summer for another lengthy international trip, and I'd missed him terribly while he'd been gone. He looked different now, too, a little more sure of himself and wearing a style that had clearly come from somewhere on the continent rather than from here. And if my heart raced a little at the sight of him, well, that could easily be chalked up to excitement at the prospect of seeing a friend. I couldn't keep a smile off my face at the sight of him, even as I turned back to Benedict and found him with crossed arms and doubly raised eyebrows.

"When were you going to tell me that Colin had returned?" I demanded, completely ignoring Benedict's judgey look and barely managing to keep my voice at a socially acceptable level. Benedict just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"It is why I came over here in the first place, but then you distracted me with talks of friendship and cupcakes. And now I see it was all a lie, as you are clearly about to abandon me to the whims of this social event to go rush over and talk to my brother."

"Sorry, Benedict," I said, giving him a grin. "But I saw you throughout the summer. It has been much too long since I last saw Colin, so he takes precedence for the day. But I promise you I will come to your aid if you find yourself cornered by the mamas, or any other dangerous creature roaming the society grounds."

Benedict snorted, but I didn't give him the opportunity for a comeback as I turned back to Colin and walked quickly across the gravel paths, the smile growing on my face the closer I got to him. He didn't notice me as I approached, wrapped up in conversation with the handful of ladies in front of him, and my smile grew even more at the thought of his face when he finally caugh sight of me.

"...will be fighting over you," I heard Colin saying as I walked up to join the group. "I cannot compete."

All the ladies in the circle giggled, giving me perfect cover for my smile as I came to a stop in front of Colin. He turned to face me, a beaming smile on his face, then froze a bit as his eyebrows shot up when he realized who I was.

"Lady Y/L/N!" he said, the shock melting back into his charming smile. "What a pleasure it is to have you join us."

"Mister Bridgerton, what a pleasure it is to have you back in England with us."

Colin dipped his head, the corner of his mouth pulling up in a roguish smile before he returned his gaze to me.

"Believe me, Lady Y/L/N, the pleasure here is all mine."

Rather than the earnest excitement I'd been expecting, Colin's demeanor and voice dripped with a slick charm I didn't recognize. I'd been expecting his usual earnest, genuine emotion, not... this. I gave Colin a little frown of confusion, but quickly let my expression return to normal as he returned to addressing our entire group. He had an energy about him that I couldn't quite place, but it was much different than the Colin I'd gotten to know so well before he left. Still, we were in public. Neither of us were allowed to be anywhere near as effusive and close as we would've been in a more private setting.

"We were just discussing the season," Colin said, including me seamlessly in the conversation I'd joined between him and the other ladies. "Truly, it is amazing to me that all of your dance cards are not already full of suitors."

All the ladies around me giggled, hiding behind their fans and fluttering their eyelashes at Colin. I just stared at him, letting my brow furrow again as I watched my friend. He met my eyes, a smooth smile on his face and his eyes roaming me with an interest and flirtation they'd never had before. If Colin had looked at me like that when I'd last seen him, my heart would've started doing backflips. But his new demeanor made the gesture seem much less sincere, and much more shallow. I let my frown deepen.

"So..." I started, trying to clear the air of whatever strange energy seemed to be lurking here. "Mister Bridgerton, tell us of your travels. You sent so few letters this time, I have simply been dying to hear about everything you saw and did."

Colin flashed me a brilliant smile that didn't totally reach his eyes.

"This time, my stories from abroad are not suitable for such tender young ladies." Everyone around us giggled into their fans again, but Colin's eyes never left mine. "Were I to tell you even the tiniest adventure, well... I'd be forced to marry you."

He delivered the final few words with dramatic flourish, as if expecting for them to have some groundshaking impact. And with the way he stared at me with a simmering gaze, the words clearly intended to make every lady in earshoot swoon, he accomplished his goal. I couldn't hold back a snort of laughter, which I quickly hid as a cough behind my fan.

Colin looked shocked when I glanced up at him, but I still couldn't keep another laugh from bubbling up. He was being so ridiculous, so arrogant and flirting with everyone in sight like he was God's gift to the women of England, and I truly couldn't take him seriously this way.

I cleared my throat and straightened back up, keeping it together just enough as I faced Colin and the other ladies, giving each of them a shallow curtsey.

"Forgive me. I think... something in the air, it must have gotten to me. Excuse me, please."

With that, I turned on my heel and didn't look back. I walked quickly across the garden, seeking out and immediately finding Benedict among the crowd once again, hovering by some shrubbery in an attempt to hide from the ladies and their mothers. I sped up to reach him, the giggling smile returning to my face as I approached.

Benedict must've heard me coming, because at the sound of laughter in a semi-high pitched register he turned on his heel and started moving in the other direction without looking to see the origin of the sound. I walked faster, until I was close enough to call out to him without drawing undue attention.

"Relax, Benedict, it's just me!"

His shoulders slumped as he stopped and turned to face me, relief written in every line of his face. After a moment, however, his expression changed to one of confusion.

"What are you doing back here so soon?" he asked. "I thought you would spend at least the next hour with Colin, catching up on all his travels and making every eligible lady here incredibly jealous of the two of you."

"Well, I planned to catch up with him, but... Benedict, you will never believe what he said." Benedict raised an eyebrow, so I glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then took a step forward and lowered my voice all the same. Laughing about Colin with his brother was one thing, but I didn't want anyone in the rest of the Ton talking behind his back. "He said he couldn't possibly tell me his stories from abroad, because they weren't 'suitable for tender young ladies'."

Benedict scoffed. "Truly?"

"Truly! Benedict, he's come back from abroad strutting around like some peacock, as though he is God's gift to eligible young women everywhere. You know I love him, as you do, but... I cannot take him seriously with his new attitude. I do not think I could if I tried."

Benedict smiled and shook his head, staring over my shoulder, presumably at Colin. Then he turned back to me.

"Did he seem to be directing his newfound charm at anyone in particular?"

I frowned. "No, not that I noticed. It seemed to be more like buckshot, just aiming with broad strokes at everyone in range. Why? Are you joining the side of the mamas in trying to help your brother find a match?"

"No," Benedict sighed, sounding truly tired. "Simply trying to guague exactly how long I may have left before I am the only eligible Bridgerton son for the mamas to focus on."

I laughed. "Do not worry, Benedict. I think you have some time yet."

Benedict didn't respond, but I thought I heard him mumble something into his drink that sounded like, "we'll see". When I raised an eyebrow at him and prepared a question, however, he quickly changed the subject, and I let him. We spent most of the rest of the afternoon together, hiding out from societal obligations and occasionally laughing about how strange his siblings could be sometimes.

After the garden party, I didn't get much of a chance to speak with Colin again until Lady Danbury's ball. He'd approached me once or twice when we'd seen each other in passing at other events, but we'd always been interrupted by other ladies, and Colin seemed suddenly incapable of interacting with me without his base layer of extreme, over the top charm. I would've felt bad for how little time I'd spent with him since he'd returned home, but every time I'd tried to ask him about his travels or how he was doing, he turned it into a truly ridiculous line of flirting, the likes of which we used to make fun of other suitors for before his most recent summer travels.

As a result, when Lady Danbury's ball rolled around, I didn't seek Colin out the way I would've last season. Instead, I found Eloise, Benedict, and even Francesca for a while when she clearly needed a break from her first season out in society. I danced with a few of the men who were tolerable, and otherwise enjoyed my time at the refreshments table and talking to people I knew. Colin didn't seek me out for the first half of the ball, either, so when I heard a familiar voice trying to get my attention after I'd found a spot along the wall for a bit of a break from the rest of the party, it was more of a surprise than it should've been.

"Y/N."

I turned around with a smile to find Colin standing behind me, a grin on his own face. We were out of earshot of the rest of the party, so we could dispense with some of the titles and formality that had lost all meaning between us long ago.

"Colin, hello! I was beginning to think I might not see you at all during this ball, such your other engagements seemed to be."

"Well, I could never let my other engagements prevent me from conversing with the most beautiful woman at this ball, could I?"

He said it with an easy smile and a charming sincerity, but I'd seen him use the same attitude and similar words on enough other ladies in our few interactions this season that his words didn't work to sway me the way they seemed to sway others. My smile slipped, and I fought to hold back a sigh.

"Yes, well..."

Colin smiled at me for another moment, and when I didn't pick up the conversation, he gave an easy chuckle and fixed me with another roguish grin.

"As delighted as I am for any opportunity to spend time with you, my lady, I did come over here to ask you if you might do me the honor of a dance. I truly cannot think of a partner I would rather have than you."

I fought a grimace, barely managing to turn it into a polite smile. I looked around briefly to make sure we were still out of earshot of any other party-goers or servants, which we were. I turned back to Colin with a sigh.

"Colin... I am going to tell you this because I truly care about you, although that may not seem to be my motivation at first glance."

"...Alright," said Colin, blinking a few times and trying to hide any confusion with another easy smile. I took a deep breath.

"I do not wish to dance with you." The smile dropped off Colin's face and his eyebrows knit together as I continued. "I never thought I would say such a thing, as quite often dancing and laughing with you were the only things that made attending society events bearable. But ever since you've returned home from your trip, Colin... it has been nearly impossible to talk to you.

"The man I thought I knew, my friend, whom I deeply cared about and whom I could talk to about anything, seems to have gone. And in his place I have found a Colin Bridgerton who not only flirts with anything that moves, but who does so in a way that is incredibly condescending and impossible to have a meaningful conversation with. Your letters from your previous travels were wonderful, Colin, and when you returned we were able to discuss them at length. You know I have an interest in learning and the world at large, and yet now, whenever I bring the subject up, I am told I could not possibly handle hearing about the things you saw and did, since I am but a fragile woman. Your sincerety and genuine expression of yourself has become cloaked in an oily layer of false sentiment and charm, directed equally at everyone you speak to, no matter your relation to them or your true feelings. I have no idea what brought about this change in you, Colin, but I am sorry to say I do not enjoy it the way the rest of the ladies here seem to."

Colin just stared at me, blinking and gaping like a fish. I frowned, feeling a big guilty, but lying to him would serve no purpose for either of us. Still, he was my friend, and I did care about him regardless of his recent changes. Choosing to ignore society for a brief moment, I put my hand out and rested it gently on his arm.

"Do not mistake my words as an insult designed to hurt you, Colin. You are my friend, and always will be. I have simply... found it harder to be around the person you have become recently. I am truly happy for you and your newfound confidence, but it seems to have extended a bit beyond confidence and into something more challenging, especially with ladies. Even ones you've known as long as you've known me."

I gave him a tight smile, which he seemed too stunned to return. I gave him a moment, but when he still didn't seem capable of a response, I curtsied and took a few steps backwards.

"Well. I will... take my leave. I do hope you enjoy the rest of the ball."

Colin just watched me as I took another few steps backwards. Finally, I turned on my heel and walked away. I wasn't sure how I'd been expecting him to take my statement, but complete speechlessness certainly hadn't been my prediction. I could only hope I hadn't wounded him too badly, and that he might come around enough to be the man I remembered as my friend and confidant, who could discuss the world with me as an equal and laugh with me through anything.

Thankfully, no one at the ball seemed to have noticed our exchange. Colin kept his distance from me for the rest of the evening, although I did notive him staring in my direction once or twice.

I debated finding Benedict to ask him his opinion about what I'd said to Colin, and how Colin might be feeling, but eventually decided against it. No matter how true my words had been, or how I'd tried to keep them from sounding harsh or designed to hurt, Colin would likely need his space for a time while he processed. And sending his brother in as my proxy would be the opposite of giving Colin space.

I expected Colin to keep his distance from me for a few days at least, if not for much, much longer. But as I took my seat in the sitting room of my family home the next morning for the start of the calling hours, I turned out to be quite incorrect. Before the clock had finished chiming to mark the start of the first hour, none other than Colin Bridgerton came striding through the door, ahead of the butler who normally would have announced him.

"Lady Y/N," he said, bowing to me and then to my mother sitting on the couch next to me. "I have come to call on you, if you are willing to entertain my company."

He still walked and spoke with confidence, but the layer of charm that had honeyed his words since the first day he'd returned for the season was gone, replaced by a directness and frankness that felt like taking a breath of fresh air. I gave him a small smile.

"I would be more than happy to have your company, Mister Bridgerton."

Colin gave me a small smile in return, and the two of us moved to the other end of the room, still able to be chaperoned but out of immediate earshot. I settled into the couch, Colin sitting right beside me.

"Y/N... thank you for being willing to speak to me. I had to see you, to apologize... and to explain."

My eyebrows shot up. Now that we were sitting closer together, I noticed a few irregularities in Colin's appearance. He had a few shadows under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept well, and his hair wasn't as neatly quaffed as I was used to seeing it. His shirt was rumpled in a few places a maid or a butler or a hovering older sibling might've insisted on fixing if they could've, and although Colin's new confidence appeared to be mostly intact, the charm had been replaced with a nervous energy I'd hardly ever seen from him.

"Colin... are you quite alright?" I asked, leaning a bit closer to him as I studied his face. When I looked up to meet his eyes, I found them instead scanning my face, until he apparenlty snapped out of it and met my gaze. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Yes. Well, no. Perhaps. I am not sure, I think my wellbeing may depend a bit on the outcome of this conversation."

"Colin, before you begin, if I was too harsh on you the other night then I must apologize-"

"No! No. You were not." He took another fortifying breath, closing his eyes for a moment and dropping his shoulders from where they'd been creeping closer to his ears, before meeting my eyes again. "I have been quite different since I came home. I found myself while I was away from society, in a way I have never felt able to do here. But... I also learned the kind of charm that most of the Ton enjoys. It worked so well from the moment I got back, I did not think much of it. But I should have. And I am sorry if our relationship suffered as a result of my attitude."

Colin paused to take a deep breath, and I took the opening to reach out and rest my hand on his forearm.

"Colin, you do not-"

"Y/N, please. Please allow me to get all the way through this. I need to say it all, and I may not be able to get it out if I have an opportunity to change the subject."

I leaned back a little to stare at Colin, though I didn't remove my hand. His eyebrows were knit together with worry and his eyes never left my face. Slolwy, I nodded. Colin let out a sigh.

"Thank you." He squared his shoulders and sat up straighter, resting his hand on top of my own. "I understand why my approach was... not appreciated when we spoke in the garden and at Lady Danbury's ball. But the sentiment behind what I was saying was genuine. I have been searching for the way to tell you this for years, and I thought the charm and flirtation I learned abroad would be the way to finally do it. Clearly I was wrong. You should have seen the face Benedict made when I talked to him last night..."

Colin trailed off, shaking his head and apparently lost in thought. After a moment, I took a breath to say something else, but the noise must've been enough to jar Colin out of his memories. His stare snapped back to me, eyes slightly wider than usual.

"I love you. I have been in love with you for years, and when I returned home from this trip, I decided to finally do something about it. I thought the charm that worked so well on everyone else would work just as well for you, but... clearly I was mistaken."

I huffed a laugh. That was certainly an understatement.

"I wanted everything to be perfect, to come home changed and sweep you off your feet, but I've already failed at that, and I cannot keep my feelings to myself a moment longer. I love you, and I want to share everything with you. You are my best friend, my confidant, and the only woman I could possibly imagine spending the rest of my life with. Is there even the slightest chance you may feel the same way?"

Colin looked at me with the most open, vulnerable expression I'd ever seen, from anyone. My heart raced in my chest, and all I wanted to do was throw my arms around him and never let go. But I forced myself to take a moment, rather than letting my emotions run wild.

"I need you to answer two questions for me, Colin," I said, trying to keep my voice calm and level. Unfortunately, I didn't totally succeed. Colin nodded quickly.

"Anything."

"First... how were your travels? Where was your favorite place to visit?"

Colin huffed a laugh, relaxing and leaning into me slightly as a faint smile pulled onto his face. My heart raced, but I forced myself to keep a neutral expression.

"I apologize for even making this test necessary, but my travels were... incredible. I may ask you not to share details with the rest of the Ton, but anything you ask, I will be happy to share with you. And my favorite place was Paris. I could not stop thinking about the two of us returning someday to visit together. It is a truly romantic city."

Colin's words removed any hope I had at keeping a smile off my face. I leaned into it, grinning at him and squeezing his hand a little as my heart began to race.

"Well then, I look forward to hearing all about them."

"And I look forward to telling you. Your second question?"

"...Did you truly go to Benedict for help with this last night?"

Colin groaned and threw his head back, which made me laugh. He shook his head as he met my eyes again, but he was smiling all the same.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I know you are close with him, and I noticed you going to speak to him after you abruptly left our conversation at the garden party. I thought he might have some insight, and I was right. It just came at the cost of quite a bit of mocking."

"You truly must be serious to give Benedict such ammunition to use against you for the rest of your lives."

"I am incredibly serious. And I would brave the teasing of every one of my siblings if, at the end, it brought me to you."

"Colin, that may be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Does that mean... you return my affections?"

I smiled. "Yes, Colin. It does. You are my best friend, and I cannot think of anyone I would rather spend my time with than you."

Colin absolutely beamed at me. He began to lean forward, then thought better of himself even as his eyes still strayed to my lips.

"I cannot begin to tell you how desperately I wish we were alone in this moment," he said, voice low and husky. My heart did a backflip as I felt myself flush.

"Hopefully we will not have to wait long," I replied. We stayed there together, the tension and heat growing between us, until my mother cleared her throat from across the room and we were both brought back to reality. We leaned slightly further apart, although we didn't let go of each others' hands, and shared a grin.

"So... does that mean you will marry me?"

I laughed. "Colin, you cannot be serious! You began courting me a handful of minutes ago!"

I met Colin's eyes, expecting to share the joke, but instead I found him staring at me with a burning sincerity to go with his words.

"I am happy to wait as long as you need me to," he said, voice lowered slightly. "But I would also happily announce our engagement today."

I smiled and shook my head, my heart pounding in my chest so hard I thought Colin might actually be able to hear it.

"I may ask you to wait at least long enough for us to spend an evening or two together while courting, to see what it may be like to have a different relationship, rather than to spend time together as friends. But... I do not predict you will need to wait long."

The grin that spread across Colin's face was blinding, rivaling the happiest looks I'd ever seen from anyone in my life.

"That is good to hear. There are quite a few things I can hardly wait for, all of which come with engagement and marriage."

"Hm. Thank goodness we are both of positions and family that allow us to disappear for months on a honeymoon, finally sharing some travels around the world together. Among other things."

Colin squeezed my hand, and I could see him fighting back a handful of inappropriate responses and actions. I just grinned back at him, the two of us settling into our usual ease on the couch togehter after a moment so I could finally get Colin to tell me about the things he'd done on his travels. Hopefully, no one else would show up during the calling hours, and Colin and I could spend every moment of the day together just like this.

I'd meant what I'd said about wanting to wait, at least a short while, before announcing an engagement, and I did think it was a good idea. But I also couldn't imagine anything coming between Colin and I again after this. My best friend was back, and we were in love. What more could I possibly ask for in a match than that? Even if Benedict would be insufferable, claiming to be the one who'd set us up. It would be worth it, especially because we would weather the storm of his siblings together. Just like we'd do everything else that came for the rest of our lives.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

[sissylittlefeather]

It Feels So Right (how can it be wrong?): Part 1

A/N: a new 3-part mini-series that was supposed to be a one-shot but got too long 😂. This is gonna be a fun one. I hate to give too much away up here, but just know we've got Austin filming Elvis, ghost Elvis, and you...

Shoutout to my beloved @ccab for hatching this one with me one late night. I love you, bestie.

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI! This is gonna stay dirty. Kissing, cussing, fingering, oral sex (m & f receiving), p in v penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie

Word count: ~3.2k

Honestly, you're a glorified assistant. Your job has a technical title, but you spend most of your time getting coffee and running errands for anyone on set who asks you. It's very rarely the actors. Usually, you're at the whim of everyone behind the cameras. You've been graduated from college for five years and you're just waiting for your shot in the film industry. In a lot of ways, you're blessed just to be on the set of this movie, so you swallow your pride and fetch lattes for every grip and sound guy that hollers for one.

Admittedly, you don't know as much about it as you probably should, but watching the filming has you convinced this Austin Butler will be up for an Oscar. You know Elvis and this guy has him nailed. You've seen footage of him a thousand times and Austin's performance seems to line up perfectly.

What you don't know, what no one but Austin knows, is Elvis is there. He stands and watches, not far from you actually, and in crucial moments, he takes over. Usually, he doesn't leave the sanctuary of Graceland, but when he heard about this movie, he knew it was an opportunity. And when he saw Austin and his dedication to the role, he knew that he'd be open enough for him to step in when he wanted. The first time he tried it, he shifted from one foot to the other for a few seconds and jumped, not knowing exactly what would happen. He opened his eyes and looked at his hands. They were close, similar long fingers, but not quite right. His body was thinner, more cut, and his face felt different. He called for a break and made his way to a place with a mirror. When he cautiously chanced a glance, he was shocked to see Austin's face looking back at him. It worked. He knew possession was possible, he was a ghost after all, but he'd never tried it before this. After the scene was finished, he decided the experience was so satisfying, he'd try it again. So he did. Over and over again throughout the filming process Austin would wake up with no memory of doing certain scenes. He figured out quickly what was happening and didn't seem to mind, so when he turned on set and saw Elvis, he wasn't even alarmed. Elvis had been surprised to be seen after all these years, but it didn't take the two long to strike up a friendship.

By the time Elvis noticed you, he'd been talking to Austin and possessing him regularly for weeks.

You come back from your morning coffee run and set the tray on a table.

"Coffee's here, guys!" You holler to everyone whose order you diligently fetched. For some reason, this time, you catch Elvis's attention. He watches, amused, as you sarcastically deliver all the coffees.

"Who is she?" He whispers to Austin.

"I'm not sure. I think her name is y/n. She gets coffee for the behind-camera guys." Austin answers nonchalantly.

"Have you actually looked at her?"

"I'm way ahead of you, man."

"You asked her out?"

"Not yet, but-"

"What are you waiting for?!" Austin looks at Elvis exasperated.

"I've been a bit busy."

"Can I?"

"Can you what?"

"Take her out." Austin laughs quietly.

"I don't know. Can you?" Elvis sighs.

"Can I use your body, I mean?"

"To go on a date? With a living girl? I'm not sure that's a reasonable plan." Elvis nods, defeated, and Austin walks back out on set to continue filming.

But Elvis can't stop watching you. He hovers around you, longing to be seen. You have an undeniable grace that has him damn-near spellbound. Austin pretends not to notice Elvis's preoccupation with you. He has plans to ask you out himself, eventually.

But Elvis gets tired of waiting. There's not too much left to film and he doesn't want to miss his chance. So one day, he jumps into Austin to film a scene during the '68 Special and just... doesn't leave. Instead, he swallows his nervousness and walks up to you at the end of the day.

"Hi. I'm... Austin." He holds a hand out for you to shake.

"Oh, gosh, I know, I'm y/n." You can't believe one of the actors knows you exist, much less is talking to you. And it's Austin Butler in black leather.

"I've been watching you. And I- okay that sounds creepy. You're just very pretty and I was wondering if, maybe, you'd like to go out with me? Tonight?"

"Oh wow... tonight?" You have a bed with your name on it and a pizza you plan to order, but this is Austin Butler and he's asking you out.

"Yeah..." Elvis isn't going to take the chance that Austin might refuse to let him take you out.

"Sure? I mean. Yes. I'd love to go out with you." A warm smile spreads across Austin's face and you can't believe how relieved he seems. Truly, it's Elvis, but you don't know that.

"Okay! Great! Can I pick you up in a couple hours?" Elvis isn't sure how he'll stay in Austin for this long, but he's going to try his best.

You nod and give Austin your address. Then, you make your way home completely in awe of the fact that you have a date with Austin Butler tonight.

******

Later that night, there's a knock on your door and you put the last minute touches on your makeup and walk to it to open it. When you do, you're a little shocked to find Austin with his hair fixed like Elvis, in a suit with the shirt unbuttoned half way down his chest and a thick gold cross sitting on his sternum. For some reason, this outfit doesn't feel like him. And it's not; it's 100% Elvis, but you have no way of knowing that.

"You ready, doll?" Why does he even sound like Elvis?

"Yeah, lemme just grab my purse."

You spend the rest of the evening on one of the best first dates you've ever experienced. Conversation comes easily to both of you, and you think it's unbelievably endearing that he takes you to a diner, and a movie, and a roller skating rink.

You've never been good at roller skating, so you spend most of the time hanging on him and trying to keep your balance.

Elvis is in heaven. He hasn't had this much fun in almost 5 decades. And the feeling of your hands on his skin and your body pressed up against his, even if it's not exactly his, is something he's desperately missed. When it's time to take you home, he's dying to take you inside and feel more of you on him, but he doesn't want to push you or take advantage of you in any way. Instead, he walks you to the door and stands with you awkwardly under the awning of your apartment complex.

"This was really fun." You want to ask him inside, but you're not sure if that would be too slutty. Still, he's a movie star, he has to be used to that. Right?

"Yeah, it was." You notice his eyes flick down to your lips, so you turn your face up to signal that he can kiss you. Elvis gets suddenly nervous. He hasn't kissed anyone in a very long time. After a few seconds, you realize he's not going to kiss you, so you step back.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Elvis wants to kick himself for missing the window.

"For what, doll?"

"Nothing, I just thought... it's nothing." He takes a deep breath and remembers who he is. Then, he reaches out and grabs you by the waist, pulling you into him. He crashes his lips into yours and kisses you deeply. It's weird to kiss with someone else's mouth, but it doesn't take him long to figure it out.

You revel in the fact that Austin Butler is kissing you. You.

After you make out on the porch for a good fifteen minutes, you pull back from the kiss and look up into his eyes.

"Do you... wanna come in...?"

"Can I?" Elvis is shocked that you'd ask that so soon. Then, he remembers that it's not 1956 anymore. 1969 happened... he was there... and women are different now.

"Yeah... if you want to..." You start to get nervous that maybe you've made him uncomfortable. "You don't have to-"

"Yes. Please. I'd like that." You nod and smile and turn to open the door. He swallows deeply as you lead him into your apartment. It's been a long time since he's kissed someone, but it's been even longer since he did this. And kissing is easier to do well without practice.

You turn to him and take his hand, leading him to the bedroom. Is it possible that Austin is shy? He seems a little nervous to be headed that way with you.

"Do you not want to do this?" You stand facing each other next to the bed and look up into his eyes as he nods fervently.

"I do. I really do. I just... haven't... in a while..."

"Oh. Well, that's okay." Elvis smiles with Austin's face. He reaches out and fiddles with your shirt on your shoulder. Then, he moves his hand up to your cheek and runs his thumb over your lips.

"I just never thought this would be possible."

"What do you mean?" Elvis's heart jumps.

"Oh, umm, just, I've been watching you for a long time. I didn't think you'd want to go out with me." You smile and Elvis relaxes. He leans in slowly and presses his lips to yours again. He's surprised by how easy it is to fall back into a rhythm with you as the kissing ramps up and his hands, Austin's hands, begin to roam over your body. Without thinking, he slides them up under your shirt, dragging them across your back. He wants to lift your shirt and pull it off, but again, he's not sure just how far you're willing to go. Seemingly reading his mind, you remove your shirt for him.

You're shocked at how shy Austin is. You assumed he'd take the lead, but he seems reluctant even to take your shirt off. You push his jacket off of his shoulders and it falls to the ground. Your fingers go to the buttons and you take his shirt off too.

"Wow..." It comes out of you as a whisper while you run your fingertips over Austin's rippling abdominal muscles. Elvis looks down at himself and flexes his stomach as you touch him. This is different, but seeing the way you look at him, he's not exactly complaining. Bodies like this weren't common in his day, but he's thankful for Austin's dedication to diet and exercise in this moment. Something about it boosts his confidence and he reaches behind your back to remove your bra, but his fingers fumble. He peeks over your shoulder and eventually figures it out, pulling your bra forward off of you and dropping it to the floor. His hands slide to your breasts hungrily and he realizes how much he's missed the softness of a woman's skin against him. He pulls you in close and his kisses reach a fever pitch as he begins to move his mouth down your body. You revel in the sensation of his tongue on your nipple, throwing your head back in pleasure.

He turns you and lays you down on the bed, scooting you backwards and crawling on top of you. You arch your back as he kisses your stomach gently, finally landing at the place between your bellybutton and the top of your skirt. He hooks his fingers under your waistline and looks up at you, blue eyes wide with lust.

"Can I?"

"Yes. Please." He smiles softly and slides your skirt down your legs, removing your shoes at the same time.

"Mmmm." He groans as he holds one of your feet in his hand and kisses your ankle. You have beautiful feet and this is just another thing Elvis has missed about being with a woman. He feels his erection throbbing where it presses against the fabric of his pants. This creates a new sense of urgency in him and he hooks your panties with one finger between your legs and drags them off, quickly tossing them to the side. Now you're completely naked and he just stares at you for a minute. He was right to take this chance. You're worth it.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're just incredibly beautiful. I don't think I've ever wanted a woman this badly." You feel the blood rush to your cheeks and your core. He's unbelievable and if he's not careful, he'll have you head over heels for him. You sit up and begin to unbutton his pants, but he stops you. "This first, honey. Come here." He lays with his head on your pillow and pulls you to him, situating your hips above his face. He puts both hands on your ass and pulls your clit to his lips.

"Oh, fuck!" You grab the headboard while he goes to work licking and sucking you like his life depends on it. His tongue makes tantalizing circles on your sensitive button and you want to scream it feels so good. Elvis can tell by your reaction that he hasn't lost his touch, even if he is technically using someone else's mouth to do it. You look down at Austin with his face buried in your pussy, eyes closed like he's truly enjoying what he's doing. He slides first one and then two fingers into you and pumps them in and out while his tongue moves on you fervently.

"Oh, God, Austin, I'm gonna cum!" For a second, he forgets that he's Austin and his eyes pop open, but he adjusts quickly as your orgasm slams into you and your walls pulse around his fingers. Electricity explodes in your core and shoots lightning bolts to your fingertips in exquisite waves. When you finally come back down, you fall sideways off of him and lay on the bed. He wipes his face with his hand and sits up next to you.

"How was that, doll?"

"Oh. My. God." That's all you can get out and he smiles widely. He's still got it.

He stands up next to the bed, kicks off his shoes, and drops his pants and underwear. This is the first time he's looked down at himself and seen Austin's cock. Elvis is a little in shock. Not only is it huge, it's circumcised. He hopes it'll work the same way. Before he has too much more time to think about it, though, he looks up and you're on your knees in front of him.

You hold the base of him with one hand, put the other on his ass, and lick a circle around the tip.

"Fuck, y/n." Yep, it works the same way.

You slide as much of him as you can stand into your mouth, letting him hit the back of your throat. His head falls back and his mouth opens as you continue to work on him, bouncing and sucking and running your tongue along his shaft. Elvis is in heaven with your mouth around him and as much as he never wants it to stop, he wants to feel the rest of you too. Still, he reaches down and takes a handful of your hair as you let him thrust gently into your mouth for a bit. Then, he stops and stands you up, looking down into your eyes.

"Can I make love to you?" Your heart skips. No one has ever asked you that before.

"Yes. Yes, please." You lay back down on the bed together and he lines himself up with your entrance. His heart is pounding in anticipation. It's been so long.

He begins to push into you slowly, letting you stretch to accommodate his size. You moan softly as the sensation almost overwhelms you. When he's fully filling you, he pulls back slowly and thrusts forward again, groaning at the feeling of your tightness around him. He picks up a steady pace of fucking into you and you wrap your legs around his waist. Elvis is impressed with Austin's body and his ability to thrust without getting tired. It's been a very long time since he had that kind of youthful vitality.

"Yes, yes, yes!" You cry out breathlessly as he pounds you.

"God, y/n, it's so good." He moans again and kisses you deeply, feeling his orgasm begin to build in his hips. You're teetering just on the edge too, breasts bouncing with his rhythm. His cock is perfect to hit just the right spot inside you as he drives into you.

You feel him tense up as he slams into you one last time, throwing you over the edge into oblivion as well. You throb around him as he shoots you full of his warmth and shudders his hips into you. He relaxes and sets his head on your shoulder, both of you sweating and breathing heavily. After a few seconds, he slides out of you and lays next to you on the bed.

He's dying to tell you that he's Elvis and not Austin. He wants you to know that it's him. But he's afraid that would freak you out too much, so he keeps his mouth shut. Instead, he turns to look at you and you look back into Austin's face.

"That was amazing." You say, smiling. He smiles in return.

"It really was."

"Do you wanna... stay...?" You feel like you should know better than to ask, but you do anyway. Elvis knows he can't hold onto Austin when he sleeps, though. He'd be shocked to wake up here with you with no memory of how he got here.

"I wish I could, doll, but I can't. I'd love to do this again sometime, though."

"Yeah?" He rolls over and runs his fingertips down the side of your face.

"Yes. I really would." He leans in and kisses your lips softly. Then, he sighs deeply and rolls over, getting out of bed and putting his clothes on. It doesn't seem like he wants to leave, but he does anyway. He kisses you at the door again, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

"I'll see you soon, doll." You think to yourself that you'll see him tomorrow at work, but you don't say that part out loud. He walks through the door and you close it softly behind him.

He stays in Austin just long enough to get him home and in bed, laying there for a bit thinking about the encounter he just had with you. Elvis hasn't had a better day in over 50 years. Finally, his eyes close and Elvis pulls himself out, letting Austin sleep.

He's nervous about how he'll react when he finds out Elvis used his body to go out with you, but what's done is done. And he has every intention of begging to let it happen again.

******

Until part 2. Thoughts?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taglist:

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @tacozebra051 @your-nanas-house @deniseinmn @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows @60svintage @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @louisejoy86 @rjmartin11 @from-memphis-with-love @deltafalax

[appendingfic]

“This should be a story about white privilege why is the Usher family multiethnic?”

It’s a changeling fantasy. Roderick, his sister, his wife, his two children from that marriage, are white. His other children are of a barista. A nurse. I didn’t get the background of the other two. A white man fathering children by service workers is nothing new. He, too, had the power to decide whether those children were his or not (if he’d decided not, Pym would have seen to it)

Annabel said it best, though - he snatched them away with promises of wealth and excess and emptied them out and made them into something else. He’s the faerie court of old, replacing your child with Something Else, who wears their face but their eyes are different, they don’t understand the world you live in any longer, based on whim.

He probably remembered, vaguely, the deal, and thought giving them access to his world was a kindness - twenty, ten, five years in his world to compensate for the early death. A deal made without understanding the terms (a signature on a deal he had no right to make, pretending they understood the risks).

[604to647]

Marine Attraction

4.3K / Detective Tim Rockford x fem!reader

Summary: When a stakeout at the aquarium does not go as planned, Detective Tim Rockford must interview all the aquarium visitors, including you.

Warnings: Fluff! Meet cute! Maybe a dirty thought or two that reader really should not be having about a (hot) man just trying to do his job 🤭 Made up Merge Mansion lore. One cute nickname because it’s me (won’t spoil).

A/N: This was written for @mermaidgirl30’s Ocean Challenge – thank you for hosting a lovely event.  Please see #Jamie’s Ocean Challenge for all the wonderful works! I’ve noticed that as of late, some of the authors that I look up to and consider mainstays in this community since I started lurking 2+ years ago have wanted to leave, needed to take breaks from the fandom or felt disconnected from the community.  This story is for you, about stepping away when you need to and maybe rediscovering how something old can still bring you joy. Xoxo, love you all.

Fishy dividers by @saradika-graphics 🥰

EDIT: Oops this turned into a series - Masterlist

You’re not really sure how this happened.

You’ve been feeling a bit off, as of late.  Nothing was wrong, per say - your job is fine, your friends are dear, your life leaves you grateful.  It’s just that you feel… untethered.  Like you should be doing something more?  Work is fulfilling enough – you achieve and excel.  Friends and family make for wonderful company, but your social battery isn’t infinite and as much as enjoy your get-togethers, they can leave you drained.  Even some of your solitary pursuits, cooking, watching tv, scrolling through social media don’t seem to be as satisfying as they used to be – you consume, but you don’t create.

On a whim, you decide to take the day off work (the first in who knows how long?) and go somewhere you’ve always loved: the aquarium.  You’ve been visiting this aquarium since you were a child – something about the gentle hum of the tanks and the darkness that’s illuminated only by the glow of the exhibits has always relaxed you.  You’re going to go specifically to take photos.  Photography used to be a casual hobby of yours; you were even featured on local news blogs and had your photos chosen for a gallery showing once – but as life got busier and your other endeavours required more of your time and energy, it had fallen by the wayside.   It’s been forever since you took a photo walk or even a picture that wasn’t for capturing a moment rather than a snapshot.  You’re actually getting excited about shooting photos again.

It had been a serene couple of hours spent watching your unhurried fish friends and the silent watery dances of the marine plants that shared their abodes.  The aquarium is playing host to a few young families and two eager fieldtrips, but otherwise, you’ve had the place nearly to yourself.  Able to loiter so you can try different lenses and play with the lighting of your shots, or wait as long as you want in order for a mixed rainbow hue of fish to swim into frame, the morning had passed quietly and contently.

But now you sit in the children’s play area, the last of today’s aquarium visitors, waiting for your turn to be questioned by the police. 

---

Detective Tim Rockford is not really sure how this happened.

It had been a simple enough stakeout operation.  He and his team had received a tip a few days ago that there would be a handoff taking place at the aquarium today: an exchange of money between one of Grandma Ursula’s henchmen and a mystery player whose identity has eluded Tim for the entirety of this case thus far.  Perhaps it was unreasonable to expect Mr. Pie (so nicknamed by the squad for the Bolton Berry pies he consumed) to show up himself, but Tim held out hope that whomever they nabbed today would provide the break in the case that he so desperately needs.

Only, Grandma’s man had come and gone and none of the six men, Tim included, posted at the various vantage points and exits had seen a damn thing.  At some point between spotting their target enter the aquarium with a briefcase in hand, they had lost track of him and picked up his movements again only when he was already leaving the gift shop, empty handed.  How was it possible they couldn’t account for what happened in the aquarium?  Did the meeting with Mr. Pie occur?  Or was the briefcase stashed somewhere?  Tim presses the heels of his palms to his eyes and grimaces – the operation had been an utter failure. 

Not only did they not get what they came for, but now the remainder of the day was completely shot.  What had followed once the police realized just how out of depth they were, was a complete shut down of the aquarium with all visitors locked in and needing to be interviewed before they could leave.  Even the elementary school trips of thirty children.  Each.  After giving instruction to the additional LAPD support he called in to search the aquarium top to bottom for the missing case, Tim had settled in for a long afternoon of what he expected to be fruitless Q&As.

As he wearily enters the kids play area once again (an officer more considerate than he had suggested that given the number of children being held, it might be the best place to have everyone wait), Tim sees only one witness left to interview: you.  He had noticed you earlier, each time he came in to select another interviewee, in fact – if your pretty features and sweet smile hadn’t caught his attention first, your everlasting patience and kindness would have.  Several times, he spotted you playing patiently with the children – the sound of your melodic voice and gentle laughter floating above the grumblings of the other adults who had also had their days ruined. The sound eased the tense spot in his shoulders where his holster straps had started digging in a little bit.  At first, Tim thought you might be one of the teachers or a field trip chaperone, but then he noticed that you let all the school trips and families with children go ahead of you, and he overheard you tell his fellow officer that you didn’t mind waiting, that it must be much harder for the children.  He was grateful for you and he didn’t even know you.

As Tim approaches, you look up from your phone and shoot him the soft smile that’s been his one bright spot in this disaster of a day, though he thinks it seems a bit more tired than when he first had the pleasure of seeing it earlier this afternoon.

“Is it my turn?” you ask him, still in good spirits despite the circumstances.

“Sorry for the wait, miss.”

“No need to be sorry… Detective?”

“Detective Rockford.  Tim Rockford.  I appreciate that, it’s been… a day.”

You hold out your hand to shake his before repeating his name, then giving him your own.  Tim can’t decide if he likes the way his name rolls off your tongue, or the way your own name floats above the cheer of your voice more. 

“Well, hopefully I can help with… whatever has made it such a day,” you give him a sympathetic smile.

The kind of smile you might offer to him when he comes home after a long hard day.  Damn. He’s in trouble.  Focus, Rockford.

Since you’re his last witness of the day, he offers to conduct the interview right here instead of the stuffy office that the aquarium staff had lent him.  As you acquiesce to his suggestion, you stretch out your arms and legs, arching your back to work out a bit of stiffness from having sat for so long and Tim finds himself admiring your figure in a way that is decidedly not going to help him solve this case.  He tries to cover up his less than professional gaze by stretching himself – it feels good.

After collecting your information and starting with his routine questions, Tim realizes he’s pinning his hopes on you having seen or noticed something today – not only because no one else has, but so he can keep speaking with you.

When it becomes evident that you didn’t, he sighs a heavy sigh of disappointment. 

He hadn’t realized that he’s done so until hears you apologize; quick to reassure you that that you don’t have anything to apologize for, Tim places his large warm hand over yours before he can stop himself.  You gasp softly, you think only to yourself, but Tim hears the sweet noise and smirks a little – it’s nice to know he’s not the only one who’s been affected.  When he notices that you don’t move your hand away,  he lets himself revel in the feel of your soft, small hand under his for a beat longer before he removes it and somewhat begrudgingly starts to wrap up the interview.

---

Fuck. This fucking detective.  Rockford.  Tim Rockford.

Even his name is hot. 

You had noticed him earlier, of course – how could you not?  He was a hulking presence, impossibly broad and tall, and he carried himself with the authority and gravitas of a man in charge.  During the earlier hours of your wait, you had been preoccupied with helping entertain some of the young children in the waiting area who were restless with boredom, not sure why their promised day of aquarium fun had to be ruined by something as trivial as a police matter.

But once you caught sight of Detective Rockford’s handsome profile, it became impossible to not be captivated by the deep richness of his brown eyes or that strong nose that centered his face perfectly.  His grave countenance conveyed the seriousness with which he took his work (that facial scruff screamed he worked too much), but he was quietly calm and his tone gentle with all the witnesses, especially the children.  You couldn’t help but hope it was him every time an officer entered the waiting area. 

Some time between now and the last two times he had come in to call forth witnesses, the detective had lost his suit jacket, strolling in wearing only a gun holster and a white dress shirt that stretched taut over his firm chest and bulging arm muscles; you thought you were going to have to dunk yourself into one of the aquarium tanks to cool off just from the sight of him.

Your heart picks up a little when it’s him who appears when you’re the last one left to be interviewed; silently, you pray to Beyoncé to give you the strength needed to coherently answer the detective’s questions when he asks them in that honey laced baritone of his.

When Tim mirrors your big stretch, you hope you’re discrete enough that he doesn’t catch you staring: his limbs extend fantastically long, arm span wide enough to cast a shadow that reaches across the floor in front of you - he's huge.  After hearing the detective inhale a deep breath, it feels to you as if all of the air has been sucked from the room, leaving you dizzy as you gawk at his hard chest, expanding and pushing up against his crisp dress shirt, held closed only by the strained efforts of a few valiant buttons.

You feel bad that you have to answer in the negative to Detective Rockford’s questions.  Unfortunately, you hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary during your visit, too engrossed in your own photo taking, and you don’t remember seeing the man in the picture that he shows you.  You can tell that Tim tries hard not to show his disappointment and wish very much that you could please him, be the one to wipe the weary look off his face and the release the tension from his hunched-up shoulders.  Maybe please him in other ways, as well.  You have a feeling that praise from one Detective Tim Rockford would have you dripping wet and clenching around nothing embarrassingly quick. 

GIRL. GET IT TOGETHER.  For all you know, a serious crime took place here today!

You apologize.  Outwardly, for your inability to help him with his case, and inwardly, for the dirty thoughts that are wholly inappropriate to have about a complete stranger who is just, very competently, doing his job.

To try and put you at ease, Tim relaxes his handsome face and hopes to reassure you when he gently pats your hand; instead, a jolt of electricity shoots through you and you warm all over from his touch.  Maybe it’s your imagination but Detective Rockford seemingly lets his bear paw of hand linger over yours for a bit longer than he needs to, and you think you spy his plush lips curve up slightly at the corners when you gasp.  You might just melt off this bench right now.

“Oh, one last thing, did you take any pictures at the aquarium today?”

You nod, but are suddenly shy as you anticipate the Detective’s next question.  Tim nods at you matter of fact, “Good.  Could you please show me?  I just need to look through them quickly to see if there’s anything in the background that might be useful.”

He holds his hand out, not really expecting any resistance - you’ve been nothing but perfectly cooperative so far.  But when his hand remains empty, he looks over to find you adorably chewing your bottom lip while gripping your phone tightly with both hands, making no motion to hand it over.  For one ridiculous moment he panics, Are you Mr. Pie?!  He shakes his head slightly to rid himself of that ludicrous thought, and waits patiently for you to tell him what you’re ruminating on.

“It’s just that there are a lot of pictures..,” you start, “… and a lot of them are kind of duplicates…”

You know you’re being deliberately vague – sighing in resignation, you decide it’s best to just rip the band aid off.  Unlocking your phone, you go to your camera roll and filter to today’s library before handing over your phone without meeting the detective’s gaze.  Out of the corner of your eye, you see Tim scroll slowly through hundreds of photos of the aquarium’s exhibits; you attempt to avoid meeting his eye by focusing on how your phone looks inexplicably small in his big, rough hand.

“That’s… a lot,” Tim finally says when he reaches the bottom of the roll.

When you look up, you expect to see maybe a cringed look or even a mocking expression on the detective’s handsome face, but instead you find the massive man looking at you with a gentle curiosity, maybe even holding himself a little smaller in an attempt to not intimidate you.  It doesn’t seem to matter that you don’t really know him, you suddenly feel comfortable enough to tell Detective Tim Rockford this very personal thing about yourself – he might look like he's perfectly cast as the 'bad cop' in interrogations, but you have a feeling he’s got just as good of a track record playing 'good cop'.

“An old hobby of mine was… I guess they call it iPhoneography? Using apps to mimic traditional camera captures?  I used to love it, actually.  Selecting the different lenses and choosing different exposures, then seeing how the images would developed – of course, with the phone, you wouldn’t have to take it in and wait for a week or anything, it would be processed digitally in a matter of seconds.  But… editing apps are so common place nowadays, and most social media platforms have built in filters and effects - iPhoneography has sort of fallen out of favour,” you explain.  Tim is nodding along - he doesn’t really know what you’re talking about, he has three apps on his phone that he uses regularly (Weather, Candy Crush, and the app from the City that reminds him when to put out his garbage bins); the rest of the apps on his phone were preinstalled and he can’t figure out how to delete them.  But he encourages you to go on.

“In fact, I haven’t really gone out to shoot in years.  But lately… I’ve sort of wanted to get back into it?  I came to the aquarium today to fire up the old camera, so to speak.  That’s why there’s so many – a lot of the pictures are just of the same frame but where I was trying out different lenses or exposure options.  I’m not, like, super obsessed with fish or anything,” you finish up quickly, hoping you haven’t made a complete fool of yourself.

Tim hands you back your phone, still open to today’s photos, and smiles, “Why don’t you tell me about what you shot today?”

“Really?” you look up, surprised.

“Really,” Tim tries to convey his genuine interest via his eyes, and is instantly rewarded by a smile on your face that could light up the room.  It’s certainly lighting him up.

And so, you tell Detective Tim Rockford all about the photos you took today.  You swipe through your pictures and show him how the different lenses affect the lighting, exposure, saturation and even colour tinting of the resulting photo.  You proudly tell him about how you had to switch up your technique and settings when shooting the tanks where the marine animals or plants thrived primarily in the dark or relied on bioluminescent light.  You laugh, mainly at yourself, when you tell him about how long you stayed at certain attractions, waiting for a particular school of fish to swim perfectly into frame.

Tim thinks your laughter is the loveliest sound he’s ever heard.

You tell him your favourite sea creatures to photograph are the jelly fish because they’re so weird and they move with such alien grace, unpredictable yet seemingly purposeful, and that’s why there are more pictures of them than any other animal in your camera roll.

Tim finds himself enchanted watching you get more and more animated and excited as you go through the pictures you took today; while your eyes are peeled to your screen, he admires how they twinkle and the way your mouth slopes upwards, grinning wide even as you talk non-stop about your long-forgotten hobby.  Your pretty face is aglow.  He thinks he could listen to you talk about the things that bring you joy forever.

He lets you talk for an hour.  You don’t even realize until you get to the last photo (a school of clown fish weaving between the tentacles of their anemone home) and glance up at the time at the top of the screen, “…oh my gosh!  I’m so sorry!! I’ve prattled on for so long, I’m sure none of this was helpful at all!”

Tim won’t have any of that, “Don’t be sorry.  You had fun.  I’m glad you had some fun today… before I ruined it by sequestering you here in this waiting area for the entire afternoon.”

You shyly look at his apologetic face, “I’m having fun now.”

Tim can feel his ears warm and is sure they’re pink at the tips.  Darn, you’re sweet.  He distracts himself by flipping to a brand-new page in his notebook, “Me too.”  You feel your heart expand at his soft confession.

“Now, I have some good news and some bad news.”

You look at him expectantly with an innocent, doe-eyed expression that Tim thinks might be one of the most dangerous things he’s ever encountered in all his years on the force, “The good news is that I think you’re a very, very good photographer.  It’s clear you enjoy it and there isn’t a single photo you showed me today that isn’t obviously a labour of love.  I think you should get back into it if you can.  The way you were talking about your photos today, I don’t think I’ve seen that much joy on someone’s face in… I don’t know how long.  I’m grateful you shared that with me.”

You’re speechless.  His words are so, so kind… and exactly what you needed to hear today.  You’re filled with tremendous gratitude and fondness for Detective Tim Rockford.

“… the bad news is, I spotted the reflection of our man in the shadows on the glass in some of your photos, and I’m so very sorry but I’m going to have to confiscate your phone,” Tim could not be more truly sorry.

After the initial shock of being told you’re losing your phone for a few days, you quickly recover and tell Tim that you’re genuinely glad you could help.  You give him your email and use your phone to send off a message to a few of your group chats regarding how you can be reached for the next few days before dropping your phone into the evidence bag Tim produces.  Under different circumstances, you might be upset at this turn of events, but the expression on Detective Tim Rockford's face is more than enough to make the minor inconvenience worth it – he looks invigorated, energized.  Clearly, this is what he loves doing.

Walking you to the aquarium exit, Tim apologizes and thanks you again before seeing you out.  Right before the door closes behind you, you turn and see him already rushing off to brief his team, your plastic covered phone clutched in his hand and an excited grin on his face.  After the kindness and patience the detective has shown you today, you’re glad to have played a small role in putting that smile on his face.

True to his word, you receive an email from Timothy.Rockford@lapd.online.org just a few days later, letting you know your phone is ready for pick-up.  When Detective Rockford meets you in the precinct lobby, you have to suck in your breath – he’s even more handsome than you remember, and you’ve been spending nearly every waking minute over the past few days picturing his strong jawline, soulful eyes, and that charming facial scruff you’d give anything to run your fingers through.  He’s jacketless again, just another pressed white dress shirt that his broad frame threatens to rip through, bordered by those leather holsters that make you want to swallow your tongue.

As Tim takes you to Evidence so you can sign out your phone, he tries to chat amiably and not cast too many obvious and admiring glances your way; you’re all warmth and serenity in this place that he only ever associates with being loud, bustling and cold.  He simultaneously never wants you to leave and wishes to sweep you far away and keep you only for himself, distanced safely from this place where his every day is synonymous with darkness and mystery.

When you’re once again outside, Tim leans against the frame of the precinct’s front doors and you look up at him from one step down, hopeful, “Did I help?”

Yes.  You help more than you know, Tim thinks, having been unable to get your incandescent smile out of his mind since he last parted from you; finding that it’s become the image that grounds him during his long grueling hours.  Instead, he says, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”

“Oh no – not this again,” you grin.

Tim smiles back, emboldened by your cheery demeanor, “The good news is that a lot of your photos and what the tech guys called… um.. meta data?  A lot of it helped generate some good leads that we’re now following.”

“Oh!  That’s wonderful!  I’m so glad, Detective Rockford!”

“Tim.  Please call me, Tim.”

“I don’t know, I kind of like calling you Detective,” you tease, good naturedly.

Tim should not feel his pants tighten at this, “The bad news is, because your photos had so much useful information, there is a very good chance they will be used as evidence if this case ever goes to trial.  I don’t think you will need to testify, as you yourself didn’t see anything, and that meta data gives us the info on when and where the photos were taken.  But even so… it means I can’t ask you out until the case is over.”

“Oh no,” you’re disappointed, but somewhat mollified that Tim has just basically asked you out without asking you out.  “That is bad news indeed.”

Tim looks around to make sure no one is looking before he reaches out with his hand and gently strokes your cheek with the back of two of his thick fingers just once, whispering, “I’ve never wanted to put a case to bed more.”

You can’t let the joke pass you by, “The case?  The case is what you want to put to bed?”

The booming laugh that shakes Detective Tim Rockford’s entire torso reaches all the way to his eyes, crinkling them in the most adorable way.  It’s staggering the difference it makes – he looks 10 years younger, you think. 

He’s needed this.  A really good laugh.  He’s needed it more than he realized.  He’s needed you.  He looks at your impish grin, so proud of yourself for pulling this sound from him, a sound so rare that it’s become almost foreign to his own ears; Tim hopes he’s able to convey his gratitude for you with the way his eyes have brightened, flecked with gold and mirth. 

He thinks you just might understand him perfectly. 

When you lift up on your toes to brush your lips softly against his scruffy cheek for a goodbye kiss, he whispers low in your ear, “I’ll call you, Shutterbug.” 

A promise.

7 months later

The Grandma Ursula case has taken the nation by storm.  The TV in your workplace breakroom is permanently dialed to the court case broadcast so no one misses a minute of the scandalous proceedings, a single interview with those involved in the case, or any legal and criminal analysts’ commentary.  For someone who is billed as the Lead Investigator, Tim makes shockingly few appearances onscreen, but you feel a little thrill go through you whenever you catch a glimpse of his striking figure in the background of a news broadcast about the case, or when you see him standing stoically behind the head prosecutor while the latter debriefs the press from the steps of the court house.

You gaze dreamily at his face while the press shouts out what everyone (your friends, colleagues, the public) all want to know:

How many aliases does Grandma Ursula really have?

Can we even call it the Bolton Mansion anymore?

Why that particular number of pies?

You’ll be honest, you’re just as interested in the case as everyone else, but you have one pressing question that you know no one else is asking: Will he call when it’s over?

You’re in a departmental meeting when the verdict is read.  It takes you forever to get back to your desk, caught up in everyone’s excited chatter about the ruling, but when you finally sit down and pull out your phone from your drawer, it’s to the best outcome you could have hoped for from the Grandma Ursula case.  Positively beaming, you reread the text message sent from an unknown number only two minutes after the verdict was announced: Hey Shutterbug, take any good photos lately?

End note: The iPhoneography aspect of this fic is a bit self indulgent; some might know that this Tumblr used to be a photo blog before it became my writing blog. Just like reader, it's something I used to enjoy a lot but I haven't opened those camera apps in years - maybe I'll get back into it one day! In the meantime, yes - the aquarium photos in the moodboard are by yours truly 🤭

[fictionalcharactersaremypassion]

I've Got Somebody To Love

“Ay, lover, get up. We’re going out for breakfast.” 

It was decided on a whim. Ian sometimes makes remarks about doing couple-y things with Mickey. It’s just not his thing. He’s more than satisfied staying home, eating pizza bagels and watching a shitty movie. 

But he’s far more open now. He’ll go out to a shitty diner so they can eat overly salty food while the waiter tries to make small talk that he’ll ignore, just so Ian can be happy. And he’ll do it because he loves him. Plain and simple. 

“What?” Ian pushes himself up, rubbing his bleary eyes. 

“You deaf or somethin’?” Mickey swats at his foot still under the blanket. “We’re going out for breakfast. No pop tarts for us today.” 

“Why?” 

“My God-do I need a fucking reason to take my husband out?” Mickey is in the midst of grabbing a shirt, and if that shirt so happens to be Ian’s, well so fucking what? He shoots Ian a look of exasperated disbelief. “Jesus...” 

“No,” Ian is a little more awake and he props himself up by his elbows. He stares curiously at Mickey. “But you do hate mornings. And people.” 

“Yeah, well. I’m doing it for you. Said you wanted to do that sometimes. Get your ass up and let’s move.” 

Ian’s grin is blinding. His eyes are all big and doe-y like fucking bambi. Mickey’d be lying if he said it doesn’t make his damn heart beat a little harder. “You know I love you, right?” 

“Yeah, whatever,” Mickey grumbles, going into the bathroom to slather toothpaste on his toothbrush. He tries to suppress his own smile, though he’s more than sure Ian’s already seen it. “If you’re not ready in ten, I’m leaving without you.” 

Ian stretches his arms, just laying there for another minute or two. “I was having a really good dream, you know,” he hums. 

“Oh, yeah?” Mickey says when he’s done in there, his clothes already thrown on. 

Ian catches him by the loop in his jeans, and pulls Mickey a little closer. He peeks up at him through his eyelashes, his voice going low. “Fucking mind-blowing blow job.” 

Mickey grins, holding onto Ian’s chin. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah. And maybe I'll get something mind-blowing from you too someday."

His words set in and Mickey shoves him away, laughing. “You’re a fucking dick.” 

Ian’s laughing too, rolling onto his back again. “You should’ve seen your goddamn face.” 

“Fuck you, man,” Mickey says when he calms down, shaking his head. “Ay, you’re laughing now but not you won’t be later when all you’ve got to touch your dick is your left hand.” 

Ian just raises a lazy arm to flip him off. 

Mickey shuts the door behind him, plopping down on the couch to wait. While he does that, he glances out the window, immediately wrinkling his nose at the sight across at the other side of the building. The couple’s blinds are open, allowing him to see them attempting some kind of yoga position. Thank fuck Ian never actually made him attend that stupid fucking yoga class this place offered. 

Yeah, he’s definitely not doing whatever the hell they're doing. 

What are they doing? Mickey gets up to peer closer. They’re making a box shape, he realizes with his eyebrows furrowed. Or a square? Either way, it’s weird as hell, them all stretched out and held onto each other’s ankles like that. 

Jesus, he could write a fucking book on all the weird ass shit that goes on in this place. 

“You ready?” Ian’s out now, running both hands through his hair. It’s grown out a bit since they’ve been here, not like how Mickey’s had been when he broke out of prison, but he’s got a couple pieces of longer hair like he did back when Svet and Yev were still in the picture. 

“Yeah,” Mickey turns around, and feels warmth pool in his stomach. 

There’s a familiar red and gray checkered flannel he’s wearing over a brown t-shirt. His jeans are dark too, just like Mickey’s. Overall, he looks almost strikingly similar to his fifteen year self, without the fringe, plus his freckles are much lighter now. 

And holy fuck does he look good. Ian’s fiddling with his phone, unaware that Mickey’s blatantly staring. At least for a moment. 

“What?” He says, puzzled. 

And well, at one point back when he was under Terry’s thumb, scared out of his fucking mind and hating himself for who he really was, Mickey would’ve shot back something in response just to get the attention off him. 

Now, he doesn’t have to. 

It kind of hits him right then and there too, even though he’s been open to showing Ian how much he loves him for a while now. 

He doesn’t have to hide it anymore. 

He’ll never have to go through anymore of his life pretending he doesn’t find Ian fucking Gallagher attractive or some shit. And it’s really fucking great. 

Mickey smiles softly, standing in front of him, holding onto a fistful of the flannel. Ian’s hand comes around to rest on the back of his shoulder, and they just stay like that. “You look really fucking good, man.” 

“Okay,” Ian says, amused. 

“M’serious,” Mickey murmurs. “Reminds me of some kid I used to like back in the day.” 

“Oh, yeah?” 

“Some freckly, alien looking fucker. Real annoying.” 

Ian laughs softly, kissing Mickey sweetly. “I could probably say the same about the bastard I have to live with.” 

“Go easy on that bastard. It ain’t easy to live with your ginger ass,” Mickey teases. 

Ian swats at his ass when they let go of each other. “At least I wipe the toilet seat,” he shrugs, grinning when Mickey rolls his eyes. 

“For the love of God, we were in fucking prison!” 

“That’s no reason to leave piss on it!” 

If that couple across the way ever unties themselves, they would see the two of them making gestures with their arms, seemingly yelling until Ian pushes Mickey against the window for a searing kiss. 

Breakfast would have to wait. 

[emeraldjuns]

Fairy Tale

genre: fairy king jun x human reader warnings: none, unless you count mentions of reincarnations

synopsis: on a visit to the forest you frequented as a child, you meet a fairy who says he has been waiting for you. after that, you can't shake off the fact that he is very, very familiar.

word count: 4.5k (not proofread)

if you like my fics, please consider reblogging, thank you!

p.s. sorry for the horrible photo editing bc i'm a hoshi when it comes to this ;-; but at least jun's pretty face makes up for it...right?

Near your childhood home, there was a forest with a beautiful lake inside. Back when you were younger, you would spend your days with your siblings swimming in the lake, running around playing hide-and-seek among the trees, and enjoying picnics while the wind blew gently around you. 

Now you were older, and the forest was just merely a place for you to reminisce about your childhood memories. You had moved to another city for work, and even when you returned to visit your parents, you hardly ever went back into the forest. 

Until one day, you were exhausted. Work had been stressful and tiring, and all you wanted was some peace and relaxation. So, on a whim, you took a day off work and drove two hours back home to visit the forest, in the hopes you would find the peace you needed there. 

Soon enough, you found yourself at the lake. You bent down, running your fingertips over the cool surface. You sighed into the silence around you, relishing in the quiet you had yearned for for a while. 

Until someone’s voice cut through the peace. 

“I haven’t seen you in years.” 

Quickly, you shot up from your position and turned around. A man was standing a few metres away from you, studying you. You took notice of a pair of shining blue gossamer wings on his back. 

“Who…who are you? What do you mean, you haven’t seen me in years?”

He took a step forward, compelling you to step backwards as well. “You always used to visit this forest, did you not? Well, when you were a child, at least.”

A child? He’d seen you before all those years ago? Your heart raced in your chest. Had he been watching you and your siblings play in this very forest all this while? Was he a stalker? 

He continued speaking, seemingly unaware of your rising fear. “I was hoping you’d come back. I’ve been waiting for decades. Ah, but then, you probably don’t remember me, do you?” 

You couldn’t take it any longer. Realising he was still a decent distance away, you turned in the other direction and ran. You ran as fast as your two legs could carry you, all the way through to the forest’s exit. 

You sat in your car, locking the door immediately for fear he might chase after you. Your breaths were laboured, and your heart continued to race in your chest. Never had you thought that someone had been watching you for so many years. 

Your hands shook even as you started the engine, preparing to drive home. You couldn’t take your mind off that man. Who was he? Why did he have wings? What did he want with you? 

Two hours later, even after you had parked your car safely in the carpark of your apartment complex, your hands were still shaky.

⋆˚✿˖°

“I just thought of something fun.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s race each other to the other side of this lake. Whoever loses has to grant the winner a wish.” 

“Alright then, if you say so.” 

Just as you watched two figures race each other along the field of grass, your alarm clock rang shrilly, jolting you out of your slumber. Worn out from the adrenaline rush you had yesterday, you dragged yourself out of bed and through to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. 

The rest of the day had been the usual: drive through the morning rush hour to the office, work, attend meetings, eat lunch, and back to work again. Before you knew it, evening had rolled around. You decided to just eat dinner from an eatery downstairs instead of cooking at home, and soon you were slurping pasta noodles while admiring the view of a park nearby. 

“This pasta is delicious,” you murmured to yourself as you twirled your fork. 

“Is it that good?”

“Of course it is. Everything that you cook for me is good.”

“Well, I’m just happy that you like it, my love.”

My love?

You whipped your head around, to see if you had accidentally made conversation with someone without realising, but there was almost no one sitting even remotely near your table. Yet, you were sure that someone had just spoken to you. 

You tried your best to recall, but you were certain none of your exes had ever called you “my love”, nor did any other friend or acquaintance you knew. 

My love, you mouthed the words. 

Why did it sound so familiar?

⋆˚✿˖°

That night, you dreamed again, but this time it was of a strange man.

He brought you to a cozy-looking cottage, and led you in the door. He guided you to sit at a wooden table. Snapping his fingers, two plates of food appeared before the both of you. 

“You cooked my favourite again!”

You couldn’t see the man’s face, but you heard his laughter. “I wanted to see you happy.”

“I’m happy with whatever you cook for me.”

Somehow, you could feel him smiling. “I’m happy when you’re happy, my love.”

Just as he lifted your hand and brushed a kiss over your skin, you saw what was behind his back – a pair of shiny, gossamer wings.

You woke up instantly. The back of your hand tingled, almost as though he had actually left a kiss there. 

All you knew was one thing – you had to go back to the forest immediately.

⋆˚✿˖°

You entered the forest tentatively, trying to hear if anyone was approaching you. Not too long later, you found yourself at the lake again, at the same spot where the fairy had found you. 

“You’re back.”

You had to cover your mouth to stop yourself from screaming out of shock. Turning around, you saw the person you had been looking for, his wings shimmering as he floated toward you.

“How did you know I was here?”

He smiled mysteriously. “I know everything that goes on here. I am the king of this forest after all…ah, but I suppose you don’t know that, otherwise you wouldn’t ask.” 

Your brow furrowed in confusion. “King?”

“Yes. We fae reside in forests, and I am the ruler of this one. I can sense humans coming in and out of this place, and that is how I knew you came back.” He landed softly on the grass. “Would it be too bold of me to assume that the reason you returned is because you remembered something about me?”

You shrugged. “If seeing you in my dreams and having random hallucinations counts, then I guess so.” 

It was his turn to look confused. “Dreams? Hallucinations?”

“Yeah. I saw your face during one of those. That’s why I came back to find you, to see if you knew anything about it.” 

The fairy sighed. “How about we take a seat? It’s a rather long story.” He snapped his fingers, and a fluffy blanket appeared out of thin air and floated onto the grass. He sat down gracefully on one side, and beckoned you to join him. 

You stared at him apprehensively, your hand inching towards the pocket where your emergency pepper spray was kept. 

“Come on. Fae don’t bite, you know, even though some of your human fiction suggest otherwise.”

Somehow, your heart told you to trust him, even though your mind screamed otherwise. Slowly, you inched towards the blanket, sitting as far away from him as you could on the fabric. 

“I just realised I haven’t properly introduced myself yet. I’m Junhui, but you used to call me Jun.” He smiled, holding out his hand for you to shake it. You did so, trying not to notice how smooth his skin was. “What do you mean, ‘I used to call you’?”

Junhui laughed. “I suppose you haven’t figured it out yet. You and I…well, you were my wife. Or your past self was.”

You nearly choked on thin air. “My past self? Reincarnations exist in this world?”

“You could call it that. Your soul gets reborn, but you don’t retain your memories of your past self. Think of it as a reset, the only thing that remains is your core, your soul.” His eyes swept over your body briefly. “If you ask me, you don’t look, sound, or act like anything of your previous self.”

“What…what was I like last time?”

Junhui pondered on the question for a moment. “Well, personality-wise, you were more daring. You wouldn’t have run away like you did the last time we met.”

Your cheeks heated. “Excuse me, but what girl wouldn’t be scared if she heard a stranger say they’ve been watching her since she was a kid?”

He chuckled. “Well, guess that is my fault. Apologies.” His gaze met yours. “I didn’t give you too big of a scare, did I?”

“You kind of did. I couldn’t stop shaking the whole night, thinking that you were some kind of stalker or predator.” 

“Oh dear. I really am sorry. Is there anything I could do to make up for it?”

“Just, maybe tell me more about you. About us last time.” You played with the edge of the blanket. “I really don’t know much about you.”

He smiled. “Well, if it helps, you were very bold. The first time you saw me, you followed me around everywhere. You would insist on visiting the homes where we fae live. You wanted me to show you all over my land.” He paused before smiling again, seemingly into nothing. “And well, you were the one who proposed to me. Right by this very lake, in fact.”

“What – I did what?”

“Yes. You challenged me to a race to run from over there –” he pointed to a clearing a few hundred metres away, “to around where we are sitting right now. You won, and so you told me that for your prize, you wanted me to be your husband.” 

“Let’s race each other to the other side of this lake. Whoever loses has to grant the winner a wish.” 

Suddenly your dream made a lot more sense. “So, did we get married?”

“Of course,” Junhui said it like it was obvious. “Why would I not marry you?”

“Then what about now? Do you still want to marry me?”

“Why would I not?” Junhui turned to face you. His hand reached towards your face, and for a moment, you thought he was going to touch you. Yet, in that last moment, he retracted his hand. “But it’s ultimately your choice. Just because you are the reincarnation of my wife doesn’t mean that you will want to be with me.” He chuckled, but it was tinged with sadness. “I won't force my desires upon you. Since you stopped coming here so frequently, I knew there are always going to be things outside my control.”

“So, it’s fine if you don’t want to be with me. I’m already happy that you returned to listen to my story.” He propped himself on his arms and leaned backwards. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“Even if I’m with someone else?” You blurted out.

He nodded. “Even if you’re with someone else.”

Your gaze swept over his figure. Upon closer inspection, he was rather attractive. His facial features seemed sculpted, his wings were the perfect amount of shiny, and his eyes…his eyes were so expressive, so full of emotion.

“Well, I’m still single, so…if you want, I could try things out with you.”

Junhui’s eyes lit up almost instantaneously. “Really?”

You couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “Yeah, why not? If we used to be lovers, then maybe this will work out.”

“Don’t worry, my love. I will court you the way you deserve, before you make your decision.” He reached for your hand, and gently placed a kiss on the back of your palm. “When will I see you again?”

You sighed. “It might be a while. I have to go back to work tomorrow, but I’ll be taking a week off soon. I could visit my parents, and then..visit you too, I suppose.”

“Very well then.” Junhui stood up. “It’s quite dark; would you like me to walk you back where you came from?”

“Sure.” You got up from the blanket as well. Junhui snapped his fingers and the blanket vanished the same way it had appeared, and he led you towards the exit where you had parked your car. 

“Apologies, but this is where I must leave you. I cannot physically venture out of the forest’s boundaries.” 

“Why not?” You asked. 

The fairy merely smiled. “It’s a complicated matter that I will explain to you some other time. It’s late, you better hurry home.”

You nodded, and waved to him. “Goodbye, Junhui. I’ll see you soon.”

You thought you saw a tinge of sadness in his eyes, but he quickly blinked it away. “Goodbye, my love.”

Somehow, as you drove further and further away from the forest, your heart grew heavier and heavier, almost as though you were leaving something you cherished behind. 

⋆˚✿˖°

The next time you visited the forest, it was nearly a month later. 

Work had been busy, and as much as you wanted to find time to spend with Junhui, it was almost impossible for you to leave. When your major projects were done, you found yourself counting down the days to the week of leave you had applied for, actually looking forward to meeting the mysterious fairy again. 

He had mentioned that you were his wife a long time ago. Was it possible that despite not having any memories of your past life, your soul had somehow recognised him? 

You mulled over the many questions in your head as you walked from your childhood home to the forest. You were staying with your parents for the week, so it was easier for you to visit Junhui. 

“Hello, my love.”

Junhui made his appearance almost immediately after you had set foot into the forest. Luckily for you, you had anticipated his arrival so you weren’t too shocked by it. “It’s been so long since I last saw you, I even wondered if you had forgotten all about me.”

“Sorry,” you apologised. “Work was too busy, I couldn’t get away. But hey, I’ll be here for a week.”

The fairy merely chuckled. “A week would never be enough for me…but I guess I will have to make do.” He held out his hand for you to take it. “Are you hungry? I could cook something for you.”

You placed your hand in his, revelling in how it felt to have your hand in his. “Yeah, I’m hungry.”

“Well, I just procured some fresh strawberries this morning,” Junhui said as the both of you walked hand-in-hand past the lake. “Do you like sweets?”

“Yes!” You grinned excitedly. “What desserts can you make?”

Junhui smiled at your enthusiasm. “What do you want to eat the most?”

You pondered over it for a moment before replying. “Strawberry tarts!”

“Strawberry tarts it is then. I’ll make some for dessert,” Junhui stopped at a group of trees at the end of the clearing. “We’re here.”

You stared blankly at a tree in front of you. “You live in a tree?”

He laughed. “No, but my house is beyond these trees. Can you see the little fissure over here?” He lifted your hand that was still in his towards seemingly nothing in particular. “Use your fingers to feel it. You’ll feel something soft, and if you apply some pressure you’ll push through it and you can enter the fissure.”

You moved your fingers around the air where he had guided you. “I still don’t feel anything.”

“It’s alright. I’ll teach you how to observe and enter fissures next time. It took you a few months last time as well.” Junhui used his other hand to feel for it. “The reason why we fae are not sighted often by humans is because we mostly live in areas behind these fissures. Human eyes can’t see them easily, unless they have been trained to do so, of course.” You watched, fascinated, as his hand slowly disappeared into the air. 

“Hold my hand and follow me,” he instructed, and you nodded. 

As Junhui disappeared slowly, you closed your eyes and followed in the direction he went in. You felt something soft envelop you, similar to what he had mentioned earlier. You dared to open your eyes to see what exactly this fissure looked like, and was shocked by what you saw. 

It looked as though you were still in the forest, but a brighter and windier part of it. Right in front of the both of you stood a cottage so beautiful you thought it came directly out of a picture. It was built entirely out of wood, had a stone pathway leading to the front door, and even had vines and flowers growing around the base of the house. 

“Well, this is my home,” Junhui gestured towards the cottage. 

You couldn’t take your eyes off the house. “It’s really beautiful, Junhui. It looks like it came out of a fairy tale.”

“It looks like a house from a fairy tale.”

Junhui smiled at the memory. Somehow you and your past self were very different, yet so similar. “Shall we go in, my love? I prepared lunch before you came, so it would be a waste to eat it cold.”

You blinked, almost as if you had been snapped out of a trance. “Yes, yes, let’s go.”

As you entered the fairy’s home, you felt a sense of familiarity wash over you. The living room, the furniture, the kitchen all appeared to be something you had seen before at some point. Your eyes spotted a picture hanging on the wall behind his sofa, and you froze.

It was a black-and-white picture of Junhui and another woman next to the lake. Junhui was wearing a suit, while the woman with him wore a long white gown adorned with hundreds of tiny flowers. They were facing each other and smiling brightly. 

“You and I…well, you were my wife.”

“Junhui…is that me? Or…I don’t know, my past self, or something.” You pointed at the picture, your voice a little shaky.

“Yes,”Junhui confirmed. “That was you and I on the day of our wedding.”

You were at a loss for words. Why did seeing your past self make you feel so disconcerted? 

“Hey.” Junhui tapped your shoulder. “Do not think too much of it. I did say it would be your decision. Just because you and I were married once does not mean that I expect you to be my wife again. Just think of you and I right now as…” he paused for a moment to ponder over it. “People looking for a prospective partner, I suppose. I heard humans go on dates too, for a similar purpose.” 

He glanced at the picture again. “I must admit that I am hoping you will return to me though. Before this, I never even considered that human souls could be reborn. So now that you’re here, it is a little difficult to hide my desires from you. I suppose I missed you too much.” He swallowed, and for a moment, you thought you saw his eyes glisten. But then he blinked, and whatever you had seen was gone. 

“Lunch will be cold if we don’t hurry,” Junhui changed the subject. “I cooked cream sauce pasta today, with tomatoes and basil, all fresh from my garden.” He walked into the kitchen and opened the lid of a pot, releasing a delicious aroma. 

You gasped seeing the pot full of your favourite dish. “How did you know my favourite food is cream pasta?”

The fairy’s eyes widened in surprise. “It is?”

You nodded vigorously. Taking a pair of tongs that he had offered you, you piled heaps of the pasta noodles onto your plate. You brought the plate towards you, inhaled the scent of fresh basil and tomatoes and cream, and sighed happily. “I love cream pasta.”

The corner of Junhui’s lips lifted into a smile. “I did not expect you to like it this much. I usually cook this for the other fairies because they like it, so I took a gamble, hoping you would like it.”

As he was talking, you had already lifted a spoonful of pasta to your mouth and ate it. As you chewed, you could taste so many wonderful flavours. How could something that looked so simple taste so good? “Well, you won your gamble.”

Junhui helped himself to some as well, and the two of you ate together. It felt a little awkward talking to him at first, but soon you found yourself talking to him more, and the awkwardness melted away the more you talked. You asked him all kinds of questions: about your past self, what his life as an immortal fairy was like, and about him being a king.

“You don’t live in a palace or something?” You asked between bites.

“Well, I have a small place similar to a government building in the human world,” Junhui explained. “We have meetings there, but I do not have a palace. Even if I did, I would want to stay in my cottage. It’s very cozy here, and it makes me feel closer to my people. If I stayed too far away, I fear I might get disconnected from them.”

He began cutting up strawberries for tarts. “When you’re done eating, you can go explore the area. You can go anywhere, just please avoid destroying my plants in the garden. I’ll need time to get these baked.” He gestured towards all the ingredients lying on his kitchen counter. 

That was why you found yourself in his garden, staring at all the different flowers and vegetation and fruits growing in his huge land. You saw the same people from your dreams strolling down the stone path in the middle of the garden, except this time you recognised their faces to be your past self and Junhui. 

“See right here, my love, are the roses. And those next to it are the carnations, and then these are lilies.”

“Oh, I love carnations. They remind me a little of you, actually.”

“Why’s that?”

“They represent pure love…and you seem to be giving me that.”

As the memories played through your mind, you wondered what it was like to love Junhui again. He made you feel comfortable, in a way your previous partners hadn’t. He evidently adored you, even if you weren’t exactly like your past self…but what if you couldn’t reciprocate those feelings? 

“My love.”

You jumped, turning to see a smiling Junhui. “You really should stop scaring me like that.”

“In my defence, you were spacing out,” he raised his arms in surrender. “The tarts are done. Do you want to try them?”

Nodding, you followed him back into the house, where a steaming tray of piping hot strawberry jam tarts were on the dining table. And as you bit into one of the tarts, tasting the sweetness and the light acidity of the strawberries and the love Junhui had put into them, you thought you were going to tear up. 

⋆˚✿˖°

You continued to visit Junhui everyday for the rest of the week. Your dates were often the same: he would cook for you, after which he would bring you to explore the hidden parts of the forest you never knew about. He brought you to his government building, some fairy villages, and even tried teaching you how to observe and enter fissures (you still failed miserably at that). As the days passed you found yourself feeling sad when you had to leave Junhui to go back to your parents’ house in the evening, and happy when you returned the next morning to see him. 

When it was time for you to leave, you hugged Junhui, managing to finally catch the fairy by surprise. 

“I’ll miss you, Junhui,” you mumbled. “Work will be busy, and I won’t be back for a while, but I’ll come as soon as I can, okay?”

Junhui wrapped his arms around you, and used one hand to stroke your back. “I’ll be waiting for your return, my love. Don’t rush it; I’ll wait as long as you need.”

After returning to the office, you often found yourself drifting off, thoughts wandering to the beautiful fairy. You realised you missed him, that you were yearning for his company. Your fingers hovered over your desk, tracing a heart shape over the table. 

Maybe falling in love with Junhui wasn’t as difficult as you thought after all. 

⋆˚✿˖°

A few months passed before you were able to find time to visit Junhui again, but the time you spent away from him had made you realise that even though you and your past self were different people, your soul still wanted him the way you did years before. 

This time, Junhui had been waiting at the lake for you, almost as if he had anticipated you would come. You immediately ran to him and hugged him. “Junhui!”

He smiled, embracing you happily. “You’re back.”

“I got you a present, I think you’ll like it,” you told him excitedly. “Want to guess what it is?”

The fairy mulled over it. “Well, I’m not sure. You don’t seem to be holding anything big.”

“It’s in my pocket,” you pulled out a small velvet box. “Here, open it.”

Junhui complied, and opened the lid, peering inside the box. As soon as he saw what was inside, he gasped, the box slipping out of his grasp and landing on the grass. 

“Junhui!” You yelled, immediately swiping the box from the ground. “You’re going to get the rings dirty!” 

“What…why did you…”

“The last time I proposed to you, I didn’t have a ring, but when I finally get you one, the first thing you do is drop it?”

“No…no, I…” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “I did not expect this at all! I thought you might want to wait a while more.”

You smiled seeing his bewildered expression. “I wanted to wait a while before giving you my answer, but then the time I was away from you made me realise how much I love you. And…I don’t want to wait any longer, Junhui.” You held out the ring. “Will you marry me? Let me be yours…again.”

Junhui stared at the ring for a moment, before suddenly pulling you into his arms. Just as you were about to say something, he kissed you, taking your breath away. You melted into his embrace, returning his kiss with the same love and passion. 

When you parted, he smiled. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

You laughed happily, before taking his hand and sliding the ring onto his finger, and letting him do the same with yours. 

“I wanted to get you rings this time,” Junhui leaned in and brushed his lips softly against yours. “You’re more bold than I thought you were. It isn’t fair that I don’t get a chance to propose to you.”

“It’s alright,” you whispered. “You can do that in my next life. I’m sure that I’ll fall in love with you again, every single time.”

[meiieiri]

hii could you please write about how the jjk men's social media would look like, like what would they post, how often, what socials they would have? sorry if this is 2 specific!!

HOW THEIR INSTAGRAM PAGES WOULD LOOK LIKE [FT. JUJUTSU KAISEN]

❁—CHARACTERS: nanami kento, yuta okkotsu, gojo satoru (toji isn’t here bc the only online platform he’s on is onlyfans)

a/n: hey hey~ no worries! i love making stuff like these anyway, thanks for this btw, had a lot of fun making these. i only made ig as their socials as of rn because i don’t have twitter so i don’t rlly know how that works ໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১

༊*·˚ NANAMI KENTO

↬ nanami’s instagram would have really warm, vibrant tones to accentuate each and every mundane detail of his life into something that looks so euphoric and almost utopian-like which isn’t at all surprising seeing as this man has seen so much pain and suffering for a good majority of his life.

↬ i think he’d pick up photography as a hobby, maybe he’ll dabble into playing around with the settings on adobe lightroom or maybe secretly attend saturday workshops, on his way home from his bakery run, where he gets to learn all the fundamentals on photography composition. he eventually learns about instagram and he downloads the app on a whim when he gets bored at work. he appreciates the user friendly interface and gets the hang of it pretty quickly. he usually posts thrice a month, more if his schedule allows.

↬ now the thing with kento is he doesn’t usually put captions on his photos other than single emojis like: “🐱” or “🥐”. an exception to this is when he posts your birthday photos. he lovingly spares a few words for you that are minimal, at best, only containing a short birthday greeting. but hey, it’s written in pretty font, sooo~~

kento watches you from the couch situated near your home’s screen door leading to the pocket garden the two of you set up when you first moved in together. a small smile plays at his lips when you momentarily jump in surprise as your cat rubs herself against your legs finally ending your little game of hide and seek. “there you are,” you crouch down to scratch her ears. the loving scene of domesticity unfolds before him like a record tape from the nineties, complete with subdued hues of yellow and rose. “sweetheart, could you look here for a bit?” he calls as he fumbles with his phone. you look up confused and that’s when he decides to snap the picture. “hey! i wasn’t ready,” you protest. but he’s already posting the picture on his instagram with the caption: “💕”.

༊*·˚ YUTA OKKOTSU

↬ yuta has a fascination with sunsets. there’s just something so alluring and somewhat sorrowful about the last flicker of sunlight waging a war against her opponent, the night sky and her stars, to keep its dominion over the sky. yuta has always struggled with the notion of impermanence — he finds change to be downright terrifying which is why he took it upon himself to confront this fear by taking pictures of the setting sun, a form of change that is ironically as unchanging as his love for a certain someone, hehe.

↬ he normally uses his instagram as a digital journal of sorts. he’s always away owing to the many missions he’s now been assigned as a sorcerer second only to gojo satoru. he writes down entries, as much as possible, on a weekly basis to properly process the many emotions he’s felt that day.

↬ naturally, you’re always the first to view the pictures ergo press the heart button which always makes him turn a bright shade of pink despite the many years you’ve been together. AND, even though you’ve already technically seen the pictures, yuta will ALWAYS show it to you again when he gets home from work and regale you with all the amazing details about his recent trip.

yuta practically melted into your arms when he came in through the front door. “missed you,” he murmurs. you crane your head back to get a good look at him and you heave a sigh of blissful relief when you neither find a single scratch nor bruise on him. “are you alright, my love?” he asks, head tilted to the right, his eyes wide with curiosity at your silence. “yeah, fine,” you shake your head, playfully pinching his unscathed cheek earning a whistle-like chortle from the young sorcerer. “you know,” he says thoughtfully when his laughter dies down. “i never realized how beautiful the hida mountains are,” he recounts the wondrous things he’d seen and taken photos of from the sleepy lake town they took refuge in, to the mighty mountain river he and gojo had crossed on their way to the summit, to the towering willow trees with branches so ancient they could practically block out the sun, and finally to the mysterious abandoned forest shrine that only showed itself to an honored few, emerging from the haze like a ghostly apparition. he continues to ramble on for a substantial amount of time, scrolling through his phone gallery, not knowing that you’d dozed off. “2:48 AM,” the clock read. yuta sighs at your sleeping form, hearts practically swarming in his eyes. he lifts the blankets to cover your forms. “guess we’ll just have to go together someday,” he says, pecking your cheek before shifting ever so carefully to turn off the nightlight.

༊*·˚ GOJO SATORU

↬ posts low contrast pictures with low brightness because he’s cool that way. if not for the fact that he mostly shares memes, his feed actually looks pretty good, it’s subtle but appealing in many ways and it looks glorious on dark mode, it kinda reminds you of those pinterest or twitter moodboards. he knows his way around setting a moody vibe on his feed, and to think almost all of his pictures were shot on his old iphone. satoru gojo, the strongest sorcerer of his generation, much to the surprise of many, is actually quite talented. who would’ve thought?

↬ but please PLEASE someone get instagram away from this man, the world is not ready for his genius. now unlike the others, satoru uses instagram purely for fun. and yes, he posts dumb shit like they’re scripture. he got in trouble with the community once when he posted a picture of dixie (depicted above) from the teletubbies with the caption: “bake those cookies dixie”. you had to help him submit an incident report to the community moderators and a promissory note stating that he’ll never post such lewd things again. and he didn’t (thank god). for a full week, that is. he relapsed almost immediately.

↬ on the bright side, though, his followers always find it cute whenever he posts pictures of the two of you on your dates, even the ever-stoic nanami couldn’t resist the urge to smile whenever he comes across a picture of his senior having the time of his life with you. god knows how much gojo satoru deserves to love and be loved in return, even if he once thought it to be the most repulsive of curses.

gojo watches you from the other end of the table, a tipsy simper on his features when he notices your eyelids drooping, your head bobbing in your drunken stupor, your lips slightly open as your breathing evens out. “you drunk, baby?” he slurs as he polishes off the last of the yakiniku set you ordered, the oily, sweet and salty grilled meat seemingly simmering down the effect of the alcohol. you were the only ones left in the izakaya, at this point, the owner has half a mind to throw the both of you out so they could close for the night. “nooooo,” you sniffle before a tiny hiccup rips through your throat. cute, satoru stares at you with lovestruck eyes. “stop that,” you look at him through your blurred vision. “stop what?” satoru asks, his head resting on the hardwood table as his hand searches his jeans for his phone. he had to capture this moment before he blacks out. “looking at me like i’m the most beautiful girl in the room,” you scowl disapprovingly. he manages to find his iphone just before he nods off to sleep, snapping a picture of the both of you. empty plates and half-finished shot glasses are strewn about your table and the night’s festivities are perfectly captured in the frame. the two of you looked absolutely hammered — your normally tidy hair was disheveled, and his face looked like a cross between a sore thumb and a ripe tomato — but still, you looked happy. and to satoru, that’s all that really matters. “but you are, baby,” he pats you on the head before finally passing out. “you are.”

[winterchimez]

Lip Sync | Ji Changmin

pairing: ex Changmin x f!reader

genre: angst, suggestive

warnings: influence of alcohol, making out scenes, mentions of s*x, bad breakup, cheating, unrequited love (in some way)

word count: 2,751

a/n: so.... i can explain 🤡 what made me wrote this oneshot on a whim was because of Changmin's whisper from the song itself 🫠 (delusional to the max tbh 🙃) but in all honesty this is my favourite track from their latest jp album, and i knew i had to write a fic about it!! i just hope i managed to execute it well according to the lyrics (yall i tried my best ><) feedback would be much appreciated! 🩵

You watched as the clock continued to tick as it reached closer to the hour you were going to be done with this dreaded lecture you were having. 

3… 2… and finally… 1. 

The clock strikes 14:00, and everyone seemingly grabbed the belongings that they had obviously packed way beforehand and rushed out of the lecture hall. You, on the other hand, were in no rush to head to your next destination, which was your accommodations.

As you took your time packing away your things into your backpack, your phone lights up and produces a ding sound, indicating that you have received a notification. You immediately took up your phone that was lying front screen down on the table, and read the notification mentally. 

Hey Y/N, remember this time during 2022? 

Snapchat. Always with the monthly notifications that you’ve never bothered clicking into to see what it was because your college life was never entertaining in the slightest bit. You were a lone girl, and you’ve always preferred staying in the university’s library till late at night and then heading back to the comforts of your accommodations. You were never an outgoing person, so attending social parties was definitely out of the question.

However, for some reason, your brain decides to do the opposite today, as you clicked on the notification, with the thought of just having a quick glance at whatever Snapchat wanted to remind you about. 

Now, you wished you could’ve turned back time and that you’d never clicked into the application in the first place. 

A picture appeared on the exact same date from a year ago, depicting you with your former boyfriend, Ji Changmin.

Honestly, the Y/N from your freshmen year would’ve laughed if she had known that you and the f*ckboy of your university were actually a thing for a good solid 2 years. Ji Changmin was infamous, to say the least. Not only was he a good dancer that has basically contributed to winning several trophies from various dance competitions that were held annually throughout the state, but he was also the face of the university. 

Many students and lecturers admired the way he was. The manner in which he presented himself, those doe-like eyes and how he’s able to put on this adorable yet captivating look that just makes everyone swoon over him? He was a winner for sure. 

Everyone could’ve sworn he was definitely up for the job to take on the role of the president of the student council, given the good grades that he has worked so hard to maintain throughout the years. But the lad always turned the offer down, saying how there were better students up for the role, especially his close bud Kevin or Sangyeon. 

In reality though, what really stood out the most among the students was that he was the infamous f*ckboy in university. Oh, how many girls have given up anything to be able to spend a day with him, or even doing the deed with the man himself. 

You have seen how he was always with another girl almost every other day, and being the goody two shoes that you were, you decided that he was someone you’d rather jump off a cliff than associate with.

That was until a frat party that happened 2 years ago when your assignment mate at the time, Eric, was basically dragging everyone he knew to come to join him. And of course, he had to bring his newly met friend along too because according to him, the more the merrier. 

You came up with so many excuses that night, saying how you were sick or how you had way too many assignments due the next day. But that did not stop the male from actually showing up at your doorstep and basically dragging you into his car, not even letting you have a say in all of this.

So there you were, at your first frat party which you obviously did not enjoy the slightest bit. So many times you’ve tried to avoid everyone like the plague, retreating to the kitchen most of the time to be alone while having the least intoxicating drink you could possibly find. 

Of course, your demeanour that day stood out entirely from everyone else, and that has piqued the interest of the f*ckboy that was watching you ever since the moment you stepped into the party. He had his eyes on you the whole night, desperately waiting for the right moment to hit on you. 

Ji Changmin definitely had to thank the hosts of the party for organizing the infamous beer pong game, for that was when both of you truly came face-to-face with one another. During that time, all of you were split into two different teams, playing the game against each other to see who would win. He was the representative of his team, while you and Eric were the ones for yours.

Apparently, turns out that Eric wasn’t the best at holding his liquor, and he passed out after having 5 shots. Naturally, you had to take on the responsibility of continuing the game. 

You wished so badly that you’d said no that time, for you became tipsy, unknowingly chugging down more than 10 shots for basically losing against Changmin’s team that night. 

As the game ended and everyone was basically minding their own business throughout the apartment, you quickly excused yourself to the bathrooms and tried to calm your spinning head down. 

And there was when Changmin took the chance of visiting you to see with his own eyes, how the girl that has caught his attention throughout the night has become. You were a mess, and that somehow turned the male on even more. 

“Please… I don’t want any trouble….” You whimper.

“Funny you say that because you’re clearly enjoying whatever I am doing to you right now.” 

Both of your arms were pinned up against the cold bathroom walls above your head, and somehow the male ended up leaving trails of kisses all around your neck, while he shoved his legs right in between yours. 

When his lips finally met yours, you seemed to have enjoyed it more than you thought. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but you for sure did not reject that idea and eventually, it turned out to be a steamy make-out session in the bathroom. 

Changmin has made out with multiple women before, yet somehow you just felt so different from the rest. The whole experience? The soft whimpers and moans you produced? Oh, he couldn’t tell you how much they sounded so sweet to his ears, and he craved for more. 

“I just can’t get enough of you.” 

As he began to untie the pretty white lace dress that you were wearing, he couldn’t help but stare at your collarbone as he drops your clothing right onto the ground. He licked his lips, and he couldn’t wait to dwell deeper into his fantasies. 

“People say that I tend to go wild and bite when I’m drunk. Don’t worry sweetheart I won’t do that, unless you’re into that sort of thing.” 

And that was how you ended up with a hickey and a bite mark on your collarbone for a good 2 to 3 weeks. You could only vaguely remember what happened back then, you were too intoxicated to tell from your own perspective. But the male surely did remember every single detail from that session, which was what made him turn his whole interest towards you.

God, he was persistent. He always made the effort to get close to you, while the only thing you wanted was to stay far away from him. But your efforts turned out to be an utter failure most of the time, for he would always be a step ahead of you. 

He somehow got your number and began following your social media accounts and leaving comments on almost all of your pictures, texting you almost every single day, up to sending your random snaps where the male just somehow always manages to get good photoshoot-worthy shots. Honestly, at that time you insisted on blocking the male for good until your assignment mate Eric convinces you otherwise.

“Give it a go, expanding your horizons is what you’re supposed to do in university.” 

You probably would’ve thought that Eric was insane, but later down the line, you realised that you were the one going insane instead. 

Eventually, Changmin decides to get close to you in person, where he’d leave you random post-it notes in your lockers every day and purposely bump into you whenever you both cross paths during lunchtime in the cafeteria. These actions that you once thought to be annoying and intrusive, were slowly turning into ones that you actually enjoyed. 

He was goofy and flirty at the same time, which somehow always manages to put a smile on your emotionless face that clearly indicated how exhausted you were from all the lectures you were dealing with on a daily basis. Eventually, you began to enjoy his company, so when he offered to take you out on your first date, how could you possibly say no? 

Both of you were head over heels for one another, and eventually, the university labelled you both as the new lovebirds of the season. It wasn’t until the 10th date (at least from what you could remember) that both of you finally decided that you both were to become official. 

Of course, it also ended up with having a heated make-out session after having a little too much to drink in his apartment. During that heated moment, Changmin finally took the first step of asking you to be his girlfriend. Being madly in love at that point, you had no reason to say no. 

Instead of giving him a direct answer, you immediately gave him a smile and pulled his face down to your lips till both of you were merely inches apart.

“Just shut up and kiss me already.” 

A bittersweet smile was plastered across your face as you decided to take a seat in your lecture hall. After that Snapchat notification, you unintentionally find yourself to be stalking his Instagram page that you once blocked. 

As you tapped into his icon, you began scrolling through his feed while tears started to form in your eyes. You looked through the dozens of pictures that he posted, and you couldn’t help but to reminisce back on the good old days. 

And that smile of his.  

That smile was something that you’ve grown to become unfamiliar with, it was a thing of the past anyways. 

What exactly happened that made you both parted ways? None of you really knew exactly. 

As both of you eventually reached your senior year, the number of struggles and burdens that you both had to bear was becoming more and more unbearable, which has led the both of you to spend less time together. 

Unfortunately, the struggles were too much to bear for Changmin, and he eventually returned back to his f*ckboy roots, going out and sleeping with a different girl every other day. He did not want you to bear his difficulties while you were already clearly struggling to make ends meet since you provide for yourself, hence he could only vent out his burdens with what he knew best. 

You, on the other hand, were heartbroken, to say the least when you found out that he was doing what he used to in the past before establishing a relationship with you. But eventually, you had to accept the hard truth. 

At the end of the day, f*ckboys will always be f*ckboys. 

As you were lost in your thoughts, your phone suddenly dings which was where you received a new notification, this time from Eric. 

Eric ⚾️: Hey, since finals are over care to join a frat party for tonight? 

Well, since you had nothing better to do and you were basically depressed all over again after reminiscing back on your ex, you immediately took up the offer, in hopes of going for the sake of taking things off your mind for a bit. 

Y/N: Sure, pick me up at 8pm. 

As you turned off your phone and the screen goes dark, you were met with the reflection of your poker face.

Everything is going to be alright. 

So here you were, back at a frat party. You haven’t been in one since the last where your first encounter with your ex happened 2 years ago. 

You just wanted to let things off your mind and basically used this as an excuse to forget about your ex.

Or rather, actually hoping that you’d bump into the male himself. Knowing him, he definitely would not miss out on such an occasion considering his position as the university’s f*ckboy. 

As you make your way around the apartment, sure enough, you found the male on one of the couches, with a random girl he has hooked up with for the night. 

It didn’t take long for the male to notice your presence, perhaps he could feel that a pair of burning eyes were basically directed towards him for some time now.

Not wanting to create a scene, you retreated back to the kitchen, trying your best to find any liquor you could get. Basically, it was kind of an excuse to keep yourself occupied. 

It didn’t take long for the male to present himself in the kitchen, now looking right into your eyes. It has been a good 6 months since you both unofficially ended things, and the tension in the air was awful. 

Not even asking about what both parties have been up to, Changmin immediately broke the tension off by posing a question that seemed a little too harsh for your liking. “We… have no feelings anymore, don’t we?” 

No Changmin. I still love you. After what you’ve done. But, why can’t I say it out loud? 

With the quietness that you returned to him, he slumped his shoulders in defeat and gave this painful smile that you wished you could’ve helped ease.

“Honestly Y/N, you’re too good for me really, for a f*ckboy like me. If there’s someone as similar as you out there, perhaps I could’ve made it work. I guess fate has its plans and you’re just not the right one for me.” 

Don’t say that. 

As the male walks up closer to you, he returns you with a hug, one that you knew that it meant to be the last farewell. 

“I’m so sorry, Y/N.” 

You returned the male with a hug, and you tried so hard to hold back the tears that were basically going to stream down your face full of makeup that you’d done rather beautifully for the night. 

“Don’t worry about me, Changmin. I can never thank you enough for all of the beautiful memories we have made for the past 2 years. Your happiness comes first after all. I’ll be okay.” 

As you both broke off the hug, he decides to give you a quick peck on the lips, and oh how you savoured that short-lived moment. 

If this is really the last kiss, then let me remember it fully, from the shape of your lips to the scent that you gave. 

“You deserve someone better, Y/N.” Changmin pulled away and turned his back as he made his way back into the crowd in the living room. 

Right when he was gone, the tears that you’ve tried so hard to hold back finally poured down onto your face, and you desperately tried your very best wiping them away with your bare fingers. 

I wanted for us to start all over again so badly. But my ultimate decision was to put up a brave face in front of you. 

As you were done wiping the tears away, you made your way towards the exit and decided to take a breather and stroll around the area before heading back to your accommodations on your own before it gets too dark to be dangerous loitering around alone. 

With a huff, you looked up into the dark sky and tried your best to put on a sincere smile. 

Let’s both give our next love with our future significant other a shot. And may we truly find the right person to spend our lives with.

a/n: i'm actually considering to write a oneshot based on Eyes On Me & Door as well, do let me know if any of you would be interested in reading them ><

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @flwoie @hokupi (join my permanent taglist here!)

[demon-shark]

Percy got Lost Pt 6

12-year-old Percy Jackson tries to leave Camp Half-blood before Mr. D decides whether or not to kill him. Only Percy gets so lost he ends up in a completely different universe where a man in green finds him.

Warning: Graphic Depictions of Violence

[previous] [next]

Qingqiu had never been more lost in his life. No matter how many times he went over the conversation, it didn’t make any more sense. Gods whose names he never heard before. The world threatening to come apart over paranoia. Children being sent to the lands meant for the dead at the whim of adults. A very active threat to the life of a boy he still isn’t sure how to feel about. It was then Percy piped up, “So far so good. 10 miles and not a single monster.” Qingqiu glanced over at Percy, that could not be the standard for good. If it was then this world was far more dangerous than his own. Though looking at the iron carriages moving at speeds he’d only seen cultivators capable of, he found he didn’t completely doubt that. Annabeth gave Percy an irritated look, “It’s bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain.” The two continued to argue as Qingqiu tuned them out. He was already overwhelmed by the noises, the smells, and the filth, he didn’t need to be overwhelmed by their squabbling. 

“Hi, my name is Grover. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself sooner.” Qingqiu looked down to see the boy holding out his hand for Qingqiu to shake. He didn’t make a move to return the gesture but did give a very stiff, “Shen Qingqiu.” The boy, now known to Qingqiu as Grover, shriveled in on himself. The more he watched the boy the more sure he was that if Grover was indeed the traitor he was likely made to do it by a 3rd party. A 3rd party that he would have to keep an eye out for as they would likely try to contact Grover during the quest to insure its failure. Qingqiu silently fanned himself as he thought over everything, an uncomfortable itch crawling up his spine not helped by the shifting eyes of the other passengers in the iron carriage they called a bus. One of the passengers shuffled past him to what he assumed was an outhouse connected to the bus as the distinct smell of manure soon followed causing Qingqiu’s face to scrunch. 

The bus eventually came to a stop and Qingqiu was all too happy to get off. He had been joined by Annabeth who came to not only help get food for the remainder of the trip but to get clothes that would help him blend in. As Qingqiu browsed what he wouldn’t really call clothes, Annabeth gave him a run down on the situation. Or at least what she was willing to tell him about the situation, “As I said, Zeus believes that Percy stole the master bolt for his father’s uprising”. Qingqiu pulled out a short sleeved brown shirt with the logo he had seen on the outside of the building on its front as he asked, “Why is he so sure of his brother’s betrayal?” Qingqiu put the shirt back and finally found a blank green shirt, though it was also a short sleeve not giving him nearly enough coverage. Annabeth, who had been looking through the strange crinkly bags behind him grabbed something as she explained, “because he’s done it before. Several centuries ago, Poseidon led the other gods in an uprising against Zeus and won, capturing him. He only released him after he made Zeus promise to be a better leader.” Qingqiu could feel a headache starting to form, the relationships of the gods sounding all too similar to the emperor’s court. He should have known the gods were just as bad as mortals.  

The pair of them finished up their shopping, Qingqiu helping Annabeth carry the food back to the bus before changing. He ended up using cloth bandages to wrap his arms to get himself some more coverage. While this did make him stand out, it also brought some comfort which in this strange world was greatly welcomed. As they got closer to Percy and Grover however, Qingqiu could start to hear bits and pieces of their whispered conversation. Things about a man by the name of ‘Gabe’ and how he had been used as a monster repellent by Percy’s mom. From the way they spoke, he wasn’t a good person. Likely abusive by the way that Percy’s face had dropped when he learned the man was only kept around because of him. The idea of it caused something to twist in his gut. 

The bus started to move again not long after. Percy and Annabeth tossing an apple across the aisle as a way to ease their boredom. Rain pelted the sealed windows of the bus as conversations, coughing, and tapping on the strange boxes filled the air. It was then he heard a crunch from the otherside of the aisle and he turned to see that Grover had eaten the apple; core, stem, and all. Qingqiu squinted his eyes in suspicion, that boy wasn’t human either. He should have expected that. Afterall, Annabeth was clearly a demigod like Percy. Though it seemed she had known for much longer, shown by her much more practiced guard in comparison to Percy’s constant shifting. The children laughed as Grover gave an awkward apology for eating the apple, a bright blush painting his face. 

To Qingqiu’s annoyance the bus came to a stop again. As it did though, Grover started to sniff the air. He wasn’t a demigod. “What is it?” Percy asked, looking around for whatever put Grover on edge. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s nothing,” Grover said tensely, but his shifting eyes did nothing to ease the heavy feeling that fell on the four of them. Annabeth even started to slap a strange hat against her thigh, the twitchy movement causing Qingqiu to reach for his hidden sword. It was then Annabeth froze, her hand gripping her knee as she harshly whispered, “Percy”. She motioned to a woman who just entered the bus, dressed in velvet with lace gloves and a shapeless orange-knit hat. The woman tilted her head towards the group and much like Annabeth, Percy froze a breathless whisper escaping him, “Mrs Dodds”.

Behind the woman was another two ladies with identical faces to the first; one with a green hat and one with a purple hat. Each one had the heavy air of demonic energy, which was enough information for Qingqiu. They were demons sent to kill the demigods. The group watched them take the seats behind the bus driver as it started to move again, trapping them with the old women. “She didn’t stay dead that long,” Percy mumbled under his breath, his hand tightening on the bag that held the horn as he turned to Annabeth. “I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime,” Annabeth turned to him as she said, “I said if you were LUCKY, you’re obviously not.” That was clearly an understatement.  Grover started to whimper, “All three of them, Di immortales!” Annabeth tried to comfort the boys, “It’s okay.” She then dived into an explanation for Qingqiu, “The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld.” She snapped her head back to the old woman as she started talking to herself, “No problem. No problem.” Tapping her finger against her knee she said, “We’ll just slip out the windows.” Grover turned over to her as he groaned, “They don’t open”. Annabeth turned to him as she suggested, “A back exit?”. A quick glance behind them was all it took to know that there wasn’t one, instead replaced by the damned outhouse. “They won’t attack us with witnesses around, will they?” Percy asked, far more anxious than Qingqiu had ever seen him, including the time with the skinner demon. Annabeth turned to him as she explained, “Mortals don’t have good eyes. Their brains can only process what they see through the mist.” Percy’s eyes darted between Annabeth and the demons, “They’ll see three old ladies killing us, won’t they?” Annabeth gravely shook her head, “Hard to say. But we can’t count on mortals to help. Maybe an emergency exit on the roof…” It was then they passed through a tunnel, everything around them going dark. If the demons were going to strike, it was going to be now.

[666writingcafe]

Hello, can you write that MC discovers that they father actually killed they mother and decides to revenge but with more anger and hate

I'm going to alter this slightly, but I think you'll like the end result. Hopefully.

Content warning for violence. Nothing is explicitly stated, but given what the anon has requested, I feel the warning is necessary.

MC's father is a despicable man.

To the general public, their mom disappeared without a trace when they were merely a toddler, never to be seen again. Even her closest family and friends gave up on the search many years ago, deciding it best to move on with their lives and become productive members of society again.

But MC knows the truth. Their father brags about it all the time. His actions can't be blamed on drugs or alcohol; he was completely sober and lucid when he did it.

He just simply decided that it was the appropriate punishment for a mistake his wife made. Torture her until she couldn't take it anymore.

He's threatened to do the same to MC if they ever tell anyone the truth. If it were simply words, they would have ignored his warning, but they've witnessed too much to take their chances.

So they've remained silent and afraid. Oh, so very afraid. They have recurring nightmares about it, so they can never escape it.

Or him.

Until their application for the exchange program got chosen and they were transported to a realm far, far away.

Satan's the first to know. He isn't trying to pry, he says; he simply wants to know if there is anything he could do to help alleviate the anger he felt boiling inside MC. One tearful confession later, and he understands everything.

They don't even have to mention their desire to exact revenge on their father.

He seeks advice from both Lucifer and Diavolo, and they both tell him the same thing: wait.

It won't do anyone any good to pay MC's father a visit to the human world. The rules are different there, and they can't afford to risk ruining the developing relationship between the two realms.

However, once he passes on, he will most certainly fall under their jurisdiction. From that point on, he's fair game.

Energy is neither created or destroyed; it merely changes forms. Similarly, souls never truly disappear. They may change storage vessels, but that's par for the course.

This allows for eternal punishments of the more nasty souls.

Like MC's father.

The day MC receives the news of his death is also when they learn that their new family--everyone they've grown close to during and after the exchange program--have been planning for this day for years.

Would you like to join us?

A simple question with a simple answer.

Yes.

MC obviously goes first, but then everyone takes turns. Sometimes it's a solo venture, other times it's done in teams.

Their father gets used as a test subject and a method of stress relief. At one point, there's a competition to see who can make him scream the loudest, and the winner surprises everyone.

He will experience everything he did to his wife and more, but he will never be released from it like she was. He will be regenerated over and over and over again to suit everyone's whims and fancies.

His pleas for forgiveness will fall on deaf ears. Nothing he says will redeem him. He did what he did, and now he must face the consequences of his actions.

Forever more.

[cafecitowriter]

Death Is Only the Beginning - Chapter 8: Nick

Summary: Agent Peggy Carter disappeared near the end of World War II, during the climactic battle with the leader of Hydra: The Red Skull. While the Valkyrie never landed and millions of lives were saved, no one ever found Agent Carter - or even what had truly happened to her.

Nearly 80 years later, Steve Rogers discovers a compass with a picture of a beautiful woman inside the lid. For a reason he can’t quite place, he decides to keep it.

A/N: For Steggy Week 2024 at @steggyfanevents Day 5: Inspired By. This fic is a (loose) homage to both The Mummy and Just Like Heaven, so clearly an update was in order for today.

Last we left off, Peggy and Nat were in a bit of a tight spot. Let's see if the boys are doing any better!

Read Chapter on AO3

Read from the Beginning

Steve had met Nick Fury exactly three times before. The first time he had been approached by the man at a diner while Steve was alone on his lunch break - only about a month after he had returned home from service. The second was a week later, when he had agreed to a meeting to learn more about SHIELD and hear out his full proposal. The third time was three months after that at a party that Natasha had thrown seemingly on a whim (which Steve later learned was a ruse to catch a target of hers). On the last two occasions, Steve had respectfully declined a position at SHIELD. Truthfully, the agency and the job (and hell, Fury himself) intrigued him to no end, and he knew that it would be something that he would be good at, but he also knew that what he needed was more time away from the fight. He wanted to discover more about who he was away from war and figure out what he really wanted out of life before throwing himself back in a place where he would have to follow orders and live in a world of secrets and classified existence.

Ironically enough, Steve had learned more about what it was he really wanted from life since Peggy’s appearance than he had in the entirety of the past year.

Fury’s eye widened slightly upon seeing the three of them walk in the command centre. 

“Just when I thought I’d seen all the strange today had to offer.”

“Director Fury,” Sam greeted in return.

“Always a pleasure Nick,” Bucky added cheekily before looking around the room. While the bustle hadn’t entirely stopped upon their entrance, there were many curious looks flitting back and forth between the three of them and Fury. “Busy day?”

[attonposting]

I think it's really important to distinguish that even a light side romanced-the-Exile Atton isn't motivated by goodness for its own sake. He has a stronger sense of responsibility than before, yes, and he'll get involved when the whim strikes him - and a light Atton will have more of those occasional chivalrous, or maybe just cocky, impulses than the keep-your-head-down man he was at the start of the game.

But he's still a scoundrel by nature, horribly jaded, very comfortable with problem-solving via murder, and he believes in neither the Jedi Code nor the pursuit of atonement. His morality is more Exile-centric than anything else, as in “I'm going to do this to protect them” or “I guess I'll do this stupid dangerous thing because they'll think I'm cool.” Love doesn't make Atton a better person, but it puts him through the motions (and if reciprocated, it'd make him a happier one, which would at least improve his behavior a bit.)

All in all, it's something where I think the game's alignment system can be misleading. People look at Atton mirroring the PC's alignment with that big beam of light behind him and go “he's a good guy now!” But nothing in-game really supports that. Does he approve of a LS Exile's actions? Yes, even if it confuses him and he's tsundere about it. Would he do the same thing in their shoes? Nope – that's why he's so inspired by them. Because they went through the same shit he did and still held onto the things he couldn't. Because he fought alongside Jedi in two wars, watched the pacifists cower as the galaxy burned and watched the war heroes turn into psychopaths, and he doesn't trust it at first, but this carved-up shell of a Jedi, the one who pulled the plug at kriffing Malachor V, is the closest thing he's ever seen to what the Jedi were supposed to be. Atton's portrait is gonna be pretty dang light sided while he's ranting at your Exile that all the Jedi who died on Malachor deserved what they got, and he means what he's saying. The game can stick him wherever on that bar it wants, but it's not serenity and goodwill that fills him, it's a messy morass of poison he's been choking down for years.

His arc is more about ceasing to run from himself, sorting out his feelings and his fears, and finally being able to move forward than it is about redemption. You figure he already had his big worldview shift years ago and made zero attempt to make up for any of what he did or mirror the grace he was shown, and, like... Atton's motivations start and stop with the Exile. Everyone else in the party has some other allegiance or some further goal that shapes their path. Bao-Dur wants to rebuild the planets destroyed in the war. Mira wants to reunite the families it broke. Atton wants to help the Exile, and if they're a lady, he wants to get together with her. That's all he wants out of life... unless he goes dark side, which gets ugly real fast.

While a dark Atton crashes straight back down to the bottom of the bar, I think the lightest Atton realistically gets is the grey background with a dusting of blue at his feet. It's like Kreia says – his potential lies downward. Dark Atton is terrifying, a proto-Sion, a hollowed-out obsessive shell of a man who can only feel anything through tearing Jedi down to his level. Light Atton is just a guy.

It's for this reason that I have trouble seeing him helping to rebuild the Jedi Order as canon implies. He never stopped hating the Order, and he has no stake in it anyway, only you – heck, if you look at becoming a Jedi as the pivotal moment in all of the Lost Jedi character arcs, Atton's decision to become a Jedi is so he can better protect the Exile. It's only a personal choice inasmuch as he's decided this is how he can live with himself, offering his life to someone who's truly proven to him that they're worth it. He's got nothing else anchoring him, to the point where I think he really is better off with the Exile than left to his own devices, even accounting for the influence warp and the probable imminent death. And I think it's telling that Kreia will only predict his future when he has motivations that don't include the Exile.

[angel-of-hunky-doryness]

Once Upon a Time in America Disney's Hercules

You ever go through an actor's filmography on a whim and realize you've seen this guy play the same flaming role in a completely different movie that has the same flaming plot?

But have you ever done that with a crime epic and a Disney movie?

Bring out your tin foil hats and bare with me for this crack theory b/c this one is a doozy.

So during COVID I really started cultivating my love of movies and in the earlier days of it, I was obsessed with the crime/mafia genre. Goodfellas, Godfather, Maltese Falcon, you name it, the cable channels were putting these films on a constant loop.

However, at one point, I stumbled upon a 4 hour movie called Once Upon a Time in America (OUTA). This film was Sergio Leone's last film, the director infamous for the Spaghetti western films like The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.

Now, before I discuss it, OUTA is a very, very intense film. I cannot stress enough that it is not an easy movie to sit through. There are at least 2 scenes of r*pe and several instances of S*A* that had me skipping several of chunks of the movie.

None of that is relevant for this post, but I did want to leave a content warning to whoever becomes curious of the film due to its intense subject matter. Seriously, there's a reason I only watched this movie once.

So why am I even discussing it today?

It's Disney Hercules.

I think this movie inspired Disney Hercules and it's driving me insane.

This idea has been at the back of my mind for a long time and I just want to put it to bed. I have tried to explain it to friends, family, and my 4 pound chihuahua, but since I'm the only one who's even heard of the film, it's your turn to sit through my mad ramblings.

Is it b/c of James Woods, the voice actor of Disney Hades? Absolutely, but there's more similarities than that.

So here we go.

Spoilers ahead.

OUTA Summary:

OUTA centers on two childhood friends, Robert De Niro and James Woods, as they make their way in the world in early 1920s NYC during Prohibition. The pair along with several others form a gang as kids and start out in the business of smuggling liquor.

However, De Niro's character (Noodles) kills a rival gangster in retaliation after the youngest member of their group was murdered. So, Noodles goes to prison and after a decade he is released, now as a full grown adult. Woods (Max) picks him up and helps him adjust to the gang's new way of life as they have risen up in the ranks of the criminal underworld running speakeasys, jewel heists, and after prohibition ends, they decide to rob a bank.

Now, Noodles thinks a bank robbery is too risky so he opts out, but Max and the rest of the gang follow through and are killed as a result.

However, as Noodles tries to make his escape, he runs to the locker the gang had set aside with all of their ill-gotten money and finds it to be empty. With nowhere left to run, Noodles flees the city with a new identity and returns 30 years later as an old man after he receives a letter blackmailing him about his real identity.

Turns out, Woods (Max) survived by letting his friends die in the robbery, he also stole the money from the locker, and De Niro's childhood crush. Now, after all this time Woods is sitting pretty in a luxurious mansion, but the feds are on his trail, and all the other ppl he's double-crossed from a lifetime of bad deals. Woods blackmailed De Niro to come back so that his best friend could kill him, but De Niro refuses, forcing Woods to face the music.

So to avoid all that, Woods jumps into a garbage truck and gets crushed to death.

Oh but then it turns out it was all an opium induced dream.

The End.

Now, full disclosure, on paper, this sounds nothing like Disney Hercules.

Any sensible human being would agree with you, but there are some details that really stand out to me even if they are just set dressing.

So with that in mind, I now turn to you, dearest reader, to judge my observations.

Exhibit Alpha: A Familial Bond

In OUTA, there's a bit of a running gag where Max and Noodles claim to be uncle and nephew, respectively. This is how the pair meet in the first place with Max covering for Noodles by claiming they know each other because they're family.

I'm sure I don't need to spell out where a protagonist and antagonist fulfill the uncle/nephew roles here.

Exhibit Beta: Grave Robbers

While De Niro's character is in jail, Woods' character figures out how to smuggle liquor by getting in the funeral business since alcohol could be disguised as embalming fluid. Lackadaisy did something like this in their comics by having one supplier of Atlas' speakeasy be in the same business.

As a result of their cover, Max's gang becomes known as the Boneyard Boys. There is even a scene where Max drives around in a hearse to pick up Noodles from jail.

And there is just something so satisfying to hear "Hades" be a mob boss while using the funeral business as a cover for his underworld dealings.

Like what do you mean someone out there made a big budget film that's just a Greek!Myth AU set in the 1920's with Hades doing exactly what we'd imagine him doing???

Like Young Gods, my beloved abandoned WIP, I'm so sorry I could never bring you to justice. I'll honor you with a blog post some day.

Exhibit Delta: Delivery Room Shuffle

In one scene of the film, Max and the gang are trying to figure out a way to get a crooked chief of police to fall in line and make a deal with them so that they can continue business as usual. The chief refuses, so Woods decides to retaliate.

How?

Well, turns out the chief is a father of several daughters and his wife just gave birth to their very first son.

Max and the goons go to the local hospital's nursery where all the newborn babies are at and decides to play a little switcheroo. All the babies are shuffled around creating quite a ruckus but the gangsters scare away the attending nurses.

Later, the chief is excitedly waiting to hold his son for the very first time as him and his family are in a little hospital room with his poor long suffering wife recovering from the delivery.

A nurse comes by and sets the baby in the chief's arms, but as he admires his kid he figures out he's not holding a boy- it's a girl!

The chief quickly realizes his kid's been replaced and probably kidnapped and gives in to the gang's demands for the return of his son, however, it's later revealed Max never kept tabs on any of the babies they switched, so it's highly likely the baby boy they returned was someone else's kid.

Need I remind you of a big head little baby who was taken from his parents?

Exhibit Gamma: Fall From Grace

Both of Woods' characters meet their untimely end by being thrown into the trash/River Styx. However, Max met his death or faked it since Noodles refused to carry out the deed. I'll let you decide on that.

Exhibit Epsilon: Romantic Rivals... Kinda?

This wasn't something I wanted to touch upon, but Woods' character has a thing for taking De Niro's romantic interests. From a girl from their neighborhood, Delores- his lifelong childhood crush, (Jennifer Connelly before she did Labyrinth)- course that's later on in life, and a lady Noodles r-worded.

Yeah none of the characters in OUTA are good people. They make that very clear early on except for Delores but she becomes complicit near the end of the movie.

Megara, while by no means romantically involved with Hades, have some subtext that could be read in such a way. It's even implied that Max and Delores' relationship was never made public after 30 years so I can see the similarities there since it is coercion that kept the two in a sort of situationship.

Conclusion:

Once upon A Time in America is an incredible epic that has gone through constant revisions, restorations, and edits that we will never truly know what Sergio Leone intended for this film's final release. It is no wonder that such a grand scale of a film, sitting pretty at 3 hours 40 min, could go on to inspire other films.

However, it's very interesting it just so happens to be two films James Woods starred in. While he has become quite a controversial figure in recent years, we do have to give credit where credit is due on his influence and performance on the creation of one of my favorite characters of all time.

It's no secret that about mid-way through production of Disney Hercules, the film was going way out of budget, but Woods went out of his way to help keep the project going because of how much he believed this project could one day go on to be a beloved animated classic.

It just makes me wonder how much influence he had in the final creation of his character and the film. Maybe he did pull out one of his previous roles and apply it to the world of Disney's Hercules.

Or maybe, just maybe, I've finally cracked at last.

Till next time, dear reader!

[lunar-years]

New 1989 outfit is fugly (I’m so sorry Taylor) but very reminiscent of 1989 tour (when many of the costumes were indeed also fugly 🫡)

The acoustic set outfit is also worse :(

Combining folklore and evermore is meh tbh like I don’t love that at all but I also completely see why it had to be done

I stared at the “this is not Taylor’s Version” t shirt for an embarrassingly long amount of time trying to figure out what on earth she was trying to say and I still think it’s not something that makes much sense out of context/accompanied by a side explanation and it was a weird choice for the shirt lmao.

ttpd set goes incredibly hard 100/10 NO NOTES.

her coming out in that same freaking reputation jumpsuit after changing every other outfit in the show was peak comedy (she’s so funny and we can never talk about that enough)

the entire shape of the show has changed imho so I think it’s fair for fans to be sad about missing last years half or missing this years half or about not getting to see certain songs or about not getting tickets at all to a show that was incredibly difficult and expensive to get tickets to in the first place. It feels like two separate shows. And we are allowed to express sadness or fomo without being dubbed immediately ungrateful/bad fans (obviously there’s a limit and legitimately complaining/getting mad at Taylor for doing her own show how she wants to do it/threatening to no longer go [lol, plenty of fans are in line to take your tickets] is goofy deadass, but)

I do wish she’d just done a separate ttpd tour (even if we had to wait several years and the tour was combined between ttpd and the next potential album) but I can also recognize that I’m mostly saying that because of how desperately I want to hear ttpd songs live and the knowledge I won’t be able to

I also think her deciding to add it now, combined with the general length and scope of eras tour, is evidence that she is planning to take a long break from touring once it’s over (NOT in the weird ‘she’s going to retire to have babies’ way!!! Just in an ‘I think she’s planning to take a touring break’ straightforward way)

I’ve seen some people already taking the transition from but daddy I love him into so high school as confirmation that their theory that the last verse is actually about Travis is correct. But as someone with song literacy, I merely take it as confirmation that Taylor saw the theory, thought it worked fabulously, and enjoys retconning her own songs to aid her own whims and happiness (which is so beyond real of her and also incredibly funny)

Playing so high school as the only anthology song for kicks and giggles was so cute of her she’s down soooo bad for that man

Midnights body suit is hotter than ever and she herself is also hotter than ever

Loml as the surprise song at THAT show after I’d made that post….you have to laugh LOL 🙃

If anyone has near face value tickets for sale for USA or Canada shows later this year I will genuinely offer you my firstborn child plus the money in exchange god bless