#if you spoil anything i get to hunt you for sport

[bunnakit]

was talking to my husband about how Spare Me Your Mercy has been out for a bit but i'm waiting until its all out to watch it and he said "i'm calling a wellness check on anyone watching Sammon shows weekly bc clearly they're self harming" and like he's not wrong. i've never watched one of her shows as the eps released weekly and i'm so glad bc i think i'd lose my fucking mind.

are ya'll okay???

[seancekitsch]

The Sword and the Quill: Chapter One

Pairing: Gwayne Hightower x Reader

In the weeks leading up to little Daeron's departure to Oldtown, Queen Alicent finds herself trying to entertain the unmarried ladies of court. As one of her ladies in waiting, you agree to an anonymous penpal in one of the men at court, and end up spilling your heart to him. He is your perfect match, your equal. The only issue? The Queen's brother Gwayne Hightower will not stop teasing you as you try to uncover who responds to your letters.

“Do you really have to give him to that brute?” you ask Alicent, bouncing the toddler Daeron on your knee. He’s much too old to be amused by a game this simple, yet he plays along, giggling and grabbing at your sleeves. You scrunch your nose at him, prompting even more laughter

“Now I’ve heard my brother called many names, but a brute is not one of them,” The Queen quips, sipping her tea as she wiggles her fingers for Daeron to take, “besides, Oldtown is beautiful.”

“Well I may be selfish,” you admit, “I want another of your little blonde angels to spoil.”

Alicent has to laugh at that, covering her mouth with her teacup. Angel was not the word most would use for her children. Aegon, while beautiful, is already an outspoken handful, a child of eight and already flirting with grown women; Helaena, sweet Helaena, is shy and gentle, seldom seen; Aemond barely can read yet, but is more studious than half the kingdom, already strong willed and stoic for a child; and Daeron, well, mayhaps Daeron can be raised without the proverbial crown and sword dangled above his pretty head. Despite this, you love to take them on walks and read to them and give them sweets or breads that their parents do not allow them regularly. 

“The boy will be plenty spoiled in Oldtown, I assure you.”

Alicent lays a hand on your arm gently, and you stop bouncing the toddler. He looks up at you, mumbling in protest. She looks down at him, and then you, her face betraying a deep worry and sadness.

“I want to give him something other than what we have, and the other children are already in too deep,” she says, and you understand her perfectly. The Red Keep is beautiful, decadent and indulgent, yet at the same time dreary and often times suffocating. You’d been here for almost a decade now, chosen as one of Alicent’s ladies in waiting when Rhaenyra and the young queen fell out with one another. The Hand had told you that his daughter needed a friend as a young queen, and that it would be your duty to be that for her. Luckily, when Alicent is not praying, she is easy to love and converse with. You care not for the devout practices in the keep, but understand her efforts to cling to something to believe in. Your lord father had even sent your dowry here with you, knowing the crown would probably arrange a match for you instead of himself. There is every wine you could taste, every book you could read, every hue you could paint; and yet you are kept out of reach of anything beyond this place. Daeron is getting an opportunity not to be trapped here, like his siblings and his mother and you are. 

“Yes, My Queen.”

Alicent pushes a tea cup towards you, leaning down to the window. It overlooks the training yards, where young knights take up sword and young ladies of the court watch if they’ve nothing else to attend to. 

You lean over as well, bringing Daeron up to view the training yards too. You see most of the kingsgaurd and gold cloaks there, as well as the queen’s brother. He flips auburn hair arrogantly as he beckons another man over. Careless bravado, if one were to ask you. Women fawn over the sight, pointing and cheering for various men and their swords and skills. You don’t care to join them, not one for tourneys or sport or even the hunt that’s held for each of Alicent’s little ones. Travel, however, is something you’ve always cared for. The travel to and from a hunt, the travel that brought you here; cherished memories you’d yearn for more of. It’s something the men, even the tiny princes, take for granted. You suppose, one day, you’ll travel when you are finally betrothed, however you’re comfortable by Alicent’s side for now.

“How are you with written word?” She asks you suddenly, as if the thought just occurred to her.

“Had I been born a man, I could have been a writer,” you jest, looking down at Daeron thoughtfully. His hair already curls at the ends, like Aegon and their mother. He could be a writer, or a poet, or anything he wants. You cast a suspicious glance at the Queen, however, as she knows this. The Queen has been in your chambers, has seen the writing desk and extensive journals filled with poems and stories and notes.

“Pardon me for speaking out of turn, but what are you up to?” you ask. The Queen allows you frank words the King would probably have you sent away for, but there is always a chance that goodwill will run out. You aren’t exactly sure why Alicent allows you to speak so freely, but if you had to guess you’d think it would have something to do with her personal loss of the princess as her previous confidant.

Alicent sighs again, and looks away from you. You do not like the look of that.

“The King has requested I entertain the ladies of court in some way,” she reveals, and you have to wonder where her apprehension comes from.

“Like the ladies court Alysanne created?” you ask. She picks at her thumb, and it takes everything in you not to swat her nails away from her hand. It hurts, to think that she causes herself pain to relieve whatever concerns her.

“No,” she frowns, “Nothing serious, I was told. I think…”

She pauses, and looks down at the courtyard again before continuing.

“Have you noticed what’s taken place the last few feasts Viserys held?” she asks, her eyes no doubt following her brother’s sparring. A lot of nothing, if you were being honest. The same three dances, the same cliques talking in hushed voices. You would not consider the recent feasts to be an entertaining occasion.

“You mean nothing?” you snort as you lean back in your chair.

“Exactly.”

“Are you planning on playing children’s games to get people out of their seats? Or line dancing lessons so the lords stop stepping on my feet?” you are only half jesting when you say this, your poor pinky toe bruised and stiff for a week after the last feast.

“No, darling,” Alicent lets a rare laugh slip through her voice as she speaks.

You look between the side of her head, and towards the training yard below. Suddenly, you have an odd feeling about this.

“I have devised a letter writing system. I think it would be nice if people could speak freely without their pretenses, so the letters will all be anonymous,” she pauses thoughtfully, chewing on her bottom lip, “I hope that if the lords and ladies know there is someone else at court with something in common with them, they will be more willing to be open. Maybe… I don’t know.”

Alicent falters, unsure of herself. You can tell this is the first time she’s talked through this plan with another person, completely unsure of it. But, it’s not a bad idea.

“Maybe…” you pick up where she left off, “Maybe it will help us find entertainment within these walls.”

Alicent beams at your words, nodding. There is truth in her idea, you realize. That perhaps even you are part of the problem. So easily had you just now even dismissed the women watching the men spar in the courtyard. It is important to have a queen who thinks of these kinds of things.

“Exactly right,” she continues, “I fear that I will be seen as a bad queen if I do not try to bring some life to this place.”

You try to comfort her, to reach out and clasp her hand in yours in a silent reassurance, but sweet little Daeron beats you to it, giggling as he yanks on one of her auburn curls.

“Will you help me?” she asks, and it is a double sided question, both with her plan and with the immense strength of a toddlers fist when they have something they want.

“Yes, My Queen,” you huff out a laugh as you give Daeron your index finger to grab instead, “I’ll write my first letter tonight.”

News spreads quickly of Queen Alicent’s idea, and already the Red Keep seemed more lively than it had since before Aemond’s birth. Everyone’s eyes seemed to be searching, every other unmarried person of the court their potential penpal. Who was yours? Alicent was already working on having Larys Strong organize each match.  You could only hope it wasn’t someone like dull Jason Lannister or contemptible Gwayne Hightower; maybe it would be someone who likes travel and could show you maps and take you away from here at least periodically to see the rest of Westeros. Though truly, you know that you will make a puzzle out of this. To be surprised is not your favorite feeling. Maybe, you think with a small sigh of laughter, you will try to trick the men of court to show you a writing sample so you can compare it to the letters you will receive. 

Your eyes shift as you hear loud voices from around the corner, men’s laughter carrying and bouncing off the walls. Immediately, you know it’s the men from the training yard. Already cringing internally, you attempt to steel yourself and ignore the banter. 

The men boast of the women watching in on the training, pointing out how the lady of House Something would want to give favor to the Knight of So-and-So. They joke about the blush upon women’s cheeks, about the way they speak in hushed tones. What a joke, you think, that they can freely jape at the way that women express themselves. You’d read as a child how knights are supposed to be the most gentlemanly and gallant men in all the lands, about their deeds and generosity and kindness. Now as a woman you realize why those stories were considered a fantasy. You look down at your hands, twisting your rings as you attempt to pass the men without their attention or greeting, but then a voice cuts through the noise. Gwayne Hightower himself. 

“Is cream the color of a maiden’s underdress or her sheets?” He laughs, gloved had pushing his auburn hair back.

“Neither, if you are skilled, I say.”

You balk at his words, loud enough that the knights do not care that a passing lady can hear. Your shock turns to a scowl quickly, ready to burst the bubble of chauvinistic confidence the green knight displays. Surely, you’re not unaware of the way that the knights and lords speak of women, King Viserys himself has said wildly offensive things even about Alicent while she is in the room while she must grin and bear it. But the fact that it is him, so handsome and confident and seemingly flawless, him who paints himself as the picture of chivalry and the epitome of a gentleman knight; him that says it so flippantly as if women- maidens- are but another tourney game to him that has your blood boiling.

“Ser Gwayne!” you call, not hiding the anger that seems like ichor from your tone. For a quick moment, you realize that as one of Alicent’s ladies, you should not be shouting at men in public, but you must follow through with what you started, you cannot bring yourself to back down. Gwayne, surprised, break away from the other men and turns, taking a few curious steps towards you as the other knights continue down the hall. You know what they must think, and blood rushes beneath your skin. Though the sun has gone down, it is still too hot. 

“Does it not disgust you?” you exclaim as you cross the hallway towards him, unable to keep the thought to yourself, “The way you speak of women? And what if your sister were to hear?”

You stop as you land in front of him, not at all hiding the anger in your face. 

Gwayne smirks, face twisting arrogantly, and leans in close. Not too close that it’s improper, but close enough that the conversation does not walk. 

“Then it is good it is not my pious sister, yes? Just her pretty, aggravating little shadow with a free tongue.”

He leans back, as if to mark a victory against you. The sunlight wanes, its setting orange casting a glow that seems to make the sweat upon his brow shimmer. You do not scoff at his words, for in truth the jester has said far worse. To scoff or show anger would be to let him win. But he is wrong perhaps, as his sister 

“Aye, and I’m sure everyone would be the better if yours were sewn in place, Ser.”

He winks, and starts to walk back towards his fellow knights. 

“I am sure you would do it for me!” he calls over his shoulder, a far enough distance that you cannot respond. Effectively, gaining the last word. You cannot believe that Alicent would send her youngest son to live with… that. 

You curse under your breath, your smile not at all reaching your eyes as you keep walking. Anything to put space between you and over confident knights. The stone floors clack under your low heels, echoing in now silent halls as you reach your chamber. They are not far from the royal chambers, so in case that Alicent would like to call upon you easier. This was also the doing of her father The Hand. You look to the ornate doors down the hall from your own, and sigh deeply. Perhaps it is the young queen’s loneliness that makes your desire to leave all the more remarkable. You do not envy her, you think, despite her children you love dearly; And you push open your own door, to the lovely apartments you’ve been given. For a cage, you do like the way this one’s been gilded. Lush velvets and fresh flowers and bookshelves full of knick knacks and lots of natural light to ordain your space. 

You debate throwing yourself down upon your bed, collapsing into the plush down and drifting off to dreams that do not include Gwayne Hightower under the same roof as you. But, you had made a promise. Instead you kick your shoes off and change into something comfy before settling down to your writing desk. 

Dear Ser Lord

Dear Lord

Dear 

You crumple the paper under your fist, not even letting the ink fully dry. The paper gets tossed carelessly behind you, another piece of parchment ready to go. You think to yourself, how to start this without knowing it’s intended? You tap the quill against your chin, staring out the window at the city below.  You get an idea.

My Unfamiliar,

You begin, and yes, that feels right. You don’t know if he’s a Ser or a Lord, and you’d hate to miscategorize. You’d hate to sound too affectionate, or too cold. Him on the other end being your stranger feels a bit more… playful, a bit more unserious without insulting anyone. 

How does the summer treat you? I would ask how you are spending it, though I fear that maybe that would be too forward. I understand these letters to be anonymous, and I would hate to ask you for clues as to your identity too quickly. Though, if you offer, I will accept them gladly. 

I feel that this is an odd pretense to meet, or meet again, in this way. However, I cannot help but find the idea thrilling. I must introduce myself to you in a way that I have not before, in a way that does not immediately give away my identity. Perhaps, you may know me even better than

Your hand hovers for a moment, your hand having been ready to write ‘My Queen’ next. 

my closest companions. I am a maiden of noble birth, as you already know. Yet, that is hardly all I am. I love my studies, reading and charting courses on maps. My hearts truest desire is to see the world I read about, to see more than the Red Keep, my homeland, and the site of a hunt. I wish to ride horseback through mountain ranges and by ship to Pentos or Essos. I wish to experience the food I read about in historical journals, even see some of the more exotic and unseemly experiences there are to travel. Amongst all this beauty, it almost feels wrong to want to see the world warts and all, but I feel I need to. I hope that you are a man that understands this desire, or possibly has seen some of this world and can tell me about it. Have you traveled? Do you travel often? Is the world as vibrant as I imagine? 

I am a woman who enjoys the arts, tapestry weaving and writing of my own, though I will admit I find myself quite terrible at making music. I may dance to it, but I cannot create it. 

And what of you, My Stranger? What are the things within you that you are able to share with me?

I apologize for the haste of this letter, however this concept is new of me. I am certain that within more time, my letters will grow in length as we get to know one another. 

Sincerely, 

Your Unfamiliar

You look over the letter, once, twice, three times, four; Finally, you decide that it will not be better written than this. Just the right amount of information, interest in your receiver, and you seal it. 

You walk to your door, almost shaking, nervous as you peek your head out into the hallway. Luckily, Keely, one of Alicent’s dressers is in the hall. She accepts the letter easily, though you gift her an extra few silver anyway to ensure it gets to its destination safely. 

Now, you wait. 

[thegreyjoyed]

GirlDad!Ghost/Simon Riley headcanons because that man is RUINING MY FUCKING MINDDDDD (I would let him do that tho tbh..)

Fluff!!!! MORE FLUFF!!! GIRL. DAD. SIMON. RILEY.

GirlDad!Ghost is possibly the sweetest man to his two daughters, both of which he taught to be independent - hunting, how to sharpen knives, shoot guns, replace a tire, change their car oil, self defense

GirlDad!Ghost is the type of dad to watch some cheesy chick flick from the 2000’s or 90’s with his daughters, both at his side, his arms around the two and he’s dead asleep while ‘watching’ it

GirlDad!Ghost loves his little family so much, his wife, his daughters, the two cats - one for each daughter then a dog for him and you

GirlDad!Ghost has a photo album of just his two girls from when they were so so little and to their current age

GirlDad!Ghost who fell asleep with two cats and a dog on him while he was ‘resting his eyes’

GirlDad!Ghost who retired from the military, Uncle J(Soap), Uncle Ky(Gaz) and Uncle big J(Price) always coming over for ‘Family’ dinner

GirlDad!Ghost introducing his first daughter to price who called him Uncle big J and the name stuck, much to price’s surprise

GirlDad!Ghost who would do anything for his daughters, always a fresh flower bouquet for each of the lovely ladies he loves

GirlDad!Ghost who spends a little too much money on flowers biweekly, giving each daughter and his wife a bouquet, a kiss on the head for each of his girls and a kiss on the lips for you

GirlDad!Ghost who will encourage his girls to play sports like soccer, basketball, maybe a bit of softball or baseball

GirlDad!Ghost who was an absolute jungle gym for his girls when they were little, letting them clamber and climb all over him

GirlDad!Ghost who fell asleep on the couch and woke up several hours later with a full face of makeup on and long press on nails

GirlDad!Ghost who plays ‘Princess dress up’ and got forced into a tiny dress which he ‘wore’ and had a tea party with his girls when they were little

GirlDad!Ghost who always volunteered to put the girls to bed, reading them stories and kissing them on the foreheads then leaving to be with you, holding you close in his strong arms

GirlDad!Ghost who was quite literally begged to make a tree house with Uncle J, Uncle Big J and Uncle Ky, all of them being useless with it except Uncle Big J who had minor skills (it ended up being abandoned half way through)

GirlDad!Ghost who spoils his girls rotten lovingly, always buying them little things, like books, bouquets of flowers, giving his girls high standards for men for when they’re older

GirlDad!Ghost who now likes playing pokemon go of all things and trades all of his shiny pokemon and his legendaries to his daughter or daughters

GirlDad!Ghost who loves baking with his daughters, there’s always cookies and baked goods in their home, always for the sweet tooth of his wife and daughters

GirlDad!Ghost who got into reading with his youngest, reading book series with her

GirlDad!Ghost who has reading glasses and gets poked fun at by his youngest who giggles as she teases him, he lets her of course.

GirlDad!Ghost who often falls asleep after 9pm while watching shows with his wife or girls.

GirlDad!Ghost who grows vegetables, herbs, fruits and the like for his eldest daughter

GirlDad!Ghost who loves his family, even after everything he’s gone through, even after his past and in the beginning where he wasn’t sure if he was even MEANT to be a father

[orangflowalober]

Blessed-Cursed

Pairing: Park Sunghoon x Reader

Genre: regency au; isekai au; prince!sunghoon; princess!reader

Summary: Being Crown Princess sounds fun from a modern-day point of view, no? Wrong. Wrong on so many levels. Starting from the fact that you had fight with your hands and legs to do certain things all over to marriage. Yuck. So how do you suppose one acts when their biggest secret is revealed to someone who has the power to have you executed?

Word count: 5.3k

Warnings: sharp objects - swords, arrows, daggers; marriage; mushy stuff; implications of hunting animals; death of a bear by reader's hand; let me know if I missed anything!

Series: Enhypen Regency AU

Pinterest board: <3

Spotify playlist (songs I listened to while writing / had in mind while writing) : <3

~

You didn’t want marriage.

You didn't want to rule beside another.

You wanted to be the Queen who married her nation.

…

What a dramatic way of saying that you wanted to be Elizabeth the First of this world.

Oh. Right. England doesn’t exist in this world. Or like… any other country that exists on planet Earth.

Anyway. Your name is Lim Anestasia of the Lim Kingdom. However… your real name… is y/n l/n.

You do not hail from this world and yet here you are, living in the shoes of a spoiled princess who could get anything she wanted.

Dying really do be a unique experience.

When you first opened your eyes in this body it was ten years old. You cried. You cried for so long. Women dressed in uniforms of what you assumed were maids rushed in to comfort you and help you stop crying. You couldn’t stop. You didn’t recognise anything or anyone. You don’t remember when was the last time you felt so alone. That only made you cry harder. It wasn’t until a woman with beautiful long brown hair and a worried look on her face came in, that you started to calm down even just a slight bit. After all… your brain recognised the woman as your dearest mother. You cried in her arms for a long time, but in the end… you felt so much better. Now you just pretend that day never happened.

You spent the next two weeks in a daze, looking about and recalling all the memories of your past and present life. Then you realised something. There was a whole mediaeval world out there for you to explore… yet you remain stuck within these walls of a cold and almost empty castle… So you set out back to your room and made a list.

As a Queen to be, there were some issues you wanted to settle. Making a list seemed like the right choice. You were ten now so no one would truly take you seriously and this was fine. It gave you time to plot and plan. But first… for the next few years you would indulge yourself and learn some sports you have had the wish to learn back in your day but hadn’t the opportunity to do so.

The list read:

1.      Learn how to be a brilliant archer!

2.      Learn the art of the sword!

3.      Learn how to be a great horseback rider!

4.      Teach yourself everything you can about the kingdom!

5.      Start taking interest in politics!

6.      Settle dominance so your parents don’t try to set you up at 14.

7.      Steer clear of men in general

8.      Try and turn away as many suitors as possible!

9.      More to be added

Grinning to yourself you put away the stationary and folded the paper neatly. You would hide it in your room in one of the many books you owned.

“Mother. Father.” You greeted, approaching them in the throne room, curtsying in your pale green dress.

“Anastasia,” your mother greeted with a smile gracing her face, “What brings you here my precious daughter?”

“I wish to learn archery.”

The King looked horrified.

Archery wasn’t very lady-like after all. Or any kind of sport, really.

“My dear daughter-”

Welp, you thought, time to pull out the big guns.

You stomped your foot and sniffed.

“But Father!” you yelled through the tears, “I wish to learn archery and I wish to do it NOW!”

You sniffed again and softly glared at the man on the throne who looked to be panicking.

“Of course my dearest!” he responded quickly with a wobbly smile.

Well he switched up fast you thought.

“Really?” you switched up as well, deciding to play the role of a shy child, “thank you” you whispered softly, but loud enough for your parents to hear. You curtsied and left for the library where you would read up on the history of your country.

~

As you grew older, you learned more and more.

By the time you were fifteen you mastered the bow, horseback riding and were well into practice with the sword. Your “love” for studying never faltered and you kept at it relentlessly going through tutors at break-neck speed.

When you turned eighteen, you started getting involved in the rule of your land (with the help of your parents, naturally) and continuously impressed them with your knowledge and how mature and ambitious you were. You mastered the art of the sword and started practising with daggers. It seemed fun so far.

~

Other than all of these impressive achievements, you seemed to rather… lack… in the department of social relations.

Due to the fact that you spent a lot of time either with your nose in a book or practising with a new weapon you picked up, you haven’t had the time to make good acquaintances with the children of other royal families or nobles. At most you could say that you and the prince of the Kim Kingdom were close acquaintances. Sunoo was a rather interesting character whom you had not much trouble interacting with. You even occasionally exchanged letters.

Other than him there was princess Yeji of the Hwang Kingdom, but that was limited only to the balls you both attended.

As such, you haven’t had many suitors, which worried your parents and only served to make you happier.

While you were happy as things were, your parents unfortunately were rather persistent.

“My dearest daughter,” you heard your mother sigh for the nth time that month, as you readied your arrow, “you already turned of age years ago, you must at least look for potential suitors…”

You knocked the arrow. Bullseye.

“It is not my fault all of them are too afraid to even speak to me, mother.”

“What about Sunoo then?” she asked and this time you sighed, “How does he speak so freely with you?”

“You know as well as I do that, we do not speak freely with each other. And besides, we’ve known each other for years.”

“My darling Anastasia,” your mother sighed, taking your filthy hands into hers, “for your mother’s sake,” she whispered, “please, look for a fine suitor. I know that there must be someone who will catch your eye this time. Please my darling daughter.”

She knew you were weak to her pleading. Courtesy of your close bond both with your mother in your old life and this one. You agreed.

It was the first mistake you could have made.

~

You honestly didn’t mean to sound so full of yourself when you said that you were probably the best dressed person at the ball for your birthday.

Simplicity is what will most often catch the eye of others, is something you liked to think. This time was no exception.

The dress you wore was a light pink and it reflected the light due to its shiny material. It was long and flowy, which was brilliant because it meant you could move freely, and you didn’t have to wear petticoats. You honestly did love them, but they were, oh so, impractical. The dress had a sweetheart neckline with off the shoulder sleeves. It was tightened around your waist and made your chest look bigger than it actually was, but what annoyed you was that you had to breathe rather shallowly. From the waist down the skirt flowed freely and dramatically.

As they announced your name you walked into the ball with a slight smile and nodded at the present guests before you stepped down the staircase to join the party.

You've managed to stay at the party chatting with anyone and everyone who approached you for a whole hour before your social battery completely died out and you were seconds away from starting to behave like you used to, back home. In the modern world.

“Prince Sunoo,” you spoke to the boy next to you. “Would you mind if I made a quick escape to regain my composure?” you asked with a dazzling smile.

The chubby cheeked boy next to you giggled at how direct you were.

"Why of course, princess Anastasia” he purred with a playful grin, “I shall wait for you here!"

You nodded gratefully at him and swiftly made your way through the crowd and at the back entrance into the beautiful garden your mother loved most.

Sitting down on the grey store bench in front of the small lake filled with water lilies. At least they looked like water lilies.

Sighing, you then placed your fan down onto the seat next to you and reached behind your back to pull on the string which held the corset together and took a deep breath.

Time for my annual rant session, you thought to yourself.

"Marriage" you spat bitterly, allowing yourself to go nuts with anger.

“Why do I have to marry anyone?!? Why is that so bloody important?!" you yelled into the sky, throwing your hands into the air. “Do I have to marry to be Queen?! I mean come on!”

Getting lost in your emotions you failed to realise someone was standing at the entrance of the garden, listening to every word you spoke, slowly making their way towards you.

You groaned loudly as your voice took on a sad, desperate tone.

“Mom… I miss you so much…” you sobbed, “I miss my little sister too… that annoying little stinker…” you sobbed even louder, taking your gloves off to wipe your tears away.

“I miss those stupid gatcha games too” you laughed wetly, “Cookie Run… Genshin… Honkai… both Honkai games actually…” you mumbled the last bit, picking at your freshly manicured nails.

“Why me?” you whispered, sniffing a little.

A crunch of leaves caused you to turn around from your spot on the bench, eyes wide as you faced the intruder.

The man who stood in front of you was possibly the most beautiful man you had ever seen and you knew absolutely nothing about him.

His jet black hair was in rough contrast with his pale complexion. He wore a dark blue waistcoat with golden accents and pure white pants along with knee-deep boots.

His eyes and face was what held your attention at most.

He seemed not to mind your current state, but rather… he looked worried.

You two kept looking at each other, too startled to speak.

Then you remembered what you looked like; mussed hair, undone corset, puffy face and runny nose and you weren't wearing your gloves.

“Are you alright?” he finally spoke, his rumbling and melodic voice sounding genuinely concerned about your wellbeing, extending his hand towards you.

Quickly, you scrambled to stand up, pushing your hand against your corset to keep it in place and responded to him.

“How much did you hear?”

He blinked confused, his hand stopping in its tracks.

“Pardon?”

“I asked;” your voice was high with panic now, “how much of that did you hear?” you felt as though your heart was about to beat out of your chest.

“Is that really that important right now?” a seemingly sly smile played on his lips, his hand gently taking hold of your wrist.

Your heart stuttered in your chest as you made eye contact with him.

It wasn’t simply because you felt attracted to him. On the contrary, attractive men didn't seem to make your heart skip a beat in this life. It was simple enough really; you were scared.

If he was influential enough, could he get you thrown out of the family? Would you lose everything? Again? Your heart wouldn't be able to stand that.

“P… p-please” you cussed yourself silently for stuttering, while a smile grew on his lips at your mistake, “don't… don't tell anyone!”

You yanked your hand out of his gentle hold and ran back into the castle ignoring his stare and completely forgetting about your gloves sitting on the bench.

After you had made sure you were presentable you went back to the ball room only to see that it was only just now in full swing. You took a deep breath and set off to find Sunoo.

“Princess Anastasia!” you heard someone call.

Turning around, you were met with the smiley face of the Crown Prince of the Park Kingdom.

“Prince Jay” you curtsied, extending your hand for him to take, “it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

The tall, blond man grinned as he pressed a kiss to your gloved hand.

“As it is mine Princess.”

Park “Jay” Jongseong. The Crown Prince of the Park Kingdom. He was smart, cunning and straightforward. That was not mentioning how kind and generous he was. Last you heard he was to be married soon before he assumed the throne of the Park Kingdom.

Again with the whole marriage thing…

“I must admit Princess, I only came to introduce myself and wish you a happy birthday with ulterior motives.” he smiled sheepishly.

“Oh?” you grinned playfully, resting your fan on your bare shoulder.

“I am afraid so” Jay laughed, “You see my brother is rather… shy.” he admitted awkwardly and continued, “But he really wanted to wish you a happy birthday, so I thought I would help him out.”

You smiled with soft eyes.

Jay had a younger brother. Well. “Younger” brother.

The circumstances regarding the two were rather unclear as it was never disclosed into the public eye, but the two had such a close bond it felt awful to speculate just about anything. And so, no one ever pried. The two brothers were, after all, the pride and joy of the Park Kingdom.

“How very nice of you” you hummed thinking of your younger sister in your past life.

“I do try” he smiled gently, noticing your reaction.

“Princess Anastasia,” you heard someone behind you.

As you turned around, your eyes widened scarily wide as you made eye contact with the man from the garden.

“I am Prince Sunghoon” he introduced himself with a slight bow of his head, his hand resting against where his heart was.

Lagging behind, you quickly curtsied and offered him your hand.

He took it gently, impossibility so, and pressed a feather light kiss against your knuckles, never breaking eye contact with you.

Jay, noticing what was going on, made a quiet escape leaving the two of you alone.

You were too scared and entranced with the man in front of you to notice anything.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess.” he spoke slowly, still not letting go of your hand, but you haven’t noticed that yet.

“Likewise” you awkwardly smiled, your heart beating out of your chest in fear.

Sunghoon's eyes glinted in mischief, which caused you to shift under his piercing gaze uncomfortably.

The music which was playing in the background slowly came to a stop and the man in front of you smiled as he turned to face you.

“May I have this dance, Princess?” he asked, lifting your hand higher in the air.

Meanwhile, your brain was an absolute mess. You had no idea what was going on, what this man was plotting or what he could do if you even looked at him wrong.

He currently has the potential to have you sent away.

You couldn’t take that chance.

“Yes,” you spoke slowly, “you may.”

With a bright smile, the tall man led you over to the dance floor.

All eyes were on you as for the first time ever, you joined someone other than your father for a dance.

You were anxious and terrified.

The man opposite you stopped somewhere off the centre of the dancing area and faced you properly.

His gentle smile was throwing you off track and you couldn’t focus on anything but trying not to tick him off.

Letting go of your hand, he placed it on your waist and took your other hand, while you placed a hand on his shoulder.

His giddiness at your action didn’t miss you and it made you nervous.

“Why do you look so nervous, Princess?” he asked with a grin.

Offering him an awkward smile you responded.

“Ah, no! It’s just…” you began as the music started and Sunghoon gently pulled you into a slow waltz.

“I’ve never danced like this with anyone but my father…”

The dark haired man nodded thoughtfully.

“My mistake,” he smiled, twirling you with a mesmerising smile on his face. “I thought it had something to do with our fateful meeting in the garden.”

Had you not returned back into his arms, you are sure you would have fainted.

“Speaking of which,” he continued as if he hadn’t noticed your discomfort, “you left something back there.”

You looked up at him with panicked eyes, not noticing his blush as he recounted the events.

If he says something to someone I’m doomed! You panicked. What did I even leave?!

“I took the liberty of taking them so I could hand them to you now” he spoke, as if your whole world hasn’t turned upside down.

Plural?! You wanted to scream.

“Them?” you couldn’t help but voice.

“Yes…” he hummed bashfully, as he leaned down to whisper into your ear, “You left your gloves behind Princess…”

Cold sweat broke out all over as you remembered what that means in this world.

Much like that one scene in Jane Austen’s book "Pride and Prejudice" with Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth, touching a lady without her gloves presented an extremely intimate act in this world.

You cussed internally.

At this point, you weren’t sure if you wanted to laugh or cry.

“I will leave them in the corridor once the crowds dissipate” He continued, not minding the eyes which were trained on your forms, “You just make sure your maids find them.”

Oh, so, conveniently, the song and dance ended and Sunghoon disappeared into the crowd just as quickly as he had appeared, but not before placing another kiss on the back of your hand.

You liked to think what had happened during your birthday hasn’t affected you.

~

That is a lie.

It has.

You just pretend it didn’t.

After the dance, your mother sent you questioning glances, but you avoided them like the plague until she stopped.

There was another issue, however.

You suddenly began noticing him. And he was everywhere.

A birthday celebration of a noble? He was there.

A charity event for the children of the Lim-Kim region? He was there.

Tournament competition in arts and such? He was bloody there.

And if he could manage to sneak in a dance he would. Every. Single. Time.

At this point, the only time you didn’t see him is when you were avoiding everyone and camping out in the library or in your room.

~

As summer passed and made way for fall, the Lim Kingdom started preparing for the bi-annual Huntsmen Competition.

The bi-annual Huntsmen Competition was held by the Crown for the nobles and other royals of the lands to show off their skills and gain public favour.

A problem has risen this year though…

“We cannot hold the Competition in the Twilight Forest this year” the King announced. “The animal sources are scarce and we risk endangering the ecosystem if we continue to hunt there.”

After much begging and tantrums, he had finally let you participate in these talks. And in the competition, of course. 

I'm going to wipe the floor with those losers, you cackled internally, before focusing back onto the conversation at hand.

“... so in line with that I would recommend the Fiery Forest in the south.” one of the older councilmen huffed out.

"That wouldn't be a smart decision" you hummed in reply, looking at the map, "I propose we request the Kim Kingdom to collaborate using the Spring forests we share at our borders. Our relations are better and they won't try to use this to their advantage.”

Your father and everyone else at the table looked lost for words, before turning to the map in front of them.

“My god, she’s right!”

“Who would have thought?”

Briefly, you saw your father's proud expression as you participated in the conversation even more than before.

~

Being fashionably late is probably your favourite thing to do in this world. And as the Crown Princess, no one had the right to comment on it.

You strutted toward your tent feeling eyes on your figure. 

Why wouldn't they be staring at you anyway?

You were wearing mens attire.

The pants you wore were fitted and black, squeezing around your waist. Tucked into the pants was your favourite flowy white shirt and hanging off your hips was a majestic bastard sword. That was not to mention your favourite bow waiting for you in your tent.

As soon as it was time to set off into the forest, you took the reins of your black horse Stormy and got going when you heard the sound of the horn.

Riding on the back of the horse, you fired arrows, as soon as you caught sight of a moving hide.

By the end of it, you weren’t the best, but you were third best.

You also couldn't help but notice how Prince Sunghoon smiled the brightest when you approached the third place podium.

That was your second mistake.

~

The last time you were in a daze was when you were ten. It's been so long since then that you've forgotten just how easily the feeling creeps up on you.

“Princess Anastasia,” his gentle voice shook you out of your reverie, “It's delightful to see you again.”

You didn’t turn to face him, choosing to only lift your fan up to your face.

“Likewise” you quickly responded, finding that this time you didn’t quite find his mere presence bothersome.

The man hurried to walk in step with you.

“Princess,” he called and the title suddenly felt a lot more like a term of endearment from your past life, “you always say that, yet I feel as though you do not mean it as truthfully as I do.”

You kept quiet, wondering how you could even respond to such a claim.

“You enjoy nature I presume?” he quickly changed the subject. “It seems that every time you and I see each other it is in the gardens.” he smiled softly.

You were currently taking a break from all of the hard work you were putting into studying and practising. 

As a little treat, you thought you could visit one of the more popular gardens in the Kingdom of Lee. They were, after all, most popular for their wide arrangement of flora.

And these flowers and plants never ceased to take your breath away and heal your eyes at the same time.

“Oh… yes, I suppose I do…” you hummed, “It’s rather… calming. I feel at ease to think and the colours soothe my eyes.”

The beautiful man next to you nodded and hummed, looking at you as if encouraging you to speak more.

“You see, I do enjoy reading all the books our library has to offer, but my eyes do hurt after spending too much time in my study…”

“You have your own study?” he asked with an intrigued spark in his eyes.

When you looked at him, you were taken aback by the sheer boyishness radiating from that expression, that you felt the back of your neck heat up.

“I-” you stuttered, “I do. I mean-” you turned away from him swiftly to catch yourself, “As the future Queen, I must ready myself for the incoming troubles of ruling the Kingdom and be a respectable ruler.” you explained.

His head cocked to the side, almost reminiscent of a pupper.

“You do not plan on sharing those burdens with anyone?”

You eyed him.

“You mean marriage?” you spat out the last word venomously. “I will refuse it for as long as I can. Besides,” you huffed, forgetting yourself, “it’s not like I met anyone worthy of marrying me.” you crossed your arms over your chest.

A snort sounded from next to you and you turned startled towards Prince Sunghoon. He held his hand up to his mouth, eyes wrinkled into crescents and he was slightly turned away from you.

“I-” he laughed lightly, his face twisted to make room for his wide smile, “I do not mean to laugh at your- It is only- the delivery-” he kept giggling, unable to finish a single thought.

You only stared at him in awe, your opinion of him changing subconsciously.

“You Highness, Prince Sunghoon,” a butler called from behind you, “Your brother has requested your presence back in the castle.”

“I will be right there Ian,” he said, before turning to look at you, with an impossibly tender look in his eye, “I hope we see each other like this again” he spoke as he took your hand to place a kiss on it, “I had a great time and I hope you did too.”

And then he left.

It felt like a part of you left as well.

~

You have found yourself caught up in Prince Sunghoon’s- or rather, as he insists- Sunghoon’s arms, interlocked into the second dance of tonight.

The ball was a celebration of the spring solstice.

How you ended up in the dark-haired prince’s arms you also couldn’t quite remember.

You also didn’t realise just how funny he was whenever he talked back and you never realised your love for bickering. 

You were having the time of your life.

People were sending you odd looks, seeing you enjoying yourself with the second Park son, seeing as you only ever spent time with the youngest Kim prince and even that was reserved.

But now, you were giggling, laughing and you just couldn’t keep your mouth shut.

Another plus to having Sunghoon’s company: no one was approaching you for mindless small-talk and mentions of marriage.

The Lee castle was beautiful but…

“I heard the Lee’s have the most beautiful garden…” Sunghoon told you with a mischievous sparkle in his eye.

He didn’t have to finish his thought. You already knew what he meant as he extended to you and you accepted it without another word.

Your baby blue dress fluttered behind you as you walked down the halls with Sunghoon, both of your shoes clacking against the marble flooring.

The dress had a deep V-neck and the sleeves extended past your hands, although it added to the snowy princess look.

This time, the maids took extra precaution to cinch your corset and if you couldn’t breathe then, you certainly couldn’t now that you saw the garden.

The snow had freshly melted and there were faint traces of buds all over the trees and plants.

But most of all the night sky seemed to take the cake.

“The moon looks beautiful tonight, doesn’t it?”

You turned towards the man who had made your night.

Sunghoon was not looking at the moon. His eyes looked as if someone had stolen all the affection in the world and put it in his eyes.

He looked beautiful being bathed in the moonlight. His pale shin was seemingly illuminated by the moonshine, a perfect contrast to his all-black attire.

“My…” you began, your head feeling as if it was stuffed full of cotton, “My real name is y/n.” you spoke before you could realise what you just said.

He looked stunned.

Then his hold on your hand tightened as suddenly words started tumbling out, past his soft lips, explaining his predicament in his family and his relationship with them.

He looked so vulnerable. You thought you looked the same way as well.

You pulled your hand back, out of his gentle hold, and he looked as if you had ripped his heart out of his chest. You merely pulled your gloves off, threw them somewhere behind you (which had pulled out a choked laugh from him) and you raised your arms to wipe the tears from his glass-like face.

He shuddered feeling your skin on his face and you shivered feeling his breath against your hands.

“I’m sorry” he let out as he enveloped you in a passionate embrace.

This, after all, was not appropriate for two people who weren’t engaged to be married.

~

The bi-annual Huntsmen Competition in the spring was, oddly enough, the most anticipated event of the season.

You supposed it had something to do with your appearance.

Hence, you practising day and night, night and day, to attempt to get the first place this time around.

Also, you knew Sunghoon was participating in this event and you want to impress him-

Ah right.

It is too early for the list of participants to have some out, so… how do you know?

Truth is, Sunghoon himself told you.

A development which had happened since the Spring Solstice Ball was that you and Sunghoon had started exchanging letters with what was going on in your lives lately.

It made you unnecessarily giddy and you couldn’t hide this from your nosy mother who realised you were getting letters every other day as opposed to once every two to three months.

She was, needless to say, thrilled.

But that wasn’t important right now.

What was important was winning the competition to impress Sunghoon- no y/n stop.

This time around, the senators decided to change things up a little: they added an animal which automatically secures the huntsman first place. The animal in question is a grizzly bear. Yeah. A grizzly. It surprised you too. 

You were hoping to catch the biggest fish.

Also, this time you planned on showing up in a proper fancy riding outfit, fit to a prince.

You were rather petty like that. And your ass looked brilliant in those pants.

You seriously didn’t have enough opportunities to wear trousers.

~

Arriving late, you hopped off your inky black horse, feeling eyes on your form once again.

You wore tight white pants with a sporty waistcoat with gold and dark blue accents. And you felt magnificent holding your sword at your hip.

Subconsciously, your eyes wandered, looking for a particular someone, but you couldn’t see him. A frown tugged at your lips, but you quickly stopped it and smiled as you usually would, making your way to your tent to get ready.

~

By the time you had gone into the forest you still didn’t get to see a particular someone’s endearing smile and dimples.

Hunting brought you more peace than you thought it could. You languidly shot at moving animals - birds mostly- and looked for the grizzly. 

Why draw something out for longer than it should be?

You were lost in your own head when you heard a scream.

Quickly you turned your horse around and towards the scream. 

You were surprised, however, when you ran into Sungoon, appearance dishevelled, leaves and small sticks stuck in his hair and clothes, horse gone.

Looking him in the eye, you saw him breathing heavily, eyes wide in fear, before he flinched at the loud roar the bear behind him let out.

Before you could even realise what had happened, you drew your bow and knocked four arrows at the bear and it fell over with a cry.

You and Sunghoon though, just gazed at each other. He stared at you as if you had just promised him the world, and you, from your position on your horse, bow still in hand, looked at him as if he had just told you the secrets of the whole world.

You were startled from your romantic gazing when a horn sounded, both of you looking in the direction of the trees.

“Marry me” you said before you thought better of it.

~

To say that this bi-annual Huntsmen Competition had the best ending party yet, would be an understatement. 

Everyone danced and drank as you happily held hands with Sunghoon, right in the centre of everything, celebrating what would be the best event of this life yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My dearest girls: @ch3rryc0smos & @janaicetea

if anyone wants to be a part of the taglist send an ask <3

[lemonmaid]

Since I'm moving and finally getting out if a toxic relationship heres....

Type of airplane passengers I think the Dorm Leaders and Classman are!

♡

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts: Quiet Worker Passenger (Business).

He's prepared, he brought his own computer, three travel batteries, headphones, etc. He gotta finish work somehow in peace.

Trey Clover: Magazine Reader. (Premium Economy).

He probably reads or brings his own magazines. Either baking, dentistry, or about the place he is traveling too.

Cater Diamond: Constantly taking pictures out of the window. (Premium Economy).

Anytime they pass something that looks "pretty" or cool, they are taking pictures. Even go as far to take videos or photo of people doing dumb things on the plane, (looking at you Ace).

Ace Trappola: Takes off shoes. (Economy)

Motherfucker takes "get comfortable" seriously. He is wearing a eye over, wearing earmuffs, he takes relaxing seriously.

Deuce Spade: Sleeper but wakes up bored so mess around with papers sitting in the front of the seat. (Economy).

Type of person to leave everything in a checked-in -bag and doesn't have anything to do on flight. He will mess with the papers in the front, try to use the tablet on the seat, look at others phones. Very unprepared.

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar: Sleeper (First Class).

His family owns their own jets. He probably has his own plane (small one, he probably has a flying license too). Anyways when he is flying with family he is sleeping or drinking, anything to take his mind off from screaming Cheka.

Ruggie Bucchi: Snacker and moive watcher. (Economy).

He is responsible enough to be prepared and brings a bag of his own food, whenever he gets bored he is just snacking or looking out the window.

Jack Howl: Podcast Listener. (Premium Economy)

He is just going to be listening to his meditation or fitness podcast or even sporting commentary. Doesn't really care about anyone else or mind babies.

Octavinellle

Azul Ashengrotto: Slient Worker. (Business).

He probably loves first class, he feels like he runs the world with this much privilege. If he hears a crying baby he can't focus and probably talks shit about the parents.

Jade Leech: Knitting and listening to a podcast. (Business).

He is just chilling, wearing a neck pillow, gotta comfy blanket, humming as he just knitts. Man doesn't care about anyone else around him, he just chilling.

Floyd Leech: Tablet Baby. (Business).

Literally always given a tablet or some electronic that will distract him from bothering other passengers, motherfucker probably likes kicking the seat.

Scarabia

Since it's probably likely that Kalim's family owns their own private jet, they both are spoiled on the plane.

Kalim Al-Asim: Talker

Always talking, probably offers to pay for someone's food. He probably doesn't even mind crying babies on a plane either, probably will try to play with them aswell.

Jamil Viper: Worrier.

He probably has to take anxiety medication because of flying, like worrying about if there is enough fuel, or if the jet had a good manience constantly asking the flight attendants how long the pilot has been flying and where he got his license.

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit: Champagne Enjoyier.

I feel like he doesn't have his own jet but flys with other influencers who have their own jets, buy he does fly first class and drinks and gossips with other passengers.

Rook Hunt: Magazine reader and Talkative. (First class).

I feel like he has never been on a airplane and when he was he was with Vil, talking and talking away and he isn't quiet about it. This man does not understand social cues! But he will be reading about the place he is visiting.

Epel Felmier: Snacker (Economy).

Since Vil isn't there to comment on what he eats, he is eating what his family packed him, fruits, candy, homemade chips, packed lunch.

Ignihyde

Idia Shroud: Gamer (First Class).

He paid for the premium package where you can have wifi and internet. Let him sit in the corner of the plane and enjoy his game time.

Ortho Shroud : Sleeper (put under the plane).

I'm sorry but I feel like he was put under the plane because he is made completely m e t a l. (If I remember) but he is put in sleep mode.

Diasomnia

Malleus Draconia: Curious. (First Class).

He has no need to be on a plane but he was curious as what it was and why so many people used it when they could use a mirror. He is touching all the buttons above him.

Lilia Vanerouge: Gamer but doesn't have headphones so volume is loud. (First Class).

He is the most annoying person to fly with, he doesn't listen when you ask him to quiet down, it's embarrassing. Old people and their social cues.

Silver Vanerouge: Sleeper. (First Class)

He literally sleeps through the worst turbulence, it's terrifying really, he looks dead. Only wakes up for water and goes back to sleep.

Sebek Zigvolt: Worrier. (First Class)

This man is clutching his seat, he does not feel safe. Constantly hitting the 'help' button and asking the flight attendant when they are about to land. He freaks out at the slightest turbulence.

02/20 I wanted to write short story along with this because I'm currently waiting for my plane to board! So here Yuu!(Reader), Epel, Ace, Deuce, Floyd, Jack and Diasomnia gang on a plane.

TSA was awful, Grim, who was considered a pet, had to be put in a pet carrier. All of Epels bags had to be checked troughly, Ace got detained for having three bottles of lotion, and then Sebek wouldn't stop freaking out about Malleus getting questioned for his 'cosplay', when it was his horns.

'Finally, we can just sit down'. Looking down at Grim who was under the seat, growing and mumbling in his sleep.

"Child of man? May I sit by you"

(Name) looked around, "um sure, as long as no was sitting there".

Malleus, hummed.

"Aaaaaweeee I wanted to sit by shrimpyyyyyyy".

Malleus glared at Floyd who was smiling and holding their tablet.

"Ah that's okay, Malleus how about I sit in the middle and you can sit by the window? Is that okay?". Malleus nodded, switching seats with (Name).

As everyone was getting seated, a screech could be heard in the back.

"ACE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Sebek, I'm relaxing, you should try and do the same"

"No Ace, I'm going have to agree with Sebek on this one. You're disgusting".

"Shut up Deuce, I'm literally doing nothing wrong. If there is a problem, the flight attendants would've done something by now".

'Please guy, not now......'.

"Shhrimmmpyyy, my moive isn't workinggg"

"Oh, okay let me see it, and stop kicking the seat, you're bothering Silver".

Lilia stood up on his seat and turned around, "No it's fine! Look Silver won't wake up no matter what, but please stop for my sake. I'm trying to beat this boss".

"Child of Man, what is this?"

"Um that's a fan"

"What's that?"

Looking out the window, "umm the wings".

"Fascinating".

"EPEL SHARE THOSE SNACKS!"

"NO! GET YOUR OWN!"

'This is going to be a long trip'

[batsplat]

maybe you know that before pecco first met casey, he said the thing he wanted to know most was how casey felt about vale! do you think they actually talked about it, and how do you think they discussed it with each other?

https://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2021/11/04/bagnaia-keen-to-pick-stoners-brain-on-rossi-rivalry/29836

(link)

I didn't have the possibility already to meet Casey, but I know he was in my garage speaking with [Pecco's current and Casey's former crew chief] Gabarrini, but I think I will meet him after the conference. And I will ask him many things because when I was young - it's the first time that I meet him, and when I was young I was looking, him and Vale fighting. And I would like to know what he's thinking about Vale.

well, pecco. probably not anything particularly polite at any given moment, but it's worth a shot

so I did see this at the time but it had completely slipped my mind, cheers anon!! very endearing, pecco truly living my dream (not the being a motorcycle racer bit or winning championships bit, but hunting down gossip on rivalries straight from the source). wants to ask casey MANY THINGS, this man is prepared. a true scholar!! it does make it even funnier how this was their first meeting... pecco really was already fantasising about asking casey about his number one feud before even saying hello. he's just like me fr. I support him in his fact-finding quest

anyhow - yeah it is fun because pecco ofc was enough of a ducati fan that he was supporting BOTH valentino and casey as a kid, which is like... extremely valid of him, he's so me... also, as has been previously discussed on this blog, he does have some credentials in zeroing in on the most interesting bits of his mentor's career, cf him making the enlightened choice at valencia 2021 to pay tribute to valentino with a 'che spettacolo' helmet. just unambiguously the most compelling choice he specifically could have made, I want to sit him down and have him walk me through his thinking (chronic overthinker so you know he did put in the mental miles) AND how he feels about that specific season. this is a man with a healthy interest in feuds I reckon. bringing this up mainly just as an excuse to revisit the photo with his cute sister

helmet only somewhat ruined by those ugly ass logos

some more key pecco background info is that he wants to visit some famous circuits motogp no longer visits one day, including suzuka AND - crucially - laguna seca. he also says he likes reading sports autobiographies... which, apart from the one from his literal mentor, you kinda have to assume the casey one would be basically at the top of the list? so I'm just gonna go ahead and assume pecco has read that thing. basically all of this is to say that if you gave pecco a free run at this, you can trust him to know his lore pretty well I reckon. he'd have some decent questions to ask

so we've established motive and ability, let's move on to opportunity. do I think they did actually talk about it... maybe! the way pecco talks about it in the presser, it kinda sounds like he wants to have a proper sit down with casey at the very first time of asking to grill him about the valentino feud, which to me sounds like quite a ballsy approach... but you never know, maybe he did manage to have a proper conversation with casey about it in the middle of a race weekend. (incidentally, pecco won that race, so he did manage to take the spoils on both his 'meeting casey' weekend and 'valentino retiring' weekend, fair play.) in the following year casey clearly did take on a reasonably active role in the team, so they had a decent amount of contact race weekend to race weekend. to quickly go through the archives:

from portimao 2021 (suggesting a PAY CUT to get casey lol)

silverstone 2022 (really is co-parenting, very sweet)

austria 2022 (poor fabio)

and phillip island 2022 (feat. the track walk)

given all that... I mean, idk, you have to hope that pecco with his obvious interest took his shot when he had it. like,, this was a bit of a one and done type deal, pecco had a year to properly exploit this situation... you've got to take that chance, right? I'm not sure I entirely trust pecco to work this organically into a conversation, but you don't have to let that stop you. you gotta get casey's thoughts on... riding a ducati... while fighting other riders wheel-to-wheel... when you're title rivals... and then hope casey doesn't try to start talking about the two times him and jorge overtook each other in the 2011 season, yeah

the way pecco makes it sound in the presser, maybe he did just flat out ask casey about the feud lol. like a real go-getter. I hope he phrased his opening question in the exact same way as he did in the presser quote, like yes please do ask casey what he's "thinking about vale". as for casey's response... my guess is that he probably keeps it cute, stays reasonably professional. there's a few general themes that tend to crop up pretty frequently when casey discusses fighting valentino, but he does mix it up depending on the occasion and the audience - he's capable of modulating the tone. you'll note that around the time of valentino's retirement, casey is considerably more polite about valentino while he's actually attending the race at portimao (where he also first met pecco, yes) than a few weeks later when he's shit talking on his own time. contrary to popular belief, casey can do diplomacy - he just often doesn't want to. in this particular situation, casey would probably opt to start out with all the diplomatic stuff he was actually saying in portimao anyway: about what a strong opponent valentino was, about how his career achievements had been validated through fighting valentino, about how there were some good points and some bad points but casey learned a heck of a lot etc etc etc

once you get that stuff out of the way... as discussed in more depth in this post, when casey's not outright insulting valentino, he does tend to focus on valentino's intelligence as an opponent - clever, cunning savvy, all that - which, yes, was often about all the off-track media shit, but also described valentino's on-track approach. depending on how casey frames it, there may obviously be more negative connotations to valentino's 'cunning', suggestions of the dirty and the untoward and the downright unfair - and there's typically something quite loaded about how casey talks about everything he learned from valentino. but emphasising valentino's cleverness is still probably the most likely starting point for casey when describing that rivalry to one of valentino's direct disciples - it's the compliment casey has long been the most prepared to pay valentino. beyond that... I tend to think that casey wouldn't be inclined to go into massive amounts of detail about the ins and outs of that rivalry with pecco. maybe if pecco catches him on the right day, he can get a little more - it's not out of the question for casey to delve somewhat into how tricky it is to fight against an evil lunatic quite an aggressive rider who is willing to make your life hell out on the track. maybe some talk about the actual nitty-gritty of fighting valentino that I do not have the technical expertise to imagine in any more detail. or maybe give pecco a spiel about how important it is to focus on yourself, just ignore what the other guy is doing, and so on - that'd probably strike a chord with pecco given the similarities between the pair of them in that regard. one of the reasons why casey was such a tricky opponent for valentino at the beginning of their rivalry was how immune casey was to the typical valentino tactic of just harassing rivals from behind. you'd probably want to focus on that aspect if you're casey, something about how it's important not to let your rivals get in your head. casey did say in early 2023 that pecco had needed to "calm a couple of things down" lol, so maybe he feels that's some advice that needs giving

what I will say is that I reckon casey would probably confine his anecdotes mostly to what valentino was up to on the track. at most a teensy bit about how tricky it can be to face an opponent skilled at putting pressure on you by using the media, but no lengthy diatribes about how valentino wasn't as nice to him anymore when they became rivals or any of that. in general, yeah, hard to see him being all that interested in giving pecco much to work with. casey's mellowed somewhat since retiring, but you probably don't want to push it too much. he's there to give riding advice, after all - not to satisfy the personal curiosity of valentino's prized protege. still, hopefully pecco got something fun out of him. I have to believe he's at least grilled valentino about his side of the rivalry at some point over the years... like I said, living the dream

[wild-karrde]

HAPPY AHSOKA DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE!

Reminder that not everyone can watch the episodes right when they air, so for the love of everything holy, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG YOUR SPOILERS. I personally will be using #ahsoka and #ahsoka spoilers for anything I post.

A lot of us have been waiting for this show for FOREVER, so remember to be courteous and not ruin the viewing experience for people. I myself may not be able to watch immediately (currently getting my dad through a surgery), and if I get something spoiled, I WILL HUNT YOU FOR SPORT (respectfully).

[tokiro07]

In a recent interview, Eiichiro Oda said that he probably won't do any more manga after One Piece (or at least nothing huge) because the world he constructed for One Piece inadvertently allowed him to explore pretty much every type of story he wanted to: Mock Town was a Western, Egghead is both a sci-fi and a murder mystery, Thriller Bark was a horror, etc. He never did it, but Oda probably could have found a way to work in a high school drama or romantic comedy if he'd really wanted to. I would argue that's how the Hungry Days promotion came about, he probably wanted to see it explored at least a little bit but couldn't quite find a good excuse for it

Undead Unluck, as I think at least one of us has mentioned before, is very similar: it can be whatever it wants to be whenever it wants to be. A sci-fi horror against the emotion-eating aliens on the space station, a zombie apocalypse Western against Spoil, a wuxia against Feng, competitive gaming against Spring, sports against Void, and now of course the high school AU centered around Chikara; Undead Unluck can do it all! If we end up going into Lucy's mind and it becomes a swords and sorcery fantasy with Lucy captive in a castle by a dragonified Ruin, would any of you really be surprised? Would any of you even complain? I wouldn't, and in fact I hope it happens now. That'd be such a funny way to get both Ruin and Lucy back into the main story

I don't know if I've ever really talked about it before, but there are certain niches that Jump manga fill. I don't mean in the sense of genre like sports or gag manga, I mean more thematically. When My Hero Academia started, the consensus was that it was the "new Naruto," with its plucky underdog protagonist competing with a cruel and prodigious rival and a society that discredits him for the circumstances of his birth. Black Clover draws inspiration from a ton of big name manga, but Bleach is probably the one that it best resembles in the structure of its world (the Clover Kingdom resembles Soul Society, the Magic Knight squads resemble the Thirteen Court Squads, and the Grimoires are basically simplified Zanpakutou)

Over the years, I've seen many things take major inspiration from Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball, etc., but shockingly, there was a long stretch where I never saw anything try to emulate One Piece, at least not in a way that was particularly obvious. The closest was Toriko, creating wild and imaginative animals, plants, etc. the same way that One Piece creates its islands, but nothing had a cast that felt reminiscent to me

Interestingly, the first one that I noticed that felt like what I was looking for was Dr. Stone, and that only sunk in for me when Senku had his group build a boat and put up a sail with their own unique symbol. I realized in that moment that where Toriko had covered the spirit of adventure that One Piece had, Dr. Stone covered the spirit of friendship and togetherness: every time a dilemma came up, the solution was almost always finding a new ally and awakening their talents, applying them in a way that they'd never thought to before, or reconciling with an old enemy for the sake of progress. "My friends are here to do the things I can't, and I'm here to do what they can't." This is one of the core tenets of One Piece, and while it took me a while to notice, it was equally a part of Dr. Stone's core as well

Undead Unluck does something pretty similar, though not as overtly, since the cast don't really have neat roles like "navigator" or "doctor" or "chef;" instead, everyone has their areas of expertise that can be used in multiple situations, so the individuals best suited for each situation are carefully selected, and if none are available, the hunt begins for someone who is. I think this didn't sink in because it didn't become nearly as prevalent until after the timeloop, but in retrospect, the first half of the story was like the pre-timeskip Straw Hats', unprepared and unable to reach the world's ceiling when finally faced with it, only to come back stronger and wiser in their journey to come back together

Coupled with its ability to be (Chucky voice) genre-fluid, Undead Unluck has unexpectedly become in my opinion a more than worthy successor to One Piece's particular niche in Jump. I've had this thought for a while now, but I think that Undead Unluck might actually be a good glimpse into what One Piece would have been like if Oda had been able to stick to his original five-year plan. It isn't able to take nearly as much time to flesh out its world, but its streamlined approach elegantly allows us to get to know enough about the cast to be invested while still allowing attentive viewers to pick up on fine details. Where One Piece ballooned to be a 30-year venture because Oda kept having more ideas he wanted to share and angles he wanted to analyze, Undead Unluck seems to have a stronger clarity to its vision and commitment to ensuring that vision is realized ASAP without sacrificing any of the essentials. Neither approach is wrong, it's just good to see that there is in fact a world that exists where One Piece would have been able to be just as solidly executed even without entertaining every whim and flight of fancy that its author could dream of

Of course, One Piece is still going, and likely will be when Undead Unluck naturally concludes, so calling UU its successor is definitely a bit of an overstatement, but my main point is that I'm glad that we're starting to see authors who aren't afraid of sharing One Piece's niche, and more importantly are doing it in a way that's fairly subtle, but identifiable. It's an extremely comforting sign for the rapidly approaching post-One Piece world, and I can't wait to see what fills the coming power vacuum

[airachnidsplayground]

//Mod speakin: The reason i chose Arachnid from TFP is because her personality reminds me of Evelynn from league (who is my main.)

The apathy, and the playful nature, + the alluring charm and their love for hunting sport is just too similar. I would also say that She also resembles Elise -

The spider queen, basically, but Elise doesn't really have much lore outside of "She's a spider queen".

Evelynn is a demon of agony, she takes pleasure in other's pain, and hunts from the shadows the want for other's pain turns her basically into a demon of lust, or succubi, one might say, but her alluring charm isn't too take pleasure from others and suck out their soul, no. Her exterior is just to lure in her prey, so she can later dissect them and scavenge their pain for her own power.

She doesn't care, and she takes joy hurting and hunting others, which I find Arachnid to be very similar.

Aside from the "I can't feel anything without others screaming in agony", she is a playful(in the darkest way imaginable), apathetic creature, an inspection who thrives on watching others being tortured, their sparks being snuffed from their very body, and works alone. She only thinks of her own survival, and what will benefit her to get more power, to secure her safety. Her "Sport" is hunting Indigenous species, and keeping their heads as "Trophies". One would call a true sadistic psychopath this type of persona.

Not to mention they're both incredibly intelligent, use their femme fatale (mostly Evelynn) attributes to their advantage, and have a thing for grotesque exhibitionism. They love dismantling their victims in front of their loved ones, feeding off of that pain, like a bonus treat.

However, for whatever reason she became like that, most likely having to grow up in a lower class, or even high class(being spoiled, but that highly doubtful BCS of her uncaring nature when she offlines her victims, who are usually torn from limb-to-limb or are covered in her natural acid.) She is what you would define as one of the types of "Truly evil" character, who only works for herself and her own gain, which is not far from Evelynn's lore, who works just to stir chaos, pain, and destruction, to feed her own lust for all of the above. She had a hand in many of the misfortunes happening within Runeterra and gained loyal followers throughout her own lore.

Oh, and they're both hot.

That's all, that's the end of my rant analysis on both of my favorite characters! :D

[anxiousfanchild]

TLB: All Boys

Word Count: 

Content Warnings: 

Requests are open and encouraged!

Donations towards my wedding are accepted: Ko-fi

A/N: I saw a TikTok that gave the boys last names so here you go! A whole bunch of uncatagorized headcanons. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :

David Powers:

He’s allergic to tomatoes. I feel like allergies travel over, even while you’re a vampire. 

He is really sad that dogs don’t like vampires, since he always had a dog growing up. 

One time, he raised his hands too fast and hit one of Marko’s pigeons. He felt so bad he avoided Marko for a month. 

He is upset that he can’t get any tattoos, since his skin heals too fast. Sometimes, he will go get a bunch of embarrassing tattoos and be happy for the night, since he knows his skin would heal before the next night. 

He is really awkward and has a bad habit of laughing or chuckling at inappropriate times. 

Is constantly starting bets that he knows he won’t be able to win, simply because it’s fun. 

Sometimes, he will stay awake during the day and watch the waves in the sunlight, just outside the natural light’s reach. 

Marko Thompson:

Born in Florence, Italy in 1965. His parents noticed how much of a troubled kid he was when he was 15.

He liked to steal from old, rich people and sell his spoils to buy food for his family.

They sent him to an American reform school in 1981, in Saratoga, CA. 

He ends up escaping the boarding school and staying out in Santa Carla for a few years, stealing and taking on small jobs. 

After turning into a vampire, he would befriend small animals that people typically didn’t like

Pigeons especially, but he also fed rats and raccoons. 

He is really artistic and likes to sit on rooftops and draw pedestrians. 

It took him a really long time to learn English, but David was so patient with him, since he was once in the same boat as him. 

Marko can SING. Voice of an angel and all that good stuff. Sometimes the boys would ask him to sing Italian operas. 

Dwayne Stephens:

Never left David’s side after being turned into a vampire. 

He still followed his Indigenous blood though, collecting pelts and bones from animals that were hunted for sport. 

He has a soft spot for strays, and will occasionally bring home a cat, which Marko has to escort out or it will eat his rats or pigeons. 

This always starts an argument, but it only lasts a few hours. 

Dwayne enjoys chasing fish in the ocean, especially sharks. 

Sometimes, if they promise to be nice, he will let David or Paul braid flowers into his hair. 

Extremely protective of his brothers and would do anything for them. 

It was his idea to bring Laddie in, since Laddie appeared to be abandoned. 

Paul Harris: 

Born in Dunkeld, Scotland in 1922. 

His parents and him immigrated to America in 1930, when he was only 8 years old. 

He quickly fell in love with Boston, which his parents moved to. He wanted more though, so at the age of 19, he moved across the country to Santa Carla, CA. 

He once again fell in love with the ocean and taught himself how to surf. 

He did fall in love with a girl, who broke his heart when he proposed to her. 

He gave up on relationships after that, instead turning to his new friend, David. 

After becoming a vampire, he still continued to surf. Moonlight surfing was a lot more fun than day time surfing anyway. 

He made the boys start a band with him, just to pass the time. 

They are actually pretty good, and they got a few gigs at bars around the city. 

It was a good way to get meals groupies.

[docholligay]

Misc Ep 1

Hello! This is about the pilot of Yellowjackets, and ONLY the pilot of Yellowjackets. I have not seen beyond the first episode, at all, and know NOTHING about this show. Please do not spoil it for me.  Things that are spoilery in nature, for me, include: saying things like  “Just wait!!” confirming or denying anything I put forward, outside  information about the cast interviews or creator statements, leading  questions like “Do you think “blank moment” means anything?” etc. Remember  that Y’ALL HAVE SEEN THE SHOW AND I HAVE NOT. This informs the way you  talk about things relating to the show. Just be really careful is all  I’m asking. Also: If there is LITERALLY any stance I  could take on this show or character that would make you upset, please  just fucking block the tag

If you WOULD like to discuss the show and my takes on it, the Discord is right here! I don’t go there, so it’s a great place to get every emotion out.

Please thank @sailorsunspot and @moonlight-frittata for backing this odd way of doing a liveblog, and remember my tip jar is always open!

I think the expectation is that you’ll be more interested in the whole idea that these girls end up hunting each other for sport or ritual or whjatever, and, the first episode seems to imply, fucking eating each other. I do think that’s great, and all, as a consequence ofd things, but what I’m mostly into is something that, luckily, at least in this pilot, the show seems into as well: How do these girls become this thing? How does a human being break down? What is it about fear that brings forth ritual, how does ritual sometimes cover or cleanse violence, what is it about humanity that needs ritual as a way of getting both closer to and further from our actions? 

We know this from the get-go. We’re shown this before we get to know any of the girls, before we get to know any of the girls, before we get to reflect on how nice and normal and accomplished we are. It’s not interested in rubbernefcking at normal people becoming something difficult, becoming something that bridges the gap between the new world of a sort of sterilized tribalism, and an old world very obvious and, daresay more honest, level of violence and tribalism. We’ll see if I still feel like that’s part of the discussion in a few episodes. Everything is hard to tell from a pilot.

How do i feel about Natalie? I’m not sure, I don’t really know enough about her. I have a couple mild worries, but I don’t actually have a BASIS for those, when I think about it. All I have is vague vibes, and it’s absolutely unfair to judge something off of a vibe I have based on OTHER narratives. So, I reserve judgement. I definitely want her goddamn Porsche and rifle, that’s for sure. The show, I think, I hope, wants to tell us something with her story. That she percieves a threat and jumps to violence--we see that in the flashback with her, as well. Natalie’s first impulse is to strike. This is not new and this is not news, and maybe, takoing this back to Shauna, it’s showing how MANY of them have never managed to move forward from the person they were while they were a Yellowjacket. 

I had a girl like Laura Lee on cheer squad, and it may not surprise you to know we had a contentious relationship at best, as I often took to sighing and snapping gum while she led prayer. 

Misty. Misty! I was so fucking sure when we saw her in the pep rally we were going to get all that dumb bullshit about how everyone is SO MEAN to the poor nerdy one blah blah wah wah. But no! It’s much more realistic than that. They just don’t want to be friends with her. They ignore her. I love that moment when Nat sees her and then she disappears, because she’s not an entity to them, she’s just a fucking ghost. She’s a nothing. The show takes pains to show that she DOESN’T fucking know how to act socially. She’s the kind of cruel where she would happily sit and watch a rat struggle and drown. When she’s an adult, she’s bitter and vindictive to people who try her. Even a sick old woman. She’s not a nice or good person, and I love so much that the show is like, IMMEDIATELY when we see her as an adult, “If you were looking for an innocent little gumdrop rainbow sad nerd, Misty ain’t it” and that actually will give me space to LIKE Misty. 

So much of the team dynamic feels so authentically like whoever was writing this did time on a high school girls’ sports team, because this is genuinely one of the only things I’ve ever seen that reminds me of cheer, which was far far more “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me” than everyone holding hands and gay kissing and doing it each other’s makeup (It was also that though. Life is complicated) I love that they get into an absolutely bitter fight the night before they leave at the bonfire. Truly enjoyed it. (Tag yourself, I’m Van grabbing another beer before we all have to talk about our feelings.) 

By the by, that whole huge it out bullshit in a secluded part of the party is definitely a shade toward their time in the woods, and Jackie’s approach and i know I basically already went into it, ut I definitely have to mention it again. 

Double by the by: Putting a pin in the whole “best things about each other” for the end of the seasons and I’m hoping someone reminds me because I think we will come BACK to these qualities and see them either revealed or destroyed. 

[fleetsummers]

with @zackastor | the daybreakers : setting traps

fleet summers: I know this sounds so so spoiled for me to say, but I can't believe this pre-empted our hunting trip. -he shoulders his bag better as they walk- Reasonably, of course, I understand. But I intend to whine about it.

Zack Astor: Alright. Just whine quietly. -Zack keeps his eyes fixed on their surroundings, only casting a quick glance at Fleet over his shoulder. He seems cautious- See it as practice.

fleet summers: I don't need any practice whining, I'm incredibly good at -- oh. You mean practice for hunting. Gotcha. -he does lower his volume, though, and tunes in to what Zack's doing, where he's looking, following his lead- Do you think we'll run into them out here?

Zack Astor: -Zack leads the way easily, walking in front of Fleet- It's possible. We're gonna set up traps on their patrol routes. he shoots another glance back You scared, kid?

fleet summers: I mean, a little? I'm not used to this kind of stuff. But that's why I'm with you, and anyhow, if we're liable to be attacked, I should get used to the idea. I can handle defense. -he hops a bit closer to Zack as they walk- I probably won't ever be some big fighter, but I at least want to, y'know. Not endanger other people by being incompetent or thoughtless.

Zack Astor: -Zack's gaze lingers on Fleet for a moment- Good. -he finally nods as they make their way towards a footpath- You'll manage. Not like we're looking for a fight in the first place.

fleet summers: Noo-ooo-ooo, we're not. -he hustles a little more to keep up with Zack's long legs, giving him a sidelong glance- Though there's lots of people in town who think you're always spoiling for a fight.

Zack Astor: Do they now? -Zack doesn't seem surprised or like he's really asking, though he doesn't appear disinterested- People confuse me with Nicki. Happens all the damn time. -He surveys the footpath with narrowed eyes, watching for any signs of approaching Daybreakers- You've ever been in a proper fight? Not with biters.

fleet summers: -snickers at the joke, saying in a warm, entertained hum- I can see that. You two are easy to get mixed up. Must be the similarity in wardrobe. -he frowns at Zack's question, buttoning in his lower lip for a moment before answering- A few. Scuffles here and there, nothing major, although I got jumped and beaten up once when I was in college. Some rugby players took offense to the way I talked to them.

Zack Astor: -he casts another glance at Fleet, letting his gaze linger on the other man- They beat you up, huh? -He says, without any judgement or sneer in his voice- Did you punch them back? 

fleet summers: I was minding my own business studying on the bleachers and they started making comments about what I probably wanted to happen to me, since I was in view of all these big rugged sports guys, and I mentioned that they were displacing what they wanted from their dads onto me, which was ... stupid, in hindsight. -he gives a soft snort, shaking his head- They dragged me under the bleachers and did their best to make me regret it. I tried to defend myself but it wasn't too much use.

Zack Astor: -His eyes narrow. For a moment, he doesn't say anything in response, though something in his features seems to almost soften- What did you do after?

fleet summers: Felt real pissed, mostly -- they broke my jaw and it was wired shut for a few weeks. Look, here ... -he lifts his chin, using his fingertips to separate places in his beard on each side of his face to show little scars- I hated that. And then I learned kickboxing. -lifts his eyebrows with a slight shrug, eyes widening for a minute- Not like that would help me much if five rugby guys decided to jump me again, but at least I'd be able to get some good hits in before they ground me up.

Zack Astor: -After Fleet's hand drops, Zack reaches out himself. Using his fingertips to part the surprisingly soft beard hair and get another look at the tiny little scars peppering Fleet's face, barely noticeable if you didn't know what you were looking for- If five guys jumped you now, they'd end up regretting it. -His hand disappears as quickly as it came and he turns his full attention back onto the path- We're gonna set up some tripwires here. Between the trees here, where it's shady and they're not gonna see them.

fleet summers: -Fleet stills when Zack touches him, letting the other man inspect what he's looking for, holding still even after Zack moves away- They would. They'd regret it plenty. -he takes a deep breath to collect himself and listen, attentive- What're they gonna trip? I'm not even sure what half of these supplies we brought are. The Redwood arsenal didn't have any landmines in stock, did it? -he laughs lightly, then pauses- Wait, it didn't, did it?

Zack Astor: Wish it did. Would make this whole fucking shit a lot easier. -Zack drops what he is carrying - a wooden board with nails hammered into it and a bag containing various items. He rummages around and pulls out wire from the bag- You know what a mace trap is?

fleet summers: I don't but can I make an educated guess? -he doesn't wait for Zack to answer, continuing as he points at the board- That thing is like a medieval mace weapon. So we're gonna rig that into a tree, and then when somebody trips the wire, that's gonna come swinging down and slam into whoever it is and perforate them. -he claps his hands lightly to demonstrate- Am I anywhere in the neighbourhood?

Zack Astor: -he looks up from unfurling the wire- Smart boy. It's a simple trap, but it doesn't need a lot of resources and does it's job. Pretty damn good at it, too. -he stands up, working out the perfect spot to rig the board before getting to work- You're gonna secure the wire at ground level. Nice and tight.

fleet summers: -is pleased that he got it right, but doesn't dwell on it at the moment, obeying Zack's orders and setting about tying off the wires to their pegs- Where did you learn this? These kinds of traps are useful now, obviously, but I've never seen anything like this outside of ... well, movies and stuff. Cartoons. -looks up at Zack, watching him for a while- You always seem like you know what you're doing, Zack.

Zack Astor: Yeah, I'm pretty damn good at getting shit done. -he doesn't turn to look at Fleet as he speaks, tying up the board with quick, seemingly practiced movements. He takes a few seconds before he speaks up again- My tours. Sometimes when you don't have the resources, like we don't right now, you make due. And nails to the face are always pretty damn effective. -Zack pats the board, now tied up securely, and now finally turns to look at Fleet and his work- Looks good. We're gonna set a couple of these.

fleet summers: Okay. Now that I know what we're doing it'll go fast. -Fleet doesn't do too much talking as they continue, engrossed in the work and watching the way that Zack does the tree rig part, taking note of the steps- What kinds of places were you stationed, to have to do all this makeshift kind of thing? You seem like you really thrived in the army. I didn't think that was the kind of thing somebody who grew up with money would gravitate to. I mean, there's always exceptions, people who come from military families and all that ...

Zack Astor: -His eyes narrow at Fleet for a moment, as if considering, before he picks up their supplies to scout out another spot- All over the world. Shit going haywire and improvisation tends to be a part of war. -he starts walking again, still keeping careful watch of their surroundings; he speaks again after a few moments- I did thrive. I was pretty damn good at what I did. Still am. I was different from my family. Guess I was just a special guy. -he shrugs, scoffing softly. He doesn't sound bitter- I was better at surviving than them.

fleet summers: Since I'm the only one left of my family I guess that's me, too. Better at surviving. Maybe it's just the Reznik side that has what it takes for the post-apocalyptic world. -he moves closer to Zack, very quickly squeezing the taller man's elbow and pressing his cheek to Zack's shoulder before lightly stepping away again- I'm glad you made it, and I met you. In some weird way you help me feel more grounded, without my proper family. You deal with things the way I do. It's a relief. -he considers, then amends with a smile- ...I don't get in the fights like you, though.

Zack Astor: Guess we both are. -He notices Fleet coming closer. He initially doesn't react much to the contact, or the words for that matter. He doesn't pull away though. Just stares straight ahead as he keeps walking. Just offering a small huff- Yeah. Good thing that you don't. -he quickly clasps Fleet on the shoulder wordlessly, before moving ahead- Let's finish setting up the mace traps before it gets dark.

fleet summers: -they continue their work, getting another couple of traps set up before Fleet gets distracted by a thicket of wild rosebushes- Oh, Zack -- do we have time for this? There's so many rosehips and the ones we have in town are picked bare and we've barely got a couple of handfuls, look how many there are here! They'd be so good for keeping us through the winter, especially since it's hard to get citrus anymore. We need the Vitamin C, we really do.

Zack Astor: -he casts a glance at the rosebush, then towards Fleet- Fucking hell. Right now? -he mutters, but he seems to consider for a moment. His jaw muscles work as he thinks- Fine. Just hurry. The patrol is gonna pass through soon. I ain't getting caught just for some fucking Vitamin C.- he casts a weary glance around, checking both for patrols and potential trap spots, and finding neither, he sinks down onto his knees and begins plucking off rosehips and stuffing them into his bag-

fleet summers: -quietly thrilled, but also he doesn't want to waste any time so he slings his now-empty supply bag to his front- It's worth it, I promise. If we get a good batch in it'll help if we aren't able to go out foraging for any reason. In case the Daybreakers come knocking. -he starts working fast, too, diving into the bushes despite the thorns to get at the thickest distribution of rosehips- If you think it's getting dangerous we'll go, I won't argue. I know you ... I know you have a history with them.

Zack Astor: -he doesn't still for one second, though there is a visible twitch in his jaw muscles at the mention of it- What do you know? -his voice is sharper and more gruff now, a certain tension about him now that the patrol is likely closing in- Did you talk to Nicki?

fleet summers: No, I  didn't talk to Nicki. That's just been what people are saying, especially since you're kind of the crux of the tasks and things. -he only glances over for a minute-

Zack Astor: -he doesn't say much in response initially, seemingly focused on tugging the fruit off of the bush. The thorns leaving tiny cuts on his hands as he pushes deep into the branches- Well, you're damn right not to argue. They'd have a fucking field day with you. -he pulls a handful of fruit out from the depths, plopping them down into his bag- Let's fucking hope they don't come knocking.

fleet summers: -Fleet turns those extremely brief but extremely, distressingly evocative statements over in his head a few times before saying anything- I want us to be safe. I want to help Redwood, and setting traps with you does that but rosehips, they're more my area when it comes to helping. Us being safe is more important than that, though. -he redoubles his efforts, stripping the fruit from the bushes in a fast flurry- I don't know anything. Maybe I should know. If you'd tell me. 

Zack Astor: -Zack tugs out another handful of the red fruit, tossing then inside his bag- Good. Keep that up. -he responds, not specifying whether he means Fleet's general efforts to help or his his picking pace. Then, Fleet says something that makes Zack pause in his work for just a moment, casting a sharp, piercing glance over at Fleet, bearing down on the other man's profile- ... -his jaw muscles work, before he gets up, shouldering his bag- That's enough. The patrols gonna be here any minute. And we're gonna be long gone by then.

fleet summers: -yanks his last handful off, easing out from the thick of the bushes, lower and thicker than where Zack is due to his being smaller and able to get in deeper- Yes, Zack. I'm ready to go. -he ties up his bag as he hops to catch up with Zack, the other man already on the move and taking in their surroundings; Fleet waits until Zack seems satisfied with his surveillance before he says, looking over at him- I mean it. If the Daybreakers are dangerous in the way that I've heard scavenger groups can be, you can tell me. Whatever it is that you know about them. I don't believe in flinching away from danger like that, especially because ... -his voice softens, going more gentle though still serious- Especially because I'm not the one in direct danger. Not like you are. I know you've gone through these kinds of things so people like me won't have to.

Zack Astor: -He doesn't meet Fleet's gaze, focused straight ahead as they make their way back deeper into the forest. It takes a moment before he responds- Alright. -after a few seconds, he finally turns to cast a quick glance at Fleet, as if considering, measuring. His gaze isn't hard or hostile, though it seems mostly undefined and slightly wary- I haven't gone through anything for anyone. It's shit that happened. There wasn't a higher purpose to it. -he runs a hand through his hair- Just like you didn't fucked up by some rugby players for some higher purpose. Shit fucking happens.

fleet summers: No, that isn't true. Shit happened because I'm queer and they didn't like that. I don't believe in higher purposes but it did affect me because I'm me, and it changed me. Just like the Daybreakers changed you, and whatever else you've been through changed you. -he reaches out, holding Zack's hand that he'd run through his hair, his own hand locked on Zack's wrist; both dotted with red from the thorns- Every little thing changes us and now, with everything, we're changing together. That's why I want to know. I want to know you.

Zack Astor: Zack seems to stiffen just a little, though he doesn't pull away. Fleet's hands are small and almost delicate in comparison to his own, but similarly red and scratched up, covered in tiny red cuts. Fleet's palms feel soft against his skin as the other man holds his wrist. Zack doesn't turn his gaze downward, instead meeting Fleet's doe-eyed gaze- Okay. -he says, measuredly, as if working out how to handle this. Slowly, the stiffness in his shoulders seems to relax just enough- Alright. Maybe. Think you can live with that? Or are you gonna die of curiosity and go dig it up yourself? -he let's his wrist remain in Fleet's grasp as he speaks, not pulling away-

fleet summers: I can. I can be patient, for a time. -he rubs his thumb against Zack's inner wrist, turning his hand so it slips into Zack's, his fingers curling down into Zack's palm- I would ask other people if I thought it would be useful, but I already know what people say about you. I don't think anybody's account would tell me much. I wanna hear it from you, so, yes, alright maybe. 

Zack Astor: -Zack watches as their fingers ever so slightly interlock, curling into each other- Good.  -he considers Fleet for a few heartbeats longer before he pulls his hand away, pushing them into his pockets- Let's get back to town.

[fiendishartist2]

eaten from the core and out to the skin– mp100

Reigen strutted through the halls of Salt Middle School, passing empty classrooms and bustling club rooms at a brisk pace. As he turned an unfamiliar corner, he schooled his worried expression to something closer to irritation. Reigen was on a mission and he couldn't let any weakness show. He came upon the door he was directed to by the woman in the main office.

He entered with a hand on his hip, suit bunching up at the action. Reigen surveyed the small office, eyes catching on the cheesy inspirational posters and self-help books. He wrinkled his nose, ah, a guidance counsellor. Oh god, Mob, what kind of trouble did you get yourself in this time. Speaking of Mob– Reigen spotted his student sitting in the only other chair in the cramped office. His shoulders were brought far up to his ears and his head was hung low. Whatever they called him in for, Mob sure was taking it seriously.

Whatever, Reigen thought confidently, we'll be out of here in no time if I have anything to say about it.

The woman that had called him in sat at a cluttered desk that took up about a third of the small room. She smiled widely, brushing back her black bob behind her ear. Her elbow nudged against one of the many stacks of paper littering her desk.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Reigen. Please, take a seat." He obliged, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair. He tapped his foot impatiently.

"Would you mind telling me why I was dragged out of work to be here?" Mob hiked his shoulders higher, curling in on himself. His flat fringe cast a dark shadow over his face, covering his expression. Reigen thought he could see his lip wobble out of the corner of his eye, however.

"Ah- apologies, it was at Shigeo's request. I'm sure he didn't mean to interrupt." Mob asked for me instead of his parents? Reigen narrowed his eyes, lips pursing in thought. Mob never asked Reigen to pick him up from school unless something was really wrong. Last time this happened, Mob was trying not to blow up over the black eye some kid gave him. That day, Reigen had to keep reminding himself that a 26 year old man beating up a 12 year old middle schooler was definitely illegal. Now, seeing the way Mob's face was painfully schooled, like he was just barely holding it together, Reigen felt the same urge to hunt down whoever had done this.

He took a steadying breath, cracking a placating smile, "No, it's alright." Some of Mob's tension dissolved, "But, I do want to know why you called me." He tried, making sure to keep a pleasant tone. The last thing he wanted was to get Mob all worked up about whatever it was he did.

The guidance counsellor smiled, although it was fake just like Reigen's. Just a gesture meant to put the other at ease. She cleared her throat politely, picking up a file from under her elbow and sliding it across the table to Reigen. He leaned forwards, eyes scanning the page.

He landed on a few scribblings in pen that read 'lunch hour', 'truancy', and 'physical altercation' before she interrupted him.

"Shigeo was absent from all of his classes today and was seen by another student loitering in a club room during second period mathematics. As well as-" she picked up the paper, reading with a light hum, "-Ah, here– during lunch hour, Shigeo pushed a classmate, resulting in a dislocated shoulder." She read it off so stiffly, like a judge reading a list of crimes out to a jury. Reigen resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her seriousness. That's what Mob was in here looking like he was on the verge of breaking down for? Skipping class and pushing a kid? Reigen had done much, much worse in his school days– this was practically nothing.

Holding in a scoff, Reigen hummed sympathetically.

The counsellor sighed and put the paperwork down. She levelled Reigen with a tired stare, "As this is the first time I've had to discuss Shigeo's behaviour with a parent or guardian, I'm not going to punish him." Reigen's face softened before he could stop himself and she pounced on the opening, pressing her lips into a thin line. Or maybe this game of social chess was all in Reigen's head and she was just emoting like a normal person. Either way, she continued, "However, due to school policy, I still need to come to an understanding with Shigeo."

Reigen nodded, "Of course," he went on the attack, "I'm sure Mob didn't mean anything by his actions. Sometimes he just gets overwhelmed and-" his good natured smile slipped as Mob joined the conversation.

"I meant to push him. I'm sorry…" He whispered, hands twisting around each other. C'mon, Mob! I'm trying to vouch for you here, just don't say anything and I can get you out of this scot-free! he screamed internally. Unfortunately, Mob never had figured out telepathy, so Reigen's pleas went unheard.

"I skipped my classes too, on purpose." He continued in his soft voice. His warbly confession felt wrong, twisting itself around Reigen's stomach. This was all too serious, why was Mob getting so worked up over nothing?

Reigen swallowed the questions that crawled up his throat in favour of clawing the conversation back to normalcy. He patted Mob's shoulder forcefully, nervous laughter bubbling out of him.

"Such an honest student I have! As you can see, he's much too well behaved for trouble-making. So really, we should just let this whole thing blow over, huh?" Reigen boasted in his salesman voice. Despite directly contrasting Mob's incriminating words, he hoped she would believe him over his student by confidence alone. Judging by her unamused expression, it wasn't working.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Reigen, but multiple students admitted to seeing the fight at lunch. Now, Shigeo," she turned her attention to him. Mob didn't even look up from his lap.

"Why don't you explain to me why you were absent from class?" Reigen crossed his arms, turning to his student as well; he obviously wasn't getting them out of there any time soon. And, he was actually kind of curious about that too. Mob wasn't a perfect student by any measure, but he hated getting scolded and was too polite to break any rules anyways. It was really out of character for Mob to skip a whole day of classes.

Mob didn't react. Reigen couldn't be sure he even heard the counsellor's question at all. The boy sat so still he might have even been holding his breath.

Just as she got ready to try another approach, Mob sucked in a sharp breath, "...I don't know." His voice shuddered. Reigen's mood curdled instantly– Mob was definitely lying to them. There was nothing to lie about in the first place; sure, skipping class was against the rules but it wasn't egregious and it certainly wasn't uncommon. A bead of sweat rolled down Reigen's temple.

"Were you bored in class? Maybe you wanted to meet up with friends or get an early lunch?" She listed off the most common excuses bolder delinquents gave her. She hummed, leaning her chin on her entwined fingers, "How about an emotional reason? Did you feel upset in class and needed to take a walk?" She probed gently.

Mob curled imperceptibly inwards, holding his shoulders tighter to avoid reacting. But, Reigen spotted his clear sign of guilt: Mob's hands were gripping his knees with white knuckles.

"I'm sorry. I don't know." He replied robotically, voice getting flatter as Mob's distress grew. Uh oh, Reigen realised suddenly, this is bad. Mob really doesn't want to talk. He rubbed his clammy hands on his thighs, readying himself to step in and stop this situation from escalating any further.

Before the counsellor could say another word, Reigen went on damage control.

He hummed in surprise, drawing his phone from his suit pocket. In one fluid motion, he flipped it open and pressed it to his ear. He made a show of clicking the 'answer call' button.

"Spirit's and Such Consultation Office. Reigen Arataka, greatest psychic of the 21st century speaking. How can I help you?" He nodded along to the silent client on the other end of his fake call, "Hmm… an important job, you say? Please, calm down sir, of course I can handle it."

As he dialled the theatrics to 10, Mob spared his mentor a glance. Reigen trained his eyes on the wall, only so that he wouldn't break character once he spotted the dried tear tracks running down his student's red cheeks. Reigen widened his eyes dramatically, letting his mouth fall slack in mock horror. His imaginary client was describing quite the gruesome scene.

"Oh wow, that is very serious." He mumbled just loud enough for the counsellor to catch it. Reigen held back a smirk as she let out a worried hum.

Standing from his seat, Reigen straightened his tie, nodding again, "Stay calm and get to safety. My disciple and I will be there as soon as possible. How many victims did you say this spirit claimed already?" As he spouted a bunch of concerning nonsense, Reigen gestured for Mob to follow him. He scrambled out of his seat, thankfully used to Reigen's antics enough to understand the scheme he was pulling.

"Oh my-! Is something wrong?" Reigen flicked his eyes to the counsellor rising from her desk, a hand on her chest. This time, he let his satisfied smirk free, facing the door. Dramatically, he clicked his phone shut. In his grimest voice he could muster, Reigen put the final nail in the coffin.

"Yes. I've just gotten a call about a violent spirit terrorising innocent civilians. It's serious- life or death, you see." He reached for the door handle, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this meeting short. I'm sure you understand." With that, Reigen threw the door open, steering Mob out of the school briskly. Sure, it was one of his more reliable lies, but it didn't fool everyone and Reigen would rather be caught dead than have to own up to lying straight to someone's face.

Once they were outside the school, he relaxed. Reigen clapped his freed student's shoulder with a relieved grin.

"Alright, Mob, let's get out of here. What do you say to an early dinner? On me." Of course, that would mean Mob's paycheck would be lighter tomorrow, but it's the thought that counts. Money doesn't grow on trees after all.

Reigen stopped his stroll when he realised Mob wasn't following. Instead of falling into step with him, Mob was still standing in front of the school, his face buried in his hands as his shoulders jumped up and down sharply.

Reigen rushed over to him, hovering around his crying student. He floundered; Mob hadn't cried in front of him in what must have been years. He hadn't cried in front of anyone else in much longer.

To his surprise, Mob tipped forward until his forehead rested on Reigen's chest. Reigen froze before placing a tentative hand on the top of his student's head. Gently, he patted down his shiny black hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. Mob mulled it over for a few minutes. Reigen didn't mind; he knew that Mob needed time to think about what he was going to say. Mob had always been a quiet kid and when he wasn't lost in thought, he was speaking his mind– even if the things that came out of his mouth were terribly blunt. So, in the middle of the day outside of the school they had just ran out of mid-conversation, Reigen and Mob stood as Mob collected his thoughts. Reigen really hoped no one would spot them.

"He poured milk on my head." Is what eventually wrestled it's way out of Mob's throat. It was mumbled, like he was both scared and ashamed of the admission.

Reigen didn't understand the gravity he was giving it, but sometimes Mob was just sensitive about violence. No matter how tame or justified.

"The kid you pushed?" Reigen prompted. Mob just nodded, "Well then, I think he deserved it. Serves him right for being a jerk."

He thought that would be the end of it; Mob would wipe his eyes and give Reigen a faint, grateful smile, and then they would be off eating mediocre ramen at the cheapest place in the city. Instead, Mob unfurled a bit, grabbing Reigen by the front of his blazer and burying his face in his chest as he choked and sputtered.

"Woah, kid!" Reigen wrapped him up in a real hug, confused at Mob's sudden clinginess, "Mob, calm down, you're hyperventilating." He struggled to keep the panic out of his tone. Mob shook his head frantically.

"Okay! Okay, Mob, just breathe," Reigen shushed, rocking them back and forth slightly in their hug. He hoped it was comforting, he wasn't very well versed in hugs. Mob wasn't usually touchy like this.

He felt a few teardrops soak into his shirt before he collected himself.

He ran a hand through the back of Mob's bowl cut, "It looks like you got most of it out, but you probably want to get properly cleaned up, huh? How about I walk you home and-" Mob shook his head again.

"You don't want to go home?" Reigen took the resounding silence as a yes, "And you probably don't want to go to the office, right?" Nope, alright, last resort, "Okay, what about my apartment, then? You can get cleaned up and I'll order takeout." He sweetened the deal, "And we can watch those action shows you like?"

Mob thought about it; it had been a while since he had been to Reigen's apartment, but he remembers it being pretty cozy. He liked hanging out there when he was younger and his parents needed his boss to act as his pseudo-babysitter. Reigen always tried to make his few stays there fun. And although 'free' dinners were regular with Reigen, Mob was really hungry from missing lunch to hide in the Telepathy Club room. Takeout sounded like a dream at this point.

"Mhm." Mob hummed.

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

Reigen gathered his haphazardly folded pyjamas, placing them in Mob's arms. He shot the boy a smile, but Mob's eyes were glued to the ground, glazed over with a distant frown on his face. He took the clothes with a quiet thank you, padding into Reigen's small bathroom. The door clicked behind him loudly in the silence.

Reigen sighed, scrubbing his face with a hand. Maybe he should get into something comfier as well.

The shower started as Reigen dug around for anything remotely wearable. I hope I didn't give Mob the last of my clean laundry… Just then, Reigen pulled a crumpled sage green ('barf green' a particular spiky haired kid jeered in his mind) tracksuit from under his bed. It didn't have any obvious smells or stains so it was passable in Reigen's book.

He jumped into bed, relaxing into the pillows and dragging his laptop towards himself. As he sent out emails and filled out his calender with upcoming appointments, he heard the shower shut off. A few minutes later, Mob shuffled out of the bathroom, wet hair plastered to his forehead and cheeks red from the hot water (or from crying, his brain supplied unhelpfully). He was fiddling with the hem of the oversized sweatshirt Reigen gave him. It went past his hips and the sleeves pooled at his wrists. The pyjama pants he wore had to be rolled up at his ankles and cinched tight around his waist. Reigen didn't like he frail he looked.

Reigen pulled out his phone, rummaging through all of the random papers in his desk for a takeout menu. Just as he sat up to move to his couch, the mattress dipped next to him as Mob settled on the bed. He pulled his knees to his chest. Wordlessly, Reigen handed him the menu.

Once they had their food ordered, Reigen pulled up a new tab in Mobgle, quickly searching through suspicious websites for good quality rips of Mob's favourite shows.

"Cover your eyes, I don't know what kinda ads will pop up." He reminded Mob, chuckling. His student just hid his face in his knees.

Soon, they were huddled around Reigen's laptop, eating their dinners and watching TV. The show was in pretty good quality, but even then, Reigen had no idea what was happening. As he watched the flashy fight scenes, he wondered why kids even liked this stuff. It was just guys yelling at each other and blowing shit up with magic. He realised that might be a bit hypocritical, remembering the magical girl cartoons of his childhood. Kids like to watch other kids wear colourful outfits and fight with superpowers.

Reigen cringed; after seeing what that mentality did to real children, he couldn't watch the show without feeling a bit sick to his stomach. Or maybe it was the two bowls of ramen he ate…

The credits played softly, some woman singing about friendship over quiet piano. Reigen collected their leftover bowls and chopsticks, taking a quick three-step trip to the kitchen to throw out their trash. He stretched, wincing at the way his back popped way too loud to be healthy. As he made his way back, he realised Mob had paused their show.

Reigen hesitated at the side of his bed, before perching on the edge of it next to Mob. He reached out and patted his knee, silently imploring him to talk.

"Shishou-" Mob started, face crumpled in a way that looked painful, "I'm sorry for bothering you." He bowed, "I caused so much trouble today for no reason. I made you come to my school when you could have been working."

Reigen shook his head harshly, "No, no! No, Mob, you didn't bother me. You needed my help back there. What kinda shishou would I be if I didn't get you out of trouble, anyways? Besides," he cracked a smile, ruffling Mob's hair, "I don't blame you for skipping class after what that jerk did."

Mob ducked his head down, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"That's not… why I skipped." He whispered. Reigen stilled.

"No?"

Once again, Mob was tense. He was pulled so taught, he was shaking. The room held its breath for a minute or two as Mob collected his thoughts.

"I wasn't feeling well this morning. I had a nightmare- uhm- about school."

Reigen hummed softly, not wanting to break whatever spell made his student want to talk about what was bothering him.

Unfortunately, Mob held his tongue, falling silent again.

"What happened in your dream, Mob? You can talk to me, you know." Reigen prompted. Mob's face was blank, but his breathing came out in short bursts, revealing the emotions boiling just beneath the surface.

"Do you remember when we had to- to help that possesed girl?" It didn't make sense; why did Mob look so scared?

Reigen nodded. Of course he remembered that awful job; he remembered how he had to sit and watch his disciple put himself in danger while he could do absolutely nothing. He remembered getting in a cab to go home and how Mob refused to look him in the eye the whole ride, but glued himself to Reigen's side. He remembered how jumpy he was and how unstable Mob's powers were for a whole week after. Now, three weeks later, Reigen was just glad they got out of there without incident and they could put the whole thing behind them.

"Asagiri? Yeah, what about it?" Reigen replied flippantly.

Mob flinched.

"When I was in her mind with…" He was staring at his feet, gaze worryingly distant. It looked like he wasn't even present in their conversation– like he was only talking through himself from somewhere else.

"With Mogami," he mumbled the psychic's name, "I was in there for a long time. I think it was longer for me than it was for you."

Reigen stayed silent, rubbing small circles on Mob's knee with his thumb. He hoped his small reassurances were enough to clear that fog from Mob's eyes.

"Um- it was months, actually." He confessed. Months?! How could he have been there for months? It took only half an hour at most for Mob to exorcise Mogami. Reigen barely bit back his questions.

"That world I was in, it was…" he paused, struggling to find his words, "Shishou, you didn't exist and my family didn't either a-and-!" His grip around himself tightened. As his aura spiked, his hair started to float, revealing wide, scared eyes underneath.

"Everyone hated me– Minori hated me and Ritsu didn't care about me and all of my classmates thought I was awful-" Mob couldn't breathe. All he could see as he squeezed his eyes shut was Minori's malicious smile. The smile she gave him when she picked on him, called him names, cornered him in the halls, poured milk over his head. Cold sweat dripped down his face and it was like he was back there, his own blood gushing from his head and over his cheeks. It felt like dying.

Meanwhile, Reigen was getting more confused with each confession; what was this other world Mob was talking about? What does he mean he didn't exist? Were they still talking about Mob's dream? What does this have to do with Mob skipping class?

"I'm sorry, Mob, but I don't really get what you're trying to say?" Reigen said gently. Mob's eyes opened and he startled like he forgot Reigen was even there.

"M-Mogami," again he said it in a hushed tone, "He made a world in Minori's mind. It was like my life here but- but none of my friends were there. And I think my family wasn't either because... I lived alone." He didn't mention how Mogami took away his powers. He didn't know what he would do if Reigen found out what he did once he got them back.

"Minori…" Mob scrubbed his palms over his eyes, drying the tears springing up against his will "She always targeted me at school." 'And everywhere else,' was left unsaid.

"I don't know why, um– why she hated me so much, actually. One time…" His hands twisted in his borrowed sweatshirt, right above his stomach, "She spilled a carton of milk on me. On purpose." He confessed in a hushed voice.

Reigen's heart clenched. So that's what he's so upset about, he thought, relief flooding through him. Just as he started to make up a speech about how that job was over and he was safe, Mob continued speaking.

"A-and I was scared of going to class because…" The cups and plates in Reigen's cupboards started to rattle, "Be-because-" he flinched as a something shattered in the distance, phantom pains sparking on the skin of his cheek. Reigen paid the ruined dish no mind. He barely ate out of them anyways.

"My teachers they would- uh. If I got a-a question wrong… they hit me. Um- hard." Mob's words oozed shame. He hung his head, cheeks flush with humiliation.

It's not everything, Mob knew. It would probably never be everything, if he was being totally honest. Six months of pent up frustration at the world, crushing loneliness, and a hopelessness so all encompassing he thought he would choke on it every day couldn't be voiced in a single conversation. All Reigen needed was context right now, Mob told himself. There was no need to worry his shishou with details of box cutters and cats and the cackling laugh of high schoolers.

He threaded his fingers in his flowing bangs, "I know it's not real," he reassured himself, "But it's still so- it makes me feel so-" he floundered, mouth popping open and closed.

"Scared?" Reigen supplied weakly. This whole conversation made him feel like that, actually; scared and weak.

Mob finally looked him in the eyes and the open desperation could have made him cry. He opened his arms and Mob fell into him.

“I had a dream about it last night…” he croaked, “I co-couldn’t calm down all day. I was scared of hurting anyone s-so I hid in the club room instead of going to class.” Mob’s voice broke, “I’m sorry.” He whispered. Whether Mob was apologising for breaking the rules or for keeping this a secret from Reigen, he couldn’t tell.

Reigen tucked the boy's head under his chin, wrapping his arms around his small back. Small because he's a child. A child you failed to protect. He counted with Mob, trying to get his breathing under control. Reigen tried to stay present but his own distress was mounting by the second, stirring in his chest and making his heart race.

How long did Mob say he spent in that hellish world? Months? Reigen tightened their hug with shaking hands. Mob was trapped in Mogami’s manipulative illusion for so long with no one to turn to– not even himself it sounded like. Reigen was almost glad for it; he didn’t want to know how Mogami would have twisted their relationship. He didn’t want to think about what kind of irreparable harm he could have caused.

The thought of himself raising a hand to Mob in the same way his teachers had was enough to make him nauseous.

After what could have been hours of hushed voices and panicked sobs, Mob’s aura calmed down and Reigen’s apartment was finally still. Reigen held his student long past the sun setting, no matter how much his back protested the action. He rubbed circles in Mob’s back, talking about anything and everything until he slumped against his chest, fast asleep.

He was in the middle of a rant about the proper way to season pork when the peace was broken by his ringtone. It was muffled, tangled in the comforter they both sat on. He rifled through the blanket's folds, digging out his phone and flipping it open. The time blinked back at him.

"9:13 already?" He mused under his breath, hitting the answer button.

Before he could start up his customer service greeting, the woman on the line cut in.

"Reigen?" Mrs. Kageyama demanded, relief lacing her concern. Reigen's eyebrows rose.

"Oh, hey, Mrs. Kageyama." Reigen answered dumbly. She forewent her usual correction of the formality and rushed into the reason why she called.

"Is Shige with you? He was supposed to be home hours ago and he hasn't been answering his phone." Her tone was scolding but the frantic pace she spoke with gave away her anxiety. Reigen looked down at Mob's slowly rising and falling back as the boy dozed. He still clung to Reigen's middle in a tight grip, sitting up despite his exaustion.

"He's with me. Sorry for worrying you, I didn't see the time." He pinched between his eyes, "It's been a long day, if I'm being honest. Shigeo's asleep right now, but I can get him a cab or something if you need him home."

Mrs. Kageyama answered slowly, a warning just under her words, "Did something happen?"

Reigen winced.

Lying to Mob's parents wasn't something he loved doing- they already put so much trust in him with their son and violating that trust made his skin crawl. They could also be pretty intimidating when they wanted to be, especially his strict mother. What had happened on the Asagiri job was horrible and keeping that from Mob's parents didn't sit right with him.

On the other hand, Mob seemingly hadn't told anyone else about it yet. If his student wasn't comfortable telling his parents about Mogami, then Reigen had no place doing it for him.

"Nothing drastic. Just a bad night's sleep, I think," he stretched the truth. "He's hanging out at my place." Reigen let out a hollow laugh, "Don't worry, he's been fed. We were just eating ramen and watching TV before you called."

"I wasn't criticising you, Reigen." He could hear the smile in her voice as she teased him, "I'm sure you boys had lots of fun. Just make sure he hasn't been cursed or whatever it's called."

His smile strained. Sure, Mob hadn't been cursed by a spirit, but another kind of heavy presence hung over him. This was something they couldn't just exorcise in a second– something that would follow him around for the foreseeable future.

"I'll have you know, Mrs. Kageyama, I'll be 30 soon. I wouldn't exactly call myself a 'boy' anymore." Reigen joked weakly. It was hard to keep his festering guilt out of his voice.

She hummed sarcastically, "Goodnight, Reigen. Let me know when Shige wakes up." Reigen agreed and quickly hung up. He snapped his phone shut as quietly as possible, letting out a sigh into the remaining silence.

Judging by the time and the heavy weight of Mob's head on his shoulder as the boy slept soundly, Reigen was sure he wouldn't be getting back to Mrs. Kageyama anytime soon. He shot her a text saying just as much.

Gently, Mob's fists were released from the sides of his tracksuit. Reigen tucked him in, slipping off of the squeaky mattress. He nabbed his laptop from where it lay forgotten next to Mob's head, settling onto his couch and resting it on his stomach. The couch was way too small for Reigen to sleep on, but he could handle his ankles dangling off the arm for one night if it meant Mob would sleep peacefully in turn. He reached around under his coffee table, finding a thin fleece blanket with a triumphant smirk he didn't really feel. It also didn't cover his feet.

Reigen fell into a restless sleep, passing out in the early hours of the morning with his clunky laptop pressing into his gut uncomfortably.

The only solace from his endless nightmares, was the soft, steady snores of his student filling the air in his apartment. Everytime he woke, stomach roiling and berating himself over how badly he had failed Mob, he was comforted by that noise.

Part of Reigen knew that it was probably because the boy was exhausted after the day he's had, but a smaller, softer part of him wanted to believe he put the boy's dreams at ease. The thought that Mob felt safe and cared for, at least for now, in his presence warmed his heart– no matter how much he tried to deny it.

Reigen dialled Salt Middle School the next morning, calling his student in sick. He and Mob spent the day walking through parks and eating mochi, instead. They don't talk about their conversation last night, but Mob leans into his space more than usual and Reigen makes sure to smile at his student more; when they part for dinner, Reigen ruffles his hair and Mob huffs out a faint laugh, not bothering to duck away from his hand.

[buckysmith]

What would ghost be like as a dad?

Thope you don't mind that I added the other characters too :)

And sorry that u had to wait so long, but I didn't like it the first few times when I wrote it :(

MW2 Characters as dads

Ghost:

- he gives them anything

- he just can't say no to his kids and he wants them to have a better lives than he had

- he spoils them rotten

- a bit overwhelmed with changing diapers

- he would be worried about them the whole time

- he wouldn’t want them to go out but he knows they have to

-his kids are his everything, nobody would ever lay a finger on them

- he teaches them tricks to survive

- he wouldn’t want them to join the military

- he let them do anything to him

- so he end up with red painted nails, thick eyebrows and his hair full of hair clips

- he cuddles with his kids, when they want even when they’re already adults

- soap is the godfather of his kids

Graves:

- you know the baseball/ sport  dads? He's one of 'em

- his kids are his pride and joy and he shows them that

- he's the one that treats his kids till their a certain age like a princes/prince

- then he would start to teach them to have manners, to not get greedy and to defend themselves

- he's the first one who would train his kids, at first he would start playfully, but over the time it would become more seriously

- he can be pretty serious and his kids know they have to listen to him no matter what

- he wouldn't really push his kids to do anything but he would want them to at least attend self defense lessons

- he would go hunting with them

- even though he doesn't seem like that he's into cuddles, he is, he really is, he enjoys cuddling with his s/o and kids

- he’s very patient with his little ones even though he doesn’t seem to be patient

- he shows his kids to his teammates

- he takes them to the base all the time showing his team “their seconds in command”

- his team would most likely give them candy all the time

- they are a big family

Soap:

-sports dad too

- he’s the biggest supporter

- you can hear him shouting over the whole field

- he’s the one that would tell a kid to fuck of instead of saying that his kid needs to do it themself

- he can’t say no to ice cream and McDonald’s

- while his kid is getting the kids menu, he eats one Big Macs and 20 nuggets of his own (he wouldn’t like to share with his kid… but he’s an adult…and he can’t say no to his kids)

- he isn’t the guy that likes spicy things so imagine his red face when he accidentally eats a spicy nugget

- while he’s dying while driving his kid is sitting in the back row dying of laughing

- he would try to hide the fact that he got his kid McDonald’s but with a red face and his kid telling the other parent what happened it wouldn’t work…

- he would do anything for his kid

- definitely teaches his kid how to defend themself

- ghost is the godfather

- if he has a kid that likes makeup he would most likely sit there and getting his hair/ face done

- he always makes selfies from whatever his kid made

- he kinda likes the red lipstick

Price:

- he’s the dad on the couch, snoring likes he’s about to cut down a whole fucking forest

- he likes to watch movies with his kids

- his kids like the movie frozen and he does too

- his boy wants to wear a Elsa’s dress to watch the new movie in the cinema but is too scared to do so, so he would buy himself the same dress and wears it with his son

- if one of his kids like to do Make-up he’s into it too

- he wouldn’t mind to go out with his kids to play outside with a full face makeup

- he knows hes getting dirty anyways so he only has to wash himself once

- he once let his kid put glitter in his beard and he had to shave it off cause it wasn’t just glitter , it was glitter GLUE

- he hunts his kids through the whole house

- they like it, cause there’s a lot of hiding places he build for them to hide, to small to fit him or other adults so they would mock him and then hide themselves in one of that hides

- they wouldn’t know why he did this till they’re old enough to understand that he did this to teach them where they could hide themselves

- he steals nuggets from them

- his kids know that sometimes he needs to be very serious

- they listen to him no matter what

- he teaches them to defend themselves

- they love ghost and soap

- Gaz is the big brother and always there on thanksgiving or other holidays

Alejandro:

- his kids love him like a god but are lowkey scared of him

- he can be pretty damn intimidating but in reality he’s a pretty big softy

- he loves to cuddle his kids, kissing them and praising the shit out of ‘em

- but he isn’t scared of telling them when they did something wrong

- it once happened that his kid tried Make-up at him and he had to leave immediately after they put red water and smudge proof lipstick on his lips

- well- rodolfo had a good laugh just like the whole team

- he’s king in changing diapers

- after that they would gif him a red lipstick to his birthday, to Christmas and every single holiday and that every single year

- he teaches his kids to handle weapons

- he would have to tell them that they have to deny him when they’re asked if they know him

- he likes to lay down on the couch, cuddling with his loved ones and watching some stupid movie

- he loves the movie tangled

- rodolfo is the godfather of all of his kids

- Rodolfo once asked him if he wanted to create a whole new squad with all his kids, earned him a good smack against the head

- he would eat something and after it’s long gone he would remember that his kids wanted to eat that

- after that he goes shopping, cooking the exact same thing or just getting them whatever they want

Gaz:

- even though he’s young he’s quite good with kids

- he’s getting nauseous when he changes diapers

- price sees his kid as his grandkid

- he would try to be strict with his kid but fails terrible when his kid looks at him with puppy dog eyes

- he didn’t plan on being a father that young but he’s the best dad

- he would teach his kids everything that might help them in the future

- he wouldn’t pressure them to do anything

- his kid wants to do makeup? He’s the first one to buy makeup. His kid wants to be like dad? He shows them his tricks.

- the only thing that might be a little problem if his kid likes clowns

- he’s scared shitless but as their dad he can’t show them that

- he would be the father that tells his kids that there’s food at home

- he’s to scared to face his fiancé with other food

[loganthrives]

Same here in Canada, not interested in debating how much more or less so. Our militaries are constantly collaborating on shit so anything the US is responsible for, WE are responsible for too. Who's in the chair matters too especially since Trump because all that right-wing bigoted ideology has infested our politics. The premier for New Brunswick doesn't want trans kids to use chosen names without informing their parents, violating their privacy and outing them and exposing them to potentially dangerous situations. There's a whole political party gaining traction that's anti-abortion, anti-women, anti-immigrant and queerphobic as well. Trans people are losing rights all over the country. We were supposed to be transitioning to clean energy sources and electric vehicles and whatnot, but they recently invaded Indigenous land and drilled another oil well under a lake in Wet'suwet'an territory. We aren't even refining it ourselves - it goes into a pipeline to be shipped to the US and refined there, endangering more natural and Indigenous properties because neither my government nor the US give a fuck about the environment nor the people who have to live next to a pipeline that will inevitably burst. They ALWAYS do. And it was a member of the NDP who sent the RCMP to invade their land to drill under the lake - the supposedly GOOD party. They're all fucking crooks.

And honestly that's probably only scratching the surface. That's just the shit I know anything about.

And don't give me anything about vote blue. Y'all lost the rights to getting abortions without being hunted for sport on his watch. Trans people lost their human rights and rights to medical care on his watch dozens of states over. ADHD med shortages were on his watch. The Tiktok ban and the frankly horrifying precedent that sets was on his watch. Israel is bombing Palestine with his expressed consent and support. Police are brutalizing and arresting peaceful protesters on his watch. I'm not scared of Trump any more because Biden's already running his playbook. There's no real difference between them.

If you want to make a difference, protest. Look up the voting rules for your state. What happens if you spoil a ballot, write in a different candidate, or write anything else on the ballot such as ceasefire? Don't get lazy and vote for genocide Joe again because he's supposed to be the better option (he fails under any amount of scrutiny IMO), because you haven't bothered to do any amount of research as to what you can do at the polling place instead.

Look it up. Do it now. Before November. Make a plan and follow through. Demand change in a way they will be forced to listen to. Protest. The world is watching.

Why do you care about the US election? Aren’t you Australian?

The US is (unfortunately) one of the most dominant government powers in the world. I don’t know how to explain to you that that affects people outside the US too.

Literally right now there is an ADHD medication shortage in the New Zealand and Australia because it’s a major US export here and we don’t make it ourselves (or at least not on the scale required).

We are still in negotiations and the US hasn’t budged an inch.

In 1975, the CIA interfered with our politics under the Ford administration and got one of the most progressive prime ministers we’ve ever had dismissed.

There are US military bases on Australian soil.

Australian soldiers have died for US “wars” and their pride and greed.

In 2017, Trump tweeted about how a deal made during the Obama administration to admit 1,250 refugees to the US (while we took in many more refugees from the US, which ironically would have helped with his whole “their taking our jobs” rhetoric bullshit) was “dumb” and openly mocked it throwing a hissy hit, saying Putin was much more pleasant to talk to than our prime minister. In the end 300 refugees were relocated. Less than a quarter of the people originally promised to be helped. Because the presidency changed. To an idiotic, broke, failed reality TV Star who’d rather tweet out political secrets than think for one second about anyone but himself.

It fucking matters to me who’s in the chair.

[obeymeluv]

“I Got All A’s! Can I Have Some Dick?” (Bros + Undateables)

Just something stupid and funny I thought about. You had a very tough semester in the Devildom and you got good grades! You want to celebrate and go to your favorite demon to ask for a special reward.

Obvious NSFW warning. No minors allowed!

No Luke. Luke is baby.

I have a personal headcanon that Simeon likes to be totally cozy when he writes. We’re talking big fluffy sweaters or a blanket cozy. I like to think he wears glasses when he writes, too.

Lucifer

He’s part of a special committee who’s notified about your grades/progress so he actually knows before you do

Proud boyfriend is proud

Purrs when he opens up the wax-pressed envelope and reviews your marks

Secretly plans a cute, fancy dinner date at Ristorante Six

Is thinking of being suave and breaking the news to you when you bounce into his study (he may or may not have poured a couple of glasses of your favorite age-appropriate beverage)

He’s got something witty prepped and is ready to toast you and maybe steal a few kisses but you come out of left field like a bullet with a simple “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”

Lucifer.exe is broken

That’s what you want as a reward? No dinner, no date?

Literally doesn’t know what to say for a few seconds. Totally freezes. Starts to stutter.

His brain kicks back in when you start playing with the folds of his collar and petting his chest and staring at him with those wanting eyes

Sets his glass down, fixes the cuff of his gloves, and hoists you up to plant you on the nearest surface. “I will make it worth every point, and you will say all the letters.” he purrs.

Mammon

He’s just happy he passed.

Mammon actually does pretty well, he’s just a very...chaotically successful type. A lot of last minute turn-ins and such. Not top marks, but no dunce either.

Now that the semester’s over he’s checking his schedule to see when the next shoot is or if he has time to squeeze in a party. Maybe a trip somewhere. Something fun!

He’s feeling lucky! Lucky enough to win some money and make Goldie happy!

If he’s going anywhere, he needs a good luck charm though! He goes to hunt you down and his stomach just warms because you’re smiling and clearly in a good mood

It makes him purr in that cute, curious little way. Basically using the demon’s language to ask you why you’re in such a good mood (but you don’t know that. It’s basically a cute chirp).

You both shout your good news at the same time.

His invite to go tear it up was a bit long so it takes a minute for his brain to process what you said. You want...his dick?

Boy wants to blush SO BAD. HE’S SO RED!

Well now his thing seems stupid, doesn’t it? He wants to do your thing! Your thing sounds GREAT!

“OF COURSE you want to be with the GREAT Mammon!” he’s got his hands on his hips and his chest is puffed out big in that happy, silly way he has about him.

No, really, you do your thing. It’s a great thing.

It’s a good way to unwind from exams, right? He likes it!

Levi

If Levi didn’t get good grades, Lucifer would kill him.

Probably force him to go to school physically ALL THE TIME!

HIS SUBSCRIPTIONS WOULD BE AT RISK,OKAY?

He’s a solid B student (at least). No desire to be all A’s. Too much time away from other passions.

Because he’s well-behaved and leas likely to get on Lucifer’s nerves, he gets a little bit of bonus money for good grades.

Levi’s neck-deep in his charts and comparisons and muttering to himself about where to invest that money when you pop into his room

“I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?!”

You get The Noise

How indecent! How naughty of you to ask! But yes, yes you can. Absolutely. 100%!

He’s really shy about it because it’s sudden and you asked him instead of him having a cool moment or anything, but it ends up being a giggle-filled romp that ends with a cuddle in his bathtub bed and you wrapped up in his tail

He totally suggests a round two with a sexy VR game or just making bets with ‘winner take all’

Satan

He’s a grade juggernaut with lots of self-discipline so Satan expects to get out what he gets in

The type to be smug because he knows he did well. He owes it to himself and he’s glad.

Likes to treat himself to an outing, be it a simple walk or a visit to a cafe or even a new book

Satan’s 100% ready to settle down with some books by the fireplace. At the end of the semester he typically makes a one or two-portion charcuterie board and picks at it while he reads

Thumb keeping his place, Satan’s in the middle of stacking a fancy little cracker with meat and cheese when you let yourself in

His eyes flick to you and he smiles, eating his little cracker

You pick at his tray with him (he’ll let you, of course). “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”

Chokes on cracker. It’s not a good time

Almost drowns himself/further chokes trying to wash it down with drink

Can’t help but laugh at your...bold request

When he sees he’s kind of sputtered all over himself, he slips out of his clothes and makes a few witty jokes as your ‘naked butler’

Naked butler happily provides his services

Later he makes you picked crushed cracker off the floor with him

Asmo

The second Asmo knew he passed everything (like he always does. Just because he’s pretty doesn’t mean he’s stupid!), he booked himself a full day pampering experience

His inner circle of beauty specialist know his routine so they save his spots for him

Asmo sweet-talked them into including his favorite human and he’s DYING to tell you and DYING to make his brothers jealous

You skip into his room, so bright and lovely, and hold his hands in the cute excited way he likes. Makes his heart skip a beat every time like it’s young love.

“I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”

Doesn’t expect it and has probably never been asked ‘Can I have some dick?’ in the thousands of years he’s been alive

Boy gives an airy laugh because he’s surprised and flattered. Of COURSE you want him (because who wouldn’t?) but he always gets a bit shy when it’s YOU asking

“Sounds amazing,” he’s already peppering you with kisses, “and I’m happy to provide but can we do it after our special spa day?”

You guys have a sweet, lazy round the day of the booking to ‘loosen up’ and ‘fully appreciate the services’ and he DEFINITELY worships you when all is said and done because ‘the epitome of beauty deserve the epitome of devotion’

Beel

Boy works hard and celebrates even harder. Usually with food

Because he’s always hungry and looking forward to eating, Beel likes to do his work ahead of time. The sooner he does it, the more time he has to eat!

He has to keep up good grades to stay on the sports teams, anyways

Solid B student, sometimes A’s. C’s and below aren’t a thing. He refuses.

Because he is also best boy and generally acts as Lucifer’s pseudo-enforcer, he also gets some bonus money.

The coach of his local sports team also pitches in because Beel is best boy and a TANK. He could literally carry the whole team

Beel’s all set to hit the town with his food money when find him and wrap your arms around him

He’s all excited and ready to tell you about the food money when you make his face catch fire. “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”

Brain also stops. BEEL IS SO EMBARRASSED!

You’d rather have him than food? That’s pretty impressive! He’s honored!

But...what if you could have both? He’s totally down for both!

You celebrate your success by staying in (bed) and spoiling yourselves with food in-between rounds

Belphie

Belphie is a ‘C’s get degrees’ kind of guy but C’s are his minimum. Tries for B’s and usually gets mid-to-low B’s.

With exams over he’s 100% down to sleep the day away and there’s NO REASON for ANYONE TO BUG HIM ABOUT IT!

Totally prepared to live in his finest pyjamas until school starts again. Might even treat himself to a new pillow or blanket!

If he hadn’t learned your scent by now, you wouldn’t have a face when you breach his blanket cocoon

Belphie just snorts and smiles at your little face and messy hair (the blankets give it static and mess it up)

You kiss his nose and wait to make sure he’s really awake before sharing the good news. “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”

Laughs himself to the point of almost choking on one of his blankets

Throws himself out of the cocoon to breathe and wipe his tears away

But yes, yes you can. After he calms down, he pulls you onto his lap to straddle him. 

It’s fun and lazy but a genuine celebration of the end of the semester

Diavolo

He’s the other part of the committee that saw your grades, so he knows

It’s a bit off his plate so he won’t have as many duties to attend to

Diavolo wasn’t sure when you’d come over, but Barbatos assured him you’d be over that day. He did his best to speed through his meetings and arrange his schedule to have a rest period

He asked Barbatos to prepare a small, modest lunch of finger foods and some complimentary tea

You may have thought Diavolo was making himself a plate when you walked in, but it was actually a plate for you

The prince of the Devildom almost dropped that plate when you said, “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”

Prince of Hell is super blushy and flustered and awkward and almost knocks his teacup off the table. Is suddenly scrambling to make sure he doesn’t know anything else off the table

Tries to compose himself but can’t help the boyish smile and laugh that escapes him

You’re just such a lovely, fascinating person! He’s so happy to have you. His life seems eternal but you make it so fresh and new! His heart just bursts with love and delight.

Is no longer worried about the food or pushing in your chair for you. Offers his lap instead. “I have an opening for that,” he assures, pulling you onto his lap.

Diavolo likes to think he’s thoughtful about taking you on the floor because Barbatos doesn’t have much to clean up.

If your stomach grumbles after you’re settled and sleepy, he pulls himself off your body long enough to grab a plate from the table and put it beside your head. 

Demons have more stamina and it would be un-princely of him not to spoil you, so he feeds you until you’re too sleepy to eat.

Barbatos

It’s exhausting to be able to see multiple timelines and see into the future.

He never knows how far into the future he’s seeing, or if it’s in the timeline he’s currently in

All he knows is he heard you ask him for dick and almost dumped the wrong thing in the soup, okay? 

Had to excuse himself and ask someone on the cooking team to take over for him while he “dealt with another matter” (laughed it out where no one could hear him)

I’m not sure if Barbatos is considered a student at RAD, but Diavolo must be too. We’ll say he is. Boy is a master of self-discipline and scheduling so he’s fine. Flawless, as a butler should be. It carries over into all things.

It’s a delicate balance sometimes, but he’s type A and used to being busy so it works itself out. He does well.

Barbatos simply looks forward to having less to do. Focusing on Diavolo can be a job all its own.

He was planning on making a few sweets for Luke and the others. Diavolo suggested a “pot luck” to celebrate. It’s something the humans came up with and he seems to like it. It turns into sweets for the pot luck

Probably makes you a special mini-dessert or a special portion of the dessert

If he’s in control of plate presentation, you might get a special sauce heart of chocolate heart

When Diavolo is generous enough to include him in the celebration (because he deserves it and you’re there, so it’d be cruel not to), Barbatos makes small talk and woos you subtly

You ask him to “show you where to take the dishes” to get him alone. He can feel it in his little demon bones. You’re about to do it.

You do it.

You’re basically vibrating with excitement because you probably planned this and think you’re very clever. Human enthusiasm is so darling and it makes his heart pitter-patter to think you were simply bursting to ask HIM this.

“But of course,” he helps you stack the plates and guides your hand to the silverware sorter because you’re looking at him instead of what you’re doing. You almost put a fork in the spoon section. “Covered in chocolate? Plain?”

He’s trying to one-up you. He loves seeing his human change colors and not know what to do.

You whisper “I prefer wet,” back in his ear and Barbatos wonders how he didn’t see THAT in any of his visions

You: 1, Barbatos: 0. Helpless. Defenseless. Horny.

“That will be ready shortly,” he’s already pulling you away, down the hall, to meet your request.

Solomon

It wouldn’t serve him to do poorly in the Devildom. Basically wasted opportunity

He’s not a straight A student but he does well. Really pulls out the stops on major projects and things that are worth more points than others

Isn’t perfect at everything but makes up for it. Solid B’s, always really close to A’s. At least a couple low A’s.

Solomon doesn’t quite know how he wants to celebrate. He knows Asmo’s already pestering him to go shopping or clubbing

He’s considering it. He’d like to drink, honestly

You show up, light of his life, his favorite person, and he feels himself warm with joy

He revels in being the only other human in the Devildom. It makes your relationship that much more special, he thinks. It’s kind of stupid, but it’s something to coyly hold over the others whenever he sees fit. All in play, of course (not).

“I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”

Pretends to think and looks anywhere but your face. If he looks at your face he’ll blush himself stupid and won’t be able to say anything smart.

He can’t lie. He’s already hard. He appreciates humor and wit and you’re all of it.

Very bold of you to come onto him like that, and he’s 100% for it.

“Can you take it?” Solomon wishes he said something smoother, that he wasn’t already slipping between your legs and grinding against you like the weak man he was. He doesn’t regret it though because the friction is good. Something you both need.

He whispers against your skin and gives you light, sloppy kisses with a hint of teeth.

He gives, and he’s generous. He wants to reward your efforts.

Simeon

Simeon makes it a point of personal pride to do well in the Devildom

That’s the utmost symbol of peace and understanding, isn’t it? To embrace their culture and livelihood and do well? To do well means he’s understanding them and walking in their shoes. It’s only right

He works hard and does well. Doesn’t stress himself out with A’s since he’s keeping up his grades because it’s required. He’d rather reconnect with the brothers and try to help Luke enjoy the Devildom.

He’s happy to spend his free time taking Luke to places in the Devildom, trying to visit the House of Lamentation, and maybe working on some things for TSL since editors are clamoring for more

You stop by because he’s been fairly quiet, wrapped up in his favorite writing sweater with his little editing glasses on

Simeon smiles and greets you with his little ‘Hi, angel’ as he kisses your hand. 

Boy almost breaks his favorite pen when you ask him for...for dick?

He’s not absolutely clueless but this boy has been in ‘holy angel’ mode for centuries. He struggles with texting and stickers and you expect him to know slang?!

So confused he takes his glasses off. Boy can’t comprehend

“You’re asking me to procure one? Like...the ones humans use from those stores? You want mine? Well, I certainly hope so because we’re--oh...”

He could write books of poetry about you, and though he doesn’t like to admit it, he’s had those thoughts

“Well,” he’s standing up from his chair and guides you so gently to his bed it’s like you’re floating on a cloud. He lays you down just as gently, fabrics whispering as he slips out of his sweater and it pools at his feet. “I wouldn’t be a very good angel if I ignored the wishes of my dear human, would I?”

Doesn’t really see the point of sex as a reward, but will never turn down a moment to show how cherished you are. 

Hope you liked it :)