#just looking out for future me yanno

[blue-as-the-languid-skies]

today I finally shared a few lines from one of the many poems I’ve marked in one of many poetry books I’ve bought. I’ve been meaning to do that and I even made a whole blog for it but I just .-. haven’t. I don’t want to do much but I’m always doing shit I don’t want to be doing. so today I decided to say fuck my to-do list & I only did things I wanted to do (for the most part, anyways). and yeah, I needed it.

[on all of my poetry books] I’ve had to stay away from the ouchy ones cause they make me wanna die a little more sad. so they’re shelved for now & I’m sitting with a few that are more hopeful and positive cause lord knows I need more of that shit rn. (thank you @AprilGreen cause Bloom for Yourself has been lovely to read through)

//

I still feel like shit but at least they’re marked for when I’m ready to //feel// the happy / positive ones :}

[wabblebees]

assigning me homework is cruel and unusual, actually

[mrfutureboy]

skfkdkksksk

[manicpixiefelix]

head, heart, hand. {Felix Catton/Reader/Oliver Quick}

Part 1.

Summary: It had been a long time since your world has revolved around anyone but Felix Catton. He was like that; undeniably, unassumingly magnetic. You'd watched countless fawning, fairweather friends drawn into his orbit, only to be cast out when he eventually got bored of them, but not you, never you. Maybe you were a toy in the beginning, the thing they'd all called you when they were feeling especially petty, but it became clear that Felix has wanted to keep you around. You weren't a toy, you weren't family, you were a sharp and beautiful tool, too good, too useful to be put down. Your loyalty was rewarded with a life in his shape. Felix was like the sun, and you lived your life enjoying his warmth, and wanting to keep him shining.

{ masterpost }

Need to Know: They/Them. Explicitly NB Reader. FWB!Reader with Felix, Venetia, and implied Farleigh in this chapter. Reader is from a well off family but has pretty much been adopted by the Cattons.

Warnings: Smut (M & F Receiving (not reader)), discussions of gender set in 2003 (no slurs tho). Degrading language (reader is referred to as as dog)

A/N: 3698 words. HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME!! Im so excited for this, this first chapter is essentially setting up the reader's life and dynamic with Felix and the Cattons. There's some Venetia/Reader and implied Farleigh/Reader but its the casual kind of sexuality they all share in the movie, yanno? Please let me know what you think, i LOve feedback!

Taglist: @strangemaximoff @renaissance-mama @tsach @malscorner @xhoneymoonx134 @yelchinweasleylothbrok @tarriea @florencediet @butitsbetterifyoudoittoem @belladonnadarksshade @fandom-multiamory @snazzynacho @jubileexoxo @soocore @be-lla-vie @nightingale2124 @willow-sages @null4ndv0id @gracieluvthemoon @day2dream @marvellover98 @navixfr @bitxhinthecomments @daintylovers @alesunsets @noturningbacknow @d0llysposts @alilcloudy

----

You can't quite remember a time where your world didn't revolve around Felix Catton. He's rather like that; magnetic. His very aura is intoxicating, suffocating, until they're breathless and all but gasping his praises. You've seen it happen countless times since you'd first met him all those years ago.

Felix is affectionate and tactile, always yearning for contact with those around him like he has no idea how it looks from the outside. His hand around your shoulders, your waist, a kiss on your cheek, offering you a bump of coke from the back of his hand - you'd been too young when it has started for anything to seem too far when you're older. It felt only natural that you'd learned in due course the sensation of his mouth and hands on every inch of your body, just as you could name every part of him from the touch of your lips alone. Or Farleigh. Or Venetia. It was one of the many things that seemed far too normal growing up in such an insular, secluded environment. But everyone knew you were Felix's, even if he decided to share you on occasion.

Summers by the lake and Winters by the fire, Saltburn was where you found yourself when you found Felix to be your home. Months long sleepovers, and of all one hundred and seventy nine rooms, you share a bed with Felix most nights. Innocent children huddled for comfort, sharing dreams and laughter and hope for the future; adolescents turn to teenagers, and though the bed sharing continues, it does not remain so innocent.

And you are the only one to taste his hesitation the first time he ever kisses you, the only one to hear him breathless with surprised delight the first time you take his cock in your mouth since he's bored and wonders what everyone's going on about.

"What if I'm shit at it?"

"Do you want practice?"

The script is more of a formality when you're a few years into high school and both expecting to start screwing around.

Nervous, inexperienced touches easily became familiar, intimate gestures.

Its not something you talk about at school or in public, the people in your lives know you're close, but couldn't reasonably gauge the full extent beyond some schoolyard rumours... Which are technically true. But you both downplay it to most of the world. Perhaps it's about keeping up the appearance of availability; less chances to hook up with other people if they all assume you're taken.

A lot of your school life is about keeping up appearances, but that comes with the territory of being a well-to-do child of a wealthy family. At least you don't have to weather it alone.

With the amount of money your families are throwing at the schools you attend, of course you've forgotten more love showings of Shakespeare's comedies and dramas and tragedies than most students around the nation have even heard of, good only for how Felix's friend group - and you always amongst them - make fun of some of the truly awful lines.

Still, there are moments when the pretense drops. You catch each other holding reverence for the way the world speaks about love -

"You do impeach your modesty too much -" Felix is ahead of you in the maze, looking for a break from his family after Elspeth had insisted upon you all taking a trip to see A Midsummer Night's Dream in the city.

"What?" You laughed; it was getting dark, the solar fairy lights were beginning to glow amongst the imposing walls of leaves. Felix grins over his shoulder at you.

"Like in the play, remember? Near the start, Demetrius and one of the girls; you do impeach your modesty too much to leave the city and commit yourself into the hands of one that loves you not."

"Yeah but you love me, though," you laugh, and quicken your pace to catch his hand. You find yourself remembering the scene with a smile, but as the maze opens up ahead to the centre clearing, Felix slows. Pulling you close, he walks you to the wall of the maze, the strong branches and glossy leaves against your back.

"To trust the opportunity of the night, and the- the," his expression is playfully annoyed as he searches for the line.

"Something about it being deserted?" You supplied with little more than a murmur, thrill running down your spine as his body is warm, pressed against yours.

"Fuck, thanks, yeah," he breaks character for a moment with a huff of laughter, warm affection in his eyes, before that hungry, wanting look passes over him again, "to trust the opportunity of the night, and the ill counsel of a desert place with the rich worth of your virginity."

"The rich worth of my virginity?" You can't help but giggle, and Felix again breaks, if only to roll his eyes. As he pulls back, however, you wrap an arm around him, softly apologising, promising to play along. Again, he feeds you the line, and this time you lean into it, into the moment, into the intensity in his eyes. There's so much barely concealed want in his gaze, it overwhelms you, all you can think to do is kiss him.

"Your virtue is my privilege," you gasp amidst frantic kisses, wrapping your arms around him, trying desperately to remember the rest of the lines you know that you'd also been taken with in the theatre. Pulling back for just a second, you see him grinning when you take his face in your hands, "it is not night when I do see your face, therefore - something something - not night." The two of you erupt back into laughter before his mouth finds yours again, and the two of you are wrapped up in each other, blindly stumbling towards the solid statue you both know is there.

"Nor doth this wood," you find your voice again when Felix is leaning against the statue and you're making quick work of his undoing belt, "lack worlds of company, for you -" and with his belt undone, the two of you pause, taking stock of the moment. Both breathing heavily, you lean in and give him a languid kiss, your fingers looped into the waistband of his nice trousers, "for you," you murmur with a grin, lips inches from his, "in my respect, are all the world."

These are the lines that you knew without hesitation, the lines burned into your heart as you'd heard them uttered, and felt them resonate even back in the theatre. You grin, wondering if he'd wanted to hear them more than you'd longed to say them. As you kiss down his jaw, lips on his throat with intent to leave a bruising hickey, you free his cock, working your hand up and down his length.

"The how can it be said that I am alone," you kiss the hickey as it begins to bloom dark against his perfect throat, and sink to your knees before him, heart practically bursting to see the way he looks at you in this moment, all love and lust and appreciation for what you're about to do, "when all the world is here to look upon me?"

You watch others come and go from his life, watch him fuck around with other pretty elites, and had your fair share of flings too. The two of you gossip and brag to one another about your conquests, tease each other about terrible lays, or who the other has their eyes on next. There's never jealousy; as long as the other is happy, neither of you is concerned. After all, in the end, you always come back to one another.

Naturally Felix who you come out to first, the two of you sharing a smoke while playing cards by the window of his high school dorm room. Its after midnight, you should definitely be back in your own room, but the two of you have never really adhered to those rules, and the heads of your respective dorms stopped caring years ago. At the time you don't exactly have the right words to explain, but you ask him -

"Hey, you know you're a guy, right?"

He doesn't frown, but his nose gives this little scrunch as he's considering your words and his cards.

"Haven't put much thought into it, but yeah," he rearranges his cards for a moment before looking up at you with those gorgeous, brown eyes full of curiosity, "why?"

"I dunno," you shrugged briefly, as if you hadn't been struggling with for what's felt like months, "remember all those bars in France last summer?"

"Flashes of it," Felix smirks momentarily, "I'm still not sure if I believe Farleigh that he won our bet, but I suppose I'll have to trust him."

"With the amount of free drinks he was getting I'm surprised he even remembers properly," you can't help but laugh, though the moment is short-lived.

"What about it?" Felix finally prompts. For a long moment you're quiet, and the two of you finish up the round of cards.

"You know how we kept going to those underground gay bars because they didn't ask us for ID?"

"Again, vaguely."

"Some of them had these pictures on the walls of like, gays, and lesbians, and ladies with cocks, and men with tits, or big scars on their chests and bushes, and they all... They all looked really happy in those photos," as you spoke, unable to look at him, only watching his hands as he shuffled the deck. You know he's frowning, trying to follow along, but he's also not interrupting you, giving you space in what feels like an important moment, "I think I'm kind of like that."

A moment passes between you two.

"I know," Felix finally says, and you look up, surprised.

"You know?"

"We're all like that, aren't we? You, me, Farleigh, Venetia - mum keeps reminding us that she was a lesbian whenever it's even slightly relevant -" he begins to smile fondly but your surprise turns back to concern as you begin to shake your head.

"No, not like that, Fi," you sigh, and reach for the cigarette box as he begins to deal, "I don't think I fit the boy-girl thing." Once again the quiet lapses out as the lighter sparks to life. You inhale a lung full of smoke, looking out of the window to the star-filled sky, "I'm not a guy with a bush or a girl with a dick, I'm not..." You shrugged, looking at him, "I dunno what I am."

Once the cards are dealt, he finally looks at you, tips his head in that way he does when he's trying to figure something out.

"You're my best mate." He says it so simply, the faintest smile beginning to grace his lips, "you don't have to be anything if you don't want to be."

You don't realise how anxious you were about this moment until your breath comes out as a stuttering exhalation.

"Yeah?" You swallow hard, voice surprisingly weak and hopeful in the same moment, "you don't mind?"

"Kind of seems like a shit thing for me to have any strong feelings about."

"But you've known me as I am for so long -"

"Exactly; I love you, guy-girl or anything, doesn't change you," this is the moment, you realise, that you'd do absolutely anything for the boy in front of you.

"I love you too, Fi."

As he reaches across the small space for the cigarette, you lean in and kiss him before you hand it over; he's grinning as he kisses you.

It only takes a week for you to tell him about the name you'd settled on.

"I think I'm going to start going by Y/N," in the library, you, Felix, and Farleigh are getting very little work done when you bring it up.

"Changing your name?" Farleigh asks, eyebrows raised as he looks up from the same page of Heart of Darkness that he'd been reading for half an hour. You glance to Felix briefly, but he simply gives an encouraging nod to his cousin, and you, once more with your heartbeat racing, explain your relatively new identity change.

"So do we use he-she when we talk about you now?" Farleigh asks, voice genuinely confused rather than malicious. At this you give pause, you hadn't much thought about it; of course people gossiped about you, but you hadn't realised that if you were to be going forth with your new identity, you'd have to ask people to change the very language they used about you.

"I don't think so; I'm not he or she, and he-she is a bit much," you ponder, "I guess just them?"

"Hey did you hear about Y/N?" Felix stage-whispered to Farleigh, grinning. His cousin leaned in, keeping up with the bit and testing out your new name and pronouns seamlessly.

"No, what did they do?" He gasped. All you could do was chuckle, ducking your head to hide how wide you were smiling at how right it all sounded, how right it all felt to hear about yourself. With a firm nod, Farleigh sits back up, "okay, yeah, I can get with it. Y/N," he says decisively.

"Y/N does rather suit you," Felix agreed.

As you begin to come out to the rest of your friends and the school as a whole, you're surprised at how smoothly the transition occurs. You expected more resistance, more name calling, more bullying of any kind; of course there's the occasional bit of harrassment, and several people in the halls turn an unkind eye upon you, but it's been far easier than you'd expected.

Its only when you find Farleigh with a black eye that you learn that he and Felix have been getting into fights with people who've been talking shit behind your back. Of course you beg them to stop, insist they shouldn't be getting hurt on your behalf, least of all about this, but Felix smiles with a split lip.

"As if I'm going to let them get away with it."

Historically, Felix's girlfriends never seem to like you at first. Which they definitely shouldn't; it took him a few girls to remember that he shouldn't let them see him touching you so casually the way he does, more intimate with you without even thinking about it than he often was with them. It moves on, he gives them a warm smile and a teasing tone as he tells them not to be jealous-

"They're not -" a threat, you wonder as he gestures to you with a wide, open hand and smile to match, and proceeds to surprise you both, "a girl." The girl on his arm seems shocked for a minute, but everything about her eases. Your best friend, despite what people may think, is neither a liar nor an idiot. He knows what people think of him, what people assume about him and about you when they assume things one way or there other about him. The girls who he traditionally picked up liked to put him in little pigeon hole of heterosexuality, and though it wasn't true, the to correct them in instances such as that would probably harm the poor, pretty girls. Or at the very least, do nothing to quell their pretty rightful paranoia.

Because when the girl leaves his dorm before curfew that night, you slink up to his door and lean against it with the most pleased and endeared smile. As you always do.

"What?" Every time he's bashful, as if he has no idea what he's doing.

"Just love you is all, man," you tell him, grinning from ear to ear as you close the door behind you.

"Love you too, you know that," he tries to play it off, but is obviously hiding his ever-growing smile.

As you descend upon him, sitting cross legged on the bed - "I love you, I love you, I love you, Fi," peppering his face with kisses as he actually giggles and laughs and pulls you close - you wonder if you shouldn't be doing this since he has a new girlfriend. Except if he wanted you to stop, you knew he had no qualms asking you to.

He's always been the best about your identity, so you're not sure why it always hits you with a rush of euphoria when you hear him talk about you like that. Maybe it's the way confirms exactly what you're not to the world, while knowing that everything you are to him is a secret he holds precious and close to his heart.

When you get to Saltburn for the Winter, as you had for any major breaks from school as your parents were thrilled to be seeing as little of you as necessary, Duncan greets you at the door as he always does -

"Captain Y/N."

And Felix comes bounding down the red stairs, having overheard, and asking if Captain was alright, while you were overwhelmed with love at the gesture. Apparently Duncan's only reservation about the title was that it was usually reserved for military personnel, and he was something of a stickler for the rules. Still, when you thank him for referring to you as such, he grants you one of his rare smiles.

Everyone has accepted the change before you'd even arrived, and though his mother and father did occasionally slip up, they caught themselves before even yourself or Felix had a chance to correct them. Elspeth always made a show of apologising and correcting herself. After one such instance, all of you wine-drunk after dinner and squashed on several sofas together to watch some rom-com, Venetia whispers to you where she's in your lap that Felix had spent several phone calls over the past semester explaining the situation to the family, even making sure to remind everyone in the days before you'd arrives.

"He really does love you," she murmurs, "doesn't he?" The glow of the television haloed her recently bleached hair in light as her face hovered inches for yours. Out of the corner of your eye you see Felix wearing an amused smile and pointedly not looking at you. When Venetia leans in, giggling with her pupils blown wide, you kiss her back, and feel Felix put a hand on your thigh.

"Not during the movie," Elspeth says briskly. Farleigh snorts with amusement from her other side and Venetia breaks the kiss with a sharp little laugh. Still, she curls up against you now, with your arm around her, and Felix rubs circles against your thigh, hand not moving for the remainder of the film.

At Saltburn, your room was often more of a formality; the one attached to Felix's, divided only by a bathroom. Most nights were shared in another's bed, even if nothing sexual happened. Venetia especially liked these sleepover, liked how you'd be at her door if she merely implied she wanted your company. She'd invite you into her bathroom to simply talk while she bathed, neither of you bothered by the casual nudity. She'd put on a CD and sometimes a robe, and you'd brush and braid her hair; she'd talk and you'd listen, until she fell asleep in your arms. Venetia craved connection, and like with Felix, you were happy to oblige her.

"You're a good dog," she'd once murmured, your head between her thighs, "that's why he lets you fuck me." When you look up at her through your lashes, mouth still on her cunt, tounge going still on her clit, she's looking back, devilish smile on her face, "do you think about him when you fuck me?"

You lean back just a little, and carefully slide two fingers into her; Venetia's head falls back as she sighs gently.

"He doesn't have a cunt, Ven," you tell her bluntly, which of course makes her laugh until she's moaning with your fingers curling inside of her.

"Good dog," she stutters out.

"He wants you to be happy, and I can do that."

"My brother doesn't like sharing his toys," she whimpers faintly.

"I'm not a toy."

"Suppose I'll just - ah~" your thumb finds her clit, and you gently bite at her thigh, "have to enjoy you while he lets me, then."

In these quiet, intimate moments, sexual or not, Farleigh and Venetia both take to calling you 'good dog' as a term of endearment. Anyone else would probably be put off by it, but it begins to warm something in your chest; loyal and loving, the kind of creature you keep around. Felix, however, scowls when he learns about it.

"It's mean."

"I think it's sweet," you tell him with a smile, curling up against him on a sofa on one of the many balconies. Felix had been reading while you'd been napping against him when Venetia had appeared and cooed at the sight.

"They think it's sweet!" Venetia echoed with a pleased grin, sitting on the lounge chair across from you both.

"They're not a dog, they're my friend -" Felix had tried to argue.

"Man's best friend," Venetia had nodded.

"Oh piss off, Ven," Felix had huffed. Venetia had obligingly swanned back into the house while you stifled your laughter against his chest. When it's just the two of you, his voice turns soft, "you know I don't think of you like that."

"It's nothing, Fi, everyone knows you're my favourite is all."

"But you're not a dog."

You look up at him in all his glory, golden in the sunset and looking like a dream. You want to smooth the concern, the righteous anger from his brow, kiss the faint downturned edge of his perfect lips, do everything in your power to make sure he never worries again. No matter who or what you are, you are his. His best friend, his confidant, his shoulder to cry on, his partner in crime, his right hand, his, his, his.

All you can give him in this moment is your gentle voice full of absolute love;

"What do you want me to be, Fi?"

[charmedreincarnation]

Hey angels! I’m still on break but I wanted to show you guys how powerful the law is, and how it’s in effect with everything even when we don’t notice!

Here’s everything I’ve manifested in this year alone !

🌸70,000$ in school scholarships. My tuition does not even cost that much so most of it will be coming back to my credit card shortly

🌸an older sister. I’m the oldest child in my household, and as any older sibling knows it’s so hard. You have to lead, yet have no one to look up to for advice yourself. Anyways my dad got in touch with his old wife, and my mom who was once reluctant to let my half siblings in my life, now encouraged it! My older half sister is literally just like me. We now FaceTime, she defends me when I’m scared, she buys me stuff all the time because she has hella money, and I go to her apartment for sleep overs. I am very lucky and happy to finally have the older sister I’ve always wanted.

🌸an old friendship! I remember in 2020 I was friends with this girl and we were both super depressed, had similar circumstances, and were into manifesting+astrology. I’m sure she’s one my twin flame, and the friendship ended over the dumbest thing ever. Anyways for a year I used dumb methods like the 333 method, sp methods to get her to text me, stuff like that. I ended up giving up but earlier this year I was thinking about her, yanno just wondering where she is. She sent me a heart felt apology the next day. I manifested her without even trying!

🌸All As in school without trying.

🌸losing weight the more I eat. Y’all I’m 5’5 and 112 pounds, yet I eat like an Olympic gold medalists. I don’t even eat healthy and knowing myself.. well that’s something that’s not going to change lol. Anytime I would eat a lot, I would just say the more I eat, the more I lose and the healthier I am…and I never gained a single pound. Only lost! Don’t worry I’m still healthy and my doctors say I’m in a healthy range still, so as long as that continues healthily I’m fine.

🌸my family winning the lottery through the void state. I won’t say specific numbers but it’s in the 7 figure range, and was my first void success! I’m going to keep manifesting and exploring the void to have more stuff in the future!

🌸(dumb) but clearing my name in the unique situation. i remember just affirming the truth always comes out and she got exposed a few hours later. aside from the hate from her anons, I left the situation unscathed for the most part 😮‍💨

🌸not having seasonal depression this year. I did not manifest my depression or anxiety away for personal reasons, before anyone starts! But due to the combination of manifesting and just having a better overall life, it honestly did not affect me much this year.

🌸getting results from subliminals without even listening to them. I left my subliminal era a couple of years ago, and I don’t really use them anymore. But sometimes I come across a really cool one with dope benefits, and I want to use it bc.. why not lol. But I don’t really like listening to them, so I just wrote down that I can listen to it once and after that my brain memorizes the sequence and it works it out repeatedly even when it’s not playing and I’ve definitely noticed results.

🌸manifesting my best friend’s cancer away! I already made a post about this, but this was my favorite manifestation of this year.

🌸every single one of my shifts

🌸so many free things!

🌸and so much more, but these are my favorites!

[hey-august]

In what feels like a post from ages ago you talked about Buggy and opposing headcanons of him you enjoy at the same time. One of these was “Outgoing and confident flirty Buggy who makes panties drop all around him.” Vs “Creepy clown not having much experience besides rigging his own mast.” Or something to that effect so…. Surprisingly a virgin!Buggy would not be out of the question y/n? I can see it honestly, secret romantic who never done anything with anyone because it didn’t “seem right” regretting it as soon as reader insert comes along because now he has no experience to show for all That romanticism and he’s sure if he doesn’t impress in the first act they are never gonna attend a repeat performance and all in all it’s just a miserable time, until reader grabs him by his adorably flushed cheeks and turns his face to them, assuring him that they are gonna have PLENTY of practice takes in the future if he’ll only be honest enough to communicate what he wants and is ready to listen to their input, so he better drop the high and mighty ring leader act and turn back into that adorably awkward clown they fell for… don’t mind me I just really like hcs of non young adult characters loosing their virginity and with Buggy it just… FITS so well yanno?

Listen anon, I am RIGHT THERE with you. 😩😩😩😩

I can absolutely see a romantic-at-heart Buggy, who overthinks every interaction. (Not to mention getting in his own way because of low self-esteem.)

But when someone is able to break through that barrier he’s built up, those giddy little butterflies are taking flight in his stomach. His heart is going pitter patter. His pants are getting tight.

It’ll still be a struggle - Buggy’s just so used to protecting himself. However, the right look, a little touch, a small comment - just the right thing and it’s like a switch flips. Eyes that fall from his face when he’s talking, going on a leisurely journey of his body. A hand on the back of his neck. A whispered compliment.

He’s blushing under all that face paint. Wringing his hands because he wants to put them on you so badly, but he’s nervous. He doesn’t want to fuck up. He stammers through a silly pick-up line, acting like it’s a joke.

But when you agree, all he can do is nod and awkwardly follow you to bed. Because goddamn does he want you so badly. He wants you to know how you make him feel. He wants to make you feel good.

And he’s willing to learn. ---

BTW, for more virgin!Buggy needs, I recommend There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin by @rorywritesjunk It's about a virgin touch-starved Buggy and a non-binary OC, and oh so good.

[three--rings]

You should read Little Mushroom

Hey guys! As followers know, I've just finished reading this cnovel and I'm here to do a formal rec of it.

What is Little Mushroom?

It's a chinese danmei (BL) novel by the author Shisi, originally published online, now available in official English translation from Peach Flower House.

What's it about?

This is a post-apocalyptic dystopian sci-fi novel where the protagonist is a mushroom.

What??

Yeah, he's an actual mushroom. Most of the Earth is a wasteland of radiation and mutated monsters, which means things are WEIRD AS FUCK. He comes from a particularly weird and dangerous place, and somehow he achieves sentience. His spore (child? infant? egg?) is stolen by a human and he finds a dying human called An Ze so he takes this human's form and memories and becomes human-shaped and calls himself An Zhe. Then he goes seeking out more humans to find and save his spore.

Okay, and this is a romance? With a mushroom?

Yes. Though this is honestly one of the danmei I've read that is lightest on the romance. Really the star of the show is the world-building and questions about humanity and ethics.

Characters:

An Zhe: The most adorable mushroom ever. You will love him. Everyone loves him. He's just a little mushroom trying to navigate a weird human world without the humans discovering he's really a "monster."

Lu Feng: The Arbiter, a judge authorized to kill anyone on sight that he suspects of being contaminated with xenogenic (monster) genes. And he does, a lot. Seemingly cold and unfeeling, hated by many if not most of the human population because he, yanno, keeps killing people, even if it's necessary to protect what remains of humanity. He spares An Zhe, though.

Other characters: Well, most of them don't last long. It's a vicious world. There's a lot of death. There are some nice side characters towards the end, though.

Why should I read this?

Look, it's just a really great book, okay? It's a book about a fairly grim future for humanity, and the things humanity is forced to do to survive, and dystopian elements and the struggles that result. It's about big ethical questions and big existential questions about whether humanity deserves to live and what the point of struggling to survive is...whether there is any hope for humanity and whether there's any point to hope at all.

And it's all told through the POV of a mushroom. Come on!

For all that, it's not a dark novel. The first half in particular feels pretty light, mostly because of the POV, granted. It's really funny in a lot of parts, but the undertone, the background is always this fairly grim stuff. Really unique juxtaposition. The second half gets deeper and really digs into the existential questions. And yeah it made me cry towards the end.

Minor spoilers from here on

But it does have a happy ending for the main characters and the romance, and a hopeful if not entirely happy one for humanity as a whole.

The romance is fairly light on the ground in this. An Zhe is a mushroom and he doesn't really understand sex or romance or have much interest in it for most of the book, despite people constantly trying to GET him interested. Lu Feng is clearly in the background developing feelings, but An Zhe is oblivious and just worried about his mushroom concerns, yanno? Eventually there are feelings-realization and they end up together, but it's still doesn't feel like a traditional romance. I'd say it's very ace friendly even if there are hints of sexual off-screen stuff.

Other reasons to read it:

It's short for a cnovel, and it flies by. This was my main vacation reading that I took to the pool and it was perfect. And I FLEW through vol 2 in a couple of sittings.

It's got a very nice translation and you should support this lesser known novel getting an English publication from a publisher that isn't Seven Seas.

Where do I buy it?

Both physical volumes are available from Peach Flower House. Or you can get ebooks from various ebook sellers, including Amazon. (Right now Amazon also has the paperbacks, but when I was buying they didn't.)

More Info.

[devilat-thedoor]

What Is and What Should Never Be Ch. 1

A/N: The parts in this fic are going to be on the shorter side compared to my other one, but that allows me to get them out quicker. This first chapter is really just laying the foundation for the story. I hope you enjoy, babes! and as always, feedback is appreciated🤍 P.S. This is all fictional, straight from my imagination. Please don't take it too seriously💖

Word Count: 9k

Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI, Smut(none yet, but for future reference), Mentions of alcoholism/addiction, Mentions of death. Reader Discretion Advised.

So if you wake up with the sunrise and all your dreams are still as new // And happiness is what you need so bad, well girl, the answer lies with you

“Bell, are we really doing this?” Your grin was beaming as you twisted the key in the ignition, hearing the engine rumble. You rolled the windows down, letting the late March wind breeze through the car.

Your best friend, Bellamy, turned to you from her spot in the passenger seat, “I mean, unless you want to carry all of our stuff back into that shithole…” She jutted her thumb out the window, towards the shabby apartment building that, up until 15 minutes ago, you had called home. “Then we are absolutely doing this!” You laughed, pulling away from the curb as she hung half of her body out the car to shout a goodbye to your hometown. “We’re fucking out of here! See you later, Phil!” Bellamy had her middle fingers in the air as the wind swept through her jet black hair.

Reaching over, you grabbed her shirt to yank her back in the window, “Bellamy, the groundhog can’t hear you!” Your hand went back to the steering wheel as she settled back into her seat and kicked her feet up on the dashboard. “Don’t get too comfortable, you’re not gonna fall asleep on me 20 minutes into the drive.”

She rolled her eyes and gave you a lazy smile, “Fall asleep on you, sweet pea? Never.” She grabbed the aux cord, plugging it into her phone. “Why did we decide to drive again? We could’ve left everything to the moving company and just booked a flight… This is gonna take for-ev-er.” She flicked her sunglasses down over her eyes with a whine.

“Bell, how often are we gonna get to road trip across the country? Think of all the places we’ll get to see!” You tried to sound as positive as you could but, truth be told, you weren’t very excited about the drive either. The speakers came to life when she finally decided on a playlist, opening with House of the Rising Sun by The Animals. “Once we’re on I-80, the drive will go so fast, babe.”

She dropped her feet back to the floor, turning to face you again, “Whatever you say, Y/N.” Digging into the grocery bag full of snacks below her, she grabbed a pack of gummy bears and ripped them open, “God, I just can’t wait to be out of here and in the sun… And our new apartment?” Bellamy curled her legs up into her seat, turning to face you, “Are you okay with me taking the Master bedroom? I really want the en suite bathroom.”

You glanced over to see her pouting her lip at you, “You can have whatever room you want.” Looking back to the road, you turned the music down a bit, “If you told me I had to sleep in a tent on the balcony, I would do it.” It sounded like a joke, but you were partially serious.

“You know you’d be sharing my bed if there was no other place for you, Y/N.” She gave you a pointed look and slouched back into her seat. “We would just need a kind of ‘sock on the door’ signal, yanno?”

Craning your neck to look behind you, you slowly merged onto the interstate, “When has a signal ever worked before, Bellamy?” It was early enough in the morning that traffic was mostly clear, allowing you to set the cruise control to an even 70mph. “Remember Seth? The guy I met at sophomore year IUPatty’s? I left the shamrock beads on the doorknob and that didn’t stop you from barging into the dorm!”

She held her hands up, “In my defense, there were beads scattered through the hallway. How was I supposed to know you put them there intentionally?” Her shoulders raised in a shrug as she remembered back, “And I saved you! Your fake moans weren’t even believable, you weren’t getting off!”

You broke out into a cackle, “Oh my god, Bell! Fuck, you’re actually right.” She stuck her tongue out at you, “He was so hot, but had no rhythm at all… it was just anticlimactic. No pun intended.” You were both in a fit of laughter when your friend popped up in her seat.

“Babe, turn it up!” Bellamy yelled over the wind whipping through the windows as Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh began playing. “It’s our song!”

You reached for the volume dial with a grin, cranking it up as you both started singing along. “…Out to pasture, think it’s safe to say, time to open fiiiire…” You held your closed fist to your mouth, using it as a makeshift microphone, “And we don’t need the ladies crying cause the story’s sad…” 

Holding your invisible microphone out to your friend, she sang the next few lines into it “‘Cause the rocky mountain way is better than the way we had…” The two of you went back and forth, singing loudly through your giggling. You listened as Bellamy vocalized the entire solo at the end of the song, finishing with a deep inhale to catch her breath.

The next song came on as you both settled down and you just drove in a comfortable silence for a while. You stopped for food and gas while passing through Toledo and continued on, only stopping again once you were right outside of Chicago. “I’m sick of driving, Bellamy. It’s your turn.” You whined at her as you pulled the car into a gas station.

“I’ve got maybe five or six hours in me.” She pushed her door open, grabbing her wallet from her bag to head into the gas station, “I do not want to be in the car anymore, so let’s plan on stopping in Des Moines… If traffic stays clear, we should make it by at least eleven. Midnight at the latest.” You followed her into the convenience store, listening to her lay out the plans. “When we get back in the car, look for a motel or something cheap we can stay in for tonight and then we’ll get back on the road early tomorrow.”

You both headed to the restroom to relieve yourselves before grabbing a few energy drinks and bottles of water and paying for your gas. “Sounds good, babe.” After filling the tank, you climbed into the passenger seat while your friend got behind the wheel and began browsing for a place to rest.

“Hey, Bell…” You’d been back on the road for another two hours, going back between music and podcasts, when you turned to her.

She glanced at you with a soft smile, “Yes, sweet pea?”

You were toying with your fingers in your lap, “I haven’t actually said it yet, but thank you.” She gave you a questioning look, prompting you to elaborate, “For bringing me along with you… to San Francisco. I will never be able to make this up to you.” You wanted to make sure she knew how genuinely grateful you were. All you’ve dreamed of, since you were 15, was getting out of your hometown and escaping the living hell that was your life. You thought that the day you turned 18, you’d pack up and leave to head for the west coast, get as far away as you could to avoid the chance of ending up like your mother. But after graduation and without money, your only option to get out of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania was going to college. Bellamy made you apply to IUP with her and when you both got in, it seemed like things wouldn’t be so bad anymore. Even though the university was only about 40 minutes from your hometown, it was far enough away that you didn’t have to deal with the stress of living with your parents anymore. Your dad was always amazing. He taught you everything you knew, from how to cook to how to change your own brakes and oil. All he ever wanted was to make sure you were capable of taking care of yourself when the time came for you to be on your own and that time came a lot sooner than either of you could have anticipated.

It was your junior year in college and you were so close to getting your Bachelor’s in Anthropology. Your classes kept you busy enough that you didn’t have time for partying or getting into trouble. All of your focus went into your school work in the hopes that once you finished, you would find a great job in doing something you loved and make enough money to go wherever you wanted. But the perfect bubble you’d put yourself in popped that November when you went home for Thanksgiving break.

Your mother’s alcohol addiction wasn’t anything new to you. You would come home from middle school to find her passed out on the sofa, empty bottle littering the coffee table. Some nights she would come into your room to crawl in bed with you, crying that she wanted to be better and that she was going to try to stop drinking. You would let her hold you and cry until your dad would come in and gently walk her back to their bedroom. The smell of her vodka soaked breath is something that would surely stick with you for the rest of your life. Dad would try his hardest to hide how bad her problem really was, but you knew. It started to get worse when you got into high school. She would get drunk and belligerent, screaming and breaking things. You’d gotten accustomed to staying at Bellamy’s. Her father and yours were best friends and that’s how you and Bell ended up as close as you were. On the nights your mother was particularly bad, Bell’s dad, Mr. Cole, would get a call from your dad and within minutes, you would be climbing into the backseat of his car with your best friend to stay with her family for a couple of nights. You begged your dad to leave her, to just let her drink herself rotten and move you and him some place far away where she couldn’t affect you anymore, but he refused. Always telling you that she needed the both of you to get her through it, that she didn’t have the strength to stop drinking on her own. Part of you knew that he didn’t even believe that himself, but you looked up to him more than anybody and trusted that he knew what was best. Still, you couldn’t stand to live in the same house as her, so when you got accepted to the same college as Bellamy, it was like life was finally giving you a break.

Then that Thanksgiving day came crashing down and everything else went with it. You and Bellamy made the short drive home the day before and you dropped her off at her house before heading to yours. Your dad was at the door, waiting to greet you as you pulled in and he rushed out to wrap you in a bear hug and help you with your belongings. You were dreading the kind of state you would find your mom in, but to your surprise, she seemed sober and completely normal. She pulled you into an embrace and you could still smell the faint hint of liquor on her, but her behavior had you fooled into thinking it was just your imagination. You were having a good time, helping her prep the apple pie so it would be ready to bake for the holiday while listening to music. She asked you how your classes were going and she seemed genuinely interested as you explained your course load to her. It was a welcome change to how conversations normally went with her.

 As the day dwindled to early evening, you started to see a change in her. She was getting sloppy and she stumbled through the house and you noticed her eyes starting to droop, but it wasn’t until she started throwing a fit about not having enough wine for the guests that you’d be having over for Thanksgiving that you realized she must have been sneaking drinks throughout the night. You watched as your dad tried to reason with her and calm her down, but she just kept yelling, throwing things around the kitchen until he finally gave in and offered to drive her to the store so they could pick up a few more bottles. You pleaded with him to stay, trying to convince him that he was only enabling her addiction by catering to her temper tantrums, but he brushed you off, wrapping you in hi arms and placing a firm kiss to the top of your head before grabbing his jacket and ushering your mother out the door. You didn’t know it then, but that would be the last time you would ever hug your father. After they started the drive into town, in a drunken fit of anger, your mom would lash out and begin hitting your dad, causing him to run off of the road and into the woods. He was pronounced DOA by the first responders and she would walk away from it without a scratch. Nobody knew that it was her fault, but after his funeral, when she was already half a bottle deep, she confessed it to you. You left her alone that night and never looked back and she ended up moving south to live with family. You couldn’t forgive her and if you never saw her another day in your life, it would still be too soon.

The depression you fell into forced you to drop out of college. You moved back to your hometown and got a job at the local diner, Punxsy Phil’s, to pay rent. Bellamy moved back with you and spent her last year and half commuting to school before graduating with her Bachelor’s in Computer Science. Now, two years later at 26, Bell was offered a job at a tech company. They were based out of Silicon Valley but they wanted her to head a team in their San Francisco office. When they offered to pay for her housing for a year until she got her footing, she sweet talked them into a two bedroom apartment and asked you to go with her. Of course you jumped at the opportunity and now here you were, driving across the country to start your new life and it was all thanks to your best and oldest friend.

“Y/N, I wouldn’t have even thought about taking this job if there wasn’t a chance that you could come with me.” She reached over and grabbed your hand, squeezing it softly, “I know how hard the past few years have been, but we’re starting a new chapter and it’s us, babe. It’s always been you and me.” A grin formed on her face as she put her hand back on the steering wheel, “We’re gonna fucking rule San Fransisco like Christina and Courtney in The Sweetest Thing.” She paused before adding, “But promise me you won’t fall in love with a guy you just met overnight!”

You leaned over the center console, hugging her tightly and planting a giant peck on her cheek, “I fucking love you, Bell.” You were both laughing as she pushed you away.

“I love you more, sweet pea.”

💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿

It was early Sunday morning when you finally pulled into the parking lot or your new apartment building in the Mission Bay neighborhood. It stood maybe six stories high and each apartment had its own balcony. You and Bellamy were on the third floor, number 308, and she held the keys in her fist as you both stepped out of the car. The excitement couldn’t be contained as you made it up the elevator and she unlocked the door, pushing through it to see your new home in person for the first time. Stepping into the apartment, you both rushed around, exploring the living space. It was quaint and small, but it was perfect for the two of you. You each had your own bathroom and the bedrooms were a decent size. The sliding door that led out to the balcony caught your attention at the same time as her and you were running to slide it open and see the view of the city. “Bell, is this even real?” You gazed out in awe, seeing all the buildings and businesses that surrounded. You couldn’t wait to see what it looked like at nighttime with the city lights. Just as your friend went to answer you, there was a knock on the apartment door that was left wide open and you turned to see the movers standing there. You both looked at one another with large smiles, “Let’s turn this place into home, B.”

“I think it’ll look better against that wall.” Bellamy placed her hand on the man’s arm, pointing to the opposite side of the living room. “Could you just move it one more time?” You bit your lips together, trying to stifle a laugh as she batted her lashes at him. The movers made it to your new home right after you had and your best friend was quick to put them to work. You stood back, allowing her to give directions with flirty giggles, directing the men where to put everything.

Finding it best to stay out of her way, you decided to occupy yourself with something else, “Hey, hun!” You called across the room to Bellamy, “I’m gonna start unpacking the kitchen.” She gave you a thumbs up without breaking concentration on the movers. Walking into the tiny kitchen, you pulled open the first box you saw to reveal all of your plates and bowls, wrapped in old newspapers. You decided on a cabinet and began stacking the dishes, one by one, discarding the papers into the empty box as you went. Next was the cups and mugs then tupperware and pots and pans. After a little over an hour, you had the kitchen completely unpacked with everything in its rightful place.

As you stood in the middle of the space breaking down all of the boxes, your friend came through the doorway, “Everything is officially moved in.” You watched as she padded to the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle of water. She shook a bottle in the air, silently asking if you wanted one, and tossed it after you gave a nod, “And, courtesy of those three very sweet men, the living room is already assembled.” Bellamy gave a proud smile as she cracked open her bottle. “We just have to fill the bookshelf and hang some art on the walls or something.” She shrugged, taking a large gulp of water.

You took a few chugs of your own and checked the time on your phone, pausing the music that was playing. “It’s only 1 o’clock, we’re making pretty good time. You wanna go find lunch somewhere?” Bellamy’s phone began ringing as she nodded her head and you watched her walk back into the living to retrieve it. After a minute you left the kitchen as well, going into your bedroom to find a change of clothes in the mountain of boxes. The apartment already came with beds and bedroom furniture and you dug through one box, pulling out the new sheets and comforter that you’d purchased and tossed them on the mattress.

“Soooo…” Bellamy startled you as she popped her head in the door frame, “Don’t hate me…” She gave an apologetic look.

You dropped the clothes you were holding to the bed and let out a sigh, “We’re not getting lunch, are we?” 

She came into the room, cupping your face with a pout, “I’m sorry, Y/N! Please don’t be mad.” You pulled out of her hold, rolling your eyes, “That was my new boss that just called and he wants me to go down to headquarters to meet everyone.”

You weren’t mad, you knew how important this job was to her, “It’s fine, Bell. Take my keys, they’re on the kitchen counter.” You pointed out the door.

A high pitched squeal left her mouth and she wrapped you in an incredibly tight hug, “I’ll make this up to you, I swear!” She went to her own bedroom to change clothes and you decided you would still go out and get food, but you would also take the time to look at who may be hiring in the area. You pulled on a pair of cutoff denim shorts and a black baby tee that read ‘farm fresh peaches’ with two of the bright fruits printed over the chest. Once satisfied with your outfit, you dug through your laptop case to pull out a copy of your resumé and a separate sheet of paper with a solid list of references, and tucked them into your bag just as Bellamy came back to your doorway, “I love you and I’ll be back soon!”

“Leave me your keys, Bell!” You called as she disappeared back out into the apartment, “I’m gonna go explore the neighborhood a little bit and you’ll have my keys, so leave yours for me.” She nodded, digging her key ring from her purse and dropping them on the counter.

Ten minutes later, you were locking up and riding the elevator to the ground floor. You stepped out on the street, looking left and right to decide which direction you wanted to go in. Opting for the left, you started on your journey, unsure of where you might end up, with a goal of finding lunch in mind. You’d lost count of how many blocks you walked when you landed on Market Street. The entire length of it was lined with stores and bars and restaurants, it was unlike anything you’d see back home. Sure, Pittsburgh was a great city to visit, but it didn’t compare to this in your eyes. You scoped out a few different food spots as you walked along the sidewalk, Some with potential to eat at, others with potential for work, but you continued on, lost in the bustle of everything going on around you until something caught your eye. A bright, neon open sign shined bright in a storefront window and illuminated the ‘Now Hiring’ sign to its right. It was a piece of paper that looked like someone just scribbled the note on with thick, black sharpie, and taped it to the window as a joke. Your gaze traveled up to the hanging sign above the door, Highway Tunes Records, before dropping back to the windows and seeing the art and posters adorning the walls inside. Your eyes fell upon a psychedelic poster, made up of colorful and abstract swirls that came together to unmistakably make Jimi Hendrix. An audible gasp escaped and you found yourself pulling the door open and shuffling inside the store and straight over to the poster. You were entranced as you stared up at it, unable to tear your eyes away until a voice stole your attention.

“You a Hendrix fan?” Turning to find whoever the voice came from, you were met with a gleaming set of teeth, stretched into a mesmerizing grin, with the tiniest gap between the front two.

You returned his smile, murmuring a response once you realized you’d been staring at him, “Uh… Yeah. He was my dad’s favorite musician.” You glanced back up at the framed poster as he replied.

He was standing incredibly close, you could feel the heat radiating from his body, “Well, he is great… So!” His exclamation made you jump and he laughed, “Sorry, it’s been a slow day and you’re probably our fifth customer since opening at noon.” You looked down at your phone to check the time, 2:49pm, and gave him a sympathetic smile. You knew how boring a slow day at work could be. “Anyways… What brings you into HIghway Tunes? Looking for a specific album?”

 “Actually, that is what brought me in here.” You pointed up to the Jimi poster, “It felt like it was calling me in.” You shook your head, aware of how weird that sounded, but before you could try to reword it, the man was already talking.

“Oh. Well, unfortunately, I can’t sell you that specific piece.” He let out a huff, turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction. Your brow furrowed as you watched him go and he turned around, gesturing for you to follow him, “That one is part of Jake’s personal collection.” He started after you fell into step behind him, “He’d kill me if I sold it and then he’d hunt you down and kill you too… But these…” He stopped in front of a giant bin, filled with rolled up posters, and flipped open the binder above it, “These are all on the market.”

You watched as he thumbed the pages, looking over the inventory of music posters. You couldn’t help but stare at him. Full lips, bordered by a tasteful bit of facial hair. A wild mess of curls that covered his forehead and ears, only leaving the small, silver hoops piercing his lobes to stick out. He had a constant smile on his face and you almost didn’t want to open your mouth out of fear that it would go away, “I’m not… really looking to buy anything.” You watched the grin falter, but he quickly recovered it, “I’m sorry. I just don’t have the spare money right now to spend on things that aren’t necessities.” You scrunched your nose with a shrug.

He turned to face you, looking you up and down as if he was sizing you up, “You’re not from around here.” Suddenly feeling self conscious, you crossed your arms over your chest, looking away from him, “Hey, no. I didn’t mean any offense… Just that the only people who come in here are either regulars or tourists and you’re certainly not a regular.”

“How do you know I’m not a regular?” You gave him a pointed look as you pursed your lips. “Maybe you just always miss me when I come in?”

“Naah. Nobody comes in here without me or Jakey seeing them and I would not forget you.” He slapped his palm over his face whilst shaking his head, “Sorry, that… That sounded creepy. I just meant… never mind.” A bright blush started to overtake his cheeks.

He was so charming and handsome, you couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled from your mouth and if Bellamy were there, she’d accuse you of flirting. “Okay, I did just move here, but tell you what… As soon as I get a job, I promise to become a regular.” You flashed him a sweet smile before turning around and heading for the door, “Don’t forget my face.”

“Woah, wait!” He called after you and you stopped to face him again, a questioning lift to your brows, as he jogged the short distance across the store, “You need a job? We’re hiring.” He sounded desperate as he continued, “The pay is good, I swear. You’ll get great hours and everyone here is chill!”

You looked around at the shop, really taking in the eccentric environment. His smile alone was enticing you to say yes and you couldn’t fight against it, “So… is this an official interview?” You joked and saw his shoulders visibly relax.

He looked around the store as though he was searching for something, “Actually, let me find Jake. We might be able to interview you right now.” He went in the opposite direction from you, giving you no time to decline before heading for the checkout counter, but he stopped, “I’m Josh, by the way!” He yelled from where he stood

You called out to him, still planted by the front door, “I’m Y/N!” His smile seemed to grow brighter as he repeated your name back to you.

Just as he was about to push through the door behind the counter, it flung open to reveal another man behind it, “What’s with all the fucking yelling?” From where you stood, it looked like he was gritting his teeth at Josh. His hair was long, landing past his shoulders, and he wore a pair of dark sunglasses. He peered over Josh’s shoulder to get a look at you and you saw his lips moving before the curly headed boy turned and waved you towards them.

You swallowed your nerves and began shuffling towards them. Your eyes drifted to the ceiling to see it plastered with vinyls, all painted over with intricate and colorful artwork. As you stepped up to the counter, your eyes fell on the men, “This place is a lot like Trax.” They both gave you strange looks, prompting you to clarify, “The record store from Pretty In Pink? With Molly Ringwald?” The confusion didn’t leave their faces as you stared at them, “Seriously? That’s like, my favorite movie. It’s an iconic John Hughes masterpiece! The scene when Duckie sings Otis Redding?” You continued to gush despite how clueless they clearly were.

Josh’s face lit up into a grin as he listened to you, but the other guy remained stoic, almost like he was bored, “Well it’s a good thing you don’t need to know movies to work in a music store.” You couldn’t help the look of shock on your face at his pompous tone.

But you were never one to let a man make you feel small, “No, you’re right, but… if I’m not mistaken, there’s an entire shelf over there,” You pointed to your left with a cocky smile, “that is loaded with movie soundtracks… And if you ask me, music and film go hand and hand.” Looking back at him, you gave an innocent shrug, “But you’re the boss, so who am I to argue?” He was taken aback by your quip but you could’ve sworn you saw a hint of a smirk on his lips as he eyed you. You directed your attention back to Josh, “Maybe I’m not a good fit… but I hope you find someone who will be.” You were about to turn and leave, but he stopped you.

“No, don’t leave!” He slapped the other man’s arm, “Jake, don’t be a jackass. We need the help and I think she’ll be great.” He was practically pleading.

“Ahh, you’re Jake…” You finally connected the dots, “The same Jake that would hunt me down and kill me if I made off with that Hendrix poster over there?” You nodded towards the frame that hung on the wall. “So maybe you don’t know classic movies, but you clearly have good taste in music.” It was an attempt at flattery and it seemed to work because he finally cracked a genuine smile.

His eyes flashed to the poster and came back to you, “What’s your favorite Jimi album? Song?” He was trying to quiz you as if he didn’t believe you were really a fan of the musician. “Answer carefully, peach.” 

Your gaze dropped to your shirt before you narrowed your eyes at him, “Axis: Bold As Love by the Experience and Red House… Specifically the Woodstock live recording.” You raised your eyebrow, waiting for a snide remark, “And I have a name…” You almost forgot that Josh was standing beside him until he cleared his throat.

He clapped his hands together with a laugh, “See, Jakey. You can’t tell me she wouldn’t fit in perfectly.”

Jake leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter, “Why is Red House your favorite song?” The question made you smile.

“It’s all very bluesy. The guitar riff and solo, his lyrics… The first time my dad played that song, I was completely enthralled.” You were speaking genuinely and judging by the way he was nodding, he knew it.

He turned to Josh, silently communicating to him with a look. You watched them, trying to decipher what was being discussed, but as you studied their expressions, you noticed how similar they looked. Josh’s eyes locked with yours and he answered your question before you could ask it, “Yeah, we’re twins, Y/N.” He chuckled softly, “It’s always the first thing people ask…” You mumbled an apology, casting your eyes to the floor, “Nothing to be sorry for. But good news! You’re hired!”

“What?” You looked at him in shock, “I- But- Don’t you have to…ask more questions?” How did they decide that with just a series of facial expressions to one another? “Do you need references or… I don’t know, it’s never been this easy to get a job, there’s gotta be a catch…”

Jake disappeared through the door behind him for a moment and reemerged holding a t-shirt, “The catch is, you gotta be here bright and early tomorrow to start training.” He tossed the tee at you and slid a piece of paper over the counter, “Take this home, fill it out, and bring it back with you. I’ll see you here at 9am, peach.” He turned around, going back through the door and closing it behind him.

“I promise, he’s not as unpleasant as he makes himself seem.” Josh came around the corner to stand beside you and pulled the paper from the counter, “We’ll start your wages at $20.25 per hour. I just need you to fill out this application with all your basic information. Yanno, name, number, address, social. Then we’ll be able to get you on payroll asap.” He handed you the page with his bright grin that you were growing to really enjoy.

“I’ll take your word for it.” You stuffed the t-shirt and application into your tote bag, “So he’s training me tomorrow?” The distaste was evident in the way you forced a frown, “Are you gonna be around to soften that blow?” You were begging the universe for a yes, but wound up disappointed.

He placed a hand on your shoulder, “Mondays are my days off…” He gave an apologetic smile, “Jake’s actually really cool, Y/N. And I’ll make sure he goes easy on you.” As if he could sense the anxiety radiating from you, he offered a compromise, “Alright, I have some shit to get done tomorrow, but I’ll stop in around lunch to see how everything’s going. Okay?” He flashed that damn smile and you were sold.

“Thank you, Josh.” Your phone began to ring in your back pocket and you pulled it out, muttering a sorry to him as you answered it, “Hey, Bell.” You listened to her speak for a few moments, “No, I haven’t… I’m fucking starving, though. You wanna come pick me up?...Uhhh, I’m not sure, it’s a record store on Market Street…Yeah, I’ll just drop a pin… Perfect. Love you too, babe.” You hung up, sending her your location, and stuffed the phone back into your pocket. “Sorry about that.”

“Was that your boyfriend?” The question caught you off guard, but the apprehension on his face threw you off even more.

You shook your head, partially to answer his question, but also to clear your mind enough to form a response, “Umm. No. No, that was Bell- Bellamy.” You paused before elaborating further, “She’s my best friend. We moved down here together…” 

He let out a breath that you didn’t realize he was holding in, “Oh! Cool.” The silence stretched between you and you weren’t sure if he felt as awkward as you did.

Your phone dinged, saving you from the tension, and you pulled it back out to see a text from your friend, “She’s here, so I’m gonna go…” You pointed towards the door before slowly turning away from him. Just as you reached the door, you looked back to see him watching you and tried to conceal the blush creeping onto your cheeks, “Any quick food recommendations? We haven’t eaten yet today… Oh! Preferably cheap?” 

“If you’re looking for something close, Super Duper Burgers is great. Definitely check their seasonal menu.” He ran his fingers over his mustache, drawing your attention to his lips, “If you're willing to go a little further up the Market, Taqueria Cancun has some solid, authentic Mexican tacos. There’s a ton of sushi joints.”

“How about pizza? I’m kind of craving a greasy slice.” You knew Bellamy was waiting for you, but for some reason, you didn’t want to leave.

“Ahh, a girl after my own heart.” Josh pulled his bottom lip between his teeth for a few seconds, “Slice House. Hands down, best pizza. You gotta try the Drunken Italian.” He pinched his fingers together, giving an exaggerated chef’s kiss, “The vodka sauce is fucking revolutionary.” You held eye contact for longer than you cared to admit, but then the corner of his lip curled into a smirk, “You better get going, your friend is waiting.”

“Yeah, I guess I should… See you tomorrow?” He nodded his head, forcing his curls to sway as he waved goodbye. “Bye, Josh.” You pushed through the door and found Bellamy waiting in your car at the curb.

She pulled her purse from the passenger seat as you slid in and handed your phone off with the directions to the pizza place, “Why am I not surprised that you already managed to find a music store?” She shifted the car into drive, hitting the blinker to pull out.

“Bell, I literally just walked in there and they hired me. I start tomorrow.” You almost didn’t believe the words that poured out of your mouth. “It was the weirdest thing… I walked by and there was this Jimi Hendrix poster, and you remember how much my dad loved Jimi?” She nodded, waiting for you to continue, “When I saw it, it just drew me in. I don’t know how to explain it. But I was standing there and this guy came up to me, Josh, and-.”

“Mhmm…” Bellamy cut you off with a knowing smirk, “Josh, huh?”

You scoffed at her, “No. Don’t start, it’s not even like that.” You didn’t defend any further, just proceeded with your story, “Anyways… He offered me a job and he and his brother interviewed me right on the spot. I start tomorrow morning and get this, Twenty dollars an hour, Bell.”

She gawked at you, eyes wide, “Twenty? That’s over the minimum wage here. Did you suck his dick to get it?” She laughed at her own joke as you lightly hit her arm.

“You’re an asshole, yanno?” You sat back in your seat, laughing with her. “He is pretty cute, I can’t lie… He just seems like a really fun person and he’s always smiling. Like the brightest smile you’d ever see... But his brother, Jake, was sort of insufferable.” You were chewing on your lip as she glanced at you.

“Insufferable how?” She turned to you fully as the car stopped at a red light.

You thought back to the short exchange you’d had with him, “He was arrogant as hell, for starters.” Her eyes went back to the road as she let off the brake and you continued, “He didn’t even bother to learn my name, just kept calling me ‘peach.’ You wouldn’t even know they were twins if they didn’t look identical.” You stared out the window, looking at the buildings to find Slice House.

Bellamy spotted the restaurant at the same time you did, swinging the car into the first available spot she could find, “Twins? Oh, you’re fucking joking, Y/N. We haven’t even lived here a full day!” She cut the engine as she glared at you, “How old are they?”

“I don’t know? Our age, maybe a little older… Why does it matter?” You were toying with your fingers, something you did when you were nervous. “Don’t give me that damn look, Bellamy! It’s just a job. You’re not gonna find some hidden context in this.” Pushing the car door open, you stepped out to end the conversation.

She was popping out of her side right after you, “Okay, babe. Whatever you say…” You knew she had more to say but she dropped the topic for the time being as you both walked into the restaurant.

💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿

You stood right outside of the door, looking at your reflection in the glass to straighten your shirt out. It was 8:48am and you were trying to work up the courage to go in, mentally preparing yourself to be trained by Jake. You were too focused on your reflection to see that he was coming across the store. The door pushed open and you jumped back with a yelp, “Did you plan on coming in for your shift or were you gonna spend another 15 minutes fixing your shirt?” He was holding the door, waiting for you to go inside.

You moved past him, rolling your eyes, “You know, you just make the atmosphere so inviting. How could I not want to be here?” You bit your tongue, aware of how much attitude you’d just given the man who is technically your boss. “Sorry, I-.” You turned back to face him but he was already breezing by you.

“You’re kind of a fucking brat…” You followed behind him, ready to argue his claim, but he was already moving on as though he’d said nothing at all, “Here. We got a long morning ahead of us and you’re gonna need to keep up with me.” He grabbed a cup from beside the register, handing it to you, and pointed to the door behind him, “There’s cream and sugar in the office if you need it, don’t take forever.” Taking the hot coffee without a word, you stepped around him to go into the office. When you came back, he was leaning against the counter, chin propped on his fist, “You fill that paper out, peach?”

Digging into your tote, you pulled the paper out and slapped it down in front of him, “That’s not my name, it’s-.”

“Y/N. I know” His lips curled into a conceited smirk and, had he not been walking away,  you might have slapped it right off of his face, “Peach feels more fitting.” He waved his hand, beckoning you to follow him.

You fell into step as he walked towards the front of the store, “You saw fruit on my shirt and ran with it. Very original idea, can’t believe I didn’t think of it.” The look he had when he whipped around to face you made you clamp your mouth shut, but you couldn’t help the tingle you felt through your body at his response.

Jake was glaring at you with a hint of something you couldn’t quite place, “You’ve got a mouth on you.” He was pointing a finger at you, “and I can think of a few different ways to shut it.” Your jaw practically hit the floor as you stared at him and he flashed a devilish smile, knowing that he’d left you speechless. He turned away again, leading you to a display near the front door, “Pay attention.” You nodded silently as he started mapping things out for you, “This rack is all new release vinyls. We change most of them out weekly, depending on what kind of album drops there are.” He started walking towards the middle of the store, walking between the rows of shelves, “Everything is sorted by genre first and then alphabetical order.” You listened intently as he sped through the rundown, “We keep bargain bins down here.” He pulled open a cabinet door below one of the tables, revealing crates full of vinyls with torn and worn sleeves, “These are all used and donated, we sell them for $3 a piece or we do 10 for $10. It’s hit or miss, some work, some don’t.” Closing the cabinet, he moved to a different part of the store. You trailed quietly alongside him, soaking up all of the information he was spewing. After about 20 minutes, he’d looped you both back to the front, “Let’s see if you’ve kept up…” He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting to see if you’d maintained any of the knowledge.

“Okay…” You took a deep breath, “Here we have new releases. They get updated weekly, unless there aren’t any good drops.” You continued throughout the space, pouring everything he’d given you back out to him, until you made it to the checkout counter, “Limited Edition vinyls are kept behind the counter, the new inventory delivery comes every Friday morning at 8am sharp, and I think that’s everything…?”

Jake was nodding his head, surprisingly impressed, “Not bad, peach.” He glanced at the clock on the wall, “We got a half hour before we open at 11.” He plucked your application from the counter where you’d left it, “I’m gonna get through some paperwork. You can-” He was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming from the back of the store. “Liv? I thought we wouldn’t see you until summer?” He greeted the short, blonde girl.

She had a stereotypical valley girl accent, “Finished my semester early, figured you guys needed me more than UCLA.” She gave him a smile that looked like she wanted to devour him. Her eyes flashed to you dismissively before flying back to Jake, “You here by yourself? I can clock in and help out.”

You shifted on your feet, feeling out of place, and Jake took notice, “Not alone today, I have peach, here, to help out.” He nodded towards you.

“Peach?” She finally took the time to really look you over, “Were your parents hippies or something?”

You opened your mouth and closed it again, not sure how to respond, “Uhh. No, that’s not… My name is Y/N.” You reach out for a handshake, out of respect, but she just stared at your extended hand.

“Cool. I’m Olivia.” And just like that, she directed her attention back to Jake, “Can you fit me on the schedule this week?” She pushed her bottom lip out, looking like a toddler begging for candy, “I know you guys miss me.”

He shook his head with a faint smile, “I’ll talk to Josh.” He left it at that, turning to you, “Take that box and start putting the shit where it goes.” He pointed at the box on the floor.

“Aye aye, captain.” You saluted him with a smile and picked the box up.

A chuckle escaped his mouth and until that moment, you thought he was incapable of feeling joy, “I’ll be in the office if you need anything.” He started to walk around the counter, “I’ll let you know about the schedule, Liv.” He slipped through the door and closed it behind him, leaving you with the girl.

To avoid conversation, you gripped the box in your arms and lifted it to counter to begin sorting through it. Pulling out a stack of vinyls, you carried them through the store, fitting them into their rightful places. You hadn’t realized Olivia was following you until her low, grating voice creeped into your ears, “So…How did you get a job here?” She was watching you carefully, almost like she was waiting for you to make a mistake, “Jake is suuuper picky about who he hires.”

You looked at the last vinyl in the stack you were carrying, “Uhm, I just came in here yesterday to look at something and Josh offered me the job.” Moving through the tables, you went to the Country section and tucked the album away, “Jake gave me a shirt and told me to be here at 9am, so here I am.”

She was standing so close to you that you almost ran into her as you turned around to retrieve more from the box, “Here you are…” She sounded annoyed, but you ignored it as you pushed past her.

You went about your business for the next several minutes, finishing the task that Jake had given you, as she lingered through the store, watching you work while she pretended to browse the music. You pulled the empty box from the counter, ready to ask your boss what he wanted you to do next, when the bell on the front door chimed. You turned around to see a man come in and go straight to the New Release rack. He perused for a few moments before moving to the tables to search through the records. You expected Jake to emerge from the office, but he never did. After a few minutes of the guy looking entirely lost in his search, you took a deep breath and made your way over to him. Your eyes flicked to Olivia to see her staring at you, a cocky grin on her face. “Hi, can I help you find something, hun?” You put on your best customer service smile as he turned to face you.

“Actually yeah…” He looked like he was maybe in his early twenties and he seemed nervous, “I’m looking for something for my dad. He just bought himself a record player, but he doesn’t have any records for it.” He gave a shrug, “I don’t really know where to start here.”

This wasn’t as scary as you thought it would be, “Okay, do you know what kind of music he likes? Any specific artist or band?” You waited patiently for him to answer.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, tapping the screen a few times, and held it up to show you, “This is a band right? I think he likes them.” It was a picture of a man, probably his father, wearing a Led Zeppelin tour t-shirt.

Your eyes went back to his face, giving him another sweet grin, “Yeah. Zeppelin’s a great band. Your dad has great taste.” You moved around him to walk him over to the appropriate shelves, “We should have a ton of their stuff… Do you want anything specific?” You had a feeling that he wouldn’t know what to choose.

“I- Well, what would you recommend?” He stood by while you flicked through the selection, “Which one is the best?”

“That’s a tricky question.” You pulled a few vinyls from the display, holding them up one by one, “So, Zep one is a safe choice. It’s their first studio album, really opened up the door for them, plus it’s got a couple really great blues covers.” You slid that one to the back of your stack to reveal the next, “ Two is also good. You get Whole Lotta Love, Ramble On, Heartbreaker.” He was nodding as you pulled your final option forward, “This one is my personal favorite.” You held up the album, showing him the cover with the peeling paint and the old man carrying a bundle of sticks, “I kind of skipped over three, but Zoso…This is their fourth studio album, and arguably the best.” You handed it to the boy to examine, “Going to California is probably my favorite song of all time. But it’s also got Stairway to Heaven and When the Levee Breaks. Black Dog. If your dad is a Led Zeppelin fan, then he’ll definitely appreciate this.”

“You know what, I’ll take this one and the first one you showed me.” You handed him the first album before turning to put the remaining one back on the shelf. He was smiling wide as he took it from you, “So are you like a music expert or something?”

You giggled at his question, “I wouldn’t say expert… Just really appreciative of what’s good.” You were staring at his light blue eyes, almost entranced in them when Jake barked your name from the counter. You jumped, whipping around to look at him with wide eyes. He held his hand up, waving for you to go to him, “Gimme one minute.” You called out to him and went to turn back to the man in front of you, but Jake’s voice rang out louder.

“No. Right now, Y/N.” He was leaning his hands on the countertop, glaring in your direction, but his eyes weren’t on you.

You muttered an apology to the blue-eyed boy, “I’m sorry, I’ll be right back.” You shuffled across the store, embarrassed at how he’d just spoken to you in front of your first customer, but also pissed at how he treated you like you were an insolent child. You stood in front of him, whisper-yelling to avoid further embarrassment, “What the hell, Jake? What did I do?” You looked around, realizing that Olivia was gone.

“You’re here to work, not flirt.” There was an edge to his tone that you couldn’t fully decipher.

“What?” You stared at him in shock, “I wasn’t- I was making a sale! Yanno? What you hired me to do…” Was this conversation even real?

He stepped out from behind the counter, “Go wait in the office, I’ll finish your sale.” You moved to try and stop him but his voice was dangerously low, stopping you in your tracks, “Office, Y/N. I’ll carry you in there myself if I have to.” He turned on his heel, walking towards the customer without another word, and you found yourself obeying his command to wait in the office.

Pushing through the door, you looked around the small space before closing it and dropping into a chair. You were highly considering just quitting as soon as he came in, but at the same time, you didn’t want to. Everything was so confusing… Why did he accuse you of flirting when he wasn’t even there? And why did the possibility of you flirting make him so mad? You sunk further into your seat, pondering your own questions, but the one you needed an answer for most; Why did you so easily bend to his will? You were pulled from your thoughts by the door opening.

“Good to know you’re capable of obeying orders, peach…”

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🤍Taglist🤍

@jakekiszkasbuttsweat @ieatedsammy @twistedmelodies @dropdeadalyx31 @ageofbajabule @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @ignite-my-fire @becinabubblegvf @literal-dead-leaf @sanguinebats @myleftsock @laneygvf @writingcold @sinarainbows @lipstickitty @giraffehippy

[petrichor-idyllic]

HEYYY I love your work! I saw your post about the different Maze types, and one that really struck out to me was one Glader in a Maze by themselves. Could I request a Minho x Fem!Reader where they’re the one who survived in their Maze by themselves and they’re kind of a well-known badass around the Safe Haven? And he thinks he just platonically admires her until one of his friends points out that it’s definitely a romantic interest. So he ends up talking to her about it, and they share a cute first kiss? Just tons of fluff please!! 🥰 Thank you so much! I appreciate the hard work you’ve been putting into these. They absolutely make my day <3

I'm happy that you guys like my prompts lol. This is my second story based on this idea, but this one isn't gonna be as long or as complicated.

SOLIDARITY

MASTERLIST | MINHO MASTERLIST

SUMMARY: See above. Movie based fic.

WARNINGS: Inappropriate language, Minho being oblivious to his own feelings, you're not a people person, Gladers teasing Minho.

In all honesty, Minho didn't really think there were that many interesting people around the Safe Haven.

Sure, it was fun casually flirting with some of the girls, talking to members of the Right Arm and learning about other people's Maze experiences. But, nothing really stuck out to him.

Him, Gally and Frypan did get a kick out of having actual girls to talk to. (Thomas has had enough of romantic complications for a while.) But unlike Frypan, who fell in love with every girl who looked in his direction, and Gally, who always spoke about wanting a very specific type of lady- Minho didn't actually care that much.

It wasn't like he'd never fantasised about it. I mean, most of the boys in the Glade used the chance of future romantic prospects as motivation to escape.

But no one had actually taken his interest.

Until he heard about you.

"I can't believe she did it on her own," Harriet says during a lunch break, taking sips from her drink. She sits with Sonya and Aris, with the Gladers sitting on a nearby table.

Bored of the boys' conversation, he ends up eavesdropping.

"We're still talking about (Y/N)?" Aris chuckles, rolling his eyes at Harriet's on-going admiration towards you.

"Dude, she survived a Maze on her own! How can I not talk about it?"

"It is pretty impressive," Sonya agrees.

"What?" Minho jumps in, not one to be scared of involving himself. "What do you mean this girl survived the Maze on her own?"

"What? You haven't heard?" Harriet looks puzzled, and Minho shakes his head.

"No? Should I have?"

"Probably," Harriet scoffs, "yanno how there was a bunch of different Mazes?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, for one of them, WCKD decided to just put one person in there. On her own, for three years- (Y/N) survived and escaped the Maze completely on her own."

Minho blinks.

Someone survived the Maze completely isolated?

"How the shuck is that even possible?" Minho asks, and Harriet shrugs.

"You should ask her yourself."

"Well, where is she?"

Harriet looks around. "Uhm, oh! There!" She points vaguely off out into the sand, where you're stood talking to Vince. "That's her; Vince keeps saying he has a lot to learn from her or some klank."

Minho simply hums in response, his gaze fixated on you. You're definitely attractive, but more than anything, he's impressed.

Instead of going to talk to you, however, he gets swept back into the conversation with his friends.

But, now Minho has his eye on you.

He starts to frequently ask Harriet, and some other people about you- mainly because he actually isn't sure how to casually start a conversation with you. Especially since Harriet unintentionally scared him off by telling him you're pretty standoffish

He started admiring you from a distance, watching you do some physical training with the Right Arm. You seem to be particularly skilled with knives and have a natural instinct and awareness of your surroundings.

He also starts talking to other people about you, learning more and gaining more knowledge about you, often eavesdropping on stories about you. Apparently, you're actually pretty well-known around Safe Haven, despite mainly keeping to yourself.

Honestly, he's beyond impressed by you- by what you've achieved, how you hold yourself, your level-headed nature and the level of casual power you somehow permanently have.

You are what he wanted to be whilst in the Glade. He was Keeper of the Runners, sure, but he always just felt slightly lost. Minho is a confident guy, he knew his skills and that he was more than capable of surviving.

But, he still had a certain level of anxiety, and getting trapped in that Maze at tight was the most terrifying experience of his life.

He looks up to you. You must've been so brave and bold. It takes a special type of person to deal with Grievers and the Maze- but dealing with that on your own? That's insane!

He's full of admiration for you, and he's never actually praised someone this much before, and you're just so-

"Dude, are you crushing on this girl?" Thomas asks between mouthfuls of food, having listened to Minho's new-found fixation on you for the past few weeks.

The table goes silent.

The Gladers have been discussing it in private- sending knowing glances, smirking and whispering amongst themselves. But, apparently, Thomas has gotten sick of it and decided to just straight-up ask him.

"What?" Minho blinks at him. "The shuck are you talkin' about?"

"Do you like her? (Y/N)?"

Minho scoffs. "You're shuckin' with me, right? I don't even know her."

"Yeah, but you don't shut your damn mouth about her," Gally joins in, having wanted to do this for a while now.

"Yeah, well, I just admire her- she did something impossible."

"Yeah, it's cool, dude," Thomas kind of cuts him off, "but we don't talk about her all the time, or try to find out more about her, so..."

"So?"

"So, you're kinda obsessed, dude," Frypan finally says.

"What? I am not."

"Okay, okay," Gally puts his hands out in front of him, leaning over the table, sighing. "Let's uh, let's talk about this, then." He pauses for a second. "Okay, you talk about this girl more than you do anything else- and you've never even spoken to her. Ever since learning about her, you've been ignoring every girl that approaches you and you spend half your time staring at her. It's definitely not normal, man."

Well, when you put it like that...

Minho sits there for a second, processing everything. "Shit." He mumbles. "Is this what it's like to... like someone?"

The boys don't say anything, looking at each other before turning to Thomas- the only man with an actual answer.

"I mean, kinda? I thought about Teresa a lot- but I don't think I was nearly as whipped as you are, dude."

"She did betray us." Gally points out.

"And we were always with her- and always nearly dying, so it's not like you got much time to think about it." Frypan adds.

"Guys, this doesn't help me," Minho groans.

"Look, the fact that you're acting like this probably means there's something else going on- but you should probably talk to her and figure out this klunk on your own." Thomas gives him some actual decent advice.

Though, the thought of actually talking to you is scary. Minho has stared death in the face and been tortured- but God forbid he have to talk to a hot girl his age.

Well, actually, he isn't given much choice.

"Minho! Get your ass over here!" Vince shouts him the next day as he's busy going about his job. He'd drunkenly bragged about how he was one of the strongest Gladers, and Vince took note. "Need to test your fighting skills!"

He seems like a good match for you.

Minho freezes, seeing you standing there, looking at him as Vince waves him over. He glances over at Gally and Frypan, who stand by the kitchen area, watching the whole thing.

With little choice, Minho walks over.

This'll be fine. He just admires you and the boys are over thinking things. If he talks to you, he'll realise he doesn't have a crush and he was right and things can go back to normal.

Right?

"Minho! This is (Y/N)," Vince gestures towards you, "(Y/N), this is Minho- he was the best of the best from his Maze, and I'm sure he'll make a good sparring partner."

"Uh, what? Sparring partner?" Minho splutters out.

"Yeah, most people don't wanna fight me 'cause they're scared- but all anyone around here tells me about you is that you're tough. And I need someone to fight to stay vigilant, so.." You say pretty matter-of-factly, clearly unfazed by his presence.

"...People have spoken to you about me?" The question catches you off-guard.

You'd vaguely heard Minho's name been throw around. From kneeing an armed guard into a wall and knocking him out to throwing a guy through a glass window, Minho has a reputation for having a short temper and a dangerous temperament.

So, why is he now this awkward mess in front of you who keeps glancing at his shoes?

You went into the Maze with some fighting knowledge, presumably trained beforehand, even if you can't remember it. You used to train with makeshift dummies and by stabbing Grievers, then when you got here, you had some wrestling matches with Right Arm members.

It's a good way to let the stamina you spent years building up.

"I guess...?" You're not the best with people, which is probably why you've never actually spoken to Minho before and have come across as very blunt. It's hard learning to act like a normal person so far in life, especially when you spent the only part of your life that you remember completely on your own. "Are you down to help me let off some steam and fight or what?"

He blinks.

That could've probably be phrased better.

Minho looks over at his friends, who give him a very awkward thumbs up.

He swallows, wanting to impress you, and also he doesn't know when he's going to actually talk to you again, so he nods.

"Sure," he grins, trying to push his normal cocky personality to the front as he grins, "I'll go easy on you."

You scoff, immediately taking a fighting stance. "It's your funeral."

"Wait, we're doing this now?" He looks at Vince, who shrugs.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Yeah, alright," he mumbles, copying your footing. He figured once he got out of the Maze, he wouldn't have to deal with weird situations anymore, but it looks like the universe has other plans.

Vince counts you in, and it quickly dawns on him that he doesn't know how to fight a girl- but it's not like it matters because you floor him. He barely has any time to react before you crash into him, rugby tackling him to the ground.

There's a series of "ooo" from the Gladers watching.

He groans, landing on his side and you chuckle, standing up as he cradles his ribs. "Weak." You scoff.

"I wasn't ready," Minho tried to excuse himself.

"I thought you were meant to be tough?"

"I am tough," he stands up, shaking his fists as he takes another stance. "You don't see any of these shanks messing with me?"

You smirk, and it sends butterflies through his entire body.

He's got some fire in him, after all- that's what you like to see.

"Do I look like every other 'shank' to you?" You don't even know what that means, but he said it so you do too.

This time, when you charge, he blocks you, and you end up having a pretty decent fight where he kicks your legs from under you. So, 1-1.

You both fight for another few rounds, which quickly become less competitive and more playful.

Minho isn't a real threat to you, so you have no reason to take it seriously.

"Okay," Vince says, "you kids are tiring me out just watching- and I should actually go do my job."

You scoff, stepping away before sitting down on the sand, legs crosses, taking a sip from a bottle. "Here," you pass it to him, and he accepts. "You're not half bad."

"Likewise," he smirks at you from between swigs. "So," he clears his throat before sitting next to you, his breathing slightly laboured, "you survived the Maze all on your own?"

"Why you asking?"

"Because..." He sighs, "because I was incharge or dealing with my Maze- mapping it, exploring, figuring out how it worked- and I had a whole team to do it. It's... impressive that you did it on your own."

"It was shit," you say bluntly. "I don't need to be told I'm cool for surviving. My options were get out alive or die trying. And I'm still here, so..."

For some reason, Minho hasn't really considered how difficult it would've been. Well, he did, but he focused on the fact you were able to do it, not the trauma or problems it would've left you with.

"Couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't."

"Do you, uh, do you wanna get food? We can eat together? Share some Maze stories?"

You raise your eyebrow. Minho is cute, and he's kind of funny. Not to mention, it's probably about time you actually tried to make friends.

"Yeah, alright."

So, you and Minho start spending some time together. You get properly introduced to the Gladers, and all spending more time with you does is confirm to Minho that he actually does like you.

You have a lot in common, your competitive spirit driving both of you along with eye-rolling at other people.

And, he's like the only person you like, or have ever liked. Which is a lot of pressure.

Though, it's getting a bit much.

Minho is practically bursting with his feelings for you, and he needs to say something. So, (with an adequate amount of peer pressure) Minho decides to do that.

You lay in your hammock, reading a random book you managed to steal from the supplies the Right Arm brought to the Safe Haven.

"Yo," Minho says, trying to play off being casual as much as possible.

"Yo," you respond, scooching over and pushing the fabric down so he can join you in the hammock- you don't really know when you started doing this, but now it's kind of a normal thing. "You good?"

"Yep," he says, throwing his leg into the hammock and shimmying in next to you, though he does seem pretty awkward. Laying your book across your chest, you nudge him.

"You seem... tense? Everything okay?"

"Mhm, yeah, I'm just... Long day, yanno?" You furrow your brows, he's being weird. But, you're still not great at people, so you decide to just pick up your book again.

Minho is normally much more relaxed than this as he stares up at the fabric roof, fiddling with his fingers. You focus as the words in front of you, but that's kind of hard when you have an anxious boy squashed next to you.

"Okay," you slam the book shut, "what the hell is going on with you? You're stressing me out-"

"I like you."

You look at him, laying in your back with your chin touching your shoulder. "Come again?"

"I, uh, I like you?" Now he sounds uncertain, and you are confused.

"I like you, too? That's why you're like the only person I talk to?"

"No, uh, no," he sits up a bit, pushing himself back so he can get more comfy. "I like you, like, more than a friend." He sighs. "I uh, i started looking up to you, at least that's what I thought it was. And the other Gladers thought I had a crush on you, and I thought they were wrong- and then I spoke to you, and we started training, and they- they were right."

He huffs, looking at you before his hands come to his face, hiding.

That's when it kind of clicks. You don't mind some people, but you always prefer Minho. You like talking to Harriet and Vince, but you'd rather be with Minho.

You've been mistaking your possible friendships with people as neuatrality and being civil. And been mistaking the strong feelings you have for Minho as finally having a friend.

Which clearly isn't the case as him confessing has you blushing and your heart jumping out of your chest.

Being isolated for the majority of your teen years has definitely made this complicated.

"I don't know," he mumbles, "sorry, I just had to say something." His hands flop to his sides as he unintentionally slips further down, ending up in an awkward half-sitting, half-lying position as you're still pressed together.

There's a few moments of silence as you process.

Minho seems frozen. But you're not.

Turning so you're on your side.

"Look, I'm sorry-"

"Shut up, Minho," you kiss him, your hand coming round to the other side of his face, hovering over him at a bit of an awkward angle.

You break away, your eyes meeting for a second. He smiles at you, it's soft and content. His hand comes to your waist, loosely hanging as he kisses you again.

You break for a second time.

This time, you flop back down, snuggling next to him.

"You got it all out of your system?" You ask him.

"Yeah," he grins, slipping his arm under the back of your head and pulling you closer. "Think so."

"Good- now, shut up and let me read."

I don't even know if this one makes any sense, I'm becoming delirious.

I hope it does.

Hopefully you kinda enjoyed :))

[biographydivider]

I haven't written Encanto fic in a minute, huh? Anyway I banged this out in half an hour to stop me killing my co-workers, enjoy!

One of the girls was passing it around in the back of church. This silly little folded paper star; you picked a number and a colour and it told your fortune. "You'll marry a rich man," Sofia Quintero whispered, to a chorus of giggles. "Pepa; do you want to try?"

Pepa Madrigal tossed her shiny auburn curls over one shoulder. "No thanks," she said haughtily. "I don't need toys to tell me my future. I can see it whenever I like."

"Pleeeeease Bruno!"

Pepa hung on the end of her brother's ruana as he stomped from room to room. "Please let me see. It's important! I can't let Sofia Quintero and her stupid piece of paper win."

Bruno ignored her.

"I'll do your chores for a week?"

He paused; just for a second, but Pepa noticed. Pepa always noticed. To everyone else, her brother was as hard to read as still water; to her, it was nothing at all.

"Please?" she begged. "Please. Please please please please pleeeeee--"

"Alright, alright!" Bruno stamped his foot, sandal slapping on the tile. "Jeez, Pep; what does it matter anyways?"

Pepa's face darkened. "It. Matters. You're a boy; you don't get it."

"Bruno's shoulders slumped. He didn't think it had anything to do with being a boy. But there was no arguing with Pepa when she got like this. "Ugh. Go get Juli. Might as well make it a party."

And a party it was; Juli smuggled snacks up to Bruno's room after bedtime and Pepa brought some blankets and stuffed animals from her room. They hadn't had a sleepover in Bruno's room in years.

"Ooooooooh!" Juli crowed as, in hues of green, an older version of Pepa was dipped by a handsome, dark-skinned man. "Oooooooooooh, Pepa, he's handsome!"

"I know," Pepa simpered; gracious and faux-humble, like she'd won a prestigious award. "I know."

Bruno wrinkled his nose as the man closed the distance between his lips and Older-Pepa's. "D'we have to watch the kiss?"

"YES!"

"Okay, okay, fine."

"Do me next," said Julieta, leaping onto Bruno's back and shaking his shoulders. "Me next, me next! I want to see my true love, Bruno!" She sighed dramamtically, her eyes going wide and dreamy. "I bet he's strong and graceful and a little bit bad. Not bad-bad, but just...bad enough. You know?"

Bruno had no idea.

Sand fell all around them as the vision ended. "Okay, Bruno sighed, handing the tablet to Pepa without even glancing her way. She squealed happily and kissed her future husband's glass cheek in delight. "Gimme one'a those arepas first. Gotta get my strength back. I'm fourteen, yanno. No spring chicken."

"Thank you Brunito."

"You're welcome, Oven Girl. Glad I'm here for you two to - to exploit."

"Bruno!"

"Don't make us feel bad; that's not fair!"

"S'okay, I'll accept payment in baked goods. Lucky for you."

As much as he complained, Bruno relished the time with his sisters. It was a memory he often looked back on fondly as they grew up, especially as the girls started courting and fell in love. It was nice to see their lives unfolding like that; like the end of the story written just under a folded piece of paper, out of sight for everyone else but them.

So when Dolores came to him - nine years old, shyly tugging on the hem of his ruana - and started talking bout one of her little playmates using some fortune telling game in school that day, he chuckled softly under his breath. "Sure, kiddo," he said, hoisting his sobrina onto his shoulders. "C'mon. Let's go see your husband, huh?"

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Grim Ceremonial Robe Personal Story: Part 2

"Together like this forever."

(Part 1) Part 2

[Ramshackle Dorm –  Anniversary Party]

Grim: Oh yeah, you remember that weird sound we all heard before the ceremony? Do you know whose voice that was?

Grim: …It was Trey, who got startled by Lilia! I don't think I've ever heard him shout so loud.

Grim: He was all, "Hey, c'mon, stop it," when we all started laughing at him.

Grim: And I thought that was even funnier, so I kept laughing…

Grim: But then Trey came up to me and whispered, "I won't make you any snacks for today's party."

Grim: How can I keep making fun of him if he says things like that!? That's cheating!

Grim: Lilia was just happy to be able to surprise Trey, though…

Grim: But then he realized right after that Tsunotaro wasn't there and jumped back in surprise himself.

Grim: "Oh no, I forgot to let Malleus know about the ceremony again!" he said, and just disappeared.

Grim: Man, that guy just appears and disappears whenever he wants.

Grim: Once, I asked Lilia what kind of magic that was…

Grim: And he just laughed and said it was a secret. Well now he's not just cheating, he's being stingy!

Grim: So then, Tsunotaro finally came to the ceremony as we were finishing up…

Grim: …But he was super angry, yanno.

Grim: I could feel my tail tucking between my legs. Lilia was laughing, but everyone else was scared stiff.

Grim: "Did you all forget about me?" he said in a real low voice… And the weather kinda was looking bad outside…

Grim: I bet we all woulda been in for it, if it wasn't for Cater's quick thinking. It's great that he was closer to the doors.

Grim: He just said, "Hey, the decoration we put out for Ramshackle'll get destroyed in the rain if you keep this up, you know?"

Grim: So then Tsunotaro just said, "Oh, you're right" so quickly, and the sky cleared, so whew～

Grim: Cater's a lifesaver, though. He's always kinda playing around, but he's definitely a smooth talker!

Grim: I should take a page from his book and learn how to quickly come up with better excuses.

It'd be great if you could learn something else other than that…

Grim: Something else? Bold words to say to the future greatest mage Grim-sama!

Grim: I'm a genius, so if I want to, I can basically do anything I want. Nyahahah!

1. Right! I'm counting on you, Grim-sama!

Grim: !!

Grim: Right, right? You can praise me some more, yanno!

Grim: Nyahaha! It's the greatest feeling when my henchie gives me compliments.

2. Then please do you homework tomorrow as well.

Grim: Eh! That's… That's a whole different topic!

Grim: I'm gonna have you give me the answers tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after too.

Grim: As the underling, you gotta do at least that much for your boss, right? Right? …...Right!?

Grim: Don't you think that we got a pretty good combo going on, the two of us?

Grim: Anything that you can do, you get it done.

Grim: And anything you can't do, I guess I gotta help you out.

Grim: See? We just gotta keep on working well together like this forever.

Of course. Thanks for everything.

Grim: Yeah! I'm here to help you, yanno.

[knock, knock]

Grim: Ah! Tsunotaro and the others are here! It's time for the party!!

Grim: I gotta make sure to eat all the good stuff. Don't just stand there, we gotta go, [Yuu]!

(Part 1) Part 2

[mamadarama]

same anon here to elaborate on some of the cats (and other pets) in the story:

every member of knights has a descendant of little john/nyaitsu. (only one i have details on atm: izuleo have a big fat cat named king richard who's dumb as rocks[though they both insist otherwise] and spoiled rotten. they didn't know it was a girl until after she was named that. later on they got another cat who they named maid marian before finding out that was a boy. their names have not been changed regardless)

shu adopted a Fancy Pedigree Sphinx (he makes it little sweaters/outfits to keep it warm). mika has a skrunkly black cat he found in a dumpster (alternatively, also thought it could be cool to give him one of those patchwork cats, where the pigmentation on their face is like. split down the middle yanno). anywho these cats are Bonded for Life

tetohina have a Stupid Male Orange Tabby. tetora thinks the cat is a Fierce Warrior while hinata calls it a stinky dum dum (affectionately)

kohiiai actually have three pets. first was the bunny, then the tarantula hiiro brought home a day later, then a while after that, kohaku found a stray kitten in an alleyway and brought it home (by this point hiiro has adjusted to the idea of domesticated pets, and it helps that the kitten was also on the streets [just like him ;;]) kohaku and the cat are both found regularly napping in weird locations (open to suggestions on cat breeds!! i keep going back and forth on what it should be,, i liked the idea of bingus, but also like the idea of fluffy,, currently tentatively thinking oriental long hair maybe? idk. kitten with ear too big for he gotdam head)

subaru (+the rest of trickstar by extension) has a direct descendant of daikichi

similarly, koga has at least one or two corgis, if not a direct descendant of leon. also probably like a bajillion foster dogs. hes using the rockstar money to care for as many dogs as possible

souma still has kamegorou. turtles live a long time,, (also maybe one or two horses as well)

given your Cat Knowledge, i'd love to hear your thoughts on these, or any other characters who you think should have cats! :3

Aaahh thats so cute . i can totally imagine leo having a cat named king richard thats just like that, if someone told me him and izumi have that exact cat back in italy i wouldnt even question it id just take it as fact

you could give kohaku a purebred, but it wouldnt be that realistic to do that. finding a purebred stray/feral at all, much less finding one alive, is so unlikely that the only thing keeping me from saying its impossible is my personal adversity to making absolute claims like that on the possibility of some bizarre freak situation. all strays and ferals are moggies/randombreds, any purebreds you see in shelters are animals surrendered by their owners (its rare, ive been rehabbing cats for 6-7 years now and its only happened 3 times)

however that doesnt mean you cant give him a unique cat !! mutations and weird patterns happen all the time in stray and feral populations . the bobtail gene is pretty common in japanese colonies (at least more common than it is in america) so you could give him a bobtail cat? i think a little high white calico bobtail would suit him :^)

but of course realism doesnt really matter too much, hell i have purebreds in catstars au and theyre all ferals

also hiiro would have either a tarantula or a stick bug or both. idk i can imagine him absolutely adoring stick and leaf bugs for how they look like sticks and leaves , he thinks its charming

depending on how far in the future were talking souma might still have saigoudon. souma grew up with him so its safe to assume theyre around the same age, meaning saigoudon is around 20 years old. horses can live up to 30 and occasionally even longer so theyve still got plenty time left together. if he moves out of his parents house maybe hed get his own horse though

the twins definitely have their own cats and tetora definitely tells young children that meet their cat that its part tiger.

SHU HAVING A HAIRLESS BREED IS SO REAL he would love having a pet he can make clothes for its too perfect . the split face marking youre talking about is most common in tortoiseshell cats , that would be perfect for mika :D

with daikichi and leon im almost certain theyre both fixed because koga and subaru are responsible dog owners but subaru would definitely stick with shibas . i can picture koga either with another corgi or adopting a shepard mix of some kind ..... when he retires hed probably start fostering dogs but until then hed probably be busy with life and stick with only one dog so he can devote all his attention to that one . fostering more than one or two dogs at a time is kind of a full time thing (believe me my step grandmother fosters dogs and owns 11) he definitely volunteers at some sort of animal place, either domestic or exotics or whatever he just loves animals in general (thinking abt the guinea pig card..... )

[eveningspringbreeze]

Double Face TRIP Campaign MC Minitalks

Nebula

Madara: “Hello, everyoooone! It’s me, Mikejima Madara!” 

Kohaku: “An’ it’s me, Oukawa Kohaku. Our biggest thanks ta everyone attendin’ our celebratory live for Double Face’s album release.” 

“Our first song today is our brand new song for the album, Nebula.”

“This live here’s our first time ever performin’ this on stage. Did everyone like it?” 

Madara: “...Thank you so much for the huge applause! Kohaku-san and I rehearsed up 'till the very last minute ☆” 

Kohaku: “Hey, don’t go yappin’ bout that. We looked so cool till ya said that.” 

”Givin’ insider info ruins that, yanno. Anyways, just the thought o’ our very own independent live really fired me up.”

Madara: “Everyone, we’d love for you to stay glued to the culmination of Double Face…♪” 

“Alright. Looks like all preparations are done. Let’s bring in the next song!”

“We'll be continuing with =EYE=! Sear the sight of our performance into your eyes.” 

=EYE=

Madara: “ —And that was =EYE=! We don’t stop! Let’s keep revving up the live!”

Kohaku: “Madara-han, yer even more hyped than when we rehearsed, eh? Make sure ya take care to not run outta fuel and collapse midway through.” 

“Though, seein’ everyone in the audience is excitin' me too.” 

“=EYE= was our very first song from when we started workin’ as Double Face. Our first step, so to speak.” 

“I love all of our songs, an’ while I wouldn’t be able to rank any as better or worse than the other, this one truly feels special.” 

“I’m really happy to be able ta perform it once again in front of everyone, now that we’ve grown so much alongside Double Face.” 

“...Hey, Madara-han, why are you listenin’ so intently? Don’t just humor me, where's the witty commentary?"

Madara: “Hahaha! Witty commentary, huh? Well, there’s some parts I definitely want to talk about—” 

“But let’s leave that for later. First and foremost, I want everyone to hear the next song— CROSS SHINE!”

CROSS SHINE

Madara: “Did everyone enjoy CROSS SHINE? I’d like to reintroduce myself here.” 

“My name is Mikejima Madara. Normally, I’m active as the solo unit MaM—” 

“And when I team with Kohaku-san, I take on Double Face’s name.” 

“...Just a bit ago, Kohaku-san was talking about his experiences starting out with Double Face, right?” 

“I’ve aaalways worked alone by myself. It’s simply what I thought fit me the most—” 

“To think we’d release an album, and then even a celebratory live. I never imagined we’d be able to get this far.” 

“All of this is thanks to the people that needed us, every one of you that supports us.”

“Truly, thank you so much.” 

“Haha! Our live’s just starting, but the atmosphere feels so solemn now.” 

“Next up will be No name yet. These buds that have finally started to blossom— may they reach you.” 

No name yet

Kohaku: “And that was No name yet. Did our feelings reach you?” 

Madara: “How about reintroducing yourself here, Kohaku-san?” 

Kohaku: “Oh yeah, didn’t ya do that earlier? Everyone already knows, so to sum it briefly–” 

“I am Crazy:B’s Oukawa Kohaku. When I'm workin’ with Madara-han, we make up Double Face.” 

“Around the time No name yet first released, we were a real mess behind the scenes.” 

Madara: “Hahaha! It feels like we’re always a real mess whenever something happens!” 

“That time was quite hectic. Kohaku-san even ended up punching and kicking me!” 

Kohaku: “I did not kick ya. I simply gave yer abdomen a good blow ‘cause ya kept doin’ whatever ya wanted, that’s it.” 

Madara: “Ah right, it went like that. How nostalgic……☆” 

“We pray no more once on shore or whatever (*), but when I think back to everything, I realize just how many good memories have piled up.” 

“You can’t predict the future. That's exactly why it’s important to enjoy the present, right?” 

“And so, our next song will be HELLO, NEW YEAR! Let’s welcome it with our special guests ☆”

-

(*) Madara uses half of the proverb 喉元過ぎれば熱さを忘れる (one forgets the heat once it’s past the throat), which afaik has multiple equivalences (I used “once on shore, we pray no more”). Basically means once you’re past something difficult the initial suffering doesn’t matter to you anymore. 

HELLO, NEW YEAR!

Madara: “That concludes HELLO, NEW YEAR! Now it’s time for introductions! Please welcome our special guests: Arashi-san, Tsumugi-san, and Natsume-san!” 

Arashi: “Hello! How was our performance?” 

Tsumugi: “Thank you so much for having us as your guests. We had fun performing.” 

Natsume: “Farewell, everyoNE. Make sure to enjoy the live to your heart’s contENT…♪”

Madara: “You three, thank you for heating up the live with us…☆” 

“Earlier, the topic had turned quite somber. Now, I want to talk about something brighter.”

“During the MV production, I painted several pieces. The final painting, a floral piece, took a hefty amount of time to finish.”

“It took me about a week to finally be satisfied with it.” 

“Accomplished yet fatigued, I ended up dozing off while I waited for the staff. Seems like that’s when Arashi-san whipped out her phone…” 

“And just like that, it was used in the MV. Oh dear, how embarrassing ☆”

“Our next song will be Bye-Bye Buddy! Let’s start the infiltration mission……☆” 

Bye-Bye Buddy

Madara: “And that was Double Face’s Bye-Bye Buddy!” 

Kohaku: “Earlier, ya mentioned how shootin’ yer MV was a lotta work.” 

“But this MV ended up bein' just as much hard work, no?” 

Madara: “Haha, MV shoots always end up being really fun and exciting. Because I tackle them with everything I’ve got, it’s never felt laborious to me.” 

“Still, that scene where I had to drop the gun might have been just a little tough.” 

Kohaku: “Hey, at least there’s no way they’d ever actually shoot ya, right?” 

“That scene alone took up at least half the day though, didn’t it?” 

Madara: “Yep! I have nothing but gratitude towards the staff for persevering with me, as well as Kohaku-san for waiting for his turn so patiently.” 

Kohaku: “It took a lotta time ta make Bye-Bye Buddy’s MV, so it’s a rather elaborate one as well. I’d be happy if everyone would watch it over an’ over.” 

Madara: “Well then… Next up will finally be our last mission.” 

“Kimi Shirushi Be Ambitious!!, and then Stippling! Please listen to these next two songs!” 

Final

Kohaku: “That was Stippling! With this, our mission's complete.”

Madara: “To all of you in the audience! Did everyone enjoy Double Face’s solo live?”

Kohaku: “...Kokoko ♪ Thank ya kindly for the wonderful cheers an’ applause. I’ve also had a blast, I’m completely satisfied.” 

Madara: “I'd loved to have enjoyed this a bit longer, but it’s about time we part ways.” 

“Until our next order. Let’s meet again!” 

Encore

Madara: “Everyone! Thank you for calling for the emergency mission-- an encore!”

Kohaku: “Thanks to Madara-han’s cool sendoff earlier, it feels just a tad embarrassin’ steppin’ here again, though.” 

“Givin’ us an encore made me really happy. Thank you so much, everyone ♪” 

Madara: “Last up’s gotta be this song! Let’s sing this one together! Double Face’s—” 

Madara and Kohaku: “BRAND NEW STARS!!” 

Epilogue

Kohaku: Thank you for the encore! This will be the real ending to Double Face’s solo live.” 

“...I had fun all the way from the bottom o’ my heart. Thank you, Madara-han.” 

Madara: “Same to you, Kohaku-san. Thank you for running alongside me, buddy ♪” 

“I’ll pray for the day we’ll get to you see all of you again! This was Double Face’s Mikejima Madara—” 

Kohaku: “An’ Double Face’s Oukawa Kohaku! Well then~ ♪”

Madara: “Bye-byeeeeeeee…..☆”

------- Notes ------

Shakes fist... I'm struggling to find the minitalk post-campaign and don't have the JP text so just know that this isn't proofread

[landwriter]

I just. Need to get this out of my head. We all see Hob as a university level teacher but what if he wasn't? What if he was an elementary, or even kindergarten/preschool, teacher. He didn't exactly plan to become an Offical Wrangler of 20 Human equivalent of cats, but it lets him showcase his random knowledge and get even more excited about seeing the future.

Get it outta your head, put it into mine, yes, this is the meta I welcome and adore!!! I think my views on Hob tend to run a little bit sharper and darker than the average fandom take. I've never seen him as someone whose chief trait is hope, yanno? It's hunger for me! Never thought, oh yeah, that is a labrador retriever in human form. I have never associated him with a little classroom that has posters about weather and seasons and a map of the world.

And YET. After getting this ask and thinking about it. I am fucking sold and now I will sell you all too. He would be a brilliant teacher of younger kids. Because I don't think you need to be sunny or kind or friendly to be a good teacher of small children. It’s nice. But I do believe you have to be curious. And sensitive. And patient. And those are some of the traits that characterize Hob to me.

He knows more of the variations of life than can be earned in a mortal lifetime alone. He knows loneliness. He knows losing family. He knows poverty. He knows about moving and leaving what feels like your whole life behind you, when you never wanted to go. He would inherently understand why it's better to talk about 'grownups at home' than 'parents', and why you shouldn't make kids share with the class what they did on their summer vacation. 

He is always curious - not just of the world in a way that allows him to passionately transmit that knowledge to his classes like you say OP - but also of his kids. About their dreams and hopes and fears. About how childhood has changed so much. He loves the small stuff. He wants to hear it all. A class of 20 enthusiastic kids might be like herding cats, but it’s also 20 entire lives, mornings and nights and houses and siblings and pets and chaos and weird kid observations and beliefs, and it sates Hob’s bottomless hunger for the human experience far more than a lecture hall filled with a bunch of young adults who are only there three hours a week, whose extent of conversation with him is usually limited to emails asking for paper extensions that he grants each and every time.

He also has this insane sensitivity that you see even in 1389 in the way he pulls back earnestness with humour to match the mood of the room. He is always watching, always feeling, always adjusting. Think of all the little expressions of expectation and irritation and hurt and hope when talking with Dream! I have no doubt he’d ensure each of his students felt seen and understood, even if it's hard at first. Even if it takes a long time to get there. It’s taken him a long time, after all. He is this exquisitely tuned instrument to talk carefully to kids, and to give them back tenfold the sort of validation that a part of him always howled for in those early meetings.

He's good at being earnest. He's good at big feelings. He's good at being funny. He's good at noticing. He's good at these things, in large part, because he's not normal at all.

He’s also as stubborn as a child, but as frighteningly patient as, well, an immortal. It’s probably uncanny to his colleagues. They tell Hob he’s got the patience of a saint, and he thinks, privately, More like the faith of a martyr. But he does. He’s got both.

I think he doesn't get it all right at first. But I think within ten years he’s got so many teaching awards he needs to put up a special shelf for them. Below it, though, are several shelves, already full to bursting, with letters and thank-yous and birthday cards and ‘look at me now’ life updates from former students. Because that is the kind of teacher Hob wants to be.

[arithecreatorsstuff]

Cruel and Malicious Phraseology

Since the JLA ban on profanity in the workplace took effect, some of us have gotten rather inventive in expressing our less positive sentiments. No guesses for which member of the Old Guard had the most insults hurled at them, but... his initials are HJ. There is no context, only hostility.

"I could put an entire box of alphabet pasta through a spin cycle and come up with a better plan than that. Stop trying to be Batman, one is enough."

"Go stick your head inside a black hole, you posh knobhead!"

"Listen here, you overhyped rodent posterior... rocking up like you're the brightest glow stick in the rave negates the very idea of a stealth mission. Adjust your glow to match your intellect, please."

"You got this, huh? Looks like you handled that masterfully. Tell you what there, Mastermind... let me know if you need help finding your teeth after that glorious victory."

"Plans A, B, AND C all tanked? Over to you, Glowworm, you usually head straight to Plan D for "dumb crap" anyway."

"Quick question, do you even Metal Gear?"

"Oh, what in the unholy name of Ymir's jockstrap did we walk into this time?"

"Do... do the Big Bosses not realize pockets are a thing? Like, where am I supposed to keep my wallet, or anything, really? Is the Marquis de Sade the staff tailor, because wearing this is gonna drive me mad."

"You and I have been friends for a while, but... when you say things like that I kinda want to stab you in the eye with an explosive arrow."

"I get now why you prefer being underwater. Less dumb. Much less screaming. Speaking of... I bet you know some epic dive spots. They'll be at this for hours, we're not needed here. If the Boss asks, you're teaching me marine ecology in the wild."

"Huh. Here I thought Joker held the title for "Most Punchable Face on Earth", yet here's the new heavyweight contender, ready to throw down for the belt."

"Go boil your head in some more of that cheap weak sister beer!"

"Why don't you go hug a claymore mine already?"

"Eat my boots!"

"No, ma'am, I'm not ready for that jelly, I prefer cream cheese on my bagel anyway. You're... not talking about food, are you? Oh, monkey bread."

"Repeat after me: Pants. Are. Not. Optional!"

"I'd rather drown than EVER go clown. I might not have taste, but I have standards."

"Oh, by Artemis' sandals what did you do this time?"

"Yanno, you and a certain dirty old man thunder God have the same issue: too focused on the ladies to do your job. Eyes in the head, you ain't her type. Trust me."

"IN THE NAME OF SIGYN'S GIRDLE WILL YOU STOP SNEAKING UP ON ME LIKE THAT! The Boss can get away with it, as he was trained in silent infiltration and is not a creepy drunken sorry excuse for a washout. Either knock on the door like a normal human, or run the risk of having to sing "I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" to even enter the men's locker room."

"You died? I see your brain sure stayed dead."

"It's a RAID, not a rave. Lose the shiny stuff and glow trim, we're trying the Splinter Cell approach. Also... do you really need the three extra ammo belts? They're thugs, not the blooming Xenomorphs."

"I know over 20 languages, yet cannot explain exactly how much I'd like to beat you with a pufferfish."

"But did you die again? No? So... why so grumpy, Mr. Grouchy von Groucherson?"

"How? How do you claim to be a master shot, yet miss the ginormous glaring weak spot every time? Are you a plant from the Court of Owls? Make it make sense."

"Huh. Sniper scope, but still can't see the obvious. Just ask her already! Aphrodite help me, but you're blind if you can't see she likes you."

"Thanks, but I don't associate with the chronically dumb."

"A date? Let me check my calendar. Sorry, looks like I'm going to be washing my hair for the foreseeable future."

"Would you kindly get your head out of the poor man's rear entrance so he can get some work done?"

"Games teach you problem solving in real time, teamwork, the importance of understanding the mechanics in any situation, how to manage difficult individuals, pattern recognition, and much more. Odin's eyepatch, you must be a pretentious little sod to think you can't learn from gaming. Now quit whining and pick your fighter already. You're holding up the match."

[zensakira]

Reunion

💀 This scene. 

This scene.

I’d be damn angry too. If I decided to have an outburst on how my father shouldn’t have let my sister go and that she was brainwashed by an authoritative power, I wouldn’t do it in front of the whole class. I don’t know if it’s cuz of Chinese culture, but he is making his family lose so much ‘face’. Like fr this cant wait till you’re at home? And isn’t this a completely stupid choice anyway, considering Jalil knows Alix’s classmates are gawking over the photos, view her as a superheroine on a noble quest just like everyone else, even more so because they KNEW her and MISS her too and she’s their classmate; of course they’d not agree with what he’s saying. He just put a target on his back? Like what were the odds of him, what, coming out of this outburst having changed some minds? Setting himself up for failure. But fr, he had to yell right in front of her classmates? So, of course her classmates (ft, marinette) back up her decision and Alix’s dad. 

And, no homeboy, what ARE you doing to get Alix back???? No, seriously, because all he did was listen to negative comments and form conspiracy theories. How does that help get Alix back at all??

Mans really said ‘imma sashay off now father, don’t look for me 💅 💅 💅’

==

necklace not there

still not there

SNEAKY SNEAKY BAM BAM

i see what you did there cheeky lil animators

Also, someone else pointed this out; wouldn’t Adrien literally see it? If we count the previous bits as animation errors, that necklace should’ve been dangling the whole time. SO....... with the current trend of referencing obscure moments in future episodes and having them actually have an impact, I would absolutely love for this to be mentioned somewhere.

Also..

I hope Adrien is now paying attention to Marinette since he likes her so much and takes note of every detail about her, including this-yet again- obscure fact. How great would it be that he later down the line suggests a date idea being to give each other extra history assignments-

ESPECIALLY since goldilocks sure seems to know a good amount of random obscure historical facts. 

==

The hourglass went down by that much in just 2 seconds. 

Hear me ouwt. It went down by 1 ‘real’ cm within 2 seconds. So 1cm/2s. 

By the time she finished saying this, 3 seconds have passed. Lets say the bit where Monarch is having his evil monologue, is time overlapped with her coming up with a solution.

Between the time right after Pharaoh speaks and this scene,  

23 seconds have passed. Plus the 3 seconds from earlier.. thats 26, so.. Hourglass should’ve gone down by 13 cm. 

Aha yanno what lets just enjoy the show  💀 💀 💀

==

Bro Pharaoh homeboy... Chat noir aint ur papi.

Jk but nah seriously his dad is in his book how he supposed to hear? The pages are turned over >_>

I mean it really is still turned to the ‘Truth’ page  🤷

dear sausage fingers, how do you expect to weasel your fingers into taking off his miraculous from his closed fist?

Hats off to you sir, not many can do that. 

I know later on worn on the necklace its corrected to this>

But man visually it would’ve been so much nicer if whenever this appeared it was always the correct way up, to visualize yin and yang, esp with chat’s yin! 

Bonus, Rabbit’s yin, so who’s the rabbit’s yang???

There are many amazing parts of this episode but the HANDS DOWN FUNNIEST is how we get a direct jump cut to Adrien in his room and Plagg just going ‘BLEGH! here you go’ looking all proud as if there wasn’t spit coming out of his mouth-

And I know the current trend of memes is making fun of how Plagg was so disgusted he threw up a kwagamata, but like this is so exciting!!! The implications! Its so fitting for Plagg to not have a special occasion ready and just randomly YEET a kwagamata (which is very important to any holder really), unannounced. Just so fitting. 

(Text: NUKE INCOMING, PLAGG, SERIOUSLY! , STOP GIVING ME THESE EVERY TIME I SWOON, I DONT HAVE ENOUGH CABINETS FOR ALL OF THESE!)

Who said a kwami could only give 1 kwagamata? Ft. Plagg distracting him with a kwagamata as his coping mechanism for the consistent swooning