#let me tell you about how hilarious their relationship would be if they actually had gotten together in canon

[fireflysugarpie]

I don't know where all of you came from, but I'm glad you all agree with the truth (my heavily biased opinion)

I'm literally so obsessed with the fact that Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu married the most extreme versions of each other

like, I'm pretty sure that people have already brought this up, but Shang Qinghua and Luo Binghe have the same, "I'm just a little guy, you wouldn't hurt a little guy, would you?" pathetic, pitiful, crybaby aura (even though Binghe is a lot more selective with it lol)

and Shen Qingqiu and Mobei-Jun are icy beauty, rich, dense, spoiled brats that both go insane over (1) pitiful hamster man (for different reasons, but still)

I feel like if they didn't fucking die and get transmigrated, they could've had a cute assholes to assholes but lovers arc :<

[crushpunky]

drew and costar!reader take the glamour friendship test

masterlist

based on this ask :)

Y/n and Drew walked out onto the bright, white set, their outfits coordinating shades of purple as they prepared for another interview ahead of the release of their film, “Be My Mistake”.

Exercise 1: First Impressions

“Scary… very scary.” Y/n said, looking over at Drew to gauge his reaction. He furrowed his brow, looking between her and the camera before they both descended into giggles. Y/n leaned into Drew as she laughed, Drew catching her and pushing her back up.

“We were told we needed to take this seriously and this is the [bleep] you pull.” Drew chuckled, shaking his head, a grin on his face.

“Ok, ok, seriously,” y/n said, “I was a bit intimidated, but that was mainly because he was so business-y and… I mean Drew’s a pretty big and tall guy so there’s that. But once we got to talking, and he really got out of his shell, I was amazed by how intelligent and funny he was.”

“‘Intelligent and funny’. Wow.” Drew teased, elbowing y/n lightly. “Well, I knew of you before we met and was impressed with your talent and beauty on screen. However, once we met, I was thrilled to find a wonderful personality that accompanied all that.”

“We quickly found out that we’re just about the same person, so that was a pleasant surprise.” Y/n nodded, wrapping an arm around Drew and squeezing his arm lightly.

Exercise 2: Give Your Friend a Compliment

“I feel like we already did that,” Drew laughed, “but I can definitely find a couple more things to say.”

“I mean I guess I already said this, but Drew is really such an intelligent person,” Y/n gazed at Drew, “like not just book smart, but relationship, emotional smart. He’s very much in touch with all of that and is a very good gauge-r for people’s feelings.”

“Y/n is actually the funniest person I know and that’s not me being dramatic.” Drew grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much with anyone else… definitely not to the point of nearly getting kicked out of a restaurant.”

Y/n laughed at the memory. The two of them had gone out for a nice dinner following wrapping on “Be My Mistake”, dressing up and sharing a couple drinks. However, their usual banter resulted in them laughing quite loudly for the duration of the meal. Shortly after their main courses had arrived, a waiter had come over telling them about how some guests were complaining about the two of them being disruptive, which only made them laugh louder. By some grace of god, however, they didn’t get asked to leave.

“It’s not my fault I’m hilarious.” Y/n said with a simple shrug, causing Drew to laugh.

Exercise 3: Fishbowl of Memories

“Oooh.” Drew said as y/n took the large fishbowl from one of the PAs. Inside, various scraps of paper filled the bowl, each with a question.

“I’ll let you have the honor of going first.” Y/n smiled, offering the bowl out to Drew. He dug inside, grabbing a slip of paper as y/n sat the bowl down on the table in front of them.

“What was the funniest blooper in this film?” Drew read before glancing over at y/n, a smirk on his face. Y/n gave him the same look back, the two of them thinking of the same moment.

“There was an… unfortunate incident in which I accidentally pantsed Drew.” Y/n said, trying her best to stifle her laughter. Drew nodded his head, a warm pink spreading across his cheeks.

“You might be thinking, how do you accidentally pants someone?” Drew teased, y/n folding her hands on the table in front of her dramatically.

“We were filming a scene where our characters were arguing and Drew turned to walk away, and I went to follow after him,” y/n explained. “However, I tripped over a rug and fell. I tried to catch myself on Drew, I was sort of grabbing at him, but only ended up getting his pants before I fell… the pants coming with unfortunately.”

“I really hope that that’s not on the blooper real.” Drew shook his head, rubbing a hand along his jaw.

“Oh, I’m sure the ladies would love to see Starkey in his tighty-whities. A real treat.” Y/n teased. Drew cringed, shoving at y/n’s shoulder before gesturing for her to pick a piece of paper from the bowl.

“What is your favorite memory with each other?” Y/n read, looking over at Drew as the two of them thought. They stared at each other in silence, both of their brows furrowing as they shuffled through an abundance of memories.

“I think I have mine.” Drew said, snapping his fingers before turning towards the camera.

“Ok, ok. Me too. Let’s see if we agree.” Y/n nodded, still facing Drew as she waited for him to speak.

“Mine is when we went to get tattoos and y/n passed out and I had to carry her out to the car because she was being so dramatic.” Drew laughed, his laughter growing even louder as y/n’s jaw dropped. She hit his arm lightly, groaning at the memory. 

“I wasn’t being dramatic I— ok, maybe I was but I was probably still hungover from the night before.” Y/n chuckled.

“Your turn.” Drew said, leaning to rest his elbows on the table and his chin in his palms in faux overinterest.

“My favorite memory is when we sang Wicked at some karaoke bar and it was so bad that people started booing us.” Y/n laughed. They had gone out with the rest of the cast to a karaoke bar down the street from where they had been shooting. Later in the night, after a couple of drinks, Drew and y/n decided it would be a good idea to sing “Defying Gravity”. Neither of them being singers, nor anywhere talented enough for the numerous high notes, the regular patrons of the bar began booing and cringing at their attempt at the notoriously difficult to sing song.

“‘Please for the love of god stop’.” Drew recited one of the patrons’ comments, causing y/n to throw her head back laughing.

“Wow, jeez. That was a deep cut.” Y/n straightened herself back up, smoothing out the  front of her dress. Drew threw an arm over her shoulders, bringing her to his side.

“I think we passed. I think we’re friends, right?” Drew shook y/n playfully, who just let out a sarcastic groan.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Y/n gave in, wrapping her arm around Drew’s torso and hugging him lightly.

“Thank you for watching!” Drew said with a wave, y/n joining in and waving excitedly. The two of them jumped up and down, their waves growing more intense, until they both fell into each other and collapsed into laughter that continued even after the cameras cut.

[huskersbooze]

Who's in Control?

Alastor x Reader

| Part 1(here!) | Part 2 | Part 3 |

Summary : You sold your soul to Alastor and had no idea how big of a deal this was. Until recently, you finally learn what it means, and realize all that Alastor had been doing was just a lie.. or was it?

Pairing : Alastor x F!Reader, Huskerdust? (M!Reader here, Gn!Reader here)

Warnings : swear words

Additional Tags : Angst, miscommunication, misunderstandings, Alastor actually being nice?!, no use of (Y/n)

Ib : Who's in Control By Set It Off

Word count : 1.8k

"Good morning, dear."

"Morning, Al." You reach the lobby and take a seat on the floor next to Alastor's chair.

"How was your sleep, darling?"

"It was good! And yours?"

"Aha, hilarious, really. You know I don't sleep, my dear." He places a hand on your head and gives your hair a ruffle. "You really do know how to brighten my day."

The rest of the team reaches the lobby, and you all gather around for your daily dose of trust exercises.

-----

You and Alastor had been growing closer and closer ever since your arrival at the hotel. There was no doubt that he was your favourite person there.

And, well, for Alastor, he never wanted to admit it, but everyone in the hotel could tell, and even he was aware.

He was growing a soft-spot for you.

It was never supposed to be this way. He was never meant to grow attached. It just somehow happened, and that was that.

Everything between you two was going great. Except for that one little issue that bothered Alastor.. but you didn’t have to know. He never tried to abuse any of that power when he asked for your soul. He never thought of doing anything to you.

But there comes a time in every relationship where a lie can ruin it all.

“Hey, sugar. How ya’ doin’?” Angel Dust leans by the bar counter, greeting you as usual.

“I'm doing decent. Husk and I were just talking about you.”

“We were fuckin’ not!” You watch as the cat's ears twitch, the drink he was originally pouring tipping over.

“Oh, really? No need ta’ lie Husky~” You laugh at Angel's teasing, which makes Husk let out a low growl. “At least I don't gawk over a certain demon so obviously.”

“Hey! Are you talking about me and Al?”

“Who else would he be talkin’ about?” Angel tilts his head to the side, giving you a knowing glare. “Ya’ can't even deny it.”

“Al and I are just friends.”

“Kid, Angel's right.” The cat can only do so much but sigh. “You don't know him as well as I do. He treats you differently.”

“Still, we're just friends-”

“The Radio Demon doesn't do ‘friends’, kid.”

“Yeah, well, he owns my soul. Of course he'd treat me differently.”

The way it so simply came out of your mouth like it wasn't some big deal. Both Husker and Angel Dust froze in place, staring at you wide-eyed.

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“What.. what did you just say?” The spider can hardly comprehend the news you'd just dropped.

“He owns my soul..?”

“Kid. What the actual fuck?!”

“What the fuck did he do to you?! Ya’ alright?! Are you hurt?”

You watch as the two demons skim your body up and down, firing questions at you, checking up to make sure you weren't hurt.

But you were confused.

“What's going on? Why are you guys suddenly acting so strange?”

“Wh- Why did you sell ya’ soul to him?!”

“Fuck I knew he was up to no good!”

“He told me by selling my soul to him he'd protect me from everything and anything at all cost. I didn't see a reason to decline?” You reply to Angel's question, ignoring Husk as he mutters about himself being correct. “I got nothing to lose.”

“Ya’ got everything to lose, shitass.” You hear his voice start to crack slightly as you realise tears welling up in his eyes.

“Angel?! Hey, what's wrong?”

“Damn, kid. You really don't know shit, huh?”

“About..?”

“What it means to sell your soul.”

“I know what it means, Al said-”

“Forget that fucker.” Husk practically spits out his name. “D'you know why I work here at the bar?”

“Because you like your job..?”

“No. It’s because I was forced by the person I sold my soul to.”

“Who..?”

“Hell, kid.. you really can't take a hint?”

And just like that, he says one more name, and your whole world comes tumbling down on you.

He didn't actually care for you, he was just shaping you in case you came to use.

He didn't actually enjoy your company, he was just watching you to make sure you were obedient.

He didn't actually mean any of the things he said. He was just trying to manipulate you.

And you were so damn lost. So damn lost as to whether the control and power you thought you had, really belonged to you.

“Valentino is an overlord.. and he's your boss?”

“Yup.” Angel nods.

“And he owns your soul like Al owns Husk’s?”

“Exactly.” Husk replies.

“And there's no escaping this contract..?”

“No.” The two reply together.

“Fuck.”

-----

“Greetings, my dear! How are you on this fine morning?” The static sounds from Alastor's usual seat at the lobby where you all gather every morning.

There's that usual smile etched on his face, which, you used to believe looked genuine when he was talking to you, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

“Hey, Husk. Hey, Angel.” You greet the two on the couch, completely passing by Alastor and ignoring his whole existence. “Mind if I sit?”

“Yeah, go ahead.” Angel scoots over and makes space for you to squeeze between Husk and himself. “Ya’ look like hell.”

“You alright, kid?”

“Couldn't sleep much last night, but I'm fine.” You reassure them.

The rest of the crew were a bit startled at your display, knowing well that you refused to not sit by Alastor's chair, normally.

And here you were, ignoring him completely like he was no longer relevant, and hanging with the other two demons.

“Okay.. what an interesting way to start the morning!” Charlie tries to break the ice.

Everyone turns their attention towards her.

Everyone but Alastor.

He was practically fuming with rage, anger, irritation, but yet, a tiny bit of worry.

How dare you ignore the Radio Demon like he was some piece of useless trash?

But then again.. why were you suddenly acting so cold and distant? What did he do wrong?

He couldn't help but focus his attention on you throughout the entire day, but you didn't even spare him a single glance.

Needless to say, you felt a knock on your door that night.

“Darling, how wonderful to see you! Wonderful, really. Mind if I come in?”

“A little. What do you need, Alastor?” You stand at the door frame, hand still on the door handle, prepared to slam the door in case anything happens.

Meanwhile, Alastor was pissed. You had never rejected inviting him in for late night chatting, in fact, you never rejected anything from him.

“It's nothing, really. I just hoped to have a friendly little chat with you, if that's alright?” Alastor leans down to your level, tilting his head and giving you his usual smile he reserved for you, and you only.

“A bit busy. Maybe next time.” You attempt to close the door, but a hand swoops in and, damn, was he strong.

“Dear, what seems to be the issue?”

“I’m really busy, Alastor.” You sigh. His ears twitch at the name. Where were all his sweet little nicknames? Why were you only referring to him by his full name?

“Clearly, something is wrong, and I ought to find out what I had done to deserve such treatment.” He states, making himself welcome in your room. “Talk to me, darling.”

“Oh enough with the pet names, I’m not your fucking pet.” You roll your eyes, closing the door behind you to make sure no one stumbles upon your little predicament.

Alastor stiffens, then laughs.

“Whatever are you talking about, dear? Of course you’re not my pet.”

“The damn contract says otherwise..” You watch as Alastor shifts uncomfortably, his back still facing you. “I should’ve known you just wanted another soul. Fuck you, Alastor.”

You continue on about how you never should’ve trusted him, and how you finally knew about everything so there was no point in him pretending to tolerate you.

Alastor, however, could barely process anything you were saying. He could hear his own static in his own head, and it was growing louder and louder.

What the fuck was happening? How did you know? What did he ever do? Where did he go wrong..?

“Darling, please.. You don’t understand-” The radio filter in his voice was off, his actual voice coming out as a soft plea.

Taken aback, you stopped talking. Alastor turned to face you, smile still etched high and proud, but his eyes looked like he was about to break.

“Alastor..” You murmur. “I just don’t think I can trust you anymore. I’m sorry.”

“When have I ever used any of that power on you?!” Alastor snaps, eyes darting all over the place, trying to find out what to do to fix all this. “I’ve been nothing but nice! I.. I helped you when you were in trouble! I did nothing to hurt you..”

You watch as Alastor starts losing his usual composure, having it slowly drifting away.. It was heartbreaking seeing him like this, but you couldn’t bring yourself to forgive him and pretend nothing happened.

“It doesn’t matter when you’re in control..”

“No.. darling, no! You’re in control!” He scrambles, grabbing you by the shoulders.

“Really? I’m not sure I trust any of that bullshit anymore.”

“Dear, please, listen to me..!”

“I'm sorry, Al.. I think it's best if you leave.”

He pauses.

“Have a good sleep, dear.” He says, voice filter completely off. It was a rare occasion getting to hear his sweet voice. Too bad it had to be under such circumstances.

-----

“Oh my, Alastor, what's got your ears pinned back?” Rosie leads her friend through the halls and has him take a seat opposite of her. “Is everything alright?”

“No.. no it's not.” He replies. “She found out.”

“About the deal?”

“No, Rosie. No.” He sighs. “She found out what selling her soul to me actually permits me.”

“But you never wanted to abuse that power, did you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then, I'm assuming you didn't tell her?”

“No.”

“Well, why not?”

“Would it make a difference?" She could practically hear him scoff. "She's irritated at me as is. It's not like she'd even heed my words."

“Come, now, Alastor. You know as well as I that the sweetheart would listen.” Rosie tuts, waving a hand at him.

“She doesn't need to know how powerful she actually is.. she doesn't need to know her soul is being gambled this very second.”

Alastor sighs, getting up from his chair.

“Thank you for your kind words, Rosie. I shall take my leave now.”

“Take care, Alastor.” She smiles. “I'm sure she'll understand.”

“I surely hope you're correct."

———/ TBC. /———

READ PART 2 HERE

[ennn]

An incredibly thoughtful and intelligent interview with Kathryn Hahn! Here's a bunch of my highlights under the cut - this interview was definitely done after episode 6.

Shout-out to @isagrimorie and @the-ominous-owl for finding this first

Happy to see someone complimenting Hahn on how well she's embodying the character right down to her fingertips. The interviewer asked the thing I've been dying to know: how it was like working with her movement coach Jennifer White.

Turns out she didn't work with her much for AAA, since Agatha doesn't have her powers, but she worked closely with her for WV where White would propose specific movements for the different spells she had to do, giving her options.

Hahn lets it slip at around 6:11 that Agatha gets her powers back at the very end. Which yeah if you've been watching trailers seems kinda obvious but there you go.

I love how Hahn naturally slips in and out of character in her answers to these questions – she's clearly spent so much time and easily gets into that headspace. It also shows how good these questions are in exploring the character.

Yes, Agatha's whole trauma with her mom did of course make it difficult for her to trust other witches or anybody. "Centuries of survival mechanisms, she just makes a joke."

Interesting: Not only does Rio understand and see parts of Agatha she doesn't want others to see, Agatha "sees things in [Rio] that she's trying to conceal."

Hahn describes their very long and complicated history as one that is "filled with love and respect and hate", with Hahn saying that Rio has really been the only one whose energy has felt equal to Agatha, "someone to spar with and be shocked by".

Agatha's default mask / shell is to be mean. That's always an available option.

Agatha surprises herself with the empathy she's finding for this coven the more time she spends with them, because it is a coven of outcasts. It's new and weird and unexpected for her.

Hahn aligning with Schaeffer's interpretation that Agatha has limited control over her siphoning power: "It's like something takes over and she just absorbs people's power... When she find herself doing it, it's like she can't help it. She just takes."

Hilarious based on Hahn's reaction that she never unpacked the episode 5 aftermath scenes consciously until now. "Oh Agatha." Yep she is a real mess when you actually look at her lol.

Happy that Hahn's perspective is aligning with my meta of how complicated Agatha's relationship with Billy is: It's "an echo of something", Agatha's happy and proud that he's dropped the ruse and is embracing his witch identity, and that he's capable of murder. And she remembers the little kid she babysat.

You can tell how much Hahn cares for and is protective of the character when she talks about how vulnerable Agatha was under the spell and how she was brought low.

Hahn did say "foreplay" when responding to the question about the Episode 1 physical fight, and Rio and Agatha going at each other despite not being able to kill each other.

"I think it's a testament to how strong their bond is that it could reach through a spell and find each other there. And she was really responsible – and Teen – for getting me out of the spell."

"So it felt familiar, like we've done this again, a million times over the years. And it always kinda ends like that. 'Not this time!' but you know what I mean? We keep it going."

[luneemeritus]

Guys have I ever commented about how both Youtube and Tiktok have the shittiest takes on Stolas? No? Then I will try to comment more often.

"I wonder why Octavia is mean to Stolas" because she's a teenager who doesn't know the truth about her parents' situation or the abuse her father went throught during 17+ years, that's why.

As Stolas antis are unable to recognize the MOST BASIC aspects of the story, let me just remind everything we know about Stolas and his relationship with his family:

(TW: MARITAL RAPE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HAVING TO EDUCATE STOLAS ANTIS FOR THE 100TH TIME)

1- emotionally and physically abused by his father

2- forced to marry an abusive person when he was a fucking child

3- raped multiple times by Stella before she got pregnant

4- TEEN FATHER. TEEN. FATHER. You know what a TEEN FATHER means? He was forced to be a father when he. was. A. TEEN.

5- spent 17 years surviving his wife's verbal, emotional and physical abuse FOR HIS DAUGTHER'S SAKE

6- took accountability when he realized his mistakes towards his daughter, and his mistakes were basically trying his best to make his daughter happy while being a literal survivor of parental abuse, domestic violence, SA and social isolation, literally a fucking normal human being trying his best and improving himself

7- is not only teaching her spells slowly and respecting her time, but also raising her as the teenager girl she is, and not as a 'legal adult' full of rich folk bullshit responsabilities as he was raised

"Stolas is a good dad" yes, media illiterate antis, he IS. He raised his daughter with love and care, he shield her from potential dangers (which came from her own mother), took accountability everytime he made a mistake with her, and sacrificed 17+ years in silence, surviving domestic violence, FOR HER. This is what a good parent does; loves, takes accountability and cares for their child, and as someone who has a very shitty dad who actually doesn't respect me or take accountability, I proudly affirm Stolas is doing great. You know what STELLA, an actual terrible parent, does? Abuses her husband in front of their kid and turns Via against her father. This is what a terrible parent does, oh but sorry I forgot she's the cisheteronormative woman who can do no wrong despite doing everything wrong maliciously.

Octavia acting like a teenager is absolutely in-character and justified. She doesn't have to know that her mother is an abuser, and this is why Stolas shield her from this hell, because he wanted her to have a normal fucking life. But the AUDIENCE? Grown adults who KNOW what is happening with Stolas and should understand how basic parenting works, acting like an angry teenager who hates Dada? Now that is just bad faith and urge to justify your hate boner against Stolas with the same stupid outdated arguments that were discussed a thousand times in this fandom.

For a man that was forced to have an abusive wife and a child at his teenage years, yes, he is a good father. He makes normal mistakes like any normal parent does. In LooLoo Land, he (unintentionally) ignored Via's discomfort because he was trying to cheer her up, trying to, as himself said, keep her away from their hostile house — whose hostility is Stella's fault. In Seeing Stars, he DOES NOT ignore Via nor forgot about the promise (he forgot the day, not the promise), he was busy standing up against his ABUSER. He asked for some minutes to finish his phone call, if Via had waited just a little bit longer, he would turn off the phone and listened to her. She didn't, because she's a kid with the trauma of growing up with an abusive mother and a closeted dad, again, in-character and understanding. But grown adults who were supposed to understand what is going on with Stolas having the same behaviour of a kid is hilariously telling a lot about how you react to this show.

Stolas makes the same mistakes Blitzø makes with Loona. Blitzø often infantilizes her to the point of being overprotective, and guess what? He also took accountability, because he, just like Stolas, is a good dad. And just like Lucifer as well. Buuuuut you don't really care about what is or what isnt a good father, you just want to yell about how much you hate Stolas. And the reason why you hate Stolas (at least one of the reasons) is because you can't understand basic shit about him.

Edit: by the way, let me show yall this print. It's so adorable. As irritating as Stolas's "sLaNdErInG" crowd is, the fandom always manage to make everything better. Let's smile more and think about the good things <3

[dontbesoweirdkira]

Hey, hi! I really liked your work about the harem! It's very interesting, in my opinion. And can I find out the continuation of this whole story, when the reader chooses some nondescript extra as his love?

“Okay. Let’s refocus our efforts, men. Y/N has a partner which mean we need to figure out how to get rid of them first. *Then*…we can finish killing each other in the tournament.”

A/N: I didn’t really want to continue the story because I was kinda lost on what to do with it but I thought this little Drabble would be funny. Thank you soooo muchhhhhhh💞

Pt.1

Warnings: obsessive and aggressive behavior

Requests: always open

Masterlist

When your partner came to visit you in the outworld, all eyes were on them. The way they had confidently strutted over and kissed you with a chill, “Hey baby. I missed you so much”, sent them into orbit.

I’m sorry you have a what—?

So you mean to tell them that you already had someone and basically all of this infighting was for nothing?!? It was never going to be one of them?

Nahhhh

you’re such a jokester. You did this to rile things up and make them jealous. So playful, you are.

Johnny of course was the first to go up to y'all and start his bullsh*t

“Y/N, this is absolutely hilarious. Was the attention I gave you not enough? You don’t have to try to make me jealous with this���punk. I would’ve gladly given you more if you just asked.”

Umm no Johnny this is actually your lover..

Kano was the next to bite

“Haha doll, that’s a real good one! There’s no way you’d want someone like ‘at. Tell you what, why don’t you come make some jokes over there with me..I’m a real good tickla’.”

Oh.. they are in reeeaaal bad denial

“Hey—let’s give Y/N some space. She’s allowed to have privacy and a personal relationship of her choosing—“

Luckily Fujin is the voice of reason and compassion

“—-even if they are so…unexpectedly unique.”

You had one job 😩

They definitely were still trying to process this whole situation. For the rest of the night all the men were whispering amongst each other and sending weird looks over their way. There was no way that was actually your partner. This was just all some ruse. They’ll be gone by the morning.

Nope. They weren’t and you were as affectionate and clingy as ever. You were just so smitten over them that it couldn’t have been fake. Every question about you, your lover could flawlessly answer and recall stories only someone close to you could.

They even showed pictures of you two together through the years on different occasions and at family gatherings…so either this was the greatest actor/stunt ever or you really was taken.

The guys loathe them so bad..

Not only did they take their beloved darling away from them but how could someone so average claim your heart so easily?

All of them felt like they were far better than them, like come on you have assassins, celebrities, monks, kahns and more at your disposal but you chose…them? What about them could possibly be better than what is right in front of you?

I can imagine the mk harem frequently going up to your partner and sizing them up. Like it’s so funny watching them pop out their chest and flex in order to seem more superior.

Oh and all the things I mentioned previously about the being super creepy and desperate…it’s cranked up to ten now.

They’ll purposely do..questionable things in front of your partner to get them upset and insecure. Especially the younger guys.

They’re all huge show offs during training sessions and can’t help but to be a little too comfortable with you.

Will steal garments (hoodies..ect) from your closet and then return them to your partner to make it seem like you were spending time with him.

We all know that Kano, Erron, Kabal, and Johnny have no filter. They’ll put things into your lover’s head to make them worried. These men love to talk big game and boast about anything they can. Sometimes they’re just flat out crass about their feelings towards you.

Shang tsung flants his wealth and constantly is gifting you money, clothes and other luxury goods…your lover could never afford it.

“I like to make sure that Y/N is well taken care of. All of her old stuff was hindering her beauty. I hope you don’t mind the initiative that I’ve taken…I figured it’d help you out since you possibly couldn’t have access to the aristocracy that I do.”

*has tried tricking your partner into drinking pure acid*

Raiden and Fujin are great at pretending they like your partner and wanna welcome them but are soooo shady.

“I appreciate you inviting me into your temple. It’s so cool that you both can control the weather. Wish I could do that.”

“Yes, it is quite a shame. It’s one of the many things that Y/N loves. We frequently make thunderous skies and wind storms for her whenever she’s feeling a bit down.”

“ Dont worry, though. I’m sure Y/N enjoys the fact that you can make her laugh and whatever other talents you possess.”

PLEASE—

Backhanded insults, threats, hazing and rough housing are frequent.

By the way, you cannot leave your partner alone…like at alll. Like take that poor thing into the bathroom with you because they are constantly watching and waiting for any moment to pounce on them.

This is the first time in months these men are bonding over something since you came along…the mutual disdain for your partner is so powerful.

They really need to do something about this relationship and a plan will be devised soon.

Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kotal Khan, Erron and Shang Tsung, Kabal and Baraka all want to just flat out want them brutally killed in some kind of public execution so you’ll learn that having a lover outside of any of them is completely unacceptable.

Fujin, Night Wolf, Raiden, Jax and Liu Kang all want to try to…passionately pursue and manipulate..you out of the relationship. They don’t really want your partner to be harmed in any way.

Kung Lao and Johnny Cage think it would be hilarious to haniously humiliate them AND jump them so they’ll be left not only traumatized but filled with hatred for you.

The only reason why they haven’t gone through with any of these plans is because they can’t come to an agreement on which method is better.

I can’t imagine your partner being like “hey…I think they want me dead..”

“Oh that’s non sense, honey. They are a bit strange but I promise you that they are the sweetest to me.”

“They’re literally are into you and hate me for being with your partner. I heard them talking about getting rid of me.”

“Sure a few of them may have a crush on me but I promise you they like you! They’re just guys being guys.”

Yeah they are NOT safe in the slightest. You are owned by the harem, not by this nobody. I really hope they’ll learn how to fight very soon or dump you because your s/o is going to go missing soon. And they’ll make it look like an accident.

[aureatchi]

⛇₊˚ʚ₊˚✧ SATORU SAYS: YOU’RE ON THE NICE LIST ! . . .SATORU GOJO

synopsis. you wake up to see your snow white-haired boyfriend dressed up as santa. and even better…he decides to act like him! for the entire day, gojo will give you whatever you wish for.

info. fem!reader. fluff it’s so fluffy, crack? established relationship. just gojo spoiling u tbh. kissing. he makes a dirty joke. wc. 1.2k

There were good and bad mornings. This morning would be a best morning. Sun rays overshadowing nimbostratus clouds that snowed the night previously peeked through the windows. Though the room was cold, your soft blankets were warm. You stirred in bed, tossing once until your arm subconsciously found and clung around a broad shoulder. The corners of your mouth tugged upwards in satisfaction, and you finally opened your eyes. Everything seemed so ideal, when…

“Uh…”

“Morning, baby.”

Satoru couldn’t tell if the way you looked at him right then was stomach-clenching hilarious or adorable. Regardless, he wanted your reaction framed. Your half-asleep self suddenly shook awake, jolting a few centimeters back in shock. Your eyes were wide open as you registered the sight before you.

“What the hell, Satoru?!”

“Those kids didn’t call me Santa for nothin’.”

You immediately shook your head on your palm. This idiot had actually let those thoughts get to his head. It had been a few days since you and your lover were taking a stroll in the park, where the surroundings matched the color of his hair, when a couple of boys suddenly came up to you two.

“Are ya Santa?” one of them asked.

“Look at his hair!” the other one exclaimed. “Did you shave your beard?”

“And you’re Santa’s girlfriend?” the first one turned toward you. You hesitated, but Gojo swiftly picked up for you, playing into the idea as he always does.

And now, he had actually done it. He was lying on the bed beside you, dressed as the real thing. With the beard, too.

It was your turn to laugh as you took in his entire costume. Though he actually…looked good. You weren’t sure how someone could pull that off, but he was yours, so there were no complaints.

“So, what’s the whole point of this?” you asked. “Are you just going to wear that around all day or?”

“Well, yeah,” Satoru replied. “But also, I’m literally Santa.”

“I see that, yes…”

“So that means, today, I’ll give you whatever you wish for! Because…” he pulled out his phone and opened his notes app before showing it to you.

The title was SATORU’S NICE LIST.

And under it was singularly your name.

“…It seems like my pretty girl is on the nice list!” Satoru winked. You could almost chuckle…this was actually really creative. And you kind of liked it.

“So, what does my sweetheart want first? Don’t be shy.”

“Uh…” you stopped to think. In that moment, everything you’ve ever wanted disappeared from your head.

“I can give you some ideas. I can wake you up real good with some mindblowing hea-”

“No!” you choked, flushed. “…Not right now, anyway. I’m kind of hungry…”

“What do you want, dear? Chef Satoru is right here.”

…

“This is so delicious,” you complimented as you and Gojo had your favorite breakfast and coffee. You always loved it when he cooked this particular dish.

“I’m glad you like it,” he replied. He had barely touched his food and had instead been watching you fondly. “We’re going to the mall next, so get ready when you’re finished eating.”

He smiled at the way your eyes lit up in excitement. “Okay!” you responded eagerly.

“What about you, though? Are you actually going out in that?” You pointed out his bright red costume once again, which stood out from his black apron.

“Duhh,” Satoru replied. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s comfy and warm, too.”

“Just take off the beard,” you said.

“But that’s the best part!”

“…Everyone’s going to mistake you as a mall Santa!” Honestly, he would probably like that. He would indulge in all the photo taking and signatures.

“Well, whatever my baby wants…” the Santa in disguise finally said in a sulky tone, taking off the white beard.

…

“Get whatever you want, pretty,” Gojo had told you when you guys walked into the mall. “I was going to give a budget…just so I wouldn’t go broke, but you look so beautiful today that I don’t think I can.”

You gave him a kiss on his cheek shortly after. “You don’t have to worry about me breaking the bank,” you laughed. “Because there’s only so much the two of us can carry back home!”

“I’m afraid I’ve alleviated that problem, too,” Satoru chuckled back before looking at his watch. “They should be arriving just about now…”

Looking down the plaza, you saw two familiar faces scurrying towards the two of you.

“Megumi? Yūji?”

Followed behind them more gracefully came Nobara, who already had a couple shopping bags of her own.

“Of course, Santa can’t work without his elves!” Satoru smirked, hugging both Megumi and Yūji, who were confused as to why their teacher had invited them on his date with you and was dressed up as Santa Claus.

“I’m sorry, what?” asked Megumi.

…

You (and Nobara) shopped for hours with a lunch break in between until you were exhausted, Yūji and Megumi taking your bags. Gojo’s plan had sort of worked counterintuitively because you didn’t want to make the boys suffer so much, so you didn’t break the bank in the end. All the attention was on you guys—the amount of gifts, the receipts, the white-haired man with a girlfriend…

After your purchases, you all got hot chocolate before all your things were loaded into the back of your car.

“Merry Christmas [name]-san!” the three students said in unison to you before leaving.

“Merry Christmas, thank you for helping me!” you responded.

…

“You look tired,” Satoru said as he drove, one hand on the wheel, the other in your grasp. It was already dark outside—the sun set so early nowadays.

“Shopping’s exhausting,” you yawned, playing with his fingers. “I want to go to one more place, though.”

“Wherever you want.”

“Let’s go to the beach.”

You were glad you had used one of your warmer coats today because the freezing ocean and breeze always made the beach feel so cold in the winter.

Yet the seaside looked so pretty in the evening, and you knew that though there were good and bad nights, you wanted this to be a best night. You walked through the sand, arms clinging onto Satoru to stay warm, admiring the sound of the waves and the stars that revealed themselves in the skies.

“I loved today so much, thank you,” you whispered to Satoru, even though nobody else was around. “Five stars for Santa—you checked off almost everything on my Christmas list.”

“Oh?” he asked. “What did I miss?”

“Hmm…” you replied and then looked at him.

“I haven’t gotten a kiss from you yet.”

“Of course, baby, how could I forget?” Satoru replied, tucking strands of hair misplaced by the wind behind your ears.

With the sun no longer in the sky, the ocean appeared deep and dark, but its cerulean color seemed to be replaced in your lover’s azure gaze, so full of awe for you.

Satoru kissed you gleefully, lips soft and tasting like that one sweet peppermint chapstick you loved. He paid no mind as his Santa hat slipped off, releasing the rest of his snowy hair.

“Merry Christmas, baby,” Satoru said. “I choose to give the presents because why would I need anything myself? When I already have the best present of all—you, love.”

i heard gojo puts u on the nice list if u rb. rbs are cherished; they are ur christmas gift to me! &lt;3

i hope this wasn’t too ooc! it’s my first time writing 4 gojo ‘n i haven’t acc finished jjk (i’ll b [re]watching everything soon dw lol)

tags: @kissesmellow21 @osaemu

© AUREATCHI 2023. no reposts or translations. do not steal. support banner + animated divider by cafekitsune. heart lights divider by benkeibear. manga header made by me - DO NOT save/use.

[mythalism]

I was wondering (because I love your Solas and solavellan analyses) what do you think of s*lrook? It doesn’t work for me, not because I like solavellan, but because I just don’t like Rook and some other reasons that I’m having trouble articulating. Something along the lines of “Solas mirrors” and, as Rook, we can only ever really approach him as though he is a villain with little nuance and can never ask (the man that started out as spirit of wisdom) any questions. I think maybe it would have been more interesting to me if BioWare gave Rook more meaningful regrets and let us have more rpg elements. Anyway, feel free to disagree with me or not answer this if you think it may gain negative attention. I just like the way your brain works and was curious about your thoughts because you might have an interesting perspective!

i honestly dont think of s*lrook like ever. truly it does not occupy any space in my mind. i think its probably similar to what you are feeling, which is that rook is so nothing its like putting solas with a cardboard cut out. and maybe that is why the issue of solas mirroring rook comes in; there is nothing for him to reflect. rook is also so meaningless to solas that he has no incentive to meaningfully engage with them. with the inquisitor, solas was literally tied to them by the anchor and had no choice but to spend time with them to get his orb back. but that is a process that develops over an entire year. he gets sucked into the inquisition and cannot help himself but become part of it. even solas who hates the inquisitor is deeply involved in everything they do, every decision they make he becomes complacent in as part of their inner circle. even with an inquisitor he hates, he cannot help but develop attachments to the other members of the inquisition. he is actively carrying out the inquisition's purpose. if they do something he doesnt like, such as recruit the templars or keep the wardens or kill the sentinels, it makes sense for him to speak up, to challenge the inquisitior, to make his distaste known because he is directly involved. he is also directly responsible for corypheus gaining such power. all of this personal entanglement in the events of inquisition give him and even a low-approval inquisitor a dynamic that is interesting and complex. their erasure into a figurehead for the purpose of a cause is familiar to him at the very least. the way he reflects the inquisitor is entrenched in the plot and who they both are as characters. he reflects the inquisitor because the inquisitor is walking the same path he was forced to.

in veilguard, i think that him being trapped for so long was a mistake writing-wise. despite solas being literally integral to EVERYTHING HAPPENING, he feels completely separate. he only has a few things to say about each major plot point, we can barely ask him more than a few questions about anything throughout the entire game, we dont get to confront him on his memories, we dont get to see him react with anyone. he literally exists in a vacuum. there is nothing for him to reflect, nothing for him to engage with. he is literally in an empty room, talking to an empty character. what is there to work with in that? where is there a relationship to be had? they kept telling us that rook reminded solas of himself which is honestly hilarious in retrospect because what??? where??? how??????? because they did something rebellious one time??? but solas and rook never actually talk about that. they never actually talk about anything about rook's life. solas doesn't even pass judgement on their decisions. their conversations all have the same set end point. his goal from the beginning is always to shape them into taking his place in the prison (however the fuck that works) and all of their interactions are defined by that, and happen in the shadow of rook ruining his ritual and releasing the evanuris. compared to solas and the inquisitor, who at their core, is a manifestation of his mistakes as a victim of his underestimation of corypheus and the bearer of his anchor which will eventually destroy their body. there is an immediate thread of guilt and connection through those circumstances. for solas and rook, the opposite should actually be true; rook should feel guilt for getting solas trapped through their carelessness, but they clearly dont lol. its just so nothing. rook is so nothing. solas reflecting rook thus is also nothing. there is a reason the game picks up so much when we see him outside of the prison, talking to the companions, having a moment with emmrich, being eviscerated by harding, killing ogres in one hit, tearing into an archdemon... its pretty mutually agreed upon as the best part of the game? why would you make a character that, as a spirit, reflects his environment, and then put him in an empty room in the game named after him? and then why would you set him up with an empty protagonist who was clearly designed only to further the plot and not have a real story or arc of their own? flop.

[radio-writes]

It's about time for your blood to spill + you should sleep + we were soulmates

(Congrats on the 300 followers btw!)

Now, The Echoes Interlace

300 Followers Event

Warnings: Blood, physical injuries to reader, ambiguous major character death(s), angst

Tags: Alastor x reader, gn reader, relationship can be read in any way

MDNI

"You always have looked so pretty in red, Al." You hummed as your combed your fingers through his soft hair. You pressed your fingers against his scalp, lightly massaging against his antlers.

The light static that varied in volume crackled. "Fuck you." Alastor managed to say as his head laid on your lap.

His smile was strained—present, of course, as it always was, but strained. The trail of blood from his mouth dripped from his chin, joining the warm pool under both your bodies.

"Rude." You scolded him. Your breath coming out in a hiss as Alastor dug his claws into an open wound on your leg. 

"Must you continue to hurt me? You're already dying." You glared down at him as you would at a misbehaving pet.

You leaned forward, easily removing his hand from your body without much of a struggle. He only had so much strength left after all. 

"Fuck you." Alastor repeated, static morphing his voice this time around.

"Yes, well, I get that you're mad, Al." You continued your casual tone. "But it was about time for your blood to spill, don't you think?"

You grunted as you leaned your back against the cold wall again, sighing as the tension on the wound across your stomach was lessened.

"F—"

"Fuck me, yes yes." You cut him off. "Save your strength or you'll die out faster."

Alastor didn't mean to listen to you, but he just felt far too tired to argue otherwise.

Your hand returned to his head, damp with sweat and blood, and yet somehow still so adorably fluffy. Leave it to this guy to still look so presentable even when dying a second time around.

Your fingers scratched at one of his tufts of hair, causing it to give a slight, involuntary twitch.

"So they are ears." Your voice was soft. "I always assumed but was never really sure, you know?"

Alastor didn't respond. His red eyes continued to glare at you.

He adjusted his hands to lay over his chest. A weak attempt to slow his loss of blood. He didn't even have enough energy to press on it anymore.

"Hey, Al." You wheezed, breath slightly knocked from you. You had adjusted the way you sat so the demon could lay more comfortably on your lap. "Do you remember how we first met?"

"You told me that cheesy pick up line. How'd it go again?" Your hand paused as you tried to remember. 

A rather dashing demon slid up to you at the bar; charming, sharp smile, on full display. You've seen all sorts of sinners by now, but none so happy while rotting in hell.

You expected him to sell you drugs, or quite bluntly tell you to sleep with him. What you got instead was a very corny: 

"You must be buried treasure, because I am absolutely digging you." You let out a tired laugh, hand continuing to pet Alastor once more.

The sound of static crackling again was the only response you got. You think it meant fuck you. 

"Well you must be treasure as well, Al. Because it seems I'll be burying you tonight." You met Alastor's harsh glare with a soft smile.

"What? That absolutely was funny, you can't deny it." You defended yourself.

Alastor didn't think him dying was funny at all, actually, but he didn't exactly have any energy left to say that.

His smile was a tight, close lipped one, but you see his lips try to curl just a tiny bit in what you assumed would have been a snarl. 

"You always thought I was hilarious." Your own hand moving over the gash on your neck as if it was a mild inconvenience. You titled your head as you looked down at the demon on your lap. "What changed?"

Alastor merely glared at you.

Your eyes traveled down his body, staying on the deep wound oozing across his chest.

"That's not fair, Al." You laughed tiredly, eyes staying on his bloodied torso. "I always thought you were incredibly handsome—sinfully so really. But your attempts at killing me never changed that."

"Fuck you." The static over his voice was gone now. His tone was as spiteful, angry, and condescending as always, but much, much weaker.

Your eyes drifted back to his face. His smile was still present, but his lovely red eyes seemed more unfocused than they were a second ago.

Your hand in his hair stopped their movements. For a moment, the world was still as you wondered if your company had already left.

But it was merely for a heart beat, as a ragged breath from his lips snapped time back into motion.

You pealed your fingers from his hair, bringing them down to softly rub your knuckles down his cheek. He doesn't so much as flinch, but, you knew he would have had he been able to.

"Hey, old pal." You cooed softly. "You should sleep, you look so very tired."

His fingers on his chest twitched once, but you didn't get much of a reply anymore after that.

You sighed heavily. Your hands rested on his face as you leaned your head against the wall behind you, face craned upwards to the red sky that covered all of Hell.

Your own eyes closed, realizing just how tired and weary you yourself were.

Still, you were never one to be silent around a friend—or foe. It had always been unclear to you when it came to Alastor.

"We were soulmates, wouldn't you say so, Al?" You continued softly. "But in a funnier way, I think, where we were always meant to destroy the other."

Alastor's skin felt as it always did beneath your fingers. The stench of blood heavy as it always was around him. You felt his familiar eerie presence by you, as you always did.

And yet, you were unsure if he actually was still there. You were quite conflicted about how you were supposed to feel about that, truth be told.

"Fuck you, old friend." You sighed, eyes remaining closed, smile tiredly stretching across your own lips.

[puck-luck]

this is really rogue, but I needed to tell you that I love frat!Jack

Him and y/n have to be endgame and I think he would totally ask her out after they’ve just fucked.

she would totally turn around from her little spoon position and slap him on the shoulder, giving him ‘seriously? you’re asking that RIGHT now?’ eyes but he’d be all heart eyes and answer “so that’s a yes?! 😍”

he would get so giddy about it when she agrees and he’s sooo nervous! shaking in his little boots! and he’s stressing like what if she doesn’t like me like this???? and I can totally see him showing up to her house with flowers and overdressed (polo and nice pants and no airforces (he is trying so hard)) for just an ice cream date and she thinks it’s hilarious because they’ve been hooking up for months and all of a sudden he’s so nervous.

It’s so endearing when he drops her back home and she kisses him good night and he gets all blushy. she thinks it’s hilarious because he’s seen parts of her body that nobody else has and he’s blushing over a kiss- which she has given to him many times before.

maybe they show up to the next frat party on Saturday an official item and he will not let her out of his sight because now that’s his girl!!!! some Phi Kappa Psi guy coming over? he’s leaning down, arm around her waist- to look her in the eyes to listen to her talk and she’s crawling into his embrace like a cat UGH THEYRE LOVESICK (so am I!!!!)

i’m so sorry this is so long, but I had to get it off my chest 

DON'T APOLOGIZE OMG! normally i am CON-long asks because i've had people in my messages and inbox being mad at me before but THISSSSS is the kind of shit that i love!!! i LOVE when people like you are so into the universes i've created that they can dream up a scenario that is completely canon.

this is EXACTLY how i was imagining it going down in the frat!jack universe!! he's so cute and he's so stupid (because he's head-over-heels) that he would do allllllllllllll of this shit!!!

lowkey since i'm not a fluff writer, you've basically been nominated as my frat!jack co-writer because this is exactly it. i probably won't ever actually write their dates or their fluffy little romance at the frat parties (she IS the frat's sweetheart– even if she doesn't have the official, elected title of sweetheart), but this is EXACTLY it.

i love u frat jack

p.s. i'm going to be writing one slightlyyyy angsty frat jack blurb that implies that someone is ghosting someone else, but it is all resolved in the end. they have to have that little speed bump in the relationship before jack asks her out and wears his suit for their ice cream date🥹

[theafterglow83]

RECLAIMING THE MUSE

To anyone who thinks that Karlie Kloss was PR to cover for Diana (or Lily- who like Dianna -has been out of the picture for years.)

What ? Are there 7 photos combined of both of them (and 2 of them aren’t even Lily)

please seek help.

Karlie Kloss has had gay/ bi rumors circulating about her since …forever.

It was kind of known /unspoken knowledge among her inner circle and folks in the industry.

She’s been connected to Toni Garrn, Jourdan Dunn, Leigh Lezark among others before she was involved with Taylor.

Karlie Kloss and her androgynous self is definitely a woman’s woman if you know what I mean.

She’s never really dated men

Her best friend Derek is gay.

Derek introduced her to Josh

Josh was rumored to be involved with Mikey Hess…it goes on and on

Let me remind you of one of Karlie’s hilarious early slips of the tongue and gay panic that followed…

…”my exxxxxxx, well SHES a top manicurist now”

Now please tell me why Taylor Swift and her PR machine would get a rumored gay woman ( kk) to cover for the fact that Taylor was gay or involved with another woman.

Hiding a secret gay relationship with another secret gay relationship?

ARE YOU FOR REAL?

It makes absolutely zero sense not to mention how in most of Taylor’s discography the songs are clearly about Karlie.

If that was PR they need about 7 Oscars awarded to them.

AND…

New York City wasn’t screaming Diana’s or Lily’s name nor are they “tall and handsome as hell” or” fit like a daydream.” Or the West Village” “Argumentative, antithetical dream girl” “ the one I was dancing with in NY” Gold Rush” etc …

Karlie Elizabeth (Betty) Kloss

Who else besides Karlie Kloss had a garden gate ????

I could go on but you get the point

Seriously whoever “thunk” this one up needs a day or two off.

STOP TRYING TO REWRITE HISTORY BECAUSE YOU DONT LIKE KARLIE.

ITS ALWAYS ANYONE BUT KK WITH THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LITERALLY ACCUSED HER OF MADE UP WAR CRIMES WITH ABSOLUTELY ZERO EVIDENCE.

My money is on “Karlie Kloss is a better human than most …” Taylor actually told us…”Dreams of your hair and your stare and sense of belief in the good in the world”

And for the record I’m not saying Diana ever happened. Of course it did but it was over before the 1989 era began.

You can not make up lore or change the timeline. Stop creating a false reality. That’s called delusion.

Karlie Kloss. Say her name

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

my favorite scully and mulder moments from s3

mulder bursting into his apartment in episode 2 after actually returning from the dead, only to find scully and skinner holding each other at gunpoint. he immediately asks if she is okay and pulls HIS gun on skinner, too (yes, he WILL threaten to kill their boss for her, thank you very much)

(and then they have this moment where they reunite for real and she smiles at him- i thought they were going to kiss but they didn’t, but either way it was so precious and genuine it made me lose my mind)

this exchange in the disease center archives: “lots of files” “lots and lots of files” yeah <3

after they flee through the back exit of the archives escaping what seemed like the entire US military, they meet skinner at a little diner in maryland, with all things seemingly forgiven between them

how he holds her after she learns melissa passed away, and how they both agree that they need to get back to work in order to keep them from going mad with grief (they were both in mourning at the same time- his dad's death was still very recent- and it is so touching to me how they were there for each other at every step)

they way they glance at each other while the “psychic” stupendous yappi is making incredibly vague claims about the killer at the crime scene in episode 4 (omg... does anyone have this gif?)

(and when the psychic claims that mulder has “negative energy” and needs to leave the room, she leans in and says “i can’t take you anywhere)

later in the episode, he comes in with the news that the item at the crime scene was made of chantilly lace, and he says “you know how i like it” in reference to the song by the big bopper. she makes the FUNNIEST face!!! it's a momentary mixture of horror and disgust before she composes herself. it is hilarious, i’ll see if i can find it. then she slaps a file on his chest and wishes him good luck in observing bruckman.

also, he is nearly killed in that episode, and scully shoots his would-be murderer- then they have one of those “comforting each other on the floor after nearly dying moments” that are like catnip to me

“imagine if it were true, scully. imagine if you could come back and take out five people who had caused you to suffer. who would they be?” “i only get five?” “i remembered your birthday this year, didn’t i?” <3 (from episode 5)

in episode 7, scully noticed that mulder had been carrying dental x-ray plates throughout their whole investigation, but never bothered to ask why because they were at the point in their relationship where such things do not need to be discussed

scully learning in episode 9 that she is slowly dying from the tests they performed on her while she was taken, and breaking the news to mulder- how he softly says “but you’re fine, aren’t you scully?” because he cannot bear to lose her (AUGHHHHHHHH) (and she confesses that she doesn’t know if she really IS okay… why do they place so much sorrow on her shoulders?)

mulder trapped on a ticking time bomb of a train in episode 10, calling her to say “scully, let me tell you, you haven’t seen america til you’ve seen it from a train” “DAMN IT MULDER, WHAT HAPPENED?!” <- lmaooo he has this constant Need to diffuse tension with a quip

scully is going through A Lot of Emotions in episode 11, and when it is time for them to go, mulder holds out her jacket for her to put on <3 and then goes and does the statement by himself as per her request so she can go “run an errand” (confession for the first time in 6 years), which he obliges without question

so much of the episode 12 dialogue: “mulder, you’re not thinking about trespassing onto government property again, are you?” “it’s too late, i’m already inside” (incredibly deep scully sigh) “well, what’s going on? what do you see?” <- yeah that’s them. if you’re gonna break federal law, at least tell her about it in depth.

scully sleeping with her phone on her pillow, waiting for another of mulder’s calls. when it finally comes, he’s going on and on about bambi and she is clearly displeased. finally, he asks “scully, can i confess something to you?” and she VISIBLY winces, with pain in her voice, but pushes through and says “yeah sure, okay” (this one KILLED me because she did NOT want to hear about his love life but she wanted to be a good friend... scully is so kind)

(and all he had to say was that he hates insects lmao)

((and how the episode starts with the two of them making a planet of the apes reference, then ends with bambi and dr. ivanov flirting by making a different planet of the apes reference))

mulder is losing his damn mind in episode 14, hadn’t slept for days, and was sneaking out to a crime scene. scully is so worried she tells him to stay exactly where he is and that she will be there soon so they can “work this thing out together, okay?” trying to talk him back into being himself, making sure he is safe... that's partnership <3

in episode 16, mulder gets in a car crash, but wakes up to find scully next to him in the hospital. he has a bandage on his head looking all pathetic, and she greets him with a smile. i wanted to bottle this moment and drink it like fine champagne.

their drive to north dakota after scully confronted the man who shot skinner and her sister- how tense that ride had to have been. what did they say? anything at all? i need to know, i need 10 fics NOW

and their conversation at melissa’s grave- how they both bring flowers, how he touches her shoulder, the way she shares her father’s friend’s theory that the dead speak to you from beyond the grave, which is a conscious. and how he, the man who is always pondering the meanings of life and death and what comes between, says honestly “that’s interesting. i’ve never thought of it that way” 

her falling asleep on his shoulder during the stakeout in episode 17; how he lightly taps her face to wake her up and says “i think you drooled on me”, which prompts a very fast and very embarrassed apology (!!!!!!!!!)

(also, pusher kept calling mulder "g-man" over the phone, so when they hang up he turns to her and calls her "g-woman" <3)

their very excellent coordination between scully grabbing the fire extinguisher and mulder using his jacket to douse the flames that episode

(and all the times in pusher they lean their heads together to share a phone <3)

when mulder has to go into the hospital to catch the pusher, he leaves his gun behind so he won’t hurt anybody- and he’s terrified and so is scully, so they look into each other’s eyes while holding hands before he departs

how she runs into action when he is in danger in the hospital; how she interrupts his game of russian roulette with pusher, and how she SCREAMS when he puts the gun to his head and pulls the trigger; that visceral "damn it, mulder!" filled with so much emotion in just a few words

how he fights the pusher’s mind control to prevent shooting her harder than he fought the mind control that made him fire at himself (!!!)

and after mulder escaped, having fired every round into pusher so he knew he wouldn’t hurt anyone else ever again, he watches as he is on life support. scully grabs his hand, having seen how terrified he had become, and tells him not to let this man take up any more of his time.

in episode 20, they receive roky’s fantastical report on his men in black encounter, which mulder reads aloud while scully lies on the bed of their hotel room, looking baffled (it is so CUTE!!!)

waking up to mulder in her room soon after that, having been under some mind control influence the night before, wondering why he was in there, and mulder trying to explain no, she actually invited him in!!

walking into the bait shop together in episode 22, sharing an umbrella while she holds the dog's leash <3

mulder offering to join her walking her dog, but she smiles and lifts up her jacket to show her gun and says she’ll be fine 

the whole conversation on the rock, but some highlights include “hey scully, do you think you could ever cannibalize someone?” and how she compares him to ahab (they’re both “so consumed by your personal vengeance against life, whether it be its inherent cruelties or its mysteries, that everything takes on a warped significance to fit your megalomaniacal cosmology”, which he responds to with “scully, are you coming onto me?”)

but then he gets very serious, talking about how he wishes it were enough to just Persist Despite It All and be free of expectations, how he loathes that “you’re actually expected to make something of your life- achieve something, earn a raise, wear a necktie”, and he is the antithesis of ahab because he might be happier with a pegleg. and god, that one makes me emotional.

(and then they both quote a line from the book <3)

oh, and i could not finish this list without this banger from episode 23: “he’s lied to me from the beginning. he’s never trusted me” “scully, you are the ONLY one i trust”

(cue tears as scully collapses into her mother's arms) (cue tears at mulder's dogged persistence he could bring her back, but it took a mother's love instead) (and cue tears that such love had been extended to him by mrs. scully, so much so that she knew he would never, ever threaten her baby)

[mamawasatesttube]

hi! i wanted to know if you had any thoughts about possibilities for the interactions between kon & matrix? as she was supergirl when he came into the scene and i know they interacted at least a little

they did! this is gonna get kinda long, my apologies, but lets gooo.

so kon and mae's relationship is... fascinating. they started off pretty sweet, with her being a warm and friendly presence when he started off as superboy - she invited him for dinner with lex, and all that, plus helped him with the stinger bridge incident. i often also think about the bit during the trial of superman arc where he tried to teach her to play magic the gathering with him:

however. their relationship took a significant turn for the worse shortly after this, during the arc in which knockout groomed kon into a relationship and manipulated him into helping her run from accountability for a murder he thought she was falsely accused of committing. the press turned very negative about kon aiding and abetting her escape, and mae showed up to confront him about it:

superboy (1994) #28

now there is a LOT to say about this arc and this issue, but there are two main things that stand out to me the most. firstly - this is pretty much a textbook example of what NOT to do when someone is in an abusive relationship, i.e. throw an ultimatum that they have to listen to you and leave immediately. it's how to drive them further into their abuser's arms, and that's exactly what happens with kon and knockout (she even literally tells him he doesn't need anyone but her, which is a classic abuse tactic. isolate the victim from his other would-be support.) ironically, this is also exactly how mae herself reacted when clark and the kents objected (much more gently than she did here!) to her relationship with lex luthor. it is so textbook "what not to do when someone you care about is in an abusive relationship" that i really wonder if kesel did it on purpose. i can't say he did with any confidence, though, given how victim blamey the rest of the narrative gets towards kon and how much he clearly still has a boner for knockout even after this arc ends, but... it is fascinating, i guess.

secondly, though, as much as it sucks, i would say this is completely consistent with mae's characterization in her own run (supergirl '96) which starts not too long after this. mae fuses with linda, which means... she and kon never actually work this out between them. however, mae is consistently characterized as someone who means well but can be hotheaded, judgmental, and prone to being pretty holier-than-thou when she jumps into situations without assessing them fully beforehand, like when a priest of a scam church in her name dies in front of her because she ignored him having a heart attack, not realizing he was trying to reach for his pills and begging her to help him reach the bottle he'd dropped, because she thought he was just scared of her and pleading for mercy. so her harshly judging kon for being in an abusive relationship, having recently escaped her own with lex luthor (in supergirl 1994), is in line with her characterization; in fact, it's entirely possible that she's so angry with kon here because it's the misplaced remnants of her anger at herself.

this is pretty much the last nail in the coffin for kon and mae's relationship. as long as mae is the more dominant personality in the linda-mae fusion (i.e. the first 50 issues of supergirl vol 4), she and kon don't really interact much anymore, and when they do it's without the warmth their relationship used to have (the "skyhog!" moment, hilarious as it is, comes to mind). HOWEVER, once mae and linda separate, and linda becomes supergirl, she has other opinions on it:

young justice (1998) #38

kon and linda have a much better relationship than kon and mae - this is the first time kon talks to her since her split from mae, and from there on, their interactions are pretty warm! linda gives him advice on how to patch up his friendship with robin after their fight on apokolips, and takes some inspiration from their conversation to patch up her bond with buzz, too. i won't get too far into linda & kon since that's not what you asked about and this is already a long post, but i do love them dearly 🥺

tl;dr my thoughts on kon and mae are mostly like, i think she saw herself in him in a lot of ways (the naivety, for one), but she didn't always like what she saw, and that put some significant strain on their relationship. there was love to be lost between them, like, in sb94 #28 kon even mentions they were just working together and helping free superman from false accusations, and mae is trying to reach him; she just doesn't go about it in the best way and it blows up in both of their faces, and her run establishes that she's got a proud streak and doesn't really like apologizing. so it's.... complicated! oof.

[herefortheships]

You want another movie 3 speculation?

Ok, so I firmly believe that Lydia's dream at the end points to her subconscious worry that Betelgeuse might move on from her (and MacArthur Park is a song about moving on as best as you can after losing True Love) and target Astrid. With a compounding, and imo deeply fascinating, worry that her daughter (whom the movie/Delia seems to have cast as being very similar to Lydia, though personally I don't see it cause she seems too normal) might be happy with that. And I think that the bed-sharing might've been her brain - or B himself - pointing out the solution to that worry: Just give tf in and marry him already.

As an aside, a lot of Youtube synopses of that movie have AI-generated thumbnails of Betelgeuse threateningly/creepily hovering over Astrid, even though they barely interacted. Apparently lots if people's minds went there, at least for the sake of clickbait. Ffs, a guy tries to marry a teenager ONE time...

Anyway I think it would be hilarious if in movie 3 Lydia gets into trouble and Astrid calls on Betelgeuse for help, telling him she'll pay whatever he wants if only he saves her last remaing parent/family member, and he just goes: "Can you put in a good word with your Mom for me? Like, really talk me up. I didn't make the greatest first impression, and there were misunderstandings, and I don't think I'll have a shot if she thinks you'd disapprove" " I do disapprove!" "Well, just focus on the positives! Awesome powers, saved your life, has a massive di-... actually, forget about that last one. I mean, it's true, but wouldn't be helpful if you mentioned it."

So then they save Lydia, who'd be deeply, deeply worried bc her daughter seems to think B is a pretty cool guy actually, a woman could do worse for a husband. He's fun, he's helpful, he saved them, there's worse-looking dead people. So naturally, she'd find Betelgeuse and be like "If I marry you, will you leave her alone?" ...j/k, she'd try to exorcise him. We need spunky!Lydia back. She may be kind, but there are limits.

Mid-exorcism, Astrid clears up the misunderstanding about what sort of deal she's under, that he saved Lydia because he loves Lydia and without asking for anything bad in return, and points out that her deal didn't make her lie about B's good points. Lydia stops the exorcism via last-minute Green Card marriage. Betelgeuse does a whole triumphant, manic spiel about looking forward to moving in and starting married life. But first he's got to fetch some of his stuff (hc that he has just... so many clothes in an infinite magical wardrope somewhere). He draws a door with chalk, knocks, steps through. Walks slowly through the long, uneven hallway. Turns around to look back. Astrid whispers "If you took a step in there right now..." (Code 699) and Lydia goes "Yeah I know. [then, much louder] C'mon, let's ready the guest bedroom." *

We see Betelgeuse break out into a happy smile for a sec before the door slams shut.

*I don't think it would be believable if a movie ended with them being in passionate sappy Gomez-and-Morticia love. But there's no way that Betelgeuse³ will end without Lydia agreeing to keep him around. On a trial basis. With the understanding that she has the means to get rid of him if he misbehaves too much (he'll misbehave just the right amount).

It's an interesting headcanon that Lydia might have a subconscious fear about Betelgeuse making a move on Astrid. I've seen a few people mention it as well. It wouldn't be too far off to get to that conclusion, either, because of Lydia's past experience. Betelgeuse also had that flyer up in the attic just lying around. We as the audience know he likely put it out there for Lydia to find, because we saw him staring at her photo and talking to Bob earlier about how he's in a distant relationship with Lydia. We saw him trying to make contact and feeling triumphant because she might have finally noticed him that last time.

But Lydia doesn't have access to that info.; only we as the audience are privy to who Betelgeuse is actually after and how dead set he is on it, too. Only Lydia is the object of Betelgeuse's desires, even after thirty years. It wouldn't be a stretch to conclude that Lydia might fear Betelgeuse would go after her daughter, because at first she didn’t know what Betelgeuse was truly after; for all she knew, he’s still just looking for a way to get out and do evil mischief on the world of the living or whatever she thinks will happen if he’s out.

I personally don't think this is a fear she took with her at the end of the film, though. I think she has it clear now how Betelgeuse feels about her, and that he wouldn’t do something to her daughter. She might have thought it was a pretense before, or him being totally crazy, but after that dance mid-air, there's no way she doesn't know how he feels.

I think Babyjuice coming out of Astrid was just Betelgeuse turning Lydia's dream into a nightmare; a prank letting her know he hasn't left and he isn't planning on leaving her (he even thought it was strange himself lol). But yes, Lydia keeping a lingering fear about Betelgeuse going for Astrid is a solid headcanon as well, though it’s not my interpretation.

I know there are edits of Astrid wearing wedding clothes and Betelgeuse being creepy with her, but many of those were created before the movie was out, by people who thought the movie would be about Betelgeuse going after Astrid.

About Astrid putting up a good word for Betelgeuse with Lydia, that would be part of my dream-come-true story for Beetlejuice 3. I just want to see them explore Betelgeuse and Astrid's relationship as stepfather and stepdaughter. I think they'd get along great. As I've said before, Astrid hasn't really met Betelgeuse yet; she only knows two things about him: according to her mom, he's bad news. And yet, he helped save her life, and all it was going to cost was her mom marrying him and not being able to say his name (though he's totally chill with her calling him her "dad", which I totally love and will always bring it up 😂💜).

I wish the movie will end with Lydia and Betelgeuse being finally married, or at least together in love, but I'll accept them not getting married as well, as long as they’re on the way there as friends who may fall in love, and Lydia doesn't end up banishing him yet again or squirming out of another marriage deal. That'd be repetitive at that point. As for Betelgeuse being banished forever or destroyed, that will totally never happen; Tim, Michael, and especially the WB wouldn't allow that to happen. Not only do Tim and Michael love Betelgeuse, he's also a money-maker and widely beloved character for the WB, so it'd be dumb for them to end the movie with Betelgeuse being sent away forever or perma-killed.

To end my ramblings, I totally love the idea of Astrid and Betelgeuse working together in the next one and Astrid helping her mom see the good in him/putting a good word in for him. That'd be fun to watch.

I do have a feeling lately that if the do make the third part (which is looking more likely every day), they will be taking it in the direction of establishing Lydia, Betelgeuse, and Astrid as a family. I'm getting that vibe because I've seen an official promo TikTok about Astrid's family being strange, which kinda hints at Lydia and Betelgeuse being Astrid's family/her parents. Not to mention, the DVD cover photo has those three front and center, instead of having something like Betelgeuse big in the middle and the Deetz women all together below or something like that; a choice was made to have Lydia, Betelgeuse, and Astrid together front and center. Those little details have me like 👀, I'm getting a vibe that we're being led to see them as a family. But don't take my words for fact, it's just what I'm observing.

Thank you for sending me your speculations! I love and appreciate exchanging ideas with everyone. 💚✨

[showsandstuff]

Am I the only one who is disappointed with Caitvi in season two? When I watched the first season I had the biggest caitvi brain rot because they actually gave me SUCH a fun dynamic with them. Buddy cop Caitvi was hilarious, I loved that so so much!

And season 2 started of strong imo but then it rushed through everything. I loved the scene in the cell, obviously, but it was misplaced. Your sister is about to kill herself girl what are you doing this is not the time!! And other than romantic and sexual tension there wasn't all that much left of their previous dynamic aside from the brief scene in episode six...

Idk, I think I'm just annoyed. Usually when I see a non canon gay ship get more traction than the Canon lesbian couple, I just assume it's misogyny or lesbophobia, and move on with my life. But I can't even do that here because Caitvi was WAY more popular in season 1 (as they should).

Jayvik isn't getting somewhat more popular in season 2 because people don't like lesbians, but because their arcs are connected so strongly to each other. (Also I'm not saying that Jayvik is now more popular than Caitvi, but it's like a graph where the super high stocks caitvi are still even while Jayvik is skyrocketing rn)

Wanna know why Jayvik wasn't all that popular in season 1? Because (after act 1) their arcs were mostly separate, safe for a couple of moments. Viktor worked on his body and Jayce was doing politics.

Caitlyn and Vis arcs intertwined more, they actually did shit together and it was beautiful, funny, romantic, EVERYTHING!

Also a fun opposites attract buddy cop dynamic is also just more fun than men who do science together (in my personal opinion)

Now let's look at Caitlyn and Vis relationship in season two.

It starts of strong. I momentarily thought that Caitlyn was uncharacteristically mean to Vi when she refused to become an enforcer, but she apologized for it later and I recognized the fact that Caitlyn was grieving. Then once we get to episode two and three I could already feel their relationship being a bit more odd. The kiss (though I cheered) didn't feel right. I felt like something was missing, and that was their chemistry from season one. Also I feel like we glossed over too many decisions that Caitlyn made, and I think Vi should've put a stop to it sooner. But overall I was okay with them in act 1.

Then we had a timeskip and the two were fully separated. Act 2 literally started with Caitlyn in bed with another woman, like we can see they're not together anymore. Caitlyn has obviously changed, there is not much of the sweet cupcake left that we had come to love in season 1, and Vi is boxing and getting drunk.

Then they meet and like... Vi calls Cait cupcake, and Cait switches sides IMMEDIATELY? GIRL WTF?!

I get that Caitlyn wasn't entirely on Ambessas side the entire time, but I had hoped for more drama first. So you're telling me the very next interaction the two have after their heart wrenching falling out is them making up again? Come on.

Then we had act 3 and overall it was better I think but the timing of their hot scene in the cell was just odd, like what about your sister about to kill herself? I was very happy and hyped in the moment but then I realized how rushed this was. Why? Why make em fuck right here? And in the final act, the two weren't together because again, their arcs were not as connected. And that's actually pretty cool to have a couple who do their own things! But it doesn't help their relationship when they, in turn, aren't given enough time to develop as a pair!

I feel like season 1 did this incredible job of setting these characters up, showing us why they work so well together and why they would fall for one another. And season 2 gave us pay off for it but with very little set up, which was needed because of how Cait changed throughout the season. I don't mention Vi here because she did not change. She had her drunk boxing phase, which we got nothing but a montage off, but everything else is basically season 1 Vi aside from very few things here and there. Like her becoming an enforcer wasn't a character change for Vi, her finally letting go of powder and calling her sister Jinx, wasn't a big character moment for Vi, they were pay off for a set up we didn't get enough of.

SO TO GET TO MY POINT:

S2 was rushed. We should've AT LEAST gotten 3 seasons, like minimum, because there was a whole lot of plot and very little moments in between for characterization. Especially for Caitlyn and Vi and their relationship to each other.

I still generally prefer Caitvi to Jayvik, but only because of season 1. Season 2 gave me the two things I wanted most (a sexy scene and a kiss) but forgot to give me the things that made me fall in love with this ship in the first place.

Which was the hilarious buddy cop dynamic of rich girl cop Cait, and broke butch prisoner Vi.

[lightdancingwords]

Come Find Me - Part Three

Pairing: Beau Arlen x F. Reader, Beau POV

Series Summary: You are a new arrival to Big Sky, Montana, and found gainful employment with the local insurance department next door to the sheriff’s department. A whole new life with your past haunting you, while Beau is still dealing with the entanglements with his ex-wife. Can either of you succeed in overcoming your ghosts?

Word Count: 4,214

Tags/Warnings: some fluff, some angst, divorce, child in middle of fighting parents, mention of domestic violence/intimate partner violence, profanity

Divider: credit to @tsunami-of-tears

A/N: I'm still learning tags and warnings, so if I got something wrong or mislabeled or missing, please let me know. I'm also still learning to do Y/N and "you" writing. Bear with me, folks! Enjoy!

Chapter Three: The Autumn Festival

Y/N had been working at The Big Guy for a couple of weeks, swamped with handling the clientele. In the mornings, you’d open up and be inundated with phone calls and appointments. Doris made sure you ate—she’d sit on you to make sure and nearly made that threat a reality once—and traded gossip with you. You actually looked forward to her visits; she was the calm that anchored your life. She was practical, hilarious, and willing to call you out when you put yourself down. She was great for your self-confidence.

Despite her warning the first time she brought you lasagna for lunch, Beau did not come to talk to you about the files. If anything, he seemed busy every time you saw him—he’d be on the cellphone, interviewing victims or witnesses, or doing a ton of paperwork. You felt your heart clench, confused.

You weren’t ready for a relationship, you’d told yourself a dozen times. Then you’d remember the way it felt when Beau held you and allowed you to cry into his chest and your heart ached. Men were definitely confusing, you decided.

One morning, as you arrived early to open the office, Doris caught you with a large poster in hand. “Mind if I post this on your door, sweetie?”

“What is it?” you asked, intrigued.

Doris showed you. It was a lovely orange-brown color with bright yellow words announcing Big Sky’s Autumn Festival. There was a list of events that would happen—a dance, potluck style buffet, a pumpkin carving contest, Big Sky’s largest pumpkin competition, and an apple bobbing contest. You boggled, amazed. Billings never had anything like that.

“Oh this is charming!” You gave Doris a smile. “Yeah, go ahead and put it on the door. I don’t have a problem with it.”

“Excellent! Got any tape, hon? I forgot to grab some.”

You nodded, and snatch the Scotch tape dispenser. Just as you turned back to hand it to Doris, you spot Beau stalking out of the sheriff department, a stormy look on his face. He slammed his truck door and took out of the parking lot with a squeal of wheels.

“What the… is everything all right, Doris?” you asked, handing her the tape dispenser.

She pursed her lips. “What I’m about to tell you, you are sworn to secrecy. Do I make myself clear?”

Your brows lift in surprise. “Of course.” You wondered what it could be that Doris was about to tell you that would require such a promise. Not that you’d go around gossiping.

“It’s Carla. She’s not letting Beau have Emily for Thanksgiving.” Doris’s expression spoke volumes as to her opinion on the matter.

“Oh.” You weren’t sure how to take that. “Is… is there a reason? I mean, don’t they all live here in Big Sky?”

“Yes,” Doris said with a frown. “But Carla wants to take Emily out of state to see family in Texas. Beau can’t take the time off to do it.”

“Oh…” Your heart sank, aching for Beau. “That has to be hard for him.”

“It is. It is.” Doris sighed, finished putting the poster on the door. “Doesn’t help he’s still half-in-love with Carla.”

Your heart clenched. “What?”

Doris must’ve heard something in your tone and gave you an apologetic look. “I know I said he looked smitten with you, hon, but—”

“No, it’s fine,” you said with a wave of your hand, lying through your teeth. In a way, yes, Doris’s comment had bolstered your hopes of maybe something happening, though you weren’t sure you could handle a relationship right now. The thought of competing against an ex-wife and a teenager wasn’t exactly on your Bingo card.

“Uh huh.” You swear, Doris had a built-in lie detector. “Look… it’s complicated. Just like it is for you.”

You swallowed hard, a lump in your throat. “It is…”

“You’ll get there, hon,” Doris said kindly. “I did.”

You blink in surprise. “You found love after Stan died?”

“Oh, wait until I tell you about Adam!” Doris laughed, low and full of affection. “But not right now. Beau’s comin’ back and lord, he looks set to burn.” She sighed and shook her head. “Will you come to the festival?”

You glanced at the poster. Normally you hated gatherings, but you knew it was because of Mark. Mark made everything impossible—if not for bruises, it was his attitude. You were free now, and no more black eyes. “I’ll be there,” you decided bravely.

“Excellent! We’ll see you Saturday!”

Doris left, heading out to the parking lot to meet Beau. His expression was still stormy. You watched him interact with Doris for a few moments, his eyes dark, his expression guarded. You felt your heart ache for him, wondered if it was a fight with Carla.

As though he sensed your gaze on him, Beau looked up. Even shaded, even dark with anger, the green of his eyes were undeniable. For a long moment, the two of you held each other’s eyes. Then, he nodded to you, and turned his attention back to Doris.

Heart pounding, you went back to work, answering the first call of the day.

—

“Well, it just ain’t fair, Carla—” Beau fumed as his ex-wife once again cut him off. He heard her, then snapped, “You can’t have her for both holidays, dammit! No I won’t watch my blasted language! She’s my daughter too!”

Doris watched him through the window of his office door, and more often than not, heard everything he was yelling into the phone. She shook her head sadly, waited for him to finish.

“I’m her father, Carla! I’d like to actually see her before the damned new year and have a goddamned—no, I won’t watch my tone or my language!” Beau pulled his phone from his ear and scowled when he realized Carla had hung up on him. It took everything he had not to fling the phone across the room.

He raked his fingers through his hair, resisting the urge to yank at his hair or punch the wall. It wasn’t that he was prone to violence; just that Carla had him thoroughly upset and he honestly didn’t know what to do. Technically, yes, Emily was old enough to make the decision to not see him for the holidays, but he didn’t think his daughter would actually avoid him.

God, he missed his daughter. She’d been so busy with school, with her extracurricular activities, with her boyfriend, and even working part-time over at Cassie’s private detective agency. He kept thinking that maybe she was avoiding him because of the kidnapping, that seeing him brought back the trauma, but Emily kept insisting it wasn’t that.

He just… missed her.

And Carla.

He missed his family. He missed what he had. He had something so beautiful and then he lost it because of a goddamned bullet. Beau clutched at his cellphone hard, his head bent, as he struggled with the intense emotions swirling inside him.

He heard the polite knock on his door and looked up to see Doris entering. He let out a sigh and stood up straight, tucking his cellphone into his pocket.

“Carla’s not cooperating, is she?” Doris asked, straight to the point.

“She says it’s Emily,” Beau muttered.

Doris narrowed her eyes at Beau. “Why don’t you believe her?”

“Because I—” Beau bit off the rest of his comment.

“Because you can’t let her go,” Doris concluded and shook her head.

Beau turned away, clenching his jaw. He honestly hated how observant Doris could be at times, and this was one of them. She just saw through the bullshit and called him out, even when he threatened to fire her over it.

“Beau… don’t make me say it again,” Doris scolded fondly.

His shoulders tensed.

She rolled her eyes and proceeded to say it again. “Carla’s moved on. She’d remarried once, widowed, and last I heard, she and her new boyfriend are doing pretty damned well.”

“I know that!” he snapped, turning to face Doris.

“Well, then, act like it!” Doris retorted, not at all afraid of his anger, the threat of losing her job, none of it. “How long you gonna hold onto this dead marriage? Before or after it chokes you?”

“I—” Beau let out a heavy sigh and slapped his hand on the desk.

Doris regarded him with something akin to pity. She used to have a ton of compassion for him, then as time went by, she realized that he was clinging to something that festered like an infected wound. He couldn’t let Carla go, because he still loved her. But clearly, Carla moved on, finding love not once, but twice, since the end of their marriage.

One sided love wasn’t love, but obsession. Doris was going to keep smacking that into Beau until he finally learned that lesson.

“Is Emily leaving town this weekend?”

“What?” Beau looked up, confused by the odd question. “No. She’ll be here.”

“Invite her to the Autumn Festival then,” Doris said. “Spend the weekend with her. Have fun.”

Beau blinked at Doris, as he realized she was right. The festival would be a nice event to spend with Emily.

Doris rolled her eyes. “I swear, Beau, you’re thickheaded at times.” She shook her head. “Call Carla back, apologize for yelling at her, and extend the invitation to Emily. Have fun with your daughter this weekend.”

Beau scowled at Doris, grabbed his cellphone, muttering profanities under his breath.

Doris smirked and left his office.

—

It was festival day. The weather was brisk with just enough sunlight to keep the temperature on the warm side. You picked a simple light sweater, jeans, and comfortable low boots, your hairstyle simple to keep the wind from throwing your hair in your face, and your makeup basic. You looked, in your mind and opinion, cute.

Arriving at the festival, you found that the downtown of Big Sky had been taken over by all sorts of harvest and autumn theme decorations. As though Halloween and Thanksgiving wasn’t enough, they simply had to insist on additional festivities. You found you didn’t mind, because it was charming and fun, a way to cling to the warm weather before Montana winter kicked in.

You parked at the local public parking and opted to walk the way to downtown. There were crowds of families of all colors, shapes and sizes. One family in particular had you aching, because they were juggling a number of small children and a baby in a stroller. The dream you wished you could have.

Determined not to let Mark and your past bring you down today, you shoved that thought into the back of your mind. Today was a day of fun. You’re gonna have fun, dang it.

“Y/N!”

You looked back and saw Doris heading up to you. She was wearing a cheerful orange sweater that didn’t quite hurt your eyes, with pumpkin-topped hair pins in her bun. You couldn’t help it, her appearance made you smile.

“Hi Doris!”

“I’m so glad you could make it,” Doris said, grabbing a hold of your elbow. “I have so many people to introduce you to! You’ll love them! Maybe make a friend or two!”

“But—”

“Nonsense. Come on.”

You surrendered to the force of nature that was Doris and resigned yourself to being shown off to a number of people in Big Sky. You ended up introducing yourself multiple families, multiple groups of women, and quite a few of the men. Most were friendly, with a couple of seemingly off-putting personalities.

By the end, you felt smiled out and ready to isolate yourself for a bit. Maybe grab a snack or try the apple cider you kept seeing folks with. Doris seemed to sense you needed to recharge and dragged you to the food vendors.

“I expect to see you by the dance floor later, hon,” she said with a smile, waving you off.

You could only stare after her. Definitely a formidable woman. You shook your head with a small smile, and decided to indulge in some apple cider.

“Hey, Y/N.”

You nearly spill your drink as you jerked around and saw Beau with a young woman with dark brown hair and dark eyes. Instantly, you knew she had to be Beau’s daughter, because there was something about the shape of her mouth and eyebrows that made you think of him.

“Hey!” You smile; the smile came so easily.

“Hey. Y/N, this is Emily, my daughter.” Beau gestured to you. Emily stepped forward, offering her hand. You took it easily as he continued the introduction. “Em, this is Y/N. She works for Arthur at The Big Guy.”

“Oh yeah! Arthur’s such a hoot,” Emily said. Her grip was firm. It instantly reminded you of how Beau shook your hand.

“You’ve met him?” you ask, genuinely interested.

Emily nodded brightly. “Oh yeah! I was visiting my dad at the department and Arthur came in ‘cause one of his clients needed a little more help than he initially thought. Before you know it, I’m hearing all sorts of language from dad’s office.”

You laugh, glancing at Beau to confirm. He had this pained look on his face that had you biting back another laugh.

“Not the best introduction,” Beau said simply.

“I learned a lot of new words,” Emily said with a cheery grin.

Beau groaned, covering his face with his hand for a moment. You gave in and laughed some more.

“He’s definitely a colorful character,” you said in agreement. “I never had a boss like him before.”

“I’ll bet!” Emily beamed. “I’m sure you learned a few new words you could teach me.”

“Em!”

You grinned, amused at Beau’s outrage. “Fortunately for your father, no, I didn’t. I’ve been covering the office while Arthur’s been out of state dealing with some family problems.”

“Oh. Darn.”

“Em!”

You bit back a laugh. You liked Emily. “You’re planning to go to college, Emily?”

“I am! I’ve been looking at University of Texas,” she announced. Beau glanced at her in surprise. Clearly that was news to him too.

“Then trust me,” you confided with a playful grin meant for Beau, “you’ll learn a whole lot when you get there.”

“You are not helping,” Beau accused.

“I’m supposed to corrupt young people,” you said with a smile.

Beau threw you an exasperated look that had you laughing. Emily even joined in the laugh, her dark eyes sparkling.

“In all seriousness,” you said with a smile. “What do you plan on studying at U of T?”

“I’ve been interesting in doing videos and recording, so maybe media,” Emily said.

Beau glanced at her. “I thought you gave that up after last year?” he asked. There was something in his tone that pricked your interest. You wondered if it was related to the kidnapping that involved Emily and the serial killer.

“Well… I decided that I wasn’t going to let Buck destroy my joy,” Emily said, her response measured.

“That’s very brave of you, Emily,” you said gently, entirely understanding where the young woman was coming from. You found yourself thinking about the joy Mark had taken from you, and what you had just said to Emily. Maybe it was time to recapture some of the joy he denied you.

Emily straightened under your praise. Evidently it meant a great deal to her that you were impressed. You wondered what Beau told her about you.

“I’m going to get some churros, okay, dad?” Emily asked, before adding to you, “It’s really nice to meet you, Y/N! I’ll see you around.”

You waved ‘bye’ to Emily, and she left you and Beau alone.

“She’s a lovely girl, Beau,” you murmured, glancing up at him. “She’s got your spirit.”

“You never met her mom,” Beau said, wry and amused.

You chuckle. “Is she here? I’d love to meet her.”

“God, Y/N, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Oh, Beau, it can’t possibly be that bad,” you chide gently.

He sighed, rubbed his face. “I’m sorry. It’s been a bad few days.”

“I’m sorry,” you said softly. You truly were. Beau seemed like a sweet man who had a bad hand a few times in his life.

“No, it…” He shook his head. “It’s not your problem, Y/N.”

You stiffen, offended. “I thought we were at least friends, Beau.”

“What?”

“Or… oh.” You took a step back. “It really was just… words. Nevermind.”

It stung. You did care about Beau. You thought he actually cared about you. Your mind flashed back to the hug, the way he comforted you. Maybe you read too much in that moment. God. You felt stupid. The emotions were swirling in turmoil inside you.

Damn Doris for getting your hopes up.

“No, Y/N, that’s not it,” Beau said, stepping forward and gently grabbing your arm. “Hey…” He gently gripped your shoulders, meeting your gaze. “This ain’t easy for me,” he went on, his voice low and soft.

“What isn’t?” you asked, your voice equally low.

“I…” He released her shoulders. His jaw clenched as he struggled with his emotional upheaval. “We are friends,” he said at last, his voice tight.

“Then why does it sound like it kills you to just say that?” you asked, searching his face. “Friendship shouldn’t be hard, Beau.”

“You ain’t being fair,” he said.

“I’m not being fair?” you echoed in disbelief. “You said you cared and then you turned around and acted like I don’t!”

“What? No, that’s not—”

“I need some air,” you said, cutting him off. The miscommunication between the two of you was distressing you to proportions you weren’t able to handle in that moment. When you saw Beau take a step toward you, you held up a hand. “Don’t! I just… I need a moment, Beau. Please.”

You saw his jaw clench and he swallowed hard, as though holding back a response. Then he held his hands up and stepped back. You let out a relieved breath and walked away, your thoughts all tumult. Relationships, god, they were so difficult. She could barely handle a friendship, what made her think she could handle anything more? And Beau—

“Hey Y/N,” Emily greeted, holding a churro in her hand. She paused, then studied your face. “Oh. Dad got stupid, huh?”

You blink, blink again. “H-how…?”

Emily smiled ruefully. “Dad’s in the habit of doing stupid shit.”

“I should scold you for language, but I did say I’d corrupt you,” you joked. Such a bad joke, but Emily grinned.

“But yeah…” Emily sighed. “Dad’s… done stupid stuff. He does foot in mouth all the time. He should, like, get an award or something.”

You smile, bemused. “Any tips on how to get him to remove that foot out of his mouth?”

“You mean, besides, like, yelling at him like my mom does?”

“Yes.” You pause, rub the back of your neck. “I don’t think that works though. Um, no offense, but I’ve seen the look on your father’s face after he’s argued with your mom.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve seen it too,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “My parents are rather infamous for it.” She huffed the breath of an exasperated teenager. “Dad’s just more stubborn than mom.”

“Got any tips?” The words came out before you could stop yourself. “Shit. Oh god, Emily, I—”

Emily was laughing. “I’ve heard worse. Don’t worry.”

“No, it’s not that.” You met Emily’s dark eyes and decided to treat her like an adult. “I shouldn’t be putting you in the middle of any disagreement I’m having with your father.”

“That’s okay. I like you, Y/N. Dad does too. I could tell.”

Your brows felt as though they were going to fly off your forehead. Emily saw and laughed. She shook her head and looped her arm around yours.

“Come on,” Emily said, walking with you through the festival vendors. “Look. Dad’s… stubborn. Mom described it as rock headed and mule stubborn. I always thought that was funny. I kinda get it from him too. Also why we butt heads a lot.”

Bemused, you listened to her as she rambled on.

“Ever since my parents split… dad kinda dug his heels in and wouldn’t move. Drove me crazy. I watched mom date, get a boyfriend, got married. I mean, okay, he also died—” Emily’s voice shook, then she cleared her throat. “But… mom moved on. I know she loves dad. She always will. I’ve seen them together, and I see that they still love each other. It’s just… dad’s still being an idiot.”

You let out a surprised laugh. “Do your parents know you’re this perceptive?”

“No.” Emily laughed, her hair brushing her shoulders as she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think they look at me and think I’m still 10.”

“God, I remember that feeling.”

Emily grinned. “But you’re not wrong. Mom… she seems to think if she yells at dad enough, he’ll stop being stupid. It doesn’t work.”

You slant a look at her. She was definitely a mature young woman. You suspected Emily did a lot of growing after her kidnapping… or maybe even during her parents’ divorce. “So what would?”

“Turn it on him. Don’t yell, get him to think. Not like how Doris does it,” she added with a laugh. “She gets away with it because dad doesn’t want to lose the lasagna.”

You laugh. “It really is good lasagna. I can see why he’s terrified of losing it.”

“Well, it’s not just that. Dad’s an awful cook. That lasagna is his one homemade meal.”

“Oh my god. Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Emily grinned, and you saw the difference. You hadn’t met Carla, but suspect that was what you saw in the young woman.

“You’re very wise, Emily,” you said at last, as the two of you ended up at the music stage. The band was beginning to tune their instruments, check the settings of the speakers and microphone. There were ropes to divide a section for sitting and listening or for those who wanted to dance.

“Thanks, but I know I’m not,” Emily said with a half-smile. “I got a lot to learn.”

“That’s wisdom you know,” you said kindly. “Knowing we need to learn. That we don’t know everything. It takes a lot of strength to say that openly.”

Emily slanted a look at you, then asked quietly, “Doesn’t that mean you’re also brave?”

You paused, and glanced at Emily. “Because I asked for help?”

“Even if you didn’t mean to at first, yeah,” Emily said earnestly.

“Thank you, Emily,” you said, having a better understanding of how to approach Beau. Not to mention, a growing friendship with this incredible young woman. “Remind me to trade phone numbers with you before you leave. If you ever need someone to talk to.”

Emily brightened. “I’d like that!” The band began a lively tune and she glanced over at them. “Um, you okay if I go watch?”

“Absolutely.”

You smile as Emily went running to join a group of equally same aged young women. Probably schoolmates or friends. You stood there for a long moment, a warm feeling in your heart. You liked this young woman. She was intelligent, kind, with a bit of sass. Even if things between you and Beau soured, you hoped to remain friends with her.

A familiar presence brushed your senses, and you knew Beau had caught up with you. You took a deep breath to steady yourself, and glanced at him. “Hey…”

“Hey darlin’,” he said, his voice quiet. “Listen… I’m sorry.”

“No,” you murmured, turning to look at him. “I am. I was forcing something when you weren’t ready. I’d probably have better luck pushing a mountain.” You smile gently at him. “I mean, you are kind of similar to one.”

He chuckled low in his throat. “Smartass.”

You grinned, then sobered. “I hope you can tell me what’s going on someday. You’ve been so kind to me, and I care about you.”

Beau met and held your gaze, and something flickered in his green eyes. Something that sparked a kindle of hope in your heart. “Thanks, darlin’,” he said softly, brushing back a loose strand of your hair.

The music changed and he glanced up. He shifted his gaze to you and held out a hand. “May I have this dance?”

Your smile bloomed and took his hand. For the remainder of that night, you and Beau danced. He taught you a particular Texas dance that had you laughing and falling out of step more often than not. He spun you around in a lively waltz. When the evening closed with the last song, he held you close, his hands at your waist.

When the festival lights began to dim, vendors closing up and cleaning out their merchandise, you knew it was time. Beau looked at you for the longest time, something soft and sweet in those brilliant green eyes. He touched your cheek, a whisper of a caress, and murmured his good night.

Heart pounding, you found yourself whispering the good night back and parted ways.