#maybe I am not immune to enemies to lovers

[porrimas-best]

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[crimeronan]

ultimately i think the appeal of daniel and armand to me is that it's very much a typical dark romance storyline where the heroine is kidnapped and tortured by an evil monster but using her wits she manages to seduce him and make him emotionally vulnerable to her, because she is More Special and More Clever than all of his other victims, and because of this she enjoys a level of dangerous favor and protection from him, except in This version of the dark romance it's two toxic old men who both have the worst fucking personalities imaginable. who truly just fucking suck beyond measure. like no pun intended, they are Garbage, one is the actual literal immortal devil and the other is just kind of a deadbeat with no moral compass, neither of them is willing to work on himself and neither of them has ANY reason to want to rail the other as bad as they do.

and yet. There They Are,

[vrieseasees]

Uh... haters with benefits Shimatori propaganda anyone? Where everyone is tired of them fighting at Claw?

[shelby-fangirl00]

Hunting You-part one

•A successful assassin from London named Penny is hired to travel to Small Heath and kill Thomas Shelby. (Don’t want to give too much away tehe)

•WARNINGS(18+, minors DNI): Enemies to lovers, Dual POV, Smut (in future chapters), Lots of angst, Strong language, Lots of violence

•Authors note: hey y’all! This story has been brewing in my mind for some time.This part is kind of an introduction to my story. Reblog if you enjoy:) Next part will be in Tommy’s POV.

Penny

I checked my watch every few minutes for what seemed like an eternity. Plopping my elbows on the wooden table top, I huffed loudly. According to the dick who hired me, Shelby should’ve been here hours ago. Honestly, I didn’t mind waiting, since I was paid in advance, but my fingers still twitched in anticipation, eager to finally get my hands dirty again.

This was an ordinary night for me, except for the part where I had to travel into this piss poor town. Under any other circumstance, I would have told the man who hired me to fuck off. But how could I refuse such a hefty wage? Anyways, doing this out of town work only makes my job easier. At least that’s what I’m trying to tell myself. Nobody here seems sober enough to remember gossip about a hitman. Let alone talk of a random woman in a pub.

Killing Thomas Shelby will definitely make waves Small Heath, but thats not my problem. I’d be gone before sun rise. Talks of a female assassin surely hadn’t traveled to this poor drunken town anyways. It’ll be as if I was never here.

I nurse my glass of whiskey. Just as the rim of the glass touches my lips, I pull out the very dated photograph of Mr.Shelby I was given. I imagine he was just a boy in the photo. He appears to be in uniform and my chest tightens at the thought. I can only imagine the horrors he’s seen since this was taken. It wouldn’t surprise me if the man today doesn’t resemble this photograph at all.

The doors open for the first time in an hour and I hear the booming laughter before I see the lot of them. A large group of nicely dressed men in caps waltz in and I assume this to be the notorious Peaky Blinders. Of course I did some research before coming here. They were feared throughout this place. Known to be unforgiving and ruthless. This Shelby man I’m sure is a sick and twisted bastard. All the best men I know are. I myself am a bit sick and twisted.

Hiring a female hitman, like myself, had different perks. It’s far easier for a woman to get close to a man they don’t know. They don’t see us in the same light. We come off as less of a threat. In my experience, no man is immune to the powers a beautiful woman can possess over a man, in the right circumstances. Thomas Shelby couldn’t be any different from the rest of them.

I straightened my back and fell into the role I’d been assigned. My long black dress hugs my waist and my thigh is bare under the slit of my gown.

My eyes search for someone loosely similar to the photograph, maybe with a beard and some extra weight, but there’s so many men now crowding my view. Eventually, I hear a loud voice yell for a “Tommy.”

Gotcha.

The men seem to part perfectly and I have a clear view of him. I see the not-so-young-boy who grew into this apparently fearsome man.

My blood runs cold and I curse under my breath. To put it plainly, the man is fucking gorgeous. His stature radiates confidence while his presence demands respect.

He’s aged nicely, his cheekbones even more pronounced now. Even from my small booth in the corner, I notice his dazzling blue eyes. Out of all the men here, why did it have to be this one? Most of the men I’m hired to kill are assholes who don’t deserve to see the sun again. I hope he’s the same.

I beeline to a nearby group of drunk and smelly men. I pretend to walk past them and “trip,” over one of the chairs, spilling my whiskey out onto an old man’s shoulder.

“Stupid bitch!” The man attempts to stand up and almost falls on his ass. I try to muffle my laughter. I wish I could kill this one too, it would be too easy.

“I’m so sorry, sir!” I plead with him and he finally steps closer to me, trapping my body against another table. His stench is repulsive and it takes every bit of willpower inside of me not to put a bullet through this fuckers head. I momentarily get lost in the thought, his greasy face would downturn and the life would drain from his angry expression before he dropped dead.

My hands press down into the table as he spits at me. He grabs my wrist tightly before speaking again.

“You’ll fuckin pay for that, girl. Why don’t you join me and-

A hand covers the man’s shoulder, squeezing harshly before speaking. As if the man has eyes in the back of his head, he freezes and turns slowly, like he knows exactly who the hand on his shoulder belongs to.

“Alright, Tim?” A low but smooth voice asks. My breath hitches in my throat and I don’t really need to pretend how scared I am anymore.

“Of course, Mr.Shelby. Just teaching this one a lesson in manners.” The big oaf states confidently.

For the first time, Mr.Shelby’s eyes lock with mine and I suddenly forgot how to breath or blink or function at all. He’s even more stunning this closeup. He examines me for an uncomfortable amount of time before speaking again.

“I don’t think that’ll be nessacary Timmy. Why don’t you go back to your table and let me handle it?” This Tim man peaks at Tommy from behind his shoulder and I can tell this is an order. Tim finally releases my wrist and grunts, giving me one last look that makes me feel dirty, and stumbles off.

I exhale loudly, pretending to finally relax.

“Thank you, sir. I was worried I wouldn’t get out of that one.” I stated, chuckling lightly under my breath.

“No trouble, Tim’s an angry drunk. He won’t remember ya tomorrow.” His words sit in the air between us awkwardly before I decide to speak again.

“I’m Nora.” I lie.

I stick my hand out and smile stupidly. This takes him back but he recovers quickly, smirking and pressing his hand in mine firmly.

“Tommy. You aren’t from here…don’t tell me you actually moved to Small Heath on your own free will.” He chuckles darkly, placing his half empty glass between his lips and searching my eyes for an answer. He looks similar to the picture, more dead in the eyes now. No less mesmerizing.

I laugh. “Thankfully, no. I’m just here visiting an old friend. How’d you know?” I place my own glass to my lips now, scanning the room behind him.

He smirks, finally letting his eyes drop for a split second to my chest.

Shrugging his shoulders plainly, he states, “It’s a small town and I’ve lived here me whole life. I would’ve known if someone like you lived here.”

My eyebrows arch in question. “Someone like me, yeh?”

He smiles slowly, but it’s dark, almost like a warning. I don’t understand why I’m suddenly so clammy?

I need to get this over with. My body is betraying me, because all I can think about are his lips and how they would feel on mine and what his chest looks like underneath all those damn layers.

Giving in only slightly to my body’s demands, I take one big step into him, putting my chest inches from his own. I look up at him with a dazzling smile, and he just smirks. Does he always have that smug fucking look on?

“Well thank you for saving me, Tommy.” His eyebrows shoot up in what I’m assuming is surprise?

“Another whiskey?” He asks, stepping past me towards the bar and nodding to the barman.

I take in his stature beside me, leaning his forearms against the long bar. As much as I would love to entertain this handsome stranger, I had a job to do.

I squeeze his shoulder, leaning into him so my lips barely touch his ear.

“Excuse my forwardness, but I’d rather take you back to my flat, Tommy.” I squeeze his shoulder one last time before stepping back.

He cranes his neck to look behind him at I don’t know what before returning back to me.

“I like forward. Lead the way, love.” Finally, this can end.

“Of course…” I say sheepishly and he doesn’t hesitate to follow closely behind, his hand resting on my lower back. The sensation sends a shiver up my spine.

As we trot outside, he moves his hand from my back to behind his own and i do the same. I silently acknowledge the few daggers I have hidden in my stockings along with the gun in my purse….aaaaaand maybe a few razor blades underneath my pinned updo. It’s just a precaution, really. I can never be too safe. Plus, it’s fun to switch it up every once and a while.

“Where ya staying?” He asks smoothly as we round the dark corner.

“Just across the p- the air is quickly swept from my lungs as Thomas grabs me from behind and slams my body against a brick wall. I gasp as both of his hands wrap around my throat and he never stops squeezing.

Fuck. He knows.

Panic sets in and I’m clawing at his arms desperately. I try to maneuver my legs in order to knee him, but his body is flush against my own.

“thought it be that easy to kill me? You’re at the back of a long line, love.”

I muster up enough rage in my throat to spit out a “fuck you.”

My hands could only reach his side, so I wail on him. As soon as my punch lands, I feel another pair of hands on me, pinning my arms over my head. Thomas bends for only a few seconds before spitting and regaining hold over me.

I look over to see the other man pinning me against the wall. He’s younger than Thomas, but sporting a similar smirk.

If I don’t finish this job, Tommy will kill me. And if he doesn’t, the man who hired me would. Especially after being paid in advance.

I felt myself slipping from the lack of oxygen. But just as I closed my eyes, Tommy released me but the other man stays put to my side, his hands tighten around my wrists and his chest is pressing into my arm.

Tommy turns back around, adjusting his coat and lighting a cigarette before examining my flesh, the way my dress had fallen open at my chest during our scuffle.

“Who hired you?” He asked plainly.

My chest was heaving and I swear his eyes followed the movement for a split second.

“How should I fucking know? A man overpays me in advance for a hit and I don’t ask questions.”

The man holding my body hostage against the brick wall, bellows out an annoying laugh but Tommy doesn’t so much as smirk.

He sighs before reaching inside of his coat and pointing the barrel of his gun at me.

I giggle, cocking my head and studying him now. “You ever killed a woman, Mr.Shelby?”

“Enough. Tell me his name or I’ll put a bullet between those pretty eyes.” He says, almost softly, like he’s seducing me instead of trying to kill me. I hate how my thighs clench together and my nipples harden under my dress. All this foreplay tonight between the gun, the two angry men holding me against a wall and a touch of breath play.

“Promise?” I don’t know how, but I knew he wouldn’t shoot.

He sticks his gun back into his holster from underneath his coat before speaking again.

“John, put her to sleep and tie her up.” And before I could even protest, the man’s hands move from my wrists to around my skull, slamming it into the brick wall. Everything goes black. I never stood a chance.

Part two coming soon in Tommy’s POV!

Taglist:

@lyarr24

@forgottenpeakywriter

@casa-boiardi

@tigernach575

@crabat-the-queen

@adaydreamaway08

@everysage

@yurmomsawh0r

@delusionalxoxo

@trixie23

@star017

@bbuckysslutt

[sadceline]

THE ENHYPEN HOST || 19

|| Reverse harem || ft. TXT, Mingyu (Seventeen) & BTS

WARNINGS: foul language, explicit content, group sex, humiliation, sex in public, threesome, foursoome, rough sex, red flags, immoral acts, unprotected sex, morbid jealousy, comedy, parody, possessiveness, violent quarrels, arguments, betrayals, lies, femdom sometimes.

GENRE: +18, reverse harem, comedy, enemy to lovers, friends to lovers

TRAILER 3

PREVIOUS CHAPTER:

FIRST CHAPTER:

“Are you okay?” That's the first thing he asks, entering Jungwon's room and coming up to hug me.

I cannot react. I don't want to. I needed a hug, and his is so warm that as soon as he closes his arms around me I start to cry, again.

“I have to leave… Heeseung.” He holds me even tighter. “Don't worry, nothing will happen to you as long as I'm here.” “It's not me….I'm not worried about me.”

He pulls away, looking at me. I can mirror myself in his eyes and it's… strange, I've never seen Heeseung so serious, so frightening, but also incredibly sensual, his eyes slightly half-closed, totally discordant with his affectionate actions. He is angry, but he squeezes me again anyway.

I want to caress him, I wish he would turn a kinder expression on me, and this makes me want to touch him more intensely, but I have the impression that from now on I won't be able to.

“Would you choose me?” He asks me. “What do you mean?” “If you could choose between us, would you choose me?”

Suddenly my heart seems to explode. Are he asking me so directly? What should I answer? I don't want to lie anymore, I don't want to make trouble, maybe… if I had been honest from the beginning, instead of trying to please him….

“No.” I say. Heeseung looks at me but he's not surprised, just very... somber, he doesn't look like himself. “Why? For Sunghoon?” I shake my head bitterly disappointed that he thinks this. “Forget it.” I back away, pushing him a little. “No, tell me. Why wouldn't you choose me?” “Look at me Heeseung - I say seriously - I'm here for work. Do you realize the circumstances under which we met? You… can do better, you don't… you really don't care if I choose you. You just want to win.” “And you don't want to choose me because you don't want me to win or because you don't feel anything for me? - He asks in a voice I don't think I've ever heard. - Because I want you either way, no matter what you may think.” I am bewildered again by his words, feel my cheeks flaming even as I have goosebumps, chills. “F-Forget it."

My peer abruptly grabs my wrist and seems about to answer me, but at that moment Sunghoon enters the room, who seeing us so close is quick to separate us, taking me by the arm. Heeseung looks at me in silence, he's freezing cold, I can't look away from him.

We leave the room under Heeseung's gaze, then retreat to Hoon's, who seems beside himself. I look at him, but he has his back to me after letting go, seeming to think while I don't know what to say. I sit on his bed and sigh worriedly.

“Don't you have anything to tell me?” He asks, after several dozen seconds in silence. I look at him coldly but not out of my own will, it's just that I am so shaken right now that I feel empty. “What do you want me to say?” “You... maybe you're deaf?” Sunghoon asks offended.

Beyond what he says or how he acts, this young man remains an enigma to me. He says he hates me, but then he doesn't do things that seem to prove it. He says I'm no good, but then he also says he's lost his mind over me.

I am not immune to Sunghoon, just as I am not immune to Heeseung.

If I had to choose between them, the answer would be obvious: neither of them.

If I were asked the reason for my decision I would say that Heeseung deserves someone better than me, no matter what mistakes he has made, he is too much for anyone. While Sunghoon, though also far too much for someone like me who arrived here under such circumstances, I find that he has too edgy, contradictory a personality, and it is totally foolish of him to betray Wonyoung with someone like me.

If asked in a moment of weakness though, I would say that I like them both, despite their many, toxic flaws. That although I feel I cannot trust Heeseung, when he talks about me, or to me, he makes me feel really special, maybe he doesn't really mean it, and I dare not imagine what it feels like to be loved by him. I would also say that although only cruel words come out of Sunghoon's mouth most of the time, I still want to know him, to understand him better, because he talks as much as he acts, but it's all a constant contradiction.

To be honest, it's only because the two of them showed more interest in me, but I probably would have been equally enamored with everyone else.

“I'm sorry if I keep telling you you're a slut. “ I sigh bitterly but amused. “That's not an apology, and I'm not a slut. Even if I were, though, I think it would still be okay.” “I honestly don't care if you are or not. - Sunghoon blurts out, nervous. - In the end, I'm in this situation anyway, right?” “Are you talking to me or yourself?” I chuckle weakly.

Hoon looks at me seriously, and he is so handsome. His full pouty lips, his unyielding, defensive gaze, his eyebrows curved toward the center of his forehead, this boy truly borders on perfection.

“Do you like Heeseung? No - he pauses, annoyed. - Of course you like him, but do you like him more than me?” “Probably. - I nod. - He doesn't call me a slut all the time.” “Are you joking at such a time?” He raises his voice. I look at him in silence for several seconds, then click my tongue in annoyance. “Does it look like I'm joking? Or do you really think it's not serious? Maybe because that's why I'm here? Then fine, call me whatever you want.”

The unflappable Sunghoon seems to freeze in front of me, and although I should feel satisfied with this result, I cannot rejoice in it. I am tired, stressed, confused, sad.

“Excuse me.” He says after at least a minute in silence.

In fact, it sounds as if I pulled these words out of his mouth, yet they still sound sincere to me.

“You don't have to apologize if you don't want to.” I smile, lowering my gaze. “I grew up with the idea that women were something precious and inviolable, that their value lay in their purity. - He says, all of a sudden. - I'm not justifying myself, I'm just explaining. For me... - he freezes again, looking at me. - For me it was such a shame that such a beautiful girl was here to give herself to all of us. But I would have been fine with it anyway, I wanted to keep away from you.”

I'm not sure what he's getting at, but I can't help being absorbed in his voice. It doesn't seem to me that he has ever spoken to me so much, nor did I expect him to do so sooner or later, and I never imagined that while he is explaining himself and a little justifying himself, his masculine voice could have such childish and sweet tones, as if because of the shame of facing such a discussion.

“You're not just beautiful on the outside, though…” He says, clearly embarrassed, looking away.

Heck. I want to kiss him. No, no Amanda, stop it. Just because of this? You're such a slut!

“Ah… - I try to maintain control, starting to look around nervously and uncomfortably. - I…I didn't imagine. However, that's not why you can call me a s-slut.” “I said I wasn't justifying myself!” “The way… you've viewed women up to now is awful. Although it sounds noble, it's not, it's just a kind view of the fruit of patriarchy.” Sunghoon looks at me surprised. “Are you also a feminist?” “You're joking, right?” I ask him. “N-No…it's just…” “Look only in this country being a feminist is something wrong. All of you should be, even you men.” Sunghoon mumbles something unintelligible, then turns to the closet and opening it starts looking for something. “Let's go out.” He says. I laugh, nervous. “What?” “I don't want to stay here anymore, let's go somewhere. It's still my shift.” “Where would you like to go?” “Somewhere I like.” “C-can you give me the phone back?” “No.”

NEXT CHAPTERS:

[kristeristerin]

Here is another angsty snippet that doesn't belong to any current WIP. If you like it let me know and maybe it'll go somewhere. Perhaps and enemies to lovers story?

Warning: Pure Angst

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

“It’s amazing, you know?” 

I turn, wide-eyed, at the sound of Azriel’s humorless laugh. “Az, It’s not-” 

“Not what, Love?” He stalks closer as he cuts me off. “Not what it sounded like? Because from here it sounded an awful lot like I was right to distrust you from the start.” He stops a foot away from me. 

“Please, Azriel, you can’t honestly think I knew it was them.” my voice cracks as I begin to shake. 

“Why should I believe you didn’t?” He glares at me, “I’ve seen you spin your pretty tales before. I have seen the way you charm people with your silver tongue. It was honestly stupid of me to believe I was immune to you. You lied, and like an idiot I believed you. I should have left you weeks ago. If you hadn’t distracted me I’d have saved Rhys by now.” 

I stop shaking abruptly and step closer to him. I pull his knife from its sheath at his side and push the hilt into his hands before he can react. “Go on then,” I sneer, “If I am such an evil female, such a traitor, go ahead and put me out of your misery.” I angle the knife so that it is positioned just below my left breast. I can feel the cold blade through my dress as I push myself closer to him. “But know this Azriel, as my blood dries on your boots, you’ll be alone once again.” I meet his hateful gaze with my own. “You’ll be alone again, just as you were before. Surrounded by friends, but without a single person who sees the real you.” 

He took several labored breaths before throwing his knife to the ground. “If I never see you again, it’ll still be too soon.” He turns on his heels and makes his way toward the garden exit. 

I  watched his retreating form for as long as she could in the dark, before letting myself crumble to the ground. It was there sometime later that my mother found me staring at the knife that I gripped in white knuckles.

[blightdaddy]

15 and 17 for pasha, 31 for orin, annnddd 39 for linnarel 💖

HELL YEA TY!!

for refence: pasha, orin, and linnarel!

as usual, under the cut just in case! bc spoilers (definite spoilers this time)

15) Who else has a crush on Rook?

so, like, maybe i had this whole silly thing in my head where pasha had a messy on-and-off situationship with varric. messy in the sense that, like, they knew it would never actually work - their work would constantly pull them away and deep, deep down, pasha wants to settle. varric wasn't really the settling down type of dude. AND ALSO following world ending catastrophes for over a decade is exhausting and they don't wanna be pulled into it anymore! but when they had some down time and found each other, shit just made sense. he was one of their best friends!! and while pasha would never say they were in love with him, they did love him. they did some real mental gymnastics to just accept they'd never get what they wanted from him. and like... pulling them into the inquisition and then having them come with him to chase down solas AND THEN DYING was a very shitty thing to do!! also the way pasha kicks shit open and is ripped as hell, who wouldn't have a crush on them???? this was a long-winded one im sorry!!

17) Any companions they don’t get along with? How does Rook navigate this?

SO. LIKE. i am going to preface this with i am weak for good ol' enemies to lovers type shit. jessie, when i tell you i am WEAK for it... pasha is a lil gruff, rough around the edges. emmrich is gentle and kind in a way they just weren't used to. like yes, he's competent and powerful and very good at what he does but people suck and he's going to get himself killed. and WHAAAAAT the fuck do city mages know about roughin' it up??? they have different views on the world around them and they butt heads. but pasha quickly realizes they've underestimated him, choosing to see good in people doesn't mean pushover, it doesn't mean weakness. he can keep up with the rest of them and he's sharp as hell (with the tiniest bit of a bitchy streak if you press the right [wrong?] buttons). and pasha is not immune to the charm of a smooth talker. and ok maybe they like how proper and put together he looks all the time. maybe they also really like how he can and will roll up his sleeves and get a lil dirty. maybe they like the way he talks and the way he words things. maybe they look at him one day and they're like "oh no he's hot." he softens those rough edges and she likes that about him. hey listen, i sat here for like a minute in a voice call with some friends and i went "hmm who WOULD pasha dislike, they don't dislike anyb--OH MY GOD WAIT." you did this, this happened bc of you.

31) Which locations (Docktown, Arlathan etc) does Rook like to visit the most? And the least?

is harding's lil green house an acceptable location??? orin likes the shade of harding's hair and her optimism and her freckles the plants! least favorite place is treviso, he doesn't have fond memories. and while there are people there that he cares about, he thought he'd be gone for good after he left. dee's least favorite place is dock town bc my computer does not like it when i go there. between the rain and the architecture, my pc sounds like a jet engine during take off.

39) What’s it been like, living in the Lighthouse?

linnarel is decidedly not a people person and he's just hyper aware of everybody's presence. my beautiful princess with a disorder can put personal feelings aside when on a job but he's not very good with people. the others will be the first time in a very long time he's had to be around others for more than a few days and boy howdy do they test him. while he would warm up to them eventually, it takes a good while. ALSO FUCK THE FADE HE HATES IT HERE WHY IS THEIR HOUSE FLOATING WHY IS THAT GHOST THANG ROWING A BOAT THERE'S NO WATER THEY'RE IN THE AIR

[ameliawarnerr]

Getaway Car

Chapter 4

Previous Chapter: here

Pairing: Jake x MC

Trope: Enemies to lovers

Overview: To catch a thief, you have to become a thief. So to catch a hacker you have to become one.

Ever since the day I learnt that my decisions strike back at me with a consequence, I started holding control over every part of me. Whether it be my crucial decision or the words that leave my mouth daily. I do not disagree with those who believe that sitting in a corner and observing others is the best skill to possess to survive without giving away much about yourself. But I believe that engaging with others makes them enclose things that you will never learn by observing as a third person. And you can do this while never letting them know a thing of value about yourself. That's how I like to be in control. And I have never once let go of it. 

I admit I was several times overcome with emotions while investigating Hannah’s case but still somehow, even then, I had control over my speech and actions. 

But this control has been slipping away ever since I met him. I lose my cool while I argue with him, his not providing me with answers frustrates me, and the worst part is the reaction of my body to his touch. No, maybe that is not the worst part. The worst part is that he knows it. He knows how he can mess with my senses by touching me and throwing flirty lines at me. He knows it and he’ll use it against me. 

I will not let him. If it costs forgetting and replacing the image I've always had in me, I will do it. If I cannot have him as I wanted, I’ll ruin him. And if he thinks otherwise, he’ll be proven wrong, slowly— painfully slowly. 

Firstly, I have to find his weakness, both emotionally and objectively. And I have to let him assume that his touch is mine. It is, to some extent, but I will develop immunity against it. I merely need to pretend from that point on. Like he had been all the time.

My plans to murder him come to a halt as I hear the door open. I turned off all the lights and lay on the bed with my eyes closed. This is how I plan. And he might as well assume I am sleeping. 

If I am not wrong, it might be around 2 pm. This is strange since I always imagined him to be the type of person who spends the night in front of a screen. Nevertheless, he is a human— I have to consider him one regardless of his incapability to grow a heart— and he might be tired after all the adventure he had today. 

I do not hear his footsteps so he might be barefooted. After a couple of seconds, I sense a movement somewhere around the left side of my face. Then, I feel his touch on my cheek, so light that it contradicts every part of him I've seen today. I swallow nothing and I hope he didn't see my throat move in this darkness. He sighs and retreats his hand. 

“You got somewhere around twenty-five minutes to actually fall asleep. I am going to take a shower.” His voice is low and bored. 

He knew I was pretending. He couldn't have seen my face in the dark when he just came in from a bright hallway. What part of me gave it away? I wish I could ask him that. But I stick to being silent and still. 

I hear the wardrobe open and close, then I hear the water running down. 

I set my foot on the cold floor, rushing towards the door to the hallway on my toes. Taking a second to adjust to the brightness, I descend the stairs. 

I almost gasp at the sight of his house. I wonder if he owns it, legally. The walls are a faded greyish-black colour, almost as if painted with hands. The furniture and ceiling are off-white. As soon as I set foot on the ground floor, my eyes met with the most sophisticated and beautiful kitchen I'd ever seen. The kitchen island is huge, almost the size of the bed I had. To the right, there are huge windows with curtains drawn. To the left of the kitchen is the living room. And as I scan further to the left, a door. 

I run to the door after stealing a glance at Jake’s bedroom. I open the door. There are three different sets of computers. But only one chair is facing towards the biggest monitor in the room. Yeah, right, I'm not touching it. Jake must have installed the highest security system in it. Twenty-two twenty-to minutes is not enough to turn on a computer, look through files and turn it off. 

So I go for the drawers. The first drawer I opened was filled with his extra equipment. I snort. Of course, he is overly cautious. 

I open another drawer and this one has files in it. The first one has DUSKWOOD written over it. Hannah’s investigation, I suppose. The next file has LILLY written on it, I open it, and it has information about her in the printed text and as I look through other files, they are all having titles of members of the group. And at the very last, AMELIA. 

I hesitate. Still, I turn the pages. Unlike other files, it has handwritten notes. The first several pages are information about me. And then, I don't know. Sentences, phrases, words. I manage to read only one phrase before I glance at the clock. Three minutes left. I abruptly close the files and keep them back. 

I leave the room and as I reach the kitchen, I see Jake’s legs. Instead of stairs, I go to the kitchen, open a random cabinet and pretend to be looking for something. He is again barefoot as I don't hear any footsteps but I know he’s descending the stairs. 

I sigh as if disappointed and close the cabinet. Then, I stand and turn towards him. I fake flinch when I find him standing on the other side of the kitchen island. His hands are resting on the surface of the kitchen island and he's leaning. His black hair is wet and wavy, appearing darker than they actually are. His eyes are fixed on me and his expression is not giving away anything he's thinking. 

I cough. I point back with my thumb. “Is there any instant food?”

He stands up and walks around. He stops in front of me. I continue, “I could not sleep with an empty stomach. The soup was not enough. You need to feed me enough if you are keeping me captive here.” 

“Of course.” He sarcastically smiles before pressing his body against mine. I look up at him but he’s looking towards the cabinet above my hand. His hand rises and he takes out something. He steps back with a packet of instant noodles in his hands. He doesn't look at me. “Sit. I'll make you some.” 

I think he meant for me to sit on the couch in the living room but that's too far away. I cannot keep an eye on him from there. So I sat on the island instead. 

He turns his neck and looks at me briefly before placing the packet on the counter. He goes to the fridge and takes out a few vegetables. 

“You don't need to add anything extra. Just the normal noodles would do.” I object since I am not hungry. 

“Why, I ought to feed you enough.” He quotes me. 

I won't argue any further. He comes towards me but stops before he can come in front of me. He places the vegetables on the chopping board beside me. He starts chopping and my eyes go to his hands as a few nerves pop out on his hand. His hands are big and empty. He chops quite fast. But suddenly, he stops. I look at him and find him looking at me already. “The vegetables are not really that attractive.” 

I look away. He knew I was staring at his hands. Without looking at him, I start, “We need to talk. For what purpose am I here?” 

“We’ll talk. I have a proposal for you and we’ll discuss the terms in the morning.” He firmly states.

“What proposal?” I demand even though he told me that we'll discuss it in the morning. 

“One that’ll benefit you more than it would benefit me. So I suggest you consider it after putting your emotions and hatred for me to a side.” He finishes chopping and moves to the stove. 

I consider what he told me. A proposal that’s going to be beneficial for me more than for him. That sounds suspicious enough. And selfless, a bit, which only adds to the suspicion. 

“Is there not a guest room?” I changed the topic. 

I face his back. “I don't have guests very often, no. We’d have to share.” Before I can object, he continues, “That reminds me that you need clothes. Remind me in the morning.” 

“But what if I don't accept your proposal? Why would you get me anything if I don't?” I query. 

He puts the lid on the container and turns towards me with his body slightly leaning against the counter. He folds his hands. “I called it a proposal out of formality. To be honest, it's really the only option for you. Even if you don't wish to, you would have to agree to it.” Something changes in his demeanour. It doesn't appear like a dark mysterious figure anymore. His voice is not harsh or boring, it's like it's dipped in honey. 

“You’re going to force me.” I wonder loudly. 

He laughs. “Did you not hear me? It is the only option left for you. It doesn't matter if I force you or not, you're going to agree.” 

“But what if I don't?”

“You haven't heard my proposal yet so I’ll spare you the logic behind my certainty.” He turns and opens a different cabinet and takes out a packet of bite-sized chocolates. He opens it and throws chocolate in his mouth. He walks towards me and offers me.

Instead of taking out a chocolate from the packet, I snatch it from his hands which makes him furrow his eyebrows. He sits beside me. 

“I have a strong feeling that you are going to ask me to work for you.” I began hoping to gather as much information about this strange proposal as possible. At the same time, I doubt he’ll give away anything before morning. 

Suddenly, his face appears close to mine. If I move as much as an inch, I could feel his skin so I dare not to move and stay still. He takes out a chocolate from the packet and leans back again. A breath of relief escapes me. “Close.” One word. 

“What sort of work is it going to be? Does it involve seeing your face every day?” The real question here is the type of work he is going to ask me to do, the latter part is merely a taunt to get the conversation going. Or perhaps, he reveals something in frustration. 

But he's calm. He’s silent. Then, he's again closer to me, the sweet and pleasant smell invading my senses. His hand again goes to the packet but this time, he doesn't grab the chocolate. He grabs my hand that is in the packet itself. 

Heat travels up to my face and I look at him hoping nothing of the red sort is rushing to my cheeks. I keep my eyes on his and dare not to look at his lips. “Whether you accept the proposal or not, you are going to stay in this house. So yes, you'll be seeing my pretty face quite a lot. Do you mind?” His brows move as if he really wishes to know if I mind. 

I turn my head away and snatch my hand. “Why is it that you cannot believe that I am not interested in disclosing any sort of information about you?” I snap. After all, this is the base of his reason for keeping me here. 

“And what? Let you go?” He returns without an answer. 

“Yes.” I keep my voice controlled. 

“No.” He simply states and walks to the stove. 

We both are silent as he serves the noodles in a bowl. He holds it in front of me. I take the bowl and go to the other side of the kitchen island, sitting on a chair. I wonder if he's going to watch me eat. 

I start eating. 

“Are you even sleepy?” He asks. 

“No, I am not,” I answer truthfully. 

He nods and takes out a phone. He places it on the island and pushes it towards me. I grab it with one hand and look at him strangely. 

“You can look for clothes, then. Just add to the cart whatever you want, I'll order them at once.” 

My expressions do not ease. I still have a confused look on my face. “You're trusting me with a phone? With an internet connection?” 

He rolls his eyes and doesn't bother answering me. “I am going to work until you eat. Tell me when you are done.” He says and leaves. I watch him as he goes to the room I came out of. 

As soon as he closes the door, I switch on the phone. I go to Chrome's incognito mode. I am about to type something on the search bar when a message pops up. 

Jake: I gave you the phone to look for clothes, not at something vulgar. 

I snort, loudly enough that I believe he heard me. 

I finish the food at an inhuman speed. Then, I add to my cart the most expensive stuff I could find and my stuff doesn't limit to clothes, I am talking about makeup stuff that I don't even know how to use, heels and all sorts of footwear, hair products, and the cherry on the top, I add lingerie. 

Lastly, I click a picture of the empty bowl and sent it to Jake, indicating I am done eating. In a few minutes, he comes out of the room. He walks towards me and I hand him the phone. “Have fun ordering!” I say, standing up and walking to the stairs while ignoring the strange look he gave me. I assume he stopped looking at what I was doing after I opened Amazon. 

As I am about to climb the stairs, he stops me and passes past me. A curse leaves my lips when I realise why he did that. I am still in his clothes that barely cover my legs. He just… I shrug the feeling off not letting him make a positive impression on me. 

As we enter the room, my eyes dance between the bed and the couch. “Are you going to sleep on the couch? Or am I?” I ask him. 

He walks to the bed. “None. We are going to share the bed like two sophisticated adults.” 

Now that he has mentioned being two sophisticated adults and I deny it, it’ll get childish of me. I look at the bed, it's wide enough. 

He looks at me, anticipating a reaction. I smile. “Of course.” 

I walk past him and lie down. He switched off the lights first then I feel him lie down next to me. 

“Goodnight.” He says, his voice coming out soft. 

“‘Night.” 

At some point my eyes open, a little orange light penetrating through the drawn-out curtains. When we slept, we were both on the edges of the bed. Unlike right now. Now, we lie in between. His hand wrapped around my waist and my head dug into his neck. I close my eyes as I snuggle closer. I allow myself these hours of his embrace. 

Then, the phrase in his angry yet beautiful handwriting reappears in my mind. 

My biggest regret…

Me. I am his biggest regret. He didn't finish the sentence but it's obvious. 

I remove his hand from my waist and turn away until I am on the very edge of the bed. 

Thanks for reading!

Next Chapter: here

[mikwaa]

Pairing: Zhonglix f! Reader

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, graphic descriptions of blood and violence, enemies to friends to lovers.

Lenght- 3,587

Here is the masterlist of this series!

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"I have heard that some villages are suffering from a plague, do you know what is going on?" Bosacius asks.

"It is an outbreak of Reuca, I am already trying to get around the situation. But it won't be easy." You say with a tired sigh.

Bosacius looks at you with a frightened, pragmatic and worried expression all at the same time.

"I think in a few days I can contain it, don't worry too much." You say trying to sound confident, because frankly you felt quite apprehensive about the situation.

"I can help you with whatever you need. You know I can handle things here and anything else you need. Don't overwhelm yourself." He says gently advising you.

You nod.

And today, besides having to take care of Reuca's problem, you would have to get some more medicine. Currently you had not made any progress in the recovery of your companions, Bosacius seemed to have been a case apart, maybe some specific component helped him to wake up, but that unfortunately was not a pattern. Indarias had moved and had small reactions, but nothing out of the ordinary, or out of what you had seen over the years.

And as expected, it would take you a lot longer to figure out how to get them to wake up, but there was something you noticed that bothered you. Maybe because of the close contact you had with them, you had passed on some kind of disease, like Reuca, for example. You were not immune to it, the thing is that it was just some minor effects, at least none of the Yaksha got sick because of it. The same little marks that were characteristic of the disease were appearing on the others, which could easily become a big problem just because they were incredibly fragile.

This was all the more reason to try some drug that could make them better before it was too late.

"I remember Verr Goldet said he wanted to talk to you. You should come see her.”He says, patting you on the back in a comforting way. Funny how he could sense that you were worried about something.

You then head for the reception desk where Verr Goldet spent most of her time, and as soon as she saw you, she said. "I was just looking for you, I remember you had ordered some sweet flowers.They arrived this morning.” She says pointing to a package beside her.

"Thank you, how can I pay you?" You ask her.

"Don't worry dear, what you do is already enough. Since you are leaving, I will leave them in your room." She says with a kind smile.

You thanked her, and as soon as your back was turned she added. "Oh, I almost forgot, Baizhu is waiting for you downstairs."

It was not a good sign, Baizhu would not come here in person for nothing. And from the bad news that was already circulating, you didn't expect him to be the provider of a good one.

"Did something happen?" You ask him cautiously.

"I needed to talk to you personally, I suppose you are already aware of the recurring situation we are going through.” From his tone it was already possible to understand the gravity that things were taking.

"About what specifically? Do you mean Reuca?" You'd rather let him get started than misunderstand him.

"The cases are already spreading to the smaller villages, but I have already detected some in the city. I would like to know if you are already aware of the situation.”Baizhu asked you, and you noticed that he had some dark circles under his eyes and a tired look on his face. An indication that things were not good indeed.

"Yes I am, I just found out a few days ago. I asked Zhongli to talk to you about it, I don't know if he said so. But I'm already trying to fix the situation, don't worry.” You say, sitting down next to him.

"I wish I wasn't upset by this situation, however things are already more critical than you can imagine."

"Do you already have a solution? I mean, something partial. I remember that before there was no way to combat this.”

"Getting some medicine, along with herbal remedies that can at least minimize the effects. But I still don't know if it's going to be enough to keep the patients alive, but I'm doing my best.”He says in almost a way of consoling himself and standing his ground. Still you could sense that he was nervous about the situation, you could imagine the pressure he was under.

"So it's an experimental method? I can try to help you, at least to find some components. I can't make them because it would be lethal, you know that anything I make is too strong for humans.” You said upset with yourself, not that it was your fault, but surely with the knowledge you had you could help in some way.

"I think you'd better handle this situation first, things around town are already overloaded enough as it is. We're already having to set up some emergency clinics, and this took me by surprise."

You gave a light sigh, it's not like you didn't expect this to happen, but it was still a redundant situation. But on top of all this, there was something or someone who was spreading the disease even further, and even with your investigations you hadn't found an adequate answer to that, with so many problems at once it was difficult to focus on just one.

"I have to get back to my work, I have many patients to see today. I just came to see if you were already aware of the situation.” He says getting up and preparing to leave.

You nodded and he said goodbye, you remained seated while pondering some things.

You had thought about going to the Harbor to contact Liyue's Qixing about the situation, it might make things easier since they could properly warn people about what was going on. But at the same time telling everyone might not be the best idea, besides causing a buzz among the people, it might drive away the real person responsible for the situation.

However, people would have to take the necessary precautions not to make it bigger and more problematic, you yourself had already noticed that the mining activity had increased in the last few days, precisely because of the stones that had a high value. Even if there were warnings, or even old stories about the evils of Lumiar stone, most didn't care, because they thought it was just stories to scare children. A pity they thought that way, because of human frailty, they should be much more careful.

Even for you it was something dangerous, you felt exhausted just by spending a long time near the stone, imagine the effect it would have on even weaker beings. What you could do to prevent at least a little bit the situation from getting worse, is to use a portion of your power to prohibit many ordinary civilians from getting close to dangerous areas, by doing some manual interventions.

Making some stone piles or even creating an unpleasant atmosphere so that people would move away quickly. In the short term it worked, but then everyone came back. Besides, it wasn't as if only one area was the source of the problem, there were many places, and this made it easier for events to spread.

Your first decision was to go after some herbs to try to help Baizhu, as well as to see if the situation was under control at certain points. You headed for the Guili plains, after some Violetgrass. It didn't take long before you reached the place, but instead of going to get the plants, you saw the same red-haired man who used to talk to Morax, this Fatui.

He was talking to some of his subordinates, and you sneaked closer to try to listen to the conversation. It wasn't every day that you could get any kind of relevant information that easily. You managed to hear a thing or two, but they were more frivolous things than anything really useful.

"Well, well, look who we have here." Childe turns to you with utter contempt.

He ordered the others to disperse, and they did. Soon there were only the two of you.

"You're the stranger here. What are you doing here?" You return the question to him.

He laughed cynically and then answered, "I'm just a citizen of Liyue, there's nothing wrong with me.”

Before you could answer him, your eyes were fixed on the package he was holding. Apparently some medicine bottles, but what was he doing with them?

"That caught your attention? Want to see what it is?" He picks up a bottle and hands it to you.

You accept it a little suspicious, make a quick evaluation. On the package insert it said it was a specific treatment for diseases that were not so common, and one of these diseases was Reuca, followed by a few others that affected various regions of Teyvat.

"So? I can be a kind person and give this to you, and a pretty easy solution to your problems, isn't it?" He says pridefully.

Automatically you realized what he was talking about, selling a solution like that, when you were almost certain that the Fatui were to blame. How do you make a problem and give the solution? It doesn't make any sense.

"But will you give it to me for free? Don't try to make a fool of me, I know that you have your price." You say.

"Now, how hard is it to accept an act of kindness coming from me? I just want to help." He says, alternating between an offended and a kind tone.

You looked him up and down with narrowed eyes, there was nothing suspicious about him. Other than the fact that he was a Fatui, but nothing more aggravating than that. It was obvious that he didn't want to help just because he wanted to, there was something more to it all, although it was still too early for you to make an opinion about anything.

"Come on, are you going to accept or not? Remember that you have a lot at stake if you don't accept." Behind the common tone, there was an open threat.

"If I don't want to accept, what will you do? Don't threaten me, because if I were you I would think twice before doing it." You threaten him back, it wasn't as if you had forgotten that if you wanted to finish him off here and now, you could safely do so.

He laughed and ran one hand through his hair, then put his hands around his waist and looked at you strangely, as if he were watching a competition before his eyes. It wasn't a simple contest, but one that he would do anything to win, and obviously he wouldn't hesitate to use force if necessary, because that was exactly what he wanted to do.

"I'm here in a good mood trying to offer you help, if you don't want it that's your problem. But I'm not leaving here empty handed either." He posed in a more withdrawn manner, as if ready to attack.

"Be honest and I won't do anything against you, I just need you to tell me why you are helping me. You know that's not your job, on the contrary."

And he laughed out loud, as if he had heard an extremely pleasant joke. It was intriguing how he seemed to enjoy the situation. And instead of speaking he opened the bag he was carrying, allowing you to see how many medicinal herbs he had, besides several ready-made remedies. There were also many flowers that could help in the manufacturing of remedies.

"I guess that speaks for itself, doesn't it?" He says proudly, even smugly.

You dared to touch things, and looked deeper into them. You had not heard of this type of medicine, the components were clearly from other regions, like Inazuma or even Sumeru. Besides the other materials, some were regional but most were not, everything seemed perfectly elaborate. It wasn't as if there was anything strange about the compounds, but it was also unusual for the very people causing the problem to come up with the solution. Which left you with a bad feeling about the whole thing.

"I accept." You say calmly.

He even opened his mouth to speak, possibly to provoke you, but closed it immediately and looked at you a bit dumbfounded.

"I'll keep this, I hope you really aren't up to something, Childe." You say, collecting everything and getting ready to take it with you.

"You're just going to take it? No complaints or anything?" For some reason he sounded disappointed, and you don't understand, isn't that what he wanted from the start?

"Don't tell me you're giving up now? Wasn't that exactly your purpose in coming here?" You ask him.

He looked a little disconcerted, but soon returned to his normal posture. "Of course, that's exactly what I came here for." He seemed to be trying to find a way to speak without sounding frustrated.

"Good. I'll take this with me, and I'll still keep an eye on you. I hope we don't have any kind of problem." You say authoritatively, as a way of reminding him who you were.

He didn't respond, and you didn't wait for him to respond either. Then you turned your back and walked away.

You can't help but think that this could easily be something to trick you. It's not as if that possibility is out of the question, you would still have to see the components of the medicines and test their effects, and if this really was a solution, you would take them to Baizhu immediately.

But again, that would take at least two days, or someone with the stamina to withstand the effects if it was something bad. And as crazy as it sounds, you could only think of one person, Morax. Maybe he wouldn't accept it, but it wouldn't hurt to try, since it was Liyue's people who were at stake, there was a good chance he would let it be.

You just had to find him and explain this situation, and also talk about the strange interaction you had with Childe. For sure he knew something else, he had many acquaintances there, so for sure he knew something else.

So you took the packages to a safe place and picked up some copies of the medicine.You were going to head for the port of Liyue, but ended up meeting Morax there in the vicinity of the Guili plains. He didn't see you, he was collecting a few things on the ground, like some minerals. You slowly walked up to him, with a certain curiosity to see what he was doing.

"It's such a surprise to find you here, I thought you used to avoid this place." You say to him, who quickly turns and looks at you.

"I have no reason to avoid coming to this place. What happened before doesn't matter. Although I am more interested in the fact that I found you here, besides the fact that you came to talk to me quietly.” He says with a certain sincerity in his tone.

You decide not to beat around the bush and get to the point. "I need you to do me a favor." You say to him, and try not to use a tone that might cause strangeness.

"What specifically?" He asks quite curious.

You looked at him puzzled while still thinking of a way to say it that didn't sound so adverse.

"I got some medicine, and I'd like to test it. And I would like to be able to test it on you.” You say softly and quietly.

He looked at you grumpily, and took a moment to process what you had said.

"Are you kidding or what? You don't think I'm just going to ingest something you have done, do you?”

"That's not it, these remedies could be the cure for Reuca. But I'm still uncertain, and I need to do it as soon as possible.” You try to make it sound less worse. Not that Morax would suffer any major consequences, but of course he needed to take precautions.

"Where did you get this?" He says, pointing to the vial you were holding in your hands.

You didn't think now would be the right time to say who gave it to you, so it was easier to say you had worked something out with the help of some alchemists. It would be easier for him to believe you.

"I did some tests, and this was the best I could do. And like I said, I can't use it directly on people, I don't know what side effects it might have. So to speed up the process I thought you could help.”

He looked at you analytically, you hadn't responded the way he wanted you to. And to make matters worse you were a terrible liar, and he knew it. He gave a hearty laugh, and took the medicine you had in hand. You didn't react, just stared at him with astonishment, he didn't seem offended now.

"You can be genial when you want to be. I can't even imagine where you got all that stuff to make this medicine.” He says as he passes the vial between his fingers, looking at it cautiously.

"I have my ways, being honest it wasn't hard to find." Your voice intoned in an unsure way, even you didn't know why you was nervous about lying. It's not like anything serious was going to happen.

"I know you, I know well that you must have worked it out on your own."

You wouldn't tell him the origin of the remedy because you yourself didn't even know if it was really functional, besides Morax and Childe were incredibly close, which caused you a certain aversion. So you wanted to try to play a double game, trying to get information from both sides.

"So? Are you going to accept or not, we can solve this very quickly.” You take the medicine from his hands.

He didn't answer but reminded you of an important point that could help. "Actually, do you remember a blessing that was left long ago? In the vicinity of Qingce Village."

And quickly you remembered the events, an ancient Goddess who when she died left a blessing in the Qingce lands. When gods were killed they could use the remaining power for something good or bad, but this goddess chose to use it to benefit Qingce village, the place where she was born and raised. It was the reason that the land there was so productive and fertile, and there was a rumor that those who were sick could recover from the aura that emanated from the very place where the goddess died.

Not only this, but it was also said that herbs and remedies had a stronger and more effective effect if used in the benevolence that the Goddess had left. But this rumor disappeared over the years, as her power weakened. But the elders still talked about it, at least that's what you heard the last time you went to the village.

"Maybe I can rekindle her power?" You ask him.

"I believe so, but it might be dangerous. There are high chances of having some maleficent power coming from it." It is even if it had some risk, still in a strange way you did not feel that you could be seriously hurt if Morax were around.

Even though there might be some remnant of Karma, you were the only one who could deal with that problem, since Morax was not able to solve it. This was the main difference between you and him, and the reason he needed you to remain in charge of this kind of situation.

"If that's a solution, I think we can try."

Maybe if the power left by the Goddess was strong again like before, the medicines could become stronger, even more effective. And if things worked, people could usurp it to their advantage.

"Can you still do that kind of thing? I thought it was outdated for you.” In the background of his voice there was a certain amusement.

"What are you implying? If you're not even outdated, why would I think that?” You say, sounding mischievous.

And he gave you a sincere little smile, you could imagine that he liked these little interactions. Because you always returned his teasing.

"I accept your proposal. You can do whatever tests you want with me.” And you couldn't feel a hint of insecurity in his voice.

You gave a low chuckle, who knew that someday you would be able to do that sort of thing with him freely. But at the same time you were surprised that he accepted it so easily. In the end you agreed that you would go to the village at nightfall, which would still take a while to happen. But you couldn't deny that you had a certain anxiety to see what this situation would provide.

What was left was to wait cautiously, and use the time you had to prepare properly.

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This fic is also posted on Ao3!

[satellitesoundwave]

Top five ships ofc!!

sorry for the late response anon! i thought i’d posted this but turned out it was still in my drafts whoops

okay. to keep things fresh and interesting i’ll exclude ships i already picked for the idw dynamics ask:

5) this high up the list it's pretty variable, but rn I'm gonna say Getaway/Skids. i like the knife twist potential of them having been together, and that being one more thing that disappeared when Skids lost his memories. it ties easily into Getaway's jealous streak. also, if they were like in love in love, i think them reuniting only for Getaway to discover how completely he's been wiped away - and replaced, what with Skids' new closeness to several people on the Lost Light - would interact with Getaway's need to be important and special (or, hmm, maybe 'distinct' would be more accurate?) in an explosive way. it’s one of those scenarios that’s fun to think about for the sad and awful potential

4) Starscream/Rodimus bc a. the comedy potential here is insane lmao, Rodimus is often tactlessly authentic and Starscream expects everyone around him to be playing 4d psychological chess. and b. i think the two of them bouncing off each other genuinely could be interesting? Starscream is hyper alert for people manipulating/taking advantage in a particular way, but it's one that Rodimus doesn’t really do. also, Rodimus is very emotionally driven in both his decision making and his moral compass, and while it doesn't do him any favours when it comes to attempts to manipulate him that are short term with quick payoffs, I think it would actually make it difficult to truly lead him down a path he's not naturally inclined to take. imo Rodimus' acting on his emotions+feeling faster than he can think disposition could make him immune to some of Starscream's bullshit. this incompatibility between them might cause interactions with each other to go a very different way than is typical for either of them with other people, which i think could be interesting to explore

3) Megatron/Optimus. TFP was my entry point for getting really into tf, and i've always enjoyed ships where they're enemies now, but they used to be lovers who had no choice but to split over irreconcilable philosophical differences. I was an easy sell on this one

2) Drift/Rodimus. tho tbh i still haven't quite found my ideal angle on this ship yet (which is why the sequel to Hope (and other bad jokes) has stalled out. i could go into a whole essay on how i think about characterisation and the whats & whys of Rodimus' motivations proving unexpectedly slippery, but i'm not sure you signed on to take that thousand word detour anon haha)

1) Jazz/Soundwave. the ultimate. the ideal. i've said before about how for tf i get more attached to individuals than dynamics, and i am blessed to be interested in both Soundwave and Jazz independently and fascinated by the ways they can play off each other. they have a fantastic balance of similarities (they are both very competent!! i cannot tell you how important that is here, competence is the #1 thing that appeals to me about a character), and many of the ways they diverge are mirrored, like it's the opposite direction taken but still the same road (preferred approach to their job, sound/music theming). the ships i think about most tend to be ones where the dynamic pushes the characters to be more themself, the connection intensifying both their good qualities and their bad ones, and jazzwave lends itself readily to this. truly the perfect ship for me

[mashed4077]

🌃 intro post! 🌃

(bit late but i didn’t want a cluttered bio anymore so here’s this)

hiii im shay! i fixated on mash back in november and i officially finished it on march 22nd 2023!! im gonna rewatch soon tho

about this blog

this is a side-blog!

tags: i tag pretty extensively for the sake of categorization; here’s hoping my character tags prove fun to scroll through!

queue: as of the day i’m writing this, i have a very full queue, because i have a habit of liking literally every post i see related to a fixation, and then spam-queuing it later to clean my likes out. so i hope you enjoy all the content! lots of funny scenes and textposts, well-made gifsets, wonderful fanart, and insightful meta, if i do say so myself. mashblr is a talented bunch!

original posts/content: i don’t contribute much on my own, but i love to ramble and i hope some of my lengthy tags prove an interesting or at least entertaining read :) i do dabble in fanfic writing and i’ve got a few mash works in my drafts, but i’m not sure if they’ll ever see the light of day. i’m also fond of meta and character analysis, so if i ever work up the courage maybe ill put out some moderately thought-provoking posts in that realm.

some of my opinions relating to mash characters & ships can be found under the read more!

these are all subjective and i completely respect anyone who disagrees :) we’re all here to have fun!

summarized thoughts on the characters (kinda sorted by fav to least fav)

mulcahy has been driving me bonkers for months (and my jewish ass has been putting far too much thought into catholicism lately bc of him😒)

frank,,,, listen. i’m sorry. but listen, as baffled and/or disgusted as you are, i’m the mf stuck being the only one in this entire fandom who flails over frank burns. so how do you think i feel. ik he’s absolutely awful, but he’s just so damn pathetic, i can’t help but like him and find him fascinating

radar is a bubby to me, i dont rlly have complex thoughts on him hes kinda just a comfort character to me n ilhsm

charles... he snuck up on me. i didnt expect to like him, much less relate to him (-_-) i just exposed myself as a charles winchester kinnie how will my reputation recover

i love hawkeye a lot, as we all do <3

i love trapper john mcintyre!!!!!!!!!!

i love margaret!!! i love klinger!!! i love henry!!! 

im pretty neutral on potter and bj

in short: i love them all a lot but mulcahy and frank have each driven me particularly mad in different ways and radar with his animals has made me cry and charles would probably drive me nuts if i let him but i am keeping him at arm’s length.

summarized thoughts on ships (again, strongest first)

(yes i have frank ships. no i am not proud of it)

my mash otp is hawkahy. it’s been slowly draining the remainder of my sanity. i havent slept in months. send help

i am a sucker for enemies/rivals to lovers and hawnk kinda makes me a little nuts.

i know he’s not good for her but i think margaret x frank have a rlly interesting relationship and they can be cute sometimes, and i think about them more than i’d like to admit. i am not immune to het ships consisting of badass women with control issues and their toxic pathetic purse-dog boyfriends.

henry x klinger is literally canon idc

pierceintyre... ;-; hh

i love semi-niche trapper ships. trapcahy is a little bit 👀 and i really like trapper x margaret

hawkeye x henry... shh...

bonus trios i think about sometimes😳: hawkeye x margaret x frank, margaret x frank x flagg (SHH), hawkeye x trapper x mulcahy. do u see my evil vision

aaand some platonic dynamics i particularly enjoy

mulcahy & klinger are besties :)

mulcahy & margaret have a sibling dynamic that i absolutely adore, esp in the potter seasons, particularly the later ones.

charles & margaret are a fun duo. the ship tease they did a little was... idk how to feel about it, but i like them as buddies.

margaret & klinger... the girlies

hawkeye & klinger!!! the el jibbities are flocking together..

hawkeye & margaret :)

i do very much enjoy hawkeye & bj’s friendship

not friendship but charles & mulcahy’s animosity is sooo funny i will never tire of it

notps: klinger x charles, and hunnihawk. do not doxx me.

i think thats all for now. enjoy my nonsense!

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[crystalelemental]

“books-are-my-life-stuff: Thank you so much for sharing! I really like reading your ideas! I kinda want Mob to have moderate to good DPS at least, much like SS Lyra to at least be able to solo stuff. I like the idea of Mob soloing Legendary Arenas like SST Red, except he also brings a lot of utility stuff like SS Lyra. It's a lot to ask but it's probably possible. Mesprit does suit him, but I feel like he might have two partner Pokemon, the other one for his ???% form. Maybe a Paradox Pokemon?”

Realistically, all he’d need is specific utility to solo stuff, which isn’t too hard to accomplish.  Regeneration, immunity to debuffs, guaranteed flinch rates; those definitely work out.�� Piercing Blows is absolutely needed to get to SST Red levels, though.  I almost want to say Iron Valiant for the ???% form.  Raw power, you know.

“I do like the idea of three main esper kids having the Lake Trio though, it's a cool idea and the Lake Trio suits all three of them. Indeedee kinda makes sense since Ritsu used to not have powers before getting one and becoming psychic, but I do like Hisuian Arcanine more, it's a lot cooler. Him having kits that complements what Mob needs is cool too, maybe make Mob's trainer move only boosts +4 offensive stats+crit, while Ritsu caps it and adds more defensive stuffs.”

Lake Trio is always my favorite thing, but it does feel like it fits.  I think it could be either defensive buffs while Mob has offensive self-sufficiency, or a sort of SS Wally situation where Mob can technically cap his own needs, but wouldn’t mind the assist.

“Reigen with Kecleon is really great, I like it a lot, and nice callback for Mystery Dungeon as well. I dunno how its Color Change mechanic going to adapt to Masters since enemies tend to attack with various kinds of types, but it's an interesting one nonetheless.”

I’m not too sure either.  I guess it would be like...switching weaknesses?  Hmm.  Now I’m really curious.  Oh, wait!  I got one.  Increases the Rebuff level of the type of move last hit by 1.  So if he gets hit with, say, Dragon Claw, he gets +1 Dragon rebuff.  Those can go the other way, we just haven’t seen it happen yet.

“Bitter Blade might have nerfed base power because it heals, so maybe add a Ramming Speed passive as base to add more power, Unyielding 4 as 3/5 grid, and some debuffing passives/moves, that's gonna suit Teru a lot. I always associate Teru with electric-types because it's commonly fast and matches aesthetically, but I like Ceruledge, and I think it fits as well.”

That’s fair.  He was honestly one of the tougher ones to figure out, because it’s like...okay, rival vibe, and kinda shithead vibe, but also he’s a genuinely nice guy whose biggest moment is protecting a bunch of people, thus also protecting his rival/friend/lover(?)’s principles, and it’s like...there’s a lot to work with but it’s hard to pinpoint just one.

“I like the Dimple and Serizawa ones a lot, I don't think I have anything to add. I like the idea of Serizawa having Sobble too, it's great. Dimple with Banette is also very fitting character-wise I think Shou will be a very standard fire-type striker probably kinda similar to SS Hilda/NY!Lisia. Yes, his design was made with shounen anime protagonist in mind. Blast Burn, maybe Fire Shift Giga Impact, add Bob & Weave passive to reference that he can conceal his presence.”

Bob and Weave is a great idea.  Just go all-in on evasion play and add Blind Spot.  I think that’s the one.  I get the accuracy and evasion modifier names mixed up sometimes...

“OH RIGHT, Beheeyem is such a great idea, and a Dynamax one too for Tome, really fits her. I kinda want the Telepathy Club to have something otherworldly to match their character. Like Inukawa having Nihilego because instead of getting abducted by aliens, he got abducted by Nihilego. Body Improvement Club has to have Fighting-types. Onigawara and Musashi's partners are perfect, Musashi might have Gigantamax too.”

I’m all for anything with Nihilego, I love that thing.  And I am 100% on board with Gigantamax Musashi.  That just feels right.

[clochanamarch]

“plots please”

send in "plots please" and i'll write out three plots for our muses! / ACCEPTING!

okay i wanna start with this bc i've been racking my brain and of course i'm OBSESSED w the power couple that is kozling but i also. really wanna explore a thread that delves into how they first met! like maybe illyana was sent to bring back tina or to kill aisling and then things got messy? aisling negotiating a deal where if illyana helps her to stop the Company, she'll let her do whatever she needs to do (not taking tina obvs but like, killing or taking aisling), but the more time they spend together, the closer they get, the enemies-to-allies-to-lovers, like i just. i'm not saying i want an emotional thriller movie for them but also i am.

moving on to star trek! so my knowledge is limited. but aisling as the ship's cook who joins up to help in exchange for her record being cleared and the government granting her immunity for the crimes she committed up to now. she loves it there, she's actually super pumped to be on the vessel, but she's also very excited to meet illyana. idk if aisling knows or if it's discovered later why illyana is there, but all that matters is that aisling? she's gonna do everything she can to help her settle in. even helping her find dreykov.

and finally! aisling running her own corner of ketterdam, overhearing a few whispers about this woman who's handling unfinished business for those unable to see it through. intrigued, but also aware that as women they seldom have the freedom of such independence, aisling arranges a meeting and offers a partnership. nothing changes. but they'll help and support one another, and occasionally the crows when needed. you have to be ruthless to survive in a place like ketterdam. but you don't necessarily have to be alone.

[rmhashauthor]

Getting to the end of a book is always so tough - I've been with Valen and Fang for two and a half years, and now that it's winding down I feel lots of things. I'm sad because it's almost over, I'm excited to finish because the ending is going to make everything all right (I've done some terrible things recently, narratively speaking), and I'm ready to be dome with this story. I will admit that The Dragon Prince's Consort hasn't exactly been up to what I originally planned, but several people have already said they love it so I think I'll take the W.

I've definitely learned a huge lesson from this one: the quality of my writing suffers when I don't take the time I need to really focus on the story and characters. Maybe my readers are happy, but I certainly think I can do better. I'm not COMPLETELY dissatisfied, I just think I should have waited until I finished the story in its natural time as opposed to trying to stay a couple of weeks ahead of my posting schedule. I'd already finished STARFISH long before I had a Wattpad account, so I was under SIGNIFICANTLY less pressure each week. I can do GREAT work under pressure, but to do so consistently is REALLY BAD for my mental health as well as the quality of said work.

That leads me to the next book. I'm of the camp that if I talk about a project too much, I'll squeeze all the dopamine out of it and be stuck with a project I don't feel excited about anymore. That being said, I wonder if it would help promote my next book better if I did talk about it more. I want to do a LOT of different things with this one, I want it to be grittier and a lot more R-rated but with my usual moments of genuine emotion and character development. I see it as a vehicle to talk about mental health (anxiety and PTSD mostly), class, deep trust and less... mainstream forms of romantic/platonic relationships. I have a nifty new species and a character who I think will appeal to anyone who loves a morally gray MMC, especially a filthy-mouthed one who's seen some shit and doesn't really care much about things like "laws". I'll be playing with ideas like found family, the bitter outcasts rebelling against the systems that abandoned them, the difference between being a law-abiding person and a good one, the blurry lines between love and trust, and the complicated, messy relationship between two VERY angry, traumatized people who just happen to have complimentary issues.

I think it'll be a lot of fun, especially when all that anger, frustration and bottled-up pain bleeds into sexual tension and the need to love and be loved comes up against one's personal fears and feelings 😉 Up til now, my characters have gotten along very well and I'm excited to write something a bit more combative. Not abusive, mind you, just less inclined to immediate trust but not immune to the occasional "Let's just get this out of our systems so we can get back to work" shenanigans 😁 It could be a really dark, twisted romance but I think I'm going to lean more towards "darkly funny/sexy enemies-to-lovers revenge road trip"!

If you made it this far, thanks! Like most writers will tell you, there's your plan - and then there's the book's plan. I have NO IDEA if this one will follow the script or if my lovingly-constructed plot will veer off into complete anarchy. Probably the latter. But, this should be an interesting little experiment, writing about writing and making more of an effort to share my writing. Is it going to be corny? Probably. It's romance, the genre that has more corn than the entire Midwest. Am I going to stick with it? WHO KNOWS! We're going to find out together! YAY!

[shilohgreen]

*slams the ship emoji in here*

send 🚢 or ( 'SHIP' ) if you ever considered shipping our characters romantically and i will bold all that definitely applies & italicize what could potentially apply. // @backwaterscum

do i ship our characters together?: yes | no | not yet but maybe soon

would i like to ship with you?: yes | maybe, i'm willing to try | no

type of relationship i could see: childhood or high school sweethearts | exes | engaged | married | long-term relationship | crushes | unrequited love | fling | long distance | online relationship | just dating | new relationship | toxic lovers | friends with benefits

tropes i'd enjoy writing for them: friends to lovers | enemies to lovers | exes to lovers | fake relationship / dating | forbidden love | grumpy and sunshine | star-crossed lovers | surprise pregnancy | second chance | soulmates | amnesia / mistaken identity | forced proximity | secret relationship | slow burn relationship

would i rather plot first or jump right in and see where it goes?: develop their relationship first | jump right in | something in between

what now?: let's plot something | send me shippy memes | i'll send you shippy memes | write me a random starter | i'll write you a random starter

anything else i want you to know about me / my character / my shipping habits: i didn't have these two on my 2024 bingo card but i am so not complaining. i'd be totally happy if they stay platonic and we can just watch them be codependent in that way, but i could also see more developing between them. i'm interested to see how will's moral greyness would play against daryl. and i'm also just brain rotting about them generally being hermits together. it can be difficult for will to kind of settle into a relationship, being as standoffish as he is and generally scared of intimacy, but 1) he is not immune to making dumb horny short-sighted decisions and 2) i think daryl being as loyal and practical and grounded in the moment as he can be would be a really nice balance for will. will can be so ride or die but is also so prone to romanticism and dramatics and getting locked in his thoughts, i think it'd be nice to see daryl help him with that.

[tropics-angel]

I just got out of an abusive relationship that I was in since I was 16yrs old. I am 27 now for reference. It was more emotionally and mentally abusive than anything else. It reached an all time high 2022-2023. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I got sick everytime I went out with a friend bc my immune system was so messed up from never leaving my house. They policed my friendships whilst having a sexual relationship with most of their “friends” and I could never say anything about it without getting punished. Anytime I would bring up a concern they would ghost me for days…they didn’t visit me for months and would not allow me to come over and visit either.If I broke things off they always would want to try again just to treat me worse than before. Besides the cruel treatment,I felt we were growing apart because I was changing myself for the better and they were just getting worse. Maybe this is silly,but music is such a big thing for me and I feel you can tell a lot about a person from their taste in music. When their music taste changed to listening to artists who support rapists or music that is degrading to women in general,I knew the love we had shared was definitely over. I was not perfect in the relationship obviously,bc at 16yrs old you don’t know how to properly love someone since you are just learning about your own self,but at 27 basic things like honesty,kindness,and loyalty are just standard. They began to speak to me so disrespectfully and grew so much hatred for me for finally moving out of the place we shared together because I refused to keep tolerating the abuse. For months, I let them guilt and punish me for leaving until I smacked sense into myself. The demise of this relationship was never my fault,but they gaslit me into thinking I was the one who did it all. The complained that I was not affections as they would’ve like me to be and I do own up to not being as affectionate as I would have liked either,but I did not grow up with affection and it was very overwhelming. When I really wanted to be super mushy ,it was so nerve wracking for me.It’s so much easier for me now,but they claimed the change in me was “too late”. Well I think that’s bullshit. It is never too late to love and I’m so thankful and proud of how far I’ve come healing my familial traumas with 0 support from someone who was supposed to be my partner. This person has shared intimate photos of me with their friend when I was underage and I still stayed because I just so badly wanted things to work and to be loved. I devoted my whole life to this person,even rejecting good job offers to help work at their business that ended up failing.This paragraph cannot even cover half of the cruel things that were done and the things I gave despite the cruelty. Again,I own up to my part in the relationship,but there is NOTHING I could’ve done that would merit the treatment I got. I pray everyday to God that my heart stays soft,open,and forgiving despite all that has happened. I have apologized to my ex for the part I played in the past,however,they have not apologized and I really am not expecting one because they are so totally lost and void of love or compassion. I pray that karma and the consequences of their actions are enough to spark authentic change in their life and heart. Maybe my prayers are working,because I am healing up so nicely. This is a person that I never thought I could live without but I am. I know I’m not at 100% but I am still open to forgiving them and still love them after everything. Even when it’s hard,please stay sweet and kind because you will never lose. It’s so much easier to let go of someone when you know there is no ill will on your side. I don’t harbor bitterness,though I am hurt. It’s okay to be hurt about it because healing is certainly not linear. Everyday I pray to get a little stronger,a little sweeter,and a little wiser. I pray for my lover who made themselves an enemy to me and know that God will deal with them accordingly. STAY FULL OF LOVE AND DON’T LET ANYONE SIPHON IT ALL OUT OF YOU