#much nicer than the actual encounter

[mayspicer]

Mmm nothing like a good old full blown panic attack, I haven't had one in years. This time at least I have access to medication to make it stop a lot faster, but I have 6 pills left for the next 2,5 months and the recent trends in my mental state are not looking good.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Shy One

Inspired by this post; in the same universe as this and this

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Bucky Barnes

Summary: a night out ends in an embarrassing encounter.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

It feels like you’re seeing the world through tinted glass. The low lights, the buzz of voices, and the subtle clink of glasses feed the haze around you. That and the cocktail in your hand. Just ice now. Your second. You’re surprised how easily it went down. 

“Want another?” Mikayla asks as you play with the thin straw. 

“Maybe not yet,” you shrug. 

She grins at Alina, “lightweight?” 

The other women laugh. You’re too embarrassed to admit it but you are. In fact, it’s the first time you’ve ever tasted alcohol. If they don’t mock you for confessing, they wouldn’t believe you. 

“So happy you came out,” Katy grins. 

“Yeah, too bad you didn’t make the work mixer last month,” Lu says. 

“Hm, yeah, I just... I couldn’t make it,” you chew your lip. 

“Mmm, Mik,” Katy purrs, “you seeing what I’m seeing?” 

Katy tilts her head and Mikayla follows her gaze. Alina and Lu do the same and you dare to peek after them. There’s a table of men across the bar. There timbre forms a dulcet drone amid the din. 

“Sexy, look at that beard.” Alina slithers 

“Which one?” Lu giggles. 

You shift and look down at your glass. You wrap both your hands around it and squirm. They said it was just work drinks. You don’t want to be dealing with strangers. 

“Oh, honey, loosen up,” Alina grabs your starched collar and pops the top button. “You have another one of those and you’ll be dancing on the table.” 

“Um,” you lean away from her, “maybe. Erm, I need to go to the restroom.” 

“Boo, too early to break the seal,” Katy whines. 

“Sorry,” you apologise and stand. 

You take your glass with you and as you turn, you stop short as your eyes meet another pair. One of the men from the crowded table catches you in his gaze. You gulp and quickly lower your chin. You hurry on to the bar and set your empty glass on it. 

“Thanks,” you say. 

“Oh, thanks,” the man behind it swipes it away. “The waitress coulda grabbed that.” 

“Oh, now worries,” you show a palm and turn to find the restroom. 

You head down the hallway behind the bright blue sign. You dip into the ladies and claim a stall. As nice as it is to release the pressure, it’s even nicer to get a breather. You’re not the bar type. Not a drinker or a dancer, as much as Alina keeps suggesting it. You’re a total square. Thirty years old and you’ve never done anything more fun than laser tag. 

You wash your hands and leave the bathroom reluctantly. The music seems louder as you come out, the voices too. As you enter the barroom, you slow down. You’re mortified to find Alina and Katy in the open space, dancing. Grinding against each other. 

You stand there, frozen and embarrassed. The other women at the table cheer them on lewdly. You don’t know what to do. Sitting with Lu and Mikayla would draw as much attention as joining the dancing. This doesn’t seem like the place for that. 

Maybe it’s time for you to go. You’re feeling a bit cloudy and your eyes are fuzzy. You’ve been up since five in the morning. 

You slowly cross the space but have to dodge as Alina spins out and nearly crashes into you. In an effort to avoid her, you hit the side of a table, bouncing off of it and staggering until you fall onto something soft. Thank gosh you managed to find a seat in your descent. 

“Mmph,” the grunt greets you with the firm cushion beneath you, “y’alright, doll?” 

You look over in horror at the man who’s lap you sit upon. How embarrassing!! You look around at the other men at the table as it dawns on you. This is the worst crash landing you can imagine. 

You gasp and peer back at the man who serves as your chair. He’s terrifyingly handsome. His eyes are so blue and his jaw is chiseled beneath his dark beard. His brown hair curtains down around his cheekbones and his cheek dimples in amusement. 

“I’m so sorry,” you wriggle against him as he spreads his large hand across your back. “I tripped. I didn’t man to—oh gosh.” 

You touch your scalding forehead and try to shimmy out of his lap. It’s useless as you can’t get much of a stronghold. You just manage to ground your butt down on him. 

“You okay there?” He runs his fingertips up your spine and sends a shiver through you. 

“I’m--- sorry!” You gulp out again. “Please, I’m--” you grab the corner of the table and manage to haul yourself up. “I’m so...” you shake your head and bluster. You’re burning in humiliation. You can feel the other men watching you. “Ugh.” 

You turn and scurry around Alina and Katy. You quickly gather up your purse and coat as the women at the table laugh. “Oh, honey, why don’t you give him a nice ride,” Lu teases. 

You blanch at her and makes a face, “I didn’t mean to--” 

“Oh, chill,” Mikayla chides. “Really, it was funny. Where are you going?” 

“Home,” you exclaim. “Stop laughing at me. You’ve been laughing at me all night.” 

Lu scoffs, “well, you’re a bit silly, aren’t you? Act like you’ve never touched a man or a drink before.” 

You frown and flutter your lashes against the singe of hot tears. This is why you always say no. Why you are always ‘busy’. You don’t fit in. You’re better off alone. 

You hug your coat and bag and hurry across the bar. You push through the door and stagger out into the night with a sniffle. Oh joy, work is going to be even worse. Now they’re going to sit around and cackle at you instead of Wendy and her tacky dresses. 

You look around, searching for your bearings. You need to find a cab and get out of here. You see once coming down the pavement. You shift your things into one arm and throw your other up. The taxi steers towards the sidewalk but picks up another pedestrian further down. 

You huff and crane in search of another escape. 

“Hey, doll,” a rocky voice calls over the hinges of the bar door. “Where’re you off to?” You continue to peer down the street, frightened as you feel a gentle nudge on your elbow, “hey, talking to you. You didn’t even give me a name after you sat right on me.” 

You flinch and reel away from him, “huh? What? Oh, I’m sorry. That was just... clumsy.” 

“Ah, it’s fine. Really. It was funny,” he assures you. “I’m not making fun of you. Just, a pretty girl falls right in my lap then runs away, I kinda gotta wonder...” 

“Umph?” You furrow your brow, “you’re making fun of me too.” 

“Why would I do that?” He tilts his head. “Come back inside. Let me by you a drink.” You shake your head and wave your hand past him at another yellow cab. He chuckles softly, “you don’t gotta be shy.” 

“I don’t know you,” you insist. 

“I’m tryna fix that,” he counters. 

“Really, I just wanna go home,” you whine as the taxi drives by without stop. 

“Right, let’s do that,” he turns and throws his hand up. He whistles and wiggles his fingers. A cab rolls right up to him. “Let’s go.” 

He opens the back door and stands back. You stare at it. 

“Thanks,” you sigh in relief. You get in, ducking through the door, greeting the driver with a polite, “hello.” 

Yet the door doesn’t close. Instead, you’re urged further inside by the man as he sits on the seat next to you. You slide over as he pulls the door shut behind him. 

“Tell him where we’re going, doll,” he commands. 

You look at him, then the driver. You’re too stunned to think. What is he doing? You give your address and curl your shoulders as you shrink down. 

“Now,” the man stretches his arm across the seat, “we got the whole ride to get to know each other,” he offers his other hand, “I’m Bucky, I hear I make a pretty comfy seat.” 

You can’t help half a smile. You reach and shake his hand. You suppose he did help you out and he doesn’t seem angry about your unceremonious fall. You give him your name. 

“Thanks,” you say again. 

“Thanks? Oh doll, what kinda fool wouldn’t help a girl like you?” 

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

if I remember right, a year or two ago you made a list of recommendations for the Edinburgh Fringe. Any recommendations for this year? Already got Steffan on the list, obviously

I did! Okay, okay, here's what I've got this year. Caveat: I personally have not been up there yet (I'm going in a few days), but these are things I saw in preview/have heard great things about.

Steffan Alun: Free Standup, but at What Cost

Venue 156: PBH's Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth - Banquet Hall, 21.30-22.30

Back again! Eighth Fringe, this. The show is an hour, but that includes a 15 minute warm-up act, then Steff for 45 mins. He does this so that reviewers won't come and ruin the vibe.

Anyway this year he talks a bit about being Welsh and how he is therefore grumpy with Bristolian Tesco self-checkout machines

.

Jake Baker: Rule Breaker!

Venue 78: PBH's Free Fringe @ Canons' Gait - Lower, 16.30-17.30

I love Jake, he's lovely. He's a gentle soul and has an excellent delivery style; very warm and deceptively witty. Normally he goes with Just The Tonic and is given a searing hot basement in the sky that smells of mould for a room, but this year he's in Canons' Gait, which is much much nicer.

His blurb: A rule-breaker, a risk taker, a wave-maker and a convention-shaker – all phrases never before used to describe Jake Baker. But when a frustrating game of Alan Turing-themed Monopoly leaves him questioning the laws of the game, he finds himself turning that analytical impulse to bigger things.

.

Stephanie Laing: Rudder

Venue 300: Underbelly, George Square - The Wee Coo, 14.50-15.50

This show is particularly Tumblr-friendly, actually; it's described as 'neurodiversity-led'. However, it's a show with a content warning, although all the ticket page is saying is "themes" (insert Stephen Fry meme here); so, <SPOILER> she talks about withdrawing consent while sleeping with a FIB, and him continuing anyway. She talks about it in a very gentle way, avoiding Big Words, and it's very heavy on aftercare </SPOILER>

Her blurb: A comedy dance show about balance. Stephanie has a history of falling over a lot, accidentally kneeing herself in the face, and falling in love with total kn*bheads. In this show she uses a mixture of stand-up and dance to talk about bodies, sex, dancing, liking yourself, consent and healing. Also, there are cartoon bears and burlesque.

.

Erin McKinnie: The Faff Chronicles

Venue 108: Hoots @ The Apex - Hoot 4, 16.50-17.50

An Edinburgh local! Good solid standup for those who like such things. New-ish, but one to watch, she's very good. Don't be surprised to see her take off

Her blurb: What a faff! Erin McKinnie, a rising star on the Scottish comedy circuit, talks about faffing through early adulthood – from rogue adventures to living the "below-deck life" on cruise ships – she finds the funny in every bizarre encounter in this uplifting show that asks: Do we really need a life plan? Or... are we all just winging it? A brilliant, snort-worthy giggle-fest about exiting your 20s, facing life indecision and chasing answers for those big questions, all the while trying to convince your mother that this is a real job...

.

Alexander Bennett: Emotional Daredevil

Venue 24: Gilded Balloon Patter House - Coorie, 18.20-19.20

Dark feelings show with a really positive, optimistic message and a fun concept. It uses audience participation, but that's not compulsory, you're safe.

Blurb: I'm the emotional daredevil, and for my next feat, I need someone's help. A show about risk, for the unsatisfied and traumatised, from a Chortle Award nominee

.

Alex Franklin: Gurl Code

Venue 61: Underbelly, Cowgate - Delhi Belly, 20.25-21.25

Alex does a fun thing each year where she takes her publicity budget and rather than spending it on publicity, she hides it somewhere in Edinburgh and then reveals a clue to its location every day. This tells you something about her, I think

Her blurb: In 2024, trans girl Alex (me) started HRT. Now she (me) feels the most alive she's (me's) ever felt; and she wants to make you feel alive too, or die trying. A ludicrous, musical, chaotic, joyful show about the colours of the world becoming slowly brighter and giving people furniture via the tube. Also being trans.

.

Character Building Experience

Venue 49: Bedlam Theatre - Bedlam Theatre, 20.00-21.00

It's a D&D show - the MC Sasha Ellen makes a bunch of 40-minute simple campaigns and a selection of pre-rolled characters to do them, and then gets three comedians each time to play them. You know the drill. Good quality fun, and different each time, since you'll never see the same campaign/comedian mix.

.

2 Truths, 1 Lie

Multiple venues and times (search the EdFringe app or website to see them all), but I recommend catching the 3pm show on either the 25th or 26th August at Venue 108: Hoots @ The Apex - Hoot 1 for reasons I shall not share here (ooh, mysterious)

Fun panel-like show! Often MC'd by Steff, especially if you catch one of the 3pm shows. The format is:

Three comedians each declare a statement. Two are true, but one comedian is lying. The MC doesn't know the liar, nor does the audience. The audience gets to ask questions of the comedians; at the end, they vote on who they think the liar is.

(The prize for winning is a smug sense of satisfaction.)

.

Anyway, once I'm up there I will possibly have more, but currently, that's my list

[miguel-owhora]

Something like one day Miguel assigns you some task and in the process you encounter a variation of his and you completely forget about your mission, then Miguel has to go look for you because enough time has passed, only to find you half unconscious and very stupid, with clear signs that another Miguel fucked you.

I was actually hooked on your idea idk idk

TYPE — drabble

SYNOPSIS — what anon said

WARNINGS — 18+ , cheating but is it really cheating if it's a variant of your husband , cunnilingus , squirting , implied multiple orgasms/milking

FEM-ALIGNED READERS AND MINORS DNF, YOU WILL BE BLOCKED.

COMMENTS AND REBLOGS ARE HEAVILY APPRECIATED.

TAGS — @sweetcorpse , @tophamhat-kyo , @villainousdelicacy , @realitylemon , @gayaristocrat , @gaynesspersonified

MORE — this idea literally has me foaming and slamming inside my cage

This version of your home world isn't unusual. It's literally a couple years from '99, a couple years back into the past. Nothing unusual, nothing uncommon from your current year back in your original timeline. Swinging around your city is nice, the sky dark with the city lights polluting the night sky, preventing you from seeing the stars - that is, you never really did see them, unless if you went to the moon station. But that was only ever a privilege you got once you were older.

You spent majority of your youth in the underground part of Nueva York, living in the dark with only the city lights as the sun. You only ever stepped out whenever you wanted to rebel and when you went to college, and only ever moved out of the underworld - the name many called the underground of NY - when you got with Miguel. Bless his heart, as much as you adored your husband and how many years you've been living on the nicer side of NY - that is in looks, but just barely - you would always favor the underworld. You found that despite the reputation it earned, the people were always more real and down to earth than the people living overhead.

You shook yourself out of your thoughts and just barely swerved out of the way before you hit a pole. You swung yourself up and landed on top of a skyscraper of a building, landing in what many would dub the classic spider pose. You peered over the edge of the building, overlooking the city in all its glory. Nueva York, as a whole, no matter how corny you would sound right now, would forever hold a special place in your heart. The people, the food, the diverse mixture of culture and background - that's what made Nueva York, Nueva York: just a clusterfuck of everyone and everything.

After a solid couple seconds of surveying everything you raised your hand to look at your goober - despite what Miguel tried to get everyone to say, it was a goober at the end of the day, a damn watch if you want to be simple about it - and began to type in it. You read over the mission Miguel gave you, just a simple 'catch an anomaly and go home' type of mission It wasn't one of those big bad villains, just some guy. Didn't even have a name.

You snorted to yourself as you lowered your arm and stretched, grunting as one or two of your bones popped pleasantly, blood flooding back to wherever it needed to go.

"I didn't know we had a Spider-Man."

The sound of Miguel's voice nearly has you falling off the building, and hadn't it been for your ability to stick to surfaces, you would've been a splat of flesh on the floor. You whipped around, startled, and found yourself looking at your husband.

...Future husband, as this Miguel isn't - first of all - your Miguel and younger than the early thirties man you knew and love. But it was still technically your husband. Technically. Unless if this was one of those world's where you didn't go overhead and stayed in the underworld, or something along those lies, somewhere where you never met Miguel.

This Miguel of Earth-547, Miguel-547, was younger than your Miguel, a bit more youthful, but no less handsome. Perhaps in his twenties, with the telltale signs of a lack of sleep on the heavy eyebags underneath his dark eyes, perhaps from studying so much. The thought has you almost snorting but you caught yourself as you stepped down from the railing of the building, looking over at Miguel with a slight tilt of your head.

"You don't. Not yet, at least." You replied, eyeing him with keen interest, mission forgotten.

Miguel raises an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. You shake your head, snorting in amusement. He's Miguel, he's your husband, just like when he was younger, back when you first met him, back when you first roomied with him against your will.

"Who are you?" Miguel asks, and you can see the regret written across his face. This time, it makes you laugh, both at his face and at the question.

"That's.. that's stupid. Nevermind." Miguel mutters, face darkening in embarrassment as he lightly pouted - frowned, whatever, he has the same face for both feelings - and looked away. It's such a Miguel thing to do that you choke and cough, laughing, and wiping away tears that never meet your fingers, not with your mask covering your face.

"I'd tell you my name but..." You rolled your shoulders, placing your hands on your waist. "I think Miguel would get mad at me for revealing my identity, even if it's just my name. I don't want to mess with any canon event. You know how it is."

"I don't." Miguel replied, glancing back at you with a confused expression. "And Miguel? That's.. that's my name. I'm guessing you mean somebody else? And canon ev- what the shock are you even talking about?"

Oh the irony, you thought to yourself. "Something like that, sure, and it's a long story."

Miguel pursed his lips and gave you a look. You grinned behind your mask, the lenses to your mask squinting at him.

"But I can offer you something better."

This got Miguel's attention and you chuckled, still grinning. Gotcha.

Which is how you ended up in Miguel's dorm room, stuffed between his legs and eating at his pussy. His legs hold you firmly between strong thighs, keeping you trapped and stuffing your face into pussy - not that you minded of course. It's your favorite past time, and why would you deny yourself the opportunity to eat your man's cunt like it's your last meal? You'd be a fool not to.

Miguel's voice is breathless and whimpery, a hand holding the back of your face as he shamelessly grinded against your mouth. He arched his back and squeezed his thighs when your mouth attached to his swollen cock, sucking on the sensitive nub. Your tongue dipped into his hole as you felt him tremble and moan, incomprehensible words of praise and encouragement tumbling from his mouth as he came inside your mouth.

He tried to push you away once his climax passed over, but you didn't budge, merely using your enhanced strength to grab onto his thighs and gently push them down. The position made him even more open and gave you even more access to the sweet, delicious slick that poured out of him, which you didn't dare let a spare a single drop and eagerly slurped up.

"Hah - ca- shock! - cálmate, pinche perro!" Miguel moaned, his thighs tensed and twitching as he danced between pushing your head away and humping into your mouth. He moved when you slipped into two fingers and began to move them, thrusting them in and out of his pussy with a certain expertise that came with someone who's done this before, and sucked on his cock.

Whatever you did, however you learned it, was enough to rip an unexpected orgasm from Miguel that had no buildup and caught him off guard. Even moreso when he felt liquid shoot from his pussy and he went unbelievably warm, but shock, if it didn't make him stomach flutter. His cheeks darkened when he heard you obscenely slurp, drinking whatever liquid he squirted out.

"What - what the shock was that?!" Miguel breathed out after you finally pulled away with a pop. Miguel felt something hot and possessive curl in his stomach when he saw the bottom half of your face - the only thing you dared to show him, the upper part of your face was hidden by the mask you wore - was dripping wet with his fluids. He watched as you licked your lips; and Miguel swallowed.

"You squirted," You said calmly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. You pulled your fingers away from his pussy and plopped them into your mouth, cleaning them of whatever slick coated it, and Miguel stared with wide eyes.

He slowly blinked and looked away, beyond flustered.

"I never knew I could do that." Miguel muttered, panting.

"Well now you do, use it wisely." You replied, amused, lips curled into a teasing grin. Miguel rolled his eyes, but not unkindly. Your eyes flickered from his face down to the rest of his body and over to the lower half. His pussy was slick and swollen, the dark hair neatly trimmed, looking and smelling and tasting absolutely delicious. That never did change about him, did it? You could spend all eternity between his legs, eagerly doting on his cunt.

You snapped out of your thoughts with a little grunt as Miguel suddenly hauled you off the ground and onto his bed, flat on your back. The lenses of your mask widened and your mouth went dry when Miguel swung himself over your lap, straddling you. Your hands instinctively fell onto his waist, so small and holdable, and nervously giggled, licking your lips that suddenly felt too dry.

"What's - what's all this about?" You asked, flustered. Miguel seemed to pick up on this and smiled, a little dangerous, a little fond. He slowly rolled his hips down, eyes gleaming when you softly moaned, your cock, hard in your suit, eagerly responding to some stimulation.

"Just a little treat. You ate me out..." Miguel's hand reached down to grab a hold of your cock, rubbing it through the material of your spandex. "...So I'll let you hit."

"Fuck." You whispered, breathless. Miguel just chuckled, eyes dark and smile dangerous in the way that made you fall in love all over again.

-

"Have you checked on [Name], Miguel?"

The sound of his AI's voice is enough to rip Miguel's attention from the holograms in front of him. His eyes feel dry as he gives a couple of blinks, vision straining from having stared at screens for so long. It takes a couple of heartbeats before Miguel could process Lyla's question and gave her a questioning look as she hovered near him.

"What?" He asked, intelligently, and totally not in a dumb way.

Lyla rolled her eyes, exasperated. "[Name]? Your husband? The one you sent on a mission?"

It was Miguel's turn to roll his eyes. "I know the name of my husband. Why are you asking if I checked up on him? He's reliable, he'll get the job done."

Lyla smirked in the way that told Miguel she knew something he didn't and could already feel his heart dropping to his stomach.

"What's wrong?" Miguel demanded, immediately on alert, his mind beginning to creep with different scenarios that made him stomach twist uncomfortablely.

"Nothing's wrong. He's fine, he's not hurt." Lyla paused and gave him a look over her heartshaped glasses. "He's just neglecting his duties for a variant."

Miguel processed the words and paused, eyebrow raising. "Variant?"

Lyla just smirked even wider, glitching and moving somewhere else, teasing. A set of coordinates appeared on Miguel's watch.

"Why don't you check it out?" Lyla chuckled, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "But just go alone, alright?"

Miguel didn't know if he wanted to strangle Lyla or himself. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his temple. He could already feel the telltale sign of a migraine appearing, and no, his lack of sleep did NOT contribute to it.

"Lyla, open a portal." He eventually sighed out, dragging a hand over his face to get rid of any drowsiness.

"You got it, boss."

The orange and colorful portal appeared in front of Miguel, lighting up his dark lab in a warm color, changing the texture of the area around it. Miguel took a moment to appreciate it, a moment to gather himself, before throwing himself in the portal.

He knew the world he sent you to was one of your guy's timelines. Just a couple years back into the past, nothing crazy. The whole mission was a simple one, even a newbie could've done it. He knew you could handle more, obviously, but the thought of you getting hurt, of losing you, that frightened Miguel. It scared him. And while he knew you'd get tired of basic missions like the one he assigned you, he wouldn't budge. Well, at least not now.

But he didn't think he'd end up in a rather familiar dormroom. Specifically, his old dorm room, in his bedroom. Familiar posters line the walls, little figurines scattered around, his old desk lined next to his bed and scattered with messy shit. It's nostalgic, and for a second, Miguel imagines himself as his fresh out of high school guy barely entering his college years.

What's out of place, however, is the body of his husband laying on his bed. He's not dead, thankfully, Miguel's eyes catching sight of the slow rise and fall of his chest, and if anything, seems to be half out of it.

His mask is pulled halfway up, from his nose and down being the only thing revealed. His lips are slick and bit, light bruises on his jaw. The pants of his spandex are pulled down far enough to reveal his cock, which lays heavy and flaccid on his stomach, and yet...

Miguel's cheeks darkened and his lips pursed when he saw the dried evidence of cum on your belly and cock. Miguel pixelated his mask away, sighing out of exasperation, even if his core squirmed in a familiar way.

Miguel walked the short steps towards his bed and hovered over you, taking in your frazzled and obviously worn out appearance. Miguel reached down and gently grasped your jaw, tilting your head to get a better look at you.

He was surprised when you softly groaned, squirming as you seemed to awake up.

"Miguel?" You slurred out, and Miguel then realized his variant must've had his time with you.

"[Name,] ready to head back home?" Miguel questioned, his voice quiet but a faint hint of affection tinting his words. Perhaps he should be jealous that a variant got to his husband, but he can't find it in himself. If anything, it was... kind of hot. But that was another thing for another time.

"Mm? Home.... wait-" You stirred a little, becoming just the slightest bit alert. "Which dimension?"

Miguel made a little exasperated face even if you couldn't see. "928."

You went slack, pleased with the answer. "Mkay, le's go h'me..." You slurred before promptly knocking yourself out. Miguel stared before slowly setting your head down. He gently pulled your mask down and stuffed yourself back into your spandex before scooping you up.

"Lyla-" He began but was caught off by the AI, who glitched into existent.

"He looks kind of cute. You're, like, his knight in shining armor - or would it be spider in shining armor?" Lyla mused as she took a couple mixtures of the husbands. Miguel didn't dignify her with a response as a portal opened up, illuminating the room in a warm colorful glow. Then, a thought crossed his mind and he paused.

"Did he even finish his mission?" Miguel asked Lyla, even if he knew the answer.

"Absolutely not." Lyla grinned.

Miguel took a deep breath but didn't get angry - he never did get angry with you, now did he?

"Send someone to finish it." Miguel asked as he slipped through the portal, his AI glitching out of air. Missions he damned, he had his own mission now: giving you the aftercare his variant failed to do, which, in his opinion, made him the best variant out there.

all rights reserved © miguel-owhora

[autistichalsin]

No one ever talks about how heartbreaking Oliver's story was.

He split off from Thaniel when Thaniel was transported into the Shadowfell. He seems aware deep down who Thaniel is, but not that they're the same person; he despises Thaniel for abandoning him. Oliver is seven (developmentally), with dark powers that make the few people he encounters terrified of him.

There are diaries you can find from a real child named Oliver. He was caught in the Shadow Curse with his mom, who refused to venture out because Oliver was sickly and she worried about how he'd fare out there. She hoped- wrongly- that they could wait it out. The last entry has him losing hope with his mom gone, and deciding to essentially commit suicide-by-shadow the next day so it'll be quick.

It is not confirmed, but very likely that this being merged with the Oliver we see- giving Oliver his name, his scarred and shadow-cursed body, and the "self" beyond Thaniel that we see him have. It's why they can merge into one (still part of Thaniel) but exist alone (has a consciousness that is very much its own). So Oliver also has memories of a parent abandoning him (in his seven year old mind) on top of Thaniel.

Then Oliver spent 100 years alone with only shadow beings he made himself for company. He invented a family who would take care of him, because no one else would. All this time, he felt lesser to Thaniel, like no one cared about HIM at all, only what he could do for Thaniel. Like his entire existence was a mistake.

He wants so badly to play, but because of his age, he can't understand that his toys- parts of the Shadow Curse- are literally killing the few people he gets to play with him. He thinks, because of how they resurrect as zombies after, that death isn't real here- which means he likely also thinks his playmates are just abandoning him on purpose too.

Then the player finds him and... yeah. If they're absolutely CRUEL they will reinforce everything he thinks; that no one cares about him and just wants Thaniel. Even nicer players, while reassuring him that this is for his own good and he'll be much happier this way, have to initially break his heart by saying they have no interest in playing (or at least, continuing to play, if they played hide-and-seek before), making him think it's all true.

Like, damn, that is a lot.

There is a reason that in my fics, Kiaran (my Dark Urge) understands him better than anyone, even Halsin. Having these dark impulses that are terrifying and get people hurt and no one else can understand, feeling their entire existence is a mistake, feeling like few people actually want them around, feeling alone, feeling distant from mortals (due to either being an immortal spirit or due to having divine blood)... Yeah. Kiaran understands him very, very well.

[signanothername]

same anon who dropped the 'what if Nightmare was the first one to find Dream when he became not stone', I really love seeing your takes on all the different characters!

I was mainly curious about if Nightmare might try to hurt Dream, or try to use him while keeping him close, or leave Dream with someone else who might not, try try and quell the one or both parts of him(the one that cares and the sadistic glee part), especially because of how malleable I think 6 y/o Dream would be at that moment and just in general too, so the sadism part might try to take advantage of that, while it quells the other and keeps him close, but seeing how you wrote his corrupt affecting them was awesome!

I also love how you actually talk about how both twins are traumatized, because a lot of the time, I've seen people either show one or the other, never really both, so it's nice seeing you represent how they are all messed up.

May I recommend a DreamTale Rewrite called Apuldor Psalter? I'm not sure if I spelled it right, but it's a DreamTale Rewrite created by summona, and it's fantastic. Nightmare's a lot nicer, but the world building and indepth of the abuse affecting them, as all the details like with Neil the Cat being there(even if only for a moment before he dies) is really awesome, and I hope you like it!

The ask Anon is referring to <3

Thank youuuuuu <3333

And ooooh boi, when I referred to Nightmare and Dream’s meeting after Dream is set free and how it was poor, i was heavily implying that yes, Nightmare hurts Dream, badly even

Think of it as Nightmare’s madness taking over him a second time when he saw Dream and just letting himself indulge in his sadistic desires

But even then, without the madness aspect, Nightmare’s corrupted sadistic side is still much much stronger than his caring side, and so his corrupted would still win and he’ll just want to kill Dream and take the last apple for himself, only whoopsie!! Dream escapes his grasp and Nightmare’s unable to get his hands on him for years after (Nightmare regrets his violent approach later, both cause he’s a bitch that he thinks he should’ve taken advantage of Dream’s naivety as a child but it’s also that tiny part of him that cares that sometimes pokes at his soul about the fact Dream is a mere confused disoriented child thst just got out of his prison)

Dream makes it out alive, but he’s now even more traumatized (and injured) and is genuinely too scared to be caught so he just hides from Nightmare, then it advances and he’s now on the run trying to survive for years, only for that survival mode to stick with him till adulthood, Dream doesn’t know what “living life” means, he only knows survival

During his first few years while on the run he still gathers the courage (as much as a child could) to find Nightmare to try and talk him out of his corruption, which would never work, but Dream is literally still a child mentally and physically and is fresh on trauma, he won’t realize the fact there’s no going back to the way it used to, that there’s no getting Nightmare back to how he used to be for years

And each encounter with Nightmare only further increases Dream’s fear of Nightmare (and it feels so wrong to be scared of his own brother), even when Dream reaches adulthood and his mind matures? His fear of his own brother is still strong inside, it eats away at him sometimes

But Dream’s love is still stronger, and his love for Nightmare is what makes Dream lock that fear inside his chest and to put on a courageous face and a big smile

So yeah the twins both have so much to work through, not only within themselves but even when it comes to their relationship (too bad both of them are just so bad at it dhdhhdhdhdh)

And aaaah thank you!!! No like i agree, I always see people just talking about their trauma but only one of them without the other, and i’m here like “nooooo you’re missing the point!!! They’re both extremely traumatized and their traumas are super interconnected with one another!!”

I unfortunately see a big preference for Nightmare when it comes to the twins’ trauma, and people unfortunately using Dream as a scapegoat for a “bad guy” and how Nightmare is this absolute kind victim and how it’s Dream that just doesn’t understand and how he’s secretly the “evil” one (or people reducing Dream to “i’m gonna save you Night!!!” When Nightmare “doesn’t need saving” and how Nightmare’s happy with his found family)

And y’know i wouldn’t be too opposed to it tbh if people didn’t butcher Dream’s character just to make Nightmare look good, like you can put Nightmare in a good light without having to pull the “Dream is actually the bad one” card or the “Nightmare is actually the kind one and not Dream” card dhhdhdhdhhdhd

Like my point is that you can write a kind considerate Nightmare without having to make Dream a bad brother in the process chhcchhchc, which I always get confused cause if Nightmare is written as gentle and kind how the hell does every story of him being kind still have the twins as enemies???? Dream isn’t stupid he’ll recognize that his brother is kind and he’ll go for a truce immediately cause Dream definitely wouldn’t wanna keep fighting Nightmare (oh wait that’s right people write Dream as the kinda guy who assumes Nightmare is only going to Aus to hurt people)

It’s like…ok good point but you’re doing it wrong, it’s neither of them that’s really “bad” or “evil”, cause as far as I see it? Both the twins are victims of abuse, both of them are traumatized, and both of them are just too engrossed in their own pain to truly realize when they make mistakes or do anything that might hurt others, with only one of them actually caring and getting upset by the prospect of hurting others (hint: it’s not Nightmare)

You can have Nightmare caring for the balance (which I actually love to see), you can have Dream making BIG FUCKING MISTAKES that leaves many hurt, and you can have Dream be the “imma save you Night!” Guy without having Dream be the “secret bad guy” or an inconsiderate bitch, or someone who assumes the worst of his corrupted brother, you can instead tie it to his trauma and how it’s just Dream being unable to truly keep up with the 500 years he missed of his life

But alas I shall be here all day if I keep talking about how Dream is extremely butchered within the fandom shhdhdhdhs (god i love you Dream i’m so sorry you’ve become a scapegoat)

But oooh thank you for the recommendation!

I looked for it and found it, here’s the main post for it for anyone who’s intrigued to read this rewrite

And it’s made by sunnemona (their art is so fucking pretty omg <333333)

I’ve yet to read the post, but I’ll definitely check this rewrite out! :D

[hungermakesmonsters]

Catch Me If You Can

Plot summary : When your friend interviews for a position at Anvil, you have a chance encounter with Billy Russo. He takes you for coffee and, by the time you’re done , Billy decides he’s anything but done with you.

Pairing : Billy Russo x Reader

Story Rating : R 

Chapter Rating : this one is pretty PG

Warnings : [This is a fic for 18+ only, minors DNI] Nothing in this chapter is warning worthy, but the story in general is going to turn pretty smutty from chapter 3 onwards and there will be strong language throughout. I’m not going to list all the different ways things get smutty unless I think it’s something that could be considered triggering. Please check the warnings on each chapter if you choose to follow this story. 

Word Count : ~4.5k

A/N : this started life as an original piece that I couldn’t finish, so I decided to make a few little changes and turn it into a fanfic. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a tumblr, so sorry if I fuck this up. The story as a whole is going to veer recklessly between cute fluff and some much darker things with themes of obsession, will-they-won’t-they, and running from past trauma. Both Billy and reader are messy AF.

CHAPTER ONE

You checked your phone for what had to be the hundredth time. A measly two minutes had passed but the August heat made it feel longer. You found yourself thinking about how you were going to kill your roommate for making you chauffeur her around in the height of summer, trying to ignore the way the sticky New York heat made your tank top cling to your body beneath your unzipped hoodie.

You’d given up on waiting in the car after the first ten minutes - the AC in the old VW was busted, making it even less comfortable than sitting on the hood of the car under the glaring sun. Still, the parking lot was nicer than some of the places you’d found yourself waiting for your roommate over the years. That was the thing with Tammy; everyone around her lived on her schedule, did what she wanted to do. And you were no exception.

Actually, this whole thing was your idea. A friend, albeit in a very loose sense of the word, had told you that ANVIL were hiring office staff, and you’d passed the message along to Tammy who’d - well, she’d turned her nose up at it at first, she’d even laughed at you. But Tammy needed a job and ANVIL had a reputation for paying well.

So, you agreed to drive her to the interview and even agreed to wait.

Every now and then someone would appear - honestly, it looked like a steady stream of models leaving the building, the sorts that Tammy fit well with - but, for the most part, it was just you, mindlessly scrolling Instagram, trying not to think.

Until you saw him.

He came out the door and just stopped. It looked like he was breathing a sigh of relief at being out of there, and you couldn’t help but smirk a little at that. Poor guy.

Despite the weather he was dressed in a suit, dark hair slicked back, tall and slender. You suddenly felt out of place, like you shouldn’t be there, like you shouldn’t keep watching him, but the longer it went without him noticing you, the harder it was to try and tear away your eyes. He answered his phone as you watched, even without being able to hear a word, you knew he wasn’t happy. When he turned you got your first glimpse of his face and -

Fuck. 

Your eyes dropped back to your phone, knowing that he’d seen you watching him. Fingers swiped across the screen, jumping from Instagram to emails to Facebook, looking for anything to reply to. Your eyes stayed fixed on the phone even as you heard the shuffle of boots on gravel moving towards you, trying to act like you hadn’t been staring at him even as his shadow fell over you.

“Do you make a habit of hanging out in parking lots or are you here to interview?” His voice didn’t sound quite the way you’d imagined - though you weren’t really sure why you’d been imagining his voice to begin with. There was an edge to it, something that sent a shiver up your spine.

“I’m waiting for someone,” you answered, squinting as you looked up and the light seemed to halo around him.

“Friend?” he asked.

“Roommate,” you answered awkwardly before shaking your head, “but, yeah, she’s my friend too.”

You weren’t expecting him to laugh at that, for him to smile the sort of smile that probably had women all across the five boroughs ready to drop their panties. (And that was another thought you weren’t sure you should be having.)

He didn’t move, for a few moments he just looked at you as if he was taking measure, and all you could think about was how there was a bead of sweat rolling down your back. You probably looked completely gross while he was standing there in what looked like a professionally tailored suit that probably cost more than you could make in a year, with not a hair out of place despite the oppressive heat. 

“Does she make you wait around for her a lot?” He asked as if it was the strangest thing he’d ever heard, like he’d never allow anyone to put him in your position.

“She doesn’t drive,” you shrug, “anyway, this is nicer than most of the places she drags me to.”

“Yeah?” he prompted with little more than a raise of his eyebrow.

“Tammy’s an actress - at least, she wants to be. So I end up waiting around while she auditions.”

The look he gave you was surprisingly sympathetic. “Actresses can be hard work.” You didn’t think to ask how he knew that.

“Yeah, I’m just glad she gets to keep her clothes on for this interview,” the words slipped out and you instantly grimaced but if he noticed that, he didn’t let it show. “Not like - I mean, she’s not doing porn or anything. Not that there’s anything wrong with women wanting to -”

You could see him fighting back a laugh the more flustered you got.

“I mean, it’s not the nudity that’s a problem - you should read some of the scripts, they’re just so bad.” You finally managed. “It’s like ‘oh no the serial killer caught me with his knife and now my tits are out’.”

Silence fell again and you watched him glance away, daring to hope that he was done with you. He’d walk away and forget all about you, and you’d spend the rest of the day replaying this moment in your mind, cringing at how ridiculous you are.

“I was going to grab a coffee, your friend is probably going to be another hour or so, so if you want you could always join me?” 

You quickly started coming up with reasons why you couldn’t, why you shouldn’t. But, it was just coffee, it wasn’t like he was asking you to leave the country with him. And, besides, you weren’t sure you could stand the heat much longer.

“There’s a place nearby that does amazing iced coffee,” like he was reading your mind. And that sold it.

“Yeah, sure, that sounds great,” you decided, sliding off the hood of the car in a less than graceful manner.

Once you were standing you could really appreciate the height difference between the two of you; you almost had to tilt your head to look at him. You pushed the thought away, taking a moment to check that your car was locked up, following after him when he started to leave the way.

As you walked, it dawned on you that you still didn’t know his name, so you clumsily introduced yourself.

“Billy,” he responded with a smile, realising that he’d made the same mistake you had, “come on, it’s just across the street.”

You both fell into silence as you left the parking lot, but it wasn’t long before it got to be too much for you in an awkward, uncomfortable sort of way. It struck you that he didn’t look uncomfortable though, in fact you were already pretty certain that he wasn’t the kind of man to get uncomfortable easily. 

“So, do you work at Anvil?” You asked him, wanting to fill the silence but also wanting to know a little bit more about him. You weren’t sure what he found so funny about the question but the smirk he shot you left you feeling like you were missing something obvious and he found your ignorance amusing. You started to fiddle with your sleeves, gaze dropping from his.

“Yeah, I work at Anvil.” And then silence fell again.

When you looked up again you were outside a little coffee shop that was so small and non-descript that you’d completely missed it when you drove by it earlier. He held the door open for you and let you slip inside before following, watching as you breathed a sigh of relief as the cool air from the AC hit. When you moved towards the counter, you realised he was only a step behind, towering over you almost possessively.

The girl behind the counter smiled at him first before bothering to spare you a glance.

“What would you like?” He asked. You quickly realised that he was intending to pay and that just unsettled you further.

“I can get mine,” you were quick to tell him. You didn’t need him paying for you and you’d never been the sort to accept drinks from men you didn’t know, not even coffee. So, you ordered your drink, your favourite iced coffee with syrup, before he ordered his, an americano with an extra shot of espresso. But before you could pay, he reached over and tapped his phone on the reader, flashing you what you could only describe as a darkly mischievous smile.

“You didn’t have to -” you started to tell him.

“I know, but I wanted to,” Billy shrugged, “besides, I owe you for keeping me company.”

The girl behind the counter shot you the sort of look that made you think that she would have been more than happy to keep Billy company herself and that she saw your presence there as an annoyance. You guess that was probably the effect he had on a lot of women.

“Here you go, Billy, just how you like it,” she smiled as put your drinks on the counter, leaning and fluttering her eyelashes at him, completely ignoring you. Billy gave her a muttered thanks and you had to bite your lip to keep from laughing as you reached for your drink. 

As you turned, Billy placed a hand on your back, leading you towards a table by the window, far enough from the counter that it felt a little more private. You sat on the edge of your seat, eyes nervously wandering towards the door for a second and, when you looked back, you found him watching you. There was a confidence about him that was getting harder and harder to ignore, he was clearly a man who knew what he wanted and exactly how to get it - so, what did he want from you?

Company? Or maybe you were being used to make the barista jealous? No, that didn’t feel right, he’d barely even looked at her, anything between them was obviously one-sided. Maybe you were there to keep her at bay so he could drink his coffee in peace? Though from looking at him you knew he had to be used to women fawning over him, with those dark eyes that looked right through you and the shirt that fit so perfectly you could make out the muscles beneath as he shrugged off his jacket. 

“What?” 

Shit. You realised that you’d been staring at him and your cheeks started to warm. He didn’t look bothered, in fact he was still smiling at you, amused, almost as if he wanted you to look.

“Sorry,” you apologised, dropping your eyes to the table, quickly thinking of a way to move the conversation along, “so how long have you worked for Anvil?”

“Too long,” he answered and, again, there was that little laugh, that little smirk telling you that you were missing something. Billy obviously didn’t want to talk about himself though. “What about you? What do you do?”

“Bike messenger, mostly...” you shrugged awkwardly knowing how guys like him looked down on people like you. You weren’t ashamed of what you did; it paid the rent, put food on the table, you just hated having to defend it to someone like him who probably made money in his sleep. He surprised you by not reacting - there was no look of superiority, no pity, just a nod of his head.

“Mostly?”

“What?”

“You said mostly,” 

“Oh, right, yeah. I do some work as a photographer. Just freelance and a couple of exhibitions,” you shrugged again, “it’s actually how I found out that Anvil were hiring.”

“Really?” It was hard not to notice how intently he was looking at you, like he was hanging on your every word. You started fiddling with your sleeve again.

“Yeah, sometimes I do work for The Bulletin if someone is out sick, and my friend Karen knew Tammy was looking for a job, so -”

“Karen? Frank’s girl?” 

“Yeah,” you’d never met him but Karen had been talking about him a lot since they got together, “we were talking and I guess I let slip that we might have to move to a smaller apartment if Tammy can’t find a job…” 

“High rent?”

You nodded. “Higher than either of us can really afford, but Tammy’s parents pay half and we split the rest.”

“Her parents still pay for her?”

“They’re loaded and I guess they didn’t want her having to live anywhere that might be ‘dangerous’,” you offered, but you knew how it sounded. You and Tammy were both in your thirties , it was strange that they still went out of their way to provide for her, but you didn’t fault them for wanting to look after their child, something that your own parents had never seemed inclined to do. The thought sent you down a rabbit hole and had you falling silent, wondering how he’d look at you if he knew the truth about you.

You took a drink, letting your eyes drift to the window and the street beyond. His eyes stayed firmly on you and you could almost feel him watching you. It made you tense and shift uncomfortably.

“What kind of photography are you into?” 

“Mostly candids, but since I moved to New York, I’ve been really getting into urban stuff and I’ve been playing around with architecture shots.” Billy listened, looking interested in everything you had to say in a way that had you smiling again.

“And you put on exhibitions?”

“Little shows sometimes, yeah.”

“I’d love to see one sometime.” He kept smiling at you, all his focus completely on you, and you found that you didn’t entirely mind it. It was nice talking to someone who seemed to care about what you were actually saying. “Did you study photography in college or -”

“No, I never got to go to college.” It wasn’t until you’d said it that you realised how much it gave away; that college wasn’t your choice, that you’d been stopped from going.

“I never went to college either,” Billy offered, as if he sensed your sudden discomfort. You nodded, eyes dropping to your fingers, tugging at your sleeve again. “Do I make you nervous?” He asked suddenly, pulling your attention back towards him. He was still smiling, still looking at you in a way that made you feel like he was taking you apart in his mind, piece by piece.

“What? No - that’s not -” you stumbled over your words, embarrassed that he’d caught on so easily. You took a second before letting out a sigh. “It’s not you, I just don’t do this a lot.”

“Which part?”

“The whole going for coffee with a random guy I’ve never met before.”

“Is that because guys don’t ask or because you don’t normally say yes?” He asked but didn’t give you time to respond. “Don’t worry, I’m sure I already know the answer.”

An eyebrow raised, unimpressed by the assumption; the situation might have been making you nervous but you weren’t going to take shit from a stranger. “Oh yeah, and how’s that?”

“You’re too attractive for men to ignore.” Billy shrugged and your eyes rolled. Yikes, what a fucking line.

“Maybe I’ve got a boyfriend,” you retorted, “or a girlfriend.”

Billy laughed. “You know that wouldn’t stop most guys, right?”

“Would it have stopped you?” You were pretty sure you knew the answer to that.

“I dunno, do you have a boyfriend?” He asked. “Or a girlfriend?”

“Do you?”

“Have a boyfriend?”

“Or a girlfriend.”

“Would you be here having coffee with me if I did?” He asked, turning the tables so effortlessly that it made it seem like flirting was an olympic sport and he was a gold medallist.

“Would you have asked me if you did?” You answered back, trying to fight back a smirk of your own at how ridiculous this was becoming.

“Do you always answer innocent questions with more questions?��� It was obvious he was enjoying whatever this was, his dark eyes practically shining with excitement as he watched you from the other side of the table.

“You call that an innocent question?” You retorted, letting out a snort of laughter.

Billy let out another laugh, holding up his hands and signalling surrender.

“Maybe you should come work for Anvil, I bet you’re a pro at interrogations.” And that really made you laugh, and the sight of it had his gaze fixing more intently on you and his smile widening. 

“I don’t think I have the necessary qualifications to work somewhere like that,” you shrug, “besides, I like my job.”

“Really?” Usually his question would have pissed you off, but there was something in the way he asked that made it seem like he was genuinely curious to hear your reasons rather than it being some kind of judgement.

“Yeah, I get to see the whole city, there’s no office politics to deal with, and I get to listen to music all day,” you found yourself shrugging again, and his eyes were still fixed on you, like he was fascinated. So, it felt like your turn to ask; “what?”

“Nothing,” he sat back and lifted his mug, taking a long drink, “I think it’s great that you like your job, there’s a lot to be said for enjoying your work.”

“Do you? Enjoy what you do, I mean. With Anvil?” Whatever that was.

“Some days more than others,” he smiled at you.

“And today?” You asked stupidly, before considering the implications and how it might sound.

“Today’s definitely getting better.”

Your eyes dropped to your drink again, teeth running over your bottom lip. He wasn’t talking about you, he couldn’t be talking about you, but some part of you wished he was. But you wouldn’t have known even if he was, you’d never been good with those sorts of things, flirting and separating a little bit of fun from something more. Billy was an enigma to you in the same way that most people were, but there was something about him that made you almost want to break all of your rules, just to see what might happen.

“What do you do for Anvil?”

“These days I mostly deal with the bureaucracy,” and the look on his face told you just what he thought of that.

“So you don’t - I don’t know, go on missions, all Seal Team 6, kicking down doors?”

Billy let slip a laugh that was equal parts amused and offended.

“Seal Team 6?”

“What?” You laughed, awkwardly.

“You know a lot of Anvil are ex-Marine Corps, right? I’m an ex-Marine.”

“Is there a difference?” You knew there was though, honestly, you couldn’t remember exactly what it was, and the look on his face was priceless enough that you didn’t regret asking.

“Okay, wow, you’re really going to make me explain it to you?” You nodded in response. “Okay, it’s -“

Before he could start on whatever lecture he was about to give, your phone started to ring, loudly - loud enough to make you almost jump out of your skin. (You must have knocked the volume while you’d been frantically trying to look like you hadn’t been spying on him earlier.)

“Fuck, it’s Tammy,” you tell him before answering.

Moments later, you’d wish that you hadn’t. She was at the car waiting for her ride home and you were nowhere to be found, which was apparently so inconsiderate of you. You finished the call with a sigh and looked at Billy. 

“Guess her interview didn’t go well,” you took one final drink before pushing back your chair and getting to your feet. “I’ve got to go, if I leave her standing around out there I’ll never hear the end of it, it’s been -“ you stopped as he got to his feet.

“I’ll walk you back.”

“No, that’s fine, really, you don’t have to.”

“I insist.” His tone making it clear that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“I’m sorry, she’s just -“

“You don’t have anything to apologise for.”

When you started towards the door, he was right behind you, again staying close to you. Outside the oppressive heat hit you again and it pissed you off; you’d been having a nice time and Tammy just had to ruin it. Now it was over and you’d never see him again. 

Billy didn’t say anything, even as you picked up the pace. You wanted to get this all over and done with, you wanted to drive Tammy back to the apartment and - you didn’t know. All you knew was that you didn’t want to be around her, you didn't want to have to deal with her bullshit, and you didn’t want to think about the man walking a step behind you. 

You didn’t see him frown at you, you didn’t dare look back because it just felt childish. You’d met him forty minutes ago, he’d probably forget you by the end of the day. 

You rounded the corner, about to cross the street when you felt his fingers around your wrist. All it took was one gentle pull and you were turning back towards him, stumbling into his arms. It felt like a moment pulled from some romcom; you spilled forward into his arms, your hands against his chest. And then you looked up, finding those impossibly dark eyes staring down at you.

Billy looked at you like he was trying to decide something, fingers still wrapped around your wrist. The, less than a second later, he was kissing you, pulling your body against his. And you let him. Later you’d tell yourself that it was shock but, in that moment, you wanted him to kiss you for no other reason than he was nice; you’d had fun getting coffee with him. It took you a moment to return to your senses, to use the hands on his chest to gently push him away.

“Billy —”

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself. I’ve been thinking about doing that for the last thirty minutes.” He grinned. “Go to dinner with me.” You couldn’t tell if he meant it as a question or a command, but it definitely sounded more like the latter. Maybe he was just that used to women doing what he wanted them to do.

“I think you’re supposed to ask that before kissing someone,” was all you could think to say with a nervous laugh.

“Well, now I’ve asked…” And a second later, his lips were on yours again, tongue running against the seam of your lips, desperately wanting to deepen the kiss, and you let him. For a few sweet moments, you gave yourself over to him - to a random stranger you’d known for all of forty minutes.

Finally, you pushed him again, taking a step back, out of his arms and back to reality.

“I can’t,” is what you told him once you’d managed to find your voice again.

“Can’t or won’t?” He dared to try and take a step closer, forcing you to take another step back.

“Does it matter?”

“It matters to me.”

“Why?” Honestly not sure you even wanted an answer from him.

“So I can figure out how to change your mind.” He explained, like he thought it would really be that simple

“You can’t.” But that just made him laugh.

“Sweetheart, you’ve got no idea what I’m capable of.” And there was something dangerous in that; you didn’t know what he was capable of. “And I can be very persuasive when I want to be.”

“I told you; I don’t do this.”

“This can be whatever you want it to be. I’m very adaptable.” He reached for you again, fingers brushing your cheek before you managed to pull away.

He looked ready to say something else, like he had some line on the tip of his tongue that he was sure would convince you, his lips even parted ready, but nothing came out. You weren’t sure why until a moment later.

“Oh my god, there you are! Do you know how long I’ve been standing around waiting for you?”

Tammy. You didn’t know whether to be glad of the interruption or pissed at the tone she was taking with you.

“Sorry,” Billy stepped around you, towards Tammy, “I distracted her.”

“That’s -“ and then the impossible happened. Tammy actually fell silent. You decided that it must just be the effect that Billy tended to have on women.

“I’m Billy,” he offered out his hand and Tammy was quick to take it, no doubt falling for his charms already. And Billy, well, obviously he’d managed to get over whatever momentary insanity he’d been suffering from when he kissed you and had moved onto the next victim.

Only that wasn’t exactly what happened.

“Oh, I know who you are, Mr Russo. I’m Tammy.”

“Wait… what?” If anyone heard you, neither bothered to respond. How did Tammy know who he was?

“I hear you’ve just been interviewing to come work for me,”

For him. Not with him.

Your stomach dropped, remembering something Karen had said about a Russo, about how Frank called him a pretty boy and Karen thought he was a bit of a womaniser. He kept talking to Tammy but you barely caught a word, too stuck on everything that had happened and how you’d let it. 

“Come on, Tammy,” finally, you snapped out of it and started to walk, “if you want a ride home we need to go now.” 

You didn’t even wait for an answer, you just let her say her goodbyes to Billy.

“Let me know when you’re free to go for that dinner,” Billy called after you, You chose not to answer, some part of you hoping that Tammy wasn’t going to follow because you knew what would come next.

Fumbling for your keys, you had them in hand before you got back to your car, not daring to look behind you. What had just happened? Your lips still tingled from his kiss, you could still taste him, could still feel his hand on your hip. And some part of you was inexplicably still annoyed that the moment was over.

Tammy followed behind you, calling after, barely making it into the passenger seat before you started the car.

“Oh my god,” she exclaimed and you steeled yourself for the oncoming argument, “you are the best friend ever.” 

There was no sarcasm, no anger - she was actually smiling at you. What the hell did she think you’d done?

“What?” Throwing the car into reverse and trying to ignore the fact that Billy was there, watching you as he made his way back towards the office building, his office building. There was something unknowable in his dark gaze as it followed you and, again, you found yourself thinking about how you had no idea what he was capable of.

“Flirting with Billy-fucking-Russo to get me a job at Anvil.”

CHAPTER TWO

-

END NOTES : if you made it this far, thanks for sticking around. Like I said, this is something that started out as an original piece and I was struggling to find the energy to finish it. I’ll be trying to release a new chapter at least once a week, though the second part will probably be up in a few days time because the first two chapters are really just to help set things up, and I know that’s not what people are interested in. I already have the first five chapters pretty much written, they just need some editing before going in the queue and, in total, I have around 20 chapters planned. I’ll be working on this through NaNoWriMo too, so how much I get done might change the posting schedule a little.

Likes, reblogs, and follows are appreciated, though this fic will be posted regardless of engagement because I just need to get this story out of my head once and for all.

Anyway thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are!

[taesanluv3r]

well, soulmate.

han taesan x reader

soulmates au ♡*

wc: 2,510

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖

taesan remembers his first encounter with yn all too well. i mean how could he not? the day that changed the whole trajectory of his life, the day it all came together, the day he found his soulmate.

and it went like this...

"c'mon dude, let's go out! get your mind off of things"

taesan sighs at his friend's endless bugging. to be honest, this past week had been absolutely awful to the young boy. he can't seem to write the right lyrics for his songs, his outfits never seem to go the way he planned and on top of all that he hasn't had proper sleep in days! luckily for him, he's got a roommate like leehan, who's always pushing him to get out more and be alive every once in a while.

"ugh fine. where are we going?" the tall guy's voice dragged as he stretched himself off of his gaming chair- the one he bought just because it was advertised as the most comfortable chair in the world but was actually just an extra hundred dollars down the drain for a regular chair. "i'm thinking we head out to that new shopping strip down the road, i heard they have a massive record store there..." leehan raised the pitch of his voice a bit towards the end, to ignite somewhat of excitement from his otherwise stoic best friend. "maybe you could go get a new record of that nirvana one or whatever you broke last time" he continues, leaning against the frame of the door and waiting patiently as the other boy began to throw on his jean jacket. "you mean the one YOU broke" taesan repeats, raising an eyebrow sternly at his friend while spritzing his signature scent against his slim wrists and near his neck. "whatever" leehan says, rolling his eyes back in annoyance. "you focus too much on the facts. now hurry up!"

and with that they were out the door, strolling down to just the edge of their street where they had opened up a brand new shopping strip to liven up their boring neighbourhood a little bit. "huh, this place is a lot nicer than i thought" leehan says, pushing the glasses he wore up the bridge of his nose as they walked through the pillared entrance. "yeah...it's pretty neat" taesan agrees, taking in his surroundings and admiring the stylistic architecture for himself. there were all sorts of shops around there; a pretty little flower shop which stood beside a french pattiserie, a bright yellow pet shop with the cutest array of cats, dogs and even fishes! and then there was the long line of clothing stores, from higher end to locally sourced small brands as well. "wait bro can you take a pic of me real quick, i like this wall" leehan says, stopping them right beside a grunge-y women's clothing store. the han guy chuckles lightly, grabbing the phone he was being handed. he rolls his eyes as his roommate begins to strike multiple poses, finding his attempts at looking candid and nonchalant absolutely stupid. "okay wait one more" his friend says, but just as he was about to click the white button the boy felt some sort of a tingle on his neck, as if he had just been zapped by a ray of electricity.

"ah!" he jumps in shock, a hand going up to caress the spot behind his neck that began to feel a bit sore. "yo dude, you okay?" leehan asks as he walks back towards him. he just nods, "yeah, it's probably nothing- just like, a tingle on my neck" his friend looks confused, maybe just as confused as he was. "maybe it's one of those sparks you know, like when you're near your soulmate or whatever" taesan scoffs at the suggestion, "yeah right, and that's just a myth- i don't believe it" the kim guy let's out a laugh, "what if it's me?" to which his friend just glared, "if you were my soulmate i think i'd just give up on love for the rest of my life" leehan shoots somewhat of a hurt expression towards him, a hand moving to clutch his heart. "ouch" he says, earning a half-assed slap from the other boy on the back of his head. "shut up, let's go find that record store and get outta here, i'm getting bored"

ding!

the bell that hung above the door rang softly as the pair entered the large record store. taesan's mouth fell open wide as he basked in what he would call, music heaven. the store was fully equipped with floor to ceiling shelves, all decked out with thousands and thousands of records upon records. at every corner stood rows and rows of CDs and vinyls of just about any artist from every genre possible. leehan was amazed as well, though it was more so because of the fancy chandeliers that lit up the place than by the outstanding variety of music. almost like a moth to the light, taesan found himself unconsciously wandering over to the very back of the store, a large section at one of the corners with a giant sign that read:

old rock & alternative

his eyes glimmered as he spotted all his favourite artists' works, almost crying at the sight of the organised mess of music. "leehan check this out! they've even gotten a limited edition- ah!" he cut himself off, bending over his knees as another sharp pain hit the back of his neck like a storm. "dude!" his friend called out, ushering over to make sure he was alright. he wasn't sure if it was just the ringing of his ear or if he had just heard a female voice yelp the same way he did from the section behind him. "you okay bro? this has happened like twice already, what's going on?" leehan sounded worried, his voice shifting from the genuine concern he had for his friend. "yeah...i don't know what's wrong either..." the tall boy sighs, catching his breath as he stood up straight again. "let's just find that nirvana vinyl and go home" he says, receiving a hum in agreement from the other.

"it should be...over...here."

his arm reaches out above his head to grab a copy of nirvana's in utero album but his hand is met with the flesh of another's instead. a gasp escapes his lips as another zap of electricity ran through his body at the contact. it's different this time though, it felt ten times stronger than the other two he had experienced before, yet it was painless. and unlike the other two times the sensation of this shock felt like a split second, but it left some sort of an unfamiliar warmth in his chest and a tornado-like feeling in his stomach. he stood there frozen for a second, just a moment before he began to turn his head around to find the source of it all. and that's when he makes eyes contact with her.

he gasps again. not because of another zap or anything, but just purely out of shock. he'd never ever laid his eyes on someone so enticing as she before. she had just the same blank expression on her own face, like she had been stunned out of her mind. simultaneously, they began to pull their arms away from where they were still touching one another against the nirvana record. their movements were slow, like whatever happened just now had taken their breaths away, leaving them in some sort of a bubble and drowning out the rest of the world around them in that shop.

"did...did you feel that too?" he asks suddenly, breaking the silence that was all too evident. she nods, her words not seeming to come out of her mouth that remained opened. "sorry" she manages to say, though her words came out with a slight stutter. he shakes his head, as if to let her know it was okay, but he didn't even really know what she was apologising for. "for what?" he decides to ask, the burning sensation in his heart seeping through his tongue urging him to keep going in the conversation with this stranger. "i don't know. i've been getting these random shocks since i stepped out of that grunge store today" she says, her eyebrows furrowing as she recalls. taesan's eyes grow wide, "me too!" he exclaims, almost too excited that it made her jump a little. "it started when i was taking pictures of my friend...at..the..." he dragged out until he became quiet, a look washing over his complexion as if he had just pieced a thousand piece puzzle together.

"at the what?" she asks, a hint of impatience in her tone as she did so. "at the cool wall next to the grunge clothing store" he says, in a way that made her believe there was something she wasn't getting. "and...?" she questions, head tilting to the side to show her confusion. "okay, it's gonna sound crazy but...you know that myth about soulmates?" the boy's inquiry has her eyes going wide. "you know like when you're near your soulmate you get all those shocks and-" she cuts him off, "so you're saying you're my soulmate then?" her tone is different now, like she had just unlocked a new sense of confidence. her aura had changed as well, from blank and lost to, witty and strong. it catches him off guard, the boy suddenly losing his ability to generate literate sentences. "well i mean i don't know but i'm just like putting it out there you know" he rambles and she smiles. a smile he knew he would never be able to forget. the way her eyes melted away, and the skin around her cheeks dipped into dimples, it almost turned the poor boy into liquid! "i'm just kidding" she says, popping the metaphorical bubble they had just been sitting in and allowing the sounds from inside the store back into their ears. taesan suddenly feels at ease, like there was just something about her that made him comfortable.

"well soulmate," she teased, the nickname turning his ears a pretty dark shade of red. "care to tell me your name?" she asks, that same smile still painted against her rosy lips. "i'm um i'm taesan" he replies, a hand moving up to stroke away the hair that fell against his forehead. "nice to meet you, i'm yn"

yn, a pretty name for what he would definitely call a pretty lady. she reaches a hand out for him to shake and he did so, hesitantly, in fear that it might send their bodies into another shock. to his surprise however, it was just the opposite. instead, a fluttery feeling had surrounded the two, like they were just transported to their own la la land and were being swarmed by a billion butterflies. he smiles at her for the first time- teeth and all, and she giggles softly. their moment of bliss lasts another second before the staring into each other's eyes became a little too awkward. taesan clears his throat as they finally turn away from each other, eyes floating back to where they were originally set. his long arm reaches up to grab at the vinyl once again, grabbing two this time.

"so..." he begins, looking down as he passes one over to her. yn thanks him as she retrieves the record, tilting her head once again so as to tell him to continue. the boy smiles gleefully, suddenly feeling shy when she makes direct eye contact with him.

"you like nirvana too?"

the girl smirks, "only more than anyone else in the world!" he scoffs, "that means you like them more than me, and i highly doubt that" and then she laughs, "listen, i'd love to argue over who loves nirvana more with you but i need to head home soon so let's cut this short" taesan nods, but a slight somber feeling began to seep into his heart, almost like he was disappointed she had to leave so soon. "i'll see you around?" yn asks, earning a hum in response before she begins to walk away to the front of the store where the register was.

"dude what're you doing?!" the voice of his friend, who he totally forgot was there the whole time, snapped him out of his trance. "huh?" he asks, almost stupidly, causing leehan to smack him upside his head. "go ask her out! that could be your soulmate right there!" his friend's statement makes him go wide-eyed once more.

"hey yn, wait!" taesan calls out, running to catch her before she gets to the counter. "hm?" she turns on her heels to be met with him again. "yes?" the girl asks the now out of breath boy, waiting patiently in amusement as he tries to speak while catching his breath. "i was- woo hold on- ah okay um" he inhales before letting out one last big exhale. "i was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime? you know...so i can prove that i'm a way bigger nirvana fan than you are, duh" the boy tries his best to sound confident, like he wasn't freaking out about asking this pretty stranger he just met out. yn lets out a sigh, a sigh that made his heart drop down to the bottom of his lungs for a moment. "listen taesan...you're sweet and all...and i know we might be soulmates...but..." the words almost make him drop down and cry like a baby. his eyes were about to water and his hopeful smile had simmered down to an uncertain frown.

"but i just don't think you can out-stan me when it comes to nirvana, sorry!" she chuckles, finding his reaction to her little menacing joke priceless. "yn, i know we just met but you CANNOT just do that to me, please" he sounds like he just lost his mind, but he laughs it off along with her. "you're pretty cute, taesan. i guess i wouldn't mind going out with you. i mean, you are my like soulmate or something" the girl says, reviving that sparkle in his eyes once more. "you think i'm cute?" now he was getting cocky, his chest puffed out like he just won a nobel prize. "mhm, but don't get too cocky or i might just change my mind about that date" taesan shoots her a slight nod in worry, slight fear of losing someone like her taking over his previous pride.

"so..." he says, following behind her in line to pay for the record he was here to buy.

"how does friday sound?"

and the rest was history.

the end.

i dreamt of this last night 🤓 hope u enjoyed this!!! ALSO tysm for all the sweet comments on my last fic 🥹 means a lot to me u guys r motivating me to write more often again <3 tytyty LOVE U MWAH

[arcadia-of-pluto]

Twist of Fate; Chapter Three

Pairings; LADS OT4 x reader

Word count; 2,507 (mayhaps I lied...but they will get longer in the future! Trust <3)

Themes; isekai, eventual smut

Rated; 18+ for swearing and some mature themes

Notes; Rafayel curses...once or twice (I believe this warrants a warning)

Prev || Next

Masterlist

The training honestly wasn't that difficult. There wasn't much to say about it. Just testing out different weapons on makeshift dummies that Xavier had created with his light evol or shooting targets from different distances. You warmed up to your gun rather quickly and while you could use other weapons, you preferred the versatility of a gun. You felt like you and Xavier grew closer during the training.

Today, however, was the day of the art expo. You decided to dress a bit nicer than usual, choosing a yellow dress with a choker and some sneakers just in case you needed to fight. Then, you catch a ride to Whitesand Bay where Rafayel's art studio ‘Mo Art Studio’ was located. You pay the taxi driver and start heading for the large metal gate, pushing it open and you go straight for Rafayel’s front door. You don't bother to knock since Rafayel never knocked on your door and this proves to be the right choice as it allows you to sneak up on Rafayel and scare him while he's painting.

“Boo!” You place your hands on his shoulder and Rafayel actually jumps, his paintbrush leaving a jagged red line across the canvas. “Ah, you ruined my- wait,” Rafayel pauses, holding his chin with one hand, “actually…This is going to be my best painting yet. Hold on for a second and go sit down somewhere.”

You flop down on the sofa near Rafayel so you could keep an eye on him painting. “Do you need my assistance again?” You tease and Rafayel looks over at you with a sassy look, “I think I can handle this on my own.”

After thirty minutes of waiting, you roll over on your stomach on the couch. “Are you done yet?” You whine, your feet kicking behind you as you scroll through your phone. “Almost. I just need to do the last finishing touches.”

“Thomas says you're going to be late.” You sing-song, having snitched him out to his manager as a way to make the artist hurry up. “Well then we'll be fashionably late, silly girl.” You pause at the nickname, blinking a few times before your ears turn a light shade of red and you clear your throat. “Are you bringing that painting to the expo?”

“Hmm no? I'm thinking…of giving it to you. Doesn't that sound so charitable of me?” Rafayel muses, finally setting his paintbrush down and he turns toward you, holding a hand out. “Want to take a look?”

You get up from the couch and walk over to Rafayel, taking his hand before he tugs you closer to stand between his legs. He turns you around so your back is to his chest and then rotates his chair to show the painting. It was an abstract piece of art but you could clearly tell it was supposed to be you, lying on your stomach on his couch. “I'll send it to your apartment later, yeah?” His breath brushes past your ear and you hold back a shiver.

“You're too kind.” You say dryly though the smile on your lips contradicts your condescending tone. “I'm happy to be your muse for today.” You turn your head to look at him and Rafayel quickly looks away as his face turns red from his blush. “Let's get going, Miss bodyguard.” He taps your side before standing. “Hopefully we won't encounter any trouble and we can keep your pretty dress clean. Did you dress up just for me?”

“Hmm, more like I dressed up for myself, mister artist.” You poke his chest before shrugging, “but if it helps you sleep better at night then yes, I did dress up for you.” You turn to smile at him with your hands behind your back. “Now let's go lover boy, we can't keep your fans waiting.”

The art expo was boring at best. Rafayel dip, dodged, and evaded every single reporter while you stood off to the side, sipping on a complimentary alcoholic drink. You could've sworn you saw a familiar head of white hair before Rafayel waves a hand in front of your face. “I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes. Don't tell me you've been ignoring me.” He pouts, putting his hands on his hips.

“How could I ever ignore you? You make it so difficult to even try.” You laugh behind your wine glass and Rafayel plucks the glass from your hand, tilting his head back to down the rest of it. He sets the now empty glass on a metal tray as a waiter passes by and rests his hand on the wall behind you, effectively trapping you between him and the wall. “Can you ignore me now?” He asks, leaning his face a bit closer to yours and you hold back a smile as you look away, “I can sure as hell try if that's what you'd like but I don't think you want that.” You glance back at him and he's clearly flustered, not used to you flirting back with him.

“I think you've had too much to drink. It's late, let's get you home.” Rafayel turns to leave but you grab him by his shirt. “Are you scared?” You whisper, raising your left brow as you challenge him. He scoffs, still blushing as he retaliates, “Why would I be scared? Shouldn't you be worried that you'll be in so many news articles? Oh, I can see the headlines now! ‘World renowned artist Rafayel has a mysterious girlfriend’? ‘Artist beloved by millions has his own beloved? Who is she?’ Does any of that sound fun to you?”

“I can always say I'm drunk and you're just helping me out.” you muse, clicking your tongue. “And then the news article would be ‘World renowned artist helps a drunk woman home? Where did he go after, did he go back home or…’ “ you trail off, tilting your head to the side as Rafayel groans, “You really need to know when to stop, silly girl. We're leaving, now.”

Rafayel tugs you outside by your wrist as you laugh, your head smacking against his back as he suddenly stops walking. “What's wrong now, lover bo-” Rafayel suddenly turns around and pins you to a column. “There's reporters at six o'clock. Unless you want everyone knowing you were with me tonight, act like you're so drunk you passed out.”

“You're no fun.” You pout, but rest your head against his chest nonetheless. Your drooping eyes closed as you actually felt a bit sleepy now. “Are you going to carry me out?” You whisper, a smile in your voice before Rafayel sighs and grumbles, “Don't push your luck.” Though you suddenly find yourself being lifted into the air and you wrap your arms around his neck. “Jesus, you can't give me a warning?” You whisper-yell and Rafayel chuckles, “What drunk person needs a warning before being picked up? Now shh, you're supposed to be drunk off your ass right now.”

You pause your retort at hearing Rafayel curse. Now that you think about it…the boys never cursed in game. At least, not that you remember. Curses sound almost pretty coming from Rafayel's lips. You close your eyes once more and rest your forehead against his neck, your hair thankfully covering your face so if any pictures surface, no one would know it's you unless…it's someone who knows you well like Xavier or Zayne but those two never check social media so you doubt they'd find out.

A few cameras go off but for whatever reason, you don't see any more bright shutters behind your eyelids and you end up being lulled to sleep by Rafayel’s breathing and unusually fast heart rate.

The next few days go by rather quickly. You're either chasing after Rafayel and going to Twinkle Toys with him to play the claw machines, training with Xavier and actively fighting wanderers as you're back working at the Hunter's association, or what you're currently doing- which is heading to Snowcrest in the Arctic with Zayne since your grandma's letter said you'd find some answers there with someone called Doctor Noah.

Apparently, he's Zayne's mentor so that makes it even easier to find the man. As you get off the train with Zayne, you notice multiple hunters and check your watch. There must be some metaflux anomalies around the Arctic but that's not what you both were here for. Since today marks a week since you were discharged from the hospital, the wound on your right eye is healed enough to not cause you constant pain.

“You know where we're going right, Zayne?” You ask as you hook your index finger through his belt loop so as to not lose him in the crowd. “You know, if you wanted to hold my hand, you should've just asked.” Zayne takes your hand from his belt loop and instead holds it as he walks. “I-” you pout, ears slightly turning red, “I just didn't want you getting lost.”

“Me getting lost?” Zayne chuckles and shakes his head. “Sure, we'll go with that.”

You talk to a few locals and they point you in the direction of the sleds since that's the only way to get to Doctor Noah's home, which is higher up on the snowy mountain but not too far. “Have you driven one of these before?” You ask as he steps on first and motions for you to stand in front of him. “It's automated.” He tugs you over by your gun strap since you didn't move fast enough, one hand resting on your waist as he presses his chest into your back so he can set a destination on the small, touch pad screen.

“Is this safe?” You ask after a few moments of silence. Zayne presses the last button on screen and sighs, “Do you think I'd be using this if it wasn't safe?” The robotic dog begins to pull the sled and after about thirty minutes of the chilly ride, it finally stops. You're cold, of course shivering but that doesn't stop you from petting the robo dog, even if it doesn't react.

“Let's head inside, you're getting a bit too cold.” Zayne says, tugging at your hand as you both walk toward the cabin.

The information you learnt from Doctor Noah wasn't much of a surprise to you, who is already aware of this information but like always, you have to act as if this is all new and surprising. Like your grandma working for Onychinus, experimenting on children with aether cores, saving you- their most prominent test subject after the Chronorift Catastrophe of 2034, saving Caleb as well, her leaving Onychinus with us and putting that life behind her. Every trail leads to Onychinus being the one behind the explosion that killed grandma and Caleb but you didn't feel so sure about it. Sure, they could've been tying up loose ends by why do something so obvious when they would've just assassinated her and left you and Caleb alive? Maybe they wanted you to be isolated since they want your aether core?

Honestly, even with all of your knowledge about the game, you still didn't know everything. You definitely didn't get every single card, not wanting to spend all of your money in the mobile game, and the game wasn't completed- seeing as an update was scheduled a few months before you entered the game. The only information you had about the next love interest was that his name was Sylus, he was devastatingly attractive with his white hair and red eyes, and his evol was dark red. You would guess blood manipulation could be his evol but that's just speculation. Oh, you also know he is the leader of Onychinus, so if anyone would have answers, it's him. You came to the same conclusion as the one who came before you, the N109 Zone and Onychinus would be where your answers lie.

Though that's easier said than done. The N109 Zone was a lawless area, having taken the most damage during the Catastrophe fourteen years ago. No real plants grow there, it's mostly dark and gloomy, it seems to be the area with the most crime and poverty. It's where orphans and the homeless go…it's where big gangs like Onychinus can run free, an illegal protocore market, all kinds of underground stuff goes on there so honestly, you're a bit worried how you'll fare there. But you have to continue the story somehow.

Doctor Noah's snow white fox Pie hops into your lap as you sit on his porch, blowing out smoke from your lips as you pet the soft creature. Doctor Noah had said Pie got his name because he'd steal pies from people’s windowsills like he was in a cartoon and when the doctor saved the little fox, he ate even more pies. It's a cute reason for a name and it made you want a pet. Your apartment always felt lonesome, even if you saw the three guys every other day. When you were on your own, you felt the most suffocated as the constant reminder that this isn't your world pressed down against your chest. You weren't sure what to do, if you could act differently from the game and what changes it would bring if you did. You didn't want to act too differently and flip the whole story on its head and you not know what the next course of action was.

At least currently, you still know what's left until the end of chapter eight. You still have a month before you're sent into the unknown. A month before you'll allow yourself to spiral, panic, and act differently from the original main character.

You hear the chair next to you creaking as Zayne takes a seat. He stays silent, allowing you to stay lost in your thoughts before he taps your thigh. Pie nips at his finger and nuzzles back into your lap and you turn to look at Zayne. “Look, it's the aurora.” He smiles, jerking his head in the direction of the sky and honestly, that's exactly what you needed. You lean back in your chair, head tilted up as you look at the pretty lights in the sky that only appear in the arctic. “It's so beautiful.” You murmur, cold hands lightly petting Pie to stay warm.

“It is.” Is all Zayne says and you know he's looking at you without even having to see his face. You knew how the game went and you knew you'd have to stay the night in Snowcrest before heading back to Linkon tomorrow. Then, a few weeks after that, you'd be going on a mission with Rafayel.

Honestly, all you wanted to do was rest. Especially with everything that's soon to come.

Your eyes slowly drifting closed and your hand falls from Pie's soft fur. Your last thought as you fell asleep was that you wanted to bring Rafayel here to give him some inspiration.

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

I hope no one minds double author's notes! To be honest, I'm losing my mind a little bit having to post this to three different sites but it's fun. Tumblr is by far the prettiest in terms of design though. Wattpad and AO3 are the bane of the existence but I don't mind posting to multiple platforms in case one story gets taken down. Then, I still have the copies! So, I guess, it's worth it in the end.

Hope you enjoyed this short chapter (I sound like a broken record) and I'm really hoping the next one is longer because I don't even remember...)

[ginaluvr]

rating the changes between tmr book and movie

anyone who read the books first knows that the movie trilogy ended up telling a completely different story. i've been a big fan of the books forever so i thought i'd rate the significant changes made in the first one since it's generally the same plot. scale is 0-5 with 5 being good change.

the gladers initially not remembering their names: 3/5. maybe it was done to raise the stakes and make it more disorienting.

there are no real buildings in the glade: 1/5. this implies they had to start completely from scratch when they first arrived, which makes the maze seem like a test of survival rather than willpower and psychology.

leading on from that... the maze is actually outdoors: 0/5. you're telling me they had rain and lots of greenery in an outdoor structure in a desert climate? and the gladers had no real shelter provided? it also makes the test of their determination less powerful, because in the books, the maze was an indoor structure. the fact that they could technically climb the walls and see the outside world in the movies removes some of hopelessness and frustration for me.

ben is a runner: 4/5. makes sense! especially since we never learned how he got stung as a builder in the books.

the gladers are allowed to have a bit of fun: 5/5. i love the bonfire scene. i think it's a realistic change that a bunch of teenage boys would want to let loose every now and then.

they were there 3 years instead of 2: 4/5. i mean, sure.

no one has ever seen a griever before and survived: 0/5. makes no sense at all because the gladers are aware of the changing as a process! if no one has ever survived encountering a griever, where did they get this precedent from? how did they recognise that ben was stung? perhaps this info was just newt being dramatic since it comes from his dialogue.

they don't have grief serum until teresa arrives: 1/5. again, doesn't make sense. the changing being a process they're familiar with which brings back memories after they get the serum is entirely destroyed in the movie. this is the catalyst for a lot of the events in the book and it loses all its function.

several of the characters are different in personality: varies. thomas is more typically 'cool' in the movie and less curious and, to put it bluntly, less annoying. i don't like this change much, his constant curiosity and eagerness to learn and discover was a huge part of who he was in the books (if you know mbti, all i have to say is he was an INTP in the books and an ISTP in the movies). then we have minho, who was way less brash, hot headed, and reckless in the movies (he was also made into an ISTP while he was an ESTP in the books). i think alby is a bit different. i like both portrayals of alby, but i think he seemed nicer and more chill in the movie, probably just because the actor was very charismatic. this works because he can easily be charismatic as a leader. but him also being a stressed out kid with too much responsibility in the books, leading to him lashing out more and being less calm and collected, makes sense! gally is a bit nicer, actually rational at times, in the movie. he's also not, like, pathetic and embarrassingly petty. these are all traits in the book which emphasise the fact that he's a scared kid, so this also isn't my favorite change ever.

thomas gets memories back in his dreams: 1/5. unnecessary and completely removes the high stakes of him having no recollection of his involvement with WICKED.

minho doesn't find a dead griever: 3/5. at least they still accounted for why alby had to go into the maze. i still wish they did it.

alby was alone in the glade for a whole month: 1/5. it is not logical that someone would be able to run a whole farm and build shelter all alone at 15 years old without any help. it also doesn't make sense that he wouldn't have gotten killed in the maze on accident.

teresa doesn't come up one day after thomas: 2/5. i guess it doesn't really matter, but this is just one element of the timeline being quite different that wasn't necessary to change.

minho helps thomas save alby in the maze: 0/5. this is thomas's first big act of heroism and the thing that makes minho respect him. they should've kept thomas doing it alone.

the grievers are completely different: 2/5. i understand that this is probably a design issue for the movie, but the book concept of the grievers is better.

the maze is completely different: 1/5. i don't like the movie maze... why is it a circle. the idea of the 8 square sections that are repeating and consistent makes the maze so much more frustrating and bewildering! also that part in the movie where the walls start to fall and the floors come up... why. there's also no code hidden in the walls, which was a very cool element.

no cliff/griever hole: 2/5. not terrible because this would be hard to show on screen. but the fact that instead, in the movie, there is just a visible section that the runners never found before is a bit unrealistic.

gally never went through the changing: 0/5. gally's hatred for thomas in the movie is baseless, while in the book it's clearly about suspicion and fear. he's an understandable antagonist in the book.

thomas and teresa don't have telepathy: 3/5. would've been hard to portray on screen. takes away from the depth of their connection, however.

the gladers give up too easily: 0/5. this one bothers me! when all the other runners in the movie randomly quit their jobs. the whole point in the books is that they'd never do that.

thomas is looked to as a leader: 0/5. when he starts giving orders in the movie and leads the charge into the maze.... ughhh. again i think they tried to make him a more cool and admirable protagonist, but i think a big part of the books is that thomas never saw himself as particularly special, or a leader. he couldn't have done anything he did without minho's, newt's, alby's, teresa's etc skill, authority, support. they were a team and a family. instead, in the movie, they start to follow him without question when he was barely there five days.

the grievers don't only kill 1 glader per night: 2/5. adds tension but also takes away from the fact that the maze again wasn't a test of survival.

alby's and chuck's deaths were essentially swapped: 0/5. i really dislike this change. they took away the fact that alby's fear changed him, and that his last act was both selfless and scared. in the movie he just died on accident. then i think chuck actually chose to sacrifice himself in the movie, when in the books he was forced to as a variable by WICKED. this absolutely takes away from the utter pointlessness of chuck's death, and it's also ooc for a scared 12 year old to choose to die when he so badly wanted to escape.

thomas had no real reason to sting himself: 0/5. he already had memories coming back in dreams and they already believed they had found an escape in the maze. he literally had no reason to go through the changing in the movie and it's a bit overdramatic for no reason.

people take gally seriously as a leader: 2/5. this only happened because alby got killed off early in the movie.

this is one of my least favorite changes so i saved it for last. nalby erasure: 0/5. the movies definitely take away that alby was newt's best friend and the person he cared for and protected most. likewise, in the books, thomas's favorite and most prioritised glader (along with teresa) was actually always minho. although thominho wasn't erased as much in the movies, the fact that those two pairings were the strongest bonds we ever got between the boys in the books isn't really there in the movies. i think the movies allowed people to forget that newt being canonly gay actually means alby is his most likely love interest!

[ye-local-simp]

Can I request heartslabyul headcanons for them encountering a fortune telling or it could be done gimmick that gives them a glimpse of the future and they find out their future has then and the prefect/reader together?

It could be funnier if they learn something embarrassingly intimate too or just that they have a family

Does that make sense?

A/N: This is actually suggestive.

[Heartslabyul finding out they have a future with the reader]

Riddle:

-Riddle was only walking past the Fortune teller's stall untill he was called in.

-He just assumed he was needed in there or something.

-But when he is seated on the mat in front of the crystal ball, he just goes along with it even though he was a bit confused.

-His eyebrows raise when your name comes up but when the fact that you two will date slips, he turns into a blushing mess.

-He has never thought of himself actually dating you in the future.

-He is also told that you like it when your neck is kissed because it is sensitive only making him blush even further.

-He gets mad when the fortune teller runs away.

-But it does raise questions about his future in his mind. It's not like he doesn't want you to be in his future.

Trey:

-He doesn't usually do this but he heard Cater about it once.

-He was saying how fun it is to try so when he saw that he came across a fortune teller, he gives it a try.

-He gets surprised when you come up as a topic since he didn't think the fortune teller would know you.

-Even more shocked when he finds out that in the future you would be together.

-When the fortune teller brings up that you can get quite loud,

-Rather than getting shy, he kind of embraces it,like he is super happy about this.

Cater:

-He actually found out fortune telling from Magicam and really wanted to try it since it had become trendy.

-So he will get permission to go to it.

-At first, he finds it very fun and cool but when the fortune teller mentions you, he finds it strange.

-This is about his future so why are you being mentioned?

- When the fortune teller says that you two will date in the future, he blushes.

-He had always found you cute but he wasn't sure of what you had thought of him since it was not very obvious.

-When the fortune teller also mentions that you love back massages, he gets redder. Maybe he can win you over with this fact now since you might want him to do this with you.

Ace:

- He was walking by, and the fortune telling was advertised to him.

-His pride wanted to hear that he would become a great mage in the future, but this was a little more unexpected.

- The fortune teller mentions you, his eyebrow raises.

-He is told that in the future, you two would be a happy couple, and the side fact that you will have a family in the future.

-At first, he thinks this is a prank but when he realises there aren't any cameras, he gets a bit flustered.

-What was he supposed to do now that he knows this, can he even see you the same way anymore.

-But you have noticed how much nicer he is being towards you now.

Deuce:

- He only tried this because Cater said it was worth trying since it was super fun.

-He gets nervous when he enters the fortune teller's place.

- He enjoys it at first hearing that he is going to make his mother proud, but when your name is mentioned, he is intrigued.

-He finds out that you two will date and the fact that you love cuddles especially while sleeping.

-He gets extremely flustered since he didn't really think about dating but making his mother proud and achieving well in school.

-Now he can't even look at you in the eyes without remembering that you two will have

[radioactivesweet]

Could I request HCs where Hades and Qin Shi Hunag from Record of Ragnarok fall in love with the same person/reader. Also could the reader be human & female? Ty!

honestly managing to make these two fall in love with you sounds a lot better than winning the lottery

Btw I don't think I've actually described them as being in love but more something like being interested in the same person??? I wanted to fit it in the RoR narrative but probably it wasn't such a good idea----

Too dazzling for an average human, you managed to catch the attention of those you walked onto quite easily, humans and gods alike. This included the God of the Underworld and the First Emperor of China.

You did not really realize you were talking to when you had bumped into them on different moments before the start of the seventh round. You were just strolling around between one match and the other when you made a couple of interesting encounters.

Qin Shi Huang got lost among the numerous corridors which surrounded him, so he really felt grateful to you when you stopped to talk with him and gave him the directions he was looking for - he did not admit he was lost though, he had a reputation to protect. You were nice - he could almost see your smile despite the blindfold he was wearing. Nicer than the gods who were shouting against humanity and whom he was going to fight too soon. You were a far more pleasant company, way more lovely too. "I thank you for your patience." he thanked you, bringing your hand close to his lips and leaving a slight kiss on it. "I hope you will be rooting for me. When I win, I wish for us to celebrate together." It was not after much that you met the second man, more composed and serious than the first - a completely different impression, the first was brighter, warmer, more lively, whereas this one was colder, detached and had an overall more elegant demeanor. Both had a natural charming aura though, which someow attracted too - prideful, almost divine. You didn't know yet the one in front of you actually was divine. Hades' only aim was to avenge his younger brother, not to make friends with a human along the way. He couldn't really tell how he ended up spending some time talking with you after he had left the Gods' VIP room, but he didn't consider it a waste of time. Usually humans avoided him - gods too. So having someone to talk to was an appreciated change. It made the atmosphere lighter, despite not having the chance to prolong the conversation. "I'm looking forward our next encounter." he said, finally letting out a smile, before you parted ways. When the match started, you recognized both of the men you had met as the fighters - and you were sure they recognized you too among the crow who was cheering for them. Only then you noticed how unfair it was. Only one of them was going to meet you after the fight - before you could even have to chance to know them.

[thedrowsydoormouse]

So I’ve been doing a little bit of thinkin’ after the two new episodes of Who about Susan Twist and I had a lightbulb moment I haven’t really seen anyone else talking about just yet.

Spoilers ahead for Wild Blue Yonder, Church on Ruby Road, Space Babies, and the Devil’s Chord. Ok, onto the theory!

We all know Susan Twist is going to be more than just an Easter Egg, but I think everyone is taking the actress’s name too literally. She’s not playing Susan.

She’s The One Who Waits.

She’s there. Always in the background. On the periphery. Watching. Waiting. Because everything leads back to her.

And the first time we see her is in the scene that has the first major world shift in the episode that set up this entire plotline about invoking superstition at the edge of the universe and letting something through.

And who do we encounter pretty much immediately after? The embodyment of Play (Toymaker). And then a little later in we meet the embodyment of Music (Maestro).

Which raises the next part of my theory: What is The One Who Waits the embodyment of?

Death

Death just sits, and waits, and watches, biding their time because everything has its time and Death comes for everything in the end.

And every time we’ve seen her, things start going really wrong. In WBY, she was one of the last people we saw before the Tardis landed on the spaceship, Donna almost died, and the Doctor almost let a NotWe loose on the universe. In Ruby Road, she’s watching Ruby and her friends perform the same night they nearly get crushed by the giant snowman head. She was one of the crew in Space Babies who were forced to leave the station and abandon all those babies to die. And in Devil’s Chord she was in the cafeteria when Paul and John are talking to the Doctor and Ruby about music before getting angry and leaving which, had the Doctor not intervened, would’ve lead to literal nuclear winter.

I feel like too many people are focusing on just the previous lore from the past 60 years which, for any other context makes sense. But this isn’t your granny’s Doctor Who anymore. The tone shift started in WBY means we need to think outside the Blue Box (that’s bigger on the inside) to figure it all out and for once, I think being into SuperWhoLock may have finally paid off! The NotWes are shapeshifters. The Bogeyman was basically a thought form (tulpa). The literal baby eating, musical goblins. The Toymaker and Maestro are both functionally gods. And which god waits patiently in the background?

Death.

It’s not a perfect 1 to 1 with Supernatural but if you find the midpoint between the two everything starts to click into place.

The final Big Bad of the season is The One Who Waits which is Death and not even the Doctor can fully cheat death, they can just keep running. So in the end the Doctor doesn’t actually defeat Death. He just traps them or delays them enough to get away so he can just keep running.

(Also Mrs. Flood is just a normal human who’s past was changed by the Doctor. In the start of the episode, before the Doctor properly meets Ruby (I don’t count the encounter at the club) she has no clue what the Tardis is. But as soon as the thing happens on the roof her past changed to include an encounter with the Doctor when she was younger (I think it’s going to be the episode with the slug things we’ve seen in the trailers because there’s a girl with blonde bangs in a season where coincidence is the driving force behind everything so it has to mean something) which is why her entire personality shifts by the end and she becomes nicer and suddenly knows about the Tardis and knows that Ruby has to go with the Doctor. She’s not Susan or Ruby’s mom. She’s just someone they save along the way.) 

[lost-technology]

Trigun Maximum - What the Gender???!!! Okay, so I'm sitting here doing a re-read of Trigun Maximum Vol. 5 and I get to the last chapter. I am reading the print edition from Dark Horse - Japanese publication in 2001, English language translation publication in 2005 according to the back of the book. Anyway, I got a little confused by something I hadn't remembered that is apparently there: The page where Elendira is dumped out onto the ground from the Ark (and wants to gut the helmsman) Meryl says: "A transvestite?! (He has a nicer figure than I do...)" I had forgotten that because I believe that most people tend to refer to the Trigun Manga Overhaul fan-translation for that, which is here for that chapter: https://www.trigunoverhaul.com/TVol5Ch06.html and has Meryl saying: "A trans-woman?! (But she has a better figure than I do...)" One is official (comic-licensed), one is fan-translated (but is said to be very accurate, done as dedicated fans rather than people just paid for a task). I am wondering which is more accurate? Specifically, I am wondering if the latter one "cleaned things up" for the sake of modern sensitivities or if it really does carry more of the gist of the original. I mean, I found myself with a bit of confusion at that chapter when skimming Overhall and seeing Legato say "She saved me," when my Dark Horse book has "He saved me" which had led me to believe that Legato had been referring to Knives (Knives chose to spare him, by order) - while "She saved me" (referring to Elendira) completely changes the meaning. Legato *does* have one of his "fanatical" facial expressions there, thus leaving me confused as to whether he is surprised that Elendira the ("he" in DH or "she" in Overhaul) saved him or if it might have been "he" referring to Knives ordering him spared? I am not asking for people to cancel Nightow... (ugh, please don't). I don't even know if pronouns work the same in Japanese as they do in English (I heard that they do not). Having been alive in 2005 and having read the volume back around then (either that or I got it in 2006 or so, anyway, I was alive back then AND old enough to read a very bloody, adult-oriented manga), well, I seem to remember "transvestite" being a more common term then / the basic common before "transgender" "transwoman" and "transman" came into common usage. Not being a part of the trans community, I do not know if it was more "the accepted common term" then or if it was always a slur and I thought it used to be the common term before new terms were created? If my recall is accurate, "transgender" / trans - man/woman was coming into play then and "transvestite" was fading out as it was more often used in a derogatory fashion than as a descriptor. (I honestly do not know very much about the culture of the words, so forgive me if I am getting things wrong).* *There was a similar process that I saw in real time regarding what is now known as the R-word for certain disabilities. I was alive (a child) back in the 1980s when the word was actually a medical descriptor but was ALSO a slur and by about the 1990s other medical terms were used and "R" had become exclusively insulting. - It is one of those things that one must be mindful of when encountering old media. (I watched a Twilight Zone 1985 episode I hunted up having vaguely remembered it from my childhood on Youtube some time ago that treated the condition and a character that had it with sensitivity, but had his parents and medical staff using the term and it felt like a shock / I had to remind myself "that was the term back then"). I'm just left wondering about the bias DH translators might have had back in the day having been jumpscared by that when most of today's manga-readers are obviously reading Overhaul.

[akutasoda]

Hi. I love your blog and the way you write so I thought I should request. Could you please write scenarios with Atsushi, Akutagawa, Ranpo, kunikida and mushitaro? Reader and character “hate” each other(like enemies or rivals to lovers) and frequently argue over anything because “they just can’t stand each other” (but it’s actually so they can talk to each other cuz they’re too prideful to confess) but later either reader or character end up confessing? (All separate of course) reader is female or gender neutral you can pick.

In Atsushi’s scenario reader is part of the guild or port mafia and fought against atsushi at one point and is mean to him and that’s why they hate each other but reader ends up liking atsushi and tries to be nicer to him and they make a truce and then atsushi likes reader.

In Akutagawa’s scenario reader is part of the agency and akutagawa hates reader and tried attacking them but dazai told akutagawa not to and that’s how they end up getting close cuz they can’t fight anymore but it’s hard to confess cuz reader is too prideful and akutagawa doesn’t know how to confess and thinks reader still doesn’t like him romantically

In ranpo’s it’s a pride thing because reader is another super smart detective (obviously not as smart as Ranpo but smart enough to challenge ranpo’s ability) so her deductions often clash with ranpo’s and they somehow both end up being right? Ranpo loves how smart reader is but because he’s so prideful he thinks he’ll never confess but ends up doing it anyway

Mushitaro: another prideful thing, I’m not sure what to come up with in this one, maybe mushitaro and reader are competing on looks? Mushitaro is very vain I think, so they’re like “I look better and attract way more women than you” and then they’re both like bro you do look attractive😳idk

Kunikida: hates how reckless and sarcastic reader is and reader is nothing like his ideal woman but ends up falling so hard for her

so sorry if this is too long of a request you can cut out mushitaro’s and kunikida’s part if it’s too long and you don’t wanna do them. Have a great day and stay hydrated!❤️

i can't believe you sometimes

synopsis - if you two hate each other so much why do you still hang around the other?

includes - atsushi, kunikida, ranpo, akutagawa, mushitaro

warnings - reader's gender is stated in each section, fluff, enemies to lovers, wc - 1.4k

a/n: ty! i hope you too have a great day and stay hydrated :)

atsushi nakajima ★↷

- gn!reader is a guild member

when you had first been told that you would be heading to japan you weren't particularly happy. sure you understand that it was buisnees or whatever it just seemed unnecessary for all of you to go. but the plus side of that was that lucy was going with you.

lucy was one of the only people you could stand in the guild and a genuine friend. not too long after the guild had ended up in yokohama you had ended up against one of the agency members, you think his name was atsushi not that it mattered that much.

the fight was cut short as your attention was needed elsewhere so you simply bid the weretiger farewell and left abruptly. it seems if you were to re encounter the weretiger you wouldn't mind finishing the fight.

however it was under quite different circumstances. after the guild's less than desirable defeat, lucy had informed you that she was offered a job at a café by the agency and that she requested for you to have the same option. and in honesty you weren't too happy in the guild do you took it as it also meant you could still keep in frequent contact with her.

this was where you yet againmet with atsushi. if it wasn't your job to serve him you sure as hell would of not given him his order. which is when your little rivalry continued. and for some time at that. until eventually you started realising from how he talked with his fellow colleagues that he seemed to be a genuinely nice person.

maybe he deserved a second chance. and atsushi noticed you slight change in behaviour and soon realised not long after that you weren't too bad yourself and eventually a truce wad formed. only for the benefit of having to see each other often. nothing else.. right?

maybe you weren't that bad and maybe you were slightly intresting to him. this truce seemed to bring about a new found intrest in not only becoming friends but something more. but neither of you could bring yourselves to actually confess your feelings but one day maybe one of you would build up the confidence.

doppo kunikida ★↷

- fem!reader is a agency member

sometimes he thinks that there could be no-one worse than dazai during work. that was until you joined shortly after. it was like his perfectly crafted hell. you had passed the entrance exam flawlessly, your skill was admirable he would admit but your sarcasm and reckless behaviour really made his opinion on you dwindle.

he often found himself trying to lecture you on your behaviour but you simply didn't listen. he just wished that you toned down a bit a work. eventually you had decided to give him some lecturing, more like teasing. you, like dazai, found some entertainment in teasing the man with thousands of ideals.

this just made him hate you even more, not that you cared. you found his expressions quite cute it made ot all worth it. and eventually kunikida started feeling a weird sensation whenever he talked to you.

he ignored them for the most part, i mean you barely ticked any of his ideals for a woman so it couldn't be a crush of some sorts right? but if not, why did he sometimes blush when he watched you do something stupid or simply from seeing you?

eventually he started to realise that he did infact hold a small crush for you. and when he realised he fell even harder. maybe he should start by getting closer to you afterall maybe he wouldn't mind becoming closer to you affter all. they do say opposites attract.

ranpo edogawa ★↷

- gn!reader is a agency member

never in his entire career among the agency would he of considered someone that could actually compete with him on the same level. sure dazai had came close some times but when you came into the picture it came as a very big surprise.

somehow, in ways that baffled him, you were able to challenge his abilities as a detective. he still took pride in the fact that he was still actually smarter but this was the first time someone came to the same or similar conclusions to his and be correct. and not only did he see it as a rivalry but he saw you as someone worth talking to.

not only were you nearly as smart as him but you two had similar interests. it often became a competition between you two within case's to see who could reach the conclusion first and sometimes he would just to find out that you discovered more details that he missed.

but somewhere along the line he started feeling something more for you. everytime you rebutted against his deduction to add one of your own he couldn't help but smile and blush ever so slightly.

but his pride got the better of him. he was still the best detective, if he wanted to be with you he could wait until you confessed to him. that was if you liked him back. but eventually he realised you knew and were leading him on, waiting for him to admit it. and so he did.

ryunosuke akutagawa ★↷

- gn!reader is a agency member

he didn't really care who you were at first. just another agency member that he would eventually have to deal with. that was until you two did end up in a fight while you were out on a different mission and had ended up crossing paths with him.

seeing as this wasn't part of your mission you just wanted to defend yourself long enough to escape or until your coworker returned. you didn't know what his problem was with you as you never have encountered him before but he just seemed to really want you dead. maybe it's just because you were an agency member.

whatever the reason, not too long after your coworker showed up and stopped the fight. just akutagawa's luck for your coworker to be dazai. and of course dazai had simply teased him about being so eager to fight someone and made you two sign a truce to not fight as maybe you two would get along. you wanted to punch him.

and so everytime you ran into each other all you could do was glare at each other and ignore the other. he couldn't disregard what dazai had told him to do. but eventually you seemed to be put on missions that collided with seeing akutagawa. you were starting to think this was on purpose.

akutagawa however had started feeling something that his sister had told him was a crush. but what does he do now? gin had told him that normally crushes would confess to each other but what if you didn't like him back? even if he did how would he confess. he'd rather save himself the embarrassment.

but little did he know you had realised yourself that you had started feeling things aswell. but a slight flaw of yours was that you were quite prideful. you didn't want to be the one to confess and be rejected. maybe dazai would have to give a final push.

mushitaro oguri ★↷

- gn!reader is a friend of yokomizo

he quite simply found you annoying to be around. the only reason he actually still hung around you was because you too were a dear friend of yokomizo. and if he held you in high regard he guess he had to tolerate you.

he simply couldn't stand how you actually could stand up to him and be somewhat nearly better than him. nearly. like what do you mean you had a better ability than him? no one could compete with him but you somehow insisted you could. he had tried to ask yokomizo what he saw in you as a friend but he just laughed at him and told him that maybe if he got to know you he would find out.

and with a slight heavy heart he took his friends words to heart and tried to talk to you to understand what made yokomizo want to be friends with you. what he didn't know was that it would leave him with the desire to be more than friends.

but for know all you two could argue about was either looks or abilities. more specifically looks as you both threw petty comments at each other he started realising that maybe you weren't that bad looking and if maybe you weren't so harsh to him you would be quite nice to be around.

and maybe to you, he wasn't that bad looking. if you looked past that stuck up attitude and got to know the real him maybe just maybe he might be quite the nice boyfriend. maybe you two would be a perfect match.

[rewuyuu]

Rewuuuu <3

I'm so happy you posted another Face Stealer art, he's such an intriguing guy! Can you tell us a little more about him? You mentioned he lost his face as a child. Is this a common magical thing in the world he's from? Do you intend his jokester personality traits nowadays to be a result from how he dealt with that loss, which would also explain his attachment issues ...? Oh oh! And also, what do you think would happen to him psychology-wise once he gets his face back? What purpose will his life hold then?

Sorry bout the onslaught, I ADORE his cute face.

i'm so glad you like my oc (and their face)!!

i admittedly haven't done that much worldbuilding for the place they're from, but (as of now) it's quite similar to our modern world, except that there's all kinds of supernatural beings living among humans. you can recognize some of them (because of characteristics like horns or wings), but others blend in with the human crowd better.

as a young child, face stealer unfortunately happened to encounter a more dangerous kind of supernatural entity that had the ability to take away human faces. that's actually a rare encounter even in that world, and most humans aren't even aware of such a thing existing. as a result, the faceless child wasn't recognized by their own family, and was left all alone with nowhere to go.

a different type of supernatural being took pity on the child, and granted them the power to acquire faces so that they could get their face (and life) back. however, they didn't manage to find the thief. a lot of time passed, and they forgot what they originally looked like - and on top of that, when a face gets taken away, it ages according to the flow of time together with the new owner (side note, it's actually the entire physical appearance that gets taken - i call it 'face' because i feel like this phrasing sounds nicer than 'appearance stealer'). it's like searching for a needle in a haystack.

face stealer is convinced that things will simply feel right when they finally find the original face and 'try' it on. however, the plausibility of that is very questionable. over time, face stealer has amassed quite the collection of other people's faces that they can swap between at will. ironically, they ended up becoming the same kind of monster that took everything from them as a child - the only difference is that face stealer was originally a human (at this point, they may actually be much closer to being one of those supernatural entities rather than a human).