#never thought that dude would have something like that

[matt0044]

And frankly... I feel we need to give it a better look over.

Story time: I vividly remember when

Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why was bandied about Tumblr and YouTube as this most offensive thing for it’s portrayal of suicide. I was aware of how this wasn’t the sort of subject to take lightly lest I be eating my foot for a full course meal. As such, I took the outrage’s word for it and steered clear.

I did start to get curious with a lot of specific scenes from Season 1 being passed around for the afformentioned dunking. Such as Hannah calling Clay a nerd for referencing Star Wars only for said post to show how much The Force Awakens grossed.

Said curiosity grew when I saw many video essays tackling 13 Reasons Why. Most were negative but what I footage saw didn’t seem bad. Some of it was pretty… nice actually. But still, this was the show that gave suicide and poor mental health a bad name with how the female lead took her own life seemingly out of revenge.

So… I stayed away. That is, until I saw a billboard for Season 2 in NYC. Now this got me seeing that this show had a legit audience. Not just hatewatchers but those invested in the story of Hannah Baker and Clay Jensen. That’s when I decided to add it to my watch list.

At best, it would be bad but maybe a fascinating kind of bad. The kind that RiffTrax would sink their teeth into. At worst, it would be a bore and I’d turn the other way. Then I started to watch it.

Twenty Six episodes later… I loved it. I felt that it… spoke to me emotionally on how life can be so messed up. I loved how no character was totally good or bad. How even Number 12 on the tapes had his depths despite being, well, the worst really.

When Hannah reached the end of her rope, I found myself begging her to not do what I knew she’d do. When Tyler Down tried to take matters into his own hands, I wished I could be there to talk him down. It takes a very special kind of story to invoke that kind of visceral dread.

Clay Jenson was the shlubby awkward dude that I saw a lot of myself from how he blamed himself for things outside of his control and took things very personally. Yet even he wasn’t the straight-laced good guy as our supposed audience surrogate, something that grew with each season.

While some claim that it glorifies suicide, it hardly if at all made the act out to be anything but damaging. The aftermath of Hannah Baker’s suicide isn’t the perfect revenge as some critics make it out to be. Even when recording the last tape, she held out just a little more before succumbing to her inner demons.

The second season finale even affirms that there’s never a reason no matter how much you might rationalize it.

Netflix would add in disclaimers for the heavier episodes and suicide hotlines to the credits as well as having the cast give a disclaimer before the first episode. However, it’s hard to deny that they cause plenty of grief despite their best of intentions.

Hello Future Me describes it well in his video on Mental Health’s troubled history in fiction in terms of how depictions of the suicide itself such as with Hannah Baker would push certain people struggling over the edge. While the character herself is hardly black or white in terms of morality, crossing the streams like this still made for what I like to categorize as “good story, poor takeaway.”

Now I could understand that the characters weren’t exactly totally good or bad so much as people trying to get through harrowing times in the lives. This isn’t always applicable to those struggling with dark thoughts or suicidal tendencies.

For some, the show can give them a vibe of, “This show gets me,” in the sense of emotional catharsis. For other, the show can give them a vibe of, “This show gets me,” in that the surface level depressing tone validates their negative mindset or makes it worse.

If I had stayed away, I would’ve nodded to the consensus and agree that it was trash. Yet… I gave it a chance and now can’t hate it now that I’ve looked passed the YouTube hate crowds (the ones that don’t give a fig about mental health outside of clout and profit from clicks, that is).

It’s just… the show stuck with me with each episode feeling real to me. The actors, the script, the visual direction. It just... all clicked for me.

And it's a darn shame that too many aren't willing to give it the time of day. Not talking about those who'd find it hard to stomach, by all means they do them. It's just... it feels like we're giving poor critical thinking a pass for this one.

i like that 13 reasons why's cultural impact is how poorly it handled suicide and sexual assault as well as inventing a new way for people to say they're going to kill themselves

[gallavichsreddie1128]

Dreams (Pope Cody)

Description: Y/N wants to fuck her best friend’s uncle even though he’s 20 years older than her.

Warning: Smut, Blow Job, Pussy Eating, Shower sex, Age Gap

Word Count:3,202

Author’s Note: I’ve been waiting for Animal Kingdom to blow up so I’m prepared with fics.

Check out my Baz one: Here

“Fuck Pope Cody” She whined out his entire name as his hips banged her against the shower wall. Both of them soaked in water and sweat as they’ve been fucking for hours at this point. She clung to him, holding him close as her whines echoed in the shower. Pope, who was one to never really make a lot of noise during sex, was groaning in her ear. Her head fell back against the shower wall as she tried to hold off her orgasm, just to keep him inside a little longer. She’s dreamed of this moment…literally. 

Her eyes opened to the sound of her best friend J Cody calling her name. “What?” She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head, hoping he would go away. “Are you coming with me?” He asked her and she threw the blanket off her and looked at him. She always was with J when he did his errands and every single time he’d tease her about his uncle.

Pope was 20 years older than her and didn’t show any interest. She, on the other hand, made it noticeable that she wanted him, without realizing it. “You dreaming about my uncle again, you creep?” He jokingly asked as he waited for her to get up. She groaned and rolled her eyes, “ Shut up.” She said and got out of bed, despite the bed calling her name so she can have more dreams of Pope Cody.

“You need to get over him. There’s no way he’s into you.” J got serious for a second as she grabbed her clothes. She glared at her friend, who was only looking out for her.  She wanted to punch him, it wasn’t that simple. J wouldn’t get that, having a different girl to fuck every night.  She got dressed in the bathroom, repeating his words. In a sense he was right but it wasn’t easy to just forget about Pope like that. Not when she sees him everyday. “You wanna join a job that we are doing?” J asked as she exited the bathroom with her dirty clothes. 

Deran gives her a beer as they all stood in the back of the bar, Pope talking about the plan. It was a simple plan and Y/N was excited, she was getting to work with Pope. J watched her face lit up as he talked and he couldn’t wait to make fun of her.  “You think you can handle it?” Craig asked her and even if she couldn’t, she wasn’t turning down a chance to be near Pope.

“Yep.” She nodded and J couldn’t hide his smirk. The others left the room, leaving the best friends alone. J couldn’t help but laugh making Y/N turn to him. “What’s so funny?” She asked him. “The excitement in your face dude.” He said and she rolled her eyes. “You really wanna fuck Pope.” He said and she shrugged, “Doesn’t matter now does it?” She asked, taking in his words from earlier.

“You definitely took this job to be near him.” He smirked. “Sounds like jealousy.” She points out and he chuckles, “Oh please if I wanted to fuck you I could.” He sounded so cocky. “If I remember correctly it was me who turned you down.” She pointed out.  “Yeah for my uncle who doesn’t wanna fuck you.” He points out. Both of them didn’t realize that Pope was listening to them talk. J’s best friend wanted to fuck him? He thought as he listened to them talk. He was 20 years older than her and didn’t know how to feel about it. 

It stayed on Pope’s mind, the thought that J’s best friend wanted him and that she turned J down for him.  Pope didn’t know how to approach this and now thinking back on it, it was so obvious that she wanted him. She would wear revealing clothes in front of him and always make sure she was near him. And right now she was tanning by the pool as Pope watched from inside. Her body was amazing and she looked so good, something he’s never thought of before.

She had on a white bikini that showed off her assets nicely. She had a pair of sunglasses on but felt the presence of eyes staring at her. She opened them and nearly smirked at the sight. Pope Cody was staring at her like he wanted to devour her.  She waved at him and he stepped outside, “Where’s J?” He asked and she shrugged, not caring. “You tell me, I’ve been waiting for him.” She lied. “You guys are pretty close.” He points out and she shrugs, “We’re best friends, nothing more. Don’t know what you mean by that.” He studies her face for a moment, “You sure?” She pushed her glasses up, “I like older men.” She winked at him.

“I’m too old for you, Y/N.” She looked at him confused, “Excuse me? What makes you think I’m talking about you?” She seemed offended. “I heard you and J talking at the bar.” She sat up and turned to him, “You were spying on us?” She asked and he shook his head. “J’s laugh was pretty loud.” He pointed out and she remembered him bursting out laughing but didn’t think anyone else was near them.

Her face went red with embarrassment, “I’m 22 years old, I’m not a child.” She mumbled. “I’m 44.” He tells her as if she didn’t already know. She stood up from the chair and got closer to him, “You don’t think I see the way you look at me?” She asked with a smirk on her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He lies and she chuckles, “You were just staring at me through the window like you wanted to eat me.” His eyes bored into hers, he didn’t show any emotions at her words and couldn’t let her know she was right. “You’re delusional.” He stated and walked away from her before anything else was said. 

“He was staring at me, J. Like he wanted to ruin me.” She exclaimed while they were drinking. “But he told you what I’ve been telling you this whole time.” He states and she rolls her eyes, “Besides the point.” He turned to her, “I told you Y/N/N he isn’t the one.” She knew what he was doing and it was something he did all the time. He felt bad for her and didn’t want her to be sad over his uncle. “Y/N, he’s an idiot.” He said and she stood up, “Don’t.” She said and walked away from him. 

Everything that’s happened hasn’t left his mind, the mere thought of her was torture to him. He could fuck her but what if she regretted it after and thought he was creepy? These questions ran through his head while he laid in bed, tempted to see her.  He cursed to himself as he got out of bed and went to the house. He silently cursed as he saw her car in the driveway, of course she was here. When he walked into the house, he saw the last person that he wanted to see, her.

She was on her phone, drinking a glass of orange juice when she sensed a presence and looked up to see him, “Thought you were avoiding me.” She said and looked back down at her phone. “Yeah well I’m not here for you.” He told her and walked past her. “Wish you’d stop acting like you don’t wanna fuck me.” She mumbled and he rolled his eyes. He chose to ignore her comment and went to look for the others when he realized that she was the only one here.

He cursed and walked back into the kitchen, “Where’s the others?” He asked but she ignored him. “Hey don’t ignore me. Where’s the others at?” He asked and she stood up. They were almost face to face if not for her height, “I don’t need to answer you.” She smirks. “Hold the grudge for a second and just tell me where they are.” She shrugged and answered like a child, “Well I won’t.” He rolls his eyes and pulled out his wallet about to offer her money, “What do you want?” He asked grabbing some money.

“I want you to fuck me.” He glares at her, hard before answering, “Yeah not happening.” “I’m 20 years younger than you, so what? I’m an adult. You can try to keep up the act but it won’t work forever.” She says and he gets annoyed. “Jesus I don’t wanna-“ but she interrupts him before he could finish, “Bullshit.” He sighs as she keeps talking, “You want me and you know it. You constantly think about it whether you want to or not. Ever since you heard the conversation between J and I.”

He laughs at her words even though she was spot on. “You’re delusional.” She shook her head, “No, I’m right. And you hate that. You want me and you know-“ “I don’t want you okay?” He yells at her and she steps back. “You’re a kid to me. I don’t want to have sex with you!” She didn’t say anything as she felt tears in her eyes. She just walked away from him. 

It was best that she avoided him at all costs even if that meant staying at her own house for once. She texted J and told him that if he wanted to hang out it couldn’t be at Smurfs. Pope’s mind was going crazy since then and it was only a day later. He couldn’t sleep, not with all the thoughts that were on his mind. He couldn’t accept the fact that she was right and that he wanted to fuck her.

He looked over at the time and saw it was 1 am. It was late but he bet she was still up so he got up and went to her house. He walked up to the door and knocked on it. 5 seconds later she opened the door and her face fell at the sight. She didn’t wanna see him at all. “Leave.” She told him and went to shut the door but he stopped her. “Can I kiss you?” He asked and her hand fell from the door, shock written all over her face.

“What?” She asked, not even sure she heard him correctly. “I want to kiss you. Can I?” He asked. “What makes you think I still want you?” She asked him with a smirk. He shook his head with a laugh and pulled her to him so he could kiss her. Once their lips touch it was like a fire had started between them. He pushes her inside the house, without breaking the kiss. He closes the door and takes off his jacket causing her to pull away from the kiss to see his muscular arms. 

She pulls off her tank top revealing her tits to him. He stares for a second before pining her to the wall with a kiss. She kisses back with just as much passion and lust that he had. Her hands moved up his black shirt he had on that fit in all the right places. His hands were on the wall by her head. She pulled on the shirt, begging him to take it off. He broke the kiss and removed it, throwing it somewhere in the room.

He leaned down and began kissing her neck, barely giving her a second to breathe. She let out a gasp and her hands were on his neck and moved down until they were over his torso. He was so built and strong, so sexy.  His hands moved from the wall to her shorts as he he stuck on of his hands in them and felt her panties. They were soaked and just the slightest touch had her moaning his name.

He smirked against her neck and moved her panties aside to touch her bare clit, “Pope.” She moaned. He gathered her juices on his finger before pushing a finger inside of her. She gasped and gripped his shoulders, head falling back against the wall. “You’re right, I couldn’t get you out of my mind.” He whispered in her ear as he began thrusting his finger.

She let out a whimper at his words. His finger was thrusting in and out of her as her hips stuttered against him, daring to move. Her hands moved to his muscular back and gripped, her nails digging in his skin causing him to curse. He loved the feeling of her leaving scratches on his back and the way her pussy squeezes his finger. He decided to add another one causing her to cry out.

Her hips began meeting his thrust, each time she moaned. It was like music to his ears as he pulled back to watch her. She looked so beautiful and so focused on getting her orgasm. One of her hands moved down to her clit and she began rubbing, “No.” Pope said and moved her hand off of her, causing her to whine. Pope replaced her fingers with his, “Does that feel better?” He asked and she nodded.

It really did, better than anything she could ever imagine. Her breathing was hard and her hips were stuttering, her pussy was going crazy around his finger and he could tell that she was close, “You close baby?” He asked and she nodded, eager to cum. He removed his fingers before she could cum which made her whine. He took his fingers and licked them, tasting her pussy. Her jaw dropped at the dirty sight in front of her.

She truly couldn’t believe that he was doing this. He dropped to the floor, face to face with her cunt that was still throbbing. He grabbed her legs and threw them over her shoulder. He looked up at her as she looked down with need, “Pope.” She whispered. He wasn’t sure if it was a beg but he leaned forward and licked her clit, never looking away. She squeaked at the feeling and that made him repeat his actions. Her hand moved to his hair, “Please.” She whispered and begged him to do something.

He dove into her pussy causing her to nearly scream, he chuckled against her, the vibrations feeling amazing. She arched her back, trying to move her hips but his hands kept them pinned to the wall. She hated this but was too weak in pleasure to fight it. Her pussy was clenching around nothing as his perfect lips sucked on her clit. She starts whimpering and sobbing as her orgasm crawls back up from before. She needed it, she needed it so bad.

He does something unexpected before she could fall over the edge. He stands up with her legs still over his shoulders. She gasps and throws her head back with a sob, cumming all over his face. Her eyes roll as Pope runs his nose over her clit, helping her ride out her orgasm. She opens her eyes after a minute and looks down to see Pope’s lips and nose covered in her cum.

She laughs and he helps her down before she kisses him, moaning at the taste of herself over his tongue. She pulled away and licked the rest of it off his face. If he wasn’t hard before, he was now. Y/N drops to her knees to repay the favor, unzipping his jeans and pulling them down. Her eyes widened at the sight of the bulge in his boxers, he looked huge and she hasn’t even seen it yet. She pulled down his boxers and gasped, he was huge. His eyes stared down at her, waiting for her next move.

She looked up at him and smirked before running her thumb over the tip. He bit back a groan that threatened to leave his mouth. Her soft hand wrapped around his dick, slowly moving it to jerk him off. He closed his eyes for a moment, breaking the eye contact as he tried not to make any noise. She smirked and licked the tip, watching his eyes open. He could’ve came at the sight. Her eyes never leave his as her mouth takes him whole. He struggled to keep still as she started bobbing her head.

Curse words and her name leave his mouth in a whisper as she moaned against him. His hips bucked nearly causing her to gag. Drool was all over her chin and his cock as he fucked her mouth, trying not to hurt her. She felt herself get wet again at the sight of him trying to hold back. She didn’t want him to so she started swallowing and his hips bucked and thrusting forward hard. Her hands were placed on his thighs as she gripped them.

He started twitching in her mouth and she heard a deep moan from his chest as he came down her throat. He threw his head back as she swallowed all of it and pulls off him. He looks down at her as she wipes her mouth, her lips were swollen and her throat hurt a little but it was so worth it. She stood up and gave him a smirk, “I’ve dreamt of this moment.” She tells him and he cups her face. “How do these dreams end?��� He asked her. “With you fucking me up the shower wall, fast and hard while I scream your name and hold on for dear life.” She whispered against his lips. “Where’s the shower?” He asked.

The hot water was hitting both of their bodies, steaming up the room as the water ran over both of them. The room was hot, hotter than it’s ever been as his hips snapped into her. The noises she made echoed in the bathroom and her arms wrapped around Pope as he grunted softly in her ear. She felt like she could barely breathe from how hot it was but it was so worth it.

Her legs wrapped around his waist as one arm was wrapped around her and the other placed on the shower wall. “Was this how your dream went?” He asked her, breathing hard in her ear. “This is so much better.” She whined and clenched around him. “Fuck.” He growled and lost his rhythm getting close to the edge. 

Breathy moans leave his lips as he twitches inside of her, “Fuck Pope.” She cries out and holds his head to her neck. “Cum for me.” He says as his hips lose all rhythm he had. Her eyes roll and she lets out the most pornographic moan he’s ever heard as she cums all over him.  He thrusts a few more times before he lets out a grunt and cums, filling her up. 

Pope and Y/N walk into Smurfs house with his arm around her. Everyone turns to look at them and J looks shocked. His jaw is dropped and Y/N winks at him. Pope walks over to him, “You can’t fuck her if you really wanted to.” He says to his nephew, causing her to laugh.  

[welostheplot]

── 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 ᨒ↟☾.࿔*:･ 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐢 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: vampire!ellie williams / werewolf!abby anderson / reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: after a near-death experience in your school's parking lot, you're left questioning what ellie might really be capable of. ancient secrets begin to surface and you start to wonder if there’s more to jackson—and to abby—than anyone’s letting on.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓: the briefest mention of incest (but it's not in the way you might be thinking, i swear!), technically underage drinking but it's not explicitly described.

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 4.4k

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: abby's back THANK GOODNESS!! one chapter without her was way too long... also! i've gotten a couple people asking to be tagged when new chapters are posted... guys i made my first tumblr post like a week ago i never thought people would be interested in my work enough that i'd need a tag list (ᵕ—ᴗ—) should i start using one?! and thank you so much for all the support!!!!

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦��𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 | 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐄 𝐈 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎: "friendly enough"

IT HAD SNOWED AGAIN LAST NIGHT.

and it hadn't been the soft, storybook kind that you see in christmas movies either. it was a wet, icy sleet storm that had turned the sidewalks into skating rinks and lasted well into the next day.

you’d slipped on some black ice on your porch steps that morning while leaving for school and earned a large wet patch on the ass of your skinny jeans. it almost made you walk right back inside and skip the whole day.

you were glad you didn’t.

the abysmal weather, for some reason, was perfect for the millers. they chose that day to make their grand return to school. and grand return wasn’t even an exaggeration. at lunch, they didn’t enter the cafeteria so much as descend into it, moving like a silent, coordinated unit.

ellie was the last to come through the double doors. she scanned the room and then her eyes landed on you.

your breath caught before you could stop it.

“dude, you have got to stop doing that,” said cassie, nudging your shoulder and breaking the moment. “she’s gonna think you’re, like, obsessed with her or something.”

you huffed out an awkward chuckle, tugging at the sleeves of your sweater and turning your attention back to your own table. devin and marcus were arm wrestling, nat cheering them on while leah filmed it on her camera.

“i’m not obsessed,” you mumbled.

“really? could’ve fooled me.” cassie pointed a ranch-dipped baby carrot at you accusatorily. “besides, i already told you it’s not worth it. i mean, yeah, they’re super hot. but also weird as fuck.”

“and borderline incestuous,” leah added, having given up on filming now that devin and marcus were fully wrestling on the cafeteria floor. "i'm pretty sure dina and jesse are, like, a thing. they're not actually related. but they live together! it's weird."

“literally,” cassie agreed. “total turn-off. unless you’re into that kinda stuff.” she gasped, dropping her voice. “you’re… not into that kinda stuff. right?”

you rolled your eyes, half laughing. “don’t be weird.”

“oh, so now i’m the weird one?!”

THE MILLERS BEING BACK MEANT YOU HAD A LAB PARTNER AGAIN.

ellie never really said hi. or looked thrilled to see you. but you weren’t doing two-person assignments solo anymore, so you chalked it up as a win.

"you missed our first quiz on friday," you said one day, halfway through class. your teacher was droning on about something to do with ribosomes.

ellie didn't look up from her notes. “wasn’t feeling well.”

you blinked. a response. actual words. “you feeling better now?”

she glanced at you then. brief. unreadable. “depends.”

“on?”

“whether or not you’re gonna keep asking questions.”

you raised a brow. “so that’s a no, then.”

ellie’s lips twitched. almost a smile.

“noted,” you said, turning back to your own notebook and pretending like your heart wasn’t thudding obnoxiously loud in your ears.

a couple days later, you passed her in the hall between third and fourth period. “hey,” you said before you could stop yourself.

ellie gave you a once-over. “you always say hi to people who are clearly ignoring you?”

you bit your lip, then decided to take a chance: “only the attractive ones.”

you saw the way she paused, her jaw flexed, like she was fighting off a smirk.

“dangerous habit,” she said, voice low and teasing. "yeah, well," you replied, backing up a step, "i’m a reeeeal rebel.”

ellie kept walking. didn’t look back. but you could’ve sworn you saw her shoulders shake—just once—as if she was laughing.

BY THURSDAY, YOU HAD BOTH FALLEN INTO A SORT-OF ROUTINE.

you’d show up to bio, ellie already in her seat—slouched and staring at the door like she had been waiting for your arrival. you did your lab work together, not much talking beyond what was necessary: “i think your answer for question three is wrong.” “i’m never wrong.”

she hadn’t ignored you once all week!

progress, you told yourself.

today, she had actually been what you’d describe as almost friendly. you were both hovering near the lockers, her shoulder brushing yours every so often as you flipped through the study guide you’d made for the bio quiz next period.

“hey,” a voice cut in, sudden and close enough to make you flinch.

a girl stepped up beside ellie. short, confident. dark curls framing sharp cheekbones.

“you must be the one ellie won’t shut up about.”

ellie glared at her. “dina.”

the girl just grinned. “what? i’m being friendly.”

she turned to you. “i’m dina. one of ellie’s very…. few friends.”

“uh, nice to meet you,” you said, thrown.

“you too,” dina replied, eyeing you with casual curiosity. “i’ve seen your car in the lot. that old red truck?”

you nodded. “hard to miss, huh?”

“it definitely has character,” she said, not unkindly. “but it could probably use some chains on the wheels.”

“funny, my dad said the same thing this morning. he wants to put some on this weekend.”

dina nodded, like that confirmed something. “makes sense. roads’ll get pretty icy the next couple days. worse than usual. you should be careful.”

something about the way she said it made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. it was like she knew something you didn’t.

ellie crossed her arms, visibly annoyed. “okay, are you done?”

“don’t be rude,” dina said. “i like her.”

your stomach flipped.

“anyway,” dina added, already turning to walk away, “don’t let me interrupt. good luck with the quiz!” she patted ellie’s shoulder, smiling knowingly. “i already know you’re gonna get a one hundred on it.”

then, she vanished down the hall, leaving behind a trail of confusion and spicy cinnamon perfume.

you turned back to ellie, still processing. “...she’s nice.”

ellie sighed. “we should get to class.”

the next day, you were twirling your pencil, waiting for your teacher to hand back the graded quizzes. when ellie got hers, there it was—bright red ink scrawled at the top of the page:

100%

she bit back a smile. nodded to herself.

then quietly slid the paper into her folder and tucked it away.

YOU ATE SHIT ON THE PORCH STEPS AGAIN THAT MORNING.

same patch of black ice. same bruised ego. and this time, you landed so hard you actually sat on the curb for a second just to wallow in the shame. when you finally limped back inside to change your jeans, your dad barely looked up from his coffee.

“thought i told you to salt those steps,” he said.

“you did, and i did,” you muttered, rubbing your ass. “it rained. and then sleeted. and then froze again.”

he sighed, pushing his mug away. “we’ll get those chains on your tires this weekend.”

“you can’t do it any earlier?”

“well,” he sniffed, flipping to the next page of the newspaper. “abby’s doing it. and that’s when she’s free.”

“so what am i supposed to do till then? crawl to school?”

“ride with a friend.”

and so you did.

nat picked you up fifteen minutes later, blasting the heater and looking way too chipper for how early it was.

“i like your sweater,” she said as you slid into the passenger seat. “it brings out your soulful eyes.”

you blinked. “okay, what?”

she stuttered, cheeks going bright red as she moved to click on the radio. “just— never mind. pretend i didn’t say that.”

you opened your mouth to respond, then closed it again, opting to lean your forehead against the fogged-up window in silence.

nat drove like a maniac, skidding around corners while singing along to the static-warped radio. “why are you in such a good mood?” you asked as she rolled into the school parking lot.

“because,” she said, “today’s the welcome back assembly. which means no third period. which means we’re basically doing nothing until lunch. and if there’s anything i love more than joel miller preaching to us about the city’s improvements while all the female teachers try not to cream their pants at the sight of him, it’s skipping math to sit in a freezing gym while it's happening.”

“you are deranged.”

“i am festive,” she corrected, winking as she pulled into a spot near the front.

you both climbed out of the car into the freezing morning. the ice crunched under your boots. you were in the middle of adjusting your backpack strap on your shoulder when it happened.

a sharp screech.

you turned.

marcus’s car was skidding out of control across the ice-coated parking lot, tires spinning uselessly, the vehicle veering sideways—straight toward you.

you barely registered nat yelling your name. didn’t even have time to move.

but someone else did.

arms—cold and fast and impossibly strong—wrapped around your waist and yanked you back just as the car crashed, full force, into the light post behind you.

the impact echoed like a gunshot. glass shattered. people screamed.

you were on the ground, heart racing, mind struggling to catch up with your body.

ellie.

ellie miller was kneeling over you.

you blinked up at her, dazed. her face was inches from yours. wild green eyes, lips pressed into a tight line.

she let go like you'd burned her.

“are you okay?” she asked, voice strained.

“you—” you sat up, breath hitching. “how did you get here so fast? you were, like—across the lot—i saw you—”

ellie stood up abruptly. “you’re not hurt?”

“no, but—ellie, what the hell just happened?”

nat appeared a second later, breathless. “oh my god, are you—what the fuck just happened? that was, like—holy shit—marcus almost killed you.”

you barely heard her. you were still staring at ellie, who was backing away, eyes on the pavement. marcus stumbled out of his car, shaken up but uninjured. a crowd had started forming. teachers were arriving. someone had called the nurse.

cassie ran up and crouched next to you, pulling an errant shard of glass from your hair. “and i thought the assembly was gonna be the most interesting part of the day.”

you got to your feet, unsteady. ellie was already stepping away, disappearing into the crowd before you could say another word.

and as your friends guided you toward the nurse, you had one overwhelming thought:

that hadn’t been normal.

and ellie knew it too.

THEY MADE YOU GO TO THE HOSPITAL.

even though you insisted you were fine—you had some mild bruising at most—your dad was already on his way before you could talk anyone down.

“they said you were almost hit by a car,” he said, practically throwing himself into the room once the nurse left. “why the hell am i hearing about this from a school receptionist?”

“because i didn’t actually get hit,” you mumbled. “i mean. not technically.”

“you’re lucky your ribs aren't broken,” he said, jaw clenched, eyes flicking back and forth between your IV line and the monitor tracking your heartbeat. “jesus, i can’t believe that kid almost took your life.”

“it wasn’t his fault.”

“he ran you over.”

“almost,” you corrected.

“i swear to god, i’m gonna kill him.”

from the other side of the curtain hung in the middle of the room, you heard a frightened whimper.

you and your dad both turned. the curtain rustled aside just enough to reveal marcus, laid up in the next hospital bed, a bandage on his forehead and an apologetic look on his face.

“i’m really really sorry, sir,” he said. “the road was—i couldn’t stop. it just happened so fast.”

“you shouldn’t even have a license,” your dad snapped. “you’ve got rust holding that car together. you shouldn’t be driving that piece of junk anywhere near a school.”

you scoffed under your breath. “ironic.”

your dad turned slowly. “what was that?”

“nothing.” you sank back against the pillow.

he opened his mouth to say something else, but the door creaked open.

joel miller stepped in, dressed down in a flannel and jeans. he greeted your dad with a firm handshake and a “sorry to hear about the accident,” before turning to you.

“you feelin’ alright?” he asked.

“uh. yeah.” you gave him a half-smile. “i’ve had worse. honestly, probably got bruised more slipping on ice this morning.”

your dad cleared his throat loudly and joel gave a polite, throaty laugh. “just wanted to come by and check in. council’s already coordinating with the school board about next steps. might be time to look into some serious ice mitigation.” he glanced at the monitor beside your bed. “but i’ll get out of your hair now. 'pologies again about all the trouble.”

he slipped out of the room quickly after.

“maybe they should also coordinate on the fact that they need to cancel school when the roads are shit,” marcus muttered.

you ignored him. you hadn’t missed how joel’s eyes lingered on you for a second too long. like he was studying something. and it made you uneasy.

you felt itchy.

“gonna stretch my legs,” you said suddenly, swinging your legs over the side of the bed before your dad could protest.

“you need to take it easy,” your dad warned.

“yeah, yeah. i’m just gonna walk the hallway. the beeping’s giving me a migraine.”

he didn’t argue. you slipped out of the room, hospital socks padding softly against the tile floor.

the hallway was quiet.

you rounded a corner—then froze.

just ahead, voices.

you ducked behind a wall just in time.

“—wasn’t gonna let her die,” came ellie’s voice, low and frustrated.

“you don’t get to make that call,” joel said sharply.

“what was i supposed to do? let her get fucking steamrolled in the parking lot?”

“you’re not supposed to draw attention, ellie.”

“too late,” another voice cut in—sharp, feminine. “maybe you actually should’ve let her get steamrolled. would’ve nipped that little obsession you have with her in the bud.”

you blinked. jesus.

joel’s voice turned to steel. “riley.”

“what?” the girl—riley—sounded exasperated. “you really think this town is gonna be different than the others if she starts snooping around?”

“enough,” joel snapped. “we’ve got company.”

you flinched, then slowly peeked around the corner. joel was looking right at you.

riley groaned and turned away. “i’m over this.”

joel gave ellie a look. something unreadable passed between them before he turned to you again. “glad you’re feeling better,” he said smoothly, then walked off after riley.

you and ellie were left alone.

she was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. hands balled into fists.

you stepped closer. “so... what was that about?”

“don’t start,” she said flatly.

“i’m just curious.”

“you’re always curious.”

“you give me a lot to be curious about.”

ellie looked at you, something stormy flickering behind her eyes. “you need to leave it alone,” she said quietly. “seriously.”

you didn’t reply right away.

she sighed.

“i mean it. you ask the wrong question to the wrong person, and... it won’t end well.”

“are you threatening me?”

“no.” her voice softened just a little. “i’m warning you.”

YOU WEREN’T TRYING TO INTERROGATE ELLIE MILLER.

you were just… talking to her. a lot.

and noticing things.

cassie, ever observant and entirely too nosy, clocked it immediately.

“you’re doing the thing,” she said one day during homeroom.

“what thing?”

“the thing where you ignore all my warnings about how freakish the millers are and proceed to ask, like, twelve different questions about them over the course of a week.”

you frowned. “it’s not twelve.”

“it’s ten and counting. i’ve been keeping track.”

you scribbled a mindless doodle into the corner of your notebook. “it’s not like that.”

cassie smirked. “sure.”

and okay—maybe she had a tiny point.

after the hospital, something shifted. ellie wasn’t warm, exactly. but she wasn’t ice cold either. her usual glare had softened to a squint. and sometimes, if you caught her off guard, she’d seem even genuinely interested in what you had to say.

you didn’t know what to do with that.

so you kept testing the waters.

attempt #1: bio lab

you nudged her notebook with your pencil.

“your notes are, like, impossible to follow.”

“they’re not impossible,” she said, without looking up. “they’re just for me.”

you squinted at the chicken scratch.

“what even is that? cursive?”

“alien.”

you stared at her. she glanced up.

“kidding,” she said, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “it’s shorthand. you can’t read it.”

“how convenient.”

“maybe you should just pay attention instead of trying to steal my work.”

you flushed. “i’m not stealing.”

“sure,” she said. “you just really like my handwriting.”

you bit your lip to hide a smile.

attempt #4: the parking lot

you were leaning against your car after school, waiting on cassie and leah, when she appeared. no footsteps. no sound. she was just there.

you jumped.

“jesus—”

“chains on your tires yet?” she asked.

you blinked. “what?”

“you mentioned it. last week. your dad said he’d take care of it.”

you narrowed your eyes. “…you remembered that?”

she shrugged. “yeah, i guess i did.”

you stared at her.

she stared back.

"what does it matter to you?”

“just don’t want to have to save you again,” she muttered.

you smiled. “so you admit it. you saved me.”

“oh my god,” she groaned, turning to walk away.

attempt #7: the hallway

you tried to catch her walking between periods.

“hey. wait up.”

ellie paused. didn’t stop walking. just slowed a little.

you fell into step beside her.

“so,” you said casually, “when you… saved me… you moved fast.”

ellie bristled. “...okay?”

“like, really fast.”

she didn’t look at you. “guess adrenaline does that.”

“right,” you said. “but i heard marcus didn’t even hit the brake before you were already pulling me back.”

she stopped walking.

you nearly bumped into her.

“what do you want me to say?” she asked, voice quiet. not angry. just tired. “that i’ve got superpowers?”

you stared at her.

she shook her head. “you need to stop asking questions.”

and, finally, attempt #10: the cafeteria

you slid up next to her on the lunch line, her hood up and face blank as the lunch lady slapped a sloppy joe onto her tray. “so… beach this weekend?”

her brows lifted. “what?”

“we’re planning a trip to colter bay. cassie’s idea. you should come.”

ellie blinked. something in her jaw twitched.

“i don’t do colter bay. actually, i don’t do beaches, period.”

“why not?”

“sand.”

“that’s it? sand?”

“and people,” she added. “and crowds. and being expected to wear a bathing suit.”

you laughed. “you’re a total recluse, huh?”

she shrugged.

“well, the invitation’s open,” you said, nudging her tray. “to, like, all of you.”

ellie didn’t answer.

but her eyes lingered on you a little longer than necessary.

NAT HAD INSISTED ON STOPPING AT A GAS STATION TO PEE.

completely unnecessary, given the drive was only forty minutes, but somehow had turned into twenty minutes of intense debate about what snacks to get and an accidental slushie spill. by the time you rolled up to colter bay, the sun was already beginning to dip, casting a golden haze over the shoreline.

“ugh, i can’t wait to come here when it’s actually hot out again,” devin declared, climbing out of the car and snapping a picture immediately.

you were busy hauling a grocery bag of marshmallows and wine coolers when you spotted a familiar figure walking down the edge of the beach. blonde braid, bulky jacket, broad shoulders.

“well, well,” she said, grinning when she saw you. “look who brought the party.”

“you heard about this?” you asked, surprised.

“manny’s been hyping it up for days,” she said. “he was under the impression there was gonna be ‘hella hot chicks.’ his words, not mine.”

you snorted. “unfortunately, it’s just cassie, leah, devin, and nat. and me. i hope that counts.”

“i dunno,” abby said, giving you a slow once-over. “i definitely think you qualify.”

“abby, shut up and stop flirting” came a voice from behind her—taller guy, long hair, goofy smile. manny, presumably.

the rest of them trailed behind:

nora, serious-faced and sharp-eyed;

mel, eyes lighting up at the sight of the wine coolers;

and owen, who seemed very invested in figuring out who abby was allegedly flirting with.

they all looked... at ease out here. like they did this all the time.

“hey, weren’t the millers invited to this?”

you glanced back at cassie. “yeah i invited them,” you said a little too quickly.

“they never come here,” nora said, sharp and dismissive—almost eager to shut it down.

abby shot her a warning look, but nora just shrugged.

“what?” she said. “i’m just saying. this is our lake.”

“i don’t think it can be your anything,” nat said, half-laughing. “it’s a state park.”

“yeah, sure,” manny said, but there was something weird in the way they all looked at each other.

abby broke the tension with a half-smile. “don’t mind them. they get a little territorial about colter bay. it’s like… home turf.”

“ellie had said she might come,” you muttered quietly, mostly to yourself.

abby nudged your shoulder with hers. “her loss.”

YOU AND ABBY WANDERED OFF AFTER THE SECOND ROUND OF S’MORES.

“you wanna skip rocks?” she asked, already veering off the path toward the lake’s edge.

you nodded. “sure. but i’m warning you now, i have horrible aim.”

“figured,” she smirked. “you’ve got that indoor girl kinda vibe.”

“rude,” you said, scoffing, but it made you smile.

the two of you settled near the shoreline. the lake was quiet now—just the occasional ripple breaking across its surface, catching the light from the stars and the firepit behind you.

“so,” you said, rubbing your arms against the cold, “you guys always hang out way out here?”

abby shrugged. “we live out here. my family, my friends. the rest of the WLF's. always have.”

abby crouched to pick up a flat stone. “you ever hear the stories about this place?”

“like what, ghost stories?”

she tossed the stone. it skimmed once, twice, then sank. “sorta. depends on who you ask.”

you mirrored her, finding your own stone and hurling it with zero technique. it plunked into the water with a pathetic plop.

“they say our people come from wolves,” she chuckled. “wyoming liberation front? WLF? wolf? makes sense.”

“pretty on the nose.”

she ignored that. “and there was another group. back then they called themselves the fireflies. different kind of power. colder. not from the land like we are.”

“and let me guess,” you said. “they were your rivals.”

abby nodded. “my great-grandfather... he caught a group of fireflies on our land, doing something they shouldn’t have.”

“so what happened?”

“he made a deal,” she said. “the fireflies could stay—so long as they didn’t step foot on our land again. in exchange, we wouldn’t tell anyone what we knew. we’d keep our secret. they’d keep theirs.”

you turned that over in your mind. “but that was a long time ago. it still matters now?”

“the millers? they’re fireflies. or what’s left of them. the treaty still stands. it’s why they didn’t come here today.”

you swallowed. “and if they did?”

abby’s face turned serious. “we don’t cross the line. they don’t cross it either.”

there was a finality to the way she said it.

“so what are you guys now?” you asked quietly. “still wolves?”

abby met your gaze. “we’re protectors. of each other. of this place. and sometimes,” her voice dropped, “of people who don’t even know they need protecting.”

your heart stuttered.

"right,” you said, turning back toward the firepit glowing in the distance.

THE BELL ABOVE THE DOOR JINGLED AS YOU STEPPED INTO THE WARM DINER.

your dad was already in his usual booth, newspaper unfolded in front of him, cup of black coffee half-drained.

he glanced up as you slid into the seat across from him, folding the paper in half with one hand. “you’re late.”

“blame leah,” you muttered. “she wanted to walk me through every second of her dream where devin asked her to prom in front of the whole school. with an acoustic guitar. in a tuxedo.”

“romantic,” he deadpanned. “didn’t know teenage boys were capable of that much effort.”

“devin’s barely capable of remembering his own locker combo.”

he grunted a laugh and went back to skimming the paper. the waitress dropped off two menus and topped off your dad’s mug with steaming hot coffee.

“another animal attack,” he said, frowning at the front page. “that’s the third this month.”

you blinked. “where?”

“outside the east edge of town. ranger found what was left of a hiker yesterday morning.”

you took a sip of water, trying to tamp down the chill that slid down your spine. fiddled with the peeling lamination on the menu.

he flipped the paper and took a sip of coffee. “you alright? been kinda quiet since… y’know.”

you didn’t answer right away. your finger traced a line through the condensation on your glass. “i’m fine.”

he glanced up at you, squinting. “you sure?”

“yeah,” you said. “i mean. abby put the chains on my tires. so you can stop worrying about that.”

he grunted. “finally. car like yours needs all the help it can get in this weather.”

“rude.”

“honest.”

“i’m fine,” you repeated. “really. and marcus still won’t stop apologizing even though i told him it’s all good.”

“kid deserves to grovel a little. he’s lucky i didn’t file a report and drag his ass to court.”

you rolled your eyes, a smile tugging at your lips. “his car’s worse off than mine.”

“well, his license should be revoked either way. driving that junker through black ice…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

you let his voice and the chatter in the diner fade into the background as you glanced out the window.

your mind wasn’t on marcus. or your car. or even school.

it was on what abby said at colter bay.

they’re fireflies. or what’s left of them.

the beeping of a microwave from the kitchen pulled you back.

you tapped your nail against your water glass. “hey, dad?”

he looked up, one eyebrow raised.

“…do you ever get the feeling like something’s coming, but you don’t know what?”

he studied you for a second, then leaned back and blew out a slow breath through his nose.

“i think that crash rattled you more than you’re letting on.”

you sighed, shaking your head. “i told you, i’m fine.”

he hummed, clearly not buying it, but didn’t push. reached for his coffee instead.

outside, the sky had turned a heavy grey, and there was a weight to the air that hadn’t been there before.

this work is mine. please don’t repost, copy, or publish elsewhere without permission. thank you!

[forsaken-headcanons]

ive been waiting to put this here for sooo long

Anyways heres a few headcanons and an au.

-All the kidds actually sound different pre-forsaken, and i think they would sound like the kittens in Aristocats(cough cough pr3ttypriincess as marie-). Maybe part of the reason n7 doesn’t recognize c00lkidd?

-Guess what. Two time headcanon. Yknow how their hair is super spikey? Give them Pinkie Pie Hair Physics. If they weren’t so insane it would actually look less like a hedgehog and more like frizzled hair.

-Bald 77noli. Thats it. Both got hit with the bald. (Insert the “Oh my god! She’s bald! She’s bald and she’s torturing people who have hair!” Meme here.)

anyways heres the au.

I read somewhere here that Would You Fall In Love With Me from Epic: The Musical(Winions arise) fit Azuretime, and it did, but not completely. So thats why i made an entire au just so it fit better-

An AU where both Two Time and Azure escape the Spawn cult, but Azure still dies to one of she cult members or amarah finding and killing him(I need him to get forsakened for it to fit-). After escaping the spectre’s realm, and reunites with Two Time, telling them that he isn’t the man they fell inlove with in the past, etc

(JUST LISTEN TO THE SONG OR THE ENTIRE MUSICAL I PROMISE ITS ALL BANGERS. I dont listen much to the cyclops saga tho because. Pancake.)

(Also i once thought of an Epic x Forsaken au where everyone is just. Different two time skins. Anyways bye.)

-(I forgot my anon tag, i think it had 🌟🌌🪄 or something? Its been a lotta days since my last ask here so i dont know if i can find it-) anon

we... actually couldn't find any anon tags similar in the list... either whoever answered your ask didn't add it in, or what you remember isn't accurate. EITHER WAY! we'll js make this one a new anon tag! :D anywho onto the headcanons themselves hshsd

ohh aristocats mentioned... you are SO correct. pr3typriincess Would sound like one of the kittens

THEY'RE BALD

oh god that au sounds tragic. we fear tt will Never recover. dude... 💔💔 ): what is WITH yall and avoiding joy and whimsy at all times /silly /pos

[noctiva]

Hi hi, hope you’re doing good today!

I was wondering how you think Toby would be with a tall girl? I’m 6’2 and I only trust the Toby conasewer (I’m dyslexic and give up on spelling correctly) to help feed my Toby thoughts

hi hi!!! I am doing well today 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

okay, so, when I think about Toby I really don’t think he has a “type” per se, genuinely I just think he’s the type to just… know it when he sees it y’know? he’s not outwardly seeking anything specific, he just falls in love (obsession lol) hard and fast, and immediately becomes convinced his s/o is the person of his dreams

so! taller gf? he’s SOOOO down. maybe it’ll throw him for a loop at first because he just never really…considered it before ig? but as I said, he is not picky in any sense of the word so just like the rest of you - he’s quickly enamoured with your height too.

depending on how tall you hc toby to be (I personally see him as like.. 6’ even probably) but I’ve just got this image of like a 5’7 Toby with a 6 foot something girlfriend and I’m all giddy LOLLL. First things first - he’s a dog, so he likes that when you hug him he gets a nice face full of your tits every time lmfao. you’ll probably just have to get used to him clinging onto you like a koala with his nose buried in your cleavage. dude likes tits 🤷‍♀️ this is a huge win for him.

He’d like it when you wear his shirts because they’re a little cropped on you, and that means he gets to run his fingers against that little sliver of skin every time you stretch. He secretly likes that he has to tilt his head up to look at you, and lean up onto his toes to get kisses. You’ll have to pry it out of him - but he really just thinks is hot lolll. Makes him softer. He’s always overcompensating and putting up this big tough strong man front around everyone, and you being taller kinda… puts a wrench in all that.

It’s like,, he’s got a bunch of unpacked baggage from shit his dad shoved down his throat when he was younger, so he’s always been under the impression that he’d have to be the stronger ‘protector’ figure in his relationships. Ergo, taller. Because like, societal norms and all that. BUT when he falls in love he falls in love, and he’s not just going to brush past you because of stuff HIS DAD said that his brain still clings onto.

In fact, it probably makes him a little satisfied to know that his dad would probably hate it

[beannoss]

SxF RA 2025: volume 1! (pt 2)

Answering a couple of the general questions!

What stood out to you now vs. the first read?

Kyaaaa so this really struck me this time around:

I've been trying to wrestle with Yor's apparent pursuit for normality, because it has always to me felt like Yor forcing herself…? Or maybe a better way to say it is that it felt like an inorganic pursuit for her: not out-of-character, to be clear, just not a deeply held desire, I suppose. And reading the above thought, after Yor is watching the normal families at Camilla's party, after she's been called 'weird' several times, it really hit me. That’s Yuri’s want for her. And similarly, her colleagues are pressuring her to conform, it’s their wants on her, their discomfort with her being non-normative, their want for social homogeny.

Then especially paired and contrasted with these, later:

I don't think Yor wants normal, exactly; as she eventually notes without explicitly saying it's her heart's desire, I think she just wants to be accepted as herself.

Like look at her, once she's decided:

There's no escaping her!!!! (I am also once again asking tumblr for the ability to re-size images, damn.)

But also this, I know that strictly speaking I'm not ~revealing something new. But to the point of the questions, I guess it struck me anew that we've got established that Yor doesn't necessarily consciously know what she wants, and absent anything else, she’ll go with what others want for and from her, if only to keep the peace. And yet when something really strikes her on an intuitive level, when she's really emotionally moved, she knows. She's called weird a bunch throughout chapter two, but I don't think Yor thinks she's weird, I think she just thinks she's Yor. And she just wants someone to recognise that.

Then Twilight first speaks admiringly of her hard work and her sacrifices for Yuri, and then is delighted by her skills kicking the dude across the alley, and I think it’s the epitome of the phrase “it was everything she never knew she wanted.”

I know she later has some complicated feelings about normality, but one of the abiding themes, I think, in Spy x Family is also that those who cleave closest to normality are often the least happy, the least at peace. And Twilight will speak to that in an upcoming chapter, too: I'm excited to see it now, with these thoughts in mind!

Skimming ahead to the final question (as I don't have any thoughts on the others for this volume!)

Given that you know what happens next, is there something* you'd like to change?

This is sort of a... wondering? more than wanting to change anything, per se. Of course, the way of longform storytelling, creators are still working out who their characters are/their settings/their plot priorities/etc etc in the early parts of the story. I wonder if Endo would go back and change or finesse or alter anything, especially maybe as regards Twilight, who oddly maybe feels the most different, knowing now what we do. Don't get me wrong: I think a lot of Twilight is there from the start. But there are a few things when contrasting Twilight then to Twilight now, that I wonder about. (And much as I adore the gags, I also wonder if Endo might scrub Yor's predilection with the guillotine and the knife from ch 3, since iirc that hasn't come up again... 🤔)

<- to part 1 |

[zayn-210]

THE ENEMY - christopher chahn bahng

it's never been easy getting along with him, but the world works in funny ways, and one project leads to things you've only ever dreamed about before.

warnings: afab!reader, college!au, chris is lowkey down bad, a few uses of y/n, making out in the studio, swearing

God, he hated you. Chris would even go as far to say he loathed you. Everything was a competition between the two of you ever since you found out you were tied for the top of your class.

Chris swore he hated those stupid little skirts you would wear, but his fingers were always itching to rip them off of you. He hated your oversized sweaters, but deep down, he wished they were his.

He hated how neat and organized your notes were, and he hated how fucking perfect you were.

Which is exactly why today's production class was going to be the death of him.

You were sitting directly next to him, not even paying the slightest bit of attention to him as you tapped away at your laptop. The professor begins reading off the partners for a project that was worth nearly 50% of your grade.

"Christopher and Y/n."

His head shoots up. Oh fuck.

You nod at your professor, jotting down the deadlines in your planner.

When class ends, Chris sighs loudly, hitting his head dramatically on the desk.

"Don't hit your head too hard, you might knock all of the brain cells out," you say, slipping your laptop into your bag.

Chris scoffs. "You say that like you care about me."

"I care about this project grade being worth 50% of my grade," you reply.

The two of you sit there, neither of you breaking the eye contact.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! Will you two quit? We have another class to get to," Changbin, one of Chris's close friends, yells as he walks out.

You snap out of it, smoothing your skirt down as you stand. "Can I see your phone?"

Chris cocks an eyebrow at you. "And why would I do that?"

You roll your eyes. "So we can set up a time to work on the project, idiot."

Chris reluctantly hands you his phone. "I thought you were flirting with me for a second."

You laugh, and it's a dry, sarcastic sound. "In your dreams, Christopher." You hand him his phone back. "I'll text you later when I'm at the studios."

Chris watches as you exit the classroom, your hair fluttering behind you as you go. As soon as you're gone, he groans.

"Dude, you have got to grow some balls and ask her out," Changbin says as Chris joins him in the hall.

"I don't want to hear it right now," Chris replies, rubbing his face tiredly.

It takes all day for you to text him.

Every time his phone lit up, Chris would pick it up, hoping it was you.

'y/n - does friday at 730pm work for you? we'll be in studio 4'

He swears his heart does a flip in his chest.

'christopher - yep'

Chris sets his phone down and walks into the kitchen.

"Dude, party at Delta Gamma on Friday, you in?" Felix asks.

"Can't, I've got a project date with Y/n."

Seungmin's jaw drops. "No way you got paired with her."

"Yeah, unfortuantely," Chris grumbles as he rummages through the fridge for something to eat.

"She's going to eat you alive, man," Minho comments.

"Oh, please! He would let her," Jisung adds.

Friday night at 7:30 p.m. sharp, Chris walks into Studio 4 carrying his laptop and headphones.

You're already there, legs tucked up under you as you adjust a couple of settings on the computer. At the sound of the door opening, you turn around. "Oh, hey," you say.

"Hey." Chris sits down in the other chair, opening up his laptop. "So, what were you thinking for this?" he asks timidly.

"Honestly, I was waiting to hear your input."

He gives you a look.

"What? If we're going to work on this together, we might as well get along. And it's only gonna be worse if we're at each other's throats the whole time," you explain.

"That's fair."

Chris leans back in his chair as he thinks. The sound of your typing fills the quiet room.

"What if we embraced the hate?"

You look over at him. "Go on."

"Like, we write a song about two people hating each other but deep down, they really care about each other."

You nod, your brain already working. "That sounds really good, actually. Okay, I'll tackle lyrics and rhythm, you tackle the sounds?"

Chris nods, scooting towards his laptop.

The studio falls silent as the two of you work. Occasionally, you slide your laptop closer to Chris for his input on a lyric, and he passes you his headphones so you can hear what he's putting down.

After a few hours, the song is fully written and all that's left is vocals.

"Are we singing this or are we recruiting some friends to do it?" Chris asks.

"I think we can do it."

He looks over at you as you look up at him.

"If you're cool with it, of course," you add.

Chris nods. "Yeah, I'd like that."

He holds your gaze for a few minutes until you snap out of it.

"Shit, I have an early lecture tomorrow!" You jump up, putting everything into your bag. "Can we meet again on Sunday? Around noon?" you ask, sliding your bag over your shoulder.

"Yeah, of course."

You pull out your phone and check the bus schedule. A groan leaves your lips as you see the buses are done running for the day. "God, I don't want to walk all the way across campus," you mutter as you head towards the door.

"Do you want a ride?" Chris offers.

You look over at him and nod softly. "Yes, please."

Chris nods, grabbing his stuff.

The two of you walk quietly to his car. The cool air of the night blows around you, making you shiver as it slides through your thin shirt. Without a second thought, Chris is sliding off his letterman's jacket and putting over your shoulders.

"Christopher, I'm fine-"

"You're shivering. Wear the damn jacket, please."

With a sigh, you give in, sliding your arms into the sleeves.

He opens the door for you when you get to his car, which shocks you.

Who knew Chris could be such a gentleman? you think to yourself as he climbs into the driver's seat.

Chris turns the key and his black Mustang rumbles to life. "Which building are you in?"

"South Tower," you tell him.

Chris turns around, his hand braced on the headrest behind your head. You never understood why people found that attractive until now. Chris bites his lip in concentration, the veins in his hand flexing as he steers the car one-handed. You admire him for a minute before looking away bashfully.

The drive to your dorm is silent. So much silence, you think.

Chris parks the car and you open your door, stepping out. You start to slide his jacket off, but he stops you.

"Keep it. Don't want you freezing to death on your way up to your dorm."

You feel a blush on your face as you wrap his jacket around your body tighter. "Thanks for the ride," you say as you lean down to see him.

"Any time," he replies with a grin. "So, I'll see you Sunday?"

You nod. "See you Sunday, Chris."

You're bombarded the second you walk into your dorm room.

"Okay, spill!" Jisoo, your best friend and roommate, demands.

"Spill what?" you ask as you set your things down on your desk.

"You're wearing Chris's jacket!" she exclaims.

You had almost forgotten that. "Oh, yeah. I was cold walking to his car, so he gave me his jacket." You slide out of said jacket and put it over the back of your chair, the last name "BAHNG" big and bold on the back.

"Girl!" Jisoo gives you a pointed look. "You were walking around wearing his last name! Chris just told every guy that saw you to back off," she explains.

"What are you even talking about?"

She rolls her eyes dramatically. "For someone so smart, you're so fucking dense sometimes."

"Thanks, Ji, love you, too," you reply as you gather your things for a shower.

"Chris fucking likes you, you idiot!"

You whirl around to face her. "Oh, please! We can't stand each other!"

"And that's why you're next to him in every class then, hm?" Jisoo asks, sitting up on her bed.

"Jisoo, it's the professors that put us together, not ourselves," you say.

"Maybe it's because the tension between you two is killing everyone around you," she retorts.

"Remind me why I put up with you again?" you say as you grab your robe.

"You love me!" Jisoo calls as you walk out of your room.

Sunday rolls around, and Jisoo blocks your path.

"No way, you are not going to meet the number one guy on everyone's fuck list looking like that," she says, ushering you back into your room.

"What's wrong with my outfit?" you ask.

You're dressed in a hoodie and a pair of black leggings with Converse.

"The whole slutty school girl look you have going for you works so much better! Don't you want him to listen to you?" Jisoo says as she rummages through your closet. "Oh, yeah! This is perfect."

She hands you a white tennis skirt and a tight red sweater with a deep V neck. Jisoo also tosses white knee-high socks and a red ribbon in your direction.

"What's the ribbon for?" you say as you pick it up.

"Your hair, or for something else," Jisoo replies with a wink. She sets your Mary Janes down in front of you and smiles. "Get dressed, Cinderella. Your fairy godmother needs time to work her magic."

Twenty minutes later, you're out the door and looking twenty times hotter than before. You walk out of your building with Chris's jacket draped over your arm, and you nearly drop everything in your hands due to shock.

Chris is there, leaning against his Mustang while he scrolls on his phone.

"Chris!" you exclaim

"Hey," he says, looking up. Chris's jaw drops as he takes you in.

"Hi," you say with a small smile.

Your hair is curled and pulled up in to a half-up, half-down style with your bangs hanging loose. The red velvet ribbon is just the finishing touch.

"I brought your jacket," you tell him, handing it over.

"Oh, t-thanks," he stutters, taking it from you.

Chris opens your door, letting you get in before he shuts it. He sets his jacket in the back then sits in the driver's seat.

The drive to the studio is quiet, and you absently mess with the hem of your skirt.

"You okay? You seem tense," Chris says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I'm good. My roommate just said something and it's bugging me," you reply.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he offers.

You shake your head. "No, I'm good. Thank you, though."

The two of you walk into the studio and get set up.

"Do you want to just run it a couple of times with the two of us first before we record?" Chris asks.

You nod. "Yeah, it'll be better if we can get a feel for each other's voices before we really try to record."

You step into the booth and start adjusting microphones and headsets. You're lowering a mic for yourself when Chris walks in.

He steps in wordlessly beside you, messing with some of the settings. Chris's hand touches yours as he moves to adjust something on your mic. Something electric flows from his hand to yours as he brushes past. You step out of the booth to grab a couple of water bottles and the rest of the sheet music from your bag.

"Here," you say, passing him a copy of the music and a water.

"Thanks."

Once everything's set up, Chris starts the track and it's time to sing.

You can tell from the corner of your eye that he's shocked at your voice, but you don't quite catch the way his eyes practically sparkle as he watches you.

When his voice joines you for the harmonies the two of you created, Chris swears he feels his heart explode. He was completely in love with you, practically head over heels. He never picked girls up from their dorms nor did he willingly give them his letterman's jacket and let them keep it for a night.

What the hell is going on with me? he asks himself as you wrap up the first take.

"How'd that feel?" you ask, taking your headphones off and setting them down.

"Really good," Chris mumbles.

"One more time, just for good measure?"

Chris nods, going to restart the track.

Your verse and the first chorus flow smoothly, but when it's Chris's turn, he freezes. You look over at him and sigh, brushing past him to turn off the track.

"What's going on with you?" you ask as you step back into the booth.

"Nothing, nothing!" he replies, blushing furiously.

"Doesn't seem like nothing," you say, leaning your weight into one hip.

Chris groans, pulling his headphones off and running his hands through his hair. "Really, I'm fine."

You grab his hand and pull him out into the studio. Chris is shocked when you shove him down into a chair and sit across from him. "Talk."

His gaze snaps to you. "What?"

"Talk. We're not going to get anything done if you're out of it like this, so talk. What's going on?" you ask, more sternly than before.

"Fine, you really want to know?"

You nod.

"It's you. It's the way you carry yourself, the way you always have an answer everytime I have a question. It's the way you dress. I fucking love those tiny ass skirts and I want nothing more than to rip them off of you. Or those fucking oversized sweaters that I wish were mine. I convinced myself that if I hated you, these feelings would go away, but fuck. They're worse than before, and when I picked you up today and saw how gorgeous you were, I almost got on my knees right then and there. I know we can't stand each other, but God, I fucking adore you."

Your jaw is slighly dropped as you take in everything Chris just said. He moves to get up and leave, but he stops when you say, "Wait."

Chris sits back down, looking at you expectantly.

Without warning, you get up and climb into his lap, crashing your lips onto his. Chris gasps slightly in surprise, wrapping his arms around your waist as he pulls you further into him. Your fingers tangle in his hair as you kiss him harder, your lipstick smearing on him.

"I adore you, too," you say as you pull away slightly.

Chris is a mess beneath you, his eyes are hazy, his cheeks are blushing a deep pink, and his lips are swollen and tinted red by your lipstick.

"Really?" he breathes out.

"Really," you reply with a nod.

Chris pulls you back in, and it's like fireworks explode between the two of you. His hands slide under your thighs as he stands, carrying you over to the couch. Once you're settled firmly on his lap again, Chris lets you take control again. Your lips leave his, causing him to whine.

"Hold on, you big baby. I just want to do something."

You grab your purse next to him and fish out your lipstick. He watches, his deep brown eyes wide as you apply a fresh coat.

"Much better," you whisper to him.

Chris practically whines as you start leaving kiss marks all over his neck, the red standing out against the paler tones of his skin. Once his neck is covered, you kiss him again, his hands tightening on your waist.

"You drive me crazy," Chris mumbles against your lips.

"I know," you reply. Your fingers grasp the hem of his shirt, aiming to lift it up and off of him.

"Wait, wait."

You look at him, slightly confused.

"You deserve more than the studio couch for your first time with me. Let me take you to dinner, just us. Then we can go back to my place and do whatever you want," he says, his hands holding onto yours.

You giggle. "Such a gentleman, Chris," you say, kissing his cheek and leaving a bright red print of your lips. "I'd like that." You card your fingers gently through his messy hair.

"Good. Now how the hell am I supposed to leave looking like this?"

You laugh again, making him laugh as well. "I have makeup wipes," you say, grabbing them and your phone. You lean back, opening your camera. Chris looks at you and smiles. You snap a few pictures. While you do, he takes your free hand and brings it up to his lips, kissing your knuckles.

Your jaw drops at the photo. "How are you so gorgeous?" you ask, turning your phone so he can see.

"Maybe it's because I have the prettiest girl in the world on my lap."

You blush and giggle, hiding your face in his neck. "Shut up."

"Never."

[funnynamehaha]

Wisdom teeth removed. In hella pain. Time for more deltarune posting

So the prophecy right? At first it was kind of incidental but then it became crazy important in chapter 4, and I wanna talk about my main theory about it. But first some context!!!

So we know how the prophecy as presented in chapter 4 goes, relatively speaking. But the most interesting part of the prophecy is everything else around it, so that's mainly what I'm gonna talk about.

So. In Deltarune, the main religon practiced in home town is about. Well. The Deltarune. And in fact, the original prophecy is seen as some sort or religous text. It's read aloud akin to how the bible would be in church, and they write hymns about it and shit. It is also stated that a lot of the prophecy has been lost to time, which is very important so remember that. Now, if you've been following deltarune for a while now, the focus on religon might seem kind of weird, given that it has been largely about escapism through media and games and television, but that's where Lord Of The Hammer comes in.

Lord of The Hammer is confirmed by Gerson to be based on the prophecy, with a lot of creative liberties taken. Gerson is all about writing your own stories, your own endings, and is overall a pretty chill dude. Despite deviation being looked down upon in real life religon, most people seem to think Lord of The Hammer was badass, and they even keep copies of it in the church. Lord of the Hammer was apperently so baller that they MADE A VIDEO GAME BASED ON IT.

Dragon Blazers drives me nuts. It is referred to heavily in chapter 2 and the sweepstakes, and might be the NES game we play in chapter 3, given that it features the Ice Palace. It has been generally accepted that Dragon Blazers was used by Deltarune to sort of refer to itself, but since it was loosely based on the Prophecy, it makes perfect IN UNIVERSE sense for there to be parallels.

So. Back to the whole "most of the prophecy is lost" bit. Because it really seems like it ISN'T, given that a lot of Darkners got that shit memorized. So it mostly seems like the light world is clueless about it, right? Well, here's where I get into conspiracy theory territory.

Ralsei's explanation of Dark Worlds is largely what most people expected, with darkners being real world items turned into full fledged people with thoughts and feelings. But the way he describes how this happens is the important part. He says that, when it gets dark, objects can appear as something else, such as a chair looking like a monster, or a poster looking like its moving. Dark worlds are what happens when you get "Darker than dark." Other than being a sickass gaster reference, this reveals something important about Darkners. That they're interpretation of their given object made manifest.

So the prophecy. What does this have to do with the prophecy. Well, again, Lord of the Hammer is a loose adaptation of the prophecy. A what if scenario based on Gerson's creativity, world view, and vision. It's his interpretation. Like wise, Dragon Blazers is it's own interpretation of HIS work, based of the dev's own worldview.

Dragon Blazers is a game that seems pretty important to Susie and ESPECIALLY Noelle. Even if Susie has never heard of the prophecy, she has learned it via Dragon Blazers. Kris and Noelle have also been to church, and the Knight, (presumably Dess) has a connection with Gerson, author of Lord Of The Hammer, given that he manifests as mostly the same when he was alive. Basically everybody important to the Prophecy has heard about that shit before through various mediums.

I think its notable that Lord of The Hammer is unfinished. Gerson died before he could complete it. We don't know if Dragon Blazers ended, but given it was based on Lord of The Hammer, its doubtful. And, of course, most of the prophecy is lost to time.

It really makes you wonder. What if Gerson finished Lord of The Hammer? What if Dragon Blazers had an ending? What if we found the missing parts of the prophecy?

In darkness, our minds fill in the blanks. The silhouette of a chair can be seen as a monster, and the poster can seem like its moving. In complete darkness, you can't see anything. You can't know anything. You can't know the ending.

But what if it was darker than dark?

What if you're brain sees patterns between what you do know. What if the cool new girl at school reminds you of the dragon from dragon blazers? What if your stoic friend's demeanor reminds you of the stoic Knight? What if you could meet your cool older brother when he was your age? What if you think Jockington would look badass with a beard.

Basically, what I'm saying is that, rather than being the actual prophecy, it's simply another interpretation? Another interpretation of a story told over and over and over again. Each time a little different? A story built on greif, lonliness, and curiosity? A story about you and your loved ones overcoming hardships, making new friends, and having adventures.

But this adventure has gotten too real. Somebody might get hurt, you start to worry about how it all ends, somebody you think knows everything is burdened with that knowledge. The cool badass new girl wants to be kind, to be a hero. It's what happens when your world view becomes real.

Anyways I call it Interpretation Theory and its my weird pretentious son. My face hurts like fucking crazy but hey deltarune is pretty cool. Anyways

[trlblzd]

found these again and laughed my ass off

[lemongogo]

viktor prev 🤖

[kori-senpai]

New Leokumi content in the lords year of 2024?? It's more likely than you think! (x)

[spaciebabie]

would smash leshy

[doverstar]

every year around this time I rewatch Julie and the Phantoms, and every year I am reminded how much heart this little tween show about grief and hope has

[deus-ex-mona]

ok yk what. now that i’ve had some time to process nghy canon, considering the current pacing of gen retcon, i think their next step is as ✨clear as day✨

i really like seeing them happy together, but i truly do think that they should divorce and either live the rest of their lives as single besties; partners in hero/heroine-isms, but better off as just friends, or go their separate ways for a bit and get back together when they’re a little older and wiser, staying together for good this time around, as each other’s first and last boyfriend/girlfriend

[fucknugg3t]

hugs need to last longer wdym it’s over wdym the school has a rule against pda bro I love my friend I want to be held what

[atigrado]

class of 09 the flipside