#oliver thinks he's being helpful/doesn't even think before he says anything

[scootersscooter]

Autistic Chase who struggles with tone and Autistic Oliver who corrects his vocal inflections >:-)

[autistichalsin]

Do you ever think about how Halsin's entire arc was always leading up to him adopting all those children?

One of the first things we learn about Halsin is that he took in the Tiefling refugees- many of whom were children.

The first thing he does when he returns to the Grove is scold Kagha for trying to cast them out, and for holding the Idol of Silvanus on equal weight to a child's life- and if Arabella dies, he is so livid he tells Kagha she should have died to her face, speaking with such anguish at what happened.

Then we learn that his first friend was a timeless child nature spirit, who Halsin feels protective and paternal of, and this extends to the Shadow-Cursed version of him. He speaks to Oliver with kindness and gentleness, never patronizing, but always full of empathy.

When you get to know Halsin as Wyll, you can say you've always wanted a child, and Halsin will agree and all but say he wants one too.

Then he gets to act 3 and spends the entire act furious at how those in the city, especially children, are treated. He wants Yenna in their camp not only to keep her safe, but because "our little abode could use a child's laughter." He gets distraught over the plight of many children in the city, and if Yenna is killed by Orin, he's crushed- but also vows to fight so there will be no more Yennas. In fact, he is so upset about this that he is the only character the player has a special dialogue for to check in on him after Yenna dies. This option doesn't exist for, say, Karlach, Jaheira, and Wyll, despite them being kind characters with a soft spot for children too. Halsin's care goes even deeper than theirs.

He also sadly says how unlike Jaheira, his Archdruidic duties prevented him from being able to have a child of his own.

Literally Halsin's entire arc foreshadowed that he wanted to be a father more than anything, and that he wanted to help the defenseless- nature itself, animals, refugees, children. He got to do all of that at once with the commune and all the children there.

When talking to a romanced player after the final battle but before the epilogue, which is implied to be the very next day- but if not, certainly not more than a few days after- he says the children call him Daddy Halsin. It took less than a week for him to meet a group of terrified, traumatized children and gain their trust and affection so thoroughly that they already considered him a parental figure.

It just says so much about exactly what kind of person Halsin is.

[woodsling]

I really love the way Halsin kind of slowly opens up about his relationship with Thaniel and the Shadow Curse. He doesn't divulge everything about himself when the player asks, and sometimes it seems like he's actively somewhat obscuring the truth.

Like when he first talks about Thaniel (which, by the way, is WELL after he starts talking about the shadow curse), he says he met him in his meditations. Not true... You find out later when Halsin is talking to Oliver that he grew up with Thaniel, that they were friends when he was a child.

Similarly, he's obtuse about how the shadow curse came about until after the portal fight. When he firsts asks to join your camp, if he's questioned about his desire to go to Moonrise, he says vaguely "Unfinished business, and a lifetime of regret to repair." He says he helped overthrow Ketheric but was unable to stop the shadow curse, but doesn't breathe a word about how devastatingly personal it all was (ah, Isobel killed by Halsin storyline... Sigh. It's canon in my head.)

After the rescue of Thaniel and the recovery of Oliver, he gives a much more detailed description of what happened with Ketheric and Thaniel and his assumption of the Archdruid title way back then. He gets quite emotional then, recounting those memories - he's being vulnerable with the player.

And it really seems like the player defending the portal is a big turning point for him. He's putting all his trust in the player's ability to protect the portal and allow him to return from the Shadowfell... He literally can't do it all by himself, and while he does have a healthy respect for the part that he has to play, it's all for nothing if the player doesn't play their part as well. It's such a huge leap of faith - he's asking, "Will you stand with me and lend me your strength? Will you stay with me and help me accomplish the most important task of my life? I can't do this without you."

And when the player successfully helps him rescue Thaniel, that's when I think he falls completely head over heels. He's a little flirty before then, but after the portal fight is when you get his dialogue, "If you want me, I'm yours. Against [...] anything". This is when he can actually join the player. This is when he talks to a sleeping Thaniel about everything the player has done for him. He put his trust in them and they were there when it counted, and he totally falls for them. "I'll remain with you - If you'll have me, that is."

(Aside, I also love his line to Oliver, "...and then [Thaniel] was ripped away from me, same as for you," followed by, "but you need not be alone any longer." The parallel there, that Halsin also need not be alone any longer... Mmmmmmm yummy.)

Concealing his emotions like that... Feels guarded, and it adds dimension to him. Because generally he seems honest and straightforward with the player; he readily gives them all the information that he thinks may be relevant to their search for a tadpole fix and journey to Moonrise, even if they choose not to help him.

I think that it might be because the shadow curse is so close to his heart, because he doesn't share his trauma until he's basically given his heart to the player - before that, his walls were up.

I kinda see it too with him not mentioning his time as a drow captive until AFTER the Sharess Caress stuff. He's like, not secretive really... But it takes a lot for him to share things that dredge up deep feelings for him. He's not flippantly vulnerable.

Anyway this post is long enough I'm just having feelings about Halsin feeling safe enough to share his feelings 🥺😭

[t3a-tan]

Okay, we know Oliver isn't scared of James but.. what if James (accidentally or not) actually did something that would scare the shit outta Oliver? Make Oliver feel totally vulnerable and terrified?

We really need to see their angst!

(love your work🥰)

You guys asked for it. Ironically @justme315 also just made a post whilst I was in the middle of writing it about wanting some good angst-- hopefully this is filling enough. I also tied this into the injury prompt 31 which was requested!

31) "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Word count: 1,685

---

“We all make mistakes, James. It's a part of life. You shouldn't hold onto that guilt forever. You said yourself that Emily forgave you for—”

“Emily forgiving me doesn't fix anything! Fuck, Oliver— I… I don't want your therapy-speak right now, it's just pissing me off!” James interrupted, a slight growl in his tone as he levelled a half-glare in the borrower's direction. His hands gestured as he spoke to emphasise his point. He knew Oliver was only trying to help, but he always made it sound so simple when life just wasn't like that.

Oliver winced at the volume but didn't let it bother him too much, sensing that if he told James to quiet down that might just aggravate him further. He focused instead on what James said. Therapy-speak?

“That's…just how I speak, James. I'm sorry if it made things worse, I���ll try to…hm.” He paused, thinking over what to do to fix his speech in the moment. “I’ll try not to say too many words. I understand that can be overwhelming for some people when they're in distress. My apologies.”

James groaned, slamming an elbow onto the edge of the table as he buried his face in one of his hands for a moment. He looked up, brows furrowing with irritation clear in his expression. “You are literally doing it right now—”

Oliver bristled.

“Oh. I'm…sorry. I'm just trying to communicate clearly so my intentions and feelings aren't misunderstood.” He hesitated again for a moment as he tried to figure out what about his speech was therapy-speak. Did James not want comfort..? But then what was Oliver supposed to do? He certainly wasn't going to participate in James's self-loathing. He offered a reassuring smile. “How would you like me to speak? I just want to help.”

James inhaled slowly before letting out a huff, closing his eyes and burying his face in both hands now. Rather than answering Oliver he stayed like that; silent, annoyed but trying to hold it back. He knew Oliver just wanted to help— but sometimes that just made James feel worse because Oliver had it all figured out and James didn't.

Sometimes he admired Oliver so much, but other times he felt so jealous. Even now, James knew that he was being the bad guy. Oliver wasn't a malicious person and clearly only cared but James really didn't want care right now. He wanted to shout and yell and throw things and collapse in a corner and cry to himself as the thought of one drink wouldn't hurt kept replaying in his mind over and over again.

Sometimes he just needed that time to get it all out so it wouldn't keep bubbling up inside of him, and Oliver was the one who was keeping him from that. Ultimately neither option would fix the relationships he had broken, so it didn't matter which one he picked, right? Self-destruction was probably some fucked up form of self-love in some way.

“I’m sorry—” Oliver began, feeling slightly on edge seeing James be so quiet and simply assuming, correctly, that he had spoken wrong again. He didn't like the feeling at all. He hadn't felt it before when facing an angry human; even angry dangerous humans; because James was his friend and he wasn't used to seeing him in that way. It felt wrong.

And something was clearly wrong because before Oliver could react, he was snatched up into a fist and lifted up to eye level. The position he was grabbed in was less than comfortable, and Oliver had been startled seeing the movement come from someone who hadn't really grabbed him much since their first meeting. Fully facing James's glare felt almost akin to staring down a gun barrel and Oliver felt nervous despite himself.

“Would you shut up?!! I didn't ask you for help or advice, so stop fucking telling me how I’m supposed to fucking feel!! I'm not stupid— I already know that this isn't bloody productive, but for God sake Oliver, you don't know shit about what I've done!!” James knew he was taking out his anger at himself on Oliver right now, but he just wanted him to stop trying.

Oliver grimaced at the further increase in volume, especially from up close. Even after the shouting and swearing though he could still only see that his friend was suffering and all he wanted to do was help. James might not want it, but he needed it at that moment… He needed to break free of these self-destructive patterns.

“I know you aren't a monster.” He responded simply, and despite his slight unease Oliver still managed to meet James's gaze with his own; seeing right through him and into the hurt that was beneath all of the anger. He could see how watery his friend's gaze was.

And that was what made James snap.

He just wanted to get a reaction— some confirmation of his own thoughts and feelings about himself. He wasn't thinking straight.

James squeezed his hand slightly.

He regretted it in the same second he did it, breath hitching and his hand immediately dropping back down to the table and releasing Oliver onto it like a reflex. His expression of anger quickly became one of horror as he processed the small crack he had heard and felt when he had squeezed. Oliver always seemed so invincible that the harsh reminder that he wasn't hit James like a ton of bricks.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” James gasped, blinking quickly to try to keep the water out of his eyes. Why did I do that? Why on Earth did I do that?? His hand covered his mouth slightly seeing Oliver's alarmed and dazed expression as he raised his arm and looked upon his newly broken wrist. I did that. Oh god.

“I'm…fine…” The borrower uttered slowly, still focused on the injury. The adrenaline rush was likely responsible for the numbness he felt buzzing through his whole body and keeping the pain from being unbearable, so he was fine. For now. His voice wavered slightly and he found it difficult to look up at his friend at the moment.

Is this fear? Why am I afraid..? James is my friend, and this was an accident. He wasn't trying to break anything I'm sure… Oliver brought his other hand up to cradle the injury only to notice his hand was shaking. Not just his hand…his whole body. No. I can't be scared. It will only make things worse…

Oliver looked down at his shoes, trying to gather himself again but failing miserably.

“I.. I'm sorry that I hurt you so much, James. I don't mean to.” He felt something wet roll down his cheek and drip onto the floor. Stunned by the fact that he was crying right now, Oliver wiped it off with his uninjured hand before looking at his slightly dampened fingertips with a furrowed brow of confusion.

“Fuck. Oliver don't apologise, I…” James trailed off. He had never seen Oliver shake or cry before— and even if Oliver was still talking fine James could hear the fear in his voice. “I can help. Just—”

As he reached forward to offer Oliver a hand and take him to where the medical supplies were kept, the usually stoic borrower suddenly backpedalled, stumbling back so suddenly that he ended up falling backwards and onto his behind. James's hand snapped back like it had been burned and his lips pressing into a stressed line.

Oliver's heart was pounding as he stared up at James. He had never been like this before, and he didn't like it at all… I need to get a hold of myself. It was an accident. It was an accident… Despite him assuring himself of that again and again his mouth felt dry as he met James's horrified gaze. He was reminded of the glare that had been there only moments ago.

“It…it was an accident. You wouldn't break anything on purpose… It was a mistake.” He murmured to himself, shoulders bunching up and knees being brought closer to his chest. Even when other humans had given him similar injuries, Oliver had never felt like this. He hesitated, looking down again. “Could I have some medical supplies?”

James stood up quickly, wincing as he saw Oliver flinch in response. He opened his mouth to apologise again before deciding against it and quickly going to the kitchen to retrieve the first aid kit. You haven't changed. Even after everything you haven't changed.

He took a deep breath to try to settle his nerves as he grabbed everything needed and walked back in. Oliver was still sitting in the same position; still not looking at him. I took it for granted again. James set the kit down before resting his hands on the edge of the table. He bit his lip.

“Can I help..?” He asked, desperate to try and right his wrong at least a little. He deflated as he saw Oliver's small shake of the head.

“I would like to be alone for a while, please. I..I don't like how I'm feeling at the moment…” Oliver spoke and James hated how he could hear the nervous trembles in his voice. Still, he nodded, standing up more slowly this time. As he looked down at his friend from this position it became clear just how small and vulnerable he was… He blinked again but it didn't help with the tears this time as one simply rolled down his cheek anyway.

“I’m sorry…” He uttered softly. Why did I think it was okay to grab him in the first place? Just because I can? What kind of monster would do something like that..? Lip trembling slightly, James turned and began to walk away only to pause when he heard Oliver's voice again.

“I forgive you.”

James stood still for a few more moments before leaving the room and sitting at the edge of his bed, cradling his head in his hands. He grit his teeth, shutting his eyes tightly.

Forgiveness wouldn't fix anything.

[willowsnook]

Whiskey with sprite pleaseeeee🤩

josh allen x reader

You're mine, end of discussion

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As part of the Bills' player personnel team, your job was specifically to get players involved with the community and help them settle into New York. Because of this, you were close with a lot of players but specifically quarterback Josh Allen.

Josh had taken a liking to you ever since you had organized a mini-football camp for him to coach at with a couple of other players. He could tell how much you really loved getting the community involved in Bills' football and appreciated it.

Since then, he has been a frequent visitor in your office, just stopping to say hi or talk ball. You'd even hung out a couple of times outside of work, mostly just hitting the driving range together. You had developed a crush on him over time and you were pretty sure he felt the same way but the lines were kind of blurred on what could and couldn't happen due to your job.

This season, you actually hadn't seen much of the quarterback because you had specifically been assigned to helping some of the rookies. Cole Bishop was one of your guys and due to an injury before the season started, you had spent a lot of time with him trying to be there as a friend and finding other things for him to do. Between that and working with Keon Coleman, your days were very full.

Josh was starting to get irritated by how much of your time the rookies took up even though he understood it. He wasn't mad at you necessarily but the situation. This all came to a head during the bye week.

"I just don't understand why you can't come," Josh whined, sitting across from you while you were working at your desk.

"I feel like I've made it very simple to understand," you remarked not taking your eyes off your screen. "The charity event has been planned for a while."

"Yeah but it's not even one that you planned."

"Doesn't matter, I'm being supportive."

He pouted not saying anything else. Both your heads turned towards the door when someone knocked.

"Can I talk to you?" Cole said, lingering awkwardly as he glanced at Josh.

"Of course," you replied smiling. "Goodbye Josh."

He stood up grumbling and glared at Cole who winced.

"Sorry sir, I won't be long," he said and you laughed thinking it was some kind of joke because who on earth would refer to that goofball as sir. But when you looked back at Josh his face was stern and he simply nodded before leaving.

"What's the deal with you two?" You asked confused as Cole took his seat. He shrugged.

"He's just intimidating."

"Josh?" You asked dumbfounded. "You think Josh is intimidating?" Cole nodded slowly, not meeting your eyes.

"Yeah, he rounded me and Keon up a couple of weeks ago and it was scary."

"What did he say?"

"Basically that if we spent any more time with you than necessary he would send Ed Oliver after us," he said and your jaw dropped. "Or if we looked at you the wrong way or even really looked at you at all."

"You're joking," you said irritated. This would explain the nervous energy the rookies had around you. You just assumed it was the pressure from their first seasons.

"Nah, but I get it, if my girlfriend worked here I would be the same way," he said.

"We are not dating," you said slowly and Cole looked at you in surprise.

"You're not?"

"No, we are just friends." He didn't say anything more after that on the subject, just dove into what he had come in for.

After handling the situation you stalked out of your office in search of the source of your anger. You found him talking to a couple of the wide receivers outside the practice locker room and his eyes widened as he saw you coming.

"My office now," you bit out and turned around. You heard the receivers giving him shit and laughing and as he started to follow you. Closing the door behind him, he stood awkwardly waiting for you to say something.

"I would love to know what came over you when you decided to threaten my rookies to stay away from me," you said and his face turned scarlet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled.

"Oh you don't, should I bring them in here and we can all discuss it as one big happy family," you seethed.

"I just feel like you're not making time for me," he said defensively looking at you with puppy dog eyes.

"I'm trying to do my job Josh," you said sighing. "I literally get paid to be their friend."

"So is that all I am to you too?" He asked bitterly. "Someone else you're just paid to hang out with."

"Last time I checked you weren't a rookie so no," you replied just as bitterly crossing your arms. "Why are you so jealous? I don't understand how this is any different than me working with other people."

"Because you are mine! End of discussion," he yelled shocking both of you. Your eyes widened and you leaned back against your desk. The two of you stood in silence for a while before you broke the ice.

"Josh, you are still my friend and I'm sorry that I've been busy but it'll die down eventually," you said, misinterpreting his outburst. He groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"No I don't want to be just friends, don't you understand," he said frustratingly. "I like you! I want to spend every minute with you but now I'm getting nothing because you're always with them. What if you like them more than me? What if you fall in love with Cole and have his beautiful babies?"

Laughing you pushed off from the desk and moved towards him. He didn't meet your eyes so you grabbed his jaw forcing him to look at you.

"The only football player I'm interested in after I leave work each day is you," you said genuinely. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner but I didn't want to jeopardize my job."

"It's okay, you can make it up to me by deleting Cole and Keon's numbers and going to dinner with me tonight," he said sweetly and you laughed, pulling him into a hug.

[lady0ctavia]

Hetalia PDA Headcanons (2p!Allies)

Headcanons about how the 2p!Hetalia characters would feel about PDA with their S/O.

2p!America: Are you kidding me? This man lives for PDA. Hand-holding, having an arm around your waist, resting a hand on your hip or shoulder, occasionally groping or smacking your behind in public, kissing you straight on the lips, having you sit on his lap... The man has almost zero shame. Almost. The only thing he might hold back on are full-on makeout sessions. Mainly because those usually lead to being intimate, and regardless of how bold he is, he isn't about to do it in public or do anything that might directly lead to it. However, he's no stranger to makeout sessions in the back of a movie theater, just make sure you two keep it in your pants.

2p!England: Oliver is the kind of guy who will hold your hand in public no matter what you're doing or where you are. He interlocks his fingers with yours, swings your arms back and forth as you walk, and maybe even twirls you around, only to pull you back into his arms before peppering your face with kisses. Needless to say, Oliver is practically the opposite of his 1p! counterpart when it comes to PDA. If anything, I can see him putting an arm around you and shouting about how much he loves you for all to hear.

2p!France: François doesn't have any strong opinions about PDA. It's not something he thinks about, partly because it just doesn't come to mind, and also because he spends so much time indoors. He also largely believes love is a lie, so whenever he sees PDA from others he can't help but roll his eyes. It just seems shallow to him. But this starts to change a little if he falls in love and gets into a relationship. I mean, he's still the same old François as before, cynicism and all. But with the added bit that when you're in public he'll lazily sling an arm around your shoulders or even hold your hand or perhaps give you the occasional kiss on your temple. This is primarily to signal to other guys that you're taken.

2p!Russia: Viktor isn't one for PDA. He's not comfortable with showing affection out in public, along with the fact that he's just not a very physically affectionate man to begin with. As such, the most PDA you'll get out of this man is him offering you his arm as the two of you are walking down the street. That's it. Or if you're extremely cold and need a hug to warm up. He'll reluctantly agree to that, though internally he's blushing and smiling.

2p!China: Weirdly enough, Zao is way more flirty with you in public than anywhere else. He likes seeing you get all blushy and awkward, as well as showing everyone that you're his. He'll hold your hand when out and about and has no problem letting you cuddle him in public. He's also the kind of guy to pull you close by your waist and give you a kiss, leading into a makeout session in a busy street, much to François's disgust.

2p!Canada: Similar to his father in that he's not huge on PDA, but this is moreover because he's fairly reserved rather than having an aversion to love. James will gladly hold your hand, rubbing his thumb over the skin. He likes pressing a small kiss to your temple or on the top of your head to let you know you're loved and also enjoys it when you rest your head on his shoulder. But most of all, he likes to have an arm around your shoulders. Whether you are walking around or sitting, he loves the feeling of having you close. It not only makes him feel like he's your protector, but it's also a way of keeping you close by in case something where to happen.

[aquickstart]

ok sure i'll talk about farleigh start. i'll talk about his tragedy of never being enough as it were and then having to deal with fucking oliver. sure. disclaimer: it's about class (and race) and the horrible reality of the rich. the horrible reality of living as farleigh.

another disclaimer: i'm white! and poc definitely pick up on everything i'm talking about here as it is, and better. i was and am specifically interested in farleigh vs. oliver but it's impossible to examine without considering race. definitely let me know if anything abt this sucks!

farleigh and oliver are similar. it's annoying because every intruder that is not himself is annoying, partly because felix's attention swaying from farleigh is dangerous; there is always a threat of being discarded, even if no precedent existed. the potential is terrifying.

but you'd think he's seen this before, every summer (if venetia is telling the truth) or at least often enough to learn to recognize it fast, so he should know this will pass. part of it is i think still the deep anxiety, and i think he hated every boy that was there before, and it is sort of routine.

but definitely a huge factor in farleigh's annoyance is the fact that he's a biracial (black for cattons, that's all they see) man in a white rich household. he's alert and exhausted all the time. of course he's angry at oliver, regardless of whether he's the first to crash at saltburn for the summer or the fifty-first.

but the important thing is this.

farleigh is very jealous of and angry and pissed at oliver because farleigh sees all the similarities between them. outsider, in financial trouble, whatever it is, in need of cattons; and yet oliver is preferred. and farleigh seems to be the only one to really consider it. felix does not pick up on the hint when farleigh brings up the birthday party vs. his mother. felix's clumsy "different or... anything like that" is as much about race as it is about class, of course. the "we've done all that we can" bit is felix absolving himself of guilt because surely they had, surely the mysterious collective cattons that he's not really part of had tried all they could do. to him, farleigh is different from oliver, because farleigh has been helped. felix is rich and white and twofold uncomfortable with farleigh, even if he's nice about it, even if he genuinely enjoys his company; he doesn't look too close at farleigh because he feels too guilty to come too close. and farleigh can't do anything about it. he can't nice himself into it. the fucking tragedy of him is that he's never enough in the world of the ultra-rich white, even if (especially because!) he's born into it.

farleigh is very pissed at oliver because farleigh also sees all the differences between them. you know who can be nice poor white enough to fit in? fucking oliver. felix says "just be yourself, they'll love you" when oliver first moves in. farleigh was also probably told the same thing, and felix also probably believed that farleigh could just be himself, but even if the cattons were magically not racist at all (impossible), it wouldn't make a difference to farleigh. he would still self-censor, keep in check, be in dangerous waters (because racism is not just about the individual, but about the system). we see that he'd won himself leeway by years of trial and error by the way he speaks to the family, but it's still within the boundaries of acceptable, built by the cattons. he's part of them because they allow it, and farleigh is very, very aware.

the annoying thing is oliver can be himself. like, truly, genuinely, he can just be. and farleigh can't help but envy that.

as a side note, oliver is obviously jealous of farleigh in the beginning as well, because regardless of the reality of farleigh's situation, he was born into it, and hence, at least in oliver's mind, has his position solidified. oliver's whole thing is unquenchable thirst and hunger for whatever and everything the cattons have (including themselves!). he wishes to have been a catton from birth. to oliver, at first, there's nothing farleigh can really do to lose it. and until he figures out the cattons completely, he can't help but envy that.

but i think farleigh senses something different about oliver early on. at least on the level of the text, we have "you're almost passing [for] a real, human boy", which is so important because farleigh is the first to point out oliver's weirdness. the next to do so is venetia in the bath scene calling him a freak, but it's too late. farleigh is too early.

and i like to think he clocks oliver too early because he sees the jagged edges that he recognizes in himself. i think that one other thing that farleigh envies is oliver's freedom to let go. freedom to let go is very similar to freedom to be, but not quite the same.

to be is about perception: farleigh knows he cannot fall out of line, but would like to, and oliver does not have to worry about it at all (i mean, he does, because oliver also performs for felix, but farleigh doesn't know that).

to let go is about the self: farleigh is too scared to even want what oliver eventually does, to even consider the possibility. oliver can let himself want. oliver can let himself act. oliver just can do things and want things. i'm not sure farleigh can.

and so in this scene, when oliver's wants and actions have landed him nowhere with farleigh, felix, venetia, the cattons, of course farleigh gloats. he can let himself do that, because if the cattons are slowly discarding him, farleigh can allow himself this one small victory. he's relieved because despite the dangerous similarities, oliver is, thankfully, not really the same as farleigh, right?

but like. this movie is a love letter to all things gothic. oliver is a white man. he prevails. the brief performance that oliver put on did eventually end up more effective than farleigh's lifetime of constraint. my heart fucking breaks for him to be honest.

the issue that remains is the fact of farleigh's survival. i like to think that oliver came to respect him. oliver is smart, but farleigh is clever. he picks up on everything oliver does (to refer back to the karaoke scene, farleigh immediately retaliates in the cleverest way, in the moment), and he's the only one to do so consistently (venetia, again, for example, comes close, but too late; oliver doesn't like that, there's nothing to work with). hence, stay with me for a little longer, the paradox: farleigh survives because he was never enough for the cattons, but he is very worthy of oliver's attention. in his own freaky way, oliver wants him. look at that.

so. farleigh. farleigh might come back. he always comes back. and i think oliver wants to try harder next time.

[lovelettersbyj]

Hunger For Power

Warnings: None.

Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x Fem Reader (?).

Summary: Pearl Whitegrove is a fashion intern, who, after a few meetings with Coriolanus Snow, realizes that if she wants to be Panem's next top Fashion Designer, she has to make sure she's at Coriolanus' side when he inevitably gets into power. It helps that he's devastatingly attractive.

Word Count: 1,814.

A/N: After having watched the new Hunger Games movie, this idea popped into my head and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I wanted to create a character that was sort of the opposite of Tigris? A negative influence for Coriolanus that ultimately turns into a toxic love interest for him. I quickly wrote up this sort of intro to her character, so I hope you all enjoy! Also I should say, I've never read the books and I'm only going off of the movies/making up information. So I apologize if anything is slightly wrong/doesn't match.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How’s that cousin of yours, Tigris?” Continuing to sew, I glanced up at the blonde haired woman who sat across from me. She was busy stitching some dark turquoise buttons to a white long-sleeved shirt, trying her best to hide from our mentor and boss Fabricia Whatnot.

She looked up at me with a stoic expression, then back down to her secret project. “He’s fine.”

I chuckled, returning my attention to my dress. In a few days, the 10th annual reaping ceremony would take place. I knew Coriolanus because of Tigris, and in the few conversations I’d had with him, I knew how powerful he could be. He was intelligent; speaking always with such an elegant charm that could convince anyone to listen and obey him. He’d choose his words carefully and completely analyze the situation in front of him before speaking. If he played his cards right, I could very well see Coriolanus Snow becoming the new President of Panem. That is, if Dean Casca Highbottom didn’t despise him as much as he did.

The door to Fabricia’s office swung open, her long magenta hair peeking out as she yelled out to us, “I want those designs done before the sun goes down today. Otherwise, neither of you are getting paid. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Madam Whatnot,” Tigris and I both nodded, never once making eye contact with her, and rather, continuing to sew at a faster pace.

Of course someone as incredibly stylish and knowledgeable in the fashion industry as Fabricia Whatnot was also something of a wicked demon. She was incredibly rude to her employees, particularly Tigris & I. Hired under the impression of an apprenticeship, we quickly met a much more grim fate in the form of slave labor. She took advantage of young capitol people with a hunger for fashion, tempting us with the idea of being able to one day create our own designs for the capitol students, citizens, and even Hunger Games tributes to dawn our clothing. So in the meantime, we worked long hours, had little rest, and even more little pay.

Hours had passed, and Tigris and I miraculously finished the designs Whatnot had asked for. With a wave of her bony hand, she dismissed us, and sliding on our coats we exited her office and made our way out of the office. Upon opening the large glass door to the front of the building, a somewhat scrawny, curly haired blonde man stood waiting with his back turned to us.

“Coryo,” Tigris spoke, and he turned, his eyes lighting up and a smile decorating his face, “What are you doing here?”

He walked over, taking her hand to help her down the last step, “Grandma��am told me you hadn’t come home yet, so I figured I’d come down to wait for you to finish work. I don’t want you walking home alone so late.”

I slipped my hands into my olive green coat, tilting my head slightly towards him. He had a slightly boyish look, with an air of innocence about him. But all the whispers about him were true, he was much more handsome up close.

“Coriolanus,” I smiled, “I was wondering when I’d see you again.”

His attention now switched over to me, a gleam in his eyes highlighting the striking pale blue color, “Pearl Whitegrove. It’s certainly been too long.” With a hand extended, I reached my palm out, placing my fingers carefully over his. Lifting his hand, his lips brushed over my knuckles ever so softly in a formal greeting. How warm his lips were, I thought.

“I hear you’re first in line for the Plinth Prize. You must be ecstatic. Finally, the Snow name is making a comeback.”

His lip curled up in a curt smirk, “Well, yes, I’ve studied hard and hope to be congratulated for my efforts. But all I want is to provide for my family.”

“Right,” I chuckled, glancing over to Tigris whose face slowly became more worried as she tucked herself behind Coriolanus’ back, “The fame and fast track into University would just be a bonus, huh?” 

Silence. Just as I thought.

“Well, Coriolanus, I wish you the best of luck. If there’s one thing I know, is that you’ll find a way to succeed one way or another. You’ve got this… hunger in you. It drives you. I think ultimately it’ll guide you to what you want—” Tigris’ hand wrapped around Coriolanus’ arm in attempts to pull him away, “—If you allow it to take over.”

He looked down at her, placing a hand over hers before looking back to me, “Thank you, Pearl. Let’s hope you’re right.”

They turned away, walking towards the main road. Shortly after crossing, a familiar black car pulled up, with a man dressed in a charcoal colored tailcoat stepped out, extending a hand towards the open door for me.

“Yes, Coryo. Let’s.”

————————

10th Annual Reaping Ceremony

It seems as if a few days went by in a matter of seconds, and before I knew it, the Reaping Ceremony had arrived. In a strange change of heart, Fabricia Whatnot had excused everyone from coming into work that day and instead encouraged us to attend the ceremony.

I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about my last conversation with Coriolanus Snow. The way his blue eyes shimmered under the dim lights of the street lamps. How thin his frame was, hiding underneath his slightly oversized Academy uniform. His hair was so blonde and curly, a single strand hanging delicately just across his forehead. Every bit of my brain was obsessed with him, and I made it my mission to get him to feel the same.

Taking in a deep breath, I dusted off my golden yellow dress, grabbed my black coat and made my way out the door.

Entering the Academy building I was greeted with a sea of red and blue, students shuffling about the main floor as they met up with friends; greeted teachers. I glanced around in search of a familiar face, when I suddenly felt a hand land cautiously on my shoulder. Turning around, I was greeted with the same pair of eyes that hadn’t left my mind for days.

“Pearl,” His deep voice spoke, “What a surprise.”

Any sort of control I had to stop the smile from forming on my face completely failed me, “Coriolanus, hi.” Be cool. “I see Tigris’ secret project turned out well.”

Coryo furrowed his eyebrows, and I pointed to his shirt. He let out a small laugh, running a hand  across his chest, “Oh yes. It came out quite well. I had her make a few modifications—”

“I know, she would always work on it when Whatnot wasn’t around. I figured it was for today.”

His cheeks flushed slightly, embarrassed at the fact that his cousin was scrambling to help him look his best. “So why are you here and not at work?”

We both turned, slowly walking up the staircase towards the ballroom, “Fabricia told us all not to come in and to attend today’s ceremony. She wouldn’t tell us why— I figured Tigris would be here?”

Coriolanus just shook his head, his face blank with confusion. Before he could respond, a short girl with long black hair seemingly appeared out of nowhere, slipping her arm to loop with Snow’s. “Coriolanus! It’s about time the prodigy student showed up.”

Her eyes met with mine, slightly narrowing as she analyzed everything about me. I cocked my eyebrow at her, unwaveringly unbothered by her. Except for the fact that she was about to steal Coriolanus away from me.

“I’m sorry— I’ll find you afterwards?” Snow looked directly at me, an apologetic tone in his voice. Glancing over to the strange girl, I nodded, looking back up at him with a soft smile.

I found my way to an open seat just across from the 24 chairs that had been placed for the graduating honors Academy students. I watched as Snow sat down in the first row, looking around the room before eventually finding me. He smiled as I gave him a small wave, which he returned gladly. A faint sensation of butterflies began to arouse deep in my stomach at the acknowledgement. Damn it. The ceremony began shortly after, with Dr. Volumina Gaul seemingly having crawled her way out of her laboratory and in front of the podium to give an opening speech, before introducing Dean Highbottom. He stood amongst the sea of red dressed Academy students, speaking cryptically about the Plinth Prize and the Reaping Ceremony. Upon reaching the front of the podium he revealed the sudden change; the 24 honor students were to compete as mentors for the tributes as a last attempt to prove their worthiness of the Plinth Prize money. 

Gasps echoed throughout the room; mutters of protest and shock as everyone began to look around in desperation. My eyes were glued to Coriolanus’ face, whose jaw gaped ever so slightly in disbelief before looking up at me. I remained still; I didn’t know how to react.

Suddenly two large screens on the wall in front of the students clicked on, playing live footage of the Reaping ceremony. Boys and girls from each District appeared on screen as Highbottom read aloud the names of the tributes, and the student assigned to them. One by one, the tributes were handed out like livestock. I held my breath, terrified to hear Snow’s name, but it almost never came. Not until Highbottom arrived at District 12, assigning him to a girl by the name of Lucy Gray Baird.

My eyes narrowed at the screen as I watched her, analyzing the messily sewn, colorful dress that dawned her tiny figure. She had a natural beauty, but was covered in dirt and poorly applied makeup. She got into an altercation with the man who had just read out her name, which landed her a blow to the face, making her collapse to the floor of the stage she was on.

I whipped my head as the sound of a chair scraping against the floor alerted my senses, seeing now how captivated Coriolanus Snow was to the scene unfolding on the screen before him. Why was he so worried about her?

Anger was now the only emotion raging through me, or perhaps jealousy? Whatever it was, it was interrupted when a soft voice began to sing, echoing throughout the entire room. Everyone’s attention was back onto the screen, watching in a stark silence how Lucy Gray slowly stood back up as she sang some song. Additional voices from various District 12 members rang through before she screamed at the camera, extending her arms and taking a bow.

She is nothing but trouble. I looked back over at Coriolanus, but he didn’t return the glance. She can ruin everything.

[ray935sworld]

Son of divorce Rosquez AU. David has already confirmed to us that Valentino actually sent him a DM congratulating him and thanking him for the celebration. If that happened in the AU how would David feel? Because it has been quite private and hidden while, for example, a few weeks before he republished Alex Albon's (f1) helmet that he made in his honor. I'm between whether he would take it as a step forward or badly. I mean, in the sense that a stranger deserves that he make public his thanks but his own son can only have an MD?? Although an MD is also more personal. Idk. I feel that Marc, upon finding out, would also be conflicted, because its another way of not publicly recognizing David as his son but at the same time he has recognized his son even if it is in private.

Oh my god, Calia, I am so sorry that it took me an eternity to answer. I swear I didn't mean.

Thank you so much. I think you nailed it pretty good. Honestly, I think David would be pretty happy because he just wants to be aknowledged by his dad so he spents a good 10 minutes just jumping around and being happy. Sure, I think he'd be disappointed about not getting a public review like so many other did already but he knows the situation is complicated so he takes everything he can get and digs his claws in. I also think he wouldn't answer right away. I think he would tell Marc and Alex, maybe his grandparents and ask them what they think he should reply because he doesn't want to seen eager and annoy Vale. (Seeing how nervous and excited he is, breaks Marcs heart a little bit cause he is once again reminded that he is not David's everything. David still wants more. He still wants his other father even after everything Vale put him/ them through)

I'd say Marc is more concerned because he doesn't get what it means. Does Vale want to start making amends? Is this a way to get back in touch? Like an olive branch? And what does the 2nd part with the 'hope see each other soon' mean? Does he want to invite him to the ranch? Or is it all just publicity? He doesn't trust this whole thing. But it makes David happy so maybe it isn't that bad... Right? And Luca is at the ranch too. Luca surely influenced Vale. (he send him a text - yes, Luca helped Vale phrase the message and Uccio has no idea which calms Marc A LOT) So... Maybe it isn't as bad as he expected.

Nonetheless he can't know what will happen. He doesn't want David to get his hopes up too high. What if Vale was just being polite but didn't mean anything if it? What if this is a one off and then they'll never hear anything (good) from him again? What if this whole thing just ends up hurting his baby?

Oh yes he is very conflicted about this message.

[stilespeters]

Rich Girl

series masterlist

pairing: Tate Langdon x f!reader

words: 4965

summary: The wealthy kinsley family moving into the murder house leads to: Cracks forming between family members, strange occurances in the house, and the feeling of being watched all the time.

warnings: underaged drinking, hints to stalking, some cursing

taglist: @iloveneilperry

song: rich girl by daryl hall and john oates

🎶 So far gone on your own. Well you could get along if you tried to be strong. But you'll never be strong cause you're a rich girl. And you've gone too far cause you know it don't matter anyway. You can rely on the old man's money...

October 21st 2014

It was always very clear that the west coast wasn't for you, yet here you were, stuck in LA traffic on a saturday morning. You had questioned if you had done anything horrific in your life to deserve to be here right now.

Olive was sitting next to you and was playing some Mario game on his nintendo, Frank was driving while whistling the lines of the horrible music on the radio and your mother was nervous. Usually she would touch her pearl necklace continuously in state of stress, however it was packed up in her suitcase in the back. Now she was staring blankly in front of her, biting her nails. It was a habit you inherited from her as you were plucking your own cuticles. However, instead of being nervous, you were bored out of your mind.

To try and kill time you had placed your headphones on and listened to your own music, but still, Nirvana couldn’t make time go by faster. It also didn't help that strands of hair were getting painfully stuck in your headphones and earrings every time you moved.

For hours since you left the hotel it was quiet in the car, until you heard Frank gasp. The whole ride from the hotel he had looked very neutral but now he broke the silence. “Oh my god.”

Your mom got out of her trance and turned her head, making her hat bump against the window. “What is it, honey?”

“I think I forgot to grab our charger from our hotel room,” Frank seemed visibly upset and your mom stopped biting her nails.

“It’s probably somewhere in the suitcases in the back.” She tried to reassure but Frank shook his head. “No, I remember plugging in the charger and thinking to myself I should unplug it and pack it in, but I forgot.”

"It's just a charger, honey. You got a backup charger and when we arrive at the house we'll buy another one." she was quick to come to a solution but Frank shook his head. He was always one to never forget anything. Even though you were very very wealthy and could buy millions of chargers, Frank always advocated to you and your little brother to never lose an item worth of any value. Every cent was worth something and could help. The way Frank looked at money was the way a mother would look at a newborn child.

"Fine." He murmured and you saw one of his famous frowns appear on his face whenever he was upset. He looked like a child really. Every time something like this happens he sulks in a corner and desperately tries to push the annoying feeling away for the sake of looking tough, however, deep inside he was boiling.

He gave a small smack on the side of the wheel and cursed.

“Shit.”

Before he could say anything else, your mother gave him a soft smack on the shoulder. “Don’t swear in front of Oliver. He doesn't need to hear that filth.”

Frank’s eyes widened and he said “whoops” before giving a guilty look at your mother. He quietly hoped Oliver didn’t hear it but once he turned his head to look at him, Oliver looked up from his Nintendo and gave him a cheeky smile. “Shit.”

Oliver always did the same thing Frank did. It was cute how he looked up to him. Your mother however wasn’t too fond of it.

“See? He’s starting to copy you. Next thing I know, he starts smoking and drinking as well. 1 version of you is enough.”

“Oh come on, Clarissa. A little swearing won’t hurt the world. It’ll make him tough like his sister. Right Y/n?” again, he looked at you with hope through the rear view mirror that you’ll back him up.

“No, I actually agree with mom.”

“Thank you, see Frank? I raised a well mannered daughter.”

You bit your nail and leaned your elbow against the window frame of the car while looking outside. “Yeah, I think it’s a very shitty thing to swear in front of Olive.”

“Very shit indeed.” Oliver answered.

Frank laughed out loud, his lost charger long forgotten and your mother facepalmed while closing her eyes. She rubbed her forehead as she leaned against the window and she looked visibly disappointed. You however, looked at your little brother and high fived him.

“One version of you,” your mom looked back and pointed at you “Is also enough.”

You rolled your eyes and shook your head. You then clicked on the pause button on your ipod to resume your song. Nirvana’s ‘come as you are’ was on a loop and you closed your eyes while daydreaming.

The feeling of sitting in one position for way too long made your body shiver and ache. It stung and you felt uncomfortable, but after shifting and finding a better way to sit, the vibrations managed to lull you to sleep.

Once the car came to a stop about 3 hours later, you opened your eyes.

“We’re here!” Frank said in excitement and placed a hand on your mother’s hand before exiting the vehicle. You had your ipod in hand and ‘glory box’ by Portishead was playing as you stretched your limbs.

From the moment you stepped out of the car and felt the California weather wrapped around you, you were surprised that it wasn’t that hot. Even though it was October, you expected it to feel like you were in a pit of hell. The autumn breeze however felt comfortable against your skin.

You grabbed your backpack with all the necessary stuff you needed, and grabbed your sunglasses from your pocket to shield the sunlight from your eyes. As you chewed on your bubblegum you got a view of the building in front of you.

Frank and your mom were stretching their limbs and you took a long and hard look. The building looked like it had been ripped out of a 1920s film. It was grand and had a pale reddish color. The windows were mosaic with washed out colors, but it suited the exterior well.

Frank looked in awe at the building. “Now, look at that beauty. It’s even better in person.” you cocked your head to the side and scanned the mural. “It looks…” you tried to find the right word, “Old.”

You and your best friend loved fashion styles and you were also both very interested in stylish architecture. Victorian homes were usually fascinating to you because it had so much character and history. This one in front of you however looked like one of those houses that had mold everywhere. It's probably because it had been a very long time since people lived here.

You cringed and scrunched your nose while touching your earring. "This place better have a maid."

Olive stood next to you while Frank and your mom stood behind you. Frank placed his arm around your mom’s waist and placed a hand on your shoulder. "I read online that it was built somewhere in the early 20th century." Your mom gave the boy a little squeeze of his shoulder.

“Great, so the chances are 99% that the house is haunted." you muttered and your mom gave you a sharp look.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” You gave her a smile and when she looked away, you rolled your eyes. Frank heard what you said and rubbed your shoulder. “Of course it’s not haunted, honey. You’ve seen way too many films,” the man looked at the little boy, “It’s beautiful and detailed, right Oliver?”

Oliver didn’t respond, instead he searched for your hand and clung to it. “Is this our new home?"

“It might be,” Frank walked with Marcy to the next room and squeezed Oliver’s shoulder. “Come on little man, let’s see the inside.”

Frank, Oliver and your mother were the first ones to walk towards the door and you were left behind to gaze at the window. You swore you saw movement for a split second and your eyes lingered for a moment, but after a while of staring you saw nothing. All that met your eye was the abyss behind colored tiles.

You shrugged it off and slowly made your way to the front door. Right before you stepped foot on the porch, the door opened and a strawberry blonde woman smiled brightly.

“You must be Frank and Clarissa,” she greeted and Frank shook the woman's hand. She introduced herself as Marcy and then saw you and your brother, "And you must be Y/n and Oliver." You shook her hand and smiled, showing your bright teeth, “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Marcy stepped aside and let everyone in. “It’s a classic Victorian. Built around 1920 by the doctor to the stars at the time. It’s just fabulous, these are real Tiffany fixtures. And as you can see, the owners really loved this place like a child. They restored everything.”

Oliver followed them and you were still scanning the hall. The feelings you had when you walked on the creaking wood was indescribable. It looked intriguing yet menacing for some reason.

As Marcy explained some more historic facts about the building, you got bored and decided to walk around. You didn't know where to, but your feet moved before you could think. It felt like a strong gravitational pull enchanted you and took control of your legs, and your curious eyes met a lamp in the corner of the end of the hall. To the right there was nothing to meet your eyes but the walls, yet again you swore you saw movement. You frowned but shrugged it off once again. Maybe it was just the jetlag. You really did feel tired and almost choked on your bubblegum when you fell asleep.

You whipped out your phone as you walked through the hall and you sighed exaggeratedly. You were texting your best friend about the house. However you didn't have any service and you wondered if the place had wifi. No matter, even if it would send, she didn't respond right away as she was probably asleep due to the time difference. You put away your phone and looked around.

You had seen pictures before and thought everything was gonna be smaller. You knew the way people photographed houses to make it look bigger than in reality, but this house seemed to be an exception. You had to give props to that. You had great respect for honesty and integrity.

As you were checking all of the rooms on the ground floor, you were stopped by a barking sound from your right. As you followed the sound, you looked down and saw a Chi-poo looking up at you with whale eyes. It looked at you with its head cocked to the side and you crouched down. “Where did you come from, little guy?” your voice was higher pitched and you gently grabbed the collar and read the name, “Hallie.”

Your frown faded and you smiled brightly while scratching Hallie’s head. “Aren’t you a little beauty?” You whispered and you let Hallie find a comfortable spot in your arms. The moment seemed sweet and although it was, a clicking sound of heels that was heard from behind you ruined it. You could almost hear the entitlement in that sound and you let out an inaudible sigh.

“There you are,” You looked up and saw your mother standing in the doorway. “Want to see the rest of the house, sweetie?”

Clarissa leaned against the brown cabinet on the right. You put up a smile and stood up from your spot.

“Yeah I’m coming.” You grabbed the dog and cradled it in your arms.

After you saw the kitchen, you were marveled by the space of the house in its entirety. Sure everything looked old but there was no denying the house definitely had style. The kitchen island had a sink and the dark brown wood oddly complimented the black and white tiles. From the outside it definitely looked very stale and it definitely needed a paint job, but from the inside it was much more vibrant. You appreciated all the little crevices of details in each and every room and realized you shouldn't have judged too harshly on the first look.

Once you moved to another door and opened it, you saw two big shelves against the wall and a fireplace on the right.

“This could be the music room, right honey?” Frank asked your mother and she happily nodded.

Marcy looked amused, “You’re a musician?”

Frank shook his head. “No, unfortunately I’m not musically gifted, Y/n is. She plays the piano.”

"She definitely didn't get that from me, I am tone deaf." Your mother laughed and you smiled sheepishly.

Marcy gave you a smile in return and walked a bit further towards the window. “I think the piano is such a lovely instrument, I think it will look amazing here.” She pointed at the spot near the window and Frank happily continued talking. “Y/n has been dying to get a Grand Piano. We had one years ago but sold it when we moved again. We want to buy one as soon as possible for her so she can practice again.” He placed a hand on your shoulder and gave you a proud smile as he rubbed softly, “Oliver always listened whenever she played. Y/n even taught him a song or two."

“That sounds lovely, the previous owners of the house were also musically gifted. The mother played the Cello.” Marcy continued and her face fell, “Speaking about the previous owners, full disclosure requires that I tell you what happened to them.”

You let out a soft chuckle and walked forward, causing Frank's hand to let go off your shoulder. “Let me guess, they died?”

You actually meant for it to be a joke, but Marcy nodded.

“Yes they did, actually. All three of them. The dog you’re holding is Hallie. The only one left of the Harmon family. The mother died while giving birth and the daughter and the father both committed suicide. I sold them the house too. They were just the sweetest family. You never know, I guess.”

Your face fell and your mouth opened and closed a few times as your eyebrows were raised. Before you could say anything, Frank came to your rescue. “That explains why it’s half the price of every other house in the neighborhood and why it was on sale for 3 years I guess.”

You could have guessed Frank wanted the biggest house for the least amount of money. One thing he didn't forsee was there was always a catch.

"I told you it was too good to be true." you whispered to yourself. The house market was shit, and so when Frank found this house on the listings he marveled at how much money he could save and invest if you were to move in. You were very skeptical of it and had warned him that there could be a very concerning reason as to why it was this cheap.

Murders were definitely a valid reason as to why.

Marcy continued. “I do have a very nice mid-century ranch, but it’s in the valley and you’re going to get a third of the house for twice the price.”

Your mother held the arm of Frank and seemingly didn’t care about the information about the demise of the previous tenants. “The price doesn’t really matter to us. We just need a spaceious place where there is silence and peace. I get these horrible migraines that cause insomnia and my psychiatrist recommended moving to a more quiet area.”

“And you thought you would find silence in LA?” You tried but your mother ignored your comment and continued talking to Marcy. “He prescribed me pills that could help me fall asleep and stay asleep. But still, the loudness of central New Orleans was too much.”

“Don’t worry, mrs. Kinsley. Los Angeles is not all loud and noisy. This house is in the perfect neighborhood and in the perfect shape. The sounds of anything outside are drowned out by the thick walls and even then, it’s rare for it to be busy outside. The only times when the neighborhood comes alive is on holidays,” Marcy continued. “As halloween is approaching, the peak will be on october 31st, but after that you can expect everything to be quiet. Also, the neighbors don't really tend to socialise a lot from what I've heard.”

“That sounds lovely.” your mother smiled brightly and Marcy walked away to talk with Frank about the next room that was perfect for his work. You could faintly the voice of Marcy saying the man from the previous family was a psychiatrist and you found it ironic since Frank was a psychologist. What a coincidence.

As soon as she was out of your sight, you turned to your mother and removed the smile from your face. “Okay, it might be in a good neighborhood, and everything might be all quiet or whatever. But are we really gonna gloss over the fact that a family died here? I mean, what happened to the tenants before them? Are you not concerned about that?"

“The history of the house isn't that important," she shrugged, "You didn't seem to have a problem with our old house. It's even older and also a lot of things have happened there. Probably a few murders here and there. There is a ton of history on that as well." She said as if it was the most casual thing ever. Yeah sure, it's not like murder is a crime and is very bad

"Yes, but this is a house where random people died," you whisper-shouted, "Our old house was old, yes, but it's family history. Our history. I don't mind that because it's a part of us. It's part of our family."

Your mother didn't answer that and looked at the side. She was as stubborn like you and you let out a mocking laugh. "Right, I forgot family doesn't mean anything to you, it's why you got a new shitty boyfriend Frank and decided to move to the other side of the fucking country." That made her head snap back to you and you almost missed the way her head moved to Frank and Marcy, afraid that they would hear her daughter's outburst.

"Y/n, let’s not do this now. It’s not the timing.” Your mother warned with closed teeth and but before you could protest and ask when the right time was, Oliver stood in the doorway. “Mom?”

Hallie, who had a warm spot in your arms, jumped out and ran towards the younger boy. Oliver looked surprised but happily pet the dog and Clarissa smiled as if nothing happened.

“Hey honey, what do you think of the house so far?"

“It’s very big,” Hallie licked his hand and the boy smiled, “I like it.”

Clarissa nodded in agreement and glanced at Frank and Marcy for a second before facing the two of you again. “I think it’s absolutely gorgeous. Exactly what we're looking for.”

You raised your eyebrows and crossed your arms over each other.

Olive's eyes sparkled. “Does this mean that we’ll take it?”

“I think it’s perfect," she said and she gave Olive a smile. “Your opinion matters too, of course. What do you say?” You gave your mother a side eye.

“Yes!" she then turned to look at you and waited for your approval. "And you? Y/n?" her eyes stood void of emotions and you watched Frank and Marcy in the corner of your eyes and sighed. “Why are you asking me? I know you don’t care about my opinion anyways.”

“Y/n…” Clarissa smiled through her teeth and gave you a warning look again. Hallie barked at something and ran out of Olive's arms into the hallway. Olive followed the dog and you continued the conversation you had with your mom.

"What? It's literally why you forced me to come with you. Ever since Frank came we everything changed and I'm tired of it, okay? I just... I can't. Give me a break." you exhaled deeply and rubbed your forehead.

"I will have none of this at the moment,” she repeated her standard line with a calm tone, “We both know it was for the best, and you like quiet too right? There are great schools here and I'm sure you'll make loads of new friends." She didn't know she was literally proving your point right then and there. She didn't care about your opinion. She already had her own the minute she forced you to pack your things and dragged you into the car. You were tempted to open the window and yell 'Help, I'm being kidnapped' but you knew that would only worsen things. You also didn't really felt like sitting in a police bureau sulking while your mother explained the situation.

You scoffed and crossed your arms. "LA is full of stuck up people who care only about followers and fame. I never wanted this."

Your mother rolled her eyes. "Don't act like a brat, Y/n I am so over it. Tons of girls your age dream of moving to this city in a big house like this. They would do anything to be in your position right now, to have the opportunities you have. Besides there are people like that everywhere, your old friends were exactly like that. And sweetie, don't tell me you're not like them cause you are.”

Ah, the old classic "you can't feel sad because you have it better than majority of the people on this shitty planet".

You were starting to boil.

“Just because you’re not a fan of them doesn’t mean they’re immediately conceited.” you tried to keep your voice low to avoid Olive hearing the conversation if he were to lurk somewhere nearby. He had witnessed a few outbursts a few times before and you didn't want Olive to see that as an example of good behavior.

Before the conversation truly went downhill, Marcy and Frank walked back into the room and you turned around to smile again as if nothing happened. Your mother did the same and now you realized the older you got, the more you looked like your mother.

Frank gave Clarissa a kiss on the cheek before he looked at you and asked the same question. “So, Y/n. What do you say?”

It was quiet for a few seconds before you realized that there was absolutely no way of going home anytime soon. You gave Frank one last look before giving Marcy a grin, hoping she wouldn’t notice your twitching eye.

“Does this place come with the dog?”

After Clarissa and Frank signed some papers and discussed the next plans with Marcy, it was already night time. Most of the moving boxes were in the living room and you were currently in your new bedroom. You didn't want to speak with anyone today and so you sulked while sitting on your bed.

The room wasn't all too bad, it was way smaller and darker than your previous room but oddly enough you didn't really mind. Plus, the door had a lock so that was very convenient for you. It took a little while to get the key but after a thorough search you found it lying in a cabinet.

You locked the door, closed the blinds and made sure no one could peek. You were tired from everything and you were in desperate need of some distraction. A bottle of vodka was hidden somewhere deep in one of the boxes as well as a can of cola, and you mixed the two drinks.

"At least I still have alcohol and a designer handbag." You muttered and as you sat on the chair in front of the mirror at your desk, you took a swig of the liquid.

“The blinds are see through, anyone standing in the yard can see what you're doing.”

You spat out the remaining drink and turned around to see a young, blonde man stand near the door. He had his hands in his pockets and simply blinked at you.

“What the-” you wiped the remains from your mouth. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” You saw that the door behind him was open, and you were visibly confused. You thought you locked your door.

“Also, the lock is old, you should double turn the key for it to work.”

Before you could say anything else, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Your eyebrows were frowned and you turned around one more time to blink at the door. Once you looked back at the mirror, you saw the spatters of vodka mixed with cola painted the glass and rubbed your eyes.

What the fuck?

You stood up from your place after a few seconds and walked to your door. To test out what he said you locked the door while twisting the key once. As you pushed the door, it opened and you did the same thing again, this time you turned the key twice.

You pushed the door and it didn’t budge.

Who the fuck was he and how did he get into your house? Was he one of the movers who helped with the boxes from the truck? No that can't be possible, you scanned everyone's faces as they moved in and out, but everyone was middle aged.

So perhaps he was one of Frank's clients? You didn't really know anything about his job but it seemed very logical that clients first had to book an appointment before showing up.

Even though you were kind of freaked out, you didn't alarm anyone. Maybe that was a dumb decision, but you really didn't feel like walking downstairs to see the smug face of Frank and your mother, especially after everything that happened today.

If he was a thief, you hoped he'd steal Frank's backup charger.

If you thought the situation with the blonde boy was weird, what happened after was a lot weirder.

It was about an hour later and you had a bathroom break. You could still walk in a straight line and only felt a bit buzzed. Trying to avoid the living room where Frank and your mother were seated, you walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the tray.

Walking back upstairs, you accidentally dropped the apple and cursed. However, as it rolled into the hallway, you were startled to see the apple roll back to you as though it hit an invisible wall in the middle. You grabbed your forehead, crouching down and taking the apple in your hand. How was that possible?

Looking around once or twice to see anything out of the ordinary, you struggled to clear your thoughts. Eventually you blamed it on the alcohol. Although a feeling deep inside told you that it wasn't that. You knew you weren't drunk enough to imagine this.

You didn't make a big deal out of it mainly because you always scared yourself by thinking the most random creepy things. Walking to the bathroom at night; what if someone is standing behind the corner? Sitting on the couch; what if someone's hand suddenly snatches you into a shadow realm? Every thought was so random. You did it to yourself and you didn't want to scare yourself again.

You blinked once or twice before returning your trek upstairs.

Walking through the hall to find the right door back to your room, you struggled. Having a big house meant there were more rooms, which meant that it would take a while longer to get used to finding your way. Your old house was the same, maybe even bigger. It was the perfect place for hide and seek. You could hide in a closet in one of the many rooms and it would take hours or maybe days to find you.

As you finally found your bedroom, you stopped in your tracks. You heard noise behind the door, and when you opened it, you frowned. You saw that someone unplugged your headphones from your ipod on your bed and had played a song by Daryl Hall and John Oates.

So far gone on your own. Well you could get along if you tried to be strong. But you'll never be strong cause you're a rich girl. And you've gone too far cause you know it don't matter anyway. You can rely on the old man's money...

You paused the device and walked out of your room.

“Olive!”

“Yes?”

You opened the door to his room and saw he was still on his nintendo. He didn’t look up when you stood in the doorway with your arms crossed. “You can’t just go into my room and do that shit. We need some boundaries, I value privacy."

Oliver looked up from his nintendo and looked confused. “I didn’t go into your room?”

“Very funny Olive.” Oliver had pulled pranks on you before and so you weren't buying it. "First of all, don't call me Olive, I'm a person not food, and second of all, I never stepped foot off my bed since I jumped on it. That was like an hour ago."

You were very skeptical and crossed your arms.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not, I swear!”

You narrowed your eyes before deciding to drop the subject. You didn't want to argue, especially knowing you would get a lecture from Frank about family positivity.

“Whatever.”

You walked back and looked at your ipod once again and rubbed your eyes, cursing because you wore mascara. Trying not to cry because everything frustrated you, you fell ontop of your bed and groaned in your pillow, smudging mascara on the sheets. You just simply didn't care anymore.

These were very interesting first days of your new house. Nothing really seemed to work in your favor, you hated this city, you missed everyone back at home, everything seemed to be out of the ordinary, and you didn't know if the constant feeling of being watched was because of the new house, or if it was just you being paranoid.

No matter, every feeling you held wasn't gonna last long. Because as soon as you would turn 18, you would pack your bags and leave this place. Ever since Frank came into the picture you had everything planned out. All you had to do was wait a couple of weeks and survive the constant bickering of your family members, Frank, and the weirdness of the house. You just have to hold on a little longer.

This is going to be challenging, but surviving for a bit longer can't be that hard... Right?

[autistichalsin]

Yes, Halsin's arc had romance and leadership and trauma and redemption for past mistakes and war and society vs nature and "pain of altruism" themes...

But his arc was just as much about a man's search for family as anything else.

Every bit of Halsin's arc was about him protecting someone he saw as family.

Act one was his family at the Grove- "the Grove became my family," he says after telling the player he lost his parents and any other family he once had long ago. If they are saved, he makes what he feels is the best choice for them and appoints a new leader of the Grove like a parent letting another parent have custody when they know they aren't the most capable caregiver. If they are sealed off by the Rite of Thorns, Halsin grieves the loss of his home and the people inside. If they are killed, he mourns too, and in either case he can't bring himself to go back and he joins the player's camp. And if they are killed by the player and he doesn't die first, he comes to kill them in retribution.

The Grove helped him through the trauma of the Shadow Curse, it helped him learn about himself as an Archdruid, it helped him realize where his heart lay- and where it didn't. Halsin loves their companionship, but hates his leadership role when it extends beyond paternalism; "it is a terrible burden," he says. He feels too comfortable in the Grove, too separate from nature, and considering how much the leadership role is tied in to his trauma over the Shadow Curse, it's no wonder he resents it. He just wants them as his family, not as his underlings.

Act two was about Thaniel. "He made me who I am today," he says. Several devnotes make it quite clear that Halsin's feelings are paternal ones, towards Thaniel and Oliver both. When he says he thinks it will be good for them to have a friend in each other when he's gone, a devnote says, "a little bittersweet: the kids are growing up." When he notes later that the two play together often in his meditations, the devnote says "proud 'father'."

It makes sense in more ways than one; not only is Halsin paternal to these two particular beings, but then, as a Druid, Halsin is a caretaker to nature itself. As the spirits of the land, of course his feelings would be doubly so, especially given their history.

But before he gets to this point, act two is about searching for family he fears losing- he is terrified for Thaniel and doesn't know if or how to save him. This is the core of his entire arc, really- his arc continues after this, but Thaniel was the most important part of his arc. He is restless and anxious before, and once they do find him, he relaxes again.

Act three is half for the player, whether a friend or a romantic partner. "The Grove became my family... and now I have you," he says as the player gets to know him. The player, who protected him, showed him kindness, saved him from the goblins and now saved his not-quite-sons from the Shadow Curse. The player who, if in a romantic relationship, lets him admit he felt lost before and helped him find himself, ease his burdens. The player who either expresses condolences for the loss of his family or (in a presumably well intentioned if slightly obsessive way) tells him he's better with them anyway, still indicating that he is wanted. The player who lets him show his playful side again, who tends to his needs just as much as the other way around (clearly an uncommon dynamic for him to be in)... He gets to find parts of himself he hasn't in a long time. And as he finds a romantic family again, he gets to start turning his thoughts to the future again. As he can tell Wyll if one plays as him, "we'll need new life when this is over." The player gives him his future back, whether a friend or romantic, along with the family bond he misses after leaving the Grove. It's an even more free, open family than at the Grove, since here he's not forced to take a leadership role and hold himself to a higher standard.

The other part of act three is Halsin seeking family in community. He sees the vulnerable in the city of Baldur's Gate and feels a connection with them- especially the children, but also the refugees. He sees how they're hurting, and he develops a dream "of a better future for those who need it," as the devnotes refer to this arc. Halsin is a person who fundamentally can't stand to see suffering, especially in the young, and the worse he hurts from seeing Baldur's Gate, the more determined he is to help them. This isn't just an act he takes out of duty as an Archdruid, though that is part of it, but it's also the act of someone who loves people and wants to help them. And he is rewarded for it- "Daddy Halsin, [the orphaned children] call me." Halsin, with his endless, deep love and empathy, finds a place where his efforts to help the defenseless allow him to find more love and connections. He gets to take on a fatherly role to nine wagon-fulls (depending on what size of wagon we're talking about, that could be dozens of children, maybe even HUNDREDS!) of children, teaching them about the traditions that are important to him, while also filling the hole left by his parents' absence- by keeping them and their beliefs alive in his interactions with what are now effectively his children.

At his core, Halsin is a lonely person throughout canon, who craves more connection; at this point in his life, it's primarily romantic love and paternal love he wants to give. Act one shows him in a situation where he has neither, and while he's not UNhappy, he's not happy either, and is all too happy to abandon his duties because it's not where he's meant to be. Act two gives him Thaniel, who he is overjoyed to finally free from the Curse, but he isn't meant to linger thanks to the battle against the Absolute. And then act three gives him the player (even if not romanced, he still feels a deep connection with them and vice versa) and, in the end, children he can finally be a father to, even if it's in a slightly different way than he imagined. And that is where he finally finds happiness and purpose.

It's a really wonderful progression for him, I think.

[blueishspace]

Second part of my Pearl Double Life pov rewatch/ analysis.

Why are they so messy?

Part 1

Episode 3 p.2 and how Pearl sabotages her own efforts.

Pearl at this point starts to do something that confused me at first, she tries again to get the friends she is desperate for but sabotages herself everytime by making requests she knows no one will take seriously. She could have been a rancher just fine, ahe could have done so last session too technically but even with Jimmy willing to hear her out she says that she wants the entire ranch as friendship... Which he of course refuses. She then gives Martyn Jimmy's horn which is what he asks later for friendship, it was obvious he was going to ask for it yet she gives it away and with the chance for an alliance.

Why does she do this? I think It's a mix of 3 past events: Scar manipulating her into being actively antagonistic, Cleo accidentally convincing her she doesn't need anyone and Scott being nice and offering an olive branch last session. She has an idea of Scott formed almost entirely because of miscommunication that happened 'cause Cleo and Martyn were smothering their arguments by being loud and she had made an idea of her role in the story based on her perception of Scott... And then the first time she was alone with Scott he was as nice and understanding to her as I think he can be... and that perception shattered and istead of aknowledging it she instead decided to die on that hill and became what Scar told her to be.

On the other hand Scott who is also extremely misinformed about what actually is going on because of that same miscommunication takes Pearl's erratic behavior as an excuse for his own mistakes, she's insane so he's in the right because he isn't crazy and he decides to also die on his hill.

Meanwhile the disk thing happens and Scott takes it as a joke mostly but Cleo threatens Tilly's life and... well they don't actually do anything to the dog but it's going to stick with Pearl.

One thing is that before Cleo does this... Scott separates himself and Pearl from the others using the disk, he makes her follow him and then he softly asks her "do you trust me" I know for sure he was going to say something to her and I know Cleo knew too because only then does they make the threat. Scott was going to say or show something to Pearl, something Cleo did not want him to show/say, something that was stopped by Cleo targeting Tilly out of nowhere, something that not saying frustrated Scott enough that he trew the disk down into the ravine. "Tilly death do us apart"? More like Threatening Tilly's death do us apart.

Also the warden thing happens, nothing to add It's just fun.

Episode 4 p.1 Scar's Third Strike.

Scar manipulates and gaslights Pearl using the fact that they both care about their pets and were both betrayed by their soulmate and that she is in desperate need of friends in order to get her to promise not to attack him should the time come, this has the side effect of creating a mental link inside Pearl's mind between Grian and Scar's situation and the one she has with Scott despite them wholly different. What was a split caused by miscommunication that she once viewed as abandonment has fully become cheating to her and like more then 50% of the process was caused by Scar now.

Then someone puts the watch your back sign in her tower and sure it doesn't makes things that much worse but it surely does not help.

Episode 4 p.2 Pearl does a lot to Scott that is forgotten or ignored because "Wah wah Scott started it".

Pearl plays powdered snow chicken then later tells Scott she want to show him a magic trick and she jumps from enough blocks to put them at half an heart and Scott has to eat food that he has spent time farming because she refuses to. Then she lets Grian fishing rod her up and down and she continues going up and down and Scott is genuinely so stressed the whole time that his voice goes up an octave. Then Grian goes higher and she barely manage to use water to slow down and not die and Scott just can't even use full sentences. Then again, Grian barely manages to catch her and Scott just gives up. Pearl manages to make Scott give up trying completely and he literally hides in a corner to not look. Then again this time she also hooks Joel, goes to 3 hearts, Scott tries to speak and warn everyone that Joel and Etho are linked and will take double damage but everyone talks over him.

Scott is not right to say that Pearl is insane but literally every interaction they had since last session has proven that she is incapable of rational thought, he has seen her at her worst in both session 3 and now session 4 and most of these were accident caused directly or indirectly by Scar. When he later says "I have to team up with my crazy ex" It's something that he has to have developed AFTER session 2, maybe even after session 3. And now, now he's panicking because Pearl has been torturing him for the past 3 session over something he didn't think would be so messy and has now nade them the first target for red life Joel and Etho.

And Pearl is not taking this any better, this a repeat of what happened with Ren and BigB, a repeat of what as I said in the last part is a big part of Pearl's character this season. She internalized it once and now she does so again. So she takes Scar's advice even harder and puts the stole chestplate in her hand and she dies for it.

But she does not die because of Scar, at least not to her, she dies she because she decides for a moment to not be unhinged and be reasonable... She stops and super dies from it and therefore chooses that she has to stick to her insanity completely.

A small graph of Pearl's decline.

I made this while watching, every time something major happened that changed Pearl's behavior in a major way I added a point to the graph. Started from 50 and each time took an amount dependant on the size of the effect it had on Pearl's behavior.

The problem I find when you try to understand Pearl with only Scott as the cause you are only considering this part of the decline:

Even if you add Cleo's and Martyn contribution you get a very limited view:

Here is instead a graph of ALL incidents that lowered Pearl's sanity this far by person who did them, this is made using purely number of instead of severity but it shows what I mean it is not good to consider only those 3:

Episode 4 p.3 The fucken pool party.

The pool party happens and It's a fucking mess, half the invited are too far away from the trap, Ren fails miserably as the zombies take ages, Scar disappears half way in and Ren illegally kills Bdubs and Impulse despite the session having finished.

That is a lot of stuff that happens all in not a lot of time but little of that refers to Pearl.

Except for one thing.

Pearl relationship with Scott and Cleo is broken, Martyn can never be trusted the same after his betrayal, the reds have her as target and Scar and Grian are scheming. Impulse and Bdubs were the only ones she could trust and they invited her to a trap and following went to red. That Mental Health bar if finally at zero. The straw has been placed and the camel's back is broken... Just in time for session 5.

[izvmimi]

cw: pop star au! alcohol mention. suggestive.

“unsure what your mentor gojo might have told you about me, yuuji,” you start, swirling your drink with the tip of your pinky finger with just one rotation before looking up at the man before you. "but i don't particularly enjoy the idea of being used to springboard another artist's career."

yuuji itadori hasn't picked a soloist name yet, still known by Yuyu as part of his four-member boy band, but the cutesy name doesn't fit with the venom of your voice, so you call him by his first name. plus, if you are truly meant to be working together, close and personal, you might as well get comfortable. he grins when you pronounce his name rather than bristle at your statement, the gleam in straight, heartthrob-white teeth almost a taunt to you.

"i don't think that's exactly what i'm aiming for but good to know."

his eyes flit from yours to the drink you just stirred, and watches as you put it to your lips, not saying a word. he looks practically cautious, and for a moment you wonder if he's grossed out by the action or if he's just intrigued by the shine on your glossed lips.

yuuji's dressed relatively subdued tonight, in a simple black turtleneck, unlike the shimmery gold chain shirt you remember him wearing on his most recent performance, standing out amongst the crowd despite his quite attractive band mates. the dusky pink of his hair which his design team clearly insists on accentuating doesn't help to avoid drawing your eyes to his among the group like a beacon. everything about him says look at me, look at me from the bright hue in his brown eyes and his build at the perfect balance of thick and aesthetic. you can't deny you too have been looking but you're tired of offering olive branches to bright eyed up-and-comers who lack the ability to be grateful.

you're not some type of gatekeeper but you know this game and gojo wasn't even subtle about it.

make my boy a star! toodles!

you roll your eyes at the thought, but even you have to admit he's mentored you a bit too though to get you where you are. despite being about yuuji's age, you're practically a household name, thanks to gojo's willingness to believe in you. you sigh.

"anyway, i'll have my agent contact you in the morning. we don't have to discuss anything more."

you throw back the rest of your drink and reach for your purse. yuuji raises his eyebrow at you then chuckles. the drink before him is untouched implying a bit of trepidation, but he's leaned back in his chair, one leg propped up on the chair stretcher. it's a look that's far too casual, that would look slightly disrespectful if he weren't so soft-looking.

"if you're uncomfortable being that close to me, you should really just say so," yuuji says. his arms stretch out above him and you tilt your head to the side.

"excuse me?"

yuuji also rises to his feet, and the difference of stature between you two is suddenly noticeable as you hang your purse around you. he intimidates you a bit, you have to admit, especially when he's close like this.

sweet. harmless. a little cocky. fuckable.

he skirts a little closer to you leaning in, his voice honeyed, ready to strike.

"you don't have to be my springboard. if anything, you can bounce off of me if you'd like."

yuuji laughs as your breath catches in your throat, but you shake it out and press a hand against his chest, pushing a comfortable distance between you two.

you're not going to be held accountable for a comment you made in a variety show months ago, even if it were true.

"don't push your luck," you hiss. he beams, and he's no longer sweet venom but the sweet man coming to you for a simple opportunity, no strings attached.

"you're right! i'll do anything you say," his lips pull sweetly and you wonder if you're being sucked in just like his fans.

he's polished perfect for the people, but that doesn't mean he's perfect for you.

but as he follows you out and your driver arrives depositing both of you safely at your respective homes, you wonder if perhaps a little romp will do any harm.

[milaisreading]

🌱🩷: 9th story of the Christmas special... I was a little too silly goofy here...

Pairings: Oliver Aiku x Isagi's sister!Yn (Post-Blue Lock tl)

Warnings: Reader uses she/her. Angst...

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura ⚽️

🎄Dec 18th🎄

'Finally back home.' Oliver smiled as he walked down the familiar streets of Tokyo, specifically one of the wards, Shinagawa. Oliver expected nothing less than a cold day, since it was December 20th already. He returned from Italy the night before, and after a good night of rest, the pro-player decided to explore the capital. Everything was in festive mood, and Oliver couldn't help but be in awe with the decorations. It was nearly as good as the ones he saw in Italy, but these ones had a more personal touch to them. During his walk, he did get recognized by some fans and took pictures with them.

Oliver chuckled as he remembered a few of the girls trying to flirt with him. While he did flirt back, he couldn't help but feel nothing while doing so.

"They seem... pretty happy." Oliver muttered and stopped when he noticed a couple a few meters away, laughing and carrying some presents. Oliver's smile turned into a frown as a familiar heartache hit him... for the 5th time that month.

'Is she single? Or did she find someone else?' Oliver gulped and shook his head when the last thought hit him. He doesn't expect (Y/n) to stay single forever, or wait for him... but her being with someone else did sadden him.

'I made my own bed. It's what I get for what I did all those years ago.' Oliver took a deep breath and went to look for a café, trying to forget about her.

'(Y/n)... I wonder how she is doing? Does she ever think of me.'

🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️

Years prior...

"I hate you! I hate that I even trusted you!" (Y/n) sobbed as Oliver flinched at her sobs and tried to move closer to her, but she recoiled and glared at him.

"Is... is it so hard to just love me? And stay faithful?"

Oliver said nothing, too ashamed to really say anything.

'What am I supposed to even say? Sorry you found me kissing another girl?' Oliver flinched as he watched her wipe a few tears away. He really didn't mean any of this. He wanted to make her happy, unlike last time. But it looks like he made this worse than last time.

"Do... do you hate me so much that you can't break up properly?"

"I don't hate you!" Oliver yelled back, but the glare she sent him was enough to shut him up.

"Really? The first time you broke up with me was over text, in the most dry way possible. And now, now you do this! You could have just told me that you can't do long distance!"

"(Y/n), I really do love you! I am sorry, I was weak for a moment and I couldn't help it."

She rolled her eyes and went to pick up the suitcase that was left on the floor.

"Where are you going?" Oliver gulped, walking after her.

"Please-"

"I am over this. You are a unreliable jerk, who can't be loyal to someone for 4 months?! And as to where I am going, it's none of your business. I am not your worry anymore."

She glared at him and was about to leave the apartment, but Oliver grabbed her shoulder.

"Of course you are my worry. I love you and-"

"No, you don't!" (Y/n) yelled back, moving out of his grip. Oliver moved away, both afraid of her rage and sad by the disdain she held in her eyes.

'Last time we saw each other, it was love.' Oliver recalled. (Y/n) took a deep breath and spoke up again.

"You don't hurt the people you love. If you dare to even follow me, I will scream. Got it?"

Oliver gulped and nodded his head as she put on her shoes.

"Goodbye, Aiku. Feel free to have as much fun as possible." She huffed and left the apartment. Oliver watched her leave and slowly closed the door behind himself. He was fighting the urge to puke.

'Is it really over?'

☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄

'I screwed up so bad... I wish I could go back in time.' Oliver sighed as he watched his cup of hot chocolate. Not even its sweetness could sheer him up anymore. He ignored the people in the the background and just went back to his phone. He smiled as he saw some new pictures of (Y/n) that were posted. For the first 4 months after the break up, Oliver didn't hear much about her. Just a few things from Barou or Aryu, if they felt like saying anything. After that, pictures of her modeling in Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, and Rome started slowly appearing on his social media. It surprised Oliver, since he knew (Y/n) as a more private person, who always tried to stay away from cameras. But, things seemed to have changed after the break-up, he guessed.

'Modeling does suit her, she looks beautiful-'

"Aiku? You are here, too?"

The pro-players heart stopped for a moment and he looked up to find (Y/n)'s shocked face.

'Beautiful.' He gulped and blinked a few times before getting up from his seat.

"(Y-Y/n)... you are here? In Japan?" Oliver asked, dumbfounded as the older Isagi slowly nodded her head, feeling a little awkward.

'Thank God there aren't many people here to cause a scene.' Oliver thought, looking at the half-empty café.

"Yeah...uhm.... I came here a few days ago. I am guessing they gave you in Ubers a week off too."

"They did. Oh! Sit down, please. Don't stand there." Oliver offered her the seat across from him.

"Thanks, but I will be going soon. We just came here to buy some pastries."

"Ahh~ Ok, I understand. Wait, we? Is your bro here too?"

(Y/n) blushed and shook her head, then pointed at a familiar redhead standing in front of the cashier.

"Sae? You... you and Sae are friends now?" Oliver blinked, trying to not show any distaste at the idea.

"We... uh, Sae and I are engaged, actually." (Y/n) answered silently, showing a ring that was on her left hand. Seeing the item, Oliver felt nausea come over him.

"T-that's great. I didn't know..." He trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"Yeah, Sae and I wanted to keep this relationship out of public eye. But we plan on announcing the engagement in the next few days." (Y/n) smiled brightly. Oliver couldn't help but to notice that this smile was way... brighter than the once she gave him back in the day.

'It's like, she is completely herself with Sae.' He bit the inside of his cheek, then gave her a tight smile.

"Happy to hear that. I am... glad to see that you are doing well. Congratulations."

"Thank you. I haven't been this happy in a long while." (Y/n) admitted.

'Are you happier with him than with me?' Oliver wanted to ask, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"Hope you are doing great, too. Yoichi told me Ubers did pretty well last season." (Y/n)'s words woke him up from his thoughts.

"Yeah. We have been doing good. I am, happy with my life so far."

'I really am not.' Was what Oliver wanted to say, but (Y/n) is no longer the one to who he can talk about those things. She wasn't responsible for it, anymore.

"(Y/n), let's go. We need to pick up Rin and Yoichi from the airport." Sae called out, causing (Y/n) to nod her head, then she turned to look back at Oliver.

"It was great meeting you again... and thank you for everything. The good and even the bad times, they really helped me grow." (Y/n) said softly as Oliver slowly nodded his head.

"Thank you for everything, too. Hope you have a good holiday with everyone."

The pro-player said, raising his hand for a fist-bumb. The girl smiled and nodded her head.

"Thanks. Have a great Christmas, too."

With a fist-bumb, (Y/n) left Oliver's side and walked over to where Sae was. The black-haired player fought back a few tears as he saw (Y/n) take Sae's hand and leave the café. It hurt more than when she had left 4 years ago.

"Damn it..." Oliver muttered as he sat down on his chair again and hid his face in his hands.

'It's another goodbye... How ironic that it happened again during this time of the year.'

[underratedgrapeju1ce]

are you ever gonna make Giovanni x Bucky art that doesn’t depict them being very…aggressive towards each other…like them hugging or kissing (passionately) or something or is it just always gonna be toxic yaoi?

tl;dr for this long ass ramble: gios not a romantic guy, bucky probably is, shenanigans and character growth ensues

full rant under the cut ⬇️⬇️

at his core giovanni is not an affectionate character at all. any softness that he would exhibit would be acts he think may be comforting or helpful, usually masked with a dry comment.

for example if bucky got sick, i imagine gio would make some comments about how he needs to take better care of himself, probably make fun of now stuffy his nose is, and then make him homemade soup. i feel like bucky gets a lot of mixed messages.

and if they do end up officially together, a lot of other people would say something about how cold or mean gio seems to be, how he must not be a good partner. bucky would probably whisper that he's really a sweetie at heart (which is. a stretch, but hey love is blind)

gio will say mean things, but at that point in their relationship bucky knows he either doesn't mean it, or says it to mask his affection. in public gio plays up the "cold asshole" thing, but even if hes a naturally brash or unfiltered person, he does eventually get more comfortable with small shows of affection.

gio does not admit hes wrong until he is absolutely, BEYOND A DOUBT proven wrong. him and bucky probably mutually deny ANY feelings for each other until literally everyone else is like "dude for gods sake you're both pining so hard and its getting annoying" and even then they're both like "fuckkk whyd it have to be YOU."

even when they're dating, they dont lose their competitive streak with each other though. gio isnt romantic until bucky does some gesture, then HE needs to do it BETTER. i imagine olive has to settle them down before they fight each other affectionally.

gio would definitely need character development to be more comfortable with himself enough to have a decent relationship with anyone, especially bucky who wears his heart on his sleeve. i think they'd be interesting together purely for their "opposites attract" and "bitter rivals" dynamic, and their relationship is interesting whether or not its romantic

...is this anything?

[totallyjustabunchofhocuspocus]

Prompt response

@sweetwatersong

sweetwatersong

So glad you're having fun! 😄 Hmm, what about that quote from Oliver about kissing a male actor as a prompt? "When your eyes are closed, it's the same."

Their first date is painfully awkward.

Their second date is, although he didn't think it possible, worse. 

And okay, maybe he was asking for it…he doesn't actually know what he was thinking, deciding that the best way to counteract the disaster of a first date was to invite a man he'd just met to be his plus one to Maddie's wedding. (He resolutely ignores the little voice in his head–the one that sounds suspiciously like Eddie–telling him he wasn't thinking). The 118 are…a lot. He loves them with all his heart, they are his chosen family, and he wouldn't trade them for anything…but yeah, the entire crew in full party mode would be overwhelming for an established relationship coming up on its ten-year anniversary, let alone a brand new situation with the added weight of it being his first same-sex experience. 

His parents were there for fuck's sake. He and Tommy hadn't even discussed parameters, boundaries, exclusivity, and Buck was introducing him to his parents. And granted, introducing Tommy to Bobby and Athena had felt…more…despite the strides he and his parents have made in repairing their relationship, but still.

Add into all that the absolutely impossible, ridiculous, downright Hollywood movie-style disaster that had been the bachelor party and subsequent search for the missing groom and Buck is honestly surprised that Tommy hadn't run screaming for the hills. He hadn't, though. He hadn't.

And now here they are. Three months in. Going stronger than Buck would have ever dreamed after that first embarrassing dinner date. They see each other at least a few times a week, as their schedules allow. There's a second toothbrush in the holder in Buck's bathroom. Buck's preferred brand of oat milk can be found in Tommy's fridge. Neither of them have cleared out space in drawers or closets yet, but Buck found an LAFD t-shirt with Kinard across the back in his laundry the other day, and he's pretty sure he'll find his favorite hoodie somewhere at Tommy's apartment next time he goes over. 

He's always loved this part of dating someone–the slow slide into sharing space, the little bits of each other that start mixing and melding until it's just them. He's never done it right in the past–not with Abby, not with Taylor, nor any of the other, shorter relationships he's had, he can acknowledge that now…but he's always loved it. He feels like he might be getting it right with Tommy, now. 

Evan Buckley has a boyfriend. A boyfriend that he is pretty damn sure he's falling in love with, even if they aren't quite at the point of saying it, yet. 

It's never been this easy, before. This comfortable. He thinks part of it must be that this is the first time he's dating someone that actually gets his job. Tommy understands the crazy schedules, the stress, the danger he sometimes has to put himself in, understands the drive that Buck has to help people, because that's his life too. Abby was probably the one who came the closest to being able to understand, but even she hadn't been able to fully comprehend that part of Buck's life. 

But he thinks the greater part of what makes this the most comfortable romantic relationship he's ever had is just that it's with Tommy. Tommy, who is patient and gentle when Buck needs it, and firm and demanding when he needs that, and has no problem being the one to hold and comfort him when he needs that, and accepts all that right back from Buck when he needs it. Equal. Buck doesn't think he's ever had a romantic relationship that feels so equal. Even in matters that Tommy definitely has the experience advantage in, where Buck defers to his lead, he always feels like they're going at his pace and comfort level. 

Buck's had partners who enjoyed his body before, of course. Tommy is certainly no exception on that front. He doesn't think he's ever had a partner who so clearly treasures everything that comes with his body, though. Tommy's just as interested in Buck's latest research binge and what he and Chris are doing for Chris's science project as he is in what Buck can do with his tongue besides talk. 

It's…refreshing. A little bit heady, if he's being honest. 

He’s just sliding the pan of chicken parmesan he's been assembling for dinner under the broiler for the mozzarella to get brown and bubbly when his front door opens, and the man who's been occupying his thoughts enters, work bag slung over his shoulder. Buck looks up in time to catch the tail end of the pleased, smitten grin curling his boyfriend's lips as he slides his keys back into his pocket. That’s a new thing, the freshly cut key to Buck's place on Tommy's keyring only a few weeks old. Buck has one to Tommy's apartment on his.

It's more practical than anything else right now. Their lives being what they are, there's been more than one occasion where they had plans to meet up only to find the other's shift had run over, and they were left awkwardly hanging out in the lobby of the building. They're not at a point where they're thinking of moving in together or anything…those drawers and closets haven't been cleaned out to make room for a new occupant to start leaving more than a few scraps of themselves behind. But it's not…an insignificant step. 

“Hey babe,” Tommy says, coming up behind him to wind his arms around Buck's waist as he rinses his hands at the sink. He kisses the back of Buck's neck and Buck sighs happily as he leans his weight back against his boyfriend's solid frame. “That smells amazing.”

“Bobby finally gave up his secrets to the perfect marinara,” Buck replies, turning in Tommy's arms so he can kiss him properly. 

There's still a small part of him that always marvels a little at the novelty of having to tip his head up slightly to kiss his partner. That thrills a little at the feeling of being held, enveloped in his partner's arms. He'd made light of it the couple times he's talked to people about the differences in dating Tommy–dating a man–as compared to any of the women he's been with. 

“When your eyes are closed, it's the same,” he'd told Maddie with a wink, drawing a peal of laughter from his sister. 

And that's true. In all the ways that matter, right down at the heart of it, it's all the same. 

Tommy's hands slide up under his t-shirt, stroking the skin over his ribs and the small of his back. He presses Buck back against the counter just a little, nipping playfully at his lower lip before pulling back and smiling at him.

“Well, if it's Bobby's secret sauce, I can't wait to try it. Need me to do anything?” 

“Mm, set the table? And I got a bottle of that red you liked at Bobby and Athena's last week–it needs to breathe for a few minutes.”

“I can't believe I'm dating someone who lets wine breathe,” Tommy chuckles. 

It's something Taylor might have said, back when they were together…but Taylor never would have sounded so fucking pleased about it. Like every little quirk of Buck’s was just part of his charm, something endearing. Like it was a privilege to find it out. 

They sit down to eat–Tommy makes an appreciative noise when he takes a sip of the properly-aired wine, so hah–and the conversation flows. Calls Tommy went on today, Buck's plans to take Jee to the children's museum while Tommy hits the basketball courts with Eddie this weekend, the trip up the coast they're planning for next month…if only the Buck of three months ago could see them now. 

Later, they sprawl out on his bed together, sweaty and sticky in the best way. Tommy's hand cards idly through his hair, tugging on his curls with a contented hum, and Buck stares up at the shadowed ceiling, his body loose and satisfied, his mind quiet and calm. 

He relaxes against his boyfriend, comfortable in his own skin in a way he doesn't think he's ever been in his life. 

He hadn't been lying when he told Maddie it was all the same when he closed his eyes. In all the ways that matter, it is. 

But it's also so, so different. Not because he's dating a man. Because he's dating this man. 

He can't wait to see how different this thing between them will end up being. 

This is fun and these two are adorable...hit up my askbox if you have a prompt, yo.