#pleasure of it'. A man can have the best of both worlds I guess

[katatty]

Strangeswap Floorplans & Household Details

Under a cut cince I consider some of these to be a little bit "spoiler-y", here's all the floorplans for anon who wants to try making Strangeswap for The Sims 4!

I've also included notes on all the changes to sims, etc. Unless noted, assume stuff is the same as the original! I've included notes on the intended LTW but as just pointed out to me a lot of the LTWs show up kind of buggy, lol! So this is a nice reference I guess if anyone wants to have the correct "intended" LTWs (although I'm supportive of changing them if desired, haha, they were kind of a last minute addition).

Smith

The Smith house is a remodel of the Grunt house that combines the aesthetics of both houses. Actual personalities are unchanged, but here are some sims bios etc.

"Johnny has always lived under the hard thumb of his father, General P.T. In this domesticated boot camp, can Johnny prove his worth to this demanding Dad?"

"Pollination Technician #9 enlisted into the army in exchange for amnesty. The military was prepared to spend generously to acquire intelligence from any alien willing to betray its own kind…"

"Jenny loves having a career, but she wishes she could spend more time with her family. She sometimes wondering if marrying P.T. was the right choice."

"Johnny wants to save the world and is certain being part-alien must give him some kind of extraordinary ability, but he’s still trying to figure out his superpower."

(Jill's bio is the same as the original Strangetown)

PT9 is at the top of the military career, like General Buzz (Jenny retains her OG career, though she is thinking of quitting)

PT9 is still enemies with General Buzz like in the original Strangetown, but is also enemies with Glarn Curious

Jenny and PT9 have a slightly low relationship for a married couple and are not currently in love (this is intended to mirror the Lyla/Buzz dynamic, although the reason for it is up to the player's imagination)

The timeline change shown in memories indicates that Jenny became romantically involved with PT9 quite shortly after her father was abducted. In the family album Glarn is shown looking unhappy at their wedding

Johnny is still enemies with Tank, and also has a slight dislike of his half-sisters Lola & Chloe

PT9's LTW is to have lots of children, Jenny's is to have them graduate college. Johnny wants to become captain hero.

Grunt

The Grunt house is a remodel of the Specter household, but more slightly more masc & jock, haha. Note Lyla's grave is where Ichabod's is originally (next to the chair) and is the only grave with flowers and candles placed on it.

"Who is buried in Buzz Grunt’s garden? Will the mysterious, aging outcast split his fortune evenly between his sons, or give everything to his favourite, Tank?"

"Buzz will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He used to enjoy barbershop quartet singing, but that is classified information."

"Tank Grunt wants to be just like his old man. He spends his days digging holes, shapening sticks, and being bigger than the other guy, but deep down inside, he wonders if anyone really knows who he is."

Buzz Grunt works as a professional party guest. The "General" has obvously been dropped from his name

Ripp has been changed from romance to pleasure aspiration

Buzz's LTW is to have 20 best friends. Tank wants to be a world class ballet dancer (nod to the psp game). Ripp wants to reach the top of the culinary career, (I think this one is unaltered, but kinda fits since he has high food interest)

Looking through Buzz's memories, you can see he caught Lyla cheating numorous times, and in the family album there is a picture of him caughting her in bed with Rigger Mortis. Right after the caught cheating memories, there are memories of men (Olive Specter's husbands from OG Strangetown) dying. Lyla dies just after their divorce

Buzz also has memories for the deaths of most people in the graveyard, same as Olive Specter in the original Strangetown.

Ripp is dating Chloe Curious, and they have had their first kiss and made out. He will usually start the game with wants about Ophelia, though.

Tank is friends with Lola Curious, although they go to different schools (in hindsight maybe I should have put the boys in private school? oh well). They have some chemistry but it's up to the player whether to do anything about that

Specter

The Specter house is a remodel of the Beaker castle. Overall there are not many changes here as I think their styles are quite simiilar!

"What experiments is the highly secretive and less than neighbourly Olive Specter performing on poor Ophelia? Will this secrecy affect her retirement plans?"

"Olive knows 238 different ways to make someone scream, and none of them are nice. She enjoys taxidermy and collecting mushrooms."

"Ophelia knows being a test subject isn’t exactly usual for a high school student, but the experiments are mostly harmless and she doesn’t have any other family to turn to. It was this or the orphanage."

Olive Specter's "seriel killer" memories are gone. However, she retains her memory of woohoo with the Grim Reaper

Her memories of most of her OG husbands are gone (she was too busy with her research to make time for love, maybe!), but she does still have her romance & marriage with Ichabod Specter who she met as an elder (as shown in family album)

Rather than being taken away by social services, Nervous ran away as a teenager. The reason for this is not stated, but he's still called "Nervous Subject" so it's implied Olive was using him as a test subject. (There's also an album picture which shows this, or shows Olive neglecting him, depending on interpretation)

Olive's LTW is to max all 7 skills. Ophelia wants to be a Mad Scientist (although it incorrectly reads Education Minister, that's a bug lol!)

Olive and Glarn Curious are enemies, and a picture in the family album shows them arguing as teenagers in some sort of science lab. She has a memory of winning a fight against her as a teenager. (This is intended to mimic Loki's rivalry with the Curious brothers).

Beaker

The Beaker house is a makeover of the Curious lab, which now looks completely ridiculous and is probably my favourite lot, hahaha.

"In search of truth and mystery, the Beakers got more than they were “expecting.” Can Loki, Circe, and Erin cope with their new roles as cosmic parents?"

"A shrewd and clever woman who runs the business end of the Beaker operation. She enjoys taxidermy and collecting coat hangers."

(Loki and Erin's bios are unchanged)

Loki is alien pregnant, like Pascal in the original Strangetown. Circe and Erin both seem supportive of this.

Erin has the knowledge aspiration and is working in the science career as a field researcher. Loki and Crice's careers are unchanged.

The sims are mostly unchanged with no new relationships or new memories, although there's a sweet picture of Loki and Erin playing dolls nicely together as kids rather than him smashing the dollhouse

Curious

The Curious house is a makeover of the Smith house, in a more modern (or retro-furutrist?) style. It also incorperates some elements from the Curious family's childhood home as seen in the original storytelling pictures. Kitty Curious' grave is in their backyard.

"After fruitful careers, siblings Glabe and Glarn are ready for retirement. But at their age, can they keep up with Glarn's twins? Will Lola and Chloe make friends and fit in, or is this family just too strange for Strangetown?"

Lola and Chloe have their original bios, and it appears I straight up forgot to give Glabe and Glarn bios, lol!

The family photos and memories show that Glarn got abducted while the kids were still home (Jenny a fresh adult, Pascal and Vidcund teenagers, and Lazlo a child). He has a negative memory of his abduction despite being a knowledge sim.

Kitty Curious (his wife) died shortly after they both reached alderhood. The reason for this is left to the player's imagination.

After that, his younger sister Glabe moved in to help with the toddlers. She has taken on the brunt of the childcare and taught them all their toddler skills. She is friends with best friends with both twins, whereas Glarn is not.

Glarn and Glabe both work in the science career. Glarn is a project leader, Glabe is a science teacher.

Glarn's aspiration is knowledge, and he wants to max out 7 skills.

Glabe's aspiration is popularity, and she wants to be Education Minister

Chloe's LTW is to become a professional party guest. As mentioned in the Grunt house notes, she's dating Ripp Grunt.

Lola's LTW is to earn $100,000. She is friends with Tank Grunt.

Lola is an A+ student and in private school, whereas Chloe is in public school and is a D student. Their memories show Chloe being rejected from private school. (Which is the same as OG their memories in OG Strangetown, but was an interesting detail I'd never noticed/considered).

The household is on bad terms with the Smith household. Glarn is enemies with PT9, and both girls has a slight dislike of Johnny. They do all like Jenny & Jill, though.

Singles

The Singles household is the Curious brothers, Nervous Subject, and Ajay Loner. They live in a makeover of 57 Road to Nowhere.

"Has there ever been a group of roommates so different from one another? As if living in Strangetown isn’t hard enough, will these guys be able to accept their differences and be friends or will the tension tear the house apart?"

"Nervous never planned on moving back to Strangetown, but when his internet boyfriend offered him a place to stay who was he to say no? His hobbies include twitching and blinking a lot."

Other bios are unchanged.

Pascal is a romance sim, and works in the Intelligence Career as a private eye. Him and Nervous are in love. Wants to be head of SCIA. (I thought this fit well with his love of conspiracy theories, picture him as a sort of horny Fox Mulder, LOL)

Vidcund gets to keep his knowledge aspiration, but is working in Natural Science as an algae hunter. (He wants to be criminal mastermind which I think is a mistake tbh, feel free to change it to whatever suits your headcanon)

Lazlo is a pleasure sim and working in the paranormal career as a tarot card reader. (His LTW is to become a game designer, ideally it would be the cult leader one but that's not availible without mods IIRC).

Ajay and Nervous do not have careers yet (they are supossed to have moved in more recently). Ajay wants to be a business tycoon and Nervous wants to be a Space Pirate (though I think his LTW is bugged out lmao).

The reason for aspiration and career changes here to to keep it from feeling too much like yet another Curious family (since the Beakers and Curious houses are filling that role) and more like the wacky mix of personalities that make up the Singles girls :)

Most of the guys are on decent terms with each other, but Vidcund has a slight dislike of Ajay and Nervous that will usually lead to fights eventually if the player doesn't intervene.

Loste

Kristen is filling the "Ajay Loner" role in the hood and lives in this makeover of 91 Road to Nowhere. Follow the link to see the house properly.

"Kristen has come to Strangetown hoping to find herself. Will she be successful in her new home or will the odd things that always seem to happen here drive her away?"

Her LTW is the become a hall of famer in the athletic career (since her bio says that it always feels weird to have her bio be anything else).

She's not been changed at all apart from all her relationships with the Singles girls being removed. She's a blank slate!

Community Lots

The neighbourhood comes with my makeover of 81 Road to Nowhere, v1 (see link for pictures). I also made over the community pool:

The neighbourhood also has 188 Road to Nowhere, which is an empty lot, and 73 Road to Nowhere, the weird little house. I didn't do anything to either of them, they're just vanilla maxis houses.

On my downloads page, though, I do have makeovers of them that could give you some ideas. (A trailer park for the bin families and renovation for the original Singles girls.)

Phew, right, I think that's everything! Let me know if you need clarification or more info on anything :)

[lnfours]

Hey girl, could you maybe do something fluffy with Lando? Really just anything. Thank you ily🫶

of course i can 🫶🏻

warnings: fluff, language, lando not being sure on how to ask his crush out on a date

lando brainrot? lando brainrot.

max looked over at his friend with raised eyebrows, watching as the boy he had known almost his whole life watched the girl across the room with an expression he only wore when you were around.

unbeknownst to him, everyone knew of lando’s soft spot for you. how he’d open doors for you, insist on paying for your coffee, how he’d show up to the apartment with little gifts from all around the world simply because ‘they reminded him of you’. it was really no secret, but it wasn’t like he was doing a good job at hiding it.

especially right now, his eyes filling with that look as he watched you talk with oscar at the mclaren event he had invited you and max to. you had picked out a stunning dress that hugged you in all the right places and had complimented your skin tone so well. he was half tempted to thank ria for convincing you to splurge on the silk dress.

“would you just go talk to her?” max groaned, taking a sip from his drink.

lando whipped his head around to his best friend, “what?”

“you heard me,” max chuckled, “she’s not going to stay single for long, y’know. plus, she’s into you, what’ve you got to lose?”

lando was more focused on the second sentence coming from his best friends mouth, “she’s into me?”

max rolled his eyes, “anyone with eyes can see the two of you drooling over each other anytime you’re in the same room.”

“i don’t drool,” lando teased back, saying it matter-of-factly.

“yeah? what’s that? right there?” max teased and lando shoved his arm playfully.

“shut up, mate.”

just then, your eyes had landed on your friends, smiling before you made eye contact with the brunette, waving him over, “lan, c’mere!”

max leaned closer to his friend, whisper yelling to him, “this is your chance!”

lando shook his head, walking to where you were laughing with his teammate. you smiled at his presence, motioning over to oscar, “i was just telling him about how i beat you in karting that one time.”

“yeah?” lando asked, turning to his friend, “did she also tell you that she almost crashed at the first turn?”

oscar laughed, a look of amusement on his face as he looked over at your gasping face, “no, she didn’t!”

you slapped his arm playfully, slightly giggling, “no i didn’t!”

“whatever you say, love,” he hummed, looking down at your drink that was almost empty, “want another drink?”

you twisted your lips in thought before shrugging, “sure,”

“i’m gonna go find lily,” oscar said, “ill catch up with the two of you later.”

you both nodded and bid a small goodbye before you looked over at your best friend, a small smile on your face, “accompany me to the bar?”

he smiled, offering you his arm, “it’d be my pleasure.”

you linked your arm with his, hand resting on his bicep as the two of you walked through the crowd.

“you look gorgeous tonight, by the way.” lando stated, leaning closer to your ear so you could hear him speak.

your cheeks felt hot, but you looked up at him anyway, “thank you,” your eyes traveled over his suit, “guess you clean up well, too.”

he smiled, looking over his outfit, “you think so?”

you nodded, stepping in front of him as the both of you approached the bar, reaching up to fix his tie, “i know so.”

“fancy another drink?” the bartender had cut the moment short, you turning back around to face the man in front of you who wore a polite smile.

“yes, please. i’ll have another vodka cran,” you smiled, looking back at lando, “and a water for him.”

the bartender nodded, “coming right up.”

you turned back to your friend who was already looking back at you before he spoke up, “you having a good time?”

you nodded, “i am, thank you for inviting me.”

“it’s actually really nice having you here,” he said, “wish you could come to all of these.”

“me too.”

“here you are, a vodka cran and a water for the gentleman.”

you thanked the bar tender, taking the cups from the bar top before you handed the water to the man behind you. he accepted it, you raising your glass to his.

“to another year with mclaren,” you smiled, “and more podiums.”

“and us.” he smiled back at you before the both of you clinked your cups, taking sips shortly after.

“mm,” he hummed, swallowing his drink down before he continued, “i’ve got a question for you.”

you raised an eyebrow, “hmm?”

“would you want to..” he trailed off, his eyes on yours as he suddenly felt the nerves come over him in a rush, “um, did you want to maybe get dinner?”

you looked at him, “as friends or… as in a date?”

he swallowed, trying to suppress his nerves, “a date.”

you smiled again, for what felt like the hundredth time, and each time was because of the boy in front of you. you nodded, taking a sip of your drink.

“i’d love to.”

i’m his nerves washed away, grinning down at you, “really?- uhm, how about friday? when i’m done training?”

you nodded, “sounds perfect.”

he nodded back at you, “okay, cool- i mean, great!”

you laughed softly at his nervous stammering, “pick me up at 6?”

he opened his mouth to speak before getting cut off by the sound of someone calling his name. he looked over to where it was coming from, spotting jon and zak waving him over.

“6 is good,” he nodded, “i’ll catch you in a bit?”

you grinned back at him and nodded, “come find me.”

he smiled and nodded, making his way over to his trainer and his boss, looking back over at you with a smile before turning his attention back to the conversation.

a presence joined you at the bar, watching you watch the man across the room, “did he finally ask you?”

you didn’t have to look at the person next to you to realize who it was, the australian accent giving it away, “yeah, he did.”

“thank god,” oscar sighed, “you’re all he talks about, y’know.”

you smiled over at the aussie next to you, “i know,”

[sandwitchstories]

What He Likes

Hello, hello! Welcome to Witch's Rengoku Brain Rot hour!

You guessed it! I'm back with more Rengoku smut!

I have had horrible writers block lately, but I managed to put this one together! So here's hoping the block is at it's end!

If you prefer to read it on AO3 please click here!

Summary: A look into the mind of Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku and the dirty things he likes to do to you and with you.

WC: 1500+

CW: MDNI, AFAB Reader, AFAB terms used to describe the sexy bits, SMUT, there's some feels in there, Vaginal fingering, vaginal sex, rough sex, smut with feels, doggy style, NOT canon, and more

Credit for divider goes to @anitalenia

Kyojuro Rengoku is many things. He is a son, a brother, a friend, and a husband. He is the Flame Hashira. He is many things to many people. His favorite title though, is being yours. 

His rightful place is by your side, in your bed and in your arms. There he is just a man, in love with a beautiful woman. A best friend, and a lover. Everything comes so naturally with you, as if loving you is what he was truly born to do.

Whenever he is away from you, he feels like something is missing. He counts the minutes until he can return to you. The moment he is through the door, he is on you. Sometimes he greets you with a smile, laughing as he gives you passionate happy kisses, relieved that he has made it back to you again alive. 

Sometimes he returns and you are met with almost desperate kisses, those moments when the ugliness of the world gets to be too much and he needs to be reminded there is still good. 

And then there are those moments where he comes home and just needs to be inside of you. Those kisses are hard and rough. He is not above taking you on the table, the counter, the closest wall or the engawa, neither of you willing to wait to get to your bed before he is buried balls deep in your bliss.

The second he is inside of you, he feels a sense of absolute peace in his soul. Being inside of you is like a paradise for him alone to return to. Nothing exists but the two of you. Nothing matters but making you feel good and taking you both all the way to Nirvana. 

The taste of your skin on his tongue as he mouths down your body to your breast makes his mouth water so much he almost drools. He loves the little gasp and moan you make as he captures your nipple in his mouth. The way your hands always grab his head and hold it closer to you sends tingles throughout his whole being. The louder you moan the harder he sucks your hardened pebble into his mouth and flicks it with his tongue, teasingly scrapes it lightly with his teeth. Your reactions always make his cock twitch and make him press his raging hard on more thoroughly against you. 

He loves the way your head lolls back, and your mouth hangs open as soon as his finger slides through your slick slit and presses into your hot, tight, wet cunt. Feeling your honey on his fingers at his first touch, and knowing you want him as badly as he wants you, always makes him even more desperate to be inside you, but not before he is done tasting you.

He loves the way you tremble and cry out once his mouth is on your pussy. He runs his tongue between your folds, toying your clit, licking your slit, and plunging his tongue into your pink depths as far as he can go. The smell of your pleasure is heady and the taste of your cunt is like ambrosia. All thoughts besides you flee once his head is between your legs, he is intoxicated by you.

Kyojuro loves to watch you writhe and moan when you cum on his tongue and his fingers, coating his mouth and chin as the dam breaks and your orgasm floods your senses. The way you continue to shake and whimper as he keeps pumping your cunt with his thick fingers while he kisses back up your body makes his cock leak every time.

But the very best part of sex is that feeling of finally pressing his cock into you. The feeling of splitting you open, stretching you to fit him like a glove, is the most amazing thing he has ever felt in his life. You are always so hot and tight on his cock, like living velvet pulsing on him and sucking him in. 

He always pushes his cock in slowly. Both not to hurt you, by allowing you to adjust to his size and intrusion, and also because he is savoring it. Your cunt feels like coming home and he loses himself to that feeling more with every inch.

He always starts with slower shallow thrusts, working you up slowly. He will give it to you slow and sweetly if that is what you want. He can go all night making love to you with long slow thrusts and deep passionate kisses. But it always ends the same way no matter how it starts. With him gripping onto you and rearranging your organs while fucking you into the shape of him. 

He loves when you are on top. Whether facing him or away it is a sight to see. When facing him he loves to watch your breasts bounce and sway. He can never restrain himself from groping your breasts and giving your nipples extra attention while you ride his cock. When riding reverse he loves to watch the way your back arches and your hips move while you fuck yourself on him. You always feel so good bouncing and grinding on him. He loves the way you cry out and dig your nails into his skin when he grabs onto those perfect hips of yours and fucks his cock up into you.

He will never turn down fucking you missionary or in the mating press. The view is incredible and he loves to watch your face as he fucks you. 

But the position he knows is your absolute favorite, happens to be his as well. And that is when he has you on all fours faced away from him. He knows you love when his hand grips your hair and holds your head back. He loves watching the way the fat of your ass recoils with every slam of his hips. 

It thrills him to be able to hear the guttural, dirty sounds and filthy words that fall from your lips. His cock reaches so deep in this position it collides with your cervix on every single thrust. The sound of you crying out his name is music to his ears. It’s like his favorite song and he conducts an opera every single time. 

He loves to watch his cock moving in and out of you. The sight of your pleasure coating his cock and forming a ring around the base always keeps him going - more he wants more, he always wants more, wants to keep this going as long as he possibly can. He loves the way your pussy embraces him, loves the sight of you stretched wide around him as he plunges into your gummy tunnel that grips him like a vice. 

He knows you love it when he decides to lean over you from behind. One hand on your throat, gently squeezing while his other hand goes between your thighs to rub at your neglected pearl. His fingers either rubbing in circles or moving side to side in fast movements pressed against the bundle of nerves. You always clench so perfectly on his cock when he gives you filthy praises. You love to hear how good you are doing, how amazing you feel, how much he loves to fuck you, and all the filthy things he has been thinking about doing to you.

He absolutely loves feeling you cum on his cock. You get so tight, pulsing around him, coating his cock and balls as your cunt leaks and spasms while you ride your high, calling out his name and babbling about how good it feels, and wanting him to cum. 

And when that moment arrives when the dam finally breaks and his own orgasm hits, he fucks into you even harder until every drop of cum in his balls has been drained into your spent cunt. He always kisses you before he pulls out. He likes to observe the aftermath. Your panting, sweaty form with the look of love in your eyes and the lazy smile of a thoroughly pleased woman on your face. The sight of his cum mixed with yours and leaking out of your cunt always stirs something within him. He likes to scoop it back up and press it back inside you. Though sometimes that sight alone is enough to make his cock hard again and he not only fucks that load back inside of you, but he will add another to it.

He always checks in with you after you guys are done, making sure there is nothing more you want or anything you need. Getting you water and cleaning you up are some things he does without fail every time. In his mind aftercare is just as important as foreplay. 

His favorite part of all is when he lays down beside you and pulls you into his arms, wrapping you tight in his embrace and kissing the top of your head.  It is a very special type of peace he feels when laying with you in the afterglow of sex. Still lost in a world that is only the two of you. Cuddling and talking about everything, anything and nothing all at once.

The weight of you on his chest, the feel of you in his arms, and the words of love that leave your lips in these quiet moments are some of the most beautiful things he has ever experienced. Being the man you love is the greatest blessing he has ever received. Being the man who gets to love you is the greatest honor in his life. 

[stardew-shitposterino]

Stardew Valley Bachelors and how they’d react if you told them you’ve never dated anyone before

Headcanons about our baby girls :3 “Never dated” also refers to no romantic experience whatsoever. The Farmer is gender neutral, for Harvey’s it could be read as afab but I leave that up to your imagination

Content warning: mild nsfw

Sam:

-he doesn’t care because same LMFAO

-admittedly, he feels more comfortable with that piece of knowledge as he doesn’t feel as pressured to do everything right

-“wow, Farmer, really?! I wouldn’t have guessed, but me neither! B-but don’t worry, we will handle this together. This will be so much fun!”

-he’s excited to explore this new chapter of your life together…with lots of kissies

-can’t believe he is the first person to call you his’ and feels extremely flattered by it. He won’t shut up about it when he’s with Abi and Seb

-the smexy time with him will be a blast though. He’s maybe not the most skilled lover, but his enthusiasm makes up for all of it. He helps you relax and take it light. Be prepared for lots of praise and absent-minded filth coming from his mouth

Sebastian:

-homeboy really doesn’t give a shit tbh, he doesn’t even give you a big reaction

-we both know he hasn’t dated before either, but it’s nothing of his concern either

-“…ok, that’s cool…(?)” *proceeds playing games on his console”

-though you don’t have any reference points, he’s still trying to be the best boyfriend he can be for you because you deserve it (he won’t say that though)

-what can I say, he’s pretty indifferent 🤷🏼‍♀️

-about intimate business though…he has no clue what to do and wished at least you knew, but you both make it work. The first time is a bit too gentle, but that will change once you get the hang of it. It’s nerve-wrecking to him but he’s also excited to learn all these new things with you and make you feel good

Harvey:

-Harvey wouldn’t mind either way, he knows you’re an adult and that you can choose to live your life however you want to with whoever

-buuuut, unlike with the others, it makes him even more anxious that he is your first partner and wants to make everything right.

-“I’m not the most exciting guy, but I’ll try my best to make this relationship perfect for you, because you deserve nothing but the best.”

-His last relationship was years ago, so this feels new to him as well. He takes things slow with you, especially since he’s very shy and needs to ease into things as well. Everything being new to you makes him feel young again

-feels guilty for going further with you too as he doesn’t want to mess things up. He knows how painful and uncomfortable it can be and wants you to remember it fondly, peppering you with lots of kisses, soft touches, hand holding and prep work

-overall, he’s the best first boyfriend you could ever wish for. He’s caring, polite and cute :3

Elliott:

-ma man, ma boy, he has waited for this moment

-Elliott is a notorious romantic, of course he will take this opportunity to make your time with him the most special experience of your entire life

-“It will be a pleasure to show you the world through rose-coloured glasses, my love. *kisses your hand all so gently*. So you won’t ever forget that you are the light of my life, that you are loved.”

-not that he wouldn’t wanna do that if you had dated anyone before, but he goes along with things differently depending on your experience

-if you’re new to this, he will take it slow. The last he wants is to push you to do things you’re not comfortable with

-he’s a very romantic man, but that also encapsulates that he’s a very sexual man ( not in a creepy perv way of course, just very passionate about the whole gist of being intimate). But he waits with that for a LOOOONG time before he plans a romantic bedroom date with a hot bath, rose petals and body oils if he knows it’s your first relationship

-a lot of rom-com-esque adventures await you with this fine gentleman, and the build up to the big night will be worth the patience ;)

Shane:

-Quite frankly? He’s flustered the house lol

-I’m talking big rosy blush across his face and big eyes

-like, you chose HIM to be your first? Really?!

-he always thought highly of you, but now he has to reconsider how smart you could possibly be when you want him to be your first relationship

-“Uh, wow…a-and you’re sure you want to make this experience with me ?! Of all people?!”

-He has had many meaningless hookups in the past, but relationships….oof they weren’t that deep, and he never cared about any of them like he cares about you.

-He tries his best. He’s not an anxious mess like Harv, but he still watches how he behaves around you because he doesn’t want to break your spirit regarding relationships…he doesn’t want you to feel the way he has felt about love and trust

-though he had some hookups, it’s been A WHILE K, so he has major anxiety around your first time together. As much as he’d love to devour you, his anxiety makes him avoid it for the longest time. He wants nothing but the best for you, and he still doesn’t think highly of himself, not to mention his chub. But at some point, he is able to let his guard down as he knows you wouldn’t judge him for something like that ever.

Alex:

-ALEX, my precious…well yeah he is stoked ngl LOL

-he is a whole jock jerk but that’s all a facade, so this piece of information makes him a little less anxious but the more excited to give it his all to make this a one-of-a-kind experience to you

-“wait, REALLY?! That’s aweso- I mean, that’s interesting. I can consider myself a lucky guy to be your first boyfriend. You won’t ever regret it, I promise 😉” *dies on the inside and wants nothing but to scream in excitement*

-BUT it also boosts his ego through the roof. He can’t believe he is the guy that made you want to go the next step, especially as no one else made you want to have a relationship before him

-He’s nothing but a good old-fashioned lover boy. Man grew up with his grandparents, one of them being Evelyn (my precious granny), so he has some manners and knows how to treat a lady (if you’re not a lady, he will treat you like one regardless because that’s all he knows lol)

-I’m sorry but…man’s horny, and though he wants to take things slow for your sake, he will take the first opportunity to take you to bed with him let’s b real. He will be gentle with you and tries his best to make it “first time friendly”, but it is very hard for him as he has dreamed about this since the first time you’ve met.

[im-a-writer-sometimes]

Thank You, Doctor (Miguel O’Hara - Epilogue)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Epilogue

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x fem!reader

Word Count: 800

Warnings: deceased family member, pure fluff, implied smut (sorry horndogs, you’ll have to use your imagination)

🕷

The first thing you noticed was the tightness of the air. It felt like you were being compressed as you stepped back onto the streets that used to be your whole world. You’d become so calibrated to the world you’d known the last months, this place now seemed foreign to you.

Not so foreign that you couldn’t find your way to the little church your mother used to drag you to as a kid, dolling you up in the best dress she could afford, letting you smother on lipstick once you’d turned ten to try and incentivize you. You smiled at the memory, walking past the tall oak doors and through the low iron gates that led to the cemetery out back.

You were ashamed at how long it took you to find your mother’s grave, but you did, sitting down in the grass and pulling your knees to your chest. 

“You were all I had,” you said, your words swallowed up by the gloomy, overcast sky. “My only place in the world.” You dropped your cheek to your knee, smiling sadly. “Once you were gone, I tried to carve out my own place, but I didn’t fit. I know why now. It wasn’t your fault, or my fault. But now—”

You lifted your head, scooting closer so you could rest your hand on the top of the grave. 

“I’ve found a place. Somewhere to belong, Mom. You wouldn’t believe where if I told you,” you laughed. “You always told me love isn’t about passion and fire and adventure. Those are nice, but you said love is about feeling safe. Feeling seen and heard. All those things you never got.” You ran a finger over her name—Captain Mary Y/l/n. “Well, Mom, I think I’ve found that too. Too soon to say, but I’m saying it anyway.”

You touched the flowers on either side of the gravestone, finding them both still fresh. It made sense; as chief of police, your mother had been a beloved pillar of the community. Your world hadn’t been the only one shattered when she passed.

“I just wanted you to know,” you said, standing up and brushing the dirt off your pants. “You only wanted me to be happy. I think I’m getting there, Mom.” You started walking and then paused, turning back over your shoulder. “Also, Dad’s a multiversal criminal from another dimension. Was a multiversal criminal from another dimension, I should say.”

You thought you could hear her laughter in the sudden burst of wind, ruffling the leaves of the few trees poking up through the graveyard.

You were walking away when you felt a sudden stab of pain on your lower back, brushing a spider off of the sliver of skin showing between your shirt and pants. You watched it as it hit the ground, legs twitching. You narrowed your eyes, looked back at the grave.

“You’ve got a sick sense of humor, Mom.”

When you used your new bracelet to portal back to base, it was the dead of night. You didn’t have to think where to go; you’d arrived at the cafeteria before you even knew where you were going.

Miguel stood from his seat at the sight of you, and you smiled. 

“I didn’t think—”

“I’d come back so soon?” you said, crossing the room. “I know. But you let me go anyway.”

He simply watched you, still standing as you sat down in the seat across from him.

“I had some goodbyes to give,” you said. “Just one really.”

He slowly sat, eyes scanning over you as if he still didn’t believe you were here. In front of him. “No te merezco,⁸” he said, tilting his head as he watched you. “You still owe me nothing.”

“Then I guess that means we can start over,” you said, reaching out your hand before you. “My name is Doctor Y/n Y/l/n. Pleasure to meet you.”

He grabbed your hand and used the leverage to pull your forwards until your noses were nearly brushing. “Miguel,” he said. “The pleasure’s all mine.” When he kissed you, it was soft. No trace of that half-feral man who’d defended you against your father. He was unremarkably soft, tracing a finger along your jaw as you pulled apart.

“I wouldn’t mind continuing this introduction in your room,” you said, and, finally, his smile sharped into something more wild.

“Whatever you want, mujer implacable.”

When you woke the next morning, you had to slowly untangle yourself from Miguel’s arms, smiling at the way he instinctively reached out, mumbling something incoherent in Spanish. You picked up his t-shirt from the floor and tossed it over yourself, flicking your hair from beneath the collar. That was when you saw yourself in the mirror.

You squinted, stepping closer. 

You were bigger, that was for sure. There was muscle definition where there hadn’t been, and you simply stood there, staring. You reached out to touch the mirror, and to your horror, your fingertips stuck to the surface. Your other hand immediately reached for the small bump on your back where the spider had bitten you. You almost laughed.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” you said.

🕷

(8) “I don’t deserve you.”

Thanks for reading, folks!

[66sharkteeth]

Weekly thoughts Ep 173-

Well i said last week that I'd definitely have more thoughts this week, but here I am again, kind of just empty headed as I start this. I was actually pretty excited for this episode, just because it's the first time we see Jericho undeniably as the villain, as well as his scion's first canon lines technically.

But I dunno, feedback lately is kind of killing my enthusiasm. I know the majority of readers are still enjoying the comic, but it's exhausting to see the negative comments increase, ranging from people just being disappointingly moronic about there being LGBT themes in the story, to people telling me the story is going down hill. To which... I'm sorry! But! How?! Like I'm trying to wrap my brain around it. I'm not immune to criticism, there are plenty of points in the story that I agree were not the best writing, but this is not one of them. I've seen comments ranging from "not enough is happening" to "things are only happening for the sake of conflict" and both of those points baffle me. How is everything that's transpired in the past 10 episodes alone nothing? Sorry, do I have to kill off ALL of the cast for it to be "something"? And as for conflict only happening for the sake of conflict???? I literally don't know how to respond to that. Conflict is how a story progresses. Should Rex and Jericho just have...hugged it out?? Should Jericho just have been like "Actually, you know what Claude, I think I do just need therapy. This world domination thing was a bad idea." Should Rex have, back when everyone was betraying him and joined the bad guys, been like "Actually, the systemic treatment of me is fair. I guess I'm just gonna go to jail now instead of going into hiding with these guys. See ya!"

I dunno. I've been SO sad and down the past two weeks, but typing this out I've progressed to angry haha. Mad at homophobes and media illiteracy taking away the pleasure I get from sharing this comic. In a venty way, to be clear. I definitely don't think I'll post this one anywhere else because I can see people saying I don't take criticism or something, but man. No. I can and I have. But the points made this week would make for a flat out bad and BORING story. And I'm so mad people just want my story to be so BORING because they just don't like facing negative emotions in a story. There will be a light at the end of the tunnel of this story eventually, but we're just in the tunnel currently. I'm not gonna hurry up the tour for everyone else just because you're afraid of the dark.

Raugh ok, I guess this wasn't actually much about the actual episode, was it? Ironic that the big villain monologue episode is where I finally kind of lose it and monologue myself. I guess for the sake of actually commenting on the ep...

Yes, I had lots of fun drawing this ep. I've been waiting a long time to have Jericho's scion finally "speak." There's also a lot of cracks showing in Claude that I'm glad people are taking note of. I've said it before, but Claude's development has been some of my favorite to write in the entire story, and we're still in his arc. Excited for things coming up for him.

[formulauno98]

A Birthday to Remember - Part Four - Toto Wolff x Reader

Originally written as an OC, inspired by an amazing request from @latte-luxe, I have rewritten this to a Reader POV, no descriptions and no use of your name. The only brief description is of a butt (you can probably guess why).

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Caution may contain fluff.

Author’s Notes: Disclaimer, purely fiction, no-one is married in this alt-universe.

The sun was high in the sky as you and Toto finished brunch together on his terrace, Toto having laid out an impressive spread of pastries and mimosas for your final meal together. The peaceful morning a surprisingly domestic contrast from the frenzied night of passion that you had just shared. It was the perfect end to your birthday weekend.

“Thank you for this,” you said, savouring a bite of a buttery croissant. “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

Toto smiled, watching you with a look of satisfaction. “It was no trouble at all. I wanted to make this weekend special for you.”

“You succeeded,” you replied, raising your glass. “To an unforgettable birthday.”

“To unforgettable moments,” Toto echoed, clinking his glass with yours.

Packing your things back into your weekend bag, you felt mixed emotions. Your unexpected, whirlwind romance was over as quickly as it had begun and you knew deep down that this was a one-off, no matter what Toto said. Your lives were too different, it would never work.

——

As you sped along the scenic coastal road back towards the airport, once again in Toto’s classic 300SL, you were both lost in your thoughts. The morning had passed all too quickly and you both knew that their weekend was almost over.

Reaching over, Toto took your hand gently in his, his large hand easily covering yours. "I don't want you to leave yet," he said softly, his eyes never leaving the road.

"Neither do I," you replied, your voice tinged with sadness. "But reality calls."

You shared a quiet moment, Toto holding your hand until he had to shift down a gear, the picturesque scenery blurring into a backdrop to your fragile emotions.

——

At Nice airport, you checked in all too quickly and turned to Toto, heart heavy with the impending goodbye. It was silly really, you’d known this man all of two days but had gotten swept up in a wave of emotions and been offered a glimpse into a glamorous world that you would never be a part of. 

As you stood in front of the departure gate, the bustling airport crowd around was a stark contrast to the intimate weekend you had just shared. A tourist had even approached Toto for a selfie, something he had reluctantly but politely obliged while you stood there awkwardly. It was yet another reminder of the two vastly different universes that you existed in.

"I know it’s stupid to say but I'm going to miss you," Toto said, pulling you into a tight embrace, his eyes filled with sadness. 

"I'll miss you too," you whispered, holding on to him tightly, enjoying the strength and warmth of his arms around you for one last time.

You shared a lingering kiss, the world around fading away. Pulling back, you smiled, "Thank you for the best birthday I could have ever imagined."

"The pleasure was all mine," Toto replied, his dark eyes sincere, "Please call me when you are home safe, if you can."

"I will," you said, standing on tippy toes and giving him a final peck on the cheek before turning towards the security checkpoint.

As you walked away, you glanced back to see Toto standing watching you, his arms folded, his expression unreadable. Noticing you he smiled and waved, a little goofily. At first sight, he may have seemed intimidating but having now spent time getting to know him, you could see beyond the icy facade and found him truly endearing.

Waving back, you were thankful you had almost rounded the corner as you could feel tears welling up. You willed yourself to stop and be thankful that you had had such a brilliant birthday, both with your friends and with Toto. It truly had been a birthday to remember.

——

The first few weeks after your return were filled with frequent messages and calls from your handsome paramour. Toto would share snippets of his hectic life, sending blurry pictures from various tracks, while you shared your daily life and the joys and challenges of your busy job. You may have been worlds apart but the spark remained.

Despite the distance, the connection felt strong and you made plans to meet up again, discussing the logistics of possible weekends and holidays. But as time went on, the frequency of your communication began to wane, Toto's demanding schedule and constant travel across time zones making it difficult to pin down dates and maintain regular contact. You, too, found yourself buried in work, your days now filled with meetings and endless reports.

Your conversations became sporadic and eventually, the messages stopped altogether. You knew that maintaining a relationship with someone living such a different life was always going to be a challenge, but you cherished the memories of your wild birthday weekend and tried not to get too sad about it. Life carried on as normal and you had to smile when you were sat at home watching the Monaco Grand Prix and Toto flashed up on the screen, frowning at the camera as his team struggled around the punishing circuit. He really was a handsome man and as much as you hated to admit it, the best sex of your life.

You resolved that you were never going to hear from Toto again, he was likely busy with work and had probably met some thirty-something-year-old who had taken his fancy. Knowing that you too had to move on, you allowed your friends to set you up on a few dates and tried your best to forget all about Toto.

——

But try as you might, unfortunately, that one weekend with Toto had somewhat ruined other men for you. Sure enough, you had met some perfectly nice and objectively handsome guys but they were missing the charm and the spark that you had felt with Toto. 

It was a rainy Thursday evening late in June when your phone buzzed unexpectedly. It was almost the Summer and you were counting down the days until you could escape work for a few weeks, even if you hadn’t made any travel plans. Glancing at your phone absentmindedly, expecting it to be one of your friends checking in, your heart skipped a beat when you saw Toto's name flash up on the screen. With a mixture of excitement and nervousness, you opened the message.

"Hello my love, I know that it’s been a while and for that I am sorry. I hope you’re doing well? I can’t get you out of my head and was wondering if you’d like to join me on my boat for the summer? Let me know. All my best, Toto."

You stared at the message, your mind racing. You had truly resigned yourself to the idea that you would never hear from this man ever again, yet here he was, inviting you on another adventure. Your initial reaction was scepticism, having been burned by fleeting romances before. But as you re-read the message, you felt a familiar warmth. The memories of your short time together came rushing back and you couldn't help but smile.

After a few moments of reflection, you decided to respond.

"Hey, I‘ve been thinking about you too. That sounds amazing, I’d love to join you. When and where should I meet you?"

Toto’s reply was almost immediate. 

"Fantastic. I’m currently docked in Antibes, in the South of France. When are you around? Let me know and I’ll arrange everything. Can’t wait to see you again."

Touched by the fact that he was prepared to arrange everything, you hastily replied, leading to you spending the evening hashing out the finer details via Facetime. It had been months since you had properly spoken to one another but it oddly felt like no time had passed and the hours flew by as they finally set your plans to reunite in stone. You would fly to Nice and join Toto on his boat for a week.

——

The days leading up to your trip were a whirlwind of preparation and anticipation. You could hardly focus on your work, your mind drifting to thoughts of sunny days on the water and starry nights with Toto. You confided in your friends, who were both excited and slightly cautious. They’d already been with you through the highs and lows of whatever this situationship was and were still weary that Toto was some kind of billionaire playboy with ulterior motives.

As the plane touched down in Nice, the sky as blue as you remembered, you felt a flutter of nerves. What if things had changed? What if you didn’t click the way they had before? You pushed those thoughts aside, reminding yourself that you were here for an adventure.

Stepping into the arrivals lounge, you were greeted by a smartly dressed driver holding a discreet sign with your name. Guiding you through the airport, he quickly whisked you away in an elegant black Mercedes saloon. 

The ride to Antibes was short but filled with stunning views of the Mediterranean coastline and as the miles ticked down, you felt the butterflies in your stomach building with anticipation.

As the car pulled up into the marina drop-off area, you spotted Toto waiting at the dock. He looked as handsome as ever, dressed casually in a white linen shirt, navy shorts and smart espadrilles. His face lit up when he saw you stepping out of the car and he rushed to pull you into a warm embrace, keeping things considerably more PG than he had the last time you’d been together.

"Welcome back," he said, his voice filled with genuine happiness. "I’m so glad you’re here."

"Me too," you replied, your smile matching his. "This place is beautiful."

“I know,” said Toto, proudly, taking your luggage from the driver, and thanking him for his service. 

“Oh you don’t have to do that,” you said, surprised that Toto would carry luggage.

“Nonsense, and besides it weighs nothing,” he said, effortlessly swinging your large duffle over his shoulder before taking your hand in his, “I hope it means you packed only bikinis.”

You shook your head laughing, chastising him but secretly relieved that the spark was still there.

As you boarded the boat, a sleek and luxurious yacht, you couldn’t help but be impressed. The teak deck was immaculate, home to elegant cream sunloungers and an expertly laid dining table, already laden with brunch.

“Welcome,” said Toto, setting your luggage down before a deckhand scurried to collect it, “I took the liberty of ordering brunch as I thought you might be hungry but let me show you around first.”

——

The next few days passed in a blissful blur and you quickly realised that things were just as easy as they had been the first time around. You spent their mornings lounging on the deck, sipping coffee and chatting non-stop. By day, you explored hidden coves and swam in crystal-clear waters and by night you dined under the stars, sharing considerable amounts of wine-fuelled laughter before retreating to Toto’s luxurious master suite, passionately rediscovering each other into the early hours.

One such evening, you were still reeling from the surreal feeling of your reunion with Toto as you lounged together on the deck. The sun was setting, casting a warm, golden glow over the two of you as you sipped champagne contently, leaning your head into Toto’s broad chest, his arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you flush.

"I still can't believe I'm here," you said, breaking the comfortable silence. You looked up at Toto, who was gazing at you with a mixture of amusement and affection.

"I’m glad you decided to come," Toto replied, his eyes twinkling. "I was worried you might say no."

"Why would I say no to an adventure with you?" you asked, your tone light but words sincere.

"Well, I was worried you might have moved on," Toto admitted. "I wouldn’t have blamed you. I know I haven’t been the best at keeping in touch."

You smiled, reaching out to stroke his hand. "Life gets in the way. But I’m here now, and that’s what matters."

"Do you remember the last time we were together?" Toto asked, his voice soft. "The airport, the way you looked at me when you walked away?"

"How could I forget?" you replied, your voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't want to leave."

"I didn't want you to either," Toto confessed. "I felt so stupid, I know that it was only one weekend but you knocked me sideways.”

You looked at him, your heart aching with the memory. "For real?”

"For real," Toto repeated back, his eyes intense, "I know it’s a lot to consider, and I don’t expect an answer right away, but I want you to know that I want to see where this can go."

Your breath caught in your throat. You hadn’t expected such a declaration, but it warmed your heart. "Toto, I…"

He held up a hand, stopping you. "You don’t have to say anything now. Just think about it. Enjoy the Summer with me, stay longer. We can figure out the rest as we go."

You nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and excitement. "Okay. Let’s see where this takes us."

——

Spending an extended amount of time together, it became more apparent that there was a connection beyond the wild weekend you had shared all of those months ago. Your week-long trip extended to two, giving you and Toto time to explore more secluded beaches where you could be alone and away from prying eyes. Each day bringing you closer, and your bond growing stronger.

For the first time in a long time, you felt truly happy, ready to embrace whatever came next. You were grateful Toto had come into your life and wanted to stick around. 

Your fateful birthday weekend had truly been one to remember.

[inkmonster21]

Sing for Me

1. The Beginning

Cooper Howard x Fem!Reader / The Ghoul x Fem!Reader

She's a singer the nation adores. He's the actor everyone respects. What happens when these two get entangled in a heated affair? Passion, regret, rage, and even murder will commence. From before the bombs drop to the vast wasteland, these two souls live for one another.

Series Masterlist

Strangers, friends, lovers. Isn’t that the natural flow of things? The instinctive humane magnet that pulls two souls together; wasn’t that just the way of life? I often wonder if I had never laid eyes on him would the word still be intact? If I had never said yes to the role, if I had just moved on to another project, maybe my world would still be turning. I could still have a real body, real blood flowing through my veins. I almost remember what it felt like to bleed. Is it strange that I missed it? The pain? In this sorry excuse of a world, I guess anything can be normalized. Sadly I can’t recall what happiness used to feel like. I assume amazing and warm.

I stare into the cracked mirror, dusting the powder over my face, touching up the tattooed perfection. "Ready in 5," Conor speaks from the curtain. "Thank you," I take one last look into the remains of myself. I press my hand to my chest, feeling the light thump of my heart, one of the remaining parts of who this woman used to be. I stand, the black shawl dragging the ground behind me, the edges ripped and frayed. I pass Conor, grabbing the glass of water and drowning it down. "You've got a big crowd tonight." I smile at him, the facade growing. "Why wouldn't I? Even in this wasteland, I'm still the best singer the world has ever seen." A light centers onto the stage in the back of the venue. I step out beginning the set.

~

217 YEARS AGO

The crowd applause rings through the venue. I raise both my arms taking a bow, soaking in their appreciation. I blow a kiss before sauntering off the stage and behind the curtains where my assistant waits with refreshments. "Honey, I've got someone I want you to meet.” I roll my eyes knowing exactly what that means. “I’m not taking the time today, Louis.” He proceeds to grab my elbow and guide me to the dressing room. “Yes, you are. Especially when it’s a director.” My ears peek at the mention. “A director?”

The door swings open and I see a man sitting on my sofa. Expensive suit and tie, most definitely involved in the business. “There she is!” He extends his arm, grasping my hands, “Our Nation's sweetheart. Boy, my wife is going to be upset at this one.” I smile at him. “Well, the pleasure is all mine. I hope you enjoyed the show.” He beams at me, “the show? Oh, I could’ve watched for hours.”

Louis steps in, tossing my robe over my shoulders and taking my jewelry off my limbs. “Mr. Vander is here to discuss an opportunity for you.”

Mr. Vander nods with excitement brewing. “I certainly am! I’m casting a new film, Under the Covers, and I want you to be our leading lady.” I open my mouth, eyes widening “You know I’m a singer, not an actress, right?” Mr. Vander waves his hands in protest. “That's just the thing! I've had some written songs for the film. It's not a full-blown musical, but I'm widening my wings. I guarantee you will do just peachy!” I twiddle my fingers. “I don’t know, Mr. Vander. The big screen? Me? I just can’t see it.” Mr. Vander slides a script across the table. “Take a look, give me a call. No pressure, Sweetie.” He leaves without another word.

As soon as the door closes Louis is flipping through the pages. “You’re doing this.” I sigh at his words. “Can’t I take a break? It’s been show after show, and now I finally have some time off and you want me to go out to California and embarrass myself? I’ve got a lucky set of cords, that’s all.” I begin to wipe away my makeup.

Louis chuckles as he reads a line from the page. “You would kill this role. She’s a sassy badass. Look! Just read this line right here.” He pushes the paper into my face as I sit. I look over the words with a light giggle before turning to gaze at myself in the mirror. Louis begins, “I made a bad call.” I roll my eyes, “you think? Just sit there and let me do all the work. You men are sure good at causing trouble, but you ain’t too good at getting out of it. That’s where you need me.” I bite my lip as I finish reading. It would be fun to star in a film. Different and unique. I would still be able to sing. Not many singers get the chance to branch out like this. I wave my hand with confidence. “Oh, what the hell? Why not. I’m in.” Louis jumps up in celebration.

The following week I was on the set of a real movie. Trailers lined the lot, makeup bags and racks of clothes in every corner, and people buzzed around in their madness. Louis stands behind me, hands on my shoulders, “You got this.”

“Excuse me? Hi there, I'm Mr. Vander's executive assistant.” A woman asked directly. “If you would follow me. Mr. Vander wanted to make sure of your arrival.” Louis hauls my bag behind him as we follow the woman through the busy lot.

“Mr. Vander? Your star is here.” He flies out of his seat and grabs my hands, kissing my knuckles. “Ah! My leading lady! My Songbird! I am so happy you decided to say yes. We are going to make this such a special film. Now if you please follow me, I’d like to introduce you to your costar.” Walking a short way, we stop at a scenic backdrop where a man is walking down the street. He dips down an alleyway silently. He tips his hat slightly, before walking towards a building in question. Loud bells ring out, and the buzz of people continues, as their tasks have switched.

“Cooper,” Vander waves the man over once the scene has been cut. “This is our leading lady. She’ll be portraying Mary.” The man takes the hat off and shakes my hand lightly. “Cooper Howard. It’s a great privilege. My daughter adores your records.” His cheery smile and soft eyes struck me. His skin is smooth and warm to the touch. I had to kick myself just to speak. “Hello, Mr. Howard.” "Oh please, call me, Cooper."

And from then on, from that one moment, I was in trouble.

We would rehearse together, have our lunch together, and have dinner together when the day rolled around too late to go home. It became a natural routine. He made me feel special. By 4 weeks in I was in deep shit. I couldn't wait to see him. He started to invade my mind at all hours of the night. I started to question if he would like certain outfits as I put them on each day.

He told me about his life. He shared little details that seemed intimate. I sit in my makeup chair as he enters my trailer with a coffee. "Your ears must've been burning. I was just going to ask for one." I tease as I take the cup into my hands. He smiles that dumb smile, and I can feel myself sink into the chair. My makeup artist twists a tube of liner and groans upon seeing the state of said liner. "Ugh, I need to get another lip liner, don't move." I sit very still with wide eyes making her laugh. "I didn't mean it literally!" I smile as the door shuts. It doesn't take Cooper but a second to be standing over my chair, hands on my shoulders, exchanging glances in the mirror. It was now 9 weeks into filming, and I was fucked. I was completely infatuated with this man.

I feel the exposed skin on my shoulders burns as his fingertips brush over it. I feel my head lean into his touch ever so slightly. "You look beautiful." Why the fuck was he doing this to me? It's on purpose, it has to be. He certainly didn't act like this to any other female on set. Was it just a method to make sure we had that connection when we filmed?

Cooper's light squeeze on my shoulders brings me back. I smile at him in the mirror. He tilts his head, "You alright, darlin'?" I nod silently. Cooper leans down, his lips trailing up my ear as he whispers, “You nervous about the kiss?” I stare into his eyes, mine widening. “I thought we weren’t filming that scene until a few weeks.” His smirk only grows. I unknowingly provided my answer. I knew I was going to say it if he didn’t leave my trailer. I couldn't help myself. His fingers burned my skin. My lungs filled but wouldn't release. I was surely going to burst. "I-" "FOUND IT!" My makeup artist walks in victorious. "Cooper, they need you on set." I avert my eyes from him, trying to control my breathing. He nods and releases my shoulders before exiting. I felt my body exhale the large sigh I was holding in. I shake my head lightly trying to push my inner thoughts away.

~

The detective watches the passing car. He begins to trail the group on foot as they turn down a street. "Well, if it isn't my big tipper." He looks up to see Mary Jones, the singer from the club the men in question were just seen leaving. She makes her way across the street, meeting him under the lamplight. He was losing his chance, but he would get shot if he was promised she'd be the last thing his eyes set upon. "Just leaving, Mary?" He narrows his eyes at her. She knew something. She was the boss's favorite girl after all. The detective points down the road. "Those men, did they mention anything interesting?" She narrows her eyes, "Are you asking me to go against my boss? Where else would I sing?" Her sly smile cuts him deep. He wishes no harm to come to his beauty. He could let them get a head start. He lays his hand on her waist, pulling her in, their faces inches apart. "Now, you listen, doll. Those men, they could hurt you." Mary runs a gloved finger over his bottom lip. "And I can handle myself, sugar." She stares at his lips, her tongue darting to wet her own. “But if you’re so concerned, why don’t you walk me home? Make sure I get there safe and sound.” They move swiftly down the streets sharing cigarettes and longing gazes.

He leans on her door, drinking her in. “Don’t go to the club tomorrow.” He says in a whisper. She picked his chin up, “You understand I have to. But you can come visit and return this for me.” She leans up pressing her body against him, attaching their lips in harmony. His hands moved to grip her waist, pulling a small moan from her mouth.

“CUT!”

I blink quickly, suddenly becoming very aware of my closeness to Cooper. Hell, I just kissed the man. Well, Mary technically kissed the detective. I beg my bones to stay professional, but the heat growing in my core causes me to shutter.

"Beautiful! Just stunning. I could swear you LOVE this man! Singer my ass, you picked the wrong path Sweets." Mr. Vander cries as he takes off the headset. He spins me around dramatically. "My little songbird!"

"Whoa, now, bud. Don't go breaking her," Cooper's voice peels out in a firm tone. Mr. Vander sets me down, holding me at arm's length. "Now, this Friday we will be filming your solo. So, drink some tea or whatever the fuck you do." I laugh trying to sway back and forth to gather friction between my legs. I can feel his body heat next to me. He lays an arm on the small of my back, drawing circles. I jump lightly at his trailing fingers. I need to get away from him before my internal flames ignite this entire lot.

"Cooper, I need you to rehearse as much as you can. Love you, buddy, but you have two left feet and your chops are going to need some tuning. So, with that being said, please spend every waking moment together." Fucking great. Vander walks away but turns back quickly. "And Cooper, I want you both in the dance studio tomorrow morning. Jessica wants to rework the choreography."

I am so fucked. I can barely stand close to this man now without wanting to pounce on him. I take the larger shawl off my shoulders and toss it on the chair. I begin to walk away to my trailer, but Cooper catches my elbow. "Hey." I smile lightly, I take a second glance at his lips, missing the warmth. I register his lips moving, sound coming from his mouth, but I can't hear a word he says. I grab the collar of his shirt, bringing his lips down to meet mine in a rushed kiss.

The echo of my name and his fingers snap in front of my face. I shake my head, running away from the thoughts. "Yeah?" I stare anywhere but his eyes, I stare at his hair, his eyebrows, lips... fuck, I'm looking at his lips again. I turn away from him and make my way to the trailer door. "I'm sorry, Cooper. I am just so tired." I open the door, but his hand pushes it shut before I can escape. He leans down with furrowed brows. "You seem frazzled." He runs a single digit up my arm causing goosebumps to run along my skin. I bite the inside of my cheek to hold the shutter inside. I shake my head, "No, I just didn't sleep well, and today ran long. Just tired."

He hums softly. His finger traced the strap of my dress. “You look so beautiful.” I shutter at his touch, and he knows it.

He opens the trailer door for me, "Then you better get some rest. I'll have you worn out tomorrow." WHAT? He must be fucking with me.

I feel the smirk creep on my lips. Unable to hold it in, I allow myself to surrender just a little. I reach out, straightening his shirt collar, and adding a subtle tug. "I think you'll be surprised how tired I can make you." I watch as his eyes search mine. Seeming to dig into my soul. Finding me and my true desires. He leans down ever so slightly, like a magnet forcing us together. Inches between us, so so close, but I pat his chest with a smirk. I watch as Cooper opens his eyes with stardust lining his lashes. I whisper to him, "Goodnight, Cooper." And I close the trailer door. Just an inch before it shut, Cooper caught it with his hand.

He peals the door open, stepping inside, making me back away into the small counter. He stares into my soul, communicating silently. He dips down quickly capturing my lips. His hands guided me to the small couch. Clothes were torn, and only the essential items were removed for our intimate skin to brush against each other. Cooper rushed to tear my panties away, and I was right behind him, pulling his rock-solid cock from his pants.

He fucks my body deep into the couch, the repeated grinding against my clit causing sparks to ignite. I clasp at the wide planes of his back, my fingernails skidding down the fabric of his dress shirt, threatening to rip the material. "Cooper, fuck!" I moan out as I watch where our bodies meet. Cooper took my wrist, pinning my arms above my head, sinking into me deeper. He watches me with knitted brows, completely lost in the actions. He dives down to my neck, teeth grazing a spot on my neck that stimulates the blissful warmth.

It's rolling through me, I can feel the tightness building in my core, the cord tightening. I toss my head back, closing my eyes. He pushes deeper. The trailer gives a slight rock, as our moans fill the vicinity. If anyone was near there would be no hiding our actions.

"Oh my God, I'm coming." I pant, the coil popping and my release begins flowing. I arch up into his chest. Cooper pulls out, finishing on the crumpled costume. I breathe deeply for what feels like hours. I open my eyes to see Cooper smirking above me, soft kisses peppering my cheeks as his hands glide down my arms, releasing where he's had them pinned above my head. Unable to move I just stare at him as I catch my breath.

“Oh my god.” He breathes out, readjusting himself before sitting by my feet. A smirk builds its way to his mouth. He runs a thumb over my legs.

I stay silent. I feel like I should pinch myself. I could swear I was dreaming if it wasn't for his fingertips trailing up my leg.

Oh, fuck, this was a mistake. This is so wrong. Maybe this was just a moment of weakness. He has a wonderful family...

He calls my name softly, continuing his soft touches. "You're thinking too loud, darlin'." I sit up, jitters still running through my body. "How could I not? That was-" "Amazing." He leans in catching my lips again, softly this time around. He pulls away, just enough to whisper. "Let me walk you to your car." I nod wordlessly, quickly changing into my regular clothing. Just as we are about to walk out the door, I tug his arm. "Wait." I press my lips down on his, meeting perfectly.

He walks me to the car, only passing a few stragglers, but paid them no mind, his hand still glued to my waist. He opens the door to my car, allowing me to get seated. He leans down with a smile, "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, beautiful."

As I drive away down the road, my smile slowly fades. "Oh, my god." I just slept with someone's husband, and I loved it! I stare at myself in the rearview mirror. I let myself fall limply against the headrest. I curse his name lowly as I fall into the shame of the actions I am committing behind closed doors.

~

Her car door shuts, and I am left staring at her vehicle slowly disappearing. my eyes in a daze, cheeks perking the color of a rose. Hell, I'm acting like a damn teenager. She makes me feel things again. Certain feelings of the warmth a good woman like her can spread. I am fucked. She was so warm, so tight. She fit so perfectly around my cock. I wanted to go slow, I was trying to beg myself to pace myself, but she was too irresistible.

I chuckle, running a finger over my lips. I had kissed costars before. It was never a problem. It certainly never leads to scandalous acts, but when it comes to her it seems everything is out of the ordinary for me. I shake my head lightly as I am whisked to my car. Floating on the memory of her eyes, laugh, kissable plump lips, and skin that smelt of strawberry jam. It was those thoughts that got me home. It was those thoughts that invaded my mind as poured myself a drink upon entry. They were also the thoughts that broke the thread as I pumped my shaft in my hand, once again overcome with the need for her. Concealed in the master bathroom, in the shower, allowing myself to fantasize about another woman. "Fuck," Her name left my mouth in a breathless moan.

I looked into the mirror at the man before me. He was a shameful mess. The present visions of her supplying my imagination didn't trouble me. The constant pressing of my cock threatening to twitch at the sound of her voice on the radio didn't trouble me. What troubled me was the fact that I enjoyed every second of it. I yearned for the morning sun each night, the fact of knowing I would be able to see her the next day was enough to close my eyes each night. I would get to hold her, brush her hair behind her ears, and smell the sweetness of her skin. A shameful mess I was indeed. The want grew each hour I spent thinking of her.

~

The bright sun in the sky barely kissed the hills as I opened the door to the studio. I was more in my element. Acting was fun, but I had been missing the feeling of confidently knowing what to do. In here, I could sing and sway to my plans and no one would correct me. I stretch on the ground freely, humming as I do. The door opens and I look back, silently hoping Cooper walks through. But it's just, Louis.

"Well, you seem to be in a good mood this morning," Louis calls out from the door. I smile at him, continuing to stretch. "I just caught up on some much-needed rest." Yes... Rest...

Louis eyes me up and down, not convinced. "I'm not buying that shit. What happened? You look... different. Did you curl your hair for rehearsal?" I slap his hand away from my hair. "So what if I did? I have appearances to keep up."

Louis rolls his eyes, "Yeah fucking right." He lies down on the floor with me as I stretch. "Who was it?" I look at him in confusion, "What?" Louis cackles, "Who did you fuck? Come on I want details." "No one. My god, Louis. Make yourself useful and go put my bag up." Louis tosses the bag over his shoulder with a smirk. "I'm just saying, you've never been this perky in the morning unless you've been riding a dick all night." I cover my eyes in embarrassment. Several of the crew were on set now and heard what Louis blared out. "Shut the fuck up." I snide at him.

I look around in hopes that Cooper wasn't around to see or hear the exchange, but I am never so lucky. He stands at the back of the room, tying his shoes, a small smirk littering his lips. If he did hear, then he is acting like he didn't.

He waltzes over looking awkward. Fuck, I knew this was going to be weird. I narrow my eyes at him as he sways from one foot to the other. "You okay?" I ask with a small smile. He was finally on my rank. These were my stomping grounds and he was completely lost. A light confidence perks in my veins. "Not much of a dancer, or a singer for that matter." He watches as I spin, the black leotard hugging my body. I catch his eyes burning into my frame. "I'm sure you're better than you think." "Oh, I don't know. Never been good at dancing with pretty women."

Jessica stands in front of us and the few extras needed. "I want to run the solo with the choreography from the first take. I know we talked about it, and I know you said you weren't all for the sexy moves, but-"

"No, let's do it." I want to run it." I interrupt her quickly, her eyes lighting up. She claps her hands with a smile. "Everyone else, take your position. We're going to run it."

Jessica gives me the floor as she begins the music. I feel the chords flowing, the music taking over. I begin the rehearsed song and choreography. Swaying lightly to begin, but slowly making out into the crowd. I sing and turn around the tables, captivating the eyes of everyone in the room. One in particular looked as if he was fighting his own will to stay seated. I sing as I sit at the table he's at. His eyes dive into mine and suddenly it is just the two of us, and I am singing directly to him.

I rest my hand on his chest. I can feel the rapid thump of his heart. Cooper stands placing his hands on either side of my face as I sing. He allows his hand to feel down the side of my body. Memorizing the curves of my waist. I turn his head to look back into my eyes, finishing the melody. He brings my face in, passionately pressing his lips down onto mine. Applause erupts from the studio, but he doesn't pull away. Cooper grips my waist tightly, dragging me to the edge of the table, pushing his hardened cock into my thigh. I gasp feeling his length against my leg.

Unknowing to others, but I know. By the look on his face, he knows that I know. A smirk grew on his lips. “I’d say that scene will be perfect, darlin’.” Cooper pulls away from my body, the warmth disappearing. He sits in the seat watching my every move such as a predator stalking their prey.

[sirianasims]

Chapter 43.5

Idiot.

The voice in my head is persistent. It’s been over two months but it’s not letting up.

I try to focus on the lines, struggling to keep the faint remnants of my Tartosan accent from creeping into Llama Man’s commanding voice. It’s always more difficult just after I’ve been home.

Idiot.

Images from the last year keep flashing by, little details seared into my brain. Her green eyes. Her smile. The delicate birthmarks artfully strewn across her face. I used to insist on kissing each of them goodbye before I left and it always made her laugh.

It was the best sound in the world.

Idiot.

The more recent images are a different story. Her tears. The look of shock and confusion in her eyes. She didn’t understand, of course, and some days I’m not sure I do either. Am I an idiot for leaving her? Or for letting myself fall in love with her in the first place?

Both?

“Alright, Paul, that was good, but let’s do an extra take just to be sure.”

I nod at the sound technician and start over.

“I’ve sent the files off to Mike. Personally, I don’t think he’ll demand another round, the last two takes were flawless.”

“Thanks. I’m sorry for dragging you in for pick-ups again, I’ve been feeling a bit off lately.”

“Hey, it’s a pay check. And I’m going to need it for the move. We want to get settled into the new house before my son’s wedding so we’re already packing.”

“Did you find a job in Henford yet?”

“Not yet, but my wife got an offer. We’ll make it work. My kid is the only family I have left, so if he moves abroad, we follow. And I never liked staying in one place for too long anyway, I get restless.”

“Well, best of luck over there, Charles. The new sound tech will have some big shoes to fill.”

“Thanks, Paul. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

Charles leaves, and I turn on the coffee machine.

I’ve just finished pouring two mugs when Lee arrives.

“Oh, you must have read my mind, love, I am positively dying for a coffee right now.”

“When are you not?”

Lee settles onto the sofa with a sigh.

“It’s been one of those weeks, deadlines put such a damper on my creativity. But how was Tartosa? Did you have a nice birthday?”

“It was fine. I didn’t feel like making it a huge thing, but my mother had arranged a family dinner at the vineyard.”

“Ah, just an intimate and completely non-threatening gathering with fifteen to twenty people, then.”

I lean back against the counter and take a long sip of the coffee to avoid responding. It’s still too hot, and I grimace as the liquid burns my mouth. Idiot.

Lee isn’t so easily deterred, though.

“So, that’s it? You’re just never going to see her again?”

“Lee, first of all, she blocked me. On my birthday, no less. So I’m going to take that as a big fat hint and respect her wishes. Second, I broke up with her because it was a dead end. She’s not going to settle down for another decade, and when she does, she’s not going to pick some fifty year old relic.”

Lee raises an eyebrow.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Yeah, I said it. Sorry to break it to you, Lee, but you’re old. Ancient. Practically dust.”

“I’m choosing to ignore your hurtful remarks because you’re clearly heartbroken and out of your mind with grief.”

I snort. “Sorry. I’m fine, really, I’m just annoyed at myself.”

“For irrationally breaking up with the love of your life or for stubbornly refusing to reconsider?”

“For being an idiot in general, I guess. I knew it was a bad idea. I even told her as much the first time I met her. But then I just had to go back and talk to her again like a complete dumbass and she practically invited herself back to my hotel. How could I say no to that?”

Lee chuckles. “Oh, but you couldn’t, of course you couldn’t. I mean, she’s not exactly my type, but I can still appreciate the aesthetics, as it were.”

“Right? And that might even have been fine if it never went any further, but I got carried away and kept seeing her even though everyone could tell it was going to end badly. We’re both better off like this, I’ll get over it.”

Lee just looks at me over the rim of his glasses.

“Are you sure? I may be a dusty old relic but as far as I’m aware, the only way you could possibly know that she blocked you is if you spent your birthday trying to look her up.”

“Thanks, detective. It was a moment of weakness, you don’t need to rub it in my face.”

“I’m not trying to rub anything in your face, love, I know it’s not your thing. But you were clearly serious about her if you were planning to bring her to Tartosa. And just because the poor girl understandably got slightly intimidated, you drop her like a newborn giraffe. Why not give her some more time?”

“I didn’t… Lee, it was the sensible thing to do! I just turned forty, I can’t just spend years waiting for her to make up her mind and hope for the best.”

“I don’t share your fetish for monogamy, but I believe all relationships are like that, you can never be certain. But you’ve always been stubborn so I’ll just give you the usual break-up advice. Get a haircut, hit the gym, put yourself back out there. Will you at least see my stylist?”

“Never. I am not brave enough to let Jessica Clemons near my wardrobe.”

beginning / previous / next

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

$Change$

It's only natural that demons are attracted to greedy individuals. After all, greedy demons were often seen as cunning or ambitious when getting their way. A demon indulged and satisfied is one most pleasurable.

You recline lazily on one of the many lounge chairs of the casino. You could hear the slot machines ringing, the sounds of cheers, and frustration. A comforting and familiar lullaby at this point.

"Hi Gran!" You crack open one eye to stare at your grandson. Razberry stares at you happily. His tail swayed behind him as he leaned over you.

You raised an eyebrow at the little troublemaker. "And what does my little imp want?" You pondered aloud. "I'm sure your grandpa will get you whatever your dark little heart desires."

The boy laughs and shakes his head. "Nah Gran, I don't want anything from Gramps right now. I had a question for you!"

You sighed and closed both eyes. "What is it, brat?" Unlike your husband, you didn't believe in spoiling the child. He received that enough.

"Why did you marry Gramps?" He asked innocently. The question makes open your eyes and fully look at him.

"Cause he gives me money." You say bluntly. "Is that all?" He asked, tilting his head. "What more is there?" You questioned as you sat up to look him in the eye.

He shrugs and throws himself on your lap. "I dunno, Gramps seemed to have a bunch of reasons for wanting to marry you. I guess I thought there would be more. Like reasons you love him or something."

You lean back against the chair once more. Love? Well, that's not exactly how your relationship came to be. It certainly hadn't started that way.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

☆I work all night, I work all day to pay the bills I have to pay. (Ain't it sad?)☆

You remembered struggling to make ends meat. Scrapping by with just a little cash here and there. Only for it all to be spent and taken by others.

☆And still, there never seems to be a single penny left for me. (That's too bad!)☆

You hated it. Nothing ever seemed to be enough. An endless cycle of work and pay. Nothing to enjoy for yourself. So... you had taken action.

☆But in my dreams, I have a plan. If I get me a wealthy man, I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball!☆

Dressed in your best. You had walked into this very casino on the hunt. You wanted a better life. That requires money. What better way to get it than to trick some poor sap?

☆Money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich man's world.☆

That seemed like a lifetime ago. You could still smell the cigars and feel the stares of others as you made your way deeper into the establishment. The desperation you had felt at the time.

☆Money, money, money, always sunny. In a rich man's world.☆

Passing the slots you made your way to the tables. Scanning for the perfect target. There were plenty of sucker's to trick. But... your eyes had landed on him.

He was younger back then, of course. Razberry actually reminded you a lot of him. His carefree nature and his need to gamble.

You remember seeing him with a large pile of winnings and a greedy grin on his face. That wasn't what made you pick him, though. You were aware of his high rank. One would have to be an idiot not to know.

You had hoped to avoid him, you didn't need that kind of attention. You settled for some nameless faces that were throwing away their money recklessly. It would be an easy take.

☆ooooohhhhhoooohhhoooh☆

Unfortunately, he had also seen you. He made his way over and stopped that lower ranked demons hands from touching you. You tilted your head eyeing him.

"You can look all you like, but never try to touch one of my employees again. You might lose a hand next time!" He said so cheerfully.

You glanced at him. You were confused but decided to stay silent. After chasing the pathetic demon away he turns to you. "Darling! You're here for your paycheck today, aren't you?"

☆All the things I could do, if I had a little money. It's a rich man's world.☆

You raised an eyebrow and crossed your arms. The wad of cash he offered was tempting to take. But you weren't an idiot. You weren't about to be in debt to this kind of demon.

You wrapped your fur coat up tighter around yourself. "It's not payday, bossman." Your voice soft and sweet as you placed the money back in his pocket and fixed his shirt.

☆It's a rich man's world.☆

He had been surprised but had a gleeful look in his eyes as he offered his arm. Humoring him, you had taken it walking side by side with him. That's how your strange relationship had begun.

You had been his arm candy. Leaning against him, blowing on dice. Sitting on his lap or splitting the deck. In exchange, he showered you in gifts.

Diamonds, rubies, pearls, anything that would make you shine out on the floor. A pretty doll to distract other patrons. You still didn't really know what this demon wanted from you, but the silent arrangement between you would do.

☆A man like that is hard to find, but I can't get him off my mind. (Ain't it sad?)☆

You honestly thought he'd get bored quickly. After all, he could have anyone on his arm. Yet you were the one he dressed up and took to parties. The one he often showed off.

☆And if he happens to be free, I bet he wouldn't fancy me. (That's too bad!)☆

Somehow, you ended up living with him. How that came to be you still weren't sure. But still, you wouldn't be fooled. You would squirrel away cash and jewelry you could pawn off just in case.

After all, it was only a matter of time before you were abandoned. You weren't capable of believing in the kindness of others. You could only rely on yourself.

☆So I must leave, I have to go.☆

Hidden in the back of your closet was a bag you always kept. Ready to leave at any moment. You often double-check or add to it. But one day...

You stormed out of your closet angrily. Why? Why did he know about it? He's never gone into your room before. So why? Why would he do something like this? Crazy bastard.

You threw the bag full of cash into his face. "Oh? Was it not enough?" Belial asked calmly. You seethe with rage."Not enough?!?! Do you know how much it is in there! You're crazy!"

"Eh? I thought it would make you happy, dear. You like money after all." He looks at you, confused and curious. "I'm not having a mountain of debt on my hands from your loans!" You snarl.

"Loan? This is a gift dearest. After all, loans come with contracts." He sets the bag down and lights a cigar.

☆From roulette to bingo, to win a fortune in a game, to gain a life that's not the same.☆

You seeth. Of course, to a demon like him, it's nothing but pocket change. You can't stop the fury fueling you at this point. "Let's play a game."

He choked on the smoke, looking at you shocked. Seeing your serious face, he lowered it down to the ashtray. "Alright... if that's what you want, sweetheart." You could see the change in his gaze. This was business.

☆Money, Money, Money, must be funny in a rich man's world.☆

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

"Gran? Gran! GRAN!!!" You quickly cover your grandsons mouth glaring at him. The boy gives you a cheeky grin. "What you spacing out for gran?"

You scoffed. "None of your business brat. Now run off and play." You pushed him away with your tail. Relaxing back into your seat alone once more.

... it didn't last long. "DARLING!!!" You groaned. Speak of the devil. You lift your head to see a bouquet of jeweled flowers in your face surrounded by hundred dollar bills.

☆Money, Money, Money, always sunny, in a rich man's world☆

"Happy anniversary, my greedy little imp!" You rolled your eyes and snatched the bouquet away. A small smile graced your face as you traced the jewels.

Belial sets down next to you, and you can't help but wonder. "What would you have asked for that day... if you had won?" You don't have to explain. He knows exactly the day you're talking about.

"Mmm, well, I would have asked you to marry me, dear!" He says cheerfully. "But I didn't mind waiting another decade. You're worth all the effort, my dear."

There he goes again. Talking nonsense. Yet... you can't help the feeling in your chest. The relief, the embarrassment, the hope...

"You fool." Is all you can say. But like always he smiles. "But I'm your fool." He holds up his left claw, flexing his wedding ring. "Forever"

☆Ooooooohhhhoooohhhhooooh, all the things i could do. If i had a little money.☆

You grab his tacky shirt and pull him close. Shutting him up with a kiss. Honestly, what a pain. You grin. But you signed up for a lifetime of it, didn't you? Everything had been your choice till the end.

☆It's a rich man's world. It's a rich man's world.☆

[untamedmetablogiguess]

finally got around to watching Fatal Journey and honestly the most devastating part of it is not how it gives us adorable baby Nie brothers ( though that does hurt), nor how it makes Huaisang accidentally implicated in the music poisoning (though that hurts, too) - it’s how it deepens Huaisang’s character from merely a harmless pleasure-seeker to a genuinely good person.

the version of Huaisang we see in the show proper isn’t particularly interested in being moral! He’s not a BAD person, he doesn’t want to hurt anybody, but neither does he particularly care to be GOOD. he leaves that, like all the tough parts of life, to his da-ge to take care of. Surely Mingjue is righteous enough for both of them! Huaisang’s no good in a fight- surely he’d just get in the way! Huaisang’s tragedy, originally, is his descent from a lovable goofball, a harmless fop, a perpetual baby brother, into a hardened, ruthless, desperately lonely man hellbent on revenge no matter how many people he has to destroy on the way. And that’s a pretty good tragedy!

but with the material introduced in Fatal Journey, Huaisang appears to be a genuinely good person- a much better person than anyone ever gave him credit for. He sees something he believes is morally reprehensible being done by the people he loves and respects- especially his brother, who is regarded as a paragon of righteousness in their society- and he stands up and says ‘no.’ I don’t think ANYONE else does that, at least where we can see it. WWX’s whole DEAL is doing the right thing in the face of people who have waaay more power than him (Wens, Jins….), but he’s never put in this specific situation because the people he loves and respects aren’t the ones doing morally reprehensible things! The closest parallel we see is maybe LWJ fighting the Lan elders in defense of WWX, but that is much less a principled stance based on moral virtue and much more an act of tremendous personal love and sacrifice. He’s not doing it because it’s there right thing to do, he’s doing it because he loves WWX and doesn’t CARE whether that’s right or wrong anymore.

NHS is put in a fairly unique position where he is directly exposed to some of the basest hypocrisy of the cultivation world, and instead of saying ‘well, da-ge’s doing it so it must be okay, I guess it's not really that bad,” he says ‘No, this is unacceptable.’ He says ‘You’re better than this. WE are better than this. We HAVE to be better than this.’ He is not, ultimately, able to change anything about it, because he doesn’t have that kind of power, but he SAYS it, he makes it clear, directly to NMJ’s face, that he is disappointed in him, and ashamed of what he is doing, and he thinks it’s wrong.

and the fall from THAT, from someone who argues that exploiting the corpses of the dead is wrong EVEN if those people were criminals, into someone who would deliberately desecrate the body of a woman he KNOWS is innocent because it’s the best way he can think of to hurt the person he wants to hurt, a person for whom the ends justify any and all means, and who ignores or disregards the collateral damage of any other lives destroyed - that’s SO MUCH WORSE. That hurts SO much more.

[notsodailykurudoro]

day 35

He gently pressed dried lips against the bandaged hand, barely peeping at the taller figure in front of him with a hint of smugness, internally eager to witness his reaction, he couldn't help but smile.

As the Craftsman slowly retreated, seconds that passed for entire lives buzzed inside the thief’s skull, almost too numb to process correctly the gesture and nevertheless lacking the time to act accordingly, his disastrous cognitive process managing to make him give a short bow.

“The pleasure would be no one’s but mine.” He expressed, polite, a hand resting on his chest solemnly.

Struggling with his own bubbling emotions, he offered his previously kissed hand to the mechanic who gladly took it with it’s own.

“Pretentious prig.” Kururu mocked, barely audible among the noisy ballroom that still echoed downstairs, the ballads high enough for them to take that chance there and now.

Devilishly cheesy, the redhead considered, quickly sparing a glance at the exit of the balcony and entrance to the site, making sure that no one was ready to intrude and trying to not give chances to the thought of what would the consequences be if someone stupid or nosy enough were to witness him and another man slow dancing on that secluded corner of the manor to pinch the back of his head.

He grabbed Dororo's waist, holding him as they both positioned themselves right, a very primal muscle memory playing an important part in such activity.

“Do try not to yell if i step on ya’”

“I trust you wholeheartedly” Zero laughed before saying, already starting to sway with the smaller man in arms.

They enjoyed a certain ability, an ability that was instilled many years ago, to one by decision and the other by obligation, by a custom rooted in the putrid scheme that had been drawn for decades in both of their worlds, which weren’t that far apart.

“This’a good one.” The craftsman noted.

“Which is?” The thief replied.

“The tune.”

“You mean the song?”

“Aye, used to repeat it a few times to get the signature right.”

“On the talking machine?”

“Before it flumped on my brother’s head, at least.”

“You've got a brother?”

“Now you tryna get me maggin’” Kururu grinned.

“Oh, I apologize-” He shrank very slightly on the grip. “I do tend to forget you're not much of a talker.”

“Cannae get too carried away making children’s shoes.”

A cackle, that peculiar monosyllabic giggle again, Dororo could never get used to it, and not in a bad way, he softened, a smirk of his own accompanying the blush of his covered face.

“I guess not…”

It was a bit chilly outside, the air whistled, passing through broken windows and worn boards, indistinguishable voices, far away music and drunken stupor characteristic of a Saturday night feeding the white noise.

Zero never had major trouble with keeping eye contact, Unlike Kururu, who needed to look away from other people or movement to concentrate on what they were saying, as well as feeling uncomfortable after at least 5 minutes of holding it. And yet, something made him want to continue staring at the other man’s gaze, it made him uneasy in the best of ways, that glassy tone that you would only find in a well-preserved corpse, it almost incited him to grab forks and take them out to study, to see if he would still stare so astonishingly to a Dororo with bleeding, empty eye sockets. He grinned further.

“Guess I owe you, though.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I know anything I can know about you, Conveyancer.”

“Is that so?”

“Yessir.”

“Well you’ll have to find the heart to forgive because I highly doubt it.”

Kururu snorted before they both gave a spin on par with the music.

“Now I don't need to empty the bag, do I, Your Majesty?”

Dororo froze, erratically following the craftsman with the dance.

“...I-... Do not seem to follow, I have no idea of what you're getting at with such nonsense…!”

“Don’t play stupid on me, Gollumpus, gonna have to try harder than that.”

“I’m not…! What makes you believe that i am, of all people, a member of royalty?”

Kururu took the lead, clearly enjoying himself, he handled the ‘thief’ as he kept ranting.

“The break-teeth words? Fancy rags? Issues with that skank ya callin’ a mother?”

“M-My mother is a very respectable woman, thank you very much!”

“How ‘bout pops?”

“... I’ve got a feeling that you're the one that’s making me wanna ‘empty the bag’.”

“Dodgin’ bullets tonight, are we? Kuu-ku-ku-”

“C-Can be put that way.”

Dororo said, looking away from him, trying to keep himself from laughing. It was hard to put on the nonchalant facade, Zero always thought that he was at least somewhat good at keeping himself at ease in almost every situation, It is necessary to know how to stay calm to handle things better, however, Kururu seemed to know how to press his buttons, all the time, as if he could read every word and movement he could muster like an open, abandoned book. At times, it could be quite scary, but it was also flattering, because someone was taking the time and dedication to pay attention at what he was doing and why.

Such a shame that the glass-eyed ginger was like that with almost everyone.

“Okay, think I gotcha something.”

The blue haired man turned his attention back to the freckled one.

“Y’can ask three questions, then i can ask three, we don't need to get into much detail, and we can stop with the tilly-tally mind games. How'zat?”

Pondering, the noble slowly pulled away from Kururu, as if running equations on his mind, considering. Kururu fidgeted on his place, out of sight from Dororo to not give away his own facade.

“A tempting offer…” Mustered the blue-eyed man.

“Buuuuut?”

“... Very well then, it does sound amusing.”

He smiled, closing his eyes briefly, and the smaller one grinned widely.

And as the night passed, the two of them now knew each other a little more than they had that morning.

no beta we fucking die like viper

[doverstar]

abed/annie is my community otp, so I would love to hear your essay if you’re willing to share ♥️

girl it would be my pleasure

this is going to be an absolutely enormous word-vomit, please prepare-

I want to start off by saying I actually think Abed is genuinely a little bit crazy. Yes, he might be on the spectrum or have some disorder but the show is so loose with that it never really confirms it, so I’m not going to confirm it either, I just think there’s something-something-spectrum there but I’m not educated enough to understand exactly what they’re communicating he has or is dealing with. I think the safest thing to assume is indeed that he’s insane (he said it himself; he saw literal lava when Troy was leaving) but in a small, functional, unique way that doesn’t make him dangerous except when he wants to cut people’s arms off because “Evil Abed has taken over” hello someone do something about that –

Anyway. It’s super difficult for me to understand what goes on in his head episode-to-episode, but with Annie it’s actually easier? Abed has such a specific set of needs when it comes to relationships that it’s a miracle he found the study group at all. He’s so smart and creative and he’s actually very empathetic and sweet but he doesn’t always seem to know how to express things.

Annie is clearly Abed’s second-best friend in the show (it helps that the actor/actress are best friends too). When he can’t turn to Troy, he can always turn to Annie. She understands him and there’s never been a point where we see that start or end—it just naturally happened and they’re both used to it. Abed is always touching her, always sitting by her, always making eye contact with her, and if you pay close attention to even background scenes, he’s measuring her reactions to things more often than anyone else’s. If I had to guess, I think she’s the group member he understood faster than any of the others. Abed (this is, from what I’m told, part of being on the spectrum? but like I said I am uneducated and don’t want to definitively say something the show decided not to be clear about) needs certain things to be a certain way, or he can’t operate normally. He panics, or gets angry, or tries to mutilate Jeff Wingers. He genuinely thinks he is crazy, and he genuinely thinks no one he meets will be able to deal with him for an extended amount of time. (Let’s begin at the beginning from his POV.) Abed meets Annie (and the group), and she seems like the typical Molly Ringwald girl-next-door; pretty, smart, wants popularity, ambitious. That’s why he chose her when he created the study group. Annie is all of these cliched things, but hey, quickly it’s pretty clear Annie needs things to be a certain way. Annie needs structure and lists and good grades. So she gets it when Abed needs that, what a pleasant surprise! And part of that is that Annie empathizes with everyone around her, without even trying, so much so that she’s depicted often as the heart of the whole study group. She gets Abed, both because they’re the same in lots of ways and they’re the opposite. She can crush easily, explode easily, cry easily, laugh easily. Everything Abed has no idea how to emote. Annie is a volcano of emotions, and they’re triggered most when she’s feeling because of or on behalf of other people.

So here’s this girl near his own age who is orderly and structured, and knows how other people feel and can enter in with them emotionally, including Abed. She’s so nice, and tries so hard. She’s even good at playing pretend (Mixology Certification, party of one?). What a perfect leading lady for the life-movie Abed sees everywhere he goes (because that’s how he makes sense of the world). Annie is the ideal female star he’d want in any story: the girl full of passion and drive.

But then there’s Jeff—the study group’s Judd Nelson—presumably the perfect leading man. When Abed first handpicks the group in the pilot and first season, Jeff wants Britta. Hey, that makes sense, Britta seems to be the leading lady type, actually! She’s nice, she’s strong, she’s beautiful. Works perfectly. And look, Annie wants Troy—the brainy bubbly girl wants the dumb jock, that makes sense too. Everything works. Then things start changing within the dynamic. Troy is actually not that dumb, and not that sports-obsessed—he’s fun, and he’s the ideal bro for Abed, but he doesn’t work with Annie. Britta is not that nice, and not that strong—she’s bad at everything, and she doesn’t understand people, she just wants to and is constantly trying to portray (and then hopefully become) the kind of person that does. And Jeff is a stunted jerk who needs reformation.

Oh, Annie is Abed’s friend now too. She said it herself, and that’s rare in Abed’s life. She called them really good friends, and that’s so important to him that he’ll sit in a room for 26 straight hours with nothing to do because Annie asked him to do it. Troy is not the only character Abed would give up control for. There’s one other from the start, because the moment she told him with all her earnest doe-eyedness they were friends, she had him hook line and sinker.

Season 1 progresses. Jeff and Britta might still work, and Abed seems mildly interested in that if only for the cliches—maybe Britta can make him better. No, wait, Britta is bad at that too. Actually, they’re not good for each other. Actually, they’re bad for each other—they’re bad for everyone. But they have similar terrible flaws and habits, so maybe they do make a good pair. Still fine leads. Still works. And besides, Annie has filled in the place of Troy with hippie Vaughn, which is also fine. Doesn’t really work long-term, but Jeff and Britta drive the plot forward more anyway, so the focus should be on them, right? The group is working. The group is thriving. The TV of life moves along.

(Except Jeff kissed Annie to win the Man Is Good/Evil debate. And Abed predicted it. Which means he was thinking about that as a possibility, because he operates on variables and tries to understand outcomes so that he’s not surprised by anything and can keep his friends for longer by relating to and reacting to them better. Jeff has leading man vibes, Annie has leading lady vibes, that’s one potential outcome. And though he insists he’s just making hypotheses based on what he’s learned about his friends so far, when it does happen right in front of them in real life, they kiss, Abed is just as shocked as the others—he literally can’t take his eyes off them until the debate is won. Then afterward, he tells Shirley he can’t predict the future and uses his plans for Pierce being discovered as a genius next in his home-movies as an example, which he believes would never happen—then Britta calls Pierce a genius right in front of him and Abed looks visibly concerned. Maybe what he predicts about his friends will keep happening, even the things he thinks are the least likely of the potential outcomes. Maybe even Jeff and Annie as the two leads. But that doesn’t make sense, does it? Jeff and Britta are endgame, aren’t they? Annie is too young for a leading man like Jeff. Annie is too nice; Jeff is too selfish. Annie is gorgeous and driven, Jeff is handsome and needs fixing, that would work, no, it would change things too much, it’s too unlikely, back to Jeff and Britta, back to playing with Troy and studying film, don’t give it a second thought—)

Transfer dance happens. Annie is going away for the summer with Vaughn. Classic Annie, has his back, always doing the better thing for the plot, bringing a good end-of-Season twist, but it’s okay, as far as he knows she’ll be back in the fall and besides, Abed’s got to-roomie-or-not-roomie with Troy issues to deal with.

And then the new semester starts after the transfer dance. And Anthropology 101 happens (again, one of my favorite episodes for the group fight at the end when it comes to my lil ships). I’M GONNA TALK ABOUT ANTHROPOLOGY 101 NOW. For A CHUNK of time. Jeff and Britta are doing relationship-drama stuff Abed doesn’t quite care about, until Shirley suggests he’s being selfish and that a real friend would enter into Jeff and Britta’s [incredibly fake and nasty] “happiness” and Abed thinks that could work. Actually, progressing Jeff and Britta’s relationship is a goal he can definitely work with. In fact, if you pay attention to the show, whenever there is an opportunity to advance or out Jeff/Britta, Abed takes that opportunity. And whenever there is an opportunity to put JeffAnnie in an uncomfortable or inevitable, c’est la vie light (which two independence-heavy freaks like Jeff and Annie would consider negatively) he takes that too.

Abed urges Jeff/Britta to get married right there in the library before the fight, gives them the ring, because he thinks that’s the next logical step in their grossness. Special episode, all about Jeff/Britta, endgame endgame endgame! He can work with that. In fact, he’s happy to control that. He leaves the room to inexplicably get an Irish singer, dead-ringer Clooney, and a transportable wedding set.

When he comes back and tries to prep the group for the special wedding episode, everyone is tense and Jeff is bleeding from the nose, and Abed does not notice; he’s intent on advancing the plot and the endgame. Then Troy says, “Abed. Jeff made out with Annie.” And Abed’s immediate reaction is “What? Where? When?” And he looks unhappy, like the rest of them. Jeff made out with Annie, and that means everything Abed thought he understood is incorrect. (And I think it bothers the crap out of him and he doesn’t have the ability to unpack why that is the way most people do because he’s different. Surely he’s just angry for the same reasons the rest of the group is? That must be it. That must be why he’s angry specifically with Jeff, not Britta in any tangible way, or even Annie in a tangible way—until later, which I’ll talk about eventually.) Annie tells him they kissed after the transfer dance in a guilty voice, which is a sheepishness she does not respond with to any of the other members of the group. It’s almost like she’s picking up on Abed’s emotion specifically this time. And while everyone else in the group explodes, and Jeff reduces his kiss with Annie to something he should be ashamed of (accurate) because men are monsters who crave young flesh and Annie looks absolutely crushed like a deer in the headlights, Abed starts packing up to leave. And we only see how angry he is right then—he doesn’t enter into anyone else’s problems. We see him react to “Jeff made out with Annie”, and then this is the next time we see him react. Jeff asks where he’s going and Abed throws out a quippy “I now pronounce you cancelled” with a bounce of his eyebrows in an angry way, at Jeff, and when he tries to leave Jeff hurls insults at his back and Abed stops in the doorway, in a normal-person—again, angry—way and turns around and drops one of the sickest burns of the whole show, that TV makes sense and has “likeable leading men”, and says “In life, we have this. We have you.” And walks out. His anger is not directed at anybody else. He doesn’t help Troy with the Pierce situation. He doesn’t try to fix any of it. It’s like he heard “Jeff made out with Annie”, learned the specifics, and was standing there reeling until eventually he decided he couldn’t deal and went to leave, and wouldn’t have shown just how angry he was with Jeff unless Jeff had provoked him, which he did.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE HE’S MAD JEFF KISSED ANNIE, JUSSAYIN’-

let me pretend I’m a 14-year-old shippy fangirl in my reasoning, okay-

Abed likes logic, and as Season 2 continues, Jeff/Annie gets more and more logical. In fact, even though he has noticed that Jeff and Britta are secretly hooking up in the background of the Season, he is not surprised in Paradigms of Human Memory when Annie calls Jeff out for the will-they-won’t-they he’s been enacting with her, and even says there is something between the two of them, matter-of-factly, which Jeff refuses to own up to. But Abed and Annie are getting closer and closer, too. It’s subtle, but it’s clear they’re 100% comfortable around each other. That becomes super clear by Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas, when, besides Troy, Annie is the only other character to enter into Abed’s way of thinking and play with him, because it’s genuinely important to him and she recognizes that this is what he needs, when everyone else kind of drops off. She helps Abed and Troy stop Duncan from dealing with Abed in a practical, normal way, because she sees that Abed is dealing with something and can only deal with it his way to get through it. That’s incredibly rare for Abed, we see. He’s very attached to her—like I said, often touching her, often sitting by her, often reacting to her.

(I mean hi, in English As A Second Language, Abed thinks he won’t be affected by Annie’s Disney Face; when everyone else obeys Jeff in closing their eyes to it, Abed doesn’t. “Oh don’t worry about me, I can only connect to people through...movies...” literally stops in his tracks when he sees her Disney Face with the cutest wistful twitch of a smile. Jeff has to Indiana-Jones-reference him to make him look away. He doesn’t only connect to people through movies—at least, Annie can get through to him without the need of movies; he’s not a quirky lil robot, he can have normal feelings, but boy does it seem like Annie is the one bringing them out of him more often than most. she gets under his skin ajhzsdkejdb-)

Abed definitely has a crush on Annie. But he doesn’t know how to deal with that or portray it. To his mind, Annie should be with a leading man. Any time he flirts with her, he is pretending to be a leading man from a movie or show. (For a Few Paintballs More, anyone?) Because that’s who she should be paired off with. And that’s what she wants, right? She loooves Jeff Winger now. Britta’s not the leading lady, she never was, that role was always Annie’s, and it makes sense she wants Jeff, and it makes even more sense that Abed is observing the love story, not part of it. Abed is not the leading man, he’s the computer. He watches, analyzes, does not get involved or get the girl.

But he still wants her around, and he can have that much—in fact, when he moves in with Troy and Annie tells him she loves their place, Abed instantly suggests she move in. Not Abed and Troy. Just Abed, and he does not discuss it with his roommate. And Troy seems confused and surprised and gives Abed such an interesting look right after. Annie moves in, Abed agrees to sacrifice some of his routine for her (blanket fort for he and Troy, full bedroom for Annie), things are happy. Things are fine. She puts away his buttered noodles when he’s not finished with them, but she adapts to his needs when he expresses he doesn’t want her to do that; she breaks his Batman DVD but he adapts by forgiving her in a role he can express that in—Batman himself, plus, bonus, he gets to flirt with her as that leading man—and things are better. But then Annie starts trying to control things. Annie starts trying to make life go according to the movie in her head. She tries to get Britta and Troy together, which not only robs Abed of his best friend for a day and disrupts his routine, it makes him angry with Annie. And not just because she tampered with the group’s dynamic, which he doesn’t want anyone else but him to do. okay we’re caught up NOW I get to talk about Virtual Systems Analysis, which is my FAVORITE COMMUNITY EPISODE-

Throughout that episode, Annie is trying to speak in Abed’s language in the Dreamatorium in order to teach him empathy. In the past, she’s had success in communicating with him on his level, but this seems extra hard for some reason. She sees somehow through his expressionless face right away and sees he is angry with her, and though he tries to deflect by saying she’s going to ruin the group by meddling, she eventually does recognize what the problem is. At first she’s convinced Abed just wants Abed’s way and that he needs to be taught how to think of others first (she’s right), but he hears her say that to Troy and it spirals him right into the worry he always has—that he’s crazy, that he’s a problem, that he’ll never fit in because of that, and that when Annie (and anyone else) tries to deal with or fix him, they will get sick of it, give up, and toss him aside. He was already angry with her for a different reason, not just wanting his way again—but now he’s sure she’s done with Abed, too. So he becomes someone else, everyone else, to make his point: that she’s just messing with Britta and Troy so that nothing will stand in the way of her and Jeff.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAYS WHEN HE IS PRETENDING TO BE JEFF TO HER? He says, “With Abed gone, and Troy and Britta together, there’s nothing standing in the way of us.” With Abed gone. Why did he say that? Because with Abed gone, Annie gets to be in control of everyone? Obviously not. Or is it because out of everyone, every variable, the only other match that makes sense for Britta is Troy and the only other match that makes sense for Annie is-

Oops, Freudian slip. Oh, she’s not falling for it. And Abed is mad at her because he thinks she set up Britta and Troy so she could be with Jeff. Abed is mad that that’s what she wants. And when she tries to argue it’s not, he literally pretends he is her, logicking it out at her, trying to convince her that that is what she wants, because that’s what he thinks she wants, and her controlling things to cause JeffAnnie makes him mad. But c’est la vie, it’s inevitable anyway, right? Why isn’t she seeing that? Why is she trying to talk about him, he doesn’t want to talk about him, especially not after what she said about him— Then she fights back and tells him that she does not love Jeff, she loves the idea of being loved and if she can teach a guy like Jeff to love her, she’ll never be alone. And then she finds out that’s what Abed is afraid of, too. No—that’s what Abed is used to. “I’ve run the simulations, Annie. I don’t get married. [Why is that the first thing he said?] I don’t etc. etc.”

He’s afraid he’ll be alone, and people will always be getting tired of him and throwing him away. Didn’t Annie get tired of him? But she doesn’t, she’s not—in fact, she understands him. She shows him other members of the group understand that feeling, too. She uses his language to explain to him that he’s wrong, and that neither of them should be trying to make life go according to a script in their heads. Abed sees that she does understand, and if she can get into his head and understand him, she really can do it with anyone, and if she can do it, maybe he can too. Annie helps him and makes him a better person, because she reminds him to empathize, which is something Abed didn’t think he could do. Okay I just spent a long time talking about Abed’s perspective. A tiny bit of Annie now, because this is going on too long. As for Annie, she is afraid of being alone and unloved. She’s “psycho”, she’s crazy too, because someone who empathizes that much and can exude that much emotion does seem crazy to other people. She’s a different crazy than Abed, but her brand of psycho lends itself well to getting and communicating with him, because his crazy is escapism and her crazy is confrontation. His crazy is emotionless, her crazy is emotional. His crazy is control, her crazy is compassion. Her parents cut her off, her high school shunned her, Troy never noticed her, of course she’s scared of being ditched. Of being unimportant. Annie’s need to be perfect comes from the need to feel valued. And doesn’t Abed understand the need to not feel left alone? Doesn’t he understand everything needing to be just so, doesn’t he understand wanting to feel important but never expecting it? Just the computer. Just the observer. Wait. Didn’t he invite her to live with him, voluntarily? Doesn’t he always seem to be choosing her to sit by, don’t they always seem to be reassuring one another with a look or a touch? He gets how she feels about Jeff and Britta and their monopolization (hi Basic Sandwich), he gets when she’s feeling insecure, he gets when she needs to escape, just for a second, to pretend to be someone else in any given scenario so that she can take a risk or get out of her comfort zone, and he excels at that so they often do it together. They don’t have to be alone, they have each other. Annie doesn’t have to be perfect, Abed doesn’t have to be normal, and neither of them have to be in control. But nobody listens to me and instead we have Jeff kissing Annie and Brie Larson in a sweater. And don’t get me started on VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing and why Abed and Annie are individually trying so hard to fight each other’s third-roommate preferences-

[roturo]

Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife

“I wish for what’s forbidden

Get it like boom-boom-boom.”

WARNINGS: SMUT. (NO PIV) : MASTERLIST.

Gojo Satoru x AFAB!Reader

English it’s not my first language so i’m sorry if I have some grammatical errors. This is my first jjk fic, and I always wanted to make one! Basically my content is based from songs, the song title will always be the title for the Oneshot/fic/etc. I haven’t wrote in a “long” time, so it’s not one of my best works. But I still hope you enjoy it!. 🩵 Might do a pt2

Since you were a little kid, your parents always teached you about the jujutsu world. The curses, and of course, the strongest clans. They mentioned a lot the Gojo clan, which always intrigued you. 

Gojo Satoru. The celebrated and strongest sorcerer. Millions of money, every girl he wants, and gets everything he wants. Was he really all that? 

You were always taught to respect your seniors, give them the smile of a doll, listen to them with a kind face, and eat up the shit they say to you.

“Oh Ms.(L/N) you’re one of the strongest female sorcerers, have you ever thought of forming a family with another strong sorcerer like you? I can help you with that”

“You’re already getting old, how do you pretend keeping the strong blood going?”

“It’s clearly you need to train more, you’re getting out of form. How boys will like you if look like that?”

You keep covering and covering everything like emotions. You hate it, you’re not a doll. What if you never wanted to have kids? Or even a partner?

Now you’re 19 years old. Almost 20. Living alone, and you started assisting to Jujutsu school. You’ve been always training with your dad, but as time passes and you get stronger, your dad can’t keep up with you. 

First day of school. Feels weird, since this isn’t a normal school, neither a place you’re going to learn normal things. 

You started walking towards the big white building until you noticed some people training, a pink haired boy excitedly looked at you and started waving at you, next to him was a tall black haired looking pineapple frods hair, a… panda?… and a greenish colored hair girl. At least they looked nice?…

You were wrong. 

Well, not totally, Yuji and panda were nice, full of energy, but still.. nice.

The others… Well.

They weren’t mean, but not as friendly as the other two. 

But anyways, they were waiting for the sensei. Talking about how handsome he is, how you shouldn’t fall for him since he’s a what they call “rolling stone” (for going from women to women) basically a womanizer.

… What a dick.

But still, apparently he’s really strong, and a good friendly sensei.

But you never thought your sensei was the forbidden man.

Your heart was beating, but don’t get it wrong, it wasn’t in a romantic way, more of a “is this really the Gojo Satoru?”

The strongest man on earth.

Wow.

They were right.

He’s indeed handsome.

“Ms.(Y/N L/N)! Glad to see you here! Your dad told me a lot of you.” He said, with a stupid smirk of clearly what they called: a rolling stone.

You really didn’t understand how both of your families got along, but never in your life till now you met with Gojo Satoru.

“Hello sensei Gojo. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” You said with a doll smile, like they taught you. 

“Great! I guess you already introduced to everyone here, what about warming up to see what you got?” 

You did as he said. Your curse was mind controlling. You didn’t like it, you didn’t used it for your favor neither for curses, it only brought bad things to you. Like your mom forgetting you, losing your first boyfriend.. 

It really was a strong but delicate curse.

You started fighting with Maki, a easy fight even if you were still rusty. Great warm up.

Next was Panda, heavy when trying to get him of you but still. Nothing too special.

Last one was Megumi, you were out of breath, some bruises here and there and you were pretty sure your head was bleeding but hey! You were fighting with no use of your cursed energy! You had to use it somehow now.

So, it was easy, just in time of 2 seconds, you quickly got into Megumi’s head to use his own shikigamis against himself and quickly end the fight with some damage here and there but nothing serious. Hopefully no one noticed what you did.

But for what you can tell, everyone was astonished. You overcome all of them.

You were in fact, one of the strongest, so, what else but to prove it with fighting Gojo Satoru?

The kids were trying to get you in a battle with Gojo, someway they had to see you beaten.

He let out a small laugh, knowing the outcome of this battle, then he  got in position

“Let’s see what you got doll.”

Asshole.

Okay, you were definitely beat up. He really was all that. You tried everything in you but couldn’t even land one punch. You really started to hate this man. 

So you began focusing you energy and unleash some power out of it. You’re not pretending to die today. And less to this man. So while he was being the asshole he was and showing off his power and how beaten up you were thanks to him, you slowly worked your way into Gojo’s mind, slowly taking control of his thoughts and actions.

The usually unmovable Gojo Satoru seemed to be lost in your mind control. He was now in the same place but nowhere around him but you.

“Where am I?” He said, you felt his body tense up so, still controlling him, you tried to relax him a little bit.

“Don’t worry sensei, this is just for time, you were almost killing me in there you know?” You giggled, getting closer to him.

Gojo couldn’t believe this, your father had told him about you having a  strong curse but he never thought it would be this strong for you to control him.

He was trying to get back control, and you sensed that, so you had no other way of beating this rolling stone, but to play his own game.

You started waking closer to him, you hear his heart beating like boom boom, but you didn’t expected him trying to fight with you in his own mind. You felt a punch in your left side of your face, then a heavy body knocking you down into the floor.

“Stop this now.” His voice changed. The flirty tone changed into a darker one.

You’re not letting him win this game.

So you moved your bodies in a way you’re now on top of him, but you felt a punch of energy hitting you in your chest. You really have to be faster.

Never in your life you thought you were going to be on top of Gojo Satoru straddling him to get you stopped from being beat up. It was getting hotter for him, something so unexpectedly for him. He never thought this is how someone will get into him.

Gojo still in shock you started moving your hips back and forth letting a small sight. He parted his lips making eye contact with you. You had to focus or you would stop having control over his mind. 

You breathed in, “Kiss me.” He looked at you and agreed almost immediately.

He barely even knew you, he only noticed you thanks to your dad, you were a pretty girl, and had a nice body too, but why is he falling so quickly for this girl? Never in his 28 years of being in this earth he never imagined he would be letting his guard down just for a lay with a girl. When he’s supposed to make the girls let their guard down so they could have sex with HIM.

Why were you so special? Why is his body feeling so hot right now?

He leaned back from the kiss amusingly and watched you frown. You were obviously dissatisfied. “More,” you sighed and pulled him by his neck. 

You crashed your lips onto his and moaned while doing so. He put both of his hands on your hips and rubbed circles on them while dominating the heated kiss for a while. You pushed him, now being able to straddle his hardening bulge as you tried not to break the kiss. You held onto his shoulders and ground faster, your hips moving sensually against his. He was grinding with you at the same pace, lips still on yours as he let out low groans of satisfaction.

His right hand slowly went underneath your skirt to rub your inner thigh. You moaned and wiggled a bit, trying to get his hand off your damp panties, but he put his hand back to your side again. This was not part of the plan. Focus. You silently cursed and glared at him before he parted his lips to say something. He was still looking at your body.

“I think i’m about to cum” This was the first time he’s coming before the girl he’s fucking. What were you? What are you doing to him?

You kept grinding into his now hard dick, getting your hands inside his shirt and started playing with his nipples making him let out a small whine from the unexpected action. You kissed his jaw, everytime lowering more the kissed until you had to get his shirt off. to start sucking his nipples making him moan while still straddling him.

You had to focus. So when you felt him having some shock waves from the pleasure you stopped, leaving him hard and confused when you got into real life again. This was your time, you caught him out of guard without his infinity and punched him hard on the face making him fall down. 

But when you got on top of him to give him a last punch you never expected him to push you back with a strong wave of energy, making you fall and hit yourself with a tree.

Everything started fading away, making you dizzy, the last thing you saw, was a white haired man looking at you without his blindfold with a impressed but still dark face inspecting you.

“You’re definitely a mess.” That’s the last thing you heard before everything turned black.

What was he looking for? If you want now we fall... 

Hope you enjoyed my first jjk fic! I might do a pt2 if this gets support! Remember to give a heart ♡

[xtarotdollx]

Attempting one of those long ass literary analysis posts because my friends have told me I should please enjoy this long ass ramble

Okay so like Jekyll creating Hyde is itself a crime right? Like it is it’s a horrifying event filled with body horror and pain like Jekyll creating the potion and creating Hyde is an objectively Bad Thing ™ but like why??? Jekylls motivations for doing so are both sympathetic and relatable (and intentionally so) so why are his actions considered the literal original sin of his story?? Anyway I was bored and fucked around and found an answer and I need to share it because fuck me I can’t be normal about Jekyll.

Anyway review time our buddy Jekyll is sad gay and alone and comes to the conclusion that people contain multitudes. And I say multitudes because Jekyll himself admits in his own research that there’s more to his theory and than just good and evil,

“I say two, because the state of my knowledge does not pass beyond that point.”

“… I hazard guess that man will be ultimately known for a mere polity of multifarious, incongruous, and independent denizens.”

and that he splits himself into good and evil because that’s what he’s most familiar with (aka it’s the split that he can use for his own benefit.) But like, homeboy was kinda on to something. The idea that humans are complex and multifaceted with multiple conflicting ideas and identities has been a thing across psychology and even whole cultures for like forever, and considering that Jekyll and Hyde was written around and about the the creation of the psychology as a scientific field, Jekyll is has (for lack of a better word) discovered something very profound, important, and massively influential to the world around him. And positivity influential to!! It’s that iconic quote “if each could be housed in different Identities, the world would be relieved of all that is unbearable” I think he’s getting ahead of himself here and kinda self projecting but there is very real truth to the idea that studying the difference facets of human identity could improve people and society. And even if he’s dead fucking wrong still putting out the information would end up benefiting societies collective knowledge. Kinda like how Freud was so influential to psychology because some of his theories were so buck wild and wrong that people had to come and correct him, widening the scientific field as a whole.

And Jekyll doesn’t do that. This life altering information is kept to himself, for his own personal use, benefit, and pleasure. And that’s so fucking wild and horrific for so many fucking reasons. Like it goes against so many rules of behavior it’s FOUL. First of the selfishness and gate keeping is inherently just cruel, but this man is a DOCTOR, and a SCIENTIST. This motherfucker took an OATH BEFORE GOD to provide the best care to the people, and now that care, or at least information that could lead to better care, is being squandered for personal gain. That’s fucked. That’s criminal activity right there.

But also I dare you to find me a scientist that doesn’t want to share their research and passion THERE IS NONE. I may be basing this analysis off of a stereotype but I believe it’s a stereotype based in reality but isn’t this the very thing people who go into fields of science and research do??? Like, they are unified by their desire to explore and SHARE knowledge??? Even if like the Jekyll wasn’t a professional doctor with his Hippocratic oath just doing things for shits and giggles, how is the goal not to tell people about this?? This doctor isn’t doctoring the way doctors should. Jekyll keeping his discoveries to himself is also just borderline non human behavior to me because who actually in real life does that. Again how is the end goal not to share this discovery? Humans are social creatures we want to share things. Swapping stories around a campfire is like the oldest human tradition ever. If you’re out in the woods and see a cool frog the immediate reaction is to call your friends over to look, or take a picture, or something similar. WHEN I THINK OF NEW WAYS TO VIEW AND INTERPRET JEKYLL ANS HYDE, THE IMMEDIATE THOUGHT IS TO SHARE IT WITH MY FRIENDS. I cannot FATHOM how secrecy is Jekyll’s immediate desire as a fellow human who lives on this earth.

And this actually slots in with really well with Jekyll and Hyde as a social critique of the upper class. Keeping super important info to yourself is NOT a human activity in any capacity, but it is an institutional one. The best thing I can think of to describe and compare it to is oil companies history of actively suppressing information about climate change to stay in business. It’s a modern example but I feel so deeply that there is an 1800s equivalent that I just can’t think of or don’t know in this moment. But the point is, Jekyll isn’t a person (metaphorically speaking), he’s a institution of wealth and power doing what large institutions do best, profiting off of the the control and suppression of the people below them, in this case the control of information.

But of course, Jekyll literally speaking, is a person. He’s just some guy, and seeing a very very human character act without any human instinct so casually is freaky and 10/10 horror. Jekyll’s creation of Hyde isn’t a crime or a sin because Hyde is an evil thing that will do evil things, it’s horrifying because Jekyll’s choice to do so is inhumane in every definition of the word thank you for coming to my TedTalk have a nice day

[josefavomjaaga]

😥 I was working long hours and took even longer to get to work (due to train strike), so I missed Marshal Ney’s birthday. I’m so sorry! I had planned to translate something special, and I hope it’s still a bit of a present even if it’s a day late.

In summer of 1809, while Soult was still licking his wounds after the disaster in Oporto, anxiously waiting for Napoleon’s judgement and trying to defend himself against all the rumours that accused him of high treason, all the while doing his best to bring Joseph and Jourdan to some action against Wellington - guess who at the same time came to Galicia to pay Michel Ney a visit? Right, Ney’s most devoted Dutch fan girl, Ida Saint-Elme! And it’s a particularly romantic part of her recollections, which were published as "Mémoires d’une Contemporaine":

Ney, who was hardly resting either, had just subdued Galicia.

Okay, Soult already wants to protest against this claim, but let’s ignore him. Please, Ida, go on:

I joined his corps at Banos, forty-eight hours before he came face to face with the English army, which the Marshal completely defeated. Already the spectacle of war, meeting the French battalions, the scent of glory, sweeter to breathe in this country than that of the orange trees that embalm it; this active life, animated entirely by emotion and spectacle, revived my imagination weary of the empty pleasures of the courts and of voluptuous Italy. I felt I was in my element: I was close to Ney, close to the heart that alone could make mine beat. I was happy just to know that he was so close to me and to tell him that we were barely a league apart. Here is the note I received in reply to mine: "Since it's your taste to have an arm or a leg less, hop on a horse and come here." As I read this short, military invitation, I jumped in the saddle and rode off. I had hardly gone a quarter of a league when I met him, and I read in his beaming face all that his note had not told me, the joy of seeing me again, which was the reward for my journey and happiness itself. I have forgotten the names of the places we passed through, but it seems to me that I have never seen a more enchanting place, a more beautiful sky, a sweeter dawn. There was something wild and proud about this rich and picturesque nature.

The road was lined with rocks like a crown. "Here is a magnificent shelter of ravines," Ney said to me, "the tree-lined slopes of which ensure their coolness; let us stop here; you must be in need of rest; we both need to open up and talk;" and here we were, with our horses' bridles slung over our arms, pushing aside the fragrant undergrowth with a vigorous hand, and looking for a retreat that could hear our confidences: it was easy to find in the ravines of Galicia; and, a few hundred paces from the road, we could believe ourselves to be entirely alone in the world. Our horses were quickly tied up, and the secluded spot a little farther on completed the safety of this meeting, so sudden and so little expected. We had been sitting for a few minutes when Ney struck the trunk of an old cedar with his foot, and said to me: "Here, Ida, here is a support for our feet, which will at least save us from a fall;" and, confident in this support so well met, we no longer feared to tread the embalmed moss which served us as a wild divan. I looked at him like one of those figures from a long dream, which the day suddenly shows and illuminates, and which we recognise with all the anxiety and all the troubles of the dream. It's him, though; it's definitely him, I said to myself; I can tell by the glory shining on his forehead, by the pressure of his powerful hand, which is as recognisable as his glory.

Thinking more of the hero than of my love, of the captain needed for his army than of the man needed for my heart, I shuddered fearfully at the thought of this isolation in a country so full of dangers, where a warrior's halt might unexpectedly be surprised by the dagger or bullet of partisans; in a country where hatred of the French name reverberates and watches from mountain to mountain. I felt guilty exposing to these perils, beneath such a great man, a life so dear and so beautiful, that informed assassins could cut it short. It was only a quick thought, but a vivid and gripping one, which, disturbing my thoughts, made me cling tightly to Ney, and as I let out this stifled whisper: "Ney, my friend, let's not stay here; let's go away." - "No, no," he replied, holding me back; "where else would we be, without witnesses to a happiness that I have rediscovered, and which needs solitude and mysterious effusion?" I looked at him with surprise at these words, but with delight, for I was as happy as I was astonished to have remained so dear to him. Never had Ney's face seemed more expressive, never had his looks been more eloquent, never had his words been more intoxicating.

If this was a modern-day AU, this would be the perfect moment for Ney’s phone to ring and for one infuriated Soult to ask why the F he was not receiving any news from Ney’s troops in Galicia. As it was, Ida’s little tête-à-tête with her one-and-only Ney could continue.

At the sight of the security imprinted on the warrior's features, I regained a similar security; there are those moments when everything you feel gives way to everything you inspire. Oh, what inexpressible delights this happiness given by a great man was! Our hearts, separated by such a long time and such long distances, seemed never to have parted, and tasted the pleasure of a similar conviction and an equal sharing of emotions. A new fear came to suspend the enchantment and give it, as it were, all the price of a victory. The reverse side of the ravine which had received us sloped down very rapidly; the trunk of the tree which supported the effort of our feet, a solid yet powerless support, suddenly gave way and broke at the very moment when, immersed as we both were in the rapture of an intimate conversation […]

Listen, it was a conversation, okay? They were only chatting! Intimately chatting!

[…], we had forgotten even the possibility of such a peril, from which Ney's presence of mind and prodigious strength alone saved us: With one hand he seized the branches of the bush that had sheltered us; with the other he pressed and held me violently against him; and, thanks to this struggle, we were able to regain our breath, escape the precipice, and manage to get back to our horses.

I really do not want to know how his aides would have tried to explain the fact that their marshal had fallen into the abyss and to his death while having an intimate conversation. Or why his pants were still up on the cliff...

But if any of the artists out there are looking for inspiration...

Speaking of Ney’s aides, one of them, Levavasseur, in his memoirs has this to say about Ida’s apperance in Spain:

It was at Banos that I saw a French woman arrive on horseback and ask for Marshal Ney. It was the woman who has since called herself la Contemporaine. This woman soon disappeared; what she says about the Marshal in her memoirs is pure invention.

Levavasseur: Don’t you believe what that woman wrote about Ney, she’s a total liar! Besides, she was only with us for a very short time…

But the funniest thing is his casual report on why Ida probably had to leave again so quickly: Ney was already occupied otherwise.

During this trip, the marshal took a tender interest in the duchess; one of my comrades had declared himself the knight of the eldest daughter, and I myself protected the youngest […]

I can’t help but think that the interest the general staff of this army corps was showing to all things female was overly excessive even by French standards… - Wait, what’s that? Oh, another missed phone call for Marshal Ney. Marshal Soult wants to discuss priorities in war times...