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paalove · 1 year ago

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i would love a coda to new year's where the sandray makeout in the car gets interrupted by boston slinking back to his car without nick, & ray, this time with sand's blessing, leaves to take care of his friend & takes him out for some late-night commiseration ice cream. na na na 🥺

sad and lonely little boston with his rejected present :(

on ao3 here

...

The rooftop is theirs, kissing in Ray’s car and the starlight, and he’s leaning into Sand and feeling both their smiles and thinking maybe the world is theirs too, when they hear a door open somewhere behind them and pull apart.

Ray turns and sees Boston putting something into the back of his car.

Nick isn’t with him.

He looks drooped and lost – like he had earlier, when Mew had dug at him, and like he hadn’t when Nick had arrived.

He turns in his seat to watch as Boston closes that back door, a little way across the roof.

“Leaving me all alone in your car again? Always running off for a friend in distress,” Sand says, pulling Ray’s attention back to him and his fond smile.

Ray blinks and remembers a time after a different party, kissing in this car, and he says, “I’m not doing-“

“-Go. I’ll take the car back.”

He’s still caught in the space between the two parties, only a few months and everything in the world has changed, as he feels a swift and not-unexpected surge of trembling love towards Sand, who hasn’t changed at all except in how he’s smiling, this time.

Sand strokes his jaw with a barely-there, gentle caress, leans in once to brush his lips over Ray’s just as lightly, and adds, “Quickly – before he drives away.”

Taking out the airpod, he looks at it, then puts it into Sand’s ear and smiles at the way he shakes his head.

Ray runs up to the car.

It’s just starting as he opens the door and slides into the passenger side and says, “Uncle Boom’s ice cream?”

“What?”

That’s the worst sign yet – not even a what the fuck, Boston is just blinking at him in unaggressive confusion instead of trying to push him out of the still-open car door.

“He does that New Year sale where the bowls are like buckets and he won’t stop you if you try to mix stupid flavours,” Ray says, “Come on, I’ll pay.”

A smile has caught about half of Boston’s mouth when he says, “Where the fuck’s your boyfriend, man, take him out.”

Ray puts on his seatbelt.

Conveniently, Sand takes that opportunity to start Ray’s car, pull backwards out of the space, and slowly drive behind Boston’s. He gives a little finger-wave through the window, and Ray leans out of the door to wave back.

When he gets back inside, he closes it and says, “He just left.”

“Yeah?” Boston says, kind of sarcastic but the smile has grown a little more.

Shrugging, Ray says, “Yeah. Ice cream?”

Boston gives in.

It’s their personal hangout spot, separate from the other two, so it’s not like they’re going to run into Mew and Top there now they’ve left – not April and Cheum either, because they for sure have food back there and they won’t want to run around. That’s probably why Boston actually drives the right way.

He tells Ray, after a couple of minutes of the radio’s quiet soundtrack, “Nick wouldn’t take it.”

“What wouldn’t he take?” Ray looks at Boston’s face, his clenched jaw and eyes on the road and doesn’t add, you were supposed to wait until ice cream, man.

Boston shrugs in the painful, stiff way that never seems as unbothered as he means, because he’s kind of like Ray where he can never hide the feelings he most wants to, and he says, “It’s in the back seat.”

Probably unsafe and definitely annoying to the driver, Ray immediately turns around and wriggles and stretches until he can pick up the large rectangular black object that Boston must have been stowing away when Ray spotted him. It, he discovers, is a photograph.

In the Bedroom with Boston, he thinks, followed by, oh, Ton.

He’s heard more about Nick and Boston’s whole thing from Nick than he ever did from Boston, and that’s earthshaking in its own way – there had been a time when he and Boston told each other about every hookup, in the exact ice cream place they’re headed to now, but of course Ray hadn’t told him about Sand and Boston hadn’t told him about Nick, and then neither of them had been telling the other anything at all. Certainly they hadn’t told each other sorry.

But now Boston has, and Ray thinks about the things Nick told him and how romantic Boston had seemed to him and he looks at the photo and sees him, for the first time – Boston the romantic.

Boston the boyfriend.

Probably not the second one anymore.

“It’s really nice,” he tells him, after being quiet for too long.

Boston takes nearly as long to say, “But Nick didn’t want it.”

Yeah.

Ray holds it in his lap for the rest of the drive.

The ice cream place is not normally a late-night one, actually, but New Year sales are New Year sales and Uncle Boom is a businessman – there’s still a queue, even though it’s…

Oh, wow, had Ray been running around with Sand for that long?

He can never tell how long it’s been, when Sand is there, all time-measurement abilities suspended so he can focus on more important things, but he’s still a little surprised.

Anyway, the people in front of them seem to be two different groups, so Ray says, “You should find a table, I’ll order.”

“Fuck off,” Boston says almost before he’s done speaking, “I know what fucking flavours you’ll try to get, I’m staying here so I can tell Uncle Boom to ignore you.”

“I’m paying, Ton-“

“-Mango and mint chocolate is a fucking disgusting-“

“-I’m adding bubblegum actually-“

And Ray generously lets Boston win this time, because he’s taking Boston out for a reason, but he still makes sure, as they sit down at one of the plastic tables added specifically for the Near Year sale, to say, “If you mix them the flavours are kind of like the bubblegum vodka martini Plug makes.”

“Liar,” Boston laughs, over their enormous, two-spooned bowl.

He takes a spoonful of Boston’s inferior selection.

Whenever they needed to gossip about hookups, any time back before the two birthday parties that changed everything, he and Boston would come here. The ice cream is good and nobody would be wrinkling their noses or nagging about being careful when either of them brought up, like, choking, or even just not remembering someone’s name.

After about half a minute, Boston says through a mouthful, “Did you mean it?”

Oh, they’re starting, he thinks.

“Mean what?” because it could be about him thinking the picture is nice or something he said at the party or even the fact he got in Boston’s car at all.

Not on that list is Boston’s, “You said you wanted to quit drinking.”

Oh, that.

It had gone better than he’d hoped for, bringing it up with them – Cheum not being there, he thinks guiltily, probably helped, because Mew hadn’t questioned him or openly doubted him or anything like that – but he’d known telling them all had to come eventually, and of course there are questions. Mew is probably going to be hurt if he ever realises Ray’s already started trying.

The other two, he’s practiced explaining to them with his therapist, who wants him to lay it out clearly and try not to feel like he’s presenting a legal defence; with Boston, it’s simpler.

“Yeah,” he shrugs, taking another spoonful, “I figured them- them all, even my dad, actually – them being annoying and mean about it doesn’t mean they’re always wrong, you know?”

“It’s not because your boyfriend went on a sex strike until you agreed? I could tell he wasn’t surprised when you said it.”

Ray snorts, “Sand couldn’t keep one up.”

“Yeah?”

And they’re laughing easily, Boston making a leering face and keeping it up as he faux-seductively licks his spoon and Ray flips him off.

But then Boston goes quiet, brow furrowed as he looks at the table.

It’s hard to hear his next words over the sounds of loud, drunk conversation at the other tables.

“It doesn’t mean they’re always wrong. About me too?”

Oh, right.

The others and the things they can sometimes be mean and annoying about. Boston’s always been one of those.

And Ray could give a knee-jerk, casual answer, and it could be yes, you fucked his boyfriend, Ton, of course they aren’t wrong about you, but it could also be, nah, we’re cool, but instead he tries to think about it, because this is for Boston.

So he tilts his head and looks through the window at the night-time city and says, “They aren’t always wrong about you, no.”

“Always?” Boston asks, following Ray.

This is the time for him to say it, “I’m sorry I backed Cheum up. It never sounded like something you’d do and I think Mew always knew that.”

He wasn’t expecting himself to say the part about Mew.

Where did that come from?

Boston’s face says he wasn’t expecting it either, mouth parted and eyes fixed on him.

“And it sucks about you and Nick,” he adds.

“Fuck you,” Boston says, “I’m not talking about that, let’s talk about how our friends hate me.”

He’s laughing but Ray can see he means it – nothing about Nick.

Ray moves his chair around the corner of the table, shuffles it up so he’s right next to Boston and presses their legs together, elbowing him a little so he elbows back, and says, “I mean, I don’t think Cheum hates you.”

With a sharp laugh, Boston elbows him again and says nothing.

“No, for real, Mew was being all bitchy to you earlier but Cheum wasn’t joining in at all,” he says.

It feels rude to say it about Mew, but Ray doesn’t think he’s wrong even if he also doesn’t think Mew was wrong to be bitchy, it’s like, complicated.

This is probably what Mew feels like when he’s trying to navigate everyone’s beef with Top.

Ugh.

Boston sighs, long and world-weary like he’s not sitting in front of a chocolate, coffee, and lime ice cream bucket, and he tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling and says, “She only feels bad for saying I turned Atom gay.”

“She wouldn’t feel bad if she still hated you, though,” Ray agrees, pointing at him with his spoon and dripping a little of the ice cream onto Boston’s lap – he doesn’t seem to notice, still looking to the ceiling, as Ray adds, “When are you leaving for New York? Do you have an apartment?”

This sigh is somehow even more world-weary.

“It’s going to take fucking forever,” he starts complaining, suddenly animated.

As he explains the problems that come with trying to move up his original visa plans, Ray realises this is a conversation he can actually understand even though it’s about practical stuff – that’s a first for him. Of course it’s because of his plans with Sand.

They go back-and-forth about visas and how stupid they are for a while before Ray turns to the most important thing about this revelation and says, “So that’s a couple months where we can still hang, then.”

Boston snorts, leans back in his chair, and nudges Ray’s knee with his own.

“I was planning on spending the time busy, actually.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Hell yeah. Bar hopping,” he counts off on his fingers, “Taking photos. Mostly, fucking any guy in the city I haven’t already… so that means you don’t qualify to hang with me.”

Ray kicks him, and Boston kicks him back and gets him in a loose headlock, and if Ray actually tries to get out he’ll knock over the chairs so he elbows him lightly and says, “Asshole, let me up,” until Boston laughingly does.

“You’re fine with him being mad at you for it,” Boston trails off without quite making it into a question, but Ray sees where he’s going.

He sits up and says, “Mew makes his own decisions, but he wasn’t mad at Cheum.”

They look at each other, and Ray thinks he sees some relief in Boston’s eyes at the answer, barely there in the reflection of the window.

Ray bites his lip and looks out of the window too.

“Me and Sand want to travel,” he adds to the darkness, “We might see New York one day.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

#only friends #only friends the series #robfic

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francesminos-tt · 2 years ago

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Twisted -3-

Daeron retired to his room at precisely 8pm. Miss K was kind enough to offer him some night tea, but Daeron refused politely. Instead, he asked for two bottled water and a copy of today’s local newspaper before entering his room and locking the door.

There were only two rooms in this small tavern, one tucked in the back, spacious with a view of the garden, the other small and facing the streets. Daeron opted for the small one, not because he couldn’t afford the spacious one, but he needed the convenience of observing the streets and the villagers passing by.

Daeron wiped away the thin layer of dust on the desk, carefully took the notebook out of his pocket, put down two water bottles, fished out his pills from the backpack, and sat down. He took some time to align the pill bottle and two water bottles perfectly before opening this notebook and began to write.

Daeron had developed the habit of writing his thoughts down since he was ten. His therapist suggested that he used this as an outlet of his emotions, to let your thoughts out, not keeping them in, sweetie. Daeron couldn’t even remember what the kind therapist looked like, but he took her advice. Over the years, his notebook served more than just a dairy, but an anchor to keep him in the reality.

Daeron flipped through the newspaper, its headline reading Expect a hot summer this year and mind your crops! The local issue contained mostly information of weather, farming, back yard sale, farmer’s market or interesting convention a few towns over, advertisements, and so on. The most dubious thing Daeron found in this newspaper was someone called Y asking for a companion to share his large house and look after his cow. No mention of the three bodies flooded out of the swamp just outside of the village.

Daeron was suspended from duty due to his violent behavior towards a murder suspect, so he had lost his privilege of accessing the police database. Still, he followed crime news as best as he could, especially cases involving pre-teen girls. The three bodies that had been flooded out were all skeletons, their flesh gone, but from the height of the skeletons, it was clear that they were all children. Daeron had a hunch that there was more to this cold case than it appeared. That was why he came to Arcadia.

After reading the newspaper for three times and found nothing useful, Daeron sighed and folded the paper back to its original state. He placed the neatly folded paper on the desk and took two pills with water before lying down on his bed.

He stared at the ceiling; the nicely carved mahogany spoke to the history of this place. Not only this tavern, but the whole village seemed to be frozen in the past, in a time when everyone trusted everyone. This place was an ideal image of country life, quiet and friendly, the beauty of nature bringing out the best of humanity.

Or the worst.

Daeron felt his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He fell asleep with a white farm house and a pair of flirty dark eyes in mind.

May 29th

The village is quieter than I expected. I haven’t met many people yet, but the tavern owner, Miss K, told me that the town square is the place to go to meet new people. I might test my luck there tomorrow.

There was no news about the burial site before my phone died. I will have to use the classic approach and consult the newspaper for further updates. I still think there are more victims than the three bodies flooded out of the mud. My instinct is rarely wrong.

I met a young man Joffrey is He has dark hair He is chatty flirty beautiful

A young man showed me around the village. He lived in the white farm house on the hill. His name is Joffrey.

================================================

Joffrey took another shower after he finished washing the dishes and feeding the dog at the backyard. He changed into a set of cheeky lingerie paired with a silk robe. He switched off all lights in the house and went to the master bedroom.

Master was already in bed, a book in hand with his reading glasses on. He was relaxed and casual, his neat hair brushed back to reveal his unimpressed face. He wore a simple navy-blue T-shirt, rimmed reading glassed hanging dangerously on his nose as he flipped the pages. He looked ordinary at best. An ordinary farmer who lived in the village all his life.

But to Joffrey, Master was nothing but ordinary. Joffrey learned to admire the neatly combed hair, the small crease between his brows, thin lips, grey blue eyes, the narrow jaw, well defined chest and arms, large calloused hands, the hairs on his navel, strong legs, and warm cock. Joffrey shifted at the door way as his panties grew uncomfortably tight. Just imagining Master naked under the sheets was enough to make him whine for attention.

“Come here, good boy.” Master put down the book and smiled at Joffrey, “Don’t ruin the carpet with your slutty juice.”

Joffrey didn’t need to be told twice. He strode to the bed and threw himself at his Master, nuzzling the man’s chest like a clingy cat.

“Did you feed the dog?” Master asked him, parting Joffrey’s robe and brushing against the boy’s pink nipple under the sheer lingerie.

“Yes, Master.” Joffrey shifted on the sheets to give the man more access, “He liked the leftover chicken.”

“Because it is stained with your blood, dear Joffrey.” Master chuckled, grabbing Joffrey’s leaking cock over his panties, “You know my dog shares my taste. I like your blood too.”

Joffrey had cut his finger while preparing for the herbed chicken, and Master forbid him to wash the blood stain away, so they had chicken seasoned with Joffrey’s blood tonight.

“I am all yours, Master.” Joffrey murmured with all the honesty in the world, “My blood, flesh, bones, and soul. You made me, Master. I am your creation.”

The man’s breath caught in his throat. For a fleeting moment, his mask cracked, all his confidence and grace gone, leaving only his core, raw and vulnerable. He kissed Joffrey’s murmuring lips, their breath tangled together like their limbs.

“Can I have your cock tonight, Master?” Joffrey asked, sneaking his hand down to grab the man’s throbbing length, “Please. I haven’t felt you inside of me for so long.”

“It’s only two days.” Master chuckled.

“It’s an eternity.” Joffrey insisted, fluttering his thick lashes seductively, “Please, I need you, Master.”

The man caved in at last. How could he reject his boy, his most precious treasure, his masterpiece?

They made love well into the night, until both of them were so exhausted that they could no longer lift a finger.

“I met someone today.” Joffrey whispered as he began to doze off, his tone relaxed as if he was talking about a stray animal he found in the streets, “A visitor.”

The man hummed, unimpressed as usual.

Joffrey rolled to his side and clung to his Master’s strong arm. He took a deep inhale, letting the man’s distinctive smell invade his nostrils.

“I wonder how long can he hold on?”

“We will see, Joffrey.” Master kissed Joffrey’s forehead, “We will see.”

#joffron #daeron x joffrey #gwayne x joffrey #crime mystery

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luchicm04 · 10 months ago

Text

lost in the forest - part 13

Masterlist

Summary: The clan is officially presented with their guest, and not all of them are happy.

Pairing: Senju Tobirama/Original Female Character

Tag: #lost in the forest fic

posted on ao3

Word Count: 3.4k

Overall warnings: canon-typical violence, adult content, time skips, angst, kidnapping

She can’t help comparing this with a day of bad meetings, where your boss just looks for who pays for the broken dishes of a poor planning where sales expectations were placed at the highest, with worse results. The tension, the looks... As a marketing manager, everyone points to this department as the one to blame for the lack of momentum.

Being that it is not.

Karen is familiar with that. She raises her chin, stands straight... and although this is not the same, she follows the rhythm of her light walk with her uncomfortable shoes and extravagant clothing. She wants to run, to not see these people who look at her with shamelessness.

The road is long... accompanied by the old woman named Kaori.

“Very good,” Mikami praises seeing the movement and judging her even at this moment. Seriously, she took this task very strictly to the letter.

A true professional.

Karen doesn’t say anything. She wants to turn around, analyze and observe this part of the house that she is sure she hasn’t been to before. Well, what is there to say of that hallway with a door she never saw but is the least of it being involved in the panorama of the event where silence reigns.

It’s obvious people are curious, morbid... they don’t want her there.

They arrive at a house of enormous proportions right in the middle of the cobbled roads of a complex of humble houses full of wood. Many dressed in kimonos form around the large plaza that forms in front of their goal.

Mikami and Kaori bow in respect... Karen doesn’t want to do it but gives in to the formality of those she can see in front of her. She wonders what kind of position Hashirama and Tobirama have whom they see in the middle, surrounded by a bunch of old people who she almost swears is the accursed council.

The people who have forced her out of her isolation... her depression and loneliness.

The culprits of her torture disguised as cultural learning.

“So this is the woman.” An old man with a long beard lightly caresses said facial decoration with curiosity, breaking the silence that spread through the place.

“Yes, she is.” Tobirama is the one who responds with a scolding gesture. She looks at the one with long hair who remains haughty... imposing. She never thought that the cheerful and mysterious Hashirama could look more intimidating than his brother. Karen gives him a point for it.

Making him stand out like a sure toe.

“Today is a day of festivities...” The softest of her kidnappers is in the front, while the bustle around her accelerates at her side... approaching as if she were the most important thing in existence. The civilian does not avoid being scared. So many presences maker her anxious after a year locked up without any contact.

Her beautiful anniversary is months away... how ironic.

She loses herself in what the host says, spending a few seconds rambling between the plans she wants to make from now on, what these people expect and preparing for the worst. “Karen-san?” Mikami is the one who calls to her side, making her blink at the interruption of her astral absence.

Almost projecting herself somewhere else mentally than where she is physically.

She feels how all eyes are focused on her back. There are whispers of ‘rude woman’ that she ignores among many other insults. “Karen?” Someone calls her forward. The man who shakes his hand smiles brightly, animated and full of life. “Come.”

“Uh... ” She wants to say a lot of things, especially that she is not the best at this moment for this kind of spectacle. Karen hesitates... She ends up smiling out of nervousness as she takes the hand of the one who waits calmly, precious seconds that many begin to misunderstand although it means little to her, including the look of death that Tobirama gives her.

“She will be important for the next step of our clan,” says the man next to her when he sees that all the people are looking at them. She smiles... hiding her nervousness by giving a warning squeeze to who does not let go. “In order to achieve something similar to peace.”

Hashirama looks confident, so honest in his desire that many people begin to applaud. She can see that the council does not look satisfied, much less understands her role at this point.

Karen doesn’t look, she stays in her safe position so as not to say the opposite.

“Hashirama?” The woman says almost in a whisper knowing that there will be no turning back from this. Things will change and she will be so tired of dealing with them.

“Do not worry... I told you, have confidence,” the man assures his accomplice and then looks at the council who is confused by thus action, denoting how rare her presence is among those people who she believes have the same bloodthirsty profession. “As a civilian noble, she will be important to continue dealing with the nobles, as you will see she has the necessary etiquette to negotiate with those who fear us and perhaps we can achieve peace.” He sounds so visionary that the others just smile.

But Karen knows what kind of smiles and false calm there is, remembering bitterly the meetings where the bosses... her superiors wanted to cut off heads for things that are not within their hands. Plus Hashirama just said that she is a noble... a title that isn’t hers.

“As a clan leader, you are an idealist,” says one with a high ponytail, a bitter old man who raises his chin without showing any type of expression. The people continue whispering... oblivious, obedient to what the two tall factions are exchanging.

And Karen is in the middle... great.

“I am... but for the future of the family,” Hashirama assures firmly.

“Does Tobirama-sama think the same?” Another calls, with a long beard and an ugly scar on his cheek.

“You do not have to ask,” the albino bites poisonously. “My brother has the idea and now, we can ensure that it lasts.”

“A civilian... Do you really want to entrust the future of our clan to a civilian?” Another old man with short hair and a lost look questions sincerely and harshly.

“She is not a simple civilian noble, she is a visionary... she does not fear us like the others,” the clan leader assures firmly. Karen feels that he is giving her a lot of credit either to saving her life or to prove her worth without knowing her.

Where does he get so much confidence from? Why does he put her in this predicament? Is it her only salvation? Couldn’t he say something less compromising?

“What do you say, girl?” Another spits poisonously, seeing her between two of the most powerful men of the clan. She blinks to gulp thickly and pretends... she remains her voice and gaze to those who look down on her.

“I may be a civilian, gentlemen, but I will adapt to what is planned and I shall give the pertinent suggestions to ensure that this does not remain in simple words and can have the best results,” Karen affirms, putting one last nail in that figurative coffin that she is easily making for herself.

Tobirama huffs from her back but doesn’t add anything else, although Hashirama laughs, lightly hitting her back almost making her fall. “I told you... it will be a new future...”

“Mph... we hope so, child,” the first old man who spoke to them accepts to look at the rest of the members of that mafia firmly.

“It is time to start the event. Enjoy the food and drink,” Hashirama declares with a solemn gesture in front of all eyes. The others cheer, smile and begin to organize themselves to start an event between gallant clothes together with smells that awaken hunger.

“Was it the only way?” Karen questions in her harsh language. She frowns at who returns a gesture different from the previous one.

“It was.”

“At least you could have warned me, right?” She feels irritated, used and extremely offended for being placed in this predicament.

“No... it was necessary,” the man stubbornly states, giving a gesture to Tobirama who snorts and rolls hie eyes.

“Of course... like everything else,” she complains. Remembering that she shouldn’t ask too many questions, she crosses her arms to look at the man. She has a lot to say, things to shout at him but in the midst of so many eyes that are still waiting for her to react badly it’s necessary to lower her presence when she is clearly the center. “And let me tell you... I am not a noblewoman,” she complains again.

“You are not?” The one with long hair blinks like an innocent owl and she frowns. She knows this is a performance but she doesn’t comment on anything else.

“It will not be difficult to appear to be. You do not look like someone who has worked the land hard nor a murderer,” Tobirama adds with a cold touch to the conversation.

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Karen comments bitterly with a growing headache, she frowns and raises her eyebrow at who smiles expectantly. “So... leader, huh?” Better focus her attention elsewhere in this strange environment.

“Yes, the leader of the Senju clan,” Hashirama confirms with a tone full of pride.

Karen does not avoid raising her eyebrow. She more or less calculates his age at less than 25 which makes him very young for so much responsibility. “You are very young.”

“I am,” the leader blinks amused.

“Wow... I guess I won’t have any more surprises today... I hope,” Karen complains looking at the albino. “And your brother?” She reminds the one who remains indifferent and bitter, as if he had lost a fight that he had not been told about.

“Hashirama is my brother,” he says with a dignified frown, after exchanging a look with the black-haired man. Karen does not avoid looking at them with doubt, she compares them and notices a certain resemblance that is not so quick to grasp... again she exchanges a gesture between both of them to snort tiredly.

“I want to go now,” she complains with no desire to say anything else. She doesn’t want to think about the plot she got into where politics are so difficult to deal with. She massages the bridge of her nose, being ignored by both men who have a plan behind her back.

The beginning of such a drastic change in her routine.

──

She sits far from the noise that extends all night and gives another long yawn, looking at the stars with no desire to continue pretending to have a role in this society.

They have kidnapped her, isolated her enough that they dare ask her to maintain a role as a civilian noble who will help this clan grow.

It’s not her business... but it’s what she has in her hands.

“What would you do, dad?” She better decides to remember her old father, the one who always had the best solutions to problems and advised her in her difficult moments of crossroads.

She misses him... She wants to leave and Karen can’t.

“So you are noble,” some calls, scaring her. She recognizes her which makes her frown. “Wow... don’t be so hostile, I just want to be your friend,” she assures.

“...”

“I won’t take you out now.” The woman better focuses with a funny raise of her hands.

“What do you need?” She raises her eyebrow with dignity. She wants to shout so many things at her... because she went through a lot when she was taken out and found that first village.

Because she knows it was her... she will never forget it.

“Wow... now you understand my language, it was so tiring dealing with you.”

“...”

“I’m just saying, to be the leader’s pet you turned out to be of good blood.”

Karen does not take this bluff quickly. She frowns looking around where no one happens to pass by and tries to follow the path leaving this discomfort far away but is swiftly stopped by that woman.

Denoting that she is just as rare as Hashirama and Tobirama.

“You know... I don’t know what Hashirama-sama sees in you... or even Tobirama-sama... What did you did you give them?”

Karen simply raises her chin. “You better tread carefully...”

“Senju Touka,” the woman points out with pride and an ironic smile. She takes part of a lock of her hair lightly. “For a woman, you don’t have much to offer... noble or not, you’re just still a civilian.”

Karen does not avoid frowning at such a cheeky comment. She sighs to raise her hand. “I have no relationship with the brothers.”

“Huh?” The woman blinks.

“I know it’s uncomfortable to accept, but you don’t have to make me a target for intimidation when I have nothing to do romantically speaking with those men.” Karen prefers to clarify their relationship before this gets complicated. “I’m not interested in them.”

“What do you mean?!” The girl turns red at such an insinuation.

“Look... It’s complicated but as Hashirama said, I only come to see how I can help as a civilian... even if you think I’m useless, I have my uses.”

“You...” She shinobi simply blinks and opens her mouth a couple of times. “You don’t have to tell me that!” She squeezes her shoulders harshly.

“I just... Well, I think I misunderstood,” she frowns at the pain of such a small action.

“I... well, Hashirama-sama and I are childhood friends, I saw him grow up... it’s... well...” The woman stammers, a little uncomfortable with what she has said. Karen tries to escape when she thinks she is no longer paying attention.

The civilian simply falls on her back without any care. Touka is blushing at the little that was said, pointing out that in fact... although she does not accept it, she is romantically interested in those men.

She doesn’t roll her eyes because she’s busy rubbing her shoulders.

“You don’t know how hard they have tried! ...You won’t help them in ANYTHING when you’ve gotten them into so much trouble!”

“Touka!” Someone orders from behind the woman. She gulps to show a controlled Tobirama looking at her on the ground with little delicacy. “What exactly is happening here?”

“I...” She purses her lips, looking at the civilian who sighs.

“I fell... It's obvious,” she sighs bitterly, clumsily getting up with such an uncomfortable suit. “Touka just... well, she wanted to share part of her mind,” she shrugs.

“Touka,” with a little warning and imposing feeling, she sighs to apologize and leave.

“Uh... you were hard on her.” She feels bad that she is scolded by one of her idols, blamed for it... but the situation was so lamentable.

Tobirama as always is not so surprised. “Hashirama sent me to look for you.”

“I didn’t run away.”

“You cannot.”

Karen doesn’t say anything. They both have enough history to add more bitterness to a bond that won’t be fixed and they both don’t want to have, so she allows herself to be escorted in silence without saying anything more that could break that strange pact.

The woman looks at Hashirama, who is talking to another old man very different from the ones presented before, although this one looks older than the previous ones. Ending up discussing politics is not the best closure for such a strange event.

Less when she has a lot to say and a few words that come to mind.

Karen thus had the first contact outside of her isolation, out of political obligation... The start of a series of triggers that would lead to another destiny so different from the one she believed.

──

She feels so tired that she can no longer keep her eyes open. The party continues and she is obviously the only one who is losing at sleep resistance as she sits on the edge of that main house in the middle of the enormous field.

There are drunk people, many who tried to approach her being interrupted by Tobirama... Mikami sometimes comes to scold her for her position as does Grandma Kaori.

“Do not fall asleep here,” Tobirama complains, looking at her pathetically leaning on the edge of her seat with the table in front of her.

“I’m sleepy.”

“Can you not hold on ...anymore?” He adds awkwardly in English, a stratergy he uses when he feels there are people listening to their comments. To be the leaders... they are too observed.

“I... I’m not used to it.”

“Seriously... are you not a noble?”

“I’m not,” she laughs just as much at that comment.

“You cannot hold on.”

“I’m not sorry about that,” the woman snorts slightly, yawning. “I’m not a noble but that’s already more than clear...”

“Then?”

“Then what?”

“You have little training... muscles, but I do not see your hands hurt. You are not a worker.”

“Not from the countryside or anything manual,” the woman clarifies, looking better at the sky when she feels her dream will not be soon. “I don’t know why I have to talk to you...”

“Mmmmm...” Tobirama raises his eyebrow in a call for attention.

“Look... I still dislike you, you don’t have to accompany me.”

“Hashirama is not here.”

The girl doesn’t comment anything, sitting in such an uncomfortable environment. She wants to leave, ignore the guy but people around her are so happy that she could break this strange moment.

“Is what Hashirama said true?” Karen asks out of nowhere to her silent partner, that gargoyle that always stands next to her.

“What?” He snaps bitterly.

“About peace.”

“It is none of your business,” the man declares coldly.

“If I remember correctly, Hashirama said I would help, so if you are going to get me into this, at least we must exhange something...” The woman frowns, not at all intimidated by the man’s position of respect for the clan, the fact that he could kill her or anything that makes her shut up.

A difficult thing... Karen is not one of those who keeps everything in her hoarse chest.

The albino frowns to look at the panorama they share in the middle of the festival. “We are at war.”

“I see.” Karen now understands why there was so much bitterness and mistrust if they are in difficult times. “War is complicated... a thing that should not exist.”

“Mph... you do not know what you are saying.”

“Just because my hands aren’t full of calluases or I haven’t seen the blood doesn’t mean that I don’t know what war is.” The woman twists her mouth, crossing her arms in an annoyed scold. “I know what it is, what it takes away and makes people change.”

“...”

“Where I come from... there were many wars, nations that fell... I just,” she sighs, not wanting to talk about the things she knows, the sad things in her world. “It can be achieved... peace...”

“Mph...”

“Do you not believe it?”

“It is not that I believe it... as long as Hashirama believes it,” he said with a cold tone... but somehow warm, strange about him, which makes her notice that he appreciates his brother a lot.

“Having siblings is great.” She focuses her interest better on another funny point of such a bitter conversation. Karen may be curious but she notices that there are things that are better to remain ignorant of.

“...”

“I have one... a little sister.”

“...I did not ask.”

“Uh... jerk," Karen does not avoid commenting, seeing that the guy really does not want her to share part of her thoughs. “That’s why you are the worst company... I jjst wanted to tell you things.”

“I do not need them.”

“Well... jerk,” she repeats in a frank complaint. The good thing is that Mikami and Kaori come at the same time to end this debate before they end up fighting for different opinions. They respectfully greet Tobirama to give the order to return to the house she now longs to be in.

She’s socialized enough tonight... too much for her liking when she’s already so used to isolation, loneliness and so on, that taking off her kimono would be the best gift along with the hard sandals.

Karen only had one thought when she got the her room... sleep. It woundn’t be such a bad idea.

A/N: As you can see, they will use her as something political, something that Hashirama has discussed a lot with Tobirama behind closed doors, because they have seen it... they know she can be useful in a non-combatant perspective... at least it was not the option of getting married as the councilors said.

Karen from now on will necessarily have more participation in different bureaucratic things that she will begin to correct and address. Not as an assistant because there are classified things... but at least the simplest things such as organization of what was purchased as input or things like that for the clan.

Finally going out to meet more people... Could it be?

Thank you for your comments. The story develops slowly, but surely it will go making its way little by little. Also, I remind you that the things written in bold is the local language of the Elemental Nations.

Author-chan out!

#lost in the forest fic #warring states period #angst #senju tobirama #tobirama x reader #tobirama x oc #ocs #hashirama senju #naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto fanfiction #senju touka #luchipuchi's writing

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lanottedellastrega · 7 months ago

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Man, I haven't done a transcript in a while...

Editor's Letter: GHOULS ON FILM

Tobias Forge has always been wildly ambitious. After throwing everything at Ghost in his last real shot as a professional musician, he established the band as an occult-rock force you couldn't look away from, all shady Nameless Ghouls and papal vestments. As the years rolled by, Tobias might have unmasked, but the Ghost legend has only grown. Back at their early gigs in 2010, few could have predicted they'd have their own actual movie in 2024. Like everything Ghost do, Rite Here Rite Now has been kept tightly under wraps, but Tobias was kind enough to grant our Paul Brannigan an audience, and reveal the behind-the-scenes machinations that led to such a triumph of creativity. And if you're reading this letter on June 20, the day the magazine goes on sale and the day the film premieres, you're probably about to experience his vision for yourself. "This is not a tale about death, but one of life…" intones the voicover on Rite Here Rite Now's spooktacular, schlock'n'roll trailer. While we can't say for certain if Papa IV will survive in his current form, we certainly hope Ghost are around to entertain us for a long time to come.

Stay metal, Eleanor Goodman, Editor

RITES. CAMERA. ACTION! From dancing ghouls to…dead Papas? Tobias forge takex us behind the scenes of Rite Here Rite Now, Ghost's new movie spectacular. Words: Paul Brannigan - Lives: Ryan Chang - Portraaits: Travis Shinn

[Accompanying photo: two-page spread of the Forum Ritual, taken during Con Clavi Con Dio, with Papa downstage center holding the thurible. Caption: "Everything Ghost do is BIG. We expect no less from the film"]

Last year, in case you didn't notice, those "hands that threaten doom" which Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson once sang about, inched 10 seconds closer to midnight. The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the people who created the Doomsday Clock back in 1947 to gauge how close humanity is to destroying the world, reset the minute hand for the 25th time since its creation, moving it closer to the hour than it has ever been. So the prospect of imminent global catastrophe is now ever more pronounced, which, to be honest, is something of a bummer.

"We are approaching the end of an era. So let's have a good time." It was with these equally doom-laden words that Papa Emeritus IV, Ghost's puckish frontman, welcomed the faithful to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on September 11 last year, for the first of two 'rituals' bringing the Re-Imperatour USA 2023 tour to a close. For those in attendance, the weight of those words hung heavily in the air.

In February last year, news that a second night at the 17,500-capacity venue had been added to the end of the Swedish band's tour schedule, after the first show sold out, was delivered in Chapter 16 of the occult rock collective's web series. The episode, titled Tax Season, was accompanied by a message from "The Clergy" stating, "We wish to inform you that in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes."

The clip itself featured none-too-subtle hints that Papa Emeritus IV may not be long for this world; at one point, while he's playing a retro racing video game, he's distracted by the sight of a glass coffin being wheeled past his door, and when his attention returns to his TV screen, the words 'Game Over!!!!!!' appear. In Ghost world, where every symbol is scrutinised to the nth degree by the faithful, this was interpreted as a warning that the writing was on the wall for this Papa in the City of Angels. And when it was revealed that the group's two-night stand at the Forum was to be filmed for a future film release, with all phones to be confiscated from patrons upon entry, we feared the worst.

Hammer duly dispatched Associate Editor Dave Everley to Los Angeles to bear witness to what promised to be the gravest chapter yet in Ghost's evolution. At the conclusion of the second night at the Forum, however, Papa IV - "channelling the ghosts of Freddie Mercury and vintage Willy Wonka", Dave noted - was still standing, indeed dancing…but there was a lingering suspicion that there was more to be revealed.

Then, on May 1 this year, came a new message: the announcement that Rite Here Rite Now, Ghost's debut feature film, chronicling the events in Los Angeles, would be screened in cinemas worldwide on June 20 and 22. And those studying the minutiae of the film poster observed that the letter "o" in the final word of the title had been substituted for an analogue clock, its hands positioned at - and you might be ahead of us here - two minutes to midnight. Well, well, well…

"The Doomsday Clock is not an actual clock - it's more of a measuring tool for us to understand how near we are to fucking things up. But it's not like a timer on a bomb, and that means that we can still change things around. And this film is a little bit about that, about turning around and changing your ways, even if it's just your attitude towards things."

The real world time is 6:30pm (BST) on May 9, and an email has just informed us that 'Mary Goore' has joined our Zoom call from Stockholm. Those familiar with Ghost's pre-history will be aware that this was Tobias Forge's stage name in both his death metal band Repugnant and his glam metal outfit Crashdiet, and though he chooses today to keep his camera off, the voice on the call is unmistakably that of Ghost's 43-year-old leader. The trailer for Rite Here Rite Now premiered exactly four and a half hours ago, and as far as Tobias can ascertain, it's been "well met" so far the only "concerns" he as noticed to date bein raised by fans worried that the film has not yet been booked into picture houses in their homelands.

"The film is being distributed in many countries, but not all," he explains, "so I understand that there were some voices that felt like we'd overlooked this or that country. It's like when you announce a tour, and immediately get 'Why aren't you coming to… [insert country name]?' That wasn't our decision, I can't tell you why, it's just that some countries didn't want the film, or whatever."

Officially, the first seeds for Rite Here Rite Now were planted in Tobias's mind "over a decade" ago.

"When Ghost got signed to Loma Vista, Tom Whalley [owner and CEO] asked what the story of the band was," he explained in the press release announcing the film. "He felt telling a story was vital in order to get new fans engaged. I said that because we were a new 'baby' band and, more importantly, we were an anonymous baby band, there wasn't really a compelling story to tell. Not yet anyway. But I told him that if he wanted a story, I could come up with one. This film is the fruit of that conversation."

Those who've follwed the band from their earliest days, however, will know that, from the outset, Ghost emerged accompanied by a sense of theatre. Back in 2012, when I spoke to Swedish journalist Richard Lagergren, formerly the guitarist in the band Portrait, and the first 'outsider' to be informed of the existence of Ghost, he used the words "very cinematic, very surreal and very intense" to describe his first encounter with the group. He revealed that he was at his home one Sunday afternoon in October 2010, when he received a phone call telling him that a local band wished to see him. Within an hour, a car pulled up outside his home, and he was blindfolded, driven into the countryside and led into a disused warehouse, where, once his blindfold was removed, he found himself face-to-face with Papa Emeritus and five Nameless Ghouls, and was informed that he had been selected to begin disseminating word of Ghost's Satanic ministry to the world. This was very much not how bands were expected to conduct their business in 2010, and it telegraphed, from day one, Tobias's (still present) desire to keep Ghost out of step with standard, traditional music industry conventions.

[Accompanying photo: Portrait of Papa IV taken in his costume from the start of the show - gold Huntsman jacket, black pirate shirt, black ascot with devil scarf ring, distressed black pants. He is staring at the camera, his arms crossed and his hands at shoulder height, making the sign of the horns. Caption: "What delights are up Tobias's ornate sleeves this time?"]

"From the start, we were cutting against the grain," he reflects. "If you think back to that time, it was the beginning of when the music industry demanded a sort of hyper-frantic online presence from bands, and every band was updating Facebook as soon as they did anything, sending out private messages, like, 'Hey, everyone, don't forget to buy tickets!' I said immediately to my label, 'I don't wanna do that, I fucking hate that shit, and I don't wanna be part of that…and we're a fucking anonymous band.'

"So it was an issue, and we had to steer around a lot of those things, while figuring out, 'How do we communicate with the world what we want to communicate?' We had to figure out ways to sort of cable out a story to the world, a story that we didn't really have at that time, or a story that I didn't want to tell. Because what was that story going to be? My story? No, fuck that. So I said 'I'm gonna come up with a story, and it might unfold in the form of short little online episodes.' And Tom Whalley was like 'OK, I'm intrigued. What do you want to do?'

"So we started doing these episodes about The Ministry, with our little commercial messages attached, and it turned out fun. But obviously it became very complicated: there's a reason why bands just turn on their phones and are like, 'We're coming to Brazil!' It's so much easier. Whereas everything that we've ever done has always been way more complicated. But lots of fun, too. And so, via those web episodes, the story has really taken shape. The idea of making a film has been in my head for years, and I've always been adamant about the web episodes not being too detailed, because you don't want to paint yourself into a corner, so there's been a lot of loose threads. But I figured that I could take these loose threads, tie them together in some sort of comprehensible form, and that could be the film. And that's why we're talking today, finally!"

If you think that today Tobias Forge is going to outline exactly what happens onscreen in Rite Here Rite Now, you really haven't been paying attention to how Ghost operate. For as much as Tobias loves theatre and showmanship, he also treasures and truly values the mystique around his band. And that has its roots in the way he himself discovered his favourite bands as a teenager. For as much as he loved Kiss, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, the Sex Pistols and Venom, the young Tobias Forge was equally immersed in an underground extreme metal community where anonymity was prized above adulation.

"A lot of the bands that I grew up listening to weren't very famous at all," he recalls. "Some of them didn't ever play live, some 'bands' were actually one guy in his bedroom, and you knew very little about anyone. And when these bands did communicate with the world, it was through fanzines, and very adolescent interviews where they gave outrageous, very provocative answers. That helped cement my magnetism towards maintaining mystique, and back in 2010, I definitely thought that there was a way where Ghost could achieve some sort of success whilst 100% maintaining a mystique. And over the years, I've learned that was hard…but then I never thought we'd be as successful as we are.

"The best way to be anonymous in a band is by not forming a band. Don't do it! It's counterintuitive to remain anonymous if you want to be in a big professional band, and it's counterintuitive to sign with a major label who want to break your band. I've always been under the impression that in order to become a representative of the night, you have to be supernatural, but now it's time to let the world in on the story so far, to some extent."

[Accompanying image: Papa IV on stage during Year Zero, microphone in his left hand, his right hand counting two. Caption: "Is Papa IV on borrowed time?"]

With Rite Here Rite Now, Tobias admits that he's in "virgin territory". But here's what we're allowed to know. The film takes place over the course of one evening, with a narrative centered around a gig in Los Angeles, but with flashbacks referencing storylines in the Ghost 'webisodes', which began on YouTube in March 2018. For metal fans, the concept of a feature film blending a live show with a dramatic narrative will likely call to mind Metallica's bold and largely incomprehensible 2013 film Through The Never, a commercial disaster for the band, with James Hetfield subsequently admitting that it "disappeared" and describing the entire experience as "bittersweet". Tobias insists that, actually, there are no overlaps in what he set out to do with Ghost's film - "that film was never a guiding light" are his exact words - and he cites two alternate films as much more instructive in terms of his ambitions.

"As we were pitching the film, the two films that I mentioned a lot in orer for people to try to comprehend artistically what I'm trying to do were [The Rolling Stones' 1983 concert film] Let's Spend The Night Together mixed with [The Sex Pistols' 1980 'mockumentary'] The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle. There is a sense of an origin story, but it's very much a story that takes place during an evening. So you sort of step right into what is happening right there and right then, and maybe the main character's inability, or unwillingness, to be there.

"One issue, or one challenge, that we faced was making a film that was comprehensible to anyone who had no clue about what Ghost is," he continues. "We have a very, very passionate fanbase, who, to a large degree at least, are very aware of everything that goes on with Ghost. The easy part, conceptually, was to make a film that would please them, because they know the story already, they know the context that we are now extending with this film, because it's basically picking up where the last episodes ended. But we wanted it to be that someone who doesn't know shit about the story gets brought up to speed pretty quickly. But this is where my ability to be objective ends, because I'm wondering, 'Do people understand what I'm saying here? Do people get that?'

"Obviously, as with everyone else, I'm a Star Wars fan, and that worked pretty well in the sense where you just crash land right into the story. That works where the message of the film is quite simple, and I think that the message that we're trying to convey with this film is to be right here right now, and not anywhere else. That's what I'm hoping everyone will understand."

[Accompanying photo: Papa and the ghouls backstage before the show. Caption: "What role will the Ghouls play in Rite Here Rite Now?"]

This sounds quite straightforward on paper. But, as Tobias was to quickly learn, the film business is not straightforward, not when films cost 'x million' dollars to make, and someone has to stump up those 'x million' dollars to get it from scripts and storyboards to the screen. Making a film, Tobias says with a very audible sigh, is so much more complicated than making a record, not least because the trust that an artist accumulates working in the music business doesn't necessarily translate to being trusted with a multi-million dollar film budget.

"The film had to go through discussions with finance people who were as curious about the content as you are," he says, diplomatically. "And let's just say that I sometimes struggled to convey what we were just talking about, and not everyone understood it. I'd be saying, 'Look, this is not really, you know, just us live from the Forum.' And they were like, 'Well, could you scrap the live show and just do a film about something else?' And I'd say, 'Well, that kinda defeats the purpose of what I'm trying to sell to you.' So that was a little bit weird."

The end result of such conversations was that no financial backer came onboard for the film, and Ghost and their management ended up funding the whole process - which, he says, ultimately simplified things. But the uncertainty meant that acclaimed Swedish filmmaker Jonas Akerlund - famously once a member of Bathory, and a creative visionary who's made music videos for the likes of Madonna, The Prodigy, U2 and more, as well as directing films such as Lords of Chaos and Spun - decided to step away from potentially directing the film to instead take on a co-producer role, and to advise Tobias as a friend.

In his place, as director, came American filmmaker Alex Ross Perry. He first saw Ghost opening up for Iron Maiden in New York in July 2017, at the conclusion of Maiden's North American tour for The Book of Souls, and subsequently directed the band's own 'mockumentary' Metal Myths, as well as the fabulously provocative promo video for the band's cover of Genesis's 1992 single, Jesus He Knows Me.

"He was obviously the right choice," says Tobias, "and a no-brainer to come aboard, because not only is he a very, very nice guy, but he also totally understands the band.

"Jonas was very involved with all the legwork beforehand, but when he stepped down as the director, and became a producer, it actually made things a little bit easier, because he became less stressed about it; all of a sudden he became calm, and just became my friend instead, pushing everything along. At no point did I feel like I'd bitten off more than I could chew, but the whole thing was definitely a huge learning experience.

"A lot of film studios sometimes struggle to comprehend something that isn't mainstream," he adds. "Like, it's not uncommon that you might want to make a film about, say, a historical event, and they would be, like, 'Hmmm, it's really depressing that the boat sinks in the end. Can it not do that?' And you're like, 'Well, no, the story is about these two lovers that meet on the sinking boat, and yeah, he dies in the end.' 'But that's so depressing! Can we make a different ending?' 'Er, No.' 'Well, we don't want to pay for that.' That's the sort of shit you're up against."

For Tobias, Rite Here Rite Now is clearly the biggest project that he's ever taken on, but Ghost fans shouldn't worry that they're about to lose their hero to Hollywood. At one point today, he mentions his work on the next Ghost album, specifically saying that he's "synchronising" his work on the film with the new record, so we may get an announcement on that sooner rather than later.

There remains one last matter to discuss. In each chapter of Ghost's journey to date, there has been death and renewal, with a new Papa coming along at the end of each cycle to replace the outgoing bandleader. And yet Papa IV was not killed off in Los Angeles. So, Tobias, is he going to transition into the next cycle?

A drawn out "Errrrrrrr…" comes through the speakers before an answer arrives.

"He will be with us, yeah. For a lifetime, if you will. As everyone is."

Okaaaaaay. But will Papa V also be appearing soon?

"I hope so."

At this point, the band's PR steps in to advise that we have one last question. So we ask if Rite Here Rite Now is close to the vision Tobias had in his head when he first embarked upon this ambitious undertaking.

"It's never, you know, 100%," he answers, "but pretty damn close. A lot of things that I think scared people in meetings a year ago, are things that I know that we pulled off. As an artist, people want you to dream big, but I always try to come up with things that are actually doable.

"Everything with Ghost is difficult and expensive, but the records are getting closer to what I imagine, and this film turned out pretty close to what I envisioned. And when I see the film, even I look at the show and go, 'That's pretty entertaining, that's pretty cool.' This is a film that you have not seen before. And you can all tell me what you thought when you see me next, OK?"

SIDEBAR ARTICLE 1: "I'M IN AWE OF TOBIAS!" Rite Here Rite Now director Alex Ross Perry explains how he helped Ghost's mastermind realise his vision.

[Accompanying photo: Another portrait of Papa IV in the gold jacket. His left hand is on his hip, his right gestures across his body, as though he is pointing to the sidebar. Caption: "Tobias has one helluva vision. Getting execs to understand it ain't easy!"]

[Inset photo: Alex Ross Perry looking off-camera to the right, as though he is staring at the photo of Papa next to him.]

Pennsylvania-born filmmaker Alex Ross Perry has a CV that includes helming music videos for the likes of Kim Gordon, Pavement, Sleigh Bells and Bully; writing, producing and directing acclaimed grunge/punk movie Her Smell; and creating Ghost's brilliant 2022 mockumentary, Metal Myths. However, he explains, working with Tobias Forge on Rite Here Rite Now was an experience like no other.

How did you and Tobias first come into one another's orbit? "I first saw Ghost opening up for Iron Maiden in New York, at the Barclays Center, seven years ago, and then I went on YouTube and had a lot of fun diving into their music videos. I'd done work for [Ghost's US record label] Loma Vista, and so I said to them, 'Nothing I've done is in the world of this band, but I'm a big fan, so if you ever need anything in the world of Ghost, my hand is raised.' And a couple of months later, I was asked if I wanted to create an official/unofficial Ghost mockumentary, streamlining the narrative woven into the band's story, and that became Metal Myths, which launched on April Fool's Day 2022."

How was that received? "I know that Tobias really liked what we did with that, and thought it was an amazing testament to his work and creativity. So then I was asked to curate an event at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles to celebrate Ghost's Grammy nomination [for Best Metal Performance, for Call Me Little Sunshine], and we had some fun working on the Mary On The Cross [sic] 1969 era. While I was out in LA, we did the Jesus He Knows Me music video too, and I was told, 'We're doing a movie,' so I said 'Well, if you need any help, I'm here.'"

What did you make of Tobias when you first spoke to him? "I was, and am, a huge admirer of everything that he's built, so I was in awe of his creativity and the scope of his vision, and I remain so having now collaborated with him on this movie. He's one of the greats, in terms of the vision he has. He's a nerd, a repository for information and references to music history and film history, and that is incredibly rare. His vision has taken him so far in 10 years, and in 10 years' time it'll have taken him even further. My favorite band is Kiss, and Tobias might say the same, but they stumbled when they tried to branch out with [1978 TV film] Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park, whereas Tobias built a visual narrative into the Ghost solar system from the beginning. Working with him was constantly inspiring."

What was the most challenging part of the whole process for you? "It was just logistically very complex. It was challenging being at the Forum, shooting scenes that we were going to connect with scenes that we would be filming five months later."

How much creative input did you get to have, and how much were you able to bring your own vision to what was already mapped out? "I consider it a real collaboration between the two of us. His vision for the storytelling is crystal clear, but even though the A to Z is mapped out, there's so much room to discuss what happens from B to Y. You could just talk all night about that, and we did many times, like, 'Does this happen?' 'Is this joke funny?' 'Should this scene have no dialogue?' I took ideas that were not possible and turned them into ideas that are possible. We sat on his tourbus one month before the Forum and just talked until 4 or 5am about every story beat, every scene, every moment between the characters. It was such an amazing experience from start to finish."

SIDEBAR ARTICLE 2: "I'D SIT WATCHING FILMS ALL NIGHT, THEN HAVE A HORRENDOUS NEXT DAY IN SCHOOL!" Five flicks that fired the imagination of teenage cinephile Tobias Forge

[Accompanying photo: A third portrait of Papa IV in the gold jacket, staring directly into the camera and throwing the horns with both hands. Caption: "What the Devil will Tobias do next?"]

By his own admission, Tobias Forge is a film nerd, who watched "everything, all the time."

"I've always been very interested in cinema," he says. "As a kid, I'd watch everything that my older brother and his friends were watching, and as soon as I was old enough, I had a TV and VCR in my bedroom. I spent so much time in front of the TV playing guitar and watching films - French drama, comedy, horror, action, all kinds of films. I'd sit watching films all night, then have a horrendous next day in school! Anyone who has a record collection and video collection similar to mine will recognize lots of little references in our film."

Here are five films that regularly got slotted into the video cassette recorder in Tobias's teenage bedroom.

THE FUNHOUSE (Tobe Hooper, 1981) Tacky, violent and unpleasantly scary slasher flick set in a traveling carnival, directed by Tobe Hooper, who had produced, co-written and directed 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. A commercial failure, but one with cult appeal for fans of 80s 'video nasties'.

SCARFACE (Brian De Palma, 1983) Endlessly quotable and unrelentingly violent crime drama depicting the rise and fall of drug lord Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino. One of the most iconic gangster films ever made, referenced on countless gangsta rap records. All together now: "Say hello to my little friend!"

C.H.U.D. (Douglas Cheek, 1984) Schlocky sci-fi horror about murderous humanoids roaming the sewers of New York City. Ghost pal Dave Grohl was also a fan of the movie. His teenage band, Mission Impossible, recorded a song called C.H.U.D. with a chorus that ran: 'Chaotic Hardcore Underage Delinquents! Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers!'

BETTY BLUE (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1986) Impossibly intense French 'erotic psychological drama' featuring lots of philosophical musing, lots of steamy sex, and an inevitable slide into madness. A cult classic, which shifted tens of thousands of film posters to art and film studies students worldwide, it made 21-year-old Beatrice Dalle an international sex symbol.

LES AMANTS DU PONT-NEUF (Leos Carax, 1991) Another intense, wordy French drama about a doomed, obsessive love affair, staring a young Juliette Binoche as homeless artist Michele besotted with alcohol-and-pills-addicted wannabe circus performer Alex (Denis Lavant). The film went insanely over-budget and took forever to shoot; by the end, real-life lovers Binoche and Carax had split.

Copped the Ghost Metal Hammer so thought I’d share the contents for anyone who may not be able to buy it for themselves (the article and Tobias interview is Rite Here Rite Now spoiler free!)

Let me know if any of the photos are bad quality and I’ll re-take them!

#the band ghost #tobias forge #metal hammer #rite here rite now #transcript added #goddamn this took ages

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eepesleepy · 11 months ago

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The first one that I remember: I was back in high school and Caleb Pressley was my history teacher. At least, he was supposed to be teaching history. Instead, he was piss-drunk. At one point, he tripped on the way to the whiteboard and had to grab a hold of the eraser tray to drag himself up off the ground. Once he was on his feet, he started a lecture on the fine art of salesmanship. He wrote "Always be closing" on the whiteboard, then replaced "be" with "losing" and brought "closing" to the front of the sentence so the sentence read, "Closing always losing." Then he went on some tangent about how closing was actually the worst thing to do in a sales interaction because closing meant the potential to lose. Instead, he said to relentlessly sell until there is absolutely no doubt that you've won. Then close. Then my high school crush stood up and accused him of drinking and that was the end of that dream.

The next dream I had I woke up in the middle of the night at the family lake house. I was staying there alone because I was going to college and commuting from the lake house. I went down to the basement to get some water. As I came out of the laundry room, I heard breathing. My body froze up. I was supposed to be alone. All the doors were locked. I knew there was no one else there with me. I called out, "Hello?" but there was no reply. My legs were numb, but I managed to haul them into motion, dragging one foot in front of the other until I was just outside the door to the nearest bedroom. There was definitely the sound of breathing, so I forced myself to open the door. My heart was in my throat. My head was throbbing with fear. I could just make out a shape under the comforter. Someone was asleep in the bed. "Hello?" I breathed, barely able to speak over my terror. "Hello?" I said as I inched closer to the bed. "Get up!" I managed as my throat closed up. The person rolled over and suddenly it was morning outside. Sunlight shot through the sliding glass door. The stranger sat up. He was fully clothed, including a jacket and a beanie. His face was rough and weathered, but he was still young, looking to be in his early twenties.

"You need to get out," I said. He gibbered something and reached for the nightstand. There was a wallet and a folded piece of paper. He grabbed the paper and handed it to me. It turned out to be multiple papers. They explained how this man suffered from various mental illnesses and needed someplace to stay.

I told him to follow me upstairs and we'd figure out what to do. He started talking at me but I couldn't understand what he was saying. I kept trying to read the papers but I couldn't get far with him blabbering on. I managed to read, "Why I have a long knife" on one of the pages and I immediately went into fight or flight. I went to the kitchen phone and as I picked it up to dial 9-1-1 a van pulled down the drive outside.

A family poured out. A man, a woman, three kids. They all walked up the porch steps and right through the front door like they owned the place. The man patted the other stranger on the back and said something about him being his son.

The woman started unloading groceries onto the counter and the man informed me that they'd be staying indefinitely. I was stunned. "You absolutely are not," I said, "I'm calling the police."

"Fine," the man said, "I'm calling them too." Outside, more cars were pulling in and more people were piling into the house. I dialed 9-1-1 and stepped out onto the back porch. I guess the call went directly to an officer because I could hear sirens in the background and the officer seemed out of breath. He told me he'd come as soon as he could but there were a lot of calls coming from the house so he'd have to get back up.

It was then that I started to fear for my life. The kinds of people that show up and just invite themselves into someone's house probably wouldn't have many reservations about eliminating the people whose home they were invading.

I ran off the back porch and down the hill into a bush. I looked back at the house. There were about fifteen people on the back porch, and a kid with a sawed-off shotgun was approaching the bush. He pointed it at the bush and I ran. He turned and shot.

Airsoft pellets pinged off my back. Relieved, I ran up onto the back porch and passed a dark-haired teenager sitting on one of the rocking chairs.

"This is the worst case of fraud homeownership we've ever done isn't it?" he asked someone near him.

Then I woke up.

#dreaming #dreams #lucid dreaming #vivid dreams

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retrobutterflies · 2 years ago

Text

Velvet Kisses | e.m.

Eddie Munson x Female!Reader

Summary: Your shitty job has you turning to your almost-boyfriend for help, making both of you admit the full extent of your feelings.

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: Slight Angst, Major Fluff, Semi-Established Relationship, A creepy man but nothing happens

A/N: This is my brain vomit.

There were few jobs in Hawkins that were desirable. Last year you worked at the 5 & 10 and your boss didn't understand that you couldn't work shifts before 3pm because of school so he fired you for showing up late to shifts you explicitly stated you couldn't work. Over the summer you were a camp counselor and had dealt with enough crying kids and kickballs to the face last you a lifetime. And your job at the minimart lasted all of three days before the former employee who you were replacing had come back begging for their job.

But working at the gas station had to be one of the better jobs you've had. It required little brain power, the most taxing job being wresting with the cash register that seemed like it was a hundred years old. Your boss was a kind man, paying you generously and forcing his son to drive you home at the end of your night shifts. And he even let you leave early if it was a particularly slow day.

That being said, you had never encountered so many walks of life as you had at your evening night shifts at Hawkins Oil. Young kids trying to see if you'd let them buy beer, raiding the snack aisle, and asking you strange probing questions like 'Have you ever been to Skull Rock?' Older patrons frequenting the back freezers and packs of cigarette lining the wall behind you. Some people asked for strangely specific amounts of gas to be put on their pumps and others counted their change down to the last cent as if you were planning on jipping them a nickel.

The worst, however, was the creepy men whose eyes lit up at a young girl working the night shifts. They would lean in close enough so you could smell the tobacco on their breath as they asked for a lighter or gum or whatever was behind the counter so you had to interact with them. And they would purposely brush your hand as they paid, making sure to ask you questions as you hurried through the sale as if it would prolong the conversation.

Your boss made sure to never have you working alone. Either him or his son would accompany you, staring down any strange man that tried anything. It was the reason you felt safe enough to work there. And you had never had any problems until today.

"I just need to leave ten minutes early. I'll do all the inventory and clean up. All you have to do is lock up once your shift is over." The owner's son Mikey was hard to say no to. His green eyes and swooping hair made him a complete sight for sore eyes and his continuous begging throughout the day about how important this date was tonight and how he couldn't be late or he'd never find true love made you acquiesce faster than you'd like to admit. And you wanted him to be happy you just didn't want to finish your shift alone.

"All the inventory?" you questioned as if you hadn't already made up your mind. His eyes lit up as he shook his head up and down.

"All of it. And you can leave ten minutes early on Monday," he added. You smiled. You were already going to say yes but you weren't going to argue with leaving early.

"Okay, fine. But you better fall in love," you said as he jumped up, scrambling to finish the inventory count so he could leave in twenty minutes.

"I'll tell this story at our wedding," he said, his grin highlighting his sharp cheekbones. You let out a laugh.

Twenty minutes came and went and soon enough Mikey was zipping out of there, his "See you next week!" fading until all you heard was the muted buzzing of the overhead fluorescent lights. You busied yourself with doodling on the discarded receipts, pen swirling in random patterns as you waited for the minutes to tick by. The ringing of the bell on the door had your eyes flickering up as a man wandered in. You didn't think much of it at first, continuing your aimless drawing as he meandered to the back freezer. But then he made his way up to the counter, making you jump as you noticed his proximity.

"That all?" you asked, straightening up as he placed the coke can on the counter.

"A pack of reds, too," he said after a moments hesitation. You nodded, turning behind you to grab the pack of Marlboro cigarettes. When you turned back, you couldn't help but notice the uncomfortable way his eyes lingered on you.

"That'll be $3.81." He nodded, pulled a five from his wallet, and slid it over the counter.

"You can keep the change," he said. You nodded, averting your eyes down to the cash register as you loaded in the bill. When he didn't leave, you glanced up at him feeling an uneasy prickling in the back of your neck at his stare.

"Do you need anything else, sir?" you asked. Maybe he was just tired. It was late and the sun had long set now, the only light illuminating the parking lot coming from the store.

"What time do you guys close?" he asked. It was an innocent question. Many people had asked you before and you didn't bat an eye. But there was something about this time, about him asking with his oddly piercing gaze that made your stomach twist uncomfortably.

"Ten." It was quiet for a moment, neither of you saying anything else before he nodded, gave you a smile, and headed out the door. You watched him walk into the parking lot. He turned around halfway, eyes staring back at you. He smiled, again, and you felt your gut twist more. Then he walked to his car.

You waited with bated breath, waited for him to start the ignition and pull out of the lot. But the seconds ticked by and he wasn't leaving. You counted to sixty, then sixty again. Still the car sat motionless, shrouded in the darkness of the corner of the parking lot that the storefront didn't illuminate. Why wasn't he leaving? Why was he just sitting there?

You looked up at the clock, watching the big hand tick to ten o'clock on the dot. A sudden rush of dread flushed through you. Mikey had been your ride. In his excitement, neither of you remembered that he was supposed to drive you home. Your home which sat on the other side of town. Even if you wanted to walk it would take you nearly an hour. And looking at the car quiet and unmoving in the empty parking lot made the idea of walking a fool's mission.

You hopped up quickly, heading to the door to flip the lock. Even closer up you couldn't see the driver's seat of the car. If you hadn't watched the man get into it you would've believed it was abandoned.

"Shit," you muttered.

You walked back to the counter, grabbing for the phone as your eyes kept glancing back at the car as if it was finally going to leave. You called your house phone close to seven times. You knew your parents were staying with your grandparents but your good for nothing sister was supposed to be home. She wasn't even supposed to have plans tonight so why wasn't she answering.

You felt near hysterical as the phone went unanswered for the eighth time. You slammed the phone down, sending every curse under the sun to your lousy useless car-wrecking sister who was the whole reason you didn't have a car in the first place.

The car was still there and you still didn't have any way to get home. But like hell were you sleeping in this place. You gnawed on your lip, weighing your options before his face popped into your head.

Eddie Munson. You squeezed your eyes shut, wracking your brain to try and remember the combination of numbers of his landline. You had called him two days ago. It was written on a pink post-it note taped on your mirror. You stared at it every time you did your makeup. Grabbing the pen, you flipped over an un-doodled receipt and quickly wrote down the numbers you remembered. Four . . . nine . . . three . . . Come on.

You and Eddie had started seeing each other maybe three weeks ago. You weren't exclusive and you had only gone on a handful of dates but you did call each other often. You knew his number was somewhere in your brain you just had to pry it out.

Minutes passed by and your hope was dwindling exponentially until like a light bulb the number appeared in your brain. You quickly scribbled it down before you forgot and picked up the phone, punching the numbers in.

The phone rang and you nervously tapped the pen in your hand on the counter as you waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" You had never been happier to hear his gruff rumbly voice.

"Eddie!" you breathed, smile over taking your face. You heard movement on the other end before he responded.

"Hi Sweetheart. I was wondering if you'd call," he commented. You could hear the smile in his voice, imagining him leaning onto his counter, phone pressed to his cheek.

"I was gonna, when I got home. But I'm still at work," you said. He let out a hum.

"Still working? Did you miss me that much?" he let out a soft chuckle. You would've laughed if you weren't so on edge.

"You wish," you replied, a smile working it way onto your lips. Just the sound of Eddie's voice had your anxious nerves settling a bit. "Um, are you doing anything right now?"

"Burning some Spaghettio's. Was gonna play a little guitar but," he cleared his throat as if he was suddenly nervous. You heard movement again, "Was kinda waiting for your call. Didn't wanna miss it."

The thought of Eddie loitering around the kitchen, eyes watching the land line waiting for your call had your stomach doing somersaults. You had had a crush on Eddie for the better part of a year, hopelessly pining from a distance as your social groups were miles a part. He was always so vibrant and engaging and it was hard to miss him around school. His big brown eyes, wild hair, and general disregard for societal standards had you roped in immediately but the thought of him liking you was still a foreign concept.

When he had admitted that he had been crushing on you for years before you finally started talking because of a group project, you nearly called him out on what you thought was a blatant lie. And he was adamant that the minute he saw you, sparkling eyes and witty tongue, he was sold. But your relationship was still new, unlabelled and fresh that you struggled with what was appropriate to say or do. Was it too early to be calling him every night? Could you admit you missed him when he was away?

Sometimes, however, Eddie would say something so indulgently sweet that it took your breath away for a minute and had you bursting at the seems with affection.

"Eddie," you knew your eyes were rounding, bottom lip pushing out as you felt your chest squeeze in adoration, "That was really cute. I was looking forward to calling you all day." Your admission had him humming contentedly, his wide smile so evident in his tone.

"Yeah? I kinda wish I could've called you yesterday but duty calls or whatever bullshit," he sighed, referring to his band practice that seemed to go into the late hours of the night despite Gareth's mother's disproval.

"It's okay. I know you're a busy man," you said, tracing the side of the phone as you pictured Eddie's smile.

"Not too busy for you," he let out a sheepish laugh before adding, "You could probably convince me to cancel any plan I had. Just to see you."

You felt your heart flutter.

"Stop being cute. You're distracting me. I need to ask a favor," you said.

"Ask away. The answer is already yes," he replied, voice rumbling happily over the static. He was going to make you pass away.

"Do you think you could pick me up from work? My sister isn't answering," you admitted, voice growing softer. Your eyes flickered back to the parking lot, watching the car that still sat motionless.

"I thought that Mikey kid was your ride?" he asked. If he picked up on your unease he didn't comment on it.

"He was. We kinda forgot and he left early for a date," you explained. He hummed again and you heard movement and the jangling of keys making your stomach uncoil.

"You know, I could be your ride home from now on. So you don't have to rely on loverboy," his tone was slightly sharper as he referenced your coworker.

"He's usually reliable. He got caught up in the excitement–"

"And ditched you," he interjected, huffing at his annoyance.

"He didn't mean to. I'm not mad at him," you reassured.

"Right, no, s'okay. He works tomorrow though, right?"

"Eddie," you warned but he let out a laugh.

"I'm only kidding. Partially. I'm on my way, though, so hang tight, okay? I'll be there in like ten minutes max."

You let out a breath, nodding though he couldn't see you. When you said your goodbyes you tried to visualize what Eddie was doing to distract yourself from the foreboding silence of the empty store; door swinging shut, car beeping, keys ratting, ignition starting.

True to his word, not even seven minutes later Eddie's truck was peeling into the parking lot. You had never been so happy to see his wonky rusted old truck. You hopped up, grabbing your bag and hurrying to the door. The keys jangled loudly as you locked up behind you. As you turned around, you were distracted from Eddie's wide smile as the lights from that godforsaken car suddenly turned on. You froze, watching the red car pull out, pause, and then drive out of the parking lot.

You knew he had been waiting for you. Waiting to see when you were leaving, how you were getting home, but to see it be proven made you feel a little lightheaded. Your eyes met Eddie's as he glanced over his shoulder at the retreating headlights in the distance.

"Who was that? Not that sorry punk Mikey," Eddie asked as you hopped into the passenger seat, dropping your bag to your feet.

"No, he–" you took a sudden shuttering breath that had Eddie's mood dropping significantly, "He was a customer. And he was being weird and he's been sitting in his car for the past half hour probably waiting for me to leave."

You had never seen Eddie this angry. His joking tone before about being mad at Mikey suddenly transforming into hot anger at the idea that he had left you alone for some creep to stalk you like you were his prey.

"I'm picking you up from now on, okay? You tell that son of a bitch if he does anything other than grovel at your feet for forgiveness I'm paying him a visit," he seethed, hand flexing so his rings glinted in the muted lighting.

You turned in your seat to face him, cheek resting against the headrest as you gazed up at him. His eyes were hard, jaw clenched tight and brows furrowed. You reached out a hand to cup his cheek, thumb stroking the high of his cheekbone until his face relaxed. He turned to meet your eyes, his own softening at the look you were giving him.

"I'm okay. I have a baseball bat tucked under the counter as a last minute resort," you assured, voice soft and melodic as he leaned into your palm. His hand reached out to grab your free one, linking your fingers together and squeezing.

"I don't like you being scared," he admitted.

"My fear turns to rage pretty quickly under pressure," you hoped some humor would lighten the mood and he managed to crack a small smile at your comment.

"You'll call me if you ever need anything, right?"

"Of course," you said. His eyes trailed from your abused your bottom lip from worrying it between your teeth to the tension set in your jaw.

His free hand moved up to caress yours, holding it tighter to his cheek as his other softly stroked your palm.

"I'll never let anything bad happen to you, you know that, right?" he said, eyes burning into yours, tone soft but firm. You felt a swell of emotion in your chest. You nodded but he seemed adamant to continue, like you didn't grasp the seriousness of his words.

"I don't care if it's a paper cut or a spider or if the president himself was bothering you, I'll handle it. You call me and I'm there," he pressed, leaning in closer so you could smell his smoky cologne.

You nodded again but your throat suddenly felt tight and your eyes were prickling with moisture. He clocked the tears instantly and he was leaning in, lips pressing to your forehead, hand moving to the back of your neck, weaving his fingers into the hair at the base of your head. He massaged it gently, lips trailing kisses down your temple, to your cheeks, on your nose, and finally to your lips. You didn't realize tears had fallen until he was swiping them away with his thumb.

Your free hand clenched the front of his shirt, pulling him closer as he pressed soft, comforting, sweet kisses on your face. His hand scratched your head, fingertips swirling in hypnotic circles until he was pulling back and stroking the hair out of your face. His lips found yours again, pillowy soft and warm as if they were forcing you to relax. The tension slowly eased from your body until your head felt light and your mind gooey.

All at once you wanted to say those three sacred words. You wanted to spill all of your feelings and emotions and tell him you loved him until the sun came up. You wanted to drown in him, kiss him until you didn't know your own name anymore. And you wanted him to know you were completely and utterly sold on him. He had ruined anyone else for you.

"You wanna come to mine?" he asked, his voice close to a whisper, breath fanning over your face as you wilted at the loss of his lips. You nodded, still unsure if you could form proper words, your head spinning with thoughts of him kissing you over and over again.

The drive was quick, his right hand sandwiched between both of yours as you watched the trees whir past the window. He gave you a few sideways glances, feeling his anger at your air headed coworker swirling in his stomach. But every brush of you fingers over his tense knuckles had him deflating until he was solely focused on you and your perfume and your pretty glassy eyes.

You had been in Eddie's room multiple times but most of them were to work on that school project. Only one other time had you been here after you had both admitted your feelings. And suddenly stepping into the muted lighting, eyes trailing over the myriad of band posters, piles of records and cassettes, a mountain of laundry, and his messy unmade bed had a wave of nervousness washing over you. Eddie sheepishly pulled his comforter up, haphazardly pushing a few shirts and a few books to the ground, clearing the space.

"You want a change of clothes?" he asked, pausing his movements to look at you. You blinked at him, bag already discarded by the door and nodded. You probably looked great in the polo shirt and plain jeans that your boss had you and Mikey wear for "professionalism" even though it was a gas station.

You could tell the Metallica shirt he had handed you was old because it was soft and well-worn, a few holes decorating the collar. You pulled it over your head, the material caressing your sides. You pulled on the boxers after, an unused pair he said bought in the wrong size and left to reside in the bottom of his drawer. You timidly pushed out the bathroom door, glancing down the dark hallway to where Eddie's uncle was snoring loudly on the couch before heading back to Eddie's room.

Only the bedside lamp was on now casting sleepy shadows around the room. Eddie was resting against the headboard of his bed, legs laid out, his own sleep shirt adorning his torso, rings discarded on the bedside table. His eyes found your form as you shut the door behind you, trailing up and down your clothes, his clothes, draped over your body. He had never seen anyone look so good in a T-shirt before and frankly he didn't think he ever would again. You were otherworldly to him.

Hesitantly, you crawled onto the bed, mattress dipping under your knees as you got closer. His arms instantly encircled around you, pulling you flush against him giving you no time to hesitate. You melted into him, his scent overwhelming you and his warmth fighting back the chill of the room. He pulled the duvet over the both of you, shuffling you down until you were laying before nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck.

"I was talking to Steve," he said breaking the silence, his voice rumbling into your neck making tingles run up your spine. Your arms wrapped around his torso, cheek pressing against his forehead, eyes fluttering shut as you waited for him to continue.

"He likes to give dating advice. Mostly unsolicited," he murmured, the vibrations tickling your skin. His hand trailed up your side until it found the side of your love handle peaking out from your shirt. His fingers grazed it, swirling around the velvety skin making you squirm slightly at the tickling sensation. You felt his grin.

"It's mostly all crap. All of his experience is from his shitty douchebag days. Probably why he goes on such shit dates." He pressed a kiss to your throat, his other arm tightening around your back to pull you impossibly closer. You felt your mind go gooey again at his affection.

"He did say though that," he paused and you felt him take a steadying breath, "if I waited any longer to ask you to be my girlfriend that you'd think I didn't like you anymore."

It took you a moment to move the thoughts around in your molasses mind before you processed his words.

"Which is ridiculous because even Dustin Henderson has known I've been in love with you for years," he added, fingers dipping under your shirt to draw shapes on the ridges of your ribs.

"What?" you whispered, eyes opening. His movements paused as if he himself just realized what he said. You felt him tense, hand pressing flat against your side as he let out a sigh. You pulled away from him slightly. You could tell the instant the rejection settled in his mind, his body growing tenser as he pulled back to meet your eyes. His eyes were dark, filled with hurt and worry. He tried to pull back more but your tight grip prevented him.

"You love me?" He was quiet for a moment, eyes flickering between both of yours weighing his options. You shuffled closer, grabbing his hand and placing it on your waist again, a silent command to keep drawing shapes. He softened, shifting closer as he shoved his insecurities to the back of his mind.

"If," he started, brown eyes flickering around your face, gaging every micro expression to make sure you weren't uncomfortable with his words, "If it doesn't scare you away, then yes."

He leaned in closer, breath fanning over your face, minty and cool. "If it does, then I have no idea what you're talking about." His hand squeezed your side making you let out a laugh, squirming again as a smile overtook your face. He stopped, eyes hooded as he gazed at you and your pretty smile and your warm eyes.

"Can you say it?" your voice was small, smile loosening until you were staring at him with big, vulnerable eyes. He knew then that you weren't scared. You weren't dismayed by his feelings. By the glint in your doe eyes and the way you melted at his affection, he knew you felt the same way.

"You need to answer my question first," he decided. Your brows pulled together slightly as you tried to remember what he was referring to. He leaned in, pressing a kiss to your pouted lips as if he couldn't help himself. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

You felt your face flush and your pulse spike. You nodded, pressing closer hoping he would kiss you again.

"With words, baby," he insisted, hovering his lips over yours, hand moving up to stroke the swell of your cheek.

"Yes," you breathed, feeling like you might never stop blushing.

He finally leaned in and pressed a searing kiss to your lips.

"I love you," he said, hand stroking your hair back so he could kiss you deeply again and again and again, repeating the phrase between kisses like he couldn't get tired of saying it.

"I love you, too," you managed to say before he was covering your lips again, greedy for your attention.

You felt dizzy at the intensity, love drunk on Eddie and his velvet kisses and sugary words. You didn't care that it had only been three weeks and that an English project that you both barely managed to get a C on had been the catalyst. You had loved Eddie for a year and he had loved you for more and you'd be damned if you waited any longer to tell him you loved him over and over and over again.

Link to my masterlist :)

#eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson x yn #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x female!reader #eddie munson x y/n

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wisteriainslumber · 2 years ago

Text

what types of students are the twst characters

in which i turn nrc into a public school

i cannot confirm nor deny my involvement in any of these scenarios

Warnings: swearing, cr*wley, mentions of drugs and alcohol, caters nicknames, and school

Riddle

i truly wish not even my worst enemy the pain of setting next to this boy

imagine getting back a test with 90% and feeling proud of it then the dude beside you gets a 98%

and this will happen for every assignment, test, group project

in fact, sitting next to him guarantees being paired up for projects together. the inferiority complex is building. this is truly the azul arc

you will get no sympathy from him. the project thats due in 5 days that you still havent started? what an irresponsible student. you reap what you sow.

truly makes you want to stab him with a mechanical pencil. maybe even get some lead stuck in there and make him think he’s poisoned

he has everything you could possibly need, including more miscellaneous supplies like staplers, hole punchers, highlighters, even compasses.

if you ask nicely he'll lend them to you but you best give them back by the end of the class lest you induce his wrath

people are more scared of him than they are of the teachers. most people dont believe the heartslabyul students when they say that riddle is nice to them

oh but he is. he tutors them and is thorough with it. he knocks on everyones door during lights out to say goodnight to them. no one forgets anything for school trips bc riddle quadruple checks.

has some busted ass phone. imagine some crunchy notifications sounds from it. it blares in the room in the middle of the lecture and its so funny every time

since then riddle keeps his phone out of the classroom or outright silences it. if you have an emergency, have it outside of class hours please and thank you

brings a million layers to school bc hes always getting cold and then hot two hours later can someone pls help him

oh but don’t underestimate him, even if hes sick on his death bed he will show up to class anyway. you know those kids that definitely got fever but their parents still send them to school? yeah, like jade needs to physically drag him into the infirmary before he gives up and reluctantly goes home to rest

lets hope its not exam season he will be hacking n’ coughing and sniffling miserably someone get this man a cough drop i think he just ran out

Trey

not up to date on the latest gossip but knows some of the weirdest, nichest shit around campus. literally this was stuff you didn’t even think you had to be warned about

warns you of the drug zones around the school and helps you stay clear of the places students usually hook up

warns you about that bathroom that got flooded because some kid took a shit in the urinal and clogged the pipes😍😍 dont go in there the evidence is still on the ceiling

also be mindful of the graduation plaques in the the student-dubbed “bl*wjob hall”. you do not want to know what the previous graduates did to them.

he will not bake weed brownies for you. stop asking.

in fact, you're not supposed to know he makes edibles

and no they are not for sale at his bakery. dont even try to enter.

gets the shit scared out of him every morning because lilia’s preferred greetings are unexpected and gravity-defying

all of treys classmates knows he’s in the classroom by the loud “GOODNESS, ME” every time lilia says good morning to him

rip to the science club. you got trey trying to magically grow plants and rook claiming he’s making a potion that has smoke machine effects

because a bunch of magical students with access to funky chemicals cannot result in anything good, the chances of the plant becoming carnivorous and that smoke machine causing hallucinogenic side effects is quite high

their club initiation can’t be anything other than making things grow and explode

“experiments” usually mean they’ve accidentally made chloroform. or any kind of corrosive substance. trey needs to dispose of it before it gets into some freshman’s backpack

Cater

he doodles on his notes, yes, but they are ✨on theme✨

his notes on the snow queens curse contain doodles of skulls and stick figures buried in the snow...

"adopts" freshman. says shit like "this is my freshie"

knows the latest gossip of the school but doesn’t really know a lot of people

lots of people know him though!! or of him

has nicknames for every professor and they are so horrid. no one deserves to hear the name “vargy daddy” (ironically, we hope) exit someones mouth. not even the rsa students.

sometimes uses the lesson board as his daily streaks, sometimes the profs catch him making winky faces for his photos

and because he refuses to sit anywhere but beside idia (or his tablet), he ends up in these selfies simply by association

cater got a failed test back and claimed prof trein was homophobic

this is even funnier for anyone that hcs cater being treins nephew

his posts keep going viral because he’s always there to film the rumoured nrc antics. he can kickstart an nrc-insider news career out of this

you get a notification that he’s live on magicam but no it’s lilia using caters platform to “sing everyone a lullaby”

on the bright side, it worked, they’re all knocked out. on the down side, it’s not as relaxing as lilia thinks it is

sometimes posts their band antics and hey that would’ve pulled a lot of people in but they are very put off by lilias singing

on the plus side though they are very good at synchronized dancing

clogs the hallways on occasion while filming on twisttok. move or you will be seen by his thousands of followers

might be my bias talking but idc, cater was at least a third of the student body’s gay awakening. hes got a personality that makes it hard not to like him, like what is there not to love?

say hi to him once and he will say hi to you until graduation. he will also introduce you to whoever he’s talking to at that moment

at the end of the semester you know at least half the people in this school

Ace

i dont care that this is a magic school, all freshman are sentient zoo animals that have escaped their enclosures

participated in the devious licks trend and got away with some of the wilder shit like stall doors and the graduates plaque from years ago?? (it was his brothers class)

he was the shit back in middle school and hes going to be an obnoxious freshman and claim you need his permission to sit at “his table”

canonically hes always involved in SOMETHING so all of the hot gossip around nrc is usually about ace

his constant beheadings has become an nrc inside joke and is used as a reaction image now

prime examples being "neiges lawyers after they see my y/n edits" or “me after vil’s team finds my account” from user vilsballsack

shortest player on the basketball team and grim will not let him live it down

ace frequents ramshackle the most and his mischievous nature combined with the ghosts’ means lots of rude awakenings

not even the standard bucket on the door pranks, ace goes above and beyond with them. they range from whoopee cushions to the most elaborate traps, with dominos and strings triggering everything

just wait until you hear about april fools day, bro. karmas a bitch :/

at least he buys you a weekly coffee </3 he complains but will be pissed if deuce buys you one instead

fighting for his life trying not to laugh during sex ed

he plays with those cpr dummies like how you imagine children play with dolls

smashes them against each other, establishes the darkest kind of hierarchy, and his favourite thing to do is twist the heads off the bodies

he gets it from the queen housewarden rosehearts🤩

he and deuce whisper so loudly that they disrupt the class so they’ve resorted to very obvious note passing

every crinkle of paper stomps on the profs nerves but it’s better than hearing whisper-debates over whether glitter gel pens are manly or not

bluetooth connects to the announcement speakers to play WAP. sigh.

for any band kids out there, he is a trumpet player. i think that says enough

Deuce

vaped in the washrooms for a month thinking he was cool before he reformed himself

thought it was so funny to lie about his name at the coffee shop but keeps giggling and being weird about it. the baristas know “divus” is definitely not his name

plus, the campus shops are more likely than not run by students or staff. literally everyone knows who divus is and he’s never had blue hair and pronouns

is in the centre of every single fight that happens in this school. he has not missed a single match to scrap with the other freshies

even his seniors are shivering in fear

thought it was funny to draw dicks on every desk he sat in

influenced some dorm members to draw dicks on their faces claiming it was Heartslabyul-issued makeup

needless to say he didn’t get away with it for long

cannot leave his phone unattended with ace. the last time he did, ace switched up his charger settings so the phone was robotically moaning when deuce put it in the charging port

calls his momma every lunch time to make sure she ate

somehow got adopted by the cafeteria ghosts and he occasionally gets free cookies or coffees

rode a skateboard to school and hid it in his locker. got caught two months in because sebek was yelling at him for bringing a skateboard to school

finds a way to tear up at any kind of movie or documentary displayed in class. hes just so moved.

but bro if he gets clowned on one more time by grim, he’s really gonna burst out the waterworks

once got so sick of grim he started barking at him. epel refuses to delete the video

asks you to wake him up if he dozes off during magic history. you get wracked with guilt every time you steal him away from dreamland

Leona

didn’t go to class for like 4 months and then shows up after everyone in the class declared him dead

directly sassing his teachers and unfortunately he is very funny

only one he can’t get away with is crewel because crewel will hit him and turn him into a designer rug

doesn’t bring notes, doesn’t even bring a pencil. he’s repeated these lessons twice, he already knows everything

because he already learnt it before he can get away with sleeping and answering their questions just fine

his profs are mad. its not misconduct if the student is in fact, aware of the material

they did him so dirty putting rook in the same class as him. this is actually great for the profs when he decides to come to class because he refuses to sleep in rooks presence

threatens to claw out rooks face if he dares to sit next to him so rook sat behind him :)

learns broken french against his will. learns whos nicknames correspond with who against his will.

if ever partnered up with rook, leona finds out that rook wasnt taking notes at all. all that typing was done on magic of our own and the pen scribbling was a doodle of leona

lord knows what stopped him from turning rook into dust

(it’s because epel will be sad if rook is gone)

doesnt believe in calculators he's a mental math god but only when he wants to be

beware if anything remotely sexist that catches his ears. he will call you out. in front of everyone. who said women sucked at games? they’re lucky his sister in law isn’t playing. her favourite game happens to be predator vs prey :))

violates academic honesty but sucks at it. he copies and pastes, puts it in a paraphrasing bot, then translates it in 10 languages, and puts it on the page. no formatting or anything.

if the profs uses those plagiarism checkers, leona is getting caught 100%

do not ask him if he can talk to lucius, you will become a missing persons case

Ruggie

knows everyone on school grounds

you might think it’s cater, or azul, but no, it’s ruggie and i can’t explain it

has most likely club-hopped until he settled for magift. he knows quite a few buddies here and there, so if ur ever looking for someone, ruggies the one to ask. if not directly, he can give you leads on your search

shows up to record the fights that deuce gets into but will not join them. hes here for the drama, not to get into them

violates academic integrity. he gets so fucking creative with it. hes the one making homemade water bottle labels or creating a whole new code (disguised as battle scars on his arm) so it looks like hes not cheating

listen he will find a way to cheat if he doesnt know. its all in or nothing

work smarter not harder <3

he’s basically on the clock 24/7 with leona and his other odd jobs. sometimes he doesn’t have enough time to study, but he sure has time to create a new language as a fail-safe. it’s called being resourceful >:(

kid who uses calculator to check simple things like 2 + 3 but can find the circumference of a box using only a formula and the fortitude of his mind????

bro is literally so resourceful, can take the most simplest things and turn them into masterpieces. he is exactly like those people that can create edits, theories, and fics out of a character that was seen for 5 minutes

magishift disk got lost? he’s already found a frisbee. or you can use this notebook. it’s rectangle but if it works, it works, right?

1 inch of snow? no problem he’ll make a sturdy fort for you to hide under during snowball fights

profs thought he dyed his hair blonde in rebellion but no hes just born like that. his hair just got darker as he grew leave him alone pls :( it’s all natural :((

pen flicker and he knows it. absolutely defying the laws of physics with the aerodynamics of his pen. it ends up being more entertaining than the actual lesson

sneaks snacks into classrooms but he’s quiet enough about it that no one really cares

so dont try to snitch on him for a corn chip you aint gettin one

no he does not sell drugs on the down low who told you that?

don’t remove his sunglasses he needs them. is he what? oh, hi.

Jack

had a kiddy crush on the queens for a year

they’re so hardworking, and knowledgeable, and talented, like he really looks up to them

turns out he didn’t want to date them he just wanted to be them fr

would be a very good influence on his friend group if they weren’t even worse when combined together

at least he’s a good influence on epel. or at least that’s what vil tells him

not really causing trouble but since he hangs out with the first years, he's in trouble by association

this is the fifth time grim has gotten stuck in the vents playing real life among us and jack is running out of excuses

gives epel a look of disapproval every time he catches his name in kahoot

accidentally learned many countryisms and swear words he didn’t even know existed

any time epel fails a test or had a fight with vil, jack adds to his forbidden vocabulary

invites epel to his 6AM runs with vil and he occasionally joins, but ultimately epel enjoys sleeping in, says that he must sleep enough hours to trigger his growth spurt

got to demonstrate his knowledge in first aid when deuce took a nasty fall during club activities. was the most excited to plaster the patterned bandaid on him but don’t say anything about it >:( bros got an image to protect

gained a new appreciation for musicals from ortho’s influence. he likes six the musical the most obviously

minds his business the most. he doesn’t give a shit if you fell on your ass during flight. he’ll help you up, check that you’re alright, and go on about his day, no further comments

so for anyone who is easily embarrassed, jack’s your bestie now

Azul

most pretentious bitch in the class for two reasons

1. always has some extra curricular activity going on and will not stfu about it

2. always has something to add to the lesson or story and will not stfu about it

for anyone thats read jamils lab story, it’s exactly like that. azul will comment on everything, bring out his observations, will constantly pester u & try to pick apart ur brain

not in a scientific way, he just wants to crack into the cool knowledge inside. bros a nerd (affectionate)

by the end of the first week you will want to push his head in the cauldron & not let up until he slowly goes limp

please don’t give him any debate assignment. he’s about to tear out heartslabyul student B over the worth of cryptocurrency

(it’s nothing. it’s worth literally nothing.)

has a stack of business cards for mostro and will hand them out to anyone who shows the slightest interest in azul himself

rip to any one of his classmates that may have harboured a crush on him because azul is nothing if not his own biggest cockblocker

for some reason, he can bend the power of time to his will considering he had the time to control the odds of rolling dice while still attending to all of his after-school activities

every board game meeting is idia being horrified at azul’s extra-ness or azul getting clowned to hell by idia himself

they are so mean to each other but will hiss if you try to pry them apart

bro works two jobs, a student and a restaurant manager. how the hell is he doing all this and still #2 in his grade who knows. the grind never stops and his pronouns happen to be work/hard

don’t be fooled though, behind closed doors he is getting his glasses taken away from him by the twins so he can fucking REST. can’t do ur work without your sight!!

ofc they don’t tell him that though they just embarrass azul by either staring at him “innocently” until azul decides to leave (jade) or threaten to whack him with a frying pan until he falls asleep (floyd)

Jade

in the first year he smashed floyds head into poor idias locker and the huge dent is still there to show for it

the profs permit him to snack in class bc he brings “healthy” choices like carrots and apples.

eats them so menacingly too. stare at him too long and he stares right back, then takes a giant, violent crunch on his snack.

smiles innocently at them even though he’s well aware of the fear in his fellow students eyes

can not incriminate him. hides all traces of his involvement for issues he enabled.

unless it’s his weekly brawl with his brother on school grounds. “we’re twins, we fight all the time” is not a valid excuse to chase each other down the halls with metal forks

cracks a joint when floyd punches someone so they can convince the student that floyd broke his nose. serves them right for talking shit

doesn’t join in on the fight. you might think this is a good thing but having jade stand by and encourage your pain as you’re getting your shit rocked hurts even worse than the punches

crewel cannot pair jade with any student besides riddle. he’s an enabler. people listen to him either because they’re scared of him or they don’t know better. what was supposed to be a “good idea” to mix vials E and F turns into accidentally (?) creating mustard gas

when you chat with him you find out hes one of those insane sims players that tortures their sims for fun

he genuinely thinks that how youre supposed to play the game

no he’s not shroom hunting on his mountain hikes. he’s genuinely just living his cottagecore dreams. he cherishes the little mushroom mug he got from riddle. it even has a cute lid :)

he never confirms nor denies these accusations, however

if anything, he will turn it on the other party. what do you mean you think he’s collecting magic mushrooms??? he’s never even seen one :((

was the reason the school had to implement a ban on permanent markers. he kept sniffing them and got sent to the nurses office for it. now whenever some students want to skip class or out of pure curiosity, they sniff until they get sick

Floyd

that fucking maniac when his pen runs out of ink during a test he bites himself and uses the blood as ink and doesnt bat an eye at it

plays the game of switching classes with jade but it doesnt last very long because "jade" is suspiciously doing too well in flight class

treats dodgeball like a carnival game. whips that shit so hard at you, you’re convinced you’re leaking spinal fluid

if he’s feeling real freaky he’ll freeze the snowballs a little before throwing them :D

loudly opening and eating chips in class

when trein scolds him hes handing out gummy bears to his classmates in front of his face

sits in the front row just to nap there. hes got so much audacity and zero fear

lectures last 3 hours. perfect time to watch a movie. hes giving the classmates a free streaming party

sometimes hes just laughing to himself while taking notes. or maybe he’s texting who knows?

unsafe during potionology have you seen his lab card

comments on the drinkability of every chemical

god forbid you ever do a dissection bc hes gonna be saying the most ravenous shit

"that eyeball kinda be looking juicy" my ass

can he maybe like eat before class for everyones sanity

takes any dare from jade as a challenge, and if he succeeds, then he gets to make jade do smth for him

most of the time he declares himself as the eldest sibling™ and jade just has to accept it

if it was unclear, a lot of their fights consist of who is the godly privileged eldest sibling and who isnt

the rest of the time he makes jade show up to class in some clown shoes and laughs at the squeaky sounds coming from jade’s footsteps

pencil chewer. and eraser stabber. just keep the magic pen away from his mouth

Kalim

drew flowers and hearts and sparkles around his war history notes

its his standard for all his notes

brings in whole ass meals in his class and shares it with his seatmates. it smells amazing

shows up to class with random shit every day. if he’s making his own day, why not make everyone elses day too, u know?

he has this huge stuffed rabbit that he lugged around class one day. it’s named peter. it has its own seat.

once brought a bunch of balloons and blew them up in the middle of the lecture?? he had time to draw faces on them? one is him, one is jamil, etc, etc

silver gets one of those balloons that kalim drew on. look! it’s purple, like your eyes!

brought bubbles to school and had a rave in the courtyard

initiates snowman building parties but most of the time they don’t work out because these rambunctious nrc students will destroy the snowmen after class

(jamil will secretly repair these snowmen so kalim doesn’t find out octavinelle student A kicked a hole through frosty jr’s chest)

shares his scratch and sniff stickers with his classmates. there’s some whacky scents in there and honestly most of them smell foul

kalim knows this and ofc warns people beforehand. although, which ones smell good and which dont? sniff and find out ig

at least his presentations are the most entertaining. they’re extra as hell like he would sooner coordinate an entire skit than present normally

chances are he ends up improving some stuff because he forgets his lines rip. fortunately it is fun to make up a skit with kalim so, 9/10 for his groupmates, minus 1 point bc he sent them all in cardiogenic shock from his grand ideas. how in the world are they going to get, or even train an elephant for science????

if doing some kinda powerpoint, takes advantage of those fun transition effects and funny pictures. they may not be 100% relevant to the topic but he wanted you to see this baby koala anyway

Jamil

24/7 talking to himself in his head so he can have an intellectual conversation for once

when being particularly annoyed, he imagines the students or even the school burning. it oddly soothes his mind

avoids the window seat if the window is open. one too many bug accidents. there’s only so many tables jamil can char before he gets in trouble.

watch him pull out a hazmat suit when it’s time for flight class in june. fucking wasps.

pen flicker. he isnt aware he does this but its pretty cool to watch

see, jamil shares a class with azul. and with azuls annoying ass attitude and even more annoying twins tailing him, he’s resorted to keeping a pair of headphones on him at all times

do people not understand? if he’s sitting alone and has headphones in, it means he doesn’t want to talk!! cough cough take a hint

his only joy derives from watching the smug ass grin on azuls face disappear when he’s on a broom

long since stopped trying to reason with his fellow basketball club. ace can deal with floyd, he’s here to do his part and leave

unless they’re playing a match with another school. then get ur ass up, jamil is Competitive and wants the win for himself

while his phone is on silent, the screen is always lighting up bc kalim loves to blow up his phone with messages

he can’t mute kalim in case the dude gets himself in a problem, so he’s dealing with links and images of dolphins while his class is learning about the components of pixie dust

rarely responds to these but will send occasional “cool”s or “kalim please focus in class” texts

the secret thing is, he is very fascinated by these links. educates himself with dolphin trivia, or whatever topic kalim has been interested in lately, for their future conversations

but he'd rather get buried alive than say that to his face

Vil

creative as hell he will find script ideas out of every class hes in (just like me fr <3)

smells so good. unbelievably good. its probably his own fragrance. it’s not on sale yet.

half the school has a crush on him but no one is brave enough to approach him like cater is

celebrity status AND dorm leader? thats like VIP status on top of VIP status. understandably, few try to approach him with further intentions than a fan/classmate

not cater though! he says he wants to take a pic with vil for the clout but thats definitely a farce. vil knows it, and cater knows vil knows it.

he got them teacher heels. you know those? you hear him long before you see him and you fix up your behaviour too. the power of those teacher heels.

non-pomefiore students either hate them or are so damn jealous of them. you’re getting coached by the vil schoenheit?? you get to see his face and hear his voice every day????

vil’s seen too many people sneak in and try to pass off as his dorm members. he’s amused but like, you can visit you know? just make sure to inform your dorm leader and go back before curfew.

highly advises these students to leave everything as they found it. no dorm would tolerate students who cannot pick up after themselves

if somehow, these brave ass students ignore this advice, vil’s making them wash all 200 of pomefiores windows. inside and outside :) yes, this also includes the mosiacs

if you get this man for a presentation project, you’re either extremely lucky or very unlucky

on the bright side, he can lead a lot of the spoken parts but dont expect him to do it all. he expects you to know your parts and speak clearly

on the bright side again, he’s very thorough with research and citing. your profs love him

on the down side you cannot last minute rush this, if you were thinking of it. while he allows some leeway because emergencies and life happens, he will hunt you down so it will be finished at least a day prior. that is a threat.

Rook

knows your entire natal chart

serves u personal asstrology horoscopes. says shit like “your dad is back in your life because mars is in retrograde” and he’s right. why is mars doing the renagade and why is it so powerful???

draws the most detailed, obscure abstract art or the most realistic rendition of a real life object no in-between

was so excited to see leona in his class he has so much to tell him about his day, and what vils doing, and what new discovery science club made that week, and the pretty birds he saw this morning-

confidently writing his neige/vil fanfic in class. or self insert. really doesn’t matter because its actually written so beautifully he could convert you to any kind of ship or belief

in fact he most likely submitted fanfic for an assignment and gaslit the profs into thinking he went above and beyond what was required of him

this is an artistic vision, a romantic metaphor for the tale of the sleeping kingdom. the curse is actually symbolized through her crown!!

in the autumn he picks up a random leaf from the ground and it’s his muse for the day. you look over and theres some kid with a leaf on his desk? don’t mind him

reported on the first week for crawling around on all fours to get the optimal photo angle

he still crawls around for the photo he’s just sneakier now

a kid who got exposed to creepypasta and has never been the same since

he has the old deviantart account to prove it

unintentionally kickstarts so many rumours because no one knows anything about his life before nrc

there’s ongoing theories that rook is secretly a vampire, or a descendant of royalty, or an undercover spy

the rumours were the worst during his freshman year because his behaviour was jarring to most students. rook had celebrity syndrome then, where people think he’s dating everyone he interacts with

though, self nicknamed “hunter of love”, confusion is bound to happen. does it mean homewrecking? harem collecting? matchmaking?? no one knows and no one is brave enough to find out

the joint cracker in class. leona hates him so much. one more crack and rook is gonna end up on the news

Epel

a little bit emo, bros been going through it all year give him some time

has and continues to paint his nails black but switched to colours in the second year

calls his phases in his life “eras” and whoever he was two months ago is not him anymore!! the past is NOT today!

found a way to shake the vending machine to get the snacks to fall down

the loud ass freshie during lunch. believed he was too cool for the cafeteria and ate in the halls

unfortunately he is once again, Too Loud and gets scolded by the teachers a lot

feral. absolutely feral. he has bit people and they have the bite marks to prove it

misgendering? insulting his friends? just overall being disrespectful? square up bitch.

the first years have a hard time wrangling in epel and deuce. pray for them.

still initiates snowball fights even after they got banned because the ignihyde students built machines to mass produce snowballs

jerked off the dildo they were supposed to practice putting a condom on. vargas is so so so disappointed

has an ungodly amount of deodorant in his bag and all of them are from vil

does he use them? hell no, they smell like old people. he has his own max spray. what do you mean it smells bad? this is what manly macho men smell like you wouldn’t get it

kicked a broken soap dispenser into the toilet. when asked, he’ll tell you that he doesn’t know what came over him

competitive in kahoot because he has an inappropriate username

nothing screams victory like standing on the 1st place podium as "ben dover"

being classmates with him is like, this dude next to you is making a portrait in minecraft pixel art??? what does this have to do with the god of mischief’s reign???

gotta admit it tho, he’s pretty damn talented.. wait what was the prof saying again😅?

Idia

theatre kid

but like, stage crew theatre kid

once hes got the drama kid complex in him, everyone whos not in the drama program are instantly peons to him

they just arent as fun, they dont understand the references, and they are overall total normies

attends class through his tablet most of the time so, in that era we had of online school, i think we all know idia was not actually paying attention

100% muted his classes to catch up on the episodes he missed

lectures? sure sure, he’ll record them and take notes later. now shh he’s hiding behind his laptop screen to play rhythm games. wheres the mute button irl???

starts attending class more frequently to bond over rhythm games with cater. if you hear two people in the back speaking some foreign language it’s probably them.

in fact im pretty sure that only these two will be able to understand each other with whatever strange terms and lingo they pull out of thin air

ortho is very very happy about this

one time in the bathroom, when he went to get soap to wash his hands, the fucking dispenser fell from the wall

went thru the 5 stages of grief and panic, and ended up fleeing and stressing if he would be caught and fined for this. officially the worst day of his life fr

if it was that rusty to fall from the wall, you can only assume that these people don’t wash their hands often

have you seen his lab card he’s about to drink chemicals

then again, he’s an energy drink person, so i suppose that unidentified lab chemicals arent the worst thing he’s put in his body

actually legally cannot talk to anyone because he gets overcome with a terrible affliction: he gets a crush on them :(

two days of saying hi to each other and idia is already imagining a fancy proposal

cant take that bitch anywhere

Ortho

barges into idias lectures to deliver him lunch because HE ALWAYS FORGETS IT.

sometimes he just sits and joins the class. can it be considered auditing?? hes certainly not taking notes hes just vibing

do you know who built him?? his big brother knows everything💕💕 so therefore ortho also knows lots of stuff :))

even takes the tests in that class and gets 90s on each one

all of idias classmates have such a hard time trying not to give the ortho pat pats

except cater he gets free reign because he’s always sitting by idia. they bond over music and ortho introduces synthetic tune ideas for their next club practice

unfortunately now ortho also has to remind cater to pls eat lunch. no, you cant live off on instant ramen and coffee-

freshman are escaped lab subjects and ortho is already pretty violent on his own, so ortho being a violent escaped lab subject is Not A Good Mix

don’t worry though he is very tame just don’t insult his friends

why only his friends? oh, you won’t be alive to insult his brother :)

jk, if you insult his brother you will be stuck on the “verifying file integrity” screen on 98% forever

with a gift of “lauren wants to play ;)” popup ads for life

if you really fucked up his beam is already 80% charged and ready for eradication

tinkers a lot with idia, so you will find some pretty snazzy gadgets in his bag that look straight out of a spy movie

laser pens, glitter bombs, and tracking devices!

the more dangerous gadgets are already programmed into his person, so don’t worry, these gadgets are just toys :D

the other first years get their hands on the pen and graffiti drawings of cr*wley as the princess sofia the first are engraved on the side of the school building

cr*wley does not recognize this as the insult it is, he’s “touched that his students think him worthy of princess status”

Malleus

no proof that he is even on school property

sometimes shows up to his classes, sometimes doesn’t, but it’s enough to guarantee a pass into the next grade

you know those kids that just stick by their mothers? yeah he’s either that with lilia or nowhere at all

once had almost tripped down the stairs and instead of facing that shame he decided to hover down

if you see some random dude hovering around don’t mind him he just Does That

has a notebook to jot down ideas for his next self-published book on gargoyles

he has so many ideas and is so passionate. hes just brimming to the lid with lore someone pls talk to him

casually talking to gao gao dragon and making doodles of his friend. takes him out on walks and shows him all the cool statues

was delighted when you got urself a tamagotchi so gaogao dragon can have a friend

grim is less than amused but knows better than to diss malleus

god forbid you ever be put in a group project with him you will not be able to reach him ever. you get his part in about 3 hours before your presentation.

the rare times he gets to join the dorm leader meetings he spaces out a lot. his head is in the clouds bro

when he’s back on his walks he loves to reiterate to lilia what he saw or what happened. sometimes questions about things he hears. whether lilia gives him a proper answer or not is up for debate

“I believe I saw a rainbow today. We don’t have those back at home, I wonder why that is.”

“There’s a story that the leprechaun fairy lurks at the end of these rainbows searching for a game of tag. Anyone who catches him gets one wish granted.”

“Hm, I’ll have to venture to the end of the rainbow next time to meet this ‘leprechaun fairy’. He would be a wonderful birthday present for Silver.”

Lilia

addresses the teachers by their first names and gets away with it

not because the teachers are okay with it, but because lilia speaks like hes sm older than them. sometimes even the profs feel obligated to call lilia “sir”

the diasomnia dorm members see lilia with a new variation of “#1 best dad” mugs, hats, and shirts every week. he says they’re gifts but who is giving them???

lilias got two pairs of the exact same shoes in two different colours so he can mix and match

lilia also bought two different shoes to mix and match. and by mix and match i mean hes got crocs on his left foot and converse on his right

not like anyone can rlly pay too much attention to it. his shoes are the least of ppls concerns bc hes ALWAYS UPSIDE DOWN

attends silver’s and malleus’ parent teacher interviews as their dad and refuses to take any objections from the staff

accidentally created life during the culinary crucible and jade wanted to keep the crawling little slug of mystery for his terrariums

since that day, lilia has Officially been banned from taking the class again

everyone but lilia is aware of this ban

casually doing assignments while under the influence with full confidence

worst part is is that he gets better grades while doing this bc his sober self is even more nonsensical than his drunk or high self

history class is so funny. it’s like they took the history and made it into a childrens play: censored, skirting around words, along with fake propaganda!

casually drops the craziest lore in history. hes "correcting" trein on his lessons and informing him that the queen of Andalasia was not even from their world. her magic portal connects to a world with dimensions and laws more outlandish than that of the Queen of Hearts

lilia does not clarify which world this is nor how he knows. source: just trust him

knows alumni from way back. these alumni in question have no clue who the hell lilia is

NRC reunions consist of lilia greeting people like they’re friends and the alumni pick apart their brains trying to “remember” this alleged classmate of theirs

Silver

has perfected the technique of silent snoring

it doesn’t matter that there are 4 espresso shots in his cup he’s still zonked out by 3rd period

ofc he tried a method of putting in headphones and playing some metal music but the music was so loud thru his pearpods it was disrupting the class </3

deliberately sits next to kalim to see if his energy can rub off on himself and it worked for the first...30 minutes

yeah, kalim has a lot of energy but you know what he also has? a nice voice. snork mimimimi

he puts in extra effort to stay awake before animal linguistics however

doesn’t really need animal linguistics to understand his critter friends, but the more he learns how to communicate with them, the better, right?

when silver forgets his notes, a few moments later, a bird is delivering the sheets to him

they may not always be the right ones, but awww that’s adorable

always keeps nuts, seeds, and fruit in a little tupperware container for his furry friends <3

very passionate about environmental safety and care. if he catches you littering he will remind you why he’s mastered the art of the sword

attracts so many animals he even attracted this cat beastman. he’s purple! they just started talking and really hit it off

silver doesn’t know his name but leaves notes by his window for him. they keep exchanging notes like penpals :D

sometimes the notes even float towards him and boom, the kitty appears!

only person who knows about his penpal is lilia and lilia is acting so cryptic about the cat’s identity???

silver wonders if he can fit in a locker and he definitely let the intrusive thoughts win bc he climbed inside and closed the gate.

sebek locks the lock for silver to get the “full experience” but it’s been 20 minutes and he doesn’t know how to blast open the locker without hurting silver

honestly tho, it kind of feels like those coffins from orientation. don’t mind him. if he can tune out sebeks voice, the dim lighting and enclosed space feels very comforting in a crib kind of way

Sebek

this goes one or two ways: he shouts the answers instead of putting his hand up or he raises his hand before speaking long after graduating

librarians hate him but he does have marvelous taste in books

he would be fantastic at writing essays because he has so much to say and is very opinionated

english teachers love him, his classmates dont!

sometimes lilia tells sebek stories about the past and his only source was “ive been there” but the “a” in “a. liddel” did not stand for ass. his profs scolded him for saying it. lilia explain pls

hes way too gullible. keep him away from jade

never start anything with "did you know", you will find sebek drinking powerade and monster to test the rumour that you could grow wings if you combined them

took a dare to be handcuffed to jack for the day. the first years blew it up on magicam, its a trending nrc challenge now.

but at least jacks good influence is rubbing off on sebek. hes more mindful of jacks sensitive hearing but that won’t stop him from dragging poor jack around the school looking for malleus

his phone is always going off in class. its not that he doesnt know how to silence it, he needs to keep it on in case of emergencies with malleus😡😡😡

the friend that tells you all your crushes are ugly and out of your league.

he’s had a lifetime of having to see silver’s terrible taste in people

and malleus’ no taste in people, as he should

actually, it’s just his adopted brother that has shit taste in people. up your standards, silver, love at first sight doesn’t exist

personally victimizes scarabia student B for distracting you from your studies

if it’s not jack, sebek is the mom friend

speaking of moms, he bonds with deuce over loving their moms <3. they brag about their moms in the most loving way possible

yells at ace for calling them mamas boys and tells him that he will be struck by lightning on 3:02AM on a thursday

at exactly 3:02AM, he texts ace with something that truly looks like the worst kind of detailed, enhanced vocabulary copypasta imaginable

all ace responded with was a no bitches meme and no sebek hasn’t recovered

#im just going off the wiki to see who shares a class with who #AND SOME PPL WERE DONE SO DIRTY LMAOOO POOR IDIA LEONA AND TREY #highschool or college? no clue so i slapped the two together #lets be honest though college kids are just even more unhinged high schoolers now 10x more broke bc they use their adult money on merch #i can confirm one thing tho i was doin assignments while drinking :D #originally it was yuu then i replaced it with you because yuu is supposed to be the mc but the one playing them is us???#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland headcanons #riddle rosehearts #trey clover #cater diamond #ace trappola #deuce spade #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi #jack howl #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #floyd leech #kalim al asim #jamil viper #vil shoenheit #rook hunt #epel felmier #idia shroud #ortho shroud #malleus draconia #lilia vanrouge #silver vanrouge #whoever had that silver tag last time is a genius. because you are RIGHT.

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adorable-deku · 4 years ago

Text

an au where izuku just. never fucking appears. bc he was raised by afo halfway across the country and therefore never runs into all might. he also has his fathers quirk so hes homeschooled for the most part. hes not rly involved in his fathers international criminal empire but he's also not uninvolved. hes part of it but like. on the fringes. he mostly does his own things but uses resources from afo or has goals that correlate in one way or another

hes generally more of a vigilante and has kind of a critical view of heroes but still loves all might bc hes one of those who's still like. a pure hero. even his merch sales he donates to various charities.

he likes all might even after the man loses his power in his fight w afo (the shigaraki stuff still happens). he gets real mad at his father after that like "he was one of the good ones" as if afo fucking cares

"he was on his way out anyway" afo shrugs

izuku ignores him for like a month

anyway, quirkless all might doesnt rly care for having bodyguards. it feels patronizing and hes not rly used to it, and his successor (mirio or kirishima) cant be around all the time

he gets kidnapped bc they hit him over the head while hes in the middle of a coughing fit. he wakes up to a very torture dungeon looking room in a warehouse type of setting. theres another guy in the room but he doesnt look much like a torturer

toshinori figures hes just the underling they were willing to sacrifice if he turned out to have one last blast of one for all.

the guy seems almost sympathetic to toshinori. almost. he wont let him go but he does apologize for the discomfort and doesnt rly bother him. toshinori wonders offhandedly why he works for this group

an alarm goes off

something breached the security system

the guy in the room figures someone will take care of it, theyre pretty deep into the base

then they hear the screaming. its on and off but theres definitely something very bad happening. the worst isnt the screaming but the silence that comes afterwards

then the guy gets a phone call. whoevers on the other line tell him to "RUN. FUCK ALL MIGHT, LEAVE HIM BEHIND JUST GET OUT-" and then the phone cuts out

the warehouse is silent now. there are no more screams. the guy is too scared to leave and toshinori is still tied up.

they hear footsteps coming to the door. someone knocks politely and asks to be let in. they are not let in.

they knock harder, "please?"

still no response.

"fine, i guess i'll let myself in"

and both all might and the villain underling shivering in the corner watch as the door is crushed in on itself by the strength of whatever is behind it

then whatever is behind it strolls in and its just. a fucking teenage boy. with the messiest green hair and a tshirt that says villain costume and bloodstained sweatpants

#bnha #midoriya izuku #deku #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #villain deku #dfo #dad for one #bnha au

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liptonsbabe · 3 years ago

Text

My dear [S.U]

Sam Uley x Fem! reader!

Summary: “Did you have a hard day? You can complain to me. Did something make you almost cry? It’s alright, look at me. Starting from now, think of three really good things: the warm air, the dazzling weather, and me outside your window. I told you, you can see brightness only when it gets dark”

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, death, heart dissease and such. English not my mother language so pls let me know if something’s wrong

gif’s not mine

"Sorry to bother you, Chief," you said following the man's moves through your house. Charlie Swan was carrying a reclining chair with ease leaving it in the middle of the living room while you stood at the bottom of the stairs with your little four year old daughter in your arms. Cassie was exhausted. It had been a long plane ride and a bit more road travel, which knocked your little girl out as soon as you set foot in your new home in Forks. It was a long time since you had seen that place but of course you remembered Charlie Swan as kind as he had always been. Even when you were just starting to think about moving back to Forks he was the first to help you get a safe home for you and your daughter. You remembered looking up for Charlie's old phone number hoping it was still the same and when you dialed and heard the man's voice behind the phone you sighed in relief. At last life seemed to be smiling on you after a long time and Charlie was quick to offer to help you if you decided to return to town.

He told you about a house for sale next to his. The owner was elderly and preferred to live with one of her children and earn income from the house near the forest that could be bought by curious tourists so Charlie convinced her to sell you the house and at a lower price than she was originally asking because the house needed some repairs that he could do. So you thought no more about it and packed your things to return to Forks after the horrible years you had lived in Brownsville.

Charlie picked you up at the airport in his police cruiser and avoided turning on the siren cause Cassie was already half asleep in your arms when you got off the plane and he didn't want to disturb her, but Cassie had the strength to stay awake long enough to make him promise that next time he would turn on the siren as they drove around town.

The truth was that Charlie Swan was an angel. He arranged everything so you would have a quick return and even now he was bothering to get all your stuff out of the moving truck so you wouldn't have the worry of doing it later.

"Nonsense, I'm happy to do it. Besides, it's my day off."

"And that's why you shouldn't be doing all this. I know vacations for police officers are non-recurring."

"I'm the chief, I have certain privileges."

"Still."

"Well, I wasn't going to let you do this on your own" he replied, carrying the boxes with your and Cassie's clothes. He set them down on the kitchen island and leaned back against them to rest. You walked over and settling Cassie better in your arms you sat down in one of the chairs Charlie had given you "Billy and Jacob will be here in a little while to get all this settled so you can have your first night here without any problems."

"I still think it's too much. Stop spoiling me like this, Charlie, you even gave me part of your dining room!"

"Ah, it was nothing. Bella and I recently bought a new one and we didn't want to take it to the dump cause it still has some use. The table is made out of good wood and the chairs are freshly upholstered. Look at it, it suits perfectly!"

"That's not the point" you said, glancing sideways at the newly arranged dining room near the kitchen "The point is that you're doing a lot for me and it's not fair."

"Your father would have done the same for Bella if it had been about me" he replied reaching for a bottle of water from the installed cooler. A sudden tension appeared in the room as you both remembered what your father's life was like in Forks "Jackson was my best friend for a long time and when he died...I promised him that I would seek you out and support you as if you were my own and that is precisely what I am doing."

"You wouldn't have if I hadn't left and hadn't abandoned him. He died because of me"

"That's not true."

"He was left alone when I left. He died of grief"

"He died from the heart valve disease he had. Your father suffered it from a young age and even so, you had a right to look for your mother"

"I wish I hadn't" you murmured, cooing to Cassie who was beginning to get annoyed by the noise of your voices "I abandoned my father and didn't find anything worthwhile"

"Well, that doesn't matter anymore, stop tormenting yourself and thinking you killed your father. I was with him. He loved you and he died peacefully, remember him as the good man he was, child."

You sighed. Cassie went back to sleep peacefully

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I know it's not the same, but you have me now and I'd rather die than let you leave again, do you hear me?"

"Easy, I have no intention of doing that" you half smiled "I'm running away from the tracks I left in Brownsville, I have no desire to go back under any circumstances. What I'm worried about is that the tracks won't rub off and show the way to the one I'm hiding from"

Charlie clicked his tongue.

"That should be the least of your problems. I have a gun and I know how to use it. He'll have to deal with that first before he gets to you."

"Thanks, Charlie."

"Although, if Chief Swan is as good at shooting as he is at fishing then you'll have to learn how to handle a gun yourself, honey" a voice appeared from the doorway followed by a young man's laughter. You looked up meeting the unmistakable face of Billy Black next to his son Jacob. Billy entered your house being pushed by Jacob leaving him next to Charlie as he rolled his eyes "Be a little more modest, buddy."

"There's nothing wrong with bragging once in a while."

"Yeah, but you do it all the time."

"Shut up."

"Make me"

Charlie got up from his spot lunging towards Billy who ina swift movement spun the wheels of his chair avoiding Charlie's attack thus beginning a chase through the house dodging the obstacles of boxes on the floor. Jacob laughed taking Charlie's place in front of you.

"I thought we were coming to help with the move, not to watch them play like preschoolers?"

"Me too. I think Cassie will get along with them."

"Your little girl will beat them up right away"

"Probably."

You giggled quietly avoiding waking Cassie as Charlie and Billy finished their game to go back to the truck and get the last boxes, then you could finally get everything settled at home. Jacob smiled, looking at you

"I'm Jacob. You may not remember me but..."

"Are you kidding? I used to give you the bottle."

"No you didn't."

"Of course i did! My dad used to visit your parents a lot and he used to take me with him. You were a newborn baby and I used to volunteer to help Sarah feed you. You were the worst baby ever. You cried too loudly and squeezed the bottle with your swollen gums. Then you'd throw the milk back and you used to get really messy. Your poop was the smelliest I could remember."

"Don't say that!" he replied, embarrassed "I see you do remember me."

"And Quill and Embry. Tell me, are they still the same old fools?"

"They haven't changed at all."

You laughed.

"Perfect."

"Ok, these are the last boxes" announced Charlie walking into the house carrying with him a small box with Cassie's toys. Billy came in behind with some boxes on his lap "I think now we can get everything organized and finishing in time for you to get some rest."

"I'll clean up the little girl's room" offered Jacob standing up "then I'll fill the closet and set up the bed so you can lay her down, you must be tired from carrying her around for so long. is that okay with you?" he asked you. You nodded

"Yes, thank you Jacob."

"You're welcome. Give me that" The boy took the boxes off his father's legs and picked up Charlie's, all with one arm and with the other he carried the folding base of the bed. You opened your eyes wide

"Easy, big guy, when did you get so strong?"

"I don't know. It just... showed up" he replied disappearing up the stairs

"It showed up" said Charlie "Ah, I hope shows up something like that to me"

"Don’t hold your breath as that happens" Billy joked.

"I should do something for lunch" you said trying to stand up. You were going to put Cassie down on one of the couches and put some cushions around her, but Charlie won't let you. Billy agreed

"None of that. We'll order something."

"But..."

"Nothing" interrupted Billy "We'll buy pizza"

"You guys really need to stop doing this" you reproached. Billy picked up his phone

"Ah, sorry, you had to say that earlier, I'm already on the call."

"You guys are unbelievable"

Charlie smiled

"We know. oh I'll get Bella, she hasn't said hello yet" Charlie walked out before you could say anything else and closed the door dismissing the moving truck. Billy smiled complicitly, placed the order, gave the address and left the cell phone on the kitchen bar

"Dinner is served."

"Thank you."

"They had children's menu, so I ordered it for Cassie. I hear their brownies are delicious. Maybe I'll steal it for myself."

"I'll keep it as a secret"

Billy nodded with a smile and as the food arrived you chatted animatedly about what had happened in your absence, he also told you things about your father and all the times they went fishing together before his death. You were enjoying Billy's stories when time began to pass and Charlie didn’t return with Bella as he promised. Jacob was finishing Cassie's room and when the pizza arrived he came downstairs immediately, asking about Charlie's whereabouts.

"He went to get Bella, but he hasn't come back yet."

"That's strange, his house is right next door."

"Maybe something came up for him at the station" Billy shrugged.

You decided to wait for the Swans to eat, but seeing that they didn't show up Jacob offered to investigate what was going on when suddenly the door opened and a very worried Charlie Swan walked in wiping the sweat from his brow

"Bella’s missing."

"What?"

Jacob suddenly became alert and Billy remained static in his place. You felt a knot in your stomach. While riding in the police cruiser that morning, you had heard something about tourist disappearances and wild creatures killing people in the woods and you feared Bella might be in that kind of danger. You were never close, but you knew her and occasionally went out together to talk or share a movie night. You still hadn't seen her after the years you were away and the least you wanted was for something bad to happen to her.

"Did you talk to any of her friends?"

"She was with them during classes, but they lost track of her on her way here. I'll call the Cullens, maybe..."

"You didn't know?" asked Billy "The Cullens left Forks, Charlie."

"Where did they go?"

"We'll find her" encouraged Jacob "But we have to go out and look for her before dark."

"I'll go with you" you said "I'll take Cassie to her room and..."

"No, no, stay" Charlie asked you "I left a note for Bella at home in case she comes back she’ll know that she has to come here and wait for me. If she does, call me right away, please" you nodded

"I'll call Harry and ask him to join along with the boys" Billy said and wheeled away down the hallway holding the phone to his ear. Charlie and Jacob left and you decided to take Cassie to the room, go down to the kitchen and make some coffee for the Brigadiers and Bella. If she was alone in the woods and the night was catching up with her then she was going to need something hot to get her strength back.

You hoped with all your heart that she was all right. For her, for Charlie.

Hours passed one after another with no sign of Bella. Your driveway was carpeted with people and police cruisers specially brought by Charlie to search for Bella. The entire town was scoured by officers from the early hours of the night, yet there was no trace of the chief's daughter. You decided to join the search taking the opportunity that Sue Clearwater was playing with Cassie - who was awakened by the ruckus of the patrol cars - asking if it was a good idea to search for her in the woods, but Harry refused.

"It's too dangerous, we don't know what might be among the trees. We can't risk losing any more people."

You were about to object his words when Jacob came up to you putting a hand on your shoulder telling you that he was right and that the forest was something not to be taken lightly. So you gave up, deciding to go back inside and refill the coffee pot when Jacob alerted Charlie that someone had found Bella.

A tall man walked in a straight line toward the Brigadiers where Billy and Harry watched him with restrained relief. He had a stocky frame and Bella unconscious in his arms seemed to weigh no more than a feather. His cropped black hair was messy and his lack of a shirt told you that the icy cold of the city didn't affect him at all

You knew him. His face was very familiar yet strange at the same time. You were back in Forks after a few years, but you knew that no one could change that much in that period of time.

Sam Uley was holding Bella and Charlie took her in his arms as he came out of the stupor and relief of having found his daughter. The Brigadiers sighed in unison and Billy thanked them all. You wanted to do something, to approach Charlie, to ask him if he needed help with Bella, but your eyes were caught in Sam’s.

They were dark, wild, like the forest behind him. You remembered him perfectly.

Before you left Forks you two were close friends and came to like each other as something more, but your leaving ended that and what you might have been up to that point.

You tried to look away, but then Sam's huge body began to shake, his knees buckled and he fell to the ground resting his hands on the dirt. Harry Clearwater reacted and approached him asking if he was okay.

"Tired" you heard him whisper causing you to shudder. Harry helped him up, whispered something in his ear and after taking one last look at you he disappeared into the woods. Harry walked back towards you.

"I thought the forest was dangerous"

"For us."

"What do you mean?"

Harry looked at you. Then he looked at his wife with Cassie in her arms standing at the doorway . He smiled.

"You'll find out soon, child"

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royalydamned-archive · 3 years ago

Text

Safe and sound

(Abner Krill x Reader)

|AN|: I theoretically wasn't lying when I said it's gonna take two weeks. It did. I just hated it so much I rewrote it like dozen times. So, since I found out I can't write fluff (this was a struggle oops) I have two versions of this hopefully that'd make up for the long time waiting. I just have to edit the second one.

Request: hey are you still taking requests for abner krill/ polka-dot man? if so could you write something fluffy with the reader having healing powers?

for: @deuxmi-lune

Summary: No matter what happens, Abner knows he can always come home to his spouse. They can always take his pain away.

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

You shouldn't have been sleeping so soundly, not when he hadn't returned yet, but it was so late, such a peaceful night and he was going to be alright. He always was. It was something that he did – miraculously tunring out alright, alive, as if your prayers to nowhere had been protecting him from any damage.

It wasn't too long ago, since he had decided to be a hero, but ever since then he got hurt more often than before. More often than not. The band on your finger bound you to his unconditional support and love, yet everytime he limped towards you it felt more like a promise to help him destroy himself. What was a happy man, if he was dead?

It was hard to tell when you fell asleep, but you knew exactly when you woke up – a loud crashing sound came from the front door, jerking you awake. At first, your vision was blurry, the numbers on the alarm clock by your bed blending together into one smudge of red light, and when you rubbed your eyes, gaining some focus back into them, the time had just turned into 3:28am.

Only the worst came into your mind, you knew he was out unil the sun rose, until he knew nothing he could take care of lurked in the shadows and under the veil of night. Something must had gone wrong, having him back so soon.

Swiftly, you bolted out of the bed, barefoot running down the creaking wooden stairs towards the entrance, steadying yourself against the walls as you didn't bother to turn on the lights. He was home, and he wasn't alright. You felt it in your bones, whether it was some kind of sixth sense or just something that came with the gift you beared. You had to get to him, what if only seconds mattered?

"Abner," you breathed out, running to his aid when you saw him clutching his side in pain, blood seeping though his clothes and fingers. He was supporting himself against a wall, his skin pale glistening with sweat from all the effort and pain he seemed to be in. "What happened?"

As a response, he laughed nervously, wincing right after as the action sent a sharp pang through his body, and leaned his entire weight on you once you caught him. "Sorry for the rug," he mumbled quietly, gesturing towards the crimson stains of blood slowly drying off beneath his feet. That wouldn't be coming off. "We just bought it."

His legs were weak, one of his ankles presumably sprained or broken as he refused to put almost any weight on it when you lead him into your living room with one of his arms draped over your shoulders, gently helping him lie down on the couch. A sound of protest left his mouth, the blood already spilling all over the fluffy decorative blanket he excitedly bought a few months back when he saw it on sale. "Where have you been? Who did this?"

"I don't really know, it was dark." What would you even do if he gave you an answer? Hunted them down? Threatened them? Hurt them just as they hurt him? What an irony of life would that be, born a healer, made a killer.

"Just say here," you commanded your husband, and quickly ran to the kitchen, fumbling in one of the drawers as you were searching for some scissors, the stress making your hands shake and fingers almost numb, unable to grasp anything properly. When you came back to him, kneeling by his side on the floor, you quickly cut his shirt revealing a deep bleeding gash on his side.

A sharp gasp escaped your lips.

"They said it's just a scratch," Abner smiled nervously at your horrified face.

"God, you're so stupid sometimes," you muttered, eyes fixated on the wound – deep and wide, nothing like a bullet or any knife you knew could have done.

"Thats's why you're the smart one."

You placed your hand just a bit above the cut flesh, feeling the heat radiating from his hot blood, reaching out towards his body with your shaken mind. There was only one way of making it better, of saving him. You had to focus, but the more you reminded yourself to stay calm, the harder it was. The more intense the panick rising in your heart got.

Before your eyes was familiar sight. The one of cells slowly coming back together, merging into what they had once been. Sometimes it didn't work out, and the results of that were all over your husband's body. The crooked scars or pulling skin, yet he never seemed to complain or point it out. Other times it was perfect. The traces of anything that could have once been there, just smooth pale skin you knew so well. Nobody could tell. You prayed this was the case as well as it would be a nasty mark to bear.

"Have I ever told you, how beautiful you are like this?" Abner whispered, breaking your focus. At that, as your palm jerked above the wound, the skin knotted together clumsily as it tried to cover the gash, creating a dark prominent scar, agressive and yet another reminder of your failure.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry," you cursed and ran your fingers down the freshly healed spot. That was exactly what you didn't want.

"Hey, it's alright," he smiled at you, taking your hand it his. His palms were harsh and callous, yet comforting and warm as they held you. They always were. Hold as gentle as his soul, as genuine as his smile. "I don't mind the scars."

"You scared me tonight, much more than usual," you admitted quietly, gaze still fixated on the spot where not a few seconds ago a terrifying cut mocked you and the power you had carried.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want you to be a hero." Abner squeezed your hand in reassurance, but it felt more like a plea. To not try and convince him to give up, to hold on just a little longer. "What if once I won't be able to heal you fast enough?"

"I'm not scared of that." His hand came up to your face, trailing just the tip of his index finger down your cheek, so gently it almost felt like nothing at all. "Here I'll always be safe."

"Safe and sound," you tried to return him smile, but it felt forced. There wasn't a mood for smiling just yet.

He shifted a bit on the couch, leaving enough space for you to squeeze right next to him. Abner laid his head on your chest, tightly hugging your middle like it was a safety line. "I promise to stay alive, until you come and get me."

"How about you stay out of the harm's way and not rely on me?" He just hummed in response and lifted his face from your chest, catching the worried look in your eyes.

"We wouldn't be a team then." From up-close, you could finally catch a proper glimpse of his face, the cuts and bruises you couldn't see at first in the weak light of your living room.

With a slow motion, you traced the injuries on his face with your thumb, the cuts disappearing and bruises fading in the wake of your touch. Magical, as Abner would so often describe it. Once you were done, he completely hid his face in your chest, pulling you closer even when it wasn't possible anymore, seeking the comfort you were and had always been the promise of.

"It's alright," you whisper into his hair, planting a quick kiss on the top of his head, one of your hands stroking calming circles into his back. "I've got you."

"And I've got you," he mumbled into the smooth fabric of your pyjamas. The warmth of his body on yours calmed you down, at least a bit, as you knew he was there, far from harm's way – in your arms.

"You still probably have a broken ankle."

"Later, I don't want you to let go." So, you didn't. Just held him tighter as he gradually fell asleep in your arms and you got a one last glance at a clock not too far away.

It was exactly 3.50 in the morning, when you two fell asleep, together at last, holding each other so tightly as if one or the other was to disappear.

#abner krill x reader #abner krill x you #polkadot man x reader #polkadot man x you #abner krill fanfiction

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sparklepool101 · 2 years ago

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Burgers and Fires

[ Welcome to the CotC fic I finished at 12:40 something am last night because the new episode made me emotional lmao. Spoilers for Craig to the Future below! ]

:readmore:

“Thank you Herkleton! That was the last song of tonight. Exits are located in the back, along with our merch stands wink wink. Have a safe trip home and a rocking night!”

The crowd cheered one last time, before turning and heading back to the lobby, right where Craig was waiting. Kit nudged his arm.

“Alright, last wave of sales.” She said.

“Yep,” Craig said, staring at the doors. Omar and JP had just entered the lobby, laughing together. Kelsey and Stacks were nowhere to be seen.

“I can handle these guys, you go on.” Kit said. Craig jumped a bit before looking back at her. He took in her sideways smile and felt his brow furrow.

“Are you sure? The crowd is bound to be bigger now--”

“Come on Craig, I know you’ve been antsy all night. Go ask them to hang out or something, I can handle the crowd.”

“All right, if you’re sure…” Craig His chest felt like it was full of ants as he approached the duo. It had ended so awkwardly before the concert, but he couldn’t let this chance slip away. Their group had been steadily growing apart since JP entered high school, and he missed his friends so much.

Craig bit the bullet and called out to them. “Hey, JP! Omar!” The two turned their heads.

“Hey, Craig!” JP said, walking over to meet him. “Man, did you see Katie’s trick up there?”

“Nah, I was back at the merch stand.”

“Why?” Omar asked, slinging his arm around JP’s shoulder. “Are they paying ya’?”

“Oh, kind of? David actually commissioned me to make the T-shirts over there and he asked if I’d help man the stand as well.” Craig rubbed the back of his neck.

“Dude really? That’s sick!” Omar said, face lighting up.

“Aw come here!” JP pulled Craig into a hug. “I’m so proud of you man! I’ve definitely gotta buy one now. Babe, you still have my wallet?”

“Right here.” Omar tossed the small leather wallet over to JP, who caught it in one hand.

“Be right back!” JP rushed into the crowd gathered around the stand, leaving Craig and Omar alone,

A few beats of silence passed before Craig gathered up the courage to talk. “So, you guys doing anything after this?”

“Mmm probably just hanging out nearby, maybe grab a bite to eat, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Moment of truth. “You want to come with me to get some burgers?”

“I’m down for that.” Omar smiled. “It’s been way too long since we’ve hung out.” Craig smiled back and put his hands in his pockets. They chatted a bit more while waiting for JP to come back, mostly about teachers at school.

“Oh yeah, no Mrs. Denadio was the worst. One time, she assigned a whole project and only gave us two days to work on it.”

“No. Don’t tell me that’s the final project she’s been talking about all semester.”

“Good luck, man.”

“Hey, guys!” JP called as he ran over, wearing the t-shirt over his sweater. “What do y’all think?” He posed a bit, showing off the shirt.

“As handsome as always, babe. Craig wanted to go grab some food with us, you down for that?”

“Oh absolutely! Let’s go celebrate your first step on the road to fame.

It was odd how easily they fell back into a familiar pattern of banter. (But not at all unwelcome.) Craig felt like he was ten again, walking alongside two of his best friends as they chatted. It just stung remembering that there was only one redhead with them now.

The burger place’s ‘open 24-hours’ sign glowed a neon blue onto the trio’s faces. JP held the door open for the other two as they entered the building. It smelled like over-salted fries and grilled meat, with just a few people sitting at tables.

“Welcome, what can I get you three?” The cashier looked like they wanted to be anywhere else, especially with the huge eye bags they had.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake,” Craig said.

“And add two number three combos to that,” Omar said, pulling out his wallet.

“I can pay for my stuff,” Craig said.

“No way man, I’ll cover tonight.” Omar winked at him and passed a card over to the cashier.

“Thanks.”

“Alright, here’s your receipt. We’ll get the food out in a bit.” The trio stepped back from the register. JP leaned against a pillar while Omar grabbed their cups and went to the soda fountain. Pulling out his phone to text his parents, Craig shot a quick message to the family group chat telling them where he was.

An electronic bell signified that the front door had opened again, and Craig looked up. Kelsey and Stacks walk in hand in hand, Kelsey was rambling about something while Stacks watched her with adoring eyes. Craig felt his heart seize for a moment. The last time he had talked to Kelsey, like really talked to her, was back in middle school, and when they bumped into each other at the concert, she was so quick to find a reason to leave.

“Hey, Kels!” JP called out. Kelsey and Stacks both looked over. Stacks smiled and waved, but for a brief moment, Kelsey looked scared, which terrified Craig more than anything. (Because if he got back in touch with JP and Omar without her, it would never feel right. There would always be something missing.)

“Hi JP! Fancy seeing you here.” Stacks said as she led Kelsey over to the two of them. “You bought one of their shirts?”

“Duh! I had to, especially since ol’ Craiggy boy did the art.” JP boasted, gesturing at Craig who giggled at the old nickname and praise.

Kelsey looked at Craig with wide eyes. “You designed those?”

“Uh, y-yeah.”

“Dude! Those look so good! I didn’t know that you could draw that good! I mean, I knew that you could draw well but, like,” Kelsey started rambling, scrambling for the right words.

“What she means is,” Stacks placed her spare hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “The shirts look really good, Craig!”

“Thanks.” Craig and Kelsey smiled at each other for a moment before looking away again.

“You want to sit with us?” Craig finally asked, bridging the gap.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s get our food first though.” Kelsey and Stacks walked over to the register.

“Dude, what was that?” Omar said, handing JP his drink. “Did you and Kelsey have a fight or something?”

“No. At least I don’t think so, it just…” Craig sighed. “We kept drifting apart once we stopped hanging out at the Creek as much, once I started high school. We never saw each other in the halls anymore, and I started working on art more seriously and got together with Vanessa, and Kelsey got into wrestling properly and started working on her book with Stacks and… I don’t know. It’s weird.”

“Well,” Omar said, after a long sip of his drink. “I think you guys will be fine.”

“Really?”

“Sometimes you don’t talk to someone for a while, life happens,” Omar shrugged. “But when you are as close as the four of us are, you can always slip right back into a conversation like no time has passed.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so. I mean, just look at us.” Omar smiled.

“Yeah, man!” JP added.

“Thanks, guys.” Craig felt a bit better, like there was hope for the old "Stump Kids" after all.

“Order forty-three!” An employee called from the counter, and Omar ran to go grab it.

“Just talk to her, Craig,” JP said. “Hey, maybe we could even go on a triple date some time!”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah, I’ll call Maney and ask if she’d be down for that, I know Omar would.”

“I’ll think about it,” Craig said. "And ask Vanessa." Omar came back with the trays of food and led the three of them to a corner booth. Soon, Kelsey and Stacks joined them with their own food.

"So, how's the book going?" JP asked before shoving some fries in his mouth.

"Relly good, actually! We're super close to finishing." Stacks said.

"And then it's getting sent off to the publishers!" Kelsey said with a cheshire grin.

"Man, that's sick! Will ya let me read it once it's done?" Omar said.

"You can buy a copy like everyone else, unless we get a punlishing deal within half a year." Stacks said, smiling slyly.

"Well then, get ready to let us read that book for free because I have no dobut you'll get that deal in no time!" JP cheered.

"Oh to have no knowledge of the publishing world." Kelsey sighed, causing Stacks to giggle.

The conversation fell into a lull, leaving the group to pick at their food. Craig glanced up at Kelsey sitting across from him, and steeled his resolve.

"I'm sorry, Kelsey."

"Huh?" Kelsey looked up at Craig, fry halfway on the way to her mouth.

"I should have... I don't know. I should have tried harder to reach out to you and stay in touch, or--"

"Craig," Kelsey cut him off. "I'm sorry too. I-- when you got to high school I was scared that you were going to stop wanting to be friends so I didn't ask you to hang out as much and--"

"No, I'm--"

"Okay, that's enough." JP cutoff Craig and put an end to the apology loop. "You two both difted apart, but neither of you are completely at fault. Yeah you two might have been able to do something differently, but what's done is done. And now we're here, eating burgers and hanging out, even after all that." JP slung his arm around Omar. "We're stuck together guys, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Besides, you promised I could officiate your wedding, Craig, and I still plan on getting that certification."

"Heh, yeah." Craig looked back around Kelsey. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too." Kelsey slipped out of her side of the booth and onto Craig's side, wrapping him into a hug. "Don't let me be dumb like that again."

"You weren't dumb, Kelsey." Craig hugged her back and rested his chin on her head. "We both messed up, I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying your sorry." Kelsey laughed into the hug before pulling back and wiping at her eyes. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

[ yeah thats it lmao sorry. Check out my other cotc stuff on Ao3, I’m sparklepool101, and orange poncho has consumed my mind now :) ]

#craig of the creek #craig williams #cotc #cotc spoilers #cotc fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #orange poncho #jponar #stelsey #idk what to tag but yeah #wow me? making a post on here? its more likely than you'd think lmao

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