#this would be very out of character for her BUT we thought Jessie would be the funniest option for her to be

[somelazyassartist]

Had session 3 last night but since we're wrapping up the intro/tutorial levels I was really focused on writing notes and lore and didn't do as many doodles as I usually do, so no sketch dump right this minute (I'll do more later). However feel free to have the one drawing I DID do in my DnD notes.

Based on our "Breaking Bishop" and "Better Call S-Ao-l" joke AU we came up with for shits and giggles

[jungkoode]

死 KKANGPAE | #11 死

† embers in the night †

"Camping trips are not your favorite thing in the world, but if Moon made it a thing, then you might as well swallow it up. Just like you swallow up Jeon's glances across the fire during the truth or dare game, or the way the flame of his cigarette glows amber in the distance and you somehow manage to know it's him.

next | index

⚔ chapter details ⚔

word count: 6.5k

rating: mature

content: camping trip stuff, grab the flag game, jessi and V bantering, jessi being a queen, friendship, truth or dare, sexual tension, hidden cig encounters, lowkey innuedo

☠ author's note ☠

You bitches. You unhinged little chaos goblins. DID YOU miss you trees, tension, and team-building trauma? Well, here's more of that.

Who would've thought? Not Moon. He just wanted to force the criminal girlies into the woods like it was a corporate retreat gone feral.

This chapter was so much fun to write. Like. The sheer range. One second we’re all sunburnt and pissed, and the next we’re watching Jessi roundhouse-kick a flagpole while V monologues like he’s in Phantom of the Opera (Violent Remix).

I really loved exploring the absolute clownery of this “team bonding” mission while sneaking in all these little character moments. Jessi and V’s rivalry? I LOVE THEM. SIBLING VIBES BUT MAKE IT DEADLY. ALSOOOO JM’s cardigan diplomacy? Flawless. Takama being a soft deadly kiwi?? I weep.

And then there’s Jeon.

Brooding. Smoking. Being allergic to feelings like it’s his job. (Which, to be fair, it kind of is.)

That last scene?? Baby girl. Baby DARLING. If you didn’t feel that in your knees, go reread.

Also. Also. Can we take a moment to appreciate the absolute tomfoolery of “Never Have I Ever” in a group full of criminals?? Like—everyone’s drinking. Everyone’s unwell. AD’s collecting blackmail. JM’s watching V with that “I’m not touching you but I’m thinking about it” gaze.

And Y/N?? Dropping that bomb about attraction like the menace she is. Girlie took a sip of that chaos juice and said “bet.” Queen behavior.

Anyway. All I’m saying is... get ready for next chapter. Hihihi.

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⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎

The sun is being a real bitch today.

You wipe the sweat off your forehead for what feels like the millionth time, cursing whoever decided winter should feel like summer.

Moon, that conniving bastard.

His brilliant idea of "team bonding" in the mountains somehow got RM's stamp of approval, and now here you are, hiking up this godforsaken trail with the rest of Kkangpae's finest.

The gravel crunches under your boots as you trudge along. Something about seeing each other's "true colors" and "building trust," Moon had said. You snort. Leave it to him to turn a camping trip into some deep psychological experiment.

Up ahead, Jeon's leading the pack like the brooding commander he is. You watch him navigate the path with that focused intensity of his, all broad shoulders and purposeful strides. Everyone else keeps their distance—smart of them, really. His storm-cloud aura is doing that thing again, the one that makes the air feel electric and h̶o̶t̶ dangerous.

V bounces around near him like some deranged mountain sprite, which would be funny if it wasn't so unnerving. One second he's scaling rocks like some kind of professional climber, the next he's pelting people with pine cones, cackling like a kid on a sugar rush.

The contrast between him and Jeon is almost comical—darkness and chaos, wrapped up in two very different packages.

"Watch your step here," Flower calls out from behind you, her voice steady and sure.

You glance back to see her expertly maneuvering around a particularly treacherous patch of loose rocks. She makes everything look effortless, even hiking in this heat.

God, teach you her ways.

Jessi's voice cuts through suddenly: "Keep up the pace, we're not here for sightseeing!"

You can't help but grin as you watch her march ahead, red ponytail swinging like a battle flag. Even in hiking gear, she manages to look fierce as hell. Her division members trail behind her like ducklings, trying (and failing) to match her energy.

Something about seeing everyone out here, away from the castle's shadows and politics, feels weirdly raw. Real. You're all still the same dangerous people, just... dustier. Sweatier.

Maybe that was Moon's point all along.

Sneaky bastard.

The late afternoon sun bathes everything in gold, and you can't help but snort at the sight before you. It's absurdly funny seeing Kkangpae's finest trudging through nature like some twisted corporate retreat.

AD looks particularly out of place, blonde hair catching the light like a beacon as he leads his team of tech nerds through the wilderness. They're all following him like lost puppies, probably experiencing their first dose of vitamin D in months. You notice how his casual slouch doesn't quite mask the way his eyes keep scanning the treeline. Old habits die hard, huh?

"For fuck's sake, watch where you're stepping!" J-Hope's voice cuts through the air, his usual crankiness making a brief appearance as one of his medics nearly trips over a root.

Still, there's something different about him out here.

Less Dr. Jekyll, more... well, still Dr. Jekyll, but maybe after a cup of chamomile tea.

His team's got enough medical supplies to handle a small apocalypse, which is probably smart given this crowd.

And then there's JM, floating through it all like some ethereal woodland creature in his oversized cardigan. His financial team looks hilariously out of their element, but they're managing to keep up, probably because JM's presence is as calming as ever.

Though you'd bet good money those designer shoes aren't going to survive this trip.

The path finally opens up to a view that actually makes you pause.

Damn.

The valley stretches out below, all misty blues and greens, and for a moment, you forget you're part of a criminal organization of sorts. Everyone else seems to feel it too—this weird, peaceful vibe that has no business existing among a bunch of gang members.

"Alright, let's set up camp here." Moon's voice breaks the spell, all business as usual. But even his sunglasses can't hide the fact that he's actually enjoying this ridiculous situation.

You watch as everyone scrambles to follow his orders, divisions mixing like some bizarre summer camp activity—and it's kinda funny, seeing assassins and hackers arguing over how to pitch a tent.

Moon clears his voice like a professor about to announce a pop quiz. "Alright, everyone!"

You fight back an eye roll. Of course. The camping trip is not but some structured learning experience.

"Before we set up for the night, we have an activity." There's something almost gleeful in his tone that makes you nervous. "It's a team-building exercise, but with a Kkangpae twist."

Oh great. You watch as everyone exchanges looks, probably sharing your thought that nothing good ever comes from the words "team-building" and "twist" in the same sentence.

"We're going to split into mixed teams," Moon explains, pushing his round glasses up his nose. "Your task is to find and retrieve a flag hidden somewhere in this area. First team back wins."

You catch Jeon's subtle shift in posture—that slight straightening of his shoulders that means his competitive side just woke up. Meanwhile, V's grinning like someone told him there's cookies, which is honestly terrifying given his track record with "games."

"You'll need to use your skills cooperatively," Moon adds, like he's reading from some corporate manual. "This exercise is about strategy, teamwork, and understanding each other's strengths."

"Sounds like fun," Jessi cuts in, hands on her hips. "But what's the catch, Moon?"

Moon's lips curl into what might actually be a grin—holy shit, someone document this rare occurrence—before he drops the bomb: "You must stick together at all times, no one can be left behind. And remember, the forest can be deceptive. Stay alert." He pauses for dramatic effect. "Whoever wins gets to choose sleeping tent and partner."

Well, fuck.

The clearing erupts into motion as people start grouping up, and suddenly you're caught in the middle of what feels like the world's most dangerous game of musical chairs.

Your team's a weird mix, but maybe that's the point.

There's Jessi, JM, and Takama—the powerhouse trio you actually know—plus a handful of faces you usually just pass in the castle hallways.

There's Hyun from Medical, who looks like he'd rather be anywhere else but manages to radiate competence anyway. Seojoon from Cyber's got that twitchy energy all AD's people seem to share, like he's searching for a WiFi signal in this godforsaken forest. And then there's Minji from Stealth, who moves like she's made of smoke—seriously, how does she make hiking look graceful?

"Okay, team." Jessi's already taking charge, because of course she is. Her ponytail swings as she surveys your group like a general reviewing troops. "We've got a diverse set of skills here, and we're going to use them to win this."

JM hums in agreement, somehow making his oversized cardigan look appropriate for a hike. "Let's keep communication open and clear."

"The flag's probably hidden somewhere difficult," Takama cuts in. You've seen him around Jeon enough to recognize that tactical mind at work. "We should start in the denser areas."

The others chime in with their two cents—Hyun promising to play medic (thanks, but let's not need that), Seojoon muttering about search grids like this is some kind of programming problem, and Minji suggesting stealth like she's on an actual mission.

You nod along, trying not to roll your eyes at how seriously everyone's taking this glorified scavenger hunt. "Alright, we've got a plan. Let's just... not die in the process?"

Your ragtag team heads into the forest, and wow, Moon really picked the worst terrain possible. The ground's basically trying to trip you with every step, and these bushes are definitely winning the war against your clothes. But between Seojoon's weirdly effective grid system and Minji's silent-assassin routine, you're actually making decent progress.

Maybe this won't be a total disaster after all.

You can't help but grin as you listen to Jessi and JM's back-and-forth.

"You know," Jessi starts, that trademark smirk of hers making an appearance, "I'm not one for all this sneaking around. If it were up to me, I'd charge through these woods, make a beeline for that flag, and dare anyone to try and stop me."

JM chuckles, and you swear you can feel the calming effect it has on everyone. "That's exactly why we're here, Jessi. To learn different approaches. Besides, subtlety can be just as powerful as brute force, don't you think?"

"Maybe there's some strength in silence," Jessi admits, nodding at Minji. "But come on, it's hard to deny the rush of a good brawl."

"I get that," JM says, his eyes scanning the trees like he's trying to find a hidden Excel spreadsheet or something. "But we're a team. This is about more than just strength. It's about using our heads, too."

Jessi lets out a laugh that probably scares off half the wildlife in a five-mile radius. She claps JM on the back, and you wince, half-expecting him to topple over. But nope, he doesn't even flinch.

Guess that cardigan's hiding some muscle.

"That's why you're here, Jimin," Jessi grins. "You keep us grounded and thinking. But if we do come across another team, I'm not holding back!"

"You wouldn't be Jessi if you did," JM responds with a smile that's way too sweet for a guy who probably knows twenty-five ways to launder money through a lemonade stand. "Just make sure to keep that energy until we find the flag. We'll need it."

You watch as they fall into step together, and it's kind of... nice? In a weird, 'we're-all-criminals-but-hey-found-family' kind of way.

"You're the calm to my storm, Chimchim," Jessi says, and oh, this is the first time you're seeing her softer side. "But let's not forget, we've got Chaewon in another team and there's no way I'm letting her beat us."

JM grins, and you swear you can see the gears turning in that big brain of his. "Not a chance. We've got this." His eyes flick to Jessi's feet. "Just watch your step, though. Can't have you charging off and spraining an ankle. We need you in top form, Jessi."

You bite back a snort. Leave it to JM to be all caring while also low-key telling Jessi to chill the fuck out.

As you trudge along behind them, you can't help but wonder what the other teams are up to. E̶s̶p̶e̶c̶i̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶J̶e̶o̶n̶'s.

Not that you care. Nope. Not at all.

Your throat feels like sandpaper, and you realize with growing irritation that your water bottle is probably sitting pretty back at camp, completely useless to you right now. Great going, genius.

You're in the middle of cursing your own stupidity when Takama falls into step beside you. For Jeon's second-in-command, he's surprisingly... not terrifying?

"You look like you could use this," he says, offering his canteen with a smile that actually reaches his eyes. It's weird seeing such a genuine expression on someone from the Assassination Division.

"Thanks, Takama." You accept the water, trying not to look as desperately thirsty as you feel. "I can't believe I left mine back at camp."

The water hits different when you're this thirsty. You try not to chug it like some dehydrated gremlin, but it's a close call.

"It happens to the best of us," he says, and there's something almost kind in his voice. "Just remember to stay hydrated. We've got a long day ahead of us."

You hand back his canteen, feeling weirdly touched by the gesture. "I owe you one."

"No worries. We're all here to look out for each other, right?"

He says it so easily, like it's the most natural thing in the world. Like we're not all part of a criminal organization where trust usually comes with a price tag.

It hits you then—Takama's actually nice. Not in that fake, calculated way some gang members are, but genuinely considerate. The kind of person who notices when someone's struggling and helps without making a big deal out of it.

You watch him scan the forest ahead, radiating both competence and awareness at the same time. You can't help but think it's almost funny how he ended up as Jeon's right hand—they're like night and day. Where Jeon's all storm clouds and sharp edges, Takama's more like... well, a really deadly teddy bear with a shaved head?

A soft kiwi, maybe?

What even is this gang anymore?

Hyun's voice interrupts your inner chatter. "Eyes peeled, everyone. We're approaching a likely area."

You resist the urge to roll your eyes. No shit, Sherlock.

And then the trees loom overhead, casting weird shadows that make every bush look like a potential hiding spot. You're starting to think Moon's got a sadistic streak, making you play hide and seek in this green maze.

Minji glides forward like some forest nymph, graceful and silent. It's almost annoying how effortlessly she moves. You, on the other hand, feel about as stealthy as a drunk elephant.

"We're making good progress," Seojoon mutters, probably to his imaginary friend.

The guy's been muttering to himself this whole time. You're half convinced he's got a spreadsheet running in his head.

The sun's starting to dip, painting everything in that Instagram-worthy golden hour light. It'd be pretty if it didn't also mean you're running out of time, because where the fuck is the goddamn flag?

You all keep moving together until Jessi throws up her hand like she's hailing a taxi in the middle of the woods.

"You hear that?" she whispers, and there's this glint in her eye that screams 'trouble'.

You strain your ears and—oh. Oh shit. That's definitely the sound of people nearby. Your heart does this weird little skip, part 'fuck yeah' and part 'oh fuck'.

"We move quiet, we move fast," Jessi hisses. "Remember, they're not expecting us. We've got the element of surprise. Let's use it."

You all nod like a bunch of bobbleheads and spread out. You try your best to channel your inner Minji, but you're pretty sure you look more like a constipated ninja.

Jessi peeks over some bushes, and bam—there it is.

The flag.

Your golden ticket to a decent night's sleep and maybe, just maybe, a chance to stick it to Jeon.

Your heart's pounding so hard you're surprised it hasn't alerted the other team.

This is it.

You watch as Jessi's eyes narrow, and you know that look. She's not just seeing what's there—she's looking for all the ways this could go wrong.

Then it happens. A rustle in the trees that's definitely not the wind, and before you can process it, you spot him. V, looking like some demented forest creature, perched in a tree like he's auditioning for a horror movie.

The moment Jessi and V lock eyes, the whole atmosphere shifts. Because fuck. You've seen enough of the chiefs' competitive bullshit to know this is about to get wild.

They both move at once, like someone fired a starting gun. V launches himself from the tree with that unnatural grace of his—so that's where Minji's gotten it from huh?—while Jessi... well, Jessi does what Jessi does best: something absolutely batshit crazy.

Instead of going for the flag like a normal person, she fucking roundhouse kicks the pole. The flag goes flying through the air like some patriotic frisbee, and you have to bite back a laugh because of course she'd pull something like this.

The look V and Jessi share is almost funny—like two cats who just realized they're both after the same mouse. Although it seems to be accompanied by this weird respect, probably buried under layers of competitive spite.

They both land, and V's got that smile on his face. You know the one—that 'I'm about to be an absolute shit' smile that you're really starting to associate with him.

"Well, well," he drawls, brushing off his hands like he didn't just parkour through the forest. "I must say, Jessi, you still know how to make a man's heart race."

Jessi straightens up, and you can practically feel the eye roll coming. "Please, V. The day you can outmaneuver me is the day the Council of Nine turns into a knitting circle."

V's chuckle is low and lazy, like he has all the time in the world. His grin stretches wide, equal parts mischief and provocation.

"But isn't that what makes it so fun?" He gestures between himself and Jessi with a flourish. "You, all brute force and chaos. Me, dripping with finesse. A perfect match, don't you think?"

Jessi crosses her arms, utterly unimpressed. Her gaze could cut steel, but V? He's eating it up.

"Finesse? Is that what we're calling your sneaky little stunts now? Sounds like bullshit with extra steps to me."

The air suddenly turns... weird. Like it's cracking with adrenaline and... whatever the hell their dynamic is. Though it's clear neither is willing to flinch, and the rest of you might as well not exist.

"Ah, but—" V bows theatrically, one arm sweeping out like he's on a stage instead of about to throw hands. "Subtlety is an art form. And me? I'm nothing short of a masterpiece. You know, not everyone gets the honor of sparring with the Stealth Chief."

Jessi barks out a laugh so sharp it echoes through the trees, momentarily silencing the usual rustle of leaves.

"Stealth Chief? Is that what you call scurrying around like some feral house cat? Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but sneaking isn't exactly fighting. It's just running away in slow motion."

Her stance shifts slightly, weight rolling to the balls of her feet. It's the kind of posture that makes you take a cautious step back, because you've heard of Jessi when she's motivated, and it's not pretty—for the idiot on the receiving end.

V doesn't even blink. Instead, his smirk deepens, resilient as ever.

"Coward, hmm? That's what sore losers say when they can't keep up." He tuts softly, shaking his head as if she's the one being unreasonable.

Oh, boy.

You can almost feel Jessi's hackles rise. Her eyes narrow into slits, a dangerous glint stealing across her face.

"The only finesse you're gonna have is figuring out how to pick your teeth out of the dirt, pretty boy."

It's like the temperature drops a few degrees—or maybe it's just the shadow of their looming chaos. Everyone else stays frozen, like one wrong move will get them caught in the crossfire, and honestly? You wouldn't blame them.

V circles her slowly, scornful expression still intact, obviously. But there's an edge to it now, playful but keen, like the blade of a knife.

"Oh, Jess," his voice turns mocking, "I'd consider you competition... if we were in the same league."

And that's it. That's the match to her gasoline fire.

Jessi lunges first—of course she does. She's all instinct, fast and explosive, and it's honestly terrifying how much energy she has left even after the trek through the forest. Her feint is quick, purposeful, a snap to the left designed to bait him.

But V's not a rookie. He doesn't take the bait. Instead, he stays planted, watching her with that maddening patience of his, tracking her every move like she's easy to figure out.

"Come on, V," Jessi taunts, her voice bright. "What's the matter? Scared I'll knock that smirk off your face?"

V leans back slightly, just enough to dodge her next swipe. He looks far too calm, that smirk of his like a permanent fixture.

"Oh, Jessi, Jessi, Jessi." His voice is mockingly soothing, like he's trying to calm a rabid dog. "I'd actually have to notice you to be scared."

You don't know whether to laugh or take cover. Probably both.

V springs into action like some unholy mixture of a cat and a ninja. This is the first time you've seen him fight, and honestly you're not entirely sure he's actually trying.

Maybe it's just the pure glee radiating off him as he dances around Jessi's attacks.

Jessi's not making it easy for him. She's fierce, determined—and girl's got stamina for days. But V? The bastard's treating this like his own personal performance art, ducking and weaving like he does this while eating a bagel for breakfast.

"Come on, Joo," V taunts, narrowly avoiding Jessi's grab. "Getting slow in your old age?"

"I'll show you slow, you little shit!"

Suddenly V feints left and Jessi takes the bait, lunging forward with enough force to probably knock out a bear. But V's already spinning away, cackling as he dives for the flag.

His fingers brush the fabric, and for a second, you think he's got it. But Jessi? She's not Logistics Chief for nothing. She hooks her foot around his ankle—dirty move, you love it—sending him slightly off balance. It's not much, but it's enough.

They both grab the flag at almost the same moment, and suddenly it's a weird game of tug-of-war mixed with what looks like interpretive dance. V's got the advantage of height, but Jessi's got pure stubborn determination on her side.

"Let go, you overgrown weed!" Jessi grunts, yanking hard.

"Ladies first," V purrs, and you see the exact moment Jessi's eye twitches.

She does something then—some crazy mix of a twist and a roll that makes you dizzy just watching—and suddenly V's grip slips. The flag comes free, and Jessi stumbles back, barely keeping her balance but clutching her prize like it's made of gold.

V's jaw falls, and it's like he's about to curse her out.

But then, he simply straightens up, brushing dirt from his clothes with exaggerated care. His hair's a mess and there's a leaf stuck to his shoulder, but he's still grinning.

"Well played, Jessi." The words come out warm, genuine. "You've still got the moves."

Jessi's victory dance consists mainly of waving the flag in V's face. "Not too shabby yourself, pretty boy. But let's not forget who the winner is here."

You watch them, these two ridiculous powerhouses of Kkangpae, playfully shoving each other like actual siblings.

Maybe this is exactly what Moon wanted you to see.

The walk back to camp feels like a victory parade.

If... victory parades involved a bunch of criminals trampling through the woods.

Jessi's leading the charge, waving that flag like she just conquered a small country.

The clearing comes into view, and suddenly you're all celebrities. The other teams are gathered around, some actually cheering, others looking like they just bit into a lemon. You catch a few eye rolls—sore losers much?

"And then—" Jessi's voice booms across as she launches into her dramatic retelling. She demonstrates her kick, nearly taking out a poor sapling in the process. "—the flag was mine!"

"Ours." JM corrects.

You bite back a laugh. Trust Jessi to turn a game of capture the flag into an epic saga.

"That's my girl!" Chaewon hollers from the sidelines, looking like a proud mom at a soccer game. She bounces over to Jessi, and they fall into their usual rhythm of playful jabs and inside jokes.

The attention shifts to JM, who's scanning the crowd intently—but before he can even open his mouth, V materializes next to him like some kind of demented jack-in-the-box.

"Come on, JM," V purrs, draping himself over JM's shoulders. "You know you want to bunk with me. I'll keep the monsters away."

JM sighs, but you catch that little smile he's trying to hide.

"I suppose someone needs to make sure you don't terrorize the entire camp." He shakes his head, fond exasperation written all over his face. "Fine, you win."

Now it's your turn. You glance around the clearing, weighing your options. Your eyes land on Yunjin, and something in your chest settles.

After all this chaos, her gentle presence feels like finding a quiet corner in a noisy room.

"I choose Yunjin," you say, and watch her face light up like a sunrise. "We'll take a two-person tent."

"I'd like that," she replies softly, and you know you made the right choice.

At least someone in this camp won't try to murder you in your sleep.

Hopefully.

The sun finally gives up its assault as evening rolls in.

Everyone's hustling around, pitching tents like they actually know what they're doing (spoiler: most don't), while someone gets a bonfire going. You find yourself plopped down next to Yunjin, watching the flames dance.

The clearing's alive with chatter and laughter—gang members discussing random stuff like normal citizens.

You notice from your periphery that Chaewon and Jessi are cackling about something, probably roasting someone (metaphorically, for once).

Their friendship hits different when you see them like this, all guard down and genuine.

Not far from them, V's got JM trapped in what looks like the world's most animated conversation. He's all dramatic hand gestures and shit-eating grins while JM just sits there, dropping these little zingers that have V practically bouncing.

The fire crackles, bottles clink, and for a moment it's like... you're at some normal camping trip.

If normal meant with your dysfunctional criminal found family thing.

"Alright, folks!" V slaps his thigh like some demented camp counselor, grinning like he just thought of the best worst idea ever. "How about we spice things up a bit? Never Have I Ever—you drink if you've done it."

The response is a mix of "hell yeah" and "oh god no," but you know everyone's going to play anyway. That's just how V's chaos works—it's like a black hole, sucking everyone into its orbit.

AD shifts against his log, looking way too comfortable for someone sitting on literal dirt.

"This should be good," he drawls, and you can practically see the blackmail material forming in his brain.

"Just remember," J-Hope cuts in, trying (and failing) to sound responsible, "I'm not drinking tonight."

You notice how AD's eyes flick to him for just a second, unspoken words being thrown into the space between them.

You don't have enough time to decipher it though, because soon enough everyone is grabbing their drink (or in J-Hope's case, what looks suspiciously like apple juice).

This is either going to be the best team-building exercise ever or the start of World War III.

"Never have I ever..." V drawls, and you just know he's about to say something stupid. "Gotten a tattoo I regretted the next day."

A few drinks go up, and AD mutters something about a phoenix that sounds suspiciously like a drunk decision gone wrong. You catch J-Hope trying not to laugh at that—probably because he's the one who had to deal with the infection afterward.

The game picks up speed, stories getting bolder with each round. Your brain's starting to feel fuzzy around the edges when it's your turn.

"Never have I ever..." You tap your bottle against your chin, grinning. "Bailed someone out of jail before sunrise."

The response is instant—bottles going up everywhere like some weird criminal toast. Jeon takes a particularly long drink, and you can't help but wonder how many times he's had to rescue his disaster squad from lockup.

"Never have I ever," AD announces, shooting J-Hope that shit-eating grin of his, "been caught in a ridiculous, bright yellow suit that could be seen from space.

J-Hope doesn't miss a beat. "Never have I ever walked into a glass door because I was too busy admiring my own reflection."

The clearing erupts with laughter, and AD shoves him like he wants to murder him. You swear these two are one bickering session away from either killing each other or adopting each other.

Then it's your leader's turn, and she confesses to some wild midnight adventure that has Jessi cackling, and then Jessi drops the bomb about her secret karaoke obsession—which weirdly, surprises nobody.

The alcohol's doing its job, making everything feel warm and loose, when V suddenly turns to you. His eyes are glinting with mischief in the firelight, and you know you're about to be targeted.

"Your turn," he purrs, and everyone's eyes swing your way. "Let's hear something juicy."

Oh, it's on.

Maybe it's the alcohol, or maybe it's the fire's dancing in your vision, making faces blur like some abstract painting—but suddenly you've got what might be either the best or worst idea ever.

You lean forward, propping your elbows on your knees, and oh—maybe sitting up so fast wasn't the smartest move. Still, you've committed now.

"Never have I ever," you drawl, feeling particularly bold (or stupid), "found someone in this circle attractive."

The silence that follows is delicious.

Then, the clearing erupts in laughter and the telling clink of bottles.

Your eyes scan the circle, catching all those little tells—the shifted gazes, the not-so-subtle glances. And then—

Oh.

Across the fire, Jeon moves. It's subtle—barely anything at all. But you see it. The way his dark eyes find yours, steady and unwavering, even as he lifts his bottle to his lips.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Your breath catches, just for a moment, before you collect yourself. The fire crackles as if mocking the heat suddenly pooling in your chest. Goddamn him.

Yunjin's trying (and failing) to be subtle about her giggles, taking the tiniest sip from her bottle. Next to her, Eunchae's practically glowing, her laugh carrying across the fire as she drinks.

Kazuha makes drinking look like some fancy tea ceremony, all grace and poise, while Sakura's grinning like she's got secrets to spare. They share this look that makes you wonder if there's a story there.

And then; there's Takama. His face does this thing where it's completely blank before he drinks, but there's this little smirk playing at the corner of his mouth that says he's in on some joke the rest of you aren't.

V, though? He doesn't even hesitate. "Looks like we've got a crowd full of admirers," he says dramatically, raising his bottle like he's toasting to a room full of fans.

Your eyes catch how they flick toward JM for just a split second, and well—that's interesting.

Laughter ripples through the group again, and the tension eases, though your heart hasn't quite caught up yet.

It's still hammering in your chest, louder than it has any right to be, especially with Jeon sitting there, calm as a fucking statue.

You dare another glance at him, only to find his eyes still on you, half-lidded but watching.

Always watching.

The firelight dances across his face, catching on the silver of his lip ring, the sharp line of his jaw. You can't read him, and that pisses you off more than it probably should.

"Think you're clever, huh?" V says, pulling you back to the moment. His voice is teasing, but there's that signature chaos behind it, something wild and unapologetic. "Careful, sweetheart. Questions like that just set the wolves loose."

You smirk, forcing your gaze away from Jeon. "Good thing I don't mind wolves."

V laughs, throwing his head back dramatically as if you've just made his entire night. Meanwhile, Jeon hasn't moved, hasn't said a word. But you swear you can feel the weight of his presence pressing against you.

Like the goddamn hurricane he is.

You don't miss how JM takes a slow, deliberate sip from his bottle, and that little smirk playing on his lips. His eyes flick briefly toward V before darting away.

Huh.

"Guess we're all a bit fucked up, huh?" Jessi announces with 0 subtlety, taking a long drink and throwing a wink across the fire.

J-Hope leans back against his log, grinning despite his apple juice. "What can we say? We're a good-looking bunch."

Coming from anyone else, it might sound conceited. But J-Hope manages to make it sound like he's sharing some universal truth.

AD just sits there with that infuriating eyebrow raised, looking like he's cataloging every reaction for future reference—and the way his lips curve up at the corners... Yeah, he's probably acquiring blackmail material.

The game keeps going, and you all keep drinking. Everyone redoubles on the alcohol, guards slip a little bit and then the fire's dying down, but the energy around the circle is still very much present.

You blame the booze for the way your skin prickles every time you feel Jeon's gaze slide over to you.

Not that you're keeping track.

The crowd around the fire thins out as the night deepens.

A few stragglers remain—Yunjin and Eunchae huddled together like gossiping schoolgirls, while Kazuha and Sakura stare into the flames like they're trying to divine their futures or something.

You sit there, watching the fire die down, feeling that pleasant buzz from earlier starting to fade.

Then you spot it—a tiny orange glow in the darkness, like a misplaced star.

Cigarette.

And there's only one brooding asshole who'd be lurking in the shadows at this hour.

You get up, picking your way through what feels like a minefield of sleeping bags and empty bottles. You make it through some trees and bushes, and an owl hoots somewhere in the distance, probably judging your life choices.

Then he's there.

Jeon.

Standing there like some noir film character, all broad shoulders and moody silence.

The cigarette between his lips is the only thing giving him away in the darkness.

Dramatic bastard.

"Smoking again?" You try to keep your voice casual, but it comes out softer than intended. Maybe it's the lingering alcohol, or maybe it's just... him.

He doesn't even flinch—of course he doesn't. Mr. Perfect Assassin probably knew you were coming before you did.

He takes a long drag before answering, smoke curling from his lips.

"Yeah." His voice is rough, low. "Had to hide from J-Hope. He'd have my ass for this."

"And here I thought you quit." You lean against his tree, close enough to smell that addictive mix of tobacco and him.

Pine and wood and petrichor.

He finally turns to look at you, and fuck—the way the cigarette's glow catches his features should be illegal.

That smirk doesn't help either.

"Old habits die hard."

"Bad for your health, you know." You're not sure why you're still talking, but something about this moment feels... different. Significant.

His laugh is dark, barely there. "Ain't much about our lives that's good for health, is there?"

Silence falls between you, like tiny droplets of water during a sizzle.

You both know what this is—what it isn't.

You watch him take another drag, mesmerized by the way his lips wrap around the filter. The only sounds are some distant snoring and the occasional hoot of that judgmental owl from earlier.

"You ever think about quitting? For real, I mean?" The question slips out before you can stop it. Blame it on the lingering alcohol, or maybe just the way the moonlight catches on his lip ring.

Jeon rolls the cigarette between his fingers, and you try not to stare at the way they move.

Really try.

"Sometimes," he murmurs.

And god, his voice shouldn't sound like that—all gravely and burnt at the edges from the nicotine dragging down his throat.

"But it's like this—" He gestures vaguely at the darkness around you, at your whole fucked-up world. "It's a part of me. Even if it's not the best part."

Your eyes drift to his face, tracing the sharp line of his jaw, lingering maybe a second too long on his lips as they part to release another cloud of smoke. There's something dangerous about the way he looks right now, something that has you holding yourself back from doing something stupid.

Something really stupid.

Before you can talk yourself out of it, you reach out and snatch the cigarette right from between his lips. His expression shifts from surprise to something else, something you can't quite grasp. His mouth stays slightly parted, just for a moment, before he catches himself.

You bring the cigarette to your own lips, taking a slow drag. The filter's still warm from his mouth. You hold his gaze as you inhale, watching the way his eyes track the movement.

"Look at you," he finally says, voice rough and low, "preaching about bad habits."

You exhale, letting the smoke curl between you like a secret. "Consider it a public service. Just looking out for you."

You can't help the smirk that tugs at your lips.

He leans in—fuck—close enough that you can smell pine and rain and tobacco.

"By taking on the bad habits yourself?" His tone is teasing, but his eyes... his eyes are something else entirely.

Another drag, slower this time.

You're playing with fire and you know it.

"Someone's got to make sure you don't fall off the wagon." Your voice comes out lower than intended, smoke dancing around your words. "Might as well be me."

Your chest burns, and you wonder if it's really just the nicotine. 

Dangerous territory, babe.

You watch as Jeon's eyes track the cigarette between your fingers. He doesn't ask for it back, and somehow that feels more intimate than if he had.

"You're a hell of a contradiction, you know that?" His voice is soft, barely there, but it hits you like a punch to the gut.

You can't help the wry grin that tugs at your lips.

"Aren't we all, in this game?"

The question hovers between you like the smoke curling up from the cigarette still nestled between your lips.

Loaded.

With all the things you're not supposed to say, not supposed to want.

His laugh, when it comes, is low, obscure. Utterly dangerous. It does things to your chest that you refuse to examine too closely.

"We are," he admits, and fuck, the way he's looking at you makes your skin feel too tight. "But some of us are better at playing the part than others."

You pull the cig out of your mouth, roll it between your fingers, watching the smoke curl up toward the stars.

Anything to avoid drowning in those hurricane eyes of his.

"And which one of us isn't playing their part right now?"

You catch the way his jaw tenses, the slight shift as he leans back. It's subtle, but you think you're starting to learn to read these tiny tells of his. The way he holds himself, like he's physically stopping from moving closer.

"We're both walking a thin line here," he murmurs, and there's something in his voice—exhaustion maybe, or resignation. "You know the rules as well as I do."

"I do." The words taste bitter on your tongue. "Doesn't mean I have to like them."

Doesn't mean you have to like the way he makes you want to break them. Squash them. Fuck them.

F̶u̶c̶k̶ h̶i̶m̶.̶

He watches you like he's trying to memorize every detail, and you hate how it makes you feel exposed.

Like you're simply made of glass and he can see right through to the mess underneath.

"We don't get to pick and choose which rules to follow." His voice drops so low you almost miss it. "Not without consequences."

Consequences. It's a horrible word and you suddenly can't help hating it. Fucking stupid consequences.

You take one last drag from the cigarette, letting the burn ground you. It's almost funny how that tiny ember matches the heat that floods your system whenever he looks at you like that.

With a flick of your wrist, you send it spinning into the darkness, watching it burst into sparks before fading to nothing.

"Then I guess we're good at playing by the rules, aren't we?" Your voice stays steady, even if your pulse is doing gymnastics in your throat.

His eyes follow the dead cigarette's arc before landing back on you, and fuck—there's something in that look that makes your chest ache.

"Yeah," he says, and you catch that hint of... something in his voice. Like regret, maybe. Or defeat. "We're the best."

It's almost funny how these stolen moments have become your new normal—these little pockets of time where you both pretend you're not thinking about breaking every single atom of space between both of you.

But rules are rules, and Jeon... well, Jeon follows them like his life depends on it.

And maybe, it does.

Too bad his dedication to the rules doesn't make him any less fucking attractive.

goal: 160 notes. If we don’t hit it, I’m putting you all in Moon’s next trust fall workshop. With V as your partner. Good luck.

next | index

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© jungkoode 2025

no reposts, translations, or adaptations

[writeaboutit]

Thus With a Kiss, I Die

Firefighter Abby and Reader get trick-or-treaters

Wanted to get out one last Halloween-themed fic before spooky season ends(even though it's technically the 1st). I had a couple more ideas, one including a Halloween party that would bring in the other characters(Ellie, Dina, Jessie, etc.) but idk if I want them in this universe or not so lmk if y'all would be interested in that or not. Anyway, I hope you like it and happy last days of spooky season!!

Series: p1,2,3

Word Count: 945

Warnings: None

You tried and failed to walk down the hallway in a normal way—those damn wings. The costume was cute but you kept forgetting about the wings strapped to your back. You couldn’t really tell if that was a good or bad thing.

On one hand, they were light enough to endure wearing them for the next two hours while you and Abby handed out candy to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters and then three more hours for the Halloween party. On the other hand, you had already lost seven wing feathers to various walls, low-hanging light fixtures, and one door jam. 

You turned sideways and shimmied down the hall to accommodate the small space and expansive wings. You would get used to it… or at least that's what you keep telling yourself as you round the corner into your bedroom. 

Abby was sitting on the edge of your mattress struggling with a buckle on the arm cuff on her fake metal armor. Suddenly you thought you probably shouldn’t be complaining about the wings. You knew that Abby’s costume was a sensory nightmare but she was ignoring it to appease you and your dream couple's costume. 

It was your first Halloween in the new house and you were dying to dress up. You had only lived in apartments previously and being in a house this year meant trick-or-treaters surly. You'd be damned if you didn’t go all out with your costume.

So here you were wearing massive white wings and a long white dress, Abby across from you wearing a grey get-up covered in chain mail and fake shoulder/arm armor, a sword sticking out of her belt loop—the perfect Romeo and Juliet. 

Although you knew Abby was probably more uncomfortable than not you had to admit that she looked hot as shit and by the way she went still forgetting the stupid buckle to drink you in she was thinking the same thing. 

You took a deep breath trying to steel yourself against your wife's burning gaze and walked to the space in between her spread knees. 

“Let me help,” you motioned down to her wrist and loose armor. 

She raised her arm without comment. You could tell she was staring at you but you focused on feeding the leather strap through the buckle and tightening it. You guys did not have time to get…distracted. 

“You look so pretty, baby.” She broke the silence and you could no longer avoid her pulling eyes. 

“Thank you, so do you.” You said softly leaning down to press a light kiss to her cheek. 

She hummed at the contact and bracketed her arms around the back of your thighs, pulling you into her. 

You laughed at the sudden tug and braced your arms on her shoulders for support. The pair of you stared at each other for a long while, in complete silence. You spent the moment—what felt like ten years, debating whether or not the distraction would be worth it. You could just run downstairs and throw the candy bowl out on the porch for the kids to help themselves. 

Yes, that sounded like a very pleasant idea. Just as you were about to suggest it to your wife the doorbell rang. 

You squealed forgetting about that plan. You guys could do that later, right now you were too excited to celebrate the holiday. You couldn’t wait until you and Abby had kids one day and were able to take them trick-or-treating. For now, handing out candy would have to suffice. 

You pulled out of Abby’s grasp and tugged on her arms, “Come on, come on. We have our first trick-or-treaters!” 

Abby laughed at your excitement. She was glad that you were getting so much joy out of the night even though all you were going to be doing was sitting by the door and saying hello and goodbye to kids dressed as Disney princesses or video game characters. 

You guys rushed down the hall, well more like you and Abby just followed at a reasonable pace. You could hear the high-pitched voices of excited children on the other side of the door and you grabbed the fake cauldron full of candy and unlocked the door. 

Abby hung back just slightly from the open door frame making sure your guys' dog Alice didn’t become an escape artist and jump scare the kids. 

She smiled as you gasped and asked a little girl if she was the little mermaid. The little girl squealed excited that someone knew who she was and excitedly exclaimed, “Yes! Do you like my dress?” 

“I love your dress,” you dragged out the love for emphasis. 

Yeah, Abby was fucked. She wanted to make you a mom, like yesterday, despite the logistical hurdle regarding that. 

You finished dishing out the candy and closed the door a smile on your face. When you met Abby’s eyes you knew exactly what was brewing behind her eyes. 

“Nope. Stop looking at me like that, we definitely do not have time for that.” You waved a hand over her form. 

“Not even just a little bit of time?” She grabbed the center of your dress and pulled you in, “I can make it real quick baby,” She whispered against your lips. 

Your heart stalled in your chest. Well… when she put it like that?

Just as you went to answer her the doorbell rang again causing you to laugh and her to groan. She rested her forehead against yours and you answered, “Sorry baby, you’re just gonna have to wait until tonight.”

You pulled out of her grasp once more and placed a light pat on her ass. She groaned again.

[stressedbeetle]

I was watching Jessie Genders video "how Hollywood corrupts trans stories" and at one point she talks about how people search for direct confirmation of a character being queer and/or trans through trans flags or them directly saying it misses how a characters entire being and actions can be informed by their queerness. Like the character of Nimona: she is obviously a trans character, her actions throughout the movie are informed by her experiences as a trans character even though the movie never says this out loud it's easy to see if you are familiar with what Nimona is going through and ND Stevenson did create Nimona when figuring out their own gender being non binary and trans masc.

I think the search for direct confirmation is understandable since we've been burned by so much media before and being made fun of for reading it as a queer story (we still are today). Being continuously told by cishets that a story or character cannot be queer unless explicitly stated to be queer in the story is gonna make you want that hard confirmation. (Also it is just nice to have that confirmation)

But I was thinking about how this relates to the captain from bbc ghosts. A lot of people wanted him and Havers to kiss or for him to come out to the other ghosts (me included), but I think it makes us somewhat miss all his other characteristics or actions that are probably motivated by him being queer from a time where being queer was illegal. He is uptight, he rarely speaks about his emotions, he tries everything to seem like a good soldier and a strong man but as we all know he is just a very silly man. But he can't be that, if he is himself he might be found out and if he is found out then he will be ostracized from society, so he tries everything to hide that part of himself even in death. But throughout the show he opens up more, he participates in the silliness and in the fith episode he finally opens up. He tells the others that he is not the strong, brave soldier he tried to make them (and probably himself) believe he was and in the last episode without trying to find an excuse or deflecting he openly thirsts for the weatherman.

Even if he didn't kiss Havers or didn't explicitly tell the Ghosts he was gay he still very much came out to them. He told them he was not a brave man, that it was all a facade, a performance. Which coming from him when he grew up in a society where if you weren't perceived to be strong and brave you would be thought of as gay, he might as well have told them he was (from his point of view at least).

And then Fanny tells him he is a brave man not because she's oblivious but because she knows him being gay and silly doesn't make him any less of a brave man

[dysany]

Talking a little about season 8 of Big Mouth because I love this show so much, I need to share this in a non specify order

Obviously we have spoilers ahead

Ok I hate that Lola and Jay are back together. Sorry guys I HATE this so much. They're toxic and Jay needs more affection than Lola can give to him. I know I know they love each other blablabla love it's not enough, Jay needs a safe and stable partner

BUT JESSI AND CAMDEN DIND'T BREAK UP 🎉🎉🎉🎉 I loved them SO MUCH they complete each other like chocolate frosting on carrot cake. They listen to each other, they ignored anxiety and depression to be able to communicate (AND HI CAT STEVENS YOU ARE THE BEST MY LOVE). Even before they were together Camden never judged her for her weirdness, he clearly matches her freaky. I know he's a carbon copy of her father, but Jessi IS NOT her mother and they could work out.

I loved Devin's episode. Emmy being her love bug was a surprise. I squealed happily when I saw her. And the part about having empathy and love for yourself before the opinions of others is really touching. I would have liked to have seen more of her this season.

Matthew is still Maury's favorite, so the world is in its right place. And I loved that he was still being sweet to Caleb, their friendship is so adorable.

Cat stevens is here. Omg Cat stevens is here 😭😭 And he's the hormone monster of one of my favorite characters. What an amazing moment to be alive. And Rochelle too!! I admit I've always loved her, it's great to see her here. And Joe and Gil too, I can't believe I missed them so much. The only thing I missed was a love bug for Jessi and Camden.

Diane and Elliot will always be the best parents in the world, but it's a shame that they're still the only really decent parents here.

I felt so sorry for Jay this season. My boy didn't have a second of peace, not even at the last moment when Lola broke up with him (?). My poor boy. They should have given him a new character to date.

I miss Devon. Rest in peace dear voice actor. Devon was a very iconic and interesting character.... I miss him

Já mencionei que a conversa entre Jessi e Camden sobre seus sentimentos foi realmente especial para mim? Porque foi. O detalhe dele parando de fumar perto dela também é muito fofo.

Connie is still the best of them all. I love my wife

They should have introduced other shame mages. Lionel is cool, but we were introduced to other monsters in Human Resources and should have used them more.

Missy and Mona are very dear to me. They fit together precisely because they are so different, and it's nice to see Missy being a teenager.

Nick growing up was a huge relief to my eyes. He was always the most uncomfortable to look at because of the absurd height difference. All love to the short men out there, but his design with the growth spurt got so much better.

And I love that he and Andrew are more disgusting than ever. Honestly just kiss again already, it would be less gay (I love their friendship in a very special way)

Andrew has also grown so much! I'm proud of him for learning to respect himself and being an amazing friend. He and Nate made me laugh, an unexpected friendship. He's not the creep he was in the first season anymore, but will always be our gross boy (I cried at Maury being rude to him. I knew it wasn't real, but seeing him treat Andrew so bad really hurt.)

Missy having a boyfriend was so lovely. She's smart and amazing, being the girl she always wanted to be. Nate is good for her, they match in the weird and the nerdy parts.

I missed Judd and Leah. Judd had his amazing background moments but deserved more. It's adorable that Jessi still goes to Leah to talk about girl stuff. And my lgbt brain thought that Leah would have a romantic plot with Lulu, the idea of rival groups is very good. At least Lulu has her girlfriend, that's already cool for me

The memories at the old school made me cry so much. Oh my children :( how much you have grown

And I grew up too. When I started watching this show I was in my early teens and in a terrible relationship with my femininity. I can't explain how seeing these subjects being addressed in such a raw and explicit way helped me understand what was happening to me. It was disgusting and so important in my teenage years. They've grown up and so have I, it's the unknown of adult life for us

[50calmadeuce]

Ch. 32: Thanksgiving

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Top Gun: Maverick world, trademarked by Paramount Pictures Corporation. I do not claim ownership of the characters and the world that I am borrowing.

The story and situation I am creating are a work of my imagination and I do not ascribe them to official story canon. This work is for entertainment only and is not a part of the storyline.

I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story, but I do hope it gives you happy thoughts.

These stories are my own, so please do not take them and use them for yourself without my permission. If you see them somewhere else, please let me know. :)

You had picked up Sheila and the rest of the family Wednesday afternoon. It was late at night, and while everyone else was asleep, your morning sickness had taken a turn for the worse. Hoping to ease the discomfort, you went into the kitchen to make some peppermint tea and snack on saltine crackers.

As you turned on the flame for the stove, you heard soft footsteps behind you. Turning, you saw Sheila enter the kitchen, her expression warm as she sat at the kitchen island.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Would you like some tea? I have chamomile,” you offered.

“That sounds wonderful.”

You took two mugs out of the cabinet and set them on the island alongside the tea boxes.

Sheila glanced at the options, her eyes catching on the peppermint tea. “Peppermint tea,” she mused aloud. “The last time I drank this, I was…” Her voice trailed off as realization dawned on her face. Her eyes flicked to yours, lighting up with excitement. “Y/N, are you…?”

You gave her a small, confirming nod.

“Oh my god!” she whispered excitedly. Sheila jumped up, hurrying around the counter to envelop you in a warm hug. When she pulled back, her eyes were shining. “What did Jake say?”

“I haven’t told him yet,” you admitted. “He’s got so much going on right now, I didn’t want to worry him. We only got to talk briefly. I thought I’d wait until Christmas to tell him.”

“That’s a wonderful idea!”

“My staff and work are the only ones who know. And now you.”

Sheila hugged you again, holding your arms gently as she beamed. “I am so happy! Jake is going to be ecstatic!”

The tea kettle began to whistle, breaking the moment.

“I’ve got it. You sit,” Sheila said with a warm smile, walking over to the stove. You grabbed the box of saltines and took a seat at the island.

As Sheila prepared the tea, she hummed softly, her happiness evident in every movement.

You woke up the next morning and headed to the kitchen where you found Sheila and Montgomery making breakfast and Christian happily sitting in his highchair eating.

“Y/N! Good morning!” Sheila cheerfully said. “Basil and I were just discussing dinner.”

You raised an eyebrow and looked at Montgomery. “Basil?”

He smiled and shrugged. Very rarely did he let people call him by his first name.

“Are you hungry, Doctor?” Montgomery asks.

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll get you some French toast and fruit. Have a seat.”

You sit down in the chair at the kitchen island.

“You want some tea, dear?” Sheila asked.

“Yes, please.”

As Sheila started the kettle, Jessie, Erica, Lindsay, and Lukas walked into the kitchen.

“Morning,” Jessie said tiredly.

“Do we know when Jake will be calling?” Erica inquires.

You shake your head. “No.”

“What’s the plan for dinner?” Jessie asks.

“Six o'clock. So, you’ll have to entertain yourselves until then.” Sheila reponds.

“There’s a hill not so far from the house. I was going to take you guys sledding and then come back for hot cocoa and s'mores,” you interject.

Sheila quickly looks at you with concern in her eyes.

“That should keep the kids busy and wear them out,” you quickly answer to make her feel better.

Sheila gave you a tentative smile, though the concern in her eyes lingered. “Well, as long as everyone bundles up. It’s supposed to be chilly today.”

“We’ll be fine, Sheila,” you assured her, reaching over to pat her hand. “We’ll layer up, and I’ll keep a close eye on everyone.”

Montgomery set a plate of French toast and fruit in front of you with a small flourish. “Bon appétit, Doctor.”

“Thank you, Montgomery,” you said with a grateful smile before digging in.

The kids’ faces lit up at the mention of sledding. “Sledding sounds awesome!” Lukas exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

“And s’mores?” Lindsay added, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Absolutely,” you replied. “What’s sledding without s’mores afterward?”

As you ate, Erica leaned on the counter next to you. “How are you holding up?” she asked softly, her voice meant only for you.

You glanced over at Christian, happily babbling to himself as he ate a piece of banana. “I’m... managing. It helps having all of you here.”

“You know we’ve got your back,” she said, giving your arm a supportive squeeze.

“Thanks, Erica. That means a lot.”

Sheila brought over your tea, setting it down with a soft clink. “I suppose sledding will be a good distraction,” she said with a small smile. “Just make sure everyone wears gloves.”

Montgomery chuckled. “I’ll have the hot cocoa ready when you all come back looking like snowmen.”

“Perfect,” you said, smiling at his good-natured humor.

The morning moved quickly as you finished breakfast and everyone started layering up in winter gear. The energy in the house shifted, buzzing with anticipation and the promise of fun. For the first time in a while, you felt lighter. Maybe today would be exactly what all of you needed.

You arrived back to the house around three-thirty in the afternoon. Sheila and Montgomery were still busily cooking in the kitchen and also playing a game of cribbage. You smile. It was nice to see Montgomery happy and Christian loved having the kids to play with.

“There’s hot cocoa on the bar in the basement. I also started a fire in the fireplace,” Montgomery said. “Figured you could watch a movie. I'll bring lunch down in a few minutes.”

“Yeah! Can we mom?” Lukas asks Jessie.

Jessie looks at you and Lukas follows suit.

“Of course, you can! My home is your home,” you reply warmly. “I’ll be there in a minute—just going to grab some water.”

As you start to head toward the refrigerator, Montgomery intercepts you, handing you a glass of water with a small smile.

“Thank you,” you say, accepting the glass with a grateful smile before taking a sip.

Lindsey, Lukas, and Christian along with Jessie and Erica headed to the basement. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sheila looked at you.

“How are you doing?”

“Good. I just need a glass of water.”

Your phone buzzes with an incoming FaceTime call. Pulling it from your pocket, you see Jake’s name on the screen and immediately answer.

“Hey, babe!” you say, excitement lighting up your face as a wide grin spreads across your lips.

“Hey, darlin’! Happy Thanksgiving!” Jake’s warm voice greeted you.

“Is that Jake?” Sheila asked excitedly from the other room.

“It is! Let me grab the iPad from the office,” you said, glancing at your phone as you hurried down the hall. “I didn’t think you were going to call.”

“I told you I would,” Jake replied with a smile in his voice.

Reaching your office, you grabbed the iPad from its charger and quickly transferred the call to the larger screen.

“You are so beautiful,” Jake said, his voice filled with admiration.

You felt heat rise to your cheeks as you blushed. “You’re not too bad looking yourself.”

Jake grinned. “So, you’re in the office?”

“Yes,” you replied. “It’s off our bedroom. You can also access it from the hallway, but I keep that door locked. Let me show you.”

You turned the iPad, panning it around to give him a view of the office.

The office is rustic, with warm, honey-toned wooden logs forming the walls. These natural logs are complemented by exposed wooden beams across the ceiling, giving the room a cozy and rugged aesthetic. Large windows let in plenty of natural light, offering views of the surrounding forest, with green foliage and the occasional wildlife adding to the serene atmosphere.

The flooring is made of polished hardwood, with a subtle shine that reflects the room's warm glow from an iron chandelier hanging in the center, fitted with Edison-style bulbs for a vintage touch. A large, braided rug in earthy tones sits beneath the desk area, adding texture and comfort.

A large wooden desk with a distressed finish dominates one side of the room. The desk has enough space for two computers, each with sleek, modern monitors. One computer setup features a wireless keyboard and mouse, while the other has a mechanical keyboard with an ergonomic mouse. A soft desk mat in a neutral tone ties the setups together. You have pictures of Christian and Christian Jr. next to your computer.

Behind the desk is a bookshelf filled with leather-bound journals, manuals, and a few decorative items like a globe, framed pictures, and a couple of small potted plants. A second smaller desk on the opposite side holds a printer and office supplies, such as pens, notepads, and files, neatly organized in woven baskets.

The seating includes a pair of leather chairs, one for each computer, with high backs and a worn-in, inviting look. A third chair, a cozy armchair in a plaid fabric, sits by the window for reading or brainstorming.

The decor on the wall is minimal yet tasteful, featuring a few framed black-and-white photographs of mountain landscapes and wildlife. A mounted deer antler hangs above the door, adding to the rustic charm. The faint scent of pine and cedar lingers in the air, enhancing the woodsy feel of the space.

“Y/N, that’s beautiful!” Jake said, his voice full of genuine admiration.

“Wait until you see the rest of the house,” you replied with a smile, starting a quick tour as you made your way back to the kitchen.

Once there, you handed the iPad to Sheila. “Here’s your mom. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Jake! How are you, son?” Sheila asked excitedly before diving into stories about the plane ride, the weather, and cooking with Basil.

Their conversation carried on for about 15 minutes before Jake gently reminded her, “Mom, don’t forget about my sisters, my niece, my nephew, and Christian.”

“Okay, love you, son,” Sheila said warmly, handing the iPad back to you.

Smiling, you took the iPad and continued the tour, heading down to the basement to show Jake more of the house.

“You look happy, Y/N,” Jake observed, his voice soft with affection.

“I am,” you replied, your smile widening. “I’ve never had a family before.”

Jake chuckled, teasing, “I haven’t seen you this happy since we went on for that ride in the field for lunch."

You smiled, the memory of the plane ride coming to mind, a warmth spreading through you as your cheeks turned red.

“Is that Uncle Jake?” Lukas asks.

“It is!” You hand Lukas the iPad.

About thirty minutes later, the iPad was returned to you, and you were greeted once again by Jake’s handsome face.

“Well, I’ve got to go, darlin’,” Jake said reluctantly.

“I know.”

“I know we’re doing some intense training, so if you don’t hear from me, I’ll call on Christmas.”

“Okay.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” You smiled, then hung up.

Erica walked over to you, concern in her eyes. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks for asking.”

“Was he excited?”

“Excited about what?”

She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as she stared at you.

“I haven’t told him yet. My staff, work, and your mom know. She figured it out the other night.” You gave her a curious look. “How’d you figure it out?”

“You sure as hell weren’t drinking tea and water when you visited my mom’s house.”

You laughed. “True, but don’t say anything. It’s going to be a surprise for Christmas. Hopefully, we’ll know the sex by then.”

“Jake is going to be ecstatic! He was happier than a pig in mud when he found out I was pregnant.” She paused, her tone softening. “I’m glad he met you, Y/N.”

You smiled warmly. “Thanks.”

Erica gave you a knowing smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “He may be my brother, but he’s a good guy, Y/N. You two are going to be great parents. He loves Christian like he’s his own.”

You felt a wave of gratitude and warmth wash over you at Erica's words. "He really does. Christian adores him, too. It’s kind of amazing how easily he’s taken to Jake."

Erica's smile softened. "Jake has always had that way about him. He’s the kind of guy who will do anything for the people he cares about. And you... you’re so good for him, Y/N. I think you two were meant to find each other."

You felt a lump form in your throat, touched by her honesty. "Thanks, Erica."

Erica reached out, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm serious, Y/N. I’ve seen Jake go through a lot, but with you, he’s different. Happier. More grounded."

You squeezed her hand back, grateful for her support. "I never thought I’d find someone like him again. And with everything I’ve been through… I didn’t think I’d be ready for this, but he makes it all feel possible."

Erica’s smile widened, her eyes softening. "You’ve got this, Y/N. You’ve got a family, and Jake’s over the moon about it. He just wants to make you happy, and he will."

The warmth of her words settled deep within you, and for the first time in a long while, you felt a true sense of peace. Whatever the future held, you knew you and Jake would face it together. And maybe—just maybe—it was going to be okay.

Tags: @smoothdogsgirl @alwayshave-faith @devil-angel-winchester @khouse712 @illisea @hookslove1592 @tgmreader @juliemarauderfan @djs8891

[sweetmariihs2]

Buzz Lightyear is such a himbo. I mean, I'm saying this and laughing because he's one of my favorite characters now, and don't get me wrong, he IS smart, he has good analytical and strategic skills and skills that overall help on missions in BLOSC (and he uses them in Toy Story in certain situations too, like when he was spying on Lotso's crew) but like. He has awful social skills, he spent so much time training to be a good space ranger that he kinda left aside social skills, and sometimes he doesn't understand sarcasm or certain terms in conversations. And his line of thought is very literal and straightforward. His moral values are that he wants to protect people and do the right thing, his main goal is to save people and save the galaxy from Zurg (a big threat to galactic peace as we've seen so far). He is OBSESSED with being a space ranger, he LIVES for this job, if he's not saving people he's nothing. He has strong morals and hates every kind of inequality, violence, etc etc. He's very correct.

But like- he's a very like- average guy. He's a MAN lmao. He's straight, he's white, he exercises, he's popular (people know him through the whole galaxy and he has fanclubs), he's confident, basically the star command revolves around him because he's Commander Nebula's favorite and he worked hard to get there due to the fact that he's absolutely devoted to his job, Buzz describes his childhood as "agressively normal" and his dream was also to be a space ranger and save people. He's kinda used to being the less marginalized like, ever, he cares about people's safety but he himself isn't in any minority group and stuff- because he's like, him, you know.

And I find it funny, and honestly too realistic, that even though he is very altruistic and cares about people in general, he acts a bit sexist sometimes, and I laugh myself off. Because OF COURSE, he has to have a flaw and that's a VERY REALISTIC one, he was taught that by the people around him, that's kinda how the world works (and his galaxy apparently) and because he's a straight white man he doesn't notice the patterns yet. He's not like, extremely sexist or whatever, I'm talking more about internalized stuff. We meet people in our everyday lives who are the kindest but because of how the world taught them, they have small sexist behaviors, because it's everywhere. It's something so deeply rooted in our society that it's hard to escape, but I mean, like, for example:

He thought that Jessie was one of Zurg's allies, but because HE found her attractive, he immediately assumed that she was sent to tempt him and started calling her names like "temptress". That's something very subtle and hard to notice in case no one points out, it's funny because they are a couple in development in the movie, but like, HE found her attractive and suddenly she was the one to blame for it in first place, he was rude towards her, and assumed stuff, besides calling her "temptress". Women are constantly put down because people find attractiveness in them, when they never did anything besides exisiting. What if she was like, just a Zurg ally, not anyone sent specially to tempt Buzz? These comments could be even seen as harassment or sexism in general, because he's treating her differently from other Zurg allies because she's a girl and she's attractive to him. And I believe that if someone spoke to Buzz about this behavior and made him see this situation through different lenses, he wouldn't be proud of it. I don't know what he would do after, but he genuinely would scold himself because he was acting in a disrespectful and opressive way against a certain person due to internalized sexism, and he would get upset. It's not new for Buzz to be too harsh with criminals, he left Star Command because of this kind of behavior once and learned his lesson, but sometimes people need to be reminded of stuff, he has to learn how to not exceed the limits to the point that it turns disrespectful. He thought he was taking the best decision. If Mira Nova were there with him, she could call him out on that, but she isn't and they aren't on Star Command, he's a toy who's having space ranger fever again.

Edit: I'm brazillian and in our portuguese version he calls her "Messalina". It's the name of "Valeria Messalina, a Roman empress and the third wife of Emperor Claudius. She was a powerful and influential woman, but had a reputation for promiscuity" (Got this from Google). The meaning of the word "messalina" in a popular sense is "[Derogatory] Extremely lascivious and dissolute woman" "1. a woman considered licentious or dissolute. 2. a prostitute." It's only used in formal language and old books, and that's the first time I had any contact with that word. But I mean- what the hell??? lmao

Other situation I find quite funny is in the episode of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command where an old Buzz from the future comes back to the past to warn team Lightyear that Mira Nova was going to die, and they had to protect her from it. Buzz then, along with Commander Nebula, try to ellaborate excuses, and Nebula, because he's an Old Man™ say something like "well it's because that's for guys. yeah the mission's just for the dudes." and Mira IMMEDIATELY calls him out. And Buzz just stays there smiling like "wave and smile guys, wave and smile". But after Mira calls that out, his smile fades, but of course he couldn't say anything to Nebula about his poor excuse since they're still in front of Mira so he just plays along. Also, later in the episode, when Mira is the only one from her team out of the mission, she ironically complains saying that soon she'll be washing their clothes and their dishes. We love a feminist queen (or princess)

Probably there are more scenes like this in other episodes but I didn't watched the full show yet. When I notice more, I'm gonna add them here.

Don't get me wrong, I'm openly feminist, but this gets me everytime because it's SO REAL. I laugh so much because everyone has flaws, even a "perfect" character like Buzz. He can change though, if someone sat with him to explain that stuff he would be like "Oh. Ok I won't do this then. Alright." and he would actually put effort in not participating in or perpetuating this behavior. I think he just needs someone to give him a full lecture about the roots of sexism in our society and how to identify the patterns, and he would willingly listen, since he's always worried about people's safety. Maybe be even extra careful with stuff from now on to the level of someone having to say "ok Buzz, now that's too much. Don't need to act that careful" and he'd be like "Alright sorry- I'm trying my best" (he didn't forgave himself yet). Maybe that's just BLOSC Buzz, maybe toy Buzz is far past these thoughts already since he's with Jessie and she's definitelg more aware of this stuff than him. Plus it's been past 10 years since he got out of the box. He already overcome the ficional character "Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear" ages ago.

Edit: I watched the episode "The Crawling Flesh" from BLOSC where Zurg turns Buzz and Mira into a fused, weird looking creature. Buzz's friends think that the creature was the one that "murdered" Buzz and Mira, going after them. Star Command had like, a funeral for Buzz and Mira, while both of them, still being that weird creature, watched from a vent. Buzz got emotional and cried, but the creature's tears were corroding the vent, and this would put them in danger. Mira warned Buzz to stop and he just answered "Mira, there's no reason a man can't show emotion". I mean, at least he's open minded to a certain extent, lmao. I told you guys it's internalized stuff.

Edit: And in the episode "Head Case" Mira also called XR a "disgusting sexist pig" when he was having perv thoughts about her, but the scene was interrupted when she started scolding him, unfortunately. What a diva!!! I never find sexual assault jokes funny in movies or irl. They're normalized and always written by men. A big no-no. At least she calls him out and everything... but it's seen as funny, and XR's character is made to be likable and funny, which is weird 😬 anyways, it's from the early 2000s

[thebitchforjemcarstairs]

I saw that you finished reading TID, do you think Will amplifies the other characters in the book? 

Looool 😭 😭 the way I would not have been able to answer this question yesterday, but since I saw the post this morning, on my way to work, I know exactly what you are talking about.

First of all I don’t know if you are the same anon who sent the ask to @tiredandoptimistic about @edwin-paynes-bowtie reading of the series, if it’s you, hello! If it’s not, well, hello as well. (Sorry guys, had to tag you for traceability.)

Before answering the question, I need to say something, and it’s in no way an attack against you anon or anyone else. I’m actually very open to discuss the books with you guys, and my asks are open to the most controversial takes. BRING THEM ON.

However, I think, it’s really important that I pinpoint something fundamental —that is currently missing in this fandom— and that’s the right to have different opinions on books. Since I don’t know if it’s the same anon, I’m going to address everyone who fumbles upon this ask. It’s okay to not have the same reading, views, understanding, and experience as others, when reading a book, or consuming arts in general. Maybe some of you are young but truly, the world is not a sect, and people are going to have very different opinion on characters and themes of the same books. And that’s fine, no one is going to die from it.

I’m saying this, because I don’t know if this ask was sent as a genuine question, and you want to know my opinion on this (even thought I never talked about characters amplifying other characters), or if you are looking for someone to validate your opinion on this particular take. If it’s the first, I will answer you. If it’s the second, FREE YOU! How others feel about characters, and how they read them is not the only way to do it, and you should be fine by it. There is no sacred text we should all abide by when it comes to art. Live your truth, you don’t need validation from other readers. Like I said, this is not an attack, and I don’t want to come off as aggressive, but I really don’t know where this is coming from, since I literally never talked about the TID characters dynamic like this.

Anyways. Here’s my answer.

Do I think Will amplifies the other characters in the book?

And my answer is, no. I think he amplifies shit😭 And I’m not saying this to be funny, I really don’t think he does. To me, the characters are all rounded, three dimensional characters. When Will is out of the picture, they are still very compelling to read about. Will does not add anything to them, especially TID Will.

Tessa is a very caring, loving, loyal, funny, sassy character without him, and she keeps on being that character throughout the series, even though he’s been dead for I don’t know how many years (see: GotSM, TEC, and TDA).

Same for Sophie, she was hater #1 against him and Jessamine, and I did not need Will to add something to her. And I know the book is written from the PoVs of Tessa and Will, but again, I did not need Will to make me not “surface level” read Jem, and realise that he is more than the character who is dying/best friend, and is not “the jumping around, clown, making noise character” of the series, to be appealing. Maybe he was a bit washed out in CA, but by CP1, we got to know him well. There is a scene I remember from my reread of CP1, when I was wondering why was he acting like an ass,  “Oh, bother,” said Jessamine with an exasperated sigh. “Why do I always get the silly tasks?” “Because you don’t want the serious ones,” said Jem, sounding as close to exasperated as Tessa had ever heard him. Neither of them noticed the icy look she shot them as they left the library behind and headed down the corridor.” That was totally unwarranted, Jessie was a tiny bit annoyed that she was going to be left out, that’s all💀 I’m not going to go into a "Jem is a 3d character essay” here, I already did that, and it’s somewhere under the #JemCarstairs tag.

Going back to Will. The story goes on after his death, and the characters are still good, rounded, compelling, and have a continuity (Jem and Tessa, get older, mature, but they are still the same, nothing is missing) if you get what I mean. And so on, I’m not going to go into every character Will interacts with.  Do I think all the characters would have been flat without Will in the series? Absolutely not (ex: TID (when it’s not about him, and GotSM). Do I think the series would have been good without him? HELL NAH!  Sorry to disappoint, but Will is the love of my life, and teenager cursed Will was a banger😭😭 That child was funny as hell, while going through shit. His surface actions were shit (for a reason), but the hidden ones, with Jem, Tessa and Charlotte are his essence, and his true self. That man is the kindest most loving man, and he did everything to protect his loved ones. And he continued to do so in TLH (still did not reread the series).

And all of this is in the text, it’s just another reading of the series.  

I’m going to give you two other examples about different reading of the same text. One of them is Henry and the other is Tessa, just to ramble, and emphasise what I mean.

Henry is one of the most beloved character in TID, and I get why? However, when I did my reread (as an adult with a developed frontal lobe) I could not stand his guts. To me, he is a useless husband, he never pulled his weight in the Institute, and it was frustrating to see him always absent minded every time Charlotte needed him. There is a seen that still triggers me to this day 😭 it’s in CP1

“Brother Enoch is here,” Charlotte said to the assembled group. “I must speak with him. Will, Jessamine, do try not to kill each other while I am gone. Henry, if you could . . .” Her voice trailed off. Henry was gazing down at a book—Al-Jazari’s Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices—and paying no attention whatsoever to anything else. Charlotte threw up her hands, and left the room with Sophie.”

And that’s one of many scenes. Most readers find him funny haha, I did not, but that’s my reading of the character.

Last example, I have is about my girl Tessa. I think Tessa is better off away from the Clave, and their bigotry. I still have to reread GotSM and TLH. The fact that she was still insulted, ostracized, and she was the fucking Clave, co-running an important Institute, and still seen as lesser than because of her warlock side, was frustrating.  Ex: “Of course Mother and Father scarcely ever went to Idris. Of course, James and Lucie had been raised in London, a little apart from their families. Because there were people in Idris, there were arrogant Shadowhunters who thought Mother was not worthy to walk among them, and Father would never have let her be insulted.”

I think older, and more mature Tessa, who lived with Downworlders and warlocks, is better off than young Tessa who cried when Tatiana insulted her, and her kids at her home, and her lineage was still debated 25 years later. Her warlock side being shunned by the Clave (90% of shadowhunters are bigoted anyway) I think, was later reflected on how she had to raise her kids. Like, she did her best, but the hostility of the Clave made James hate that part of himself from the beginning. “James might be a stain upon the world, might be something that would contaminate good Shadowhunter children. He was ready to believe it. But not Mother. Mother was kind, Mother was lovely and loving, Mother was a wish come true and a blessing on the earth. James could not bear to think how Mother would feel if she thought she had hurt him in any way.” And “I waited for you to ask me for help,” Ragnor told him. “I thought perhaps you might make a warlock.”“I never wanted to be anything but a Shadowhunter,” James said helplessly. Ragnor said, sounding disgusted as usual: “You Shadowhunters never do.”

And then you have “free-er” Tessa of 2013 “…and it might have been longer had they included Gray, but Tessa said that warlocks chose their own name, if she chose to be a warlock. Mina might choose to be a Shadowhunter. She might be anything she pleased. She was everything already.”

But in the same time, I know that in order to get to 150 years old Tessa who’s not going to take shit for being a warlock, 40 years old Tessa had to go through that. But I’m going to write a long essay on Tessa vs the Clave, once I finish TLH, because I need more elements to my case 😭

Wow, this is getting too long.

What I’m trying to say is that, other readers must have other interpretations of these scenes and quotes I just wrote, and that’s the beauty of art and books. Different opinions of the same text will always exist, and it’s totally okay. Share your wildest stuffs guys, that’s the point of arts.

Hope that answered your question💖

[whateverisbeautiful]

Spicy question for you after seeing the one about Lori 👀: What if Andrea had lived? Do you think TPTB would have went forward with Richonne? One the one hand, Rick and Andrea hadn’t developed a relationship as of her death and we know Gimple had (subconscious?) plans for Richonne. On the other hand, those plans could have been because he knew Andrea wasn’t long for that world and a lot of development can happen in 2.5 seasons (assuming the timeline remained the same). And if I’m being honest, the absolute UPROAR that would have occurred if Richonne happened while Andrea was still alive would have been something! Rick and Michonne definitely had more chemistry from jump but I don’t think they would have had the guts to make that big of a change but *Kanye West voice* “I guess we’ll never know.”

Ooh thanks for asking. I love 'I guess we'll never know' cuz it's very true. 😌 Any alternative scenario that some out there might've wanted will always have to just be hypothetical because Richonne and their epic love story is forever the reality of this TV franchise.

And the way I see it - even if Andrea, Lori, Jessie, or any of these ladies had lived, Richonne is still inevitable. But I definitely had to write out more of my thoughts on your questions below. ⬇️😊

First; I just have to say thank goodness things played out the way they did, because if the show tried to put TV Rick and Andrea together it would have been giving dry. 🏜 That scene in season one, when Andrea asks Rick about if she can take the necklace for her sister, seems to be one of the rare times the show even really attempted to hint at a potential romance between them. And I'm glad they scrapped it quickly. Lincoln and Holden played off each other best when Rick and Andrea were more genuinely at odds imo.

You're right about how the Richonne uproar would have been even more out of hand with Andrea still alive. 😟 Even if people thought TV Rick and Andrea had no romantic chemistry or disliked TV Andrea, there'd still be people irate that they didn't put them together anyway just to be comic-accurate (or really just to ensure Rick ends up with a blonde woman of his race no matter what.)

If Andrea had lived and still had her history of being with Shane and The Governor, I personally don't think TPTB would put Rick and Andrea together, even if they didn't put Rick and Michonne together. Or at least I hope they wouldn't, because it would just be way too messy to feel rewarding if Rick and Andrea got together after all that. Like they'd really be pairing Rick with yet another woman who preferred Shane. 😕 Rick deserved more than that.

And he got so much more too. 😌🙌🏽

I could see there being a bit more fear from TPTB to pair Rick and Michonne together with Andrea still alive tho, simply because of the response from certain parts of the fandom. But I still stand by my Richonne is inevitable belief. So even if Andrea was alive, I'm choosing to think they still make Rick and Michonne a couple. Even before it was officially in the works, Richonne is what the story so clearly and organically wanted.

Plus, Andy & Danai's chemistry as Rick and Michonne is too undeniable to overlook, so it almost would be more trouble to pretend like those two characters aren't soulmates than it would be to put Rick and Michonne together romantically like they're meant to. These looks and more are just not the type of things that happen between two people who strictly stay besties forever. 👌🏽

Overall, I'm just very grateful that Richonne was in every way destined to be a reality. 🙏🏽

[lilly-the-racoon]

My characters!! (PT 1)

Sorry this is a couple days late, the drawings took longer than I expected!!

Characters:

Rikai The Wolf, Jessi The Hedgehog, Jules The Hawk, Mia The Squirrel !!

Enjoy!!

—————

Ok so! first up we got Rikai The Wolf, she was my first Sonic OC like EVER! I made her when I first got into Sonic, in like 2018. Back then she was wayyy different, her name was ‘Rocky’ and she was a cat. And she’s undergone lots and lots of changes after that, that I’ll prolly get into at a later date. This is her now! vv

The are the two designs I have for her now (im still deciding) I’ll probably do a poll on which one when I have more followers 😭 and yes I used sonic and shadow for a reference whilst drawing these. Because I loove them!!!! Her canon backstory is still up in the air as for now. She has pyrokinesis (fire powers), and more that i’ll get into in a separate post since her powers tie into the plot.

—————

Okii next is Jessi The Hedgehog! Shes the love interest of Rikai (yes they’re girlkissers…) and, like Rikai, she was one of my first OCs! Fun fact! She’s TECHNICALLY my first OC ever. All those years ago, I was watching a ‘how to draw Amy Rose’ tutorial, and when I got to her quills i thought “hmm.. what if i give her a different hairstyle..” And thats like how I found out I could make my own character lol. But Rikai is still my first DELIBERATE OC!!

This drawing is like, super duper rushed so sorry for the bad quality!! I recently changed her design so I all the drawings I already had were out of date, so to speak! Her design has changed a bunch over the years, from having her quills in a high bun, to being super fancy and girly, and now I’m leaning more towards her kinda being a girly hippie! (Hence the no gloves) I’m most likely going to tweak her design again in the upcoming weeks since I’m not super happy with her color palette.

She’s very bubbly and kind, full of love! She believes there is good in everyone, and that there can always be a peaceful solution. Most of the time her kindness is an attribute, but sometimes its a flaw because she’s quick to give second chances, even if it ends up hurting her in the end.

—————

Closing off the “main three”, theres Jules The hawk!

He’s the mechanic/ inventor of the group! (and also pretty much the whole reason this post is late.. I wanted to get him perfect) I always thought of him as being green, but then he’d look a little too much like another bird we know.. (insert sonic riders theme) As for his backstory.. you guessed it.. up in the air! I feel like I made him look way too menacing in this drawing, he’s a total cornball! Like really silly. And good with kids!

—————

Speaking of kids, we have my newest OC, Mia the Squirrel!! She’s the youngest character I have as of right now, and also the cutest!! look at her!!!! cuteness overload!!!!

These are more rushed drawings but thats ok..!

I pretty much knew from the start who she would be, so there isn’t really any changes that I have made to her design (besides the fact I was gonna make her a fox, but I never drew her as one so it doesn’t count). Since I drew inspiration from Cream the Rabbit, should I give her a Cheese? Once I figure out how to do polls, I’ll leave it up for the people to decide ! No backstory again, but she’s almost always glued to Jules’ side.

ONE MORE THING!!!!!!!!!

I tried my best to replicate the Uewaka Ao (2000s sonic) style, to keep my art neat and to make it look more official! For the villains/rivals that i’m gonna have in my next post, I probably won’t have enough time to do that for every single character since I want to get it out by today or tomorrow, so it’ll be my actual artstyle most likely! It’s not all that different, but it probably won’t have the shading.

Thank you so much for reading! (And a special thanks to my five current followers for supporting me)

Also go check out PT 2!!!!

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

who fit their character more? jessie as alina or ben as the darkling

also, do you think half shu alina was a good idea?

….Neither?

I don’t think either of them really understood their characters. But Ben Barnes was incredibly egregious and I already parasocially resent him for his acting choices lmao so I guess JML was the better fit. It’s relative however

JML’s performance was mostly fine. They had practically nothing to work with. The decision to make Alina into like a waifish introverted ingenue seemed to be more from the writer’s room. But it’s very telling that they said they had to (paraphrasing) invent a character for Alina because there was none! Not to mention that their take was 200% blander

Like JML’s Alina would never dress up as a racist caricature to sneak into a party, nearly kill herself on screen like twice in ten minutes, or be primarily immune to the Darkling’s “we are fated to be together forever” bullshit because her main priority is hanging out with her silly teen friends that she doesn’t even like very much. Instead you just get a very generic protagonist with very little going on internally. But there at least isn’t much that’s antithetical to how Alina functions as a character, unlike another performance!!

The Darkling being an elusive, aloof, vampire is absolutely integral to his character. I’ve said before, but I think he serves as a deconstruction of how predatory the previous era of paranormal romance trends can come across. It just doesn’t work if there’s zero engagement with that in his portrayal. And there was none! Ben Barnes has spoken a lot on record about how he was involved in trying to make him into a more grounded, real person, and I resent him and his ugly beard for that lol

Ben Barnes just played him as such a woobie. He kept tearing up at the drop of a hat. He was like screaming crying throwing up through that entire show. And he was just so bizarrely uncharismatic, even though I’ve seen him have some gravitas in other roles. Idk I just think it was bad writing, bad direction, bad performance

Anyway I thought Alina being half shu could work! I strongly believe it was a choice made to counter the constant thread of sinophobia in the series (Six of Crows…) And I like how that would tie into her feeling isolated and without real community, hoping the Grisha might be that for her, and then that imploding badly. It also added another element to the Darkling fundamentally not understanding her, and not caring to. It could’ve been a really interesting choice!

The problem is that the handling was very clumsy. The racism portrayed is very on the nose and punishing to sit through. I can respect that if it’s going somewhere, but then in S2 the writers presumably folded after the backlash, and completely dropped it as a plot thread. It disappearing like that makes the incredibly heavy handed racism portrayed in S1 feel so much more pointless and aggravating! It was just very poorly handled

[jawnlmablueorchid]

No one asked for this, but I am reading Babel (I am almost done with the book, only got like 10 chapters to go), but instead I am coming here to scream into the void about how I picture these characters in my head.

Main character first, Robin Swift. The more I read it, the more this character felt like jgy, and I am biased beyond belief, so obviously I can only picture him in my mind's eye as Zhu Zanjin.

I think the rest of this list will very much continue to be biased. So Ramiz Rafi Mirza (Ramy). Love him to bits, and because I love him to bits I think my brain has just decided he gets to look like Assad Zaman.

Now onto our beautiful girls. Victoire Desgraves, who is probably the most level headed and patient character of the quartet. These guys would be fucked without her legit, so I thought, who better than Lupita Nyong'o.

Last but not least on the quartet, Letitia Price (Letty), the token white girl, lmao xD. She a little confused but she's got the spirit! I genuinely forgot if she was blonde or a brunette tho, but I am biased towards brunettes, so Claudia Jessie it is.

To continue this wee post, Professor Richard Lovell. Okay so controversial opinion, but I do love him and what he is to the plot. He is so - *so*, lmao, like, the manipulation, and how he acts as both a shield and a chain to Robin is just so UUUGH. Aiden Gillen, let goooo

To contrast the previous character, we got the other side of the exact same coin, Griffin Lovell. Okay, so bear with me because I have never actually seen or read Guardian, HOWEVER, Bai Yu seems like a good shout

For Anthony Ribben, I think Ncuti Catwa. He is such a complimentary character to Griffin honestly. Where Griffin is out here burning things down, Anthony will tear it apart from the inside.

Maybe I'll add more to these later, who knows xD

[qu33nb3337]

Eloise and Cressida, my thoughts.

I’ve seen quite a few posts about these two but nothing that really reflected my perspective, so here goes.

Cressida

I’m actually excited to dig into her character more, to this point she has been a two dimensional villain which I understand. As the audience we aren’t meant to like Cressida. In the books, the Bridgertons and Penelope dislike her due to her cutting remarks and slimy nature. She is a straight forward villain with no complexities to her character. However the show delves into the shades of grey around the characters and presents them all as flawed complicated beings which means this book narrative of Cressida doesn’t really fit within that. I’m excited to find out what lies beneath.

I also think this friendship will begin to introduce Benedict’s Sophie’s storyline as I think Sophie’s stepfamily will be the Cowpers. It will provide a link between the Bridgerton’s and Sophie and the show loves a link.

Eloise

I think Eloise has been behaving like a typical girl her age, she’s a teenager and as such she thinks the world revolves around her. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Eloise’s character, she has some cracking lines and Claudia Jessie plays her brilliantly. However Eloise is very caught up in herself.

When it comes to her friendship with Penelope she assumes that Penelope wants what she wants, thinks what she thinks and doesn’t ever really consider that might not be true. Eloise is blind to their very differing social standing, very different family situations and dynamics and how that affects them. As we saw in season 1, Eloise didn’t believe Penelope would be interested in marriage because she herself is not interested in it. Eloise has a supportive family, who despite their bickering want happiness for each other. Penelope has a family that constantly mocks, belittles and dismisses her. Eloise can depend on her family, Penelope can not. The Bridgertons are able to weather a certain amount of scandal whereas the Featheringtons cannot. Which would mean, regardless of whether Penelope wanted an epic love story or not Eloise should have been aware enough of her friends situation to know that she likely would need to marry for economic reasons if nothing else.

I am not convinced that Eloise is aware of Penelope’s crush. The line from the trailer from Eloise to Colin about since when did he care about Penelope suggests that she may not. When I look back at the last two seasons there’s no evidence to suggest that she is aware. She wouldn’t have seen them dancing in either season. The first season she wasn’t at the balls because she wasn’t out yet and the second season, we only saw Colin and Pan dance once at the Featherington ball and Eloise would have been ransacking Pen’s room at the time. Whenever Colin and Pen are talking in season 2 Eloise would show up and whisk Pen away which could be indicative of how she views their conversations as trivial and unimportant. I don’t think she is aware that they have formed their own relationship separate to her. I think she will have assumed they converse because of her, she is the link and without her what would they have to talk about.

However Eloise questioning Colin in the trailer about whether Penelope is trying to make him her husband could be because she is aware of the crush but has chosen to ignore it? I don’t know. I am interested to see how they play it.

I think what I am getting at is that Eloise doesn’t really know Pen like Pen knows her. Their friendship isn’t equal, Pen is desperate to please Eloise as we saw in season 2 when she writes a whistledown article that reflects Eloise’s thoughts about womanhood. I think their falling out will have a big impact on Eloise and their journey to reconciliation will be key to her her developing into from a teenager to an adult. To Eloise realising that others thoughts and opinions are different to her own but just as valid, that not everyone is as they appear to be, that her life whether she likes it or not is changing. I think her relationships with her siblings will develop, she will hopefully begin to see that they are all carrying a burden and are all a little lost.

I am hopeful that her friendship with Cressida will start some of these things in motion. It must lead her to question what she thinks of people if she befriends a person she believed to be awful. I don’t think she has befriended her to spite Penelope. I think they bond over something and I think Eloise will see the complexities of Cressida’s character and really learn that friendship is just as complex which will lead her to reflect on what happened with Penelope.

That’s my two cents. I could be wrong. I often am. What do you think?

[braveclementine]

Chapter 3

Warnings: None. (Will however be a 18+ reader book)

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own a few OCs like Elizabeth, Katherine, Stacy, and Jessie. I do not condone any copying of this.

"Seriously, where were you?" Your sister demanded, arms crossed, looking down at your slumped frame against the door.

"It's a long story. Like a long, long story." You muttered, getting your feet, trudging past your younger sister to get to the kitchen, "What's for dinner?"

"I thought you came home from work early?" Y/S/N scrutinized.

You sighed. "I did. Then I went for a week. I mean a walk. And I met my soulmates."

"All of them?" Y/S/N asked incredulously.

You nodded.

"So why are you so glum? Was it to painful hearing all of their names at once?"

"Am I glum?" You questioned in surprise. "I'm not unhappy. . . just surprised and a little overwhelmed."

"Do you like them?" Y/S/N asked.

"Oh yeah, they're great." You responded, trying to figure out how you would categorize them. "Everyone likes them."

"Who are they?"

"The Avengers."

Silence.

She snorted, "Y/N-"

You sighed, holding your arm out. "Spider-Man dropped me off."

Silence again.

"How much do they know about you?" She asked.

"Nothing. And I know nothing about them."

"Oh, well I got a song that could help with that. It's called We didn't start the fire. It's a lovely little song, lets you know small tidbits about the superheroes."

"Ah." You muttered.

"So, who all did you get?"

She sat down across from you, taking your arm into her hands. "Oh my God Thor? Lucky bitch. Oh my God and Tony Stark and the King of Wakanda and Steve Rogers? Oh, but you got Loki and Bucky though."

"They're not that bad." You said with a frown. "Loki was actually very. . . sweet."

"He tried to take over Earth."

"Minor character flaw?"

"And Bucky is a trained assassin!"

"Because HYDRA messed with his brain." You pointed out. "Not him himself."

"Mm, fair enough. Are you sure you'll be okay around them though?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" You felt your feathers being ruffled slightly as your younger sister had a go at some of your soulmates.

"I'm just saying, some of them are dangerous. And they work in a dangerous line of business. If the wrong people found out that you were half- probably more than half- of the Avengers soulmates, you could be a target!"

"It's not like I have a choice!" You snapped. "They're my soulmates and that's that. I can't change it. I can't just walk away from it. Alright? I would give anything to be normal and have just one, maybe two soulmates. You know I've always covered these up. You know I've never wanted an entire freaking orgy of soulmates!"

"Alright, chill girl." Y/S/N said. "I'm just saying, you're going to have to be prepared. It's not everyday you find out your soulmate is the King of Wakanda."

"Right." You murmured.

"And for dinner, Y/S/BF/N (Your sister's boyfriend's name) and I are going out for dinner." your sister finished. "You're welcome to join us, of course."

Though they were married, she wasn't quite eighteen yet and wasn't allowed to move in with him until she turned of age. However, if soulmates found their mate before eighteen they were allowed to get married at the earliest age of sixteen. However, they had to be eighteen to live together.

And the reason that we weren't with our parents was because. . . well that's a whole other story.

"I'll cook." You yawned, not even sure if you were hungry.

"Alright." She said, dancing out of her chair and heading for the front hallway, "See you when I get home."

The door closed behind her.

You sighed, getting out of your chair to pad into the kitchen. Opening the cupboards and refrigerator, you went easy on yourself and threw together a small meal of Y/F/F.

*Meanwhile at the Avengers Compound*

Tony, Stephen, Thor, Loki, Steve, Bucky, Sam, Clint, T'Challa, Rhodey, and Fury all sat in a large living room like room.

"I can't believe we all have the same soulmate." Rhodey sighed. He was very simple, liked everything simple. He would've been pleased to have a soulmate that was with him and him alone. He'd always liked having only one band. Just the two of them and a family. Well, now things were just slightly- a lot- complicated.

Tony rested his chin on Stephen's shoulder, "I'm not sure why you're surprised. We've all seen each other's wrists everyday. We all knew we'd have the same soulmate. The colours always changed at the same time and everything."

"We'll have to keep an eye on her." Fury said, always in survival mode. "Make sure that she's a safe person to have around, and make sure that she's never in danger."

"You worry to much." Clint said.

"Why don't we just invite her into the tower?" Steve asked. "We have plenty of rooms upstairs."

"We did just meet her. . . six hours ago." Loki deadpanned. "I doubt she'll be highly receptive to move in so early."

"I'm already planning weddings in my head." Thor announced happily, munching on a pop tart.

Loki groaned, putting his head in his hand. "To fast, much to fast."

"We could all just spend some one-on-one time with her, or as groups." T'Challa suggested. "Stephen and Tony. The three of you. Thor and Loki. Clint and Rhodey. Fury and I. That way we're not overwhelming her with to many people that she needs to get to know. And we can also get to know her better than if all twelve of us tried to get to know her at the same time."

"That's a good idea." Sam said, shrugging.

"I'm more worried about your guys wedding." A new voice said from the doorway. Dr. Banner stood, leaning in the doorway.

"Come again?" Rhodey asked.

Bruce sighed, walking forward, folding his glasses up to stick in his pocket, "For example, Nat and I. When we got married, she got a bit of my hulk strength and in return, I got some of her flexibility. We have two gods, two super soldiers, and one immortal here. I don't know how exactly that'll work on her body. Not to mention, the fact that Fury is bonded to Agent Hill means that she will get something from Agent Hill as well, even though they're not bonded. Like how Fury got a trait from Coulson even though they aren't bonded, because Coulson and Hill are bonded."

"Is there even a way to make sure she doesn't get our more. . . dangerous traits?" Bucky asked quietly, his metal hand clenching into a fist.

"It's random." Bruce said with a shake of his head. "You'll just have to wish luck. It's not like you can put it off, you know. You have one year to court her and a second year to get the wedding together. Especially since she's over the age of eighteen."

"This is exhausting." Rhodey grumbled.

"I also agree with Steve." Bruce continued, putting his hands into his pockets, "It would be much safer for her to move into the Compound or the Tower, whichever you guys feel you'd rather live at."

"Let's invite her over tomorrow!" Tony said enthusiastically, practically bouncing up and down where he sat. Stephen flicked his ear lightly. "Knock it off."

"I say we go with T'Challa's idea." Stephen said simply. "Start with one of the groups tomorrow."

"Yeah, she takes the taxi to work so I could drive her." Tony said enthusiastically.

Rhodey groaned, "I don't even want to know how you know she takes the taxi to work."

"Well, it is New York." Sam pointed out. "Almost everyone takes Taxis or subways. It's a pain to try and drive your own car."

"Yes! Stephen and I will drive her tomorrow!" Tony said, bouncing again.

Bruce cleared his throat as Stephen flicked Tony's ear again, "You should go in reverse order of meeting her. So Stephen and Loki could take her to work tomorrow."

Everyone stared at Bruce.

"You want me to work with the guy who made me fall for thirty minutes?" Loki questioned.

"Sure." Bruce said with a shrug. "Or it can be Stephen and Fury and then you and Thor. But as she's already spent a bit of time with King T'Challa and Tony, well it's probably a good idea to start with those she barely met. That way you aren't starting off with supposed favoritism."

"That makes sense." Steve said, stroking Bucky's hair.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled." Nick said, getting up out of the chair he'd been sitting in. "See you at the next meeting. Don't die."

"Cheerful." Clint muttered before moving away to probably go and sleep in the vents.

The others dispersed accordingly.

*Next Day*

There was a knock on the door as you put the finishing touches to your makeup, getting ready for work. A white blouse covered about half of your lines, showing about four of them. A knee-length black skirt and your heels were somewhere in the front hallway, only to be put on last minute.

You hurried down the hallway- your sister having already left for school- opening the door which revealed a rather comfortable looking Stephen Strange wearing blue jeans, a red T-shirt, and a black suit jacket you swore probably belonged to Tony. And also a rather uncomfortable looking Loki who was dressed in the same black outfit as yesterday.

"Oh." You said in obvious surprise, not expecting two of your soulmates you'd met for about a minute and twelve seconds standing on your doorstep. "Er- come in."

"Do you normally let strangers into your house?" Loki asked as they stepped inside. You'd headed back down the hallway to put the makeup case away.

"Only charming ones." You called over your shoulder without looking back.

"I like her." Loki snickered.

You blushed as you shoved everything away before shutting off the bathroom.

"Sorry, but I am on my way to work." You said apologetically.

"We know, we're here to take you there." Stephen said with a shrug. "Thought you'd prefer it to spending money on a taxi or a subway ticket."

"Thank you." You said. "Lead the way then."

You shut off the lights in the apartment, wishing it was just slightly cleaner before you met Loki and Stephen back at the front door.

"We spoke as a group last night." Stephen said as the three of you stood in the elevator. "We said we'd take the relationship as slowly as possible within the Government rules, that way we don't overwhelm you."

"Thank you." You answered sincerely. "I didn't expect to meet all eleven of my soulmates on one day. Or expect that they'd all know each other. Or that half of them would have super powers of some sort of well, no offense Mr. Laufeyson, but not entirely human."

"You can call me Loki. No offense taken. I know I'm a God." Loki said with a slight smirk.

You studied him out of the corner of your eye. He was truly a beautiful specimen. No facial hair, his face extremely smooth with a pale complexion. His inky black hair was curly in waves. He carried himself with an air of elegance and self-assurance.

I flicked my eyes to look at the opposite man. He was just as tall, his facial hair giving a very smart appearance. His eyes looked like galaxies, his hair smooth and combed over on his head. He was a bit more relaxed than Loki was, though Loki had relaxed more since the front door.

The car that was waiting in front of the apartment building made you raise an eye. "This is yours?"

"Tonys." Stephen said it like an explanation.

"Of course." You murmured. Loki opened the back door so that the two of you could climb into the back while Stephen climbed into the passenger seat.

"This is Happy." Stephen introduced the two of you.

Happy simply nodded and you gave a smile, settling back into your seat.

"Would you like to come to the Avengers Tower after work?" Loki asked quietly.

You thought about it, "Yes, that sounds nice. Thank you. Are you sure I won't be imposing?"

"Not at all. Steve, Tony, and Clint are all for you moving in yesterday." Stephen chuckled. "Some of us had to convince them that it's a little to soon and that you might get overwhelmed if we asked you to move in with us today."

"Thor is ecstatic." Loki murmured, "He's already planning weddings in his mind. Mind you though, he's been without a soulmate for a thousand and a half years."

"Haven't you as well?" I questioned.

"No, only 1,058 years." Loki said with a smirk. "442 years less."

I chuckled. "I'm surprised though. Would've thought as Gods you would've had several soulmates?"

"For the longest time we didn't even have colours. Of course, that's not uncommon when it comes to Godlings. We usually wait for soulmates for a couple hundred, couple thousand years. And when we do, we are ecstatic."

It was all fascinating and you found yourself at your job far to soon for your liking. You were just slightly disappointed.

Loki took your hand, kissing the back of your knuckles again, "We'll see you after work my Queen."

Stephen had opened your door without you realizing and you quickly stepped out, making Jessie crash into Katherine as she stopped on the sidewalk.

Stephen placed a kiss on your forehead. "See you after work."

Forward, but it was to sweet to be weird. You were getting butterflies and starting to wonder if you really wanted to wait two years to get married.

"Y/N!" Katherine screeched, making you jump as the expensive car drove off. "Some explaining to do!"

"At lunch." You hissed. "Come on, we have work."

Katherine, Jessie, and Stacy were incredibly impatient as they waited for their lunch break to come. Once it did, they practically dragged you from the office so that the four of you could sit yourselves down at Big Boys, deciding to do the buffet as lunch.

You decided on breakfast for lunch, putting a few pancakes, sausage links, bacon, eggs, and cinnamon rolls along with apple/orange/grape juice as a drink.

"Explain, explain!" Jessie said.

"Shh." You hissed, rolling up your sleeve, "Stay quiet, it's supposed to be a secret."

Jessie, Stacy, and Katherine leaned over your arm to see what was there. They were the few along with your sister that knew how many soulmates that you had. Their mouths just kept dropping farther and farther until Katherine squealed, "OMG THEY'RE ALL THE AVENGERS!"

Stacy and you tackled her to get her to shut up. "SHH!" You both hissed, getting stares from the others around, though they didn't seem to really care about what you were talking about.

"Yeesh." You whined, leaning back in your seat. "I don't know if I'm lucky or cursed."

"Lucky." The other three answered.

"Seriously, you'll be one of the safest people in the city." Katherine said, eyes big as saucers as she rubbed the silver mark of her unknown soulmate.

"Unless someone from HYDRA was here and overheard your big mouth." Jessie teased Katherine.

"Yeah right." Stacy said rolling her eyes. "I'd like to see a big hulking HYDRA agent in a Big Boys."

You all laughed at the ludicrousness of the comment. After you finished lunch, you went back to work, completely unaware of the watchful eyes on your back.

⬅️➡️

[lovelytsunoda]

love is a losing game | cumulative authors notes

Welcome to the final chapter of ‘Love is a Losing Game”! Before I release the grand conclusion, I wanted to share the ideas and the inspiration behind a venture that made me feel like I was back in my Wattpad era.

When I first got the idea for this series, I had just finished watching the second season of Bosch: Legacy on Amazon Prime. I’ve loved cop shows since I was a kid and Bosch is as good as it gets. I also found myself drawn in to one character in particular: Detective Kevin Long, portrayed by former Days of our Lives actor Guy Wilson (who also recently subbed in for Jonathan Jackson on General Hospital). I admit, there was nothing redeemable about that character whatsoever, but his sad eyes and chest of tattoos captivated me. It got me thinking, since there was little background insight given to Kevin Long as a character, what if he wasn’t a bad guy at all? (Delusional, I know. He was so far past saving) What if he was desperate to protect the people that he loved? When I went back and started rewatching Bosch from the beginning, all the layers came together, and suddenly I had created so much lore going back to the very beginning, and I didn’t know what to do with it.

I was gasping to write fanfiction. A full bodied series, something that I haven’t done since my Wattpad days. I had all these thoughts and plot points, and they were consuming me. But I knew that if I wrote it for Bosch, nobody would read it. I’d call it a dead fandom, but that implied there was a fandom to begin with outside of sub reddits. and then I had another idea.

What if I kept the storyline the same, but changed the fandom, drawing inspiration from Bosch but creating something bigger? And so Love Is A Losing Game was born. Kevin Long became Jake Seresin, and Titus Welliver's maverick devil-may care detective Harry Bosch became Pete Mitchell (same character different fonts! you can't go one episode without someone saying 'fucking bosch') Jerry Edgar became Tom Kazansky, and lawyer Honey Chandler became Penny Benjamin. I didn’t originally want to make Bradley the evil Don Ellis (who I once saw described as 'evil James Hetfield'), but I was running out of characters to sub, and something about the power cop duo of Jake and Bradley spoke to me (and Bradley and don have the same moustache). See my diagram below for who plays who:

Included but not pictures is Mickey Garcia as Detective Rondell Pierce, Javy Machado as Officer George Irving and Ron Kerner as Detective Santiago “Jimmy” Robertson.

(Early chapter readers may note that before proofreading, some chapters had errors where I had typed so quickly, my brain moving a mile a minute that I wouldn’t realize I’d typed in the names of the Bosch character I used for inspiration instead of the character it was supposed to be. I’d be embarrassed every time, but at the end of the day I only garnered like 20 readers and just hoped they wouldn’t notice)

Fun fact about Bosch! Honey Chandler is played by Mimi Rogers, who was married to Tom Cruise before he met Nicole Kidman! Other stars include the late Lance Reddick, Matthew Lillard, C Thomas Howell and Anthony Michael Hall. Maggie Q is also set to star as Renee Ballard in the new season, as well as a spinoff about Ballard as a character.

Jessica’s story is so meaningful to me because it’s about growing from your mistakes and paying it forward. She had rough teen years, which she’s carried with her for a long time. In the end, it’s realizing she can still be redeemed, she can still be loved for who she is that allows her to move on. I didn't want her story to be seen as another girl who married the wrong man. I wanted her story to be about how far we will go to protect the people that we love.

To end it all off, here are some fun facts about Jessie and Jake, or as they were originally in my head, Jessie and Kevin:

The first night that Jessie and Jake sleep together, they go to see an Oasis cover band called Cigarettes and Alcohol

Jessie and Jake were originally going to take the detectives exam together, but Jessie chickened out which resulted in Jake getting promoted to vice as a detective before Jessie tested

Jessie had a heart attack while working on the murder of a civil rights lawyer, caving under pressure from her past, her crazy boss and the high profile nature of the case

Jessie and Pete/Harry go to Vegas together to investigate the mob related murder of a porn director, and that's when she first starts to open up to him about her past (after he announces that he has the only copy of her juvenile file)

She cried the first time she had to interview a murder suspect (who later turned out to be an undercover FBI agent)

Jake/Kevin was on his college rowing team

At the beginning of what would have been season 4, Jessie and Jake go to see the Killers in concert, and Jake gets so drunk that Jessie drives the Charger home (Jake is a sleepy drunk, and spends most of the next day asleep as well)

Their honeymoon was a two week cruise in Alaska. Her favourite port was Anchorage

Their wedding song was Wonderwall by Oasis

Jessie doesn't necessarily let herself get pushed around, per say, by Pete but she wants to be where the action is after Vegas so when Pete says 'hey we're tracking a murder suspect to a deserted forest island, dress warm and come with me' she doesn't exactly say no

Jessie cried the first time that she had sex with Jake. She was so overwhelmed (in a good way!) at the care and love he handled her with because she didn't believe that anybody would ever love her enough to be gentle with her and cherish her

While in Vegas, Pete's ex-wife (who's a professional poker player) got Jessie tickets to see Velvet Revolver at the Bellagio. In the aftermath of that trip, everybody in the department thought she was sleeping with Pete, even though that was the furthest thing from the truth

Jessie's first concert was Bon Jovi when she was fourteen. Jake/Kevin's was Nickelback. Their first *real* concert together (so not the cover band) was Greta Van Fleet

Jake is a menace on the road. He breaks speed limits left right and center and if anybody questions/honks at him he just turns the mini siren in the Charger on and pretends he's responding to an urgent call (obviously for Jessie's sake that changed after their accident, and then again when Rosie was born)

Neither of them are very kinky people. Jake goes to work and solicits prostitutes most days, and generally feels pretty grody and nasty afterwards, especially with some of the things he's seen in the line of duty. The same goes for Jessica, who quite literally sees the worst of humanity. She considers Jake to be her safe place, and her favorite position is when Jake's chest is pressed against her back, he's gently kissing the side of her head, and his thrusts are slow and deep.

Call him 'Detective" and you will have Jake Seresin wrapped around your little finger. He will literally do anything you want

Jake thinks he's a handy man but isn't. It's better to hire professionals (or call Jessie's dad) when something needs doing

Jessie rarely ever takes her car in for service. Most smaller things she can do herself, and she finds doing the repairs soothing. She once replaced a broken headlight on a stakeout to keep herself busy

Jake/Kevin has two older sisters, Jessie is an eldest daughter

[gynandromorph]

so i'm writing a scene where jessie writes the entire story herself (the irony is not lost on me), and, it's supposed to be the most perfect world she can think of. it's impossible NOT to compare her decisions to ones that i've thought about drake making, their solutions to the same problems side-by-side. for example, jessie assumes that she cannot get around death being a necessity with life. obviously, the planet would overpopulate. people would get tired of being alive. she decides instead that death should be more like getting tired and going to sleep forever one day, without the aging or sickness. drake would never settle for allowing death. i've spent a lot of time idly trying to figure out how xe would change... well, with omnipotence, anything, everything, in order to accommodate this demand -- and there are many different ways, which can be flawed when interacting with other problems. but the important part is that drake wouldn't settle for death. drake makes a mandatory end result, takes the current reality, and works until the beginning and end goal meet. jessie doesn't challenge reality's initial stipulations or the basic arguments about the logistics of non-death, even with unlimited power. we know that jessie is more authority-oriented in her basic value system; it's obvious when she's a child, and it's obvious when she's a god. she had good parents and a happy childhood; the authority figures in her life provided what she needed if she listened (and if she didn't). it was in her best interest to develop a worldview where authority was Good; she had no need to question them. reality says there are limited resources, and we will fix it by making people and creatures die and become resources, and jessie said "okay, got it boss." drake didn't have terrible parents, but nonetheless had experiences of authority's failure that were deeply formative for xem. even if xyr parents had been perfect, the body dysphoria would have always meant the reality that was provided was not enough. if xyr body, arguably the most fundamental reality xe will ever know, trapped in it regardless of all other factors, doomed to die when it dies, was something xe had to question to find any happiness, it must be very easy to apply this mentality to other dissatisfactions with reality. drake's rigid and often extreme moral beliefs, while they may seem more like they should produce a ruthless dictator than jessie's emotionally-driven decision-making style, are intrinsically linked to suffering and a desire for relief from it. ironically, both of these characters deal with similar themes -- a desire for impossible realities, and a hatred for the world they live in with all of its imperfections. jessie's impossible desire may simply be the freedom from desire altogether; to finally for once not feel an emptiness radiating Want. drake's impossible desire is more straightforward and less easily described -- paradoxical self-actualization and ego death. their similarities make them fun to compare, because they really could not be more different. any which way, i wanted to write down these thoughts about the characters -- jessie in particular -- before they Disintegrated Into The Ether