#unless if they live too much rent in my head and i feel strongly about it. only i will try to put them on my notes hahah

[rellasnowheenim]

i was checking the files in my usb (which i haven't touched in a long time) and holy shit? i wrote a fic with 22k words and just forgot about it?? ahaha

Problems only writers understand

Having very chaotic notes on your phone

Having secret files that you will NEVER let anyone ever see

WHAT THAT WORD THAT MEANS THAT THING????

Why cant I think of a name?

Writing 10k words in a day then never again

[bukojuiice]

the wedding booth  — eren jaeger

ೃ pairing: (eren jaeger x  fem! reader)

ೃ after being unwillingly dragged to plan and create a wedding booth for your first university festival, eren accompanies you to a bridal boutique. there, he contemplates about the future and all of the cheesy romantic stuff he wants to do with you.

ೃ genre and warnings: college au, lots and lots of fluff!

ೃ  my nav  →  my aot masterlist

ೃ 1k words

My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Wedding Planner, Wedding Crashers... hell, even Mamma Mia.

If having to be forced to watch these romantic comedies about weddings doesn't give you the sudden urge to get hitched and run away to some tropical island, then you don't know what will.

For your very first uni fair at Shigashina University, your friends had proposed a Marriage booth. To be more specific, three of your friends did. Jean, Sasha, and Connie are the masterminds behind this stupid idea and it's all because of three things:

1. Jean is pining over Mikasa so so bad. So many years have passed and yet he still hasn't found a way to confess. And so, due to his pompous ass binge-watching stupid rom-coms recently, he thinks that if "fake dating" can bring two people together, then having a fake wedding with his unrequited crush of 12 years could finally make her fall for him too. He wants the booth to be as iconic as a wedding straight out of Las Vegas. Problem is, he's never been to Las Vegas, and his terribly unrealistic basis for wanting it to be as iconic as a "Las Vegas Wedding" is that one scene from The Hangover and that episode from Friends.

He was delusional and yet, he wanted to push through with this proposal no matter what. Nothing was going to stop him... not unless it was one of the three seniors whom you would be proposing this project to in the first place.

2. Sasha's goals are much normal. A bit odd, but still normal and not as desperate as Jean's. All she wants is to get Ymir, the captain of the school's soccer team to confess to Historia, the freshman Bio-Chemistry student who works part-time as a library assistant (and whom everyone secretly fawns over for. she's just that damn cute.) However, the real reason as to why she helped [rp[pse this stupid marriage booth to get them to finally confess to each other is anyone's guess.

3. Connie thinks he's gonna get clout from this. Rise up the university hierarchy perhaps? He's treating the entire festival like it's high school all over again. He prays that the marriage booth will become the hottest thing in the festival, then he'll instantly become that cool and bad-ass freshie whom everyone wants to be friends with. Either way, if the booth is going to be a success or not, you know for a fact he's never going to be a part of the "cool kids" (good lord, can you believe people still use that term in college?) and he's gonna be stuck with you and your other friends for the rest of the years to come.

It didn't take long before they finally finished their elaborate PowerPoint Presentation (despite Connie insisting that Powerpoint is boring) that they were going to pitch to three of the principal members of the student council. Namely, Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman, and Hange Zoe.

It was gonna be an automatic no for Levi, obviously. Nothing could ever get past that man. But if they can somehow convince Erwin and most especially Hange to get on board with their stupid scheme, then the booth was good to go.

Now, here you are, in a bridal boutique. Purchasing some simple wedding dresses that will serve as your rent-a-dress service for the Marriage booth.

It wasn't originally a part of the plan. Not at all.

However, Hange would only approve of the project IF the wedding booth was going to be made into something more elaborate and memorable. They didn't want something as simple as printing out fake marriage contracts, cheap tulle fabric wedding veils, fake plastic bouquets, and wedding pictures that came out of a polaroid camera.

Oh no no no. They wanted it to be extravagant. The cream of the crop. The absolute bomb. The best booth at the festival.

Hange saw potential in the idea and with an approved budget by the student council, you could make anyone's wedding dreams come true.

 Fast forward to a week before the event, you are currently on a shopping spree with Armin, Mikasa, and your boyfriend, Eren (because Sasha insisted he had the right proportions for the rental groom outfits. She totally did not ask him to come along so that he can see you try on wedding gowns.) to buy supplies, props, decorations, and everything else needed.

"(Y/N), we'll meet you and Eren at the bridal boutique, okay?" Armin proclaims, looking at the time on his wristwatch and struggling to balance the shopping bags on his other hand.  Mikasa notices how much he's been struggling and offers to hold the bags for him.

"Sure! Don't forget about the list that Jean sent!" You shout back, turning to Eren as his fingers interlace with yours, making your merry way to the boutique whilst Armin and Mikasa go off the other direction.

"Don't get too excited." You joke, nudging Eren on the arm. "I'll just be trying on these dresses for the booth."

There's a particular glimmer in Eren's emerald eyes, chuckling at your quip. "Sheesh. Did you really have to remind me? Of course I know that. Besides, we're too young to even think about marriage right now. What's important is that I'm spending the best years of my life with you."

"Eren Grisha Jaeger, it is too damn early for you to make me a blushing pile of mess with your flirty comebacks." You deadpan, the heat rising up your cheeks as you try to hide your embarrassment from him.

The both of you laugh it off, shuffling into the store. The chiming bells of the shop door echo around the area as you look in awe at the luxurious dresses occupying every available space. The wafting smell of a vanilla pinecone scent and the soft sound of a sewing machine doing its work. There was a homey and rustic feel to this boutique that made you feel like you were sent back in time.

From great flouncy pieces adorned in layers of lace that rolled like ocean waves to more humble designs, albeit of the finest cloth.

This plethora of finery- reminds you strongly of the many genteel ladies depicted in those books and historic romances you used to read and watch. Like that of Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility.

Having the opportunity to enter a boutique such as this was a dream.

"Welcome! May I help you find anything?" A seamstress appears from the register. She looks at you from head to toe, as if trying to guess your measurements.

"W-we're looking for wedding dresses. Anything within the 200 to 300 dollar range? We don't need anything extra fancy, though! We'll just be needing them-"

Her eyes shift from you to Eren like she's suddenly a love coach, sizing the two of you up. "Yes, yes, young love! How sweet!" She chirps, breathing out a dreamy sigh. "Of course! For couples on a tight budget, we have-"

"We're looking for wedding dresses that can be used as costumes! Not too short and not too long either. W-we're not getting married or anything." You dismiss the seamstress with a wave of your hand. "I'm sorry if you thought of it that way..."

Although her shoulders visibly drop, the saleswoman still manages to smile. "Oh! I would like to apologize for assuming anything too!"

"Actually, mam, we do have plans sometime in the future." Eren grins cheekily, pulling you close to him. "Not today, of course, but we'll make sure to drop by in a few years!"

The saleslady's eyes lit up at Eren's vow. "Over here are some of our best-selling pieces! Ones that will certainly attract the eye of any groom!" She beckons you over to some mannequins lined up in the middle of the store, your gaze is drawn to the myriad of dresses on display as you walk throughout the space.

You turn back to Eren, studying him closely as he walks a few paces behind you, you thoughtfully wonder if the dresses you would pick out would match his taste.

She leads you to the back of the store to show the other garments and dresses embroidered with simplicity and yet elegance. You then pick two gowns up from their respective racks, satisfied with your purchase and making a beeline to the register to pay. However, the seamstress stops you from your tracks.

"How about this one, dear?"

You turn your attention to her, doe-eyed and curious as to what she was going to show you next.

"It is indeed a wedding dress, although not what you had asked for, the handsome young man did say something about your marriage plans. Perhaps this might help you visualize it? Give you an idea for the future, hm?" She hums wistfully, drawing your attention to the mannequin she placed in front of you. "It would be a shame if you left the boutique without trying anything on."

"(Y/N)?" You hear Eren's husky voice call out for you from the front of the store, "Armin just texted me. They can't find a specific prop in the crafts store so we might have to wait a bit longer for them."

"Okay! We can spare more time in the boutique, anyways." You answer back,  before turning your attention to the seamstress once more.

"Alright. I think I'll try it on then."

"Trying it on" turned out to be more than you had imagined. You thought you could just slip inside the dress and show it off. But nope. You needed a few adjustments to dress, adornments in your hair, and had to wear a wedding veil.

It was almost as if you were actually preparing to be wed.

"Good sir, your lovely missus is ready!" Yup, even the words of the seamstress made you feel like you were living in the 17th century right now. Did she really have to use such fancy words?

"Please, watch your step." The seamstress takes your hand and leads you out of the dressing room and right towards—

Eren who had been waiting in the shop proper.

"Doesn't she look beautiful?" She giggles, glancing at Eren for a response. "Well, I'll leave the two of you here first and bring the dresses you've chosen to the cash register first." In a wink, she's gone and had disappeared into the back almost before the words left her mouth.

The unfamiliar yet elegant garb makes you feel shy and the fact that Eren was gaping at you did not help at all. He was absolutely entranced by your beauty.

You unconsciously lower your head, tucking a strand of hair beneath your ear, unable to bear the thought.

"God, you're not just beautiful. Y-you look breathtaking."

He says in a barely audible whisper, pulling you to him once more.

Placing his hands on your waist, Eren plants a soft, tender kiss on your chest, the low-cut dress affording it easily. In a heartbeat, you feel your cheeks grow hot.

"Heh. Guess I got you again." He grins wolfishly, still admiring your beauty and tracing circles on the back of your hand. "I-I don't deserve you... I really don't."

"If you didn't deserve me, would you be here right now?" You say jokingly, raising your eyebrow.

"I mean it." He buries his face on the hem of your dress, his voice is muffled and soothing. "I can't believe you chose to love me." He looks up at you, eyes practically welling up with tears. "God, I honestly can't believe I'm crying right now, but, yeah... I am. That's how much I love you and how much I want to marry you right now."

You giggle at the expression your boyfriend has shown before you, stroking his hair and burying your fingers into his long brunette locks. "I love you too. But... why so sudden? You already told the saleswoman that we'll be back in a few years. She'd be surprised to hear you change your mind so easily."

"Well, if that's the case, then I better tell Jean to have us first on the list of the wedding booth then. We worked our asses off for this, might as well be the first to be blessed with the luck of that stupid booth."

You giggle once more as he continues to hold you so close. You feel his breath and his heartbeat. Each exhale and pulse brings you to the realization that Eren is the one. The man you want to be with for the rest of your life. The man who will help you through all your faults and mistakes, your burdens and troubles, through all the ups and downs... he will be there.

Just as you will be for him.

Guess those stupid movies centered around weddings weren’t so bad after all

.taglist: @crapimahuman​

[phykios]

Ain’t No Sunshine, modern royalty, 1970s au [read on ao3] thank you as always to my darling @darkmagyk for taking a true story off the rails

May 3rd, 1979. The date seemed to jump off the page, the loud, bold text almost mocking her. 

Not that she was keeping track, but it was just about four years to the day.

She’d woken up this morning, feeling kind of off, wandering around her apartment in a daze as she hustled her children out the door for daycare, losing time on her bus commute to work. It wasn’t until lunch, as she took the time to go through her day planner, that she realized: four years ago was when she had last seen Percy Jackson.

Though why Annabeth was thinking about him right this second was anyone’s guess.

Oh, sure, she’d thought about him a lot all throughout her pregnancy--thought about him, cursed his name, dreamed of strangling him for leaving her alone with these two absolute terrors--but as the years had gone by, and she had lost all hope of ever making contact with him again, he’d sort of fallen by the wayside of her thoughts. Something must have been going on with the navy mail system, because absolutely none of the letters or postcards she’d sent had ever been received, and she couldn’t reach out to Sally, since Annabeth had lost her address as well. 

There was always the possibility that he… well, that he wasn’t around to receive letters anymore. But she tried not to think about it. 

She tried her best not to think about him at all, these days.

Today, however, her childhood best friend turned US navy midshipman had popped up on her internal radar, and had just decided to take up residence in her brain. Her normally mind-numbing job couldn’t even properly distract her, and she spent all afternoon daydreaming about his messy, perpetually windswept hair, and his toothy, contagious smile, and his gorgeous green eyes like she was some kind of pathetic, lovestruck teenager, obsessing over her rockstar crush. Taking calls, scheduling appointments, and dodging the creepy advances of the assistant CFO were slightly more palatable if she had something pleasant to think about. 

Old-fashioned romance was for suckers, anyway. Who needed it? 

At least it was Friday. Fridays were KFC days, and she really did not need to accidentally burn dinner today. Again.

She hated it, but her kids loved it. God knows they could barely stomach whatever she usually attempted.

She sent them to bed early-ish, and settled down in front of the TV with a glass of wine. She didn’t usually indulge, but she had had such a weird day, she felt she deserved it. 

Taking a long, long sip, she could no longer deny it: she really fucking missed Percy.

She missed him like she’d miss a missing limb, and it was all the more cruel because she’d lost him once, and miraculously found him again, on that fateful trip home from Athens. A military brat stuck at the American naval base in Spain to save money, waiting for a spare seat to open up on a plane so she could go home, by the sheer force of luck, she’d practically tripped and fallen into the lap of her childhood best friend. 

And then she did trip into his lap. And then into his bed. And stupid, stupid, Annabeth, she’d always been so bad with her birth control.

Her little boy, he had blond hair, but sometimes he would look at her, or laugh at something, or drool in his sleep just like his daddy, and Annabeth thought she might just fucking die from it.

She loved her children, of course, how could she not? But she wasn’t about to deny it--sometimes, alone in parenthood, juggling dishes and laundry and schoolwork and life, she felt like she was drowning.

Sharp, piercing, the doorbell rang, knocking her out of her reverie. A little tipsy, still in her rumpled work clothes, she set the glass aside, and made her way to the door. “Mr. D,” she said, opening it, prepared speech all ready to go, “I told you, I’d have the rent for you by--”

She stopped, blinking, speechless. It was not Mr. D.

“Hey,” said the man outside her door. The ghost from another world that she had, apparently, conjured with her thoughts.

“...Hey.”

He smiled, a little strained, the light of the streetlamps casting harsh shadows on his face. “It’s good to see you.” 

“How did you know where I lived?” It was, perhaps, not the most elegant thing to say, but she hadn’t exactly planned for what would happen when Percy Jackson, love of her life, father of her children, long-lost best friend wandered back into her life.

“Can I come in? Maybe for a Coke or something?” he asked, not answering her question. 

She almost wanted to say no. For every letter never returned, for every month gone by without a word, for every day spent raising their children without him, not knowing if he was alive or dead--she almost said no. 

But this was Percy. She could spare him a Coca Cola at least. “Sure,” she said, leaning away, “come on.”

“Great,” he said, and this time, his smile was all real. 

So focused had she been on him, she hadn’t even clocked the older man who stood behind him. “Sir,” said the other man, with the air of a beleaguered secretary--and Annabeth would know, “I really must advise--”

“I’ll just be a minute,” said Percy, not even bothering to look back at him, pushing past Annabeth’s half-extended arm.

“But, sir, your father--”

Percy let the door shut in his face.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “Harsh.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well… I’ll make it up to him later.”

“Who is he?”

But Percy didn’t answer. “Nice place you got here.”

He was being nice, of course. It was a craphole apartment in a craphole side of town--but the rent was cheap and the bus was convenient, and she only felt the slightest bit of shame as she led him to the craphole couch, handing him a coke from her craphole fridge. Christ, his suit looked like it cost more than her TV.

“Is your… husband home?” he asked, delicate.

“My what?”

“Your husband. I saw, um…” Embarrassed, he flicked his eyes to the ring on her left hand. 

“Oh, this? It’s--it’s not--” Hastily, clumsily, she fumbles it off, pulling around the knuckle. “I’m not--I’m not.”

He blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah, I just--it’s to ward off creepy guys, right? Like, they won’t take no for an answer unless they think they’ll have to deal with an angry husband, so I just…” 

In her more pathetic moments, she pretended that it had been given to her by the man before her. She had picked something small and simple, something that she thought he might have gone with, and pretended he had slipped it into her pocket the day she left the naval base. 

“That’s--cool. That’s great, I mean. I mean, that’s--”

“What do you want, Percy?”

Not at all bothered by the shortness of her tone, he sighed, closing his eyes. “I have a… personal question I need to ask you. And I’m sorry to bother you with this, I just--I have to ask.”

Ominous. “Okay?”

“Did we…” He sighed again, mouth twisting. “Did you, as a result of our repeated sexual encounters four years ago, happen to have any children by me?”

He just rattled it off, as if it was something he’d said over and over and over again, tired of receiving the same answer, but never expecting anything different.

“Excuse me?”

“I know, I know, it’s an extremely rude question, and I know I have no right to ask you, especially since it’s been so long, but I swear, there’s a reason I--”

“Did you never get any of the letters I sent you?”

At that, his head shot up. The look in his eyes could only be described as ‘terror.’ “What?”

“I must have sent you half a dozen,” she said, crossing to the kitchen, the wine making her a little bit short. She had, in fact, sent him eight letters, with pictures, and never received a single response, but since he seemed genuinely lost, she decided not to tell him. Plucking the most recent photo down from the fridge, she returned to the man in her living room, his knuckles white around the can. 

Standing before him, she handed him the photograph. He took it, fingers shaking. “We… you…” 

“Percy Jackson,” she said, like she was introducing him to someone at a party, “meet your children.”

Even after they had just been born, Annabeth had seen how obviously they were his. Only their daughter had the same messy black hair, both both had the same long, straight nose, the same intense, brooding brow as their father--and when her son smiled, or her daughter laughed, it was hard not to see the shades of Percy so strongly in them. It was hard to see them, too. 

Percy’s mouth was trembling. His eyes were wide, glassy, fixed on the photo. “My--” he swallowed. “What--what are their names?”

“Alexander,” she said, softly, “and Anne--”

“Annemarie,” he breathed. “Alexander and Annemarie.” He looked up at her, his eyes shining. “You remembered?”

Of course she remembered. Two lonely kids, she and Percy had spent so much of their childhood together, playing house, building their perfect family, even if only in their imagination. Alexander for his mother’s cousin, and Annemarie because he had wanted to name their  daughter Annabeth, and she wouldn’t let him. Twenty years later, alone and in pain, holding her newborn children and alternately cursing the man who made them and desperately wishing he were with her, Annabeth had known that they could only have one set of names, even if their father might never meet them. 

His face crumpled. He dropped his head into his hand, and groaned, like someone had pressed on an open wound. 

“Percy!” Annabeth sat down next to him, one hand on his shoulder, the other on his leg. Four years later and it still felt so natural to touch him like this. “Are you okay?”

Nodding, he grunted. “Yeah,” he croaked, voice hoarse, “I’m okay. I’m fine. I just--” And then he shuddered, a hand coming up to scrub at his eyes. 

He was crying, she realized suddenly. Annabeth used to be the one that cried. She could count on one hand how many times she’d seen him cry. He hadn’t even cried when she had finally left the naval base. 

Taking a shaking breath, he wiped his nose on the sleeve of his expensive suit. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, shattered. “I didn’t--I never--if I had known, I swear, I would have left the navy. I would have come home.”

The silent, unspoken “to you” echoed in the dead air of her apartment. “Why didn’t you?” she asked, quietly.

They held each other’s eyes, an eternity passing in a heartbeat. Neither wanted to break the sacred silence, to bring words into the crystalline moment that hung in the balance between them. 

“I never got your letters,” he said, tears in his eyes. “I… after you--left, I…” he sighed, aching. “I… got hurt. Bad.” 

Annabeth couldn’t breathe. 

“And,” he huffed a laugh, wet and messy, “and then I met my father. Can you believe it?”

Her eyes bugged out of her head. “You what?”

He nodded.

“He’s alive?” 

Sally rarely spoke of him, and Percy had always refused to. Annabeth had just assumed he had died, years and years and years ago. 

Percy laughed again, humorless. “He’s the king of Thera.”

Her jaw dropped. “He…”

“Yeah.”

“Are you shitting me?”

Shaking his head, he smiled, rueful. “I wish.”

Words from a half-remembered newscast floated through her mind. Alexander and Annemarie had been right terrors that night, and she had only been half-listening as the reporter informed the world that Triton, hereditary prince of Thera, had died, killed in military action. “He… found you?”

Percy nodded, miserable. “He told me--asked--told me to--to find anyone I might have…” And then he swallowed, tears in his eyes again, real, glistening tears. “And I am so, so sorry, I know--I know your job is here, and your whole life, and the children, but I--”

She took his hand in hers, squeezing gently so he didn’t fly away. “It’s okay,” she said. “Just say it.”

“I’m supposed to--I’m supposed to… if you would… come with me,” he trailed off, suddenly shy. 

For the second time tonight, she felt like she’d been hit with a sledgehammer. “...What?”

“He… my father… the king wants--needs heirs. He… he asked for a list of women, and I… gave him your name.” Stomach hot, Annabeth wished she had the courage to know about the other women on that list. Or to ask  why Percy, young and handsome as he’d been at both twelve and twenty, wasn’t out there making some new ones himself. Why was he chasing down old leads? Why was he chasing down Chase bastards? “You’d--you’d live in the castle,” he said, like he was trying to sell her on it, though she could tell his heart wasn’t really in it, “and we, well, we’d technically have to get married, but that doesn’t need to be a big deal. You’d get your own rooms. You can set them up however you want. And you’d have a personal staff, a stipend, and the kids would get private teachers, and--”

“Staff?”

He blinked, caught off guard. “Yes?”

Staff. Someone to do the laundry and clean the dishes. Someone to cook dinner and look after the house. Someone to help. Someone to do all the parental things that she just could not do, not by herself. Not without him. 

“I know I have no right to ask this of you,” he said, squeezing her hand. His hand was just as big as she remembered, and just as warm. “And I would never, ever force you to do anything that you wouldn’t want to--”

“Yes,” she said, interrupting him. 

He blinked, dumbly. “What?”

“Yes. I’ll come with you. We all will.”

“...Oh. Uh, great. That’s--that’s good. Are you sure?” He looked like a lost little dolphin, eyes huge and uncertain, and then, Annabeth did the one thing that she’d been desperately wanting to do for the last four years. 

She pulled his face to hers, and she kissed him. Shocked, he stiffened, almost pulling away--before relaxing into her, cupping her face in his big, warm hand. Eyes closed, they leaned their heads against each other, sharing air once more for the first time in years. She had lost him twice already: once as a child, when her father had decided to move her across the country, and once as a lovestruck college girl, when she had to leave the naval base, four years ago. She wasn’t about to lose him for a third time. 

And for the first time in forever, she no longer felt like she was drowning.

[mndalorians]

hey hi i hope you're doing okay!! that fic about slow-dancing with ezra lives in my head rent free, so i'm wondering if you have any other songs you associate strongly with the boys? or who else you think would dance with their partner??

Aar!! I’m doing alright! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it and that it’s stuck with you 🥺🥺

Below the cut are some songs and thoughts on dancing for Din, Ezra, Frankie, and Whiskey, thank you for asking about it!

Din:

- Show Me How - Men I Trust - this is one of the oldest songs I've associated with Din and it always makes me soft 🥺

- Little Dark Age - MGMT - in contrast is this song, maybe a little more suited to the Din we get a glimpse of in ep. 6, but there's a duality to him nevertheless that allows vastly different songs to be applied to him and I have a few

- Two Weeks - FKA twigs - bonus song cause it slaps

-

I have personal headcanons about what dancing is like within Mandalorian culture (with lots of banging of armour, stamping of feet, etc.) but those are group dances so I don't think Din has much experience when it comes to couples dancing. Maybe he remembers his parents dancing and laughing together, but the memory is faint, he remembers the general outline of them, not where their hands were placed or the actual steps of the dance. You can only really convince him to dance if you say it would mean a lot to you or he comes across you 'dancing' with the baby (basically just swaying and moving around the hull to the beat of a song you're humming), but seeing how happy you are in that moment as you dance leaves him wanting to be the reason for your smile, and if that means following a rhythm then so be it. He needs you to direct him and is as stiff as a board the first time you dance but he eventually softens and ends up resting his forehead against yours while you move about the hull.

Ezra:

- Black Mambo - Glass Animals (ZABA in general tbh) - I know I just write soft moments with Ezra but to me this song captures the dark undercurrent he has that really makes him dangerous

- Harvest Moon - Lord Huron - major Ezra vibes, it just suits him so well I think

-

I'll just expand a little on Ezra! Similarly to that wee fic, he'll hear a song and all of a sudden be overcome with the need to dance, doing very nearly anything to convince you to be his partner (if you need convincing). I feel like (maybe in his younger years) he'd be fond of the Charleston, or 'looser' dances that don't have the rigidity of a waltz, for example, and would enjoy having you as a partner for them, so long as space allows for it. If not, he's holding you close and cherishing the contact of you against him, since such a pleasure and privilege is denied while suited up and working.

Frankie:

I kinda associate old rock with Frankie but I don't listen to that lmao

- Crystals - Of Monsters and Men - I did rediscover this though, maybe this suits him in the aftermath of the movie? I do feel like there's a 'Frankie-ness' to it though

-

You might be able to convince Frankie to dance privately, I don't think he would be one for clubbing unless he was tagging along with the guys (and even then he'd probably stick close to the bar). If it's just you two though, it'll mostly be a little side to side sway that starts with your hands clasped and on shoulders/waists, but it would soon devolve into him holding you close with his chin on your shoulder, the two of you rocking back and forth. Maybe the gentle rocking becomes something he craves on days where everything is just a little too much, and so will seek you out just to sway and calm his mind.

Whiskey: (don’t look at me Hailee)

- Velvet Elvis - Kacey Musgraves - there's the obvious country vibes but the pop influence in it suits the modern cowboy I think

-

He's taking you line dancing, he's taking you square dancing. He'll laugh out loud when 'box the gnat' is called the first time you square dance and you look at him with wide, confused eyes, not knowing what it means, until he takes your hand and leads you through the motion. He knows formal dancing thanks to his time as a Statesman and will lead you through a tango just fine, but, like Ezra, he'd much prefer an impromptu dance to whatever song he happens to hear that takes his fancy. The steps to those dances are more like bounces than strides, he'll push your leading hands up to the sky then down until they're close to the floor, and he'd spin you both around with such reckless abandon that it would worry you if it were anyone but Jack.

[beckmessering]

Met Streams Tag Game Days 2-7

@opera-my-beloved sorrysorrysorry this is late af but i didn’t forget! this girl just got an undergrad research fellowship and has been pulling the summer vacation equivalent of all-nighters :’)

also, i didn’t answer all questions because i didn’t have answers for all of them…so i answered the ones i could. i tried to keep it met-stream specific, but if i included all streams i watched, some answers would��ve been different (and i would’ve answered more questions).

day 2

are there any operas that you'd listened to but never seen on stage before?

nah, i’m a very visual person - i need to see some production first so i have a visual reference for what’s going on, and then i can listen to it

what’s an opera you’d love to see performed in-person?

die walküre! and salome.

day 3

are there any operas you associate with a particular period in your life?

not a met stream, but i strongly associate the vienna ring with march 2020. it was a comfort when i had to essentially flee my uni city and started watching it at the airport before my flight.

do you know the next opera you want to discover?

so many! werther, eugene onegin, faust, lots of verdi (starting with un ballo in maschera maybe…)

are there any operas you’d write fanfiction for (or wish you had more fics)?

haven’t written fanfics (yet?) and i haven’t tried reading any for operas yet…but i should try, honestly

what is your comfort opera?

das rheingold. i know the libretto and the music by heart by now.

day 4

what’s an opera that became an unexpected favourite?

die walküre. i’ve told the story of how i didn’t like it first and loved it on the second try, and i’m so glad it became a favourite.

any operas you can’t get into no matter how hard you tried?

hm. i like holländer spot-wise (mainly when the title character is singing) but i don’t like much else of it.

what’s an opera/production you’d like to get teleported into?

hmmmm. die meistersinger seems to take place in a pleasant town (unless you’re beckmesser).

day 5

which opera was most visually pleasing to you?

girard’s parsifal for sure.

opera character you relate to?

beckmesser. i liked him before, but this research fellowship has thus far given me the absolute beckmesser energy because in the beginning i was scared to do something wrong, wanted to fit in, and wanted to please the higher-ups. (now it’s going well btw and i’m having fun!)

day 6

any favourite weird/funny lyrics?

“weia, waga, woge du welle!” need i say more? if the melody weren’t so good, i’d laugh.

(also, parsifal has a surprising amount of unintentional funny lyrics. like kundry telling amfortas to buzz off and go bathe, or saying that she never helps).

any met interview moments that live rent-free in your head?

the meistersinger interview with johannes martin kränzle (beckmesser) and martin gantner (kothner). here are two germans, conveniently both named martin, struggling through two minutes of interview with verrrry choppy english but visibly excited as fuck to be there and utterly BEAMING.

(it’s also shortly before jmk got really sick and he once said that he already started feeling physically weird at that time in New York. which is unnerving and sad to think of).

opera productions i could positively (or negatively) rant about for an hour?

…lemme make a separate post about that. (if anyone wants).

any productions you wish had been filmed but are only available in audio format?

i will NEVER EVER forgive them for not filming the 2018 parsifal revival >:(

day 7

a singer that pleasantly surprised you in a role?

not a met stream again, but tomasz konieczny’s wotan. i thought his voice was too dark and snarly. wow i was wrong.

opera characters that are meant for each other and you won’t hear otherwise?

siegmund and sieglinde. sorry not sorry at all.

opera you think is a complete masterpiece from first to last note?

ahem. too many ones i’ve mentioned already. *cough* rheingold, walküre, parsifal *cough*

a unique acting choice you can’t stop thinking about?

peter mattei not walking as amfortas in parsifal. he drags and carries himself as though his legs can’t bear any weight at all and it just…demonstrates pain and suffering better than anything else i’ve ever seen. god, that looks awful. in the best way.

any costume(s) you’d want to have?

YES! always wanted to dress in a relatively traditional wotan costume (like…spears and eyepatch and long coats…come on!!!) (fuck the gender of the role, obviously) and i actually fulfilled my dreams last halloween :)

[alarawriting]

Writeober 2020 #21: Dragon

How to Care For Your Pet Human

Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to adopt a human. Humans are excellent pets – intelligent, loyal, longer-lived than most other pet animals, and hypoallergenic, producing far less dander than the average mammal or bird. But they can be a challenging pet to care for as well. Here’s what you need to know to keep your human healthy and happy!

Committing To A Human

Like any pet, a human wants a forever home it can stay in for its entire life. Unlike most pets, a human can live for close to a century, if well cared for. It’s a big commitment! Make sure you’re ready for it.

Humans are incredibly intelligent, and if you do not provide sufficient enrichment, they will find it… one way or another. Everyone’s heard a story about a dragon who left their human alone in their lair, only to find the human gone after they returned. There are very few predators that are dangerous to a human, so if you don’t smell that another dragon has invaded your lair, and your human is missing… they found a way to escape whatever enclosure you had them in, and they may never return. Don’t let this happen to your human!

Humans are also incredibly social. If you’re not willing to take on more than one human, you must find a petsitter when you nap. The isolation of being alone while you’re asleep for a year or two may kill your human – and, of course, humans need food and fresh water every day, so you’ll need to make arrangements for them to be fed while you’re sleeping. We also recommend strongly that if you cannot care for more than one human, you frequently bring your human for play dates to a friend with a human, or a human rescue center.

Most breeders and rescue centers will be able to tell you if your human has the trait of “introversion.” Such humans are valuable and may cost significantly more, because introversion allows a human to be left alone for much, much longer than the average human. An introverted human can get all of their social interaction from you, as long as you provide enrichment for them to entertain themselves. You’ll still need a pet sitter when you sleep, but you don’t have to take them on frequent play dates. Other humans without the trait will be stressed by the lack of human companionship even if you interact with them frequently. We strongly recommend that in general, if your human is not introverted, they will be happiest with a human companion or two. Because they’re low-allergenic and they’re (for the most part) very clean animals, and because they enjoy socially sharing food, most dragons find that it’s easier to care for multiple humans than it is for just one!

Human Nutrition

Some dragons claim that humans can live on a purely carnivorous diet. While this is technically true, humans are obligate omnivores – they must consume vegetable matter to get all the nutrients they need – and they will die much younger on a purely carnivorous diet. So no, you cannot feed your human nothing but scraps from your kills.

We don’t recommend human chow. It’s well balanced for human nutrition, but firstly, most humans crave variety in their diets, and if you don’t provide it to them, they’ll go hunting for it… which may result in them being accidentally poisoned! Secondly, one of the most entertaining parts of keeping a human is watching them handle flame to process their meals into something they find easier or more palatable.

Yes, we did say flame. Alone of all animals, humans are adept at managing fire! Of course, they’re just as vulnerable to it as any other animal, and they can’t breathe it, but if you breathe a spark onto some charcoal or wood for them, the majority of humans will be able to maintain the flame, and will use it to prepare their food.

Remember what we said about variety? Humans can eat many foods that no other animal will touch, or that only insects and other invertebrates care for, because they can use fire to make some foods edible to them. There are tools you can purchase and provide to your human to make it easier for them to do this.

The healthiest diet for most humans is approximately a third meat, with the remainder being grains and vegetables. Give a human a haunch of pig, and watch them roast it slowly over the flame you gave them! They may even share their food with you – humans enjoy providing food to anyone they love and trust.

Your human probably loves fruit. Give it to them occasionally as a special treat, but don’t let them have access to too much of it. Humans who gorge on fruit usually suffer digestive problems as a result. And while they usually keep themselves clean, humans who’ve consumed too much fruit may have accidents. Do not punish your human for such accidents; firstly, it’s probably your fault, because you let them eat something they shouldn’t have, and secondly, your human already feels shame over their accident and will try to avoid having them if they can.

Humans and the Outdoors

Human lack of fur, except on the top of their heads and a few other specific places where they concentrate pheromones, helps to make them distinctive in appearance and gives them a great deal of heat resistance. But there’s a price they pay; they’re more vulnerable to ultraviolet burns from sunlight than creatures with more covering. You may be tempted to keep your human inside your lair all the time, safe from ultraviolet light, but most humans actually require a certain amount of sunlight to maintain their happy, energetic dispositions!

Pale humans are more vulnerable to sunlight than darker humans, but any human can suffer ultraviolet burns. Your local pet store or apothecary can provide you a compound to put on your human to protect them… because humans enjoy being outside, and will stay outside to play much longer than they should. Humans’ delicate paws, with dexterous opposable thumbs, are usually better at applying the compound fully, so if the human doesn’t spontaneously put the compound on, you may do it once or twice. After that, let your human apply it to themselves.

If your lair is close to water, be careful with your humans and supervise them outdoors! Unlike most non-aquatic animals, most humans enjoy playing in water, and their layers of fat make them buoyant… but they don’t usually know how to swim, unless they were born at a reputable breeder that allows them to spend at least twelve years learning from their mothers. You may consider paying for swimming lessons for your human, but even an experienced swimmer may be taken by surprise by an undercurrent, so supervise them.

In fact, in general, your human is very curious and will explore its territory as far as you allow it to… so supervision outdoors is always a good idea. While a full-grown adult human isn’t in danger from most predators, there are some – large cats, bears, wolves – that present a serious threat to them.

The greatest threat to your pet human may be a wild human. Wild humans roam in packs, and they will usually either kill a pet human, or steal it. Either way, if wild humans get too close to your pet, you will never see your human again.

Treat your human as part of your hoard; don’t let it out of your sight when you’re outdoors.

Should I Leash My Human?

In a word, no. Humans dislike being leashed, and with their extreme intelligence and dexterity, they will find a way out of the leash.

If you do choose to leash your human, always use a harness, not a collar! Humans’ evolutionary adaptations for the wide variety of sounds they can make result in them having weak and vulnerable necks. It’s very easy for a human to choke, and a human leashed by the collar will die if they fall any significant distance while on the leash; it will break their necks.

Nothing can substitute for supervision!

But what if you’re too busy – or too sleepy – to supervise your human as often as they need outdoor enrichment? No worries, there are several strategies to help you out!

Enclosures are not one of them. No matter how cleverly designed your human enclosure is, a sufficiently determined human will find a way out of it. It’s going to require giving up a lot of your time or a little bit of your hoard to make sure your human gets sufficient outdoor enrichment in a safe way.

-          Human care centers: In a human care center, your human will get social interaction with other humans, constant supervision, and all the enrichment it needs, including outdoor time.

-          Pet sitters: Most pet sitters are experienced adults, but even an adolescent dragon can usually be trusted to supervise a human, and many of them are looking to add a little bit to their hoard.

-          A supervisor human. Yes! You can rent a human to supervise your human! Supervisor humans are trained especially to keep watch over other humans and keep them out of danger. Many supervisor humans can even provide first aid for an injured human!

Occasionally you will encounter a human that is very content to stay in one place, or even one that doesn’t like going outdoors. If your human doesn’t like going outdoors, make sure it has sufficient indoor enrichment, including activities they can engage in to get exercise. Get your human some play equipment. They love climbing, swinging, sliding, exploring tunnels, swimming or bathing in safely enclosed pools, and throwing things, especially things that bounce. If you give your human a bouncing ball, they may get hours of entertainment from it… and if you have more than one human, expect to see them play together, and even make up contests with rules!

Mental Enrichment

Humans, as mentioned, are very, very smart. You must provide your human mental enrichment. But what kind of enrichment is best for them varies widely, depending on the human. Some humans enjoy having a pet of their own – dogs and cats are popular, and they will eat your scraps. Some like to use dyes and paints to create pictures on stone tablets; some like to use clay to make shapes. Some use their amazing vocal talents to sing, or mimic sounds they hear. And many humans enjoy watching other humans – provide them a crystal ball that connects to one viewing other humans, and most humans will be mesmerized.

Your human will also probably spend a great deal of time stimulating its genitals. This is normal. Humans are actually constantly in a mild form of heat or rut, and are almost always ready to mate. This produces a great deal of physical tension, which they alleviate with their hands. If you have more than one human, they will probably mate. This is true no matter what genders of humans in what combination you have.

Should I Have My Human Fixed?

That depends a great deal on your human, and what you hope to get out of them. Castrating a male human may produce a lot of behavioral changes, some of which you may not enjoy – an energetic and active male may become sedentary, for example.

There are multiple strategies to fix a female human. To fix your human without changing her hormonal balance and potentially disrupting her behavior, you can have her ovaries disconnected from her uterus (the mammalian organ she uses to gestate her live young). Or you can have her ovaries removed, which will end a painful bleeding cycle she undergoes approximately every moon cycle, but will also radically change her hormone balance. Your vet will be able to advise you on what might be best for your human.

If all of your humans are the same gender, we recommend not fixing them. They’ll satisfy each other’s mating urges, but they won’t breed.

If you do, in fact, want to breed a human, you should read our companion manual, “Breeding Humans.” Breeding a human is a very difficult and dangerous process that will change your humans’ lives forever. If you’re thinking that you may at some point breed your female human, but you aren’t sure whether you’re ready to support her through such a complicated process, you can get a medication from your vet that you can provide to her in her food, or train her to voluntarily take, and she will be able to mate with male humans without having young.

Fur Trimming

In most varieties of human, the fur on top of their heads needs to be trimmed occasionally, or it will become matted and unmanageable. For the males, the same is true of the facial fur.

Humans have difficulties trimming their head fur, and if you have only one, you will need to bring it to a groomer occasionally. If you have multiple humans, they will usually trim each other’s head fur, if you supply them the necessary tools.

A young male human will need to be exposed to an older male human to receive training in managing his facial hair for himself.

Training Your Human

Humans are incredibly trainable! They have a language of their own (several, in fact, just like dragons do!), and, if you breed a female human and end up with a human child, the child may very well learn to mimic some of your language or even learn to almost fully understand you! You can also purchase older humans who already have that trait.

Humans can be trained by being allowed to watch other humans performing a task. They can be trained by allowing a human who speaks their language to tell them about the task. And they can be trained in the same way as other animals, but are generally much faster to figure out what you want them to do.

In fact, every single human you have ever interacted with was trained by other humans. Humans have defective infants who lack most basic instincts, but do have the ability to mimic sound and learn language. A baby human must be cared for by an adult human; do not try to provide care to a baby human yourself, without a human who is experienced in caring for children present! Dragons have successfully taken care of baby humans as young as three, but doing so makes the child behave as if it thinks it’s a dragon, and makes it nearly impossible to mate the human or have another human train your human. Don’t do it. No matter how cute they are, you should never adopt a human younger than 12 unless you have humans who have cared for children in your possession.

By the way, both male and female humans can care for children – they are like birds in this way. An infant human must be cared for by a lactating human female, or, you must provide the human caring for them with human milk substitute and specialized bottles to feed the baby. But male humans are just as capable of caring for children who are eating solid food as female humans are. If you have somehow acquired a child who is too young to be without care from a human, you can often rent a human child carer to provide the care, or a couple of them. Couples are better, because caring for human children is stressful, and it’s easier when two of them are working together to do it. Be aware that if you do this, you’ll need to rent them until the child is twelve, and longer in some cases.

Why Twelve?

There are many specialized tasks that a human can perform for another human which are difficult for a dragon to do, from preparing and mending the artificial coats they must wear in most climates, to using fire to prepare food. Humans must learn almost everything they do, and there’s a lot to learn!  

Twelve is generally the youngest age at which the child is prepared to do the things humans must do to survive and thrive. In fact, many humans benefit from being allowed to remain with their parents for longer, and are usually happiest when adopted after they are fully grown adults… but children are adorable. We confess we’ve adopted our fair share of human children, just because they are so cute!

If you have an adult human or two already, you can adopt a young human without doing them much harm. Most adult humans are happy to train younger humans in any number of skills humans enjoy learning. In fact, if the human or humans you already have are experienced with children, you may be able to adopt a very young child, but be careful. Most humans will bond to some degree with any child, and most humans who are experienced with children are very good with them… but some just won’t bond to a young child to the degree that child needs for optimal care, and some bond, but are not careful or responsible enough to leave a young child in their care.

What If My Human Won’t Learn What I Want From Them?

Occasionally you’ll encounter a human who just can’t seem to learn a particular skill. This can happen for several reasons:

-          The human you found to train your human doesn’t speak the same language

-          You are very bad at demonstrating to your human what you want them to do

-          The task is one that that particular human finds very hard, often for physical reasons

-          The human knows how to do it perfectly well and is just stubborn and doesn’t want to

A qualified vet can usually diagnose the reason why your human is having difficulty.

Some dragons believe that if they limit enrichment to the tasks they want the human to learn, it will facilitate their training. Nothing could be further from the truth! If you have arbitrarily limited the tasks you will allow your human to perform, and prevented them from performing ones they enjoy, they will become resentful and angry, and often will start refusing to perform for you. Always leave your human plenty of free time to play and engage in the activities they choose, even if you are training your human as a service or performance animal!

What Do Humans Need?

Here’s the basic, minimum amount of stuff you need to care for a human.

-          Water dispenser and hand-held human water cups. Humans don’t lap water from bowls; their heads are poorly designed for it. Give them a dispenser that provides them clean, fresh water whenever they like, and water cups to pour the water in. They’ll drink from the cup, holding it in their paws.

-          Food bowl or plate: Humans are very prone to diseases from food contamination, so provide them with many of these or wash them constantly. You can train a human to wash their food bowl or plate themselves.

-          Bed: Humans’ bipedal stance causes back problems as they age, and almost all humans prefer to sleep on something soft that cushions them – children prefer it because it makes them feel safe, and adults prefer it because a stone or dirt floor is hard on their bodies. Don’t expect your human to sleep on the floor like you do. Get it a bed.

-          Clothing: Unless where you live is very warm, humans require artificial coats to replace the ones they don’t have. Speak to a vet, a pet store employee, or a dedicated human clothier to find out what kind of clothing your human needs for your climate.

-          Shelter: Most dragons need this too, and a lair usually provides shelter from the elements that is perfectly adequate for a human. But if your lair is exposed – for instance, if you den outside in a desert – you will need a separate enclosure to shelter your human. They don’t have scales, or even feathers or fur, so the sand in the wind will harm them.

-          A plan for letting them have access to other humans they can play with. Humans have excellent memories, almost as good as dragons, and they form strong attachments. For most humans, you’re better off giving them a small but stable number of other humans they have opportunities to play with than to constantly expose them to new humans (although some humans do enjoy that!)

Enrichment is vital for humans, but some of you have lairs that already provide all the enrichment a human could want, with plenty of climbable handholds, tunnels to explore, underground lakes, etc. Others may need to purchase toys and other enrichment equipment. Make sure what you get is age-appropriate; a twelve-year-old will love a climbing frame, but if you’ve adopted a fifty-year-old from a rescue shelter, it will not enjoy that nearly so much. Older humans tend to have already learned a set of tasks they greatly enjoy performing for fun, and a reputable rescue will be able to tell you what your new mature-years human’s favorite activities are.

Your hoard can be a form of enrichment. Hide items from your hoard, and if the human brings them to you, praise them and give them treats. Because they can go into smaller and deeper tunnels than you can, at their small size, humans may find gems or ore in underground caves, and if you’ve trained them to bring your hoard back to you, they’ll bring you whatever they find.

Tools to prepare their own food are also a form of enrichment. Some humans prefer not to do this and will eat human chow. Don’t try to force a human who’s uncomfortable with food preparation to do it; they may not have been trained in it, or they may have been burned at a young age and are afraid of fire. But if your human makes use of a firepit and a stake or spit for holding food above it, they will probably enjoy other food preparation tools as well!

Your Friend For A Lifetime

Treat your human well, give it the enrichment, social interaction, and food variety it needs, show it attention and care, and your human will be a truly loyal pet until the day it dies.

Make sure only to get your humans from reputable breeders or rescue shelters. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to capture and tame a wild human! This has occasionally resulted in packs of wild humans with sharp metal tools descending on a dragon’s lair, injuring or even killing the dragon! If you don’t interfere with the wild humans, they will leave you alone, but attempting to take one as a pet can bring the whole swarm of them down on you.

(At this point, generally someone brings up the legends of wild humans leaving adolescent females out for dragons to take. This does happen sometimes. No one knows why the humans reject certain females, but the behavior of leaving adolescent females usually happens when dragons encroach too closely on wild human territories, and seems to be an attempt to bait dragons away from the dwelling spaces of the rest of the humans. These females are typically traumatized and do not make good pets if they have not been rehabilitated. Take such a female to a rescue, and stop foraging for food near the wild humans; the next step, if their sacrifices of adolescent females don’t lead you away from their territory, may be to try to swarm and kill you!)

While there are definitely challenges to caring for them, humans do make wonderful pets who will bring joy to the lair of any dragon who adopts one. You and your human will make an amazing journey together, and sometimes, your human may even teach you things you didn’t know about yourself.

Enjoy your new human, and take care!

[sternbilder]

#yttd spoilers

ok so I talked about this briefly with @jageunyeoujari but we were discussing the possibility of either Joe or Sara being the child of the policeman from Keiji’s backstory and this theory has been living rent-free in my head as I’ve been watching this LP so here is an incoherent dump of evidence wild speculation that I’m recording for future me 

evidence that points to Mr. Policeman being Joe’s dad:

they have exactly the same vibe. like, come on.

they look kind of similar to me? they have similar looking eyes at least

assuming Keiji was around 10 when he met Mr. Policeman and he's in his late 20s now, the timeline lines up since Joe is 17 and Mr. Policeman was expecting his first child then

in the manga, one of Joe's classmates mentions that Joe’s family is struggling financially--something that would be likely if he grew up in a single parent household, which could have either happened because of Keiji’s murder of Mr. Policeman, or if Mr. Policeman had left his family after losing his job

speaking of Mr. Policeman being estranged from his family, this could actually apply to both Sara or Joe’s cases, but I actually don’t think this is too wild of a guess. first, it’s likely that Mr. Policeman’s death was only in the last 3 years, i.e., after the last AI personality update, judging from what Sara says when examining Keiji’s AI in the monitor room (he “seems different somehow,” i.e., before his traumatic accidental murder). if not dead, then IMO it’s likely that Mr. Policeman was missing for all this time. we know that Keiji had not had contact with Mr. Policeman before joining the police force from his conversation with Megumi, and he also seemed shocked to see him as the “criminal” in that incident where he ended up shooting him. from what we know of Keiji wouldn’t it make more sense that he couldn’t contact him rather than didn’t? and if this is the case, it doesn’t seem like a wild possibility that the reason he couldn’t reach him is that he had deliberately cut ties with the people he knew and tried to start a life elsewhere--after all, depending on the “official” reasons for his dismissal from the police, this could have carried social stigma, which may have caused a rift with his family, perhaps even so much that he would have had to distance himself from them?

during introductions, Joe brings up the possibility of the death game being tied to organized crime, and suggests that someone among the group could be a traitor. Keiji bursts out laughing, and this is never explained, but what if he was thinking something along the lines of "like father, like son" wrt his amateur detective-ing?

during the first discussion, Joe initially distrusts everyone, including Keiji, but is immediately more friendly to Keiji as soon as he reveals out he's a policeman. this could just be a normal response to being stuck in a hostage situation, but none of the other characters seem to have as strong of a reaction as Joe, one possible explanation for which could be that he has a personal connection to the police?

when searching for the doll parts, Joe decides to pair up with Keiji for seemingly no reason, even if Sara asks him if he wants to pair up. later, as they’re leaving the blue room, Joe stops Keiji again hoping to speak to him--what if he knew something about Keiji and was trying to suss out information? for example, what if he knew that Mr. Policeman/his dad had a connection to someone named Keiji who was hoping to be a policeman and was trying to determine if this Keiji was that same person?

later, when you talk to Joe again in the bar, Joe is suspicious of Keiji again, even wondering if he's a cop at all. he then asks Sara to look more into him. it reads as though he was trying to question Keiji about his past but Keiji wasn't opening up for some reason, which could be because Keiji doesn’t want Joe to find out about his involvement in Mr. Policeman/his dad’s death

when investigating the bar, Gin mentions his drunkard dad at one point and Joe goes uncharacteristically quiet. this might be a stretch but Keiji mentions later that Mr. Policeman had lost his job while investigating corruption inside the police force. what if Mr. Policeman/Joe's dad started drinking after losing his job as a police officer? alternatively, what if Gin’s comment made Joe sad because he also never got to be close to his own father on account of his being dead or missing?

when Keiji is investigating Mishima's body, Joe is the one who first asks Keiji if he has someone he respects. this could just be him making small talk, but it could also be that he has a hunch that he’s trying to confirm and he’s looking for opportunities to connect the dots

there’s a part during chapter 1 when investigating with Keiji where you ask him who he’s got on his mind. Keiji answers that Joe has been on his mind, but then immediately changes the subject. this could just be because Joe is suspicious of Keiji still, but I have to wonder if they have some kind of connection, after all

this isn’t actual evidence but it’s strongly implied that Keiji has been suffering from hallucinations of Mr. Policeman ever since his accidental murder (very similar to Sara’s hallucinations of Joe) and boy wouldn’t it be Sinnoh Matic Parallels if they were father and son

evidence that points to Mr. Policeman being Sara’s (biological) dad:

I mean, if Keiji knew that Mr. Policeman’s daughter was a girl around her age named Sara, then this would explain everything about why Keiji trusts Sara immediately and tries so hard to protect her at all costs,

Sara and Mr. Policeman both have orange hair, though to be fair, so does Sara's mom (who we have no reason to believe isn’t her biological mother)

we know that Mr. Chidouin isn't Sara’s real dad, but she isn’t aware of this, meaning she was either adopted, or her mother remarried when she was very young. the timeline is unclear, but it is theoretically possible that this is around the same time that Mr. Policeman had been laid off by the police, which could have been a factor for divorce, especially if, like mentioned earlier, the police coverup painted his behavior as somehow unsavory or socially unacceptable (which could also explain why her mother never told Sara). for example, say this was around 15 years ago--Keiji would have been around 12, and Sara would only have been 2 (making her very possibly too young to remember). since Megumi is the one who fired him, I can’t see how she could have been any younger than around 25 at this time, so this presumes that she’s around 40 now, but it wouldn’t be the wildest thing to assume she’s older than she looks  

we know that, for whatever reason, 1) Sara is central to the death game, 2) Mr. Chidouin is at least involved if not the mastermind, and 3) Mr. Chidouin was not Sara's biological father. this might also be a reach, but what if Sara's mother’s remarriage and Mr. Policeman’s losing his job (and/or his death) were all part of Mr. Chidouin’s plans to eventually have Sara participate in the death game? this goes along with another theory I had where I have a feeling that for some reason the winner of the Hades Incident/the author of the Memorandum (which I suspect is Mr. Chidouin) is trying to recreate that incident with, if not exact clones of the participants, people who are very close to fitting their profiles. it’s implied that the organization running the game has been at least closely monitoring, if not engineering specific events/circumstances in the lives of the participants, so it’s possible that Sara was being “groomed” for this event, specifically to play the role of leader-girl-who-died-in-the-Hades-incident. if this is the case, then it could also be true that 1) the choice of Sara to fill this role could have been deliberate, and Mr. Chidouin meddled in Mr. Policeman’s life with the intention of getting custody of Sara specifically, or 2) Mr. Chidouin just happened to be looking for a child around Sara’s age to fill the role at the time and Mr. Policeman’s dismissal made her a convenient target due to the timing

if Mr. Chidouin was part of the Hades Incident and was somehow involved in Mr. Policeman’s/Sara’s biological father’s death, this may even explain why Keiji knew about that specific case. after all, it sounds like it was something that happened decades ago, that was likely to be hushed up, or at least not talked about anymore (maybe it was even the thing Mr. Policeman was looking into and got him fired?). it is a bit out of place that Keiji would know so much about it, unless he happened to find a lead while looking into the circumstances around Mr. Policeman’s expulsion/death. maybe he somehow found a connection between Mr. Policeman’s family and the Chidouins/Hades Incident?

evidence that points to Mr. Policeman being both of their dads:

none but hey they could be twins and what Japanese mystery visual novel that has AI clones and shit doesn’t also have a plot point involving twins

[mikrowrites]

just an act (two)

Shawn Mendes x Reader

Shawn feels as though his life is falling apart, so he attempts to try and reach out to Y/N before it’s too late.

The song is “you should be sad” by Halsey!

If you want the full hurt of this story, I suggest listening to it on loop while reading this chapter xx

Shawn wanted to pick her.

A thousand times over, he would’ve said Y/N’s name and found her and consoled her, but he couldn’t. And he hated himself for that.

His contract was strict. Convince fans and the world, even his own damn family that Shawn and Camila were dating, to promote Señorita and get a Grammy win. But he was so fucking tired, and he loved Y/N so much.

Shawn watched Y/N walk out of the ice rink, how strongly and gracefully she walked out of his life. He felt Camila’s hand squeeze his tighter, Shawn turning to see his PR girlfriend on the verge of tears. Camila and Y/N were close friends, this had to be killing her too.

He wanted to run after her, convince her to stay, to explain the contract and win her back. But Shawn feared the damage was done.

——————

Y/N let her fingers softly strum against her guitar, sitting in her lonely hotel room. The acoustic was bequeathed to her by Shawn, and when Karen had brought it to her last night she couldn’t bring herself to part with it.

She began to strum a familiar tune, her voice finally crawling up and out of her throat.

I wanna start this out and say

I gotta get it off my chest

Got no anger, got no malice

Just a little bit of regret

Know nobody else will tell you

So there's some things I gotta say

Gonna jot it down and then get it out

And then I'll be on my way

Y/N began to strum the strings harder, letting the chords dig into her fingertips and her whole body began to shake.

Oh, I feel so sorry

I feel so sad

I tried to help you

It just made you mad

And I had no warnin'

About who you are

I'm just glad I made it out without breakin' down

And then ran so fuckin' far

That you would never ever touch me again

Y/N screamed out the last lyric, her voice cracking in the end as she dissolved into sobs, gripping the fret tighter. Tears hit the wood with a soft thump.

She let her head bow over, broken sobs wracking her body. She let the grief and heartbreak consume her one final time as she stared out her wide hotel room window at the nighttime Toronto skyline.

After ten minutes her tears dried, Y/N running her hand along the smooth mahongany of the guitar, before lifting it and gently setting it in its hard plastic case, snapping it closed.

To Y/N, it felt like a burial.

——————

Morning broke in Pickering, Shawn shuffling downstairs, exhausted. He couldn’t sleep all night, much less close his eyes without seeing Y/N. He wished he had know how badly this would hurt, he never would’ve signed that goddamn contract.

Manuel and Karen fluttered about the kitchen, Karen washing fruit as Manny cooked eggs. Aaliyah was setting the table and at the sight of Shawn, she glared and slammed the last fork on the table, leaving the room.

His parents looked up at the sound, but once watching the scene unfold they silently went back to their duties.

Shawn felt a lump grow in his throat, turning and rushing up the stairs. He burst into his childhood room, Camila yawning as she sat up in bed. He had been sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor, refusing to share the bed with her.

“Shawn? What’s going on?” Camila drowsily asked.

“We need to tell my parents.” Shawn insisted. “We need to break this contract.”

Camila sat up, the sleepiness leaving her senses. “I hate this as much as you do, but Shawn... you’re asking me to put my career on the line.”

“I’ll let you come out spotless,” Shawn pleaded, stepping forwards to the end of the bed. “Mendes’ aren’t snitches.”

“Well, you’re about to become one.” Camila sighed, throwing her legs over the bed. “Let’s do it.”

——————

Y/N threw her backpack over her shoulder, hoisting the straps up upon her frame as she lifted up the guitar case. She graciously thanked the receptionist, walking out of the hotel lobby.

As her taxi maneuvered Toronto traffic, Y/N became lost in her thoughts, watching the buildings for the last time.

She smiled at the sight of the coffee shop where Shawn and herself had their first date.

Chuckled seeing the street corner where they first met, when Shawn had found her busking to pay rent.

Stared dreamily looking at the bookstore where they sat for hours, reading (but really catching glimpses over the books).

Y/N was shaken out of her memories by the familiar tune of “Perfectly Wrong” playing on the radio. Ironic, Y/N grumbled in her head.

“Excuse me, could you please change the radio? I’m very sorry...” Y/N mumbled to the driver, who let out a huff but changed it nonetheless.

“Thank you...” Y/N sighed, “Bad breakup.”

The driver looked over their shoulder, their frown loosening. “That sucks kid. Sorry.”

Y/N smiled tightly, looking out the window.

“My girlfriend cheated on me,” the driver continued, Y/N perking up, “and I had to find out by them fucking in my own bed. I was destroyed, and it hurt for a while, but then I found my wife. Thing’s’ll get better. I can tell you that much.”

Y/N finally smiled, genuinely.

“I hope so.”

——————

Shawn and Camila sat across the table from the Mendes family, the boy nervously rubbing his hands. “Before we actually have this conversation, anything that happens, leave Camila’s name out of this. Please. We’re risking a lot, but I’ve already lost too much.”

The family hesitantly shook their heads yes, Shawn running a hand through his hair as he stumbled for words to find out how to start.

“My agent and producer gave me a contract,” Camila spoke up, Shawn whipping his head to her. “Shawn’s agent and producer were present too, he was given the same paperwork. They insisted we pursue a PR romantic relationship to promote our new single.”

“They threatened to leave a stain on our record, that we could be removed from the label if we denyed. We were jumped, and we were terrified.” Shawn continued. “So we signed the contract, because we love to sing, to perform. We signed, because we were scared of what would happen if we didn’t.”

Karen had tears welling within her eyes, Manuel’s face softening.

Aaliyah finally spoke up. “So that kiss...” she trailed off.

“Meant nothing at all.” Camila reassured. “But it cost us the most important thing in our lives.”

“Y/N.” Aaliyah murmured. Suddenly she stood, her chair pushing away with a creak. “You have to go win her back!”

“Liyah...” Manuel began, the girl cutting her off.

“No, you have to! You two were meant to be with each other, you need to stop her from leaving!” Aaliyah cried out.

Karen blinked away the moisture from her eyes, shaking her head. “Honey, that’s—“

“I have to go win her back.” Shawn nodded, looking up at his family and Camila. “I have to go win her back!” He shouted, bursting up as he grabbed his keys, placing a ballcap and sunglasses on his face. Shawn turned to look at Camila, who nervously smiled.

“Go get our girl.”

——————

Y/N sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs outside her gate, the airport chatter dulled by her earbuds. The same song looped through her ears, somehow strangely giving her strength.

But you're not half the man you think that you are

And you can't fill the hole inside of you with money, girls and cars

I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you

'Cause you can't love nothin' unless there's somethin' in it for you

Y/N took a bite of her toasted bagel, longing for her guitar that was being loaded onto the plane. She longed to go home, where her mother would say “told you so” and she could finally have some peace.

Shawn never came to (hometown/nearest city), not unless he had a concert. Never attempted to get to know Y/N’s home like she had Pickering and Toronto.

She shook her head, throwing the rest of her bagel away and standing as her boarding class was called, shouldering her backpack.

After a long wait in line, maybe ten or so minutes, Y/N finally reached the front. The flight attendant looked up, her eyes growing wide. “Oh my goodness! You’re Y/N L/N!”

Y/N smiled in surprise. “Oh, um, yes! Guilty!”

“Oh, my daughter loves your Spotify singles! She’s your biggest fan!” The woman excitedly gushed, Y/N giggling. She was a very small singer, not even a part of a label, and meeting fans was a rarity.

“I’m honored, ma’am.” Y/N smiled politely.

“Could I snap a quick photo with you? My little girl will freak!” Y/N nodded, leaning over the desk to the woman as she snapped a photo.

Y/N’s grin fell as she noticed a familiar figure running in the background of the phone screen. She turned, freezing as 30 feet away Shawn stopped in his tracks, panting heavily. She could see past his hoodie, hat, and sunglasses, the incognito look was never very stealthy.

“Is—is that Shawn Mendes?! Oh sweet Jesus, I’m having a stroke!” The flight attendant cried.

The two didn’t move a muscle for many seconds. Shawn took a few steps forward cautiously, gauging her reaction.

Y/N broke into a run, dropping her backpack and racing up to Shawn, throwing her arms around him. He staggered backwards, wrapping his own long arms around her, clutching the back of her head with one of his hands. The two embraced each other deeply, letting go of heartbreak, fighting for another chance.

At least, that’s what happened in Y/N’s head.

She instead hardened her face into a glare, turning her back to him. Y/N scanned her ticket, and without another glance walked past the gate, towards her plane and to home.

Shawn’s shoulders slumped, the man feeling the weigh of everything crash down on him. He stumbled backwards, his whole body shaking as he quickly turned, rushing for a bathroom.

Once finding a men’s room, he ran inside, locking himself in a stall and ripping off his hat, his breaths growing ragged and hard, as if he were drowning in air.

Shawn sank to his knees, grasping his curly hair with his fingers as he slid down the wall onto the dirty tiled floor, tears cascading down his face.

Shawn wanted to rip up that fucking contract, destroy his reputation. He wanted to scream it from the rooftops, loud enough she’d hear, loud enough the whole world would hear.

It was all just an act.

To be continued in part 3...

[kittensjonsa]

Trophy Wife

Another day, another detective-lawyer tag team duo Jonsa AU nobody asked for lol. Has this been done before? No idea but for some reason, this was dying to get out of my system, so I just had to -so please bear with it. Or not, up to you (trigger warning below). 

Summary: Sansa needs help in bringing down one of the worst criminals of the century - and save her abducted best friend. Jon, a shy elusive private investigator offers a helping hand. Sparks fly when things heat up, while going undercover. *winks*

Rated NC-17 to E for language and content. Major trigger warning for abuse (various). I am neither a lawyer nor a PI so forgive me if I get some of the terms wrong. Part One of (maybe, let’s see) Three. Enjoy! x

---

Part One

Eviction. Jon hated that word. He hated hearing it, hated being threatened by it and now there it was, written all over his door on a notice in red capital letters. Fuck you too, he thought as he tore off the paper. I'll say when I'll go. This was not a time for moving houses or looking for a new place. He was busy, there were things to do and places to hide in. If only they could spare him a couple more months, that was all he needed, if the rent he owed was correct in his head. Jon had lived in his car once and he couldn't live through that again.

Besides, he was on a roll. At least, he'd like to think so. Clients were coming in and he had more jobs that he did a year ago. Of course, that was largely due to his success in uncovering the biggest scandal in all of Westeros - involving the Lannisters and a certain pair of twins who had relations with one another, in a biblical sense, or so it seemed. It did not help one bit when the Lannisters were also the family everyone loved to hate, and Jon probably did the country a huge favour when the news went public. Within days, it was reported that any Lannisters who planned to run for government office were rejected, shunned and ridiculed. So much so, that they went into hiding. Good riddance.

You reap what you sow. They had it coming, Jon told himself. And truthfully, he relished every second of it, bringing down the notorious family - such a satisfying accomplishment it was. It was just ironic that a member of the Lannister family had hired him, turning the evidence into a weapon and declaring war against the Lannister legacy. So much for a happy family.

The pay check from the Lannister job was substantial enough and managed to pay his debts that he owed but when it came to maintaining the business, the cash quickly ran out. Furthermore, it did not help that his clients would only pay once they had received proof that their suspicions were right all along, which took some time. Jon hadn't even counted his gas money and meals during stake outs or the electricity bills that soared after spending late nights playing and watching video tapes over and over. Surveillance was a costly, slow and painstaking process but essential, in getting the dough and the job done.

Maybe I'm too nice. Jon wished he had stipulated a clause in his contract that required a deposit before he accepted any assignments. But frail crying wives desperate to get out of loveless marriages were not people he wanted to take advantage of and a lawyer, he was not. If he had a therapist licence, perhaps it would be more useful in bringing in the bucks. Still, through word of mouth, steadily the business grew - apparently, spying on people was a lucrative outfit. Jon couldn't recall earning this much when he worked at his former security firm at Castle Black.

“So, you'll do it?” the gentleman asked, sliding an envelope towards him. Jon opened it and took a peek, in it had a flash drive and a rolled up wad of cash, which looked like a few thousands.

“I would. But you must know that I work best alone,” Jon agreed.

“Oh no. Not for this one. It will be difficult to crack this one without a partner.”

Smart ass. Trying to tell me how to do my job. The cash looks good though. It'll help tide over a couple of things.

“All right. So I need a partner. You have to give me some time to look for one. And that's going to cost you, you know that right?”

The gentleman smiled and drummed his fingers on the dining table. “Oh, I know that. But what if I already have a partner for you? She's ready to work on this with you.”

“She? Whoa.. back up for a second. I didn't say I needed female partner. Besides, this isn't a job for a lady, if what you told me is true.”

“Trust me, she's on board with this a hundred percent. I trust her to do the job, above and beyond.”

Jon was still reluctant. The quick and easy cash advance had come with its own conditions. “Okay. Does she have a name? I'd have to do background checks, you know and all of that, for safety reasons.”

“Of course. All you need on her is on the flash drive in there,” he pointed to the envelope Jon was resting his hands on. “Besides, she's my niece.”

“Your what? And you're okay with her getting involved?”

He nodded and turned his attention back to his newly refilled coffee. Jon couldn't believe his ears. What kind of uncle are you?

“She feels as strongly about this than just about anyone. Maybe more. And she volunteered. I suppose she has her reasons. How can I say no that?”

“Yeah... but we're investigating an alleged sex ring. Are we not? Seems a little inappropriate, don't you think?” Jon whispered as he leaned in, wondering what kind of shenanigans people are up to these days.

Jon watched as he put down his mug and adjusted the glasses that sat low on the bridge of his nose. He didn't strike Jon as a sleazeball, the kind who would sell and pimp anything or anyone to make a buck. He was mysterious yet friendly, sophisticated yet ruggedly worn, as if he had seen enough ills in his lifetime.

“A human trafficking ring, to be exact. We've been trying to go after them for years but they get away with it every time. You know why? Because all evidence pointing to them were ruled inadmissible. Come on, you've read about it in the papers, on the news. Day in, day out we built the case and every time we find something worthwhile, another detail or another statement comes up and render the leads useless.”

It was true. It was all over the media - the Boltons and the Freys accused of allegedly running an illegal sex trade. But to Jon, it seemed that there was all there was to it. People wanting to have a bit of fun at a party isn’t that new or illegal, he thought, even though he depised the Boltons and the Freys as much as the next decent guy on the street. Unless of course, if the ring was made up of abducted girls or worse, minors. That would truly be despicable and one that warranted medieval torture and capital punishment. This is going to be quite the undertaking, Jon suddenly realised.

“Have you considered going to the police... or your client going to the police for help? Instead of a private investigator.”

Jon waited for an answer as both their eyes met, one was smiling and the other was not.

“You don't think the police isn't involved in this? Not investigating, no that. We have reason to believe that members of the police are themselves the perpetrators. I'm talking high ranking officials, son. So, you see why we have to.. approach this in another way.”

“Okay, I see your point. All right then. I'll need to meet this niece of yours, so I can clue her in on how to go about this. Though, I'm not sure how it'll work.”

“I am sure you'll try your best. Believe me, Jon, if we win this case, it'll be the biggest one yet. It's something greater than all of us. It's for the greater good. I can't quite discuss names or details than what I've just told you or who my client is but the money? There's more where that came from. Here's my card, should you need anything.”

Jon looked at the name card. “ Well, you sold me there. We'll be in touch, Mr Stark.”

“Likewise, Jon. Oh, and call me Ben. I hope to hear from you soon.”

Jon watched as Benjen Stark left the diner and into his Mercedes, as he contemplated his next step. This was a big job, and Benjen was right, he probably could not handle it alone. Still, Jon was curious and intrigued, wondering whom his partner was.

Jon jolted up from his bed when the doorbell rang. It was only eight in the morning and Jon did not recall ordering anything that required an early morning delivery. Ugh, what..

Jon stumbled out of bed, clad only in yesterday's jeans and stepping on notes scattered everywhere in his room. His living room wasn't spared either, with boxes of carefully labelled tapes stacked haphazardly in every corner.

“Jon Snow? Hi, I'm Sansa Stark. My uncle.. he spoke with you yesterday..”

Jon rubbed his eyes and squinted at the blurry figure in front of him. His eyes were stubbornly still asleep. Slowly but gradually, in the few minutes that it took for Jon to recover from his sleep-ridden stupor, his vision came round and found himself gazing at a tall redhead standing before him. Whoa.. okay.

“Bad time? I can come back later,” she said, sheepish at the sight of a sleepy half naked man yawning at her.

“No.. wait. You're the niece? Of Benjen?” Jon said, as memories from last night's meeting came to mind.

Sansa nodded. “The very one. He says I'll be working with you. On the case?”

It was way too early to be discussing details about work or anything, really and Jon needed a cup of good strong black coffee to stay awake. Shouldn't have read the file at three in the morning.

“Right. Come on in.” Jon opened the door wider as he led her into the living room. Sansa accepted the invite, albeit with caution as she stepped in, carefully steering clear of the boxes and files around her. 

“Pardon the mess, I don't get visitors much. Coffee?” Jon apologized as he helped himself to a cup of chilled coffee from the fridge. It was a norm now, keeping coffee from the night before, to save money. It didn't taste as good as freshly brewed coffee but it woke him nonetheless.

“Uhh.. no thanks. Water's fine.”

Jon watched the lady seated on his couch waiting politely for him to finish. He had gone through the file on her as Benjen had given. Graduated with honours at the top of her class at University of Westeros' Law School. Interned for two years at one of the top firms right after graduation and now a junior partner at Stark, Tully & Reed. Perhaps one of the most fascinating fact was that Sansa Stark had been on the prosecuting team in the 'Lannister vs the people' case. It was no wonder the Starks had come looking for him. He guessed he probably didn't need any further introductions, for now.

“So, how about we start about why you're here, Miss Stark,” Jon said, handing her a glass of tap water.

Sansa thanked him as she took the glass from his hand and set it down on an empty spot on the cluttered coffee table.

“Sansa, please. First of all, I apologize for not letting you know that I was coming. I did call and text yesterday but I suppose you were asleep. It was late anyway. Sorry about that.”

Jon then remembered his phone, which was now likely dead since he forgot to charge it. Oops.

“Oh, did you? Lately been trying to kind of de-plug every once in a while. But yeah, I might have fallen asleep too. Had some notes to go through and kind of forgot about my phone. My bad.”

Sansa smiled and took a small sip of water. “Oh.. that's all right. Anyway, let's start over. I'm Sansa Stark and I'll be working with you. I believe my uncle has filled you in? Pleased to meet you, Mr Jon Snow.” Sansa offered her hand.

Jon returned the handshake with a wary smile. “Pleasure's all mine. And please, Sansa, call me Jon. So, I'm guessing you know what we're working with?”

“I do. I was the one who put it together so I should know more about it than anyone.”

Benjen said he couldn't share details about who the client was and now Jon was curious. Sansa Stark seemed a force to be reckoned with - coming up and putting together a case of this magnitude could either be the ruin or the highlight of her law career.

“I see. Well, I must say I'm impressed. But you do know this can be dangerous work, right? If what your uncle says is true.”

“If it means saving hundreds from a cruel fate then I'm all for it. Besides-”

A loud rumbling growl startled Sansa to a pause mid sentence.

Jon's cheeks reddened, patting his stomach. “Umm..Do you think we could talk about this over breakfast? I.. I had a light dinner yesterday.”

Sansa bit down her lip as tried to stifle her giggle. This man is hilarious. Cute though. She didn't mind at all working alongside him. “Sure. I'm buying.”

Awesome. I don't mind it at all. Nothing more Jon loved than rich people willing to spend. But a cheap greasy diner breakfast with all the works was just what he needed right now. He can think of other fancy things later.

“I hope you don't mind. Not many fancy places around here,” Jon pointed to a booth in the diner, right in a corner where he usually sat every day and night. Grenn, the owner and chef who was also a friend and neighbour, made sure it was always empty and reserved just for him.

Sansa beamed at him, her striking blue eyes sparkling in the morning sun. “Are you kidding me? Diners are the best. The only places that helped through mid terms and finals. And man, they were gruelling. I would retreat to a diner and have a chocolate banana milkshake whenever things got a little tough. This.. is nice.”

Jon felt at ease immediately. Something told him he was going to have a great time working the case.

“So, tell me. Why 'Trophy Wife'? I mean, can't you call it what it is?” Jon asked, in between mouthfuls of bacon and French toast.

“Well, it's a code word you know. Human trafficking, sex ring.. these are terms people are not comfortable hearing, especially in public or in an office. Besides, not many people know about it and it is absolutely crucial that it stays that way. Too much information shared with anyone else won’t be good for us. Plus, I think it's also because.. it seems the victims are forced and paraded as wives of these predators. You know, so it seems legit. But that’s just a guess. I know deep down, there's nothing legitimate about it.” 

“Good point.” Jon concurred, shoving the last piece of French toast into his mouth. 

“You want to hear a story? We actually managed to get hold of a marriage certificate, you know, one that shared a victim's name on it. But get this - it was fake. There was no such church nor was there any minister with that name. It was a bust.”

“Yikes. Okay, so that should be proof enough right? I mean, right there is already fraud.”

Sansa sighed. “Yeah, up until someone accused us of fabricating the marriage certificate. I mean, we couldn't use it at all since it was fake. It definitely derailed the investigation for a while and it was the only promising lead we had. I believe there are still many. Out there. We just have to make sure the case won't go cold.”

Jon had to ask, seeing how fired up Sansa seemed about the whole thing. “Can I ask you something? If you don't mind my asking. Why this? I mean there are so many easier cases out there waiting.. but why this one?”

Sansa looked at him and looked away, turning towards the window.

“Jeyne Poole was twenty five years old when she went missing last year. Next month would be her seventh month missing. Her parents are worried sick and her mom had a stroke because of it. Jeyne was last seen at her place of work and that was it. She just disappeared and dropped from the face of the earth. That's not Jeyne to pull something like that.”

“What do you mean?”

Jon's furrowed brows prompted her further. “She's my age and my best friend, Jon. And no matter what, I have to search for her. Whether she's dead or alive.”

Jon was no stranger to hearing heavily personal details and he thought he could handle all the doom and gloom thrown his way, but this had him a little shaken up.

If he wasn't convinced before, he was sure as hell now. It was a dark treacherous path ahead but Sansa was a woman on a mission. And Jon knew well already, not to get in her way.

“Right. So, what do you need from me?”

It was a quiet walk back to his apartment as the brevity of the situation started to sink in. He may be a mediocre private investigator but a mediocre human being, he was not planning to be. Armed with new information and Sansa's fervour rubbing off on him, Jon was determined to find and annihilate the fuckers, if they really were the Boltons and the Freys, even better. Two less scumbags in the world would be a huge win; they won’t be missed. Sansa and him would be saving, hopefully, not just Jeyne Poole but dozens of vulnerable young women from the very clutches of evil itself.

“I can share the workload with you, if you want. You know, go over the details, help out on surveillance, research all that stuff,” Sansa suggested, as she flipped through the pages of the folder Jon had compiled. It had only a couple of handwritten notes with addresses and names along with documents he printed from the flash drive he was given. He was keen to find some kind of link and honestly, two brains were definitely better than one for it.

“Don't you have a job to attend to? I mean, I don't mind the help but I don't think it's fair that I take you away from what pays your bills. If... you do that sort of thing.”

Sansa shrugged. “One of the perks of living with your parents, I guess, is not paying bills and still having a roof over your head. I've got some money saved and since this is my case, I managed to get an expense budget for it. So, that's covered I guess.”

Jon scoffed. Rich people. “And this expense budget... is from your client?”

“I am not at liberty to say but up to you what to believe. All I know is, what we need for this case, is settled and paid for. Nothing is spared.”

Must be nice being rich.

“Well, you don't say, this client could give us a temporary office to work in, no? I mean, I don't mind doing it out if my house but-”

“You're being evicted in less than two weeks. I know. I had some checks done on you, Jon. Safety reasons, I'm sure you know. But granted, it's not ideal, But I think we may have just the place.. I mean, for the time being. Though.. it's going to take some work and I'll brief you on that soon.” Sansa offered as Jon unlocked his apartment door.

“Okay..that’s a first for me. I mean, if it’s no imposition, I-”

“Yeah, it’s totally fine. But hey love to chat but I kinda have to go. Can I take this with me? I'll make you a copy,” Sansa grabbed the folder and walked up to the door, casually glazing over the bit where he was about to be homeless soon. Damn lawyers.

“I was going to pay, you know. It's just that I had to settle other bills first,” Jon explained, though it was futile knowing who he was talking to.

“That's all right. Doesn't make you a bad person. You had priorities, it's understandable. Although if you’re planning on living in your car, I don't think all the boxes in your living room would fit.”

It didn't faze Jon how she had known about him living in his car once upon a hard time and he couldn't agree more. He couldn't exactly afford a storage unit either since the material he had was sensitive and would spell trouble if anything got lost or stolen.

“So, I'll show you the new place? You can come pick up your stuff later this weekend if you want.”

Jon found himself with renewed enthusiasm, relieved that he said yes to the assignment. Whatever tomorrow brings, he'll face it head on, with a swanky new roof over his head. 

Bring it on.

[idreamofplaid]

Blinded

Summary: Pain takes the reader to a dark and empty place, but love can bring her back and make her even closer to Jared.

Characters: Jared x Reader; Jensen mentioned

Word Count: 2327

Warnings:TRIGGER Miscarriage; oral sex (male and female receiving)

A/N: This is a repost from my former blog with some revisions. It was important to me when I wrote it and still is so I wanted to make it part of my new blog. Loss is terrible and personal. I hope that maybe reading this could help someone in some small way.

The quiet of the woods surrounded you wrapping you in a serenity you hadn’t felt for a long time. You pulled your knees up against your chest and listened to the chirping of the birds and the soft whisper of the wind. It had been two months since it happened, two months since you’d blocked yourself off from the world, from Jared.

He still held you through the darkness of the nights, whispering words of love and spreading gentle kisses over your face, neck, and hands. The comfort he provided was more than you felt like you deserved. You’d lost his baby. It wasn’t enough to say the look on his face was heartbreaking when you told him. A cloud had settled over the beautiful mosaic of his golden, green, and gray eyes. He’d wanted this baby so much. You thought you’d done everything right, taken prenatal vitamins, given up caffeine, made sure to get plenty of rest, but it wasn’t enough.

Jared was in Vancouver filming when it happened. You had kept it to yourself for three days until he came home for the weekend unable to tell him on the phone. As soon as he saw you, he’d dropped his bags and rushed to pull you in his arms. You still remembered vividly the way you had started to shake uncontrollably as soon as you felt the safety of his arms around you and the way you’d crumpled to the floor. Jared followed you down not letting go and silently waited until you could talk.

You had cried until there wasn’t a single tear left in you. When you finally found your voice to tell him, the look in his eyes broke your heart all over again. You blamed yourself for taking the light from them.

Pain and what it does makes no sense. You shut him out when you needed him most, when he needed you. Jared, who had brought a spark of joy to your life you’d never felt before, was on the other side of the wall you’d put up around the storm in your heart. The storm eventually gave way to a numb emptiness, and still Jared was locked outside with all the love he kept for you.

Being pregnant was a joy filled secret you had largely kept to yourselves, not because you thought anything would go wrong but because you wanted to hold it close for a little while longer and keep it just between you. As a result, only two other people in the world knew the depth of the pain you and your husband were feeling, Jensen and your mom.

Jared had taken a week off work to be with you saying only that you were sick and he needed to be with you. Jensen had covered for him. You had cried for  days stopping only when you were too exhausted to cry anymore, and Jared had cried with you. His pain was not lessened at all by the fact he already had kids. In some ways, it made it worse. He knew the joy of having children, and he wanted you to know it too.

It was worse when the crying stopped. That’s when the depression really set in. In a monotone voice, you told the man who had given you the strength to believe in yourself, “You should just leave me. There are women who can give you more children; I can’t. I know you want that.”

He had wrapped his hands around yours and pleaded with you. “Don’t compare yourself to anyone, Y/N. Ever. Please.” He lifted one of his hands and with the softest touch ran his fingertips down your cheek. “My heart is breaking too. This doesn’t mean we won’t have children.” He tilted your chin so you were looking in his eyes. You saw the tears glistening there. “You are everything to me. I will never leave you unless you make me, and even then I would still love you.”

All Jared’s patience and love couldn’t shut out the hurt that threatened to destroy you. Because the two of you had kept your pregnancy quiet, no one knew anything was wrong. You had stopped going to family gatherings. You couldn’t stand to see your sister smiling with her baby. Your mother had done her best to smooth things over, but the rest of the family really wasn’t having it. They thought you just didn’t have time for them now that you had a rich and famous husband.

Jared had taken to spending his weekends with his kids at the house he still kept for himself in Austin. You could only imagine what his family thought of that. The last thing you needed was for them to think you were a bitch. That would in no way help, but you just couldn’t watch him be a daddy. You couldn’t. His son, God he was the walking image of Jared. That made you think about the little boy you might have had.

While he was in Austin, you stayed in Vancouver. When Jared had returned to resume filming, he insisted you come with him. “I’m not going to leave you alone to put on a brave face for people who don’t understand.” He was famous for his open heart and unbridled enthusiasm that poured sunshine on everyone he came in contact with, but when Jared felt strongly about something there was really no arguing with him; and you didn’t have the energy to try.

So, here you were in Canada doing your best to be okay. One thing you would not do was interfere with Jared’s career. You had upended his life enough. It was a beautiful place, and these days you’d been spending at the lake cabin Jared had rented brought you more peace than you had known since all of this had happened.

You took your time walking back to the cabin letting nature spread her balm over your aching heart. When you walked in, there was no sign of Jared. You made your way through the living room and down the hall to your bedroom. As soon as you opened the door and walked in, you heard him. Jared’s moans were unmistakable. You hadn’t heard them in a while, but you knew how sex made him sound.

As you walked across the room, his moans turned to grunts, needy and desperate. Then Jared said your name. Your hand was shaking a little when you reached for the bathroom doorknob. The sight that met your eyes when you opened the door made your breath catch in your throat. Jared stood there, all long lean muscle, one hand braced on the counter and the other around his cock. His head was bowed as he pulled on his long, thick shaft chasing an orgasm you hadn’t given him in weeks.

Your voice was only a whisper. “Jared.” He turned to look at you, his eyes glazed over with his impending orgasm. You crossed the room and dropped to your knees beside him. His sweats were pooled around his ankles, and his hipbones were prominent under his golden skin, and his cock was leaking pre come. You took his hips in your hands and turned the lower half of his body to face you.

Your hand rubbed over the velvet soft skin on his tip before you took him in your mouth. You sucked him down in one smooth motion. He was already close so it only took a few bobs of your head to have him coming down your throat. Jared’s chest heaved, and he buried his hands in your hair. He licked his lips and hung his head, his hair covering his face. You placed a kiss on his stomach and looked up at him, waiting.

When Jared raised his head, his eyes searched your face for a sign of something that would tell him what this meant. You ran your hand up over his stomach stopping when it rested over his heart. You stood slowly, your eyes focused on his, barely blinking and not looking away. “Jared, I’m sorry.”

He circled his arms around you and drew you close to him until your head lay on his chest next to your hand. You felt him move to step out of his sweats, but he didn’t let go of you. He kissed the top of your head and threaded his fingers through your hair. The intimacy of the moment brought tears to your eyes. As they fell, you tried to explain yourself to the man you loved so much, the man who had given you time, space, and unfailing support. “I should have been here for you. You needed me, and I pushed you away.”

He kissed the top of your head again and cradled your neck in his large hand. “You’ve been hurting, angel.”

It was quiet for a few seconds, the beating of Jared’s heart was strong beneath your ear. Then you lifted your tear streaked face to look at his eyes that were in this moment a beautiful golden green. “I want to be your wife again.”

Jared raised your chin with his finger. “You never stopped being my wife.”

Tears started to stream down your face again. “Yes, I did. You shouldn’t have to take care of yourself. I’m supposed to do that.”

He touched your lips so softly with a single kiss. “You aren’t supposed to do anything. I love you. All I want is to love you.” He held your face in his hands and rested his forehead against yours.

You stood in the silence together, sunlight pouring down on you from the skylight overhead. “Jared, take me to bed. I want to make love with you.” He put his hands on your waist and kissed you again this time letting you feel the passion he still had for you. Jared lifted you in his arms and kissed you while he carried you to the bed.

He lay you down and pulled his t-shirt over his head. This man belonged to you, and he was gorgeous. He was gorgeous, patient, and faithful. Jared was surrounded by women who came on to him all the time. He’d told you the stories, but even when you’d shut him out and closed yourself off behind your walls of pain, he had gotten his only satisfaction from jerking off. His only comfort came from holding you at night with often little to no response from you. If he was someone less than who he was, you could have lost your husband. When that realization struck, you grabbed onto him as tightly as you could. “I love you, Jared.”

He had always been a wonderful lover, but this time he was perfect. Jared took your clothes off slowly and kissed every inch of your exposed skin like he had never seen your body before. He touched you just the way you liked, remembering every detail of what made you writhe and beg for more. He used his tongue to lick swirls around your nipples, flick your clit, and thrust into your core until you were coming on it. 

The way he moved inside you had you clinging to him and begging “Jared, Jared, I need you. Please!” He pulled another orgasm from you rapidly rubbing his fingers over your clit while he plunged inside you as deep as he could go. You took every bit of him and accepted his seed again ready for the possibility of another baby and everything that could mean.

Jared stayed inside you for a long time before he moved to pull out. He whispered to you as he did, “I’m here, angel. I’m still here.” He kept you close to his body, his arm around you. You curled your fingers closed right over the center of his chest. It wasn’t quite a ball, more like you were trying to hold on, to reassure yourself this was real and it would be okay.

After a while, you uncurled your fingers and let your hand relax. “I didn’t want to let you down. I wanted to give you a baby. I know how much being a father means to you, and I wanted to give you that again. Share it with you.”

You angled your head so you could see him. “Jared’s eyes had changed to a stunning blue with barely a hint of gray. It was easy to get lost in them, be comforted by them. “Y/N, you haven’t let me down. And we will have a baby together. Babies, if you want them.”

He had chipped every bit of the protective barrier around your heart away. He held it in his hand again; you were completely open with him. “I miss her, Jared.”

“Her?” He took your hand that was still lying on his chest and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

“Yes. I think we were going to have a little girl.” His lips had not yet left your hand, and you felt him nod. “But we’ll never know for sure.”

“If you think we were going to have a girl, I think you’re right.” You buried your face into Jared’s shoulder. He stroked your hair without saying another word, just let you be with him feeling the warmth of his skin on yours and the strength of his arms around you. After a few minutes he sat up and pulled the blanket that was folded at the end of the bed up over you. You snuggled back in against him. “Y/N, I’m sorry for your pain. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more to help you. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.”

You covered his mouth with yours kissing him thoroughly and deeply. You pulled your lips from his then softly touched your mouth to his once more. “Just be here with me. Exactly the way you are.”

Forevers: @bitterstar88 @coffee-obsessed-writer @timelordy-fangirl2 @stusbunker @girl-next-door-writes @mariekoukie6661 @sandlee44 @cosicas-cuquis @ohnowin-chester @waywardbaby @dean-winchesters-bacon @oldfreakything @tumbler-tidbits @maddiepants @evansrogerskitten @emoryhemsworth @sorenmarie87 @ladywinchester1967 @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @sea040561 @atc74 @mrs-meghan-winchester @ladycynthia @brinkofinsanity77645 @defenderrosetyler @outcastedangel

@67-chevy-baby @neii3n

Everything Sam: @sammyimpala-67 @crashdevlin @savemecastiel @logical-princey @zombiewerewolfqueen @fandom-princess-forevermore @heycasbutt

@idabbleincrazy @rebelminxy @peridottea91 @mereka18 @deansyahtzee @saltandburn-ilovesamwinchester @onethirstyunicorn @unabashedsoul97

@princessmisery666 @invisibledevour @beenlovingromansincedayoneish @arwenadreamer @fullmooner @waywardwilled @ketchacabra @taylasara

@wendibird @littlemiddlefoxbabe @mtngirlforever @focusonspn @kickingitwithkirk @dreamsfrozenincandyland @keymology @daisymoder72 @mymysosa @spnxbsessed @wingledsam @alleiradayne @volleyballer519 @autumninavonlea @muggle394 @ballistic-bailey @madebypointlesswerewolves @moondrunklove @ellen-reincarnated1967 @supernaturalgrandma @hermionejacobs @samleerandom @ledzeppelinsbonzo

The Pond: @manawhaat @notnaturalanahi @deandoesthingstome @captain-princess-rose @babypieandwhiskey @samsgoddess @waywardjoy @chaos-and-the-calm67​ @plaidstiel-wormstache​ @teamfreewill-imagine​ @supernatural-jackles​ @emilyshurley​

[nichester]

Review: Extracurricular

Media Type: Korean Drama

Genre: Teen drama/Crime/Noir

Summary:  Ji Soo, a diligent but poor high school student is saving for college and paying rent by moonlighting as a pimp.  His precarious balance of school and work begins to fall apart when another student, Gyu-ri, discovers the truth about his job and wants in.  Things spiral quickly out of their control.

Why you might care:  If you enjoy watching teenagers do crime and get realistically in over their heads; if you are interested in dark shows with Really Good performances (in particular from the leads, who have enough chemistry for us to buy their toxic but unbreakable bond) or if you are interested in any of the themes of crime and class struggle.

Why you might not care:  Give this one a pass if you don't like your shows dark and/or are looking for a happy ending. Importantly, pay attention to potential triggers in this show! (Suicidal ideation, self harm, violence against women, sexual assault, hallucinations, and torture all occur, although not always explicitly, on this show.  Feel free to message me if you need more detailed warnings!)

Trope Bingo! Partners in crime/Bonnie and Clyde; enemies to sorta? lovers, literally I have no idea how to categorize their relationship

If you liked _______, try ______!

Can't say I've watched much in this vein! I've heard that School 2013 or Sky Castle are both excellent dramas about struggling high schoolers, but which have less grim endings.  The Get Down is a great netflix show also about marginalized teenagers struggling to pursue their dreams despite the crime and violence they're surrounded by.

~Spoilers (not anything detailed but just to be safe) and overall thoughts under the cut~

Plot:  I'll be honest, I'm not a big plot girl. Unless there's something stand-out about a story's plot, I tend to consider it more as a vehicle for character development than anything else. In this show's case, I was on the edge of my seat in horror for most episodes. The plot unfolds in a seemingly inevitable negative spiral that takes all of our characters down and leaves them far worse off than when they started. This show did rely a lot on coincidence, both positive and negative. Usually I would consider this a flaw, but I think it worked well here as a way to portray a random, unfeeling world around the characters and to emphasize the precarious nature of their situation.

Central character(s):  I was really attached to both of the leads. They had the convincing contradictions and vulnerabilities of deeply troubled teenagers, and their different traumas and personalities played off of each other well. For all of Ji Soo's smarts and skill, he has a startling naivete and a tendency to panic when things don't go according to plan. Gyu-ri is equally smart, but loud and manipulative in contrast to Ji Soo's awkwardness and isolation. Gyu-ri pushes Ji Soo to try to expand his business to make up for his unexpected losses (decisions that drive the plot), but this goes against his every cautious instinct.  Ji Soo tends to focus on maintaining what little he has, while Gyu-ri fully embraces the philosophy "the best defense is a good offense." Indeed, Gyu-ri is reckless to the point of suicidal, but the later episodes reveal a protective instinct that seems to be as unexpected to her as it is to the audience, an instinct which continually drives her to throw herself into harms way in defense of Ji Soo.  The strongest development that both characters had was in their relationship with each other, which led them to be both braver and more open than they had ever been in their lives. But their involvement with each other and their reluctance to cut ties is part of how they got to where the show leaves them--cornered and bloody.

Romance:  Technically this show has no romance, but I think it's fair to say that the leads develop an obsessive, Bonnie and Clyde-style relationship that is partially romantic in nature. Ji Soo has a distant crush on Gyu-ri at the beginning of the show, which she exploits. Honestly, some of the funniest moments in the show come from the contradiction between Ji Soo's side-hustle as a pimp and his complete and total inability to speak normally in Gyu-ri's presence. His disillusionment with her is genuinely painful, but necessary for their relationship to become one of equals. Their grudging partnership is abrasive, but their bond feels very convincing. No matter how much they resent each other, they're more strongly drawn to each other. (Watching Ji Soo pack up her discarded chip bags to bring with him on the run is just….. Its so….. Kids make me cry ok!)  It's clear for both of these lonely and deeply messed up kids that simply having a partner--someone who they can reveal their ugly sides to and depend on--is an intoxicating feeling. By the end of the show, they'd kill for each other and probably die for each other. The show smartly doesn't ever "consummate" the romance--they don't really have enough downtime when they're not actively fighting to make it convincing, and despite everything they've done both characters are still very young.  If there is a second season, this is a ship that is likely to sail (but possibly crash and burn).

Side Characters/Side plots:  In a show like this one, which depicts a marginalized and frequently abused group of women, the presence of sympathetic characters who are also members of that group is crucial, or the drama would feel exploitative. This show's most prominent side plot depicts an underage sex worker, her post-traumatic stress response to a violent client, her struggle over whether or not to speak to the police, and her desire to find genuine human connection, whether it is with her shitty boyfriend or with her pimp. (Their odd father/daughter relationship was one of the most moving parts of the show!) While I thought the writing was sympathetic to Minhee's situation, she is frequently used as a reminder of the human consequences of the other character's actions. This is both good and bad--it's important to remind the characters and the viewer of how damaging their behavior is, but it also risks treating her as a more of a tool for the lead's development than a thoroughly explored character. Up until the last episode I think the writers gave her a distinct enough arc to avoid this pitfall, but depending on her ultimate fate (in a theoretical season 2) I could change my mind.

Tone:  The tone is dark, tense, and constantly on the verge of slipping into chaos. Hallucinatory sequences play out as Ji Soo and Gyu-ri imagine themselves killing people, destroying things, or being buried alive. These sequences emphasize the character's instability, while also establishing the camera as an unreliable narrator of events in a way that pays off in the ambiguous final moments. The fantastic acting is buoyed by the directing to depict the precarious state of the leads' minds as their situation spirals further out of their control. Ji Soo's scenes feel claustrophobic and paralyzing--when he ventures out of his apartment to talk to Gyu-ri or to go to the café you get the blinking, shuffling sense of something emerging from a cave. Gyu-ri, on the other hand, is a loose cannon, and her scenes have a jittery, dangerous edge to them. As a whole, the show is excruciatingly tense and frustratingly unresolved.

Theme:  This show is a full-fledged tragedy. It is a brilliant example of a negative change arc, with all of the characters taking more and more drastic actions while still managing to retain our loyalty. I think the writer's are clear that although none of these kids have made good choices, the real tragedy lies in how they have been abandoned, used, or neglected by the adults in their lives. The few adults who show any care for them are either relatively powerless themselves (like Mr. Lee and their teacher) or too late to avert disaster (like the prosecutor). Extracurricular is a grim look at how we fail vulnerable children to the point that even a boring, average life seems like an impossible dream.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Saturday 8 March 1834: SH:7/ML/E/16/0177

6 10

12 40

Fair and windy – rain in the night – F52° at 6 40 – out at 7 ¼ - with Pickles - his son John and a labourer to wall up gaps and make other and set posts for John Bottomley and P- himself to raise wall near new dry bridge so as to support a great height of stuff - with John Booth taken him (P-) 2 loads of stones - Charles and James H- putting up more wainscot in upper buttery -breakfast with my father at 8 ½ in about ½ hour -in my study at 9 ¾ - rain came on about 8 ½ or before   likely to continue - till 11 ½ wrote 1 page and 4 lines to Miss W- and copied what I would advise her to write in answer to Washington - then out with John moving large cherry[?] from the terrace to near new dry bridge and moving rose tree and flowers to outside upper garden door etc ready for beginning to lower the terrace on Monday - Pickels went away in the morning on account of the rain but returned at 2 ½ pm  with him raising wall near new dry bridge to hold up stuff from the new bank (just below Bottomleys the shoemaker) and backwards and forwards with Charles and James H- in the upper buttery and with Mallinson and his 1 man who got the middle cornice of the chimney this afternoon, and opened hole thro’ wall on to the terrace for barrowing out  the stuff - agreed with Pickels to wheel it out to the carts in the court yard, and thence cart it to near the old dry bridge for 8d per square yard - he asks Mr. Haigh 15d a yard (ie about 7d per 1 horse cart load) for carting stuff from the new bank (to put it here near new dry bridge) - came in at 6 ½ - settled with Pickels and Charles H- dinner at 7 and coffee and came upstairs at 7 40 - wrote 3 pages more and ½ p. envelope and finished my letter to ‘Miss Walker Heworth Grange, York’ and sent it off at 9 ½ by Thomas in a parcel with Washington’s letter and n°2 Paxton’s magazine the small parcel for Mrs. Sutherland to go by tonights’ mail - should have sent W-‘s letter etc yesterday but waited to hear from Miss W- this morning - much disappointed - strongly  urge her to determine about and give Washington orders to let Lidgate - should always determine as soon as one can, and then the sooner the determination is acted on, the better - a great comfort  and advantage to us to have things settled as soon as possible so that our intentions should be clear to all whom they concerned – our position too equivocal - then dated 2nd page this evening– saying it was well to make an excuse of Lidgate but the truth was, I could scarcely believe it  was not a week since my return and it seemed an age since Monday and not hearing from her made me dull - Did she wish me to think less of her? She might scold and I should take it patiently – then took up Miss W-‘s letter  could not be much trouble to alter the Town’s books – she could not be expected to understand land-valuing, therefore it was W-‘s place to offer her a fair rent for the Hemingway crofts (5 ½ acres exclusive of plantations and paying £2.16.0. pounds taxes per annum l say .:. taxes = from 6/ to 7/ per day work) unless he hoped to have them as the same sort of terms as the Lidgate land – but advised her to write briefly to him on the subject merely  saying she had made up her mind not to pay the taxes and, as he put it to her to value the crofts she should have them and Cordingley’s farm valued at my same time and write by post to Mr Mitchell to let he have his valuation as soon as he could and then she would settle what allowance  should be made to Cordingley and fix a rent for the crofts as W- valued for himself and his brother in law  he ought to be glad to call in an indifferent person - would she write something like the following  ‘Miss Walker will be much obliged to Mr. Mitchell to send her, as soon as he possibly can, his valuation of the yearly rent of the land or the enclosed plan, specifying the condition of each field, the tenant to pay all taxes - Mr. Mitchell is requested to direct Miss Walker Heworth Grange, York.’ She could easily sketch the plan, giving numeros and measurements as stated in W-‘s survey - Perhaps W- would be surprised - not to give her the credit she deserved but lay it all on me – she had plenty of head, only wanted promptness of decision .........  ‘Heaven prosper you in everything! Doubt anything but the real regard of yours faithfully and affectionately AL.’ Will send the dimensions of the north parlour fireplace next time -  With my aunt from 9 ½ about an hour - then wrote the whole of this page till 11 – very boisterous  windy night –

SH:7/ML/E/16/0178

11 20 before Thomas got back – could hardly get to Halifax for the wind  - was an hour in going - brought back my packet of letters to Mr. Brown, Copenhagen under cover to HD. Scott Esquire Foreign office London (vid. Sunday 16 February) - there being written on the bank ‘Refused.....’ cannot make out the name - and enclosed in the following printed letter from the dead letter Office -‘General Post office 7 March 1834 Sir the enclosed letter not having been delivered for the reason assigned there on, was opened here by the officer appointed by his majesty’s Postmaster general for that purpose, and is now returned to you, as the writer, on payment of the postage I am sir, your obedient humble servant Francis Freeling, secretary’!!!! postage 3/8  So much for Mr. Brown’s offer of my writing thro’ him saying in reply to my scruples that it was merely a perquisite of office to be allowed to oblige friends in this way -  Letter 3 pages and 2 ¼ pages crossed from Miss Walker Heworth Grange – much pleased with the bonnet - should not want another  ‘you quite astonish me with your expedition in the execution of all my wants and wishes’ - ....... ‘I am thinking about Lidgate, and will say more when I write next query will it be wise to irritate or brave public opinion further just now? For the same reason, ought or can I accept your kind position about Shibden?’ Her usual indecision  does she mean to make a fool of me after all   she would not have me paint the carriage nor do more at Shibden than necessary  gave me that is bought for six pence and put on again my ring languidly and now declines taking the straight course of shewing our union  or at least compact to the world  should I ask her to do what she could not or ought not? Public opinion has been too much or too little braved and whatever force there is against her coming here is the same against my going there  I don’t like all this I distrust her and feel as if the thing would again and this time forever  go off between us   I shall not be played with let her come here before I go there again but I am on my guard and she may find this won’t do   My letters and feelings have been more affectionate than she deserved –she concludes with you will perceive I have practised what I preached  that is not to write anything particular I will take the hint. ‘I long for the sketch of the chimney piece  but don’t pay the carriage - why did you do it of the box? I suspect the affront was Thomas’s, not yours. Affront! Does this seem as if she really thought us united in heart and purse? Delighted to hear my aunt is a little better ‘not selfishly so for my own wish is that you should never take any distant journey so long as she lives, kind as she is and considerate in desiring it – there are plenty of  places nearer home unseen and which would be disgraceful not to visit’. This would be well enough if I did not shrewdly suspect she wishes to avoid going abroad or doing anything that would too decidedly bespeak our compact. What will she think of my letter of last night So affectionate and straightforward  perhaps it is lucky it went  and it would not have gone had I received hers first I shall not write till I have heard from her again  let us see how she can shuffle off  it has often struck me she wanted to make a cat’s paw of me to get into society  no harm done yet take care of my own concerns   my aunt’s death will try the thing and perhaps after all I shall be off at tangent  I will be cautious what I do in the meantime even in venturing to the plenty of places nearer home unseen  Miss Rawson says her mind is little and much in her money shall I find her right?   ‘only think of the time when you can come again to see the onyx (the ring I gave her) and ever believe me with love to your aunt kind regards to your father and sister  yours faithfully and affectionately, AW.’   she little thinks how much she has annoyed me but no more of her just now. Rainy day from between 8 and 9 and till 1 & 2 pm afterwards fine - but very boisterous  windy night.

[armywriter2605]

Theirs -Chapter 2 - OT7 x Reader

Genre: Mafia AU! BTS; Yandere AU! BTS; Angst; Fluff; Smut (not yet); OT7 x Reader

Warnings: Cursing; Mature Content ; Mentions of abuse and bullying; Soft yandere; Gore; more to be added throughout the series

Words: 3k +

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Tag List : 

@themisses777

GIF NOT MINE

"I'm exhausted! I didn't think moving out would be this tiring." You said as you laid down on the couch, your head on the lap of a very sleepy Yoongi. It was late and you and the guys had just finished moving all your things into their apartment, although you did the least of all of them, you were still completely worn out.

"Yah! You had the most pauses out of all of us!" Jungkook said jokingly as he sat down in front of the TV, getting ready to play some game.

"He's right, munchkin. How can you have so many clothes? Or the real question is how did they fit all into your wardrobe? That was some tidying up skills right there." Jimin was sitting on the ground with his back against the couch and eyes closed, his head resting on your stomach facing the ceiling.  

"Hey! Blame Tae. He's the one giving me clothes as presents every month even when I tell him I don't have any space left for them."

You saw Tae shrug with a smile on his face before sitting next to Jungkook and putting his headphones on, joining the younger male on their game.

"So, how much of the rent shall I pay? I can also pay for the groceries once a week or so?" You were simply curious on how things would work; you surely weren't thinking of staying there for free. That was just ridiculous, although upon hearing your question, Yoongi cleared his throat and Namjoon, who was reading something on his phone on the other end of the couch, turn to you.

"Baby girl, you don't have to worry about that. We were the ones inviting you to stay here. You don't have to pay us to stay here." Namjoon's voice was flat, like this was something rather normal or something you should've seen coming or expecting.

You frowned at his response and turn your face to look at him, only to seeing him already looking at you, his face relaxed. "What? I'll be paying your landlord, of course. I just wanna help Joonie. I may not earn much, but at least it's enough to help around here. I don't feel comfortable knowing you guys are paying everything by yourselves. Especially when I know none of you work."

Just as you finished talking, the room became dead silent. Too silent for your liking. "Because you don't work, do you guys?" You swear you could hear Jimin gulping down air, yet as you were about to open your mouth to speak again, Jin and Hoseok walked into the living room with two trays full of sandwiches and fruit snacks.

"What's up with the tension? Let's eat! Jin-Hyung made these awesome sandwiches and wouldn't let me even try one of them." Hoseok said as he put the tray of sandwiches down on the coffee table before sitting down next to Jimin.

"You have to wait. If I'm making them and you're eating them then we wouldn't be going anywhere. Now all of us can eat them together." Jin said as he put down the tray he held before grabbing two sandwiches and sitting next to Namjoon.

You knew they were keeping something from you. There had to be something. It was impossible for them to be able to afford the apartment, unless they all did something. Jimin gave you a sandwich and you smiled at him before laying down again on Yoongi's lap. There could be many answers as to why they possibly didn't tell you what they did. Maybe they worked for the government. You knew many people who worked in those types of jobs couldn’t tell anyone about it, but they could still tell you they were working, right? Did they work from home perhaps?

You let out an annoyed sigh before it finally came to you. There was no better explanation than that. "Do you guys work in the…adult industry? Is that why you don't tell me what you do? I mean, it's fine if you do. I won't judge you at all. That would explain why you're home so often and gain good money." You weren't sure if you said something wrong, but the look Yoongi gave you sure didn't look like you guessed it right.

"Babygirl, if you're asking us if we do porn, no. No, we don't." Namjoon said as he ate the sandwich he had been given, his eyes on you.

"Angel, why would you even assume that!? We don't even have any other girls around besides you. Who would we even do it with?!" Hoseok looked at you like you were a monster with three heads and you still didn't understand why. They were seven young and healthy guys who lived together and seemed to have tons of money.

"Don't even answer that question, love. No, we're not in that industry. End of story." Yoongi said before closing his eyes again and yawning.

"I mean, it's the only reasonable answer. Either that or you work for the government or you're doing some illegal stuff. I just wanna know why you're keeping this from me. Every time I ask any of you about it, you just brush it off like it's such a stupid and irrelevant question." You said as you sat up, forcing Jimin and Hoseok to move their heads away from you.

"Do you not trust me? Because If you do, it sure doesn't seem like it. I wouldn't tell anyone about it, if that's your concern."

Jin sighed and put his hand on your knee, giving it a small squeeze. "That's not it, princess. Of course, we trust you. We would trust you with our lives, but some things are better left unknown."

By now, Jungkook and Taehyung had paused their game and were also facing you, eyes filled with concern. You just wanted to know what they kept from you. It was exhausting how you told them everything, yet they still had secrets in-between each other.  

"Alright, Jin. I have to go clean my room and put everything into place. Goodnight guys, sleep well." You said as you got up and took one more sandwich before you gave each one of them a kiss on the cheek and walked away, leaving your seven best friends in silent with faces of concern.

Third person's POV

As soon as Y/N closed her bedroom door after getting in, Hoseok was the first to let out a deep sigh he didn’t even know he was holding. The boys surely knew she was catching up, and that she would eventually find out, yet if they could keep it a secret for a bit longer, they would.

Taehyung was the first to speak up. He had always been the one to support the idea of telling Y/N the truth, yet he also knew how much danger she could be put in once they told her everything about their lives.

"We have to eventually tell her. It's better if we tell her, than her finding out on her own or someone else telling her. We can easily protect her; we have been protecting her for almost 6 years now dammit."  

"Keep your voice down, Tae." Yoongi hated when Y/N asked them those type of questions. It wasn't like he wanted to lie to her, but his love for her was too big to put her in any type of danger. He knew when she found out she would be upset and seeing her upset just broke his heart. "It's too risky."

"But Yoongi-hyung, she's living here now. She'll start asking why we leave at certain hours in the night, why we come back with bags full of money and leave early in the morning for the bank or stuff like that. Imagine if she finds one of our guns. How will we explain that?" Jimin, just like the other six, just wanted Y/N to be happy and seeing that this was bothering their princess was very saddening. He was hurt over how she could even think for a second that they didn't trust her. They would do anything for her, they have until now. It hadn't been easy to keep her in the dark. They knew their enemies would eventually try to come for their only weakness, the only one that could have them all on their knees in a matter of seconds, yet they had kept them all away. It was extremely difficult to get pass the seven of them.

Jin sighed as he leaned back against the couch, clearly tired and ready to call it a night. "Yoongi is right. If we tell her, the conversation could go two ways. Either she accepts it and we're all happy that she understood why we kept this from her or…"

"Or she leaves us." Jungkook was looking at the floor, fidgeting with his hands. "We can't let her leave. I love her, we all do. What will we do? We won't be able to protect her. Something may happen to her. If she leaves, I don't think I could even-"

"Enough. She's not leaving." Namjoon raised his voice, making his point clear yet also being careful to not speak too loudly so she wouldn't hear them. "Things will turn out perfectly fine, understood? Now that she's living with us some things will get much easier, yet others will get more difficult. Yes, we'll have to tell her, but everything will be okay. No matter what, as long as we're alive, she'll have us to keep her safe. That's what we promised, remember? Now, let's all go to sleep. We all need to rest. We have a mission tomorrow night."

Jimin, Hoseok and Jungkook were the first to say their good-nights. Taehyung also left to wash up before going to bed, leaving the two elder boys and their leader in the living room. "I hope you're right, Namjoon. I truly hope you are." Yoongi had always been the one who strongly was against of letting Y/N know all of the stuff they did.

"When did I ever let you down, Hyung? She'll understand, trust me. Don't stay up too late, Hyungs. Goodnight." Seokjin waved while Yoongi simply gave him a nod as the younger left the two other alone to think for themselves.

"Well, since you decided to stay behind, help me clean this up, yeah? Come on." Jin chuckled as he got up to start cleaning everything, from the leftovers to the pillows that were on the ground and the controllers that had been left behind.

"Aish…" Yoongi let out an annoyed sigh but got up to help his friend before both of them also disappeared into the hallway and into their own bedrooms.

THE NEXT DAY 

You woke up to a sweet aroma in the air, which you immediately identified as the smell of pancakes. You simply loved having pancakes in the morning, and waking up to them already done was just one of the best feelings in the world. It wasn’t before you tried to stand up that you noticed the arms around your waist, providing you with the warmth that surrounded your body. 

“Stay for a bit more...I couldn’t sleep well when I knew you were sad because of us.” That husky and sleepy voice belonged to Taehyung. It was impossible to mistake it for the voice of one of the other’s. Your assumptions were confirmed right when you turn around and were met by a messy grey/silver haired boy. 

“Tae, I wasn’t sad. I just don’t like to be kept in the dark. I wish you guys would trust me.” Taehyung shook his head as he hid his face in the crook of your neck. His breath was hitting your neck, sending chills down your spine. You tried to ignore the foreign feeling as you ran your fingers through his hair, trying to fix it a bit. “We trust you so much, baby doll. We just want you to be safe. Forever safe in our arms, our baby.”

You stared at the sleepy boy who hugged you like you were his life source, your heart skipping a beat. You were used to them using sweet nicknames when referring to you, yet this time it felt so different. Like you were more than their friend. It hadn’t been the first time you had felt like this and wondered if their nicknames and the way they talked to you and treated you meant more, but you always brushed away such thoughts. 

You simply nodded at Tae’s words as you closed your eyes and kept running your fingers through his hair, wondering how it could possibly still be this soft when he had dyed his hair so many times before. 

“I love it when you run your fingers through my hair like that. It’s so relaxing. I could stay like this forever.” Taehyung let out a giggle and you smiled at him before you heard your door opening very slowly. 

“Angel? Are you awake? Breakfast is read-YAH! Taehyung, why are you here?” You giggled and opened your eyes to see Hoseok standing by your door, Jungkook and Jimin standing behind him. 

“He’s there? Tae-hyung! That’s not fair!” 

“You sneaky bastard! You’re even laying on her like that!?”

You could feel Taehyung smile against your neck, yet not moving a muscle. That made you smile as you looked at the three other who were staring at their friend and then at you. 

“He said he didn’t sleep well, guys.” 

“Didn't sleep well, my ass. You didn’t sleep well until you came in here to cuddle, right Tae?” Jimin said rolling his eyes, while Taehyung let out a chuckle and moved, laying next to you. “Good morning, baby doll. Morning Hobi-hyung, Jiminie, Jungkookie.” You shook your head while you stood up smiling. “Good morning guys. Let me go to the bathroom and then we’ll eat. Is everyone else awake?” Jungkook nodded while you walked passed them and towards the bathroom. “And Tae, get out of my bed!” You could hear the boys laugh before you entered the bathroom.

You did what you had to do before you headed to the kitchen where all the boys were. “Morning again.” You said as you sat down next to Namjoon and Jin, right in front of a plate full of pancakes. “I’m starving. Was it you who made the pancakes, Jinnie?” 

“Who else would get up extra early to make breakfast, princess? Only Mr. Worldwide Handsome here.” You laughed and nodded. “Thank you, Jinnie. So what’s everyone doing today?” 

“Me and Jungkookie are gonna play. They are supposed to update the game today and new maps are going to come out! It’s so exiting!” Taehyung said as he ate his food, while Jungkook nodded eagerly, his mouth full of food. 

“Me, Hoseok-hyung and Jin-hyung were thinking of going to the mall and getting some stuff. Do you need anything, Munchkin?” 

You shook your head as you ate a pancake, letting Namjoon fill your cup with coffee. “Me and Yoongi-hyung were thinking of just staying at home, maybe keep you company?” 

You looked at Yoongi and then Namjoon, before shrugging. “I have work today though. Me and Seong-Min will be alone the entire day since the others have the day off.” You sipped your coffee and you took another pancake onto your plate. 

“Who’s Seong-Min? I haven’t seen him before.” Jungkook said, giving his hyungs a look before looking at you with a smile on his lips. 

“He joined like two days ago? Something like that. He’s new, but really skilled. I think he has worked in a cafe before. He has attracted a lot of new clients too, so that’s good.”

“Really? How old is he?” 

You looked at Yoongi, who looked more grumpy than usual. “A year older than me and Kookie, 22.” They all nodded, yet stayed silent until Namjoon turn to you. “When are you done at work then?” 

“Me and Seong-Min will close the store too of course, so not until late. Which of you handsome gentlemen will be the one picking me up?” You asked, half joking half serious, knowing one of them always came to pick you up and follow you home. 

Namjoon shrugged as he got up, being followed by all of the others. “We’ll see. Don’t worry. One of us will be there.”  You nodded finishing breakfast. Of course, one of them would be there. Or so you thought...

The day went by rather okay. Yoongi took you to work and even stayed there with you for a couple of hours, until he told you Jin was blowing up his phone telling him he had to come home and that it was his turn to cook them lunch. Of course, you believed him and let him go. You also preferred that he didn't stay, the glares he kept on giving your pore coworker were terrifying.

Seong-Min was a great person and he was very easy to work with, what made your day go by even faster. When the night came and the time to close the café neared, you were expecting to see one of the boys already there. They were always on time, saying they hated when you walked the streets alone at night.  

"Waiting for the boyfriend?" You heard Seong-Min ask from behind you, as he locked the café doors.

"Boyfriend? No no. My friends usually pick me up from work. They said they would be here today too, but…aren’t?" You said slightly nervous as you checked your phone, expecting to have at least one text from one of them.

"Well, I can walk you home if you want?" You heard Seong-Min say as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't you usually go the other way though? It's okay, I can go by myself."

"No no! Well, yes but let me walk with you, please? I wouldn't feel good about myself knowing I let you walk home alone at this time of the night."

You smiled, yet shook your head. “Really, it’s fine. Thanks anyways. I’ll see you Sunday at work?” 

Seong-Min nodded at you, slightly down you didn’t want him to follow you home. “Yeah, of course. But are you sure? I’ll gladly walk with you. Keep you company, you know?”

“I’m sure...Bye then.” You said before walking your way. You hated walking alone in the dark, yet having your coworker follow you home didn’t feel right either, specially when you didn’t know him that well. When you walked at night, you felt somehow paranoid and afraid something would happen to you. The boys always said that nothing would happen to you at all times, yet how could they be so sure if they weren’t there with you right now?

They couldn’t and unfortunately, neither could you. 

Third person’s POV

As Y/N walked, she remembered she had her headphones in her purse and once she had music playing, everything got somehow better. Yoongi had made her a playlist with all her favorite songs and others he knew she would like, and she was truly thankful he had used his time to put her all time favorites into one playlist. She had somehow forgotten of her surroundings, until she opened her front camera to take a selfie for her friends and noticed a dark figure with a hoodie up looking at the ground. At first Y/N tried not to think much of it, yet as she continued walking, the more familiar that hoodie was to her. 

A few blocks away, the seven boys were at a club’s VIP section about to finish their deal. All of them knew what time it was and that they were late to pick you up, yet as the man they were dealing with got more persistence on asking all sort of questions, the longer it was taking for them to get rid of him. It was like he knew they were in a hurry and din’t want to let them go. 

Namjoon had thought of sending one of the boys to pick you up, yet when Hoseok tried to leave the room, the tension rose between Namjoon and the man. “How can I possibly trust any of you when you’re trying to send one of your best men out of the room? How do I know he won’t try something funny?” So, with that, Namjoon told Hoseok to stand by. 

Each of the boys were growing much more impatient as the time went by and for their leader it was something very easy to notice and quite stressful. While Jungkook was drumming his fingers against the table, Taehyung and Jimin let out deeps sighs, Jin and Hoseok kept on nervously shaking their legs, Yoongi was getting more irritated by each small sound that filled the room. The voice of the man was ticking him off, and Namjoon was no where better. 

Jin had informed Namjoon that they technically didn’t need this deal, the profit wasn’t anything too big, yet Namjoon said that having this sort of connections was nice and could come in hand. That was the only reason as to why the seven men still sat around the table they had been sitting around for the past 3 hours. Only them and the old guy who for some reason didn’t know what time was.

Namjoon was trying his best to answer to the man’s multiple questions, yet he lost his cool when it finally happened. A message from Y/N came in, each of the boy’s phones letting out a muffled sound because of the loud music being played in the background. 

She was scared. Someone had scared their princess and she was now hiding. Before anyone could even move an inch, Namjoon had already cocked his gun out, shooting the man right between his eyes. “Let’s go. Our baby needs us.” While all of the boys smirked and nodded, Namjoon gave a signal to one their men to clean the scene that laid before them, before leaving with the others.

Lord had mercy on Seong-Min who just simply wanted to make sure Y/N got home safe, because the seven men sure knew they wouldn’t once they got their hands on him. 

[sugarfreecapsicle]

neighborly -1/2

moodboard by the one and only @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan 

moodboard by the lovely @ohcaptainmystan

this is part one of two in a little story I came up with for @buckygrantbarnes writing challenge! hope you enjoy. part 2 this week!!

NeighborAU

Glass shatters, jarring you from your too vivid dream involving cotton sheets with impossibly high thread count and distinct male perfection settling over you with a sheen of sweat painted over his body. Heart pounding and head throbbing from the immediate barking of your dog has your body flopping back to the mattress and pillow with heaving breaths. Count to ten before you react. Think of a third party perspective. Don’t do anything rash.

But it’s the third time in as many days, and a working woman can only take so much before she has to write a strongly worded note to a noisy, inconsiderate, low-life neighbor for blatant disregard for anyone else’s existence on their complex floor. You kick at the sheet that’s wrapped itself around your foot as you stumble out of bed and slam your hand onto the bedside table in search of a pen and paper.

Hours later, Bucky’s head is swimming with white noise and regret. He never should have listened when Natasha begged him to watch the cat while she went out of the country. The menace ruined his blackout curtains, puked all over his bathroom and living room rugs, clawed the feet and legs of all his wooden furniture and had all but eaten the lining underneath his couch. No space in his home was safe, no corner left undisturbed by the svelte feline. 

Steve had even created what briefly had been titled the “Vlad-you-little-shit” jar to which anyone must contribute money when complaining about the cat. Bucky alone could have fully funded Natasha trip abroad with the funds earned over the weekend. 

With breakfast out of the way, he skirted out of his own door and nearly slammed his own toe in the door to shoo the cat away from his desperate escape. His keys jingled in his thick cotton pocket, lounge pants adorned with sheet music from West Side Story. The plastic wrapped newspaper sat in a lump by the welcome mat, but a new addition in bright neon pink stuck to the grungy plastic.

Noisy Neighbor,

Maybe you’re new to the complex, but tenants here appreciate peace and quiet at 2 AM when everyone else is asleep except night shift nursing staff and your goddamned hellian of a pet. Unless your guest is celebrating a beautiful marriage every night, please cease and desist all glass breaking, radio playing and anything louder than a Boeing 747 taking off from La Guardia.

Sincerely, 

Awake Acquaintance

Bucky shook his head and grimaced. Solving this riddle required waffles, bacon, coffee and maybe third party consultation. 

Your entire day at work passed by at the pace of molasses in the dead of winter.

In Antarctica.

Dragging your heeled feet up the stairs of your Brooklyn apartment seemed to be enough cardio for one day after your restless night of soothing Beau’s response to your neighbor’s continuous noise during the worst hours of the night. Four days in and it was becoming almost impossible to remember when you had more than two hours of uninterrupted sleep. 

On your door perched a stark blue sticky note.

Annoying Acquaintance,

Don’t believe we’ve met, and doubt I’d like to given your own howling alarm can’t help but wake up the entire floor in the span of five seconds of his singing. He’s very off key and really should consider keeping his day job - especially since he is far less likely to piss off surrounding neighbors like myself who value their sleep. 

Signed,

Not-So Noisy Neighbor

The note crumples in your hand as you barge through your own door, Beau’s claws skittering around the corner with a wiggling butt in tow. A happy grin and lolling tongue make it impossible for you to even consider being upset with him. No, this was Noisy Neighbor’s fault entirely for permitting drunken bar fights to happen in his apartment. 

Seething over your reheated leftovers from Pietro’s Pies, you peer down at Beau who eagerly chows down on his bowl of grain-free dry food mixed with roasted turkey breast leftover from your sister’s potluck. 

“Don’t follow my example, buddy,” you murmur through a cheesy bite of pizza, “you keep eating healthy so you can bite the neighbor’s sorry ankles.”

He pays you no mind as you glare at the note rumpled on the counter. If it was war this stubborn, pigheaded snob wanted, fine. You could manage that.

Steve’s rigorous 5 AM training routine couldn’t be followed on barely three hours sleep, and Bucky knew better than to try to keep up mentally in conversation as the two jogged together through the park. The metal prosthetic tugged at his shoulder as he pumped his arms in tandem, strides and pace matching his blond friend. 

“You didn’t hear a single thing I just said, did you?”

The pair slowed to a stop, Bucky leaning over to rest his hands on his knees. “Over the fake hangover I have? Not a word.”

Steve chuckled and rested his hands on his hips. “The cat hates you.”

Bucky nods in defeat. “Feeling’s mutual.”

“It’s just a cat, Buck-”

“Like hell it is,” he snaps, pointedly eyeing Steve. “That thing is a curse on anyone who crosses its path. A bane on humanity. A pox on my family.”

“Dramatic,” Steve laughs and hands his cohort an aluminum water bottle. “When does Natasha get back?” “Not soon enough,” Bucky chugs half the water easily, wiping the overflow from his mouth and jaw. “My neighbor left me this uptight note about noise like I have anything to do with that thing terrorizing my apartment.”

Steve notes the spark of motivation in Bucky’s voice and smirks. “And what did you do about it?” “Takes two to Tango, Stevie,” he laughs and lightly taps his metallic knuckles against his friend’s shoulder to prompt their return to jogging pace. “Neighbor won’t see what’s comin’ next.”

Admittedly, the exercise set Bucky’s muscles into a pleasant thrum of adrenaline that carried him up the stairs two at a time. The bounce in his step faltered then broke into an aggravated trot as he neared his door.

Another pink note.

Boisterous Butthead,

It may occur to you, should you remove your head from your ass long enough to listen to neighborly concern, that other residents here in the building may have complaints of their own about you and your rowdy pest. Some may be inclined to report you to the super but have refrained from drastic measures in the hopes that you might see reason. Consider this your last pink slip.

Terribly Tired Tenant

Heat rose from Bucky’s chest over his neck and into his ears, blood roiling. Brooklyn wasn’t cheap no matter how anyone sliced rent - and he’d be damned if a cat of all things got him kicked out of the only affordable place left in the borough.

His sneaker-clad foot toed the door open, met with claws and teeth viciously attacking the rubber and fabric. Bucky eyed the old piano across the room and smirked.

Terribly Tight Tenant,

Try pulling the stick out of your ass before inspecting mine. Your barking nuisance is disturbing my cat’s natural instinct to hunt. Unless your mutt has eaten them, I’ve left some OSHA approved ear plugs for your sensitive ears. Get a life that doesn’t involve me or mine.

Rested Renter

It’d taken you a few years into adulthood to finally figure out how people ended up in prison for murder. The ear plugs were already trashed, but you’d decided to keep his notes for proof of his intolerable behavior when you clicked send on your completed email to your super. 

Just a click.

But you couldn’t pull the proverbial trigger. No, this was personal. Extremely personal and an affront on your sanity.

You’re knocking at his door before you realize Beau’s fluffy head is sticking out of your door with ears perked in curiosity. You move to shoo him inside when your neighbor’s door staggers open, tenant wiggling and fussing at a screaming cat. 

He’s tall, hair cropped short, sharp jaw and icy gaze. Maybe if he wasn’t such an asshole, he’d be attractive.

“Can I help you?”

Oh no, he’s definitely attractive. He’s holding the door mostly shut, clearly blocking the cat’s only escape route. Paws are stretching through the crack and snapping back again furiously.

“Your cat is-”

Beau barks and his paws skid on the laminate flooring in his attempt to greet his potential new friend, but you’re too quick for him and scoop him up into your arms, tufts of fur wafting through the air. You sputter, hair tickling your lips.

“Not my cat,” he finishes for you, a hand at his hip. “Your dog is bothering my friend’s cat.”

You manage a glare at him once Beau lets his body rest in your arms, tongue lolling as he inspects the hallway from his new vantage point. “My dog is not bothering your cat, jerk, he’s protecting me.”

“From a broken vase in the next room? Right. Real big, bad guard dog you’ve got there,” he says, Beau licking at your opponent’s fingers and knuckles happily. “He’s real tough.”

“Look, keep the cat under control or I’ll file a complaint with the super about the noise. I have to work two jobs to afford this place on my own, so when I get to sleep, I’d prefer it be peaceful. I’m not asking much-”

“Then you obviously don’t know this cat.”

You roll your eyes and walk back to your door, hauling Beau over your shoulder to dig for your keys. The jingling catches the small tabby’s attention and has her crying louder, clawing viciously at the notch in the doorway. 

“Sounds like it’s better I don’t.”

Your door is shut before Bucky can admit he’s swallowed his pride.

[whorror-jpeg]

Billy Hargrove in Seasons (Winter-pt.2)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x (F) Reader

Type: Mini-Series

Word Count: 1.4k

Request: none

Summary: Where we explore Billy Hargrove through the seasons.

⚠️Warnings: fluff :), familial arguments and fighting(the aggressive kind), angst if you look hard.

Author’s Note: told y’all it’d get longer. also, can you tell i have a preference when it comes to seasons?

Previous, Next

As the crispness of fall turned into the blistering cold of winter, Billy himself had seemed to get colder- more distant. There was no more fluff around the little game you played with him, and you didn’t get much regarding interactions with him anymore.

That was that, you assumed. An end of a small era. 

You packed your backpack for the last time until the new year, clearing out your locker, zipping up your bag, and beginning to leave.

“Hey, you uh, forgot something.”

You turned, facing the voice. Of course, it was Billy, he’d always been one to find easy ways out of situations. Ignoring you until the very last moment, for instance.

He had a holiday-themed card in his hand, nothing too special to anyone in particular, had they seen it without context.

“I don’t think I-”

“Yeah, you did.” he interrupted, shoving the card to your hands and walking away. You watched as he walked away for a moment, then turned your gaze to the card. Snowy trees stood in front of a warmly lit wooden cabin, the front saying “holiday greetings!” in an uptight cursive font. You smiled anyway, turning the cover over and reading the inside.

It was simple, very Billy-like;

Thanks, and I’m sorry. Happy holidays. See you next year. 

-Billy

Regardless, it was sweet, and thoughtful. Something he didn’t show particularly strongly to the public unless it was to get something. But a card? That was a new high for him. He was almost normal.

When you got home that evening, you looked through your phone book, finding the Hargrove's, and dialing the number.

A grumbled man’s voice answered, “This is Neil.”

You paused, it must’ve been his father, “Hi Mr. Hargrove, my name is (Y/N), I was wondering if Billy was around?” you ask politely. You can hear him sigh in an annoyed sort of way, before screaming for his son in the most aggressive way you heard a parent call for their child, ever. It was like Billy was already in trouble, and he hadn’t even done anything.

You could hear bickering back and forth, volumes and tones fluctuating, before Billy answered the phone.

“Whoever it is, I’m not interested.” he sounded like he’d growl if he wasn’t so… exhausted.

“It’s (Y/N).”

A moment passes of pure quiet before he replies with an, “Oh. Hey.”

You sat quiet again, coming up with what you wanted to say, “I wanted to say thank you. The card was really sweet of you.”

“Yeah, it’s not a problem.” you can almost hear his shrug. It was like he blew it off, even though you knew how he felt about it; he wouldn’t have done it if it didn’t mean something to him. 

“Did you wanna hang out at all over the break?”

Well. That was surprising. You definitely didn’t expect it, and you still thought of him as an asshole, but progress was progress and you’d allow it, for now, anyways.

“Yeah… I’d like that.”

For a bit, that was that. A couple weeks had passed, the few days after Christmas and before New Years since that small conversation before you found yourself on the phone, calling Billy’s house again, inviting him over for a movie. He accepted, and was over within a half hour.

You heard his knock on the door and opened it quickly, giving him a small smile. He looked nice. He always presented himself nicely, but he looked more… casual. He had a regular white t-shirt on, tucked nicely into his belted jeans, even some sneakers, rather than the boots he often wore. You let him in, his comment about how the house smelled like popcorn making you laugh lightly, “That’s cause I made some.”

You closed the door and watched as he looked around, “You’ve got a nice house.” he says quietly.

Who was this Billy? Billy was loud, provocative, outgoing; a recognized aggressive extrovert through your school. This Billy, he was shy, almost, and quiet. 

“How was today?” you ask. He turned, replying that it was fine and boring. Uneventful. The interaction was awkward, even as you led him to the living room.

He sat on the couch, “Where’s your folks?” he asked.

“Mom’s out of town and Dad just left, he works nights. Did you want anything to drink? I’ve got coke, tea…”

He looks back at you and smiles, “Coke’s good, thanks.”

You retreated back into the living room, a bottle of coke and two glasses of ice in your hands, setting them on the coffee table next to the bowl of popcorn.

“I rented a few movies you can pick from. I tried to keep in mind of what you would wanna watch too…” 

You showed him the movies, seeing him smile more, “Alien sound okay?” he asks. You nod, and took the movie, putting it into the VCR before sitting on the floor next to his legs. You could feel him jump every so often and it made you laugh, seeing the hard exterior of him crumble in front of you.

It started with his hand catching your hair. You turned, seeing what he was doing while he apologized. You told him it was okay, and with that, he tested the waters, it seemed, and it ended with him full-fledged running his hands through your hair, twisting it through and around his fingers absentmindedly while watching the movie. In turn, you tested him too, finding a comfortable place on his leg to rest your head.

The movie ended, and he asked if he could smoke outside. You nodded, taking him to the backyard, sitting on the swinging chair that hung on the porch after putting on a heavy jacket. It hadn’t snowed yet, but there were signs that in a few short days, Hawkins would be covered in the thick, fluffy substance. He sat beside you, lighting up and inhaling deeply. The hand closest to you rubbed against your knuckles slightly, and when you didn’t flinch away, he intertwined your fingers with his. It made you smile slightly, enjoying the way you shared warmth through each others hands. 

“What time do I need to go home?” he asks softly. That seemed like the only way he knew how to talk to you, and how to handle you. 

You shrug, “Whenever. My dad gets home in the morning, eight.” you reply, looking at the two of your hands. You can see him nod through your peripheral, “Can I ask you something?” 

He looks up, blowing smoke through his nose. You took that as a yes.

“Why do you even…” you paused, looking at him directly, “this sounds harsh but, associate with me?” you shake your head, confused. He shares your expression, and before he can say anything, you interrupt, “I don’t think I’ve seen you go out of your way to be nice to anyone. And it’s just nice, there’s no showing off, or toxic masculinity… what’s your endgame?” 

It takes him a moment of looking at you, thinking, stringing thoughts into coherent sentences before he gives an answer, “I don’t have one.”

He looked lost, like he really didn’t know why he was there at, now eleven in the night, holding your hand on your back porch. And, honestly, that was all that you needed to hear.

Billy looked forward again, finishing off his cigarette and standing, keeping his light grip on your hand. You follow him up, and there’s a small tension. He tells you he’s going to go home, and despite the tension, you take the hand you’re holding and put it around your waist, wrapped your arms around his neck, and just hugged him. It was simple. You didn’t understand why he had tensed up so bad at first. But, after a while, he relaxed, and gave into the hug, standing there for a while and even enjoying it. You let go, and stared at him for a bit.

“Have a good night, Billy.” you say quietly. He still hadn’t let go of your hand, and in turn he rubbed his thumb across your knuckles. He looked up to you from his gaze on both of your hands, paused, searching your face, before leaning in and kissing your cheek. Blood flooded them in a gentle craze.

“Goodnight, (Y/N).” he whispered against your cheek.

[artificialqueens]

Like a Surge Running Through My Veins (Crameron) Chapter 4 -MissChimKi

Summary: Kameron’s heart stopped and time seemed to freeze for a minute. Those were her words, her soulmate was standing right in front of her and probably thought she was an idiot for just standing there staring.

In a world where both soulmates and superheroes exist, Brianna and Kameron struggle to connect all the dots, but still manage to find a connection.

A/N: “Oh my god, they were roommates.” Shit’s starting to get real, hope y'all enjoy!

Kameron’s next day started like most of hers did. She drank her coffee and checked all of her socials. She saw she had a reply from the landlord giving her times for a showing. She checked her schedule for clients that day. She had a cancellation which meant she would be done early, so she sent a reply that she could do the showing that day and got ready for work.

It was a slow day, she only had two appointments and they were both early and easy. Just simple haircuts for two regulars. She was able to leave earlier than usual and she ignored Michelle’s texts to come in to the agency early. If it was an emergency they knew how to reach her. She typically did night missions anyways so she doubted it was life or death.

She stopped at a coffee shop to grab a sandwich for lunch which she quickly ate before heading to the showing. It was a lot closer to her salon than her current place was. Maybe even walking distance if it was a nice day.

She arrived at the building and found the front doors to be unlocked like the landlord said they would be. In the email she said that the current tenant knew about all the showings happening, so she could just go up and knock on the door.

She found the place fairly easily, and hesitantly knocked on the door. She heard something clanging to the floor on the other side, and footsteps hurrying towards the door. She heard it unlock and then it opened to reveal a short blonde who was clearly still in her pajamas.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this was happening today, come in,” The blonde greeted. Kameron’s heart stopped and time seemed to freeze for a minute. Those were her words, her soulmate was standing right in front of her and probably thought she was an idiot for just standing there staring.

Kameron composed herself quickly, “It’s totally fine, it was a last minute arrangement anyways,” she replied, waiting to see the reaction from the girl, her soulmate.

“Yeah, I’ve had so many showings in the past week I can’t keep track of all of them,” she chuckled and held the door open for Kameron to come inside. Kameron was confused. The girl had said her words. Why was she showing no reaction to Kameron. Unless there was someone else out there who would say Kameron’s words too, but that seemed unlikely. She walked into the apartment anyways, as not to be rude, and the girl shut the door behind her.

“I guess I’ll just give you a quick tour. If you have any questions feel free to ask,” she told her, “I’m Brianna by the way.”

Kameron shook her hand, “Kameron,” she replied.

“Ooh I love that name,” she complimented, “Anyways this is the living room,” she gestured to the room they were in, “Most of the furniture is mine, but I’m sure Aquaria will take her things with her when she leaves so it might be a little bare decoration wise if you do move in.”

Kameron nodded and followed her while she gave to tour. Aquaria’s room, which could potentially be hers, was very spacious. The girl appeared to have a huge collection of shoes and clothes, so even with a walk incloset there was still stuff everywhere. Kameron was definitely a minimalist, so she wouldn’t take up nearly as much space.

Brianna continued the tour, making small talk with Kameron as she showed her around, the topic of soulmates had not been brought up and it felt weird for Kameron to say anything at this point, so she just bit her tongue and kept quiet about it.

“So what do you do for a living?” Brianna asked her, probably trying to make sure she was employed and could afford rent.

“I’m a hairdresser, what about you?” she returned the question.

“I teach kindergarten,” Brianna told her. Kameron didn’t know her at all, but somehow it seemed fitting.

Brianna finished up the tour and turned to her, “Well, that’s it. Any questions?”

Kameron asked a few questions about moving in and whatnot and about the landlord. Everything about the place seemed perfect and too good to be true. Even with the confusion about Brianna potentially being her soulmate it still seemed like she wasn’t going to find anything better.

Before she left Brianna stopped her, “I don’t want to sound creepy or anything, but out of everyone who’s looked at this place so far, you’re the most normal and not suspicious so please move in,” she laughed nervously.

Kameron felt herself blushing a little, but she tried to play if off and laugh along with Brianna, “I’m strongly considering it. I’ll let you or the landlord know by the end of the week,” she promised.

Brianna smiled, “Cool. Have a nice day, if I ever need something dramatic done to my hair I’ll definitely look you up.”

Kameron laughed to herself as she walked out the door. She kept herself composed until she got into her car and then she let herself freak out. Brianna had definitely said her words, so why did she not seem phased at all by Kameron’s response? What were the odds that someone else would say those words? Kameron desperately wished she had someone to talk to about all of this. Someone with soulmate knowledge and experience. She had no idea if any of the girls at the agency had found their soulmates yet, well Eureka hadn’t, but she wasn’t sure about anyone else.

Maybe she could make more of an effort to insert herself into conversations. She might at least hear some valuable information. She sighed and headed to the agency to see what Michelle wanted. She had a big decision to make regarding her living situation, but ignoring it in favor of training or doing a mission seemed perfect to her at that moment.

When Kameron got to the agency Michelle looked relieved to see her, “There you are we’ve been waiting for you. There’s a special mission we need your help with.”

Kameron was led to their meeting room where Dusty, Asia, Monique and Kalorie were already seated. Kameron quietly took her seat and waited for the meeting to start.

“Wow look who finally decided to show up,” Dusty commented.

“And she can’t even be bothered to greet us, no surprise there,” Monique joined in, and the other three laughed.

Michelle cleared her throat and frowned at them, they all straightened immediately. “This is important girls, I chose you all for this mission because I trusted you to be able to work together and lend your own strengths to make it successful. If you can’t be decent to each other this won’t work at all, understood?”

They all nodded and Michelle continued, “We have suspicions that there is an underground group that’s trying to harvest powers and use them to convert regular people into super humans. The problem is they don’t know how or if it’s even possible. Many people have already died or been injured from this and it needs to be shut down. It won’t be easy and it will be time consuming but it is necessary and I think you are all capable of a mission like this.”

Kameron didn’t quite feel like she was. She had never done anything even close to the level of this mission, and the gravity of the situation was terrifying, but if Michelle thought they could do it, then Kameron had no choice but to believe they could to.

Michelle gave them the run down on everything they knew and their plans thus far. The girls all listened intently and gave their input when it was necessary. By the time they left to go home for the night they were all fully intimidated by the mission.

Kameron returned yet again to an empty apartment, her head swirling with too many thoughts about the future. She had no idea how this mission was going to go down but at least she could figure one thing out. She pulled out her phone and emailed the landlord about moving into the apartment. While Brianna still might be her soulmate she couldn’t let that influence her decision too much. She needed a change and she needed to be more social, her mind was made up.

In the following days she processed through all the deposits and paperwork. She informed her current landlord that she wouldn’t be renewing her lease, and she began packing. It would be another new start and while she wasn’t quite sure she was ready for it, she had to take a leap of faith and just do it.

*

Brianna had spent the past few weeks helping Aquaria move out and in with Vixen as well as doing some deep cleaning on the apartment. Brianna wasn’t really that dirty, but she and Aquaria were both messy enough that there was still work to be done. Brianna didn’t want to scare her new roommate out right away, and she wanted the place to look nice and pristine when she moved in.

When the day finally came in for Kameron to move in Brianna was feeling both nervous and excited. From the little she had talked to Kameron, she seemed pretty nice, a little introverted, but Brianna wasn’t too worried about that. She just hoped they would get along decently and that she would have another good friend out of it, but at the very least a decent roommate.

Kameron started moving in things early. She didn’t have too much, but Brianna helped her. Kameron told her countless times that she didn’t need the help, but with the bigger furniture Brianna knew it would be a struggle for one person to do it. Kameron seemed to carry most of the weight easily. Brianna couldn’t help but look at her strained muscles.

Brianna wouldn’t deny that Kameron was attractive. She had a body that Brianna would kill for and a gorgeous face. Brianna would have to be oblivious not to notice, but that didn’t mean her thoughts went any further than that. Her love life was complicated enough without throwing pretty girls in the mix. She had her experimenting phase during college and that was all she needed, now her focus was on her soulmate, as confusing as that situation was.

Once Kameron’s stuff was all moved in Brianna offered to make them some lunch while Kameron did any unpacking she needed to do.

“You’ve seriously helped me so much today you don’t need to do anything more,” Kameron assured her.

Brianna rolled her eyes, “Well I’m making lunch for myself, and if I just happen to make too much for just me to eat, then you can have some too.”

Kameron laughed, her smile meeting her eyes, “Okay I get it. I really appreciate all you’ve done today, thank you.”

Brianna smiled, “I have to give the illusion that I’m a good roommate,” she winked before going to the kitchen to make them something. She watched as Kameron headed to her room to start unpacking.

Brianna didn’t know quite what to make out of Kameron yet but she was nice and laughed at all of Brianna’s cheesy jokes, so she couldn’t be too bad. She’d have to get her friends opinions of course but Kameron didn’t seem to be evil or awful and Brianna trusted her gut.

Once she’d finished making them chicken salads with her homemade lemon poppy seed dressing, she went to go let Kameron know. She liked to think she was a good chef. She was probably the only thing that kept Aquaria from only eating ramen noodles and toast. She didn’t mind cooking either. It was fun for her, so she did it most of the time.

Kameron’s door was open, but Brianna did a curtesy knock anyways, “There’s food out there if you want some,” she announced.

“Thanks again, I’ll be there in a sec,” Kameron smiled politely and Brianna headed back to the kitchen to eat her food.

Kameron joined her fairly quickly and they ate in silence. It was a bit awkward but Brianna figured it was natural.

Brianna cleared her throat, “So you got the weekend off for moving then?” she asked casually.

Kameron nodded, “One of the perks of being a stylist is that I get to make my own schedule mostly.”

“Must be nice,” Brianna said, “I mean my schedule isn’t too shabby either, weekends and summers off is pretty great so I can’t complain.”

“Yeah that sounds pretty nice,” Kameron agreed.

There was another lull in the conversation and Brianna hopped they would be able to move past this awkward stage quickly. She could tell she’d have to do a little pushing to get Kameron out of her shell but hopefully seeing her every day would help.

“So how long have you lived in the city?” she questioned.

“Who says I’m not a native?” Kameron asked, playful smile on her lips.

Brianna laughed, “Something about that twangy accent gave it away.”

“I’ve lived here for about 5 years now. I’m from middle of nowhere Tennessee though,” Kameron explained.

“That explains the accent then,” Brianna smirked, “I’m from here, born and raised.”

“Wow I wouldn’t have guessed.” Brianna could sense the sarcasm in Kameron’s tone.

Brianna pretended to be offended, “Am I really that stereotypical?” she pouted.

“Mostly just loud,” Kameron clicked her tongue matter of factly. They both burst out laughing and it felt like some of the tension had been lifted from the room. Brianna could tell Kameron was still a little on guard, but at least now the conversation was flowing.

They finished their meals and had a little more small talk. Kameron quickly went to do the dishes since Brianna had made them the food. Brianna put up a little bit of resistance, but figured it was only fair and offered to dry them. Once they were finished Kameron headed back to her room to finish getting it set up and Brianna told her she would be around if Kameron needed anything.

It was still too early to gauge how living with Kameron would be but Brianna would say they were off to a good start and that’s how she responded to all of her friends when they asked how it was going so far. Brianna was looking forward to getting to know Kameron. There was something mysterious and intriguing about her, and she couldn’t wait to find out what it was.